cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effectiveness of venous thromboembolism prophylaxis in patients with liver disease.

BACKGROUND Patients with liver disease are concomitantly at increased risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) and bleeding events due to changes in the balance of pro- and anti-hemostatic substances. As such, recommendations for the use of pharmacological VTE prophylaxis are lacking. Recent studies have found no difference in rates of VTE in those receiving and not receiving pharmacological VTE prophylaxis, though most studies have been small. Thus, our study sought to establish if pharmacological VTE prophylaxis is effective and safe in patients with liver disease. AIM To determine if there is net clinical benefit to providing pharmacological VTE prophylaxis to cirrhotic patients. METHODS In this retrospective study, 1806 patients were propensity matched to assess if pharmacological VTE prophylaxis is effective and safe in patients with cirrhosis. Patients were divided and evaluated based on receipt of pharmacological VTE prophylaxis. RESULTS The composite primary outcome of VTE or major bleeding was more common in the no prophylaxis group than the prophylaxis group (8.7% vs 5.1%, P = 0.002), though this outcome was driven by higher rates of major bleeding (6.9% vs 2.9%, P < 0.001) rather than VTE (1.9% vs 2.2%, P = 0.62). There was no difference in length of stay or in-hospital mortality between groups. Pharmacological VTE prophylaxis was independently associated with lower rates of major bleeding (OR = 0.42, 95%CI: 0.25-0.68, P = 0.0005), but was not protective against VTE on multivariable analysis. CONCLUSION Pharmacological VTE prophylaxis was not associated with a significant reduction in the rate of VTE in patients with liver disease, though no increase in major bleeding events was observed.
Constructions in the Recursively Enumerable Degrees

In these lectures we survey some of the most important results and the fundamental methods concerning degrees of recursively enumerable (r. e.) sets. We begin §1 with Post's simple sets and a recent elegant generalization of the recursion theorem. In § 2 we give the finite injury priority method, the solution of Post's problem, and the Sacks splitting theorem, In § 3 the infinite injury method is introduced and applied to prove the thickness lemma and the Sacks density theorem. In §4 and §5 we develop the minimal pair method for embedding distributive lattices in the r. e. degrees by maps preserving infimums as well as Superscript>remums. In §6 we present the non-diamond theorem which asserts that such embeddings cannot always preserve greatest and least elements. For background reading we suggest Rogers [17], Shoenfield [23], and Soare [25].
Identifying Melt Processing Conditions for a Polyacrylonitrile Copolymer Plasticized with Water, Acetonitrile and their Mixtures

Abstract This paper discusses the feasibility of the melt spinning process of polyacrylonitrile (PAN) copolymer (acrylonitrile/methylacrylate 95.6/4.4 mol% ratio) plasticized with H2O acetonitrile ...
Coveting your neighbour’s house: understanding the positional nature of residential satisfaction

Do the characteristics of our neighbour’s house affect how we view our own home? In this paper, I examine the importance of local comparisons in housing assessments by testing whether the size of o...
Turn-taking and the structural legitimization of bias: The case of the Ford-Kavanaugh hearing by the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary

Abstract This paper offers an analysis of the Ford-Kavanaugh hearing by the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, with particular attention to the role of the Committee chairperson within this procedural infrastructure—an infrastructure that, we argue, systematically provides for and thereby implicitly legitimizes the insertion of bias in its proceedings, while nonetheless orienting to an ideology of fairness based on time limits for speaking. Focusing on the linguistic and interactional mechanisms through which chairpersons may use the ‘interstitial spaces’ that emerge within such hearings, we conclude that the structural privileges afforded to partisan chairpersons can compromise the Committee's ability to reach impartial and unbiased conclusions in its investigations, and we offer recommendations with regard to how this might be resolved.
Clonal ZEB1-Driven Mesenchymal Transition Promotes Targetable Oncologic Antiangiogenic Therapy Resistance.

