cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Importance of Documentation in the Primary Care Setting for Migraine Prevention (P2.212)

Objective: PCPs are under-documenting the severity and frequency of migraines. The implementation of a headache carepath will increase the documentation of both severity and frequency, which could influence preventative treatment. Background: Headache is one of the top five reasons patients visit a primary care provider (PCP). Epidemiology of migraineurs suggests that 38[percnt] need preventative therapy, but only 3-13[percnt] are prescribed. Recommendations for preventative treatment of migraines are based on severity and frequency. The aims of this study are to investigate whether these variables are assessed in the primary care setting and whether the implementation of a headache carepath would change the documentation and preventative therapy prescribing practices of PCPs. Methods: Retrospective review of patients from 2013-2015 who presented to PCPs for headache. Patients with new diagnosis of migraine were included, and those with another headache diagnosis or prior evaluation by a neurologist were excluded. Patient demographics, pre/post-visit information on abortive treatment, preventative treatment, headache severity and frequency were reviewed. A headache carepath was created using questions to guide the PCP toward headache diagnosis and corresponding treatment or referral suggestions. Results:100 patients (median age 43, interquartile range 34-54) met study criteria. These patients were compared using Fisher’s exact test to 10 patients evaluated with the headache carepath. There were significant differences in the documentation of both migraine severity (26[percnt] vs 100[percnt], p<0.001) and frequency (41[percnt] vs 100[percnt]; p=0.0003). There were no significant differences in demographics.Conclusions: Severity and frequency are crucial components of migraine history, but are markedly under-documented in the PCP setting. This illustrates a missed opportunity for preventative treatment of migraineurs. Ongoing use of this headache carepath will be used to investigate whether a tool prompting documentation leads to increased prescribing of preventative therapies and ultimately, improved patient outcomes. This data will be available at time of presentation. Disclosure: Dr. Buletko has nothing to disclose. Dr. Winslow has nothing to disclose. Dr. Stillman has nothing to disclose. Dr. Bamford has nothing to disclose.
Bringing being into professional development: a qualitative investigation into teachers’ struggles moving beyond an epistemological framing of teaching and learning

ABSTRACTThe continued standardisation of publicly funded early education programmes has led to teacher educators and researchers focusing in on what works in preparing teachers and their students t...
Tissue plasminogen activator in cultured human trabecular meshwork cells. Predominance of enzyme over plasminogen activator inhibitor.

Maintenance of patency of the trabecular meshwork, the major outflow channel of the anterior chamber of the eye, is necessary to prevent an excessive rise in intraocular pressure. Obstruction of flow due to clot formation results in severe glaucoma and damage to the optic nerve. We have found that human trabecular meshwork cells which have been passaged in tissue culture synthesize large amounts of tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA), based on functional, immunologic and molecular weight analysis. Trabecular cells express substantially more t-PA activity than vascular endothelium which produces t-PA for clot dissolution in the systemic circulation. Vascular cells produce excess t-PA inhibitor while trabecular cells make comparatively little. Trabecular meshwork cells are the first normal cell type reported in which the balance between t-PA and inhibitor is weighted towards the activator, indicating that fibrinolysis may be more important than clotting in the anterior chamber of the eye. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 29:401-405,1988 Trabecular meshwork cells line the outflow channel for aqueous humor in the anterior chamber of the eye. 1 Based on their location, these cells are thought to have an important function in maintaining patency of the aqueous outflow channel, although the mechanisms involved have not been fully characterized. 2 Tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) is synthesized by vascular endothelial cells 3 and is the primary activator of fibrinolysis within the systemic circulation. 4 Recently, the gene for t-PA has been cloned. 5 A physiologic plasma inactivator which rapidly inhibits t-PA has also been demonstrated to be synthesized by vascular endothelium. 6 Deficiency of the inhibitor has been reported in patients with myocardial infarction, 7 suggesting that a proper balance between t-PA and its inhibitor is critical in the cardiovascular system.
Rising above It: Status Ambivalence in Older Adults.

Background Social status is the standing of a person or group in the social hierarchy, and is perceived to change across the life span from low social status in early life, to peak in midlife, and to a decline thereafter. As threats to subjective social status are known to be detrimental to individuals' health, it is important to better understand how older adults perceive themselves and others in terms of age-related social status. Objective We examined status ambivalence - the potential discrepancy between how older adults' perceive social status for themselves compared to older adults in general. Method Study 1 used qualitative data from 37 semi-structured interviews with older adults to assess perceptions of social status. Study 2 used quantitative survey data from 114 older adults who completed explicit and implicit measures of social status. Results Study 1 (n = 37, meanage = 71.72, SDage = 5.69; 81.1% women) provided preliminary evidence for status ambivalence such that older adults reported unequivocal low social status for other older adults but a more ambivalent perception of their own social status. Study 2 (n = 114, meanage = 64.32, SDage = 8.98, 57.9% women) compared implicit and explicit measures of social status revealing that older adults consistently perceive older adults to have low social status but again show a more ambivalent perception of their own social status. Conclusion We discuss status ambivalence as a potential protective mechanism in the context of negative societal perceptions of age-related social status that may be important for well-being in later life.
Why Do Some Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) Leads Fail? (Becoming Knowledgeable About M&A Through Academic and Practioner Inputs)

