cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Continuity of Actions of Groups and Semigroups on Banach Spaces

It is shown that if a locally compact group acts isometrically on a Banach space X leaving a closed subspace M invariant, and if the induced actions on M and X / M are strongly continuous, then the action on X is strongly continuous. Since this may be of interest for one-parameter semigroups, similar results are proved for actions of suitable topological semigroups. Other generalizations are given for (suitable) non-isometric actions, non-locally compact groups, and non-Banach spaces; corollaries concerning 1-cocycles and uniformly continuous actions are given.
Phytoremediation of aged petroleum sludge : Effect of irrigation techniques and scheduling

The use of higher plants to accelerate the remediation of petroleum contaminants in soil is limited by, among other factors, rooting depth and the delivery of nutrients to the microsites at which remediation occurs. The objective of this study was to test methods of enhancing root growth and remediation in the subsurface of a contaminated petroleum sludge. The phytoremediation of highly contaminated petroleum sludge (total petroleum hydrocarbons >35 g kg(-1) was tested in the greenhouse as a function of the frequency and the depth of irrigation and fertilization. Water and dissolved plant nutrients were added to the soil surface or at a depth of 30 cm, either daily or weekly. Equivalent quantities of water and nutrients were added in all cases. Daily irrigation at a depth of 30 cm invoked greater root growth and enhanced contaminant degradation relative to all other treatments. In the absence of plants, residual concentrations of petroleum hydrocarbons after 7 mo were higher than with plants. The presence of plant roots clearly improved the physical structure of the soil and increased microbial populations. Thus, the plant roots in conjunction with daily additions of soluble N and P appeared to enhance oxygen transport to greater depths in the soil, stimulate petroleum-degrading microorganisms, and provide microbial access to soil micropores. Subsurface irrigation with frequent, small amounts of water and nutrients could significantly accelerate phytoremediation of field soils contaminated with petroleum hydrocarbons.
Illogical use of saphenous veins for aortocoronary bypass grafting

Abstract The saphenous vein (SV) is usually a wonderful structure for use as a conduit for bypassing 1 or more severe narrowings in a coronary artery. If, however, the lumen of the SV is small, because of superimposed phlebosclerosis or simply initial small size, the SV may not serve as an adequate conduit. The January 1 issue of the AJC contains a report describing the frequency of phlebosclerosis and the degrees of luminal narrowing produced by it in SV remnants not used for coronary bypass grafts. 1 The present report was prompted by observing 2 SVs at necropsy, a small-sized one containing considerable phlebosclerosis anastomosed directly to the aorta, and a good-sized one with a good lumen anastomosed not to the aorta, but to the small phlebosclerotic SV. This type of use of the SV does not appear reasonable.
QWIPs beyond FPAs: high-speed room-temperature detectors

Quantum wells, especially those made of GaAs and InP related compounds, have enabled several unique infrared devices. A very successful example is the quantum well infrared photodetector (QWIP). Thermal imaging using focal plane arrays (FPAs) based on QWIPs is the main established existing application. In a different direction, the intrinsic short carrier lifetime (approximately 5 ps) makes the QWIP well suited for high speed and high frequency applications. In such cases, since lasers are commonly used, a high dark current can be tolerated. The most important parameter is then the absorption efficiency. For system simplicity and potential wide use, near room temperature operation is desirable. An optimization study is carried out and reported here, using GaAs/AlGaAs QWIP structures. High absorption (approximately 100%) and up to room temperature operation are achieved in devices having high doping densities and 100 quantum wells.
Historic documentation: a model of project based learning for architectural education

Abstract The process of documenting existing environmental contexts has been a valued part of architectural education for centuries. Notebooks of sketches from Vitruvius, Villard d’Honnecourt, Leonardo Da Vinci, and Le Corbusier are but a few examples of valued design practitioners whose design process included documentation as a necessary and natural element. The value of documentation was clear while the tools for documentation remained manual. Manual manipulation of ruled instruments like rods and tapes when coupled with hand techniques of drawing, engage students directly with the historical environmental context. New technologies, however seem to disengage students from the historic fabric by virtue of their capabilities for automation, remote sensing, remote production, and redefinition of documentation. This paper examines the pedagogical value of historic documentation for design programs in light of new definitions and techniques of documentation necessitated by new technologies. Do these technologies require such multidisciplinary knowledge that students’ engagement with the historic context is reduced to the point that the pedagogical value of documentation is at risk?
Unmasking the immune recognition of prostate cancer with CTLA4 blockade

Although cancer cells can be immunogenic, tumour progression is associated with the evasion of immunosurveillance, the promotion of tumour tolerance and even the production of pro-tumorigenic factors by immune cells. Cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated antigen 4 (CTLA4) represents a crucial immune checkpoint, the blockade of which can potentiate anti-tumour immunity. CTLA4-blocking antibodies are now an established therapeutic approach for malignant melanoma, and clinical trials with CTLA4-specific antibodies in prostate cancer have also shown clinical activity. This treatment may provide insights into the targets that the immune system recognizes to drive tumour regression, and could potentially improve both outcome and toxicity for patients with prostate cancer.
Therapeutic drug monitoring methods for antimicrobial agents

