cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Electing Cuba’s National Assembly Deputies: Proposals, Selections, Nominations, and Campaigns

Giving credence to the Cuban concept of democracy and taking into account the unique characteristics of the Cuban candidate selection and composition of the Cuban National Assembly, noncompetitive elections and a one party system do not necessarily translate into an undemocratic electoral process. The electoral process for municipal assembly delegates shows that open nominations and competitive elections are not incompatible with Cuban socialism and Cuba’s goals of participation, involvement and representation. Resumen: Eligiendo a los diputados a la Asamblea Nacional de Cuba: Propuestas, Selecciones, Nominaciones y Campanas Reconociendo el concepto cubano de democracia y tomando en cuenta las caracteristicas unicas de la seleccion de candidatos en Cuba y de la composicion de la Asamblea Nacional cubana, de las elecciones no competitivas y del sistema unipartidista, no se traduce necesariamente en un proceso electoral no democratico. El proceso electoral para elegir a los delegados a la asamblea municipal muestra que las nominaciones abiertas y las elecciones competitivas no son incompatibles con el socialismo cubano y los objetivos cubanos de participacion, compromiso y representacion.
Incidence and prevalence of intracranial vascular malformations in Olmsted County, Minnesota, 1965 to 1992

We used the Mayo Clinic medical records linkage system to detect all cases of intracranial vascular malformation (IVM) among residents of Olmsted County, Minnesota from 1965 to 1992 and found 48 IVMs over the 27-year period, including four patients with IVM detected at autopsy, without prior symptoms. Twenty-nine of 48 patients were symptomatic at presentation. From 1985 to 1992, the age- and sex-adjusted detection rate for IVMs excluding asymptomatic autopsy cases was 2.75 in 100,000 person-years (P-Y) (95% CI, 1.6 to 3.9). From 1965 to 1992, the detection rate was 1.84 in 100,000 P-Y (95% CI, 1.3 to 2.4). On January 1, 1990, the age- and sex-adjusted prevalence rate of identified IVMs was 19.0 in 100,000 P-Y (95% CI, 10.5 to 27.5). Detection rates increased from 1965 to 1992, probably due to increased identification of cases because of advances in imaging technology. This study provides unique data on incidence rates of detection and prevalence of IVMs on a population basis.
LLCM-WIP: Low-Latency, Continuous-Motion Walking-in-Place

Walking-in-place techniques for locomotion in virtual environments typically have two problems that impact their usability: system latency (particularly troublesome when starting and stopping locomotion), and the fact that the change in the user's viewpoint may not be smooth and continuous. This paper describes a new WIP interface that improves both latency and the continuity of synthesized locomotion in the virtual environment. By basing the virtual avatar motion on the speed of the user's heel motion while walking in place, we create a direct mapping from foot-motion to locomotion that is responsive, intuitive, and easy to implement. In this paper, we describe the technique, analyze its starting and stopping latency, and provide experimental results on the suppression of false steps and general usability of the system.
Improving search for tree-structured vector quantization

The authors analyze the approximate performance of tree search and provide tight upper bounds on the amount of error resulting from tree search and for a single input vector. These bounds are not encouraging but fortunately, the performance of tree-structured VQ in practice does not seem to be as bad. From the analysis, they derive a simple heuristic to improve the approximation of tree search. The strategy is to identify for each code vector some of its closest neighboring code vectors determined by the partition. After a code vector is found for an input vector by tree search, the closest neighboring code vectors are then searched for the best match. Unfortunately, the average number of neighboring code vectors of a given code vector can be as many as the total number of code vectors. Thus, the performance improvement of the strategy depends on the number of code vectors that are searched. Experimental results show that a number logarithmic in the size of the codebook provides significant performance gain while preserving the asymptotic search time complexity. >
Hydroclimate risk to economic growth in sub-Saharan Africa

In order to plan strategies for adaptation to climate change, the current effects of climate on economic growth need to be understood. This study reviews evidence of climate effects on economic growth and presents original analysis of the effect in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Case studies from the literature demonstrate that historically, climate has had significant and negative effects on household income, agricultural productivity and economic growth in SSA. This study focuses on the effects hydroclimatic variability on economic growth in the countries of SSA. We utilize a new national level precipitation statistic that incorporates spatial and temporal variability within each country. Country level economic growth statistics are analyzed in panel regressions. Persistent negative precipitation anomalies (drought) are found to be the most significant climate influence on GDP per capita growth. Temperature and precipitation variability show significant effects in some cases. Results imply the consideration of hydroclimatic risks, namely drought, may be the priority concern for adaptation to a changing climate for Sub-Saharan Africa. This conclusion is contrary to the premise of many climate change impact assessments that focus on temperature increases as the primary concern.
EVOLUTION AND BIPOLAR DISTRIBUTION OF CORNUSPIROIDES (FORAMINIFERA): PHYLOGENETIC INFERENCE USING MORPHOLOGICAL CHARACTERS AND PARSIMONY

