cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The pharmacist's role in supporting people living with cystic fibrosis.

Abstract Objectives To describe the critical need for pharmacists' involvement in outpatient care for people living with cystic fibrosis (CF). Data sources Not applicable. Summary CF is a pulmonary condition that affects more than 30,000 children and adults in the United States and 70,000 people worldwide. Various complex medication regimens are given to patients with CF, some depending on the type of mutation they have in their CF transmembrane conductance regulator protein. With complex medication regimens and the increased number and variety of treatments that have become available, the medication use burden intensifies for individuals living with CF and their caregivers. Young people living with CF have a particularly difficult time adhering to medications and other therapies as they begin to rely less on their caregivers and assume greater medication management responsibility for their care. Adolescents report low adherence rates from about 40% to 47% for airway clearance methods and even lower for nutritional recommendations, about 16% to 20%. In inpatient settings, pharmacists have been successful in making medication use recommendations that have improved adherence for patients with CF while in the hospital. However, limited research has explored how provision of pharmacist supportive care and patient education in outpatient settings can improve medication adherence and quality of life for people living with CF. Conclusion There is potential for provision of outpatient pharmacy clinical services to increase medication adherence and overall quality of care for patients with CF. Higher rates of medication adherence in patients with CF could in turn improve patient outcomes and reduce overall health care costs as a result of fewer rehospitalizations. Pharmacies can implement programs designed to provide comprehensive support services and medication management from pharmacists and staff that are trained in CF care.
Liposomal Bupivacaine vs Plain Bupivacaine in Periarticular Injection for Control of Pain and Early Motion in Total Knee Arthroplasty: A Randomized, Prospective Study.

Abstract Background The use of multimodal pain regimens has been shown to be an effective technique for the treatment of postoperative pain after total knee arthroplasty. Periarticular injections, of both short-acting and long-acting anesthetics, have emerged as an additional method of providing significant improvement in postoperative pain relief. The purpose of this study is to compare the efficacy of periarticular injection using long-acting vs short-acting preparations. Methods A randomized, prospective study of 80 consecutive patients was performed comparing liposomal bupivacaine vs plain bupivacaine periarticular injection. The primary outcomes included pain relief, total narcotic usage, and completion of physical therapy goals, specifically range of motion. Results No significant improvements were noted between liposomal bupivacaine and plain bupivacaine injection groups in overall pain reduction, range of motion, or total narcotic usage. At 24 hours, small statistically significant differences in physical therapy pain scores were noted with liposomal bupivacaine vs plain bupivacaine and control patients, but these differences did not persist at later time points. Both preparations demonstrated statistically significant improvements in range of motion when compared to historical controls, but no differences were noted between preparations. Conclusion Overall, minimal significant differences were noted between liposomal bupivacaine and plain bupivacaine at early and late time points. Both preparations of periarticular injection demonstrated superiority over control pain regimens but were relatively equivalent to one another in direct comparison.
Infection by Zika viruses requires the transmembrane protein AXL, endocytosis and low pH.

Abstract The recent Zika virus (ZIKV) outbreak in Brazil has suggested associations of this virus infection with neurological disorders, including microcephaly in newborn infants and Guillian-Barre syndrome in adults. Previous reports have shown that AXL, a transmembrane receptor tyrosine kinase protein, is essential for ZIKV infection of mammalian cells, but this remains controversial. Here, we have assessed the involvement of AXL in the ability of ZIKV to infect mammalian cells, and also the requirement for endocytosis and acidic pH. We demonstrated that AXL is essential for ZIKV infection of human fibroblast cell line HT1080 as the targeted deletion of the gene for AXL in HT1080 cells made them no longer susceptible to ZIKV infection. Our results also showed that infection was prevented by lysosomotropic agents such as ammonium chloride, chloroquine and bafilomycin A1, which neutralize the normally acidic pH of endosomal compartments. Infection by ZIKV was also blocked by chlorpromazine, indicating a requirement for clathrin-mediated endocytosis. Taken together, our findings suggest that AXL most likely serves as an attachment factor for ZIKV on the cell surface, and that productive infection requires endocytosis and delivery of the virus to acidified intracellular compartments.
The impact of internet access at home and/or school on students' academic performance in urban areas in Brazil

Using the propensity scores matching methodology, the paper assesses the impact of internet access at school and/or at home on standardised Portuguese and Mathematics tests of 9th graders in urban public schools in Brazil for years 2007 and 2009. The results suggest that internet access at home considerably improves Portuguese and mathematics test scores for both years. While internet access at school does not improve the academic performance of students in 2007, it has a positive effect in 2009, although of smaller magnitude when compared to the effect of internet at home. The sensitivity analysis confirms the robustness of the results. The results along with previous research suggest that the efforts to increase internet access at schools can result in much higher magnitude of improvement of students' academic performance if they are combined with policy initiatives to increase home internet access and incorporate internet-based educational tools at schools.
Data Mining for Prevention of Crimes

