cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Mucosal Immune System of Cattle: All Immune Responses Begin Here

This article discusses key concepts important for mucosal immunity. The mucosa is the largest immune organ of the body. The mucosal barrier (the tight junctions and the "kill zone") along with the mucosa epithelial cells maintaining an anti-inflammatory state are essential for the mucosal firewall. The microbiome (the microorganisms that are in the gastrointestinal, respiratory, and reproductive tract) is essential for immune development, homeostasis, immune response, and maximizing animal productivity. Mucosal vaccination provides an opportunity to protect animals from most infectious diseases because oral, gastrointestinal, respiratory, and reproductive mucosa are the main portals of entry for infectious disease.
A State-Wide Effort to Provide Access to Authentic Computer Science Education to Underrepresented Populations

The Exploring Computer Science (ECS) curriculum provides foundational knowledge of Computer Science (CS) to high school students as a stand-alone course. ECS began in the Los Angeles Unified School District in the late 2000s where it gained eminence for broadening participation in computing (BPC), with Latinx students representing over 70% of enrollment. This experience report describes a partnership that consists of three Universities, dozens of school districts, the ECS team, and other stakeholders to bring the ECS curriculum in mainly rural school districts in Alabama that have a majority African-American student population. Sixty in-service teachers (one teacher per school) have received professional learning opportunities to gain knowledge and skills to teach ECS. Signs of early broader impacts are emerging: 78% of our ECS enrollment are underrepresented minority (URM) students with nearly half of the cohort consisting of female students. Students reported they were engaged in working collaboratively and sharing responsibilities with others. Furthermore, students who reported being more involved in the ECS course had deeper confidence in their ability to succeed in CS, reported greater overall outcomes, had more confidence in development of 21st century skills, found the course more relevant, were more motivated to persist in CS, and exhibited increased interest in CS careers. We provide a comprehensive description of the partnership's accomplishments and the evaluation findings on student CS experiences and on teacher self-efficacy in ECS preparation and instruction. Our findings contribute to the BPC literature, specifically for schools with predominantly African-American enrollment in rural communities.
Wildfire reveals transient changes to individual traits and population responses of a native bumble bee Bombus vosnesenskii

Fire-induced changes in the abundance and distribution of organisms, especially plants, can alter resource landscapes for mobile consumers driving bottom-up effects on their population sizes, morphologies and reproductive potential. We expect these impacts to be most striking for obligate visitors of plants, like bees and other pollinators, but these impacts can be difficult to interpret due to the limited information provided by forager counts in the absence of survival or fitness proxies. Increased bumble bee worker abundance is often coincident with the pulses of flowers that follow recent fire. However, it is unknown if observed postfire activity is due to underlying population growth or a stable pool of colonies recruiting more foragers to abundant resource patches. This distinction is necessary for determining the net impact of disturbance on bumble bees: are there population-wide responses or do just a few colonies reap the rewards? We estimated colony abundance before and after fire in burned and unburned areas using a genetic mark-recapture framework. We paired colony abundance estimates with measures of body size, counts of queens, and estimates of foraging and dispersal to assess changes in worker size, reproductive output, and landscape-scale movements. Higher floral abundance following fire not only increased forager abundance but also the number of colonies from which those foragers came. Importantly, despite a larger population size, we also observed increased mean worker size. Two years following fire, queen abundance was higher in both burned and unburned sites, potentially due to the dispersal of queens from burned into unburned areas. The effects of fire were transient; within two growing seasons, worker abundance was substantially reduced across the entire sampling area and body sizes were similar between burned and unburned sites. Our results reveal how disturbance can temporarily release populations from resource limitation, boosting the genetic diversity, body size, and reproductive output of populations. Given that the effects of fire on bumble bees acted indirectly through pulsed resource availability, it is likely our results are generalizable to other situations, such as habitat restorations, where resource density is enhanced within the landscape.
How Should Health Professionalism Be Redefined to Address Health Equity

Increasing focus on health equity is placing a spotlight on health professionals' roles. Recent public health crises-the opioid epidemic, maternal mortality, and the COVID-19 pandemic-have renewed focus on racial and ethnic inequity and underscored that trust is foundational to public health and health professionalism. Organizational, system, and policy reform demand that professionalism be redefined in terms of its capacity to motivate equity in health professions education and clinical practice.
Proximity and Horizontal Policies: The Backbone of Export Diversification

The lack of a clear link between general economic fundamentals and export diversification indicators in the literature has fueled the believe that industrial policies are an absolute requisite to diversify exports. This paper, however, does find a strong statistical connection between horizontal policies and diversification by making two novel changes to traditional methodologies: using export categories that lead to diversification (for example, manufactures) as dependent variables, and using a gravity-equation regression setting. Proximity to other economies explains about a third of cross-country heterogeneity in targeted exports, and four fifths together with horizontal policies. Australia, Chile, and New Zealand emerge as new role models for diversification policies.
Development and Validation of a Risk Score for Respiratory Failure After Cardiac Surgery

