cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Review of Studying Students: A Second Look

This book, Studying Students: A Second Look, edited by Nancy Fried Foster (Chicago: ACRL, 2013) is a follow-up to a 2007 publication, Studying Students: The Undergraduate Research Project at the University of Rochester that demonstrates once again the benefits of conducting ethnographic studies when designing academic library spaces and services. This text covers a range of topics primarily focused on the undergraduate population with some of the chapters replicating and updating studies presented in the first work while others focus on new questions that arose over the past decade.
Primary brain tumor and risk of venous thromboembolism.

e13518Background: Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is frequently associated with primary brain tumors (PBT). Brain tumors have been associated with higher rates of VTE in multiple studies. Studies comp...
Exponential-weight multilayer perceptron

Analog integrated circuits may increase the neuromorphic network performance dramatically, leaving far behind their digital and biological counterparts, while approaching the energy efficiency of the brain. The key component of the most advanced analog circuit implementations is a nanodevice with adjustable conductance — essentially an analog nonvolatile memory cell, which could mimic synaptic transmission function by multiplying signal from the input neuron (e.g. encoded as voltage applied to the memory device) by its analog weight (device conductance) and passing the product (the resulting current) to the output neuron. Such functionality enables very dense, fast, and low power implementation of dot-product computation, the most common operation in many artificial neural networks. The most promising analog memory devices, however, have nonlinear, typically exponential, I-V characteristics, which result in nonlinear synaptic transmission, thus limiting their application in analog dot-product circuits. Here we investigate multilayer perceptron with exponential transmission function synapses which maps naturally to the most advanced analog neuromorphic circuits. Our simulation results show that the proposed exponential-weight multilayer perceptron with 300 hidden neurons achieves classification performance comparable to the similar-size linear-weight network when benchmarked on MNIST dataset. Moreover, we verify the proposed idea experimentally by implementing small-scale single-layer exponential-weight perceptron classifier with an NOR-flash memory integrated circuit.
Multiple Imputation for Incomplete Data in Epidemiologic Studies

Epidemiologic studies are frequently susceptible to missing information. Omitting observations with missing variables remains a common strategy in epidemiologic studies, yet this simple approach can often severely bias parameter estimates of interest if the values are not missing completely at random. Even when missingness is completely random, complete-case analysis can reduce the efficiency of estimated parameters, because large amounts of available data are simply tossed out with the incomplete observations. Alternative methods for mitigating the influence of missing information, such as multiple imputation, are becoming an increasing popular strategy in order to retain all available information, reduce potential bias, and improve efficiency in parameter estimation. In this paper, we describe the theoretical underpinnings of multiple imputation, and we illustrate application of this method as part of a collaborative challenge to assess the performance of various techniques for dealing with missing data (Am J Epidemiol. 2018;187(3):568-575). We detail the steps necessary to perform multiple imputation on a subset of data from the Collaborative Perinatal Project (1959-1974), where the goal is to estimate the odds of spontaneous abortion associated with smoking during pregnancy.
The Geography of African Philosophy

Janz addresses several questions pertaining to geography, place, and space in African philosophy. First, to what extent and in what way has the Africanity of African philosophy shaped its historical and contemporary practice? How is “Africa” conceived by African philosophy? Second, how does philosophy differ in different places across the continent? How does geography matter in the history of African philosophical and conceptual development? Third, how have the spatial incursions and domination of external exploration and colonialism had an effect on the development and emergence of African philosophy? Fourth, what are the imagined and desired spaces of thought in Africa? Is there intellectual space that emerges before or after colonial domination, or as an alternative to it? Fifth, how does the African diaspora relate to the continent intellectually? Sixth, what is the geography of African philosophy in the world? What are its allegiances and its conversations, and how do (or how might) those shift over time? Seventh, (how) has African philosophy reflected on its own places, both in a physical sense and in an intellectual sense? How has it carved out and maintained an intellectual space, or alternately how has it examined life within its own spaces? And finally eighth, how can African philosophy spring from its own places, that is how can it become philosophy-in-place?
Association of Noncigarette Tobacco Product Use With Future Cigarette Smoking Among Youth in the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study, 2013-2015

