cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
World Health Organization High Priority Pathogens: Ophthalmic Disease Findings and Vision Health Perspectives

Recent Ebola epidemics, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and emerging infectious disease threats have highlighted the importance of global infectious diseases and responses to public health emergencies. Ophthalmologists are essential health care workers who provide urgent and emergent vision care services during outbreaks and address the ocular consequences of epidemic and pandemic infectious diseases. In 2017, the World Health Organization (WHO) identified high priority pathogens likely to cause a future epidemic with the goal of guiding research and development to improve diagnostic tests, vaccines, and medicines. These measures were necessary to better inform and respond to public health emergencies. Given the ocular complications associated with emerging infectious diseases, there is a need to recognize the ophthalmic sequelae for future vision health preparedness for potential future outbreaks. The WHO High Priority pathogens list provides a roadmap for ophthalmologists and subspecialty providers that will guide strategic areas of research for clinical care and preparedness for future pandemic threats. This review summarizes these key viral pathogens, summarizes major systemic disease findings, and delineates relevant ocular complications of the WHO High Priority pathogens list, including Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, Filovirus diseases (Ebola virus disease and Marburg hemorrhagic fever), human Coronaviruses, Lassa Fever, Nipah virus infection, Zika, and Rift Valley fever.
Perceived discrimination and blood pressure in individuals aging with traumatic brain injury.

Purpose/Objective: Older adults with a history of traumatic brain injury (TBI) remain an understudied population, resulting in a paucity of geriatric-specific guidelines. Given an increased vascular risk among older adults with TBI, we aimed to examine distal predictors of vascular health in this population. Specifically, we sought to compare levels of perceived discrimination in Black and White older adults with a history of complicated mild, moderate, or severe TBI, and to examine the relationship between levels of discrimination and pulse pressure, a measure of vascular health. Research Method/Design: Self-report measures of everyday discrimination (ED) and major experiences of discrimination (MED) were completed by 106 individuals aging with TBI (27 identified as Black, 79 identified as White). Resting blood pressure was collected during the assessment. Results: MED, but not ED, was significantly higher among Black individuals versus White individuals aging with TBI. Greater MED was significantly associated with higher pulse pressure independent of race and antihypertensive medication status. There was a marginally significant race by MED interaction, where the association between MED and pulse pressure was observed in Black individuals but not White individuals. Injury severity was not associated with pulse pressure, nor were there significant severity by discrimination interactions on pulse pressure. Conclusions/Implications: Discrimination, which may arise from multiple sources of bias (e.g., related to race, disability), is associated with vascular burden. These findings suggest that patients' experiences of discrimination should be addressed as a factor that contributes to health and well-being in brain injury rehabilitation. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).
Convict criminology for the future

The authors of Convict Criminology for the Future have built and expanded on work begun in Convict Criminology (Ross and Richards, 2003).1 The book results from the increased international interest...
The mirror and obesity: A systematic review on the effects of mirror exposure on behaviour and obese individuals.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES To review the literature regarding the effects of mirror exposure on behaviour and obese patients. The review explored how mirror exposure influences behaviour in obese patients in terms of activity level, psychology and eating habits. BACKGROUND Obesity is a major epidemic that affects people worldwide but is more predominant in the Western world. Many health issues are directly linked to obesity, and current therapies have failed to provide a sustainable resolution to this problem. Mirror exposure has been used in eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia and binge eating; however, there exists a gap in the use of mirrors in obese patients. The literature review focuses on the effects of mirror exposure on behaviour and obese patients. METHOD A literature review of articles published between 2006 and 2020 related to mirror exposure in obese patients and the related effects. RESULTS Literature that explicitly discussed mirror exposure in obese patients was included; five research articles were reviewed. CONCLUSIONS Mirror exposure can influence behaviour modification in obese patients. Therefore, the use of mirrors should be considered as an adjunct therapy in this group of patients. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE Mirror exposure can positively alter behaviour in obese patients and can be used as an intervention in clinical practice to assist in weight loss and improve health outcomes.
Development and Performance of an Iron Oxide/Phosphate Reactive Barrier for the Remediation of Uranium-Contaminated Groundwater

Publisher Summary This chapter reports on the laboratory and field testing of engineered solid mixtures for use with deep aquifer remediation tool (DART) technology for the removal of groundwater metal contamination resulting from mining and ore processing. In laboratory testing mixtures of pelletized bone charcoal (bone char apatite) and hematite pellets coated with amorphous iron oxide are studied in various ratios in both batch and column experiments, to evaluate the effectiveness of the mixture in removing uranium from groundwater. The variables include phosphate levels in solution and on the iron oxide surface, pellet ratios, and aging of the solids. Laboratory batch experiments indicate phosphorus adsorption by the iron oxide pellets, but there is no apparent increase in uranium removal in mixtures compared to bone char pellets alone. In contrast, column experiments show greater uranium removal by the mixture of materials, possibly as a result of longer aging times and/or higher adsorbed phosphorus concentrations. No evidence of autonite formation is also found. Field tests using DART deployment technology also compares various pellet ratios and includes shallow DART deployment in an unpumped well array in Fry Canyon, Utah, the site of an abandoned uranium upgrader operation, and deep DART emplacement 146 m below land surface during active mining at the Christensen Ranch in situ uranium mine in northeastern Wyoming. An additional field test at Fry Canyon also includes DART testing with zerovalent iron. This study demonstrates that DARTs can effectively remove contaminants. Both laboratory column and the Fry Canyon field results suggest that a mixture of materials can be more effective at contaminant removal than a single reactive barrier material, although efficiencies of removal in the field tests could not be determined accurately due to a lack of knowledge of the input fluxes of U(VI) to the DARTs.
Digital communications: a view from the laboratory