The evolutionary relationship of three species belonging to the genus Cornuspiroides is inferred using four species of Cornuspira and the monotypic genus Cornuspirella as an outgroup. All known morphological features of the test are coded as independent characters (synapomorphies) and their evolutionary relationship is inferred using parsimony. The genus Cornuspiroides appears as a monophyletic group on the resulting evolutionary trees, although evidential support is weak (54%). The species Cornuspiroides striolatus and Cornuspiroides rotundus are endemics of the shallow and cold waters of the Arctic and the Antarctic seas, respectively. These two endemic species are found to share an immediate common ancestry, although support is low (61%). The closest relative of the two polar species is inferred to be the little known Cornuspiroides profundum, which has been found living in the cold and shallow waters of the Arctic and also the temperate waters of the North Atlantic. Limitations of available data preclude C. profundum from being designated as their actual ancestor. The current classificatory groups of Cornuspiroidinae, Cornuspira, and Cornuspirinae appear as artificial paraphyletic groups on the inferred tree and have no significant evidential support of characters.
Perfectionism: Its Measurement and Career Relevance

The meaning and measurement of the construct of perfectionism has potentially important implications for career choice and career development. The present article reviews the theoretical and empirical background of perfectionism. It then discusses the scales previously developed to measure perfectionism and describes the development of a new scale, the Almost Perfect Scale (APS; Slaney & Johnson, 1992). Two additional studies are presented on the APS. The first consists of three parts that examine the concurrent validity of the APS and the factor structure of the subscales of the APS relative to the subscales of two other scales developed to measure perfectionism. The second study examines the factor structure of the APS through the use of a confirmatory factor analysis. The results are discussed and suggestions are made for future research that would study the relationship between perfectionism and a variety of career variables.
WHAT IS “INSURANCE”? LESSONS FROM THE CAPTIVE INSURANCE TAX CONTROVERSY

: Over the past 30 years, the tax treatment of insurance premiums paid to captive (i.e., subsidiary) insurance companies has generated considerable controversy and litigation. In this article, we propose a new definition of insurance that is motivated by a careful analysis of the issues raised in the captive insurance tax controversy. Emphasizing the fundamental roles played by market forces and the efficiency of risk transfers, this new definition both broadens and refines traditional definitions of insurance.
Not all CALR mutations are created equal.

We have read with great interest the recent report by Zamora et al. [1] describing the investigation of co-occurrence of JAK2V617F and CALR mutations in primary myelofibrosis (PMF) patients. In the...
A note on some convergence properties of spline functions

Abstract Convergence properties for type 1, type 2′ and type k splines will be proved using the minimum norm property. Similar properties for the type 2 and modified type k splines will be established using the fundamental identity.
Enhanced Endothelin Synthesis by Endothelial Cells Exposed to Sera From Pregnant Rats With Decreased Uterine Perfusion

The initiating event in preeclampsia is thought be to reduced uteroplacental perfusion. Although we have reported previously that chronic reductions in uterine perfusion pressure (RUPP) in pregnant rats results in hypertension and enhanced endothelin production, the factors linking placental ischemia and endothelial cell activation remain unclear. The purpose of this study was to determine the role of angiotensin II type-1 (AT 1 ) receptor activation on endothelin production induced by serum from pregnant rats exposed to reductions in uterine perfusion. To achieve this goal, human umbilical vein endothelial cells were exposed to sera collected from RUPP rats or normal pregnant rats. Arterial pressure was significantly higher in RUPP rats (135±2 mm Hg) than in pregnant rats (106±1 mm Hg). Six hours after exposure to RUPP serum (n=17), cell media endothelin concentration was 18.4±2.7 pg/mL as compared with 9.22±1.3 pg/mL from cells exposed to serum from normal pregnant rats (n=9). Eighteen hours after exposure to RUPP serum (n=7), endothelin concentration was 30.5±3.8 pg/mL as compared with 12.8±5.3 pg/mL from cells exposed to normal pregnant rat serum (n=6). In contrast, serum from RUPP rats did not increase endothelin production in human umbilical vein endothelial cells pretreated with an AT 1 receptor antagonist, losartan (15 μmol/L). Eighteen hours after exposure to RUPP serum and losartan (n=14), endothelin concentration was 21.3±2.2 pg/mL as compared with 16.4±3.3 pg/mL from cells exposed to normal pregnant rat serum and losartan (n=10). These data indicate that serum from pregnant rats exposed to reductions in uterine perfusion enhances endothelin production by endothelial cells via by AT 1 receptor activation.
TOXICOLOGY OF A BORONATED PORPHYRIN IN DOGS

