cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Preference for drugs containing fentanyl from a cross-sectional survey of people who use illicit opioids in three United States cities.

Abstract Background Death from fentanyl-related overdose is now a leading cause of mortality among US adults. We sought to characterize fentanyl preference among street-based people who use drugs (PWUD). Methods Cross-sectional surveys were administered to PWUD (N = 308) who illicitly used heroin or prescription opioids in the prior six months. Recruitment occurred in 2017 in three US east coast cities with high overdose mortality: Baltimore, Boston, and Providence. Our main outcome was preference for fentanyl (yes/no); exposures included sociodemographics, drug use, and overdose history. Pearson’s χ2, Shapiro-Wilk-Mann rank-sum tests, and tiered log-binomial regression determined sociodemographic and exposure-related factors associated with fentanyl preference. Results Preference for nonmedical use of fentanyl was reported by 27% (n = 83) of the sample. Fentanyl preference was associated with non-Hispanic white race (adjusted risk ratio (ARR) = 1.68, 95% confidence interval (CI):1.18–2.40), daily illicit drug use (aRR = 2.2, CI:1.71–2.87), and overdose ≥1 year ago (aRR = 1.33, CI:1.18–1.50). Age (in decades; aRR = 0.77, CI:0.61–0.98) and overdose Conclusion In three cities with high levels of opioid use and overdose, a quarter of street based PWUD reported preferring fentanyl. An opioid use age cohort effect and disproportionate access to prescription opioids by race could be contributing to preference. Frequency of opioid use, not route of administration, was associated with preference. Our data demonstrate the need to consider preferences for fentanyl when targeting services and interventions for PWUD.
Managing traffic with raffles

Abstract Raffles have been widely used in commercial markets to influence consumers’ behaviors. Instead of charging users a fee or issuing a credit to users as incentives, the raffle-based scheme incentivizes users to change their choices by giving out credits that are used to enter a lottery. Comparing to tolls or credits, raffles may be less controversial since it is based on voluntary participation. The promises of a raffle-based scheme is that users are more risk-seeking, thus willing to participate in the lottery, when stakes are low. This would particularly fit the traffic management where the cost for a user to change his/her choices may be relatively insignificant comparing to the reward of a raffle. This paper examines the effect of raffle or lotteries for travel demand management, particularly in the morning commute. We establish the utility-based user equilibrium by incorporating risks and uncertainties in users’ choices. A class of Flat Raffle schemes is proposed where a constant lottery winning chance is set for a period of time during the morning commute. We show that a marginal user who is indifferent from participating the lottery or not would exist for arbitrary utility functions. Furthermore, we analytically derive and solve for the equilibrium using exponential utility functions, and subsequently the optimal travel profiles under four potential system management objectives. We find that minimizing the total generalized travel cost (TTC) seems a reasonable goal for an optimal Flat Raffle possibly resulting in approximately minimum commuting duration and minimum total queuing delay at the same time. Under the minimum TTC, there is no queuing delay for the user who is indifferent from participating the lottery or not. Most interestingly, a Flat Raffle scheme works the best and outperforms the optimal one-step toll, when the population is overall slightly risk-seeking. This is particularly appealing since the raffle reward is relatively significant comparing with a not-so-significant cost increase associated with users’ behavioral change.
Decoy Ensemble Reduction in Template-free Protein Structure Prediction

The primary challenge in template-free protein structure prediction is controlling the quality of computed tertiary structures, also known as decoys. While research on how to do so is highly active, the main rule of thumb is to generate as many decoys as can be afforded. This rule acknowledges that more decoys increase the likelihood that some will reside near the sought biologically-active/native structure. Generating large numbers of decoys imposes time and space costs. These costs percolate down to decoy selection algorithms that need to select from the generated decoys a few sufficiently near-native. In this paper, we evaluate the hypothesis that the generated decoy ensemble can be significantly reduced without sacrificing decoy quality. Evaluation on diverse proteins shows that drastic reductions can be achieved in the number of preserved decoys while retaining the quality of generated decoys via clustering. The presented results suggest that decoy ensemble reduction promises to aid protein structure prediction.
Institutional differences in USMLE Step 1 and 2 CK performance: Cross-sectional study of 89 US allopathic medical schools.

Introduction The United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Step 1 and Step 2 Clinical Knowledge (CK) are important for trainee medical knowledge assessment and licensure, medical school program assessment, and residency program applicant screening. Little is known about how USMLE performance varies between institutions. This observational study attempts to identify institutions with above-predicted USMLE performance, which may indicate educational programs successful at promoting students’ medical knowledge. Methods Self-reported institution-level data was tabulated from publicly available US News and World Report and Association of American Medical Colleges publications for 131 US allopathic medical schools from 2012–2014. Bivariate and multiple linear regression were performed. The primary outcome was institutional mean USMLE Step 1 and Step 2 CK scores outside a 95% prediction interval (≥2 standard deviations above or below predicted) based on multiple regression accounting for students’ prior academic performance. Results Eighty-nine US medical schools (54 public, 35 private) reported complete USMLE scores over the three-year study period, representing over 39,000 examinees. Institutional mean grade point average (GPA) and Medical College Admission Test score (MCAT) achieved an adjusted R2 of 72% for Step 1 (standardized βMCAT 0.7, βGPA 0.2) and 41% for Step 2 CK (standardized βMCAT 0.5, βGPA 0.3) in multiple regression. Using this regression model, 5 institutions were identified with above-predicted institutional USMLE performance, while 3 institutions had below-predicted performance. Conclusions This exploratory study identified several US allopathic medical schools with significant above- or below-predicted USMLE performance. Although limited by self-reported data, the findings raise questions about inter-institutional USMLE performance parity, and thus, educational parity. Additional work is needed to determine the etiology and robustness of the observed performance differences.
Perceptions of Environmental Degradation