Abstract It is the role of the laboratory to maintain the capability for TDM as appropriate for the patient population it serves and to ensure that testing is performed in a manner that assures quality and cost-effectiveness. Most laboratories can meet local needs for TDM by providing automated tests for determining concentrations of aminoglycosides and vancomycin, and establishing contact with reference laboratories for unusual or infrequent requests. Larger laboratories may also opt to maintain proficiency in particular bioassays and HPLC as determined by the needs of its patient population and abilities. Beyond having the capability to perform tests, it is increasingly important for laboratories to communicate with physician users and to participate in hospital programs of total quality management concerning TDM (17).
Synthesizing a color algorithm from examples

A lightness algorithm that separates surface reflectance from illumination in a Mondrian world is synthesized automatically from a set of examples, which consist of pairs of input (intensity signal) and desired output (surface reflectance) images. The algorithm, which resembles a new lightness algorithm recently proposed by Land, is approximately equivalent to filtering the image through a center-surround receptive field in individual chromatic channels. The synthesizing technique, optimal linear estimation, requires only one assumption, that the operator that transforms input into output is linear. This assumption is true for a certain class of early vision algorithms that may therefore be synthesized in a similar way from examples. Other methods of synthesizing algorithms from examples, or "learning," such as back-propagation, do not yield a significantly better lightness algorithm.
Hallucinations and Other Psychotic Symptoms Associated With the Use of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Drugs in Children

OBJECTIVES. To gain a better understanding of the capacity of psychostimulant medications to induce adverse psychiatric reactions and determine the frequency of such reactions, we analyzed postmarketing surveillance data and clinical trial data for drugs, either approved or under development, for the treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. METHODS. The US Food and Drug Administration requested manufacturers of drugs approved for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder or with active clinical development programs for that indication to search their electronic clinical trial databases for cases of psychosis or mania using prespecified search terms. The manufacturers supplied descriptions of clinical trials, numbers of patients exposed to study drug, and duration of exposure to permit calculations of incidence rates. Independently, cases of psychosis or mania in children and adults for drugs used to treat attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder from the Food and Drug Administration Adverse Event Reporting System safety database were analyzed. Manufacturers were asked to conduct similar analyses of their postmarketing surveillance databases. RESULTS. We analyzed data from 49 randomized, controlled clinical trials in the pediatric development programs for these products. A total of 11 psychosis/mania adverse events occurred during 743 person-years of double-blind treatment with these drugs, and no comparable adverse events occurred in a total of 420 person-years of placebo exposure in the same trials. The rate per 100 person-years in the pooled active drug group was 1.48. The analysis of spontaneous postmarketing reports yielded >800 reports of adverse events related to psychosis or mania. In ∼90% of the cases, there was no reported history of a similar psychiatric condition. Hallucinations involving visual and/or tactile sensations of insects, snakes, or worms were common in cases in children. CONCLUSIONS. Patients and physicians should be aware that psychosis or mania arising during drug treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder may represent adverse drug reactions.
Mutual Magnetic Interactions of Electrons

The formulae for the matrix components of the mutual spin-orbit and spin-spin interactions of two electrons are derived from Heisenberg's formula for the Hamiltonian function. The matrices of all two-electron configurations of $s$, $p$, and $d$ electrons are computed. Numerical tables of certain functions of interaction integrals are given, which are useful in such calculations.
Comparable Postoperative Morbidity and Mortality After Laparoscopic and Open Emergent Restorative Colectomy: Outcomes From the ACS NSQIP

Laparoscopic surgery is safe and effective in the management of common abdominal emergencies. However, there is currently a lack of data about its use for emergency colorectal surgery. We hypothesized that laparoscopy can improve the postoperative outcomes of emergency restorative colon resection. Adult patients undergoing emergent open and laparoscopic colon resection with primary anastomosis were retrieved from the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database for the years 2005 to 2008 inclusive. Demographic and operative characteristics, laboratory values, and postoperative outcomes were compared between patients undergoing laparoscopic and open colon resection using univariate analyses, multivariate logistic regression, and propensity score analyses. A total of 341 laparoscopic (9.6 %) and 3211 (90.4 %) open colon resections were included. Patients undergoing laparoscopic surgery had a significantly lower prevalence of co-morbidities and better postoperative outcomes. On multivariate analysis, laparoscopic surgery was an independent predictor of a longer operating time (p < 0.001) and shorter total (p = 0.013) and postoperative (p = 0.004) hospital stays, but it did not affect the need for intraoperative blood transfusion (p = 0.488), the 30-day reoperation rates (p = 0.969), or mortality (p = 0.417). After adjusted propensity score analysis, postoperative morbidity (p = 0.833) and mortality (p = 0.568) were comparable in patients undergoing laparoscopic and open surgery. On a national scale, laparoscopic emergent colon resections are being performed in a small number of patients, who have favorable co-morbidity characteristics and improved postoperative outcomes. Laparoscopic emergent colon resection with primary anastomosis has postoperative morbidity and mortality rates comparable to those seen with the open approach, and it reduces the total and postoperative length of hospital stay.
The effect of cupric ions on the absorption spectrum of thyroxine.