Mergers and acquisitions are tremendously important phenomenon in business not only due to their prevalence but also for the value involved. Among the largest firms in the world whose deals are large enough to be captured in international deal databases, tens of thousands of deals occur each year, albeit the fact that these figures do not include the deals that occur among smaller and many non-public firms. To understand and gain an insight into M&A besides making it useful and relevant to the senior leadership of every organization, a cross-enterprise perspective that can bridge all the traditional functions becomes a sine qua non. For this, an integrated view towards doing deals that extends beyond the pure finance-based elements of deal making is essentially needed. Failed M&A deals are often the result of overemphasizing certain parts of the organization. As such, while the involvement of the various functional groups will certainly differ by deal and by firm, the critical point is that we always need to take a broader view of the organization in our journey of learning. Fortunately, now we have a list of the areas of emphasis, key success factors that need to be considered across an organization’s functional groups, and characteristics of successful M&A deals. In this backdrop, a modest attempt is made to make anyone become more knowledgeable about M&A by providing the needed conceptual and contextual framework with rich academic and practitioner inputs that are already available in literature.
The New Theory of Evolution — A Theory of Democratic Societies

The figure below is a graphic abstract of this paper. The triangle shows the transitions from the biological to the stochastic and the sociocultural theory of evolution. Outside the triangle, some disciplines are listed which are today incorporated into the stochastic theory of evolution or possess similar structural features. The solid arrows connect the historical sources with later developments; the broken arrows stand for structural, analogical, and similar comparisons between the different theories of evolution discussed in this article.
Genome-wide Marginal Epistatic Association Mapping in Case-Control Studies

Epistasis, commonly defined as the interaction between genetic loci, is an important contributor to the genetic architecture underlying many complex traits and common diseases. Most existing epistatic mapping methods in genome-wide association studies explicitly search over all pairwise or higher-order interactions. However, due to the potentially large search space and the resulting multiple testing burden, these conventional approaches often suffer from heavy computational cost and low statistical power. A recently proposed attractive alternative for mapping epistasis focuses instead on detecting marginal epistasis, which is defined as the combined pairwise interaction effects between a given variant and all other variants. By searching for marginal epistatic effects, one can identify genetic variants that are involved in epistasis without the need to identify the exact partners with which the variants interact --- thus, potentially alleviating much of the statistical and computational burden associated with conventional epistatic mapping procedures. However, previous marginal epistatic mapping methods are based on quantitative trait models. As we will show here, these lack statistical power in case-control studies. Here, we develop a liability threshold mixed model that extends marginal epistatic mapping to case- control studies. Our method properly accounts for case-control ascertainment and the binary nature of case-control data. We refer to this method as the liability threshold marginal epistasis test (LT-MAPIT). With simulations, we illustrate the benefits of LT-MAPIT in terms of providing effective type I error control and being more powerful than both existing marginal epistatic mapping methods and conventional explicit search-based approaches in case-control data. We finally apply LT-MAPIT to identify both marginal and pairwise epistasis in seven complex diseases from the Wellcome Trust Case Control Consortium (WTCCC) 1 study.
Right-Wing Ideologies and Ideological Diversity in the Tea Party

This article extends prior research on right-wing ideology broadly and the ideology of the Tea Party specifically. Using data from 45 interviews with Tea Party activists and participant observation...
Client-Perpetrated Violence Among Frontline Child Welfare Workers:

Client-perpetrated violence against child protective services (CPS) workers is common and detrimental to worker wellbeing with consequences including physical injury and psychological illnesses. De...
Retroperitoneal schwannoma associated with neuropathic pain and electromyographic and nerve conduction abnormalities: A case report

Abstract Background The retroperitoneal space is an uncommon location for schwannomas. A review of the existing literature revealed that only 0.3–3.2% of these tumors are found in this location. Presenting symptoms, if any, are usually vague and include abdominal discomfort. Neuropathic pain as a presenting symptom is rare. We present the first known report of retroperitoneal schwannoma associated with both neuropathic pain and positive EMG/NCS findings. Case description A 34-year-old woman presented initially with a lump underneath her previous cesarean section incision. She was taken to surgery for the suspected intra-abdominal mass. During surgery she was found to have a retroperitoneal mass associated with a large nerve root, so surgery was aborted and the neurosurgery team was then involved. Pre-operative evaluation revealed neuropathic pain in the distribution of the femoral nerve as well as EMG/NCS findings of femoral neuropathy and denervation. She was thus taken to surgery for resection. Pathology confirmed the diagnosis of retroperitoneal schwannoma. Conclusions Retroperitoneal schwannomas are usually incidental findings. If there are presenting symptoms they are usually vague abdominal complaints. While there is one report of neuropathic pain associated with retroperitoneal schwannoma, there are no previous reports of neuropathic pain with associated EMG/NCS findings.
Inequality in Process: Income and Heterogeneous Educational Health Gradients Among Blacks and Whites in the USA

