cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Note on gross capital formation and R&D expenditure

Companies often consider the cost of R&D projects (especially salaries paid to R&D personnel) as part of their current expenses. Companies continue to do this practice even without exactly specifying what they mean by R&D project costs. This practice is misleading because spending on research is undeniably a form of fixed capital investment, even more so than the item that economists consider as the epitome of fixed capital investment – purchase of machinery. The dynamics of the possible relationship between investment in research and investment in machinery is that during times of economic expansion, firms tend to increase their investment in research to come up with product innovations capable of exploiting increasing effectual demand. Over time, this investment results in the emergence of the direct relationship between expense on industrial R&D and the business cycle. We tested this hypothesis both in Italy and in the USA. Our experiments are based on OECD statistics, referring to R&D spending from 1987 to 1999, and on the magnitude 'Gross Capital Formation' in the manufacturing industry. We chose to represent our conjecture about a causal relationship between investment cycle and R&D expenditure econometrically.
An active filter achieving 43.6dBm OIP 3

An active filter with a 50 Ω buffer suitable as an anti-alias filter to drive a highly linear ADC is implemented in 0.13 µm SiGe BiCMOS. This 6th-order Chebyshev filter has a 3 dB cutoff frequency of 28.3 MHz and achieves 36.5 dBm OIP 3 . Nonlinear digital equalization further improves OIP 3 to 43.6 dBm. Measurements show 92 dB of rejection at the stopband and a gain of 49 dB. The measured in-band OIP 3 of 43.6 dBm is 19 dB higher than previously published designs.
A review of research in numerical simulation for the glass-pressing process

AbstractPressing is one of the most versatile and important manufacturing processes capable of mass-producing complicated glass parts in net shape with excellent dimensional tolerance. Numerical simulation of glass pressing has been an active research area for many years, as part quality and yield requirements become more stringent. This paper reviews the research and development in numerical simulation of glass pressing. It organizes prior studies into three categories, namely, glass flow, heat transfer, and residual stresses. Based on the research progress to date, this paper suggests that the coupled and integrated simulation considering material, mould, and process, the use of empirical models and soft computing techniques to complement the numerical simulation, and small-scale experiments are the three most important areas for further advancement.
Abstract ES2-1: DNA Repair Pathways and Tumorigenesis

The genome is constantly undergoing DNA damage from endogenous and environmental sources. DNA damage response pathways detect and repair DNA damage and signal to cell cycle checkpoints to allow repair to take place, thus promoting genomic stability. Multiple DNA repair pathways exist: single-strand damage or base errors are repaired by base excision repair, nucleotide excision repair or mismatch repair, while DNA doublestrand breaks are repaired by nonhomologous end joining or homologous recombination repair. These pathways may be used to repair damage caused by anticancer chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Some defects in DNA damage responses are associated with the genomic instability that is a characteristic of cancer. Targeting the remaining DNA damage response pathways could potentially result in tumor selective therapies. Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors have shown great promise in this respect, and early clinical data are beginning to emerge. PARP inhibitors enhance the activity of several DNA damaging and crosslinking chemotherapeutic agents and ionizing radiation. An exciting aspect is the selective toxicity of PARP inhibitors in DNA defective tumors, such as those associated with BRCA mutations or breast cancers exhibiting the triple-negative phenotype. This discovery has led to a paradigm shift in cancer therapy representing a targeted, tumor-specific, nontoxic therapy that is supported by emerging clinical data. Citation Information: Cancer Res 2010;70(24 Suppl):Abstract nr ES2-1.
Chicago wilderness: A new force in urban conservation

In 1996, a coalition of diverse and determined organizations launched a new initiative in the Chicago region. Our vision? Chicago Wilderness: a thriving mosaie of natural areas, connected by greenways and wildlife corridors, embedded in the nation's third largest metropolis. In this vision, the region's human communities reclaim a cultural tradition of protecting and restoring these globally significant natural communities that enrich our lives. Today, more than 100 organizations join forces to transform this vision into reality. A regional Biodiversity Recovery Plan-the result of three years of assessment and planning by scientists, land managers, educators, and policy strategists-sets priorities and determines the lines of action for the coalition. This regional agenda stems from our vision and recovery goals for each ecological community; it encourages targeted research initiatives that focus on characterizing our native biological diversity and on analyzing elements critical to its recovery. Ultimately, though, the long-term survival of our natural wealth rests on the support from the public. While the challenges to conservation educators and communicators are many, Chicago Wilderness allows us to work together in under-standing our audiences, channeling our resources, and creating novel approaches to engage the widest public in our conservation efforts.
Geographic variation and plasticity in renal function in the white-footed mouse, Peromyscus leucopus