A description is given of the curriculum and laboratory development in the area of digital communications undertaken at Purdue University in the Department of Electrical Engineering Technology. The communications curriculum includes a fundamental course in analog communications, a digital communications course focusing on the recent changes in telecommunications, and a local area networks course focusing on computer communications, especially those related to industrial applications. The curriculum development includes extensive and on-going laboratory development to support the new technologies. Specific details of the laboratory projects and the method by which the laboratory was developed and funded are discussed. >
Diagnosis Made Easier: Principles and Techniques for Mental Health Clinicians

Introduction. Part I: The Basics of Diagnosis. The Road to Diagnosis. Getting Started with the Roadmap. The Diagnostic Method. Putting It Together. Coping with Uncertainty. Multiple Diagnoses. Checking Up. Part II: The Building Blocks of Diagnosis. Understanding the Whole Patient. Physical Illness and Mental Diagnosis. Diagnosis and the Mental Status Examination. Part III: Applying the Diagnostic Techniques. Diagnosing Depression and Mania. Diagnosing Anxiety and Fear. Diagnosing Psychosis. Diagnosing Problems of Memory and Thinking. Diagnosing Substance Misuse and Other Addictions. Diagnosing Personality and Relationship Problems. Beyond Diagnosis: Compliance, Suicide, Violence. Patients, Patients. Appendix: Diagnostic Principles.
Scalable Concurrency Control and Recovery for Shared Storage Arrays

Abstract : Shared storage arrays enable thousands of storage devices to be shared and directly accessed by end hosts over switched system area networks, promising databases and file systems highly scalable, reliable storage. In such systems, however; concurrent host I/Os can span multiple shared devices and access overlapping ranges potentially leading to inconsistencies for redundancy codes and for data read by end hosts. In order to enable existing applications to run unmodified and simplify the development of future ones, we desire a shared storage array to provide the illusion of a single controller without the scalability bottleneck and single point of failure of an actual single controller. In this paper; we show how rapidly increasing storage device intelligence coupled with storage's special characteristics can be successfully exploited to arrive at a high performance solution to this storage management problem. In particular; we examine four concurrency control schemes and specialize them to shared storage arrays; two centralized ones: simple server locking, and server locking with leased callbacks; and two distributed ones based on device participation: distributed locking using storage device embedded lock servers and timestamp ordering using loosely synchronized clocks. Simulation results show that both centralized locking schemes suffer from scalability limitations. Moreover; callback locking is particularly suspect if applications do not have much inherent locality and if the storage system introduces false sharing. Distributed concurrency control with device support is attractive as it scales control capacity with storage and performance capacity and offers the opportunity to piggyback lock/ordering messages on operation requests, eliminating message latency costs. Simulations show that both storage optimized device based protocols exhibit close to ideal scaling achieving 90-95% of the throughput possible under totally unprotected operation.
Comparative welfare state impacts on work quality and job satisfaction: A cross‐national analysis

Purpose – The vast cross‐disciplinary literature exploring work quality and job satisfaction has linked worker experiences to many individual, organizational, and social outcomes, yet this research has largely failed to shed much light on why cross‐national differences in worker satisfaction and its determinants persist over time. The purpose of this paper to: empirically test (using various bivariate descriptive procedures and comparative OLS regression) significant, cross‐national differences in job satisfaction and its determinants; and explore the reasons for these cross‐national differences, moving beyond the research of social psychologists and organizational behavior researchers, to also include import macro cross‐national factors that directly influence these differences.Design/methodology/approach – In this research, the author applies and extends Handel's Post and Neo‐Fordist framework for understanding job characteristics and job satisfaction, using non‐panel longitudinal data from the Internat...
Oculomotor-related pathways of the basal ganglia.

Publisher Summary This chapter begins a review of oculomotor-related pathways of the basal ganglia with an illustration from the relatively recent consideration of this topic. The chapter presents a working hypothesis on how eye and head movements in the cat might be controlled or modulated by the basal ganglia. This hypothesis allows to present considerable published and unpublished data that would focus the field on unanswered issues in primates, cats, and other commonly studied species. The above hypothesis is used as a template for this review, which begins with studies of the cortical projections to the visual/oculomotor striatum. The chapter then moves on to data related to efferent pathways of the striatum and to the nigrotectal projection. Tectally influenced thalamostriate connections to the visual/oculomotor striatum is considered and then an attempt is made to formulate how all of these various pathways might function in oculomotor/head movement control. The chapter also identifies some missing pieces of the puzzle and proposes some possible key experiments.
Leukemia or lymphoma and coexistent primary malignant lesions: a review of the literature and a study of 120 cases.

