cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Identification and characterization of the simian varicella virus uracil DNA glycosylase.

Simian varicella virus (SVV) infection of non-human primates is used as a model to study the pathogenesis and latency of varicella-zoster virus (VZV), the etiological agent of chickenpox and shingles. Uracil DNA glycosylase (UDG) is a DNA repair enzyme responsible for excision of uracil residues misincorporated into DNA. UDG is conserved throughout the herpesvirus family and may play an important role in viral pathogenesis. This study identified a 300 amino acid SVV UDG that shares 53.9% amino acid identity with the VZV UDG. The SVV UDG is expressed in infected Vero cells as determined by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Northern blot analysis. The SVV UDG is encoded on a 2.0 kb transcript which also appears to encode the SVV glycoprotein L (gL) and the VZV gene 58 homolog. The SVV UDG is enzymatically active as determined by the ability of a SVV UDG-maltose binding protein fusion construct to remove [3H]-uracil incorporated into DNA.
Bilateral Pulmonary Thromboembolism in a 42-Year-Old Woman

1. What is (are) this patient’s most striking clinical and laboratory findings? 2. How do you explain these findings? 3. What is this patient’s most likely diagnosis? 4. Why is it important to determine the likely etiology of a patient’s venous thromboembolism? 5. What are common inherited risk factors for venous thrombosis? 6. Is a thrombophilia workup warranted in this patient? 7. Which laboratory tests should and should not be used to investigate thrombophilia in this patient? 8. How do you interpret the results of this patient’s additional laboratory testing shown in Table 2 ? 9. What are the most appropriate treatment and follow-up options for this patient?
Parametric surface modeling and registration for comparison of manual and automated segmentation of the hippocampus.

Accurate and efficient segmentation of the hippocampus from brain images is a challenging issue. Although experienced anatomic tracers can be reliable, manual segmentation is a time consuming process and may not be feasible for large-scale neuroimaging studies. In this paper, we compare an automated method, FreeSurfer (V4), with a published manual protocol on the determination of hippocampal boundaries from MRI scans, using data from an existing MCI/AD cohort. To perform the comparison, we develop an enhanced spherical harmonic processing framework to model and register these hippocampal traces. The framework treats the two hippocampi as a single geometric configuration and extracts the positional, orientation and shape variables in a multi-object setting. We apply this framework to register manual tracing and FreeSurfer results together and the two methods show stronger agreement on position and orientation than shape measures. Work is in progress to examine a refined FreeSurfer segmentation strategy and an improved agreement on shape features is expected.
Prostitution viewed cross‐culturally: Toward Recontextualizing sex work in AIDS intervention research

(1991). Prostitution viewed cross‐culturally: Toward Recontextualizing sex work in AIDS intervention research. The Journal of Sex Research: Vol. 28, Anthropology, Sexuality and AIDS, pp. 223-248.
Status Inconsistency and Participation in Social Movements: an Application of Goodman's Hierarchical Modeling

Goodman's hierarchical modeling is used to analyze the status inconsistency configuration of 67 active participants in an anti-pornography social movement and 44 persons who actively opposed the mo...
Inadvertent Exaggerated Anticoagulation Following Use of Bismuth Subsalicylate in an Enterally Fed Patient Receiving Warfarin Therapy

We report a case of an inadvertent increase in the international normalized ratio (INR) after the addition of bismuth subsalicylate for the treatment of diarrhea in an enterally fed patient receiving warfarin therapy. A 56-year-old Caucasian female presented to the trauma intensive care unit (ICU) with multiple lower extremity fractures. Warfarin was initiated for deep vein thrombosis prophylaxis due to the patient's inability to ambulate. The target INR was 2-3. Continuous intragastric enteral feeding was withheld 1 hour before and 1 hour after intragastric administration of warfarin. Bismuth subsalicylate 30 mL every 4 hours was prescribed for diarrhea. Within 3 days after starting bismuth subsalicylate therapy, the patient's INR increased from 2.56 to 3.54 and minor bleeding was noted from the patient's tracheostomy site. No significant change in warfarin dosage, variability in vitamin K intake, or medications that potentially alter warfarin metabolism were present during the unexpected rise in INR. When the bismuth subsalicylate was discontinued, the patient's INR stabilized into the target range on the same warfarin dose given at the time of the supratherapeutic INR. Salicylate displaces warfarin from plasma protein binding sites and may result in a significant increase in INR secondary to redistribution of warfarin to the free active form. Evaluation of this case report using the Drug Interaction Probability Scale and Naranjo Adverse Drug Reaction Probability Scale yielded scores consistent with a probable adverse drug interaction. Bismuth subsalicylate exaggerates warfarin's anticoagulant response and its concurrent use during warfarin therapy should be avoided.
Overuse of Antimicrobial Prophylaxis in Community Practice Urology