Both genetic differences and developmental plasticity contribute to intraspecific variation in renal function in white-footed mice ( Peromyscus leucopus ). Field-caught mice from relatively dry habitat in South Dakota produced more concentrated urine following 24 h of water deprivation than mice from moist habitat in Pennsylvania. Studies of mice reared in the laboratory demonstrated that the high urine-concentrating ability of mice from South Dakota was fixed genetically and did not increase in either adults or juveniles when chronically water-restricted. In contrast, young mice from Pennsylvania that were chronically water-restricted had significantly greater urine-concentrating ability than controls. Adults from Pennsylvania did not show that plasticity. Differences in urine-concentrating ability were not due to differences in relative medullary thickness of the kidney. Binding of vasopressin in renal tissue was significantly greater in field-caught mice from South Dakota and in young water-restricted mice derived from Pennsylvania.
Effect of Intravitreal Anti-VEGF Therapy on the Severity of Diabetic Retinopathy

Diabetic retinopathy is the most common complication of diabetes and a significant cause of preventable blindness throughout the world. It is characterized by increased vascular permeability, retinal ischemia, and the formation of neovascularization, which can lead to complications such as vitreous hemorrhage, retinal detachment, and macular edema. The current standard of care for treating diabetic retinopathy is pan-retinal photocoagulation (PRP). While highly effective, PRP is associated with several inherent disadvantages, including delayed onset of treatment effects. Within the past decade, anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) agents have revolutionized the treatment of several retinal diseases, including diabetic macular edema, for which anti-VEGF agents are now accepted as first-line treatment. In contrast, the effects of anti-VEGF therapy on the severity of diabetic retinopathy alone are still largely unexplored. This review aims to summarize our current understanding of the effects and uses of intravitreal anti-VEGF agents in diabetic retinopathy.
Drain placement confers no benefit after carotid endarterectomy in the Vascular Quality Initiative.

Abstract Objective Whereas bleeding complications requiring a return to the operating room (OR) after carotid endarterectomy (CEA) are infrequent (1%), they are associated with an increased 30-day combined postoperative stroke or death rate. Drain placement after CEA varies among vascular surgeons, and there are limited data to support the practice. The goal of this study was to evaluate factors leading to drain placement and the effect of drains on postoperative outcomes including return to OR for bleeding, stroke, and death. Methods There were 47,752 patients identified undergoing CEA using the Vascular Quality Initiative registry from 2011 to 2015. Demographic, preoperative, and intraoperative factors between patients who underwent CEA with (n = 19,425) and without (n = 28,327) drain placement were compared. End points included return to the OR for bleeding, stroke, death, postoperative wound infection, and hospital length of stay. We then compared postoperative outcomes between groups using mixed effect logistic regression models to control for correlation within center. Similar methods were used to show relationship between return to OR for bleeding and other variables. Subgroup analysis of patients with drain placement was compared among centers with high (>66.7% of cases), medium (33.3%-66.7%), and low ( Results Patients with drain placement were more likely to be taking a preoperative P2Y12 antagonist (P Conclusions Drain placement after CEA does not reduce return to the OR for bleeding, nor does it reduce perioperative stroke or death. Drain placement is associated with increased length of stay.
Acceptance of knowledge management concepts in religious organizations: the impacts of information and willful disengagement from productive inquiry

This study analyzed how churches create cultures in which the recirculating of the same information is encouraged, or cultures in which new information is introduced regularly. It then analyzed how these cultures impact engagement with important knowledge management (KM) principles. Particular attention was paid to the factors that contribute to a church's decision to engage in a critical questioning of assumed beliefs---productive inquiry (PI)---shown to be an important behavior in successful organizations. In eight, 90-minute focus groups, 28 congregants from Mainline Protestant churches were asked to discuss the information behavior surrounding their religious beliefs. Qualitative coding and analysis revealed that the introduction of shared information produced barriers to PI, and the introduction of unique information encouraged PI. However, congregations were purposive in their decision to either engage or disengage in this inquiry based on organizational goals. Analysis showed that the decision to engage with PI was dependent upon a number of variables. A model is provided that outlines the necessary conditions for a congregation with a goal of either PI, or its conceptual opposite---reaffirmation of existing information and beliefs. This reaffirmation tended to result from a relationship goal, but it is suggested that this relationship goal might be better achieved through PI. This study has important implications for organizations that could benefit from the implementation of KM but are less receptive to its requirements.
Invasive and noninvasive evaluation of arrhythmias.

The choice between noninvasive techniques and invasive electrophysiologic testing must be highly individualized, particularly in patients with serious ventricular arrhythmias. The decision may well hinge on which pharmacologic or nonpharmacologic therapies are being considered. Invasive techniques in less serious rhythm disturbances should still be considered experimental.
Brain ion and volume regulation during acute hypernatremia in Brattleboro rats.