A total of 194 cases of leukemia or lymphoma with coexistent primary malignant disease was found reported in the literature. To this we have added 120 new cases from the files of the Mayo Clinic in which the diagnosis was made in the 10 years from 1944 through 1953. The following observations were made: 1. The presence of leukemia or lymphoma does not seem to predispose to the development of any other specific type of primary malignancy. 2. The incidence of another primary malignant lesion in patients with leukemia or lymphoma is probably comparable to, and perhaps exceeds, that in any segment of the general population of similar age. 3. The coexistence of Kaposi’s sarcoma and leukemia or lymphoma in the same patient probably represents a morphologic variation of the same basic malignant disease of the reticuloendothelial system. 4. Any patient with leukemia or lymphoma who presents signs or symptoms of a focal malignant lesion should be regarded as having another primary lesion until proved otherwise on pathologic examination.
Strategies to reduce the incidental capture of marine mammals and other species in fisheries

Abstract A brief analysis is made of the strategies that can be used to reduce the bycatches of marine mammals and other species in fisheries. They all fall under two basic types: reduction of the level of effort and reduction of the average bycatch per unit of effort (BPUE). The former frequently results in lower catches of the target species. Reduction in the BPUE, on the other hand, may offer a way to mitigate the problems with fewer negative impacts on the fisheries. Identifying the environmental, biological and technological reasons why bycatches happen is the key point of those strategies that attempt to deal with the problems while at the same time maintaining the use of the resources involved. Five “lines of defense” are identified to try to mitigate or solve bycatch problems. The Tuna-Dolphin Program of the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission is used as a case study to illustrate different issues. Finally, some of the conditions that have helped solve this problem are presented. Even though it is clear that each fishery will have to develop its own set of solutions, there are some common traits that may help in the search for solutions.
Pathogenesis-related protein 1a is induced in potato virus Y-infected plants as well as by coat protein targeted to chloroplasts

Abstract Previously, the authors have observed the presence of potato virus Y coat protein (PVY-CP) inside chloroplasts of infected tobacco cells. Induction of symptoms reminiscent of virus infection was observed only in transgenic plants accumulating CP in the chloroplast but not in the cytoplasm. These results suggested that PVY-CP plays a role in symptom development. Plants with high levels of CP in their chloroplasts were more susceptible to PVY, suggesting that there was a host response to the presence of PVY-CP in the chloroplasts. To investigate whether PVY infection and/or chloroplast-targeted PVY-CP resulted in a host stress response, levels of pathogenesis-related protein 1a (PR-1a) were determined in these plants as an indicator of these host responses. Results indicated that expression of PR-1a was induced in chloroplast-targeted PVY-CP transgenic plants, but not in transgenic plants expressing PVY-CP cytosolically. The level of PR-1a in plants appeared to correspond with the severity of symptoms.
Pyroxenes and olivines: Structural implications of shock-wave data for high pressure phases

A reexamination of Hugoniot equation of state data and three new release adiabat points indicates that results for enstatite-bronzite composition pyroxene are compatible with its transforming to a perovskite phase at high pressure (For En_(90): ρ_0 = 4.20 g/cm^3, K_0 ~ 2.6 ± 0.35 Mbar, K'_0 ~ 3.5 ± .65). The release adiabat data, as well as results from porous samples, imply that the shock-wave data do not define an equilibrium, high-pressure phase Hugoniot below about 1.00 Mbar. These also suggest a further transformation to a phase (or assemblage) with density about 5% (or more) greater than that of or thorhombic perovskite. The data would allow such a transformation to occur at pressures as low as 0.60 Mbar under shock, representing an upper bound for the equilibrium transition pressure. Hugoniot data on magnesian olivines also appear to represent states of thermodynamic disequilibrium or a mixed-phase region below about 0.80-1.00 Mbar. However, Hugoniot points for Mgpyroxene and Mg-olivine coincide at pressures above 0.70 Mbar, suggesting that these minerals transform to high-pressure phases (or phase assemblages) of comparable density. Since MgO (presumably as periclase or in a closely related structure) attains relatively low densities at these pressures, the shock- wave data are in strong disagreement with the disproportionation of Mg_2SiO_4 to a MgSiO_3 (perovskite) + MgO assemblage above 0.80-1.00 Mbar. Conversely, the shock- wave data do not preclude a transformation of the type Mg_2Si_2O_6 → Mg_2SiO_4 ("post- perovskite" phase) + SiO_2 (rutile or fluorite structure). Again, these results would imply polymorphism to very dense "post- perovskite" phases. Based on the arguments made for pyroxene, such a transformation could occur at pressures as low as 0.60 Mbar under equilibrium conditions. We note that the combined results of high-pressure experiments allow Mg-pyroxene compositions to be as likely candidates for the lower mantle as olivine.
Mice Heterozygous for Atp10c, a Putative Amphipath, Represent a Novel Model of Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes

