cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
[Buprenorphin and benzodiazepines, an association with high risk. Reality of co-prescriptions by the general practitioners].

BACKGROUND The buprenorphine (BHD) is an effective maintenance treatment for opioid dependence, used in France until 1996. From 1996 to 2001, it is involved in 137 deaths by respiratory depression including 91 attributable to the benzodiazepines (BDZ) association. The number of deaths caused by the BHD and BDZ, when they are taken jointly, is probably underestimated. The reasons for this association are the misuse, the self-medication and the co-prescription. OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to assess the co-prescription of these two drugs by the general practitioners (GPs) of Nancy (France). METHOD A survey was conducted during the first semester 2007. Using the datas of the Caisse Primaire d'Assurance Maladie (the French national health service), all the requests for a reimbursement of BHD in Nancy were analysed. RESULTS 1655 BHD consumers were included in this survey. Thirty-one percent of them asked for the reimbursement of at least one BZD at the same time. The BZD consumers were old, consulted more than one prescriber or chemist and more often consumed high dosages of BHD. CONCLUSION The BZD consumption is often associated to BHD intake (31%). GPs need a better training on the subject: "How to take care of patients who depend on opiod". This would reduce the risks. A better information for the BHD users would be necessary as well as a lowest prescription of BZD by the GPs. Before any BHD prescription, the GPs should assess a possible co-dependence to BZD in order to improve the BHD prescription.
Nuclear magnetic resonance titration curves of histidine ring protons. 3. Ribonuclease.

Abstract The nuclear magnetic resonance titration curves of chemical shift versus pH of two of the histidine ring C(2) protons of ribonuclease show deviations from the curve expected for a simple proton association equilibrium. We have previously shown (Sachs, Schechter & Cohen, 1971), using model systems, that titrating groups in spatial proximity to an imidazole ring give rise to such effects and that these data can be analyzed by computer curve-fitting to give microscopic and macroscopic apparent ionization constants of the imidazole ring and the interacting groups. When applied to the curve with the greater deviation, such an analysis shows that the histidine residue giving rise to this resonance has a macroscopic apparent pK of 6-1 and is interacting with an adjacent group of pK 4–6. This resonance has previously been assigned to histidine residue 119 and, on the basis of information from X-ray crystallographic studies, we believe its interacting group is the carboxyl function of aspartic acid residue 121. The curve probably corresponding to histidine residue 12 has a macroscopic apparent pK of about 6-2 but displays small acid and alkaline inflections. These result from interactions with groups of pK 5 and 8.4. The alkaline group is possibly the e-amino function of lysine residue 41, on the basis of the known three-dimensional structure. This method of analysis may be a general one for measuring interactions of charged groups with histidine residues in proteins.
Spinal muscular atrophy with respiratory distress syndrome (SMARD1): Case report and review of literature

Spinal muscular atrophy with respiratory distress syndrome (SMARD1) is a rare cause of early infantile respiratory failure and death. No cases have been currently described from India. Two low-birth-weight infants presented prior to 6 months of age with recurrent apnea and respiratory distress. Both required prolonged ventilation, and had distal arthrogryposis and diaphragmatic eventration. Nerve conduction study revealed motor sensory axonopathy. Genetic testing confirmed mutations in immunoglobulin mu binding protein (IGHMBP2). These two cases establish presence of SMARD1 in our population. Both infants died on discontinuation of ventilation. Antenatal diagnoses done in one pregnancy. Though rare, high index of suspicion is essential in view of poor outcome and aid antenatal counseling.
Genetic Syndromes as Model Pathways to Mathematical Learning Difficulties: Fragile X, Turner, and 22q Deletion Syndromes

Abstract The difficulties that children with mathematics learning disability (MLD) experience are linked to both numerical and nonnumerical skills. At issue is that the combination of difficulties experienced by any one child varies across cases of MLD. An approach to identifying distinct pathways to MLD is to study genetic disorders for which well-described cognitive phenotypes include poor math achievement. Using this approach, we summarize research on three common genetic disorders: fragile X, Turner, and chromosome 22q11.2 deletion syndromes. Evidence from these studies suggests that children with numerical and arithmetic impairments differ in the specificity of their difficulties as well as the relation between their math and executive function skills. In light of these and other differences, the notion that a single cognitive impairment is common to each disorder is not supported. The findings summarized in this chapter add to the growing body of evidence that MLD is heterogeneous, and counters notions that a single core deficit underlies MLD.
Dissecting host-associated communities with DNA barcodes

DNA barcoding and metabarcoding methods have been invaluable in the study of interactions between host organisms and their symbiotic communities. Barcodes can help identify individual symbionts tha...
Chorioamnionitis and subsequent bronchopulmonary dysplasia in very-low-birth weight infants: a 25-year cohort.

