cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Risk Factors, Presentation, and Course of Coronavirus Disease 2019 in a Large, Academic Long-Term Care Facility.

Abstract Objective To describe clinical characteristics and risk factors associated with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in long-stay nursing home residents. Design and Participants Retrospective cohort study (March 16, 2020 to May 8, 2020). Setting Academic long-term chronic care facility (Boston, MA). Participants Long-term care residents. Methods Patient characteristics and clinical symptoms were obtained via electronic medical records and Minimum Data Set. Staff residence was inferred by zip codes. COVID-19 infection was confirmed by polymerase chain reaction testing using nasopharyngeal swabs. Residents were followed until discharge from facility, death, or up to 21 days. Risks of COVID-19 infection were modeled by generalized estimating equation to estimate the relative risk (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) of patient characteristics and staff community of residence. Results Overall 146 of 389 (37.5%) long-stay residents tested positive for COVID-19. At the time of positive test, 66 of 146 (45.5%) residents were asymptomatic. In the subsequent illness course, the most common symptom was anorexia (70.8%), followed by delirium (57.6%). During follow-up, 44 (30.1%) of residents with COVID-19 died. Mortality increased with frailty (16.7% in pre-frail, 22.2% in moderately frail, and 50.0% in frail; P Conclusions and Implications Among long-term care residents diagnosed with COVID-19, nearly one-half were asymptomatic at the time of diagnosis. Predictors of COVID-19 infection included male sex, bowel incontinence, and staff residence in a community with a high burden of COVID-19. Universal testing of patients and staff in communities with high COVID-19 rates is essential to mitigate outbreaks.
The prevention of periodontal disease—An overview

It is widely accepted that common diseases of the oral cavity, such as gingivitis and periodontitis, are preventable. Based on a large body of scientific evidence, a number of preventive strategies are known to prevent these diseases, but only if routinely implemented. Unfortunately, while most preventive strategies are theoretically simple to understand, they are often difficult to employ in practice at individual and public health levels. This volume of Periodontology 2000 provides the most current information on the state of the science and the evidence base supporting a preventive perspective for the management of periodontal disease, including evidence for proven interventions as well as cutting-edge ideas for potential future interventions. In addition to well-established and scientifically proven approaches (tooth and implant cleansing, topical chemotherapeutics, reduction in risk factors such as tobacco smoking), a number of new ideas are now under investigation, including antioxidant agents, probiotics, vaccines, and slow-release alternative chemotherapeutics. Furthermore, there are new ideas to alter patient behaviors with the aim to improve adherence to preventive strategies. Finally, examples from implementation science and public health are provided that suggest novel approaches to bring new ideas into clinical practice.
Abstract A40: Characterization of quantitative gene-expression dimensions in myeloma tumors

Background: Clinical management and research of multiple myeloma (MM), a cancer of plasma cells, is limited by tumor heterogeneity. A standard approach to deconstruct tumor heterogeneity is to use hierarchical clustering techniques to determine mutually exclusive categorical subtypes. However, categorical subtypes may fail to capture potential important variations that cross tumor subtypes. An alternate approach is to determine orthogonal, quantitative tumor dimensions where each dimension is an independent tumor characteristic. We hypothesize that using a quantitative framework for tumor heterogeneity in MM will uncover biologically relevant components to tumors and may reflect specific molecular liabilities and therapeutic vulnerabilities. Further, these quantitative characteristics may be more homogeneous genetically and useful for germline gene mapping. Objective: Identify orthogonal, quantitative dimensions in MM tumors using gene expression. Data: RNA sequencing on treatment-naive, CD138 sorted tumor cells from 768 individuals. Publicly available from the MM Research Foundation’s Clinical Outcomes on MM Genetic Profiles Assessment (CoMMpass) Interim Analysis 12a. SALMON transcripts per million adjusted expression estimates on 16,870 protein coding genes. Analyses: Multistage singular value decomposition (SVD) to 1) select representative genes, and 2) characterize the orthogonal, quantitative tumor dimensions. Stage 1: Genes that contribute most to the initial SVD will be selected as representative genes. Stage 2: SVD on selected genes to identify quantitative gene expression tumor dimensions. Each dimension is a linear combination of the representative genes. Future work will associate the quantitative dimensions with demographic, clinical, and genetic (germline and somatic) characteristics, in addition to response to treatment using penalized linear regression modeling. Conclusions: We present a new approach for the characterization of MM tumors using a more sophisticated quantitative framework that will facilitate more flexibility for subsequent statistical modeling. Improved measures for tumors have the potential to provide increased power for identification of association between tumor characteristics and genetic (germline or somatic) characteristics with ultimate potential for genetic counseling, insights into mechanism, risk stratification, response to treatment, and new candidates for precision therapeutics. Citation Format: Rosalie G. Waller, Michael J. Madsen, John Gardner, Douglas Sborov, Nicola J. Camp. Characterization of quantitative gene-expression dimensions in myeloma tumors [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Modernizing Population Sciences in the Digital Age; 2019 Feb 19-22; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2020;29(9 Suppl):Abstract nr A40.
Identifying the effects of chronic saltwater intrusion in coastal floodplain swamps using remote sensing

