cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Building on the Evidence: Guiding Policy and Research on Police Encounters with Persons with Mental Illnesses

Police–citizen encounters that end badly—with someone getting injured or killed—have lately captured media attention in the United States. These events have focused public attention on the troubled relationship between law enforcement and urban communities plagued by violent crime, entrenched poverty, and a legacy of racial discrimination. Within that larger social context are complex situations that police officers often face when called to intervene with people who appear to be mentally ill and who might pose a risk of harm to themselves or the public. In these encounters, police act not only as public safety officers but also as informal social workers, emergency health-care workers, and providers of access to treatment services (Wood, Swanson, Burris, and Gilbert, 2011). The question of when to use force in such cases, as well as how best to avoid or minimize its use without compromising officer safety, is an ongoing challenge for law enforcement training, practice, policy, and community relations. The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision in City and County of San Francisco v. Sheehan (2015) highlighted complex legal issues related to these matters as well. The court held that officers who forcibly entered the room of a woman with a mental disability and shot her are entitled to qualified immunity from a lawsuit seeking redress for the woman’s injuries.The court left undetermined the broader question of whether police officers who arrest or detain and transport a person with a mental illness are subject to ADA Title II requirements to provide reasonable accommodation of persons with disabilities. In this policy essay, I discuss several underlying issues that are raised by Morabito and Socia’s (2015, this issue) study on the question of potentially increased risk of injury when police officers encounter persons in the community who seem to suffer from acute psychiatric symptoms or substance intoxication. Within the broad range of police encounters, special attention is needed to understand and inform encounters with persons with mental illnesses—a challenging interface during which police and persons in mental-health crisis may both feel vulnerable, raising the risk that the exchange could involve use of force or injury. Officers’ presumptions about the dangerousness of persons in mental-health crisis are likely to have a strong influence on their response, including the extent to which they use force during those encounters. There have been longstanding concerns that persons with mental illnesses face prejudicial treatment by police largely for being misunderstood and stigmatized, and that they are disproportionately vulnerable to police use of force and injury for those reasons. Little definitive evidence exists, however, to support or discount this hypothesis.
Enterovirus 71 Brainstem Encephalitis and Cognitive and Motor Deficits

Follow-up studies were conducted in 63 previously healthy children with enterovirus 71 brainstem encephalitis (49 stage II, 7 stage Ilia, and 7 stage Illb) at National Cheng Kung University Hospital, Tainan, Taiwan.
Statistical Problems of Size and Shape. I. Biological Applications and Basic Theorems

Biological applications of the concepts of size variables and shape vectors are given. These use the continuous data of relative growth as well as the discrete data of pollen counts. The concepts of isometry and neutrality, which involve the independence of size and shape, are illustrated. Then “related pairs” of size variables, and “regular sequences” of size variables are defined and studied. These lead to general definitions of isometry and neutrality. The following general result is obtained. A positive random vector X can be neutral with respect to, at most, one related pair of size~ variables.
The Effects of Hospital Characteristics on Delays in Breast Cancer Diagnosis in Appalachian Communities: A Population-Based Study.

Purpose Despite being generally accepted that delays in diagnosing breast cancer are of prognostic and psychological concern, the influence of hospital characteristics on such delays remains poorly understood, especially in rural and underserved areas. However, hospital characteristics have been tied to greater efficiency and warrant further investigation as they may have implications for breast cancer care in these areas. Methods Study data were derived from the Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, and Pennsylvania state central cancer registries (2006-2008). We then linked Medicare enrollment files and claims data (2005-2009), the Area Resource File (2006-2008), and the American Hospital Association Annual Survey of Hospitals (2007) to create an integrated data set. Hierarchical linear modeling was used to regress the natural log of breast cancer diagnosis delay on a number of hospital-level, demographic, and clinical characteristics. Findings The baseline study sample consisted of 4,547 breast cancer patients enrolled in Medicare that lived in Appalachian counties at the time of diagnosis. We found that hospitals with for-profit ownership (P < .01) had shorter diagnosis delays than their counterparts. Estimates for comprehensive oncology services, system membership and size were not statistically significant at conventional levels. Conclusions Some structural characteristics of hospitals (eg, for-profit ownership) in the Appalachian region are associated with having shorter delays in diagnosing breast cancer. Researchers and practitioners must go beyond examining patient-level demographic and tumor characteristics to better understand the drivers of timely cancer diagnosis, especially in rural and underserved areas.
Evaluation: Discursive practice or communicative action?:

Public trust in expert analysis is at all-time low. Vivid claims unconstrained by fact checking dominate public policy. In this operating environment is evaluation obsolete? To help rebut this proposition, this article examines the relationship between information, knowledge, and politics through two contrasting philosophical lenses. First, Michel Foucault’s discursive practice model: rather than pursuing truth, power is intent to capture evaluation, shape knowledge and engage in linguistic opportunism to enhance its authority to monitor, sanction and punish. Jurgen Habermas’ communicative action approach is the antidote to this state of affairs: it challenges the power structure, celebrates democratic deliberation, promotes evaluation independence and highlights ethical concerns and the public interest.
Not Your Average Cup O’Joe: Constructing New Conceptions of Value in the Coffee Category

