cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Coadministration of naproxen and low-dose methotrexate in patients with rheumatoid arthritis

Fifteen patients (30 to 78 years of age) with diagnoses of rheumatoid arthritis were administered oral and intravenous methotrexate (15 mg), alone or with concomitant naproxen (1000 mg/day). Serial blood samples and urine were collected for 24 hours after the dose of methotrexate and were assayed for methotrexate by a specific radioenzymatic method. In twelve patients who completed the study, methotrexate systemic clearance was not statistically different with naproxen (103.3 +/- 35.0 ml/min) versus without naproxen (113.4 +/- 48.3 ml/min; p = 0.37). Oral clearance of methotrexate was not statistically different with naproxen (161.7 +/- 55.0 ml/min) versus without naproxen (176.7 +/- 68.3 ml/min; p = 0.14). Likewise, there was not a significant difference in methotrexate renal clearance or plasma protein binding with or without naproxen. No toxicity was observed when patients received methotrexate alone or with naproxen. This study indicates that concomitant naproxen does not abruptly alter the disposition of low-dose methotrexate in patients with rheumatoid arthritis who have normal renal function.
The impact of hardware description languages on the education of hardware design

The author describes hardware description languages (HDLs) and various levels of abstraction. He then examines applications of these languages for teaching purposes. This is illustrated by use of examples in commonly used teaching HDLs. The VHSIC HDL (VHDL) and the possibility of its being used as a teaching tool are described. The requirements for a small hardware oriented subset of VHDL are also discussed. >
Calcium Oxalate Monohydrate Precipitation at Phospholipid Monolayer Phase Boundaries

The precipitation of calcium oxalate monohydrate (COM) was observed at biphasic phospholipid Langmuir monolayers with the aid of Brewster angle microscopy. COM appears preferentially at phase boundaries of a monolayer of 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DPPC) in a state of liquid expanded/liquid condensed coexistance. However, when the phase boundary is created by two different phospholipids that are phase segregated, such as DPPC and 1,2-dimiristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DMPC), crystal formation occurs away from the interface. It is suggested that COM growth at phase boundaries is preferred only when there is molecular exchange between the phases.
Surrogate constraint normalization for the set covering problem

The set covering problem (SCP) is central in a wide variety of practical applications for which finding good feasible solutions quickly (often in real-time) is crucial. Surrogate constraint normalization is a classical technique used to derive appropriate weights for surrogate constraint relaxations in mathematical programming. This framework remains the core of the most effective constructive heuristics for the solution of the SCP chiefly represented by the widely-used Chvatal method. This paper introduces a number of normalization rules and demonstrates their superiority to the classical Chvatal rule, especially when solving large scale and real-world instances. Directions for new advances on the creation of more elaborate normalization rules for surrogate heuristics are also provided.
A Current-Equalized Distributed Receiver Front-End for UWB Direct Conversion Receivers

This paper presents a current-equalized distributed RF front-end for ultra-wideband (UWB) direct conversion receivers. The proposed distributed direct conversion RF front-end (DDC-RF) utilizes a current equalization technique to remove the systematic IQ phase and gain imbalances imposed by the intrinsic wideband characteristics of the distributed circuits. Fabricated in a 0.13 mum CMOS process, the proposed DDC-RF prototype achieves 12.1-13.4 dB gain and an average noise-figure (NF) of 6.8 dB across the UWB frequency band with 50 Omega wideband-matched termination. A programmable RF termination allows the DDC-RF to achieve higher gain of 16.5 dB and lower NF of 4.3 dB, while trading off with few decibels of mismatch at the RF input port. The measured IQ gain and phase imbalances are less than plusmn0.5 dB and plusmn2.5deg, respectively. The 2-stage DDC-RF consumes 8 mA from 1.8 V supply voltage, and occupies an area of 1.2 mm2.
Multistate Design Approach to Analysis of Twin-Engine Aircraft Performance Robustness

DOI: 10.2514/1.C031338 This article introduces an integrated approach for the early-stage multistate design and analysis of aircraft requiringrobustperformanceacrossarangeofoff-nominalsystemstates.Itisappliedtothecasestudyofanexisting twin-engineaircraft,enabledbythedevelopmentofamultimodalperformancemodelcalibratedwith flight-testdata collected at Edwards Air Force Base Flight Test Center. The methodology includes elements for determining responsesinaircraftexpectedperformanceandavailabilitytochangesinstaticdesignvariables(geometry),dynamic design variables (control gains), and component failure rates, which are the three driving input categories affecting performance robustness. This is accomplished using Markov chain analysis within the design loop to stochastically modelstatetransitionsbasedonfailureratesaswellasgainoptimizationthroughsimulationtoensurecontrollability at each design point. Results showed unsafe performance in 15% of the King Air geometry-state responses under investigation.Althoughmanyoccurredinthefullyfailedstateandwereexpected, fiveoccurredinpartiallydegraded states where the majority of geometries were able to meet performance requirements. Furthermore, this behavior clearly exhibited itself in the resulting design sensitivities, confirming that such an approach allows designers to identifyelementsthatmightdrivesystemlossthroughanalysisofperformancechangesacrosssystemstatesandtheir respective response to changes in design variables.
Crash fatality and vehicle incompatibility in collisions between cars and light trucks or vans

