cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Management of Bone Disorders in Kidney Disease

In healthy individuals, normal serum concentrations of phosphorus and calcium are maintained through the interaction of three hormones: parathyroid hormone (PTH), calcitriol (1,25(OH)2D3), and fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF-23). These hormones act on four primary target organs: bone, kidney, intestine, and parathyroid glands. The kidneys play a critical role in the regulation of serum calcium and phosphorus concentrations as well as these three hormones. In patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), increased PTH concentrations are generally the first clinically measured abnormality observed in patients with evolving CKD; however, FGF-23 increases prior to PTH [1, 2]. Shortly following the increases in FGF-23 and PTH, calcitriol concentrations will fall [1]. Changes in these hormones in the early stages of the CKD are an adaptive mechanism to help maintain the serum phosphorus and calcium concentrations in the normal range. It is not until the development of CKD stages 4–5 (glomerular filtration rate less than 30 mL/min/1.73m2) that measurable abnormalities of calcium and phosphorus become apparent [1].
The Influence of Cervical Collar Immobilization on Optic Nerve Sheath Diameter.

Background: Prior research has revealed that cervical collars elevate intracranial pressure (ICP) in patients with traumatic brain injury. Two recent small studies evaluated the change in optic sheath nerve diameter (ONSD) measured by ultrasound as a proxy for ICP following cervical collar placement in healthy volunteers. Objective: We sought to validate the finding that ONSD measured by ultrasound increases after cervical collar placement within an independent data set. Methods: This was a prospective, crossover study involving volunteers. Participants were randomized to either have the ONSD measured first without a cervical collar or initially with a cervical collar. Two sonographers performed independent ONSD diameter measurements. Continuous data were analyzed by matched-paired t-tests. Alpha was set at 0.05. The primary outcome parameter was the overall mean difference between ONSD measurements with the cervical collar on and off. Multiple linear regression was performed to examine the relationship between variables and the primary outcome parameter. Results: There were 30 participants enrolled in the study. Overall mean ONSD for participants without the collar was 0.365 ± 0.071 cm and with the collar was 0.392 ± 0.081 cm. The mean change in ONSD for participants with and without the collar was 0.026 ± 0.064 cm (95% confidence interval of difference: 0.015–0.038;P
Abstract 4961: Gut microbiota modulates adoptive cell therapy via CD8α dendritic cells and IL-12

Adoptive T cell therapy (ACT) is a promising new modality for malignancies. Here, we report that adoptive T cell efficacy in tumor-bearing mice is significantly affected by differences in the native composition of the gut microbiome or treatment with antibiotics, or by heterologous fecal transfer. Depletion of bacteria with vancomycin decreased the rate of tumor growth in mice from The Jackson Laboratory receiving ACT, whereas treatment with neomycin and metronidazole had no effect, indicating the role of specific bacteria in host response. Vancomycin treatment induced an increase in systemic CD8α+ DCs, which sustained systemic adoptively transferred antitumor T cells in an IL-12-dependent manner. In subjects undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation, we found that oral vancomycin also increased IL-12 levels. Collectively, our findings demonstrate an important role played by the gut microbiota in the antitumor effectiveness of ACT and suggest potentially new avenues to improve response to ACT by altering the gut microbiota. Citation Format: Mireia Uribe-Herranz, Kyle Bittinger, Stavros Rafail, Stefano Pierini, Sonia Guedan, Frederic Bushman, Carl June, Andrea Facciabene. Gut microbiota modulates adoptive cell therapy via CD8α dendritic cells and IL-12 [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2019; 2019 Mar 29-Apr 3; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 4961.
Fighting fatigue: A conceptual model of driver sleep in the gig economy.

Abstract The purpose of this paper was to integrate the sleep science, occupational health, and organizational psychology literature to develop a conceptual model of driver sleep and fatigue in the gig economy. We develop an integrative framework, which proposes that aspects of the on-demand driving context influence driver sleep health and fatigue. Driver outcomes include safety incidents, injuries, health, job attitudes, interpersonal behavior, and performance. In addition, moderators, such as driver demographics and health conditions, can interact with aspects of the driver context. A number of practical implications are provided, addressing the ways in which occupational health researchers, online labor platform companies, and drivers can improve sleep health. This is the first paper to provide a broad understanding of how scientists, through both research and practice, can help improve sleep, a primary issue in the ridesharing industry.
The Vitals Risk Index-Retrospective Performance Analysis of an Automated and Objective Pediatric Early Warning System.