In this study of the evolution of specialty coffee, I examine how new conceptions of value were created within the institutionalized constrains of a well-established category. Drawing on a sociomaterial lens, I find that relevant market actors collectively engaged in a series of evaluative practices that allowed them to negotiate issues related to expectations, relevant criteria and assessments; to enrich the repertoire of tools and vocabularies for evaluation; and to compile affect-laden narratives of the producers and their craft. In this way, market actors rearranged the relative importance of the category’s key attributes and thus shaped the boundaries of the category as a whole.
Microbial resistance surveillance techniques: Blood culture versus multiple body site monitoring

The continuing problem of nosocomial bacterial infections has resulted in the development of new techniques to monitor their prevalence and detect the emergence of drug resistance. "Focused microbial surveillance," in which bacterial incidence and antimicrobial susceptibilities are assessed by specific hospital units, provides unique information in the evaluation of emerging outbreaks of resistant Gram-negative pathogens. Within a given unit, however, pooled microbiologic data may be misleading, since they reflect only the average of multiple susceptibilities and may represent either colonization or infection. Formerly, at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, bacterial surveillance within a particular unit had typically been performed using blood-sample analysis, which was viewed as an effective index of the activity of most classes of antimicrobial agents. However, specific body site surveillance (wounds, sputum, urine, and so forth) may offer advantages over blood-culture analysis with some forms of resistance (or types of bacteria), such as stably derepressed type-I beta-lactamase production, which seems to develop rather quickly. Site-specific surveillance may enable earlier detection of rapidly emerging resistant strains and the identification of virulent new serotypes or specific causes. Our data demonstrated that there is a greater probability of detecting resistant bacterial strains of Enterobacter colonizing and subsequently producing infections in the respiratory tract, urinary tract, or wound site. There was a time delay of almost 3 years between first observing resistant strains in sputum, urine, or pus and encountering them in an alarming incidence among blood cultures. Other studies confirm this particular phenomenon. In a survey of penicillin-resistant enterococci, the majority of clinical isolates were obtained from sites other than blood: seven from urine; five from wounds; two each from rectal swabs, ascitic fluid, and blood; and one each from a peritoneal catheter, Bartholin's cyst abscess, and pancreatic abscess. Effective techniques for selective surveillance should be both sensitive and cost effective. Current evidence suggests that site-specific monitoring (wounds, sputum, pleural effusions, urine, and feces) offers the advantages of more rapid identification of resistance trends prior to their appearance in the bloodstream cultures.
RECYCLING OF COMPOSITE MATERIALS, PRESENT PROBLEMS AND ITS FUTURE

The disposal of the waste composite materials is very difficult for their complicated structures and compositions. For this reason the recycling of composite materials has become one of the larger the protection of our future life. It is expected to develop easy disposable, reusable or durable composite materials. In this paper, we report the results of the survey on the present status and future prospect for producing, forming, disposing, and recycling of the extensively used plastic composite materials.
Pharmacologic Interventions for Pain Management in Children

The modern approach to pain relief in children is multidisciplinary in nature. Pharmacologic methods for relief of pain and anxiety may be used in conjunction with other forms of comfort to provide the child with a stress-free environment as well as therapeutic benefit. Prevention of pain and anxiety in children is necessary to avoid psychological and physical sequelae, and it may favorably affect surgical outcome.
The Confrontation Clause

A review of the United States Supreme Court cases of Crawford v. Washington and Davis v. Washington and its effect on Oklahoma judicial decisions.
Theory or Well-Based Results: Which Comes First?

I have been asked by the editors to contrast two current research traditions in marketing, what I call the theoretical-in-isolation or TiI and the empirical-then-theoretical or EtT approaches. First I will define the two approaches, give examples especially of the less well-documented EtT, describe a more advanced research tradition (ETET...), and comment on my rather black-and-white evaluation of TiI (no good) and EtT (good). I will then set out the main characteristics of the two traditions as I see them, illustrate differences between TiI and EtT in terms of research into buying behavior, and note how EtT, unlike TiI, seems to have led to routinely predictable results, to grounded theory, and to a range of practical applications.
Clostridioides difficile uses amino acids associated with gut microbial dysbiosis in a subset of patients with diarrhea.

