cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Railway Ballast Permeability and Cleaning Considerations

The unbound aggregate ballast layer is a major structural and drainage component of railroad track that is known to degrade over time. Progressive degradation increases the fine-grained content of the ballast layer through particle breakage and abrasion or from external sources, such as subgrade or foreign material. The point at which ballast should be cleaned of these materials to avoid significant problems for drainage, track geometry, or ride quality is not well known. This paper attempts to ascertain the current state of the art on ballast permeability by reviewing previous studies, to fill any gaps by generating new laboratory test data, and to begin developing ballast cleaning considerations. A new and relatively simple test apparatus, the University of Illinois Constant Head Aggregate Permeameter, was used to study railroad ballast permeability as a function of degradation. Results of tests performed indicate that the cleaner the ballast, the more nonlinear the relationship between discharge veloci...
Pennsylvania's Revolution. Edited by William Pencak

Bill Pencak has again brought together a veritable diaspora of early Pennsylvanianists with something to say about the state and the American Revolution. The volume starts with a big bang as Nathan Kozuskanich draws out the neglected links between the ideology of the Paxton Boys and the populist localism at the center of support for the Revolution in 1776. The notion of “safety against all belligerents” secured through participation in militias characterized both movements, much as we prefer to distance ourselves from Paxton while wrapping ourselves in the 1776 version of “Don’t Tread on Me.” Patrick Spero and Phillip Munch argue for the importance of English- and German-language almanacs; their research is thorough but their arguments hardly surprising. John Frantz provides a brief survey of how religion informed the attitudes and actions of Germans during the Revolutionary War. (A translation of some of Henry Miller’s newspaper writings, with commentary by Pencak, appears as an appendix to the volume.) Pencak’s own essay on the loyalist clergy breaks some stereotypes in its fascinating explanation of the pressures on Anglican clergyman to oppose the Revolution and the differences in the ways ten of eleven of them did so.
CEO Oath of Office: Yes or No?

The new CEO of a large growing company is determined to stay focused, work hard, think broadly, and tap the talents of those who work for him. He is so committed to do his best that he would take an oath of office if there was one to take. Excerpt UVA-G-0637 Sept. 12, 2014 CEO OATH OF OFFICE: YES OR NO? It was uncanny. It was October 16, and Jeremy Hampton had just been publicly named as the next CEO of Columbus Communications, Inc. (CCI), a large and growing company specializing in commercializing military hardware and satellite communications products. He would officially assume his new role on January 1. Hampton remembered another October 16, 30 years earlier, proudly taking the oath as a commissioned officer in the United States Army (Exhibit 1). CCI had had a significant string of successful years and was positioning itself for an initial public stock offering within the year. In fact, if the truth be told, the board of directors thought Hampton's appointment would be a powerfully positive signal to the markets. He had been with the company since retiring from the United States Army as a well-respected senior colonel five years earlier. He believed he was ready for the challenge and looked forward to leading the CCI executive team. As Hampton reflected on the day's announcement with a bit of momentary somberness, he knew that CEOs and their executive teams came and went. He was aware that the public saw many CEOs as overpaid and warranting close scrutiny. He had to admit that among the CEOs he had met over the years, some seemed qualified to lead a large enterprise, and some did not. Some CEOs held their position of responsibility for a long period of time, whereas some barely settled in before they moved on. Some sought the limelight, some did not, and for some CEOs, the limelight found them. As he closed his briefcase to head home for the weekend, he knew that the modern-day CEO shouldered more responsibility, in a more dynamic world, with more interested stakeholders than ever before. Just as he had done during his military career, he was determined to remain focused, work hard, think broadly, and tap the talents of those who worked for him. He was so determined and so committed to do his very best that he would have proudly taken an oath of office—if there had been one to take. . . .
Altered fetal growth, placental abnormalities, and stillbirth

Worldwide, stillbirth is one of the leading causes of death. Altered fetal growth and placental abnormalities are the strongest and most prevalent known risk factors for stillbirth. The aim of this study was to identify patterns of association between placental abnormalities, fetal growth, and stillbirth.
Guideline: TMP–SMX is recommended after uncomplicated skin abscess incision and drainage

Source Citation Vermandere M, Aertgeerts B, Agoritsas T, et al. Antibiotics after incision and drainage for uncomplicated skin abscesses: a clinical practice guideline. BMJ. 2018 Feb 6;360:k243. 29...
Impact and treatment success of new-onset atrial fibrillation with rapid ventricular rate development in the surgical intensive care unit