Abstract Background Postoperative respiratory failure, defined as ventilator dependency for more than 48 hours or unplanned reintubation within 30 days, is a costly complication of cardiac surgery that increases mortality and length of stay. Stratification of patients by risk upon intensive care unit admission could identify cases requiring early measures to prevent respiratory failure. This study aimed to develop and validate a risk score for postoperative respiratory failure after cardiac surgery. Methods This retrospective analysis of 4262 patients admitted to the cardiovascular intensive care unit after major cardiac surgery between January 2013 and December 2017, used The Society of Thoracic Surgeons database and ventilator data from the respiratory therapy department. Patients were randomly and equally assigned to development and validation cohorts. Covariates used in the multivariable models were assigned weighted points proportional to their β regression coefficient values to create the risk score, which categorized patients into low, medium, and high risk of postoperative respiratory failure. Results In both cohorts, postoperative respiratory failure risk was significantly different between risk categories. Compared with low-risk patients, moderate-risk patients had a 2 times greater risk, and high-risk patients had a 4-7 times greater risk. Body mass index, previous cardiac surgery, cardiopulmonary bypass, cardiogenic shock, pulmonary disease presence, baseline functional status, hemodynamic instability, and number of blood products used intraoperatively were significant predictors of respiratory failure. Conclusions This risk score can stratify patients by risk for developing postoperative respiratory failure after major cardiac surgery, which may help in the development of preventive measures.
Standards for Interprofessional Collaboration in the Treatment of Individuals With Autism

Interprofessional collaboration has become an essential component in the treatment of individuals with autism spectrum disorder, as practitioners from a range of disciplines are often necessary to address the core features and co-occurring conditions. Theoretically, such cross-disciplinary collaboration results in superior client care and maximal outcomes by capitalizing on the unique expertise of each collaborating team member. However, conflict in collaborative practice is not uncommon given that the treatment providers come from varying educational backgrounds and may have opposing core values, fundamental goals, and overall approaches. Although the overarching interest of each of these professionals is to improve client outcomes and quality of life, they may be unequipped to effectively navigate the barriers to collaboration. This article reviews the potential benefits and misconceptions surrounding interprofessional collaboration and highlights common sources of conflict. As a proposed solution to many of the identified issues, we offer a set of standards for effective collaborative practice in the interprofessional treatment of autism spectrum disorder. These standards prioritize client care and value each discipline’s education and unique contributions. They are intended to function as core standards for all treatment team members, promote unity, prevent conflict, and ultimately help practitioners achieve the most integrated collaborative practice among professionals of varying disciplines.
Creating a Universal Depth-to-Load Conversion Technique for the Conterminous United States Using Random Forests

Abstract As part of an ongoing effort to update the ground snow load maps in the US, this paper presents an investigation into snow densities for the purpose of predicting ground snow loads for str...
Joint Congestion Control and Link Scheduling for Internet with Cellular Wireless Links

In this chapter, we generalize our approach to joint optimization of TCP congestion control and distributed link-scheduling for the Internet traffic over ad-hoc wireless links. Building on the window-control oriented primal-dual solution concept, we adopt the QUIC-TCP for flow congestion control. For distributed scheduling of wireless links, we propose a novel carrier sense multiple access (CSMA) algorithm where each link-transmitter employs its queueing delay to properly control its back-off time to access the shared wireless channel. Under this random access scheme, we show that the wireless links are coupled in a desired manner such that QUIC-TCP congestion control and CSMA scheduling entail an implicit primal-dual solver to the intended optimization problem.
Resilience and Transitioning to Adulthood among Emerging Adults with Disabilities

Transitioning to adulthood is not without challenges. The move away from family influence towards independence and self-determination is filled with uncertainty. Increased challenges and vulnerabilities in transitioning are evident among emerging adults with disabilities because they face additional challenges related to their disability over and above what others of this developmental stage experience. The purpose of this convergent parallel mixed methods study was to understand resilience in a select group of emerging adults with disabilities, who have been recognized for their accomplishments, as they are transitioning to adulthood. Quantitative instruments were used to measure the relationship among resilience, physical health, mental health, satisfaction with life, future orientation, and social support resources, while a qualitative focus group and individual interviews further explored the central phenomenon of resilience. This study revealed transitioning goals and values, challenges encountered while transitioning, and key attributes of resilience that have aided in transitioning. Findings conclude that resilience mitigates adversity and facilitates transitioning, the capacity for resilience is well within reach, and resilience comes from a variety of individual and environmental attributes. Nurses care for individuals and are uniquely present to intervene throughout all stages of the transitioning process. Knowing which resilient attributes are most effective in facilitating transitioning would be especially useful in the development of preventative holistic patient-centered nursing interventions. The research and practice implications of this study may suggest that resilience is a viable concept for the development of strength-based, patient-centered nursing interventions that facilitate transitioning.
Can bad science be good evidence? Neuroscience, lie detection, and beyond.