Atp10c is a novel type IV P-type ATPase and is a putative phospholipid transporter. The purpose of this study was to assess the overall effect of the heterozygous deletion of Atp10c on obesity-related phenotypes and metabolic abnormalities in mice fed a high-fat diet. Heterozygous mice with maternal inheritance of Atp10c were compared with heterozygous mice with paternal inheritance of Atp10c and wild-type controls. Body weight, adiposity index, and plasma insulin, leptin and triglyceride concentrations were significantly greater in the mutants inheriting the deletion maternally compared with their sex- and age-matched control male mice fed a 10% fat (% energy) diet and female mice fed a 45% fat (% energy) diet. Glucose and insulin tolerance tests were performed after mice consumed the diets for 4 and 8 wk. Mutants had altered glucose tolerance and insulin response compared with controls, suggesting insulin resistance in both sexes. Mice were killed at 12 wk and routine gross and histological evaluations of the liver, pancreas, adipose tissue, and heart were performed. Histological evaluation showed micro- and macrovesicular lipid deposition within the hepatocytes that was more severe in the mutant mice than in age-matched controls. Although sex differences were observed, our data suggest that heterozygous deletion along with an unusual pattern of maternal inheritance of the chromosomal region containing the single gene, Atp10c, causes obesity, type 2 diabetes, and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in these mice.
Isolation of an inhibitory protein for the cyclic guanosine 3′,5′-monophosphate phosphodiesterase of bovine rod outer segments

Abstract Cyclic guanosine 3′,5′-monophosphate phosphodiesterase in crude extracts from bovine rod outer segments can be activated by the addition of bleached rod outer segment membranes and GTP. In the absence of rhodopsin-containing membranes, the phosphodiesterase specific activity decreases with increasing concentration. A trypsin-sensitive inhibitor believed to be responsible for this phenomenon can be separated from the phosphodiesterase by DEAE-cellulose chromatography of the crude extract. Phosphodiesterase eluted from the DEAE-cellulose column shows considerably less concentration-dependence than in the crude extract. This partially purified phosphodiesterase was used as the substrate to assay for inhibitor. A GTPase which is active only in the presence of bleached rod outer segment membranes coelutes with the phosphodiesterase and is distinct from the phosphodiesterase inhibitor we have isolated.
Anaerobic digestion of C1–C4 light oxygenated organic compounds derived from the torrefaction of lignocellulosic materials

Abstract This paper reports the anaerobic digestion (AD) of the aqueous phase rich in C 1 –C 4 oxygenated organic compounds derived from the torrefaction of six lignocellulosic materials (corn stover, annual rye straw pellet, pea hay, sorghum biomass, arundo donax and red fir wood) in an Auger reactor. The content of some of the most important C 1 –C 4 compositions found in the aqueous phase measured by GC/MS is reported. Some of the compounds identified in the torrefaction aqueous phase produced (acetic acid, acetol, hydroxyacetaldehyde and phenol 2-methoxy) were anaerobically digested. The optimal concentration at which acetol and acetic acid could be digested was 1.5 and 1 mass % respectively. Much lower optimal concentrations were obtained for hydroxyacetaldehyde (HAA) and phenol 2-methoxy (0.01 mass %) which were found to be the main inhibitors. At 200 h and at the optimal concentration obtained for acetic acid, acetol, HAA and phenol-2 methoxy the yield of biogas produced was 363, 50, 600 and 4100 ml/g respectively. The AD of the aqueous phase obtained from the torrefaction of the six biomasses studied was conducted at the same conditions used for the model compounds. The optimal concentration these aqueous phases could be digested was: 2.5, 1.5, 1.5, 1.5, 0.5 and 0.5 mass % for the pea hay, corn stover, arundo donax, annual rye, sorghum biomass and red fir wood respectively. At 500 h and the optimal concentrations the yield of bio-gas produced was 106, 85, 91, 53, 32 and 88 ml/g of aqueous phase for pea hay, corn stover, arundo donax, annual rye straw, sorghum biomass and red fir wood respectively. A linear correlation was obtained between the optimal concentration at which a torrefaction aqueous phase can be AD and the content of HAA + phenols.
On the approximation of derivatives of singularly perturbed boundary value problems

We consider the question of approximating derivatives of solutions to singularly perturbed two-point boundary value problems: \[ (\text{E})\qquad \begin{array}{*{20}c} { - \varepsilon u'' + f(x)u' + g(x)u = q(x),\quad 0 < x < 1,} \\ {u(0) = \alpha ,\quad,u(1) = \beta .} \\ \end{array} \] This presents especially difficult problems in the layer. We show rigorously that outside the layers difference quotients of a computed approximation to u give optimal approximations to $u'$, uniformly in $\varepsilon $. By looking at the stretched variables, we obtain a formula for computing u give optimal approximations to $u'$ in the layers accurately.The success of this formula is due in part to the smoothness of the solution of (E) outside the layer and to the good accuracy of the basic method there. It is shown that the relative error in this formula is $O(h + \varepsilon )$.For concreteness, we take a numerical method previously proposed by the authors as the basic scheme for approximating u. The results are indicative, however, of using any difference method of positive type on (E).
Peripherally selective diphenyl purine antagonist of the CB1 receptor.

