cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Systems Analysis at the Public-Private Marketing Frontier

New and complex problems are developing at the public-private interface. There exist few effective mechanisms for their analysis and solution. The author proposes an interdisciplinary systems appro...
Intravenous Thyrotropin Releasing Hormone in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: Autonomic Effects

Heart rate, respiratory rate, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and oral and skin temperature changes following intravenous administration of TRH occur at lower infusion rates in patients with ALS and bulbar involvement than in patients with ALS without bulbar involvement. This autonomic sensitivity to TRH infusion is characteristic of a more advanced stage of ALS with difficulties in speaking and swallowing. Patients who will be receiving neuropeptides, such as TRH, must be carefully studied to determine whether sub- clinical bulbar involvement is present. Such patients may require a lower initial dose or dose rate adjustment as well as continual monitoring during neuropeptide administration.
Preclinical study of the dose-effect relationship of sirolimus-eluting stent on coronary restenosis prevention

Objectives To evaluate the dose-effect relationship of sirolimus-eluting stent on coronary restenosis prevention in a mini-swine model. Methods Eighteen mini-swines were randomized to 3 drug dose groups. Sirolimus-eluting stent was coated with 3 different drug doses, including 50%,75% and 100%. Arteries were examined by histopathology,histomorphometry and immunohistochemistry methods in 28 days and 90 days later.Results The 28th and 90th day following results showed that the luminal area of 75% dose group was larger than that of the 50% dose group(P0.05),but similar to that of the 100% dose group(P 0.05);the neointimal area and the lumen stenosis rate of the 75% dose group were also similar to those of the 100% dose group(P 0.05),both of which were smaller than those of the 50% dose group. Compared with the 50% dose group, the PCNA protein was less both in the 100% dose group and in the 75% dose group(P0.01). The apoptotic cell count in the 100% dose group was more than that of the 75% dose group(P 0.001)and apoptotic cells were not seen in the 50% dose group. In the end of following up,no thrombosis was found in all the groups. Conclusions The 100% sirolimus dose group stent shows the best effect on preventing the in-stent restenosis in the mini-swine model. The 75% dose stent has a similar effect to 100% dose sirolimus-eluting stent on preventing in-stent restenosis in a porcine model, both of which were better than that of the 50% dose stent group.
Mechanism of Carvedilol in Treatment of Cardiovascular Disease in Children

Carvedilol can inhibit β-receptor and α-receptor,regulate cytokine,and has antioxidant,antiremodeling and antiarrhythmia actions.Carvedilol is currently the treatment,or intervention,used for children with viral myocarditis,dilated cardiomyopathy,and cardiac arrhythmia.This paper reviews the mechanism of carvedilol in patients,particularly children,with cardiovascular diseases.
Recent studies of treeing breakdown

Trees can propagate in epoxy resins at stresses below 100 vpm. Resistance to treeing probably can not be correlated with other commonly measured breakdown properties. Continuing study is necessary to determine (a) the service conditions in which treeing is an important consideration, and (b) the range of test conditions which reliably rate this characteristic of materials.
How vessels narrow.

Vascular narrowing, the clinical dilatation of narrowed vessels, and the restenosis of those vessels are central topics in modern cardiology. This review discusses the cellular basis both for the spontaneous narrowing of vessels and for the restenotic process that occurs after angioplasty. The central issue, as discussed in this review, is likely to be remodeling of the vessel wall rather than simple accretion of lipid mass in atherosclerosis or simple physical dilatation following angioplasty. While it is true that the atherosclerotic lesion grows by accretion of lipid mass, this by itself does not narrow vessels. As we will discuss, the vessel has a phenomenal ability to accommodate changes of this sort. Narrowing must occur, at least in part, because of a failure of this normal ability to accommodate. In a similar manner, one might expect the restonotic vessel to simply remodel itself down to its preangioplasty size. The issue for cell and molecular biologists is what "remodeling" means. Until recently, the assertion has been that remodeling occurred as the result of the formation of new intimal mass; that is, the atherosclerotic vessel was seen as returning to its original dimensions following angioplasty as a result of forming a new intimal mass that filled in the dilated space. Recent studies using cell kinetic methods as well as intravascular ultrasound, however, have cast doubt upon this hypothesis. It now appears that the loss of gain following angioplasty is likely to be due to the formation of new tissues which remodel the vessel wall without necessarily adding mass to it. This is the same sort of process that is well described in wound healing. The nature of this new tissue is of great interest. Studies in this laboratory and others have identified genes which may be unique to this tissue and explain the remodeling response.
IMAGING INPUT TECHNOLOGY

At the heart of any digital imaging system is some type of device that initially converts the analog images of everyday life to a realm of the numbers 0 and 1, the binary digital realm. With the advent of this deceptively simple conversion, perhaps seen by some as bordering on the mystical, a new world of possibilities in imaging is within reach. As the technologies that make digital imaging possible become economically approachable, it is important and timely to revisit their application to the broad fields of pathology.
Loving Unconditionally: Demographic Correlates of the Agapic Love Style