Introduction Pediatric in-hospital cardiac arrests and emergent transfers to the pediatric intensive care unit (ICU) represent a serious patient safety concern with associated increased morbidity and mortality. Some institutions have turned to the electronic health record and predictive analytics in search of earlier and more accurate detection of patients at risk for decompensation. Methods Objective electronic health record data from 2011 to 2017 was utilized to develop an automated early warning system score aimed at identifying hospitalized children at risk of clinical deterioration. Five vital sign measurements and supplemental oxygen requirement data were used to build the Vitals Risk Index (VRI) model, using multivariate logistic regression. We compared the VRI to the hospital's existing early warning system, an adaptation of Monaghan's Pediatric Early Warning Score system (PEWS). The patient population included hospitalized children 18 years of age and younger while being cared for outside of the ICU. This dataset included 158 case hospitalizations (102 emergent transfers to the ICU and 56 "code blue" events) and 135,597 control hospitalizations. Results When identifying deteriorating patients 2 hours before an event, there was no significant difference between Pediatric Early Warning Score and VRI's areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve at false-positive rates ≤ 10% (pAUC10 of 0.065 and 0.064, respectively; P = 0.74), a threshold chosen to compare the 2 approaches under clinically tolerable false-positive rates. Conclusions The VRI represents an objective, simple, and automated predictive analytics tool for identifying hospitalized pediatric patients at risk of deteriorating outside of the ICU setting.
Research participant understanding and engagement in an institutional, self‐consent biobank model

The number of institutional and governmental biobanks and the target enrollment sizes of modern biobanks are increasing, affording more opportunities for the public to participate in biobanking efforts. In parallel with these expansions are pressures to increase the efficiency of obtaining informed consent using shorter consent forms that cover a broader scope of research and increasingly include provisions for return of research or clinical genetic test results to participants. Given these changes, how well these participants understand genetics, their level of understanding of what they are consenting to, and their wishes to engage longitudinally and receive biobank results are not well understood. We surveyed participants in a large, medical system-based biobank who had enrolled through a two-page, self-consent process about their baseline knowledge of genetics, understanding and recall of the consent process, wishes for future contact and engagement, and level of interest in receiving clinical genetic testing results. A total of 856 consented persons participated in the survey (67% women; 67% white). Participants' general reported genetics knowledge was relatively high (mean 11.60 of 15 questions answered correctly) as was recall of key elements from the two-page consent form. Overall participant enthusiasm for future contact by the biobank and for receiving clinical genetic testing results was high. The use of a two-page, self-consent process in a large, institutional biobank resulted in high levels of consent recall and enthusiasm for future ongoing engagement and receipt of genetic testing results by participants.
Outpatient prescribing of opioids to adults diagnosed with mental disorders in the United States.

Abstract Background : Adults with mood and anxiety disorders have an increased likelihood of being prescribed opioids. The influence of other mental disorders, such as psychotic and attention disorders, on opioid prescribing patterns is less known. Methods : We studied a population-representative sample of 166,927 outpatient visits for adults with painful conditions from the 2002–2016 National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey and the 2002–2011 National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey. Logistic regression analyses examined the likelihood of opioid prescription among visits with specific mental disorder diagnoses (anxiety, attention, mood, psychotic, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), opioid use, and non-opioid substance use), adjusted for covariates and weighted for the complex survey design. Secondary analyses stratified results by whether opioids were newly initiated or continued. Results : Opioids were prescribed at 16.8 % of visits. Mood, anxiety, and non-opioid substance use disorders were associated with higher likelihoods of opioid prescriptions, particularly for continued rather than first-time prescriptions. Psychotic disorders were strongly negatively associated with opioid prescriptions (adjusted odds ratio 0.44, 95 % CI 0.22−0.86). Diagnoses of PTSD and attention disorders were not associated with opioid prescribing. Conclusions : Outpatient physicians are more likely to prescribe and refill opioids for adults with pain who present with mood, anxiety, and non-opioid substance use disorders, but not for those who present with PTSD or attention disorders. Patients with psychotic disorders and pain are markedly less likely to be prescribed opioids.
Tactile Models for the Visualization, Conceptualization, and Review of Intermolecular Forces in the College Chemistry Classroom.

The authors describe the construction and use of tactile models for demonstrating intermolecular forces. These models are composed of inexpensive materials and can be used in college chemistry classrooms of varying levels including general and organic chemistry. The models were designed to be paired with an accompanying activity to encourage students to compare and contrast the three types of intermolecular forces (hydrogen bonding, dipole–dipole forces, and London dispersion forces) as well as determine the relationship between intermolecular forces and the physical properties of specific molecules. More importantly, the handheld models allow for visualization of molecular interactions to promote multisensory learning. In this work, the authors discuss the development, implementation, and survey results of a modeling activity for conceptualization and review of intermolecular forces in introductory, general, and organic chemistry classrooms.
Abstract P494: Automatically Predicting Modified Treatment in Cerebral Ischemia Scores From Patient Digital Subtraction Angiography Using Deep Learning

Introduction: We propose a new method for quantifying the effect of endovascular therapy for acute ischemic stroke. Currently, an mTICI (modified treatment in cerebral ischemia) score is assigned m...
CheXseen: Unseen Disease Detection for Deep Learning Interpretation of Chest X-rays