Abstract Coastal floodplain swamps (CFS) are an important part of the coastal wetland mosaic, however they are threatened due to accelerated rates of sea level rise and saltwater intrusion (SWI). While remote sensing-based detection of wholesale coastal ecosystem shifts (i.e., from forest to marsh) are relatively straightforward, assessments of chronic, low-level SWI into CFS using remote sensing have yet to be developed and can provide a critical early-warning signal of ecosystem deterioration. In this study, we developed nine ecologically-based hypotheses to test whether remote sensing data could be used to reliably detect the presence of CFS experiencing SWI. Hypotheses were motivated by field- and literature-based understanding of the phenological and vegetative dynamics of CFS experiencing SWI relative to unimpacted, control systems. Hypotheses were organized into two primary groups: those that analyzed differences in summary measures (e.g., median and distribution) between SWI-impacted and unimpacted control sites and those that examined timeseries trends (e.g., sign and magnitude of slope). The enhanced vegetation index (EVI) was used as a proxy for production/biomass and was generated using MODIS surface reflectance data spanning 2000 to 2018. Experimental sites (n = 8) were selected from an existing network of long-term monitoring sites and included 4 pairs of impacted/non-impacted CFS across the northern Gulf of Mexico from Texas to Florida. The four best-supported hypotheses (81% across all sties) all used summary statistics, indicating that there were significant differences in the EVI of CFS experiencing chronic, low-level SWI compared to controls. These hypotheses were tested using data across a large and diverse region, supporting their implementation by researchers and managers seeking to identify CFS undergoing the first phases of SWI. In contrast, hypotheses that assessed CFS change over time were poorly supported, likely due to the slow and variable pace of ecological change, relatively short remote sensing data record, and/or specific site histories. Overall, these results show that remote sensing data can be used to identify differences in CFS vegetation associated with long-term, low-level SWI, but further methodological advancements are needed to reliably detect the temporal transition process.
On Deconfounding Spatial Confounding in Linear Models

Spatial confounding, that is, collinearity between fixed effects and random effects in a spatial generalized linear mixed model, can adversely affect estimates of the fixed effects. Restricted spat...
Troubling Claims of Normalization: Continuing Stigmas within Michigan’s Medical Cannabis Community

Cannabis has undoubtedly become more accessible and commonplace in American society, and scholars and laypeople commonly claim it has achieved a normalized status. On the other hand, structural and...
Characterizing MCID and assessing the role of preoperative PROMIS scores in predicting outcomes for reverse total shoulder arthroplasty at 2-year follow-up

Abstract Background The Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) has gained more ground as a reliable and efficient means of collecting patient outcomes in different shoulder surgeries. The purpose of this study is to determine if preoperative PROMIS scores are able to predict improvement in postoperative PROMIS scores and anchor this data to determine if a patient will achieve MCID after reverse total shoulder arthroplasty (RTSA). We hypothesize that preoperative PROMIS will significantly correlate, with anchor questions allowing clinicians to predict which patients are most likely to achieve MCID after RTSA. Methods Three PROMIS CAT forms (PROMIS Upper Extremity Physical Function CAT v2.0 (“PROMIS-UE”), PROMIS Pain Interference v1.1 (“PROMIS-PI”), and PROMIS Depression v1.0 (“PROMIS-D”)) were provided to all patients scheduled to undergo RTSA by board-certified shoulder and elbow surgeons at 1 institution. Demographic data was collected, including age, median household income, zip code, body mass index, sex, smoking status, and race. All patients enrolled in the study were contacted and asked the same 3 anchor questions pertaining to the 3 PROMIS CAT forms above. Results A total of 71 patients (52.1% male) were included in our cohort with an average age of 67.8 years (standard deviation, 8.4). Mean follow-up time point was 21.4 months (standard deviation, 9.9) after surgery. Neither preoperative PROMIS-UE, nor preoperative PROMIS-PI showed any significant predictive ability to achieve their respective domain MCIDs (AUC: 0.564 and 0.631, respectively). PROMIS-UE and PROMIS-PI improved to a significant degree at an average 21.4 months postoperatively from 29.2 ± 5.8 and 63.8 ± 4.8 to 39.8.9 ± 8.9 and 50.0 ± 9.7, respectively. Improvements in PRMOIS-D scores were insignificant at average 21.4 months (Baseline: 49.8 ± 8.0 vs. 44.5 ± 9.4 at final follow-up). Using anchor-based analysis to determine MCID, we found the following MCID values for PROMIS-UE, PROMIS-PI, and PROMIS-D: 7.0, -6.6, and -3.9, respectively. ROC analysis revealed MCID values for PROMIS-UE, PI, and D as 7.0, -6.6, and -3.9 respectively (AUC: 0.743, 0.805, 0.601). SCB values for PROMIS-UE, PI, and D were identified as 8.4, -12.1, and -4.0, respectively (AUC: 0.883, 0.932, 0.652). Conclusions PROMIS-UE and PROMIS-PI questionnaires can adequately assess the symptoms and outcomes of RTSA patients out to two years postoperatively. Preoperative baseline PROMIS-UE, PROMIS-PI, and PROMIS-D scores cannot adequately predict achievement of MCID in patients indicated for primary RTSA when using anchor-based methods at final follow-up, and should not be used to counsel patients on surgery or guide postoperative treatment. Level of Evidence Level II
Characterization and comparative analysis of transcriptional profiles of porcine colostrum and mature milk at different parities

