cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Distance learning and the internet in respiratory therapy education.

BACKGROUND: The profession of respiratory therapy (RT) continues to grow both in number, due to population growth and an ever-increasing aging population, and scope of practice, due to both new and expanded roles and responsibilities in divergent areas of clinical practice. Instructional technology, including distance learning, will probably play a key role in training, educating, and assessing RT students to meet the increasing demand for practitioners. OBJECTIVE: To assess current uses of distance learning and opinions concerning the appropriate use of distance education in RT education programs nationwide. METHODS: A 13-item on-line survey was designed to collect information about the frequency of use of various types of distance education typically utilized in RT education programs. The survey was sent to directors of 343 Committee on Accreditation for Respiratory Care accredited programs of RT education that offer entry-level or advanced courses of study. RESULTS: The response rate was 50% (169 respondents). Fifty-two percent of the respondents indicated that their courses included some form of on-line learning component. Most directors anticipated that the distance composition of their course offerings will remain unchanged or increase in the near future. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that, while distance education plays an important supportive role in RT education, there is still a preference for face-to-face instruction and Internet-facilitated courses among program directors. Program directors continue to view the laboratory and clinical settings as hands-on environments that require instructor supervision in order for students to demonstrate proficiency and critical thinking skills. When used appropriately, distance learning may be an efficient and effective approach to address the many barriers to education faced by the health workforce in general, including budget constraints, overloaded schedules, the need for on-the-job learning opportunities, and lack of access.
Smaller, scale-free gene networks increase quantitative trait heritability and result in faster population recovery.

One of the goals of biology is to bridge levels of organization. Recent technological advances are enabling us to span from genetic sequence to traits, and then from traits to ecological dynamics. The quantitative genetics parameter heritability describes how quickly a trait can evolve, and in turn describes how quickly a population can recover from an environmental change. Here I propose that we can link the details of the genetic architecture of a quantitative trait—i.e., the number of underlying genes and their relationships in a network—to population recovery rates by way of heritability. I test this hypothesis using a set of agent-based models in which individuals possess one of two network topologies or a linear genotype-phenotype map, 16–256 genes underlying the trait, and a variety of mutation and recombination rates and degrees of environmental change. I find that the network architectures introduce extensive directional epistasis that systematically hides and reveals additive genetic variance and affects heritability: network size, topology, and recombination explain 81% of the variance in average heritability in a stable environment. Network size and topology, the width of the fitness function, pre-change additive variance, and certain interactions account for ~75% of the variance in population recovery times after a sudden environmental change. These results suggest that not only the amount of additive variance, but importantly the number of loci across which it is distributed, is important in regulating the rate at which a trait can evolve and populations can recover. Taken in conjunction with previous research focused on differences in degree of network connectivity, these results provide a set of theoretical expectations and testable hypotheses for biologists working to span levels of organization from the genotype to the phenotype, and from the phenotype to the environment.
New Testament Scholarship and the “Jesus Seminar”

This classroom exercise developed out of an effort to make the methodology and practical techniques of our field come alive for students of New Testament at a variety of undergraduate levels. Adapting the controversial “voting” technique of the Westar Institute's “Jesus Seminar,” students vote with colored beads on the authenticity of Jesus' sayings in Matthew's Beatitudes (Matt. 5:3–12). The point of the exercise is not to judge or dismiss Biblical text, but to work actively and thoughtfully with the critical tools and methods of New Testament scholarship, to ponder the implications of academic assessments of “authenticity” when it comes to Biblical text, and to stimulate discussion concerning how we, as professional scholars of the Bible, approach the Gospels.
Probable Interaction Between Warfarin and Divalproex Sodium

Objective: A potential interaction between warfarin and divalproex sodium is described. Case Summary: A 65-year-old Arabic-speaking Egyptian woman chronically anticoagulated with warfarin for atrial fibrillation and a history of stroke presented to the anticoagulation clinic with an elevated international normalized ratio (INR) of 3.2. This was an increase of 1.4 over her previous INR of 1.8 only 9 days prior. Discussion with the patient’s daughter revealed the addition of divalproex sodium (a derivative of valproic acid) 250 mg twice daily to the patient’s medication regimen 6 days prior. Other contributing factors that could cause an elevated INR were ruled out. The patient’s total weekly dose (TWD) of warfarin was decreased from 22.5 mg to 20 mg, and the patient was instructed to return for a repeat INR in 1 week. On the day the patient was due to return for a repeat INR, she was admitted to the hospital and her INR was 2.2 on admission. Based on medication reconciliation information, the patient had d...
Enterpreneurship/Small Business Degree Programs at Community Colleges