Abstract Background Atrial fibrillation (AF) with rapid ventricular rate (RVR; heart rate >100) in noncardiac postoperative surgical patients is associated with poor outcomes. The objective of this study was to evaluate the practice patterns of AF management in a surgical intensive care unit to determine practices associated with rate and rhythm control and additional outcomes. Materials and methods Adult patients (≥18 y) admitted to the surgical intensive care unit (SICU) from June 2014 to June 2015 were retrospectively screened for the development of new-onset AF with RVR. Demographics, hospital course, evaluation and treatment of AF with RVR, and outcome were evaluated and analyzed. Results Thousand seventy patients were admitted to the SICU during the study period; 33 met inclusion criteria (3.1%). Twenty-six patients (79%) had rate and rhythm control within 48 h of AF with RVR onset. β-Blockers were the most commonly used initial medication (67%) but were successful at rate and rhythm control in only 27% of patients (6/22). Amiodarone had the highest rate of success if used initially (5/6, 83%) and secondarily (11/13, 85%). Failure to control rate and rhythm was associated with a greater likelihood of comorbidities (100% versus 57%; P = 0.06). Conclusions New-onset AF with RVR in the noncardiac postoperative patient is associated with a high mortality (21%). Amiodarone is the most effective treatment for rate and rhythm control. Failure to establish rate and rhythm control was associated with cardiac comorbidities. These results will help to form future algorithms for the treatment of AF with RVR in the SICU.
Strategic Health Communication in Urban Settings: A Template for Training Modules

Strategic health communication interventions in urban settings present many similarities with health communication planning, implementation, and evaluation in other settings. In fact, interventions in all settings should be firmly grounded in communication theory and rely on strategic and research-based planning frameworks that aim at behavioral, social behavior, and organizational change/results (Schiavo, Health Communication: From Theory to Practice, 2007). “However, a specific set of issues, trends and challenges may influence interventions in urban settings and should be addressed as part of training modules and sessions intended for public health professionals and non-profit organizations” (Schiavo and Ramesh, http://www.renataschiavo.com/surveyresultsnew.html, 2010). This chapter focuses on an overview of distinguishing features of urban settings and their implications for communication training efforts in such context.
Severe Cognitive Dysfunction and Occupational Extremely Low Frequency Magnetic Field Exposure among Elderly Mexican Americans

AIMS This report is the first study of the possible relationship between extremely low frequency (50-60 Hz, ELF) magnetic field (MF) exposure and severe cognitive dysfunction. Earlier studies investigated the relationships between MF occupational exposure and Alzheimer's disease (AD) or dementia. These studies had mixed results, depending upon whether the diagnosis of AD or dementia was performed by experts and upon the methodology used to classify MF exposure. STUDY DESIGN Population-based case-control. PLACE AND DURATION OF STUDY Neurology and Preventive Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, 2 years. METHODOLOGY The study population consisted of 3050 Mexican Americans, aged 65+, enrolled in Phase 1 of the Hispanic Established Population for the Epidemiologic Study of the Elderly (H-EPESE) study. Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE) results, primary occupational history, and other data were collected. Severe cognitive dysfunction was defined as an MMSE score below 10. The MF exposure methodology developed and used in earlier studies was used. RESULTS Univariate odds ratios (OR) were 3.4 (P< .03; 95% CI: 1.3-8.9) for high and 1.7 (P=.27; 95% CI: 0.7-4.1) for medium or high (M/H) MF occupations. In multivariate main effects models, the results were similar. When interaction terms were allowed in the models, the interactions between M/H or high occupational MF exposure and smoking history or age group were statistically significant, depending upon whether two (65-74, 75+) or three (65-74, 75-84, 85+) age groups were considered, respectively. When the analyses were limited to subjects aged 75+, the interactions between M/H or high MF occupations and a positive smoking history were statistically significant. CONCLUSION The results of this study indicate that working in an occupation with high or M/H MF exposure may increase the risk of severe cognitive dysfunction. Smoking and older age may increase the deleterious effect of MF exposure.
Intersections of Race-Ethnicity and Gender on Identity Development and Social Roles

This chapter will review definitions and sociohistorical dimensions of race-ethnicity and gender, as well as models that have been proposed to better understand their psychological forms and functions. Most of these theoretical definitions and models have been monolithic in nature, focusing for example on either race-ethnicity or gender, but less typically on both. More recent psychological models emphasize intersectional approaches, incorporating multiple social groups, including race-ethnicity and gender, and will be reviewed as well. A final section will discuss future research and practice implications of the extant literature.
Direct and Large-Eddy Simulations

Direct numerical simulations (DNS) are time-dependent, three-dimensional simulations of the full Navier-Stokes equations that are not based on any turbulence model. The numerical resolution is such that all the relevant scales of motion are resolved. The currently available computer storage limits DNS to low Reynolds numbers. However, it is believed that if the Reynolds number at which the simulation is conducted is large enough for the flow to be turbulent, not much of the essential physics of the flow will change by further increasing the Reynolds number. Therefore, much understanding of the physics of turbulence can be obtained from DNS.
On the Global Hot Seat: University Presidents in the Global 1968