We systematically evaluate the performance of deep learning models in the presence of diseases not labeled for or present during training. First, we evaluate whether deep learning models trained on a subset of diseases (seen diseases) can detect the presence of any one of a larger set of diseases. We find that models tend to falsely classify diseases outside of the subset (unseen diseases) as "no disease". Second, we evaluate whether models trained on seen diseases can detect seen diseases when co-occurring with diseases outside the subset (unseen diseases). We find that models are still able to detect seen diseases even when co-occurring with unseen diseases. Third, we evaluate whether feature representations learned by models may be used to detect the presence of unseen diseases given a small labeled set of unseen diseases. We find that the penultimate layer of the deep neural network provides useful features for unseen disease detection. Our results can inform the safe clinical deployment of deep learning models trained on a non-exhaustive set of disease classes.
Family Caregiving During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has negatively affected persons with existing chronic health conditions. The pandemic also has the potential to exacerbate the stresses of family caregiving. We compare family caregivers with noncaregivers on physical, psychosocial, and financial well-being outcomes during the pandemic and determine family caregivers most at risk for adverse outcomes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional online survey of 576 family caregivers and 2,933 noncaregivers from April to May 2020 in Pittsburgh, PA region with a national supplement. Outcome measures included concurrent anxiety, depression, fatigue, sleep disturbance, social participation, and financial well-being and perceived changes due to COVID-19 (loneliness, financial well-being, food security). We also measured sociodemographic, caregiving contextual variables, and COVID-19-related caregiver stressors (COVID Caregiver Risk Index). RESULTS: Controlling for sociodemographics, family caregivers reported higher anxiety, depression, fatigue, sleep disturbance, lower social participation, lower financial well-being, increased food insecurity (all p < .01), and increased financial worries (p = .01). Caregivers who reported more COVID-19-related caregiver stressors and disruptions reported more adverse outcomes (all p < .01). In addition, caregivers who were female, younger, lower income, providing both personal/medical care, and providing care for cognitive/behavioral/emotional problems reported more adverse outcomes. DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS: Challenges of caregiving are exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Family caregivers reported increased duties, burdens, and resulting adverse health, psychosocial, and financial outcomes. Results were generally consistent with caregiver stress-health process models. Family caregivers should receive increased support during this serious public health crisis.
Landscape structure and breeding bird distribution in a sub-Mediterranean agro-ecosystem

Richness, abundance and distribution of birds were investigated in the Aulella watershed,a mountainous area of 300 km2, located in the extreme northwestern corner of Tuscany, Italy in spring and summer, 1995. The study area encompasses five vegetation types (from Mediterranean maqui to upland beech forest) and three main land use categories (woodlands, mixed cultivated + urban areas, montane prairies). The recent history of land abandonment in the study area has produced a rapid expansion of shrubland and woodland, reducing cultivated areas to small patches interspersed in a woodland matrix. Richness, abundance and distribution of birds recorded at 414 points, randomly selected along secondary roads, and located using a Global Positioning System (GPS), were compared with topography, vegetation type and land use in a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) with a grid cell resolution of 200 × 200 m. Bird richness (55 species in all) and abundance are correlated: (a) negatively with the increasing altitude and increasing distance from cultivated areas; (b) positively with the increasing distance from woodlands and mountain prairies. Slope orientation appears to have a negligible effect on bird assemblages. Bird richness and abundance are significantly correlated with vegetation type. Cultivated areas support the highest bird richness and abundance that increase with patch size of the cultivated areas. Local extinction and/or reduction in within-species abundance of birds are expected to continue if the process of land abandonment continues.
Citation Analysis in Bariatric Surgery.

There have been many publications listing classic or top citations in various medical and surgical fields. Citation analysis can reflect major advances in the history of a specific field. It also serves to identify key authors, centers, countries, and journals that have played an integral role in the development of a given field or specialty. Furthermore, it reveals the characteristics of studies that garner the most attention, and summarizes current trends [1]. In an effort to identify and characterize the most highly cited articles published on bariatric and metabolic surgery, our group had searched the Scopus database in December 2013 using 14 different key words. The report of the 50 most frequently cited articles in bariatric and metabolic surgery was published last year (Epub 2014, Jan 29) [1]. In the study entitled BThe hundred most cited articles in bariatric surgery^ published in the Obesity Surgery journal [2], the authors searched Thomson Reuters Web of Knowledge with two key words (obesity and bariatric surgery) in September 2014. Using only two key words, the authors have missed several top-cited articles in our field. A comparison between findings of the two studies is detailed in Table 1. The study by Ahmad et al. has missed almost one third (16 of 50) of highly cited articles that we reported in our literature search. Notably, the authors’ search strategy missed Buchwald’s landmark meta-analysis which comprehensively analyzed the effect of bariatric surgery on weight and comorbidities for the first time [3]. This meta-analysis is the most cited bariatric surgery article of all time (2526 Citations) and among the most highly cited articles in general surgery. Among the other important omissions are two Swedish Obese Subjects (SOS) studies [4, 5] and two randomized clinical trials of surgical vs. medical treatment of diabetes [6, 7] (Table 1). Furthermore, some studies that seem irrelevant to bariatric surgery such as BChildhood obesity: public-health crisis, common sense cure (ranked #4)^ are included in the reported list as a highly cited bariatric surgery article. These methodological shortcomings severely limit the findings of this study and cannot accurately demonstrate the highly cited papers in the field of metabolic and bariatric surgery. Therefore, the subsequent analyses and discussion do not include some of the most impactful publications in recent years. A more appropriate title for the published article would be BThe hundred most cited articles using the key words bariatric surgery and obesity.^ To exclude the important terms from the search strategy clearly limits the extent to which this paper reflects our evolving field. * Philip R. Schauer schauep@ccf.org
Trust, Sociology of