Purpose: We examined index urological surgeries to assess utilization patterns of antimicrobial prophylaxis in a large, community based population.Materials and Methods: From the Premier Perspectives Database we identified patients who underwent inpatient urological surgeries that are considered index procedures by the ABU (American Board of Urology), including radical prostatectomy, partial or radical nephrectomy, radical cystectomy, ureteroscopy, shock wave lithotripsy, transurethral resection of the prostate, percutaneous nephrostolithotomy, transvaginal surgery, inflatable penile prosthesis, brachytherapy, transurethral resection of bladder tumor and cystoscopy. Procedures were identified based on ICD-9 procedure codes for 2007 to 2012. Antimicrobial administration, class and duration were abstracted from patient billing data. The class and duration of antimicrobials concordant with the 2008 AUA Best Practice Policy Statement was used to determine compliance.Results: The overall compliance rate was 53...
Parallel space‐filling curve generation through sorting

In this paper we consider the scalability of parallel space-filling curve generation as implemented through parallel sorting algorithms. Multiple sorting algorithms are studied and results show that space-filling curves can be generated quickly in parallel on thousands of processors. In addition, performance models are presented that are consistent with measured performance and offer insight into performance on still larger numbers of processors. At large numbers of processors, the scalability of adaptive mesh refined codes depends on the individual components of the adaptive solver. One such component is the dynamic load balancer. In adaptive mesh refined codes, the mesh is constantly changing resulting in load imbalance among the processors requiring a load-balancing phase. The load balancing may occur often, requiring the load balancer to perform quickly. One common method for dynamic load balancing is to use space-filling curves. Space-filling curves, in particular the Hilbert curve, generate good partitions quickly in serial. However, at tens and hundreds of thousands of processors serial generation of space-filling curves will hinder scalability. In order to avoid this issue we have developed a method that generates space-filling curves quickly in parallel by reducing the generation to integer sorting. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Benchmarking Nonresidential Water Use Efficiency Using Parcel-Level Data

AbstractPast studies of commercial, industrial, and institutional (CII) water use efficiency have been limited to simple normalization benchmarking measures. Simple normalization ratios (e.g., water use per employee) account for only one driver of water use and are often misleading because of the predominantly skewed nature of water use intensities. In order to improve on benchmarking systems to assess the water use efficiency of CII customers, this paper explores two popular methods used in the energy efficiency field: ordinary least squares (OLS) and data envelopment analysis (DEA). Parcel-level data from Austin, Texas, is used to demonstrate the methods, where a data-driven approach is employed to include average water use, building area, building value, year built, parcel area, and number of employees as measures of input, and annual sales as the economic measure of output.
The Idea of Good in Husserl and Aristotle

What is the perfect good that everyone has to pursue? Does it exist a universal idea of good? Is it possible to get a science grounded on the idea of good? In this paper I would like to answer these questions by a comparison between Aristotle’s and Husserl’s ethics. Indeed, taking as a reference point the Aristotelian notion of eudaimonia, I would like to discuss the connection, if any, between Husserl’s and Aristotle’s idea of good. My aim is to detect a specific notion of what good is and how it can be explained by a phenomenological research. Essentially the questions I raise are: “Is well-being a moral target to which everyone should tend? What is exactly the good and has it do with well-being?” To a certain extent, Aristotle and Husserl seem to interpret the good as one of the moral aims but it is not so clear how it can be a universal and shared value by the human kosmos. Thence to answer these questions in this paper I will work on Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics and on Husserl’s ethics of 1914.
Numerical and experimental investigation of the acoustic and flow performance of intake systems

This paper investigates the acoustic and flow performance of an intake system using numerical and experimental techniques. The acoustic and flow performances are characterized by computing the Insertion Loss (IL) and the loss coefficient (LC) respectively. An indirect BEM formulation is used to predict the IL. The LC is computed by solving a one-dimensional fluid dynamics problem. For four simple cylindrical duct systems, numerical results for IL and LC are compared with experimental measurements. Finally, the acoustic and flow performance of an actual motorcycle intake is predicted and the results are compared to bench test results.
The promise of prevention: the effects of four preventable risk factors on national life expectancy and life expectancy disparities by race and county in the United States.