The claim that ’68 was global has become axiomatic. How so, for whom, with what impact? Scholars have productively pursued two scales of analysis: grassroots and geopolitical. While student movements have been the premier instance of the more socio-cultural scale, seldom has their mobilization been analyzed vis-a-vis the ostensibly more macro scale of supra-state entitie. Intermediaries between these sectors, leaders of major universities occupied an acutely uncomfortable, pivotal place. Through historical analysis based on archival research (on the biographies of university administrators, student movements, and media debates) the Global 1968 is here considered from the perspective of higher education administrators at elite universities of capitalist empire in the mid-twentieth century at metropoles/global cities – London and New York – and semi-periphery nodes – Bloomington (Indiana, USA) and Mexico City. For such elites, consternation over the turmoil of 1968 constituted a kind of global moral panic when universities presidents found themselves the objects of intense pressures on multiple fronts: from students, to relinquish much authority, and at the same time, from fellow elites and much of the public, to forcefully discipline students. In juxtaposing brief biographies of these university presidents, we highlight the experiences and visions of the global that these men brought to the table, in relation to the pressures that they faced from student movements on their campuses as well as from political powers and the general public. These multi-scaler pressures constituted 1968 as a global phenomenon and put administrators squarely on this conjunctural hot seat.
Mitophagy Is Essential for Maintaining Cardiac Function During High Fat Diet-Induced Diabetic Cardiomyopathy.

Rationale: Diabetic patients develop cardiomyopathy characterized by hypertrophy, diastolic dysfunction, and intracellular lipid accumulation, termed lipotoxicity. Diabetic hearts utilize fatty aci...
The Adoption of Student-Centered Teaching Materials as a Professional Development Experience for College Faculty.

ABSTRACTEfforts to promote the use of student-centered learning environments in STEM education have been tempered by a lack of professional development strategies that help faculty overcome common ...
DEEP JOINT DEMOSAICING AND SUPER RESOLUTION ON HIGH RESOLUTION BAYER SENSOR DATA

Among the approaches to obtain a high resolution full color image from low resolution Bayer data, the structure that combines separate demosaicing and super resolution models suffers from accumulated errors and redundant computations, while the advantages of the only deep learning based joint model have not been verified. Moreover, one lacks large scale full color image datasets with complete true sampling values to facilitate the training and evaluation of deep models. In this paper, we propose a deep learning based joint model adopting global residual learning and subpixel representations to handle this problem. In addition, we collect a large full color sensor datasets where all the image pixels are true measurements in real scenarios. Experimental results on the new dataset confirm the superiority of the proposed model, including faster prediction speed and higher accuracy.
The Bovine Zero Maze: Development of a novel fear test for cattle

Abstract Fear tests for cattle are criticized as being 1) designed for animals uncomfortable in open spaces, 2) influenced by previous experience, 3) influenced by context, or 4) subjective. The Elevated Zero Maze (EZM) quantifies fear and anxiety in rodents by exploiting their fear of open spaces and propensity for dark, enclosed spaces. Inversely interpreting the EZM, the Bovine Zero Maze (BZM) was developed to quantify cattle fear and anxiety. Frequency, duration of, and latency to perform steps, escape attempts (EA), direction changes (DC), vocalizations, eliminations, entry into closed/open sections in the BZM were decoded from video recordings. Heifers (n = 14) were re-tested four weeks later. Repeatability was analyzed for both latency to perform and total number of steps, DC, EA, vocalizations, eliminations, standing bouts, and total time spent standing using Pearson correlation coefficients (PROC CORR). Test re-test reliability was evaluated using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC). Relationships among ADG, EV, and total number and latency to perform steps, EA, DC, vocalizations, eliminations, and standing bouts were analyzed using Pearson correlation coefficients (PROC CORR). Relationships between behavior, minute, and test were analyzed using a Generalized Linear Mixed Model (PROC MIXED) and post hoc analyses were conducted with a Bonferroni adjustment. Total number of steps was the only metric that was repeatable across both tests (R2 = 0.71; P = 0.004) and had moderate reliability (ICC = 0.54). The longer heifers were in the BZM, the frequency of entries into the open and closed sections of the maze and eliminations decreased (all P
Impact of an oncology acute care clinic (ACC) in a comprehensive cancer care setting to reduce emergency visits and subsequent hospitalizations: A pilot study.

110Background: Emergency Department (ED) visits and subsequent hospitalizations are a major source of healthcare resource utilization and costs among cancer patients, compromising quality of care a...
(Sterol)ized Immunity: Could PI3K/AKT3 Be the Answer?