Chorioamnionitis and subsequent bronchopulmonary dysplasia in very-low-birth weight infants: a 25-year cohort
Multiframe super resolution with JPEG2000 compressed images

Historically, Joint Photographic Experts Group 2000 (JPEG2000) image compression and multiframe Super Resolution (SR) image processing techniques have evolved separately. We focus on the adaptive wiener filter (AWF) method of SR and study its performance as JPEG2000 is incorporated in three different ways. In particular, we perform compression prior to SR using independent and difference frame methods. We also consider performing compression after SR. We find that the effects of compression can be reduced by decreasing the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) in the correlation model for the AWF SR method, providing a novel approach to treat the compression artifacts. This SNR modification can be done globally or locally. The experimental results include the use of simulated imagery for quantitative analysis. We also include real video results for subjective analysis.
Text and metatext in the resource-based view

This paper distinguishes between text and metatext in the resource-based view (RBV) – that is, the actual words and logic fundamental to the RBV (the text) and the traditions, interpretations and applications of the theory (the metatext). It argues that Kaufman's (2015) criticism of the RBV as applied to strategic human resource management actually focuses on RBV metatext and not text. Indeed, unlike some RBV metatext, RBV text actually has a great deal to say about research and practice in strategic human resource management.
Abstract 733: A targetable GATA2-IGF2 axis confers aggressiveness in lethal prostate cancer

Castration resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) is a significant cause of mortality worldwide. In recent years, treatment modalities that improve survival have emerged including taxane chemotherapy and second generation androgen signaling inhibitors, among others. Indeed, today the first line chemotherapeutic docetaxel as well as the second line agent cabazitaxel are mainstays of treatment. However, CRPC inexorably progresses to a chemotherapy resistant state that ultimately precedes lethality. Elucidating the molecular determinants of aggressiveness in chemotherapy resistant CRPC may therefore stimulate new therapeutic strategies that improve clinical outcomes. We used laboratory models and clinical databases to identify GATA2 as a regulator of chemotherapy resistance and tumorigenicity in this context. Whole genome expression profiling, clinical validation and genetic screening approaches revealed that GATA2 regulates a consensus signature of cancer progression associated genes. Mechanistically, direct upregulation of the growth hormone IGF2 emerged as a significant mediator of the aggressive properties regulated by GATA2. IGF2 in turn activated IGF1R and INSR as well as a downstream polykinase program. The characterization of this axis prompted a novel combination strategy whereby dual IGF1R/INSR inhibition restored the efficacy of chemotherapy and improved survival in preclinical models. These studies reveal a GATA2-IGF2 aggressiveness axis in chemotherapy resistant prostate cancer and identify a therapeutic opportunity in this challenging disease. Citation Format: Samuel J. Vidal, Veronica Rodriguez-Bravo, Aidan Quinn, Estrelania Williams, Janis de la Iglesia-Vicente, Xiaochen Sun, Xintong Chen, Yujin Hoshida, Carlos Cordon-Cardo, Josep Domingo-Domenech. A targetable GATA2-IGF2 axis confers aggressiveness in lethal prostate cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr 733. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-733
Data Collection and Event Selection

The analyzed event samples are taken from the CMS pp collision data recorded in 2012. The data corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 19.7 fb−1 [1] at \(\sqrt{s} = 8\,\text{TeV}\). The analysis is performed in two channels, the eγ channel, where events are selected if at least one photon and one electron are present, and the μγ channel, where a muon instead of an electron is required in addition to the photon. In both channels, an excess beyond the SM prediction of events with large ETmiss is searched for.
Performance of Students Admitted through Affirmative Action in Brazil

Following the implementation of the Lei das Cotas (Affirmative Action Law) in Brazil, there has been debate as to whether students who were admitted through affirmative action perform at the same level as students admitted through traditional methods. This article examines the results of the Exame Nacional de Desempenho dos Estudantes (ENADE) from 2009 to 2012 to determine whether there is a relationship between students’ performance at the university level and the manner of their admittance. We find that students admitted to public universities under affirmative action perform at similar levels to students who were not, whereas quota students in private universities perform slightly better than students admitted through traditional methods. Resumo Com a implementacao das Lei das Cotas no Brasil, tem se debatido se estudantes admitidos atraves de acao afirmativa demonstram o mesmo nivel academico dos estudantes admitidos atraves de metodos tradicionais. Este artigo analisa os resultados do Exame Nacional de Desempenho dos Estudantes (ENADE) durante o periodo de 2009 a 2012 para determinar se existe uma relacao entre o desempenho dos alunos no âmbito universitario e as modalidades da sua admissao. Nossa analise revela que os estudantes que foram admitidos em universidades publicas atraves de acoes afirmativas tem o mesmo desempenho academico de estudantes que nao se beneficiam de acoes afirmativas, enquanto alunos cotistas em universidades privadas tem um desempenho ligeiramente melhor do que alunos admitidos atraves de metodos tradicionais.
Identity Change Among Ethno-Religious Border Crossers: The Case of the Former Amish

