cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Rapid inhibition of rat brain mitochondrial proton F0F1-ATPase activity by estrogens: comparison with Na+, K+ -ATPase of porcine cortex.

Our earlier studies have identified oligomycin sensitivity-conferring protein (OSCP), a subunit of proton F0F1-ATPase/ATP synthase in the mitochondrial inner membranes, as a new estradiol binding protein. This finding suggests that mitochondrial ATPase/ATP synthase could be a potential target for estradiol or compounds with similar structures. Here, we report that estradiol and several other compounds inhibited F0F1-ATPase activity of detergent-solubilized rat brain mitochondrial preparations in a following decreasing order: diethylstilbestrol (half-inhibition concentration, IC50 of 10–25 μM)>α-zearalenol, 4-hydroxyestradiol (IC50 of 55 μM)>2-hydroxyestradiol (IC50 of 110 μM), 17β-estradiol, 17α-estradiol>β-zearalanol>estriol, testosterone, 16α-hydroxyestrone>corticosterone, progesterone, dehydroepiandrosterone, dehydroepiandrosterone 3-sulfate, cholesterol (less than 10% inhibition at 140 μM). On the other hand, Na+, K+-ATPase of porcine cortex showed different sensitivity to the compounds tested above. At 70 μM, the rank of inhibitory potency in decreasing order was as follows: 2-hydroxyestradiol (IC50 of 70 μM)>diethylstilbestrol>4-hydroxyestradiol>progesterone>α-zearalenol, while other compounds had little effect (less than 5%). The data indicate that the ubiquitous mitochondrial F0F1-ATPase is a specific target site for estradiol and related estrogenic compounds; however, under this in vitro condition, the effect seems to require pharmacological concentrations.
Power and Diversity: Sensitizing Yourself and others through Self-Reflection and Storytelling

This article describes a two-part classroom exercise that can be used to increase students' sensitivity to workforce diversity and related issues of power. Through reflections on past experiences, storytelling, and interaction with others, students heighten their awareness of their own and others' experiences with human diversity and begin to develop links between diversity and power dynamics. Lessons about power, the workplace, and self-understanding are discussed.
HEAT BALANCE STUDIES DURING AN ICE-FOG PERIOD IN FAIRBANKS, ALASKA

Abstract Ice fog, which is in a way similar to a dense cirrostratus cloud near the surface, occurs in Fairbanks when the temperature drops below −35°C. The heat balance of two stations, one below the ice fog in the valley and the other one on Birch Hill above the ice fog, are compared for the longest cold spell in winter 1966/67. The valley station shows a relatively small radiative loss of 47 cal cm−2 day−1, as the ice fog shelters the surface against a highly negative long-wave radiation balance. The energy for compensation of this loss comes mostly (25 cal cm−2 day−1) out of the soil. On Birch Hill the radiative loss (124 cal cm−2 day−1) is nearly three times larger, mostly due to the smaller amount of the incoming long-wave radiation, and here the sensible heat flux (102 cal cm−2 day−1) provides most of the energy.
Development of a Cost-Effective Hydrogen Production System for Vehicle Fueling Stations

The need to transition from oil dependency to an alternative transportation fuel has been well documented over the last 30 years. Many alternative energy sources have been researched and developed, but none, to this point, has been able to compete with the cost and versatility of gasoline. The use of hydrogen fuel cells for transportation is one of the concepts being highly supported as a potential environmentally clean alternative energy technology. Significant research and development has dramatically increased the feasibility of this technology, but many additional breakthroughs, including a cost effective supply of hydrogen at fueling stations, will be required for fuel cell vehicles (FCV) to compete with gasoline fueled internal combustion engines (ICE). This paper describes the development of an on-site hydrogen supply system based on steam methane reforming (SMR) that could easily be added to a typical fueling station. The system is not intended to fuel the equivalent of all the cars on the road today, but to provide enough hydrogen for the transition period from gasoline powered transportation to the hydrogen fuel cell. Opportunities exist for a significant reduction in hydrogen cost by introducing advanced design technologies, such as Design for Manufacturing and Assembly (DFMA), to the development of hydrogen production systems. A reformer-based system designed using the DFMA approach is expected to significantly reduce the capital cost by minimizing the overall part count, simplifying the design, and optimizing the assembly process. Praxair, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), is developing a small SMR-based system using this approach. This paper presents an overview of the impact of this approach on the system design as well as the overall cost for small on-site hydrogen production. The paper also provides an analysis of hydrogen fueling station criteria and an overview of issues related to on-board hydrogen vehicle storage.Copyright © 2007 by Praxair Technology, Inc.
Human bronchial epithelial cells synthesize cholesterol sulfate during squamous differentiation in vitro