How should the legal system confront the advances in the brain sciences that may possibly allow more accurate determinations of veracity—lie detecting—than those that now pervade the litigation process? In this Essay, I question the view, widespread among the scientists most familiar with these advances, that the neuroscience of lie detection is not, or at least not yet, nearly reliable enough to be used in civil or criminal litigation or for related forensic purposes. But in challenging the neuroscientists and their allies, I make no claims about the science of lie detection that go beyond the current state of scientific knowledge or, more importantly, my own ability to speak about the relevant scientific developments. Rather, I argue that because law’s goals and norms differ from those of science, there is no more reason to impose the standards of science on law than to impose the standards of law on science. Law must use science, and should always prefer good science to bad. In some contexts, however, good science may still not be good enough for law, while in other contexts—hence the title of this Essay—bad science, as measured by the standards of scientists, may still have valuable legal uses. To be clear, my goal in this Essay is decidedly not to argue that neuroscience-based lie detection should, now or even in the foreseeable future, necessarily be admissible in court or used for other forensic purposes. Rather,
Cloud analytics: do we really need to reinvent the storage stack?

Cloud computing offers a powerful abstraction that provides a scalable, virtualized infrastructure as a service where the complexity of fine-grained resource management is hidden from the end-user. Running data analytics applications in the cloud on extremely large data sets is gaining traction as the underlying infrastructure can meet the extreme demands of scalability. Typically, these applications (e.g., business intelligence, surveillance video searches) leverage the MapReduce framework that can decompose a large computation into a set of smaller parallelizable computations. More often than not the underlying storage architecture for running a MapReduce application is based on an Internet-scale filesystem, such as GFS, which does not provide a standard (POSIX) interface. In this paper we revisit the debate on the need of a new non-POSIX storage stack for cloud analytics and argue, based on an initial evaluation, that it can be built on traditional POSIX-based cluster filesystems. In the course of the evaluation, we compare the performance of a traditional cluster file system and a specialized Internet file system for a variety of workloads for both traditional and MapReduce-based applications. We present modifications to the cluster filesystem's allocation and layout information to better support the requirements of data locality for analytics applications. We introduce the concept of a metablock that can enable the choice of a larger block granularity for MapReduce applications to coexist with a smaller block granularity required for traditional applications. We show that a cluster file system enhanced with metablocks can not only match the performance of specialized Internet file systems for MapReduce applications but also outperform them for traditional applications.
Synthesis of WN(NMe2)3 as a Precursor for the Deposition of WNx Nanospheres

The WNx precursor WN(NMe2)3 was prepared from WN(OtBu)3 and Zr(NMe2)4 by using an amide/alkoxide exchange reaction. Structural analysis of WN(NMe2)3 revealed an overall pseudo-tetrahedral geometry with a distortion towards trigonal pyramidal. Aerosol-assisted chemical vapor deposition (AACVD) from WN(NMe2)3 resulted in deposition of WNx nanospheres onto Si(100) and Si(111) substrates at low temperatures (75–125 °C). The nanospheres were imaged by SEM and characterized by using energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). These preliminary results demonstrate the viability of WN(NMe2)3 as a single-source precursor for the deposition of WNx at low temperature.
Peripheral vascular disease with gangrene of extremities

Abstract The condition described in this case is evidently a vasospastic disturbance of the peripheral circulation. The treatment employed consisted of laminectomies in the lumbosacral and the cervicodorsal regions and the removal at both levels, of masses of fat and fibrous tissue, situated in the spinal canal. The immediate result of the operations was an improvement in the circulatory condition of the extremities, with a rapid healing of the gangrenous areas. With the exception of a brief recurrence of the vascular dysfunction, the result at the end of one year is very satisfactory.
Decomposing LDC Inequality

Excerpt] At the present time, there is great interest among development economists in the problem of economic inequality in less developed countries (LDCs). Studies of the determinants of inequality follow either of two general approaches. The more traditional approach is associated with names like Kuznets (1963), Chenery and associates (1960, 1968, 1975), Adelman and Morris (1973), Ahluwalia (1976) and Chiswick (1971). These studies share a common methodology, consisting basically of looking at a cross-section of countries, and (1) measuring the degree of inequality in each, (2) measuring other characteristics of each country (e.g., level of GNP, its rate of growth, importance of agriculture in total product, etc.), and (3) relating the level of inequality to that economy's characteristics using correlation or regression analysis. In the last few years another type of approach has been followed, which looks instead at inequality within a country, and measures the contribution of the various components to total inequality. In this type of approach, using a variety of methodologies, inequality has been decomposed by economic sector (e.g., urban vs. rural), income source (e.g., income from labor vs. capital vs. land vs. transfers), or family characteristics (including attributes of the workers, their jobs, and regional and other locational considerations). This mode of inquiry is potentially of great value for understanding the structure of inequality and identifying which are the most important explanatory factors. This study explores the decomposition type of inequality analysis. I summarize the alternative decomposition methodologies which have been set forth in the literature and review the principal findings of empirical studies.
Functional genomics does not have to be limited to a few select organisms