Preemptive measures are of utmost importance for crime prevention. Law enforcement agencies need to have an agile approach to solve everchanging crimes. Data analytics has proven to be an effective deterrent in the field of crime data analysis. Various countries like the United States of America have benefitted by this approach. The Government of India has also taken an initiative to implement data analytics to facilitate crime prevention measures. In this research paper, we have used R Studio, an open source data mining tool to perform the data analysis on the crime dataset shared by the Gujarat Police Department. To develop predictive model and study crime patterns we used various supervised and unsupervised data mining techniques such as Multiple Linear Regression, K-Means Clustering and Association Rules Analysis. The scope of this research paper is to showcase the effectiveness of data mining in the domain of crime prevention. In addition, an effort has been put forth to help the Gujarat Police Department to analyze their crime records and provide meaningful insights for decision making to solve the cases recorded.
The Identity, Purpose, and Future of Doctoral Education.

(1997). The Identity, Purpose, and Future of Doctoral Education. Journal of Public Administration Education: Vol. 3, No. 2, pp. 133-148.
Are smoother earnings associated with a lower cost of equity capital

Despite a belief among corporate executives that smooth earnings paths lead to a lower cost of equity capital, I find no relation between earnings smoothness and average stock returns over the last 30 years. In other words, owners of firms with volatile earnings are not compensated with higher returns, as one would expect if volatile earnings lead to greater risk exposure. Though prior empirical work links smoother earnings to a lower implied cost of capital, I offer evidence that this link is driven primarily by optimism in analysts’ long-term earnings forecasts. This optimism yields target prices and implied cost of capital estimates that are systematically too high for firms with volatile earnings. The findings are important to executives because they cast doubt on the notion that attempts to smooth earnings can lead to a lower cost of equity capital. This study also highlights the importance of controlling for bias in the input variables used to generate implied cost of capital estimates, which has implications for studies that link accounting attributes to cost of capital.
An Introduction to Partial Differential Equations

The study of partial differential equations is an enormous field. If we recall that the theory of ordinary differential equations is subsumed within it, we can get a vague idea of its size. It goes almost without saying, therefore, that any short introduction, such as this chapter can only be an introduction in a very limited sense. For that reason we can include here only one not too satisfactory existence theorem before turning our attention to some properaties of first order and second order equations. We emphasize again that what follows is not in any sense complete.
Principles of Medical Management of Ulcerative Colitis

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic inflammatory disease with a relapsing-remitting course. It affects patients in young adulthood, with a mean age of 34.5 years at diagnosis, a point in life when the afflicted individuals are completing their higher education, establishing their careers, and starting their families. As patients with UC have a normal lifespan, the relapsing course of the disease portends decades of morbidity. The choice of therapy must take into account the long-term issues of compliance and adverse events. In addition, UC is a pervasive disease that can impinge on every aspect of a person’s life, from their current functional and mental state to their future reproductive health and risk of malignancy. Optimal management of this chronic condition must therefore be comprehensive in addressing every facet of the disease. This chapter discusses the principles of management of UC patients, with a focus on evidence-based, patient-centered, systematic, and comprehensive therapy. We provide an overview of the therapeutic options and goals of treatment and provide recommendations for individualizing treatment.
Packer Fan May Give Green, Gold Another Win Over Bears

A Green Bay Packers fan filed suit against the Chicago Bears in federal court for the Northern District of Illinois on June 16, alleging that the Bears violated his First Amendment rights by barring him from wearing clothing supporting an opposing team while attending on-field events. While fan expression is a long-standing tradition and expected part of sports, the First Amendment rights of fans has become a widely debated issue. This dispute, in large part, is due to the fact that there have been very few precedential cases that deny, interpret or establish fans’ rights. The issue becomes further complicated when it involves stadiums and arenas constructed with some public financing or built on state land or land operated by a municipal authority.
GROUP SIZE AND SINGING PHENOLOGY OF NORTHERN CARDINALS (CARDINALIS CARDINALIS) VARIES BETWEEN URBAN AND RURAL HABITATS

Urbanization creates new ecological landscapes that may alter the behavior of animals occupying them. Northern cardinals (Cardinalis cardinalis) inhabit both urban and rural habitats in northeastern Oklahoma, where food availability, predator type, and plant phenology can differ. Relative to birds in rural habitats, cardinals in urban environments formed smaller nonbreeding groups during winter, began singing earlier in the spring and responded more strongly to temperature, and occupied territories at higher densities. These results are in accord with the hypothesized greater food availability (provided by bird feeders), larger numbers of mammalian predators (domestic cats), and earlier availability of nesting sites (through earlier plant leaf-out because of the heat island effect) in urban areas. Urbanization has led to relatively dramatic changes in northern cardinal social behavior and singing phenology.
A cardiovascular disease risk prediction algorithm for use with the Medicare current beneficiary survey