Regulation of brain ions and volume in response to 30 min of hypernatremia has been studied in two strains of anesthetized rats, the vasopressin-deficient Brattleboro and its vasopressin-competent ...
Chapter 4 - The Window of Taxonomic Resolution for Phylogenies Based on Mitochondrial Cytochrome b

The chapter focuses on problems associated with resolving mt-haplotype trees from DNA sequence data. Specifically, it assesses the value of cytochrome b gene (cyt b ) as a source of characters for inferring avian phylogenies, and tries to determine a window in the systematic hierarchy of birds where cyt b sequence should result in the efficient resolution of phylogenetic relationships. The mitochondrially encoded cyt b gene is good for avian systematics, but its utility is greatest in resolving the diversification of birds from the level of species (or subspecies) to subfamilies, and families in some instances. At higher taxonomic levels, cyt b might provide some resolution, but sequencing another gene may be a better investment. In birds, diverging cyt b sequences accrue transition substitutions at a rapid, and more or less constant, rate to the level of distinct genera within tribes, and transversions continue to accrue in a similar manner to the approximate level of superfamilies. These substitutions are primarily synonymous as evidenced by a comparison of the synonymous and nonsynonymous substitution columns. Rather than verifying every nucleotide for a single specimen by sequencing both DNA strands, it is better to sequence one strand for two specimens, thus, keeping the cost the same but greatly reducing the chances of reporting a contaminant sequence.
Managing Impressions of SME Legitimacy: Valuing Information and Communications Technologies as Signals and Symbols

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) face more serious challenges to their survival than do larger firms. To succeed, SMEs must establish and maintain credibility in the marketplace to attract the resources required for survival. Most borrow legitimacy by mimicking the cues that signal credibility to convince potential stakeholders that something stands behind their promises. This research examines the role of information and communications technology (ICT) in legitimacy creation from the perspective of both SME founders and customers. In-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted in a variety of industries to determine whether the ICT-related legitimacy schema from the customers’ perspective differs substantially from that of firm founders. Results indicate that customers compare the ICT information provided in SME’s sales pitches to pre-existing ICT expectations about the nature of desirable sales transactions. We describe the relationship between violations of ICT expectations, legitimacy, and purchase decisions. Implications for theory and practice are discussed. DOI: 10.4018/978-1-61520-627-8.ch005 Copyright © 2010, IGI Global. Copying or distributing in print or electronic forms without written permission from IGI Global is prohibited. Managing Impressions of SME Legitimacy
Epidermal growth factor prevents oligomeric amyloid-β induced angiogenesis deficits in vitro.

Cerebrovascular dysfunction is a critical component of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) pathogenesis. Oligomeric amyloid-β42 (oAβ42) is considered a major contributor to AD progression. However, data are limited on the role of oAβ42 in brain endothelial cell vessel degeneration/angiogenesis, including the interaction with angiogenic mediators. Thus, the current study determined the effect of oAβ42 on angiogenesis in vitro, utilizing single brain endothelial cell cultures and triple cultures mimicking the microvascular unit (MVU: brain endothelial cells, astrocytes, and pericytes). oAβ42 dose-dependently reduced angiogenesis and induced vessel disruption. Critically, epidermal growth factor prevented oAβ42-induced deficits, implicating angiogenic pathways as potential therapeutics for AD.
Perceptions of Racial Group Size in a Minority-majority Area:

Americans overestimate the size of minority groups and underestimate the size of the majority. Research on perceived racial group size, however, has focused on areas where non-Hispanic whites are d...
Project Management for student projects at the bottom of the pyramid

Project Management Tools and Methods are used to enhance the outcome of student business projects focused on developing enterprises for bottom-of-the-pyramid customers. This paper documents the tools and processes used in a graduate program emphasizing triple-bottom-line projects.
Cost-Effective Feature Selection and Ordering for Personalized Energy Estimates

Selecting homes with energy-efficient infrastructure is important for renters, because infrastructure influences energy consumption more than in-home behavior.Personalized energy estimates can guide prospective tenants toward energy-efficient homes, but this information is not readily available. Utility estimates are not typically offered to house-hunters, and existing technologies like carbon calculators require users to answer (prohibitively) many questions that may require considerable research to answer. For the task of providing personalized utility estimates to prospective tenants, we present a cost-based model for feature selection at training time, where all features are available and costs assigned to each feature reflect the difficulty of acquisition. At test time, we have immediate access to some features but others are difficult to acquire (costly). In this limited-information setting, we strategically order questions we ask each user, tailored to previous information provided, to give the most accurate predictions while minimizing the cost to users. During the critical first 10 questions that our approach selects, prediction accuracy improves equally to fixed order approaches, but prediction certainty is higher.
Service Compositions in Challenged Mobile Environments under Spatiotemporal Constraints

Opportunistic network created among mobile devices in challenged environments can be effectively exploited to provide application services. However, data and services may be subject to space and time constraints in challenged environments where it is critical to complete application services within given spatiotemporal limits. This paper discusses an analytical framework that takes into account human mobility traces and provides quantitative measures of the spatiotemporal requirements for service sharing and composition in challenged opportunistic environments. The analytical results provide estimates on feasibility of service sharing and service compositions for various mobility models. To validate the framework, we conduct simulation experiments using multiple human mobility and synthesized datasets. In these experiments, we analyze service composition feasibility, service completion rate and time for resource utilization.
Making sense of citizen science: Stories as a hermeneutic resource