Background There has been substantial research on psychosocial and health care determinants of health disparities in the United States (US) but less on the role of modifiable risk factors. We estimated the effects of smoking, high blood pressure, elevated blood glucose, and adiposity on national life expectancy and on disparities in life expectancy and disease-specific mortality among eight subgroups of the US population (the “Eight Americas”) defined on the basis of race and the location and socioeconomic characteristics of county of residence, in 2005. Methods and Findings We combined data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System to estimate unbiased risk factor levels for the Eight Americas. We used data from the National Center for Health Statistics to estimate age–sex–disease-specific number of deaths in 2005. We used systematic reviews and meta-analyses of epidemiologic studies to obtain risk factor effect sizes for disease-specific mortality. We used epidemiologic methods for multiple risk factors to estimate the effects of current exposure to these risk factors on death rates, and life table methods to estimate effects on life expectancy. Asians had the lowest mean body mass index, fasting plasma glucose, and smoking; whites had the lowest systolic blood pressure (SBP). SBP was highest in blacks, especially in the rural South—5–7 mmHg higher than whites. The other three risk factors were highest in Western Native Americans, Southern low-income rural blacks, and/or low-income whites in Appalachia and the Mississippi Valley. Nationally, these four risk factors reduced life expectancy at birth in 2005 by an estimated 4.9 y in men and 4.1 y in women. Life expectancy effects were smallest in Asians (M, 4.1 y; F, 3.6 y) and largest in Southern rural blacks (M, 6.7 y; F, 5.7 y). Standard deviation of life expectancies in the Eight Americas would decline by 0.50 y (18%) in men and 0.45 y (21%) in women if these risks had been reduced to optimal levels. Disparities in the probabilities of dying from cardiovascular diseases and diabetes at different ages would decline by 69%–80%; the corresponding reduction for probabilities of dying from cancers would be 29%–50%. Individually, smoking and high blood pressure had the largest effect on life expectancy disparities. Conclusions Disparities in smoking, blood pressure, blood glucose, and adiposity explain a significant proportion of disparities in mortality from cardiovascular diseases and cancers, and some of the life expectancy disparities in the US. Please see later in the article for the Editors' Summary
Ultralow threshold on-chip toroidal microcavity nanocrystal quantum dot lasers

We demonstrate an on-chip toroidal microcavity nanocrystal quantum dot laser with a threshold energy below 10 femto-Joules at room temperature, a factor of 1 million lower than previously reported for strongly-confined, nanocrystal quantum dot lasers.
Illicit Intimacies Virtuous Concubinage in Colonial Lima

This article examines the ways that plebeian women confessed to concubinary relationships in seventeenth-century Lima. Part One reviews complaints brought by casta and enslaved concubines to enforc...
The Influence of “Quiet Time” for Patients in Critical Care

The primary aim was to examine the influence of "quiet time" in critical care. A dual-unit, nonrandomized, uncontrolled trial of a quiet time (QT) protocol was completed. A sample of adult patients from the Neurosciences Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit (CVICU) participated. Environmental stressors were reduced and patient rest promoted prior to QT. One hundred twenty-nine patients participated in 205 QTs. A one-way, repeated measure analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was calculated comparing Richards-Campbell Sleep Questionnaire scores, pain and anxiety over three consecutive QTs. No significant statistical effect was found. However, patients rated sleep higher and anxiety levels decreased over consecutive QTs. Ninety-three percent of patients reported QT mattered to them. The combined efforts of nursing, medicine, and ancillary staff are necessary to foster periods of uninterrupted rest, thereby optimizing patient care. Further research is needed to determine if successive QTs positively influence patient outcomes.
The mTORC2 Complex Regulates Terminal Differentiation of C2C12 Myoblasts

Rapamycin, a selective inhibitor of mTORC1 signaling, blocks terminal myoblast differentiation. We found that downregulation of rictor, a component of the mTORC2 complex, but not downregulation of raptor, a component of the mTORC1 complex, prevented terminal differentiation (fusion) of C2C12 myoblasts. Both rapamycin and rictor downregulation suppressed the phosphorylation of AKT(S473), and rapamycin treatment of C2C12 myoblasts disrupted the mTORC2 complex. Importantly, downregulation of rictor inhibited TORC2 signaling without inhibiting mTORC1 signaling, suggesting that inhibition of mTORC1 by rapamycin may not be the cause of arrested differentiation. In support of this, expression of a phosphomimetic mutant AKT(S473D) in rictor-deficient cells rescued myoblast fusion even in the presence of rapamycin. mTORC2 signaling to AKT appears necessary for downregulation of the Rho-associated kinase (ROCK1) that occurs during myogenic differentiation. Rapamycin treatment prevented ROCK1 inactivation during differentiation, while suppression of ROCK1 activity during differentiation and myoblast fusion was restored through expression of AKT(S473D), even in the presence of rapamycin. Further, the ROCK inhibitor Y-27632 restored terminal differentiation in rapamycin-treated myoblasts. These results provide the first evidence of a specific role for mTORC2 signaling in terminal myogenic differentiation.
Some Problems in Practice-Oriented Research

Volume IX of the Curriculum Study spon sored by the Council on Social Work Edu cation differentiates among three major roles in social work research.1 They are the practitioner of a service method, the research practitioner, and the research specialist. The two latter call for a con siderable degree of specialization in train ing and experience and are generally viewed as being indispensable to the development of the profession. The practitioner of a service method who engages in research, by contrast, is still looked upon as a somewhat uncertain or poorly defined entity in the field of social work. Yet one notes with
Efficiency, Scale Economies and Consolidation in the U.S. Life Insurance Industry