The gut microbiota plays a critical role in pathogen defense. Studies using antibiotic-treated mice reveal mechanisms that increase susceptibility to Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI), but risk factors associated with CDI in humans extend beyond antibiotic use. Here, we studied the dysbiotic gut microbiota of a subset of patients with diarrhea and modeled the gut microbiota of these patients by fecal transplantation into germ-free mice. When challenged with C. difficile, the germ-free mice transplanted with fecal samples from patients with dysbiotic microbial communities showed increased gut amino acid concentrations and greater susceptibility to CDI. A C. difficile mutant that was unable to use proline as an energy source was unable to robustly infect germ-free mice transplanted with a dysbiotic or healthy human gut microbiota. Prophylactic dietary intervention using a low-proline or low-protein diet in germ-free mice colonized by a dysbiotic human gut microbiota resulted in decreased expansion of wild-type C. difficile after challenge, suggesting that amino acid availability might be important for CDI. Furthermore, a prophylactic fecal microbiota transplant in mice with dysbiosis reduced proline availability and protected the mice from CDI. Last, we identified clinical risk factors that could potentially predict gut microbial dysbiosis and thus greater susceptibility to CDI in a retrospective cohort of patients with diarrhea. Identifying at-risk individuals and reducing their susceptibility to CDI through gut microbiota–targeted therapies could be a new approach to preventing C. difficile infection in susceptible patients.
Connected Vehicles Based Traffic Signal Timing Optimization

We study the traffic signal control problem with connected vehicles by assuming a fixed cycle length so that the proposed model can be extended readily for the coordination of multiple signals. The problem can be first formulated as a mixed-integer nonlinear program, by considering the information of individual vehicle’s trajectories (i.e., second-by-second vehicle locations and speeds) and their realistic driving/car-following behaviors. The objective function is to minimize the weighted sum of total fuel consumption and travel time. Due to the large dimension of the problem and the complexity of the nonlinear car-following model, solving the nonlinear program directly is challenging. We then reformulate the problem as a dynamic programming model by dividing the timing decisions into stages (one stage for a signal phase) and approximating the fuel consumption and travel time of a stage as functions of the state and decision variables of the stage. We also propose a two-step method to make sure that the obtained optimal solution can lead to the fixed cycle length. Numerical experiments are provided to test the performance of the proposed model using data generated by traffic simulation.
Triple Frame Buffer FPGA Implementation

Abstract This article demonstrates a Verilog-based triple frame buffer capable of buffering arbitrary data, such as camera frames, between any two asynchronous processes. The frame buffer modules consume 143 logic elements and use a simple, intuitive design. Herein, we discuss the overall implementation of the design as well as practical uses such as in a small camera, or for use as an educational tool.
A Statistical Framework for Visualization of Positional Uncertainty in Deep Brain Stimulation Electrodes

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is an FDA-approved neurosurgical procedure for treating patients with movement disorders such as Parkinson’s disease. Patient-specific computational modeling and visualization play a key role for efficient surgical and therapeutic decision-making relevant to DBS. The computational models analyze DBS post-operative brain imaging, e.g., computed tomography (CT), to understand the DBS electrode positions within the patient’s brain. The DBS stimulation settings for optimal patient response depend upon a physician’s knowledge regarding precise electrode positions. The finite resolution of brain imaging, however, restricts our understanding regarding precise DBS electrode positions. In our contribution, we study the problem of the quantification of positional uncertainty in the DBS electrodes caused by the finite resolution of post-operative imaging. We propose a Monte Carlo statistical framework, which takes the advantage of our analytical characterization of the DBS electrode geometry to understand the spatial uncertainty in DBS electrodes. Our statistical framework quantifies the uncertainty in two positional parameters of the DBS electrodes, namely, the longitudinal axis direction and the positions at sub-voxel levels. We interactively visualize quantified uncertainties by employing volume rendering and isosurfaces. We show that the spatial variations in the DBS electrode positions are significant for finite resolution imaging, and interactive visualization can be instrumental for efficient interpretation of the positional variations in the DBS lead.
C-reactive protein: not always a reliable marker of ongoing cytokine release syndrome in CAR-T therapy following IL-6 blockade.

Chimeric antigen receptor T-cell(CAR-T) therapy is an increasingly utilized treatment modality with FDA approval for relapsed or refractory(R/R) CD19 positive B-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia(B-...
Diverse perspectives on death, disability, and quality of life: an exploratory study of racial differences in periviable decision-making

To qualitatively explore perceptions of pain/suffering, disability, and coping by race among pregnant women facing the threat of a periviable delivery (22 0/7–24 6/7 weeks). Interviews were conducted in-hospital prior to delivery. Transcripts were coded verbatim and responses were stratified by race (white vs non-white). Conventional content analysis was conducted using NVivo 12. We recruited 30 women (50% white, 50% non-white). Most women expressed love and acceptance of their babies and described pain as a “means to an end.” Non-white women focused almost exclusively on immediate survival and perseverance, while white women expressed concerns about quality of life beyond the NICU. The majority of non-white women were unable to recall any discussions with their doctors about their baby’s comfort, pain, or suffering. These findings may suggest that culturally tailored approaches to counseling and decision-support may be beneficial for patients from marginalized or minoritized groups.
EGFR blockade leads to singular oncogene-addiction in ETV6-NTRK3 transformed human epithelial cells and hypersensitization to entrectinib.

e18055Background: Entrectinib, a TRK kinase inhibitor, has been approved for the treatment of tissue agnostic rare tumors positive for TRK fusions. A very low frequency molecular subset of TRK fusi...
Dynamics and rheology of ring-linear blend semidilute solutions in extensional flow: Single molecule experiments