Trust is at issue when someone makes oneself vulnerable to another who can harm if the trust is misplaced. The recipient of trust is either trustworthy or not, and much of the literature revolves around the evaluation of the trustworthiness of the trusted by the trustor. Trust can exist among those who know each other intimately (personal trust) and among strangers (interpersonal, social, or generalized trust). Trust can have as its object other people or institutions and organizations. In conceptualizing trust to undertake empirical research, two crucial distinctions exist: cognitive vs noncognitive trust and personalized vs generalized trust. The more instrumental and cognitive theorists tend to treat trust as an estimate of the trustworthiness of those with whom one has relationships as individuals or within social networks. In contrast are those who claim trust is dispositional or moralistic. While each tradition treats the work trust does as an empirical question, their conceptualizations are sufficiently distinct so that both their presumptions of the role that trust plays in society and their findings are often incompatible. This leads to debate about the sources of trust and whether trust is essential for good government, economic growth, and harmony.
Behavioral Economics, Overindebtedness & Comparative Consumer Bankruptcy: Searching for Causes and Evaluating Solutions

In this paper, I draw on the insights of behavioral economics to explain the rise of consumer debt and analyze the potential of several emerging European consumer debt relief systems in preventing excessive consumer borrowing. First, I submit that behavioral economics offers compelling explanations for some of the reasons why consumers get themselves into financial trouble despite the obvious dangers of over-borrowing and over-spending. Consequently, I propose that behavioral economics might also indicate which legislative models of consumer debt relief might be most effective, not only in treating, but also in combating the growing problem of excessive consumer debt. Drawing on my recent studies of the operation of the new consumer debt relief systems in Germany, France, Belgium, and Luxembourg (and my initial observations on the system in the Netherlands), I argue that some aspects of these systems are likely to be more effective - and others may even be counterproductive - in achieving the often-stated European goals of imparting positive lessons to consumers about personal responsibility and payment morality. At least from the perspective of behavioral economics, the German system seems to emerge as the most potentially successful system, although other systems seem to be moving in the right direction in many areas.
Producing meaningful improvements in problem behavior of children with autism via synthesized analyses and treatments

Problem behaviors like self-injury, aggression, or disruption will likely require intervention at some point in the life of a person diagnosed with autism. Behavioral intervention has been proven to be effective for addressing these problems, especially when a functional assessment is conducted. Comprehensive treatment for problem behavior is, however, often fractured across studies, resulting in a dearth of studies that show socially validated improvements in these problem behaviors or illustrate the assessment and treatment process from start to finish. In this article, we describe an effective, comprehensive, and parent-validated functional assessment and treatment process for the severe problem behaviors of 3 children with autism. After an 8- to 14-week outpatient clinic consultation, no problem behavior was observed at the clinic and in the home. Furthermore, behavior that did not occur during baseline (e.g., functional communication, delay and denial tolerance, and compliance with instructions) occurred with regularity.
PURLs: time to routinely screen for intimate partner violence?

Yes, according to the USPSTF, which says a systematic review has tipped the scale in favor of regular screening. Language: en
Stranded Costs and Competitive Forces in the Electric Utility Industry

It is likely that deregulation of the electric utility industry will force high-cost electric utilities to write off the “stranded” cost of plant and equipment that would be rendered obsolete in a competitive marketplace. In this paper, we examine the financial statement analysis implications of ongoing deregulation. Based on 1993 data for a sample of 111 large investor-owned electric utilities, our analyses suggest that it is possible to use financial statement data to form estimates of these potentially stranded costs. In addition, we find that recent trends toward deregulation are associated with an increase in the significance of the firm's cost structure in explaining the relation between market values and book values of equity.
Contribuições da pesquisa qualitativa para a prática de enfermagem baseada em evidências