Though considerable research demonstrates that non-Hispanic blacks and non-Hispanic whites in the USA vary in how much their health improves from educational attainment, empirical work that explains why these populations arrive at unequal returns to education is sparse. In this study, to flesh out our understanding of how heterogeneous educational gradients arise among racial populations in the USA, I examine how income—a crucial mediator of the education–health association—contributes to racially disparate health returns to college. In particular, I compare how the association among college completion and health status would manifest across blacks and white subpopulations if income were factored out of the underlying education–health generative process. I use data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (n = 7222) and sequential g-estimation for this investigation. Results demonstrate that income plays a larger role in mediating the association among college completion and health status for blacks and, as such, that sizable racial differences in the health benefits of college persist after controlling for income.
Keratin 18 is an integral part of the intermediate filament network in murine skeletal muscle.

Intermediate filaments (IFs) contribute to force transmission, cellular integrity, and signaling in skeletal muscle. We previously identified keratin 19 (Krt19) as a muscle IF protein. We now repor...
Characteristics associated with bacterial growth in urine in 451 proteinuric dogs (2008-2018).

BACKGROUND: Urine cultures are frequently recommended to rule out infection as a postrenal cause of proteinuria. OBJECTIVE: Identify characteristics associated with bacterial growth in urine in proteinuric dogs. ANIMALS: Four hundred and fifty‐one dogs admitted to a teaching hospital between January 2008 and January 2018 with urine protein‐to‐creatinine ratios (UPCs) >0.5. METHODS: Retrospective study included dogs with a UPC, urinalysis, and quantitative urine culture (QUC) performed within a 72‐hour period by searching electronic records. Dogs with recent antimicrobial therapy, urine collected by methods other than cystocentesis, or UPC ≤0.5 were excluded. Signalment, comorbidities, serum BUN and creatinine concentrations, urinalysis findings, and QUC results were recorded. The association between these characteristics and presence of bacterial growth in urine was assessed by univariable and multivariable analysis. RESULTS: Thirty of four hundred fifty‐one dogs (6.7%) had bacterial growth in urine. Of these, 18 (60.0%) had active urine sediment. Bacterial growth in urine was associated with pyuria (odd ratio [OR] 25.1, 95% confidence interval [CI] 7.9‐79.6, P < .001), bacteriuria (OR 11.1, 95% CI 3.2‐39.1, P < .001), and lower urinary tract disease (OR 6.7, 95% CI 1.9‐23.0; P = .0028). If QUC was prompted based on these criteria, 8/451 (1.8%) of proteinuric dogs would have had undetected bacterial growth. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: The proportion of proteinuric dogs with both inactive urine sediment and bacterial growth in urine was low, suggesting that QUC might not be necessary in the evaluation of all proteinuric dogs. An active urine sediment or lower urinary tract disease should prompt QUC for proteinuric dogs.
Conclusion and Discussion

This chapter concludes the monograph, re-stating the major contributions and results. Potential future research directions that may extend applicability of the methodology for robust control of an arbitrary nonlinear system are also discussed.
Vaccination Discussion among Parents on Social Media: A Content Analysis of Comments on Parenting Blogs

Despite the effectiveness of vaccines, parents are increasingly opting for non-medical exemption. For health advice on such topics, many parents are now more likely to look to online communities than rely on medical expertise. There is scant literature outlining how parents contribute to online discussion of vaccination. The purpose of this study was to analyze parent vaccination opinions expressed online. Using a codebook adapted from previous research, content analysis was conducted to evaluate comments on parenting blog posts related to vaccination. Variables included stance, argument rhetoric, and accuracy of information. Comments recognized as aggressive or accusatory were recorded into an "attack" category. Descriptive statistics were used to assess trends in comment content. Nine blogs were included, from which 244 comments were analyzed. The most common argument rhetoric was providing, requesting, or evaluating source credibility for both pro- and anti-vaccine comments (24% and 36%). 25% of comments were considered inaccurate health information; 27% fell into the "attack" category, of which 60% were pro-vaccination. The high percentage of "attack" comments and inaccurate information is evidence that blog comments may not be reliable for information-seeking parents. Clinicians should use this data to understand anti-vaccination arguments in efforts to improve vaccine communication.
Accounting for unknown behaviors of free-living animals in accelerometer-based classification models: Demonstration on a wide-ranging mesopredator