Background Porcine milk is a complex fluid, containing a myriad of immunological, biochemical, and cellular components, made to satisfy the nutritional requirements of the neonate. Whole milk contains many different cell types, including mammary epithelial cells, neutrophils, macrophages, and lymphocytes, as well nanoparticles, such as milk exosomes. To-date, only a limited number of livestock transcriptomic studies have reported sequencing of milk. Moreover, those studies focused only on sequencing somatic cells as a proxy for the mammary gland with the goal of investigating differences in the lactation process. Recent studies have indicated that RNA originating from multiple cell types present in milk can withstand harsh environments, such as the digestive system, and transmit regulatory molecules from maternal to neonate. Transcriptomic profiling of porcine whole milk, which is reflective of the combined cell populations, could help elucidate these mechanisms. To this end, total RNA from colostrum and mature milk samples were sequenced from 65 sows at differing parities. A stringent bioinformatic pipeline was used to identify and characterize 70,841 transcripts. Results The 70,841 identified transcripts included 42,733 previously annotated transcripts and 28,108 novel transcripts. Differential gene expression analysis was conducted using a generalized linear model coupled with the Lancaster method for P-value aggregation across transcripts. In total, 1667 differentially expressed genes (DEG) were identified for the milk type main effect, and 33 DEG were identified for the milk type x parity interaction. Several gene ontology (GO) terms related to immune response were significant for the milk type main effect, supporting the well-known fact that immunoglobulins and immune cells are transferred to the neonate via colostrum. Conclusions This is the first study to perform global transcriptome analysis from whole milk samples in sows from different parities. Our results provide important information and insight into synthesis of milk proteins and innate immunity and potential targets for future improvement of swine lactation and piglet development.
Exploring the nexus between social vulnerability, built environment, and the prevalence of COVID-19: A case study of Chicago

COVID-19 has significantly and unevenly impacted the United States, disproportionately affecting socially vulnerable communities. While epidemiologists and public health officials have suggested social distancing and shelter-in-place orders to halt the spread of this virus, the ability to comply with these guidelines is dependent on neighborhood, household, and individual characteristics related to social vulnerability. We use structural equation modeling and multiple data sources, including anonymized mobile phone location data from SafeGraph, to examine the effects of different social vulnerability and built environment factors on COVID-19 prevalence over two overlapping time periods (March to May and March to November of 2020). We use Chicago, Illinois as a case study and find that zip codes with low educational attainment consistently experienced higher case rates over both periods. Though population density was not significantly related to the prevalence in any period, movement of people made a significant contribution only during the longer time period. This finding highlights the significance of analyzing different timeframes for understanding social vulnerability. Our results suggest social vulnerability played an influential role in COVID-19 prevalence, highlighting the needs to address socioeconomic barriers to pandemic recovery and future pandemic response.
Waiting: Collateral Consequences in the Time of COVID

"Hi, I am so sorry for your wait," had become an essential part of the emergency department staff's greeting. The waiting room was full of frustrated, pale, and tired faces. The lucky patients had waited for 5 hours, others had been waiting for 24 hours or even longer. Then, when they finally got a room in the emergency department, patients would wait for another 24 hours for a bed inpatient. The hospital was gridlocked; half of the emergency department was technically functioning as an inpatient unit. The emergency department team was coding a 30-year-old woman. The chief resident saw my confused face, and explained, “she was extremely acidotic because of DKA, because she had a 12 hour wait in an ED waiting room”. “SI” popped on the board. I learned from my upper levels that SI stood for suicidal ideation, however I never expected that I would see this chief complaint this frequently in the children’s emergency department. There was always a resident in the children’s emergency department transcribing a child’s depiction of depression in the corner of the room. We got the same responses when we asked what was going on: “I’m lonely, I have no friends”, “COVID has been hard”, and “I don’t hang out with my friends anymore”. The effect of COVID-19 was further reaching than the pediatricians expected. A victim of a lethal accident was wheeled in. Normally family members could gather by their loved one around a bed someplace other than in the ED, a place reserved for them where calmness and serenity would ease anguish and suffering. They would be greeted and prepared by caregivers to receive the sad news. The patient’s brain had herniated. “Usually, we would have a bed on the floor for this patient, a quieter space than the emergency department, however because of the limited bed space upstairs we were wondering if we could declare your son brain dead in the ED”. The devastating news was delivered in the ED among trauma staff busily attending to other patients and in the confusion of screams of psych patients in the background. The contagion of COVID-19 goes beyond its medical diagnosis. In the emergency department, slashed on the faces of the crowd in the waiting room, you can see a sliver of how COVID-19 expands and devastates countless lives beyond those in the statistics.
Small Colubroids from the Late Hemphillian Gray Fossil Site of Northeastern Tennessee