Importance Approximately 90% of adult smokers first tried a cigarette by 18 years of age, and even infrequent smoking in adolescence is associated with established adult smoking. Noncigarette tobacco use is increasing and could stimulate subsequent conventional cigarette smoking in youths. Objective To estimate the longitudinal association between noncigarette tobacco use and subsequent cigarette smoking initiation among US youth. Design, Setting, and Participants In this prospective cohort study of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) waves 1 (September 12, 2013, to December 14, 2014) and 2 (October 23, 2014, to October 30, 2015), a nationally representative sample of youths who never smoked a conventional cigarette at baseline and completed wave 2 follow-up (N = 10 384) was studied. PATH retention at follow-up was 87.9%. Exposures Ever use and past 30-day use of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes), hookah, noncigarette combustible tobacco, or smokeless tobacco at baseline. Main Outcomes and Measures Ever use and past 30-day use of cigarettes at follow-up. Results The present analysis was based on the 10 384 PATH youth respondents who reported never having smoked a cigarette in wave 1 and whose cigarette ever or past 30-day use was reported in wave 2 (mean [SD] age, 14.3 [1.7] years; age range, 12-17 years; 5087 [49.1%] female; 4829 [52.5%] white). At 1-year follow-up, 469 (4.6%) of all baseline never-smoking youths had tried a cigarette and 219 (2.1%) had smoked a cigarette within the past 30 days. Cigarette ever use at follow-up was higher among youths who had ever used e-cigarettes (78 [19.1%]), hookah (60 [18.3%]), noncigarette combustible tobacco (45 [19.2%]), or smokeless tobacco (29 [18.8%]) at baseline. After adjusting for sociodemographic, environmental, and behavioral smoking risk factors and for baseline ever use of other tobacco products, the odds of past 30-day cigarette use at follow-up were approximately twice as high among baseline ever users of e-cigarettes (odds ratio [OR], 1.87; 95% CI, 1.15-3.05), hookah (OR, 1.92; 95% CI, 1.17-3.17), noncigarette combustible tobacco (OR, 1.78; 95% CI, 1.00-3.19), and smokeless tobacco (OR, 2.07; 95% CI, 1.10-3.87). Youths who had tried more than 1 type of tobacco product at baseline had 3.81 (95% CI, 2.22-6.54) greater adjusted odds of past 30-day cigarette smoking at follow-up than did baseline never tobacco users. Conclusions and Relevance Any use of e-cigarettes, hookah, noncigarette combustible tobacco, or smokeless tobacco was independently associated with cigarette smoking 1 year later. Use of more than 1 product increased the odds of progressing to cigarette use.
The guise of the good and the problem of partiality

AbstractAccording to the guise of the good thesis, we desire things under the ‘guise of the good.’ Here I sympathetically articulate a generic formulation of the guise of the good thesis, and address a problem for the view, which I call the problem of partiality. The problem is, roughly, that our partial pro-attitudes –for example, our special concern for ourselves –do not correspond to what is absolutely good. I criticize three solutions to the problem, and propose an alternative strategy, on which partial pro-attitudes constitute a species of illusion.
How public health policy can be informed by neuroscience

Many public policies are designed to counteract commonly made decisions that result in poor health. These policies have primarily been informed by the behavioural economics of decision making. Underappreciated in this conversation has been the perspective from neuroscience, despite its recent success – and the likelihood of future progress – in advancing our understanding of the neural basis for health-related decisions. Using tobacco control as an example, we provide a concise overview of how public health policies can and should be informed by neuroscience. We propose that such input can improve policies by increasing their effectiveness, improving screening efficiency and informing relevant ethical considerations. Finally, we recognise limitations and highlight roles that key stakeholders can play in incorporating neuroscientific evidence for the benefit of public policy.
Sex and the Aging Immune System

Abstract Aging is associated with changes in immune cell differentiation and function, as well as increases in proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines in the serum and tissue, termed inflammaging. Inflammaging is a defining characteristic of aging tissue and is a risk factor for increased susceptibility, morbidity, and mortality from particular infectious and chronic diseases. In multiple species, females live longer than males, probably due to a number of factors, including sex-specific differences in immune function. Although a comprehensive comparison of aging-associated changes to the immune system between men and women is lacking, current studies suggest that the immune response deteriorates more dramatically in men as compared to women. Other models have been used to study aging-related changes to the immune system and inflammation-related diseases of the aged, but we will limit our discussion herein to mice ( mus musculus ), rhesus macaques ( Macaca mulatta ), and human datasets.
Research contributions of international branch campuses to the scientific wealth of academically developing countries

A majority of international branch campuses (IBCs) have been established during the last two decades, with China, Malaysia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates being the countries hosting the largest numbers. IBCs are often considered education providers within the host country; but there has been ongoing debate about their role as contributors to the scientific wealth of the host country. This study develops a methodology to investigate the research activity at branch campuses based on their publications. The main methodological challenge was to identify publications from these entities, as they are often not indexed and visible in the publication databases. This was solved through a search query extracting publications with affiliation data including the host country or city for the branch campus as well as the name of the institution. Using the publication sets for each research active IBC, the study illustrates not only that they are increasingly active in research, but also how their publication quality and collaboration patterns relate to their host country as well as to their home institution. The results also indicate that IBCs appear to have a role in the academic research development of some hosting countries; Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Malaysia.
Immune complex injury of the lung.