Objective To develop a cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk score that can be used to quantify CVD risk in the Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS). Data sources We used 1999-2013 MCBS data. Study design We used a backward stepwise approach and cox proportional hazards regressions to build and validate a new CVD risk score, similar to the Framingham Risk Score (FRS), using only information available in MCBS. To assess its performance, we calculated C statistics and examined calibration plots. Data collection/extraction methods We studied 21 968 community-dwelling Medicare beneficiaries aged 65 years or older without pre-existing CVD. We obtained risk factors from both survey and claims data. We used claims data to derive "CVD event within 3 years" following the FRS definition of CVD. Principal findings About five percent of MCBS participants developed a CVD event over a mean follow-up period of 348 days. Our final MCBS-based model added morbidity burden, reported general health status, and functional limitation to the traditional FRS predictors of CVD. This model had relatively fair discrimination (C statistic = 0.69; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.67-0.71) and performed well on validation (C = 0.68; CI, 0.66-0.70). More importantly, the plot of observed CVD outcomes versus predicted ones showed that this model had a good calibration. Conclusions Our new CVD risk score can be calculated using MCBS data, thereby extending the survey's ability to quantify CVD risk in the Medicare population and better inform both health policy and health services research.
Numerical modeling and experimental study of elastomer seal assembly in downhole wellbore equipment: Effect of material and chemical swelling

Abstract Seal assemblies are critical elements in a variety of drilling and completion equipment such as wellhead casing hangers, packers, and liner hangers. Zonal isolation is accomplished by seal compression (energization) which generates contact pressure at the seal-pipe interface. The performance of a seal is evaluated based on its mechanical and hydraulic integrity as well as its resistance to failure mechanisms. Objective of this study is to evaluate the performance of a seal assembly at varying compressions, seal and pipe properties, and chemical swelling. In this paper, numerical modeling approach validated by a lab-scale experimental work has been presented. Finite element model and experimental setup consisting of liner, casing, compression plates, and elastomer seal are used. In the model, seal performance was evaluated in terms of contact pressure generated at seal-pipe interface. Experimental setup was used to verify the modelling results. In experiments, sealability was evaluated by injecting gas and observing leakage. Modelling results indicate that elastomer sealability is linearly dependent on amount of seal compression. Numerical model also demonstrated that pipe material can have notable impact on elastomer sealability. Simulation results show that seal-pipe friction has insignificant impact on seal performance. Exposure to surfactant caused volumetric swelling of investigated elastomer materials. Despite reduction in hardness, volumetric swelling was high enough to generate additional seal compression and provide improved sealability as demonstrated by model. Performance evaluation of liner hangers is considered a challenge for industry and regulators because of limited testing protocols, standards, or regulatory guidelines for evaluating this type of barrier system. Information generated in this work will help further advance performance evaluation and qualification guidelines for liner hanger seal assembly.
An integrated approach to assess fish spatial pattern around offshore gas platforms: A pilot study in the Adriatic Sea.

Research on abundance and composition of fish assemblages surrounding offshore extraction platforms is essential to evaluate their impact as well as to understand relationships between natural and artificial habitats. Also decommissioning practice, which belongs to the lifecycle of these structures, can be encouraged or discouraged if fish school behaviour in the close proximity of the platform is well understood. With thousands of platforms to be decommissioned around the world in coming decades, understanding such dynamic interactions is key to improve spatial management of marine ecosystems. In this context, this study drafts a work plan that can be used to investigate fish presence and abundance, school movement and qualitative species composition around a platform over long time periods. It integrates fishing captures, multibeam echosounder (MBES) investigations, and drop camera shootings to overcome the limitations of the individual methods. Monthly samplings were conducted at a three-leg gas extraction platform placed at ~80 m depth in the central Adriatic Sea, for one year after its installation. MBES completely insonified the studied area, providing data on school shape, volume, surface area and position throughout the water column. Fishing captures were useful for MBES targets' identification by measuring the presence/abundance of nekto-benthic and pelagic species both in the nearby of the structure and in the open sea, while drop camera shootings added evidence of a few species in close proximity to the poles, which were not censused by the other methods. Results underlined the strong attraction exerted by the platform and the significant influence of the explanatory variable distance on the schools’ nominal volume.
Abstract 1645: Cell-based reporter bioassays for the development of Fc-functional and Fc-silent SIRPα/CD47 checkpoint inhibitors