Epithelial cells of the airways can, under pathological conditions, undergo squamous metaplasia. The accumulation of cholesterol sulfate has recently been described as a new marker for squamous cell differentiation in rabbit tracheal epithelial cells. We now report that normal human bronchial epithelial cells in culture metabolically incorporated [35S]-sulfate and [3H]-mevalonate into material indistinguishable from cholesterol sulfate by the criteria of solubility in organic solvents, behavior on ion-exchange chromatography, susceptibility to solvolysis, and behavior on thin-layer chromatography before and after solvolysis. The accumulation of cholesterol [35S]-sulfate correlated well with squamous cell differentiation (as measured by cross-linked envelope formation), which occurred when the cells reached confluency. The increase in the level of cholesterol sulfate could be inhibited by the inclusion of retinoic acid in the cell-culture medium. The addition of phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate or the presence of high Ca2+ concentration in the medium stimulated the accumulation of cholesterol sulfate. An increased activity of cholesterol sulfotransferase seems to account for the cholesterol sulfate accumulation. The original observation of cholesterol sulfate accumulation during squamous differentiation thus extends across species lines and strengthens the suggestion that the cholesterol sulfate may play an important role in this type of differentiation. Moreover, cholesterol sulfate provides a sensitive biochemical marker to study this pathway of differentiation of human bronchial epithelial cells.
Sample Limited Characterization of a Novel Disulfide-Rich Venom Peptide Toxin from Terebrid Marine Snail Terebra variegata

Disulfide-rich peptide toxins found in the secretions of venomous organisms such as snakes, spiders, scorpions, leeches, and marine snails are highly efficient and effective tools for novel therapeutic drug development. Venom peptide toxins have been used extensively to characterize ion channels in the nervous system and platelet aggregation in haemostatic systems. A significant hurdle in characterizing disulfide-rich peptide toxins from venomous animals is obtaining significant quantities needed for sequence and structural analyses. Presented here is a strategy for the structural characterization of venom peptide toxins from sample limited (4 ng) specimens via direct mass spectrometry sequencing, chemical synthesis and NMR structure elucidation. Using this integrated approach, venom peptide Tv1 from Terebra variegata was discovered. Tv1 displays a unique fold not witnessed in prior snail neuropeptides. The novel structural features found for Tv1 suggest that the terebrid pool of peptide toxins may target different neuronal agents with varying specificities compared to previously characterized snail neuropeptides.
Deep ocean heat content is key to estimating Earth's radiation balance

Despite the fact that average temperatures on land have been increasing from year to year, globally averaged surface temperatures from 2000 to 2010 have shown only moderate warming. This is because sea surface temperatures over the past decade have been flat, if not slightly decreasing. In light of this, scientists are curious about whether this reduced rate of surface warming indicates a reduction of the accumulation of heat in the Earth system over the same period. Palmer et al. used multicentury climate model simulations to study the relationships among decadal trends in top-of-atmosphere radiation balance (which controls the heat content of the Earth system), ocean heat content, and surface temperature. Consistent with previous studies, they found that all models show large variability in sea surface temperature (SST). This large internal variability in SST could easily “mask the anthropogenic warming signal for a decade or more,” the authors note. By contrast, ocean heat content more closely tracks the radiation budget at the top of the atmosphere, suggesting that measurements of ocean heat to deeper levels would help us monitor climate change more accurately. (Geophysical Research Letters, doi:10.1029/2011GL047835, 2011)
Effects of pacing when using material handling manipulators.

Common manipulator-assisted materials handling tasks were performed in a laboratory simulation at self-selected and faster (paced) speeds. The effects of pacing on peak hand forces, torso kinematics, spine moments and forces, and muscle antagonism were determined, along with any influences of several task variables on these effects. The faster trials were performed 20% more rapidly than the self-paced trials. It was found that (a) achieving this level of performance required 10% higher hand forces and 5%-10% higher torso moments, (b) consistent torso postures and motions were used for both speed conditions, and (c) the faster trials resulted in 10% higher spine forces and 15% higher levels of lumbar muscle antagonism. On whole, these results suggest a higher risk of musculoskeletal injury associated with performance of object transfers at faster than self-selected speeds with and without a manipulator. Further analysis provided evidence that the use of manipulators involves higher levels of motor coordina...
Nectar‐feeding bird and bat niches in two worlds: pantropical comparisons of vertebrate pollination systems