A response to Whither genomics by Andrew W Murray, Genome Biology 2000, 1:comment003.1-003.6
Room temperature freezing and orientational control of surface-immobilized peptides in air

Sugar coatings can stabilize the “native” structure and control the orientation of surface-immobilized peptides in air, providing a potential approach to retain biological functions of surface-immobilized biomolecules in air. This method is general and applicable to complex enzymes.
Teaching physiology by combined passive (pedagogical) and active (andragogical) methods.

Pedagogy and andragogy are models of education based, respectively, on passive and active learning. This project compared two balanced sections of an undergraduate course in physiology. Both sectio...
Gardens of delight or, What's Cookin'? Leonora Carrington in the kitchen

S'appuyant sur les travaux de C. Levi-Strauss et J. Kristeva, l'A. analyse le caractere phobique de la nourriture chez la nouvelliste americaine
The Desirability Of Electrooptic Materials For Guided-Wave Optics

An illustrative, device systems level desirability optimization analysis has been performed for a number of important electrooptic materials that are candidate for use in high-speed guided-wave optical devices. Ferroelectric materials with high and low transition temperatures, cubic crystals, organic crystals, and alloy semiconductors have been considered. The bulk guided-wave phase modulator has been taken as the initial screening device. Performance measures such as electrical power supply constraints and the device's maximum operating speed have been analyzed as a function of system variables that include material properties and electrode architectures. Desirability analysis has been presented as a composite mathematical function that describes two or more independent performance measures in terms of all relevant system variables. This function has been displayed graphically to identify those sets of system variables that jointly optimize the performance measures of greatest interest. The initial screening analysis has ignored propagation loss and less-than-ideal overlap between electrical and optical fields. Potassium niobate, barium titanate, and lithium niobate have been found to be among the more desirable electrooptic materials. The use of dielectric buffer layers, several thousand Angstroms in thickness, has been found necessary to isolate the modulator electrodes from high dielectric constant, high electrooptic strength materials such as potassium niobate. Buffer layers, however, have been found to be generally unnecessary when using the lower permitivity and lower electrooptic strength materials such as lithium niobate.
Combined Ramp Voltage Stress and Constant Voltage Stress for optimal BTI voltage acceleration and lifetime modeling

Bias temperature instability (BTI) is the primary reliability mechanism limiting further thinning of the dielectric with future CMOS scaling [1]. This has led to an increased emphasis on quick screening of different processes using Ramp Voltage Stress (RVS) [2], while Constant Voltage Stress (CVS) is typically utilized for more in depth modeling and lifetime projection. This strategy, though, severely underutilizes RVS and does not optimally combine the strengths of each test. Because the voltage is ramped during an RVS stress, a derivative of the RVS trace vs. ramp voltage yields an extremely detailed understanding of the voltage dependence of BTI. On the other hand, CVS directly measures the time evolution of BTI. This paper highlights the pitfalls of relying on just CVS for BTI lifetime projections and also demonstrates the complimentary nature of RVS and CVS for lifetime extraction. In addition, this paper will detail the tremendous benefit of a slow ramp RVS test, with ramp rates as low as 100 μV/s, for BTI modeling and lifetime extrapolation down to use conditions.
Consumer perception of commercial banks in a newly industrialized country

In recent years, there has been an increased competi- tion and introduction of advanced technology into the banking sector all around the world. This situation has forced banks of all sizes to apply marketing concepts and techniques. In particular, assessment and understanding of bank customers' needs and wants have become very important marketing strategy tools. With this in mind, the ur pose of Ulis empirical study is to determine the importance o f se- - lected patronage factors used by Hong Kong commercial bank cus- tomers in choosing domestic versus foreign banks. Although Hong Kong bank customers use domestic banks more often, they perceive the usefulness of a select number of services in a similar manner for both domestic and foreign-banks available in Hong Kong.
A fusion-based approach for uterine cervical cancer histology image classification

Expert pathologists commonly perform visual interpretation of histology slides for cervix tissue abnormality diagnosis. We investigated an automated, localized, fusion-based approach for cervix histology image analysis for squamous epithelium classification into Normal, CIN1, CIN2, and CIN3 grades of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN). The epithelium image analysis approach includes medial axis determination, vertical segment partitioning as medial axis orthogonal cuts, individual vertical segment feature extraction and classification, and image-based classification using a voting scheme fusing the vertical segment CIN grades. Results using 61 images showed at least 15.5% CIN exact grade classification improvement using the localized vertical segment fusion versus global image features.
La promoción de la lactancia materna en la era del sida