In this chapter, I explore how access to wilderness is related to perceptions of environmental impact. Multiple user groups access the refuge, all with the potential to cause environmental harm or bring about environmental degradation. I focus on the two groups primarily identified as causing environmental harm: undocumented border-crossers and Border Patrol. I argue that increasing illegal roads and vehicular damage are the most pressing environmental problems facing the refuge today. However, media accounts often focus on garbage left by undocumented border-crossers as being harmful to wilderness. I explore these varying perceptions of environmental degradation at Cabeza Prieta.
Therapy Response Imaging in Sarcoma and Musculoskeletal Malignancies

Imaging plays an important role in assessing response to treatment in both primary and metastatic sarcomas. The response of sarcomas to targeted therapies is best exemplified by response of gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) to imatinib. Alternate tumor response criteria, namely Choi criteria, were proposed to overcome limitations of Response Evaluation Criteria In Solid Tumors (RECIST) in interpreting response of GIST to imatinib. These alternate tumor response criteria were subsequently found to have a role in assessing response of non-GIST sarcomas including those treated with conventional chemoradiation therapy. In this chapter, we will discuss in detail the pros and cons of various response criteria in GIST and non-GIST sarcomas.
Leveraging Design Competitions to Enhance Learning Goals and Student Motivation Within a Studio Project

Industrial Designers traditionally use models to visualize and test designs. As fabrication processes shift from analog shop equipment to digital technologies, ID education must adjust curriculums. As a result, graduates often have gaps in their training. Accordingly, the School of Industrial Design at Georgia Tech. created a new course to bridge this gap between digital and traditional modelmaking.
Urethral involvement is associated with higher mortality and local recurrence in vulvar melanoma: a single institutional experience.

Summary Vulvar malignant melanoma (VMM), although uncommon, comprises 5–10% of all vulvar malignancies. Local control is notoriously poor in VMM with recurrence rates of 30–50% compared with approximately 3% in cutaneous melanomas. We studied clinicopathologic features of 37 women with VMM, after reviewing three decades of clinical follow-up data in our institutional databases. Most patients were Caucasian (n = 35) with an average age at diagnosis of 60.6 years (range 23–83). The most common subtype was mucosal lentiginous melanoma (n = 25). We compared Kaplan–Meier survival curves of 31 patients defined by clinical and microscopic attributes using exact log-rank tests. Younger patients at diagnosis (23–64 years), those with thin melanomas (≤1 mm), and those with Clark's level II or III tumors had better 5-year survival rates than older patients (65–83 years) and those with thick melanomas (>1 mm) and those with Clark's level IV or V (P ≤ 0.05), respectively, by exact log-rank test. Local recurrence of melanoma occurred in 15 patients. Nine patients (24%) had eventual urethral involvement by malignant melanoma, and this feature was associated with significantly shorter survival (P = 0.036). Patients with urethral involvement had shorter median time to death and worse 5-year survival rates. Given that spread to the urethra is common in VMM and urethral recurrence is also associated with mortality, pathology excision specimens should be carefully reviewed with attention to urethral involvement as a potentially important prognostic factor.
Pelvic Floor Nonrelaxation: Approach to Evaluation and Treatment

Dyssynergic defecation can be a complex, burdensome condition. A multidisciplinary approach to these patients is often indicated based on concomitant pathology or symptomatology across the pelvic organs. Escalating treatment options should be based on shared decision making and include medical and lifestyle optimization, pelvic floor physical therapy with biofeedback, Botox injection, sacral neuromodulation, rectal irrigation, and surgical diversion.
Assessing needs of student volunteers related to providing care to a homeless population.