Although passionate or erotic love continues to receive the most attention from relationship scholars, there is a growing interest in a variety of love variously referred to as altruistic, compassionate, self-giving, or agapic love. Because this type of unconditional, other-oriented love appears to have important implications for the interpersonal dynamics and overall quality of close romantic relationships, there has been increased interest in delineating its correlates and possible causal antecedents. The goal of the present empirical investigation was to explore three potential demographic correlates of unconditional or agapic love – age, gender, and ethnicity. A large, multi-ethnic community sample of adult men and women (N = 697) individually completed the 7-item Agapic subscale of the Love Attitudes Scale (Hendrick & Hendrick, 1990). Although age was not associated with agapic love scores, a significant overall gender difference was obtained such that men scored higher than women. Ethnic differences also were found. Specifically, African American participants reported lower levels of agapic love than did Latino/a, Asian/Pacific Islander, and non-Hispanic White participants.
An Introduction to Men and Their Dogs: A New Understanding of “Man’s Best Friend”

From the time I (Chris Blazina) began my career as a psychologist, I knew it would be difficult to reach the men I sought to help. As a general rule, males in North America have very negative attitudes about seeking support. I might even go so far as to say the same men struggle with a “crisis of connection,” which equates to a number of challenges, such as the difficulty in making and sustaining connections with others. It also involves mistaking self-reliance for total self-sufficiency and pressure to keep vulnerability firmly in check. A significant percentage of American men endorse some form of these traditional male norms or at least have familiarity with them. One troubling aspect of this prevalence is many men believe they are just fulfilling the requirements of mature masculinity.
Algorithms for the Implementation of a Dynamic Electrical Energy Pricing Policy

Abstract This paper addresses the implementation of electrical power load scheduling, given a model for predicting energy price fluctuations during a single day. We present a realistic model that utilities may use for implementing dynamic pricing, and discuss how this can be profitable for the utilities and their customers. We provide a dynamic programming algorithm and a greedy algorithm to partition the total demand over a 24-hour period into intervals, minimizing the total cost. The outputs of these algorithms provide ideal load distribution curves for the utility. Using these, each subunit of the grid, e.g., an individual consumer, can create its own ideal load curve which would be a scaled version of the global load curve. Each grid subunit can then find a schedule for its flexible loads so that its load profile is as similar to its ideal load curve as possible. The optimization problem is NP-hard, hence we have explored several algorithms to traverse through the search space of possible schedules, including a greedy algorithm, a randomized greedy algorithm with restarts, the Metropolis algorithm, Tabu search, and finally, a randomized Tabu search with random restarts. Best performance in simulations was obtained with the randomized algorithms.
In the Idiopathic Inflammatory Myopathies, How Significant is Creatine Kinase Levels in Diagnosis and Prognosis? A Case Study and Review of the Literature

Purpose/Methods: The clinical significance of creatine kinase [CK] levels in idiopathic inflammatory myopathies [IIM] has varied between studies. CK levels continue to be the most sensitive laboratory marker for muscle disease in IIM but vary depending upon the disease entity. The goal of this article was to further elucidate the clinical significance of CK levels in the setting of IIM, including role of CK in diagnostics and prognostication. A case report was described with a subsequent literature review completed by searching within high quality peer-reviewed articles in the Cochrane Review database as well as Medline 1975-2015 with
Rare-earth doped nanocomposites enable multiscale targeted short-wave infrared imaging of metastatic breast cancer

We are investigating the ability of targeted rare earth (RE) doped nanocomposites to detect and track micrometastatic breast cancer lesions to distant sites in pre-clinical in vivo models. Functionalizing RE nanocomposites with AMD3100 promotes targeting to CXCR4, a recognized marker for highly metastatic disease. Mice were inoculated with SCP-28 (CXCR4 positive) and 4175 (CXCR4 negative) cell lines. Whole animal in vivo SWIR fluorescence imaging was performed after bioluminescence imaging confirmed tumor burden in the lungs. Line-scanning confocal fluorescence microscopy provided high-resolution imaging of RE nanocomposite uptake and native tissue autofluorescence in ex vivo lung specimens. Co-registered optical coherence tomography imaging allowed assessment of tissue microarchitecture. In conclusion, multiscale optical molecular imaging can be performed in pre-clinical models of metastatic breast cancer, using targeted RE-doped nanocomposites.
Proteomic analysis of laser capture microdissected focal lesions in a rat model of progenitor marker-positive hepatocellular carcinoma.