Abstract In communities on the front lines of energy facilities, citizen science has been seen as potent tool for environmental justice, giving residents access to quantitative data and, as a result, greater credibility with regulators and other experts. However, as in other realms of energy and environmental policy, greater access to data brings with it increased interpretive challenges—challenges which are especially acute for environmental justice-oriented citizen scientists seeking alternatives to scientists’ frameworks for understanding pollution and environmental health. Drawing on Miranda Fricker’s (2007) theory of epistemic injustice, this paper shows that frontline communities’ struggles to understand air quality data manifest “hermeneutic injustices,” or inequities in resources for meaning-making. Following research showing storytelling as one vehicle for making meaning, it argues that the stories told by frontline communities—stories of harms to health, systemic danger, dissembling, and disrespect—can in some circumstances serve as a crucial hermeneutic resource for making sense of air quality data for which scientific frameworks are inadequate. At the same time, it documents the limits of stories in giving meaning to data, pointing to areas of “narrative mismatch” which call for further hermeneutic invention by community groups working in collaboration with sympathetic scientists.
Using Facebook to address smoking and heavy drinking in young adults: Protocol for a randomized, controlled trial.

Author(s): Ramo, Danielle E; Kaur, Manpreet; Corpuz, Ella S; Satre, Derek D; Delucchi, Kevin; Brown, Sandra A; Prochaska, Judith J | Abstract: IntroductionTobacco and alcohol often are used simultaneously by young adults, and their co-use is associated with greater health consequences than from single use. Social media platforms offer low cost and highly accessible channels to reach and engage young people in substance use interventions. The current trial seeks to compare the Facebook Tobacco Status Project (TSP) smoking cessation intervention to an intervention targeting both tobacco use and heavy episodic drinking (TSP + ALC) among young adults who use both substances.MethodsThis randomized clinical trial will evaluate the feasibility and initial efficacy of TSP + ALC compared to TSP with 225 US young adult smokers reporting heavy drinking. Participants will be recruited online and randomized to one of two conditions (TSP or TSP + ALC), both with assignment to a Facebook group tailored to readiness to quit smoking. Groups will receive a 90-day intervention including daily Facebook postings and weekly live counseling sessions. The TSP + ALC group will include content related to alcohol use. All participants will be offered a 2-week introductory supply of nicotine patch. Participants will complete baseline, 3-, 6-, and 12-month online assessments of substance use and other health risk behaviors. The primary efficacy outcome is biochemically-verified 7-day point prevalence abstinence. Secondary outcomes include alcohol and tobacco use, combined use, and thoughts about each substance.DiscussionThis trial examines an innovative and scalable approach to engaging young adults online in tobacco and alcohol use treatment. Study findings will inform digital health interventions and best practices for treating multiple substance use in young adults.
Curbside consults join the telemedicine era

Probably since the dawn of medicine, physicians have been “curbsiding” their colleagues in the hallways of hospitals, i.e., obtaining quick answers to, hopefully, limited questions about a patient's care. The receiving physician will provide an informal and typically rushed consultation based on limited information, and does so with no compensation for time. More recently, providers have informally consulted their colleagues within the context of their Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)–approved electronic health records, or outside these systems in eminently hackable and non-HIPAA-protected email systems.
Konventionelle Therapie des multiplen Myeloms

Melphalan/Prednisolon, hoch-dosiertes Dexamethason und Polychemotherapie gehoren zu den etablierten „konventionellen“ Therapien bei Patienten, die fur eine Hochdosistherapie mit Stammzelltransplantation nicht geeignet sind. Patienten mit rasch progredienten und/oder stark symptomatischer Erkrankung benotigen eine rascher wirksame Behandlung, wie sie mit Anthracyclin-basierten Kombinationschemotherapien (z.B. VAD) bzw. solchen, die Alkylantien enthalten, erreicht werden kann. In letzter Zeit wurde fur verschiedene neue Substanzen eine betrachtliche Wirkung bei Patienten mit rezidivierter oder sogar refraktarer Erkrankung beobachtet. Dazu gehoren Thalidomid und neuerdings der Proteasome–Inhibitor Bortezomib, sowie als Vertreter der sogenannten „immunmodulatorischen Substanzen“ (IMiDs) und Derivate des Thalidomids, Revlimid®. Diese Substanzen fuhren bei umfangreich vorbehandelten Patienten zu Remissionsraten von 30–40%; eine Erhohung der Remissionsraten kann durch Kombination mit Dexamethason und/oder Zytostatika erreicht werden. Bei neu diagnostizierten Patienten konnten mit Thalidomid-Kombinationen Remissionsraten bis zu 80% und mit Bortezomib-Kombinationen bis zu 90% erreicht werden. Diese neuen Kombinationen konnten in Zukunft zur Standardbehandlung zahlen und sogar eine wertvolle Alternative zur Hochdosistherapie mit autologer Transplantation bei jungeren Patienten darstellen.
Explaining Scientific Revolutions