Abundant evidence currently exists to suggest that immune complexes play an important role in inflammatory diseases of the lung. Clinically, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, eosinophilic granuloma of lung, and systemic lupus erythematosus have been shown to be associated with the presence of immune complexes both in lung and in the serum. Experimentally, there is compelling evidence that acute lung injury can be triggered by the deposition of complexes in vascular walls or by the presence of performed immune complexes instilled into the airways. The observed reactions are, as expected, complement- and neutrophil-dependent. The morphologic changes in lung caused by products of complement activation (C5a and related peptides) depend on whether complement activation occurs within the vasculature or within the airways. Airway activation is associated with intraalveolar accumulations of neutrophils, while intravascular activation leads to intracapillary sequestration of neutrophils. The chronic formation of immune complexes within the vasculature (in the model of “chronic serum sickness”) leads to an interstitial fibrotic reaction and a thickening of basement membranes. Recent studies of intravascularly infused preformed immune complexes indicate a proclivity for certain types of complexes to localize within lung. These “lung-seeking” complexes differ from non-lung-seeking complexes only in the ratio of antigen to antibody. Complement does not seem to alter the tendancy for certain complexes to localize within lung. These studies emphasize the potential importance of immune complexes in lung injury and point out the variety of mechanisms involved in both the localization process and the injury process.
Antigenic Variation of VlsE in Borrelia burgdorferi

The multisystem disease known as Lyme disease (or Lyme borreliosis) is the most prevalent vector-borne infection affecting humans in North America and Europe (Barbour 2001; Steere et al. 2004). Causative bacterial agents of the disease, the spirochetes Borrelia burgdorferi, Borrelia garinii, and Borrelia afzelii, are transmitted by hard-bodied ticks of the genus Ixodes. Infected ticks transmit Lyme disease Borreliae to humans during feeding, which can result in a localized infection (erythema migrans) at the site of the tick bite. Disseminated and chronic stages of infection follow; these are characterized by neurological, cardiac, and arthritic manifestations of disease. Infection with Lyme disease Borrelia can last from months to years due to avoidance of the host immune response, and key to its successful evasion tactics is recombination at the vls locus located at the telomeric end of a 28-kb linear plasmid (Norris 2006; Palmer et al. 2009; Zhang et al. 1997). Recombinational switching at the vls locus results in sequence variation of the surface protein, VlsE, thus altering its antigenic properties and allowing the spirochete to evade the host’s antibody-mediated response (Zhang et al. 1997; Zhang and Norris 1998a, b).
Application of Clonal Assay Methods to the Analysis of Tissue Development and Diseased States

The purpose of this contribution is to illustrate how clonal cell culture assays may be used to analyze progressive changes in the single cell population of developing human skeletal muscle. The method should be applicable to all developing tissues; and, when applied to diseased states, may provide instructive insights as to alterations in the relative proportions of specific clonable cell types within affected tissues. A limitation of this approach is, however, that it monitors only a small fraction of the total cell population. Thus developmental or disease-related changes in cell populations lacking the capacity for extensive proliferation when cultured under low density conditions will not be detected by the assay. The possibility of using high density culture techniques to study other aspects of the myogenic cell lineage have been discussed by Holtzer (1970), Holtzer and Bischoff (1970), and Holtzer et al. (1972).
Stereodivergence in the Ireland–Claisen Rearrangement of α-Alkoxy Esters

A systematic investigation into the Ireland–Claisen rearrangement of α-alkoxy esters is reported. In all cases, the use of KN(SiMe3)2 in toluene gave rearrangement products corresponding to a Z-enolate intermediate with excellent diastereoselectivity, presumably because of chelation control. On the other hand, chelation-controlled enolate formation could be overcome for most substrates through the use of lithium diisopropylamide (LDA) in tetrahydrofuran (THF).
Experiences of Health Professions Educators Utilizing Multiple Institutional Review Boards for Collaborative Research

This study describes the experiences and perspectives of health professions educators around institutional review board (IRB) review of multi-institutional education research. This survey study gathered quantitative and qualitative data from members of three of the four geographic regions of the AAMC Group on Educational Affairs (GEA) as well as a snowball sample from the fourth region, where access to the listserv was not possible. Quantitative data is described and qualitative comments were coded and themed. Ninety-six percent of the 151 respondents considered multi-institutional incredibly or somewhat valuable to their educational research goals. Sixty-two percent had submitted at least one project to multiple institutions for review. Of 57 respondents, 21 identified disagreements in the type of IRB review required (exempt, expedited, or full-board review). Disagreements between IRBs are also reported, including changes in wording or informed consent procedures. Of the 36 participants who noted disagreement between IRBs for any changes, only three participants believed that the process significantly improved the research subject protections. Most health professions education researchers across the USA and Canada appreciated the value and role of IRB review and expressed frustration in the face of review that seemingly did not result in meaningful improvements. Final changes to the federal Common Rule call for a single-IRB review in multi-institutional research, particularly for low-risk studies. This change on the horizon could not only mitigate current concerns but also bolster the proliferation of multi-institutional research studies in health professions education.
Examining Healthcare Systems: A Market Analysis for Kenya.