// Adeola O. Adebayo Michael 1, 7, * , Nagib Ahsan 2, 3, * , Valerie Zabala 1 , Heather Francois-Vaughan 1 , Stephanie Post 4 , Kate E. Brilliant 3 , Arthur R. Salomon 3, 5 , Jennifer A. Sanders 1, 6 , Philip A. Gruppuso 1, 5 1 Department of Pediatrics, Rhode Island Hospital and Brown University, Providence, RI, USA 2 Division of Biology and Medicine, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA 3 Center for Cancer Research Development, Proteomics Core Facility, Rhode Island Hospital, Providence, RI, USA 4 Department of Environmental and Evolutionary Biology, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA 5 Department of Molecular Biology, Cell Biology and Biochemistry, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA 6 Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA 7 Current address: Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA * These authors contributed equally to this work Correspondence to: Philip A. Gruppuso, email: Philip_Gruppuso@brown.edu Keywords: hepatocellular carcinoma, liver, microdissection, proteomics, pre-neoplasia Received: December 22, 2016 Accepted: January 27, 2017 Published: February 09, 2017 ABSTRACT We have shown previously that rapamycin, the canonical inhibitor of the mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) complex 1, markedly inhibits the growth of focal lesions in the resistant hepatocyte (Solt-Farber) model of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in the rat. In the present study, we characterized the proteome of persistent, pre-neoplastic focal lesions in this model. One group was administered rapamycin by subcutaneous pellet for 3 weeks following partial hepatectomy and euthanized 4 weeks after the cessation of rapamycin. A second group received placebo pellets. Results were compared to unmanipulated control animals and to animals that underwent an incomplete Solt-Farber protocol to activate hepatic progenitor cells. Regions of formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue were obtained by laser capture microdissection (LCM). Proteomic analysis yielded 11,070 unique peptides representing 2,227 proteins. Quantitation of the peptides showed increased abundance of known HCC markers (e.g., glutathione S-transferase-P, epoxide hydrolase, 6 others) and potential markers (e.g., aflatoxin aldehyde reductase, glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase, 10 others) in foci from placebo-treated and rapamycin-treated rats. Peptides derived from cytochrome P450 enzymes were generally reduced. Comparisons of the rapamycin samples to normal liver and to the progenitor cell model indicated that rapamycin attenuated a loss of differentiation relative to placebo. We conclude that early administration of rapamycin in the Solt-Farber model not only inhibits the growth of pre-neoplastic foci but also attenuates the loss of differentiated function. In addition, we have demonstrated that the combination of LCM and mass spectrometry-based proteomics is an effective approach to characterize focal liver lesions.
Elevational replacement of two Himalayan titmice: interspecific competition or habitat preference?

Elevational species replacement is a widely documented pattern in montane species. Although interspecific competition has been shown to be important in setting species elevational limits in tropical habitats, its effect in species of temperate regions is poorly studied. We tested the role of interspecific competition for space in the breeding season and for food in the non-breeding season in mediating the distribution of two resident titmice species in the Himalayas. We show that high elevation green-backed tits Parus monticolus are behaviourally dominant over low elevation cinereous tits Parus cinereus in both song playback and feeder trials. Despite being subordinate, at their elevational upper limit, cinereous tits occur in sympatry in human modified habitats. Our study suggests that the loss of natural habitats in the sympatric zone, not interspecific competition, might be limiting the distribution of the high-elevation green-backed tits and facilitating an upward range shift through human association in cinereous tits.
Wheat streak mosaic virus Coat Protein Deletion Mutants Elicit More Severe Symptoms Than Wild-Type Virus in Multiple Cereal Hosts

Previously, we reported that coat protein (CP) of Wheat streak mosaic virus (WSMV) (genus Tritimovirus, family Potyviridae) tolerates deletion of amino acids 36 to 84 for efficient systemic infection of wheat. In this study, we demonstrated that WSMV mutants with deletion of CP amino acids 58 to 84 but not of 36 to 57 induced severe chlorotic streaks and spots, followed by acute chlorosis in wheat, maize, barley, and rye compared with mild to moderate chlorotic streaks and mosaic symptoms by wild-type virus. Deletion of CP amino acids 58 to 84 from the WSMV genome accelerated cell-to-cell movement, with increased accumulation of genomic RNAs and CP, compared with the wild-type virus. Microscopic examination of wheat tissues infected by green fluorescent protein–tagged mutants revealed that infection by mutants lacking CP amino acids 58 to 84 caused degradation of chloroplasts, resulting in acute macroscopic chlorosis. The profile of CP-specific proteins was altered in wheat infected by mutants causing acu...
Incidence of primary liver cancer in American Indians and Alaska Natives, US, 1999-2009

Purpose To evaluate liver cancer incidence rates and risk factor correlations in non-Hispanic AI/AN populations for the years 1999–2009.
Abstract TP334: A Novel Murine Model of the Effects of Helicopter Emergency Medical Services Transportation on Ischemia and Thrombolysis

Background: Helicopter emergent medical services (HEMS) transportation is critical for rapid transportation of patients for mechanical thrombectomy and rtPA-mediated reperfusion. However, the effec...
Phosphorylation Changes in Response to Kinase Inhibitor H89 in PKA-Null Cells.