Antagonists of the CB1 receptor can be useful in the treatment of several important disorders. However, to date, the only clinically approved CB1 receptor antagonist, rimonabant, was withdrawn because of adverse central nervous system (CNS)-related side effects. Since rimonabant’s withdrawal, several groups are pursuing peripherally selective CB1 antagonists. These compounds are expected to be devoid of undesirable CNS-related effects but maintain efficacy through antagonism of peripherally expressed CB1 receptors. Reported here are our latest results toward the development of a peripherally selective analog of the diphenyl purine CB1 antagonist otenabant 1. Compound 9 (N-{1-[8-(2-chlorophenyl)-9-(4-chlorophenyl)-9H-purin-6-yl]piperidin-4-yl}pentanamide) is a potent, orally absorbed antagonist of the CB1 receptor that is >50-fold selective for CB1 over CB2, highly selective for the periphery in a rodent model, and without efficacy in a series of in vivo assays designed to evaluate its ability to mitigate ...
The role of platelet-activating factor in human fetal lung maturation

Abstract The presence of the potent bioactive glycerophospholipid 1-alkyl-2-acetyl- sn -glycero-3-phosphocholine (platelet-activating factor) in a lamellar body-enriched fraction of amniotic fluid from women in labor has prompted the present investigation to examine the fetal lung as the possible tissue source of this platelet-activating factor. The metabolism of platelet-activating factor was assessed in an organ culture system in which human fetal lung tissue (12 to 16 weeks) was incubated for 6 to 7 days. During this period, the type II pneumonocytes differentiate and surfactant glycerophospholipid biosynthesis is greatly enhanced. The initial specific activity of the platelet-activating factor biosynthetic enzyme lyso-platelet-activating factor:acetyl-coenzyme A acetyltransferase is two to three times greater in microsomes prepared from fetal lung than in those from the fetal liver or kidney. The specific activity of acetyltransferase in lung tissue increased twofold after 6 days in organ culture. A similar increase in acetyltransferase activity was found in the lamellar body-enriched (18,000 × g) subcellular fraction of fetal lung. The activity of the major platelet-activating factor-inactivating enzyme platelet-activating factor acetylhydrolase did not change significantly in the lung explants during the incubation period. Associated with the enhanced platelet-activating factor biosynthetic activity in the fetal lung was an increase in the platelet-activating factor concentration, from 17 to 37 fmol/mg of protein between days 0 and 6 of culture. Corresponding increases of 3.3- and 3.8-fold in the concentrations of the platelet-activating factor lipid precursors lyso-platelet-activating factor and the 2-acyl congener were found after 6 days in culture. A reciprocal relationship was found between platelet-activating factor and glycogen content as the lung tissue matured in vitro; specifically, as the platelet-activating factor level increased, glycogen decreased from 340 to 77 μg/mg of protein. We suggest that platelet-activating factor may mediate the onset of glycogenolysis in fetal lung tissue similar to that in the isolated, perfused rat liver (Shukla SD, Buxton DB, Olson MS, Hanahan DJ. Acetylglyceryl ether phosphorylcholine. A potent activator of hepatic phosphoinositide metabolism and glycogenolysis. J Biol Chem 1983; 258: 10212-4). The increased rate of glycogen degradation may serve as the carbon and energy source for the increased synthesis of glycerophospholipids required for surfactant production. The platelet-activating factor may also be secreted from the type II pneumonocytes, in association with the surfactant, into the amniotic fluid where it can stimulate prostaglandin E 2 formation in amnion tissue.
Magnetic properties of Fe overlayers on W(001) and the effects of oxygen adsorption.

The structural and magnetic properties of Fe monolayers and bilayers on the W(001) substrate and the effects of oxygen adsorption were determined using the all-electron total-energy local-density full-potential linearized augmented plane-wave method. The strong ferromagnetism of the free Fe monolayer is completely destroyed by the Fe-W interaction for monolayer Fe/W(001); instead, a c(2\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}2) antiferromagnetic configuration becomes the ground state. For bilayer Fe/W(001), a tetragonal rather than bcc structure is formed. The ferromagnetism of the previous ``dead'' Fe layer is restored by the additional adsorbed Fe layer; the magnetic moment in the interface and surface Fe layers increase to 1.68${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\mu}}}_{\mathit{B}}$ and 2.43${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\mu}}}_{\mathit{B}}$, respectively. These ferromagnetic Fe layers induce a sizable magnetic moment (0.22${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\mu}}}_{\mathit{B}}$) in the interfacial W layer. Finally, oxygen adsorption on bilayer Fe/W(001) is found to decrease greatly the magnetism of the interfacial Fe layer---to only 0.7${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\mu}}}_{\mathit{B}}$---but not to affect the top Fe layer.
Use of Text Messaging to Enhance Compliance with the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education Resident Duty Hour Requirements