Abstract Problem statement Microsystem analysis of the free clinic run by students from Rush University at a Chicago homeless shelter revealed many unfilled volunteer shifts, and a lack of training. Methods As a quality improvement project to assess educational gaps and concerns, an online survey was distributed to actual and potential student volunteers. Results Among the 54 participants, the majority were nursing students (70.4%), had volunteered at the clinic at least once (59.3%), reported not feeling confident in their ability to care for homeless patients (64.8%), and did not believe their academic program adequately addressed care of homeless patients (70.4%). Analysis did not identify a statistically significant relationship between academic program and confidence or perceived program adequacy, likely due to the small sample size of medical and physician assistant students. Content analysis of the qualitative responses identified four categories of educational gaps and concerns—knowledge deficits, skill deficits, volunteer support, and site-specific concerns. Conclusion Numerous educational gaps and concerns were identified from subjective data, though no negative attitudes toward the patients were noted. These data will help design a training session for potential clinic volunteers, and suggest that further exploration of educational gaps in caring for homeless patients is warranted.
Maximizing The Impact of Comics in Your Library: Graphic Novels, Manga, and More: Jack Phoenix. Santa Barbara, CA, Libraries Unlimited, 2020, 248 pp., (paperback), ISBN: 978-1-4408-6885-6, $55.00, (E-book), ISBN: 978-1-4408-6886-3, $52.25 (Kindle)

Jack Phoenix’s Maximizing the Impact of Comics in Your Library: Graphic Novels, Manga, and More is an excellent resource for any librarian who wants to learn more about comics in libraries, particu...
Workplace physiotherapy for musculoskeletal pain-relief in office workers: A pilot study.

BACKGROUND: Musculoskeletal pain is highly prevalent among office workers and causes high costs to the public health system. Strategies including education and exercise are recommended, with major benefits when conducted by physical therapists in the occupational environment. However, the required investment is uncommon among companies. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of a multimodal physiotherapy intervention to relieve musculoskeletal pain in office workers. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study employed a single group study with a pre-post study design and was conducted at Universidad San Jorge in 2018. Outcome variables were: workplace ergonomics (INSHT Guide), existence and severity of musculoskeletal disorders (Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire), musculoskeletal pain intensity (Numeric Rating Scale), and Clinical Global Impression Scale. Office workers in a university setting (n = 24, 19 females) were assessed at baseline, after 4 weeks of in-person sessions and following 3 weeks of autonomous performance. The physiotherapy program included education, ergonomic supervision, self-treatment, strengthening, and stretching exercises. A repeated-measures ANOVA or Friedman test (with post hoc comparisons) and Chi-squared test were used to compare the study variables. RESULTS: At baseline, cervical spine (54%), shoulder (42%), and lumbar regions (37.5%) were the most symptomatic regions according to the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire. Even if the proportion of symptomatic areas did not decrease significantly after the intervention, a great reduction of musculoskeletal pain intensity was observed after the program in the cervical (P CONCLUSIONS: These results support that a multimodal physiotherapy program can relieve work-related musculoskeletal pain in office workers and serve as a basis for future controlled trials.
Timing of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Benefits and Families’ Home Food Environments

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits are designed to buffer families from food insecurity, but studies suggest that most benefits are used by midmonth. In this study, we examined whether the home food environment varies across the SNAP benefits cycle among participating families . METHODS Participants in this mixed-methods study were 30 SNAP participants who were primary caregivers of a child ages 4–10 years. The home food environment was measured 1 week before SNAP benefit replenishment and again within 1 week after replenishment by using the Home Food Inventory. Household food insecurity was assessed by using the US Department of Agriculture Household Food Security Survey. Wilcoxon rank tests were used to evaluate changes in median Home Food Inventory subscales and food insecurity pre- to post-replenishment. Qualitative interviews with participating caregivers were conducted to explore contextual factors influencing the home food environment across the benefits cycle. RESULTS Participants had significantly fewer types of vegetables (median: 7.0 vs 8.5, median difference 1.73, 95% confidence interval: 0.5–2.5, P = .03) and higher food insecurity pre- versus post-replenishment (median: 4.0 vs 2.0, median difference 1, 95% confidence interval: 0.1–1.5, P = .03). Caregivers described employing a variety of intentional strategies to reduce cyclic variation in food availability. CONCLUSIONS Findings suggest that there is relatively limited cyclic variation in the home food environment among families participating in SNAP. This may be explained by a number of assistance programs and behavioral strategies caregivers used to make food last and buffer against scarcity. Future research should evaluate the relationship between the degree of home food environment changes and child health outcomes.
ANTIBODIES TO GAMMA-GLOBULIN IN INFANTS AND CHILDREN EXPOSED TO ISOLOGOUS GAMMA-GLOBULIN

Isoantibodies directed against human gamma-globulin were found in children receiving single and repeated injections of gamma-globulin and in those who had received blood transfusions at birth. Nine of 14 children receiving repeated gamma-globulin injections had anti-gamma-globulin antibodies. One-third of all children exposed to gamma-globulin by transfusion or injection, but only 6% of unexposed children had anti-gamma-globulin antibodies. Females appear to have a higher incidence of sensitization than males. The possibility exists that these antibodies may be implicated in reported anaphylactic reactions to gamma-globulin.
Absenteeism, Substitutes, Complements, and the Banzhaf Index

We consider the voting-with-absenteeism game of Quint-Shubik (2003). In that paper we defined a power index for such games, called the absentee index. Our analysis was based on the theory of the Shapley-Shubik power index (SSPI) for simple games. In this paper we do an analogous analysis, based on the Banzhaf index instead of the SSPI. The result is a new index, called the absentee Banzhaf index. We provide an axiomatization and multilinear extension formula for this index. Finally, we re-explore Myerson's (1977, 1980) "balanced contributions" property, and the concept of substitutes and complements for simple games (Quint-Shubik 2003), again basing our analysis on the Banzhaf index instead of the SSPI.
Energy harvesting to power sensing hardware onboard wind turbine blade