This paper examines the relationship between mergers and acquisitions, efficiency, and scale economies in the U.S. life insurance industry. We estimate cost and revenue efficiency for life insurers representing 80 percent of industry assets over the period 1988-1995 using data envelopment analysis (DEA) and decompose cost efficiency into pure technical, scale, and allocative efficiency. The Malmquist index methodology is used to measure changes in efficiency and productivity over time. The results support the hypothesis that acquired firms achieve greater efficiency gains than firms that have not engaged in merger or acquisition activity. We also find evidence that firms operating with non-decreasing returns to scale are more likely to be acquisition targets than firms operating with decreasing returns to scale. Firms with higher revenue efficiency are more likely to be acquired than firms with lower revenue efficiency, but we find no relationship between other types of efficiency and the probability that a firm is acquired. Financially vulnerable firms are more likely to be acquired than stronger firms. The overall conclusion is that mergers and acquisitions in the life insurance industry appear to be driven for the most part by economically sound objectives and have had a beneficial effect on efficiency in the industry.
The use of Motion and Slide Pictures in the Teaching of Marketing

T HAT there is considerable interest in visual education in marketing has been amply demonstrated in discussions of the subject at annual meetings of The American Marketing Association. Little was definitely known, however, about the extent to which teachers were employing motion and slide pictures in their courses or in what courses they were being used. The difficulty of securing suitable material, no doubt, has prevented many who approve of visual education methods in theory from making much practical use of films in the class room. A large number of catalogs and lists of films prepared by business and private organizations are available. A teacher, however, has no basis on which he can select a film that is of educational value. Many interesting and entertaining pictures put out by business firms, while excellent for use in the companies themselves, have proved to be of little or no value from the teaching standpoint. It was thought that it might prove helpful to marketing teachers if a comprehensive study were made of the use of motion and slide pictures, and if a list of recommended films were prepared. With this purpose in view, the Committee on Motion and Slide Pictures, sent out a four-page questionnaire in November, 1940, to members of the Association who are teaching marketing or related subjects. It was sent to 300 teachers in
THERMODYNAMIC DRIVING FORCES AND ANISOTROPIC INTERFACE MOTION

The objective of much research is to make mathematical models for various types of crystal-surface motions and to prove theorems, develop new methods of computation, and apply the results to problems in materials science. Surface curvature affects phase equilibria and drivingforces for phase change and surface motion, whether the surfaces have isotropic or anisotropic surface free energy. Weighted mean curvature reveals how the free energy of curved surfaces acts as a thermodynamic driving force and, thus, how it interacts with bulk free energies. The relations are valid for anisotropic surfaces even when faceted, although faceting often affects kinetics. The mechanisms for surface motion that are considered are attachment/detachment kinetics, diffusion of atoms over surfaces, and, perhaps, diffusion within the bulk phases.
Juicing Tregs in situ to improve kidney allograft outcomes

Targeted deletion of the sirtuin-1, Sirt-1 , gene in mouse T cells results in enhanced CD4 + T regulatory cell function. When these mice are used as kidney allograft recipients, this deletion confers marked improvements in allograft function and survival with the development of donor-specific nonresponsiveness. Similar kidney allograft outcomes are produced in wild-type recipients treated with pharmacologic Sirt-1 inhibitors. These studies suggest a novel strategy for enhancing the immunosuppressive function of Tregs to improve graft outcomes in kidney transplant patients.
Materialism, Hedonism, Spirituality, and Subjective Well-Being: An Empirical Study of Risale-I Nur (Rn) Readers

Well-being, as studied in the West, is often related to intrinsic not extrinsic values. Unfortunately, there are no similar studies for Muslim societies. This study will be one of the first of its kind conducted on Muslim group capturing 15 different domains of their life experience. The purpose of this study is to determine how well-being is related to materialistic, hedonic and moral values in one group of Muslims. The study seeks empirical evidence regarding the impact of Islamic values compared to materialistic and hedonic values on subjective well-being. The survey data is used to test a comprehensive theory of human nature and happiness model from an Islamic perspective to see whether it helps to achieve more happiness with less/moderate consumption. It has a great potential to explain whether Islam could provide authentic happiness to humanity in this life.
Pharmacologic approaches to musculoskeletal disorders.