Type I interferons (IFNs) can reprogram the cholesterol biosynthetic pathway to facilitate innate immune responses. In this issue of Immunity, Xiao et al. (2020) reveal that type I IFN signaling and 7-dehydrocholesterol (7-DHC) accumulation form a positive feedback loop to amplify innate immune responses to control viral infections by activating AKT3.
Thyroid disease screening in early pregnant women after implementation of a new standard of salt iodine content in Hangzhou

Objective To establish a normal reference range of thyroid-related indicators of early pregnant women in Hangzhou, and investigate the prevalence of thyroid disease among them after the implementation of a new standard of salt iodine content, in order to provide reference for monitoring of thyroid disease in pregnant women. Methods A total of 582 women in early pregnancy (0-13 weeks of gestation) in Hangzhou were selected via the stratified random sampling method as the subjects of the study and for detection of serology thyroid function. The levels of serum thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), free thyroxine (FT4), thyroid peroxidase antibody (TPOAb) and thyroglobulin antibody (TgAb) were measured by chemiluminescence method. According to the standard American Academy of Clinical Biochemistry (NACB), 359 women in early pregnancy were strictly screened to establish the normal reference value of TSH, FT4, and the reference range using the 95% confidence interval (95%CI). At the same time, the newly establish reference interval was used to evaluate the thyroid function of 582 early pregnant women. Results The reference interval of TSH in early pregnant women of Hangzhou was 0.048-3.354 mU/L. The reference interval of FT4 was (13.023 ± 3.316) pmol/L, and the tenth percentile of FT4 was 11.030 pmol/L. Eighty-four persons' thyroid function was abnormal in 582 and the rate of abnormal was 14.4% (84/582), in which the rates of abnormal in clinical hypothyroidism, subclinical hypothyroidism, subclinical hyperthyroidism and hypothyroxinemia were 0.2% (1/582), 3.4% (20/582), 1.9% (11/582) and 8.9% (52/582), respectively. The case with clinical hyperthyroidism was not detected. The positive rate of TPOAb and TgAb were 10.8% (63/582) and 11.7% (68/582). The abnormal rate of hypothyroxinemia and the positive rate of TPOAb in early pregnant women in the city (11.4%, 13.5%) were significantly higher than that in the rural areas (6.3%, 8.1%, χ2= 4.708, 4.309, P < 0.05). Conclusions The normal reference value of thyroid hormones in early pregnant women in Hangzhou is established, and it is found that the incidence of thyroid disease is higher in pregnant women in Hangzhou after the implementation of the new standard of salt iodine content, therefore, it is imperative to carry out monitoring (or screening) of thyroid function in early pregnant women. Key words: Salts; Iodine; Early pregnancy; Reference value; Thyroid disease
Women's Experiences with a Mindful Eating Program for Binge and Emotional Eating: A Qualitative Investigation into the Process of Change

Objectives: Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) have been shown to reduce engagement in disordered eating behaviors, although how these interventions engender change remains unclear. The objective of this exploratory qualitative study was to describe the experiences and perceived attitudinal and behavioral changes of women participating in a mindful eating program. Design: Focus group discussions were held with women participating in a community-based mindful eating program for binge and emotional eating. A semistructured interview guide was used to explore participants' conceptualizations of mindfulness-based attitudinal and behavior change, as related to food, eating, and body image. The focus group discussions were audio-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using thematic analysis to identify salient concepts. Settings/Location: Focus group discussions were held at the Center for Mindfulness at the University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS) (United States). Participants: A sample of nine women who were enrolled in the mindful eating program at UMMS for problems with self-reported binge and/or emotional eating participated in this study. Results: Four themes were constructed that described a process of mindfulness-based behavior change, including (1) Learning Through Self-Awareness, (2) Self-Empowerment, (3) Mindful Choice-Making, and (4) Resilient Self-Care. An overarching description of the participants' perceived attitudinal and behavior changes was developed: "unforced freedom of choice, emerging from embodied awareness." Conclusions: These findings suggest that MBIs reduce may disordered eating behaviors through empowering women to make positive choices about food, eating, and coping, without focusing on weight control. Future research is needed to examine whether these findings replicate in larger and more diverse samples, and how they can be used to optimize and implement eating-specific MBIs in community-based settings.
Evidence-based evolution of our robot-assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy (RALP) technique through 13,000 cases

Robot-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (RALP) has become the standard of surgical care in the USA and around the world. Over the past 18 years, we have performed 13,000 radical prostatectomies, and our surgical technique has evolved over time. We discuss this evolution and how it has helped us achieve optimal patient outcomes.
MedTime - Medication Adherence Improvement

According to the WHO report on medication adherence in 2003, approximately 50% of patients with chronic illness do not take medications as prescribed. This kind of poor medication can have a serious outcome, either patients or the cost in the medication process. The research question behind the theme is that how to improve medication adherence. In this paper, we propose to use a customized mobile application to embed different reminding mechanisms to mitigate the issue. MedTime, an Android Mobile Application, is designed to help the patients take medicines as prescribed. The current result shows that the designed system not only can provide an easy-to-use user interface for medicine taking behavior, but it also has a potential to help medical doctors to analyze the patients’ medication history.
A City in the Air: Aristophanes’ Birds