Background In crashes between a car and a light truck or van (LTV), car occupants are more likely to be killed than LTV occupants. The extent this is due to the greater harm imposed by LTVs on cars or the greater protection they offer their own occupants is not known. Methods We conducted a case-control study of collisions between two passenger vehicles in the USA during 1990–2008. Cases were all decedents in fatal crashes (N=157 684); one control was selected from each crash in a national probability sample of crashes (N=379 458). Results Adjusted for the type of vehicle they were riding in and other confounders, occupants of vehicles colliding with any type of LTVs (categorised as compact sport utility vehicles (SUV), full-size SUVs, minivans, full-size vans, compact pickups and full-size pickups) were at higher risk of death compared with occupants colliding with cars. Adjusted for the type of vehicle they crashed with and other confounders, occupants of LTVs in a collision with any vehicle were at lower risk of death compared with car occupants. Compared with a crash between two cars, the overall RR of death in a crash between any of the other 27 different combinations of vehicle types was 1.0 or greater, except for crashes between two full-size pickups, where the RR of death was 0.9. Conclusions Although LTVs protect their own occupants better than cars do, LTVs are associated with an excess total risk of death in crashes with cars or other LTVs.
Whole-exome sequencing combined with functional genomics reveals novel candidate driver cancer genes in endometrial cancer

Endometrial cancer is the most common gynecological malignancy, with more than 280,000 cases occurring annually worldwide. Although previous studies have identified important common somatic mutations in endometrial cancer, they have primarily focused on a small set of known cancer genes and have thus provided a limited view of the molecular basis underlying this disease. Here we have developed an integrated systems-biology approach to identifying novel cancer genes contributing to endometrial tumorigenesis. We first performed whole-exome sequencing on 13 endometrial cancers and matched normal samples, systematically identifying somatic alterations with high precision and sensitivity. We then combined bioinformatics prioritization with high-throughput screening (including both shRNA-mediated knockdown and expression of wild-type and mutant constructs) in a highly sensitive cell viability assay. Our results revealed 12 potential driver cancer genes including 10 tumor-suppressor candidates (ARID1A, INHBA, KMO, TTLL5, GRM8, IGFBP3, AKTIP, PHKA2, TRPS1, and WNT11) and two oncogene candidates (ERBB3 and RPS6KC1). The results in the “sensor” cell line were recapitulated by siRNA-mediated knockdown in endometrial cancer cell lines. Focusing on ARID1A, we integrated mutation profiles with functional proteomics in 222 endometrial cancer samples, demonstrating that ARID1A mutations frequently co-occur with mutations in the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) pathway and are associated with PI3K pathway activation. siRNA knockdown in endometrial cancer cell lines increased AKT phosphorylation supporting ARID1A as a novel regulator of PI3K pathway activity. Our study presents the first unbiased view of somatic coding mutations in endometrial cancer and provides functional evidence for diverse driver genes and mutations in this disease.
Race and gender variation in response to evoked inflammation

Race- and gender-variation in innate immunity may contribute to demographic differences in inflammatory and cardiometabolic disease; yet their influence on dynamic responses during inflammatory stress is poorly understood. Our objective was to examine race and gender influence on the response to experimental endotoxemia. The Genetics of Evoked Responses to Niacin and Endotoxemia (GENE) study was designed to investigate regulation of inflammatory and metabolic responses during low-grade endotoxemia (LPS 1 ng/kg intravenously) in healthy individuals (median age 24, IQR=7) of European (EA; n=193, 47% female) and African ancestry (AA; n=101, 59% female). Baseline clinical, metabolic, and inflammatory biomarkers by race and gender were consistent with epidemiological literature; pre-LPS cytokines (e.g. median (IQR) IL-6, 2.7 (2) vs.2.1 (2) pg/ml, P=0.001) were higher in AA than EA. In contrast, acute cytokine responses during endotoxemia were lower in AA than EA (e.g. median (IQR) peak IL-1RA, 30 (38) vs.43 (45) ng/ml P=0.002) as was the induction of hepatic acute-phase proteins (e.g. median (IQR) peak CRP 12.9 (9) vs.17.4 (12) mg/L P=0.005). Further, baseline levels of cytokines were only weakly correlated with peak inflammatory responses (all rs <0.2) both in AA and in EA. There were less pronounced and less consistent differences in the response by gender, with males having a higher AUC for CRP response compared to females (median (IQR) AUC: 185 (112) vs. 155 (118), P=0.02). We observed lower levels of evoked inflammation in response to endotoxin in AA compared with EA, despite similar or higher baseline levels of inflammatory markers in AA. Our data also suggest that levels of inflammatory biomarkers measured in epidemiological settings might not predict the degree of acute stress-response or risk of diseases characterized by activation of innate immunity. FDA clinicaltrials.gov registration number NCT00953667
Elastic properties and stacking fault energies of Cr2Ta