CD47, a membrane glycoprotein commonly overexpressed in human cancers, interacts with its cognate receptor SIRPα on myeloid cells to deliver a “don9t eat me” signal that inhibits phagocytosis. This SIRPα/CD47 interaction has emerged as a critical and potentially druggable immune checkpoint. Blockade of SIRPα/CD47 interaction promotes phagocytosis of tumor cells in vitro, and SIRPα/CD47 inhibitors exhibit anti-tumor activity, including synergistic activity with other tumor-targeted mAbs (e.g. rituximab), in vivo. These encouraging pre-clinical data have sparked widespread development of SIRPα/CD47 inhibitors and driven a need for robust functional assays to measure the activity of these drug candidates. Biological activity of SIRPα/CD47 inhibitors is typically assessed via in vitro phagocytosis assays based on imaging or flow cytometry. These assays often use primary monocyte-derived macrophages and are inherently prone to donor variability, are low-throughput, and difficult to implement in drug development settings. Additionally, many SIRPα/CD47 inhibitors under development are designed to minimize Fc function to enhance safety and are thus incapable of driving phagocytosis directly. To overcome these limitations, we have developed a pair of reporter-based bioassays for measuring the biological activity of Fc-functional and Fc-silent SIRPα/CD47 inhibitors. These bioassays utilize a SIRPα-positive monocyte effector cell-line that expresses multiple Fc gamma receptors (FcγRs) and an FcγR-responsive NanoLuc luciferase reporter that is inhibited by SIRPα/CD47 interaction upon co-culture of SIRPα effector cells with CD47-positive target cells. Addition of CD47 inhibitors with Fc functional activity simultaneously disrupts the SIRPα/CD47 interaction and engages FcγRs on the SIRPα effector cells, resulting in NanoLuc reporter activation. To enable testing of Fc-silent inhibitors, we have engineered a second CD47 target cell-line which provides a constitutive activating stimulus to SIRPα effector cells that is restricted by SIRPα/CD47 interaction. Addition of Fc-silent SIRPα/CD47 blockers releases inhibition by SIRPα/CD47, resulting in NanoLuc reporter activation. These newly developed reporter bioassays provide a robust, high-throughput platform to facilitate discovery and development of diverse SIRPα/CD47 checkpoint inhibitors. Citation Format: Jonathan Mitchell, Jamison Grailer, Jim Hartnett, Frank Fan, Mei Cong, Zhijie Jey Cheng. Cell-based reporter bioassays for development of Fc-functional and Fc-silent SIRPa/CD47 checkpoint inhibitors [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research 2020; 2020 Apr 27-28 and Jun 22-24. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(16 Suppl):Abstract nr 3163.
Neutrophil extracellular traps as a novel biomarker to predict recurrence-free and overall survival in patients with primary hepatic malignancies

Abstract Background The incidence of primary hepatic malignancies including Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and cholangiocarcinoma (CC) is on the rise. (i) Surgery remains the mainstay of potential curative treatment, however the vast majority of patients will recur and not be amenable to curative therapy. (ii) Inflammation has been associated with poor prognosis, however there is no preoperative marker that can predict recurrence-free- or overall survival. Our aim is to correlate inflammation measured as neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) with survival. Methods A retrospective analysis was performed using sera/tissue from patients with hepatic malignancies. NET levels were measured in the serum (MPO-DNA) or tumor (Cit-H3). Log rank analysis for RFS/OS was performed. Results Cancer patients had higher pre-surgery MPO-DNA levels compared to healthy individuals (healthy vs cancer: 2.6 ± 1.0 ng/ml vs 34.7 ± 2.13 ng/ml; p Conclusion The current study shows a correlation between pre-operative NET levels and survival. Studying NET formation as a biomarker pre-surgery can help identify patients that could benefit from closer follow-up due to higher risk for recurrence.
Inequalities in Exposure to Ambient Air Neurotoxicants and Disparities in Markers of Neurodevelopment in Children by Maternal Nativity Status

Exposure levels to environmental pollutants vary significantly among different populations. These inequities in exposure to hazardous air pollutants (HAP) among different populations can contribute to disparities in neurodevelopmental outcomes. The aim of this study was to determine if exposure to HAP varies by maternal nativity status, a demographic marker often overlooked in the study of health disparities. We also assessed if those inequalities in exposure levels are associated with neurodevelopmental measures in young children. To do this, we obtained data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Birth cohort (ECLS-B), a nationally representative sample of children born in the U.S. in the year 2001 (n = 4750). Bayley’s Short Form-Research Edition (BSF-R) was used to measure cognitive development at 2 years of age. Using residential location at nine months of age, participants were assigned exposures to ten HAPs identified as potentially neurotoxic. Linear regression models were used to assess the joint effect of maternal nativity status and HAP exposure on neurodevelopment. Results showed inequities in exposure levels to ten different HAPs among the populations, as approximately 32% of children of foreign-born mothers were exposed to high levels of HAPs, compared to 21% of children born to U.S.-born mothers. Adjusting for socioeconomic factors, both isophorone exposure (a marker of industrial pollution) (−0.04, 95% CI, −0.12, 0.04) and maternal nativity status (−0.17, 95% CI, −0.27, −0.06) were independently associated with lower standardized BSF-R mental scores in children. Interaction between nativity status and isophorone was not statistically significant, but the change in mental scores associated with isophorone exposure was greater in children of foreign-born mothers compared to children of U.S.-born mothers (−0.12, vs. −0.03, p = 0.2). In conclusion, exposure to HAPs within the highest quartile was more commonly found among children of foreign-born mothers as compared to children of US-born mothers, indicating inequities in pollutant exposure by nativity status within urban populations. Exposures associated with nativity status may negatively contribute to children’s neurodevelopment.
Bimodal Nanocomposite Platform with Antibiofilm and Self-Powering Functionalities for Biomedical Applications.