The Gray Fossil Site is a rich Hemphillian (North American Land Mammal Age) locality in northeastern Tennessee, USA, and has produced tens of thousands of fossils of multiple taxa including hundreds of individual snake skeletal remains. One of only five sites of similar age east of the Mississippi River, the Gray Fossil Site is crucial to our understanding of snake evolution and diversity. Microfauna were collected by screenwashing sediment and picking under a microscope. Specimens were identified using a suite of measurements and characters. Analyzed here are vertebral fossils identified as belonging to various colubrid taxa including Worm Snakes (Carphophis sp.), Ring-Necked Snakes (Diadophis sp.), Hook-Nosed Snakes (Gyalopion sp.), and Hognose Snakes (Heterodon meadi sp. nov.). Carphophis sp. and Gyalopion sp. represent first occurrences in the Mio-Pliocene and dramatically extend their temporal range from the Pleistocene. The four snakes, including one new species, are in accordance with the previously identified taxa by Jasinski and Moscato (2017; Journal of Herpetology 5:245–257), represent a modern assemblage of advanced snakes by the Mio-Pliocene and support a forested environment in northeastern Tennessee.
Sphingosine 1-phosphate receptor 3 is highly upregulated on human neutrophils upon migration to the airways (INC6P.315)

Background and hypothesis: Migration of polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs) from blood into the airway lumen is accompanied by changes in surface receptors and responsiveness to environmental cues, such as sphingolipids. In particular, signaling via extracellular ceramide / sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) was suggested to contribute to human airway disease, such as cystic fibrosis (CF). We hypothesized that airway PMNs would alter expression of the S1P receptor, S1PR3, which was recently implicated in lung inflammation and fibrosis. Methods: We collected blood and sputum from healthy control (HC) and CF subjects and analyzed S1PR3 expression in live PMNs gated by flow cytometry. In addition, we used a novel in vitro model to study the effect of transepithelial migration of blood PMNs on S1PR3 expression. Results: We observed a 10-fold upregulation of surface S1PR3 expression on HC and CF airway PMNs, in vivo, compared to their blood counterparts. This major increase was recapitulated in vitro, when naive blood PMNs were induced to transmigrate through an airway epithelial layer toward apical CF airway fluid. S1PR3 expression increased over time, by 10-fold after 10 hours, and up to 20-fold at 18 hours. Conclusions: Modulation of S1PR3 expression follows PMN migration to both HC and CF airways. Further studies will determine the importance of this receptor in mediating responses to ceramide/S1P signaling in these cells, including PMN migration, apoptosis and activation.
Persistent Excitation in Dynamical Systems

The importance of the concept of persistent excitation in adaptive identification and control is currently well recognized. In spite of its extensive use in many specific situations, our understanding of the concept is still limited. This paper deals with the properties of persistently exciting signals and the effect of various transformations on them with a view to providing a general framework to facilitate the discussion and use of the concept.
UHF Modulation and Fourier Transform Differential Time Domain Techniques for Measuring Strain Via Fiber Optics

The design and manufacture of future space transportation and delivery systems will be strongly driven by safety, cost, maintenance and reliability considerations. Advanced composite structural components are likely to be a key element in realizing these system objectives. Composites have the additional potential of enabling the embedment of sensors for system health monitoring, which supports requirements for low cost safety, maintenance and repair diagnosis.
Weight-Vector Based Approach for Product Recommendation in E-commerce

This paper presents a knowledge-based product retrieval and recommendation system for e-commerce. The system is based on the observation that, in Business to Customer (B2C) e-commerce, customers' preferences naturally cluster into groups. Customers belonging to the same cluster have very similar preferences for product selection. The system is primarily based on product classification hierarchy. The hierarchy contains weight vectors. The system learns from experience. The learning is in the form of weight refinement based on customer selections. The learning resembles radioactive decay in some situations. Labor profile domain has been taken up for system implementation. The results are at the preliminary stage, and the system is not yet evaluated completely.
Contrast Radiography of Equine Joints, Tendon Sheaths, and Draining Tracts

Arthrography, tenography, and fistulography (or sinography) can provide additional information about the soft-tissue components of joints, tendon sheaths, and draining tracts, respectively. Arthrography is a valuable aid in the diagnosis of synovial masses, such as villonodular synovitis, and osteochondrosis. Tenography is particularly useful in evaluating chronic tendon sheath distention. Fistulography is an effective means of identifying acute traumatic damage to synovial structures and determining the cause and extent of draining tracts.
Design and implementation of a flexible location directory service for tiered sensor networks

Many emergent distributed sensing applications need to keep track of mobile entities across multiple sensor networks connected via an IP network. To simplify the realization of such applications, we present MLDS, a Multi-resolution Location Directory Service for tiered sensor networks. MLDS provides a rich set of spatial query services ranging from simple queries about entity location, to complex nearest neighbor queries. Furthermore, MLDS supports multiple query granularities which allow an application to achieve the desired tradeoff between query accuracy and communication cost. We implemented MLDS on Agimone, a unified middleware for sensor and IP networks. We then deployed and evaluated the service on a tiered testbed consisting of tmote nodes and base stations. Our experimental results show that, when compared to a centralized approach, MLDS achieves significant savings in communication cost while still providing a high degree of accuracy, both within a single sensor network and across multiple sensor networks.
Crónicas de la corte: la teatralidad en Noticias del Imperio