Purpose Recently, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) has developed and enforced a complex set of regulations limiting resident duty hours (RDHs). One potential method to comply with these stringent regulations and better document resident work hours would be to use text message (TM)/short message service (SMS), allowing rapid, inexpensive, and interactive 2-way delivery of information. The purpose of this study was to document the successful implementation of TM to enhance compliance with the ACGME RDH regulations. Methods Our TM system uses TSHEETS (TS; Meridian, Ohio), which is an online time- and labor-management service. After our general surgical residents were registered with the system, the documentation of entry into (texting “t start” to a predetermined number) and exit out of (texting “t stop” to the same number) the hospital could easily be accomplished. The goals of this pilot study were to determine (1) the feasibility of implementing a program such as this and (2) if use of such a program was associated with high resident satisfaction and improved compliance. Results We registered 39 residents with TS. Within 3 days, compliance rose from 76.9% to 96.2%. After implementation of TM reminders, compliance increased to 100%. A time-tracking resident satisfaction survey was distributed after 8 weeks of data collection. Twenty six of 39 (67%) residents participated in the survey, with 25 (96%) being more satisfied with the current application as compared with either of the previous (manual or swipe card) systems, specifically regarding ease of use and overall ACGME RDH compliance. Self-reported resident scores of their ability to be compliant with ACGME RDH before versus after implementation increased from 47% to 75% (p Conclusions We were able to implement successfully a novel technique for ACGME RDH documentation and compliance in a general surgery residency program through the use of TM; this approach employed a state-of-the-art time-tracking method that was associated with high levels of resident work-hour compliance and overall satisfaction.
Bacterial contamination of blood products: factors, options, and insights.

Transfusion of bacterially contaminated blood products remains an overlooked problem. However, the risk of receiving a bacterially contaminated unit is greater than the combined risk of HIV-1/2, HCV, HBV, and HTLV I/II [American Association of Blood Banks Bulletin, no. 294, 1996]. Topics covered in this article include: the current incidence, clinical presentation and outcome, effective methods of detection, and ways to reduce bacterial contamination of blood products. There is no one existing strategy that can completely eliminate the risk of bacterial contamination. It is inevitable that partial solutions or combinations of methods will be implemented in the near future.
Desulfurization of Diesel Fuels by Adsorption via π-Complexation with Vapor-Phase Exchanged Cu(I)-Y Zeolites

Desulfurization of a commercial diesel fuel by vapor-phase ion exchange (VPIE) copper(I) faujasite zeolites was studied in a fixed-bed adsorber operated at ambient temperature and pressure. The zeolite adsorbed approximately five thiophenic molecules per unit cell. After treating 18 cm3 of fuel, the cumulative average sulfur concentration detected was 0.032 ppmw-S. GC−FPD results showed that the π-complexation sorbents selectively adsorbed highly substituted thiophenes, benzothiophenes, and dibenzothiophenes from diesel, which is not possible by using conventional hydrodesulfurization (HDS) reactors. The high sulfur selectivity and high sulfur capacity of the VPIE Cu(II)−zeolites were due to π-complexation.
Improving recommender systems: user roles and lifecycles

In the era of big data, it is usually agreed that the more data we have, the better results we can get. However, for some domains that heavily depend on user inputs (such as recommender systems), the performance evaluation metrics are sensitive to the amount of noise introduced by users. Such noise can be from users who only wanted to explore the systems, and thus did not spend efforts to provide accurate inputs. Noise can also be introduced by the methods of collecting user ratings. In my dissertation, I study how user data can affect prediction accuracies and performances of recommendation algorithms. To that end, I investigate how the data collection methods and the life cycles of users affect the prediction accuracies and the performance of recommendation algorithms.
α-Helix Nucleation Constant in Copolypeptides of Alanine and Ornithine or Lysine

The α-helix is one of a small number of fundamental structural motifs of the peptide backbone that are abundant in native proteins. The forces responsible for its stability have attracted a great deal of theoretical and experimental attention. Helix formation can naturally be considered in terms of two processes, initial nucleation of a helix from a sequence of disordered residues and propagation or growth of helical structure from such a nucleus. Data from a variety of short peptide and polypeptide models have revealed more details about the propagation of helix structure than about helix nucleation. To investigate helix nucleation, we have synthesized two series of high molecular weight polypeptides containing differing ratios of alanine and one of the basic side chains, ornithine or lysine; poly l-alanine is insoluble in water. The CD signals of these copolymers have been analyzed by a program that evaluates the helix content in terms of the experimental chain-length distribution and composition, with ...
Cytotoxic analog of somatostatin containing methotrexate inhibits growth of MIA PaCa-2 human pancreatic cancer xenografts in nude mice