Glioblastoma (GBM) responses to bevacizumab are invariably transient with acquired resistance. We profiled paired patient specimens and bevacizumab-resistant xenograft models pre- and post-resistance toward the primary goal of identifying regulators whose targeting could prolong the therapeutic window, and the secondary goal of identifying biomarkers of therapeutic window closure. Bevacizumab-resistant patient specimens and xenografts exhibited decreased vessel density and increased hypoxia versus pre-resistance, suggesting that resistance occurs despite effective therapeutic devascularization. Microarray analysis revealed upregulated mesenchymal genes in resistant tumors correlating with bevacizumab treatment duration and causing three changes enabling resistant tumor growth in hypoxia. First, perivascular invasiveness along remaining blood vessels, which co-opts vessels in a VEGF-independent and neoangiogenesis-independent manner, was upregulated in novel biomimetic 3D bioengineered platforms modeling the bevacizumab-resistant microenvironment. Second, tumor-initiating stem cells housed in the perivascular niche close to remaining blood vessels were enriched. Third, metabolic reprogramming assessed through real-time bioenergetic measurement and metabolomics upregulated glycolysis and suppressed oxidative phosphorylation. Single-cell sequencing of bevacizumab-resistant patient GBMs confirmed upregulated mesenchymal genes, particularly glycoprotein YKL-40 and transcription factor ZEB1, in later clones, implicating these changes as treatment-induced. Serum YKL-40 was elevated in bevacizumab-resistant versus bevacizumab-naive patients. CRISPR and pharmacologic targeting of ZEB1 with honokiol reversed the mesenchymal gene expression and associated stem cell, invasion, and metabolic changes defining resistance. Honokiol caused greater cell death in bevacizumab-resistant than bevacizumab-responsive tumor cells, with surviving cells losing mesenchymal morphology. Employing YKL-40 as a resistance biomarker and ZEB1 as a target to prevent resistance could fulfill the promise of antiangiogenic therapy. SIGNIFICANCE: Bevacizumab resistance in GBM is associated with mesenchymal/glycolytic shifts involving YKL-40 and ZEB1. Targeting ZEB1 reduces bevacizumab-resistant GBM phenotypes. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT: http://cancerres.aacrjournals.org/content/canres/80/7/1498/F1.large.jpg.
Role of Defects in the Interplay between Adsorbate Evolving and Lattice Oxygen Mechanisms of the Oxygen Evolution Reaction in RuO2 and IrO2

The mechanistic interplay between the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and material degradation during water electrolysis is not yet well understood even for the most studied OER electrocatalysts su...
Dermatologic conditions in Down syndrome: A single-center retrospective chart review.

Background Current literature addressing dermatologic conditions associated with Down syndrome is limited, with emphasis on rare skin conditions and lack of consensus on the incidence of more common disorders. Objective We sought to evaluate dermatologic conditions in patients with Down syndrome diagnosed and managed by dermatologists. Methods This was a retrospective analysis of 101 pediatric and adult patients with Down syndrome seen by the University of Massachusetts Dermatology Department between 2008 and 2018. Results Folliculitis was the most common diagnosis overall (30.7%), followed by seborrheic dermatitis (26.7%) and hidradenitis suppurativa (22.8%). Eczematous dermatitis, alopecia areata, and xerosis were the most common diagnoses observed in children aged 0-12 years; hidradenitis suppurativa, folliculitis, and seborrheic dermatitis in adolescents aged 13-17 years; and folliculitis, seborrheic dermatitis, and xerosis in adults 18 years and older. Other notable diagnoses present overall included onychomycosis (9.9%) and psoriasis (8.9%). Malignant cutaneous tumors were present in two patients, specifically basal cell carcinoma and malignant melanoma in situ. Limitations This was a retrospective, single-institution study. Conclusion Dermatologic conditions in patients with Down syndrome vary by age but are most often adnexal and eczematous disorders. Trisomy of chromosome 21 and the resulting downstream effects, specifically on the immune system, may account for these findings.
Intraoperative Data Enhance the Detection of High-Risk Acute Kidney Injury Patients When Added to a Baseline Prediction Model.

BACKGROUND Aspects of intraoperative management (eg, hypotension) are associated with acute kidney injury (AKI) in noncardiac surgery patients. However, it is unclear if and how the addition of intraoperative data affects a baseline risk prediction model for postoperative AKI. METHODS With institutional review board (IRB) approval, an institutional cohort (2005-2015) of inpatient intra-abdominal surgery patients without preoperative AKI was identified. Data from the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (preoperative and procedure data), Anesthesia Information Management System (intraoperative data), and electronic health record (postoperative laboratory data) were linked. The sample was split into derivation/validation (70%/30%) cohorts. AKI was defined as an increase in serum creatinine ≥0.3 mg/dL within 48 hours or >50% within 7 days of surgery. Forward logistic regression fit a baseline model incorporating preoperative variables and surgical procedure. Forward logistic regression fit a second model incorporating the previously selected baseline variables, as well as additional intraoperative variables. Intraoperative variables reflected the following aspects of intraoperative management: anesthetics, beta-blockers, blood pressure, diuretics, fluids, operative time, opioids, and vasopressors. The baseline and intraoperative models were evaluated based on statistical significance and discriminative ability (c-statistic). The risk threshold equalizing sensitivity and specificity in the intraoperative model was identified. RESULTS Of 2691 patients in the derivation cohort, 234 (8.7%) developed AKI. The baseline model had c-statistic 0.77 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.74-0.80). The additional variables added to the intraoperative model were significantly associated with AKI (P < .0001) and the intraoperative model had c-statistic 0.81 (95% CI, 0.78-0.83). Sensitivity and specificity were equalized at a risk threshold of 9.0% in the intraoperative model. At this threshold, the baseline model had sensitivity and specificity of 71% (95% CI, 65-76) and 69% (95% CI, 67-70), respectively, and the intraoperative model had sensitivity and specificity of 74% (95% CI, 69-80) and 74% (95% CI, 73-76), respectively. The high-risk group had an AKI risk of 18% (95% CI, 15-20) in the baseline model and 22% (95% CI, 19-25) in the intraoperative model. CONCLUSIONS Intraoperative data, when added to a baseline risk prediction model for postoperative AKI in intra-abdominal surgery patients, improves the performance of the model.
When Speed Kills: Autonomous Weapon Systems, Deterrence, and Stability