Aim We review several aspects of the structure of regional and local assemblages of nectar-feeding birds and bats and their relationships with food plants to determine the extent to which evolutionary convergence has or has not occurred in the New and Old World tropics. Location Our review is pantropical in extent and also includes the subtropics of South Africa and eastern Australia. Within the tropics, it deals mostly with lowland forest habitats. Methods An extensive literature review was conducted to compile data bases on the regional and local species richness of nectar-feeding birds and bats, pollinator sizes, morphology, and diets. Coefficients of variation (CVs) were used to quantify the morphospace occupied by the various families of pollinators. The extent to which plants have become evolutionarily specialized for vertebrate pollination was explored using several criteria: number and diversity of growth forms of plant families providing food for all the considered pollinator families; the most common flower morphologies visited by all the considered pollinator families; and the number of plant families that contain genera with both bird- and bat-specialized species. Results Vertebrate pollinator assemblages in the New World tropics differ from those in the Old World in terms of their greater species richness, the greater morphological diversity of their most specialized taxa, and the greater degree of taxonomic and ecological diversity and morphological specialization of their food plants. Within the Old World tropics, Africa contains more specialized nectarfeeding birds than Asia and Australasia; Old World nectar-feeding bats are everywhere less specialized than their New World counterparts. Main conclusions We propose that two factors ‐ phylogenetic history and spatio-temporal predictability (STP) of flower resources ‐ largely account for hemispheric and regional differences in the structure of vertebrate pollinator assemblages. Greater resource diversity and resource STP in the New World have favoured the radiation of small, hovering nectar-feeding birds and bats into a variety of relatively specialized feeding niches. In contrast, reduced resource diversity and STP in aseasonal parts of Asia as well as in Australasia have favoured the evolution of larger, non-hovering birds and bats with relatively generalized feeding niches. Tropical Africa more closely resembles the Neotropics than Southeast Asia and Australasia in terms of resource STP and in the niche structure of its nectar-feeding birds but not its flower-visiting bats.
Job attitudes and well-being among public vs. private physicians: organizational justice and job control as mediators

Background: The present study examined whether there are differences in job-related attitudes and well-being among physicians working in private sector and public sector. In addition, we examined whether psychosocial factors (organizational justice and job control) could mediate these possible differences in different sectors. Methods: Cross-sectional survey data from the Finnish Health Professional Study was used. A random sample of Finnish physicians included 1522 women and 1047 men aged 25−65 years. Outcome variables were job satisfaction, organizational commitment, psychological distress, work ability and sleeping problems. Job control and organizational justice were measured using established questionnaires. Series of regression analyses were performed and the mediational effects were tested following the procedures outlined by Baron and Kenny. Results: Physicians working in private sector had higher levels of job satisfaction and organizational commitment and lower levels of psychological distress and sleeping problems when compared with physicians working in public sector. Private physicians also had higher levels of organizational justice, which acted as a mediator behind more positive attitudes and better well-being in private sector. Private physicians had higher levels of job control but it did not act as a mediator. Conclusions: Private physicians feel better than public physicians and this is partly due to higher organizational justice in private sector. Public health care organizations should invest effort to increase the fairness in their organizations and management and pay more attention in improving the well-being of their employees, which could possibly increase the attractiveness of public sector as a career option.
Materials Design of All-Cellulose Composite Using Microstructure Based Finite Element Analysis

A microstructure based finite element analysis (FEA) model was developed to predict the effective elastic property of cellulose nanowhisker reinforced all-cellulose composite. Analysis was based on microstructure synthesized with assumption on volume fraction, size and orientation distribution of cellulose nanowhiskers. Simulation results demonstrated some interesting discovery: With the increase of aspect ratio, the effective elastic modulus increase. The elastic property anisotropy increases with the narrowing of nanowhisker orientation distribution and increase of aspect ratio. Simulation results from microstructure based FEA agree well with experimental results, comparing with other homogenization methods: upper bound, lower bound and self consistent models. Capturing the anisotropic elastic property, microstructure based FEA demonstrated the capability in guiding microstructure tailor to improve effective properties.
Effect of Cyclodextrin Structure upon Interaction of Cyclodextrin with Different Lipids Incorporated into Model Membrane Vesicles

We have used methyl-beta- cyclodextrin (MbCD) to exchange membrane lipids between different vesicles in order to prepare model membrane vesicles with lipid asymmetry. To determine how to improve the efficiency of this method, the binding of lipids to various cyclodextrins (CDs) was investigated. The decrease in light scattering of multilamellar vesicles and the change in Forster resonance energy transfer (FRET) of labeled lipids incorporated into small unilamellar vesicles comprised primarily of unlabeled lipids were used to detect when vesicles are dissolved by binding of lipids to CD. A different FRET assay was used to detect when CDs catalyzed lipid exchange under conditions that vesicles do not dissolve. The effects of CD ring size (6, 7 or 8 sugar rings), substituants (hydroxy propyl, methyl, carboxymethyl and sulfate) and CD concentration were examined. It was found that while MbCD has the ability to dissolve lipid vesicles, most other CDs do not, although they are able to exchange lipids between vesicles. At lower MbCD concentrations, even MbCD loses the ability to dissolve vesicles, it retains the ability to exchange lipids. For MbCD, the concentration needed to dissolve about half of the vesicles was not strongly affected by lipid headgroup or acyl chain saturation, although there seemed to be some effect of acyl chain length.
Pollen presentation and pollination syndromes, with special reference to Penstemon.