En este trabajo se estudia la nocion de teatralidad como estrategia de representacion en Noticias del Imperio (1987) de Fernando del Paso. Al presentar la historia dentro del marco del escenario teatral y, en particular, de las convenciones conscientemente artificiales de la commedia dell'arte, el lector se encuentra obligado a reexaminar sus preconcepciones sobre la naturaleza de la representacion y, por extension, entre lo que es la historia y lo que la ficcion. Por medio de este recurso la novela termina siendo no solamente un cuestionamiento del discurso historico sino una critica de las relaciones de poder en general y del imperialismo en particular.
Big Glass on a Silicon Chip: The CLEA Project in the 21st Century

In the 1990’s, the confluence of personal computing and digital data acquisition made it possible to produce realistic simulations of astronomical instrumentation for classroom use. Since its inception in 1992, Project CLEA (Contemporary Laboratory Experiences in Astronomy) has taken advantage of these developments to introduce a series of PC-based exercises that simulate a wide variety of astronomical research techniques including spectroscopy, CCD imaging, and radio astronomy of pulsars. Project CLEA materials have been widely adopted by astronomy educators because they make it possible to involve students in hands-on investigations that would otherwise be difficult because of time, weather, and financial constraints on real telescopes.
An improved method of acid elution and its application in obstetric and pediatric immunohematology

Abstract An improved method of acid elution is presented that simplifies the neutralization step by a sequential titration of small aliquots of base (Tris) with concomitant pH determinations. This technique is further adapted for use with small volumes of red cell starting material as might be found in certain obstetrical and pediatric situations. It is also useful in the determination of pH optima for select blood group antibodies.
Predictors of late presentation for HIV diagnosis: a literature review and suggested way forward.

Early commencement of antiretroviral treatment can be beneficial and economical in the long run. Despite global advances in access to care, a significant proportion of adults presenting at HIV/AIDS care facilities present with advanced HIV disease. Understanding factors associated with late presentation for HIV/AIDS services is critical to the development of effective programs and treatment strategies. Literature on factors associated with late presentation for an HIV diagnosis is reviewed. Highlighted is the current emphasis on socio-demographic factors, the limited exploration of psychosocial correlates, and inconsistencies in the definition of late presentation that make it difficult to compare findings across different studies. Perspectives based on experiences from resource limited settings are underreported. Greater exploration of psychosocial predictors of late HIV diagnosis is advocated for, to guide future intervention research and to inform public policy and practice targeted at ‘difficult to reach’ populations.
Evaluating Measures of Campaign Tone

Much recent research has examined campaign tone—how positive or negative a campaign is—and its influence on a variety of political behaviors, including voter turnout. Yet there is little research testing the validity of these measures. Does the tone of candidate advertising, for example, reflect the tone of media coverage of a campaign? In this article, we evaluate several methods of assessing tone, focusing specifically on U.S. Senate races from 1998–2002. We find that several of the measures are closely related, and one's substantive findings are seldom altered by substituting one measure for another. Thus, theory and matters of practicality should guide one's choice of tone measures.
Purchase experiments of extra-ordinary and regular influence strategies using artificial and real brands

Abstract We apply basic tenets from operant conditioning and cognitive decision theory to test the impacts of immediate and long-term impacts of extra-ordinary and regular influence strategies on consumer brand choice. Seven hypotheses are tested in an in-home experiment with 114 subjects assigned randomly to five groups. Hypothesis 1: Most consumers in a new environment (e.g., with three to four brands per product category) initially try all available brands. Hypothesis 2: Across purchase periods, unassisted by extra-ordinary influence strategies, a brand's penetration rate (i.e., share of customers buying the brand) declines in the long run. Hypothesis 3: Across purchase periods unassisted by extra-ordinary influence strategies, the average buying frequency per buyer (BFB) for a brand remains stable. Hypothesis 4: Substantial increases (decreases) in a brand's penetration occurs during periods when extra-ordinary (i.e., assisted trial) influence strategies are implemented, e.g., price decreases (increases) influence substantial penetration increases (decreases). Hypothesis 5: Most of the impacts on penetration resulting from extra-ordinary influence strategies disappear in subsequent unassisted purchase periods. Hypothesis 6: However, the relatively small long-term impacts of extra-ordinary influence strategies may be substantive, e.g., the negative long-term effect reported by Doob et al. (Doob AN, Carlsmith JM, Freedman JL, Landauer TK, Tom Jr. S. Effect of initial selling price on subsequent sales. J Pers Soc Psychol 1969;11:345–50.). Hypothesis 7: Increases and decreases in brand purchases are associated with positive and negative attitude shifts toward the brand, respectively. Hypothesis 8: The NBD/LSD models are accurate in forecasting penetration and buying frequency in unassisted (i.e., ordinary influence) purchase periods. The findings support all hypotheses except Hypotheses 3 and 7. Implications for developing a theory of influence strategies on short-term and long-term behavior are discussed.
(FeCo)3Si?SiOx core?shell nanoparticles fabricated in the gas phase