By using the absorption band of the hydroxyl group of thyroxine in the ultraviolet, the changes in the spectrum of thyroxine were observed with increasing amounts of cupric acetate. The maximal change was observed with five parts thyroxine and four parts cupric acetate. An explanation of these results is that a complex is formed between copper and thyroxine which involves the hydroxyl group in thyroxine.
Education in Papua New Guinea: The Hidden Curriculum of a New Moral Order

IN PAPUA NEW GUINEA, parents' and students' expectations regarding the connection between education and the cash economy contradict the social and economic experience of adult life. Drawing on research from three urban-oriented primary schools in the province of West New Britain, I show that teachers unknowingly promote a new moral order through the hidden curriculum of classroom instruction. This moral order celebrates the “modern life” of urban values and the cash economy at the expense of an agriculturally based, village way of life. The results include increasing numbers of dissatisfied parents and disaffected youth. [West New Britain, education, hidden curriculum, urban orientation, cash economy, moral order]
Servocontroller tuning with fuzzy logic

A fuzzy-logic-based self-tuning proportional-integral (PI) controller is designed that achieves robust tracking in unknown plants which may be open-loop unstable. Tuning of the conventional servocontroller parameters is accomplished through fuzzy approximate reasoning techniques. A Lyapunov function is used as a performance index in formulating the fuzzy rules. The proposed controller parameter tuning scheme greatly reduces the dimension of the fuzzy rule set. Computer simulations on an unstable nonlinear plant illustrate the validity of the approach. >
FGF23-mediated regulation of systemic phosphate homeostasis: is Klotho an essential player?

Understanding the physiological regulation of mineral ion metabolism is essential for determining the pathomechanisms of skeletal, vascular, and renal diseases associated with an abnormal regulation of calcium and phosphate homeostasis. Normal calcium and phosphate balance is delicately maintained by endocrine factors that coordinate to influence the functions of the intestine, bone, parathyroid gland, and kidney. Under physiological conditions, the kidneys play an important role in maintaining normal mineral ion balance by fine-tuning the amount of urinary excretion of calcium and phosphate according to the body's needs. Fibroblast growth factor (FGF)23 regulates urinary phosphate excretion to maintain systemic phosphate homeostasis. The exact mode of action of the phosphaturic effects of FGF23 is not fully understood and is an intense area of research. Studies suggest, however, that FGF23, by interacting with FGF receptors, can initiate downstream signaling events and that Klotho, a transmembrane protein, facilitates the interaction of FGF23 with its receptor. FGF23 can inhibit the activities of 1-α-hydroxylase and sodium-phosphate cotransporter in the kidney to influence the overall systemic phosphate balance. This article briefly summarizes how FGF23 might coordinately regulate systemic phosphate homeostasis and how Klotho is involved in such regulation.
Implementation of an LMS adaptive filter on an FPGA employing multiplexed multiplier architecture

In this paper, a multiplexed multiplier architecture (MMA) for a field programmable gate array (FPGA) implementation of the least mean square (LMS) adaptive filter is developed and presented. In the proposed architecture, hardware multipliers are reused, i.e. multiplexed in time, for both filtering and adaptation. The number of multipliers may be chosen to achieve certain design trade-offs. The design trade-offs considered in this paper include on-chip area, filter size, maximum filter throughput, and power consumption.
Mid-infrared lasers and the Kruse-Mie theorem in fog for free-space optical communication applications

We demonstrate that in NYC metro fog mid-infrared systems transmit over 300% more power and have 3times greater range than conventional FSO systems. We report that the benchmark Kruse-Mie theorem underestimates mid-infrared systems by +200%.
Nursing students can help support evidence-based practice on clinical nursing units.

Aims A research study was designed to explore whether research utilization projects underwent by student nurses could have an impact on nursing practice on clinical nursing units. Background The use of evidence-based practice is becoming essential for nursing managers and nursing staff, but there are many barriers to implementing research findings in practice. Student nurses can be used to assist when staff nurses do not have time during the work day. Methods Baccalaureate nursing students completed a research utilization project during their final comprehensive clinical experience. Telephonic interviews were conducted with the students’ preceptors 5 months after the students’ clinical experience, to obtain their perceptions of the impact of the student project on the nurses’ knowledge and practice. Results The staff nurse preceptors reported the projects were well received with the primary impact of the projects being to educate the nursing staff and patients and thus improve the level of nursing practice on the clinical units. Conclusions Student research utilization projects are one way to save time for staff nurses and increase their awareness of current research findings.
ORF45 of Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus inhibits phosphorylation of interferon regulatory factor 7 by IKKε and TBK1 as an alternative substrate.