Protein phosphorylation, mediated by protein kinases, plays a crucial role in cellular regulation. One of the most important protein kinases is protein kinase A (PKA). N-[2-p-bromocinnamylamino-ethyl]-5-isoquinolinesulphonamide (H89) is often used as a “PKA specific inhibitor” to study the involvement of PKA in signaling pathways. However, evidence from cell-free experiments has suggested that H89 can also inhibit other protein kinases. In this study, previously generated PKA-null and PKA-intact mouse cell lines derived from mpkCCD cells were treated with H89 over a range of concentrations commonly used in the literature, followed by mass spectrometry-based phosphoproteomics to globally assess changes in phosphorylation. From a total of 14,139 phosphorylation sites quantified, we found that 571 and 263 phosphorylation sites with significant changes in abundance in PKA-intact and PKA-null cells, respectively. Analyses of sequence logos generated from significantly decreased phosphorylation sites in PKA-intact and PKA-null cells both revealed a preference for basic amino acids at position −3 and −2. Thus, H89 appears to inhibit basophilic kinases even in the absence of PKA. Likely H89 targets include basophilic protein kinases such as AKT, RSK, AMPK and ROCK. We conclude that, in intact cells, H89 can affect activities of protein kinases other than PKA, and therefore responses to H89 should not be regarded as sufficient evidence for PKA involvement in a signaling process.
Murine neuroblastoma cell lines developed by conditional reprogramming preserve heterogeneous phenotypes observed in vivo

Neuroblastoma (NB) is a pediatric tumor of the peripheral nervous system. Treatment of the disease represents an unsolved clinical problem, as survival of patients with aggressive form of NB remains below 50%. Despite recent identification of numerous potential therapeutic targets, clinical trials validating them are challenging due to the rarity of the disease and its high patient-to-patient heterogeneity. Hence, there is a need for the accurate preclinical models that would allow testing novel therapeutic approaches and prioritizing the clinical studies, preferentially in personalized way. Here, we propose using conditional reprogramming (CR) technology for rapid development of primary NB cell cultures that could become a new model for such tests. This newly established method allowed for indefinite propagation of normal and tumor cells of epithelial origin in an undifferentiated state by their culture in the presence of Rho-associated kinase (ROCK) inhibitor, Y-27632, and irradiated mouse feeder cells. Using a modification of this approach, we isolated cell lines from tumors arising in the TH-MYCN murine transgenic model of NB (CR-NB). The cells were positive for neuronal markers, including Phox2B and peripherin and consisted of two distinct populations: mesenchymal and adrenergic expressing corresponding markers of their specific lineage. This heterogeneity of the CR-NB cells mimicked the different tumor cell phenotypes in TH-MYCN tumor tissues. The CR-NB cells preserved anchorage-independent growth capability and were successfully passaged, frozen and biobanked. Further studies are required to determine the utility of this method for isolation of human NB cultures, which can become a novel model for basic, translational, and clinical research, including individualized drug testing.
Correlation of Placental Magnetic Resonance Imaging With Histopathologic Diagnosis: Detection of Aberrations in Structure and Water Diffusivity.

ObjectiveNoninvasive methods to identify placental pathologic conditions are being sought in order to recognize these conditions at an earlier stage leading to improved clinical interventions and p...
Behavioral Health Screening: Validation of a Strength-Based Approach.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the validity of the Behavioral Health Checklist (BHCL) strength-based factor scores and the extent to which this factor has a buffering effect on the relationship between behavioral health symptom severity and children's social problems. METHOD The parents of 1,392 children aged 4 to 12 completed the BHCL and Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) during sick and well-child visits to urban and suburban primary care practices affiliated with a large children's hospital. RESULTS Findings support a single, strength-based factor on the BHCL, and the structure was largely invariant across race, sex, and socioeconomic status. Increased psychopathology symptoms (internalizing, externalizing, and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder) and lower levels of strengths predicted increased social problems (p < 0.001). Moreover, the interaction terms were statistically significant in all analyses, suggesting that higher levels of strengths may buffer the deleterious impact of psychopathology symptoms on social problems. Post hoc analyses indicated that the buffering influence of strengths on the relationship between psychopathology symptoms and social problems was clinically meaningful except in the older sample for the relationship between externalizing and social problems. CONCLUSION The findings support the validity of a strength-based factor of the BHCL and indicate that this factor has a buffering effect on the association between the degree of child mental health symptoms and level of social impairment. This factor, in combination with the problem-focused factors of the BHCL, provides a balanced approach to screening children's mental health functioning.
The Impact of Connective Tissue Diseases on the Inpatient Outcomes of Congestive Heart Failure Patients.

Background Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) are autoimmune diseases with chronically elevated inflammatory activity. Treatments typically have been aimed at decreasing inflammation. While RA and SLE are known to have a high incidence of congestive heart failure (HF), the mechanism behind this remains elusive. We sought to assess the outcomes of HF patients with either RA or SLE as opposed to HF patients without RA or SLE. Methods We conducted a retrospective analysis of the Healthcare Utilization Project - National Inpatient Sample Database from 2010 to 2015 (third quarter). Patients with a primary admitting diagnosis of HF were queried, and those with or without a diagnosis of either SLE or RA were separated into two groups. In-hospital mortality, total charges (TOTCHG), and length of stay (LOS) were analyzed with a multivariate regression model adjusted for demographical and comorbidity variables, using generalized linear models with family binomial, gamma, and negative-binomial, respectively. A p-value smaller than 0.05 was deemed statistically significant. All the statistical analyses were performed in R 3.5.5 (R Core Team, 2013, http://www.R-project.org/). Results The in-hospital mortality (3.4% v/s 4.43%), mean TOTCHG ($46k v/s $51k), and mean LOS (5.79 v/s 6.12 days) were significantly lower in HF patients with RA/SLE when compared with HF patients without RA/SLE. A younger age (70.5 v/s 72.6 years) and a female preponderance (75% v/s 51%) were evident in the RA/SLE group. Both groups consistently showed a significant disparity in the rates of hospitalization, which was inversely related to household income. p-value was less than 0.001 for all the above outcomes. Conclusions RA/SLE patients are associated with better in-hospital outcomes of HF. The underlying mechanism is unclear in terms of this paradox. Given the fact that the majority of RA/SLE patients are treated with agents aimed at decreasing inflammation, this may shed light on the role of inflammation being an important contributor to HF and implicate a future therapeutic direction.
Deportations and development: Responding to El Salvador’s new migration crisis:

For decades El Salvador has been reliant on migration, mainly to the US, to provide remittances and an outlet for widespread underemployment. The deportation of tens of thousands of migrants annual...
Predictive Performance of Mixed-Frequency Nowcasting and Forecasting Models (with Application to Philippine Inflation and GDP Growth)

This paper studies the comparative predictive accuracy of forecasting methods using mixed-frequency data, as applied to nowcasting Philippine inflation, real GDP growth, and other related macroeconomic variables. It focuses on variations of mixed-frequency dynamic latent factor models (DFM for short) and Mixed Data Sampling (MIDAS) Regression. DFM is parsimonious and dependent on a much smaller data set that needs to be updated regularly but technically and computationally more complicated, especially when there are mixed-frequency data. On the other hand, MIDAS is data-intensive but computationally more tractable. The analysis is done through comparison of forecast performance measures (such as mean squared prediction error) and application of statistical tests of comparative predictive accuracy and tests of forecast encompassing. Results obtained so far indicate that just about every method in the pool of forecasting methods studied performs best in some cases and worst in other cases. Thus, there is no clear winner. Under the circumstances, one viable approach in applications is to combine the forecasts from these powerful techniques to improve predictive accuracy. In most cases, least squares weights perform better for purposes of forecast averaging.
System Maintenance Using Several Imperfect Repairs Before a Perfect Repair

Allowing several imperfect repairs before a perfect repair can lead to a highly reliable and efficient system by reducing repair time and repair cost. Assuming exponential lifetime and exponential repair time, we determine the optimal probability $p$ of choosing a perfect repair over an imperfect repair after each failure. Based on either the limiting availability or the limiting average repair cost per unit time, we determine the optimal number of imperfect repairs before conducting a perfect repair.
Fractality of tics as a quantitative assessment tool for diagnosis of Tourette syndrome

Abstract Tics manifest as brief, purposeless, and unintentional movements or noises that, for many individuals, can be suppressed temporarily with effort. Peterson and Leckman (1998) hypothesized that the chaotic temporal nature of tics could possess an inherent fractality, that is, have neighbor-to-neighbor correlation at all levels of time scale. However, demonstrating this phenomenon has eluded researchers for more than two decades, primarily because of the challenges associated with estimating the scale-invariant, power law exponent – called the fractal dimension Df – from fractional Brownian noise. Here, we confirm this hypothesis and establish the fractality of tics by examining two tic time series datasets collected 6-12 months apart in children with tics, using one-dimensional random walk models. We find that Df increases from ∼1.4 to 1.75 in order of decreasing tic severity, and is correlated with tic severity as measured by the YGTTS total tic score. We demonstrate Df to be a sensitive parameter in examining the effect of several tic suppression conditions on the tic time series. We confirm the fractal nature of tics in Tourette syndrome (TS) and extend the finding to Provisional Tic Disorder. Our findings pave the way for utilizing the fractal nature of tics as a robust quantitative tool for estimating tic severity and treatment effectiveness, as well as a marker for differentiating typical from functional tics.
Multiple and Specific Initiation of T4 DNA Replication

Partially replicated T4 DNA molecules (PRM) whose parental or progeny DNA was labeled with bromodeoxyuridine BUdR was analyzed by gradual shearing followed by CsCl banding of the sheared product. Analysis of PRM containing 18-mum replicated DNA showed that each replicated region was 3- to 6-mum long, indicating three to 6 replicative sites per molecule. Analysis of PRM containing 9-mum replicated DNA similarly indicated two to three replicated regions per molecule. DNA from the replicated regions of PRM containing 10-mum replicated DNA ("donor") was hybridized to DNA from mature phage ("recipient"), and the resulting hybrid was subjected to digestion with exonuclease I. The extent of protection of the recipient and more efficient self-annealing of progeny fragments from PRM indicated that the replicated regions represented 8 to 10 nonrandom locations of the genome. Possible significance of multiple sites for initiation of DNA replication is discussed.
Post-Earnings-Announcement Drift: The Role of Revenue Surprises and Earnings Persistence

This study explores an additional factor that is associated with differential levels of the post-earnings-announcement drift (henceforth drift) the contemporaneous surprise in revenues. Consistent with prior evidence about greater persistence of revenues and greater noise caused by heterogeneity of expenses, this study shows that the earnings drift is stronger when the revenue surprise is in the same direction as the earnings surprise. Moreover, the study provides direct evidence that the drift is stronger when the earnings persistence is greater. The results are robust to various controls, including the proportions of stock held by institutional investors, trading liquidity, and arbitrage risk.
In-Context Information Management through Adaptive Collaboration of Intelligent Agents