Associate degree programs at community colleges in small business/entrepreneurship were examined in this article. The study examined the community college programs in entrepreneurship and small business related, small business administration and entrepreneurship listed in Perterson's Guide to Two-Year Colleges (Oram, 2005). Current catalogs listed in college source online (n.d.) were accessed. There were 35 community colleges listed in Peterson's Two-Year Colleges, 2005 under these categories. Of these 35 institutions, it was determined upon examination of their catalogs that 21 schools actually had small business/entrepreneurship degree programs. The study found a wide variety of names used for the programs and a wide number of small business/entrepreneurship courses required for the degree. The development of business plans was required in about half of the programs, while internships were not as frequent. Less than half of the schools had elective courses, and the most common course was small business ...
Applying simulation in a supply chain transformation case

Supply chain transformation is an emerging service area in the market which aims at helping clients improve their operational efficiency and reduce costs. As a generic technique for the analysis of complex and dynamic systems, simulation could play an important role in this field. This paper presents a case study showing how simulation could be the key enablement for a supply chain transformation project. A methodology and tool developed by IBM China Research Lab has been applied in this joint project with a world-class supplier of home improvement tools. By applying simulation, the client is provided an insightful view about their business processes and inventory allocation strategy, which serves as the basis for the transformation implementation. Financial results show that simulation has addressed the key issues and provided the client accountable evaluation results for decision-making.
Formation of CdTe and GaAs by Electrochemical Atomic Layer Epitaxy (ECALE)

The principles of Atomic Layer Epitaxy (ALE) have been applied to the formation of compound semiconductors by an electrochemical technique, referred to as Electrochemical Atomic Layer Epitaxy (ECALE). Atomic layers of the component elements are alternately electrodeposited at underpotential (UPD) from separate solutions and at separate potentials. Results are presented concerning the structures of both CdTe and GaAs deposits formed by ECALE. Studies were performed using singlecrystalline Au electrodes in a UHV surface analysis instrument coupled directly with an electrochemical cell. This instrument was used in order to prevent corruption by contact with air during transfer to the surface analysis environment.
Human CYP3A4 and Murine Cyp3A11 Are Regulated by Equol and Genistein via the Pregnane X Receptor in a Species-Specific Manner

Pregnane X receptor (PXR) is an important component of the body’s adaptive defense system responsible for the elimination of various toxic xenobiotics. PXR activation by endogenous and exogenous chemicals, including steroids, antibiotics, bile acids, and herbal compounds, results in induction of drug metabolism. We investigated the ability of the isoflavones genistein, daidzein, and the daidzein metabolite equol to activate human and mouse PXR in vitro using cellbased transient transfection studies and primary hepatocytes and in vivo in a mouse model. In transient transfection assays, the isoflavones genistein and daidzein activate full-length, wild-type mouse PXR, but not a mutant form, with genistein being the most potent. In contrast, equol was a more potent activator of human PXR than genistein or daidzein. In a mammalian 2-hybrid assay, isoflavones induced recruitment of the coactivator steroid receptor coactivator 1 to PXR. When tested against the native human Cytochrome P450 3A4 (CYP3A4) promoter, equol was the more potent activator and treatment of human hepatocytes with equol increased CYP3A4 mRNA and immunoreactive protein expression. Treatment of wild-type, but not PXR 2/2 , mouse hepatocytes showed that genistein and daidzein induced the expression of Cytochrome P450 3A11 (Cyp3A11) mRNA, whereas equol had no effect. Cyp3A11 mRNA was also induced in vivo in mice fed a soy protein-containing diet. The results presented herein demonstrate that there is a species-specific difference in the activation of PXR by isoflavones and equol. J. Nutr. 139: 898–904, 2009.
Optimal data partition for semi-automated labeling

In a pattern recognition sequence consisting of alternating steps of interactive labeling, classifier training, and automated labeling (e.g., CAVIAR systems), the choice of sample size at each step affects the overall amount of human interaction necessary to label all the samples correctly. The appropriate splits depend on the error rate of the classifier as a function of the size of the training set and, perhaps surprisingly, are independent of the relative costs of interactive correction and confirmation. We model such a system and report the sequence of optimal data partitions for a representative range of parameters.
Epidemiology for the Nuclear Medicine Technologist

Objective: The purpose of this article is to introduce the nuclear medicine technologist to the field of epidemiology. There are many applications of epidemiology in nuclear medicine, including research studies that deal with the causes of disease or ways to prevent disease from occurring and investigating the possible effects of ionizing radiation on occupational workers and the general public. One use of an epidemiologic study is to suggest ways to reduce the occurrence of a disease. After reading this article, the nuclear medicine technologist will be familiar with: a) the history and underlying assumptions of epidemiology, b) types of epidemiologic studies, c) what is a valid statistical association for an epidemiologic study, d) proper judgment of cause and effect relationships, e) definitions of epidemiologic terms, and f) an example of a nuclear medicine research study.
Federalism and Inequality in Education: What Can History Tell Us?