While the applications of artificial intelligence (AI) for militaries are broad and go beyond the battlefield, autonomy on the battlefield, in the forms of lethal autonomous weapon systems (LAWS), represents one possible usage of narrow AI by militaries. Research and development on LAWS by major powers, middle powers, and non-state actors makes exploring the consequences for the security environment a crucial task. This paper draws on classic research in security studies and examples from military history to assess how LAWS could influence two outcome areas: the development and deployment of systems, including arms races, and the stability of deterrence, including strategic stability, the risk of crisis instability, and wartime escalation. It focuses on these questions through the lens of two characteristics of LAWS: the potential for increased operational speed and the potential for decreased human control over battlefield choices. It also examines how these issues interact with the large uncertainty parameter associated with potential AI-based military capabilities at present, both in terms of the range of the possible and the opacity of their programming.
Minority stress in consensually non-monogamous individuals: mental health implications

Consensual non-monogamy (CNM) is an area of increasing empirical and clinical interest. Few studies have explored the mental health of CNM individuals. Using the minority stress framework, we sough...
Fragment as Plenitude: Victricius of Rouen on Saintly Bodies

Writing in Latin at the end of the fourth century, Victricius of Rouen attempts something both novel and controversial, namely, a theological explanation of the power of the relics of Christian saints. His homiletic panegyric, titled In Praise of Saints, equates relics with the bodies of martyred saints, understood to be capable of endless multiplication and dissemination. Thus, what seems to be a mere part reveals a plenitude: the saintly body is both less and more than whole, replicating itself through division. Both localized and mobile, the relic as plenitudinous fragment displays a radically distributed, more-than-human bodily agency. It also casts light back on the porosity and violability of the living bodies of martyrs and indeed all humans. The whole, bounded body is an illusion.
Preparing for the OR

This section introduces the reader to the general aspects of how to prepare for a case in the OR, including learning the details of a patient’s presentation and diagnostic evaluation. The typical SOAP format of presenting for morning rounds is described in detail.
The IRCAM Revolution

The advent of infrared “array” detectors in the mid-1980s completely changed the way infrared astronomy was done. The UK Infrared Telescope and the Royal Observatory Edinburgh played significant roles in this revolutionary development. From 1984 to 1986, I was involved in the development of IRCAM, the first common-user infrared camera for the 1–5 μm region to use a solid-state imaging device developed specifically for ground-based astronomy. Although that first 58 × 62 pixel array is small by today’s standards, that remarkable little device, and its exploitation on the 3.8 m telescope, opened the flood gates and resulted in exponential growth for infrared astronomy. This article recounts some of the story behind the development and deployment of IRCAM.
Recombination-Deficient Mutants of Colicinogenic Salmonella typhimurium Detected by Their Failure to Produce Colicin

Survivors of nitrosoguanidine-treated cultures of a colicinogenic strain of Salmonella typhimurium were tested for spontaneous production of colicin E1. Of about 1,000 colonies tested, 13 produced no (or very narrow) colicin zones. Four of these isolates proved to be more sensitive to ultraviolet (UV) light, X rays, and methyl methane sulfonate than the parent strain and did not show enhanced production of colicin when treated with mitomycin C (which acts as an inducer on wild-type cells). Further studies showed that these isolates were of two classes. Three mutants were extremely sensitive to UV, failed to show spontaneous release of two temperate phages, and were infertile as recipients in transduction or in an Hfr cross although they accepted an F′ factor normally. These independently isolated mutants were inferred to be recombination-deficient; one of them had the additional property of increased spontaneous mutability at two loci. The other colicin-nonreleasing isolate was only moderately sensitive to UV, showed enhanced spontaneous release of two temperate phages, and was of approximately normal fertility as a recipient in transduction or conjugation.
Case report: Fentanyl-associated intraoperative anaphylaxis with pulmonary edema

Purpose: To describe an atypical presentation of intraoperative anaphylaxis due to fentanyl. Clinical features: A 40-yr-old otherwise healthy woman was admitted for abdominal hysterectomy. She denied any drug allergies or past adverse anesthetic reactions. Physical examination, vital signs, and laboratory findings were all within normal limits. Twenty minutes after induction of general anesthesia with propofol, lidocaine, fentanyl, and rocuronium, she developed sudden onset of hypotension and bronchospasm. She was treated with fluids and epinephrine, but nonetheless required mechanical ventilation for 48 hr. Chest x-ray revealed pulmonary edema which resolved over two days. She recovered completely and was discharged home. Subsequent skin testing showed reactions to fentanyl and succinylcholine. Because the patient had not received succinylcholine, the cause of her anaphylaxis was attributed to fentanyl. The patient later returned for her hysterectomy and tolerated spinal anesthesia with bupivacaine and morphine. Conclusion: Anaphylaxis is a fulminant, unexpected, IgE-mediated allergic reaction which can be triggered by multiple agents. Common causative agents include neuromuscular blocking drugs, latex, antibiotics, colloids, hypnotics, and opioids. Fentanyl, however, is an extremely unusual cause of anaphylaxis. Pulmonary edema, although uncommon in anaphylaxis, can be a prominent feature, as was the case with this patient.
Foreign Direct Investment in Mexico and Chile