Ring polymers exhibit unique flow properties due to their closed chain topology. Despite recent progress, we have not yet achieved a full understanding of the nonequilibrium flow behavior of rings in nondilute solutions where intermolecular interactions greatly influence chain dynamics. In this work, we directly observe the dynamics of DNA rings in semidilute ring-linear polymer blends using single molecule techniques. We systematically investigate ring polymer relaxation dynamics from high extension and transient and steady-state stretching dynamics in a planar extensional flow for a series of ring-linear blends with varying ring fraction. Our results show multiple molecular subpopulations for ring relaxation in ring-linear blends, as well as large conformational fluctuations for rings in a steady extensional flow, even long after the initial transient stretching process has subsided. We further quantify the magnitude and characteristic time scales of ring conformational fluctuations as a function of blend composition. Interestingly, we find that the magnitude of ring conformational fluctuations follows a nonmonotonic response with increasing ring fraction, first increasing at low ring fraction and then substantially decreasing at large ring fraction in ring-linear blends. A unique set of ring polymer conformations are observed during the transient stretching process, which highlights the prevalence of molecular individualism and supports the notion of complex intermolecular interactions in ring-linear polymer blends. In particular, our results suggest that transient intermolecular structures form in ring-linear blends due to a combination of direct forces due to linear chains threading through open rings and indirect forces due to hydrodynamic interactions; these combined effects lead to large conformational fluctuations of rings over distributed time scales. Taken together, our results provide a new molecular understanding of ring polymer dynamics in ring-linear blends in the nonequilibrium flow.
LSCo/LSCF Composite Material As Cr-Gettering Materials for Solid Oxide Fuel Cells

Chromium poisoning has been identified as the main cause for degradation when metallic parts are used in SOFC. Early mitigation was focused on protective coatings. Recently, Cr-gettering materials have been explored either in upstream or on-cell applications. In previous work, we have shown LSCF can readily trap Cr volatile species at elevated temperatures. In this work we propose LSCo/LSCF composite as a candidate for on-cell Cr-gettering materials. LSCo will be mixed with base material of LSCF4628 at 10, 20, and 30 v%, because of its high electrical conductivity. Mixed powders will be pressed and sintered as pellets and rods. Sintered rods will be tested for CTE. Measured CTE will be compared with predictions from rule of mixtures. XRD will be used to characterize crystalline phases to assess chemical compatibility. The sintered pellets will also be measured electrical conductivity at 650-900oC in the as-sintered and 1000h aged state. Selected sample microstructures will be characterized by SEM/EDS and EPMA. Bulk strength will also be determined by diametral compression. Finally, candidate LSCo/LSCF4628 will be tested as on-cell in a generic stack test fixture at 800oC for 1000h with Cr volatile species, along with baseline cell. Post-mortem microstructure analysis will be conducted to assess the validity of on-cell gettering.
Eigenschaften des Todd schen Geschlechtes und seiner Verallgemeinerungen

In diesem Kapitel werden die Eigenschaften der speziellen m-Folgen {T j (c 1,...,c j )}, {T j (y; c 1,...,c j )} (vgl. 1.7, 1.8) und der zugehorigen „Geschlechter“ untersucht. Alle auftretenden Mannigfaltigkeiten sind differenzierbar und, falls nichts Gegenteiliges erwahnt wird, kompakt. Das tangentielle GL(n, C)-Bundel einer fast-komplexen M n wird mit θ(M n ) bezeichnet (vgl. 4.6).
Gene therapy and translational cancer research.

The Pathology B and Experimental Therapeutics-2 study sections sponsored a workshop devoted to recent advances in gene therapy and translational research relevant to cancer. The workshop was highlighted by a historical perspective of gene therapy by Dr. Theodore Friedman (University of California,
Some computational challenges in mining social media

People of all walks of life use social media for communications and networking. Their active participation in numerous and diverse online activities continually generates massive amounts of social media data. This undoubtedly “big” data presents new challenges to data mining, including how to select salient features for social media data with varied relations, how to assess user vulnerability, and how to ensure that patterns discovered from social media data are valid when no ground truth is available. We will illustrate the intricacies of social media data, present original social-computing problems, deliberate approaches to mining social media data to gain insight from real-world applications and deepen our understanding, and exploit unique characteristics of social media data in developing novel algorithms and computational tools for social media mining.
Two distinct adhesion mechanisms in embryonic neural retina cells. I. A kinetic analysis.