Advances in microelectronics and nanofabrication have led to the development of various implantable biomaterials. However, biofilm-associated infection on medical devices still remains a major hurdle that substantially undermines the clinical applicability and advancement of biomaterial systems. Given their attractive piezoelectric behavior, barium titanate (BTO)-based materials have also been used in biological applications. Despite its versatility, the feasibility of BTO-embedded biomaterials as anti-infectious implantable medical devices in the human body has not been explored yet. Here, the first demonstration of clinically viable BTO-nanocomposites is presented. It demonstrates potent antibiofilm properties against Streptococcus mutans without bactericidal effect while retaining their piezoelectric and mechanical behaviors. This antiadhesive effect led to â¼10-fold reduction in colony-forming units in vitro. To elucidate the underlying mechanism for this effect, data depicting unfavorable interaction energy profiles between BTO-nanocomposites and S. mutans using the classical and extended Derjaguin, Landau, Verwey, and Overbeek theories is presented. Direct cell-to-surface binding force data using atomic force microscopy also corroborate reduced adhesion between BTO-nanocomposites and S. mutans. Interestingly, the poling process on BTO-nanocomposites resulted in asymmetrical surface charge density on each side, which may help tackle two major issues in prosthetics-bacterial contamination and tissue integration. Finally, BTO-nanocomposites exhibit superior biocompatibility toward human gingival fibroblasts and keratinocytes. Overall, BTO-embedded composites exhibit broad-scale potential to be used in biological settings as energy-harvestable antibiofilm surfaces.
Bridging the Postpartum Gap: A Randomized Controlled Trial to Improve Postpartum Visit Attendance Among Low-Income Women with Limited English Proficiency.

Background: Rates of postpartum visit attendance are low among all women, and particularly for low-income women. Experts in obstetrics, women's health, and health disparities are calling for novel, holistic approaches to postpartum care to better meet the needs of women and that respond to existing health care disparities. Materials and Methods: We conducted a single-site parallel-arm randomized controlled trial to determine the feasibility and effect of a co-located, co-timed 4-6 weeks postpartum obstetrics visit and well-newborn pediatric visit (i.e., "mommy-baby visit") compared with an enhanced usual postpartum visit, that is, staff scheduled the postpartum visit for the patient before hospital discharge. Results: One hundred sixteen women, of whom 76.7% (n = 89) were Latina immigrants, were enrolled postdelivery and randomized to a mommy-baby visit (n = 58, 49.5%) or to enhanced usual care (n = 58, 50.4%). Almost all study participants attended their postpartum visit (n = 109, 94.0%). There was no significant difference in postpartum visit attendance rate by randomization assignment (91.4% of mommy-baby vs. 96.6% of enhanced usual care participants). Study participants, mommy-baby intervention and enhanced usual care arms combined, were significantly more likely to attend the postpartum visit than historical controls (94.0% vs. 69.7%, respectively, p < 0.001). Conclusions: In a randomized controlled trial, we showed postpartum visit attendance rates were high for participants in both the mommy-baby and enhanced usual care arms. Postpartum visit scheduling assistance was provided to all participants and may have increased postpartum visit attendance and thereby attenuated the effect of the intervention. It is encouraging that a low-cost, low-tech, low-touch intervention, that is, postpartum appointment scheduling before hospital discharge, could increase postpartum visit attendance.
Combining Tumor Segmentation Masks with PET/CT Images and Clinical Data in a Deep Learning Framework for Improved Prognostic Prediction in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

PET/CT images provide a rich data source for clinical prediction models in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Deep learning models often use images in an end-to-end fashion with clinical data or no additional input for predictions. However, in the context of HNSCC, the tumor region of interest may be an informative prior in the generation of improved prediction performance. In this study, we utilize a deep learning framework based on a DenseNet architecture to combine PET images, CT images, primary tumor segmentation masks, and clinical data as separate channels to predict progression-free survival (PFS) in days for HNSCC patients. Through internal validation (10-fold cross-validation) based on a large set of training data provided by the 2021 HECKTOR Challenge, we achieve a mean C-index of 0.855 {+/-} 0.060 and 0.650 {+/-} 0.074 when observed events are and are not included in the C-index calculation, respectively. Ensemble approaches applied to cross-validation folds yield C-index values up to 0.698 in the independent test set (external validation). Importantly, the value of the added segmentation mask is underscored in both internal and external validation by an improvement of the C-index when compared to models that do not utilize the segmentation mask. These promising results highlight the utility of including segmentation masks as additional input channels in deep learning pipelines for clinical outcome prediction in HNSCC.
State Healthcare and Yanomami Transformations: A Symmetrical Ethnography