Abstract Describing the behaviors of free-living animals is broadly useful for ecological and physiological research, but obtaining accurate records for difficult-to-observe species presents a considerable challenge. Tri-axial accelerometers are increasingly used for this purpose by exploiting behavioral observations from accelerometer-carrying animals to predict behaviors of unobserved conspecifics. We developed a modeling approach to predict behaviors of wolverines from collar-mounted accelerometers using Support Vector Machines. By applying a temporal smoothing function and setting a lower threshold for a-posteriori prediction probabilities, we improve the predictive performance of our model and simultaneously create a framework for explicitly accounting for behaviors unknown to the model, a problem that remains largely unaddressed in similar studies. We demonstrate that such an approach can achieve a model-averaged accuracy of 98.3%, with high predictive performance for the behaviors resting, running, scanning, tearing at food, and transferring items with the mouth, a behavior typically associated with caching food among captive wolverines. To illustrate the utility of this approach, we apply this model to a sample of seven free-living wolverines in Arctic Alaska.
Comparison of a semi-analytic variance reduction technique to classical Monte Carlo variance reduction techniques for high aspect ratio pencil beam collimators for emission tomography applications

Abstract A semi-analytic variance reduction technique developed for collimated gamma emission tomography problems was compared to classic Monte Carlo variance reduction techniques within the Monte Carlo N Particle Transport (MCNP) code. In the semi-analytic technique, a computationally efficient, non-analog, monodirectional source biased Monte Carlo simulation is first performed. Analytical expressions or empirical values are then used to correct for solid angle and field-of-view effects introduced by the non-analog source definition. This variance reduction technique was compared with deterministic transport sphere (DXTRAN) and geometry splitting variance reduction schemes to determine the accuracy and computational savings of each technique relative to an analog pulse height tally (F8 tally) at 1, 3, 5, and 10 mm collimator aperture radii. For radii 0.5 mm and 0.3 mm a DXTRAN sphere was used in place of an analog F8 tally, due to large particle history demands, to analyze the accuracy of the semi-analytic variance reduction technique. The computational savings and accuracy were evaluated for six to seven photopeaks depending on the method used. The monodirectional source biasing technique overestimated the count rates by approximately 9%–19% when the radius is less than 3 mm, but the technique overestimated by a factor of 2 to 7, when the radius is greater than or equal to 3 mm. The monodirectionally source biased technique offered computational saving factors on the order of 10 8-1013 over 1-10 mm collimator radii studied. DXTRAN and geometry splitting methods yielded higher accuracy, but computational savings range from approximately 0.13 to 2.2 and 0.07 to 2.9, respectively indicating marginal improvement at best.
Foisonnement imaginaire et délire paraphrénique dans La Tempête de Shakespeare

Resume Objectif Rendre compte, a travers la figure de Prospero (le « magicien » de La Tempete de Shakespeare) de la specificite clinique de la paraphrenie fantastique : imaginaire debordant, luxuriance du delire aux thematiques fantastiques et cosmiques, « diplopie » entre le monde imaginaire et le monde reel (H. Ey), dimension megalomaniaque, etc. Methode Une revue de la litterature nous donnera les elements essentiels pour apprehender la singularite et la personnalite de Prospero. Ces elements nous ameneront logiquement a dire quelques mots sur la paraphrenie – et, plus specialement, dans sa forme dite « fantastique » – en prenant nos references a la fois dans le champ de la psychiatrie (H. Ey) et celui de la psychanalyse (J. Lacan). Nous terminerons enfin en mettant l’accent sur deux aspects fondamentaux de la paraphrenie qui apparaissent assez clairement chez Prospero : l’identite d’exception, et le foisonnement imaginaire. Resultats Si le personnage de Prospero, bien entendu, ne peut etre considere comme un « cas » clinique, la complexite du personnage, l’intelligence de Shakespeare, son sens de l’observation « clinique », nous invitent a lire La Tempete comme le delire paraphrenique d’un duc detrone, anime par la vengeance, persuade de commander aux Esprits et a la Nature. En outre, on saisira egalement le « pouvoir » du delire paraphrenique, en ce qu’il permet de mettre a distance et de controler un Autre persecuteur. Discussion La discussion porte sur ce qui viendrait signer la structure de la paraphrenie fantastique d’un point de vue psychiatrique et psychanalytique, entre autres, la formation d’une identite d’exception aux couleurs megalomaniaques, la toute-puissance et l’omnipotence, la « diplopie » du monde reel et du monde imaginaire, le foisonnement imaginaire, la luxuriance du delire, le « consentement a la jouissance de l’Autre » (Maleval). Conclusion Shakespeare nous a donne, dans son œuvre immense, une palette importante de « personnages psychopathiques a la scene » – pour reprendre un titre de Freud – avec une finesse « clinique » quasi inegalee. C’est le cas pour Le roi Lear, pour Othello, Macbeth, Hamlet, Richard III, Timon d’Athenes, Titus Andronicus, et bien d’autres encore. Prospero, a notre sens, peut s’inscrire dans cette lignee. L’« hypertrophie du Moi », le foisonnement imaginaire, les thematiques grandioses deployees, le demiurge et le theurge incarnes donnent le sentiment – avec nos reperes actuels – d’assister en un certain sens au developpement d’une paraphrenie fantastique.
A phase II study investigating biological effects of maintenance usage of hydroxychloroquine on Par-4 levels in patients with resected tumors.