The reaggregation kinetics of embryonic chick neural retina cells prepared using several different dissociation procedures were monitored through decreases in the small-angle light scattering of aggregating samples. Two distinct modes of aggregation were revealed, one Ca2+ independent, the other Ca2+ dependent, suggesting the existence of two separate adhesion mechanisms. By varying the concentrations of Ca2+ and trypsin in the dissociation medium, we obtained cells which exhibited both, either, or neither mode of aggregation. The Ca2+-independent adhesiveness is active in the absence of proteolysis, is resistant to low levels of trypsin (0.001%), but is readily inactivated at higher trypsin concentrations in either the presence or absence of Ca2+. It is relatively temperature independent. By contrast, the Ca2+-dependent adhesiveness is not detected before exposure of the cells to proteolysis. It is expressed after tryptic proteolysis in the presence of Ca2+ and is then highly temperature dependent. It is resistant to further digestion by trypsin in the continued presence of Ca2+ but is lost when Ca2+ is subsequently removed, apparently through the expression of tryptic cleavage incurred earlier. We suggest that its increased activity may result at least in part from the clustering of surface components into adhesive patches. A provisional model is presented correlating these data.
The supreme intercostal artery includes the last cervical intersegmental artery (C7) - angiographic validation of the intersegmental nomenclature proposed by Dorcas Padget in 1954

In 1954, Dorcas Padget wrote a note that settled the debate over the labeling of the intersegmental arteries (ISAs) and the level of origin of the subclavian artery (SubA), in agreement with earlier observations made by Hochstetter in the rabbit (1890) and Schmeidel in man (1932). In her proposed nomenclature, Padget introduced the name of proatlantal artery and confirmed that the SubA was associated with the sixth ISA rather than the seventh. However, a generally unnoticed consequence of this now widely accepted terminology lays in its incompatibility with the traditional view of the costocervical trunk (CT), regarding in particular the anatomy of the supreme intercostal artery (SIA). If the SubA derives from the sixth cervical ISA (ISA 6), and the CT provides the first and second posterior IAs (ISA 8 and 9), the seventh cervical ISA (ISA 7) then remains unaccounted for. The purpose of this study was to examine Padget's nomenclature in the light of modern angiographic material to identify the missing seventh ISA. Our findings validate the terminology used by Padget, including the addition of a pro-atlantal artery and the identification of the ISA most commonly associated with the SubA as the sixth ISA, but they also emphasize the need to redefine the anatomy of the SIA to incorporate the seventh cervical ISA.
"Freedom herself is very agile, very co-dependent, and a lovely person": The School Identities of High School Aged Youth with Communication Differences

Keywords adolescent identities, speech disabilities, high school structures, facilitated communication, alternative and augmentative communication Abstract Three users of Facilitated Communication, between the ages were observed and interviewed (utilizing methods found in Biklen & Bogdan, 2007, along with their parents and speech pathologist, about their lives, in particular their school lives. The study was concerned with the intersection between disability identity, Facilitated Communication / alternative and augmentative communication usage, and adolescent identities with special focus on how this intersection impacts these students at school. Data was collected and coded utilizing theories both from Nancy Lesko's conceptualization of the construction of adolescence (2001) and Martha Sheridan's work on lifeworld identities (2008).The study reveals how inclusion and exclusion in and out of school impact student attitudes toward school in general and academic work specifically, as well as independence / interdependence / co-dependence issues.
Myths of the Underworld Journey: The Upward Path of Philosophy: The Myth in Plato's Phaedo

INTRODUCTION Socrates' Final Myth of Hades “And that, Echecrates, was the end of our companion, a man, who, among those of his time we knew, was – so we should say – the best, the wisest too, and the most just.” Plato's Phaedo ends with this encomium of Socrates, and the dialogue is an illustration of these claims, portraying Socrates as a hero of philosophy who pursues its ideals up to the final moments of his life. Plato's character of Socrates in the Phaedo , whatever its relation to the actual historical Socrates, provides a model for the philosophic way of living that Plato advocates. The details of his last day of life, especially his conversations with his closest friends, serve as a medium for Plato to outline the nature and importance of what he calls philosophy. Socrates, as he contemplates the fate of his own soul after death, serves as a model for the philosophic life, a life concerned always with the realm of the unseen (τo ιδές). A philosopher to the end, Socrates spends his final hours in philosophic debate with his closest companions, discussing the nature of the soul and attempting to prove its immortality. After engaging in a series of fairly abstract dialectic arguments concerning the nature of the soul, Socrates concludes his arguments with a myth, a narrative describing the fate of the soul after death, as it tries to make its journey to the realm of the dead (“Aιδōυ). How does this myth fit in with the dialectic arguments? Many modern scholarly philosophical treatments of the dialogue simply ignore the final myth, treating it as a kind of optional extra, devoid of serious philosophical content.
Repression of Diaminopimelic Acid Decarboxylase in Escherichia coli: Gene Dosage Effects and Escape Synthesis

Gene dosage and escape synthesis experiments support the hypothesis that diaminopimelate decarboxylase repression by lysine involves a repressor molecule in a negative control system.
Reconsidering propaganda in U.S. public relations history: An analysis of propaganda in the popular press 1810–1918

Abstract Analysis of U.S. press coverage of propaganda indicates that the term propaganda had a largely negative connotation in the nineteenth and early twentieth century. Propaganda’s association with religious, political, and grassroots organizations is identified and discussed. This analysis concludes that Edward Bernays’s assertion that propaganda was a neutral term for PR practice prior to 1918 is inaccurate. Implications for PR historiography are discussed.
Discussion of “Corporate Political Connections and Tax Aggressiveness”