The present study explores identity among the former Amish. While sociologists of religion have long been interested in religious identity, there has been less attention to religious identities among those who cross religious borders. Much of the literature suggests that individuals abandon former religious identities, including ethno-religious ones, when they join a new religious denomination (e.g., Sandomirsky and Wilson in Soc Forces 68:1211–1229, 1990; Sherkat and Wilson in Soc Forces 73:993–1026, 1995). While scholarship on the Jewish case challenges this assumption (e.g., Phillips and Kelner in Soc Relig 67:507–524, 2006; Sharot in Contemp Jew 18:25–43, 1997), research on other religious groups has largely overlooked these insights. This study extend insights from the Jewish case by examining holdover identities among the former Amish and comparing them with the former Ultra-Orthodox Jewish case, making use of Davidman’s (Becoming un-orthodox: stories of ex-Hasidic Jews, Oxford University Press, New York, 2014) research. Analysis of in-depth interviews with 59 former Amish adults reveals that, while those who have left the Amish no longer define themselves as religiously Amish, they do not abandon their Amish identities entirely. Instead, they reconstruct the meanings of their Amishness in varied ways in their non-Amish contexts. Comparison of these patterns with former Ultra-Orthodox Jews illuminates contextual factors, including the Amish practice of adult baptism and differing normative conceptions of Amish and Jewish identities, that contribute to variation in holdover identities across these cases. Altogether, these results suggest that ethno-religious identities are not mutually exclusive of other denominational identities and support the conceptualization of religious identities as complex, multilayered, and constructed in particular contexts in interaction with existing notions about religious groups.
Induction chemotherapy followed by concurrent chemotherapy and proton beam for sinonasal undifferentiated carcinoma.

e17557Background: The optimal treatment of sinonasal undifferentiated carcinoma (SNUC) remains to be defined given its aggressiveness and dismal outcome with traditional treatment. We examined the ...
Contrasting Effects of Long-Term Fire on Sagebrush Steppe Shrubs Mediated by Topography and Plant Community☆

Abstract The role of fire in restoration of sagebrush plant communities remains controversial mainly because of paucity of information from long-term studies. Here, we examine 15-year post-fire responses of big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata ssp wyomingensis) and broom snakeweed (Gutierrezia sarothrae), the two most abundant native shrubs at the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, a protected area in north-central Oregon, USA. Fire effects were studied along gradients of topography and community type through time post-burn. Community types were distinguished as brush, plots dominated by big sagebrush and woodland, plots with a significant presence of Western juniper (Juniperus occidentalis) trees. Fire reduced big sagebrush cover in brush plots up to 100% and in woodland plots up to 86%. Broom snakeweed cover declined by 92% and 73% in brush plots and woodland plots, respectively. Big sagebrush did not show signs of recovery 15 years after burning regardless of topography and community type while broom snakeweed populations were clearly rebounding and prospering beyond pre-burn levels. Our results showed that an area initially dominated by big sagebrush (cover of big sagebrush 10-20%, cover of broom snakeweed 2-4%) dramatically shifted to an area dominated by broom snakeweed (cover of big sagebrush
Would a Tax on AIG Bonus Recipients Really Be a Tax

The proposals seem to have fallen by the wayside by mid-2009, but earlier in the year Congress seriously considered imposing a “tax” of up to 90 percent on bonuses received by employees (and former employees) of AIG and other entities that had benefited significantly from Troubled Asset Relief Program funds. (Indeed, the House actually passed one proposal, which would have imposed a levy on only this discrete group of taxpayers and that would have applied to only this one category of income.) This article considers whether such a levy, applicable at a nearly confiscatory rate, would be constitutional. The article concludes that, if the levy were to derive its authority only from the Taxing Clause - if, that is, no other provision in the Constitution such as the Commerce Clause would give Congress authority - the levy would be constitutionally suspect. The levy’s “taking-like” characteristics would be fundamentally different from what the Taxing Clause contemplates as a “tax.”
Cooling Towers and Weather Modification

Electric power production has reached astronomical proportions worldwide. Most of this power is produced by either coal-fired or nuclear steam turbines, and because of the inefficiencies involved in power production immense quantities of waste heat must be disposed of. At present, the power industry must dispose of 1.3 watts of heat for every watt of generating capacity at a coal-fired steam generating station and about 2 watts of heat per generated watt at a nuclear power plant.1 Water, an excellent coolant because of its high specific heat, is used at most generating locations to carry off the excess heat. Once the heat is transfered to the water what do you do with the heated water?
The Role of Imaging in Tumor Localization and Portal Design