La lactancia materna exclusiva, es decir, la alimentacion con leche materna sinanadir ningun otro alimento solido o liquido, es el metodo ideal de alimen-tacion durante los primeros meses de vida, ya que ofrece, entre sus muchasventajas, una nutricion optima y una alta proteccion contra enfermedades res-piratorias y digestivas en los ninos, y un menor riesgo de un nuevo embarazoen las madres. Sin embargo, hasta hace muy poco no se habia llegado a ningunconsenso sobre la duracion optima de la lactancia materna exclusiva. La 54.
Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome Links to Chromosomes 10q and 6q and Is Genetically Related to Bicuspid Aortic Valve

Objectives This study was designed to identify disease loci for hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) and evaluate the genetic relationship between HLHS and bicuspid aortic valve (BAV). Background Previously, we identified that HLHS and BAV exhibit complex inheritance, and both HLHS and BAV kindreds are enriched for BAV. However, the genetic basis of HLHS and its relationship to BAV remains unclear. Methods Family-based nonparametric genome-wide linkage analysis was performed in kindreds ascertained by either an HLHS or BAV proband. Echocardiograms were performed on 1,013 participants using a sequential sampling strategy (33 HLHS kindreds, 102 BAV kindreds). Results The recurrence risk ratio of BAV in HLHS families (8.05) was nearly identical to that in BAV families (8.77). Linkage to chromosomal regions 10q22 and 6q23 with maximum logarithm of odds scores of 3.2 and 3.1, respectively, was identified in HLHS kindreds. In addition, 5 suggestive loci were identified (7q31, 11q22, 12q13, 14q23, and 20q11). We previously identified loci at chromosomes 18q22, 13q34, and 5q21 in BAV kindreds. The relationship between these loci was examined in the combined HLHS and BAV cohort and associations between loci were demonstrated (5q21, 13q34, and 14q23; 6q23 and 10q22; 7q31 and 20q11). Subsequent subsets linkage analysis showed a significant improvement in the logarithm of odds score at 14q23 only (4.1, p Conclusions These studies demonstrate linkage to multiple loci identifying HLHS as genetically heterogeneous. Subsets linkage analyses and recurrence risk ratios in a combined cohort provide evidence that some HLHS and BAV are genetically related.
The use of complementary/preventive medicine to prevent prostate cancer recurrence/progression following definitive therapy. Part II--rapid review of dietary supplements.

Purpose of reviewThe number one cause of death in the United States and in most countries around the world is cardiovascular disease. The number one or two cause of death in prostate cancer patients is also cardiovascular disease. These observations do not serve to belittle the impact of prostate ca
Effect of oral misoprostol after second-trimester delivery: a randomized, blinded study

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether serial oral misoprostol shortens the third stage of labor in second-trimester pregnancy loss. METHODS: This was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of women between 13 and 28 weeks’ gestation admitted for spontaneous or induced pregnancy termination. Subjects were randomized to receive either misoprostol (200 μg) or placebo orally every hour for a maximum of three doses if the placenta had not delivered spontaneously within 10 minutes of the fetus. A dilute oxytocin infusion was given to women in both groups. The patients were managed expectantly until intervention was required or up to 6 hours when curettage was scheduled. RESULTS: One hundred eighteen women were randomized to misoprostol and 119 randomized to placebo. Fifty-eight (49%) and 55 (46%) of the misoprostol and placebo groups, respectively, did not receive their medication (P = .65, χ2 test). There was no difference between the groups with regard to demographic features, method of pregnancy termination, or gestational age. Sixty-seven (57%) and 62 (52%) of the misoprostol and placebo groups, respectively, completed the third stage of labor within 2 hours (P = .47, χ2 test). There was no statistically significant difference in the median time from fetus to placenta (60 versus 91 minutes in the misoprostol versus placebo group, P = .57, Mann-Whitney U test). There was no difference between the groups in the incidence of hemorrhage, need for transfusion, or curettage rate. CONCLUSION: The therapeutic use of oral misoprostol in the third stage of labor in second-trimester pregnancy loss does not reduce the time to complete spontaneous placental delivery.
Liquid level detector with automatic refill and depletion indicator

An electromechanical device is described that provides the means for measuring the amount of water consumption from a storage device and for an automatic refill system. The instrument uses three sensing electrodes located in the storage bottle to drive a solid-state Darlington circuit, which, in conjunction with two liquid solenoid valves, controls the operation of the system.
Mitral Valve Replacement: A Nine-Year Follow-up of Risks and Survivals