Pharmacologic approaches to therapy of musculoskeletal disorders of the elderly mustinclude pharmacologic expression as uniquely exhibited in this cohort, the pathophysiologic potential for organsystem decay modifying hostresponse in the elderly, and the specific impact of these factors on the multiplicity of co-therapies and codiseases that superimpose in this group as in no other. Anti-inflammatory therapy is especially common in this groupand the morbidity and mortality consequences of that therapy are significant; increasing sensitivity to this andmodification of therapeutic regimens can allow relief of suffering and improved potential for function and quality of life while maximizing necessary safety considerations through dosage adjustments, proper drug choices, andadequate clinical monitoring. The role of corticosteroids, especially low-dose corticosteroids, is still controversial, but a mature placing of these agents is now realized as possible through improved awareness and clinicalexperiences. Disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs have an important role in systemicrheumatic diseases in the elderly, but can only be used by highly experienced and trained therapists becauseofexpected potentials for serious toxicity. However, properly managed drug therapy of musculoskeletal disordersintheelderly can achieveuseful efficacy with the range of choices available when properly approached and judiciously monitored on an individual basis
The Social System of the Texas Green Jay

-Accessory birds were absent at the nests of Green Jays (Cyanocorax yncas). However, young stayed in the family flock for one year. After the young from the following year fledged, the 1-yr-old young were forced from their natal territory by the breeding male. These young either dispersed into adjacent habitat or became floaters within their former territories until, possibly, a breeding position opened up in a family flock. The yearlings provided a significant amount of territorial defense, which freed the breeders of much of the energetic costs inflicted on them by the stringent territoriality required in south Texas
Job demands, control and support: Meta-analyzing moderator effects of gender, nationality, and occupation

Abstract The job demands-control (-support) model (JDC(S)) remains one of the most influential to HR-related issues of work stress, organizational behavior, and job design. However, despite over 37 years of research, the first meta-analysis of the model was conducted only recently. It examined interrelationships between the model's three workplace characteristics: demand, control and support in order to better understand how employees view relationships between these prominent work dimensions. A rather surprising result was the near-zero demand-control relationship, which was found to be moderated by gender. The current analysis extends our understanding of DCS interrelationships to include examination of nationality and occupation as additional moderating variables. We also build on the initial review by extending moderator analysis to relationships between demand-control-support dimensions and job satisfaction and emotional exhaustion — the two most examined psychological outcomes in primary studies. The present meta-analysis narrows the field of studies to 141 studies (N(Individuals) = 145,424) of Karasek's model which include these outcomes. Our findings show additional patterns of gender moderation, including moderation of the demands-job satisfaction relationship. Additionally, both nationality and occupation moderate every DCS interrelationship, and relationship with job satisfaction and emotional exhaustion in some way. Our results offer new understanding as to the boundaries of these relationships, and the JDC(S) model; and invite further theory building and meta-analytic investigation.
Prognosis and comorbidities in stage III and IV endometrial cancer

e16553 Background: While endometrial cancer may be associated with many comorbid conditions, none have been characterized as changing overall prognosis. The aim of this study was to identify medical conditions or laboratory values, that may serve as prognostic factors in stage III and IV endometrial cancer. Methods: A retrospective chart review identified 112 women with stage III or IV endometrial cancer between years 1993–1998. Information about medical comorbidities and presenting lab values were collected using electronic medical records. Progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier survival method and the log rank test. Results: The average age was 64.9 yrs. 79 women (70.5%) had stage III disease and 33 women (29.5%) had stage IV disease. For those with a baseline creatinine <1.2 (n = 91), the PFS and OS were not significantly different from those with a baseline creatinine ≥1.2 (n = 17; p = 0.554 and p = 0.487, respectively). There was a non-significa...
CHAPTER 12 – Genetics of Human Obesity

Complex and incompletely defined interactions between environment and genetics determine each individual's height and weight, as well as many other human traits. The result is a population in which individuals vary widely for height and weight, but no one factor can be identified as controlling either trait. In humans, long-term adult weight is relatively stable, as evidenced by the difficulty of sustaining intentional weight loss and the automatic return to previous weight following brief periods of overeating. This drive to constancy of body weight is due to both behavioral and physiological alterations that accompany weight change. Further convincing evidence of the biological basis of the regulation of body fat stores comes from the identification of single-gene mutations that result in spontaneous massive obesity or in adipose tissue atrophy. There are also Mendelian disorders in which obesity or abnormalities of fat distribution are a prominent feature and for which the chromosomal locations, but not the genes or their functions, are known. Genetics is a rapidly progressing field, and knowledge of the genetic basis for obesity is expanding exponentially. The identification and characterization of gene products associated with obesity have provided novel pathways that can be targeted for pharmaceutical intervention.
Analytical and Model Studies of Prestressed Folded Plates

A semi-iterative technique employing finite differences is used to obtain a numerical solution for displacements, tractions, stresses, and strains of prestressed folded plate structures. General differential elasticity equations along with differential plate equations involving the three displacements, u , v , and w , and the traction M x , are written as four second-order equations. This technique allows the use of a tridiagonal matrix routine for the solution of the resulting difference equations. The computer program written for the solution of the formulated equation handles both draped cables and straight tendons. To substantiate the analytical solution, experimental results from two epoxy models are compared with the values predicted by the theory presented.
Use of Auxiliary Information: Simple Random Sampling