Abstract Nude mice bearing xenografts of MIA PaCa-2 human pancreatic cancer cell line were treated for 4 weeks with AN-51, a somatostatin octapeptide analog D-Phe-C s-Thr-NH 2 (RC-121) containing methotrexate attached to the α-amino group of d -Phe in position 1. Control groups of mice received saline, RC-121 or methotrexate. Drugs were given in equimolar doses by daily s.c. injections. After 7 days of treatment with 25 μg/day of AN-51, tumor growth was completely inhibited although the treatment had to be suspended because of toxic side effects, especially on the gastrointestinal tract, accompanied by major weight loss of the animals. Mice were allowed to recover for 1 week and treatment was continued with 12.5 μg/day AN-51. After 2 weeks of additional therapy, tumor volume, percentage change in tumor volume, and tumor weights were significantly decreased, compared with controls, only in the group treated with AN-51. Methotrexate and RC-121 also inhibited tumor growth, but their effects were not statistically significant. AN-51 retained its hormonal activity and decreased serum growth hormone levels in mice. Binding affinity of AN-51 for somatostatin receptors on MIA PaCa-2 cells was found to be 2.5-times lower than that of parent compound RC-121. This is the first report on inhibition of human pancreatic cancer growth in vivo by somatostatin analogs carrying cytotoxic radicals.
Effects of immobilization mask material on surface dose

This work investigates the increase in surface dose caused by thermoplastic masks used for patient positioning and immobilization. A thermoplastic mask is custom fit by stretching a heated mask over the patient at the time of treatment simulation. This mask is then used at treatment to increase the reproducibility of the patient position. The skin sparing effect of mega-voltage X-ray beams can be reduced when the patient's skin surface is under the mask material. The sheet of thermoplastic mask has holes to reduce this effect and is available from one manufacturer with two different sizes of holes, one larger than the other. This work investigates the increase in surface dose caused by the mask material and quantifies the difference between the two samples of masks available. The change in the dose buildup was measured using an Attix parallel plate chamber by measuring tissue maximum ratios (TMRs) using solid water. Measurements were made with and without the mask material on the surface of the solid water for 6-MV and 15-MV X-ray beams. The effective thickness of equivalent water was estimated from the TMR curves, and the increase in surface dose was estimated. The buildup effect was measured to be equivalent to 2.2 mm to 0.6 mm for masks that have been stretched by different amounts. The surface dose was estimated to change from 16% and 12% for 6 MV and 15 MV, respectively, to 27% to 61% for 6 MV and 18% to 40% for 15 MV with the mask samples.
Longshore Coherence of Currents on the Southern California Shelf During the Summer

Abstract Observations of horizontal currents and temperature made along a mid-shelf isobath during the summer on the Southern California shelf are used to determine longshore coherent length scales. The observations are characterized by weak atmospheric forcing and strong density stratification of the water column. For periods longer than a day, coherent longshore length scales of currents are around 25 km, while coherent length scales of temperature were longer than the instrumental array (57.5 km). For periods ranging from a day to an hour, near-surface motions were dominated by diurnal fluctuations which were coherent over lengths of 5 km, whereas near-bottom motions, dominated by semidiurnal fluctuations, showed evidence of a signal propagating up coast at phase speeds of order 1 m s−1. The observed scales of motion in different frequency bands are used to estimate the dispersive properties of the shelf motions. The dispersion coefficient is found to vary with scale, as the current variance associated...
CT findings of a unicameral calcaneal bone cyst containing a fluid–fluid level

Calcaneal unicameral bone cysts often contain fluid, but rarely contain fluid–fluid levels. We present a case focusing on the CT findings of a large calcaneal bone cyst with a fluid–fluid level and a review of the literature.
The Trouble with Women in Policing: Attitudes Aren't Changing:

One hundred sixteen male and female undergraduate criminal justice students indicated the extent of their agreement or disagreement with statements on a questionnaire taken from interviews with pol...
Independent processing of visual form and motion.

Rotating or stationary targets were presented simultaneously with a random-dot mask which was itself either rotating or stationary. Observers were required to judge both the form of the target and its motion; these target attributes were manipulated orthogonally in the experiment. The results support the hypothesis that under these conditions figural information is encoded independently from motion information. On a trial-by-trial basis within conditions of target and mask motion combinations, performance in the two tasks was independent. Across conditions, different effects were observed in the two dependent measures. Form judgments were generally more accurate for rotating than for stationary targets, particularly when the mask was stationary. Motion judgments showed frequent intrusions from the motion of the mask, so that most errors occurred when target and mask were dissimilar in terms of their motion. The results show differential interference of the random-dot mask on the encoding of the two indepe...
Incarceration and hospital care.

Abstract:Risk for jail or prison recidivism is well documented among incarcerated individuals with schizophrenia. However, it is less clear that risk is also high for psychiatric hospital readmission after accounting for mediating influences such as psychopathology severity, functioning level, subst
Excitation dynamics and heterogeneity of energy equilibration in the core antenna of photosystem I from the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803.

