cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Immunotherapeutic alternatives in superficial bladder cancer. Interferon, interleukin-2, and keyhole-limpet hemocyanin.

SUMMARY Interleukin-2, IFNs, and TNF are biologic response modifiers that are part of an intricate network of interacting cytokines released during an immune response. Lack of sufficient endogenous cytokine activity secondary to the immunosuppressive effects of tumor growth may be overcome by direct, local application of biologic response modifiers or immunostimulants such as BCG or KLH. Bacillus Calmette-Guerin remains the most effective immunotherapeutic agent for superficial transitional-cell carcinoma. Although the mechanism of action is unknown, the weight of evidence suggests that local cytokine release is involved in the effector pathway. Recent data have shown that the local application of new single-agent immunotherapies can have an effect on superficial transitional-cell carcinoma and CIS similar to that of chemotherapeutic agents and nearly identical to that of BCG. But, unlike the situation with chemotherapy or BCG, these effects are attended by minimal or no toxicity. Chemotherapy and BCG failures have also shown responses to direct instillation of cytokines. Further understanding of the exact mechanism of action of these agents and of their interaction should lead to the optimal antitumor regimen with the least toxicity. Determining the degree of host immunoresponsiveness and which combination of cytokines or immunotherapeutic or chemotherapeutic agents is most effective for a specific tumor type is the challenge for the future.
FBT With Adjunctive Parent Emotion Coaching in an Adolescent Male With Anorexia Nervosa

Family-based therapy (FBT) is the gold standard of treatment for adolescents with anorexia nervosa (AN) and has shown to be more effective than other forms of treatment in several randomized contro...
Effect of bounded rationality on tradeoff between systemic risks & economic efficiency in networks

This paper discusses effect of bounded rationality on the systemic risks vs. economic performance tradeoff in large-scale networks operating under economic pressures. Existence of systemic risks in economically incentivized networked systems is demonstrated by recent numerous systemic failures in various critical large-scale networked infrastructures. Using ‘Complex System’ perspective, we consider systemic risks due to overload experienced by a sizable portion of the network. Economic pressures facilitate systemic overload by incentivizing (a) high level of dynamic resource sharing allowing the system to mitigate effects of inherently uncertain exogenous demand and limited system reliability, and (b) network operation on the stability boundary where all network resources are fully utilized. However, in practice these economic incentives are counteracted by bounded rationality of the network operator(s), e.g., due to limited information on the uncertain exogenous environment. We argue that bounded rationality reduces both the network operational region and risk of abrupt overload. Due to higher performance losses and lower predictability of a discontinuous/abrupt overload as compared to a continuous/gradual one, our results suggest that bounded rationality may benefit the system performance by allowing system to operate closer to the stability boundary.
Exploring Online Asynchronous Counseling With Tobacco Treatment Specialists in the QUIT-PRIMO and National Dental PBRN HI-QUIT Studies: Who Uses It and What Do They Say?

Purpose:To describe the content of messages sent by smokers through asynchronous counseling within a Web-based smoking cessation intervention.Design:Qualitative.Setting:National community-based set...
Split clouds: New security architecture for protecting user information from cloud insiders - Designs, implementation, and performance evaluations

Many government organizations are now considering their transitions to clouds. However, their concerns to known and unknown security risks in clouds are the major stumbling blocks against their transitions. This paper proposes new security architecture, Split Clouds, which protects the information stored in a cloud, while the architecture lets each organization hold direct security controls to their information, instead of leaving them to cloud providers. The core of the architecture consists of real-time lineage summaries, in-line security gateway and shadow auditor. By the combination of the three solutions, the architecture will prevent malicious activities performed even by the security administrators in the cloud providers. The essence of the architecture is in trading processor horsepower and network bandwidth for protecting information in clouds. Our performance evaluations showed that the overhead for security gateway and real-time lineage summary will be at most linear, while the overhead from the shadow auditor is in the square order, which can be mitigated by clustering. The proposed security architecture will be promising for clearing the ways for government organizations to adopt clouds.
Temperature suitability for malaria climbing the Ethiopian Highlands

While the effect of climate change on the prevalence of malaria in the highlands of Eastern Africa has been the topic of protracted debate, temperature is widely accepted as a fundamentally important environmental factor constraining its transmission. Air temperatures below approximately 18 °C and 15 °C, respectively, prohibit the development of the Plasmodium falciparum and P. vivax parasites responsible for the majority of malaria cases in Ethiopia. Low temperatures also impede the development rates of the Anopheles mosquito vectors. While locations of sufficiently high elevation have temperatures below these transmission thresholds, a fundamental question is how such temperature 'threshold elevations' are changing with time. A lack of high quality, high spatial resolution climate data has previously prohibited a rigorous investigation. Using a newly developed national temperature dataset for Ethiopia that combines numerous in-situ surface observations with downscaled reanalysis data, we here identify statistically significant increases in elevation for both the 18 °C and 15 °C thresholds in highland areas between 1981–2014. Substantial interannual and spatial variations in threshold elevations are identified, the former associated with the El Nino Southern-Oscillation and the latter with the complex climate of the region. The estimated population in locations with an upward trend in the 15 °C threshold elevation is approximately 6.5 million people (2.2 million for 18 °C). While not a direct prediction of the additional population made vulnerable to malaria through a shift to higher temperature, our results underscore a newly acquired ability to investigate climate variability and trends at fine spatial scales across Ethiopia, including changes in a fundamental constraint on malaria transmission in the Ethiopian Highlands.
Smoking and Special Populations