Among the most important characteristics of any therapeutic agent are efficacy and an acceptable toxicity. Prior to human use, toxicity studies are performed in both small and large animal models. Our laboratory has developed a new binary therapy agent, a boronated porphyrin (BOPP), with excellent potential efficacy. The purpose of this study is to examine the toxicology of this compound in dogs. Sixteen dogs were given 35 mg/kg of BOPP intravenously and evaluated for up to 28 days following administration. Clinical and pathologic responses were measured. BOPP was clinically well tolerated with some cases of weight loss, vomiting and mild photosensitivity. Adverse effects were limited primarily to thrombosis at the administration site in several subjects and three cases of mild, possibly transient, liver injury. Clinical pathologic tests found reversible changes in white blood cell counts and platelets, with neither change being clinically significant. The low toxicity associated with BOPP as shown in this study provides valuable evidence supporting the use of BOPP in binary therapy.
Whole Genome Sequences of a Male and Female Supercentenarian, Ages Greater than 114 Years

Supercentenarians (age 110+ years old) generally delay or escape age-related diseases and disability well beyond the age one hundred and this exceptional survival is likely to be influenced by a genetic predisposition that includes both common and rare genetic variants. In this report, we describe the complete genomic sequences of male and female supercentenarians, both age >114 years old. We show that: (1) the sequence variant spectrum of these two individuals’ DNA sequences is largely comparable to existing non-supercentenarian genomes; (2) the two individuals do not appear to carry most of the well-established human longevity enabling variants already reported in the literature; (3) they have a comparable number of known disease-associated variants relative to most human genomes sequenced to date; (4) approximately 1% of the variants these individuals possess are novel and may point to new genes involved in exceptional longevity; and (5) both individuals are enriched for longevity-associated variants that we discovered through a large genome-wide association study. These analyses suggest that there are both common and rare longevity associated variants that may counter the effects of disease predisposing variants and extend lifespan. The continued analysis of the genomes of these rare individuals who have survived to extremely old ages should provide insight into the processes that contribute to the maintenance of health during extreme ageing.
Evaluation of the 17-kDa prenyl-binding protein as a regulatory protein for phototransduction in retinal photoreceptors

The mammalian rod photoreceptor phosphodiesterase (PDE6) holoenzyme is isolated in both a membrane-associated and a soluble form. Membrane binding is a consequence of prenylation of PDE6 catalytic subunits, whereas soluble PDE6 is purified with a 17-kDa prenyl-binding protein (PDEδ) tightly bound. This protein, here termed PrBP/δ, has been hypothesized to reduce activation of PDE6 by transducin, thereby desensitizing the photoresponse. To test the potential role of PrBP/δ in regulating phototransduction, we examined the abundance, localization, and potential binding partners of PrBP/δ in retina and in purified rod outer segment (ROS) suspensions whose physiological and biochemical properties are well characterized. The amphibian homologue of PrBP/δ was cloned and sequenced and found to have 82% amino acid sequence identity with mammalian PrBP/δ. In contrast to bovine ROS, all of the PDE6 in purified frog ROS is membrane-associated. However, addition of recombinant frog PrBP/δ can solubilize PDE6 and prevent its activation by transducin. PrBP/δ also binds other prenylated photoreceptor proteins in vitro, including opsin kinase (GRK1/GRK7) and rab8. Quantitative immunoblot analysis of the PrBP/δ content of purified ROS reveals insufficient amounts of PrBP/δ (<0.1 PrBP/δ per PDE6) to serve as a subunit of PDE6 in either mammalian or amphibian photoreceptors. The immunolocalization of PrBP/δ in frog and bovine retina shows greatest PrBP/δ immunolabeling outside the photoreceptor cell layer. Within photoreceptors, only the inner segments of frog double cones are strongly labeled, whereas bovine photoreceptors reveal more PrBP/δ labeling near the junction of the inner and outer segments (connecting cilium) of photoreceptors. Together, these results rule out PrBP/δ as a PDE6 subunit and implicate PrBP/δ in the transport and membrane targeting of prenylated proteins (including PDE6) from their site of synthesis in the inner segment to their final destination in the outer segment of rods and cones.
Rationale for co-arrays in Fortran 2008

This paper explains some of the technical decisions made during the incorporation of co-arrays in Fortran 2008. Familiarity with John Reid's summary of co-arrays [R07] is assumed. This document is by no means exhaustive: It is a selection of issues from my recollection. This article is not an official document and has not been approved by J3 or WG5. Many thanks to John Reid and Bill Long for helping me write this Rationale.
Using Hidden Markov Modeling in DNA Sequencing

Hidden Markov models (HMM) have largely demonstrated their usefulness in the fields of statistics and pattern recognition, particularly for speech recognition and hand writing recognition. In the field of genetics, the same principles of statistics and probability can be applied. DNA primarily has four bases: adenine, guanine, thymine, and cytosine, which when paired together can form nucleotides. However, the length of a nucleotide chain can be uncertain. The DNA sequence constitutes the heritable genetic information in nuclei that forms the basis for the developmental programs of all living organisms. Determining the DNA sequence is therefore useful in studying fundamental biological processes, as well as in diagnostic or forensic research. In this study, we will utilize hidden Markov models (HMM) to determine DNA sequence likelihoods. A training sequence of nucleotide bases of the first 1000 bases of rice chromosomes will be used, and the transition and emission probabilities would determine a probable DNA sequence of the next 2000 bases. This sequence should be comparable to the actual sequence. However, experimentation did not show this to be the case, despite previous experiments showing otherwise. Only a fourth of a nucleotide sequence was ever classified correctly.
The National (United States) Disaster Medical System: A Survey and Analysis