The elastic moduli, stacking fault and twin boundary energies of C15 Cr2Ta are calculated by first-principles local-density-functional approach. Similarly to the case of Cr2Nb, Cr2Ta is characterized by a low twin boundary energy (33 mJ/m 2 ). On the other hand, the intrinsic and extrinsic stacking fault energies are found to be 88 and 83 mJ/m 2 , respectively. Using the results of elastic constants and stacking fault energies, we predict the equilibrium separation between Shockley partials. The results of Cr2Ta are compared with those of Cr2Nb. # 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
Chemical lesion of visceral afferents causes transient overconsumption of unfamiliar high-fat diets in rats

Because it is commonly assumed that the major role of visceral afferents in food intake control is to terminate meals by carrying negative-feedback signals to the brain, we hypothesized that overconsumption should occur in rats with chemically lesioned visceral afferents if they were presented with an unfamiliar diet. Adult male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were treated with multiple doses of capsaicin or vehicle as a control. Five weeks later, a series of 3-h feeding tests after 24-h deprivation was carried out, first with chow and then with either a solid (vegetable shortening) or liquid (Ensure) unfamiliar high-fat diet. Both groups consumed similar amounts of their powdered chow maintenance diet, but capsaicin-treated rats consumed at least 50% more of either high-fat diet than vehicle controls (P < 0.01) at the beginning of the first trial. During second and third trials with the now-familiar high-fat diet, intake was no longer significantly different between the two groups, suggesting rapid engagement of redundant control mechanisms. These results support a role of capsaicin-sensitive visceral afferents in providing negative feedback for early meal termination during the ingestion of unfamiliar diets.
Modeling the Effect of Climate Change on Rare Genotypes in Nature

Numerical simulations are employed to model the impact of rare genetic types (or genotypes) experiencing climate change over a long time scale. The physical appearance of many genotypes is impacted by enzymatic functioning. Some enzymes are temperature sensitive and may therefore be impacted by global warming. When enzyme expression changes traits like pigmentation, can be affected dramatically.Genetic polymorphism, where at least two different types of the same species exist, are often maintained by natural selection. There are two color types of mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki), melanic (black spotted) and silver. Even though the mosquitofish are one of the most abundant fish species in the southeastern US, the melanic genotype is quite rare.All the progeny of silver mosquitofish are born silver and on average about 20% of the progeny of melanic fish are also silver. However in some populations cold exposure is required for the progeny of melanic fish to develop melanism. Without cold exposure these fish remain silver. Climate change, resulting in rising water temperatures may affect the expression patterns of the rare genotypes that require cold exposure to turn melanic. To simulate the effect of the rising temperature on the inheritance of melanism parameter we used three different functions as a linear function, a step function, and a random function. In each case simulations reveal that the climate change will have a devastating effect on the melanic genotypes that require cold exposure to express melanism - they will go extinct after a finite number of years. We also report on the effect of a variety of initial conditions on the population growth/decay and the sensitivity of the population to fitness changes.
Reasons for electronic cigarette use beyond cigarette smoking cessation: A concept mapping approach.

Abstract Introduction Electronic cigarettes (ECIGs) continue to grow in popularity, however, limited research has examined reasons for ECIG use. Methods This study used an integrated, mixed-method participatory research approach called concept mapping (CM) to characterize and describe adults' reasons for using ECIGs. A total of 108 adults completed a multi-module online CM study that consisted of brainstorming statements about their reasons for ECIG use, sorting each statement into conceptually similar categories, and then rating each statement based on whether it represented a reason why they have used an ECIG in the past month. Results Participants brainstormed a total of 125 unique statements related to their reasons for ECIG use. Multivariate analyses generated a map revealing 11, interrelated components or domains that characterized their reasons for use. Importantly, reasons related to Cessation Methods, Perceived Health Benefits, Private Regard, Convenience and Conscientiousness were rated significantly higher than other categories/types of reasons related to ECIG use (p Conclusions This study shows that ECIG users are motivated to use ECIGs for many reasons. ECIG regulations should address these reasons for ECIG use in addition to smoking cessation.
Preparation of Epitaxial Uranium Dicarbide Thin Films by Polymer-Assisted Deposition

High quality epitaxial thin films of cubic UC2 were synthesized using a solution based technique. The films were characterized using XRD, UPS, Raman, and resistivity. The substrate lattice is yttrium stabilized zirconia and serves to stabilize the high temperature cubic phaseof UC2 (>1765 °C) at room temperature. The resistivity and UPS data indicate that UC2 has relatively low electrical conductivity consistent with HSE hybrid DFT calculations showing a narrow band gap. In situ XRD measurements show that the UC2 films oxidize to U3O8 above 200 °C.
Mining Association Rules in Customer Behavior in Telecommunication