Purpose This paper aims to present a literature review of the health workforce, hospital and clinic systems, infrastructure, primary care, regulatory climate, the pharmaceutical industry and community health behavior of the Kenyan health-care system with the purpose of providing a thorough background on the health-care environment in Kenya. Design/methodology/approach A systematic literature review was conducted using Pub Med, searching for “Kenya” in the title of articles published from January 1, 2015 to February 24, 2016; this provided a broad overview of the type of research being conducted in Kenya. Other data provided by governmental agencies and non-governmental agencies was also reviewed to describe the current state of population health in Kenya. Findings An initial review of 615 Pubmed articles included 455 relevant articles. A complete review of these studies was conducted, resulting in a final sample of 389 articles. These articles were categorized into three main subject areas with 14 secondary subject areas (Figure 1). Research limitations/implications The narrow scope of the search parameters set for the systematic review was a necessary limitation to focus on the most relevant literature. The findings of this study provide a thorough background on health care in Kenya to researchers and practitioners. Originality/value This compilation of data specific to Kenya provides a detailed summary of both the country’s health-care services and health status, focusing on potential means of realizing increased quality and length of life.
Folliculotropic Mycosis Fungoides

Folliculotropic mycosis fungoides is a variant of mycosis fungoides showing tropism for hair follicles. There is prominent infiltration of the follicular epithelium by atypical lymphocytes. Disruption of follicular architecture is also present and may manifest in several forms: cystic change, follicular destruction with granuloma formation, and basaloid folliculolymphoid hyperplasia. Cases of folliculotropic mycosis fungoides with mucin deposition must be distinguished from benign idiopathic follicular mucinosis.
Language policy and practice between urban and rural schools in Galicia, Spain

Bilingual communities face many obstacles when considering the legal and applied aspects of language use in schools. Many bilingual countries exhibit the following linguistic spatial pattern: Prestigious state language is predominately spoken in cities and familial regional language is predominately spoken in the countryside. This study seeks to gauge language norms between urban and rural schools in Galicia, Spain by collecting self-reported classroom language use from Galician teachers and students across three urban and three rural school sites. Rural teachers and students reported more code switching behavior than those in urban schools. Furthermore, Galician subject teachers reported code switching more frequently than Castilian subject teachers regardless of locale. These findings show the common practice of code switching in Galicia is more prevalent in spaces of Galician speakership, and that Castilian is more readily utilized across locales despite sentiments directed at the need to preserve the Galician language.
Yttrium-90 Radioembolization: Current Clinical Practice and Review of the Recent Literature

Abstract Curative options for the treatment of primary or secondary hepatic malignancies are transplant and surgical resection. Transplant and surgical resection offers the best clinical outcome; however, it is only available to a limited number of patients who present with early-stage disease. For patients beyond curative resection or outside transplant criteria, locoregional therapies remain an excellent treatment option. Yttrium-90 (90Y) radioembolization is a transarterial catheter–based technique that is increasingly being used in the management of primary and secondary liver malignancies. The focus of this article is to discuss the use of 90Y radioembolization for the treatment of unresectable hepatic malignancies along with a review of the relevant literature.
An association between large optic nerve cupping and cognitive function.

Purpose To determine if a larger cup-to-disc ratio is associated with poor cognitive function in postmenopausal women without glaucoma or ocular hypertension. Methods We used data from the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) hormone trial, originally designed to test effects of hormone therapy (HT) on various health outcomes. Large cup-to-disc ratio was defined as greater than 0.6 in either eye based on stereoscopic optic nerve photographs. Global cognitive function was assessed annually by Modified Mini-Mental State Examination (3MSE) in the WHI Memory Study. Exclusions were no information on optic nerve grading; no 3MSE scores at the time of the eye examination, ocular hypertension (intraocular pressure >23 mm Hg, Goldmann applanation tonometry), or glaucoma medication use. A generalized linear model for log-transformed 3MSE scores was used for determining the association between large cup-to-disc ratio and 3MSE scores, adjusting for age, race, diabetes, body mass index, cardiovascular disease, smoking, HT randomization, education, and diabetic retinopathy. Results Analyses included 1636 women (mean age ± standard deviation, 69.57 ± 3.64 years; 90.39% white). Of those, 122 women had large cup-to-disc ratio. The mean 3MSE scores in women with vs without large cup-to-disc ratio were 95.4 ± 6 vs 96.6 ± 5. In the adjusted model, women with large cup-to-disc ratio had statistically significantly lower 3MSE scores, compared with those without large cup-to-disc ratio, yielding the predicted mean difference in 3MSE scores of 0.75 with a standard error of 0.05 units (P = .04). Conclusions Postmenopausal women who had large cup-to-disc ratio without glaucoma or ocular hypertension exhibited lower global cognitive function. Further investigation is warranted. NOTE: Publication of this article is sponsored by the American Ophthalmological Society.
Synergistic Interactions Between Silver and Palladium Nanoparticles in Lubrication

The reactivity and functionality of nanoparticles (NPs) are determined by the material- and size-dependent physicochemical properties at nanoscale. While single-type metallic NPs have been extensiv...
Ab initio based empirical potential applied to tungsten at high pressure

Density-functional theory forces, stresses, and energies comprise a database from which the optimal parameters of a spline-based empirical potential combining Stillinger-Weber and modified embedded-atom forms are determined. The accuracy of the potential is demonstrated by calculations of ideal shear, stacking fault, vacancy migration, elastic constants, and phonons all between 0 and 100 GPa. Consistency with existing models and experiments is demonstrated by predictions of screw dislocation core structure and deformation twinning in a tungsten nanorod. Last, the potential is used to study the stabilization of fcc tungsten at high pressure.
Preeminent role of the cardiorenal axis in the antihypertensive response to an arteriovenous fistula: an in silico analysis.