At the City Dionysia in the year 414 B.C., Aristophanes exhibited the Birds, one of the most exuberant products of his fantasy. Men not only yield to the birds, they ape their ways and flock to the new city in order to borrow wings and enjoy its special blessings. In a brilliant essay, William Arrowsmith revived the theory that the city of the birds is a warning to the Athenians: it is “Aristophanes’ image of what all human physis would be if it truly dared to assert itself against the nomos of society and religion”. But the city of the birds has also a restless, expansionist drive that is at odds with the image of a settled, well-governed polity associated with a well-ordered state. There is an air of unconstrained goodness among the birds that is capable of reconciling virtue and desire, and of uniting, in the antique legislation of the storks, social order and the state of nature.
Texas health educators' practice in basic genomics education and services.

Background: Health educators (HEs), who are specialized in health education, can provide basic genomics education/services to the public. Such practice of HEs is unknown. We examined HEs' genomics knowledge and practice, intention, attitudes, self-efficacy and perceived barriers in providing basic genomics education/services. Materials & methods: Texas HEs (n = 662) were invited to complete the survey that was developed based on theoretical constructs (i.e., practice/behavior, intention, attitudes, self-efficacy, knowledge and perceived barriers) from various health behavior theories. Results: Among 182 HEs completed the survey, most had never/seldom provided basic genomics education/services. Participants' practice was positively associated with their intention in performing basic genomics education/services and previous genomics training. Intention to offer such education/services was positively related to HEs' self-efficacy and attitudes, which were correlated to previous genomics training. Conclusion: Texas HEs lacked basic genomics education/services practice. As previous genomics training was associated with HEs' practice, providing continuing education may enhance their practice.
Shrinking Boundary of the Invisible Hand

Since the 1980s, capital allocation efficiency has been deteriorating in the United States. This paper argues that the rise of (superstar) firms and their cash hoarding behavior are reasons. I introduce entrepreneur-manager assignment and corporate risk management into a standard continuous-time heterogeneous agent model with incomplete markets. In this way, Coase (1937)'s firm-(financial) market boundary exists in general equilibrium, and the price mechanism is bounded by corporate internal financing as there is no market to equalize the marginal value of internal resources across firms. Therefore, contrary to conventional wisdom, self-financing (through safe assets) increases misallocation. The scale-related technical change in the 1980s increases the earnings-quality gradient sharply in the right tail, which not only generates a winners-take-most phenomenon but also makes current winners inherently riskier and rely less on external financing. This risk redistribution nature of technical change expands the internal financing region and impairs the capital allocation efficiency. When taken to the data, the model can quantitatively match some important macro-finance trends, and it shows that the area disciplined by the market system has declined about 11.2% during the past forty years.
Electrostatic potential energy stored in a hemispherical surface with uniform surface charge distribution

Abstract We report an exact result for the electrostatic potential energy stored in a hemispherical surface with uniform surface charge density. This system lacks the spherical symmetry of a uniformly charged spherical surface or its solid sphere counterpart. Consequently, a hemispherical surface with all its charge uniformly spread on its surface represents an interesting case study in electrostatics. In this work we combine the fact that the body has axial symmetry with clever mathematical tools to obtain an outcome that is remarkably simple. The final exact expression obtained for the electrostatic potential energy stored in a hemispherical surface with uniform surface charge density answers a long-standing question. Though the bulk of the treatment is analytical, the accuracy of the findings can also be ascertained by using symbolic computation software or numerical recipes. Hence, the present analytical results can be compared to ones obtained with various powerful numerical methods which nowadays are routinely used to check the correctness of analytical and semi-analytical calculations.
An Open Source Unsupervised Algorithm for Identification and Fast Prediction of Behaviors

Abstract Studying naturalistic behavior remains a prohibitively difficult objective. Recent machine learning advances have enabled limb localization. Extracting behaviors, however, requires ascertaining the spatiotemporal patterns of these positions. To provide the missing bridge from poses to actions and their kinematics, we developed B-SOiD - an open-source, unsupervised algorithm that identifies behavior without user bias. By training a machine classifier on pose pattern statistics clustered using new methods, our approach achieves greatly improved processing speed and the ability to generalize across subjects or labs. Using a frameshift alignment paradigm, B-SOiD overcomes previous temporal resolution barriers that prevent the use of other algorithms with electrophysiological recordings. Using only a single, off-the-shelf camera, B-SOiD provides categories of sub-action for trained behaviors and kinematic measures of individual limb trajectories in an animal model. These behavioral and kinematic measures are difficult but critical to obtain, particularly in the study of pain, OCD, and movement disorders.
Are Medical Devices Cost-Effective?