It is difficult to exaggerate the importance of science and technology in contemporary culture. The popular media are full of reports on new developments in the bio-medical sciences, in information and communication technologies, and on the role of science and technology in maintaining an economy that will be competitive in world markets. And these are only a few of the most prominent current areas of general interest. This widespread interest generates a need to understand science as a cultural phenomenon. What kind of activity is it? How does it work? How does it interact with other aspects of contemporary culture?
Tumor Embolization: Embolization of Liver Tumors

With approximately one million deaths per year, liver cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. The disease is, in general, lethal, with the mortality almost equaling its incidence. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) usually arises in the setting of chronic liver disease or cirrhosis and is the most common cause of death in patients with compensated liver cirrhosis. Risks factors for the development of HCC includes hepatitis B carrier state, hepatitis C infection, hereditary hemochromatosis, and cirrhosis. Despite development of different treatment strategy, overall survival rates of HCC remain poor, with estimation of 54 % at 1 year, 40 % at 2 years, and 28 % at 3 years. In patients with late-stage diagnosis, the median survival is between 6 and 20 months.
Hierarchy of Limits of Power

Low power microelectronics was conceived through the invention of the transistor in 1947 and enabled by the invention of the integrated circuit in 1958. Throughout the following 36 years, microelectronics has advanced in productivity and performance at a pace unmatched in technological history. Minimum feature size F has declined by about a factor of 1/50; die area D 2 has increased by approximately 170 times; packing efficiency PE, defined as the number of transistors per minimum feature area has multiplied by more than a factor of 100 so that the composite number of transistors per chip N-F -2 D 2 PE has skyrocketed by a factor of about 50x106, while the price range of a chip has remained virtually unchanged and its reliability has increased manifold [Meindl93]. An inextricable concomitant advance of low power microelectronics has been a reduction in the switching energy dissipation E or power-delay product Ptd=E of a binary transition by approximately 1/105 times. Consequently, as the principal driver of the modern information revolution, the ubiquitous microchip has had a profound and pervasive impact on our daily lives. Therefore, it is imperative that we gain as deep an understanding as possible of where we have been and especially of where we may be headed with the world’s most important technology.
Key Theories from Critical Medical Anthropology for Public Health Research. Part I: Starting with Foucault: cultures of medicine and meanings of illness

This article summarizes four significant theoretical concepts from the field of Critical Medical Anthropology in two parts: in the first part, biopower/discipline and explanatory models; in the second, structural violence, and identity politics and biological citizenship. The four subjects reviewed here have been chosen for their importance to our understanding of human behaviors related to health and illness, as well as for the impact that they can have on theory, research, and practice in the field of public health. These critical theories can provide new ways of thinking about professional roles, medical decisions, disease diagnosis and etiology, treatment adherence, prevention messaging, and all sorts of health-related behaviors and systems of understanding. They can also help public health researchers shed light on the human beliefs and activities that shape patterns of disease within and across populations. Whether a research question is being formulated or research findings are being analyzed, the critical social theories outlined here can foster a more holistic understanding of the human element in any public health project.
Studies in the diabetic mutant mouse. V. Glucose tolerance in mice homozygous and heterozygous for the diabetes (db) gene.

Mice homozygous and heterozygous for the diabetes (db) gene were studied to determine: 1. whether latent carbohydrate intolerance is present in young normoglycemic diabetic mutants (db/db); 2. whether normoglycemic food restricted diabetic mutants are carbohydrate intolerant; and 3. whether mice heterozygous for thedb gene (db/+) manifest abnormalities in glucose tolerance, serum IRI levels or body weights. Blood glucose levels were determined 0, 1/2, 1, 2 and 3 h following intraperitoneal administration of 2 mg glucose/g body weight. Normals (+/+) and diabetics (db/db) showed similar glucose tolerance curves during the first two weeks of life; however, both were markedly glucose intolerant compared to normal adult mice. At 3 weeks a small number of mutants had higher 3 h levels than any achieved in normal mice. By 4 weeks the average value for diabetics prior to glucose loading (0 time) was significantly (P < 0.02) elevated (db/db — 144 mg glucose/100 ml, +/+ = 124 mg glucose/100 ml). Although food restriction reduced blood glucose concentration at 0 time, persistence of carbohydrate intolerance was readily demonstrable following glucose loading. — Abnormalities in heterozygotes (db/+), 3 to 16 months of age, were primarily restricted to male mice, which showed moderate, but statistically significant elevations in blood glucose both at 0 time and following glucose administration. Forty percent of male heterozygotes had higher serum IRI levels than any observed in normal control males. Body weights of male heterozygotes were significantly greater (P<0.01) than those in agematched normals.
An evaluation of a chemical cautery agent and an anti-inflammatory ointment for the treatment of recurrent aphthous stomatitis: a pilot study.