This chapter assesses the history of government efforts in the United States to enhance opportunity in education and to suggest lessons from the past. We focus primarily on federal policy, keeping in mind that solutions must depend upon successfully blending the resources and prerogatives of the federal government, the states, and local school districts. This chapter takes a chronological look, starting at free public education’s onset to provide a foundation for the problems of inequality we face today. It then moves through the expanding federal role in the post-World War II years, followed by the battles over desegregation and the focus on providing resources to disadvantaged students. It then discusses standards-based reform, with a focus on how we arrived at the No Child Left Behind law and the issues surrounding the Common Core. Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, which targets impoverished students, is reviewed in detail. The lack of connection between Title I assignments and family income level, as well as lack of connection between Title I assignment and performance on the National Assessment of Academic Progress (NAEP), renders research results inconclusive in judging Title I’s effects, but given that NAEP does show increasing average scores for Black and Hispanic students as well as declining gaps between those groups and White students, the evidence is sufficient that the program should be continued and improved. The chapter concludes by drawing some generalizations about the federalist governance system and its relation to educational equity and offers suggestions on ways to move forward, including changes regarding Title I and the federal role in education.
Incomplete follow-up of hemoglobinopathy carriers identified by newborn screening despite reporting in electronic medical records.

Abstract Objective Has the recent availability of newborn hemoglobinopathy screening results within patient electronic medical records (EMR) of birth hospitals facilitated follow-up by primary care pediatric providers? Methods An online survey of all 137 primary care pediatric providers at a New York City academic medical center was conducted in 2008-2009 to assess practices for hemoglobinopathy trait follow-up. Physicians were resurveyed 1 year later, following educational outreach and a letter of instruction underscoring the availability of screening results in the EMR. All 62 primary care pediatricians were surveyed at a nearby city hospital for comparison. Results Overall response rate for the initial survey at the teaching hospital was 58% for pediatricians (N = 57) and family physicians (N = 23), and 50% for pediatricians at the city hospital (N = 31). Despite high prevalence of hemoglobinopathies in the population served and screening results in EMRs, only 46.2% of providers surveyed at the academic center reported routinely checking results of their infant patients: 38.6% of pediatricians and 66.7% of family practitioners. Some respondents were unaware that results are available in the EMR. The proportion of providers checking screening results was not significantly affected by educational intervention (N = 40). Provision of recommended follow-up for a positive trait result was modestly improved, especially in referring families for genetic counseling (25% to 50%, p Conclusion Despite access to results in the EMR and targeted educational outreach, follow-up of hemoglobinopathy screening by primary care varies widely across clinical sites.
Modified Pollard Transects do not Predict Estimated Daily Population Size for the Secretive Butterfly, Neonympha mitchellii mitchellii French

ABSTRACT. Over two years, we concurrently assessed two populations of Mitchell's satyr butterfly using mark-release-recapture (MRR) and modified Pollard transects (MPT) in order to calibrate the low intensity MPT method to high intensity quantitative MRR population estimates. We found no correlation between daily MRR population estimates and MPT counts. We attribute this to the sedentary behavior of Mitchell's satyr. We strongly suggest that researchers and managers understand the nature of this relationship before interpreting MPT data and other low intensity monitoring methods if these data are used for population management and recovery programs.
Treatment of cocaine cardiovascular toxicity: a systematic review

AbstractIntroduction: Cocaine abuse is a major worldwide health problem. Patients with acute cocaine toxicity presenting to the emergency department may require urgent treatment for tachycardia, dysrhythmia, hypertension, and coronary vasospasm, leading to pathological sequelae such as acute coronary syndrome, stroke, and death. Objective: The objective of this study is to review the current evidence for pharmacological treatment of cardiovascular toxicity resulting from cocaine abuse. Methods: MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects (DARE), OpenGrey, Google Scholar, and the Cochrane Library were searched from inception to November 2015. Articles on pharmacological treatment involving human subjects and cocaine were selected and reviewed. Evidence was graded using Oxford Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine guidelines. Treatment recommendations were compared to current American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association guidelines. Special attention was given to adverse drug eve...
Colonic FDG uptake pattern in subjects receiving oral contrast with no known or suspected colonic disease.

AIM We assessed the pattern of metabolic activity in the colon of subjects who received oral contrast and had no known or suspected colonic disease. METHODS Positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) with [F-18]-fluorodeoxyglucose was performed in 50 patients with cancer and no known or suspected colonic pathology. Studies with intense focal or segmental colonic activity (in comparison to liver reference activity), which are known to be predictive of colonic pathology were excluded. Retrospectively, colon was divided into cecum, ascending, transverse, descending, and rectosigmoid partitions, and the corresponding volumetric regions of interest were drawn on all relevant CT images. Partitioned colonic maximum standardized uptake values (SUVmax) were compared using Wilcoxon rank-sum test. Frequency of occurrence for the various colonic uptake rank orders was also tabulated. RESULTS For colonic partitions, range and median SUVmax, respectively, were in decreasing order: rectosigmoid (1.5-9.9, 2.9), cecum (1.2-6.3, 2.6), ascending (0.7-4.0, 1.8), transverse (0.4-4.1, 1.2), and descending (0.6-3.1, 1.2). The SUVmax at different colonic partitions were significantly different from each other (P cecum>ascending" was demonstrated in 50% and "cecum>rectosigmoid>ascending" in 30% of subjects. CONCLUSIONS Rectosigmoid and cecum tend to demonstrate higher metabolism than other colonic segments in the majority subjects who receive oral contrast during [F-18]-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/CT and have no known or suspected colonic pathology.
Distribution of overwintering nearctic migrants in the Yucatan Peninsula, I: General patterns of occurrence