Presents a method of clustering based on mining association rules.First,the raw data for the customer behavior in telecommunication are transformed into the "distances" between the areas.Second,since the areas are "floating",as opposed to "rigid",the application of the association rule technique to the "flexible" distances turns out to be an adequate option.The customer behavior in telecommunication is calibrated into the framework of association rules.Experiments hint us the pattern by grouping the customers into a cluster.Based on the pattern,an analysis results in a conclusion that "it is a wrong decision to develop the business in South America",which is unexpected before data mining.In practice,the conclusion was applied and prevented the plan of South America,saving some one million US dollars of the strategic fund for living through the years of stagnant economy in Silicon Valley for the corporation.
Brief Report: Nuclear Bodies of Normal and Pathological Human Lymph Node Cells: An Electron Microscopic Study

Nuclear bodies in normal and pathologic human lymph node cells have been examined with the electron microscope and their structure has been illustrated and described. In normal lymph node cells, nuclear bodies are 0.3-0.5 microns in diameter, are slightly less electron dense than the nucleolus, and consist of peripheral fibrillar material with centrally located, dense granules, 200-400 A in diameter. Morphologically abnormal nuclear bodies have been observed in a case of Hodgkin’s disease. The appearance of these atypical bodies would suggest either contact and fusion of two or more atypical bodies, or possibly the existence of single, large, irregular bodies.
Pediatric death after unintentional exposure to liquid nicotine for an electronic cigarette

Sir,Refillable electronic-cigarettes (e-cigarettes) continue to grow in popularity with the global e-cigarette market reaching an estimated worth of $6 billion in 2014.[1] E-cigarette liquid formul...
Enthalpy of vaporization at boiling point—Inorganic compounds

Publisher Summary This chapter presents the results for the enthalpy of vaporization at the boiling point for inorganic compounds in tabular form. The tabulation is arranged by alphabetical order such as Ag, Al, Ar, and Zr to provide ease of use in quickly locating the data by using the chemical formula. The compound name and chemical abstracts registry number (CAS No) are also provided in columns. The next column provides the normal boiling point and the enthalpy of vaporization at the boiling point. The last column gives the code for the tabulation. In preparing the tabulation, a literature search is conducted to identify data source publications. Both experimental values for the property under consideration and parameter values for estimation of the property are included in the source publications. The publications are screened, and copies of appropriate data are made. These data are then keyed into the computer to provide a database of values for compounds for which experimental data are available. The database also serves as a basis to check the accuracy of the estimation methods. Upon completion of data collection, estimation of values for the remaining compounds is performed. The compilations of CRC, Daubert and Danner, Lange’s Handbook, web sites, and Yaws are used extensively for the enthalpy of vaporization. The Kistiakowsky rule and Riedel method are primarily used for estimates of the enthalpy of vaporization at the boiling point.
Novel RGD peptide derivatives with enhanced pharmacokinetics for PET imaging

508 Objectives To demonstrate that suitably derivatized monomeric RGD peptide-based PET tracers (targeting integrin αvβ3) can offer advantages in image contrast, time for imaging, and low uptake in non-target tissues. Methods Two c(RGDfk) derivatives, (PEG)2-RGD and PEG4-SAA4-RGD, were constructed using solid-phase synthesis, and conjugated to NOTA for 64Cu-labeling. Competitive cell binding assays (125I-echistatin as the ligand) were performed to determine/compare integrin αvβ3 binding affinity of these peptides. Athymic nude mice bearing U87MG human glioblastoma tumors (integrin αvβ3+) were intravenously injected with each tracer, and dynamic PET scans were acquired during the first 30 min post-injection (p.i.). Static scans were performed at later time points to study long-term biodistribution of the tracers. Blocking and ex vivo biodistribution studies were carried out to validate the PET data and confirm the specificity of the tracers. Results Three tracers, 64Cu-NOTA-c(RGDfk) (1), 64Cu-NOTA-(PEG)2-RGD (2), and 64Cu-NOTA-PEG4-SAA4-RGD (3), were prepared with high purity and radiolabeling yield (>95%). Integrin αvβ3 binding affinities for 1, 2, and 3 were comparable at IC50 values of 507, 444, and 288 nM respectively. Dynamic PET data unveiled similar circulation t1/2 for 2 and 3 (4.8 and 4.1 min respectively), and peak U87MG tumor uptake of ~4 %ID/g at 10 min p.i. for both tracers. Due to its marked hydrophilicity, 3 had faster clearance from tumor and normal tissues while maintaining excellent tumor-to-background ratios at 30 min p.i. (~ 16). Static PET scans at later time points corroborated the enhanced excretion of 3, especially from abdominal organs. Ex vivo biodistribution and receptor blocking studies confirmed the accuracy of the PET data and the specificity of 3 for integrin αvβ3. Conclusions We developed 2 novel RGD peptide derivatives with optimized pharmacokinetic properties that allow for fast, high contrast PET imaging of integrin αvβ3. These tracers may facilitate the imaging of abdominal malignancies, normally precluded by high background uptake of other PET tracers.
Presence of sucrose in the vitrification solution and exposure for longer periods of time improve post‐warming follicle integrity in cat ovarian tissues