The National Disaster Medical System (NDMS) was formulated to provide medical care for casualties of future large-scale natural disasters and military conflicts. We sent questionnaires to the 59 emergency medical directors of North Carolina's participating hospitals in order to assess their views regarding the need for NDMS and the level of their hospital's preparedness. Responses were received from 78% (46) of the physicians surveyed. Of those responding, an overwhelming majority supported the need for a national plan like NDMS to treat casualties of a natural disaster or an overseas military conflict. Respondents also agreed that the participation of emergency department personnel, other physicians, and support personnel is essential for successful activation of NDMS. Responses to questions regarding level of preparedness, however, suggested that there is less than an optimal degree of preparedness for participation in NDMS.
Employment Law and the Protection of Reproductive Health

This article describes how companies are responding to the Supreme Court decision prohibiting employers from using sex-specific fetal protection policies as a hedge against the risk of tort liability for workplace exposure to toxins. The author recommends that companies create programs that first measures all the risks using a gender-neutral methodology, and then adopt policies tailored to best respond to the results generated by this research. In this way, the author concludes, employers are maximizing their return and the health of all employees and any children they may have in the future is better protected.
Aldose Reductase Mediates Transforming Growth Factor β2 (TGF-β2)-Induced Migration and Epithelial-To-Mesenchymal Transition of Lens-Derived Epithelial Cells.

Purpose. Cataract surgery involves removal of lens tissue, but is associated with a high complication rate due to regrowth of residual lens epithelial cells to produce posterior capsule opacification (PCO) and diminished visual acuity. As inhibitors of aldose reductase (AR) have been shown to suppress markers of PCO, our studies were designed to identify a role for AR in the pathogenesis of PCO.
Prompt repair of hydrogen peroxide-induced DNA lesions prevents catastrophic chromosomal fragmentation

Iron-dependent oxidative DNA damage in vivo by hydrogen peroxide (H2O2, HP) induces copious single-strand(ss)-breaks and base modifications. HP also causes infrequent double-strand DNA breaks, whose relationship to the cell killing is unclear. Since hydrogen peroxide only fragments chromosomes in growing cells, these double-strand breaks were thought to represent replication forks collapsed at direct or excision ss-breaks and to be fully reparable. We have recently reported that hydrogen peroxide kills Escherichia coli by inducing catastrophic chromosome fragmentation, while cyanide (CN) potentiates both the killing and fragmentation. Remarkably, the extreme density of CN+HP-induced chromosomal double-strand breaks makes involvement of replication forks unlikely. Here we show that this massive fragmentation is further amplified by inactivation of ss-break repair or base-excision repair, suggesting that unrepaired primary DNA lesions are directly converted into double-strand breaks. Indeed, blocking DNA replication lowers CN+HP-induced fragmentation only ∼2-fold, without affecting the survival. Once cyanide is removed, recombinational repair in E. coli can mend several double-strand breaks, but cannot mend ∼100 breaks spread over the entire chromosome. Therefore, double-strand breaks induced by oxidative damage happen at the sites of unrepaired primary one-strand DNA lesions, are independent of replication and are highly lethal, supporting the model of clustered ss-breaks at the sites of stable DNA-iron complexes.
Funny, Ha-Ha: The Impact of User-Generated Political Satire on Political Attitudes

The 2012 election season provided increased opportunities for the collaboration among citizens, new media, and democracy. The “social media election” saw a rise in online user-generated political content posted to YouTube. These videos, often satirical in nature, were viewed by millions, making the potential impacts from this new form of political communication deserving of inquiry. Using experimental design, this study explored the relationship between user-generated political satire and “normative” political attitudes. The results revealed that viewing satirical representations of political candidates did not affect individuals’ level of political cynicism or political information efficacy; however, perceptions of candidate credibility and favorability were altered.
Microearthquake crustal reflections, Socorro, New Mexico

Abstract About 25 per cent of the microearthquakes which originate close to Socorro ( S minus P ≦ 2.5 secs) produce seismograms with two sharp arrivals about 2.5 and 5.0 seconds after the direct S -phase arrival. The best interpretation of the time-distance data for these late phases is that they are the S x P and the S x S reflections from a crustal discontinuity at a depth of 18 km. The amplitudes of the reflections, which average 0.21 and 0.32 of the direct S -phase amplitude on vertical-component seismograms, are for greater than theoretical amplitudes found by assuming uniform radiation from the focus and reflection of a plane SV wave from a horizontal discontinuity.
Bifurcation and Stability of the Flexible Rotor-bearing System with Rub-impact by a Continuum Model