Grâce, principalement, a des comptages ponctuels bases sur une technique combinant l'index partiel d'abondance (IPA) et l'echantillonnage frequentiel progressif (EFP) et a des captures-recaptures, la distribution d'oiseaux migrateurs a hivernage neartique et d'oiseaux residents de la Peninsule de Yucatan est etalonnee en relation avec les types de milieu, qui sont principalement la foret tropicale et les zones d'agricultures et de friches. Pour les migrateurs, le type de milieu choisi pour la reproduction est compare a celui observe lors de l'hivernage
Mayo clinic smoking status classification system: extensions and improvements

This paper describes improvements of and extensions to the Mayo Clinic 2006 smoking status classification system. The new system aims at addressing some of the limitations of the previous one. The performance improvements were mainly achieved through remodeling the negation detection for non-smoker, temporal resolution to distinguish a past and current smoker, and improved detection of the smoking status category of unknown. In addition, we introduced a rule-based component for patient-level smoking status assignments in which the individual smoking statuses of all clinical documents for a given patient are aggregated and analyzed to produce the final patient smoking status. The enhanced system builds upon components from Mayo's clinical Text Analysis and Knowledge Extraction System developed within IBM's Unstructured Information Management Architecture framework. This reusability minimized the development effort. The extended system is in use to identify smoking status risk factors for a peripheral artery disease NHGRI study.
Designing multivalent proteins based on natural killer cell receptors and their ligands as immunotherapy for cancer

ABSTRACTIntroduction: Natural killer (NK) cells are an important component of the innate immune system that play a key role in host immunity against cancer. NK cell recognition and activation is based on cell surface receptors recognizing specific ligands that are expressed on many types of tumor cells. Some of these receptors are capable of activating NK cell function while other receptors inhibit NK cell function. Therapeutic approaches to treat cancer have been developed based on preventing NK cell inhibition or using NK cell receptors and their ligands to activate NK cells or T cells to destroy tumor cells.Areas covered: This article describes the various strategies for targeting NK cell receptors and NK cell receptor ligands using multivalent proteins to activate immunity against cancer.Expert opinion: NK cell receptors work in synergy to activate NK cell effector responses. Effective anti-cancer strategies will need to not only kill tumor cells but must also lead to the destruction of the tumor micr...
The ecology of standards processes: insights from internet standard making

In order to create Internet standards, people and ideas move across many institutions. By drawing upon the new institutionalism and on organizational ecology, we develop an ecological approach to studying this movement. The approach examines the birth and death of standards bodies and the ideas they cultivate. We apply the approach to the history of Web services choreography standards, in which over 500 participants traversed nine institutions during a 12-year period. We explain critical aspects of this history by analyzing patterns of movement of standardization ideas. We show that standard-making institutions refuse to legitimate standards by utilizing bylaws which reflect the values of the institution; these values reflect the design legacy of the Internet. We formulate conjectures about the dynamics of the birth and death of working groups inside larger institutions that form a population ecology. We discuss plausible explanations for why specific Internet standard-making efforts do not resolve quickly. The theoretical implication of the study is that an ecological approach will apply well to inventions that have been incubated, such as the Internet. The pragmatic implication is that changes to institutional Internet governance, particularly to the bylaws of standards bodies, can have drastic and unintended effects that will reshape the standard-making ecology.
Catalytic Upgrading of Biomass Pyrolysis Oils

Highly oxygenated, biomass-derived oils can be upgraded to high quality hydrocarbon fuels by catalytic hydrotreating. Pacific Northwest Laboratory has successfully converted both high-pressure liquefaction oils and low-pressure pyrolysis oils to a highly aromatic, gasoline boiling range fuel. These studies were conducted in a 1-liter, continuous-flow reactor system. Six different biomass-derived oils and one peat-derived oil have been tested.
Pulsed infrared radiometry for remote monitoring of thermal properties or thickness of thin films