Summary Increased flows of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) are a major source of capital for Latin American countries. This paper analyzes the experiences with attracting and the effects of FDI for two nations-Chile and Mexico. Clearly attempts to attract FDI through relaxed restrictions on profit remittances and other reforms have had an impact. However, while Mexico has succeeded in attracting investment to high productivity “greenfield” industries, Chile has seen most FDI go towards low productivity sectors such as mining and agriculture.
Loanable funds, liquidity preference, and endogenous money: do credit cards make a difference?

This paper criticizes attempts to mix financial stocks and flows to offer a theory of interest rate determination that is consistent with loanable funds theory. It offers an alternative interpretation, using Keynes's liquidity preference theory combined with endogenous money theory. Balance sheet analysis is used to demonstrate operation of fiscal and monetary policy, as well as to analyze how growing use of credit cards affects money "demand and supply." It concludes that orthodox equilibrium approaches are not useful for interest rate determination.
Virtual reality suturing task as an objective test for robotic experience assessment

We performed a pilot study using a single virtual-simulation suturing module as an objective measurement to determine functional use of the robotic system. This study will assist in designing a study for an objective, adjunctive test for use by a surgical proctor. After IRB approval, subjects were recruited at a robotic renal surgery course to perform two attempts of the “Tubes” module without warm-up using the Da Vinci® Surgical Skills Simulator™. The overall MScore (%) from the simulator was compared among various skill levels to provide construct validity. Correlation with MScore and number of robotic cases was performed and pre-determined skill groups were tested. Nine metrics that make up the overall score were also tested via paired t test and subsequent logistic regression to determine which skills differed among experienced and novice robotic surgeons. We enrolled 38 subjects with experience ranging from 0- < 200 robotic cases. Median time to complete both tasks was less than 10 min. The MScore on the first attempt was correlated to the number of previous robotic cases (R2 = 0.465; p = 0.003). MScore was different between novice and more experienced robotic surgeons on the first (44.7 vs. 63.9; p = 0.005) and second attempt (56.0 vs. 69.9; p = 0.037). A single virtual simulator exercise can provide objective information in determining proficient use of the robotic surgical system.
Evolution of TERT-interacting lncRNAs: expanding the regulatory landscape of telomerase

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) evolve rapidly and are functionally diverse. The emergence of new lncRNAs is driven by genome disturbance events, including whole genome duplication, and transposition. One of the few lncRNAs with a conserved role throughout eukaryotes is the telomerase RNA, TER. TER works in concert with the telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) to maintain telomeres. Here we discuss recent findings from Arabidopsis thaliana and its relatives illustrating the remarkable evolutionary flexibility within TER and the potential for non-canonical TERT-lncRNA interactions. We highlight the two TERs in A. thaliana. One is a conventional telomerase template. The other lncRNA negatively regulates telomerase activity in response to DNA damage, a function mediated by co-option of a transposable element. In addition, we discuss evidence for multiple independent TER loci throughout the plant family Brassicaceae, and how these loci not only reflect rapid convergent evolution, but also the flexibility of having a lncRNA at the core of telomerase. Lastly, we discuss the propensity for TERT to bind a suite of non-templating lncRNAs, and how such RNAs may facilitate telomerase regulation and off-telomere functions.
Folylpoly-γ-glutamate Synthetase Gene mRNA Splice Variants and Protein Expression in Primary Human Leukemia Cells, Cell Lines, and Normal Human Tissues

Folypoly-γ-glutamate synthetase (FPGS) is essential for the cytotoxicity of “classical” antifolates and their efficacy in cancer chemotherapy. The expression of the FPGS gene appears controlled by both tissue/lineage-specific and proliferation-dependent mechanisms. Four alternative exon 1 splice variants of the FPGS gene have been described previously, but their significance in gene regulation has not been determined. Furthermore, alternative splicing of the human FPGS gene in normal or transformed cells in vivo has not been reported. We have examined the mRNA expression of these FPGS splice variants in primary human leukemia cells, cell lines, and normal human hematopoietic progenitors using reverse transcription-PCR. Specific primers were designed to amplify splice variants 1, 1A, 1B, and 1C; and full-length FPGS mRNA was amplified using primers for exons 14 and 15 at the 3′ end of the gene. In this study, we demonstrate that all four alternative exon 1 variants are expressed in all primary leukemia cells and cell lines (ALL and AML), as well as in normal human hematopoietic progenitors. No significant differences in mRNA expression were detected in primary cells or cell lines for the four exon 1 splice variants. Normal circulating human lymphocytes (peripheral blood mononuclear cells) also expressed mRNA amplified from full-length FPGS and the four exon 1 splice variants, although no detectable FPGS activity was found. Using Western immunoblotting, we show that FPGS protein is expressed in these peripheral blood mononuclear cells; thus, we propose that posttranslational modification(s) is required for expression of a functional FPGS protein in human lymphohematopoietic cells. In addition, poly(A)+ RNA from normal human adult and fetal tissues and leukemia cell lines was analyzed by Northern blot methodology. Total FPGS mRNA expression showed tissue-specificity, and higher levels were observed in human fetal tissues compared with adult tissues. The data presented herein demonstrate the existence of these FPGS mRNA splice variants in normal and transformed human hematopoietic cells and indicate that alternative splicing of the 5′ end of the human FPGS gene does occur in primary cells in vivo . However, its role in regulating the expression of its mRNA remains to be determined.
The télèphone malgache: Transnational gossip and social transformation among Malagasy marriage migrants in France