The mechanisms that contribute to the antihypertensive effects of a small arteriovenous (AV) fistula comparable to the size used by the ROX coupler currently in clinical trials are unclear and not ...
A search for bacterial magnetite in the sediments of Eel Marsh, Woods Hole, Massachusetts

Magnetite is the magnetic mineral most prominent as a remanence carrier in sediments. Not surprisingly, the discovery of a magnetic bacterium (Blakemore, 1975) caught the attention of researchers like Kirschvink and Lowenstam (1979) who recognized its importance to the field of paleomagnetics. If these microscopic magnetite makers were present in large numbers in their environment, they might supply a significant quantity of finegrained magnetite to the sediments. Furthermore, as they are known in both marine and nonmarine environments (Moench and Konetzka, 1978), and have been found in both the northern and southern hemispheres and at the equator (Kirschvink, 1980; Frankel et al., 1981), they are potentially a widely distributed source.
Improving Crowd-Supported GUI Testing with Structural Guidance

Crowd testing is an emerging practice in Graphical User Interface (GUI) testing, where developers recruit a large number of crowd testers to test GUI features. It is often easier and faster than a dedicated quality assurance team, and its output is more realistic than that of automated testing. However, crowds of testers working in parallel tend to focus on a small set of commonly-used User Interface (UI) navigation paths, which can lead to low test coverage and redundant effort. In this paper, we introduce two techniques to increase crowd testers' coverage: interactive event-flow graphs and GUI-level guidance. The interactive event-flow graphs track and aggregate every tester's interactions into a single directed graph that visualizes the cases that have already been explored. Crowd testers can interact with the graphs to find new navigation paths and increase the coverage of the created tests. We also use the graphs to augment the GUI (GUI-level guidance) to help testers avoid only exploring common paths. Our evaluation with 30 crowd testers on 11 different test pages shows that the techniques can help testers avoid redundant effort while also increasing untrained testers' coverage by 55%. These techniques can help us develop more robust software that works in more mission-critical settings not only by performing more thorough testing with the same effort that has been put in before but also by integrating them into different parts of the development pipeline to make more reliable software in the early development stage.
Effect of Alignment on Enhancement of Thermal Conductivity of Polyethylene-Graphene Nanocomposites and Comparison with Effective Medium Theory.

Thermal conductivity (k) of polymers is usually limited to low values of ~0.5 Wm−1K−1 in comparison to metals (>20 Wm−1K−1). The goal of this work is to enhance thermal conductivity (k) of polyethylene–graphene nanocomposites through simultaneous alignment of polyethylene (PE) lamellae and graphene nanoplatelets (GnP). Alignment is achieved through the application of strain. Measured values are compared with predictions from effective medium theory. A twin conical screw micro compounder is used to prepare polyethylene–graphene nanoplatelet (PE-GnP) composites. Enhancement in k value is studied for two different compositions with GnP content of 9 wt% and 13 wt% and for applied strains ranging from 0% to 300%. Aligned PE-GnP composites with 13 wt% GnP displays ~1000% enhancement in k at an applied strain of 300%, relative to k of pristine unstrained polymer. Laser Scanning Confocal Microscopy (LSCM) is used to quantitatively characterize the alignment of GnP flakes in strained composites; this measured orientation is used as an input for effective medium predictions. These results have important implications for thermal management applications.
Limited English Proficient Patient Visits and Emergency Department Admission Rates for Ambulatory Care Sensitive Conditions in California: a Retrospective Cohort Study.

Little is known about the risk of admission for emergency department (ED) visits for ambulatory care sensitive conditions (ACSCs) by limited English proficient (LEP) patients. Estimate admission rates from ED for ACSCs comparing LEP and English proficient (EP) patients and examine how these rates vary at hospitals with a high versus low proportion of LEP patients. Retrospective cohort study of California’s 2017 inpatient and ED administrative data Community-dwelling individuals ≥ 18 years without a primary diagnosis of pregnancy or childbirth. LEP patients had a principal language other than English. We used a series of linear probability models with incremental sets of covariates, including patient demographics, primary diagnosis, and Elixhauser comorbidities, to examine admission rate for visits of LEP versus EP patients. We then added an interaction covariate for high versus low LEP-serving hospital. We estimated models with and without hospital-level random effects. These analyses included 9,641,689 ED visits; 14.7% were for LEP patients. . Observed rate of admission for all ACSC ED visits was higher for LEP than for EP patients (26.2% vs. 25.2; p value < .001). Adjusted rate of admission was not statistically significant (27.3% [95% CI 25.4–29.3%] vs. 26.2% [95% CI 24.3–28.1%]). For COPD, the difference was significant (36.8% [95% CI 35.0–38.6%] vs. 33.3% [95% CI 31.7–34.9%]). Difference in adjusted admission rate for LEP versus EP visits did not differ in high versus low LEP-serving hospitals. In adjusted analyses, LEP was not a risk factor for admission for most ACSCs. This finding was observed in both high and low LEP-serving hospitals.
Effectiveness of Mobile Wiping Applications