Kim and Zhang (2015) study the relation between corporate political connections and tax aggressiveness. In this discussion, I identify and evaluate three main limitations of their paper: the measurement of political connections, the empirical design, and the possible reasons behind the documented results. I build on these small shortcomings to provide suggestions for further contributions in this area of research.
Musculoskeletal disorders and associated healthcare costs among family members of injured workers

Background Research has infrequently looked beyond the injured worker when gauging the burden of occupational injury. Objectives We explored the relationship between occupational injury and musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) among family members of injured workers. Data and Methods We used 2005 and 2006 Truven Health Analytics databases, which contain information on workers' compensation and family healthcare claims. We used descriptive analyses, and negative binomial and two-part models. Results Family members of severely injured workers had a 15% increase in the total number of MSD outpatient claims and a 34% increase in the mean cost of MSD claims compared to family members of non-severely injured workers within 3 months after injury. Extrapolating cost results to the national level implies that severe occupational injury would be associated with between $29 and $33 million additional cost of family member outpatient MSD claims. Conclusion Occupational injury can impose a formerly unrecognized health burden on family members of injured workers. Am. J. Ind. Med. 58:1205–1216, 2015. Published 2015. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.
Sleeping with the Enemy— Endogenous Superantigens in Humans

We usually think of superantigens (SAg) as dangerous toxins that may cause toxic shock syndrome and death (Marrack and Kappler, 1990). Now, based on two papers in this issue of Immunity, it seems that we all have SAg genes within us, lying dormant and waiting to be activated under special circumstances (Sutkowski et al., 2001; Stauffer et al., 2001).
The temporal regulation of protein synthesis during synchronous bud or mycelium formation in the dimorphic yeast Candida albicans.

Abstract When stationary phase cells of the dimorphic yeast Candida albicans are diluted into fresh medium at 37°C at either pH 4.5 or pH 6.5, they evaginate at exactly the same time and with the same synchrony. However, they then grow in the budding yeast form at the former pH and in the elongate mycelium form at the latter pH. Three phases of protein synthesis are distinguished for cells forming either buds or mycelia: an initial 50-min period (phase I) during which total cell protein remains constant and the rate of incorporation of labeled amino acid into protein is virtually zero; a second period (phase II) during which there is a slow but constant increase in both total cell protein and the rate of incorporation; and a third period (phase III) during which there is a dramatic increase in both total cell protein and the rate of incorporation. The transition from phase I to phase II occurs at the same time for cells forming either buds or mycelia, but the transition from phase II to phase III occurs 20 to 30 min later in the mycelium than in the bud forming population, the same temporal difference observed for phenotypic commitment. The polypeptides synthesized during phases II and III were first analyzed by one-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The patterns are similar for the two phenotypes. The major polypeptides synthesized during phase II are also synthesized during phase III, but in addition, a group of at least four new major polypeptides appear during phase III for both phenotypes. The minor polypeptides synthesized during phase III were also compared between the two phenotypes by two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The patterns, including roughly 200 distinguishable polypeptides, were similar. The similarities in the patterns of protein synthesis and the delay in the onset of phase III in mycelium forming cells are discussed in terms of phenotypic commitment. From these considerations, alternate hypotheses for the regulation of fungal dimorphism, in particular, and cell divergence, in general, are proposed.
MMPI-2 profiles of Gulf and Vietnam combat veterans with chronic posttraumatic stress disorder.

The current study examined service era differences in a sample of 172 Gulf and Vietnam outpatient veterans with combat-related posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Participants completed the MMPI-2 and several additional self-report measures of symptom severity (PTSD, depression, anxiety, hostility, and health complaints). Results indicated that MMPI-2 profiles differed significantly according to service era with Vietnam veterans scoring higher on scales 2, 8, and 0 and lower on scale 9 than did Gulf veterans. Examination of group means derived from parametric analysis of MMPI-2 data suggested a mean two-point code type of 2-8/8-2 for Vietnam veterans and 1-8/8-1 for Gulf veterans. In contrast, when the data were examined using descriptive techniques based on frequency counts of individual MMPI-2 profiles, the most frequently occurring two-point codetype was 7-8/8-7 for Vietnam veterans, and 6-8/8-6 for Gulf veterans. In addition, Gulf veterans reported a greater number of total health complaints than Vietnam veterans, whereas Vietnam veterans reported a greater number of physician-diagnosed physical conditions. Potential advantages of incorporating descriptive approaches versus parametric methods when examining profile data are also presented.
Isoform-specific regulation of the sodium pump by α- and β-adrenergic agonists in the guinea-pig ventricle