OBJETIVO: Este artigo objetiva identificar as contribuicoes da pesquisa qualitativa para a pratica de enfermagem baseada em evidencias. HISTORICO: A pesquisa qualitativa foi estimulada especialmente a partir dos anos 20 e 30 do seculo 20, quando antropologos e sociologicos passaram a usar metodos qualitativos para estudar o fenomeno humano em ambientes naturais e a partir de ponto de vista holistico. Posteriormente, outras ciencias, inclusive a enfermagem, adotaram metodos qualitativos para responder as suas perguntas de pesquisa. A reestruturacao da atencao a saude na ultima decada resultou em uma maior confiabilidade atribuida a pesquisa em enfermagem. A pratica baseada em evidencias favoreceu este processo. METODO: O metodo utilizado foi a pesquisa no banco de dados Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature de 1999 ate o presente. A pesquisa resultou em 61 citacoes da pratica baseada em evidencias relacionada a pesquisa em Enfermagem. Todavia, apenas 5 delas focava a pratica baseada em evidencias e a pesquisa qualitativa. ACHADOS: Os achados revelarem seis contribuicoes da pesquisa qualitativa para a pratica baseada em evidencias: geracao de hipoteses, desenvolvimento e validacao de instrumentos, possibilidade de um contexto para availacao, desenvolvimento das intervencoes de enfermagem, desenvolvimento de novas perguntas de pesquisa e aplicacao da analise do resultado qualitativo. CONCLUSAO: A pesquisa qualitativa resulta em importanes contribuicoes para a qualidade da pratica baseada em evidencias.
A Strategy for Classroom Resolution of Chronic Discipline Problems

The use of anecdotal records to monitor—and improve—the behavior of chronically disruptive students is effective, con venient, and inexpensive, say these writers. They explain the technique on the following pages.
Thermochemical pretreatments for agricultural residue ash production for concrete

Agricultural residue ash is known to be a very reactive source of supplementary cementitious material (SCM) for use in concrete. The influence of thermochemical pretreatments on the reactivity of agricultural residue ash (ARA) was studied for its use as an SCM. It was shown that pretreatments are effective in the partial removal of alkali metals and other impurities out of both wheat straw and rice straw, leading to ARA with lower loss on ignition (LOI), higher internal surface area, and higher amorphous silica content than unpretreated ARA. It was shown that the alkali content correlated with the LOI and amorphous silica content of the ash. When used at a cement replacement rate of 20% by mass, pretreated ARA accelerated the hydration of cement paste samples, whereas unpretreated ARA retarded the cement hydration. Pretreatments were found to increase ARA reactivity, as measured by calcium hydroxide content reduction with time. ARA increased the compressive strength of mortar samples by 25% when used as 20% replacement of cement in the samples. The calcium hydroxide content of paste samples and mortar compressive strength was found to correlate to the amorphous silica content of the ash.
Some Conditions of Prior Entry

Resume QUELQUES CONDITIONS DE L'ENTREE ANTERIEURE Un des phenomenes dans le champ de l'attention est celui qu'on appelle l'entree anterieure. Quand deux stimuli de differences classes sont preserntes simultanement, celui sur lequel l'attention est dirigee est rapporte comme percu avant l'autre. On a suppose auparavant que le phenomene se montre seulement quand deux departements de sens sont engages, et qu'il depend de la facilitation de l'une modalite ou de l'autre par l'attention. Une etude anterieure (Journal of Experimental Psychology, 1934) a indique qu'on peut obtenir des resultats semblables a l'usage de deux classes de stimuli dans le měme departement de sens. Ce rapport-ci s'occupe d'une etude plus profonde du rapport anterieur de l'un de deux differents stimuli auditifs. Un seul stimulus a ete rapporte par rapport a une serie de cinq stimuli, pendant laquelle il a ete presente. L'attention a ete dirigee au seul ton. La proportion des rapports “trop tŏt” aux rapports “trop tardif” a ete d'environ ...
TRANSPORT OF SUGAR IN ALLIUM: EFFECTS OF INHIBITORS AND ETHYLENE.

THE inner leaf-base epidermis of onion (Allium cepa var. Granex) bulb metabolically excretes glucose1. Composed of a single layer of homogeneous cells, this tissue provides unique advantages in the study of membrane transport.
Is Nadeshiko Japan “Feminine?” Manufacturing Sport Celebrity and National Identity on Japanese Morning Television

When the Japan women’s soccer team, more affectionately dubbed “Nadeshiko Japan,” emerged FIFA World Cup champions in 2011, its members became celebrities overnight. However, central to their celeb...
Augmentation of antioxidant enzymes in vascular endothelium

The endothelium is a key site of injury from reactive oxygen species that can potentially be protected by the antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase and catalase. Large proteins, such as superoxide dismutase and catalase, do not readily penetrate cell membranes, which limits their efficacy in protecting cells from cellular reactions involving both intracellularly and extracellularly generated reactive oxygen species. Two methods are described that promote enzyme delivery to cultured endothelial cells and confer increased resistance to oxidative stress. The first method is to entrap the antioxidant enzymes within liposomes, which then become incorporated by endothelial cells and can increase enzyme specific activities by as much as 44-fold within 2 h. The second method involves covalent conjugation of polyethylene glycol (PEG) to superoxide dismutase and catalase, a technique that increases circulatory half-life and reduces protein immunogenicity. Conjugation of PEG to superoxide dismutase and catalase increased cellular-specific activities of these enzymes in cultured endothelial cells (but at a slower rate than for liposome entrapped enzymes) and rendered these cells more resistant to oxidative stress. Both liposome-mediated delivery and PEG conjugation offer an additional benefit over native superoxide dismutase and catalase because they can increase cellular antioxidant activities in a manner that can provide protection from both intracellular and extracellular superoxide and hydrogen peroxide.
Enhancement of barium- and cesium-induced adrenal catecholamine release by lidocaine