OBJECTIVE Medical devices can offer important therapeutic advances but, as for any medical interventions, there are questions about their costs and benefits. We examined health benefits and costs for pre-market approved (PMA) devices approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) (1999-2015), grouping them by generic category (e.g., drug-eluting stents) and indication. METHODS We searched PubMed for incremental health gain estimates [measured in quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs)] and incremental costs for each device category compared to previously available treatments. We calculated incremental cost-effectiveness ratios by dividing the average incremental costs by the average incremental QALY gains. In sensitivity analysis, we repeated the analysis when excluding industry-funded studies. RESULTS We identified at least one relevant cost-utility or comparative-effectiveness study for 88 devices (15.9% of non-cosmetic devices approved from 1999 to 2015), and at least one device across 53 (26.2%) generic categories. The median (mean) incremental cost across generic device categories was $1701 ($13,320). The median (mean) incremental health gain across generic device categories was 0.13 (0.46) QALYs. We found that cost-effectiveness ratios for 36 of 53 (68%) and 43 of 53 (81%) device categories fell below (were more favorable than) $50,000 and $150,000 per QALY, respectively. Results were roughly similar when we excluded industry-funded studies. CONCLUSIONS We found that roughly one-quarter of the major PMA medical device categories have published cost-effectiveness evidence accessible through a large, publicly available database. Available evidence suggests that devices generally offer good value, as judged relative to established cost-effectiveness benchmarks.
Monograph of the Genus Rhynchotrochus (Papuininae: Camaenidae)

(1966). Monograph of the Genus Rhynchotrochus (Papuininae: Camaenidae) Journal of the Malacological Society of Australia: Vol. 1, No. 9, pp. 59-95.
Deformations and derived equivalences

Suppose A and B are block algebras of finite groups over a complete local commutative Noetherian ring whose residue field is a field k of positive characteristic. We prove that a split-endomorphism two-sided tilting complex (as introduced by Rickard) for the derived categories of bounded complexes of finitely generated modules over A, resp. B, preserves the versal deformation rings of bounded complexes of finitely generated modules over kA, resp. kB.
T-lymphocyte development and models of thymopoietic reconstitution

T-cell development occurs in the thymus and involves a complex stepwise differentiation process from hematopoietic progenitor cell through to the emergence of positively selected, non-self reactive naive T cells, which emigrate from the organ into the blood stream. This process takes place in the three-dimensional context of a delicate latticework of thymic stromal cells, including epithelial-derived cells and dendritic cells that assist in the development of the mature T cell. The details of the steps in T-cell development are now more comprehensively understood and furthermore in vitro systems are in development to reiterate this process in vitro. The clinical impact of this work is clearly the understanding of immune reconstitution in immune compromised patients (e.g., those with HIV/AIDS or post transplantation) and the development of novel techniques for regenerating the spectrum of T-cell function in these individuals.
Air quality impacts of liquefied natural gas in the South Coast Air Basin of California

The effects of liquefied natural gas (LNG) on pollutant emission inventories and air quality in the South Coast Air Basin (SoCAB) of California are evaluated using recent appliance emissions measurements by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas), and use of a state-of-the-art air quality model. Pollutant emissions can be impacted by LNG operation because of differences in composition and physical properties including the Wobbe index, a measure of energy delivery rate. Various LNG distribution scenarios are evaluated to determine the potential impacts of LNG. Projected penetration of LNG in the SoCalGas pipeline network in SoCAB is expected to be limited, which could cause increases in overall (area-wide) emissions of nitrogen oxides that are smaller than 0.05%. Based on the photochemical state of the South Coast Air Basin of California, any increase in NOx is expected to cause an increase in the highest local ozone concentrations, which is observed in model results. However, the magnitude of NOx emissions increases due to LNG use is determined to be within the uncertainty range of natural gas combustion sources and would not be discernible with the existing monitoring network.
Proposed load combination factors for bridges with high dead-to-live load ratios

The combination of dead load and live load is very important in design of bridge superstructure as, in practice, it controls the strength limit states. The basic set of load factors for the Strength I limit state is 1.25 for dead load and 1.75 for live load and dynamic load. For design cases when the dead load dominates, i.e. for Strength IV limit state, the dead load factor is 1.5. The acceptability criterion for load and resistance factors in the AASHTO LRFD Code is closeness to the target reliability index, which is assumed to be 3.5 for steel and concrete girder bridges. However, the reliability analysis performed for a full range of dead load to live load ratios indicates that when live load is about 10-20% of the total load, the reliability indices are about 3.0 which is lower than the target value of 3.5. This is an indication that the reliability level is insufficient and there is a need for increasing load factors. On the other hand, for dead load constituting about 100% of the total load (i.e. no live load), the reliability index is much higher than 3.5, which means that the load factor 1.5 can be reduced. Therefore, it is proposed to change the current Strength IV load factors to dead load of 1.4 and live load factor 1.4. The result is a more uniform reliability level for all combinations of dead load and live load. The results of reliability analysis are presented in graphs.
Risk Adjustment in Health Care Markets: Concepts and Applications

This chapter summarizes the recent literature on risk adjustment, synthesizing the theoretical and empirical literatures, emphasizing areas of current research and policy interest. The paper relates optimal risk adjustment to the previous theory and empirical work. The empirical estimation section covers choice of an objective function, different types of information that can be used, conceptual issues, estimation, and validation. The paper concludes with detailed discussion of risk adjustment applications in Canada, US, Netherlands, and Germany.
Latest approaches to treating atopic dermatitis.