Open reading frame 45 (ORF45) of Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) is an immediate-early and tegument protein that plays critical roles in antagonizing host antiviral responses. We have previously shown (Zhu et al, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A., 99:5573-5578, 2002) that ORF45 suppresses activation of interferon regulatory factor 7 (IRF7), a crucial regulator of type I interferon gene expression, by blocking its virus-induced phosphorylation and nuclear accumulation. We report here further characterization of the mechanisms by which ORF45 inhibits IRF7 phosphorylation. In most cell types, IRF7 is phosphorylated and activated by IKKe and TBK1 after viral infection. We found that phosphorylation of IRF7 on Ser477 and Ser479 by IKKe or TBK1 is inhibited by ORF45. The inhibition is specific to IRF7 because phosphorylation of its close relative IRF3 is not affected by ORF45, implying that ORF45 does not inactivate the kinases directly. In fact, we found that ORF45 is phosphorylated efficiently on Ser41 and Ser162 by IKKe and TBK1. We demonstrated that ORF45 competes with the associated IRF7 and inhibits its phosphorylation by IKKe or TBK1 by acting as an alternative substrate.
The Thief in Beowulf

The earliest story of theft in Germanic literature is a subplot in Beowulf. It is the story of the thief who breaks into the dragon's hoard, removes a precious cup ("sincfet," vv. 2231, 2300), and precipitates the savage raids that lead to the tragic confrontation between the ageless dragon and the aging king of the Geats. The thief has an auxiliary role in this momentous finale and has not attracted much attention. His function is only to activate the dragon. The details are few. We learn that the dragon was tricked ("besyre[d]," v. 2218) while asleep, and this item of information is repeated when the dragon sallies forth to seek out the man "tone pe him on sweofote / sare geteode" (v. 2295 "who dealt with him sorely in his sleep"). The technique is stealth and the dragon is deceived "peofes crxefte" (v. 2219"by a thief's guile"). This statement is followed by a passage explaining the straits in which the thief found himself (vv. 2221-26):
Climbing and Falling O the Ladder: Asset Pricing Implications of Labor Market Event Risk

Discrete events, particularly transitions between jobs, are thought to be one of the largest sources of wage dispersion. These switches often induce changes in wages that can be quite large, highly persistent, and largely uninsurable. Labor market transitions can be idiosyncratic tail events, potentially having a disproportionate impact on welfare without aecting aggregate quantities. The nature of these events is highly cyclical; transitions are more likely to be favorable if they occur during expansions relative to recessions. As such, agents may require a premium for investing in assets which underperform when labor market event risk is high, a feature absent from leading asset pricing models. This paper explores the potential importance of this channel in aecting asset prices. We provide empirical evidence on the plausibility of event risk in explaining the shape of the idiosyncratic distribution of income growth rates as well as the relationship between event risk and aggregate variables. Next, we formalize its role within a general ane, jump-diusion asset pricing framework with heterogeneous agents and incomplete markets, making our results immediately applicable to a wide class of existing models for aggregate dynamics. We propose a model with a single state variable{capturing the probability of large, idiosyncratic decreases in consumption{ that quantitatively matches the level and dynamics of the equity premium, even with i.i.d. aggregate consumption growth. Consistent with the model’s predictions, initial claims for unemployment, suitably normalized, is a highly robust predictor of returns, outperforming a number of conventional predictors, including the dividend yield.
Urban Scale and the Quality of Community Life: A Swedish Community Comparison*

A comparative ethnography of the lives of inhabitants of similar housing environments in two Swedish communities-Stockholm (population 1.3 million) and Gavle (population 50,000)-provides an opportunity to examine the ways in which lifestyles and community life may vary by size of urban place. The overwhelming impression is of lifestyle and community life similarities between the two locales, suggesting that size of urban place is not very significant in its effects. Yet some social advantages are felt by residents of the smaller community, such as increased family contacts and fewer youth problems. These advantages are offset, however, by the more limited job market and range of cultural facilities associated with smaller places.
Applying multimedia learning theory to map learning and driving navigation

The effects of multimedia instructional materials on map learning and subsequent navigation were examined. Participants studied visual and/or verbal driving directions presented simultaneously, sequentially, or exclusively. Memory recall for the studied information was tested, and participants then attempted to navigate the studied routes as well as a novel route in a driving simulator. Dual modality materials with oral narrative directions and a visual map produced significantly superior performance for recall, navigational accuracy, and number of destinations reached than presentation in either modality alone. The presence of a map facilitated route recall but not subsequent ability to navigate routes in the simulator. Map-first dual modality sequential presentation enhanced wayfinding efficiency on the novel route compared to narration-first sequential presentation. Simultaneous presentation of dual modality materials allowed more destinations to be reached compared with sequential presentation. The results demonstrate that multimedia instructional materials can facilitate map learning and driving navigation, extending the applications of multimedia learning theory to this novel domain.
Mechanisms of trafficking in axons and dendrites: implications for development and neurodegeneration.