Given the considerable amount of data (including sensitive and personal information) collected, stored, disseminated by mobile devices, there is a need to ensure that such devices can be securely wiped when they are misplaced, stolen or disposed. Hence, in this paper we evaluate the effectiveness of three categories of wiping applications: Factory Reset, Remote Reset, Data Wiping Applications (apps). Specifically, we study two popular wiping apps (i.e., Shreddit – Data Eraser by PalmTronix, and Secure Wipe by Pinellas CodeWorks) and install both apps on three test devices, namely: Samsung S5 (Android 6.0.1), Samsung S5 Active (OS version 6.0.1), and an iPhone 6S (iOS 13.2.2). We then study the extent of data that can be recovered, from the three categories of wiping, using two popular commercial mobile forensic software, namely: Mobile Phone Examiner Plus (MPE+) from Accessdata, and MOBILedit from Compelson labs.
Role and regulation of iron metabolism in erythropoiesis and disease

Iron is an essential element for normal cellular metabolism and growth as an enzyme cofactor, heme constituent and oxygenation sensor. In excess however, free iron is toxic. Living organisms have, therefore, evolved sophisticated and tightly regulated mechanisms to control iron uptake, transport, and release. Defects in any part of this process can lead to disease. For example, excessive uptake can lead to systemic iron overload and associated toxicity. Inappropriate or inefficient transport can lead to iron maldistribution or deficiency. Red blood cells are the primary consumers of iron and the largest body iron pool (approximately 50% of the body’s iron is incorporated in heme); hence, fluctuations in iron supply can have significant effects on red blood cell production and function. This chapter provides an overview of the proteins and pathways involved in iron metabolism as they relate to normal red blood cell biology and disorders of iron excess or deficiency.
Nitrogen Repression of the Allantoin Degradative Enzymes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Saccharomyces cerevisiae can utilize allantoin as a sole nitrogen source by degrading it to ammonia, “CO 2 ,” and glyoxylate. We have previously shown that synthesis of the allantoin degradative enzymes is contingent upon the presence of allophanate, the last intermediate in the pathway. The reported repression of arginase by ammonia prompted us to ascertain whether or not the allantoin degradative system would respond in a similar manner. We observed that the differential rates of allantoinase and allophanate hydrolase synthesis were not decreased appreciably when comparing cultures grown on urea to those grown on urea plus ammonia. These experiments were also performed using the strain and conditions previously reported by Dubois, Grenson, and Wiame. We found allophanate hydrolase production to be twofold repressed by ammonia when that strain was grown on glucose-urea plus ammonia medium. If, however, serine or a number of other readily metabolized amino acids were provided in place of ammonia, production of the allantoin degradative enzymes was quickly (within 20 min) and severely repressed in both strains. We conclude that repression previously attributed to ammonia may result from its metabolism to amino acids and other metabolites.
Characterization of the IκB-kinase NEMO Binding Domain

Proinflammatory activation of NF-kappaB requires an upstream kinase complex (IkappaB-kinase; IKK) composed of two catalytic subunits (IKKalpha and IKKbeta) and a noncatalytic regulatory component named NEMO (NF-kappaB essential modulator). NEMO interacts with a COOH-terminal sequence within both IKKs termed the NEMO-binding domain (NBD), and a cell-permeable NBD peptide blocks NEMO/IKKbeta interactions and inhibits tumor necrosis factor-alpha-induced NF-kappaB. We report here that a peptide encompassing the NBD not only blocked association of both IKKs with NEMO but also disrupted preformed NEMO/IKK complexes in vitro. Furthermore, peptide blocking and alanine-scanning mutation studies revealed differences between the NBDs of IKKalpha and IKKbeta, and mutational analysis of the IKKbeta NBD identified the physical properties required at each position to maintain association with NEMO. Finally, we demonstrate that loss of NEMO-binding by IKKbeta through deletion of the NBD renders it catalytically active and that potential phosphorylation within the IKKbeta NBD may serve as a signal to down-regulate IKK activity. Our findings therefore provide critical insight into the physical properties of the NBD that will be valuable for the design of drugs aimed at disrupting the IKK complex and also reveal potential regulatory mechanisms controlling the function of the IKK complex.
A Case for Constraints

Enough Staying Human in an Engineered Age. by Bill McKibben. Times Books (Henry Holt), New York, 2003. 284 pp. $25, C$36.95. ISBN 0-8050-7096-6. McKibben argues that powerful new technologies such as human cloning, gene therapy, robotics, and nanotechnology present major threats to human integrity and the meaning of life.
Prooxidative effects of ambient pollutant chemicals are inhibited by HDL.