Recent investigations have shown atopic dermatitis (AD) results from the interplay of epidermal barrier defects, immune dysfunction and environmental triggers. These discoveries teach the importance of addressing all of these factors in treating patients. The barrier issues remind us of the need for moisturizers, especially after bathing, to replenish lipids and decrease water loss. Addition of dilute sodium hypochlorite (bleach) to bathwater often improves the dermatitis of children with moderate-to-severe dermatitis, especially with a history of staphylococcal infection. Oral vitamin D3 has been suggested to increase the deficient antimicrobial peptide that results from cutaneous inflammation, although studies to date are inconclusive. Topical corticosteroids and calcineurin inhibitors continue to predominate as therapy and, to date, their safety record seems good, despite the Black Box warning issued in the United States. Poor compliance may explain the failure to respond to therapy, and contact dermatitis from topical application of emollients and medications may mimic AD, erroneously suggesting recalcitrance. For patients with severe AD, administration of systemic immunosuppressants may be required; ongoing studies of newer agents, including biologics, may revolutionize therapy for individuals with severe dermatitis, providing more targeted therapy in the future.
Lorentz invariance of lightcone string field theory: (I). Bosonic closed string

Abstract We construct the Lorentz generators for bosonic closed lightcone string field theory with cubic interactions, and prove that the Lorentz algebra closes if the spacetime dimension is 26.
New experimental methods for the development and evaluation of aerosol samplers.

An understanding of the scaling laws governing aerosol sampler performance leads to new options for testing aerosol samplers at small scale in a small laboratory wind tunnel. Two methods are described in this paper. The first involves an extension of what is referred to as the “conventional” approach, in which scaled aerosol sampler systems are tested in a small wind tunnel while exposed to relatively monodisperse aerosols. Such aerosols are collected by test and reference samplers respectively and assessed gravimetrically. The new studies were carried out for a modified, low flowrate version of the IOM personal inhalable aerosol sampler. It was shown that such experiments can be carried out with a very high level of repeatability, and this supported the general validity of the aerosol sampler scaling laws. The second method involves a novel testing system and protocol for evaluating the performances of aerosol samplers. Here, scaled aerosol samplers of interest are exposed to polydisperse aerosols, again in a small wind tunnel. In this instance, the sampled particles are counted and sized using a direct-reading aerodynamic particle sizer (the APS). A prototype automated aerosol sampler testing system based on this approach was built and evaluated in preliminary experiments to determine the performance of another modified version of the IOM personal inhalable aerosol sampler. The design of the new test system accounts for the complex fluid mechanical coupling that occurs near the sampler inlet involving the transition between the external flow outside the sampler and the internal airflow inside the sampler, leading in turn to uncontrolled particle losses. The problem was overcome by the insertion of porous plastic foam plugs, where the penetration characteristics are well understood, into the entries of both the test and the reference samplers. Preliminary experiments with this new system also supported the general validity of the aerosol sampler scaling laws. In addition, they demonstrated high potential that this approach may be applied in a standardised aerosol testing method and protocol.
Fish Assemblage Structure of the Shallow Ocean Surf-Zone on the Eastern Shore of Virginia Barrier Islands

This study provides an in-depth description of the fishes in the shallow surf-zone (<0·4 m), a little-studied micro-habitat of the ocean surf. Fish assemblages were examined with respect to three temporal cycles (seasonal, diel and tidal) and at both large and small spatial scales. Sampling was conducted at the Virginia barrier islands using an 8 m bag seine dragged parallel to the beach in water with an average depth of 0·2 m. The fish assemblage was relatively species poor, in fact, there were only two year-round residents, Membras martinica (rough silverside) and Mugil curema (white mullet). Three species, M. martinica, Trachinotus carolinus (Florida pompano) and Menticirrhus littoralis (gulf kingfish), comprised 94% of all species captured. Both fish species richness and total abundance peaked in the late summer and were lowest in the winter. Multidimensional scaling analysis failed to identify a distinct nighttime fish assemblage. However, univariate analyses found there was a significant increase in species richness at night, due to an influx of predatory adult fishes. Further, significantly more species were collected at high than low tide. Higher species richness and total fish abundance occurred in the shallow water (<0·4 m) of runnels, low wave energy habitats on the backside of small sand bars. The increased richness and abundance suggests a small-scale movement of fishes parallel to the beach face as fishes seek sheltered runnel habitats. This study quantifies the observation that many fishes do utilize the shallow surf-zone, perhaps to minimize predator encounters and/or take advantage of an under-utilized intertidal food source.
Science, Gender, and the Emergence of Depression in American Psychiatry, 1952–1980