Abstract In the area of routing and sorting of dendritic traffic, the current phenomenological data beg questions about the cellular mechanisms utilized not only to transport material but also to modulate activity in a process, even apoptosis. To aid in formulating testable hypotheses, many plausible models are developed here and linked with some of the preliminary data that supports them. We first assume that in long dendrites the sorting of membranous proteins into transport vesicles also involves the linkage of motor proteins to the vesicles. Second, we assume that the cytoskeleton in dendrites is altered from the cytoskeleton in axons and the cell body. Viral glycoproteins, MAP2 and specific mRNA sorting into dendrites provide the simplest models for analyzing vesicular, cytoskeletal and RNA sorting. In the case of viral glycoproteins, initial sorting appears to occur at the Golgi but additional routing steps involve further complexities that could best be served by an additional sorting step at the junction of the cell body and the process. Transport of the specialized cytoskeletal proteins and specific mRNAs as well as vesicular material could be controlled by a similar gatekeeper at the mouth of a process. Studies of the microtubule-organelle motor complex, regulation of microtubule-based motility by microtubule-associated proteins, and slow axonal transport all provide insights into important aspects of the routing and sorting. These processes are in turn controlled by extracellular signals such as those generated by matrix molecules or their hydrolysis products in the case of amyloid precursor protein (APP). Routing and sorting mechanisms may be central to the development of Alzheimer's disease in view of evidence that APP processing is affected, transport is disturbed, and intracellular vesicles (early endosomes) hypertrophied. Further it is possible that routing mechanisms play a role in cell–cell interactions as, for example, the possibility that pathogenic/cellular stress signals may be passed along circuits transsynaptically.
Ergonomic and Biomechanical Evaluation of Work-Related Risk Factors in Sonography

Previous studies have shown that medical sonographers are at an increased risk of developing work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WRMSDs) which may be attributed to occupational risks including repetitive motion, extreme joint positions, and periods of applied static muscle force. The specific aim of this study was to identify and quantify possible risk factors for the development of WRMSDs in medical sonographers and determine possible pathways to injury. Seven full time sonographers participated in the study which included the use of customized questionnaires to determine the prevalence of WRMSDs and the existence of perceived work-related risk factors, ergonomic job evaluation using Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA), and biomechanical evaluations with electrogoniometers to assess upper extremity posture during typical scanning procedures. 86% of sonographers reported musculoskeletal pain in at least one upper extremity joint. Shoulder abduction, wrist deviation, sustained transducer usage, bending ...
Effect of altitude change on MAST suit pressure

Transport of patients involving changes in altitude has become commonplace in the treatment of trauma patients. Often these patients are treated with medical antishock trouser (MAST) suits initially and during transport. The effects of altitude changes on the pressures generated in MAST suits were systematically investigated. Jobst Standard Antishock Air Pants™ were applied to the lower half of a Resusci-Anne™ dummy and inflated to 30 mm Hg of pressure. In a simulation of patient transport, the inflated MAST suit and dummy were placed in a helicopter and ascended from 2,500 feet to 9,500 feet. Pressures increased to 84, 87, and 87 mm Hg in three separate trials. Intermittent MAST suit pressure readings at 1,000-foot increments in altitude showed a positive linear relationship. Three descending trials, in which the MAST suit was inflated to 60 mm Hg at 9,500 feet and the helicopter descended to 2,500 feet, were also done. Pressures dropped to 7, 8.5, and 8 mm Hg in the three trials. A positive second order relationship between MAST suit pressure and altitude was noted for the descending trials. It was concluded that MAST suit pressure is a function of altitude. Emergency medicine personnel should be aware of this, and should monitor patients accordingly when transporting through changes in altitude.
Mathematical Theory of Classical Fields and General Relativity

The subject of Classical Field Theory has received relatively little attention from both mathematicians and theoretical physicists. The former look at it primarily from the perspective of Quantum Mechanics, namely, as subject of the elusive task of quantization. Mathematicians, on the other hand, never quite took the underlying geometric structure of Classical Field Theory, the space-time, seriously. The geometers, though greatly emboldened by the success of Riemann’s visionary ideas in the formulation of General Relativity, have stayed away, with few notable exceptions, from the fundamental new twist given to them by Einstein who replaced the positive definite metric of Riemannian Geometry by a Lorentzian, or more appropriate, Einsteinian metric.
Abstract 15727: Analyzing Unstructured Clinical Notes for Phase IV Drug Safety Surveillance

Background: The current state of the art in post-marketing drug surveillance utilizes large collections of submitted reports to detect adverse drug reactions. However, given the limitations of reporting systems, there is an opportunity to meaningfully use electronic health records (EHRs) for next-generation signal detection and advancement of drug safety surveillance. Methods and Results: We present data mining methods that transform unstructured patient notes taken by doctors, nurses and other clinicians into a de-identified, temporally ordered, patient-feature matrix using standardized medical terminologies. We demonstrate how to use the resulting high-throughput data to monitor for adverse drug events based on the clinical notes in the EHR. We analyze the patterns of mentions of disease conditions, drug names, their co-mentions and the temporal ordering of the drugs and diseases, in the output of our text processing pipeline to detect known associations between drugs and their adverse effects. Overall, our methods provide highly accurate results (72% Sensitivity, 83% Specificity) as measured by testing a set of 25 known drug recalls and a set of 200 “true negative” drug-adverse event associations. We are able to detect associations between a drug and the adverse event that results in its recall, on average, 2 years ahead of the official notification. We also describe methods for investigating a suspect drug-adverse event association using stratification, propensity score matching and show that matching based on co-morbidities and co-prescriptions may correct for confounding from unobserved variables; thus making the data-mining methods robust against confounding. Conclusion: We conclude that data-mining of unstructured clinical notes via ontology driven methods can enable meaningful use of the EHR for post-marketing drug surveillance. Such data-mining can be used for hypothesis generation and for rapid retrospective analysis of suspected adverse event risk.
Politics as a Peculiar Business: The Universal Logic of Economizing Action