It is well known that suitable use of auxiliary information in probability sampling results in considerable reduction in the variance of the estimators of population parameters viz. population mean (or total), median, variance, regression coefficient, and population correlation coefficient, etc.. In this chapter we will consider the problem of estimation of different population parameters of interest to survey statisticians using known auxiliary information under SRSWOR and SRSWR sampling schemes only. Before proceeding further it is necessary to define some notation and expected values, which will be useful throughout this chapter.
Insights on the HLA-Binding Peptidome in Cancer

Abstract The intracellular compartments for proteolytic antigen processing in tumor cells produce peptides that are presented by MHC molecules to T cells. But first, the ubiquitin ligase system tags defective, misfolded, aged, and unstable proteins for degradation through the proteasome. Ubiqitinated proteins are unfolded and fed into the barrel-shaped core of the proteasome where a collection of multiple different proteases cleave proteins into oligopeptides. After exiting the proteasome, these oligopeptides are either completely degraded into amino acids or trimmed at the N- and C-termini so that they bind to transporter associated with antigen processing (TAP). TAP translocates oligopeptides into the ER where they are further trimmed and may bind to MHC molecules. Resulting peptide–MHC complexes then travel to the cell surface for T cell recognition. Many defects or anomalies in the proteolytic processing of tumor-derived proteins may suppress the expression of peptide–MHC complexes, which plays a role in escape of tumors from the immune system. However, due to the general dysregulated intracellular machinery of tumors, many proteins are translated from unconventional RNA transcripts including noncoding RNA, exon–intron retentions, and alternative splicing. These products of translation can serve as novel peptides for T cells as they recognize and kill tumors.
Implementing a Social Knowledge Networking (SKN) system to enable meaningful use of an EHR medication reconciliation system

Background Despite the regulatory impetus toward meaningful use of electronic health record (EHR) Medication Reconciliation (MedRec) to prevent medication errors during care transitions, hospital adherence has lagged for one chief reason: low physician engagement, stemming from lack of consensus about which physician is responsible for managing a patient's medication list. In October 2016, Augusta University received a 2-year grant from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality to implement a Social Knowledge Networking (SKN) system for enabling its health system (AU Health) to progress from "limited use" of EHR MedRec technology to "meaningful use." The hypothesis is that SKN would bring together a diverse group of practitioners, to facilitate tacit knowledge exchange on issues related to EHR MedRec, which in turn is expected to increase practitioners' engagement in addressing those issues and enable meaningful use of EHR. The specific aims are to examine: 1) user-engagement in the SKN system, and 2) associations between "SKN use" and "meaningful use" of EHR. Methods The 2-year project uses an exploratory mixed-method design and consists of three phases: 1) development; 2) SKN implementation; and 3) analysis. Phase 1, completed in May 2017, sought to identify a comprehensive set of issues related to EHR MedRec from practitioners directly involved in the MedRec process. This process facilitated development of a "Reporting Tool" on issues related to EHR MedRec, which, along with an existing "SKN/Discussion Tool," was integrated into the EHR at AU Health. Phase 2 (launched in June 2017) involves implementing the EHR-integrated SKN system over a 52-week period in inpatient and outpatient medicine units. Discussion The prospective implementation design is expected to generate context-sensitive strategies for meaningful use and successful implementation of EHR MedRec and thereby make substantial contributions to the patient safety and risk management literature. From a health care policy perspective, if the hypothesis holds, federal vendors could be encouraged to incorporate SKN features into EHR systems.
Molecular Size Modulates Pharmacokinetics, Biodistribution, and Renal Deposition of the Drug Delivery Biopolymer Elastin-like Polypeptide

Elastin-like polypeptides (ELP) are engineered proteins that consist of repetitions of a five amino acid motif, and their composition is easily modified to adjust their physical properties and attach therapeutics. Because of the repetitive nature of the ELP sequence, polymer size is particularly amenable to manipulation. ELP fusion proteins are being actively developed as therapeutics for many disease applications, and how the ELP size and shape affects its pharmacokinetics and biodistribution is a critical question for the general field of ELP drug delivery. To address this, we generated a library of ELPs ranging in size from 25 kDa to 110 kDa. Terminal plasma half-life was directly proportional to polymer size, and organ biodistribution was also size dependent. The kidneys accumulated the highest levels of ELP of all sizes, followed by the liver. Within the kidney, most ELP was found in the proximal tubule, but intra-renal localization shifted from exclusively cortical to a mixture of cortical and medullary as ELP size increased.
HYDROGEN EMBRITTLEMENT OF A STEAM TURBINE DISC ALLOY IN AQUEOUS ENVIRONMENTS