OBJECTIVE Recurrent aphthous stomatitis is a very common condition, currently treated with anti-inflammatory agents, which palliate the symptoms. The purpose of this clinical trial was to compare a medication commonly used to treat recurrent aphthous stomatitis, Kenalog-in-Orabase, and a newer agent, Debacterol. METHOD AND MATERIALS Sixty patients diagnosed with recurrent aphthous stomatitis were enrolled in the study. Twenty patients were assigned to each of the two treatment groups, and 20 age- and sex-matched patients were assigned to the control group, which received no treatment. After the diagnosis was made, clinical examinations and ulcer measurements were performed, and a subjective evaluation of symptoms (100-mm visual analog scale) was completed by each subject. The subjects did not use any other medications. Both agents were applied topically (the frequency varied depending on the group of subjects) at specified intervals. Ulcer measurements and subjective evaluations were made at days 0, 3, 6, and 10 for all subjects. RESULTS In both treatment groups, by day 10, 100% of the ulcers had clinically healed and were no longer causing pain. Patients in the Debacterol group reported a significantly greater decrease in pain at 3 days (> 70%) than did subjects in the other groups (< 20%), although the size of the ulcer did not differ significantly in any of the groups. After day 6, 80% of the ulcers in the Debacterol group had clinically disappeared and no longer caused symptoms, as compared to about 30% in the other groups. CONCLUSION Patients subjectively reported significantly greater relief from symptoms with Debacterol than with Kenalog-in-Orabase or no treatment. The relief of symptoms associated with recurrent aphthous stomatitis may or may not correspond to clinical improvement, and these two topical medications may affect signs and symptoms of the lesions differently.
Confidence carryover during interleaved memory and perception judgments

Recognition memory tests typically consist of randomly intermixed studied and nonstudied items that subjects classify as old or new, often while indicating their confidence in these classifications. Under most decision theories, confidence ratings index an item's memory strength-the extent to which it elicits evidence of prior occurrence. Because the test probes are randomly ordered, these theories predict that confidence judgments should be sequentially independent: confidence on trial n should not predict confidence on n + 1. However, analysis of two extant data sets demonstrated reliable serial correlations in recognition memory confidence (confidence carryover). In a new experiment, we examined the domain specificity of confidence carryover by serially interleaving recognition and perceptual classification judgments. Analysis revealed domain-general and domain-specific confidence carryover effects: The confidence of a current recognition judgment was shown to reflect both the confidence of an immediately preceding perceptual gender judgment (domain-general carryover at Lag 1) and also the confidence of the recognition judgment prior to that (domain-specific carryover at Lag 2). Moreover, the domain-specific effect was sensitive to response consistency: Confidence carryover was highest when old-new classifications repeated across trials. Whereas the domain-general effect may reflect metacognitive monitoring of internal factors such as alertness, the domain-specific effect was easily simulated by assuming that evidence within domains is "sticky," such that current memory or perceptual evidence is pulled toward prior evidence representations.
Development of a nationwide consensus curriculum of perioperative medicine: A modified Delphi method

Abstract Background Although the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) recognizes the importance of perioperative medicine and medicine consultation, there is no standardized perioperative medicine curriculum for internal medicine and primary care residents. Our objective was to design and implement a nationwide consensus curriculum of perioperative medicine for graduate medical education using a modified Delphi method. Material and methods We adopted the five-step modified Delphi method: (1) Online survey to assess current curricula for perioperative medicine; (2) In-person meeting to decide on core topics and teaching methods; (3) focus group of 6 leaders in perioperative medicine to determine objectives, assessment tools, and draft syllabus; (4) 2nd round Delphi to draft curriculum; (5) In-person meeting to discuss and finalize curriculum. The finalized curriculum was piloted as a two-week senior internal medicine elective at an academic health science center. Results The final consensus curriculum is based on the SHMConsults.com modules and consists of 8 objectives and 8 core topics. Assessment tools targets all levels of Miller's Pyramid and includes a pretest, multiple choice posttest, mini-CEX, and critique of written consultation note. Participants rated the curriculum high overall educational value with clear and effective modules and comprehensive and useful evaluation tools. After completing the curriculum, the participants demonstrated improved knowledge and competence for each core principle. Conclusions This study used a modified Delphi method to develop a comprehensive curriculum for teaching perioperative medicine. The curriculum successfully increased learning competence in key skills in perioperative medicine. We hope to distribute the consensus curriculum to programs throughout the country.
Diprovocims: A New and Exceptionally Potent Class of Toll-like Receptor Agonists.