Based on a nonlinear continuum model of the flexible rotor-bearing system with rub-impact,considering some important influencing factors,the bifurcation and stability of the system periodic motion are studied by using continuation-shooting algorithm combined with the Newmark method. The change-law of the instability speed is centered on with the changes of the eccentricity of the rotor,clearance between rotor and stator,friction coefficient and the rub-impact stiffness. The results show that under small eccentricity the system loses its stability through Hopf-bifurcation,while under large eccentricity the system loses its stability through period-doubling bifurcation. The stability can be improved by reducing the clearance between rotor and stator,increasing the friction coefficient,increasing the rub-impact stiffness,because of the destruction of the formation condition of oil whirl. In addition,for the slight rub-impact,the system maintains its motion characteristics,on the contrary,the instability method and the instability speed changes markedly. The conclusions provide a theoretical reference for fault diagnoses,vibration control and stability design of the rotor-bearing system.
A comprehensive pediatric bone marrow transplant documentation tool.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES To describe the development and use of a tool to document assessment and provision of education to children undergoing bone marrow transplantation (BMT) and their families. DATA SOURCES A hospital's BMT Clinical Issues Committee, BMT staff, and hospital standards. DATA SYNTHESIS A comprehensive tool was developed to complement the hospital's admission tool to facilitate assessment and documentation of BMT-specific education of the patient and family. The implementation of the tool was specifically designed to facilitate its use across outpatient and inpatient settings. CONCLUSIONS Based on quality assurance indicators, the tool has succeeded in documenting appropriate education activities. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING PRACTICE A consistent and organized approach to documentation is beneficial to nursing practice. This tool can be adapted to any clinical situation where educational needs are great.
Tunneling Facilitated Dissociation to H+CO 2 in HOCO - Photodetachment

Dissociative photodetachment of ${\mathrm{HOCO}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ is investigated with both five- and six-dimensional quantum models on an ab initio based accurate HOCO potential energy surface. Three experimentally observed channels, namely, HOCO, $\mathrm{H}+{\mathrm{CO}}_{2}$, and $\mathrm{HO}+\mathrm{CO}$, are identified in our theoretical simulations. Since the energy spectrum of the initial HOCO species prepared by photodetachment is mostly lower than both the $\mathrm{HO}+\mathrm{CO}$ asymptote and dissociation barrier to $\mathrm{H}+{\mathrm{CO}}_{2}$, the production of $\mathrm{H}+{\mathrm{CO}}_{2}$ is almost exclusively via tunneling. However, the lowest-lying HOCO resonances are extremely long lived ($\ensuremath{\sim}\ensuremath{\mu}\mathrm{s}$), which might elude experimental measurements through its decay products $\mathrm{H}+{\mathrm{CO}}_{2}$. Our results are in good agreement with almost all experimental data reported by the Continetti group using a new cryogenically cooled photoelectron-photofragment coincidence apparatus.
Cortical thickness in frontoparietal and cingulo-opercular networks predicts executive function performance in older adults.

Objective This study examined the relationship between cortical thickness in executive control networks and neuropsychological measures of executive function. Method Forty-one community-dwelling older adults completed an MRI scan and a neuropsychological battery including 5 measures of executive function. Results Factor analysis of executive function measures revealed 2 distinct factors: (a) Complex Attention Control (CAC), comprised of tasks that required immediate response to stimuli and involved subtle performance feedback; and (b) Sustained Executive Control (SEC), comprised of tasks that involved maintenance and manipulation of information over time. Neural networks of interest were the frontoparietal network (F-P) and cingulo-opercular network (C-O), which have previously been hypothesized to relate to different components of executive function, based on functional MRI studies, but not neuropsychological factors. Linear regression models revealed that greater cortical thickness in the F-P network, but not the C-O network, predicted better performance on the CAC factor, whereas greater cortical thickness in the C-O network, but not the F-P network, predicted better performance on the SEC factor. Conclusions The relationship between cortical thickness and performance on executive function measures was characterized by a double dissociation between the thickness of cortical regions hypothesized to be involved in executive control and distinct executive processes. Results indicate that fundamentally different executive processes may be predicted by cortical thickness in distinct brain networks.
Inflammation as a Marker of Outcome in Myocardial Ischemia

Ischemic heart disease (IHD) is a major health problem, and accounts for almost 50% of all deaths and for a large part of hospitalization and health system costs [1,2]. IHD is also a devastating problem for the individuals affected by this disease. One of the problems related to IHD is the relative lack of reliable and affordable methods for risk stratification. IHD represents a clinical spectrum ranging from sudden death to mild stable angina. Clinical data are sufficient to judge that the outcome of patients with a large anterior myocardial infarction (MI), a very low ejection fraction (EF) and in New York Heart Association (NYHA) class III or IV is very different from that of patients with angina in NYHA class 1 and no coronary risk factors. However, it is often difficult to predict the prognosis of patients with IHD. The clinical data, and the non-invasive and invasive diagnostic tests are of little help in many patients. Traditional risk factors can explain only one half of all causes of MI. Further, the majority of MIs develop in the presence of non-significant coronary stenoses. Recently, growing evidence indicates that markers of inflammation may provide a more accurate prognostic stratification of IHD patients [3-5].
Ambulatory Morning Report: A Case-Based Method of Teaching EBM Through Experiential Learning