Exposure to air pollution leads to adverse pulmonary and systemic vascular effects. High levels of plasma high-density lipoproteins (HDL) cholesterol reduce cardiovascular risk. We explored whether HDL could protect against the prooxidative effects of an organic extract of diesel exhaust particles (DEP) in vascular cells. We used a cell-free fluorescent assay to evaluate DEP oxidation by air, estimated by the degree of dichlorofluorescein (DCF) fluorescence and tested the ability of HDL to inhibit it. We also evaluated DEP prooxidative effects in bovine aortic endothelial cells and RAW264.7 macrophages by DCF fluorescence. DEP oxidation and prooxidative cellular effects occurred in concentration- and time-dependent manners. Normal HDL inhibited DEP oxidation and prooxidative cellular effects, whereas dysfunctional HDL failed to inhibit DEP oxidation and instead, it promoted further oxidation. In conclusion, DEP prooxidative effects in endothelial cells and macrophages are inhibited by normal HDL. Therefore, HDL may protect against air pollution mediated adverse vascular effects. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J BiochemMol Toxicol 27:172-183, 2013; View this article online at wileyonlinelibrary.com. DOI 10.1002/jbt.21475
Functional Analysis of Actin-Binding Proteins in the Central Nervous System of Drosophila

Using Drosophila actin-binding protein Dunc-115 as model system, this chapter describes a MARCM (mosaic analysis with a repressible cell marker)-based method for analyzing cytoskeletal components for their functions in the nervous system. Following a concise description about the principle, a step-by-step protocol is provided for generating the needed stocks and for histological analysis. Additional details and explanations have been given in the accompanying notes. Together, this should form a practical and sufficient recipe for performing at the single-cell-level loss-of-function and gain-of-function analyses of proteins associated with the cytoskeleton.
Oxidative glutamate toxicity can be a component of the excitotoxicity cascade

Along with ionotropic and metabotropic glutamate receptors, the cystine/glutamate antiporter x(c)(-) may play a critical role in CNS pathology. High levels of extracellular glutamate inhibit the import of cystine, resulting in the depletion of glutathione and a form of cell injury called oxidative glutamate toxicity. Here we show that a portion of the cell death associated with NMDA receptor-initiated excitotoxicity can be caused by oxidative glutamate toxicity. In primary mouse cortical neurons the cell death resulting from the short-term application of 10 microm glutamate can be divided into NMDA and NMDA receptor-independent phases. The NMDA receptor-independent component is associated with high extracellular glutamate and is inhibited by a variety of reagents that block oxidative glutamate toxicity. These results suggest that oxidative glutamate toxicity toward neurons lacking functional NMDA receptors can be a component of the excitotoxicity-initiated cell death pathway.
Influence of fatigue crack wake length and state of stress on crack closure

The location of crack closure with respect to crack wake and specimen thickness under different loading conditions was determined. The rate of increase of K sub CL in the crack wake was found to be significantly higher for plasticity induced closure in comparison to roughness induced closure. Roughness induced closure was uniform throughout the thickness of the specimen while plasticity induced closure levels were 50 percent higher in the near surface region than in the midthickness. The influence of state of stress on low-high load interaction effects was also examined. Load interaction effects differed depending upon the state of stress and were explained in terms of delta K sub eff.
An Update on Treatment Options for Drug Resistant Hypertension

With the emergence of devices that can be used to intervene in patients’ drug resistant hypertension, the evaluation and management of this disorder has become more complex. There is little guidance for the management of drug resistant hypertension in existing guidelines due largely to an absence of clinical trials with hard cardiovascular outcomes; thus, most of the literature relies on short term (generally less than one year) studies that are oriented toward efficacy (i.e., blood pressure reduction, per se). In this review we will cover newer developments in the field of drug resistant hypertension, particularly the use of device-based interventions and novel surgical procedures.
Theoretical study of the mechanism of the cycloaddition of acetylene to α-pyrone: Asynchronism and substituent effects

Abstract Ab-initio SCF-MO gradient methods have been applied to the cycloaddition reaction of acetylene and α-pyrone. This current study elucidates structures of the reactants and adduct (eqn. 1, 1c). The asynchronicity constant, A, is evaluated by assuming a symmetric, concerted pathway for this reaction. The structure of the transition state along this symmetric pathway indicates early bond formation at C-3 on the pyrone, and repulsion between C-4 and the approaching acetylene. The ab-initio activation energy and exothermicity (in kcal mol−1) are respectively: STO-3G: 65.5, −72.7; STO-4G: 66.3, −69.0. These values were compared to MINDO/3 and MM2 calculations. The effects of fluorine substituents on both diene and dienophile were studied in detail.
IMMUNOCHEMICAL STUDIES OF FOOT-AND-MOUTH DISEASE : V. ANTIGENIC VARIANTS OF VIRUS DEMONSTRATED BY IMMUNODIFFUSION ANALYSES WITH 19S BUT NOT 7S ANTIBODIES