We have developed a single-ended pulsed radiometry technique for the remote measurement of thermal diffusivity, absolute absorption coefficients, thickness, or layered structure of thin films, which can be free-standing or on a substrate. Our technique relies on the use of a short-pulsed N2 laser beam to heat up rapidly the sample surface (e.g., by a few degrees Celsius), and the detection of the shape of the transient IR thermal radiation that is backscattered from the sample surface. No sample damage occurs, since the laser pulse (< 1-mJ energy and 8-nsec duration) is gently focused to a spot size of ~4-mm diam at the sample. We have developed exact analytical solutions to permit us to analyze the observed IR signal profile to derive the desired parameters of the sample. We have applied this single-ended pulsed photothermal radiometry (PPTR) technique to various cases of metal films, polymer films, and paper (including paper currency) and have demonstrated several important advantages of the PPTR technique for material testing applications; namely, it is noncontact, fast, nondestructive, and applicable to materials with an inaccessible backside. This should be compared with traditional methods1 of measuring thermal diffusivity; these methods are usually double-ended (i.e., requiring transmission probing) or require the attachment of electrical or thermocouple leads to the sample.
Protein-Tyrosine Phosphatases: Linking Metabolism and Cancer

Obesity and its associated metabolic complications, including type II diabetes, are increasing at an unprecedented rate in the United States and globally. Recent epidemiological data identify a strong connection between obesity as a pre-disposing risk factor for many different types of cancer, yet the molecular links between altered metabolism and cancer are not well understood. Protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTPs) are critical cellular enzymes that regulate a multitude of signaling pathways through rapid dephosphorylation of phosphorylated tyrosyl residues, and thus are central to the regulation of both metabolic and oncogenic signaling. In this chapter, the role of PTPs in regulating insulin, IGF-1, and adipokine signaling is discussed in the context of bridging the gap between metabolism and cancer.
Convex Programming without Differentiability

In this chapter we will develop optimality conditions for nonlinear convex programs. These conditions are of the saddle type where no differentiability assumptions are required. We also develop stationary point optimality conditions in the absence of differentiability, where subgradients of the convex functions play the role of the gradients.
Shows and Symposia: Pacific Northwest Chapter: Friends of, Mineralogy Mineral Symposium Tacoma, Washington

(1988). Shows and Symposia: Pacific Northwest Chapter: Friends of, Mineralogy Mineral Symposium Tacoma, Washington. Rocks & Minerals: Vol. 63, No. 5, pp. 393-395.
Gadolinium based contrast agents (GBCA): Safety overview after 3 decades of clinical experience

In the past three decades, we have learned much about the potential short-term and long-term safety issues associated with the intravenous administration of gadolinium based contrast agents (GBCAs). Yet, surprisingly, the past few years and even months have been accompanied by new discoveries in this field. This manuscript focuses predominantly on what we have learned - and are continuing to learn - about the long-term potential MR safety issues associated with the administration of the various GBCAs available today and will highlight areas in which they appear to differ from each other at least in a quantitative fashion, if not qualitatively.
Liquid biopsy on chip: a paradigm shift towards the understanding of cancer metastasis

This comprehensive review serves as a guide for developing scalable and robust liquid biopsies on chip for capture, detection, and analysis of circulating tumor cells (CTCs). Liquid biopsy, the detection of biomarkers from body fluids, has proven challenging because of CTC rarity and the heterogeneity of CTCs shed from tumors. The review starts with the underlying biological mechanisms that make liquid biopsy a challenge before moving into an evaluation of current technological progress. Then, a framework for evaluation of the technologies is presented with special attention to throughput, capture rate, and cell viability for analysis. Technologies for CTC capture, detection, and analysis will be evaluated based on these criteria, with a focus on current approaches, limitations and future directions. The paper provides a critical review for microchip developers as well as clinical investigators to build upon the existing progress towards the goal of designing CTC capture, detection, and analysis platforms.
Vegetation response to canopy disturbance and season of burn during oak woodland and savanna restoration in Tennessee

The removal of fire’s influence on plant community succession has resulted in the near disappearance of oak (Quercus spp.) woodlands and savannas from the Appalachian region. Negative trends in associated plant and wildlife species could be reversed if these communities are restored, but management has been limited by inadequate canopy disturbance, resprouting of woody plants, and a lack of empirical research. To address these issues, we evaluated herbaceous and woody vegetation response (2008–2012) on the Cumberland Plateau in Tennessee to 5 replicated treatments involving canopy reduction (14 m2 ha−1 [woodland] or 7 m2 ha−1 [savanna] residual basal area) and fire-season (mid-March [spring] or early October [fall]) combinations and unmanaged controls. All categories of woody vegetation except large-saplings (⩾1.4 m tall and ⩾7.6 but <12.7 cm diameter at breast height [DBH]), increased in density as canopy disturbance increased. Fire temporarily reduced small-sapling (⩾1.4 m tall and <7.6 cm DBH) density, but resprouting resulted in densities equal to or exceeding pre-fire levels. Herbaceous richness increased from 22 to 167 species following canopy disturbance and fire (2008–2012). Native cool-season grasses dominated herbaceous response in treated sites. Herbaceous groundcover, richness, and diversity increased as canopy disturbance increased, and the rate of increase accelerated once basal area was reduced below 15 m2 ha−1 or 30% canopy closure. Following fire, canopy disturbance remained influential as indicated by greater herbaceous response in savannas than woodlands. Graminoid and forb groundcover, herbaceous richness, and herbaceous diversity were 24X, 11X, 9X, and 8X greater, respectively, in treatments than controls by 2012. Invasive species were rare and increased minimally with increasing disturbance. Our results demonstrate the utility of canopy disturbance in conjunction with fire for restoring oak woodlands and savannas from closed-canopy forest conditions. Basal area reduction to 15 and 7 m2 ha−1 respectively approximated woodland and savanna canopy conditions, and increased herbaceous-layer development. The less intense October fire had similar effects on vegetation as the more intense March fire, but greater differences could become apparent following repeated burning. Long-term research documenting the response of vegetation to repeated fire is needed to promote successful oak woodland and savanna restoration throughout the Appalachian region.
Inhibition of cigarette smoke-mediated lung tumorigenesis in A/J mice by dietary berries