Catecholamine release evoked from isolated perfused bovine adrenals by Ba+2 or Cs+ is enhanced by lidocaine or by a calcium-free medium. The action of Cs+ therefore differs from that of K+ or Rb+ in adrenal medulla. Divalent and monovalent metallic cations of relatively large atomic weight like Ba+2 and Cs+, probably penetrate the cell more easily than small highly charged ions and act intracellularly to cause adrenal catecholamine release. Local anesthetics and calcium-free media may allow greater influx of Ba+2 and Cs+ into adrenomedullary cells.
Beyond the Developmental State: The Cultural Roots of “Guerrilla Capitalism” in Taiwan

This article seeks to contribute to the emerging literature on moving “beyond the developmental state” by tracing the important role of “guerrilla capitalism” in Taiwan's political economy. The success of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) with little linkage to the state in Taiwan strongly suggests that more than state leadership must have been involved in the island's “economic miracle.” The SMEs are quite important for the overall economy, especiaiiy the export sector where they have long accounted for more than half of total exports. Their success has resulted from the practice of “guerrilla capitalism” which includes aggressive and even audacious pursuit of business opportunities, extreme flexibility in rapidly filling even small orders, atten tion to quality and design, audacious bidding, participation in complex networks of subcontracting, and only partial observation at best of government regulations and international laws, such as those regarding intellectual property rights. The emergence of guerrilla capifalism, in turn, can be explained by the long-sfanding challenge in Chinese history to “official” Confucianism by a “heterodox counterculture” that is quite conducive to entrepreneurship and small-scale business activities.
PCB transformer spill Seattle, Washington

Abstract On September 13, 1974, an electrical transformer fell during loading operations and caused a spill of 265 gallons of PCB into the Duwamish River in Seattle, Washington. The heavier than water material remained on the river bottom in the general vicinity of the spill thus providing the opportunity to conduct a unique removal operation during an eighteen month period. Several removal alternatives were investigated and are discussed. The initial method used SCUBA divers operating hand guided pumps to remove visible pockets of PCB and then pump them, along with bottom muds and water, to a physical/ chemical treatment unit for safe separation of water and sludge. The second stage recovery utilized a special high solids dredge, discharging the pollutant and dredge spoil in large earthen ponds, and treating the effluent before returning to the Duwamish Waterway. Treatment and PCB pollutant recovery data is discussed.
The efficacy of alfaxalone for immersion anesthesia in koi carp (Cyprinus carpio).

Abstract Objective To characterize the physiologic and behavioral effects of a single induction dose and two maintenance doses of alfaxalone delivered by water immersion in the anesthesia of koi (Cyprinus carpio). Study design Prospective, within-subject complete crossover design. Animals Six adult koi (Cyprinus carpio) with a median body weight of 344.5 g (range 292.0–405.0 g). Methods Koi were immersed in water containing 10 mg L−1 alfaxalone until immobile and then maintained with alfaxalone at either 1 or 2.5 mg L−1 via a recirculating water system. Times for anesthetic induction and recovery periods were recorded. Physiologic and blood gas parameters were evaluated before, during and after the anesthetic trial. Response to noxious stimuli was also assessed. Results Median anesthesia induction time for all fish was 5.4 minutes. Median recovery time was 11.8 and 26.4 minutes in the 1.0 and 2.5 mg L−1 doses, respectively, which were significantly different (p = 0.04). Cessation of opercular movement occurred in 0/6 and 4/6 fish exposed to 1.0 and 2.5 mg L−1 dose respectively. No difference was observed in median heart rate over the duration of the anesthetic events. Response to noxious stimulation was 4/6 and 0/6 in the 1.0 and 2.5 mg L−1 doses respectively. Oxygenation and ventilation did not change during the experiment, but there was a significant decrease in blood pH along with an increase in blood lactate concentration. Conclusion and clinical relevance Administration of alfaxalone, via water immersion, as an induction and maintenance anesthesia agent provided rapid and reliable anesthesia of koi with no mortality. The maintenance dose of 2.5 mg L−1 was sufficient to prevent response to noxious stimuli but was associated with a clinically relevant depression in opercular rate.
The frequency of Mislabelled chemicals from commercial suppliers

(1993). The frequency of Mislabelled chemicals from commercial suppliers. Accountability in Research: Vol. 3, No. 1, pp. 45-46.
Direct Measurement of Static and Dynamic Forces between a Colloidal Particle and a Flat Surface Using a Single-Beam Gradient Optical Trap and Evanescent Wave Light Scattering

A new measurement technique is described for the simultaneous measurement of static and dynamic interactions between a micron-sized colloidal particle and a flat surface. The technique uses a singl...
Dynamics of Low Temperature Induced Water Shedding from AOT Reverse Micelles