Deepening poverty in Madagascar leads Malagasy coastal women to marry Frenchmen as a way to migrate to France. The telephone malgache, an informal organizational and communicative structure, connects these marriage migrants to each other and to their families in Madagascar. Drawing from studies of gossip, on the one hand, and telecommunications, on the other, I argue that the telephone malgache creates highly unstable social ties that regulate and transform Malagasy matrimonial migrants’ relationships with one another, their French families, and their Malagasy families back home. I show how the relations that women maintain with one another in France and with their kin in Madagascar are aspects of a single process. Far from simply connecting people to their homelands, these relationships also shape migrants’ integration into French society.
Sample phenotype clusters in high-density oligonucleotide microarray data sets are revealed using Isomap, a nonlinear algorithm.

Background Life processes are determined by the organism's genetic profile and multiple environmental variables. However the interaction between these factors is inherently non-linear [1]. Microarray data is one representation of the nonlinear interactions among genes and genes and environmental factors. Still most microarray studies use linear methods for the interpretation of nonlinear data. In this study, we apply Isomap, a nonlinear method of dimensionality reduction, to analyze three independent large Affymetrix high-density oligonucleotide microarray data sets.
Talking to the Future

The Society for Science and the Public hosts an international science and engineering fair that encourages today's teenagers to create tomorrow's future.
The More You Know: The Impact of Publication and Peer-Review Experience on Psychology Graduate Students.

The New School Psychology Bulletin (NSPB) is a peer-reviewed journal operated by clinical psychology graduate students. Forty-four members of the editorial board and 27 authors were surveyed before...
Experimental investigation of supersonic flow past double-wedge configurations

Viscous-inviscid interactions characteristic of those which occur when the fuselage-generated shock wave interacts with the wing-generated shock wave of a shuttle orbiter were studied experimentally. Surface-pressure measurements and schlieren photographs were obtained to define the flowfield generated when a Mach 4.97 stream encounters a double-wedge configuration. The deflection angles for the two wedge surfaces were such that the shock interaction pattern was either a Type-V pattern or a Type-VI pattern, as defined by Edney. The correlation between the present data and the theoretical solution for the Type-VI solution is satisfactory. The correlation between the measured Type-V shock-interaction pattern and the theoretical solution is satisfactory up to the interaction region. Downstream of the interaction the Type-V data depend primarily on the shape of the leading-edge shock wave.
Dry Techniques for Epitaxial Graphene Transfer

Epitaxial graphene (EG) grown on the carbon-face of SiC has been shown to exhibit higher carrier mobilities in comparison to other growth techniques amenable to wafer-scale graphene fabrication. The transfer of large area (>mm2) graphene films to substrates amenable for specific applications is desirable. We demonstrate the dry transfer of EG from the C-face of 4H-SiC onto SiO2, GaN and Al2O3 substrates via two approaches using either 1) thermal release tape or 2) a spin-on, chemically-etchable dielectric. Van der Pauw devices fabricated from C-face EG transferred to SiO2 gave similar mobility values and up to three fold reductions in carrier density in comparison to devices fabricated on as-grown material.
Increased interleukin-1β gene expression in peripheral blood leukocytes is associated with increased pain and predicts risk for progression of symptomatic knee osteoarthritis.

Objective To evaluate whether gene expression profiles could serve as biomarkers of symptomatic knee osteoarthritis (OA) by examining gene expression profiles in peripheral blood leukocytes (PBLs) from patients with OA compared with those from non-OA controls, and to determine whether candidate genomic biomarkers (PBL expression of inflammatory genes) predict an increased risk of disease progression in patients with symptomatic radiographic knee OA. Methods Three independent cohorts of patients with knee OA and non-OA control subjects were studied. Two cohorts (a learning cohort and a validation cohort) were recruited at New York University Hospital for Joint Diseases (NYUHJD), and 1 cohort (a validation cohort) was recruited at Duke University Medical Center. PBL gene expression was assessed using Affymetrix microarray and was confirmed by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Radiographic progression at 2 years was assessed in 86 patients. Results We identified 173 genes that were significantly up-regulated or down-regulated (≥1.5-fold change) in OA PBLs, at a false discovery rate of 5%. Cluster analysis revealed 2 distinct subgroups among the patients with OA: those in whom the expression of interleukin-1β (IL-1β) was increased ≥2-fold compared with controls, and those in whom the expression of IL-1β was comparable with that in controls. Overexpression of IL-1β in these OA subclasses was validated using qPCR in all 3 cohorts. Patients with the inflammatory “IL-1β signature” had higher pain scores and decreased function and were at higher risk of radiographic progression of OA. Conclusion PBLs from patients with symptomatic knee OA display a characteristic transcriptome profile. Moreover, increased expression of IL-1β identifies a subset of patients with OA who have increased pain and are at higher risk of radiographic progression of OA.
Digital not diversity? Changing Aboriginal media policy at the National Film Board of Canada.