1. Guinea-pig ventricle was used in the RNase protection assays to determine which alpha-isoforms of the Na+-K+ pumps are present, and ventricular myocytes were used in whole cell patch clamp studies to investigate the actions of alpha- and beta-adrenergic agonists on Na+-K+ pump current. 2. RNase protection assays showed that two isoforms of the alpha-subunit of the Na+-K+-ATPase are present in guinea-pig ventricle. The mRNA for the alpha1-isoform comprises 82 % of the total pump message, the rest being the alpha2-isoform. 3. We have previously shown that beta-adrenergic agonists affect Na+-K+ pump current (Ip) through a protein kinase A (PKA)-dependent pathway. We now show that these beta-effects are targeted to the alpha1-isoform of the Na+-K+ pumps. 4. We have also previously shown that alpha-adrenergic agonists increase Ip through a protein kinase C (PKC)-dependent pathway. We now show that these alpha-isoform effects are targeted to the alpha2-isoform of the Na+-K+ pumps. 5. These results suggest the effects of adrenergic activation on Na+-K+ pump activity in the heart can be regionally specific, depending on which alpha-isoform of the Na+-K+ pump is expressed.
Deoxyribonucleic acid synthesis by cultured mammalian cells in the presence of orotic acid

Abstract Exogenous orotic acid (0.001 to 0.15 per cent) failed to produce a consistent increase in the rate of DNA synthesis in 6 lines of mammalian cells cultured in a complete medium over a period during which cellular DNA doubled. The continuous presence of the substance was well tolerated by these rapidly multiplying cells, since the highest concentration of the compound reduced, but did not abolish cell division, or DNA synthesis.
SU‐E‐I‐71: KVp Dependence of Transmitted Exposure for a Radiography Unit

Purpose: To investigate the kVp dependence of the transmitted exposure for a radiography x-ray unit. Methods: The study used a GE DiscoveryTM XR656 DR unit, a 30 (L) × 30 (W) × 25 cm thick Lucite phantom, two anthropomorphic phantoms (an Alderson RS-310 chest phantom and a 3M skull phantom), an Unfors detector, and a Radcal 10x9-6 ion chamber. We measured the entrance exposure and transmitted exposure of each phantom at 60, 70, 80, 90, 100, 110, 120 kVp for mAs range from 2.5 to 200 mAs, without any additional filter. The FOV is 30×30 cm for the Lucite and chest phantom (AP view), and 20×20 cm for skull phantom (Lateral view). The transmitted exposure was measured at the phantom center of the x-ray exit side. For chest phantom, the transmitted exposures at 3 inch upper right and upper left from the center were also measured. We also checked the reproducibility and accuracy of the DR unit. Results: For each phantom, at every kVp and mAs setting, the transmitted exposure per mAs was calculated and normalized by the relative entrance exposure; the averaged transmitted exposure per mAs at each specific kVp was then determined. For chest phantom, the mean transmitted exposure per mAs was the average of three exit locations. The averaged transmitted exposure per mAs was fit as a power function of kVp. The result showed the transmitted exposure per mAs was approximately proportional to third power of the kVp for two anthropomorphic phantoms and forth power of the kVp for the Lucite phantom. Conclusion: The traditional assumption of fifth power kVp dependence to the transmitted exposure is inaccurate. At the normal radiography kVp range, the transmitted exposure is approximately proportional to third power of the kVp for a typical patient and up to forth power of the kVp for a large patient.
Eccentric sequences and eccentric sets in graphs

Abstract By a graph we mean a finite undirected connected graph of order p , p ⩾ 2, with no loops or multiple edges. A finite non-decreasing sequence S : s 1 , s 2 , …, s p , p ⩾ 2, of positive integers is an eccentric sequence if there exists a graph G with vertex set V ( G ) = { v 1 , v 2 , …, v p } such that for each i , 1 ⩽ i ⩽ p , s , is the eccentricity of v 1 . A set S is an eccentric set if there exists a graph G such that the eccentricity ρ( v 1 ) is in S for every v 1 ϵ V ( G ), and every element of S is the eccentricity of some vertex in G . In this note we characterize eccentric sets, and we find the minimum order among all graphs whose eccentric set is a given set, to obtain a new necessary condition for a sequence to be eccentric. We also present some properties of graphs having preassigned eccentric sequences.
Genomic deletions and point mutations induced in Saccharomyces cerevisiae by the trinucleotide repeats (GAA·TTC) associated with Friedreich's ataxia.

Abstract Expansion of certain trinucleotide repeats causes several types of human diseases, and such tracts are associated with the formation of deletions and other types of genetic rearrangements in Escherichia coli, yeast, and mammalian cells. Below, we show that long (230 repeats) tracts of the trinucleotide associated with Friedreich's ataxia (GAA·TTC) stimulate both large (>50 bp) deletions and point mutations in a reporter gene located more than 1 kb from the repetitive tract. Sequence analysis of deletion breakpoints indicates that the deletions reflect non-homologous end joining of double-stranded DNA breaks (DSBs) initiated in the tract. The tract-induced point mutations appear to reflect a different mechanism involving single-strand annealing of DNA molecules generated by DSBs within the tract, followed by filling-in of single-stranded gaps by the error-prone DNA polymerase zeta.
Assembly of the bacteriophage T4 helicase: Architecture and stoichiometry of the gp41-gp59 complex