A screen conducted with nearly 100000 compounds and a surrogate functional assay for stimulation of an immune response that measured the release of TNF-α from treated human THP-1 myeloid cells differentiated along the macrophage line led to the discovery of the diprovocims. Unique to these efforts and of special interest, the screening leads for this new class of activators of an immune response came from a compound library designed to promote cell-surface receptor dimerization. Subsequent comprehensive structure–activity relationship studies improved the potency 800-fold over that of the screening leads, providing diprovocim-1 and diprovocim-2. The diprovocims act by inducing cell-surface toll-like receptor (TLR)-2 dimerization and activation with TLR1 (TLR1/TLR2 agonist), bear no structural similarity to any known natural or synthetic TLR agonist, and are easy to prepare and synthetically modify, and selected members are active in both human and murine systems. The most potent diprovocim (3, diprovocim-...
Method and Data

This chapter introduces the method and data for the reader to reconstruct the Mongkok Riot (MKR). It starts with a brief "Introduction" observing "inexplicable lapse" of investigation and scholarship on MKR, inspite of professed public interest and profound political needs. Section I: “Method” argues for a new and more expansive way in which to understand the MKR, cognitively and experientially. Section II: “Data” provides readers with a set of materials from various sources and with different perspectives, allowing the rediscovery of the past in their own ways and terms. Section III: “Conclusion” informs the reader about how the source material can be used in order to come to terms with what happened during the MKR.
TongueBoard: An Oral Interface for Subtle Input

We present TongueBoard, a retainer form-factor device for recognizing non-vocalized speech. TongueBoard enables absolute position tracking of the tongue by placing capacitive touch sensors on the roof of the mouth. We collect a dataset of 21 common words from four user study participants (two native American English speakers and two non-native speakers with severe hearing loss). We train a classifier that is able to recognize the words with 91.01% accuracy for the native speakers and 77.76% accuracy for the non-native speakers in a user dependent, offline setting. The native English speakers then participate in a user study involving operating a calculator application with 15 non-vocalized words and two tongue gestures at a desktop and with a mobile phone while walking. TongueBoard consistently maintains an information transfer rate of 3.78 bits per decision (number of choices = 17, accuracy = 97.1%) and 2.18 bits per second across stationary and mobile contexts, which is comparable to our control conditions of mouse (desktop) and touchpad (mobile) input.
Deubiquitination of phosphoribosyl-ubiquitin conjugates by PDE domain-containing Legionella effectors

Summary Posttranslational protein modification by ubiquitin (Ub) is a central eukaryotic mechanism that regulates a plethora of physiological processes. Recent studies unveiled an unconventional type of ubiquitination mediated by the SidE family of Legionella pneumophila effectors, such as SdeA, that catalyzes the conjugation of Ub to a serine residue of target proteins via a phosphoribosyl linker (hence named PR-ubiquitination). Comparable to the deubiquitinases (DUBs) in the canonical ubiquitination pathway, here we show that two Legionella effectors, named DupA (deubiquitinase for PR-ubiquitination) and DupB, reverse PR-ubiquitination by specific removal of phosphoribosyl-Ub (PR-Ub) from substrates. Both DupA and DupB are fully capable of rescuing the Golgi fragmentation phenotype caused by exogenous expression of SdeA in mammalian cells. We further show that deletion of these two genes results in significant accumulation of PR-ubiquitinated species in host cells infected with Legionella. In addition, we have identified a list of specific PR-ubiquitinated host targets and show that DupA and DupB play a role in modulating the association of PR-ubiquitinated host targets with Legionella containing vacuoles (LCV). Together, our data establish a complete PR-ubiquitination and deubiquitination cycle and demonstrate the intricate control that Legionella has over this unusual Ub-dependent posttranslational modification. Statement of significance Ubiquitination is a vital posttranslational modification in eukaryotes. A variety of microbial pathogens exploit this pathway during their infection. Legionella pneumophila, the causative bacterial pathogen of Legionnaires’ disease, has been show to hijack host ubiquitination pathway via a large number of effectors. Recent studies revealed a family of effectors catalyzing a novel type of Ub-dependent posttranslational modification, namely PR-ubiquitination. Here we report two new players, DupA and DupB, involved in this unconventional pathway. We found that DupA and DupB function as PR-Ub specific DUBs and play a role in regulating the PR-ubiquitination levels of host targets. Our results not only provide an expanding view of the PR-ubiquitination pathway, but may also facilitate the future identification of PR-ubiquitination pathways in eukaryotes.
Frontal fibrosing alopecia demographics: a survey of 29 patients.

Frontal fibrosing alopecia (FFA) is a form of scarring alopecia whose diagnosis is increasing globally. Although its etiology is unknown, FFA is thought to be a clinical subset of lichen planopilaris (LPP) that primarily affects postmenopausal women. Patients diagnosed with FFA between January 2006 and December 2013 at clinics of the Washington University Division of Dermatology (St. Louis, Missouri) were studied using patient surveys and chart notes to assess demographics, clinical features, medical history, and treatment. Twenty-nine patients were enrolled in the study, including 28 women and 1 man. The average age of disease onset was 55.4 years (range, 29-75 years). Many patients (55%) had a history of autoimmune diseases, including hypothyroidism (35%), mucocutaneous lichen planus (28%), psoriasis (7%), vitiligo (3%), systemic lupus erythematosus (3%), iritis (3%), Sjogren syndrome (3%), and ulcerative colitis (3%). Patients often identified a stressful inciting event prior to onset of hair loss. Patients tried an average of 3 different treatments for hair loss, with topical and intralesional steroids, hydroxychloroquine, topical calcineurin inhibitors, and excimer laser therapy being the most efficacious at limiting hair loss.
A short unit to introduce multi-threaded programming