The effects of low temperature and ionic strength on water encapsulated within reverse micelles were investigated by solution NMR. Reverse micelles composed of AOT and pentane and solutions with varying concentrations of NaCl were studied at temperatures ranging from 20 degrees C to -30 degrees C. One-dimensional (1)H solution NMR spectroscopy was used to monitor the quantity and structure of encapsulated water. At low temperatures, e.g., -30 degrees C, reverse micelles lose water at rates that are dependent on the ionic strength of the aqueous nanopool. The final water loading (w0 = [water]/[surfactant]) of the reverse micelles is likewise dependent on the ionic strength of the aqueous phase. Remarkably, water resonance(s) at temperatures between -20 degrees C and -30 degrees C displayed fine structure indicating the presence of multiple transient water populations. Results of this study demonstrate that reverse micelles are an excellent vehicle for studies of confined water across a broad range of conditions, including the temperature range that provides access to the supercooled state.
Comparison of global precipitation climatology products derived from ground and satellite-based measurements

Satellite-based products increasingly take an important role in filling data gaps in data sparse regions around the world. In recent years, precipitation products that utilize multi-satellite and multi-sensor datasets have been gaining more popularity than products from a single sensor or satellite. Adjusted with gauge and ground radar data, satellitebased products have been significantly improved. However the history of satellite-based precipitation products is relatively short compared to the length of 30 years in the definition for climatology from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). For example, the NASA/JAXA Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) has been in operation for over 16 years since 1997. The length of TRMM is far shorter than those from ground observations, raising a question whether TRMM climatology products are good enough for research and applications. In this study, three climatologies derived from ground observations (Global Precipitation Climatology Centre (GPCC) and Willmott and Matsuura (WM)) and a blended product (the TRMM Multi-Satellite Precipitation Analysis (TMPA) monthly product or 3B43) are compared on a global scale to assess the performance and weaknesses of the TMPAderived climatology. Results show that the 3B43 climatology matches well with the two gauge-based climatologies in all seasons in terms of spatial distribution, zonal means as well as seasonal variations. However, high variations in rain rates are found in light rain regions such as the Sahara Desert. Large negative biases (3B43<WM<GPCC) are found in some high rain rate regions, which is not well understood. Further investigations are needed.
Reversible n-bit to n-bit integer Haar-like transforms

Methods of producing reversible n-bit to n-bit integer transforms is presented in this paper. Such methods are particularly suited for hardware-based implementations, as keeping the coefficients to n bits simplifies the design of custom hardware and makes it easier to use these approaches on preexisting hardware with limited channel width. One of our methods, called table-lookup Haar (TLHaar) is an approximation of the Haar integer wavelet transform (Haar IWT). The Haar IWT takes two integer data values A and B and using averaging and differencing produces a low-pass value L and a high-pass value H, both integers. The lookup tables are created by initializing each with an identity transform. TLHaar executes up to 44% faster. Compression results are mixed, and depend on the compression method used and the image type.
Response of bermudagrass selections from the Appalachian region to N and P fertilization

Abstract A greenhouse experiment was conducted to evaluate the influence of N and P fertilization on the yield and forage quality of six cold tolerant bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon L.) selections from the Appalachian region. Midland bermudagrass and limpograss (Hermarthria altissima) were included for comparison purposes. Each grass was treated with a factorial combination of three N rates (112, 224, and 448 kg N.ha‐1) and four P rates (0, 25, 75, and 225 kg P.ha‐1) Two bermudagrass selections from the Appalachian region demonstrated greater dry matter production than Midland bermudagrass. Yields of Quicksand common exceeded those of Midland by 60% to 236% over the range of treatments. High yielding selections were not inferior to low yielding selections when mineral concentrations, neutral detergent fiber, acid detergent fiber and acid detergent lignin levels were considered. The results of this investigation suggest that Quicksand common and Selection 13 merit further study to determine their potential...
The formation of concretions of aluminum salts of fatty acids after the use of aluminum hydroxide.

Following a hemorrhage of duodenal ulcer origin in a patient using aluminum hydroxide as an antacid, small concretions were found in the stool. The passage of these concretions through the intestinal tract was accompanied by severe intermittent cramps and pain.
Chemistry of mixed ligand complexes of platinum: crystal and molecular structure of trans-[PtCl(CH3)(PEt3)(AsPh3)]

Abstract The dimethyl platinum(II) complex containing mixed ligands, cis -[Pt(CH 3 ) 2 (PEt 3 )(AsPh 3 )] reacted with one equivalent of hydrogen chloride yielding trans -[PtCl(CH 3 )(PEt 3 )(AsPh 3 )]. The X-ray crystal structure of the molecule shows the trans orientation of the PEt 3 and AsPh 3 ligands.
Bulk modulus of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) microgels through the swelling transition.