Amazonian indigenous peoples have preserved many aspects of their culture and cosmology while also developing complex relationships with dominant non-indigenous society. Until now, anthropological writing on Amazonian peoples has been divided between traditional topics like kinship, cosmology, ritual, and myth, on the one hand, and the analysis of their struggles with the nation-state on the other. What has been lacking is work that bridges these two approaches and takes into consideration the meaning of relationships with the state from an indigenous perspective. That long-standing dichotomy is challenged in this new ethnography by anthropologist Jose Kelly. Kelly places the study of culture and cosmology squarely within the context of the modern nation-state and its institutions. He explores Indian-white relations as seen through the operation of a state-run health system among the indigenous Yanomami of southern Venezuela. With theoretical foundations in the fields of medical and Amazonian anthropology, Kelly sheds light on how Amerindian cosmology shapes concepts of the state at the community level. The result is a symmetrical anthropology that treats white and Amerindian perceptions of each other within a single theoretical framework, thus expanding our understanding of each group and its influences on the other. This book will be valuable to those studying Amazonian peoples, medical anthropology, development studies, and Latin America. Its new takes on theory and methodology make it ideal for classroom use."
Hepatitis C (HCV) and antioxidant deficiency in HIV+ drug users in Miami

Objective: Increased oxidative stress is common in HIV and HCV infections, complicated by secondary malnutrition which may heighten oxidative stress. We examined antioxidant status in HIV/HCV co-in...
The Role of Extrachromosomal Inheritance in Plant Breeding

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses several mechanisms involved in extrachromosomal inheritance. It is demonstrated that chloroplasts and mitochondria contain their own deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), with a unique informational content. Consequently, it seems reasonable to assume that many cases of extrachromosomal inheritance involve the genetic system of the organelle. Viral infections have been suggested as a possible explanation of some cytoplasmically inherited male sterilities. Furthermore, it has been suggested that viral infections could account for all cytoplasmically inherited traits, even though their presence has not been demonstrated. The possibility that nuclear genes are responsible for apparent extrachromosomal inheritance cannot be dismissed. It is also proposed that cytoplasmic male sterility might be explained, by operon-type controls, rather than by independent cytoplasmic determinants. Episomes or genetic elements are known in bacteria that can be inserted at a particular site and becomes an integral part of the bacterial chromosome, or may exist and replicate independently of the bacterial DNA. There is a possibility that similar episomal systems, between nuclear DNA and DNA of plant organelles, or any other cytoplasmic DNA existing in higher plants, may be involved in extrachromosomal inheritance.
Levi‐Montalcini, Rita (1909 – Present)

This article has no abstract. Keywords: Levi-Montalcini, Rita (nerve development in chicken embryos); nerve growth factor (NGF)
Hybrid silicon tunable filter based on a Mach-Zehnder interferometer and ring resonantor

A novel photonic integrated tunable filter on the hybrid silicon platform is proposed and demonstrated. The filter incorporates a ring resonator placed in one arm of a Mach-Zehnder interferometer making it possible to obtain programmable filter transfer function. The microwave and optical frequency responses were also characterized.
Introduction to Facility Location

This article provides a broad overview of facility location problems, one of the oldest and most widely studied fields of applied optimization. The article presents a standard taxonomy of location models and discusses key dimensions along which they are classified. Mathematical programming formulations and common solution methods for several classical models are described. A variety of extensions that build upon these models and their application to richer and more complex settings are also discussed. The article covers discrete and network location problems and, to a lesser extent, continuous problems. Keywords: facility location problems; Weber problem; simple plant location problem; uncapacitated fixed-charge location problem; maximal covering location problem; p-median problem; p-center problem; set covering location problem
Time to Reconsider Dabigatran 110 mg in the USA

Unlike other international regulatory agencies, the US FDA did not approve the dabigatran 110 mg dose for the prevention of stroke and systemic embolism in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation. Such decision was based on the review of the results from the RE-LY trial, after which the US FDA concluded there was no subgroup of patients for whom dabigatran 110 mg was not inferior to dabigatran 150 mg. Recently, observational studies based on US data have found that the safety profile of dabigatran differs between subgroups, considerably more than what was suggested in clinical trials. In addition, post hoc analyses of the RE-LY trial support the use of dabigatran 110 mg in high-risk patients, as recommended by the European label. Based on this new evidence, the US FDA should reconsider the approval of the dabigatran 110 mg dose. The availability of dabigatran 110 mg may be especially favorable for groups of patients for whom dabigatran has been associated with higher risk of bleeding than warfarin, which represent a high proportion of the patients recommended for oral anticoagulation. In addition, the approval of this intermediate strength would increase prescribers’ and patients’ flexibility in the choice of oral anticoagulant.
inequalities in wealth, adoption of technology, and production in a Mexican ejido1