The development of three-dimensional (3D) medical imaging modalities has profoundly affected the diagnosis and treatment of Cancer. The ability to visualize the location, character, and extent of lesions has facilitated the development of more precisely directed therapies, most clearly radiotherapy (Henkelman 1990; Lichter et al. 1988; Rosenman 1991) but also chemotherapy and surgery (Engel et al. 1990; Kelly 1986). Patients typically undergo multiple 2D and 3D imaging studies for diagnosis, therapy planning, and follow-up. Extensive quantitative use of these images to define tumor location in relation to normal anatomy has been made in planning radiation therapy for a number of years (Goitein et al. 1983; Mcshan et al. 1979). The goals of a higher tumor control probability and reduced treatment-related morbidity are postulated to be feasible with precision irradiation techniques (Suit and DuBois 1991), which are heavily image based.
Spinoza in the Century of Science

I would like to suggest a context, both historical and philosohpical, for the papers that will follow on detailed aspects of Spinoza’s science. My aspiration, however, is not to situate Spinoza among the natural philosophical giants who opened the way to modern science. I cannot conscript him into the ranks of Descartes and Boyle, Leibniz and Newton. Spinoza does not, alas, fit comfortably in the lineup of scientific ‘greats’, either theoretically or by virtue of some concrete scientific achievement. He was, of course, a great thinker and a great philosopher. But his philosophy was strikingly disconnected from the sifting and interrogating science that went on around him. His own interest in experimental science is well-documented, but it was carefully bracketed from his larger metaphysical concerns. Philosophically, as opposed to biographically, he was as remote from elementary ‘doing’ of science and especially from the idea of learning by experience as Plato was.
Memorias acústicas palestino-chilenas: el caso de "Palestina por siempre"

The Palestinian immigrant community in Chile is considered the largest and most influential in the Palestinian diaspora outside of the Middle East. As the Palestinian community became more and more integrated in Chile, its need to preserve its identity traits and (re-)construct its memory increased. Textual, visual, and acoustic media were excellent means to that end. Taking this into account, the present study focuses on an area that has been little studied to date —Palestinian-Chilean radio programs— and examines how these programs affected the (re-)construction of memory in Palestinian immigrants living in Chile. To do so, the essay looks at the programs in the context of the acoustic media in both Palestine and Chile. This process of contextualization leads to the conclusion that Palestinian participation in Chile´s acoustic space was a reflection of the immigrants' intention to integrate in the host society and also of their wish to preserve their cultural heritage and devotion to the land of their ancestors, Palestine.
Lowering of Amyloid-Beta by β-Secretase Inhibitors — Some Informative Failures

Some trials fail because the experimental treatment proves to be no different than a control or standard intervention. Others fail because of unacceptable side effects. In this issue of the Journal...
Radiation Therapy Survivorship: Healthcare Providers' Perspectives on Education and Care.

Background Survivorship care plans are tools for long-term cancer care management; however, little is known regarding radiation therapy providers' perspectives on survivorship care and education. Objectives This study was designed to identify priorities for improvement in radiation therapy- specific cancer survivorship education. Methods An investigator-developed online survey of healthcare provider communication with patients regarding cancer survivorship was administered within an academic radiation therapy oncology practice. Seventeen survivorship categories were evaluated for each provider, including when and how often survivorship issues were addressed, perceived priority of issues, and provider knowledge of survivorship resources. Findings 23 providers responded. Providers reported that the five most important patient concerns were fear of recurrence, radiation therapy side effects, surveillance, preventive measures and nutrition, and stress management. The most time was spent discussing side effects and recurrence risk.
Un apropament semàntic i pragmàtic a les construccions verb-partícula utilitzades en vinyetes y jocs de paraules

The aim of this paper is to discuss a special type of verb particle construction in English; namely, phrasal verbs used in cartoons and puns. Granted that the meaning of phrasal verbs may range from literal to idiomatic, their use in cartoons is artistically and linguistically exploited through a combination of verbal and non-verbal cues to convey humor, satire and fun. Our assumption is that this combination rests on the premise that a double reading of phrasal verbs in certain cartoons and puns is possible. To illustrate this, a sample of cartoons using phrasal verbs and puns (taken from www.ecenglish.com , English Teacher Online LLC ) will be analyzed showing how the correspondence between the cartoon as a visual mode and the phrasal verb as a linguistic form can yield both literal interpretations and idiomatic ones. Phrasal verbs are also shown to violate Gricean maxims and to depend largely, in their interpretation, on extra linguistic factors.
Effects of early second-look hysteroscopy combined with intrauterine balloon dilatation on reproductive outcomes for women with intrauterine adhesions