Year after year, the health care profession fights disease and promotes health care improvement for our generation and generations to come. Yet in America today, cigarette use by children and adolescents remains one of the most serious health care problems we face—not only for its acute effects, but for its chronic effects. Every day, 3000 children light up cigarettes for the first time; 25% of that group will die prematurely because of smoking. And this activity is the beginning of a lifelong road to poor health, since 60% of all current smokers began by age 14.
Altered Patterns of Early Metabolic Decompensation in Type 1 Diabetes During Treatment with a SGLT2 Inhibitor: An Insulin Pump Suspension Study.

Abstract Background: Enthusiasm for the benefits of sodium–glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) as an adjunctive treatment in type 1 diabetes (T1D) has been offset by the possible increased risk of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). Since pump-treated T1D patients are susceptible to DKA due to infusion site problems, this study was undertaken to assess how treatment with SGLT2i affects patterns of early metabolic decompensation following suspension of basal insulin. Methods: Ten T1D participants (age 19–35 years, duration 10 ± 8 years, A1c 7.4% ± 0.8%) underwent overnight pump suspension studies before and after treatment with canagliflozin (CANA). On both nights, basal insulin was suspended at 3 AM and plasma glucose (PG), β-hydroxybutyrate (BHB), free fatty acids (FFA), plasma insulin (PI), and glucagon were measured. Studies were terminated 6 h after suspension or if PG rose to >350 mg/dL or BHB >2.5 mmol/L. Results: PI levels at the start of suspension were reduced by 30% after CANA treatment (44 ± 1...
Enhancing guideline‐based asthma care processes through a multi‐state, multi‐center quality improvement program

Objective: This study investigated the effectiveness of Enhancing Care for Patients with Asthma (ECPA)—a collaborative quality improvement program implemented in 65 community health centers that se...
Faith-Based Versus Secular Support for Fragile Families: Parent Education in the Rural South

The first stop on our tour of the service provision landscape in post-welfare America is rural Mississippi. In many respects, Mississippi is an ideal state in which to begin our investigation. Mississippi has long been known for its inordinately high poverty rate and its large proportion of female-headed families. Mississippi, sometimes referred to as the buckle of the Bible Belt, is also one of the most religious states in the country. The dominant faith traditions in Mississippi are those of the conservative Protestant variety, including denominations often described as fundamentalist such as Baptists. Pentecostals such as Church of God in Christ are also well represented. United Methodists, the primary mainline Protestant denomination in the state, enjoy a significant share of the religious market as well, although Mississippi Methodists are generally more conservative than their methodists in other parts of the country.
Antimicrobial resistance of uncomplicated urinary tract infections in northern Utah.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate antimicrobial resistance in uropathogenic bacteria in northern Utah. DESIGN One hundred twenty bacterial isolates from community-acquired UTI in the northern Utah area (Davis and Weber Counties) were tested. Samples were taken from otherwise healthy women, ages 18 to 50. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing for sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim (SXT/TMP), ciprofloxacin, and nitrofurantoin comprised the process. SETTING The Clinical Laboratory Science Department at Weber State University, with samples coming from clinics in the northern Utah area (Davis and Weber Counties). PARTICIPANTS Urine samples were taken from otherwise healthy women, ages 18 to 50, who suffered from uncomplicated urinary tract infections. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE Antimicrobial resistance was measured using antimicrobial susceptibility testing and shown with other national resistance rates. RESULTS Of bacterial isolates, 21.3% were resistant to SXT/TMP, 14.4% were resistant to ciprofloxacin, and 13.9% were resistant to nitrofurantoin. The resistance rates for ciprofloxacin and nitrofurantoin were acceptable for empirical UTI treatment (< 20% resistance), but local bacterial populations were found to demonstrate an increase in resistance to these two drugs as compared to previously observed national data. SXT/TMP resistance was above the recommended resistance threshold of 20% for effective empirical treatment, as advised by the IDSA. CONCLUSION Results suggest that uncomplicated community-acquired UTI be treated with nitrofurantoin. Other recommendations include continued monitoring of local uropathogenic antimicrobial resistance.
FRICTION-FACTORS FOR FLAT-BED FLOWS IN SAND CHANNELS