In this paper, data from a Mexican ejido are presented to show that there are significant intra-community differences in wealth and willingness to adopt new forms of behavior—two traits often reported as being homogeneous among peasants. Two empirical examples of the relationship between wealth and adoption of technology are presented and compared with previous theoretical models. While support is found for two variants of a “middle class conservatism” model, it is suggested that several different models of this relationship may emerge depending on the technology introduced and the socioeconomic constraints and incentives present. This point is illustrated with data on the economics of the two new types of technology.
Small Molecule Screening in Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-derived Terminal Cell Types

A need for better clinical outcomes has heightened interest in the use of physiologically relevant human cells in the drug discovery process. Patient-specific human induced pluripotent stem cells may offer a relevant, robust, scalable, and cost-effective model of human disease physiology. Small molecule high throughput screening in human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cells with the intent of identifying novel therapeutic compounds is starting to influence the drug discovery process; however, the use of these cells presents many high throughput screening development challenges. This technology has the potential to transform the way drug discovery is performed.
Synthesis, characterization, and reactivity of iron trisamidoamine complexes that undergo both metal- and ligand-centered oxidative transformations.

Functional systems that combine redox-active metals and noninnocent ligands are no longer rare chemical oddities; they are instead emerging as significant components of catalytic and enzymatic reactions. The present work examines the synthetic and functional aspects of iron compounds ligated by a family of new trisamidoamine ligands of the type [(RNC6H4)3N]3- (L1). When R is the electron-rich 4-t-Bu−Ph moiety, the ligand can undergo oxidative rearrangement and store oxidizing equivalents under specific conditions. Starting ferrous complexes of the general formula [(L1)FeIIsolv]- (solv = CH3CN, dimethylformamide) can be easily oxidized (a) by dioxygen to afford the corresponding [(L1)FeIIIOH]- complexes, featuring several cases of terminal hydroxo units, and (b) by organochlorides (R−Cl) to provide [(L1)FeIIIsolv] congeners and coupled R−R products. Efforts to synthesize [(L1)FeIII−O−FeIII(L1)]2- by using [Cl3FeIII−O−FeIIICl3]2- indicate that intrinsic FeIIICl units can oxidatively rearrange the ligand to ...
Controlled comparison of plasma and serum for cystic fibrosis protein

Investigators who have previously reported attempts to utilize the isoelectric focusing (IEF) method to detect the cystic fibrosis protein (CFP) in blood samples from CF homozygotes and heterozygotes, and normal healthy controls have restricted their evaluations to serum samples. The requirement of using serum and the stringent conditions laid down for the collection, processing, and storage of serum samples have been impediments, however, to the successful use of the IEF method for CFP detection. We now report results obtained from controlled (“blind”) comparative analyses of matched serum and plasma samples from CF homozygotes and heterozygotes, and normal healthy controls which indicate that the CFP is present in plasma and that heparinized plasma in particular may be a better fluid than serum for use in future studies on the CFP.
Theory for the early stages of phase separation: The long-range-force limit

A systematic perturbation theory for the early stages of spinodal decomposition is developed for systems with long-range forces. The small parameter in our theory is proportional to the inverse of the range of the force. The Cahn-Hilliard-Cook theory for the structure factor results as the leading term in the expansion. The first-order perturbative correction to that result, as expected, acts to substantially slow down the evolution predicted by the earlier theory of Cahn et al. Coupling of wave-number modes, not given in previous theories, is a natural consequence of our theory. We also find that one cannot consistently define a spinodal curve for systems with a finite range of force: The effective ``critical wave number'' which determines this curve becomes time dependent. The theoretical results we obtain could be tested experimentally on systems with long-range forces, such as polymer-polymer blends or some binary alloys.
Single Phase Compressible Steady Flow in Pipes

In general, the computation of single phase subsonic mass velocity of gas flowing through a pipe requires a computerized iterative analysis. The equations for the friction factor for laminar and turbulent flow are used to obtain explicit equations for the subsonic mass velocity as a function of the pressures at the ends of a pipe. Explicit equations for mass velocity are presented. Included within the equations is a heat transfer ratio, which can vary between 0 for adiabatic flow conditions to 1 for isothermal flow conditions. The use of this heat transfer ratio also enables the formulation of an explicit equation for the gas temperature along the pipe for nonisothermal flow conditions. The explicit equations eliminate the need for an iterative solution. Laboratory data are used to support the accuracy of the model.
Non-Lyme Tick-Borne Diseases: A Neurological Perspective