Using Canada’s National Film Board (NFB) as a case study, this paper highlights a paradigm shift in media policy away from supporting diverse content in favor of new digital formats. Historically the NFB has supported Aboriginal media production as a hallmark of the institution’s founding commitment to representing Canada’s people and culture. However, in recent years the institution has shifted its focus to digital technologies and interactive productions. This research is rooted in both a quantitative and qualitative examination of NFB official reports and related press coverage. The examination demonstrates a decrease in emphasis on Aboriginal production and an increase in attention to new technologies.
Diffusion- and Kinetics-Limited Combustion of an Explosively Dispersed Aluminum Particle

CD = drag coefficient Cp = specific heat capacity of particle, J∕kg · K−1 dp = particle diameter, m dp = initial particle diameter, m Eg = specific total energy of the gas, m ∕s eg = specific internal energy of the gas, m ∕s Jd = diffusion-limited mass transfer rate, kg∕s Jk = kinetics-limited mass transfer rate, kg∕s K = burn time constant, s∕m Lv = latent heat of evaporation, J∕kg mp = particle mass, kg _ mp = particle mass transfer rate, kg∕s m = initial particle mass, kg Nu = Nusselt number Pr = Prandtl number pg = gas pressure, N∕m Re = Reynolds number based on slip velocity r = radial coordinate, m Tact = activation energy divided by gas constant, K Tp = particle temperature, K t = time, s td = diffusion-limited combustion time scale, s tk = kinetics-limited combustion time scale, s ug = gas velocity, m∕s up = particle velocity, m∕s xp = particle radial location, m Yair = mass fraction of air Yk = mass fraction of the kth species YTNT = mass fraction of TNT detonation products Yo = oxidizer mass fraction Zhyb = preexponential factor, kg∕m · s−1 e = emissivity κg = thermal conductivity of gas, W∕m · K−1 ρg = gas density, kg∕m ρs = particle material density, kg∕m σ = Stefan–Boltzmann constant, W∕m · K−4 τb = particle burn time, s
Response of the southwestern Japan/East Sea to atmospheric pressure

Abstract The response of the southwestern Japan/East Sea (JES) to atmospheric pressure ( P atm ) and wind-stress ( τ ⇒ ) forcing is investigated by analyzing 2-year bottom pressure ( P bot ) data and coastal tide-gauge records. Coherence analyses between P bot data reveal that the response of the southwestern JES is nearly uniform at frequencies lower than 0.6 cycles per day (cpd). The Ulleung Basin (UB) average P bot ( P ¯ bot ) departs significantly from inverted-barometer (IB) response to the basin average P atm ( P ¯ atm ) at frequency bands from 0.2 to 0.7 cpd. The coherence between P ¯ atm and P ¯ bot has maximum value at 0.2 cpd. Multiple coherence analysis, applied with P ¯ atm and UB average τ ⇒ ( τ ⇒ ¯ ) as inputs and P ¯ bot as output, reveals that P ¯ atm is the most significant forcing, with a peak at frequencies between 0.2 and 0.3 cpd. A simple model [Garrett, 1983. Variable sea level and strait flows in the Mediterranean: a theoretical study of the response to meteorological forcing. Oceanologica Acta 6, 79–87; Lyu et al., 2002. Atmospheric pressure-forced subinertial variations in the transport through the Korea Strait. Geophysical Research Letters 29, 10.1029/2001GL014366] is used to investigate the limiting role of the three straits on the JES response to P atm . Coastal sea-level ( η ) data inside the JES as well as outside the straits demonstrate that the JES responds with a damped Helmholtz-like resonance. The resonance frequency predicted by this simple model is near the frequency of maximum coherence between P ¯ atm and η ¯ d , estimated from P ¯ bot by the hydrostatic approximation. Phase relations and response function gain between these variables confirm the applicability of this simple model to the JES for low-frequency bands below the Helmholtz-like resonance frequency. At higher frequencies, the response relaxes back toward IB, which suggests the mass field adjusts internally within the JES.
Texting and sexual health: experimental evidence from an information intervention in Kenya