A method of fabricating core?shell nanoparticles by using an integrated nanoparticle deposition technique in the gas phase is reported. The principle of the method is based on nanoparticle growth from the vapour phase, during which elements showing lower surface energies prefer to form the shells and elements showing higher surface energies prefer to stay in the cores. This method was applied successfully to the Fe?Co?Si ternary system to fabricate core?shell-type nanoparticles. The nanoparticles were exposed in air after collection to achieve oxidation. The analysis results based on transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Auger electron spectroscopy (AES), x-ray diffraction (XRD), and a superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) showed that the core parts are magnetic materials of body-centred cubic (bcc) structured (FeCo)3Si of 15?nm in diameter, and the shell parts are amorphous SiOx of 2?nm in thickness. These core?shell-type nanoparticles show a magnetic anisotropy constant of about 7 ? 105?erg?cm?3 and a saturation magnetization of around 1160?emu?cm?3, which is much higher than that of iron oxide. After annealing at 300 ??C in air, (FeCo)3Si?SiOx core?shell-type nanoparticles showed a little bit of a drop in magnetic moment, while pure FeCo nanopariticles totally lost their magnetic moment. This means that the shells of SiOx are dense enough to prevent the magnetic cores from oxidation.
3D iterative full and half scan reconstruction in CT architectures with distributed sources

In 3 rd generation CT systems projection data, generated by X-rays emitted from a single source and passing through the imaged object, are acquired by a single detector covering the entire field of view (FOV). Novel CT system architectures employing distributed sources [1,2] could extend the axial coverage, while removing cone-beam artifacts and improving spatial resolution and dose. The sources can be distributed in plane and/or in the longitudinal direction. We investigate statistical iterative reconstruction of multi-axial data, acquired with simulated CT systems with multiple sources distributed along the in-plane and longitudinal directions. The current study explores the feasibility of 3D iterative Full and Half Scan reconstruction methods for CT systems with two different architectures. In the first architecture the sources are distributed in the longitudinal direction, and in the second architecture the sources are distributed both longitudinally and trans-axially. We used Penalized Weighted Least Squares Transmission Reconstruction (PWLSTR) and incorporated a projector-backprojector model matching the simulated architectures. The proposed approaches minimize artifacts related to the proposed geometries. The reconstructed images show that the investigated architectures can achieve good image quality for very large coverage without severe cone-beam artifacts.
Hexalure, an insect sex attractant discovered by empirical screening.

Empirisch wurde ein Sexuallockstoff — cis-7-Hexadecen-1-ol-acetat-gefunden, der auf Mannchen der roten Baumwollkapselmotte,Pectinophora, gossypiella (Saunders), auffallend stark wirkt.
The prion protein is a combined zinc and copper binding protein: Zn2+ alters the distribution of Cu2+ coordination modes.

PrP binds copper in the highly conserved, unstructured N-terminal half of the protein. The octarepeat region consists of four tandem repeats of PHGGGWGQ and binds 4 equiv of copper at full occupancy. Adjacent to the octarepeats are two additional histidines that may also bind copper. We recently showed that, when the octarepeat region is titrated with Cu2+, the copper binding mode depends on the number of equivalents of copper bound. In addition to copper, other metals have been associated with PrP; however, zinc is the only metal other than copper that induces PrP endocytosis, inhibits fibril formation, and promotes intermolecular interactions. In this work, we show that even large excesses of zinc (>1 mM) are unable to displace copper from either the octarepeat region or the full-length protein. However, EPR reveals that physiologically relevant levels of zinc significantly alter the distribution of copper among the available binding modes. Diethyl pyrocarbonate (DEPC) modification and mass spectrometry...
Thyroid hormone induces sprouting angiogenesis in adult heart of hypothyroid mice through the PDGF‐Akt pathway

Study of physiological angiogenesis and associated signalling mechanisms in adult heart has been limited by the lack of a robust animal model. We investigated thyroid hormone-induced sprouting angiogenesis and the underlying mechanism. Hypothyroidism was induced in C57BL/6J mice by feeding with propylthiouracil (PTU). One year of PTU treatment induced heart failure. Both 12 weeks- (young) and 1 year-PTU (middle age) treatment caused a remarkable capillary rarefaction observed in capillary density. Three-day Triiodothyronine (T3) treatment significantly induced cardiac capillary growth in hypothyroid mice. In cultured left ventricle (LV) tissues from PTU-treated mice, T3 also induced robust sprouting angiogenesis where pericyte-wrapped endothelial cells formed tubes. The in vitro T3 angiogenic response was similar in mice pre-treated with PTU for periods ranging from 1.5 to 12 months. Besides bFGF and VEGF(164) , PDGF-BB was the most robust angiogenic growth factor, which stimulated notable sprouting angiogenesis in cultured hypothyroid LV tissues with increasing potency, but had little effect on tissues from euthyroid mice. T3 treatment significantly increased PDGF receptor beta (PDGFR-β) protein levels in hypothyroid heart. PDGFR inhibitors blocked the action of T3 both on sprouting angiogenesis in cultured LV tissue and on capillary growth in vivo. In addition, activation of Akt signalling mediated in T3-induced angiogenesis was blocked by PDGFR inhibitor and neutralizing antibody. Our results suggest that hypothyroidism leads to cardiac microvascular impairment and rarefaction with increased sensitivity to angiogenic growth factors. T3-induced cardiac sprouting angiogenesis in adult hypothyroid mice was associated with PDGF-BB, PDGFR-β and downstream activation of Akt.
Effects of fly ash inhalation on murine immune function: Changes in macrophage-mediated activities☆☆☆