ABSTRACT Corrosion fatigue crack propagation experiments conducted on ASTM A-471 steam turbine disc material in concentrated sodium hydroxide, sodium chloride, and sodium sulfate environments show that crack growth rates are accelerated with increasing cathodic potential. Crack morphology is transgranular at free corrosion potential, but changes to intergranular mode at cathodic potential. At intermediate frequencies and cathodic potential in sodium hydroxide and sodium chloride, cracking was intergranular near both the edges of the compact tension specimen and transgranular towards the center. This is because more hydrogen is available near the free surfaces as compared to the center of the specimen. This coupled with a relatively significant frequency dependence at the cathodic potential indicates that hydrogen diffusion plays a very important role. This should be of concern to nuclear power industry where steam turbine disc cracking has been a major problem. A component of intergranular cracking has been observed in the failed discs which makes one suspect if the turbine disc is somehow seeing a cathodic potential in service. In general, all three environments have been found on failed samples and a similarity of cracking mode in the laboratory at cathodic potentials in all three cases makes a strong argument for hydrogen embrittlement.
Evaluating Education Policy & Program Costs

A critical issue facing educational leaders and policymakers is how to invest scarce resources to improve student learning and educational experiences. To do so, they need information on policy and program costs as well as strategies to understand the relative cost effectiveness of different options. In this chapter, readers are introduced to complementary methods for estimating educational policy and program costs. In addition to describing cost analysis and how it can be used in education, the chapter provides examples and tools that can be used to guide readers’ own investigations.
«De muchas luchas»: vacas, vaqueros y el proceso de producción de carne al sur de los Estados Unidos

espanolEn este texto rastreo algunos encuentros que acontecen a lo largo de un proceso de la produccion de carne bovina de calidad suprema, al sur de los Estados Unidos. Al atender a los encuentros materiales, discursivos, y afectivos en la medida en que estos hacen cuerpos, el texto ofrece una mirada a la produccion ganadera en la que esta, mas que una secuencia de practicas dirigidas hacia la produccion de carne, se entreve como una acumulacion de contactos, fricciones y rupturas. En este sentido, se plantean una serie de reflexiones sobre las maneras en que se compone la vida y la muerte animal a traves de los procesos productivos contemporaneos. EnglishIn this text, I will trace some encounters happening throughout a process of premium quality bovine meat in Southern United States. By attending material, discursive, and affective encounters —given they make bodies— this work looks at cattle production, where rather than a set of practices directed toward meat production, it is glimpsed as a collection of touches, frictions and breakups. In this line, a set of reflections are put forward on how animal life and death is made up through contemporary productive processes.
Migration and wage labour: a case study of Ghanaians in New York City, 1957-2010

Ghanaian migration to the USA is considered a displacement caused by poverty, political instability and the desire for one to improve his or her economic and social status. Such perceptions are usually based on stereotypes rather than theoretically informed empirical evidence. This idea is influenced by media images of massive refugee flows of Africa to the USA. Like any other African immigrants, Ghanaian migration to the USA can be viewed in two main forms; involuntary and voluntary. The involuntary migration experience of Ghanaians in the USA dates to the 16th century when Ghanaians were brought to North America as slaves to provide labour for the 'new world'. Voluntary migration of Ghanaian, on the other hand, became visible during the second half of the 20th century after the country gained its independence from the British. Methodologically, the paper employs the qualitative approach by examining newspapers reports, oral interviews and various secondary sources exploring migration and labour history.
SAD phasing of XFEL data depends critically on the error model

A nonlinear least-squares method for refining a parametric expression describing the estimated errors of reflection intensities in serial crystallographic (SX) data is presented. This approach, which is similar to that used in the rotation method of crystallographic data collection at synchrotrons, propagates error estimates from photon-counting statistics to the merged data. Here, it is demonstrated that the application of this approach to SX data provides better SAD phasing ability, enabling the autobuilding of a protein structure that had previously failed to be built. Estimating the error in the merged reflection intensities requires the understanding and propagation of all of the sources of error arising from the measurements. One type of error, which is well understood, is the counting error introduced when the detector counts X-ray photons. Thus, if other types of random errors (such as readout noise) as well as uncertainties in systematic corrections (such as from X-ray attenuation) are completely understood, they can be propagated along with the counting error, as appropriate. In practice, most software packages propagate as much error as they know how to model and then include error-adjustment terms that scale the error estimates until they explain the variance among the measurements. If this is performed carefully, then during SAD phasing likelihood-based approaches can make optimal use of these error estimates, increasing the chance of a successful structure solution. In serial crystallography, SAD phasing has remained challenging, with the few examples of de novo protein structure solution each requiring many thousands of diffraction patterns. Here, the effects of different methods of treating the error estimates are estimated and it is shown that using a parametric approach that includes terms proportional to the known experimental uncertainty, the reflection intensity and the squared reflection intensity to improve the error estimates can allow SAD phasing even from weak zinc anomalous signal.
Educating surgical oncology providers on perioperative opioid use: A departmental survey 1 year after the intervention.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES A department-wide opioid reduction education program resulted in a 1-month change in perceptions of opioid needs and prescribing recommendations for surgical oncology patients. This study's aim was to re-evaluate if early trends were retained 1 year later. METHODS Surgical Oncology attendings, fellows, and advanced practice providers at a Comprehensive Cancer Center were surveyed 1-year after an August 2018 opioid reduction education program, to compare departmental and individual opioid prescribing habits. RESULTS The September 2019 response rate was 54/93 (58%), with 41 completing both the post-education and 1-year follow-up surveys. The departmental and matched cohort continued to recommend a lower quantity of discharge opioids for all five index operations (by >50%) and expected less postoperative days to zero opioid needs, when compared to pre-education perceptions. Providers continued to agree that discharge opioid prescriptions should be based on a patient's last 24 hours of inpatient opioid use. There was universal agreement that each respondent's opioid administration had decreased in the past year. CONCLUSIONS The initial 1-month improvements in perioperative opioid prescribing perceptions were retained 1 year later by Surgical Oncology providers who recommended fewer discharge opioids, faster weaning to zero opioids, and standardized patient-specific discharge opioid volume calculations.
Study on CT appearance of ossification age of the normal anterior skull base in healthy children