Pollen presentation theory (PPT) allows for a re-examination of some classic themes in pollination biology. Here, we outline its implications in the context of bee- and birdadapted species of Penstemon and Keckiella (Scrophulariaceae). PPT models the optimal schedule of pollen presentation, based on the frequency of visits by pollinators, and the capacities of those pollinators to remove and deposit pollen. High visitation rates, high removal and low deposition all favor plants that present pollen in many small doses. Dosing is achieved through gradual opening of anthers and through anthers opening only narrowly. We hypothesize that bees have higher rates of removal and lower rates of deposition than birds; therefore, bee-pollinated species should have anthers that open more gradually and less completely than bird-pollinated species. Before presenting preliminary results that affirm this prediction, we critically discuss the characterization of species by pollination syndrome. PPT sheds new light on why plants may specialize on particular pollinators. Stebbins’ most effective pollinator can be recast as the pollinator that deposits more of the pollen that it removes, thereby making other visitors into conditional parasites. Pollinator shifts might occur when a pollinator with low removal and high deposition becomes abundant; the plants would then be selected to discourage their previous pollinators who are now parasites. Bird-pollination may favor anthers that open quickly and widely, thereby making bees wasteful parasites. Bee-pollination may favor anthers that open slowly and narrowly, thereby making birds ineffective pollinators. In paired comparisons of closely related species, the hummingbird-visited species were redder, had narrower or longer floral tubes, more exserted anthers and stigmas, less pronounced landing platforms, more inclined orientation, produced more nectar of a lower concentration, and had anthers that dehisce faster and more extensively.
Emergency management international: improving national and international disaster preparedness and response

Since 1998, the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has been responsible for managing activities of the Civil Military Emergency Preparedness (CMEP) programme, in Europe and Central Asia. CMEP supports international partner nations' national and regional strategies related to disaster preparedness and consequence management for all hazards including the development and exercise of national and regional plans. The use of available technologies including the internet, remote sensing and Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and reliable civil-military planning processes, are key programme components. More than 55 seminars, workshops and Table Top Exercises (TTXs) have occurred since the programme's inception. In 2005, USACE developed Emergency Management International (EMI), a programme designed to provide CMEP – and a broader range of USACE expertise – globally. This paper explains these programmes and provides a review of their evolution and the services offered. We examine the necessary conditions for effective disaster planning, preparedness and response for large disasters requiring national and international coordination and cooperation and examples of techniques used and outcomes of CMEP activities. The paper concludes with a discussion of a proposed approach to addressing all hazards responses for oil-related disasters in Africa.
Noninvasive estimation of three-dimensional cardiac electrical activities from body surface potential maps

A noninvasive three-dimensional (3D) cardiac electrical imaging (3DCEI) approach, which can estimate the location of the initiation site (IS) of activation and the resultant 3D activation sequence (AS) from body surface potential maps (BSPMs), was validated in an intact large mammalian model (swine) during acute ventricular pacing. Body surface potential mapping and intracavitary noncontact mapping (NCM) were performed simultaneously during pacing from both right ventricular (RV) sites (intramural) and left ventricular (LV) sites (endocardial). Subsequent 3DCEI analyses were performed on the measured BSPMs. In total, 5 RV and 5 LV sites from control and heart failure animals were paced. The averaged localization error of the RV and LV sites were 7.0±1.1 mm and 6.6±1.9 mm, respectively. The endocardial ASs as a subset of the estimated 3D ASs by 3DCEI were consistent with those reconstructed from the NCM system. The present experimental results demonstrate that the noninvasive 3DCEI approach can localize the initiation site and estimate cardiac activation sequence with good accuracy in an in vivo setting, under control, paced and/or diseased conditions.
Galanin receptor 1 deletion exacerbates hippocampal neuronal loss after systemic kainate administration in mice.

Background Galanin is a neuropeptide with a wide distribution in the central and peripheral nervous systems and whose physiological effects are mediated through three G protein-coupled receptor subtypes, GalR1, GalR2, and GalR3. Several lines of evidence indicate that galanin, as well as activation of the GalR1 receptor, is a potent and effective modulator of neuronal excitability in the hippocampus.
Human papillomavirus in the oral cavities of children and adolescents.