OBJECTIVE To investigate the effect of early second-look office hysteroscopy combined with intrauterine balloon dilatation on prognosis and pregnancy rate for women with intrauterine adhesions. METHODS A retrospective analysis of 156 women diagnosed with intrauterine adhesions by hysteroscopy at Shenyang Women's and Children's Hospital, China, from April 2017 to January 2019. The study women underwent intrauterine balloon dilatation 10 days after transcervical resection of adhesion (TCRA) and hysteroscopy 20 days after TCRA (n=81). The control women underwent hysteroscopy 3 months after TCRA (n=75). Estrogen and aspirin were routinely administered postoperatively to all women. Data, including American Fertility Society (AFS) scores assessed by hysteroscopy, endometrial thickness measured by ultrasound, and menstruation and pregnancy outcomes assessed by interview, were compared between the two groups. RESULTS The degree of intrauterine adhesions, menstrual status, and endometrial thickness were improved in both groups after TCRA. Greater improvement in AFS score, menstruation, and endometrial thickness was observed in the study group than in the control group. After follow-up, more women in the study group achieved pregnancy (48.1% vs 30.7%, P<0.05). CONCLUSION Early second-look of hysteroscopy combined with intrauterine balloon dilatation after hysteroscopic TRCA might improve the prognosis and postoperative pregnancy rate for women with intrauterine adhesions.
Effect of Cooling Rate During Solidification of Aluminum–Chromium Alloy

Controlling the distribution of alloying elements in aluminum casting and designing new processing practices are supported by an enhanced understanding of the thermodynamics and kinetics of solidification at industrial scales. While the behavior of eutectic forming elements such as copper has received a lot of attention, the interactions of peritectic-forming elements such as chromium is understudied. We herein use a time-dependent nucleation model and evaluate its prediction for industrially-observed cooling rates. The predictions are obtained from the calculation of the incubation time of nuclei in the liquid. This characteristic time is computed at various temperatures, and the results are presented in the form of a time-temperature diagram. The diagrams enable to compare theoretical cooling rates for phase selection for industrially relevant practices such as DC casting and Twin roll casting.
Relationship between insomnia and depression in a community sample depends on habitual sleep duration

Sleep disturbances, such as short sleep duration and insomnia, are core features of depression. However, it is unclear if sleep duration and insomnia have an interactive effect on depression severity or individual symptoms. Data were drawn from a community sample (N = 1007) containing responses on the Insomnia Severity Index, Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), and average sleep duration. Regression analyses determined the prevalence risks (PR) of symptoms of depression based on insomnia severity and sleep duration. Depression severity was related to insomnia severity (PR 1.09, p =10), only insomnia severity increased the prevalence risk of depression severity (PR 1.02, p = 0.001). Insomnia and short sleep predict prevalent depression, but their interactive effect was negative. Thus, while insomnia had a greater association with depression severity and symptoms, this association was dependent on habitual sleep duration.
Enhanced CRISPR-Cas9 correction of Duchenne muscular dystrophy in mice by a self-complementary AAV delivery system

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a lethal neuromuscular disease caused by mutations in the dystrophin gene (DMD). Previously, we applied CRISPR-Cas9–mediated “single-cut” genome editing to correct diverse genetic mutations in animal models of DMD. However, high doses of adeno-associated virus (AAV) are required for efficient in vivo genome editing, posing challenges for clinical application. In this study, we packaged Cas9 nuclease in single-stranded AAV (ssAAV) and CRISPR single guide RNAs in self-complementary AAV (scAAV) and delivered this dual AAV system into a mouse model of DMD. The dose of scAAV required for efficient genome editing were at least 20-fold lower than with ssAAV. Mice receiving systemic treatment showed restoration of dystrophin expression and improved muscle contractility. These findings show that the efficiency of CRISPR-Cas9–mediated genome editing can be substantially improved by using the scAAV system. This represents an important advancement toward therapeutic translation of genome editing for DMD.
Perioperative glucocorticoids - replacing old ideas.

Current recommendations for perioperative doses of hydrocortisone in patients with adrenal insufficiency undergoing major surgery with general anaesthesia have been examined in a new paper. Compared with current guidelines, lower doses of hydrocortisone, tapered quickly back to baseline levels of glucocorticoids, were found to be effective and safe.
Bootstrap Confidence Intervals for Multilevel Standardized Effect Size

Although many methodologists and professional organizations have urged applied researchers to compute and report effect size measures accompanying tests of statistical significance, discussions on obtaining confidence intervals (CIs) for effect size with clustered/multilevel data have been scarce. In this paper, I explore the bootstrap as a viable and accessible alternative for obtaining CIs for multilevel standardized mean difference effect size for cluster-randomized trials. A simulation was carried out to compare 17 analytic and bootstrap procedures for constructing CIs for multilevel effect size, in terms of empirical coverage rate and width, for both normal and nonnormal data. Results showed that, overall, the residual bootstrap with studentized CI had the best coverage rates (94.75% on average), whereas the residual bootstrap with basic CI had better coverage in small samples. These two procedures for constructing CIs showed better coverage than using analytic methods for both normal and nonnormal data. In addition, I provide an illustrative example showing how bootstrap CIs for multilevel effect size can be easily obtained using the statistical software R and the R package bootmlm. I strongly encourage applied researchers to report CIs to adequately convey the uncertainty of their effect size estimates.
Nostalgia, the Virtual, and the Artifice of Eternity