Although the number and availability of electronic information sources are increasing, current information technology requires manual manipulation and user-specification of all details. Once accessed, information must be filtered in the context of the user’s task. Current systems lack the ability to get contextual information or use it to automate filtering. At Carnegie Mellon University, we have been engaged in the RETSINA project, which aims to develop a reusable multiagent software infrastructure that allows heterogeneous agents on the Internet, possibly developed by different designers, to collaborate with each other to manage information in the context of user-specified tasks. In this chapter, we will provide a brief overview of the whole system and then focus on its capability for in-context information management.
Increasing Utilization of Computed Tomography in the Adult Emergency Department, 2000-2005

The objective of this study is to characterize changes in computed tomography (CT) utilization in the pediatric emergency department (ED) over a 6-year period. CT scans ordered on pediatric (ages 0 to 17 years) ED patients from July 2000 to July 2006 were analyzed in five groups: head, cervical spine, chest, abdomen, and miscellaneous. Pediatric ED patient volume and triage acuity scores were determined. There were 6,073 CT scans performed on 4,138 pediatric patients in the ED during the study period. During this same period, 78,932 pediatric patients were evaluated in the ED. From 2000 to 2006, pediatric ED patient volume increased by 2%, while triage acuity remained stable. During this same period, head CT increased by 23%, cervical spine CT by 366%, chest CT by 435%, abdominal CT by 49%, and miscellaneous CT by 96%. Increases in CT utilization were most pronounced in adolescents ages 13 to 17 years. Increases in CT utilization in this age group met or exceeded increases seen in the adult population. In children less than 13 years of age, increases were substantially smaller. Pediatric ED CT utilization particularly in the adolescent population has increased at a rate far exceeding the growth in ED patient volume, mimicking the adult trend. This increase has occurred despite considerable discussion in the medical literature about the radiation risks of CT in the pediatric population and may reflect increased availability of CT, improvements in CT diagnostic capabilities, and increased desire on the part of physicians and patients for diagnostic certainty. Whether this increased utilization results in improved patient outcomes is uncertain and deserves further study.
Intelligent maritime security system with sensor networks for coastal environmental and homeland security applications

This paper proposes an innovative command and control system design and the use of low, cost distributed sensor networks for an intelligent maritime security system. This concept utilizes a network of small passive and active multi-phenomenological unattended sensors and shore based optical sensors to detect, classify, and track submerged threat objects approaching high value coastal assets, such as ports, harbors, residential, commercial, and military facilities and areas. The network of unattended, in-water sensors perform the initial detection, classification, and coarse tracking and then queues shore based optical laser radar sensors. These shore-based sensors perform a high resolution sector search to develop a precision track on the submerged threat objects. Potential threat objects include submarines, submerged barges, UUV's, swimmers carrying threat objects such as explosives, chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear materials. Reliable systems with low false alarm rates (FAR) are proposed. Tens to hundreds of low cost passive sensors are proposed to be deployed conjunctively with several active acoustic and optical sensors in threat and facility dependant patterns to maximize the detection, tracking and classification of submerged threat objects.
Carbamate triserine lactone receptors for anion recognition

Abstract We have taken advantage of the ability of the cyclic triester of l -serine to organize ligand units appended to the three α-amine functionalities, as in enterobactin, a siderophore produced by enteric bacteria that binds ferric ion exceptionally well ( K f = 10 49 ). As an extension of the preorganization concept, this work describes the preparation and characterization of carbamate triserine lactone receptors 1 – 6 and their ability to act as molecular receptors for anions. These receptors bind halides (F − ≫ Cl − > Br − > I − ) with binding constants K in the range 21–7350 L mol −1 .
P17-06. Development of a replication-defective Herpes Simplex virus 1 recombinant expressing HIV-1 clade A envelope protein

Background The HSV-1 d106 mutant virus is a promising viral vector because it allows robust expression of the foreign antigen, induces a balanced cellular and humoral immune response and is efficacious in HSV-immune animals. It has deletions in immediate-early genes ICP4, ICP22, ICP27 and ICP47 that render it absolutely replicationdeficient in normal cells, thus making it safe for use as a vaccine vector. Recently, in a prime-boost regimen, d106 recombinants expressing SIV proteins have shown significant protection in the SIVmac239 challenge model in rhesus macaques (Kaur et al., 2007 and unpublished results).
When diagnostic agreement is high, but reliability is low: Some paradoxes occurring in joint independent neuropsychology assessments