We report measurements of the bulk modulus of individual poly($N$-isopropylacrylamide) microgels along their swelling transition. The modulus is determined by measuring the volume deformation of the microgel as a function of osmotic pressure using dextran solutions. We find that the modulus softens through the transition, displaying a nonmonotonous behavior with temperature. This feature is correctly reproduced by the theory of Flory for polymer gels, once the concentration dependence of the solvency parameter is properly incorporated.
Mindfulness mediates the relation between disordered eating-related cognitions and psychological distress

The present study investigated whether mindfulness mediates the relation between disordered eating-related cognitions and negative psychological outcomes within a non-clinical college sample. Disordered eating-related cognitions were positively associated with general psychological ill-health and emotional distress in interpersonal contexts and inversely related to mindfulness. Mindfulness, which was also inversely related to general psychological ill-health and emotional distress, was found to partially mediate the relations between disordered eating-related cognitions and the two predicted variables.
Real and nominal shocks in a two-country price-setting world

Abstract This paper develops a two-country model in which the law of one price does not hold in the short run, and which is consistent with the stylized fact that exchange rates respond more quickly to ‘news’ than prices. This is done by assuming that firms face lumpy information costs in determining what price to charge. Both domestic and imported goods prices are therefore sticky with respect to ‘news’, and deviations from the law of one price (PPP) are due to exchange rate surprises. The model is used to analyze the domestic and international impact of real and nominal disturbances.
Robust exponential convergence of a class of linear delayed systems with bounded controllers and disturbances

This brief paper deals with the problem of robust exponential stabilization of a class of dynamic systems subject to time-varying delays, external disturbances and control saturation. A linear memoryless state feedback controller is synthesized to guarantee that there is a domain of admissible initial conditions from which all solutions of the class of systems considered converge exponentially to a ball with a prespecified convergence rate. The problem is formulated as a two-step optimization problem with matrix inequality constraints to enlarge the size of the ball of admissible initial conditions.
Nucleic acid extraction using a rapid, chemical free, ultrasonic technique for point-of-care diagnostics

We have developed a miniature ultrasonic lysing system for the rapid release and extraction of Mycobacterium Tuberculosis (MTB) DNA. The prototype consists of two key sections, a disposable plastic manifold that hold sputum slides and a plastic cartridge with five fluidic DNA extraction channels. The MTB vaccine Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) was used as a simulant for MTB for all the lysing studies. The slide manifold houses up to five individual sputum slides and is processed by a computer to fill and load the cartridges with sputum suspensions from each slide. The plastic cartridge was developed to facilitate acoustic coupling through the bottom interface such that MTB/BCG can be lysed remotely. The disposable cartridge eliminated cross contamination problems and additional cleaning time. Due to the high power density, only 66 mW was required to lyse microliter BCG samples at the same level as the positive control (i.e. boiling for 30 minutes at 95 °C).
Efficient shortest paths on massive social graphs

Analysis of large networks is a critical component of many of today's application environments, including online social networks, protein interactions in biological networks, and Internet traffic analysis. The arrival of massive network graphs with hundreds of millions of nodes, e.g. social graphs, presents a unique challenge to graph analysis applications. Most of these applications rely on computing distances between node pairs, which for large graphs can take minutes to compute using traditional algorithms such as breadth-first-search (BFS). In this paper, we study ways to enable scalable graph processing for today's massive networks. We explore the design space of graph coordinate systems, a new approach that accurately approximates node distances in constant time by embedding graphs into coordinate spaces. We show that a hyperbolic embedding produces relatively low distortion error, and propose Rigel, a hyperbolic graph coordinate system that lends itself to efficient parallelization across a compute cluster. Rigel produces significantly more accurate results than prior systems, and is naturally parallelizable across compute clusters, allowing it to provide accurate results for graphs up to 43 million nodes. Finally, we show that Rigel's functionality can be easily extended to locate (near-) shortest paths between node pairs. After a onetime preprocessing cost, Rigel answers node-distance queries in 10's of microseconds, and also produces shortest path results up to 18 times faster than prior shortest-path systems with similar levels of accuracy.
Increased cellulose hydrolysis by Bacteroides cellulosolvens in a simplified synthetic medium

Abstract The nutrient requirements of the cellulolytic anaerobe Bacteroides cellulosolvens were determined, and a new synthetic medium was formulated for its growth. B. cellulosolvens showed optimum cellobiose consumption and product formation in medium containing 40 mM ammonia nitrogen, 3 mM phosphate, 1 mM sulfide, 100 μM magnesium and 45 μM iron. This microbe had an essential-vitamin requirement for biotin; while zinc, manganese and copper slightly stimulated cellobiose degradation. In the new synthetic medium B. cellulosolvens was able to degrade 30% more cellulose.
Storyboard frame editing for cinematic composition

We are developing an intelligent virtual cinematography interface that can be used to compose sequences of shots and automatically evaluate individual shots and transitions, reporting possible deviations from widely accepted cinematic composition guidelines. Authors compose shots using a Storyboard Frame Editor to place subject objects as they should appear in the frame. Then the Storyboard Sequencer is used to design shot-to-shot transitions.