Proc Amer Assoc Cancer Res, Volume 46, 2005 3895 Cigarette smoke contains approx. 100 carcinogens, co-carcinogens and mutagens. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), aromatic amines and tobacco-specific nitrosamines such as NNK have received most attention in relation to tobacco lung carcinogenesis, although other smoke constituents like catechols and aldehydes may be equally relevant since they are present in smoke at much higher levels. Our previous studies in rodents have shown that smoke-associated adducts in respiratory tissue DNA were unrelated to typical PAHs and aromatic amines, and suggested that free radicals may be involved in their origination. Experimental evidence exists that chemopreventive agents, which inhibited benzo[ a ]pyrene and NNK-induced lung tumorigenesis in A/J mice, failed to reduce cigarette smoke-mediated lung tumor formation. These observations suggest a role of other constituents in tobacco lung carcinogenesis. Data from several laboratories, including our own, show protective effects of berries against oxidative DNA damage, and tumor formation. In the present study, we tested a mixture of berries for their capacity to reduce smoke-mediated lung tumorigenesis. Two groups of female A/J mice (n=40) were maintained on either AIN-93M diet or the same diet supplemented with a mixture of berry powder (0.5% each of strawberries, black raspberries, blackberries and blueberries). After one week, each group was further subdivided into control and smoke-exposed groups, which was exposed to cigarette smoke for six hours per day, five days a week for five months, and then allowed to recover in ambient air for four months. At the termination of the experiment, lungs were excised and evaluated for tumor incidence and multiplicity. The results showed an increase in lung tumor incidence (31% vs. 80%) and multiplicity (0.56 ± 0.24 vs. 1.1±0.25) in smoke-exposed subgroup maintained on AIN-93M diet. In berry-supplemented diet group, the lung tumor incidence (35% vs. 55%) and the tumor multiplicity (0.45 ± 0.15 vs. 0.75 ± 0.18) in smoke-exposed animals were reduced when compared to the sham subgroup. The results clearly suggest a protective effect of dietary berries on the incidence and multiplicity of lung tumor formation in A/J mice by cigarette smoke (Supported from CA-96310).
Breathing control disorders in infants and children.

Pediatric breathing control disorders can be disastrous if not promptly recognized and treated. Diagnostic techniques and management options are discussed in the context of essential clinical features of Ave major entities: neonatal apnea, obstructive sleep apnea, central hypoventilation syndrome, “apparent life-threatening events,” and sudden infant death syndrome.
Application of fluorosome stopped-flow spectrophotometry to monitor the entry of molecules into lipid bilayers

A method employing fluorescent unilammelar vesicles was developed for the in vitro determination of non-protein mediated entry rates of molecules into biomembranes with half-times of of entry of from milliseconds to hours. This approach can further determine the equilibrium accumulation and partitioning ratios of test molecules between membranes and delivery solutions or carrier molecules.
Educational Infrastructure, School Construction, & Decentralization in Developing Countries: Key Issues for an Understudied Area

Poor and insufficient school infrastructure negatively impacts student learning and schooling outcomes. Myriad factors have contributed to an infrastructure gap in the education sector in many countries – rapid increases in enrolments, poor maintenance and aging capital stocks, rural to urban migration, and inefficient government planning and school construction to name a few. Various forms of decentralization are likely to be involved both to improve governance and accountability and to foster innovation and cost saving in the school construction industry and investment and project cycle. This paper first discusses why the topic is interesting and worth considering; next we lay out the issues and considerations specific to educational infrastructure decentralization; we then connect the discussion to the broader infrastructure discussions in the other papers as well as to the education decentralization literature. We examine an illustrative case study in Egypt exemplifying both the typical centralization of a national school construction authority, and the reasons for countries to consider certain kinds of decentralization. The case also highlights that school construction reforms involving potential decentralization are a long slog dominated and driven by politics. We provide a framework for un-packaging and considering key components of the processes involved in service provision and some promising strategies relating to decentralization. We conclude with some insights for practitioners and others interested in advancing knowledge of the topic.
Prediction of Tissue to Plasma Concentration Ratios of Drugs in the Rat from Experimentally Estimated Volume of Distribution: Application of Allometry.