This is a preliminary draft of the fifth of what will be eight chapters in a book titled Politics as a Peculiar Business: Public Choice in a System of Entangled Political Economy. This chapter explains that economizing action provides a universal form for pursuing social theorizing in a substantive manner. People universally act to options they value most highly, but only a subset of those options has directly logical character. Much action has non-logical character, as illustrated by sentiments of various sorts, and yet such action is likewise has regularity about it and is subject to scientific examination.
Associations between LGBTQ-affirmative school climate and adolescent drinking behaviors

BACKGROUND: We investigated whether adolescents drank alcohol less frequently if they lived in jurisdictions with school climates that were more affirmative of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) individuals. METHODS: Data from the 2010 School Health Profile survey, which measured LGBTQ school climate (e.g., percentage of schools with safe spaces and gay-straight alliances), were linked with pooled data from the 2005 and 2007 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, which measured sexual orientation identity, demographics, and alcohol use (number of drinking days, drinking days at school, and heavy episodic drinking days) in 8 jurisdictions. Two-level Poisson models tested the associations between school climate and alcohol use for each sexual-orientation subgroup. RESULTS: Living in jurisdictions with more (versus less) affirmative LGBTQ school climates was significantly associated with: fewer heavy episodic drinking days for gay/lesbian (incidence-rate ratio [IRR]=0.70; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.56, 0.87; p=0.001) and heterosexual (IRR=0.80; 95% CI: 0.76, 0.83; pCONCLUSIONS: Fostering LGBTQ-affirmative school climates may reduce certain drinking behaviors for gay/lesbian adolescents, heterosexual adolescents, and adolescents unsure of their sexual orientation.Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved. Language: en
Prevalence and quinolone susceptibilities of Salmonella isolated from the feces of preharvest cattle within feedlots that used a fluoroquinolone to treat bovine respiratory disease.

Salmonella is an important foodborne pathogen and antimicrobial resistance can be a human health concern. The objectives of this cross-sectional study were to (1) determine the prevalence and quinolone susceptibility of Salmonella in feces of preharvest commercial feedlot cattle and (2) determine if the prevalence and susceptibility of Salmonella isolates were associated with previous fluoroquinolone use within pens. Five feedlots in western Kansas and Texas were selected based on their use of a commercially licensed fluoroquinolone for initial treatment of bovine respiratory disease (BRD). Twenty pen floor fecal samples were collected from each of 10 pens from each feedlot during early summer of 2012. Salmonella isolation was performed and microbroth dilution was used to determine susceptibility of isolates to nalidixic acid and ciprofloxacin. Prior antimicrobial treatment data were retrieved from feedlots' operational data. Generalized linear mixed models were used to assess associations between Salmonella prevalence and the number of fluoroquinolone treatments within pens while taking into consideration cattle demographic and management factors, as well as the hierarchical structure of the data. Overall, cumulative fecal prevalence of Salmonella was 38.0% (380/1000), but prevalence varied significantly (p < 0.01) among the five feedlots: 0.5% (1/200), 17.5% (35/200), 37.0% (74/200), 58.5% (117/200), and 76.5% (153/200). Salmonella serogroups included C1 (49.3%), E (36.4%), C2 (13.8%), and D (0.6%). There was no significant association (p = 0.52) between Salmonella prevalence and the frequency of fluoroquinolone treatments within a pen. All Salmonella isolates (n = 380) were susceptible to ciprofloxacin, while one isolate exceeded the human breakpoint (≥32 μg/mL) for nalidixic acid. In conclusion, Salmonella fecal prevalence in preharvest cattle was highly variable among feedlots. Nearly all Salmonella isolates were susceptible to quinolones, despite the fact that a fluoroquinolone was used as the primary therapeutic antimicrobial to treat BRD in these feedlot populations.
Convenient synthesis of stable deuterium-labeled alkylpyrazines for use in stable isotope dilution assays.