Objective. The purpose of this pilot study was to determine the frequency of human papillomavirus (HPV) in the oral cavities of children and adolescents and to identify potential risk factors for HPV infection. Study design. Sociodemographic information was obtained on 268 healthy infants, children, and adolescents who were ≤20 years old. Oral squamous cells were collected from swabs with young children and from oral saline solution rinses with older children and adolescents. Extracted DNA was evaluated for HPV by polymerase chain reaction, dot blot hybridization, and DNA sequencing. Factors associated with the presence of HPV were tested by using χ2, Fisher’s exact test, and logistic regression tests. Results. HPV was detected in 6.0% of the participants. HPV frequency among young children (<7 years old) was 8.7% (11/127), and among adolescents (13-20 years old) it was 5.2% (5/97). HPV was not detected in children aged 7 to 12 years old (0/44). Fifty-four percent (6/11) of HPV-positive children were 1 year of age or less; 3 of the HPV-positive children (<7 years old) were delivered by cesarean section. No statistically significant association was found between the detection of HPV in the oral cavity and method of delivery or gender; parent’s race, education, HPV-related conditions, smoking history, or number of sex partners; or adolescent’s smoking history or history of sexual activity. Conclusions. This study suggests that HPV is present in the oral cavity primarily in children 2 years old and younger and in adolescents 13 years and older. Cesarean delivery was not protective against oral HPV infection; in fact, half of the HPV-positive infants were born by cesarean delivery. (Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol Endod 2001;91:62-9)
Promoting Self-Efficacy in Patient-Centered Audiologic Rehabilitation for Adults with Hearing Loss

Self-efficacy is defined as an individual's judgments of their capabilities to perform certain skills necessary to attain a desired outcome or behavior (Bandura, 1986). There is a vast literature across a large range of health conditions that highlights the importance of self-efficacy in the management of chronic health conditions including behaviors related to managing hearing loss and tinnitus (Smith & West, 2006a). The main findings from these studies indicate that patients with higher self-efficacy for managing their chronic health condition tend to be more adherent to treatment plans and have better outcomes than patients with lower self-efficacy. This paper reviews self-efficacy theory and how self-efficacy can be applied to audiologic rehabilitation interventions. Emerging evidence showing that self-efficacy is an essential factor to consider in audiologic rehabilitation for adults is summarized. The way in which individuals formulate self-efficacy beliefs is described and the techniques clinicians...
Compact, multi band plasmonic resonator antenna

A dual band microstrip plasmonic resonator antenna has been designed using a SRR and a feed line that also functions as a monopole antenna. This is the new aspect of the antenna design. The feed line is placed adjacent to the SRR, so that there is sufficient coupling to excite the plasmonic resonance and at the same time the line can radiate as an independent monopole antenna. The antenna has two operating frequencies at 7.2 GHz and 10.4 GHz. 7.2 GHz is the same as that calculated for a monopole antenna of the same length and 10.4 GHz is same as the resonance frequency of the SRR. Thus, the monopole antenna and SRR radiate independently at their respective frequencies. Each operating frequency has a similar omnidirectional radiation pattern, maximum gain and radiation efficiency. We can design a multiband antenna by adding different size SRRs or by designing other geometries that have multiple plasmonic resonances. If the resonance frequencies are designed to be close, a wideband antenna also can be realized. The big advantage of this design is its simplicity. No matching network was required at the each operating frequency. This antenna can be applied to a multiband wireless communication system due to its small size and low fabrication cost. We are currently implementing the design and experimental data will be shown for comparison with the design data.
Ontology, methodology, and causation in the American school of international political economy

ABSTRACT This paper explores disjunctures between ontology and methodology in the American school to better understand both the limits of this approach and ways we can counter its blind spots. Tierney and Maliniak's TRIP data point to a strong elective affinity between, on the one hand, rationalist/liberal ontological assumptions and quantitative methodologies, and on the other, constructivist assumptions and qualitative methodologies. This affinity is neither natural nor obvious, as is discussed. It also raises deeper issues for the field about the nature of causation. As a variety of philosophers of science have insisted, we need to do much better in thinking about the relationship between our underlying notions of causation and the methodological tools that we employ. By so doing, we will not only be able to better build social-scientific knowledge, but also better help bridge the empirical-normative gap that Cohen identifies. More broadly, the paper suggests that by combining a more thoughtful approac...
Methodological issues in economic evaluation of early intervention programs

The application of various techniques of economic evaluation to early intervention has attracted considerable attention from policy makers, practitioners, and researchers interested in programs that seek to improve the development of infant and young children. Economic evaluation has made some outstanding contributions to our knowledge of early intervention. However, there is also some confusion regarding the goals, limitations, and methods of economic evaluation, resulting in errors in the conduct and interpretation of economic studies. This paper seeks to reduce this confusion by providing an overview of economic evaluation and reviewing three of the best-known examples. It is hoped that researchers will use the information presented here to improve economic evaluations through review and criticism and to design research on early intervention practice and efficacy that will improve the basic data on which economic evaluations rely.
Graphite Electrode as a Sole Electron Donor for Reductive Dechlorination of Tetrachlorethene by Geobacter Lovleyi