Abstract Experience with mitral valve replacement over a nine-year period is reviewed. Hospital mortality was 8.9%, with an additional late mortality of 18.5% during a mean follow-up period of 4.34 years. Study of the factors influencing the results of valve replacement revealed a direct correlation between long-term survival and New York Heart Association (NYHA) Functional Class, as judged pre-operatively, as well as left ventricular end-diastolic pressure, cardiac index, type of valve lesion, and presence of associated coronary artery disease. Hospital mortality was 32% ( p p = 0.002) compared with an 8% mortality in patients with coronary artery disease treated by vein bypass at the time of mitral valve replacement. Patients with normal coronary arteries documented angiographically before operation had a 1% hospital mortality. Seventy-two percent of all patients are still alive at a maximum follow-up of nine years. Eighty-three percent of those survivors who were in Functional Class III or IV before operation are now considered to be in Class I or II. We conclude that patients should undergo mitral valve replacement before the development of the advanced functional stage of valve disease. In addition, coronary arteriograms should be performed on all patients who are more than 40 years old at the time of cardiac catheterization, and revascularization considered at the time of mitral valve replacement for those patients with significant coronary disease.
Quantitative Analysis and National Security

The long-time neglect of the military establishment by the economics profession at large is now in the process of being rectified. It hardly seems necessary to justify this awakening interest. Since resource allocation is fundamental in military problems, the economist, whose primary interest is the logic of the allocative process, is particularly well-qualified to make a contribution. To be sure, this contribution is purely formal. Economics helps to select and frame the questions that should be asked, but the data necessary for the decision-maker to make a choice must be supplied from elsewhere. Though economics may be lacking in substantive content, in that it tells how to choose rather than what to choose, nevertheless such clarification of the logic of choice is not useless to the decision-maker.
Discordant cardiac biomarkers: frequency and outcomes in emergency department patients with chest pain.

Study objective We evaluate associations between pairs of discordant cardiac biomarkers (positive MB band of creatine kinase [CKMB] with negative creatine kinase, positive CKMB with negative cardiac troponin, and positive troponin with negative CKMB) and the presence of acute coronary syndromes in emergency department (ED) chest pain patients. Methods This was a secondary analysis of a prospective registry. Data were obtained from the multicenter Internet Tracking Registry of Acute Coronary Syndromes, which included 17,713 ED visits for possible acute coronary syndrome between June 1999 and August 2001. First visits and first ED cardiac biomarker results from the 9 sites, 8 in the United States and 1 in Singapore, were included. Subjects were excluded for incomplete information or an initial ECG consistent with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction. Acute coronary syndrome was defined by diagnosis-related group code indicating myocardial infarction, positive invasive or noninvasive diagnostic testing, revascularization, or death during hospitalization or within 30 days. Results Of 8,769 eligible patients, 1,614 (18.4%) had acute coronary syndrome. The CKMB and cardiac troponin results were discordant in 7% of patients (CKMB+/cardiac troponin–, 4.9%, CKMB–/cardiac troponin+ 2.1%), whereas increased CKMB with normal creatine kinase levels occurred in 239 (3.1%) patients. The unadjusted odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals for acute coronary syndrome in patients with and without discordant markers were: CKMB+/CK− 5.7 (4.4-7.4), CKMB+/CK+ 4.4 (3.6-5.2), CKMB−/cTn+ 4.8 (3.4-6.8), CKMB+/cTn− 2.2 (1.7-2.8), CKMB+/cTn+ 26.6 (18.0-39.3). For the group with cardiac troponin, the reference category was negative troponin and negative CKMB; for the group with creatine kinase, the reference category was negative CKMB but either a positive or negative creatine kinase. Conclusion Among the spectrum of ED patients with chest pain, an increased CKMB level with a normal creatine kinase level identifies patients at increased risk for acute coronary syndrome. Similarly, an increased troponin level regardless of CKMB level and an increased CKMB level regardless of troponin level identify patients at higher risk for acute coronary syndrome than those with uniformly normal cardiac biomarker levels. Our data suggest that discordant cardiac biomarkers may identify patients at increased risk for acute coronary syndrome.
Pathogenic accumulation of APP in fast twitch muscle of IBM patients and a transgenic model.

Abstract Inclusion body myositis (IBM) is the most common age-related degenerative skeletal muscle disorder. The aberrant intracellular accumulation of the β-amyloid (Aβ) peptide within skeletal muscle is a pathological hallmark of IBM. Skeletal muscle is comprised of both slow and fast twitch fibers, which are present in different proportions in various muscles. It remains unclear if fast and/or slow twitch fibers are differentially involved in IBM pathogenesis. To better understand the molecular pathogenesis of IBM, we analyzed human IBM muscle biopsies and muscle from a transgenic mouse model of IBM ( MCK-βAPP ). Here we report that the majority of histopathologically-affected fibers in human IBM biopsies were type II fast fibers. Skeletal muscle from MCK-βAPP mice exhibited higher transgene expression and steady-state levels of human βAPP in fast type IIB fibers compared to slow type I fibers. These findings indicate that fast twitch fibers may selectively accumulate and be more vulnerable to βAPP- and Aβ-mediated damage in IBM. These findings also highlight parallels between the MCK-βAPP mice and the human IBM condition.
A unified model for polystyrene–nanorod and polystyrene–nanoplatelet melt composites