A method is developed for determining friction factors of open channel flows over flat sand beds in an active state of transport. The graphical predictor is derived from both field and laboratory data, and is presented in a format similar to that of the Moody pipe-friction diagram. The variation of friction factor with Reynolds number for constant values of the ratio of hydraulic radius to median sediment size was found to be much different for these flows than for one-phase flows in rigid-boundary conduits.
Probabilistic dependence and logistic inference in information retrieval

This research presents a new model for probabilistic text and document retrieval, a model which is believed to be both theoretically sound and implementable. The model utilizes the technique of logistic regression to obtain equations which rank documents by probability of relevance as a function of document and query properties. Since this model infers probability of relevance from statistical clues present in the texts of documents and queries, we call it logistic inference. By transforming the distribution of each statistical clue into its standardized distribution (one with mean $\mu$ = 0 and standard deviation $\sigma$ = 1), the method allows one to apply logistic coefficients derived from a training collection to other document collections, with no loss of predictive power. The model is applied to three well-known information retrieval test collections, and the results are compared directly to the particular vector space model of retrieval which uses term-frequency/inverse-document-frequency (tfidf) weighting and the cosine similarity measure. In the comparison, the logistic inference method performs significantly better than (in two collections) or equally well as (in the third collection) the tfidf/cosine vector space model. The differences in performances of the two models were subjected to statistical tests to see if the differences are statistically significant or could have occurred by chance. This research also presents a study of probabilistic dependencies in the information retrieval situation. The CACM information retrieval test collection is examined to determine whether a null hypothesis of the binary independence model of probabilistic querying is valid. Statistical tests on query term pairs seem to lead us to reject this hypothesis.
18 Le Cam at Berkeley

Written in appreciation of the pleasure and many benefits I have received from over forty years of friendship and collegiality with Lucien Le Cam.
Posisi Media Cetak di Tengah Perkembangan Media Online di Indonesia

Currently, there are dozens and even hundreds of print media in the United States which are waiting for their turn to be closed. Popular newspapers such as The Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal printed edition are now distributed for free in most of the town centers in the United States. In Indonesia, Sinar Harapan newspaper closed its doors on January 1, 2016, following the dailies, Soccer, National Journal, and editorial magazines such as Prospects, and Fortune. Even though newspaper readership continues to decline in Indonesia, it does not necessarily make the printed media entirely switch to online media. In order to survive, the conventional media should be able to maintain credibility and trust in presenting the information. Credibility and public trust can only be built by the spirit of professionalism of journalists who adhere to the ethics of journalism which presents the factual and properly verified information. This is a strong bid for the print media to survive. The media industry especially newspapers need to make changes to survive. Strategic change is important to be done to make the newspaper remain in existence. Newspapers should be able to define its base on its medium. The newspapers should not just be a paper. The strength and value do not only come at the control of content and distribution.
Associations between upper extremity injury patterns in side impact motor vehicle collisions with occupant and crash characteristics.

Abstract Introduction Side impact motor vehicle collisions (MVC) represent a significant burden of mortality and morbidity caused by automotive injury within the United States. The objective of this study was to evaluate the relationship between upper extremity (UE) injury patterns and contact sources in side impact MVC with occupant and crash variables. Methods Crash Injury Research and Engineering Network data obtained from 1998 to 2012 were used to evaluate UE injuries in side impact crashes. First row drivers and passengers that were at least 16 years old with complete crash information were included. Side impact crashes were defined to have an area of deformation to the side of the vehicle and a principal direction of force between 60° and 120° or 240° and 300°. Injuries were stratified by type, anatomic location, and Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) severity. Occupant variables included age, sex, height, weight, body mass index, and Injury Severity Score. Vehicle and crash variables included in the analysis were change in vehicle velocity at the time of impact, maximum door intrusion, maximum B-pillar intrusion, seat track position, belt use, vehicle type, impact type, and injury source. Statistical analysis of the UE injury data included descriptive statistics, linear regression analyses with occupant variables, and logistic regression analyses with vehicle and crash variables. Results There were 903 UE injuries among 408 case occupants. The most common injury type was soft tissue injury (72.5%). The majority of fractures were proximal to and including the humerus (70.3%) with the clavicle being the most common fracture location (N = 89). AIS 2+ UE injuries were associated with a significantly higher mean occupant Injury Severity Score than AIS 1 UE injuries (p = 0.01). Contact with the door was the leading cause of UE injury (34.2%). The odds (OR [95% confidence interval], p-value) of an AIS 2+ UE injury due to contact with the B-pillar (5.3 [3.1, 9.1], Conclusions This study provides insight into UE injury patterns in side impact MVC. The clavicle was the most common UE fracture location. Contact with the door resulted in the highest number of UE injuries and the B-pillar resulted in the most severe injuries. Additionally, exposure to greater B-pillar intrusion was associated with increased odds of scapula and clavicle fractures in side impacts.
The Paleomineralogy of the Hadean Eon Revisited.