Energy equilibration in the photosystem I core antenna from the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 was studied using femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy at 298 K. The photosystem I core particles were excited at 660, 693, and 710 nm with 150 fs spectrally narrow laser pulses (fwhm = 5 nm). Global analysis revealed three kinetic processes in the core antenna with lifetimes of 250−500 fs, 1.5−2.5 ps, and 20−30 ps. The first two components represent strongly excitation wavelength-dependent energy equilibration processes while the 20−30 ps phase reflects the trapping of energy by the reaction center. Excitation into the blue and red edge of the absorption band induces downhill and uphill energy flows, respectively, between different chlorophyll a spectral forms of the core. Excitation at 660 nm induces a 500 fs downhill equilibration process within the bulk of antenna while the selective excitation of long-wavelength-absorbing chlorophylls at 710 nm results in a 380 fs uphill energy transfer ...
Staying on Top of Your Game and Scoring Big with Adobe Presenter Multimedia Tutorials

In order to reach distance students in times of financial uncertainty, librarians must be creative. While much has been written about Camtasia, Captivate and Jing tutorial software, Adobe Presenter, a Microsoft PowerPoint plug-in, has not been discussed. This article describes how our library team created multimedia tutorial projects at Idaho State University, including background, software selection, timeline, design tips, compliance with Section 508 of the U.S. Rehabilitation Act, tutorial evaluation, and marketing. We explore the merits and disadvantages of this plug-in as a tool to bridge the gaps between library instructors and distance students.
Linking the physiology and ecology of Cochlodinium to better understand harmful algal bloom events: A comparative approach

Abstract The red tide forming dinoflagellate genus Cochlodinium appears to be expanding globally, as well as blooming and/or causing more economic losses within its previously reported geographic distribution. Despite the widespread occurrence of this organism in the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian oceans, relatively few studies of its ecophysiology have been conducted. Here we summarize the ecophysiological characteristics through both a literature review and by assessing recent bloom events in Monterey Bay, CA, USA. Using this comparative approach, we identify the basic characteristics of this organism: Cochlodinium is found in both warm and cool (11–30 °C) waters in the western and eastern Pacific, respectively, at moderate salinities (30–34). The production of pelagic vegetative seed banks or benthic seed beds by this organism and ability to survive ballast water transport likely facilitate its ability to colonize and establish itself in new habitats. It is a strong vertical migrator capable of utilizing both inorganic and organic nitrogen sources as well as mixotrophy and may be associated with moderate nutrient loading. These characteristics provide Cochlodinium with an adaptive capability conducive to rapid colonization of newly opened ecological niches, which may partially explain the apparent global expansion of its geographic range and bloom frequency.
Pharmacogenetic targeting of drugs for heart failure.

Abstract Pharmacogenetic drug development represents an ideal approach to enhance a drug's response rate in a disease indication cohort, thereby increasing the therapeutic index. The most straightforward way to develop a pharmacogenetically targeted drug is to identify a functionally important genetic variant in the drug's target(s), or in a target modifier. There are two general ways to detect such genetic variation, the candidate gene variant hypothesis testing approach, and genome wide scanning “hypothesis free” methods. In order to impact drug development either approach needs to be implemented early in the drug development process, with the candidate strategy having the advantage that it can be introduced earlier, during preclinical development. Contrary to conventional wisdom, a pharmacogenetic approach does not increase the overall efficiency of drug development, because the required additional genetic and biologic function discovery work will be layered onto standard regulatory steps. However, identification of a hyper-responsive subpopulation by a genetic biomarker does increase the chance of success in Phase 3, which may lower the cost of pivotal trials. Perhaps most importantly from a commercial standpoint, pharmacogenetics use patents, typically submitted relatively late in the development process, can greatly extend a drug's exclusivity period. This will recoup the extra cost inherent to pharmacogenetic drug development, and increase the product's return on investment by providing a longer period for branded exclusivity. Most importantly, pharmacogenetic targeting will result in a therapeutic agent with a greater therapeutic index and a better pharmacoeconomic profile than would be possible with pan-genetic, entire cohort positioning.
Resistance to Marek's disease in immunologically deficient chickens.

A CELL-ASSOCIATED herpesvirus has been shown to induce Marek's disease (MD), a naturally occurring malignant neoplasm of chickens. The mechanism of tumorigenesis or the factors that mediate natural or acquired resistance to MD are not well understood. Information on these aspects is needed for a better understanding of the basic mechanisms of this and possibly other herpesvirus-induced neoplasms.
Isolation of n-linked glycopeptides from plasma

Proteomic analysis of blood plasma can potentially identify biomarkers that are useful for classifying the physiological or pathological status of an individual and for monitoring the effects of therapy. However, the complexity of the plasma proteome, the large number of peptides generated per protein due to dynamic protein post-translational modifications of each protein, and sequence variations among individuals pose great challenges to current proteomic technologies. To overcome these challenges, we have recently developed a method for the high-throughput analysis of glycoproteins using solid-phase extraction of N-linked glycopeptides (SPEG). Here we describe a procedure for plasma analysis using SPEG in which each step of SPEG was optimized. The performance of optimization was monitored using mouse plasma spiked with radioactive-labeled human plasma glycoproteins. Our data show that a standard procedure for plasma proteome analysis can be developed using the SPEG technique, mainly due to the relativel...