Wind turbines are becoming a larger source of renewable energy in the United States. However, most of the designs are geared toward the weather conditions seen in Europe. Also, in the United States, manufacturers have been increasing the length of the turbine blades, often made of composite materials, to maximize power output. As a result of the more severe loading conditions in the United States and the material level flaws in composite structures, blade failure has been a more common occurrence in the U.S. than in Europe. Therefore, it is imperative that a structural health monitoring system be incorporated into the design of the wind turbines in order to monitor flaws before they lead to a catastrophic failure. Due to the rotation of the turbine and issues related to lightning strikes, the best way to implement a structural health monitoring system would be to use a network of wireless sensor nodes. In order to provide power to these sensor nodes, piezoelectric, thermoelectric and photovoltaic energy harvesting techniques are examined on a cross section of a CX-100 wind turbine blade in order to determine the feasibility of powering individual nodes that would compose the sensor network.
Retrieving Financial Information in XBRL on the Next-Generation Edgar

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has upgraded the old Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis, and Retrieval (EDGAR) system, to the Interactive Data Electronic Applications (IDEA) platform, or the Next-Generation EDGAR (New EDGAR). In January 2009, the SEC issued its final mandate for XBRL adoption and the conversion target dates for all firms. This conversion enables users to retrieve listed companies’ financial statement information at both document level and data element level. This paper reviews the basic concepts of XBRL, reports the current compliance status of the SEC XBRL conversion mandate. The main contribution of this article is to demonstrate how to retrieve data from the New EDGAR and process them with Microsoft Excel 2013.
Chemistry of Supernova 1987a

Twenty thousand years ago, the core of a blue supergiant star in the large Magellanic Cloud collapsed and the star exploded, distributing its material into the interstellar medium of the parent galaxy. Light from the exploded star reached earth on February 23 1987 and SN1987a was born. It was a spectacular event. It is the brightest supernova since the invention of the telescope and the first observed at all wavelengths from the radio through the infrared, visible and ultraviolet and in X-rays and γ-rays. Neutrons were also detected, the spectrum suggesting that a neutron star was formed in the collapse.
Engineering and Implementing an Executive-Level Communication Plan in a Global Professional Environment: A Case Study

Communication within organisations in a global environment requires effective internal and strategic planning at the executive level. Previous studies indicate that measurement is a key factor in assessing the needs and success of global communication within an organisation. Survey questions were used to measure satisfaction responses from 650 local and 110 global employees in a technology division of a large manufacturing company. In this case study, employees expressed the need to connect team members through face-to-face meetings, employee webcast meetings, web chat forums, and an updated employee networking site. The findings formed the foundations for recommendations for strategy, objectives, and tactics within the organisation.
Introduction to clarithmetic II

The earlier paper "Introduction to clarithmetic I" constructed an axiomatic system of arithmetic based on computability logic, and proved its soundness and extensional completeness with respect to polynomial time computability. The present paper elaborates three additional sound and complete systems in the same style and sense: one for polynomial space computability, one for elementary recursive time (and/or space) computability, and one for primitive recursive time (and/or space) computability.
Pheromones in primate reproduction and social behavior.

During recent years research on invertebrate and mammalian pheromones has aroused considerable interest, both within the scientific community and among the general public. This interest may be one of the reasons why the word pheromone became so widely accepted that it is now used by some authors for any kind of chemical communication among members of the same species.
EFFECT OF GROWTH RATE, MORPHOGENIC ACTIVITY, AND PHYLOGENY ON SHOOT APICAL ULTRASTRUCTURE IN OPUNTIA POLYACANTHA (CACTACEAE)

Dormant short shoot apices of Opuntia polyacantha were cultured under three conditions: cytokinin and high sucrose to stimulate the formation and rapid growth of a leafy long shoot; cytokinin and no sucrose (slow growth of a leafy long shoot); gibberellic acid and high sucrose (rapid growth of a spiny short shoot). These meristems, and also dormant (uncultured) ones, were analyzed by stereological, ultrastructural techniques By comparing meristems growing with cytokinin but with or without sucrose, correlations between metabolic rate and apical ultrastructure were studied; comparison of leaf-producing and spine-producing meristems permitted examination of correlations with morphogenic role; comparison with published data for four other species permitted study of phylogenetic effects, and comparison with dormant apices revealed information about meristem activation. Ultrastructure varied according to each condition: metabolic rate, morphogenic activity and species can be distinguished by quantitative methods. Apical ultrastructure is most strongly correlated with rate of growth such that apices of differing species resemble each other if growing at similar rates, whereas apices of a single species differ markedly if growing at differing rates or if performing different morphogenic activities. Hyaloplasm is an excellent indicator of metabolic rate; mitochondria, nuclei, and vacuoles are not.
Perceptual Dependence for Shape and Texture during Haptic Processing