Abstract Two paradoxes can occur when neuropsychologists attempt to assess the reliability of a dichotomous diagnostic instrument (e.g., one measuring the presence or absence of Dyslexia or Autism). The first paradox occurs when two pairs of examiners both produce the same high level of agreement (e.g., 85%). Nonetheless, the level of chance-corrected agreement is relatively high for one pair (e.g., .70) and quite low for the other (e.g., .32). To illustrate the second paradox, consider two examiners who are in 80% agreement in their overall diagnosis of Dyslexia. Assume, further, that they are in 100% agreement in the proportion of cases they both diagnose as Dyslexic (20%) and as Non-Dyslexic (80%). Somewhat paradoxically, the level of chance-corrected interexaminer agreement for this pair of examiners calculates to only .37. In distinct contrast, a second set of examiners also in 80% overall agreement, is in appreciable disagreement with respect to diagnostic assignments. Thus, the first neuropsycholog...
Point of view: Capsular influence on benign prostatic hyperplasia

Attention in both research and treatment has been directed primarily at the BPH, that is the periurethral growth rather than to the surrounding prostate. If this growth could be prevented, or if, once developed, the growth process could be reversed, the problem of prostatic obstruction would be solved. At present, no medical solution acceptable to the patient is apparent. Since the capsule assumes such a dominant role in obstruction, equal attention should be paid in laboratory and clinical research on means for reversing the activities of this compressed prostate on BPH and the outflow tract.
Two labdane diterpenoids from Nicotiana raimondii

Abstract Two new labdanoids from Nicotiana raimondii have been identified as (12 E ) - 7β - hydroxylabda - 8(20),12,14 - triene and 7β - hydroxy - labda - 8(20),13(16),14 - triene.
Hybridization and fertility of hybrid derivatives of Solatium melongena L. and Solanum macrocarpon L.

Eleven genotypes of Solanum melongena L. and one genotype tentatively identified as Solanum macrocarpon were reciprocally intercrossed. Three patterns of the crossability were determined: a) reciprocally crossable, b) reciprocally non-crossable, and c) unidirectionally crossable. In toto 524 F1 interspecific hybrids were grown during one season under open pollination conditions in the field. A large proportion of the F1 hybrids produced seed set. The highest degree of seed set was recorded in the reciprocal F1 hybrid of S. melongena (cv. ‘Burpee Hybrid’) and S. macrocarpon (Acc. 21–73). In addition, a limited number of back-cross progeny have been produced. The germinating seeds produced an F2 generation of which some recombinants showed a considerably higher degree of fertility than the F1. This finding suggests the possibility of the transfer of genes for resistance to two-spotted spider mite from S. macrocarpon to S. melongena.
Coexistence, permanence, and stability in a three species competition model

This paper treats a reaction-diffusion system which models the dynamics of three competing species in ecology. A sufficient condition is given to ensure the existence of a positive steady-state solution in terms of the natural growth rates of the competing species. Under the same circumstance, the reaction-diffusion system has a positive global attractor which indicates the permanence effect in the ecological model. The present paper also gives some explicit information on the asymptotic limit of the time-dependent solution in relation to the trivial and semitrivial steady states.
Lipid-poor apolipoprotein A-I in Hep G2 cells: formation of lipid-rich particles by incubation with dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine.

Apolipoprotein A-I is a major secretory product of the human hepatoma cell line, Hep G2; approx. 70% of apolipoprotein A-I was separated from the medium as lipid-poor apolipoprotein A-I in the d > 1.21 g/ml fraction while 30% was associated with high-density lipoproteins (HDL) of d 1.063–1.21 g/ml. The lipid-poor apolipoprotein A-I contains 50% proapolipoprotein A-I which is similar to the isoform distribution in Hep G2 preformed HDL. We tested the ability of lipid-poor apolipoprotein A-I from Hep G2 to form complexes with dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC) vesicles at DMPC/apolipoprotein A-I molar ratios of 100:1 and 300:1. Lipid-poor apolipoprotein A-I formed complexes which floated at d < 1.21 g/ml; at a 100:1 ratio, 42.7 ± 9.4% of the apolipoprotein A-I was recovered in complex form while at a 300:1 ratio, 68.8 ± 6.3% was recovered. On electron microscopy, the former complexes were small discs 16.9 nm ± 4.5 S.D. in diameter while the latter were larger discs 21.4 ± 4.4 nm diameter. Non-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis of complexes formed at a 100:1 ratio had a peak in the region corresponding to 9.64 ± 0.08 nm; these particles possessed two apolipoprotein A-I molecules. At the higher ratio, 300:1, two distinct complexes were identifiable, one which banded in the 9.7 nm region and the other in the 16.9–18.7 nm region. The former particles contained two molecules of apolipoprotein A-I and the latter, three molecules. This study demonstrates that lipid-poor apolipoprotein A-I which is rich in more basic isoforms forms discrete lipoprotein complexes similar to those formed by mature apolipoprotein A-I. It is further suggested that, under the appropriate conditions, precursor or nascent HDL may be assembled extracellularly.
Protein and amino acid turnover during differentiation in the slime mold II. Incorporation of [35S]methionine into the amino acid pool and into protein