The bacteriophage T4 59 protein (gp59) plays an essential role in recombination and replication by mediating the assembly of the gene 41 helicase (gp41) onto DNA. gp59 is required to displace the gp32 single-stranded binding protein on the lagging strand to expose a site for helicase binding. To gain a better understanding of the mechanism of helicase assembly, the architecture and stoichiometry of the gp41-gp59 complex were investigated. Both the N and C termini of gp41 were found to lie close to or in the gp41-gp41 subunit interface and interact with gp59. The site of interaction of gp41 on gp59 is proximal to Cys-215 of gp59. Binding of gp41 to gp59 stimulates a conformational change in the protein resulting in hexamer formation of gp59, and gp59 likewise stimulates oligomer formation of gp41. The gp59 subunits in this complex are arranged in a head to head orientation, such that Cys-42 of one subunit is in close proximity to Cys-42 on an adjacent subunit, and Cys-215 on one subunit is close to Cys-215 on a neighboring subunit. As the helicase is loaded onto DNA, a conformational change in the gp41-gp59 complex occurs, which may serve to displace gp32 from the lagging strand and load the hexameric helicase in its place.
Bone disease in primary biliary cirrhosis: increased bone resorption and turnover in the absence of osteoporosis or osteomalacia.

The role of vitamin D in hepatic osteodystrophy was examined. Eleven unselected patients with primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) were assessed for disorders of mineral and vitamin D metabolism. Six were not receiving supplementary vitamin D, and five were being treated with oral vitamin D (50,000 IU daily). Serum levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D were normal in all patients receiving oral therapy and in 4 of 6 untreated patients. Levels of serum 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D and 24,25-dihydroxyvitamin D were normal or near normal in all patients. Studies were repeated after 6 months of therapy with parenteral vitamin D2 (100,000 IU i.m. monthly) in 7 patients. Initial bone histomorphometry revealed no evidence of osteomalacia or osteoporosis. However, the bone resorption surface of trabecular bone was increased. This abnormality was no longer present on repeat bone biopsies obtained after parenteral vitamin D therapy, and bone formation had decreased. In addition, trabecular bone volume remained normal in the face of the lower rate of bone formation. Increased bone resorption surface in the absence of osteoporosis or osteomalacia has not been previously described in PBC. Improvement in this bone parameter, associated with the finding of a decrease in the formation of bone and in hydroxyproline excretion in urine after parenteral vitamin D, suggests that increased turnover may be an early feature of the bone disease which complicates PBC and that parenteral vitamin D may retard the rate at which hepatic osteodystrophy develops in chronic cholestatic liver disease.
Measuring, enabling and comparing modularity, regularity and hierarchy in evolutionary design

For computer-automated design systems to scale to complex designs they must be able to produce designs that exhibit the characteristics of modularity, regularity and hierarchy -- characteristics that are found both in man-made and natural designs. Here we claim that these characteristics are enabled by implementing the attributes of combination, control-flow and abstraction in the representation.To support this claim we use an evolutionary algorithm to evolve solutions to different sizes of a table design problem using five different representations, each with different combinations of modularity, regularity and hierarchy enabled and show that the best performance happens when all three of these attributes are enabled.We also define metrics for modularity, regularity and hierarchy in design encodings and demonstrate that high fitness values are achieved with high values of modularity, regularity and hierarchy and that there is a positive correlation between increases in fitness and increases in the measured values of modularity, regularity and hierarchy.
W2, p estimates of the heat equation in Ω⊂ℝn and the restrictions on ∂Ω

This is an alternative approach of finding the W2, p estimates of the heat equation in a domain, Ω⊂ℝn. Methods used in (Acta Math. Sin. 2003; 19(2):381–396) are expanded to the case of a bounded domain. As a result, milder restrictions are applied to ∂Ω than previously required by using the classical singular integral approach. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
AGE AND SEX DIFFERENCES IN THE PERCEPTION OF AUTOKINESIS IN CHILDREN

The present study concerned age changes in the perception of the latency and magnitude of autokinetic movement in children. Ss were 216 children divided equally on the basis of age and sex between the ages of 7, 10, and 13 yr. The children, in groups of three, were required to make judgments of the autokinetic phenomena while seated in a completely darkened room of a small mobile trailer. A green G. E. night light exposed through a YB-in. diameter opening was mounted on a one-way mirror approximately 7 fr. in front of Ss. This autokinetic stimulus was presented for 20 sec. followed by an 11-sec. off period for 15 trials. A masking noise was used throughout the experiment to reduce apparatus noise and Ss' collaboration. Ss in each group were of the same age and sex. Each S reported his magnitude judgments by writing his answer on a lum~nous pad during the time-out period between trials. Ss were instructed to judge the magnitude of movement in terms of inches. E showed each S a ruler with the inches clearly marked prior to the first trial in an attempt partially to standardize the unit of measurement. Ss were also instructed to press a silent telegraph key when they first saw the light appear to move. These responses were recorded on a four-channel Rustrak event recorder from which the latency measures were calculated.