Perceptual dependence—the existence of perceptual interactions between the component dimensions of the same stimulus—was investigated for shape and texture during haptic processing. The haptic system combines tactual and kinesthetic information. Previous research has demonstrated that haptic exploration influences the extent to which object properties are integrated. Conditions designed to promote and impede the integration of shape and texture were compared. Perceptual independence was assessed by the use of a speeded-classification paradigm and quantitative tests developed by Ashby and Maddox. Results indicate that shape and texture are perceptually dependent for both conditions. Hand-movement analyses show simultaneous exploration for both dimensions. The tendency to process dimensions dependently is discussed in terms of a limited-capacity model of haptic-information processing.
Experimental determination of the stress-crack opening relation in fibre cementitious composites with a crack-tip singularity

A J-based-fracture-testing method is presented for determining the bridging-stress-crackopening-displacement (σ-δ) relationship in fibre-reinforced composites where the crack-tip toughness is not negligible. The J-based technique originally proposed for concrete has been well-established for cementitious composites where the fracture process is primarily dominated by the formation of a fracture-process zone and the contribution of the crack-tip toughness is negligibly small. In this study, the J-based technique is further extended to cover materials for which the crack-tip stress singularity coexists with the fracture-process zone. This extended version of the J-based technique explicitly accounts for the crack-tip singularity while considering the fracture-process zone. This newly derived testing technique has been applied to a high-strength-mortar (HSM) reinforced with carbon and steel fibres where the fibrebridging toughness can be of the same order of magnitude as the crack-tip toughness. The validity of the σ-δ relationships deduced has been examined by comparing with results obtained from direct uniaxial tension tests. It is suggested that the J-based-fracture-testing technique can provide reasonable σ-δ relationships and fracture parameters in a fibrereinforced HSM.
Analysis of a CRDM Nozzle Break LOCA Without Scram Using the U.S. NRC Coupled Code TRAC-M/PARCS

Recently, through-wall circumferential cracks in several control rod drive mechanism (CRDM) nozzle penetrations were detected at the Oconee-3 nuclear power plant. The presence of these cracks was seen as a potential precursor to a small break loss of coolant accident. In order to assess the impact of a postulated failure of a CRDM housing, analyses were performed using the U.S. NRC coupled thermal-hydraulics and neutronics code TRAC-M/PARCS. Although deemed highly unlikely, it was assumed that no control rods inserted in order to bound any possible reactivity transient associated with the break. The thermal-hydraulic model used to perform the study is based on an existing model of Oconee, built for PTS analysis, which models the whole plant and some of its control systems. A refined vessel model based on a TMI model was used to increase the resolution of the results and facilitate coupling to PARCS. All relevant ECCS systems were modeled and the control system allowed for, in addition to automatic actions, some assumed operator intervention. In particular, HPI throttling was modeled to maintain the hot leg subcooled at 42 +/- 7 K, and prevent an excessive amount of cold water from being injected into the system. A spatial kinetics analysis of this event was necessary because of the wide range of core conditions which occurred during the transient, from hot full power operation conditions to the cold zero power shutdown state. Analysis of the event with point kinetics and “best estimate” reactivity coefficients resulted in significant miss-prediction of the core power response. Conversely, the three-dimensional kinetics solution with cross section data generated over the entire range of the event led to a more accurate calculation of the power response and the overall analysis of the system transient response. This paper will describe the analysis of the control rod drive nozzle break event without scram using TRAC-M/PARCS.Copyright © 2002 by ASME
Militant Recruitment in Pakistan: A New Look at the Militancy-Madrasah Connection

Note u This presentation is drawn from a forthcoming monograph by the author that explores the connections between education and militancy in Pakistan, to be published by USIP Press in late 2007. The author is grateful to Vali Nasr, as well as to the two anonymous reviewers who provided very useful feedback on earlier versions of this draft. The views expressed here do not represent those of the United States Institute of Peace.
An investigation of the energetics and dynamics of adatom motion to descending-step edges in Pt/Pt(111) homoepitaxy

Abstract We have performed semi-empirical molecular-dynamics simulations and static potential-energy calculations to study kinetic mechanisms in Pt/Pt(111) homoepitaxy. Energy barriers for adatom incorporation into and minimum-potential -energy profiles for adatoms approaching the descending-step edges of small islands have been investigated. Adatoms incorporate into descending-step edges via a concerted exchange mechanism. The effects of island size and step-edge type on the incorporation kinetics have been studied and are found to be consistent with a recently proposed explanation for reentrant growth in Pt/Pt(111) homoepitaxy. Adatoms near the step edge have a significantly higher energy than those in the center of the island, due to decreasing coordination with the island atoms. From static-energy calculations, we find that energy barriers for an adatom to approach the descending-step edges do not differ considerably from the clean-surface diffusion barrier.
Taking a toll road to better vaccines.