“San Junipero” (S03:E04) has been hailed as an uncharacteristically sunny tale in a television series better known for its bleak, dystopian view of the impact of new technologies on social relationships. Set primarily in the 1980s, it asks us to imagine not only that one may live forever in a virtual environment but that the fantasy spaces opened up by new technologies may make it possible to realize possibilities for personal fulfillment that we might not have imagined before. But it is far from clear how we should understand the relevant notion of the “virtual” in the world that Brooker asks us to imagine. It is argued that a helpful clue for reading “San Junipero” may be found in Borges’s classic story “The South,” which not only features a similarly nuanced and conceptually rich notion of “the virtual” but also exploits the structure of nostalgia, which is an essential catalyst for Brooker’s tale. The result is a dual reading of Brooker and Borges that underscores how the logic of the virtual is not to be found only in fanciful science-fiction scenarios but may be deeply embedded in our most banal experiences, rendering them alternately hopeful and terrifying.
Black Holes of Research on Instructional Practice: The Case of Number Talks

In this study, we share our broad and deep search for what is known from blind-peer-reviewed research publications about the efficacy of the instructional practice of Number Talks. We describe our ...
Geriatric Vulvar Dermatology

The purpose of this review is to provide the diagnosis and management of inflammatory vulvar dermatoses in the geriatric population. The increasing geriatric population in the USA necessitates informing a broad base of healthcare providers on this topic. In the elderly, there are increasing case reports of contact dermatitis due to sanitary napkins, incontinence pads, and over the counter medications. Superimposed vulvovaginal candidiasis and lichen simplex chronicus can occur simultaneously with the primary vulvar disease. The limited research specific to geriatric populations confirms the current state of vulvar dermatosis underdiagnosis. In order to close the gaps in diagnosis and treatment of vulvar dermatoses, providers should carefully review the patient’s medical history and complete a physical examination of the genitoanal area for asymptomatic and symptomatic elderly women. Prompt, consistent treatment can vastly improve the patient’s quality of life and is critical to preventing the advancement of lesions to squamous cell carcinoma in conditions that incur this increased risk such as lichen sclerosus and lichen planus.
From a Currency Board to the Euro: Public Attitudes Toward Unilateral Euroisation in Bulgaria

Bulgaria has operated a currency board since 1997. It is expected to join the European Union in 2007 and the European Monetary Union (EMU) thereafter. This paper analyses public attitudes toward adoption of the euro in advance of EMU membership and offers unique evidence on the political economy of a move from a currency peg to euroisation The support for early euroisation reflects concerns about currency devaluation and the perception that the euro is already widely used in the economy. The opposition derives primarily from attachment to the national currency.
Kinetically Limited Molecular Beam Epitaxy of BxGa1–xAs Alloys

The small lattice constants of the boron pnictides present exciting new opportunities for strain engineering and lattice-matching of III–V semiconductor heterostructures. However, the challenging s...
Texted Selves: Dorothy and William Wordsworth in The Grasmere Journals

(1999). Texted Selves: Dorothy and William Wordsworth in The Grasmere Journals. a/b: Auto/Biography Studies: Vol. 14, EXTREMITIES: MEMOIRS AT THE FIN DE SIECLE, pp. 118-136.
Intrauterine contraceptive device use and pelvic inflammatory disease

We examined the relationship between use of IUD's and PID, based on 44 women who were admitted to hospitals with first episodes of PID and 259 hospital control subjects. All the women used either IUD's or oral contraceptives. The age-adjusted relative risk for those using IUD's at the time of admission was 6.5 (95% confidence interval, 3.2 to 13.0). The association remained when several variables, and particularly parity, were taken into account. There was a suggestion that users who had had an IUD in place for at least 5 years had a higher risk of PID than did users of shorter duration. The data also suggest that copper-containing IUD's may be safer than other devices.
When do Latinos use hospice services? Studying the utilization of hospice services by Hispanics/Latinos

This study focuses on the utilization of hospice services within the Latino community including both hospice and non-hospice users. Data were collected from 20 participants using semi-structured interviews. Verbatim transcripts were examined through a combination of ethnographic, open coding, and thematic categorization of the interviewees' responses. The research uncovers cultural factors that contribute to the underutilization of hospice services by this population. The findings indicate that hospice users learned about their terminal diagnosis during a hospital admission from an attending physician. When hospice services were offered, these individuals accepted the services. Conversely, all of the non-hospice users learned about their terminal diagnosis in a medical office setting from their primary physician. When they were offered hospice services, they refused the services.
Immunization with 1976 swine H1N1- or 2009 pandemic H1N1-inactivated vaccines protects mice from a lethal 1918 influenza infection.