Stable isotope dilution assays (SIDA) provide for accurate and precise quantitation of aroma components, such as alkylpyrazines, which are often present in low concentrations in complex food matrices. The unavailability of labeled standards is the main limitation to the widespread use of SIDA. This study describes the chlorination of several alkylpyrazines to form the corresponding chloroalkylpyrazine compounds, which are efficient starting materials for the synthesis of deuterium-labeled alkylpyrazines, namely [2H3]-2-methylpyrazine (d-1), [2H5]-2-ethylpyrazine (d-2), [2H3]-2,3(or 6)-dimethylpyrazine (d-3A, d-3B), [2H3]-2,[2H3]-6-dimethylpyrazine (d-3C), [2H5]-2,[2H5]-6-diethylpyrazine (d-4), [2H5]-2-ethyl-3(or 6)-methylpyrazine (d-5A, d-5B), 2,[2H3]-3,5-trimethylpyrazine (d-6), [2H5]-2-ethyl-3,6-dimethylpyrazine (d-7), [2H5]-2-ethyl-3,5-dimethylpyrazine (d-8), and 2,3-diethyl-[2H3]-5-methylpyrazine (d-9), which were obtained in good yields (57–100%) and high purities (86–98%). These stable isotopes were...
Influence of N-methylformamide on C14-formate incorporation. III. Effect of time of administration of isotope.

Summary1) The effect of NMF on rat liver metabolism has been shown to be qualitatively the same at 2 and 6 hour intervals after administration of the isotope as at 24 hours after administration. 2) The first peak of incorporation of formate into rat liver nucleic acids occurs 2 hours after administration, with a second peak 8 hours or after. Peak of incorporation into intestinal nucleic acids is around 4 hours after administration.
Geochemistry, Mineralogy, and Absolute Ages of Caribbean Sediment Core: ABSTRACT

Chemical and mineralogic variations in a deep-sea core dated by the Io/Pa method show that during interglacial periods the content of detrital minerals (quartz and muscovite) reach a maximum, whereas clay minerals are more abundant during glacial periods. The concentration of Mn is higher during glacial periods. The data suggest that in the Caribbean area chemical weathering was at a maximum during glacial periods; during interglacial periods conditions were more arid. End_of_Article - Last_Page 2033------------
Modeling the efficacy of the extent of surgical resection in the setting of radiation therapy for glioblastoma

Standard therapy for glioblastoma (GBM) includes maximal surgical resection and radiation therapy. While it is established that radiation therapy provides the greatest survival benefit of standard treatment modalities, the impact of the extent of surgical resection (EOR) on patient outcome remains highly controversial. While some studies describe no correlation between EOR and patient survival even up to total resection, others propose either qualitative (partial versus subtotal versus complete resection) or quantitative EOR thresholds, below which there is no correlation with survival. This work uses a mathematical model in the form of a reaction-diffusion partial differential equation to simulate tumor growth and treatment with radiation therapy and surgical resection based on tumor-specific rates of diffusion and proliferation. Simulation of 36 tumors across a wide spectrum of diffusion and proliferation rates suggests that while partial or subtotal resections generally do not provide a survival advantage, complete resection significantly improves patient outcomes. Furthermore, our model predicts a tumor-specific quantitative threshold below which EOR has no effect on patient survival and demonstrates that this threshold increases with tumor aggressiveness, particularly with the rate of proliferation. Thus, this model may serve as an aid for determining both when surgical resection is indicated as well as the surgical margins necessary to provide clinically significant improvements in patient survival. In addition, by assigning relative benefits to radiation and surgical resection based on tumor invasiveness and proliferation, this model confirms that (with the exception of the least aggressive tumors) the survival benefit of radiation therapy exceeds that of surgical resection.
A pilot study of neurointerventional research level of evidence and collaboration.

Introduction No studies have sought to provide a quantitative or qualitative critique of research in the field of neurointerventional surgery. Objective To analyze recent publications from the Journal of Neurointerventional Surgery ( JNIS ) to test a new method for assessing research and collaboration. Methods We reviewed all JNIS Online First publications from 25 February 2015 to 24 February 2016. All publications—human or non-human research, systematic reviews, meta-analyses, or literature reviews—were included; editorials and commentaries were excluded. For each publication, study design, number of patients, authors, contributing centers, and study subject were recorded. Level of evidence was defined using a new scale. Results A total of 206 articles met inclusion criteria. Only 4% were prospective studies. Twenty-eight per cent of scientific research featured patient series of nine or less. The majority of publications were categorized as low-level evidence (91%). Forty-seven per cent involved individuals from a single center, with 87% having collaboration from three or fewer centers. International collaboration was present in 19%. While 256 institutions from 31 countries were represented, 66% were represented in only one publication. Conclusions We queried JNIS Online First articles from a 1-year period in a pilot study to test a new method of analyzing research quality and collaboration. The methodology appears to adequately quantify the studies into evidence tiers that emulate previously published, widely accepted scales. This may be useful for future comparison of peer-reviewed journals or for studying the quality of research being performed in different disease processes or medical specialties.
Ab Initio Investigation of Cation Proton Affinity and Proton Transfer Energy for Energetic Ionic Liquids.