Contents Ovarian tissue cryopreservation followed by tissue culture is a promising approach to preserving the fertility of biomedical models and endangered species. The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of exposure time to vitrification solution and presence of sucrose using different exposure temperatures and base media on intra-ovarian follicle integrity. Peripubertal ovarian cortical pieces were obtained by isolating the cortex and dissecting it into 1 × 1 × 0.2 mm3 pieces. The cortical pieces were then exposed to equilibration solution and then vitrification solutions (VS) in one of the conditions mentioned above, plunged directly into liquid nitrogen and stored for ≥24 hr in liquid nitrogen. After thawing, the cortical pieces were cultured in vitro for 0, 1 or 7 days to determine the follicle integrity (through histological assessment) and the ability of the tissue to recover from cryoinjury. Fresh controls maintained a constant level of normal morphology (>60% of the total follicles) throughout the culture period. Cortical pieces exposed to VS with sucrose for 10 min had the highest percentage of normal follicles (approximately 20% after 7 days of culture) throughout the culture period. Other conditions using different base medium, lower exposure temperatures or different thawing methods did not improve the follicle integrity. This protocol provides a solid foundation on which to optimize ovarian tissue cryopreservation in the domestic cat and to investigate the molecular effects of vitrification.
The Effects of Supplemental Sentence-Level Instruction for Fourth-Grade Students Identified as Struggling Writers

ABSTRACTThe Language and Writing strands of the Common Core State Standards place a heavy emphasis on sentence-level conventions including syntax/grammar and mechanics. Interventions targeting these foundational skills are necessary to support struggling writers, as poorly developed sentence construction skills inhibit more complex writing tasks. This study examined the effects of a supplemental intervention on the writing skills of 4th-grade students identified as struggling writers. The intervention used explicit instruction and the self-regulated strategy development framework to teach students a sentence construction strategy along with self-regulation procedures. We used a regression discontinuity design to test whether students included in the intervention group outperformed their predicted scores on assessments of writing conventions and story quality. Results indicated that the intervention was successful at improving struggling writers’ ability to use accepted orthographic and grammatic conventio...
Internet of Things (IoT): Growth, Challenges, and Security

The Internet of things (IoT). What is it? Why is it exciting so many in the technology and innovation communities? The concept of the Internet of Things (IoT) was initially proposed by Kevin Ashton in 1998 [1], while he was working at P&G to launch a line of cosmetics for Oil of Olay. Because the father of IoT, as many call him, was bothered that this one shade of lipstick in his cosmetic line always seemed to be sold out in all his London, UK, local stores, he wanted to know where his lipstick was and what was happening to it. No one could tell him. When UK retailers experimenting with loyalty cards with a tiny “radio-enabled” chip, later called RFID, showed these to him, it gave him an idea of tracking his lipstick shade. He took the radio microchip out of the credit card and stuck it on his lipstick shade to see if a wireless network could pick up data on a card and tell him what shelf in the store the lipstick was on. By so doing, he started the forces that created the IoT. In about a decade, the simple idea and experiment have been extended to support pervasive connectivity and the integration of a variety of objects big and small creating an ecosystem of interconnected communication network whose devices or communication nodes are everyday electronic objects like mobile devices, entertainment devices in your home, fridges and temperature control devices, garage door openers, cloth and dish washers, and the list goes on and on. When network connectivity is achieved, it allows all these devices to talk to each other by sending and receiving data. This connectivity of things started long ago with the interconnection of computing devices to form the traditional computer network. Upon that a conceptual model of connectivity of all devices that can communicate and receive data forming a far wider communication network, the “Internet of Things,” was born.
Diacetyl/l-Xylulose Reductase Mediates Chemical Redox Cycling in Lung Epithelial Cells.

Reactive carbonyls such as diacetyl (2,3-butanedione) and 2,3-pentanedione in tobacco and many food and consumer products are known to cause severe respiratory diseases. Many of these chemicals are detoxified by carbonyl reductases in the lung, in particular, dicarbonyl/l-xylulose reductase (DCXR), a multifunctional enzyme important in glucose metabolism. DCXR is a member of the short-chain dehydrogenase/reductase (SDR) superfamily. Using recombinant human enzyme, we discovered that DCXR mediates redox cycling of a variety of quinones generating superoxide anion, hydrogen peroxide, and, in the presence of transition metals, hydroxyl radicals. Redox cycling activity preferentially utilized NADH as a cosubstrate and was greatest for 9,10-phenanthrenequinone and 1,2-naphthoquinone, followed by 1,4-naphthoquinone and 2-methyl-1,4-naphthoquinone (menadione). Using 9,10-phenanthrenequinone as the substrate, quinone redox cycling was found to inhibit DCXR reduction of l-xylulose and diacetyl. Competitive inhibit...
What Kind of Business Case Studies are We Writing