Please cite this paper as: Easterbrook et al. (2011) Immunization with 1976 swine H1N1- or 2009 pandemic H1N1-inactivated vaccines protects mice from a lethal 1918 influenza infection. Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses DOI: 10.1111/j.1750-2659.2010.00191.x. Background Zoonotic infections with H1N1 influenza viruses that evolved initially from the 1918 virus (1918) and adapted to swine threatened a pandemic in 1976 (1976 swH1N1) and a novel reassortant H1N1 virus caused a pandemic in 2009–2010 (2009 pH1N1). Epidemiological and laboratory animal studies show that protection from severe 2009 pH1N1 infection is conferred by vaccination or prior infection with 1976 swH1N1 or 1918. Objectives Our aim was to demonstrate cross-protection by immunization with 2009 pH1N1 or 1976 swH1N1 vaccines following a lethal challenge with 1918. Further, the mechanisms of cross-protective antibody responses were evaluated. Methods Mice were immunized with 1976 swH1N1, 2009 pH1N1, 2009 seasonal trivalent, or 1918 vaccines and challenged with 1918. Cross-reactive antibody responses were assessed and protection monitored by survival, weight loss, and pathology in mice. Results and Conclusions Vaccination with the 1976 swH1N1 or 2009 pH1N1 vaccines protected mice from a lethal challenge with 1918, and these mice lost no weight and had significantly reduced viral load and pathology in the lungs. Protection was likely due to cross-reactive antibodies detected by microneutralization assay. Our data suggest that the general population may be protected from a future 1918-like pandemic because of prior infection or immunization with 1976 swH1N1 or 2009 pH1N1. Also, influenza protection studies generally focus on cross-reactive hemagglutination-inhibiting antibodies; while hemagglutinin is the primary surface antigen, this fails to account for other influenza viral antigens. Neutralizing antibody may be a better correlate of human protection against pathogenic influenza strains and should be considered for vaccine efficacy.
Functional foods: an ecologic perspective

A functional food is defined as any food or food ingredient that may provide a health benefit beyond that conferred by the nutrients the food contains. As nutrition scientists move into this arena, they must build on the wealth of information that already exists in plant biology. In particular, the evolutionary and physiologic bases for the production of secondary plant chemicals in plants must be considered in order to plan meaningful experiments for testing the functionality of these chemical compounds for humans. One problem that may arise is that in using the term functional food, the meaning may be lost in the continued proliferation of related terms used in product marketing. The new National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements addressed some of these issues as it developed the operating definitions described in this report.
Effect of weight-bearing on healing of cortical defects in the canine tibia.

It has been generally accepted that mechanical stimulation is an important factor in the promotion of formation of bone. Fracture-healing consists of periosteal bridging of the fracture, which achieves stability, and proliferation of endosteal bone to fill the defects between the ends of the bone. To evaluate the effect of weight-bearing on bone-healing, an operatively created defect in the tibial cortex was chosen as an experimental model. In one set of dogs (Group 1), a bilateral defect in the tibial cortex was created and weight-bearing was permitted on one tibia but not on the opposite one. In Group 2, a bilateral defect in the tibial cortex was made and weight-bearing was allowed on both tibiae. A third group of dogs of similar age (Group 3) had no tibial defects. Quantitative histomorphometry was used to measure formation and porosity of bone. Weight-bearing was measured with both static and dynamic techniques. Significantly less woven bone formed in the defects in the non-weight-bearing tibiae than in the weight-bearing tibiae. This appeared to be due to a disuse response in the underloaded tibiae, in which less bone formed, rather than to the formation of more bone in the weight-bearing tibiae. The data suggest that weight-bearing is a permissive factor, not a stimulus, for formation of woven bone in a tibial defect. Clinical Relevance: This animal model supports the concept that lack of weight-bearing decreases the amount of woven bone that is formed in a healing tibial defect. The results of this study indicate that weight-bearing increases the formation of bone in fracture-healing.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Cancer Pain Management in Ambulatory Patients

Pain, by definition, is a subjective phenomenon. The subjective component in chronic pain due to cancer is very important. Opioid analgesics are the mainstay of treatment for cancer pain. Their use should be optimized to provide adequate pain relief. Optimal use includes understanding the concepts of tolerance, physical dependence, and psychological dependence. None of these should limit or inhibit pain management. Optimal use also includes familiarity with the clinical use of opioids. Regular use is generally preferred over “prn” use. Increased parenteral versus oral effectiveness of opioids, secondary to a high first-pass effect, is an important consideration when routes of administration must be altered. Familiarity with approximate equianalgesic doses allows for conversion from one opioid to another. Such conversion might help increase the convenience, increase the efficacy, or decrease the adverse effects of an opioid regimen. Knowledge of durations of action of opioids helps in the selection of dosi...
Evolutionary Breeding and Climate Change