Between the first (1952) and the third (1980) editions of psychiatry's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, depression emerged as a specific disease category with concrete criteria. In this article, I analyze this change over time in psychiatric theory and diagnosis through an examination of medication trials and category formation. Throughout, I pay particular attention to the ways in which psychiatrists and researchers invoked science in their clinical trials and disease theories, as well as the ways in which gender played an important but largely unspoken role in the formation of a category of depression.
Hepatocyte nuclear factors (HNF) 4α and 1α synergistically up-regulate car-mediated transcriptional activity of human CYP2C9 gene

Background There are two CAR response elements, −1783/−1856 bp and −2899/−2883 bp, in the −3kb CYP2C9 promoter region. The proximal element is thought to mediate PXR response while the distal one may have a CAR effect. HNFs are important co-regulators of gene expression. The aim of this study was to define the roles of HNF4α and HNF1α in CAR-mediated transactivation of human CYP2C9 gene. Methods and Results Three CYP2C9-luciferase reporter constructs (−3kb, −2kb, −1kb) were transfected into HepG2 cells. Co-transfection with CAR, HNF4α, and HNF1α alone did not significantly change their luciferase activities (LA). For the −3kb and −2kb constructs, compared with CAR alone, CAR co-transfection with HNF4α increased LA 3.9- and 2.9-fold (P <0.001, and P <0.01), respectively. For the −1kb construct, no significant differences were observed when CAR alone or CAR was co-transfected with HNF4α or HNF1α. Similarly, for the −2kb construct, HNF4α increased mouse CAR-mediated LA 2.6-fold (P <0.05) but HNF1α had a smaller effect. Conclusions These data suggest that HNF4α, and to a lesser extent HNF1α, synergistically up-regulate CAR-mediated transcriptional activity of CYP2C9 gene, and that there is a CAR-response element between −1kb and −2kb of CYP2C9 promoter region as previously noted. Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics (2005) 77, P23–P23; doi: 10.1016/j.clpt.2004.11.089
Structural identification of 2'- and 3'-O-acetyl-ADP-ribose as novel metabolites derived from the Sir2 family of beta -NAD+-dependent histone/protein deacetylases.

Abstract The Sir2 (silentinformation regulator 2) family of histone/protein deacetylases has been implicated in a wide range of biological activities, including gene silencing, life-span extension, and chromosomal stability. Their dependence on β-NAD+ for activity is unique among the known classes of histone/protein deacetylase. Sir2 enzymes have been shown to couple substrate deacetylation and β-NAD+ cleavage to the formation of O-acetyl-ADP-ribose, a newly described metabolite. To gain a better understanding of the catalytic mechanism and of the biological implications of producing this molecule, we have performed a detailed enzymatic and structural characterization ofO-acetyl-ADP-ribose. Through the use of mass spectrometry, rapid quenching techniques, and NMR structural analyses, 2′-O-acetyl-ADP-ribose and 3′-O-acetyl-ADP-ribose were found to be the solution products produced by the Sir2 family of enzymes. Rapid quenching approaches under single-turnover conditions identified 2′-O-acetyl-ADP-ribose as the enzymatic product, whereas 3′-O-acetyl-ADP-ribose was formed by intramolecular transesterification after enzymatic release into bulk solvent, where 2′- and 3′-O-acetyl-ADP-ribose exist in equilibrium (48:52). In addition to 1H and 13C chemical shift assignments for each regioisomer, heteronuclear multiple-bond correlation spectroscopy was used to assign unambiguously the position of the acetyl group. These findings are highly significant, because they differ from the previous conclusion, which suggested that 1′-O-acetyl-ADP-ribose was the solution product of the reaction. Possible mechanisms for the generation of 2′-O-acetyl-ADP-ribose are discussed.
Coronary involvement in lupus patients: getting sharper pictures with advanced vascular imaging?

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a prototypical autoimmune disorder that is characterized by the production of various autoantibodies and the presence of chronic systemic inflammation. A clinical manifestation of SLE that was once neglected but is now gaining increasing attention is the high prevalence of cardiovascular disease in these patients. Epidemiological studies have estimated that the risk of myocardial infarction and stroke is increased by 5- to 10-fold in SLE patients compared with the general population (1,2) ,m aking it one of the most potent risk factors for cardiovascular events. Indeed, a bimodal pattern of mortality has been described in SLE patients, with coronary death being the leading cause of long-term mortality several years after diagnosis (3). Furthermore, it is expected that the importance of cardiovascular risk assessment and management will keep growing in the years to come, as improvements in treatment strategies lead to overall longer survival rates in SLE patients.