What is the difference between a research paper and a business case study? Are all good business cases decision-focused? This note provides a brief description of field-based, research-based, and armchair cases. It also reviews the notion of a descriptive or evaluative case. Although the material was written to generate a discussion of what a business case study is for case writing workshops, it is useful for those who are new to case writing—students and faculty. Excerpt UVA-PHA-0064 Apr. 12, 2012 WHAT KIND OF BUSINESS CASE STUDIES ARE WE WRITING? From time to time, debate bubbles up in the literature and at conferences over what exactly constitutes a business case study. Questions are raised, such as: Are cases theory-building tools? Verbal representations of practitioners' experiences? Perhaps a bit of both? What's the difference between a research paper and a business school case study? Understanding what exactly a case study is in the business field can be complicated. To avoid any misunderstanding in terminology, using a full description, such as business case study, distinguishes the material from a qualitative empirical approach to research that investigates a single example or limited number of cases (for example, n = 1), often called a case study. The original business case studies presented an executive's experience with a practical business issue or problem. All data was gathered through field-based interviews and, with any luck, company provided documents. Yet as business school programs expanded, so did the range of business case studies. Practicing managers and their firms were sometimes reluctant to share proprietary information, so case writers had to use existing sources of data, and the research-based business case study was born. When executives didn't want to air their missteps publicly, field-based data would be disguised, a practice that evolved into the armchair business case study, which is completely fabricated. . . .
Chemical Senses: Overview

The ability to detect and discriminate different ions and molecules is a necessary property of all cells. The most fundamental form of this sensitivity is found in the common chemical sense. A basic specialization is shown by the cells that contain receptors for taste and smell stimuli. These cells respond to these stimuli in ways that can be perceived by the organism through the brain systems for taste and smell. Understanding of these receptors and their systems has grown rapidly as modern methods have led to the identification of the molecular mechanisms and steps in sensory processing that are involved. This article gives an overview of this research, which is making these systems among the most exciting in modern neuroscience.
Low levels of PSMA expression limit the utility of 18F-DCFPyL PET/CT for imaging urothelial carcinoma.

To explore the clinical utility of PSMA-targeted 18F-DCFPyL PET/CT in patients with metastatic urothelial carcinoma. Three patients with metastatic urothelial carcinoma were imaged with 18F-DCFPyL PET/CT. All lesions with perceptible radiotracer uptake above background were considered positive. Maximum standardized uptake values were recorded for each detected lesion and findings on 18F-DCFPyL PET/CT were compared to those on conventional imaging studies. To further explore PSMA as a molecular target of urothelial carcinoma, RNA-sequencing data from The Cancer Genome Atlas were used to compare the relative expression of PSMA among cases of bladder cancer, prostate cancer, and clear cell renal cell carcinoma. Additionally, immunohistochemical staining for PSMA was performed on a biopsy specimen from one of the imaged patients. 18F-DCFPyL PET/CT allowed for the detection of sites of urothelial carcinoma, albeit with low levels of radiotracer uptake. Analysis of RNA-sequencing data revealed that bladder cancer had significantly lower levels of PSMA expression than both prostate cancer and clear cell renal cell carcinoma. Consistent with this observation, immunohistochemical staining of tissue from one of the imaged patients demonstrated a low level of neovascularization and nearly absent PSMA expression. The relatively scant expression of PSMA by urothelial carcinoma likely limits the utility of PSMA-targeted PET imaging of this malignancy. Future research efforts should focus on the development of other molecularly targeted imaging agents for urothelial carcinoma.
Nature’s nature: ideas of nature in curricula for environmental education: Reprinted from Environmental Education Research (1996) 2(2), pp. 141–148

Two contrasting sets of ideas about nature in environmental education are described. An analytical framework is developed from inter‐disciplinary histories of ideas and used in evaluating a specific curriculum. In conclusion, some general implications are suggested for curricula in environmental education.
On the Dynamics of Adjustment in the f-Plane Shallow Water Adjoint System

AbstractAnalytic results and numerical experimentation reveal that a “backward” integration of the adjoint of the shallow water system linearized about a basic state at rest on an f plane is charac...
PSEUDO-SEVERE MITRAL STENOSIS IN THE CONTEXT OF HIGH-FLOW HEMODYNAMICS

Assessment of mitral stenosis (MS) severity can be challenging when the mean diastolic mitral gradient (MG) and the mitral valve area (MVA) are discordant. In these cases, taking into account patient hemodynamics becomes essential. A 30-year-old woman presented with a 3-month history of heart
Comparison of Outcomes in Patients With Muscle-invasive Bladder Cancer Treated With Radical Cystectomy Versus Bladder Preservation.

Purpose:Radical cystectomy currently remains the standard of care for muscle-invasive bladder cancer. However, surgery can be associated with considerable morbidity and mortality, including the removal of the bladder. An alternative strategy is to preserve the bladder through concurrent chemoradiati
Kernel Approaches to Unsupervised and Supervised Machine Learning

In the kernel approach, any N vectorial or non-vectorial data can be converted to N vectors with feature dimension N. The promise of the kernel approach hinges upon its representation vector space, leading to a "cornerized" data structure. Furthermore, the nonsingular kernel matrix basically assures a theoretically linear separability, critical to supervised learning. The main results are two folds: In terms of unsupervised clustering, the kernel approach allows dimension reduction in the spectral space and, moreover, a simple error analysis for the fast kernel K-means. As to supervised classification, by imposing uncorrelated perturbation to the training vector in the spectral space, a perturbed (Fisher) discriminant analysis (PDA) is proposed. This ultimately leads to a hybrid classier which includes PDA and SVM as specials cases, thus offering more flexibility for improving the prediction performance.
MR staging of anal cancer: what the radiologist needs to know