While text-messaging is an efficacious method of disseminating health information in developing contexts, we know less about how users adapt their behavior based on that information. Does it matter how the information is conveyed? This paper presents findings from a randomized field experiment that evaluates the impact of a Short Message Service (SMS) sexual health counseling service on individuals' knowledge and behavior in an urban informal settlement of Nairobi, Kenya. Subjects were randomly assigned to one of three treatment conditions which tested different mechanisms through which technology-enabled information provision could work to alter sexual behavior: (1) information gap reduction, (2) personalization and (3) social cues. The evidence suggests that personalizing the information and providing signals about how other people in the community are behaving can dramatically minimize sexual health risk, compared to simply reducing the information gap. Additionally, individuals receiving generic, non-personalized health information were more likely to engage in risky behavior compared to their counterparts.
Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome: Mangnetic Resonance Patterns of Brain Involvement With Pathologic Correlation

• Magnetic resonance brain scans of 30 patients with either acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) or AIDS-related complex were reviewed. Twenty patients had focally abnormal neurological examination results at the time of scanning. Pathological diagnosis was available in nine. Four patterns of abnormality were observed on T 2 -weighted images. Multiple discrete high-signal foci (pattern A) were found in patients with toxoplasmosis and progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy. Large, bilateral patchy to confluent high-signal areas within the white matter (pattern B) represented a white matter encephalitis secondary to cytomegalovirus or human immunodeficiency virus. Generalized enlargement of the cortical sulci and ventricles (pattern C) probably reflected atrophic changes from the chronic human immunodeficiency virus infection and prolonged debilitating illness. Solitary high-signal-intensity lesions (pattern D) suggested a nonviral opportunistic infection. Differential diagnosis of brain abnormalities in patients with AIDS can be assisted by recognition of these characteristic patterns.
Epidemiological studies of neurotoxic, reproductive, and carcinogenic effects of complex mixtures.

Neurotoxic, reproductive, and carcinogenic effects are potentially important health end points in epidemiological studies of complex mixtures, particularly when such mixtures contain volatile organic compounds or trace metals. Epidemiological studies of neurotoxicity often will require direct clinical, behavioral, and/or physiological testing of study subjects, because these effects are likely to be subtle and not identifiable as clearly defined diseases. Peripheral nervous system toxicity can be assessed by clinical neurologic examinations, by electrophysiological tests of nerve conduction, and by physiological tests of thresholds for neurosensory perception, though these tests require considerable standardization for use outside the clinical setting, and most of the available tests have not been assessed for their utility in detecting effects of neurotoxic exposures. Neurobehavioral effects of exposures to solvents, as examples of complex mixtures, have been studied widely; but batteries of tests are often used, and these have not been well standardized and are generally unfamiliar to most research investigators in this area. Recently standardized neurobehavioral test systems developed by the World Health Organization and by a U.S. group for use in field studies, show promise in detecting neurobehavioral effects at relatively low environmental exposures. Similarly, new and sensitive measures of disturbed reproductive function, such as time-to-conception and biochemical indices of early pregnancy loss, are affected by some low-concentration environmental agents; but those measures have not yet been applied to studies of complex mixtures.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Characteristics of Periodicals for Potential Authors and Readers in Production and Operations Management

Journals and industry publications are important in communication among production and operations‐management academics and practitioners. There have been calls for more cross‐disciplinary research and greater emphasis on applied benefit. Describes an attempt to identify relevant periodicals, together with their publication characteristics and readership exposure indices. The authors conclude that even if research agendas are changed to emphasize practitioner‐relevant research, that is of little benefit if the readership of academic journals remains low. It is suggested that other outlets, particularly those with high readership exposure, should be regarded as legitimate publication outlets for such research.
Effects of the dnaA thermosensitive mutation of Escherichia coli on bacteriophage fl growth and DNA synthesis

Abstract K368, a male derivative of Escherichia coli strain CRT4634, is unable to replicate its DNA at 42°. It is a dnaA type mutant. It is also unable to support f1 phage growth at 42°, although a return to 33° is immediately followed by active phage production. Studies of the DNA found inside K368 cells infected and kept at 42° show the presence of material sedimenting like viral RF and SS. However, there is a defect in the single-stranded DNA molecules made under these conditions. Many of these molecules are linear instead of circular. We interpret these facts in terms of a ligaselike activity necessary for the completion of f1 viral single-strand synthesis.
Optimal selection of the local storage sizes of an assembly system

This paper describes the design of an assembly system consisting of a set of work stations and a set of quality control stations, linked by a set of transporter stations; given that the processing rates of all the work stations and the transporter stations, the defective fraction of the workpieces at each quality control station, and the expected throughput rate of the system are specified. The minimum required local storage sizes of the work stations and the transporter stations are obtained such that the probability of finding either a work station or a transporter station blocked is sufficiently close to zero.
Participatory Security: Citizen Security, Participation, and the Inequities of Citizenship in Urban Peru

This article discusses a model of local governance referred to here as ‘participatory security’, in which citizens are held responsible for maintaining urban security by participating in municipal programmes. I argue that the goals of universal ‘inclusion’ through democratic ‘participation’ are undermined by political ideologies espousing both rights and responsibilities of citizenship. Through ethnographic cases from highland Peru, in which city centre neighbourhoods and peripheral zones are expected to participate in markedly different fashions, I demonstrate how the discourse of responsibilities translates into differential participation and effectively institutionalises the layered imbalances of urban citizenship in new and highly consequential ways.
Growth hormone releasing factor increases growth hormone release from MtTW15 pituitary tumors