Protonation of the anion in an ionic liquid plays a key role in the hypergolic reaction between ionic liquids and oxidizers such as white fuming nitric acid. To investigate the influence of the cation on the protonation reaction, the deprotonation energy of a set of cations has been calculated at the MP2 level of theory. Specifically, guanidinium, dimethyltriazanium, triethylamine, N-ethyl-N-methyl-pyrrolidinium, N-ethyl-pyridinium, 1,4-dimethyl-1,2,4-triazolium, 1-ethyl-4-methyl-1,2,4-triazolium, and 1-butyl-4-methyl-1,2,4-triazolium were studied. In addition, the net proton transfer energies from the cations to a set of previously studied anions was calculated, demonstrating an inverse correlation between the net proton transfer energy and the likelihood that the cation/anion combination will react hypergolically with white fuming nitric acid. It is suggested that this correlation occurs due to a balance between the energy released by the proton transfer and the rate of proton transfer as determined by ...
Spectral Theory for Perturbations of Bounded Diagonal Linear Operators

Our main goal in this chapter consists of computing the spectrum of the class of bounded linear operators, \( A = D + F \) where D is a diagonal operator and F is a finite rank operator. In order to achieve that, we will make extensive use of the theory of Fredholm operators and the notion of essential spectrum. A few illustrative examples will be discussed at the end of the end of this chapter. Here, we mainly follow Diagana et al. [18].
Kernel Methods and Machine Learning: Dimension-reduction: PCA/KPCA and feature selection

This part contains two chapters concerning reduction of the dimension of the feature space, which plays a vital role in improving learning efficiency as well as prediction performance. Chapter 3 covers the most prominent subspace projection approach, namely the classical principal component analysis (PCA), cf. Algorithm 3.1. Theorems 3.1 and 3.2 establish the optimality of PCA for both the minimum reconstruction error and maximum entropy criteria. The optimal error and entropy attainable by PCA are given in closed form. Algorithms 3.2, 3.3, and 3.4 describe the numerical procedures for the computation of PCA via the data matrix, scatter matrix, and kernel matrix, respectively. Given a finite training dataset, the PCA learning model meets the LSP condition, thus the conventional PCA model can be kernelized. When a nonlinear kernel is adopted, it further extends to the kernel-PCA (KPCA) learning model. The KPCA algorithms can be presented in intrinsic space or empirical space (see Algorithms 3.5 and 3.6). For several real-life datasets, visualization via KPCA shows more visible data separability than that via PCA. Moreover, KPCA is closely related to the kernel-induced spectral space, which proves instrumental for error analysis in unsupervised and supervised applications. Chapter 4 explores various aspects of feature selection methods for supervised and unsupervised learning scenarios. It presents several filtering-based and wrapper-based methods for feature selection, a popular method for dimension reduction.
Synthetic retinoid am80 ameliorates lung and arthritic autoimmune responses by inhibiting t follicular helper and th17 cell responses

Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disorder that affects the joints and other organs. Pulmonary complications contribute significantly to rheumatoid arthritis mortality. Retinoic acid and its synthetic compound AM80 play roles in immunoregulation but their effect on mucosal autoimmunity remains largely unknown. T follicular helper (Tfh) and Th17 cells are known to promote inflammation and autoantibody production. Using the K/BxN autoimmune arthritis model, we elucidate a novel mechanism whereby oral AM80 administration suppressed lung mucosa-associated Tfh and autoantibody responses by increasing the gut-homing α4β7 integrin expression on Tfh cells. This diverted Tfh cells from systemic (non-gut) inflamed sites such as the lung into the gut-associated lymphoid tissues, Peyer's patches, and thus reduced the systemic autoantibodies. AM80 also inhibited the lung Th17 response. AM80's effect in the lungs was readily applied to the joints as AM80 also inhibited Tfh and Th17 responses in the spleen, the major autoantibody producing site known to correlate with K/BxN arthritis severity. Finally, we used anti-β7 treatment as an alternative approach, demonstrating that manipulating T cell migration between the gut and systemic sites alters the systemic disease outcome. The β7 blockade prevented both Tfh and Th17 cells from entering the non-immunopathogenic site, the gut, and retained these T effector cells in the systemic sites, leading to augmented arthritis. These data suggest a dual beneficial effect of AM80, targeting both Tfh and Th17 cells, and warrant strict safety monitoring of gut-homing perturbing agents used in treating intestinal inflammation.
Laser annealing of native oxides on GaAs

Annealing of native oxides grown on GaAs has been performed using a pulsed KrF laser. This process allows the oxides to be heated to temperatures well above 500 °C without arsenic loss from the GaAs substrate. The physical, chemical, and electronic properties of the oxide are markedly changed by laser processing.
Collective Security, Fear of Crime, and Support for Concealed Firearms on a University Campus in the Western United States:

Recently, a number of state legislatures in the United States have sought to loosen restrictions on the carrying of concealed firearms on university campuses. Often these legislative initiatives ar...
A likely cranial osteodystrophy (Paget's disease of bone) in a Precolumbian, Mesoamerican stone sculpture.

This short note illustrates facial and head features found in a stone sculpture of the ancient, Precolumbian period in a temple of the Mayan city of Copan (Honduras). The authors believe that this observation may support paleoanthropological evidence of Paget’s disease of bone, an osteodystrophy described in the Mesoamerican Indian populations before the first millennium A.D.