Anal canal cancer is a rare disease and squamous cell carcinoma is the most common histologic subtype. Traditionally, anal cancer is imaged with CT and PET/CT for purposes of TNM staging. With the increased popularity of MRI for rectal cancer evaluation, MRI has become increasingly utilized for local staging of anal cancer. In this review, we focus on the necessary information radiologists need to know to understand this rare and unique disease and to be familiar with staging of anal cancer on MRI.
Synthesis of slagenins A, B, and C.

A short synthesis of the marine sponge metabolites slagenins A (1), B (2), and C (3) is described. The synthetic route features the preparation of β-hydroxyimidazolone 4 from ornithine and its subsequent oxidative cyclization to the slagenin core.
Patronal Politics: Constitutions, Elections, and Regime Dynamics

As Chapter 2 argued and Chapter 3 illustrated, patronalism is a social equilibrium whereby individuals organize their political and economic pursuits more around the personalized exchange of concrete rewards and punishments than around abstract, impersonal principles such as ideological belief or categorizations that include many people one has not actually met in person. It can be conceived of as a kind of collective action problem, a vicious cycle whereby individuals understand politics as an arena of personal wealth redistribution and targeted coercion and therefore reproduce these very practices themselves for fear of being the “sucker,”the feckless soul who acts on principle but only succeeds in impoverishing one’s family, marginalizing oneself, and accomplishing nothing. For individuals in highly patronalistic societies, what matters most for one’s material welfare is belonging to a coalition that has access to – and hence can pay out – resources. But which coalitions are capable of this depends on who else joins. There is thus a very important process of coordination at the core of political competition in patronalistic societies, as discussed in the previous chapter: The strength of networks depends on the support of individuals, but which side individuals support depends very strongly on which side these individuals expect other individuals to support – or, more precisely, on which side they do not expect to wind up losing access to resources for patronage and coercion as a result of a lack of support. Power, then, becomes a kind of self-fulfilling prophecy whereby those who are expected to become powerful (for whatever reason) can become powerful by virtue of these expectations. And they can lose power just as easily for the opposite reason. This is the great power of expectations in highly patronalistic societies.
Automated Autoradiographic Analysis of Tumor Cell Colonies in vitro

The studies reported below are basic to the design of therapeutic strategies against cancer and to the understanding of therapeutic effects. It is unlikely that clinical therapy could employ the same methodology, however, so this approach could not be incorporated into “kinetics-directed” therapy. As defined and implemented successfully by Barranco et al. (1982a, b), therapy is kinetics-directed when the kinetic properties of cell populations under treatment are actually determined and used to schedule the timing of multiple treatments. Thus, the substance of this paper is of potential importance to kinetics-based cancer therapy, i.e. using historical or empirical data to formulate models.
Preempting the Artificially Intelligent Machine

The medical device industry and new technology start-ups have dramatically increased investment in artificial intelligence (AI) applications, including diagnostic tools and AI-enabled devices. These technologies have been positioned as reducing climbing health costs while simultaneously improving health outcomes. Technologies like AI-enabled surgical robots, AI-enabled insulin pumps, and cancer detection applications hold tremendous promise, yet without appropriate oversight will likely pose major safety issues. While preventative safety measures may reduce risk to patients using these technologies, effective regulatory-tort regimes also permit recovery when preventative solutions are insufficient. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the administrative agency responsible overseeing the safety and efficacy of medical devices, has not effectively addressed AI system safety issues for its clearance processes. If the FDA cannot reasonably reduce the risk of injury for AI-enabled medical devices, injured patients should be able to rely on ex post recovery options, as in products liability cases. However, the Medical Device Amendments Act (MDA) of 1976 introduced an express preemption clause that the U.S. Supreme Court has interpreted to nearly foreclose liability claims, based almost completely on the comprehensiveness of FDA clearance review processes. At its inception, MDA preemption aimed to balance consumer interests in safe medical devices with efficient, consistent regulation to promote innovation and reduce costs. Although preemption remains an important mechanism for balancing injury risks with device availability, the introduction of AI software dramatically changes the risk profile for medical devices. Due to the inherent opacity and changeability of AI algorithms powering AI machines, it is nearly impossible to predict all potential safety hazards a faulty AI system might pose to patients. This article identifies key preemption issues for AI machines as they affect ex ante and ex post regulatory-tort allocation, including actual FDA review for parallel claims, bifurcation of software and device reviews, and dynamics of the technology itself that may enable plaintiffs to avoid preemption. This Author then recommends an alternative conception of the regulatory-tort allocation for AI machines that will create a more comprehensive and complementary safety and compensatory model.
Addiction Disorder Considerations for Patients Seeking Psychotherapy