Effective subunit vaccines must elicit strong CD4+ T cell responses. In this issue of Immunity, Malherbe et al. (2008) find that the ability of adjuvants to stimulate high-avidity T cell responses correlates with Toll-like-receptor engagement.
Comparison of celiprolol and propranolol in stable angina pectoris

The comparative antianginal effects and safety of propranolol and celiprolol, a highly beta 1-selective adrenoceptor blocker with selective partial beta 2-adrenoceptor agonist activity, were assessed in an international multicenter, placebo run-in, active control, double-blind, randomized, titration-to-effect study of 140 patients with stable, exercise-induced angina pectoris. At baseline, all patients received placebo for 2 weeks, then titrated doses of once-daily celiprolol (200, 400, 600 mg) or twice-daily propranolol (total daily dose 80, 160, 320 mg) over 4 weeks, followed by a 2-week maintenance period. Heart rate and blood pressure, at rest and with exercise, weekly anginal attack frequency, nitroglycerin consumption and symptom-limited treadmill exercise times (modified Bruce protocol) were assessed. Compared with their respective baselines, both celiprolol and propranolol reduced anginal attack and nitroglycerin consumption rates to a comparable degree, while improving exercise tolerance (p less than 0.05). Treatment with propranolol compared with celiprolol, however, was associated with a significantly lower heart rate at rest (p less than 0.01). The double-product at the conclusion of exercise testing was significantly reduced by both drugs. Celiprolol and propranolol had similar effects on blood pressure, and were well tolerated. More symptomatic bradycardia occurred with propranolol. Despite the differences in their hemodynamic actions, once-daily celiprolol is as effective as twice-daily propranolol in the treatment of patients with stable angina pectoris.
Psorothamnone A: A novel heterocyclic compound from Psorothamnus junceus

Abstract A novel heterocyclic compound, psorothamnone A was isolated from Psorothamnus junceus and its structure was determined by spectroscopic methods.
Protection of athymic (Nu/Nu) BALB/c mice against Plasmodium berghei by splenocytes from normal (Nu/ +) BALB/c mice

Athymic BALB/c (Nu/Nu) mice died at 7-13 days after inoculation (DAI) of Plasmodium berghei NK65, whereas their heterozygous (Nu/+) littermates died at 7-8 DAI. Nude (Nu/Nu) mice, reconstituted with 2 x 10(7) splenocytes from uninfected heterozygous (Nu/+) littermates at 20 days before parasite inoculation (DBI), died about 2 days earlier than control nude mice; nude mice reconstituted at 10 or 2 DBI lived 2 to 4 days longer than control nudes; and nude mice reconstituted 2 DAI lived even longer and some survived. These findings indicate that P. berghei NK65 induces at least two T-cell dependent immune phenomena, one suppressive and the other stimulatory. Reconstitution of nude mice with T-cells from BALB/c (Nu/+) mice appeared to reduce or bypass suppressive T-cell activities which allowed the formation of a protective immune response by some of the nude mice.
Coherent matched filter signal-processing algorithms for probing the ionosphere using broadband RF data

[1] We have developed a new method for extracting ionospheric parameters from broadband RF data collected in low-Earth orbit using coherent matched filters. The coherent matched filter uses the full time series of the electric field and matches the Fourier transform of these data with an ionospheric transfer function. This approach was applied to both lightning and human-made data transmitted on or near the ground and collected on-board the FORTE satellite, which is a low-Earth orbiting satellite with a broadband RF VHF receiver. We show that this approach allows us to discriminate natural (i.e., lightning) from human-made signals and provides a more accurate estimate of the total electron content (TEC) compared to the quasi-longitudinal approach applied to low VHF data. A comparison of TEC retrieval methods and sensitivity is described herein.
Cross-Age Peer Coaching: Enhancing the Peer Interactions of Children Exhibiting Symptoms of ADHD

Previous research demonstrates that children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) can experience social difficulties. Therefore, the current study examined the effects of cross-age peer coaching on social behaviors of first graders with significant symptoms of ADHD using a multiple baseline design. Four students who met criteria for ADHD participated, along with four third- or fourth-grade coaches without ADHD. Coaching pairs met each morning to establish a goal for the younger child to meet during free time. Although results were variable, findings suggested that the cross-age coaching program led to decreases in negative social behavior, and was highly acceptable to participants.
Resource Management in Dataflow-Based Multithreaded Execution

Due to the large amount of potential parallelism, resource management is a critical issue in multithreaded execution. The challenge in code generation is to control the parallelism without reducing the machine's ability to exploit it. Controlled parallelism reduces idle time, communication, and delay caused by synchronization. At the same time it increases the potential for exploitation of program data structure locality. In this paper, we evaluate the performance of methods to control program parallelism and resource usage in the context of the fine-grain dataflow execution model. The methods are in themselves not new, but their performance analysis is. The two methods to control parallelism here are slicing and chunking. We present the methods and their compilation strategy and evaluate their effectiveness in terms of run time and matching store occupancy. Communication is categorized in memory, loop, call, and expression communication. Input and output message locality is measured. Two techniques to reduce communication are introduced. Grouping allocates loop and function bodies on one processor and bundling combines messages with the same sender and receiver into one. Their effects on the total communication volume are quantified.
MILK INTAKE AND FREQUENCY OF FEEDING IN BREAST FED INFANTS