A preliminary list of plausible near-surface minerals present during Earth’s Hadean Eon (>4.0 Ga) should be expanded to include: (1) phases that might have formed by precipitation of organic crystals prior to the rise of predation by cellular life; (2) minerals associated with large bolide impacts, especially through the generation of hydrothermal systems in circumferential fracture zones; and (3) local formation of minerals with relatively oxidized transition metals through abiological redox processes, such as photo-oxidation. Additional mineral diversity arises from the occurrence of some mineral species that form more than one ‘natural kind’, each with distinct chemical and morphological characteristics that arise by different paragenetic processes. Rare minerals, for example those containing essential B, Mo, or P, are not necessary for the origins of life. Rather, many common minerals incorporate those and other elements as trace and minor constituents. A rich variety of chemically reactive sites were thus available at the exposed surfaces of common Hadean rock-forming minerals.
The ocular pharmacokinetics and biodistribution of phospho-sulindac (OXT-328) formulated in nanoparticles: Enhanced and targeted tissue drug delivery.

Abstract We studied the pharmacokinetics, biodistribution and metabolism of phospho-sulindac (PS), a novel agent efficacious in the treatment of dry eye, formulated in nanoparticles (PS-NPs) following its topical administration to the eye of New Zealand White rabbits. The nanoparticles were spherical with effective diameter = 108.9 ± 41.7 nm, zeta potential = −21.70 ± 3.78 mV, drug loading = 7%, and entrapment efficiency = 46.4%. Of the total PS delivered topically to the eye, >95% was retained in the anterior segment, predominantly in the cornea (Cmax = 101.3 μM; Tmax = 1 h; T1/2 = 2.6 h; area AUC0–16h = 164.4 µM·h) and conjunctiva (Cmax = 89.4 μM; Tmax = 0.25 h; T1/2 = 3.1 h; AUC0–16h = 63.5 µM·h), the tissues most affected by dry eye disease. No PS or its metabolites were detected in the systemic circulation. PS was metabolized to PS sulfide and PS sulfone; all three molecules were hydrolyzed to sulindac, which was converted to sulindac sulfide and sulindac sulfone. A solution formulation of PS provided lower PS levels in ocular tissues but higher levels of PS metabolites, compared to PS-NPs. Therefore, NPs represent an effective formulation for the topical ocular administration of PS for anterior segment diseases, such as dry eye disease.
Architected materials for tailorable shear behavior with energy dissipation

Abstract A class of architected materials is proposed for tailorable shear behavior and high energy dissipation. Inclined beams with elastic snap-through instabilities define the microstructure of the proposed materials, which display a ‘twinkling’ phenomenon that converts strain energy to dynamic motions, resulting in rate-independent energy dissipation. The design concepts were experimentally validated using 3D printed prototypes under both half- and full-cycle shear deformation conditions, and shown to respond in rate-independent sequential snap-through transitions with large energy dissipation in the elastic regime. Numerical simulations and analytical analyses show that predictable material behavior and tunable shear properties can be designed through the microstructure’s geometry. The proposed materials fill the need of dissipating energy under shear deformations in a recoverable and rate-independent manner.
Online Instruction in Braille Code Skills for Preservice Teachers

This article presents the results of an evaluation of a web-based course in braille code skills for preservice teachers of students with visual impairments. The findings revealed that the online co...
Protective Effects of Xenon on Propofol-Induced Neurotoxicity in Human Neural Stem Cell-Derived Models.

Early life exposure to general anesthetics can have neurotoxic consequences. Evidence indicates that xenon, a rare noble gas with anesthetic properties, may lessen neuronal damage under certain conditions. However, its potential neuroprotective properties, when used alone or in combination with other anesthetics, remain largely unknown. While it is difficult to verify the adverse effects of long duration anesthetic exposure in infants and children, the utilization of relevant non-clinical models (i.e., human-derived neural stem cells) may serve as a “bridging” model for evaluating the vulnerability of the nervous system. Neural stem cells, purchased from PhoenixSongs Biologicals, Inc., were guided to differentiate into neurons, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes, which were then exposed to propofol (50 μM) for 16 h in the presence or absence of xenon (33%). Differentiation into cells of the neural lineage was confirmed by labelling with cell-specific markers, β-tubulin for neurons, glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) for astrocytes, and galactocerebroside (GALC) for oligodendrocytes after 5 days of differentiation. The presence and severity of neural damage induced by anesthetic exposures were assessed by several methods, including the TUNEL assay, and immuno-histochemical measurements. Our data demonstrate that prolonged exposure to propofol results in a significant increase in the number of TUNEL-positive cells, indicating increased neural apoptosis. No significant changes were detected in the number of GFAP-positive astrocytes or GALC-positive oligodendrocytes. However, the number of β-tubulin-positive neurons was substantially reduced in the propofol-exposed cultures. Co-administration of xenon effectively blocked the propofol-induced neuronal damage/loss. No significant effects were observed when xenon was administered alone. The data indicate that prolonged exposure to propofol during development produces elevated levels of neuronal apoptosis in a human neural stem cell-derived model. However, sub-clinical, non-anesthetic concentrations of xenon, when used in combination with propofol, can prevent or ameliorate the toxic effects associated with prolonged anesthetic exposure. This is important as a more complete understanding of the neurotoxic mechanisms associated with a variety of clinically relevant anesthetic combinations becomes available. Protective approaches are critical for developing sound guidance on best practices for the use of these agents in the pediatric setting.
Envision Charlotte: Building an Energy Cluster