3085Background: Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) is an inducer of the tumor suppressor Par-4 (prostate apoptosis response-4) secretion from normal cells. Secreted Par-4 causes paracrine apoptosis of tumor ...
Driver Response to a Dynamic Speed Feedback Sign on Freeway Exit Ramps Based on Sign Location, Interchange Type, and Time of Day:

A series of field evaluations was performed at three freeway interchange ramps in Michigan that possessed significant horizontal curvature to assess the impacts of a dynamic speed feedback sign (DS...
Seismogenic and tremorgenic slow slip near the stability transition of frictional sliding

Abstract Slow-slip events and tremors occur below the seismogenic zone of major plate boundaries. While the physics of aseismic slow-slip events is relatively well understood, the mechanics of seismogenic slow slip remains elusive because the conditions leading to slow or fast ruptures are thought to be mutually exclusive. Here, we explore fault dynamics in the parametric space of frictional conditions to show that seismogenic slow-slip events are the natural behavior of homogeneous faults, as long as the velocity dependence approaches velocity neutral with a small characteristic nucleation size. Tremors can originate from rapid bursts of slow earthquakes that are triggered as the slow-slip rupture spreads over small-scale asperities. The near velocity-neutral conditions explain the underlying mechanics of collocated slow and fast slip of seismogenic slow-slip events commonly found below the seismogenic zone. The presence of material heterogeneity may explain the spatio-temporal clustering and migration features of tremor activity.
Nutrigenetic comparison of two Varroa-resistant honey bee stocks fed pollen and spirulina microalgae

We tested the influence of genetic variation on responses to natural and artificial diets in Varroa-resistant Pol-line and Russian honey bee stocks. Newly emerged workers from six colonies per stock were fed pollen, spirulina (blue-green microalgae), and sucrose-only diets in 144 total cages. Diet type had a strong effect on sugar intake, body weight, fat body lipid content, and vitellogenin (vg) expression. Spirulina consumption was approximately half that of pollen, but led to higher head weights, equivalent thorax weights and vg levels, and marginally reduced fat body lipids. Bee stock and colony had a significant impact on nutritional response. Despite equivalent diet intakes, Pol-line bees accumulated higher lipid levels and consumed less sugar overall than Russian bees. Furthermore, pollen-fed bees sourced from Pol-line colonies had significantly higher vg levels. These differences in nutrient and energy allocation may reflect life history-related physiological tradeoffs. Our results suggest that genotype-dependent nutritional responses are present in honey bees, with promising implications for breeding efforts and tailored approaches to diet and health in a changing global climate.
Hope and Fear in the Midst of Coronavirus: What Accounts for COVID-19 Preparedness?

Objective: The present study asks the question: What variables accounted for people’s tendencies to take steps to prepare for COVID-19 during the earliest stage of the pandemic? Data collection too...
Second-Harmonic Efficiency and Reflectivity of GaAs During Femtosecond Melting

Second-harmonic and reflectivity probes of photoexcited GaAs demonstrate melting on a 200-fs timescale and partial recrystallization of the molten material.
Robustness of Mixture IRT Models to Violations of Latent Normality

Unidimensional item response theory (IRT) models assume that a single model applies to all people in the population. Mixture IRT models can be useful when subpopulations are suspected. The usual mixture IRT model is typically estimated assuming normally distributed latent ability. Research on normal finite mixture models suggests that latent classes potentially can be extracted even in the absence of population heterogeneity if the distribution of the data is nonnormal. Empirical evidence suggests, in fact, that test data may not always be normal. In this study, we examined the sensitivity of mixture IRT models to latent nonnormality. Single-class IRT data sets were generated using different ability distributions and then analyzed with mixture IRT models to determine the impact of these distributions on the extraction of latent classes. Preliminary results suggest that estimation of mixed Rasch models resulted in spurious latent class problems in the data when distributions were bimodal and uniform. Mixture 2PL and mixture 3PL IRT models were found to be more robust to nonnormal latent ability distributions. Two popular information criterion indices, Akaike’s information criterion (AIC) and the Bayesian information criterion (BIC), were used to inform model selection. For most conditions, the performance of BIC index was better than the AIC for selection of the correct model.
The β-Adrenergic Receptor: Ligand Binding Studies Illuminate the Mechanism of Receptor-Adenylate Cyclase Coupling

Publisher Summary This chapter relates the study of adrenergic receptors to the regulation of adenylate cyclase activity. The ubiquitous nature of the adrenergic responses has made these systems prototypes or models for the study of receptor-effector coupling in general. Progress is being made in the elucidation of the molecular mechanisms of transmembrane signaling via adrenergic receptors. The focus is primarily on studies of the β-adrenergic receptor-adenylate cyclase complex. Smooth muscle relaxation, inotropic and chronotropic regulation in the heart, and metabolic effects such as lipolysis are mediated through β-adrenergic receptors. β- Adrenergic responses are inhibited by a different set of drugs, which has little affinity for the α-receptors, such as propranolol, alprenolol, and pindolol. The characteristics of high potency and biological specificity make antagonist compounds particularly useful in the classification of adrenergic responses and in the direct study of adrenergic receptors. β-Adrenergic responses are directly linked to the activation of adenylate cyclase in the plasma membranes of target cells, suggesting that cyclic AMP (CAMP) mediates the regulatory effects of β-adrenergic agonists. The chapter discusses how understanding of receptor-cyclase coupling distilled from the investigations of the stimulatory β-adrenergic receptor-adenylate cyclase system may be applicable in understanding inhibition of adenylate cyclase activity, as mediated, for example, by α2- adrenergic receptors.
How Should I Be? A Defense of Platonic Rational Egoism