Objective To explore the age at which the anterior skull base is fully ossified as assessed on CT examinations in healthy children and it may be helpful for clinical assessment of anterior cranial lesions. Methods This was a retrospective review of the CT examinations of 204 patients (age range: 0-16 years old, median age: 2 years and 2 months) from February 2014 to March 2016 at Tianjin Children's Hospital. The raw images were reformatted as the sagittal and coronal images at Philips ISPSERVER workstation. Measurements of the length and width of the anterior skull base and the presence and rate of the anterior unossified portion were determined by 2 radiologists. Skewed distribution data were indicated with median (interquartile range). Spearman correlation test was used to analyze the correlation between the measurements and age, respectively. If data were not normally distributed, they were first converted by log transformation. The linear graph was used to evaluate the ossified pattern of anterior skull base in healthy children. Results The average length and width of anterior skull base was (58.7±15.6) mm and (15.2±6.8) mm, respectively. The length and width of unossified portion and corresponding unossified rate were 2.2 (10.8) mm, 2.5 (7.5) mm, 0.04 (0.22) and 0.17 (0.60). The linear graph showed that the length and width of the anterior skull base were positively correlated with age (r= 0.935, 0.896, P<0.001), while the length, width and corresponding unossified rate of unossified portion were negatively correlated with age (r=-0.840,-0.729,-0.887,-0.833, P<0.001). The unossified portion ossified progressively and rapidly at the first 6 months after birth. The average unossified rate of length was 0.58 and 0.15 in the 1st and 6th month, respectively. All children had at least 50% and 80% ossification of anterior skull base at the age of 5 months and 16 months, respectively. The anterior skull base was fully ossified at 45 months in all of our cases. Conclusions There is a certain rule of ossification in anterior skull base for healthy children. The anterior skull base may be fully ossified by 45 months after birth on CT imaging. Key words: Anterior skull base; Ossification; Age factors; Child; Tomography, X-ray computed
Design of Turbidity Remote Monitoring System Based on FX-11A Optical Fiber Sensor

Turbidity is an important indicator in the monitoring area of industry, production and living. Facing the trend of remote monitoring and preset warning in the development of monitoring system, this paper, based on the FX-11A optical fiber sensor and STM32F407 Microcontroller, puts forward a design of remote monitoring system for turbidity, which can realize preset warning function. According to Lambert-Beer Law, an experimental apparatus is designed, and the exponential relationship between the ratio of the reference voltage (Vm) and the measured voltage (V) and the turbidity is found out. Based on the relationship and experimental setup, the design performs two sets of experiments by using two kinds of determinands. In the first experiment, the mixture of soil and water are used to detect the change of turbidity. The results show that the system can distinguish the demarcation between the soil and water layers in real time by the optical fiber sensor and the first channel of Analog-to-Digital Converter (ADC1) in STM32F407 Microcontroller. In the second experiment, the Formazin standard solution is adopted to compound a series of solution with concentration gradient solution for accurate measurement. After measuring, MATLAB is used to fit data. The results conform to the Lambert-Beer Law and an accurate measurement in some turbidity range is obtained. In conclusion, the correlation coefficients are obtained. R-square is as high as 0.9955 and the system is capable of measuring within 3.5% of error in the range 400 to 1500 Nephelometric Turbidity Unit (NTU). Combining the former system that is designed, and a remote monitoring system with Ethernet transmission function based on STM32F407 Microcontroller, functions of remote monitoring and preset warning in line with the development trend of monitoring system can be achieved.