Objectives Evidence-based medicine (EBM) skills are important to daily practice, but residents generally feel unskilled incorporating EBM into practice. The Kolb experiential learning theory, as applied to curricular planning, offers a unique methodology to help learners build an EBM skill set based on clinical experiences. We sought to blend the learner-centered, case-based merits of the morning report with an experientially based EBM curriculum. We describe and evaluate a patient-centered ambulatory morning report combining the User's Guides to the Medical Literature approach to EBM and experiential learning theory in the internal medicine department at Baystate Medical Center. Methods The Kolb experiential learning theory postulates that experience transforms knowledge; within that premise we designed a curriculum to build EBM skills incorporating residents' patient encounters. By developing structured clinical questions based on recent clinical problems, residents activate prior knowledge. Residents acquire new knowledge through selection and evaluation of an article that addresses the structured clinical questions. Residents then apply and use new knowledge in future patient encounters. Results To assess the curriculum, we designed an 18-question EBM test, which addressed applied knowledge and EBM skills based on the User's Guides approach. Of the 66 residents who could participate in the curriculum, 61 (92%) completed the test. There was a modest improvement in EBM knowledge, primarily during the first year of training. Conclusions Our experiential curriculum teaches EBM skills essential to clinical practice. The curriculum differs from traditional EBM curricula in that ours blends experiential learning with an EBM skill set; learners use new knowledge in real time.
Marketing Strategies for the Professions: Generalizing the Case of CPAs

Political and social forces are bringing about changes in the way professionals market their services. In this paper we explore the types of marketing strategies that professionals are likely to employ. Based on data gathered from a random sample of practicing CPAs, we conclude that marketing strategies within professions are likely to vary with the structure of professional practice units.
Association between Systemic Diseases and Apical Periodontitis

Abstract Introduction To date, the relationships between systemic diseases and periapical microbial infection remain unknown. Thus the purpose of this systematic review was to evaluate the relationship between host modifying factors and their association with endodontic pathosis. Methods Two reviewers independently conducted a comprehensive literature search. The MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane, and PubMed databases were searched. In addition, the bibliographies of all relevant articles and textbooks were manually searched. There was no disagreement between the 2 reviewers. Results Sixteen articles were identified and included. The overall quality of the studies and the risk of bias were rated to be moderate. Only 3 studies demonstrated a low level of bias. Conclusions The results of this review suggest that there may be a moderate risk and correlation between some systemic diseases and endodontic pathosis. More prospective and longitudinal research in this area is warranted to determine greater specificity in these possible interactions to potentially decrease or minimize the effects of systemic disease on the formation of apical periodontitis.
Maximizing pharmacodynamics with high-dose levofloxacin

Objective: To review published literature of levofloxacin 750 mg for the treatment of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), nosocomial-acquired pneumonia (NAP), and skin and skin-structure infections (SSSI) focusing on microbiology, pharmacokinetic, and pharmacodynamic parameters. Data Sources: MEDLINE was searched for clinical trials and review articles (1966 to September 2004). Also included were data from the manufacturer. Search terms utilized were levofloxacin, pneumonia, skin infections, adverse effects, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and resistance. Study Selection and Data Extraction: All articles and product labeling regarding levofloxacin for the treatment of CAP, NAP, and SSSI were included for review. Data Synthesis: Compared with the other currently marketed fluoroquinolones, levofloxacin demonstrates similar in vitro activity to a number of commonly identified microorganisms. Levofloxacin 750 mg has shown equivalency to various non-fluoroquinolone regimens for the treatment of NAP and SSSI. Furthermore, a short, 5-day course of levofloxacin 750 mg was similar in efficacy to a longer, 10-day course of levofloxacin 500 mg for the treatment of CAP. Adverse events associated with levofloxacin therapy are dose independent; therefore, the adverse effects seen with high-dose levofloxacin are comparable to lower doses. Conclusions: The levofloxacin 750 mg dosage formulation is a logical option when evaluating the antimicrobial armamentarium commonly utilized for the empiric treatment of CAP, NAP, and SSSI. Pharmacodynamic parameters are optimized and resistance is minimized when high-dose, short-course therapy is implemented.
Performance prediction in production environments

Accurate performance predictions are difficult to achieve for parallel applications executing on production distributed systems. Conventional point-valued performance parameters and prediction models are often inaccurate since they can only represent one point in a range of possible behaviors. The authors address this problem by allowing characteristic application and system data to be represented by a set of possible values and their probabilities, which they call stochastic values. They give a practical methodology for using stochastic values as parameters to adaptable performance prediction models. They demonstrate their usefulness for a distributed SOR application, showing stochastic values to be more effective than single (point) values in predicting the range of application behavior that can occur during execution in production environments.
Evil Acts and Malicious Gossip: A Multiagent Model of the Effects of Gossip in Socially Distributed Person Perception