Three antigenic variants of foot-and-mouth disease virus, type A, strain 119, were demonstrated in Ouchterlony analyses utilizing serum collected from guinea pigs 7 days postinfection (DPI). Such antisera contain antibodies of the 19S class. Guinea pig antisera that contained antibodies of the 7S class were unable to distinguish between the antigenic variants. Similarly, 19S antibody was able to demonstrate antigenic differences in trypsin- and chymotrypsin-treated viruses that were not detected by 7S antibody-containing antisera. One of the antigenic variants of virus is apparently the wild type and is tentatively considered to have two antigenic determinant groupings termed the a- and b-sites (140S-ab). The 140S-ab variant was the sole or predominant antigenic type produced in guinea pigs and in large plaque-forming- and tissue culture-low passage sources of the virus. Another antigenic variant appears to possess only the b-site (140S-b) and was the major constituent in tissue culture-high passage virus preparations. The third variant, a small plaque former, was also devoid of the a-site and contains an antigenic determinant that is related to, but not identical with, the b-site. This variant appears to be a minor constituent of tissue culture-high passage virus. 7-DPI serum could be absorbed with a suitable concentration of tissue culture-high passage virus to remove antibody reactive with the b-determinant site. This absorbed serum still precipitated 140S-ab virus by virtue of still containing antibody reactive with the a-determinant site; however, the neutralizing activity was eliminated. This suggests that the b-site is critical with respect to neutralization while the a-site is noncritical.
Component Analysis of Respirator User Training

Respirators must be properly used to be effective. In an experimental protocol, 145 subjects were trained and then observed donning and doffing respirators. Filtering facepiece and dual cartridge half face mask types were studied. Subjects were then tested for knowledge and for proper performance using video recording analysis. Knowledge tests showed adequate learning, but performance was often poor. Inspection, strap tension (half mask), seal checking, and avoiding mask contact during doffing were particularly problematic. Mask positioning was generally well done. Correlation between knowledge and performance for specific items was generally poor, although there was a weak correlation between overall knowledge and overall performance (rho = 0.32) for the half mask users. Actual unprompted performance as well as knowledge and fit-testing should be assessed for user certification. Respirator design approval should consider users' ability to learn proper technique.
Blood transcriptomic biomarkers in adult primary care patients with major depressive disorder undergoing cognitive behavioral therapy.

An objective, laboratory-based diagnostic tool could increase the diagnostic accuracy of major depressive disorders (MDDs), identify factors that characterize patients and promote individualized therapy. The goal of this study was to assess a blood-based biomarker panel, which showed promise in adolescents with MDD, in adult primary care patients with MDD and age-, gender- and race-matched nondepressed (ND) controls. Patients with MDD received cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and clinical assessment using self-reported depression with the Patient Health Questionnaire–9 (PHQ-9). The measures, including blood RNA collection, were obtained before and after 18 weeks of CBT. Blood transcript levels of nine markers of ADCY3, DGKA, FAM46A, IGSF4A/CADM1, KIAA1539, MARCKS, PSME1, RAPH1 and TLR7, differed significantly between participants with MDD (N=32) and ND controls (N=32) at baseline (q< 0.05). Abundance of the DGKA, KIAA1539 and RAPH1 transcripts remained significantly different between subjects with MDD and ND controls even after post-CBT remission (defined as PHQ-9 <5). The ROC area under the curve for these transcripts demonstrated high discriminative ability between MDD and ND participants, regardless of their current clinical status. Before CBT, significant co-expression network of specific transcripts existed in MDD subjects who subsequently remitted in response to CBT, but not in those who remained depressed. Thus, blood levels of different transcript panels may identify the depressed from the nondepressed among primary care patients, during a depressive episode or in remission, or follow and predict response to CBT in depressed individuals.
Eine unscärferelation für diskrete verteilungen

In the present paper there will be given sharp bounds for the probabilkity P (X > 0) where X is a nonnegative integer-valued random variable.
σ2 Site-mediated inhibition of electrically evoked guinea pig ileum longitudinal muscle/myenteric plexus contractions

Functional and binding studies were performed in order to characterize the relative efficacy and affinity of a number of compounds that bind to sigma sites. The ability of sigma site ligands to inhibit electrically evoked contraction of the guinea pig ileum longitudinal muscle/myenteric plexus preparation was compared to the affinities of these compounds for sigma1 sites (assessed by displacement of [3H](+)-pentazocine) and sigma2 sites (assessed by displacement of [3H]1,3-di-o-tolylguanidine (DTG) in the presence of 5 microM dextromethorphan). It was shown that the rank order of potencies for suppression of electrically evoked contractions of guinea pig ileum perfectly matched the rank order of affinities of these compounds for the sigma2 binding site, while correlating poorly with the sigma1 binding site. In addition, no significant correlations were found between the efficacy of the tested compounds to inhibit contraction of the guinea pig ileum preparation and previously reported affinities for muscarinic, dopamine D2 or MK-801 binding sites. Thus, the present study represents the first functional bioassay selectively sensitive to agents interacting with the sigma2 receptor subtype binding site, and provides a means with which to further elucidate the functional role of sigma2 sites.