We present a unified constitutive model capable of predicting the steady shear rheology of polystyrene (PS)–nanoparticle melt composites, where particles can be rods, platelets, or any geometry in between, as validated against experimental measurements. The composite model incorporates the rheological properties of the polymer matrix, the aspect ratio and characteristic length scale of the nanoparticles, the orientation of the nanoparticles, hydrodynamic particle–particle interactions, the interaction between the nanoparticles and the polymer, and flow conditions of melt processing. We demonstrate that our constitutive model predicts both the steady rheology of PS–carbon nanofiber composites and the steady rheology of PS–nanoclay composites. Along with presenting the model and validating it against experimental measurements, we evaluate three different closure approximations, an important constitutive assumption in a kinetic theory model, for both polymer–nanoparticle systems. Both composite systems are most accurately modeled with a quadratic closure approximation.
Differences in obsessive-compulsive symptoms and obsessive beliefs: a comparison between African Americans, Asian Americans, Latino Americans, and European Americans.

Clinical research has increasingly considered ethnic group differences in the expression of anxiety disorders, but to date few investigations have focused specifically on the symptoms of obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD). We examined group differences in OC symptoms, related cognitions (“obsessive beliefs”), and their associations. The sample included European American (N = 1199), African American (N = 215), Asian American (N = 116), and Latino American (N = 72) participants. African American and Asian American participants reported more contamination-related OC symptoms than did European Americans. Asian Americans also reported elevated levels of obsessive beliefs. Moreover, group membership moderated the relationship between obsessive beliefs and certain dimensions of OC symptoms. These findings suggest group differences in the experience of OC symptoms and related cognitions, and that the cognitive-behavioral model of some OC symptoms could be refined and tailored for groups underrepresented in OCD r...
Characterization of the hepatic mixed function oxidase system in endrin-resistant and -susceptible pine voles

Abstract Studies were conducted to assess the contribution of the hepatic microsomal mixed function oxidase system to a 7.2-fold difference in susceptibility to the lethal effects of endrin between endrin-resistant and -susceptible pine voles, Microtus pinetorum. Evaluations of microsomal enzyme systems were conducted for basal and endrin-treated pine voles of both strains. The microsomal activity of ICR white mice was investigated to provide a species comparison. Maximal microsomal mixed function oxidase activities were determined in in vitro incubations for the model substrates ethylmorphine, aniline, and benzo(a)pyrene. Vmax values were estimated for the rate of disappearance of benzo(a)pyrene in in vitro incubations. No significant strain differences in basal microsomal enzyme activity were found for the model substrates investigated, although activity was invariably higher in the resistant strain. The concentration of cytochrome P-450 was significantly higher in the resistant vole though actually less than 20% different. The occurrence of significant strain differences in the levels of microsomal enzyme activity induced by endrin were rare. Significant endrin treatment effects on the levels of microsomal enzyme activity for the pine vole were observed but the degree and direction of change depended on the substrate used. A marked species difference in microsomal mixed function oxidase activity was noted between pine voles and white mice. This was particularly evident for endrin-treated animals. The microsomal activity of endrin-treated white mice was greatly induced relative to basal levels. The degree of induction depended on the substrate used. The small strain differences in microsomal enzyme activity for the systems investigated were judged to be insufficient to explain the strain difference in susceptibility to endrin.
The Relation of Maternal Emotional and Cognitive Support During Problem Solving to Pre-Academic Skills in Preschoolers.

Using a sample of 263 mother–child dyads, we examined the extent to which maternal emotional and cognitive support during a joint problem-solving task when children were 3-years-old predicted children's academic skills 1 year later independent of each other, the quality of the home learning environment, and maternal emotional responsiveness. When all parenting measures were examined simultaneously, only maternal emotional support during problem solving and the quality of the home learning environment predicted unique variation in gains in pre-academic skills from 3 to 4 years of age. The positive effect of emotional support during problem solving was especially apparent for children whose pre-academic skills were low at the age of 3 years. These findings are discussed in light of the changing demands placed on young children and their parents as they prepare for entry to the formal school system.
Potentiation of carbon tetrachloride-induced hepatotoxicity and pneumotoxicity by pyridine