There has been a long tradition of interpreting Plato as a rational egoist. Over the past few decades, however, some scholars have challenged this reading. While Rational Egoism appeals to many ordinary folk, in sophisticated philosophical circles it has fallen out of favor as a general and complete account of the nature of reasons for action. I argue that while the theory of practical rationality that is often equated with rational egoism—a view that I call ‘Simple-Minded Rational Egoism'—is neither plausible nor endorsed by Plato in his Republic, there is a more complex version of Rational Egoism to which Plato is indeed committed. Moreover, such a conception of practical rationality is not vulnerable to the standard set of objections that contemporary philosophers have made against Rational Egoism.
Competing on the Internet

Abstract Rapid technological change and the growth of the Internet have enabled firms to rewrite the rules of the competition in many sectors of the US economy. Although many academics recognize the importance of the Internet, research highlighting successful business models that some firms have developed to compete via the Internet have been slow in coming. Using an in-depth case study on Amazon, this paper highlights how this exemplar firm is exploiting this emerging technology-driven media to rewrite the rules of competition in the book retailing industry.
Consumer uncertainty: The influence of anticipatory emotions on ambivalence, attitudes, and intentions

Specific emotions and their combinations have important implications for consumer experiences and decisions. Therefore, emotional response is examined from a future temporal perspective in order to investigate the effect of anticipatory emotions on consumer ambivalence, attitudes, and intentions. In the first study, anticipatory emotions, compared with outcome-based emotions, are found to be central in prospective consumption situations, and this combination of emotions is most likely to occur when consumers are presented with conflicting information. Furthermore, anticipatory mixed emotions (i.e., anticipatory ambivalence), in contrast to outcome-based mixed emotions, were the greatest contributor to consumer discomfort and uncertainty regarding future consumption. The second study builds on the first by considering the effect of anticipatory ambivalence on attitudes and intentions in the context of a prospective purchase situation. Ambivalence was found to mediate the effect of evaluative information on intentions, as well as moderate the relationship between attitudes and intentions. Thus, the uncertainty associated with anticipatory emotions negatively affects intentions, as well as the relationship between attitudes and intentions. The theoretical and practical implications are discussed. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
High field microplasma activity along alumina surfaces in vacuum

Certain interesting preflashover activities are observed in this study when alumina ceramic dielectrics are subjected to high voltage pulsed excitations in vacuum. The observed preflashover activities include bursts of time-resolved current and light emission (seen using a PMT), along with distinct spots of luminosity on the insulator surface, observed using an intensified CCD camera. The preflashover microplasma activity is found to depend strongly on the surface preparation of the dielectric and hence on the surface properties (specifically the distribution of defect complexes) of the material. Our results strongly suggest that the preflashover microplasma activity is a precursor to the surface flashover. >
Bootstrap theory of vibrations: (II). Extended particle-phonon coupling and RPA in closed shell nuclear regions

Abstract The bootstrap theory of vibrations is developed for closed-shell nuclei where the particle and phonon modes of these nuclei are generated simultaneously and self-consistently. It is shown that in first order the phonon solutions of this theory correspond to the random-phase approximation (RPA). The properties of the particle modes is also studied in this order. It is found that particle (hole) states are pushed up in energy which can account for the discrepancy between the shell-model particle-hole energies and the experimental ones. The non-normal parity states (particle-phonon coupled mode) are also studied and it is found that some of these can be expected to lie close in energy to the normal parity (particle mode) states, as it is experimentally found. The possibility of a different approach where the calculation of even- and odd-mass nuclei is carried out separately, the extended-particle-phonon-coupling theory (EPPC without bootstrap) is also pointed out. A numerical example using the perturbation theoretical solution of EPPC theory is given for 39, 40, 41Ca.
Nonlinear magnetic circuit model of a linear variable reluctance motor

The objective of this paper is to model a linear variable reluctance motor using nonlinear magnetic circuit techniques, in order to account for material saturation and mutual coupling. The magnetic circuit approach has the advantages of simplicity and computational efficiency, so it is well suited for rapid performance evaluation at the initial design stage. The accuracy of the magnetic circuit model is directly compared with results from finite element analysis.
Utility of IgM Titers With IgG and C-Reactive Protein Quantitation in the Diagnosis of Suspected Encephalitozoon Cuniculi Infection in Rabbits