In the slime mold, the size of the endogenous “free” methionine pool is a function only of the stage of development, and is uninfluenced by exogenous mehtionine. However, exogenous [35S]methionine can exchange with endogenous methionine, and the extent of this exchange (i.e., the specific radioactivity of pool methionine) is a linear function of the exogenous [35S]methionine concentration. The manner in which cellular pool methionine molecules are utilized for protein synthesis is complex; a possible interpretation is suggested in discussion. Active protein turnover occurs during differentiation in the slime mold. Methionine protein is replaced by endogenous pool [35S]methionine at the rate of about 7%/h at preculmination. The rate of protein synthesis appears to decrease slightly during development. Subsequent to “pulse” of [35S]methionine, the specific radioactivity of various protein classes can differ as much as three-fold. The relative rates of [35S]-methionine incorporation into ethanol soluble as compared to ethanol insoluble protein changes durin g the course of differentiation.
A generalized approach to demand buffering and production levelling for JIT make‐to‐stock applications

Heijunka is a Just-In-Time scheduling technique that strives to level variety and/or volume over a fixed period in order to maintain low inventories and to avoid excessive batching of product types and/or volume fluctuations. Businesses that use heijunka scheduling and immediately fulfill customer orders upon receipt require a finished goods inventory to service that demand. This inventory must be appropriately sized to adequately balance the customers' variable demand against the level production rate from manufacturing. However, even producing for long periods of time at the true mean demand rate will not guarantee low inventories due to the random walk nature by which inventories are unavoidably generated. The production process must be willing and able to flex their production to eliminate this random walk. This paper develops the simple production control law that will allow manufacturing to reliably operate their JIT heijunka process. It determines the trade offs that must be made between: the time between fixed production rate changes (N), the finished goods inventory needed to provide a user specified level of backorders, and the flex needed in production capacity to guarantee that the process will continue to function effectively. Le Heijunka est une technique de gestion en flux tendu dont l'objectif est d'ajuster la diversite et/ou le volume sur une periode fixe dans le but de maintenir des inventaires faibles et d'eviter la mise en lots par types de produits et/ou les fluctuations de volumes excessifs. Les entreprises recourant a cette technique et repondant immediatement aux clients sur reception des commandes ont besoin d'un inventaire de produits finis pour satisfaire cette demande. La taille de cet inventaire doit etre fixee convenablement pour equilibrer adequatement la demande variable des clients par rapport au taux de production en fabrication. Neanmoins, le fait meme de produire sur de longues periodes a la veritable vitesse de demande moyenne ne garantira pas des inventaires faibles en raison du rythme aleatoire auquel ceux-ci se renouvellent. Les responsables de la production doivent vouloir et pouvoir assouplir leur production afin d'eliminer ce rythme aleatoire. On propose dans cet article une technique de controle de production simple qui permettra a l'industrie manufacturiere d'appliquer de facon fiable ses propres techniques de gestion en flux tendu Heijunka. Cette technique determine les compromis a faire entre: le temps entre les changements de taux de production fixes (N), l'inventaire des produits finis requis pour fournir un niveau specifie par l'utilisateur de commandes en retard, et la souplesse requise dans la capacite de production pour garantir que le processus continuera de fonctionner efficacement.
Focal cardiomyopathy and ectopic atrial tachycardia in Beckwith syndrome.

Abstract The Beckwith syndrome was expanded in 1969 from Weidemann's report by Beckwith1 to include the presence of macroglossia, omphalocele, adrenal cytomegaly, gigantism and hyperplastic visceromegaly. Increased growth at a cellular and organ level is characteristic of the syndrome, as is increased oncogenic potential.2 Most neoplasms reported in the syndrome are intraabdominal; cardiac involvement is usually cardiomegaly.3 The child described herein is unique in 2 aspects: He has a focal cardiomyopathy that contains giant myocar dial cells in the absence of inflammatory changes, and the cardiomyopathic changes are located in regions of ectopic atrial tachycardia.
Construction of a digital and physical mouse model aimed at the study of electrical shock

Optical methods have been used to investigate electrical injury on animal models such as live mice, rats, and rabbits. Here we introduce a completely digital phantom of a mouse, with the aim of investigating electrical injury through spectroscopic imaging techniques. The basis of our phantom is a three-dimensional digital mouse reconstructed from co-registered computed tomographic images and cryosection by a different group. Image processing algorithms were applied to make the model suitable to Finite Element Analysis of thermal and electrical transport. Our digital model is capable of simulating temperature, voltage, current changes along the animal body during and after electrical shocks.
Effect of order of drug administration and repeat placebos on the galvanic skin resistance in human subjects.

In a recent study (1), the authors recorded the Galvanic Skin Response (GSR) preceding and following the intramuscular administration of atropine and placebo in ten subjects. The results showed a significant increase in resistance level following atropine as contrasted with the control, thereby indicating the possibility of applying this technic to the study of certain drugs. However, further control studies were indicated because the placebo control preceded the trial in which atropine was administered.
Back-illuminated three-dimensionally integrated CMOS image sensors for scientific applications

SOI-based active pixel image sensors have been built in both monolithic and vertically interconnected pixel technologies. The latter easily supports the inclusion of more complex pixel circuitry without compromising pixel fill factor. A wafer-scale back-illumination process is used to achieve 100% fill factor photodiodes. Results from 256 x 256 and 1024 x 1024 pixel arrays are presented, with discussion of dark current improvement in the differing technologies.