Substance use disorders are widespread and cause significant dysfunction. Substance use disorders often co-occur with other psychiatric disorders. Because of this overlap, clinicians commonly encounter patients at risk for substance abuse disorders. This article reviews strategies to aid the practicing clinician in the screening, assessment, intervention, and referral of their parents at risk for substance use disorders.
What Is the Conditional Autocorrelation on the Stock Market

We derive lower and upper bounds on the conditional market autocorrelation index at various investment horizons without using the precise form of the utility function. The bounds are derived in terms of option prices and can be computed at daily frequency for any given horizon. The bounds incorporate all the information contained in the entire distribution of returns. We use options on the S&P 500 index to quantify the bounds and document that asset prices imply a negative upper bound on the market conditional autocorrelation index. The upper bound on the market conditional autocorrelation index is highly volatile, skewed, and exhibits fat tails. It varies from -28% to -3% and takes extremely negative values during crisis or recession periods while being close to zero during normal times. On average, the upper bound on the market conditional autocorrelation index is -14%. We also document that periods of extremely negative market conditional autocorrelation index coincide with periods of a high Sharpe ratio, and we show that leading asset pricing models cannot reproduce both the negative market conditional autocorrelation index and the negative average market conditional autocorrelation index implied by asset prices.
Rise and Regional Variations in Schedule II Stimulant Use in the United States

Abstract Objective There is a need to better understand recent trends in stimulant usage. This report compares the pharmacoepidemiology of three Schedule II stimulants in the United States from 2010 – 2017. Methods Drug weights were extracted from the Automated Reports and Consolidated Ordering Systems (ARCOS) for amphetamine, methylphenidate, and lisdexamfetamine. Total grams per drug were averaged across all states and compared from 2010–2017. Median stimulant daily dosage per patient user was determined from electronic medical records for a regional analysis. Results There was a rise in amphetamine (+67.5%) and lisdexamfetamine (+76.7%) use from 2010–2017. The change in methylphenidate (−3.0%) was modest. Regional analysis indicated that persons/day usage of stimulants in the west was lower than that of other US regions from 2014–2017. There was a negative correlation (r(48) = −0.43 to −0.65, p Conclusion The increasing amphetamine and lisdexamfetamine, but not methylphenidate, use may be explained by a rise in adult ADHD diagnoses and treatment. Regional analysis indicates that the use of stimulants in the west may be distinct from that in other regions. The lower stimulant use in areas with greater Hispanic population may reflect socioeconomic factors. Further research is needed on social factors impacting stimulant use and reasons for the pronounced regional variance.
Extreme first-passage times for random walks on networks

Many biological, social, and communication systems can be modeled by "searchers" moving through a complex network. For example, intracellular cargo is transported on tubular networks, news and rumors spread through online social networks, and the rapid global spread of infectious diseases occurs through passengers traveling on the airport network. To understand the timescale of search (or "transport" or "spread"), one commonly studies the first-passage time (FPT) of a single searcher (or "transporter" or "spreader") to a target. However, in many scenarios the relevant timescale is not the FPT of a single searcher to a target, but rather the FPT of the fastest searcher to a target out of many searchers. For example, many processes in cell biology are triggered by the first molecule to find a target out of many, and the time it takes an infectious disease to reach a particular city depends on the first infected traveler to arrive out of potentially many infected travelers. Such fastest FPTs are called extreme FPTs. In this paper, we study extreme FPTs for a general class of continuous-time random walks on networks (which includes continuous-time Markov chains). In the limit of many searchers, we find explicit formulas for the probability distribution and all the moments of the kth fastest FPT for any fixed k≥1. These rigorous formulas depend only on network parameters along a certain geodesic path(s) from the starting location to the target since the fastest searchers take a direct route to the target. Hence, the extreme FPTs are independent of the details of the network outside this geodesic(s) and can be drastically faster and less variable than conventional FPTs of single searchers. Furthermore, our results allow one to estimate if a particular system is in a regime characterized by fast extreme FPTs. We also prove similar results for mortal searchers on a network that are conditioned to find the target before a fast inactivation time. We illustrate our results with numerical simulations and uncover potential pitfalls of modeling diffusive or subdiffusive processes involving extreme statistics. In particular, we find that the many searcher limit does not commute with the diffusion limit for random walks, and thus care must be taken when choosing spatially continuous versus spatially discrete diffusion models.
A decade review of triphosgene and its applications in organic reactions.

Abstract This review article highlights selected advances in triphosgene-enabled organic synthetic reactions that were reported in the decade of 2010–2019. Triphosgene is a versatile reagent in organic synthesis. It serves as a convenient substitute for the toxic phosgene gas. Despite its first known preparation in the late 19th century, the upward surge in the development of organic reactions using triphosgene interestingly began only three decades ago. Despite the relatively short history, triphosgene has been proven to be very useful in facilitating the preparation of a vast scope of value-added compounds, such as organohalides, acid chlorides, isocyanates, carbonyl addition adducts, heterocycles, among others. Furthermore, applications of triphosgene in complex molecules synthesis, polymer synthesis, and other techniques, such as flow chemistry and solid phase synthesis, have also emerged in the literature.