The possibility that graphite electrodes can serve as the direct electron donor for microbially catalyzed reductive dechlorination was investigated with Geobacter lovleyi. In an initial evaluation of whether G. lovleyi could interact electronically with graphite electrodes, cells were provided with acetate as the electron donor and an electrode as the sole electron acceptor. Current was produced at levels that were ca. 10-fold lower than those previously reported for Geobacter sulfurreducens under similar conditions, and G. lovleyi anode biofilms were correspondingly thinner. When an electrode poised at −300 mV (versus a standard hydrogen electrode) was provided as the electron donor, G. lovleyi effectively reduced fumarate to succinate. The stoichiometry of electrons consumed to succinate produced was 2:1, the ratio expected if the electrode served as the sole electron donor for fumarate reduction. G. lovleyi effectively reduced tetrachloroethene (PCE) to cis-dichloroethene with a poised electrode as the sole electron donor at rates comparable to those obtained when acetate serves as the electron donor. Cells were less abundant on the electrodes when the electrodes served as an electron donor than when they served as an electron acceptor. PCE was not reduced in controls without cells or when the current supply to cells was interrupted. These results demonstrate that G. lovleyi can use a poised electrode as a direct electron donor for reductive dechlorination of PCE. The ability to colocalize dechlorinating microorganisms with electrodes has several potential advantages for bioremediation of subsurface chlorinated contaminants, especially in source zones where electron donor delivery is challenging and often limits dechlorination.
Features that may predict hospital admission following outpatient therapeutic ERCP

Background: Some patients are admitted following outpatient therapeutic ERCP because of adverse events. This study aimed to identify factors that may predict such admissions. Methods: We prospectively studied admissions for post-ERCP adverse events in 415 consecutive patients undergoing outpatient therapeutic ERCP. Potentially relevant predictors of admission were assessed by univariate analysis and in case of significance included in a multivariate analysis. Results: Admission was necessary in 41 patients (9.9%) because of complications and in 63 (15.2%) for observation of adverse events that did not progress to definable complications. Potential predictors of admission were evaluated comparing patients who required more than an overnight admission (n = 63) with those who did not (n = 352). Multivariate analysis identified three factors that were significant: pain during the procedure (odds ratio 3.8: 95% CI [1.8, 7.9]), history of pancreatitis (odds ratio 2.3: 95% CI [1.1, 4.7]) and performance of sphincterotomy (odds ratio 2.2: 95% CI [1.1, 4.3]). The presence of all these features was associated with a 66.7% likelihood of admission, whereas the absence of pain during the procedure, history of pancreatitis and performance of sphincterotomy made admission likely in only 11.0%, 9.8% and 10.7%, respectively, of the cases. Conclusions: The occurrence of pain during the procedure, a history of pancreatitis and the performance of sphincterotomy were independent predictors of admission following outpatient therapeutic ERCP. (Gastrointest Endosc 1999;49:587-92.)
Diversity and censoring of landscape phage libraries.

Libraries of random peptides displayed on the surface of filamentous phages are a valuable source for biospecific ligands. However, their successful use can be hindered by a disproportionate representation of different phage clones and fluctuation of their composition that arises during phage reproduction, which have potential to affect efficiency of selection of clones with an optimal binding. Therefore, there is a need to develop phage display libraries with extended and varied repertoires of displayed peptides. In this work, we compared the complexity, evolution and representation of two phage display libraries displaying foreign octamers and nonamers in 4000 copies as the N-terminal part of the major coat protein pVIII of phage fd–tet (landscape libraries). They were obtained by replacement of amino acids 2–4 and 2–5 of pVIII with random octa- and nonamers, respectively. Statistical analysis of the libraries revealed their dramatic censoring and evolution during amplification. Further, a survey of both libraries for clones that bind common selectors revealed the presence of different non-overlapping families of target-specific clones in each library justifying the concept that different landscape libraries cover different areas of a sequence space.
Efficient inverse kinematics for serial connections of serial and parallel manipulators

This paper presents a unified and efficient method of solving the inverse kinematics for six degree-of-freedom serial connections of two three degree-of-freedom serial and parallel manipulators. Based on the kinematic analysis of three degree-of-freedom serial and parallel manipulators, the forward kinematics are formulated for six degree-of-freedom serial connections, including parallel-parallel, serial-parallel, parallel-serial, and serial-serial types. A unified method of solving the inverse kinematics for the serial connections is established: for a given task velocity, the inverse kinematics of two arms are obtained separately, thereby significantly reducing a computational cost. This is made possible by projecting a given velocity onto the infeasible velocity space of one arm independently. Through computational analysis, the proposed method is shown to be effective for the serial connections having at least one parallel manipulator.
Modeling and Role-Modeling Theory: A Case Study of Holistic Care