Background In Physiologically Based Pharmacokinetic (PBPK) models, the most important input parameter is tissue-to-plasma partition coefficient (Kp). Over the years, several empirical methods have been developed to predict Kp in animals. Objectives The objective of this study was to propose two allometric methods to predict Kp from experimentally determined in vivo volume of distribution at steady state (Vss). Method In one method, Vss was allometrically predicted (using a fixed exponent 1.0 or 0.8) in a given tissue of the rat and then Kp was predicted for that tissue. In another method, an allometric plot (Kp versus Vss) was developed to predict Kp in a tissue of the rat. In total, Kp values were predicted for 46 drugs and 338 tissues. The predicted Kp values by the proposed two methods were compared with the experimentally determined Kp values as well as empirically predicted Kp values by other investigators. Results Comparison of the predicted Kp values by the two proposed methods with experimentally determined Kp values indicated that 67-72% of the predicted Kp values were within two-fold prediction error. The predictive power or accuracy of method 1 (when taken all tissues and all classes of drugs into account) was 19%, 35%, 14%, 35%, 14%, and 13% better than the methods proposed by Arundel, Berezhkovskiy, Jansson et al., Poulin et al., Poulin- Theil, and Rodgers et al. respectively. Conclusion The proposed two allometric methods are slightly more accurate than other empirical methods in their predictive performance for the prediction of tissue Kp values for acidic, weak bases and neutral drugs.
Loss or gain? The impact of Chinese local celebrity endorser scandal on the global market value of the endorsed brands

Can a local celebrity endorser event influence the endorsed global brand’s stock value? Employing cultural perspective, signal theory and attribution theory, we hypothesized that, in an emerging market such as China, the endorsed global brands could gain and brands endorsed by a low-blameworthy celebrity could gain more from a local celebrity endorser scandal event. Using event study method, our results suggest that the entire endorsed brand portfolio exhibits statistically significant gains on the global stock market shortly after the focal scandal event, and brand portfolio endorsed by low-blameworthiness celebrity accrued more gains than brand portfolio endorsed by high-blameworthiness celebrity. The discussion of managerial and policy implications is presented in the concluding section.
Environmental Concern in the United States and China: The Influence of Measurement in National Context:

We compare environmental concern between people in the United States and China by analyzing two General Social Surveys carried out in 2010. The two surveys have the same questions about the environ...
Violent Video Games, Sexist Video Games, and the Law: Why Can’t We Find Effects?

During the early 2000s, several states and municipalities sought to regulate minors’ access to violent video games owing to perceived harms to minors. The resultant case law, culminating in the US Supreme Court case Brown v. EMA (2011), demonstrated court skepticism of the science linking violent games to harm in minors. Such skepticism was increasingly confirmed as numerous newer studies could not link violent games to socially relevant outcomes. In more recent years, there has been a newer focus on sexist games and the harm these might cause. This field appears at risk for repeating some of the problems of the violent game field, including exaggeration of mixed findings, lack of curiosity regarding null findings, and unreliable research designs. By persisting in advancing a narrative of public health crisis, despite evidence to the contrary, social science has risked damaging its reputation in the eyes of the courts. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Law and Social Science ...
Migration and Rural Population Change: Comparative Views in More Developed Nations

Net internal migration has now become the most important component of intranational differences in population change in more developed parts of the world. Accordingly, this chapter examines migration’s contribution to internal population redistribution in more developed nations with a particular emphasis on how it affects rural population change. I examine this through three distinctly different case studies: (a) the UK which has experienced continuous counter-urbanization since the 1950s, (b) the US which has fluctuated between urbanization and counter-urbanization since around 1970, and Hungary which has transitioned from state sponsored urbanization during socialism to population deconcentration during the decade following the regime change, to virtually no population redistribution at present. In each instance I examine migration’s contribution to differential rates of population growth in rural versus urban areas, and hence to population redistribution, or lack thereof.
FINITE REVERSE MATHEMATICS

We present some formal systems in the language of linearly ordered rings with finite sets whose nonlogical axioms are strictly mathematical, which correspond to polynomially bounded arithmetic. With an additional strictly mathematical axiom, the systems correspond to exponentially bounded arithmetic. 1. T 0 and IΣ 0 . In this section, we introduce the system T 0 , and show that it corresponds to the system IΣ 0 of polynomially bounded arithmetic (presented below). Let T 0 be the following system in the two sorted language with variables over integers and variables over finite sets of integers. For the integer sort, we use the language 0,1,+,- ,•,<,= of linearly ordered rings. We use ∈ between integers and sets. Equality is used only between integers. The official integer variables are x 0 ,x 1 ,..., and the official set variables are A 0 ,A 1 ,... .
Assessing elementary students' bullying and related social behaviors: Cross-informant consistency across school and home environments