Abstract The objective of this study was to evaluate the utility of measuring IgM, IgG, and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels in rabbits with suspected Encephalitozoon cuniculi (ECUN) infection. Serum samples from 130 pet rabbits were submitted from veterinary clinics within the United States. Participating veterinarians completed a questionnaire that was used to classify rabbits as either non-ECUN suspect ( n = 36) or suspected of having ECUN infection ( n = 94). An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to detect IgG and IgM titers against ECUN. In addition, an immunoturbidimetric assay was used to detect CRP. In all, 50% of non–ECUN-suspect rabbits were IgG positive vs 95% of ECUN-suspect rabbits. When comparing the results from the 2 groups, higher titers of IgM and IgG and elevated CRP levels were observed in the ECUN-suspect group ( P
Equivalence of the Bioimpedance and Thermodilution Methods in Measuring Cardiac Output in Hospitalized Patients With Advanced, Decompensated Chronic Heart Failure

BACKGROUND An accurate and reliable noninvasive method for determining cardiac output/cardiac index would be valuable for patients with acutely decompensated advanced systolic heart failure. OBJECTIVES To determine whether a correlation exists for cardiac output and index determined by using bioimpedance and thermodilution in patients with acutely decompensated complex heart failure and if differences between results with the 2 methods could be explained by the patients' advanced condition. METHODS Cardiac output and index were determined by using bioimpedance and thermodilution in 33 patients. Echocardiographic and electrocardiographic data were assessed to determine if differences between results with the 2 methods could be explained by the patients' advanced condition. Concordance correlation coefficients and Bland-Altman agreement between methods were calculated. RESULTS Four patients were excluded from analysis because reliable measurements could not be obtained; the remaining 29 patients constituted the study population. Mean cardiac outputs determined by thermodilution and bioimpedance were 5.48 and 5.40 L/min, respectively (rhoc = 0.89, P < .001), and mean cardiac indexes were 2.67 and 2.65 (rhoc = 0.82, P < .001). Mean bias (limits of agreement) between data pairs was 0.08 (-0.18 to 0.35) L/min (P = .52) for cardiac output and 0.03 (-0.097 to 0.16; P = .61) for cardiac index. Six data pairs (21%) had an absolute percent difference greater than 15%. Of these, 50% had a higher thermodilution value. CONCLUSION Determinations of cardiac output and index by both methods were significantly correlated. Mean bias between the 2 methods was small, suggesting clinical utility for bioimpedance in patients with complex decompensated heart failure.
Implementing Distance Learning: Frameworks for Change

As Distance Learning programs expand at colleges and universities across the country, institutions find themselves grappling with a range of academic and administrative issues. Faculty working conditions, program development, academic oversight and student support services are but a sampling of the conflicts and issues that emerge as Distance Learning programs grow in popularity. In an effort to address these conflicts and the accompanying institutional changes, we will offer a framework for understanding and managing this change process. We also attempt to give insight into the broader issues raised by Distance Learning and propose strategies for developing cross-campus support for Distance Learning programs.
Prenatal interphase detection by FISH of a sex chromosome mosaicism when cytogenetics reports a pseudomosaicism

We report the detection of a sex chromosome mosaicism (XY/XXY/XYY) by prenatal interphase FISH (fluorescence in situ hybridization) originally identified as a pseudomosaicism involving 47,XXY cells present in a routine 46,XY cytogenetic analysis. After a fetal demise, interphase FISH identified the sex chromosome mosaicism in all tissues examined while cytogenetic analysis revealed only a normal male cell line. After prolonged exposure to colcemid, cytogenetic analysis identified the 47,XXY cell line. This confirmed the presence of the mosaicism and suggested that the abnormal cell line(s) may have been growth disadvantaged. This in turn may have accounted for the intra-uterine fetal demise. The identification by FISH and the role of growth-disadvantaged cell lines may provide a unique insight into chromosomally normal fetal demises. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Dispensing of proton pump inhibitor medication is independently associated with subsequent asthma emergency hospital utilization

w Patients with asthma frequently have nonrespiratory coorbid conditions, such as gastroesophageal reflux disase, cardiovascular disease, and anxiety-depression. ome of these comorbid conditions can directly exacerbate sthma, such as gastroesophageal reflux disease and anxity/depression, whereas the treatment of others (eg, betalockers and possibly angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibtors) could make asthma worse. The relationships of these omorbid conditions to subsequent emergency department isits or hospitalizations for asthma have been incompletely tudied, especially as independent risk factors. The purpose f this study was to evaluate the relationship of common reatment-determined comorbid conditions to subsequent mergency department or hospital utilization for asthma, ccounting for other relevant risk factors.
Application of an Escherichia coli green fluorescent protein – based lysine biosensor under nonsterile conditions and autofluorescence background

Aims: To examine the utility of an Escherichia coli green fluorescent protein (GFP) containing biosensor for quantification of bioavailable lysine in selected feed samples under nonsterile conditions and to estimate the background fluorescence of analyzed feed samples and evaluate the risk of confounding GFP emission from the lysine assay organism. Methods and Results: Escherichia coli lysine auxotroph GFP based biosensor was used to determine the percentage of bioavailable lysine in two samples of soyabean-, cottonseed-, and meat and bone meal under nonsterile conditions. The fluorescence emitted by GFP was successfully measured using a spectrofluorimeter to monitor bacterial growth response to protein-derived lysine and lysine containing small peptides. The autofluorescence of analyzed feed samples at different concentrations could also be estimated. Conclusions: When feed protein concentrations are decreased, autofluorescence interference can be avoided. Significance: The E. coli lysine auxotroph GFP-based biosensor can successfully be used for the determination of bioavailable lysine in these selected animal feed proteins under nonsterile conditions. Impact of the Study: E. coli GFP biosensor for lysine has potential for routine application in animal feeds.
T1-weighted MRI imaging features of pathologically proven non-pedal osteomyelitis.