To provide holistic care, nurses must attempt to view the world through the clients' eyes. The Theory of Modeling and Role-Modeling (Erickson, Tomlin, & Swain, 1983) enables nurses to care for and nurture each client with an awareness of and respect for the individual's uniqueness. This type of care giving exemplifies theory-based clinical practice that focuses on the clients' needs. Care is offered that recognizes that clients have the knowledge and ability to understand what has made them sick, as well as what will make them well. The authors explore the experiences of a young woman with diabetes mellitus and demonstrate how nursing care based on the Theory of Modeling and Role-Modeling enabled the client to recognize and develop strengths and empowered her to begin the healing process.
More powerful Engle–Granger cointegration tests

The residual-based cointegration test suggested by Engle and Granger ([Co-integration and error correction: representation, estimation, and testing. Econometrica. 1987;55(2):251–276]; EG) have been used widely in the literature. This pioneering EG test is quite intuitive and easy to implement. However, despite popularity, the power property of the EG test has been be an issue. In particular, the EG test imposes implicitly the so-called common factor restriction, which can lead to significant loss of power when the signal-to-noise ratio increases. In this paper, we consider a simple modification procedure. The proposed modification is shown to improve drastically the power properties of the EG test. In contrast to the conventional EG test, the power in the modified test improves (rather than decreases) significantly as the signal-to-noise ratio increases.
Economic Analysis of Genetically Modified Mosquito Strategies

Abstract Dengue is currently the most important mosquito-borne viral disease globally. The incidence of dengue has increased substantially over recent decades, with about half of the world’s population now at risk of infection. Vector control is currently the main strategy to reduce dengue virus transmission; however, vector control has not halted the spread of Aedes aegypti, the main dengue vector, and of dengue outbreaks. Promising new vector control technologies could potentially save billions of dollars annually in averted medical costs, productivity losses, and premature deaths. While still under development, genetically modified (GM) sterile insect methods are a potentially promising approach to control dengue. GM mosquitoes have been developed with the goal of producing offspring that die in the early developmental stage, and reducing the mosquito population below the dengue transmission threshold. Here, we present a framework and the main components of an economic analysis to assess GM mosquito technologies. Combining data from various dengue-endemic countries, we generate a mathematical model of costs and benefits and calibrated it with available evidence. We discuss the main assumptions, results, and caveats around these estimates.
Mesozoic Radiolaria from the Atlantic Basin and its Borderlands

Abstract Mesozoic Radiolaria, primarily from Deep Sea Drilling cores, are surveyed. Maps indicate localities, ages, and usefulness of the occurrence. The new Amphipyndax tylotus Zone is defined and the next lower Amphipyndax enesseffi Zone is emended.
18F-FDG PET/CT and PET/MRI Perform Equally Well in Cancer: Evidence from Studies on More Than 2,300 Patients

(18)F-FDG PET/CT has become the reference standard in oncologic imaging against which the performance of other imaging modalities is measured. The promise of PET/MRI includes multiparametric imaging to further improve diagnosis and phenotyping of cancer. Rather than focusing on these capabilities, many investigators have examined whether (18)F-FDG PET combined with mostly anatomic MRI improves cancer staging and restaging. After a description of PET/MRI scanner designs and a discussion of technical and operational issues, we review the available literature to determine whether cancer assessments are improved with PET/MRI. The available data show that PET/MRI is feasible and performs as well as PET/CT in most types of cancer. Diagnostic advantages may be achievable in prostate cancer and in bone metastases, whereas disadvantages exist in lung nodule assessments. We conclude that (18)F-FDG PET/MRI and PET/CT provide comparable diagnostic information when MRI is used simply to provide the anatomic framework. Thus, PET/MRI could be used in lieu of PET/CT if this approach becomes economically viable and if reasonable workflows can be established. Future studies should explore the multiparametric potential of MRI.
Librarianship presence in virtual worlds

Librarianship has stereotypically been about books, communities, and the connection between the two. With the emergence of new media and technology, the concept of books has expanded to include information of all types and in multiple formats: eBooks, DVDs, videogames, electronic databases, et cetera. Meanwhile, the idea of community has stayed the same. For example, public libraries primarily serve communities defined by geographic lines; academic libraries serve their campus communities. In non-profit, medical or corporate libraries, communities are defined by their organization’s particular mission. However, now that virtual worlds are becoming mainstream, librarians are redefining community, just as they redefined books. With the emergence of virtual worlds, librarians are encountering virtual patrons, and communities defined by virtual lines that defy physical boundaries. This chapter discusses the librarians and organizations that are moving librarianship into virtual communities, as well as the first library initiatives in online worlds. DOI: 10.4018/978-1-60960-762-3.ch020
Computer-assisted bladder cancer grading: α-shapes for color space decomposition