Although person perception is central to virtually all human social behavior, it is ordinarily studied in isolated individual perceivers. Conceptualizing it as a socially distributed process opens up a variety of novel issues, which have been addressed in scattered literatures mostly outside of social psychology. This article examines some of these issues using a series of multiagent models. Perceivers can use gossip (information from others about social targets) to improve their ability to detect targets who perform rare negative behaviors. The model suggests that they can simultaneously protect themselves against being influenced by malicious gossip intended to defame specific targets. They can balance these potentially conflicting goals by using specific strategies including disregarding gossip that differs from a personally obtained impression. Multiagent modeling demonstrates the outcomes produced by different combinations of assumptions about gossip, and suggests directions for further research and theoretical development.
Domestic and Transnational Dimensions of Counterterrorism Policy in Mexico

While multiple sources of terrorist activity potentially exist in Mexico, the security climate is somewhat unique in that terrorist-style violence in Mexico is primarily associated with organized criminal activity including narcotics manufacture and trafficking, arms smuggling, human trafficking and illegal immigration, and associated violent conflicts between rival criminal gangs and between criminal elements and government forces or civilians. Differences of opinion exist as to how to classify ongoing crime-related violence within the country. The Mexican government defines terrorism more broadly and regards many of the violent activities of the country’s criminal groups such as murders, bombings, kidnappings, and mass violence as acts of terrorism, whereas most US policymakers have historically made distinctions between terrorism in the conventional sense and the violent terrorist-style attacks perpetrated by criminal groups. Sources of political/ideological terrorism also exist. Small, regional insurgent groups exist within Mexico such as the Zapatista movement in Chiapas, which has been nonviolent since a 1994 ceasefire, and the Popular Revolutionary Army in Guerrero, which has perpetrated numerous gas-line bombings and other attacks as recently as 2007. Linkages may also exist between Mexican organized crime and international terrorist groups such as the suspected drug-trade association of Iranian-backed Hezbollah with the infamous Los Zetas group. Both the US and Mexican governments downplay such links to international terrorism, and domestic counterterrorism and transnational cooperation – largely comprised of US technological/material assistance and training related to law enforcement – has focused almost entirely upon combating the transnational dimensions of criminal activity such as narcotics trafficking by cartels. Domestic Mexican policies have to date focused upon directing increasing amounts of federal military resources to combat cartels and organized crime, weed out corruption, and strengthen the country’s criminal justice, judicial and prison systems.
New Directions in Cochlear Development

The mammalian cochlea is a highly specialized structure in the inner ear whose sensory organ, the organ of Corti, allows for exquisitely precise discrimination of sound frequencies over a huge range of sound amplitudes. The cochlea grows out as a ventral elaboration of the otocyst and is patterned by a variety of extracellular signals that originate both within the cochlear duct itself and from tissues adjacent to the cochlea. In this chapter, we describe the embryonic origins of the cochlear duct and spiral ganglion, the signals that induce the organ of Corti, the precise arrangement of the auditory hair cells and supporting cells, and recent work on how the hair cells become innervated by afferent and efferent neurons before the onset of hearing.
Neuronal SIRT1 (Silent Information Regulator 2 Homologue 1) Regulates Glycolysis and Mediates Resveratrol-Induced Ischemic Tolerance

Background and Purpose—Resveratrol, at least in part via SIRT1 (silent information regulator 2 homologue 1) activation, protects against cerebral ischemia when administered 2 days before injury. Ho...
Systematic reduction of GUI test sequences

Graphic user interface (GUI) is an integral part of many software applications. However, GUI testing remains a challenging task. The main problem is to generate a set of high-quality test cases, i.e., sequences of user events to cover the often large input space. Since manually crafting event sequences is labor-intensive and automated testing tools often have poor performance, we propose a new GUI testing framework to efficiently generate progressively longer event sequences while avoiding redundant sequences. Our technique for identifying the redundancy among these sequences relies on statically checking a set of simple and syntactic-level conditions, whose reduction power matches and sometimes exceeds that of classic techniques based on partial order reduction. We have evaluated our method on 17 Java Swing applications. Our experimental results show the new technique, while being sound and systematic, can achieve more than 10X reduction in the number of test sequences compared to the state-of-the-art GUI testing tools.
New ultra-bright source of entangled photons

A new ultra-bright entangled photon source has been realized using two cascaded type-II crystals. Entanglement of photons originating from any point on the output cones is observed provided that suitable optical delay lines are used.
Scoring Disease-Medication Associations using Advanced NLP, Machine Learning, and Multiple Content Sources.