On October 28, 2011, 1,500 people, including many civic and business leaders, gathered outdoors in a Charlotte, North Carolina city square to celebrate the launch of Envision: Charlotte, a first-in-the-nation smart grid plan aimed at reducing energy use in the central business district. The initiative called for a 20% reduction in energy consumption in the city while promoting the region's burgeoning energy sector by attracting green-minded companies to the urban core and position Charlotte as a highly progressive business center. The idea was to make Charlotte the "new energy hub of America" and diversify away from its historical reliance on banking - a historically volatile industry. Duke Energy CEO Jim Rogers and the other leaders in attendance hoped that rallying around a shared idea and supporting a civic initiative such as Envision was the formula for economic sustainability.
Clinical characteristics of severe Mycoplasma pneumoniae encephalitis

Besides respiratory system, Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection can also cause diseases in other organ systems, and nervous system impairment is the common extrapulmonary complications.Recent years, the morbidity of Mycoplasma pneumoniae encephalitis is uprising.As the pathogenesis of Mycoplasma pneumonia encephalitis is not clear, so uniform diagnosis standard hasn′t been acquired up to now.Its treatment mainly uses macrolides with less nagative effects on children′s body growth, and intravenous immunoglobulin could also be used jointly.The prognosis of Mycoplasma pneumonia encephalitis is related with clinical manifestation, age of onset, imageological change and whe-ther receiving timely treatment or not. Key words: Mycoplasma pneumonia encephalitis; Macrolides; Clinical characteristics
Emerging investigator series: emerging biotechnologies in wastewater treatment: from biomolecular engineering to multiscale integration

Biological wastewater treatment is the process in which contaminants can be removed or degraded by various microorganisms to eliminate the negative impact on environment and human health. Given the fact that traditional physical and chemical purification methods are high-cost, unsustainable and unspecific, biotreatment is playing an increasingly important role in the wastewater treatment field. The effective implementation of biotreatment strategy relies strongly on the intrinsic degradation capability of the microorganisms as well as their interaction with pollutants. In this review, we will focus on recent technological advances in engineering and improving biotreatment at both biocatalyst and bioreactor levels. Specifically, we will discuss the progress in synthetic biology for enhancing biosorption and biotransformation, and the challenges in applying engineered microorganisms on contaminated sites. We will further review the latest developments in bioreactor design, particularly the prospects of additive manufacturing/bioprinting to further optimize the mass transport inside bioreactors through complex 3-D structures and flexible material selections. These research efforts are redefining the frontier of biotreatment, and opening up new opportunities for cost-effective, efficient, and sustainable wastewater treatment.
Implementing future food safety technologies

Abstract This chapter aligns technology platforms with corporate social responsibility, human needs, economic and legal considerations, quality assurance, Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points plans, GMPs, and SSOPs, as well as other considerations. Technology is also discussed in the context of the FDA's “New Era of Smarter Food Safety.” Adapting to new business models and retail food safety modernization and considerations to be made when purchasing solutions build a foundation of takeaways for growers, manufacturers, and retailers.
The Biochemistry and Pathophysiology of the Contact System of Plasma

Publisher Summary Plasma proteins form major transport systems as in the case of lipoproteins and iron-binding proteins or recognition systems as in the case of immunoglobulins; and they play important roles in the defense of the organism. In addition to the immunoglobulins, four major pathways of proteins in the plasma contribute to the host's capacity to defend against foreign substances, traumatic events, and internal disorders: they are the complement, contact (Hageman factor), extrinsic clotting, and fibrinolytic systems. These four systems have the capacity to act in concert and cross-activate one another. They may function as a direct or indirect consequence of immunologic activity. The investigations of the past 10 years have already shed considerable light on the interactions of proteins with surfaces and with other protein molecules and in the cascading conversion of proenzymes to their activated form. Inroads have also been made into the pathologic implications of the contact system when set into motion. In its most condensed form, the contact system consists of four proteins: Hageman factor (HF), prekallikrein, high-molecular-weight (MW) kininogen, and coagulation Factor XI. However, several other proteins may be involved.
Scaling biodiversity monitoring for the data age

Technological advances have made it possible to collect massive amounts of biodiversity data. How can analysis efforts keep up?
Stand Up for Rights: Recommendations for Responsible Tech