Tick-borne diseases are prevalent throughout the world and present a diagnostic challenge owing to their nonspecific clinical symptoms. Many tick-borne diseases involve the central and peripheral nervous systems. Early diagnosis or at least suspicion of a tick-borne cause is necessary to institute early empiric treatment. After a brief review of tick biology, we present the most common tick-borne diseases. A brief discussion of epidemiology, the transmission route, and pathogenesis is followed by a discussion of the clinical manifestations, diagnosis and treatment options when available. The review emphasizes the infectious causes with a significant neurological manifestation.
A novel approach to minimize false discovery rate in genome-wide data analysis

High-throughput technologies, such as DNA microarray, have significantly advanced biological and biomedical research by enabling researchers to carry out genome-wide screens. One critical task in analyzing genome-wide datasets is to control the false discovery rate (FDR) so that the proportion of false positive features among those called significant is restrained. Recently a number of FDR control methods have been proposed and widely practiced, such as the Benjamini-Hochberg approach, the Storey approach and Significant Analysis of Microarrays (SAM). This paper presents a straight-forward yet powerful FDR control method termed miFDR, which aims to minimize FDR when calling a fixed number of significant features. We theoretically proved that the strategy used by miFDR is able to find the optimal number of significant features when the desired FDR is fixed. We compared miFDR with the BH approach, the Storey approach and SAM on both simulated datasets and public DNA microarray datasets. The results demonstrated that miFDR outperforms others by identifying more significant features under the same FDR cut-offs. Literature search showed that many genes called only by miFDR are indeed relevant to the underlying biology of interest. FDR has been widely applied to analyzing high-throughput datasets allowed for rapid discoveries. Under the same FDR threshold, miFDR is capable to identify more significant features than its competitors at a compatible level of complexity. Therefore, it can potentially generate great impacts on biological and biomedical research. If interested, please contact the authors for getting miFDR.
Hydrogenation of cyclohexanone on Pt–Sn surface alloys

Abstract Hydrogenation of cyclohexanone was studied over Pt(111) and two ordered, Pt–Sn alloy surfaces formed by vapor deposition of Sn on the Pt(111) single crystal surface—the (2×2) Sn/Pt(111) and ( 3 × 3 )R30° Sn/Pt(111) surface alloys. The influence of alloying Sn, alloy structure, partial pressures of hydrogen and cyclohexanone, and temperature on the activity and selectivity of these model catalysts toward formation of the corresponding alcohol was investigated. All surfaces were characterized before and after catalytic reaction by XPS and LEED to ensure proper alloy formation and stability. The hydrogenation activity at low temperature (325 K) was substantially higher for both Pt–Sn alloy catalysts than that of the Pt(111) surface, with the activity proportional to the amount of Sn in the surface layer. The apparent activation energy for the hydrogenation of cyclohexanone at 325 K was 16.2, 13.4, and 12.4 kcal/mol for Pt(111), (2×2) Sn/Pt(111) alloy, and ( 3 × 3 )R30° Sn/Pt(111) alloy, respectively, and the reaction order in H2 changed from 0.5 on Pt(111) to 1.5 on both alloys. The selectivity over the two Pt–Sn alloys was the same as for Pt(111), but large changes occurred in the products formed as a function of temperature on all three surfaces. Cyclohexanol was the only product detected below 400 K, but cyclohexene and cyclohexane were the sole products at 425 and 500 K, and the C 12-coupling product cyclohexylcyclohexene was formed exclusively at 600 K over all catalysts.
Modulation of metabolic and clock gene mRNA rhythms by pineal and retinal circadian oscillators

Avian circadian organization involves interactions between three neural pacemakers: the suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN), pineal, and retina. Each of these structures is linked within a neuroendocrine loop to influence downstream processes and peripheral oscillations. However, the contribution of each structure to drive or synchronize peripheral oscillators or circadian outputs in avian species is largely unknown. To explore these interactions in the chick, we measured 2-deoxy[14C]-glucose (2DG) uptake and mRNA expression of the chick clock genes bmal1, cry1, and per3 in three brain areas and in two peripheral organs in chicks that underwent pinealectomy, enucleation, or sham surgery. We found that 2DG uptake rhythms damp under constant darkness in intact animals, while clock gene mRNA levels continue to cycle, demonstrating that metabolic rhythms are not directly driven by clock gene transcription. Moreover, 2DG rhythms are not phase-locked to rhythms of clock gene mRNA. However, pinealectomy and enucleation had similar disruptive effects on both metabolic and clock gene rhythms, suggesting that both of these oscillators act similarly to reinforce molecular and physiological rhythms in the chicken. Finally, we show that the relative phasing of at least one clock gene, cry1, varies between central and peripheral oscillators in a tissue specific manner. These data point to a complex, differential orchestration of central and peripheral oscillators in the chick, and, importantly, indicate a disconnect between canonical clock gene regulation and circadian control of metabolism.