To provide normative data for healthy full term infants in the United States when the mothers were encouraged to feed as often and as long as the infants wished, 46 mother-infant pairs were studied in the first month after delivery. Mothers recorded the length and time of each breast-feeding for the first 14 days postpartum, and weighed the infant before and after each feeding during a 24-48 h period at 1 month. The mean frequency of feeding during the first 2 weeks of life was 9.8 +/- 2.5 feeds/24 h and the mean duration of feeding was 162 +/- 50 min/24 h. Infants heavier at birth demanded significantly more feedings and nursed longer during the first 14 days of life. At one month the infants were nursing an average of 7.2 +/- 1.3 times/24 h and the mean duration of feeds was 158 +/- 63 min/24 h. Although the frequency of feeding during the first 14 days postpartum was significantly higher than at 1 month, the total duration of feeding in 24 h was similar. Daily milk intakes at 1 month ranged from 395 to 1011 ml (mean 681 +/- 136 ml) and were not significantly correlated with either the frequency or duration of feedings.
HUMAN DRA FUNCTIONS AS A SULFATE TRANSPORTER IN SF9 INSECT CELLS

DRA is a gene that is down-regulated in colon adenomas and adenocarcinomas in humans. We have previously shown that DRA proteins are found as various forms in tissue due to differential glycosylation. This study has focused on the function of DRA related to its subcellular localization. We used the baculovirus expression system and overexpressed a nearly full-length DRA driven by a polyhedrin promoter in Sf9 insect cells. DRA protein expressed in this cell was underglycosylated relative to normal colon mucosa, but uniformly targeted to the cell membrane. It also appears to undergo posttranslational cleavage, removing about 100 amino acids from its amino terminus. This membrane localization is similar to what we observed in the colon mucosa. An ion transport assay demonstrated that DRA functions as a sulfate transporter. When DRA was expressed, sulfate import was increased more than threefold compared to the control. Sulfate import was inhibitable by the anion transporter inhibitor, DIDS, in a dose-dependent fashion. Given that (1) DRA has high similarity to other identified sulfate transporters and the proposed structure of DRA polypeptide is characteristic of those transporters, (2) DRA localization is limited to the cell membrane, and (3) DRA expression correlates with intestinal differentiation in mouse, we suggest that DRA represents a tissue-specific member of the sulfate transporter family.
Algorithmic Self-Assembly of DNA: Theoretical Motivations and 2D Assembly Experiments

Biology makes things far smaller and more complex than anything produced by human engineering. The biotechnology revolution has for the first time given us the tools necessary to consider engineering on the molecular level. Research in DNA computation, launched by Len Adleman, has opened the door for experimental study of programmable biochemical reactions. Here we focus on a single biochemical mechanism, the self-assembly of DNA structures, that is theoretically sufficient for Turing-universal computation. The theory combines Hao Wang?s purely mathematical Tiling Problem with the branched DNA constructions of Ned Seeman. In the context of mathematical logic, Wang showed how jigsaw-shaped tiles can be designed to simulate the operation of any Turing Machine. For a biochemical implementation, we will need molecular Wang tiles. DNA molecular structures and intermolecular interactions are particularly amenable to design and are sufficient for the creation of complex molecular objects. The structure of individual molecules can be designed by maximizing desired and minimizing undesired Watson-Crick complementarity. Intermolecular interactions are programmed by the design of sticky ends that determine which molecules associate, and how. The theory has been demonstrated experimentally using a system of synthetic DNA double-crossover molecules that self-assemble into two-dimensional crystals that have been visualized by atomic force microscopy. This experimental system provides an excellent platform for exploring the relationship between computation and molecular self-assembly, and thus represents a first step toward the ability to program molecular reactions and molecular structures.
Structure of catalytically competent intein caught in a redox trap with functional and evolutionary implications.

Inteins self-splice from precursor polypeptides to reconstitute functional proteins. Here we describe inteins as redox-responsive switches in bacteria. Regulation was achieved by engineering a disulfide bond between the intein’s catalytic cysteine and the flanking polypeptide. This interaction was validated by an X-ray structure, which includes a transient splice junction. A natural analogue of the designed system was identified in Pyrococcus abysii, suggesting an unprecedented form of adaptive, post-translational regulation.
Acute toxicity assessment of azadirachtin-based pesticides using murine hybridoma and oyster cells.