We argue for the inclusion of concurrent programming in core courses of the computer science major and present a brief unit that quickly introduces some key concepts.
Validation and Comparison of a Modified CDC Assay with two Commercially Available Assays for the Detection of SARS-CoV-2 in Respiratory Specimen

ABSTRACT Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), has spread rapidly around the globe since it was first identified in December of 2019 in Wuhan, China. In a race to contain the infection, researchers and healthcare officials have developed several assays to help diagnose individuals with COVID-19. To help laboratories in deciding what assay to bring into testing lines, factors such as assay availability, cost, throughput, and TAT should be considered. Here we validated a modified version of the CDC assay and used it as a reference to evaluate the performance of the NeuMoDx™ SARS-CoV-2 and DiaSorin Simplexa™ Covid-19 Direct assays. In silico analysis and clinical sample testing showed that the primesr/probes designed by the CDC were specific to the SARS-CoV-2 as they accurately detected all reactive samples with an assay LoD of 200 copies/ml. The performance of the three assays were analyzed using 161 nasopharyngeal swabs specimen tested within 24 hours or 5 days from routine testing. A 100% agreement was observed between the commercial assays and the modified CDC SARS-CoV-2 assay. A deeper look at the Ct values showed no significant difference between NeuMoDx and the modified CDC SARS-CoV-2 assay, whereas DiaSorin had lower overall Ct values than the modified CDC SARS-CoV-2 assay. NeuMoDx and DiaSorin workflows were much easier to perform. NeuMoDx has the highest throughput and shortest TAT, whereas although the modified CDC SARS-CoV-2 assay has comparable throughput to DiaSorin, it has the longest hands-on time, and highest TAT.
BENIN: Biologically enhanced network inference

Gene regulatory network inference is one of the central problems in computational biology. We need models that integrate the variety of data available in order to use their complementarity information to overcome the issues of noisy and limited data. BENIN: Biologically Enhanced Network INference is our proposal to integrate data and infer more accurate networks. BENIN is a general framework that jointly considers different types of prior knowledge with expression datasets to improve the network inference. The method states the network inference as a feature selection problem and uses a popular penalized regression method, the Elastic net, combined with bootstrap resampling to solve it. BENIN significantly outperforms the state-of-the-art methods on the simulated data from the DREAM 4 challenge when combining genome-wide location data, knockout gene expression data, and time series expression data.
A quality improvement pathway to rapidly increase telemedicine services in a Gynecologic Oncology clinic during the COVID-19 pandemic with patient satisfaction scores and environmental impact.

The primary goal was to convert 50% of all outpatient Gynecologic Oncology (GynOnc) encounters during the COVID-19 pandemic to telemedicine within one week. The secondary goal was to reach 100% documentation of telemedicine consent. The tertiary goal was to analyze patient satisfaction scores. An additional goal was to estimate CO2 emissions prevented from being produced. The period from 3/16/2020-4/15/2020 was targeted. The initial intervention involved transitioning surveillance visits. A second intervention, with nursing and advanced-practice-provider support, included transitioning additional visit types, and distributing a note template. The Telehealth Satisfaction Survey (TeSS) was administered to patients. Descriptive statistics and run charts were used to analyze and depict results. Within four weeks, there were 408 encounters; 217 were telemedicine (53.2%). Following the second intervention, 13 of 15 days (86.7%) reached the 50% telemedicine target and consent was documented in 96.6% of the telemedicine encounters. The TeSS had a 74.8% response-rate. Patients rated the following aspects of the telemedicine encounter as good or excellent: call quality (96.5%), personal comfort (92.9%), length-of-visit (94.7%), treatment explanation (93.8%), overall experience (88.5%). Moreover, 82.3% of patients would use telemedicine again. Additionally, 6.25 metric tons of CO2 emissions from travel were prevented from being produced. A GynOnc clinic can rapidly implement telemedicine systems. With multidisciplinary team planning and standardized note templates, transitioning 50% of encounters to telemedicine and achieving high rates of consent documentation were accomplished in four weeks. This increase in telemedicine represented a measurable decrease in the amount of CO2 emissions. Additionally, patients were overwhelmingly satisfied.
IT after the Coronavirus pandemic: Back to normal?

Global IT (Information Technology) trends research has demonstrated the steady increase in IT's role in organizational competitiveness for decades. Many thought leaders suggest that we are in the midst of a digital transformation where every company is becoming an IT company. With the coronavirus pandemic, IT has become even more essential, as employees around the globe have been working from their homes, where they are totally dependent on IT. As vaccines are distributed, and the end of the pandemic is in sight, looking forward, executives are proceeding cautiously as economies and offices reopen and expand. It is thus important to anticipate the changes that will be experienced by society, industry, and IT. The purpose of this paper is to explore the impact that coronavirus is having (and will have) on IT investments and technologies and examine the implications and insights for the post-pandemic era. © AMCIS 2021.