According to American Cancer Society, around 74,000 new cases of bladder cancer are expected during 2015 in the US. To facilitate the bladder cancer diagnosis, we present an automatic method to differentiate carcinoma in situ (CIS) from normal/reactive cases that will work on hematoxylin and eosin (H and E) stained images of bladder. The method automatically determines the color deconvolution matrix by utilizing the α-shapes of the color distribution in the RGB color space. Then, variations in the boundary of transitional epithelium are quantified, and sizes of nuclei in the transitional epithelium are measured. We also approximate the “nuclear to cytoplasmic ratio” by computing the ratio of the average shortest distance between transitional epithelium and nuclei to average nuclei size. Nuclei homogeneity is measured by computing the kurtosis of the nuclei size histogram. The results show that 30 out of 34 (88.2%) images were correctly classified by the proposed method, indicating that these novel features are viable markers to differentiate CIS from normal/reactive bladder.
Comparison of Structural Features of Humins Formed Catalytically from Glucose, Fructose, and 5-Hydroxymethylfurfuraldehyde

The IR spectra of humins formed during the acid-catalyzed conversion of glucose, fructose, and 5-hydroxymethylfurfuraldehyde were compared. The spectra are quite similar except for three groups of features that can be attributed to furan rings and carbonyl groups conjugated with carbon–carbon double bonds. IR spectroscopy further revealed that benzyl groups could be added to the humins as they formed or in a separate aldol addition/condensation reaction after they had been recovered. The IR spectra are consistent with a model where each of the three reactants must first be converted to 2,5-dioxo-6-hydroxyhexanal (DHH) before humins can form via subsequent aldol addition and condensation. The differences in the IR spectral features can then be explained by variations in the concentrations of other aldehydes and ketones that can react with DHH.
Neuroimaging the brain-gut axis in patients with irritable bowel syndrome

CONCLUSION: The field of neuroimaging can provide insight into underlying physiological differences that distinguish patients with IBS from a healthy population.
Politically Controlled Speech Shackles Leadership

Leadership remains, as it always has, basically concerned with communications (Bennis and Nanus 1985). A key leader role is in transferring values, information, facts, opinions, ideas, and their meanings. Leaders are symbol users, whether it is words, songs, diagrams, pictures, artifacts, speech, or something else. Leaders communicate meaning to their work community coworkers mostly via persuasion, not orders, instructions, or policy statements. The days when any leader could order employees to do the work and it got done are over if, indeed, this ever were the case. The interior world of the work community today is one of interdependence, not dependence; of uncertainty, not order; of negotiation, not fiat, of persuasion, not command. This kind of a world demands leaders who can motivate others, who can influence them to act, and to sway their opinions without resort to traditional authoritarian force, punishment, or compulsion (Gareau 1999). They appeal to stakeholders at the character-defining level of spirit. Persuasion, as a form of communication, is different from other forms. It implies equality, caring, and respect for the ideas and logic of the other person. It relies on the relatively bias-free use of language in logical argument. The act of leading asks leaders to communicate to change their coworker’s values, their knowledge base, their logic and, thus, their behavior to conform to the leader’s objectives. This task is made immeasurably more difficult by the current pressure to control and constrain language via politically correct speech.
Phenomenology of the Self

The things we experience present themselves as identities within manifolds of appearance. Our own self, our “ego,” also establishes and presents itself to us as an identity in a manifold of appearances, but the manifold in which we are presented to ourselves is different from those in which things are presented. We never show up to ourselves in the world as just one more thing; we stand out, each of us, as central, as the agents of our intentional life, as the one who has the world and the things in it given to him. Our power of disclosure, our being the dative of manifestation for things that appear, introduces us into the life of reason and the human way of being. THE EMPIRICAL AND THE TRANSCENDENTAL EGO There is a marvelous ambiguity to the ego: on the one hand, it is an ordinary part of the world, one of the many things that inhabit it. It occupies space, endures through time, has physical and psychic features, and interacts causally with other things in the world: if it falls, it falls like any other body; if it is pushed, it topples over like any other thing; if it is treated with chemicals, it reacts like any living organism; if light rays hit its visual organs, it reacts electronically, chemically, and psychologically. “I” am a material, organic, and psychological thing. If we were to take the self simply as one of the things in the world, we would be treating it as what can be called the empirical ego .
Copula Models for Wireless Fading and their Impact on Wireless Diversity Combining

Copulas are multivariate joint distributions of random variables with uniform marginal distributions. They have become increasingly important in statistical models in which the dependence structures cannot be simply described in terms of the classical Pearson correlation coefficient. In contrast to normal- copula fading, more general models can describe asymmetric and other nonlinear tail dependence. We introduce the concept of copula modeling to multivariate fading distribution theory. We use the Clayton copula to illustrate new fading dependence structures, still with Rayleigh or Nakagami marginals, that have strong dependence for small values. Not surprisingly, this results in a loss in performance as compared to classical fading models, even though both have the same correlation coefficient. Since most correlated fading models beyond the Rayleigh-Rice are presented without strong physical models, this suggests that wider class models are important. Copula-based models are the most general statistical models of multivariate data, and they are uniquely defined for any continuous multivariate random variable.