The genetic uniformity within, and typified by, most monocultural cereal-based systems has been shown to limit the crops’ capacity to evolve in response to adverse environmental conditions, thereby leading to a possible decrease in the yield stability of the cropping system. Deployment of significantly increased crop diversity across the global landscape has the potential to reduce the progress of crop epidemics, optimize yield stability, and positively enhance crop resilience in the ever-changing visage of climate-induced stress. One method of increasing genetic diversity within cereal crop populations is through evolutionary breeding (EB). In EB populations of self-pollinating cereals, natural selection acts upon the heterogeneous mixture of genotypes over generations and across environments and traits positively correlated to reproductive capacity increase over time. Crop populations with enhanced genetic diversity mimic natural ecological communities, which are better equipped to adapt to future unpredictable temporal climate shifts than are monocultures. Evolutionary participatory breeding merges the EB method with farmer selection to develop high-yielding, disease-resistant cultivars while maintaining a high degree of genetic variation to allow for adaptability to fluctuations in environmental conditions. The EB method can contribute to the development of cropping systems with greater resilience and yield stability in the climate change era.
Understanding the Relative Effectiveness of Alkanethiol Ligands in Dispersing Nanoparticles in Supercritical Carbon Dioxide and Ethane

There is considerable interest in developing a nonfluorous capping ligand that is effective in dispersing nanoparticles in supercritical carbon dioxide. To augment the experimental search for such a molecule, a simulation protocol is developed, involving atomistic molecular dynamics simulations, which captures the relevant physical phenomena related to the effectiveness of capping ligands in stabilizing nanoparticle dispersions, evidenced by a consistency with empirical observation. The method is used to determine why the cheap and benign alkanethiol ligands are effective in supercritical ethane and several organic solvents but not in supercritical CO2 at convenient conditions of temperature and pressure; n-dodecanethiol is used as the representative ligand. We conclude that the ineffectiveness of the alkanethiol ligands in CO2 is primarily because they cannot compensate for the quadrupolar interactions which account for a substantial portion of the cohesive energy of bulk CO2, which is lost to the CO2 mo...
Towards robotic assistants in nursing homes: Challenges and results

Abstract This paper describes a mobile robotic assistant, developed to assist elderly individuals with mild cognitive and physical impairments, as well as support nurses in their daily activities. We present three software modules relevant to ensure successful human–robot interaction: an automated reminder system; a people tracking and detection system; and finally a high-level robot controller that performs planning under uncertainty by incorporating knowledge from low-level modules, and selecting appropriate courses of actions. During the course of experiments conducted in an assisted living facility, the robot successfully demonstrated that it could autonomously provide reminders and guidance for elderly residents.
Initial-value problem for the Bogolyubov hierarchy for quantum systems of particles

We construct cumulant (semi-invariant) representations for a solution of the initial-value problem for the Bogolyubov hierarchy for quantum systems of particles. In the space of sequences of trace-class operators, we prove a theorem on the existence and uniqueness of a solution. We study the equivalence problem for various representations of a solution in the case of the Maxwell-Boltzmann statistics.
Variability of community interaction networks in marine reserves and adjacent exploited areas

Abstract Regional and small-scale local oceanographic conditions can lead to high variability in community structure even among similar habitats. Communities with identical species composition can depict distinct networks due to different levels of disturbance as well as physical and biological processes. In this study we reconstruct community networks in four different areas off the Oregon Coast by matching simulated communities with observed dynamics. We compared reserves with harvested areas. Simulations suggested that different community networks, but with the same species composition, can represent each study site. Differences were found in predator–prey interactions as well as non-predatory interactions between community members. In addition, each site can be represented as a set of models, creating alternative stages among sites. The set of alternative models that characterize each study area depicts a sequence of functional responses where each specific model or interaction structure creates different species composition patterns. Different management practices, either in the past or of the present, may lead to alternative communities. Our findings suggest that management strategies should be analyzed at a community level that considers the possible consequences of shifting from one community scenario to another. This analysis provides a novel conceptual framework to assess the consequences of different management options for ecological communities.
GOOAL: a Graphic Object Oriented Analysis Laboratory

Our goal is to enable rapid production of static and dynamic object models from natural language description of problems. Rapid modeling is achieved through automation of analysis tasks. This automation captures the cognitive schemes analysts use to build their models of the world through the use of a precise methodology. The methodology is based on the use of proposed technique called role posets, and a semi-natural language (called 4W). Original problem statements are automatically translated to 4W language. The produced sentences then, are analyzed with role posets to produce static model views.. Finally the 4W sentences are used to generate dynamic views of the problem. This set of methods maximizes analysis process agility, promotes reusability and constitutes a valuable tool in the learning process of object thinking. The prototype tool: "GOOAL" (Graphic Object Oriented Analysis Laboratory) receives a natural language (NL) description of a problem and produces the object models taking decisions sentence by sentence. The user realizes the consequences of the analysis of every sentence in real time. Unique features of this tool are the underlying methodology and the production of dynamic object models.
From being digital to digital beings

For the past decade, everyone has been very conscious, even self-conscious, of the emerging digital world. I have never seen another era in which hype and understatement were so often the same, not to mention the incredible rate of change of change itself.