Abstract The authors examined the cross-informant consistency and level of agreement of ratings on the Social Skills Improvement System (SSIS) Bullying Subscale. They explored the effectiveness of using this set of multi-informant (i.e., teacher, parent, and student) social skills rating scales with an established record of yielding reliable and valid scores to define and measure perceptions about elementary students who bully others. The study examined a sample of 112 elementary children from the SSIS national standardization sample who each received a rating regarding the frequency of their bullying behaviors by a teacher, parent, and the student himself/herself. The results showed similar findings to the existing research. Although demonstrating some overall consistency, bullying behavior scores do differ between students and across informants supporting the importance of understanding informant variance. Students showed a difference in bullying scores across informants with scores on average increasing between informants. Teacher and parent reports provided lower ratings on bullying behavior than those provided by student self-report with overall ratings remaining consistent across informants. Higher levels of consistency existed on ratings by parents and students than by teachers and students. Teachers gave higher ratings than parents did, in particular for males. An examination of study limitations and future research concludes the report.
Pretreatment quantitative 18F-FDG PET/CT parameters as a predictor of survival in adenoid cystic carcinoma of the salivary glands.

Abstract Purpose The aim of this study was to determine the unique prognostic value of quantitative 18F-FDG PET/CT parameters to assess progression-free survival (PFS), distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS), and overall survival (OS) in patients with salivary gland adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC). Methods We performed a retrospective study including 23 patients (15 men, 8 women; median age, 58 years; range, 21–91 years) with salivary gland ACC between January 2009 and October 2017 who underwent 18F-FDG PET/CT scan prior to treatment. Maximum, mean, peak, tumor-to-mediastinal blood pool and tumor-to-liver standardized uptake values (SUVmax, SUVmean, SUVpeak, SUVratio[med] and SUVratio[liver]), metabolic tumor volume (MTV), and total lesion glycolysis (TLG) were obtained from 18F-FDG PET/CT. The prognostic value of quantitative 18F-FDG PET/CT parameters and other clinicopathological variables were evaluated utilizing the Cox proportional regression analysis. Results The 3-year and 5-year OS for all the patients were 90.9%, and 62.3%, respectively. Log rank test determined that the SUVratio[med], SUVratio[liver], MTV and TLG were predictive factors of DMFS, PFS, and OS (p Conclusions The pretreatment metabolic 18F-FDG PET/CT parameters may reflect tumor aggressiveness in patients with salivary gland ACC and may potentially be utilized as a prognostic biomarker.
Cosmeceuticals Off the Face

Cosmeceuticals are a category of topical agents designed to improve the appearance of the skin. Traditionally, the cosmeceutical market has focused on products designed for facial application, yet the use of these topicals for body appearance improvement is rapidly increasing. Cosmeceuticals are substances found in both the over-the-counter (OTC) and prescription arena that can be effectively used by dermatologists to maintain or improve the results obtained with other rejuvenative procedures. Cosmeceuticals must be distinguished from colored cosmetics, designed only to adorn the body using pigments. The intent is that cosmeceuticals will produce an improvement in skin functioning by modifying texture, roughness, pigmentation, erythema, and desquamation. This chapter discusses how to use cosmeceuticals off the face.
A new mechanistic model for predicting flow boiling critical heat flux based on hydrodynamic instabilities

Abstract CHF is an important design parameter in two-phase thermal management systems utilizing flow boiling schemes. In this study, a new theoretical model for predicting the trigger mechanism for flow boiling CHF is presented. Flow visualization shows that flow boiling on a heated wall is sustained mostly by the region containing discrete vapor bubbles called the wetting front because it allows the heated wall continuous access to the bulk liquid. CHF is triggered when intense evaporation of the liquid in the wetting front causes combined effects of parallel-to-flow direction interfacial stability and perpendicular-to-wall direction Helmholtz instability generating a continuous vapor patch on the wetting front. The new mechanistic CHF model incorporates three sub-models: a separated flow model to calculate two-phase flow parameters, an interfacial instability model to calculate the critical wavelength of parallel-to-flow vapor wave, and a Helmholtz instability model to calculate the critical wavelength of perpendicular-to-wall liquid-vapor interface. The CHF model is used to predict experimental data for a rectangular channel with single-sided heating in Earth gravity and microgravity for a variety of operating conditions. The model predictions show good agreement with experimental data, evidenced by an MAE of 15.36%.
A case report of embolized umbilical venous catheter retrieval from the heart via femoral access in 660 g premature neonate

An extremely premature infant born at a gestational age 24 5/7 and birth weight of 637 g was found to have retained a distal segment of an umbilical venous catheter (UVC) on chest radiograph after removal of the UVC. The catheter was retrieved by interventional radiology on day 10 of life when the baby weighed 660 g. To our knowledge, this is the smallest baby reported to have successfully retrieved catheter percutaneously via femoral access.