This Paper provides a scoping of major human rights challenges faced by online intermediaries, along with a set of proposed guidelines for better practice across six key areas: Expanding Access, Net Neutrality, Moderation and Removal of Content, Addressing Privacy Concerns Online, Transparency and Informed Consent, and Responding to State Attacks on Freedom of Expression. The Paper was published by the Centre for Law and Democracy, a Canadian-based NGO, with additional submissions by the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information, the Centre for Internet and Society, the Centro de Estudios en Libertad de Expresion y Acceso a la Informacion (CELE), Open Net Korea, Tamir Israel and Christopher Parsons.
XXV.—Fossil Arthropods in the British Museum.—IV

(1920). XXV.—Fossil Arthropods in the British Museum.—IV. Annals and Magazine of Natural History: Vol. 6, No. 32, pp. 211-214.
Longitudinal environmental Staphylococcus contamination in a new small animal veterinary hospital and utility of cleaning checklists.

Staphylococci are inhabitants of skin and mucous membranes with Staphylococcus pseudintermedius (SP) and Staphylococcus aureus (SA) serving as important pathogens for animals and people, respectively. Previous research has identified the environment as potentially important in hospital-associated infections and zoonotic transmission in veterinary settings. The objective of this pilot study was to determine the longitudinal prevalence over repeated samplings of environmental coagulase-positive Staphylococcus (CPS) in a new veterinary hospital and evaluate associations between contamination and environmental and clinical (caseload, cleaning checklists and staff numbers) factors. Cleaning and disinfection compliance, based on staff-completed checklists, were reviewed for the three shifts immediately prior to sampling. We hypothesized that over time, environmental contamination would increase as the clinic developed and caseload increased and compliance to cleaning checklists would decrease with increasing caseload. Over 18 months, 351 environmental samples were collected at five sampling times (sampling occurred before opening the hospital and every 3 to 6 months thereafter). Overall contamination with CPS was 30.8% (108/351), with SA (16.8%) and SP (13.1%) identified from the contaminated surfaces. Overall, methicillin-resistant strains (MRSA and MRSP) were infrequently recovered (combined n = 3; <1%). Point prevalence of CPS contamination was relatively stable over the study period (22.5%-28.4%), with the exception of an increase at the fourth sampling (52.9%). Cleaning compliance varied over the study period (57.9%-100%); the lowest reported cleaning coincided with the highest proportion of CPS contamination. The most commonly contaminated surfaces were chairs (7/15; 46.7%), examination tables (19/47; 40.4%) and computers (12/35; 34.3%); these items were infrequently included on cleaning lists. Surfaces not included in the checklist were 2.3 times more likely to be contaminated by CPS than those that were included (OR: 2.3, CI 95%: 1.02 -5.35, p-value=.04). MRSA and MRSP were rarely isolated from the environment in the newly opened hospital, indicating it may take time for resistant strains to enter the environment and persist on surfaces. This study identified the possible utility of cleaning checklists for directing cleaning practices and reducing the environmental contamination.
Semantic repositories and how to use them

Triples can accumulate rapidly regardless of the data source, because the process of reducing knowledge into collections of interrelated triples results in a lot of data. You can publish your triples directly on the Web in a file containing RDF/XML or some other serialization of your data. But you are left with various challenges such as how to track of all your item URIs, where to store all of the triples you’ve generated, and how to efficiently perform various transactions or search this content. So as with any large collection of structured data, it makes sense to use some kind of database. In this chapter, we will look at a special type of database designed for RDF, called a triplestore. We’ll look at some of the core functionality provided by all triplestores, including repository management, searching, and transactions. We also explore several software APIs that can be used to write Semantic Web applications that can query and add data to triplestores.
Efficient Computation of the Geodesic Voronoi Diagram of Points in a Simple Polygon (Extended Abstract)

We present an O((n+k) log(n+k)) time algorithm for computing the geodesic Voronoi diagram of k points in a simple polygon of n vertices improving upon the previously known results. The method introduces a new approach to the construction of geodesic Voronoi diagrams by combining a sweep of the polygon and the merging step of a usual divide-and-conquer strategy.
Seasonal controls on meteoric 7Be in coarse‐grained river channels