Induction of P450IIE1 by pyridine was compared with that by ethanol, and the resulting potentiation of the pneumotoxicity and hepatotoxicity following carbon tetrachloride inhalation by pyridine was examined. Rats were treated with ethanol as either a 10% solution in the drinking water or as a daily bolus (3 ml/kg, ip) dose for 7 days or one bolus dose of pyridine (200 mg/kg, ip) and compared for P450IIE1 apoprotein content by immunoblot analysis. Ethanol in the drinking water and pyridine elevated both hepatic and pulmonary P450IIE1 apoprotein content, but bolus dose ethanol did not. The induction was greatest in the pyridine group. In the interaction study, rats were treated with pyridine (200 mg/kg, ip) and 12 hours later were exposed to CCl4 (8000 ppm for 3 hours). Pulmonary injury and hepatic damage were assessed 24 hours later by bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) analysis [gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and total protein] and serum sorbitol dehydrogenase (SDH) activity, respectively. Pyridine alone had no effect on BALF or SDH but enhanced GGT and LDH release into the BALF and SDH release into the serum when compared with CCl4 exposure alone. Evaluation of the liver at the light microscopic level revealed characteristic CCl4-induced centrilobular necrosis which was potentiated by pyridine. No changes were observed in the lung by light microscopic evaluation. Pyridine induced pulmonary and hepatic microsomal apoprotein levels of cytochrome P450IIE1 two- and 2- to sixfold, respectively. Exposure to CCl4 decreased hepatic but not pulmonary P450IIE1 levels. Induction of cytochrome P450IIE1 by pyridine increases the bioactivation of CCl4 in both the liver and lung, leading to enhanced toxicity.
Critical phenomena in resistor networks

The conduction threshold which occurs in resistor networks when a certain fraction has zero conductivity can be treated as a sort of critical point. This critical point is also relevant to mixtures of resistors with finite conductivities a and b, in the limit a<<b. A homogeneous function representation is proposed for the conductivity in the vicinity of the conduction threshold and a parametric representation is also given. This representation makes predictions for the concentration (p) and composition (a/b) dependence of such networks which are consistent with the behaviour of the Bethe lattice model recently proposed by Stinchcombe (1973, 1974). The frequency dependence of the impedance is also discussed and a correlation length which diverges at the critical point is described.
The Public Stigma of Mental Illness and Drug Addiction: Findings from a Stratified Random Sample

• Summary: Previous research has shown that people labeled with drug addiction are viewed as more blameworthy and dangerous compared to individuals labeled with mental illness who, in turn, are viewed more harshly than those with physical disabilities. Endorsement of such stereotypes often lead to less helping behavior and more avoidance of people with drug addiction compared to those with mental illness. In this study, attribution and dangerousness models are tested on a stratified random sample of the US population. The sample was recruited from a national online research panel (N = 815). Research participants read a vignette about a person with one of the three health conditions (mental illness, drug addiction, or physically handicapped in a wheelchair) and were asked to complete items representing attribution and dangerousness judgments about the person.• Findings: Results are consistent with our hypotheses. Addicted to drugs was seen as more blameworthy and dangerous compared to mental illness.• Appl...
Radiation from the open end of a cylindrical or conical pipe and scattering from the end of a rod or slab

The radiation of sound through the open end of a cylindrical or conical pipe of any cross section, or through a hole in a plane wall, is analyzed theoretically. The scattering of a sound wave by the end of a rod or slab is also treated. Only the case in which the wavelength is large compared with a typical radial dimension of the opening or of the end is considered. The method of matched asymptotic expansions is employed. Results on end corrections and reflection coefficients previously obtained by Helmholtz (1860), Rayleigh (1945), and Bazer and Karp (1954), using intuitive arguments, are recovered and verified. Agreement is found with the exact results of Levine and Schwinger (1948) and Vainstein (1948), as well as with the small radial-dimension/wavelength results of Lesser and Lewis (1972), in the cases they treated. In addition various new results are obtained.
SU‐FF‐I‐27: Optimal CT Imaging Protocol Settings for CT Simulators

Purpose: It is the expectation of CT simulations to get the best CTimages with free breathing scans. CTimaging protocol settings needed to achieve optimal image quality have been identified for every scanner in a Radiation Oncology Department having various makes and models of CT simulators. Method and Materials: A Catphan® phantom was used to evaluate the image quality of 5 different makes/models. Various pitch, detector configuration, and gantry speed parameters were studied, while maintaining constant kVp, effective mAs, head display field of view (DFOV), reconstruction filter, and image thickness settings. Three aspects of image quality were evaluated: 1) helical artifact presence, 2) high contrast resolution, and 3) low contrast resolution. Results: For all CTs, more artifacts appear when the channel width is equal to the image thickness. Less helical artifacts are present if the channel width is half or less of the image thickness. At these settings, however, artifacts are still present in varying degrees depending on pitch. For a 16‐channel CT of one manufacturer, the artifact‐free pitch setting is 1.4 or less, but for their 16‐channel large bore CT, it is 0.9 or less. For another manufacturer's 16‐channel CT, the channel width has to be 1/4 of the image thickness with a pitch of 0.6 to obtain artifact‐free images. The optimal settings for all scanners are different. Only slight differences in high and low contrast resolution are observed, even at varying gantry rotation speeds; these differences seem insignificant at body DFOV (clinical setting). Conclusions: In order to obtain optimal CTimage settings, a study should be conducted for each CT model, for there is a vast difference in optimal settings among them. Faster rotation gantry speed should be used as possible, for reduced motion artifact is expected for patient free‐breathing scans.