Mice were exposed to fly ash particles (<2.1 μm diameter) by inhalation for variable amounts of time at concentrations ranging from 535 to 2221 μg/m3. This fine fraction was approximately 32% by weight of the total dust generated. The effects of these exposures were assessed on macrophage-mediated functions. Phagocytosis of bacterial cells by the alveolar macrophages was depressed in the fly ash-exposed animals as was the ability to enhance T-cell mitogenesis. Fly ash exposure failed to produce a significant change in the cellular immune response (delayed-type hypersensitivity reaction) to antigenic challenge in the lungs of sensitized animals.
Intracarotid cisplatin as therapy for melanoma metastatic to brain: ipsilateral response and contralateral progression.

R egional (intra-arterial) chemotherapy has been advocated to enhance tumor response by delivering a higher concentration of drug to the tumor site without increasing systemic toxicity [1,2]. This approach has additional appeal for tumors involving the central nervous system (CNS) because the bloodbrain barrier may further restrict delivery of systematically administered chemotherapeutic agents to tumors in the CNS [3]. On the other hand, intracarotid chemotherapy entails increased complexity of drug administration with attendant increased costs, inconvenience, and risks [4-lo]. Demonstration of improved therapeutic results is therefore necessary to justify this route of drug administration. Herein, I describe a patient in whom intracarotid chemotherapy resulted in simultaneous regression of ipsilateral symptomatic metastatic melanoma, while contralateral CNS and systemic metastases progressed.
Interactions of deuterium and hydrocarbon species with the diamond C(111) surface

Abstract AES, XPS, TDS and LEED have been used to study the adsorption, the desorption and the reaction behavior of D atoms and CHx (1 ⩽ x ⩽ 3) species on the diamond C(111) surface. It is found that a small amount of chemisorbed D atoms can induce the (2 × 1) to (1 × 1) phase transition and hold the sp3 structure up to nearly 1400 K. The structural transformation can also be monitored by the optical second-harmonic generation technique. Thermal desorption of deuterium occurs mainly around 1300 K. Adsorption of CHx can also induce the phase change but not as readily as the D atoms. Annealing of the adlayer at a high temperature results in the partial conversion to graphitic carbon. D atoms can react with both the adsorbed CHx and the surface graphite. The surface bonding characteristics and the relevance of present results to the diamond CVD process are briefly discussed.
Glutathione metabolism in lenses of dogs and rabbits: Activities of five enzymes

Abstract Several biochemical parameters were examined in clear dog and rabbit lenses as functions of age, and in posterior subcapsular cararacts in the Alaskan malamute. Tabulated data include soluble protein, reduced sulfhydryl content of soluble protein, reduced glutathione, water, and activity of five enzymes of glutathione metabolism. The enzymes include the glutathione biosynthesis system consisting of γ-glutamylcysteine synthetase and glutathione synthetase, as well as glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase and glutathione-S-transferase. Each enzyme, acting last in a sequential reaction of either two or three reactions, was in excess activity over the preceding enzyme(s) in every case but one. In the exception, the ratio of glutathione reductase to glutathione peroxidase activity was about 1 : 600 and 1 : 155 in the dog and rabbit lens, respectively.
Transformation Kinetics of Oxide Formed on Noble Metal-Treated Type 304 Stainless Steel in 288°C Water

Abstract The effect of noble metal treatment on the oxides formed on Type 304 (UNS S30400) stainless steel (SS) in high-temperature water containing excess hydrogen was examined by transmission ele...
Multidimensional extendible hashing for partial-match queries

Hashing is a well-known technique for organizing direct access files. Extendible hashing removes the restriction on the expansion of the file and thus allows dynamic files. We generalize the technique to store multi-attribute keys. Exact-match queries (searching) can be done in constant time usingn-dimensional hashing. Ann-dimensional partial-match queries givenk attributes can be answered inO(N**((n −k)/n)) time whereN is the number of records stored. It is shown thatn-dimensional hashing is a special case of one-dimensional hashing, thus the storage utilization of the buckets is independent ofn. Simulation results are presented to show the advantages of multidimensional hashing.
The role of partnerships in U.S. Food Policy Council policy activities.