Cosmogenic 7Be is a natural tracer of short-term hydrological processes, but its distribution in upland fluvial environments over different temporal and spatial scales has not been well described. We measured 7Be in 450 sediment samples collected from perennial channels draining the middle of the Connecticut River Basin, an environment that is predominantly well-sorted sand. By sampling tributaries that have natural and managed fluctuations in discharge, we find that the 7Be activity in thalweg sediments is not necessarily limited by the supply of new or fine-grained sediment, but is controlled seasonally by atmospheric flux variations and the magnitude and frequency of bed mobilizing events. In late winter, 7Be concentrations in transitional bedload are lowest, typically 1 to 3 Bq kg−1 as 7Be is lost from watersheds via radioactive decay in the snowpack. In mid-summer, however, 7Be concentrations are at least twice as high because of increased convective storm activity which delivers high 7Be fluxes directly to the fluvial system. A mixed layer of sediment at least 8 cm thick is maintained for months in channels during persistent low rainfall and flow conditions, indicating that stationary sediments can be recharged with 7Be. However, bed mobilizing rain on snowmelt events in late Spring can ‘reset’ 7Be amounts and concentrations in the channel as previously buried ‘old’ sediment with low 7Be is mixed into the thalweg. We conclude that given proper temporal and spatial sampling, 7Be is a valuable tracer of seasonal-timescale mass transport and exchange in coarse-grained fluvial systems. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Asthma Severity and PTSD Symptoms Among Inner City Children: A Pilot Study

Although the association between posttraumatic stress symptoms and asthma severity among children has been hypothesized, it has yet to be explored rigorously. This study sought to describe the posttraumatic stress symptoms of children with asthma and explore the relationship between asthma severity and posttraumatic stress symptoms in an inner city sample with high rates of traumatic exposures. Children aged 7 to 17 years, with a clinician-defined asthma diagnosis, were recruited from an inner city outpatient asthma clinic. Caregivers completed measures assessing the child's asthma and posttraumatic stress symptoms and health care utilization. Children also completed measures of asthma, posttraumatic stress symptoms, and asthma-related quality of life. In all, 24 children-caregiver dyads were enrolled. The sample was 79% male and 83% African American, and the mean age was 11 years. Overall the sample had severe asthma, with 33% having been hospitalized over the past year. In addition, 25% of the sample met Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed.) criteria for the diagnosis of posttraumatic stress disorder, and 74% of the sample experienced a traumatic event. Posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms were found to be significantly related to asthma severity, quality of life, and health care utilization. Assessing for and treating posttraumatic stress symptoms among children with severe asthma may help to improve their asthma course and quality of life. Further research should explore this relationship and related treatment implications.
Policy Considerations and Measures to Reduce the Likelihood of Vessel Collissions with Great Whales

Both globally and along the North American east coast of the Atlantic Ocean, reported ship strikes of great whales have been at historic highs during the past fifteen years. Ship strikes present a particularly grave threat to the North Atlantic right whale, given its severely depleted population status and the fact that right whales live, breed, and raise their young in areas that are heavily used by massive commercial vessels that travel at lethal speeds. Fortunately, decreasing the possibility of lethal strikes is not complicated—seasonally slow down vessels to ten knots and/or re-route them around those areas where right whales are known to aggregate. Here I describe the plight of the right whale and a series of scientific studies that can, and in some instances have, been used to facilitate legally defensible and common sense government measures to pro-
Demography of the Family

Family demography, a field increasingly investigated by sociologists, demographers, historians, economists, and family specialists, now contains a growing body of literature dealing with a range of topics that can be treated as elements of family demography. This chapter provides an overview of the field, with specific attention to significant research topics central to an understanding of the demographic analysis of families.
Fusing geo-referenced images for urban scene

Advances in surveillance technology create challenges for management and presentation of massive amount of sensor and imagery data. The imageries acquired by the surveillance sensors often yield “soda straw” views of the situation due to the camera narrow field of view (FOV). Conventional surveillance systems that comprise of multiple screens, each displaying respective acquired video stream, fail to convey spatial relationships among the views. To provide enhanced situational picture of wide area scenario, a promising solution involves fusing and visualizing multi-view imageries spatially in common three-dimensional (3D) space. The capacity to visualize and simulate in a virtual environment with synthetic urban terrain modeled using the latest acquired imageries in real time allows novel insights to be gained. Fusing multi-view imageries spatially in complex urban environment, however, is computationally expensive and typically non interactive. This paper presents a proposed approach to visualize and fuse spatial imageries acquired by different surveillance devices planted in urban environment. In light of availability of geometrical information due to recent advances in 3D acquisition and reconstruction technologies, the proposed approach utilizes an integrated environment that considers inter-object occlusion and fuses relevant parts extracted from imageries. The concept focuses on harnessing graphics rendering techniques and exploiting Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) programmability. The approach fuses geo-referenced imageries with synthetic terrain and assumes that acquired images are coupled with corresponding camera parameters. The assumption is coherent with the advent of ubiquitous Global Positioning System (GPS)-enabled devices and related technologies.
Serotonin Receptor Antagonists Have an In Vitro and In Vivo Anti-Myeloma Effect That Is Mainly Mediated by Caspase Dependent Apoptosis.