Effective knowledge resources are critical for developing successful clinical decision support systems that alleviate the cognitive load on physicians in patient care. In this paper, we describe two new methods for building a knowledge resource of disease to medication associations. These methods use fundamentally different content and are based on advanced natural language processing and machine learning techniques. One method uses distributional semantics on large medical text, and the other uses data mining on a large number of patient records. The methods are evaluated using 25,379 unique disease-medication pairs extracted from 100 de-identified longitudinal patient records of a large multi-provider hospital system. We measured recall (R), precision (P), and F scores for positive and negative association prediction, along with coverage and accuracy. While individual methods performed well, a combined stacked classifier achieved the best performance, indicating the limitations and unique value of each resource and method. In predicting positive associations, the stacked combination significantly outperformed the baseline (a distant semi-supervised method on large medical text), achieving F scores of 0.75 versus 0.55 on the pairs seen in the patient records, and F scores of 0.69 and 0.35 on unique pairs.
High‐Frequency Trading and the New Stock Market: Sense And Nonsense

The stock market has been transformed during the last 25 years. Human suppliers of liquidity like the NASDAQ dealers and NYSE specialists have been replaced by algorithmic market making; stocks that once traded on a single venue now trade across twelve exchanges and a multitude of alternative trading systems. New venues like dark pools, and new participants like highâ€ frequency traders, have emerged to take on prominent roles. This new market has had more than its share of controversy and regulatory scrutiny, particularly in the wake of Michael Lewisâ€™s bestseller Flash Boys. In this article, the authors analyze five of the most controversial new market practices, including various highâ€ frequency trading strategies and dark pool activities. They set out a simple conceptual framework based on adverse selection and agency problems, and apply that framework to assess the welfare effects of each of the five practices. While much that is criticized is indeed objectionable, other controversial practices are much more complex than popularly imagined and may in fact be socially desirable. They conclude by evaluating a range of potential reforms to equity market structure.
Mechanisms of Mineral Substrate Acquisition in a Thermoacidophile

The thermoacidophile Acidianus is widely distributed in Yellowstone National Park hot springs that span large gradients in pH (1.60 to 4.84), temperature (42 to 90°C), and mineralogical composition. To characterize the potential role of flexibility in mineral-dependent energy metabolism in contributing to the widespread ecological distribution of this organism, we characterized the spectrum of minerals capable of supporting metabolism and the mechanisms that it uses to access these minerals. The energy metabolism of Acidianus strain DS80 was supported by elemental sulfur (S0), a variety of iron (hydr)oxides, and arsenic sulfide. Strain DS80 reduced, oxidized, and disproportionated S0 Cells growing via S0 reduction and disproportionation did not require direct access to the mineral to reduce it, whereas cells growing via S0 oxidation did require direct access, observations that are attributable to the role of H2S produced by S0 reduction/disproportionation in solubilizing and increasing the bioavailability of S0 Cells growing via iron (hydr)oxide reduction did not require access to the mineral, suggesting that the cells reduce Fe(III) that is being leached by the acidic growth medium. Cells growing via oxidation of arsenic sulfide with Fe(III) did not require access to the mineral to grow. The stoichiometry of reactants to products indicates that cells oxidize soluble As(III) released from oxidation of arsenic sulfide by aqueous Fe(III). Taken together, these observations underscore the importance of feedbacks between abiotic and biotic reactions in influencing the bioavailability of mineral substrates and defining ecological niches capable of supporting microbial metabolism.IMPORTANCE Mineral sources of electron donor and acceptor that support microbial metabolism are abundant in the natural environment. However, the spectrum of minerals capable of supporting a given microbial strain and the mechanisms that are used to access these minerals in support of microbial energy metabolism are often unknown, in particular among thermoacidophiles. Here, we show that the thermoacidophile Acidianus strain DS80 is adapted to use a variety of iron (hydro)oxide minerals, elemental sulfur, and arsenic sulfide to support growth. Cells rely on a complex interplay of abiologically and biologically catalyzed reactions that increase the solubility or bioavailability of minerals, thereby enabling their use in microbial metabolism.
Pharmacology of Sleep Medicine

Each training program may need to develop several plans for installing targeted instruction on drugs, drug selection, side effects, withdrawal, and pharmacodynamics, as well as discussing drugs used in addressing certain diseases, circadian rhythm, behavioral therapy, epidemiology, etc. Furthermore, as sleep medicine practitioners manage both adults and children, some understanding is needed as to how pharmacology is presented, evaluated, and approved for both populations.
How Organizations Influence Role Development

This chapter examines the influence of organizational characteristics on role and relationship development within mental health consumer-run organizations (CROs). The ideas of behavior setting theory and the role framework guide the investigation. Specifically, the chapter examines the influence of organizational size on person–environment interaction and the subsequent development of leadership roles. The chapter also examines how the availability of leadership roles within a CRO relates to recovery progress among members. These relations are tested using data from 250 participants at 20 CROs in multilevel regression analyses. Results provide insight into the strengths and weaknesses of behavior setting theory and the role framework. Together, the two theories inform one another to enhance understanding of CROs.