The MtTW15 pituitary tumor secretes growth hormone and prolactin. Perfusion of these dispersed MtTW15 tumor cells with 10 nM growth hormone releasing factor (GRF) increases growth hormone release without affecting prolactin release. This effect is dose-dependent between 0.001 and 0.1 nM and is blocked by 100 nM somatostatin. These findings suggest that this tumor and clones derived from it may be valuable tools in studying the cellular mechanisms of action of GRF and somatostatin.
Organic contaminants in Winyah bay, South Carolina I: Pesticides and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in subsurface and microlayer waters

Abstract The surface microlayer (top ≤ 1 mm of the water's surface) is a potential site of enrichment of hydrophobic organic compounds. Concentrations of pesticides and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were assessed in the microlayer and subsurface waters of Winyah Bay and North Inlet, South Carolina. Microlayer samples were collected using a screen method every two months during 1990 at seven stations and analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry or electron-capture detection. Six pesticides were detected; simazine, atrazine, alachlor, malathion, α- and γ-hexachlorocyclohexane. Of these, atrazine had the highest concentration, ranging up to 890 ng/liter in May 1990, and it was found throughout the year in Winyah Bay. Total PAH levels were generally in the nanogram per liter range, but were up to 2–9 μ/liter for one microlayer sample collected adjacent to urban Georgetown, SC. The dominant PAHs in both subsurface and microlayer samples were fluoranthene and pyrene. Pesticides found in this study did not greatly enrich in the microlayer. PAHs did concentrate in the microlayer, with an average of 18 times more total PAH than in subsurface samples.
Plasmodium berghei: Phagocytic activity in two strains of rats

Abstract The Wistar and Sprague-Dawley strains of rats differ in their ability to maintain phagocytic hyperactivity toward colloidal carbon during infection with Plasmodium berghei. Both strains were highly stimulated by the 4th day, but on the 7th and 8th days of infection one-third of the Sprague-Dawley rats were not hyperactive while all the Wistar rats remained hyperactive. The course of infection subsequent to the carbon test was similar in hyperactive and in nonhyperactive rats.
Proposed distributed feedback crystal cavities for X-ray lasers

The strong interest in the coherent generation and guiding of x rays is well known. Many papers have recently appeared treating different concepts of stimulated x-ray emissions, and x-ray guiding in thin films was achieved. Crystals were suggested as end reflectors to generate feedback. Here we suggest a different type of cavity using zeolite crystals that would guide the emitted x-rays and at the same time generate the necessary feedback for self-sustained oscillation.
High resolution study of nitric oxide near 5.4 microns

Abstract High resolution spectra of the 2 Π 1 2 - 2 Π 1 2 and 2 Π 3 2 - 2 Π 3 2 subbands of the fundamental and the (1-0) 2 Π 1 2 - 2 Π 3 2 and (1-0) 2 Π 3 2 - 2 Π 1 2 satellite bands for both 15N16O and 14N16O have been obtained and analyzed. The analysis leads to the following rotational constants: For 15N16O, Be = 1.64449 ± 0.00008 cm−1, De = (5.1 ± 0.1) × 10−6 cm−1. For 14N16O, Be = 1.70487 ± 0.00006 cm−1, De = (5.5 ± 0.1) × 10−6 cm−1. The satellite data provides a method for directly determining the spin-orbit coupling constants A0 and A1. The A0 and A1 are found to be independent of isotopic substitution within the limits of accuracy of the data, indicating identical electronic structure for the two molecules considered. Values for these and other molecular parameters which could be determined are quoted.
Fabrication and Characterization of Gallium Nitride Unimorphs for Optical MEMS Applications

The research outlined in this paper describes part of a larger effort to develop a novel branch of next-generation materials systems called Distributed Intelligent Materials Systems (DIMS) which incorporate actuation, sensing, electronics and communications modules as inherent parts of the material structure. Newer semiconductor materials that are under active research in the field of microelectronics are very well suited for such material systems. Gallium Nitride (GaN), a smart material, is pursued as a candidate material for such a system with a piezoelectrically actuated, optical microswitch being developed as the first prototypical device. This paper covers the unique electromechanical properties of GaN highlighting its differences from other piezoelectrics, the device configuration used to realize the switching device, followed by a description of and the progress made in using a nascent fabrication technology (PhotoElectroChemical Etching) used to realize the 3-dimensional device structure. Finally a low-cost, laser-based, non-contact approach to testing and characterizing the microscale device is described.Copyright © 2011 by ASME
Electron transport in bifurcated tokamak equilibria

Transport of ions and electrons is calculated by the Monte Carlo method in tokamak plasmas without axial symmetry. Turbulence is modeled by time-averaged equations of electrostatics and magnetostatics that describe quasineutrality and equilibrium. Good agreement with experimental measurements is obtained by allowing for small three-dimensional asymmetries in the electric and magnetic fields.