Rationale and Objectives The objective of our study was to determine if the T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features associated with diabetic pedal osteomyelitis are present in histopathologically proven cases of non-pedal osteomyelitis. Materials and Methods Seventy-five patients with a histopathologically proven diagnosis of non-pedal osteomyelitis and a preoperative MRI were identified between 2000 and 2007. The MRIs were retrospectively reviewed for signal characterization of T1-weighted images, including the signal intensity compared with skeletal muscle, distribution of abnormal signal intensity, and pattern of abnormal signal intensity. A subsequent chart review was performed to identify potential clinical factors that were more associated with atypical T1 features of osteomyelitis. Fisher's exact test was performed to determine if there was a statistically significant difference in the T1-weighted imaging features of the hematogenous and nonhematogenous mechanisms of infection. Results Seventy of 75 cases demonstrated T1-weighted imaging features typical of pedal osteomyelitis with a confluent region of decreased signal intensity, hypointense, or isointense relative to skeletal muscle in a geographic pattern with medullary distribution. Of the 5 cases that did not demonstrate the typical T1 features associated with pedal osteomyelitis, 4 were considered to have a hematologic mechanism of infection given the absence of surgery, skin ulceration, or a penetrating injury. Conclusion The majority of cases of non-pedal osteomyelitis in our study demonstrate the typical T1-weighted imaging features previously documented to correlate with the diagnosis of pedal osteomyelitis. The cases in our series that did not demonstrate the typical T1-weighted features were predominantly secondary to a hematologic mechanism of infection.
LY392098, a novel AMPA receptor potentiator: electrophysiological studies in prefrontal cortical neurons.

The present experiments investigated the ability of LY392098, a novel positive allosteric modulator of AMPA receptors, to potentiate AMPA receptor-mediated currents of neurons in the prefrontal cortex (PFC). Co-application of LY392098 (0.03-10 microM) with AMPA (5 microM) enhanced current through AMPA receptor/channels in acutely isolated PFC neurons in a concentration-dependent manner. Estimates of the potency (EC(50)) and efficacy for LY392098 yielded an EC(50) value of 1.7+/-0.5 microM and a maximal potentiation of a 31.0+/-4.1-fold increase relative to current evoked by AMPA alone. The potentiation was activity-dependent, becoming evident only in the presence of agonist, and time-dependent, continuously developing over prolonged application times. An extracellular site of action was inferred by the absence of potentiation when the compound was applied intracellularly. LY392098 also increased the potency of agonist for the receptor by approximately sevenfold. Selectivity assays showed that the effects of LY392098 were exclusive for AMPA receptors, having no activity at N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors in PFC neurons. Extracellular recordings from single PFC neurons in vivo showed that administration of LY392098 (0.001-10 microg/kg, i.v.) enhanced the probability of evoked action potential discharge in response to stimulation of glutamatergic afferents from the ventral subiculum of the hippocampal formation. Spontaneous activity of PFC neurons was also increased. Collectively, these results demonstrate that LY392098 is a highly potent, selective and centrally active positive modulator of native AMPA receptors.
Deposition of thick nitrides and carbonitrides for sand erosion protection

Abstract Thick nitrides (ZrN, CrN and TiN) and carbonitrides (ZrSiCN and TiSiCN) have been deposited using a Plasma Enhanced Magnetron Sputtering (PEMS) technique. The technique combines a conventional magnetron sputtering and an independently generated plasma from which high current density can be obtained. By using heavy ion bombardment prior to and during deposition to increase the coating adhesion and limit columnar growth, single-layered thick nitrides of ZrN, CrN, and TiN coatings up to about 80 μm and thick carbonitride coatings of ZrSiCN and TiSiCN about 30 μm have been obtained. In this paper, we will discuss the deposition technology and the properties of the thick coatings. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) with Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS), and X-Ray Diffractometry (XRD) were used to study the microstructure and morphology of these coatings. Nanoindentation was conducted to determine the hardness and Young's modulus, while sand erosion tests were conducted to rank the erosion resistance of the coatings. It was observed that TiSiCN rendered the best erosion resistance — nearly 25 times higher than the uncoated stainless steel or Ti–6Al–4V and about 5–10 times higher than all other nitrides. The technology may be applied to protect turbine engine compressor blades, vanes and rotor blades in advanced aircraft and fluid pump impellers as well as piston rings for heavy-duty diesel engines.