Food Policy Councils (FPC) help to identify and address the priorities of local, state, and regional food systems with the goal of improving food systems through policy. There is limited research describing FPCs’ strategies for accomplishing this goal. As part of a larger study examining FPC policy efforts, this paper investigates the role of partnerships in food systems policy change. We conducted interviews with representatives from 12 purposefully selected FPCs in the United States and 6 policy experts identified by the selected FPC representatives to document and describe their policy work. One theme that emerged from those interviews was the role of partners. Interviewees described a range of partners (e.g., stakeholders from government, business, and education) and credited FPC partnerships with advancing their policy goals by increasing the visibility and credibility of FPCs, focusing their policy agenda, connecting FPCs to key policy inputs (e.g., local food community knowledge and priorities), and obtaining stakeholder buy-in for policy initiatives. Partnerships were also described as barriers to policy progress when partners were less engaged or had either disproportionate or little influence in a given food sector. Despite these challenges, partnerships were found to be valuable for FPCs efforts to effectively engage in the food policy arena.
USE OF ULTRASOUND-GUIDED FINE-NEEDLE ASPIRATION BIOPSY AND AUTOMATED CORE BIOPSY FOR THE DIAGNOSIS OF GASTROINTESTINAL DISEASES IN SMALL ANIMALS

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration biopsy and core biopsy in the diagnosis of infiltrative gastrointestinal diseases. Six dogs and seven cats with clinical signs of gastrointestinal disease underwent ultrasonography and intestinal lesions were identified. One or more ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration biopsy and/or core biopsy procedures were performed in each patient. Each patient also underwent one of the following additional procedures for comparison of results: 1) surgery (n=4), 2) endoscopy (n=2), 3) post mortem exam (n=3), and, 4) for lymphoma diagnosed with ultrasound-guided procedures, response to chemotherapy (n=4). Correct diagnoses were obtained in nine of the 13 patients, incorrect diagnoses in two of the 13 patients, and inconclusive diagnoses in two of the thirteen patients. Of the 16 total ultrasound-guided procedures performed, ten were confirmed as correct, three as incorrect, and three were non-diagnostic. Intestinal lesions with bowel wall thickness greater than 2.0 cm had a higher percentage of correct diagnoses than lesions of lesser wall thickness. Gastric lesions had a higher percentage of correct diagnoses than small and large intestinal lesions. Malignant lesions had a higher percentage of correct diagnoses than benign lesions. There were no complications. Ultrasound-guided gastrointestinal fine-needle aspiration biopsy and core biopsy appears to be a safe, accurate, and rapid procedure for use in the diagnosis of infiltrative gastrointestinal disease.
High biliary and systemic excretion of a glucuronide during its hepatic synthesis.

Abstract Using isolated perfused rat liver and 14C-p-nitrophenol as a model substrate for glucuronidation, evidence was obtained that during synthesis of p-nitrophenyl-glucuronide biliary excretion of the metabolite is much higher than would be expected from concentrations of the metabolite in the circulation. Isotopic dilution experiments indicate that newly synthesized glucuronide is in a pool which is readily available for biliary excretion but is not easily miscible, or diluted, by the glucuronide in the circulation.
Binary Stars and the Velocity of Light

De Sitter showed that if the velocity of light is constant with respect to the source, distant binaries will exhibit certain peculiarities that have not been observed. This is usually regarded as proof of the validity of Einstein’s second postulate of special relativity. But there are several ways of invalidating the proof. One of the most promising ways—that of employing Riemannian space for light—is considered in this paper.Data on visual binaries, spectroscopic binaries, and cepheids are calculated for Euclidean space and for Riemannian space of constant positive curvature (R=5 light years). The acceptance of Riemannian space allows us to reject Einstein’s relativity and to keep all the ordinary ideas of time and all the ideas of Euclidean space out to a distance of a few light years. Astronomical space remains Euclidean for material bodies, but light is considered to travel in Riemannian space. In this way the time required for light to reach us from the most distant stars is only 15 years.
Role of insulin-like growth factor binding proteins in controlling IGF actions

The insulin-like growth factors (IGF) stimulate growth in multiple connective tissue cell types. The capacity of IGF-I and -II to access cell surface receptors is controlled by insulin-like growth factor binding proteins (IGFBPs). Connective tissue cells synthesize four of the IGFBPs (IGFBP-2 through -5). Synthesis is controlled by growth hormone and several other growth factors. In addition to regulating synthesis, other variables regulate the abundance of the IGFBPs including specific serine proteases that are produced for each form of IGFBP. Following cleavage, the IGFBPs have reduced affinity for IGF-I and -II, thus allowing release to receptors. Variables that regulate the amount of proteolysis have been shown to regulate IGF action. In addition to being proteolytically cleaved, three forms of IGFBPs (IGFBP-2, -3 and -5) can associate with extracellular matrix (ECM). In the case of IGFBP-5 binding to ECM, its affinity is lowered substantially allowing IGF to better equilibrate with the receptors. This event results in a potentiation of IGF-I action on fibroblasts and smooth muscle cells (SMC). In summary, IGFBPs are important molecules for regulating the bioavailability of IGF-I and -II to receptors. Understanding the variables that regulate their abundance may lead to a better understanding of the factors that regulate IGF action in skeletal tissues.