Abstract To date, serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine: 5-HT) has been associated with the regulation of several central nervous system functions such as mood, temperature, memory, sleep or appetite. Importantly, a proliferative effect of 5-HT in both normal and tumoral tissue has recently been described. Therefore, serotonin-receptor antagonists have been tested for antineoplastic purposes. In this study, we have investigated the in vitro and in vivo anti-multiple myeloma (MM) effect of two analogs of 5-HT-receptor antagonists (ICI-735 and ICI-685). Both compounds induced cytotoxicity (MTT) and a decrease in proliferation (thymidine uptake) in several MM cell lines both sensitive and resistant to conventional therapies, as well as freshly isolated MM cells, with an IC-50 at 24h ranging between 3-10 μM for ICI-735 and 5–20 μM for ICI-685. No significant toxicity was observed at these doses of both drugs in PBMCs obtained from normal donors. In order to analyze the efficacy of the drugs in the presence of the bone marrow (BM) microenvironment, we tested both compounds in MM1S cells co-cultured with IL-6, IGF-1 or long-term patient BM stromal cells (SCs). ICI-735 and ICI-685 overcame the proliferative advantage conferred by the cytokines and BMSCs. Apoptosis was the main mechanism of cytotoxicity, assessed by Annexin-V staining. Treatment with ICI-735 and ICI-685 induced cleavage of PARP and caspase 3, 7, 8 and 9 at early time points, suggesting involvement of both extrinsic and intrinsic pathways of apoptosis. The presence of caspase-induced apoptosis was confirmed since a pan-caspase inhibitor (ZVAD-FMK) partially abrogated apoptosis, as well as the cleavage of PARP and caspases, induced by these compounds. An increase of AIF was also detected in the cytoplasmic fraction of cells treated with ICI-735, indicating a role for caspase-independent apoptosis. The in vivo efficacy was next evaluated in a xenograft murine (CB-17 SCID-mice) model. Five mice were injected intraperitoneally with 20 mg/Kg of ICI-735, while 5 received vehicle alone. No significant toxicity was detected, except for a slight somnolence after the first doses, in the mice that received the drug. A decrease in tumor volume was observed in the treated group and, despite the small number of mice, survival analysis showed a trend toward prolonged survival for mice receiving the drug (p=0.11). Ongoing studies are providing the preclinical rationale for clinical protocols to improve patient outcome in MM.
Thinking About the Future: An Intergenerational Perspective on the Conflict and Compatibility Between Economic and Environmental Interests

The current “win-lose” versus “win-win” debate on the relationship between economic competitiveness and environmental protection is biased toward win-lose by a narrow focus on the economic interests of a specific actor. When economic interests are broadened to include the interests of other parties, especially other parties in future generations, the opportunity to create aggregate value becomes more apparent. The intergenerational perspective enables us to see that in the long-run, economic and environmental interests often converge as resources are transferred across generations. The intergenerational perspective is particularly useful in highlighting the appropriateness of adopting this broader understanding of economic interests because the relationship between the economic interests of various actors often only becomes apparent over a period of time spanning across several generations. There are a number of factors that prevent us from taking this intergenerational perspective, which leads to interge...
Role of statin therapy in stroke prevention

Serum cholesterol levels have been associated with atherosclerosis and the lowering of serum cholesterol with hydroxy-methyl coenzyme A reductase inhibitors, or statins, has been shown to decrease cardiovascular events. Though early epidemiologic data found conflicting results regarding serum cholesterol levels and stroke, randomized clinical trials of statins for coronary heart disease prevention showed a clear reduction in the incidence of stroke. This review summarizes the clinical trial data surrounding lipid lowering for stroke prevention while also exploring potential mechanisms for such an effect. Particular attention is given to trials for primary and secondary prevention of stroke relevant to the hypertensive individual, and the impact of hemorrhagic vs. ischemic stroke in the outcomes of these trials.
An experimental comparison of locking policies in a testbed database system

Multiuser transaction processing and database systems commonly use well-formed, two-phase locking to maintain data consistency. The preliminary results presented here represent the first step of an experimental investigation of the impact of different locking schemes on transaction performance. Tests were performed using a simplified but functionally complete "testbed" system. The transaction throughput rates for three different locking policies (file level locking, page level locking, and mixed level locking) are compared as a function of the lock mode (exclusive or share) and the file size for a small centralized database application. The experimental results for this environment show that the choice of locking policy and lock mode can have a significant impact on transaction throughput performance. The tests also demonstrate the sensitivity of the conclusions to the choice of workload and system characteristics.
The lower valence states of linear polyenes: Locations and identifications

The experimental transition energy to the valence Ag state of butadiene is used to validate a subset of the theoretical calculations that have been carried out on this molecule. The validated calculated Ag transition energies of these calculations are then compared with the experimental Bu transition energies to determine the relative state ordering in isolated, unsubstituted butadiene, hexatriene, and octatetraene. The Ag origins are concluded to lie below the Bu origins for all polyenes except butadiene. Experimental confirmation of this conclusion is presented. The extreme breadth of the Ag transition, 1.0 eV, is noted. Some possible implications of this breadth are discussed.