In vitro acute toxicities of azadirachtin‐containing pesticides (Neemix™ and Bioneem™), formulated with neem tree extracts, and pure azadirachtin (AZA), the believed active ingredient, were studied using hybridoma and oyster cells and were compared to results obtained using the standard in vivo Daphnia pulex toxicity assay. Neem‐based pesticides showed relatively high toxicity to both hybridoma and oyster cells at concentrations of 1 μg AZA/mL and higher. The IC50 values for hybridoma cells were 2.15 μg AZA/mL for Neemix™ and 1.67 μg AZA/mL for Bioneem™. Oyster cells had IC50 values of 2.18 μg AZA/mL for Neemix™ and 9.46 μg AZA/mL for Bioneem™. Purified AZA, however, did not appear to be as toxic as the formulations. D. pulex was also more sensitive to neem‐based pesticide exposure than that of pure AZA. The applications and limits of these two in vitro models for testing the acute toxicity of AZA‐based pesticides are discussed in comparison with the in vivo D. pulex test.
Structure of Rev-erbalpha bound to N-CoR reveals a unique mechanism of nuclear receptor-co-repressor interaction

Repression of gene transcription by the nuclear receptor Rev-erbalpha plays an integral role in the core molecular circadian clock. We report the crystal structure of a nuclear receptor-co-repressor (N-CoR) interaction domain 1 (ID1) peptide bound to truncated human Rev-erbalpha ligand-binding domain (LBD). The ID1 peptide forms an unprecedented antiparallel beta-sheet with Rev-erbalpha, as well as an alpha-helix similar to that seen in nuclear receptor ID2 crystal structures but out of register by four residues. Comparison with the structure of Rev-erbbeta bound to heme indicates that ID1 peptide and heme induce substantially different conformational changes in the LBD. Although heme is involved in Rev-erb repression, the structure suggests that Rev-erbalpha could also mediate repression via ID1 binding in the absence of heme. The previously uncharacterized secondary structure induced by ID1 peptide binding advances our understanding of nuclear receptor-co-repressor interactions.
Effects of lobar pulmonary blood flow on the evolution of oleic acid lung injury in dogs.

We studied the effects of interruption of the pulmonary blood flow to the left diaphragmatic lung lobe on the evolution of canine oleic acid lung injury. We compared the morphology and edema of the left diaphragmatic lobe, whose pulmonary artery was ligated immediately after oleic acid injury, with the right diaphragmatic lobe, in which the blood supply was intact. The injury plus ligation resulted in hypoxemia and pulmonary hypertension with PaO2 falling from 98 ± 4 to 72 ± 21 torr (P < 0.05) and pulmonary artery pressure increasing from 11 ± 3 to 18 ± 4 mm Hg (P < 0.05). Animals were sacrificed 48 hr following the injury. Morphological examination of right and left lobes showed no consistent differences although wet/dry ratios indicated significantly greater edema (P < 0.01) for the right diaphragmatic lobes (7.66 ± 1.23) than the left (6.80 ± 0.59). Both right and left lobes were substantially more edematous than our laboratory normal value of 4.74 ± 0.54 (P < 0.001 for both). We conclude that interruption of pulmonary arterial blood flow protects against edema formation in oleic acid injury but does not alter the morphologic evolution of the injury.
Predictive value of voiding pressures in benign prostatic hyperplasia

Sixty-two patients with prostatism underwent a prospective and blinded evaluation to investigate the usefulness of preoperative measurement of opening, maximum intravesical, and detrusor pressures. Traditional urological methods, including detailed symptom analysis, cystoscopy, and excretory urography were used. In addition, all patients underwent urodynamic testing which entailed spontaneous uroflowmetry, medium-fill water cysto-rnetry, and pressure-flow study. Forty-three patients were reevaluated at three months and 28 patients at 12 months postoperatively. A weak correlation was found between the various voiding pressures and the symptom scores, flow rate, and minimum urethral resistance. Further analysis revealed that patients with normal preoperative pressures did as well postoperatively as patients with elevated preoperative pressures. No role for routine preoperative measurement of voiding pressures in patients with prostatism could be identified.
Convective instabilities of a normal liquid 3He-4He mixture.

We report studies of Nusselt number N versus Rayleigh number R for a normal liquid $^{3}\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}^{4}$He mixture with $^{3}\mathrm{He}$ mass concentration c=0.038, confined in cylindrical containers with aspect ratios, \ensuremath{\Gamma} (radius/height) of 5.5\ensuremath{\le}\ensuremath{\Gamma}\ensuremath{\le}10.2. These data were obtained for separation ratios \ensuremath{\Psi} of -0.2\ensuremath{\lesssim}\ensuremath{\Psi}\ensuremath{\lesssim}0.1. For \ensuremath{\Psi}g0, the data are consistent with predictions that the slope RdN/dR is small just above the onset of convection and then increases with R. For \ensuremath{\Psi}\ensuremath{\simeq}0, N is a concave function of R with N\ensuremath{\propto}(R-${R}_{\mathrm{cs}{)}^{1/2}}$. Contrary to predictions for a horizontally infinite layer, no oscillations at onset were found for \ensuremath{\Psi}l0. Above the onset of convection when \ensuremath{\Psi}l0, we observed additional transitions which are beyond the scope of current theory.
The macroeconomic effects of bank runs: An equilibrium analysis

Abstract This paper offers a model of intermediation in the Diamond-Dybvig tradition in which both fiat currency and bank deposits are present. The behavior of the economy's price level, deposit-currency ratio, and money supply is compared across equilibria in which bank runs do and do not occur. It is shown that the behavior of these variables in the presence and absence of runs is consistent with that observed in the United States during the period from 1929 to 1933.