cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Infection prevention and control in cystic fibrosis.

Purpose of review This review will discuss recent studies of the virulence of cystic fibrosis (CF) pathogens, including epidemic strains, a more complex understanding of droplet transmission, bacterial contamination of CF clinics, and identifying and overcoming barriers to implementation of infection control guidelines. Recent findings Both morbidity and mortality are associated with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Thus, clinicians are attempting eradication strategies for MRSA using combinations of oral, aerosolized, intravenous, and topical antibiotics, with some success. However, household contacts may be colonized with MRSA, which can impact the durability of eradication. Epidemic strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa are also associated with increased morbidity and mortality and some clones are detected in CF patients throughout the world presumably due to social networks among patients. Recent experimental and clinical data have suggested that CF patients can generate droplet nuclei in the respirable range and that infectious particles can be cultured from room air minutes to hours after patients have left. Summary Although these observations regarding droplet nuclei have not been linked to transmission, they do challenge the safety of the '3-foot rule' and suggest the potential role of masks. Additional research is needed to develop strategies to improve infection control practices among healthcare professionals, CF patients, and families.
Knights Landing: Second-Generation Intel Xeon Phi Product

This article describes the architecture of Knights Landing, the second-generation Intel Xeon Phi product family, which targets high-performance computing and other highly parallel workloads. It provides a significant increase in scalar and vector performance and a big boost in memory bandwidth compared to the prior generation, called Knights Corner. Knights Landing is a self-booting, standard CPU that is completely binary compatible with prior Intel Xeon processors and is capable of running all legacy workloads unmodified. Its innovations include a core optimized for power efficiency, a 512-bit vector instruction set, a memory architecture comprising two types of memory for high bandwidth and large capacity, a high-bandwidth on-die interconnect, and an integrated on-package network fabric. These features enable the Knights Landing processor to provide significant performance improvement for computationally intensive and bandwidth-bound workloads while still providing good performance on unoptimized legacy workloads, without requiring any special way of programming other than the standard CPU programming model.
A Mechanism of the MJO Invoking Scale Interactions

This chapter distinguishes the mechanism of tropical convective disturbances, such as a hurricane, from that of the Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO). The hurricane is maintained by organized convection around the azimuth. In a hurricane the organization of convection, the generation of eddy available potential energy, and the transformation of eddy available potential energy into eddy kinetic energy all occur on the scale of the hurricane and these are called “in-scale processes,” which invoke quadratic nonlinearity. The MJO is not a hurricane type of disturbance; organized convection simply does not drive an MJO in the same manner. The maintenance of the MJO is more akin to a multibody problem where the convection is indeed organized on scales of tropical synoptic disturbances that carry a similar organization of convection and carry similar roles for the generation of eddy available potential energy and its conversion to the eddy kinetic energy for their maintenance. The maintenance of the MJO is a scale...
Regulation of Essential Nutrient Additions to Animal Diets (Selenium — a Model Case)

Responsibility for regulation of essential nutrient additions to animal diets has been assumed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) through internal interpretation of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act. Thus, these substances are regulated as food additives or through qualification for the generally recognized as safe (GRAS) list. Although essential nutrients, such as selenium, are not optional additives to animal diets that are demonstrably deficient (if animal health and welfare are of concern), supplementation with unapproved nutrients places one in violation of FDA interpretation of law. Selenium was established as a dietary essential in 1957, and practical problems with a deficiency of this nutrient were recognized soon after. Research was begun in 1967 specifically to gain FDA approval for selenium as a dietary supplement. Approval was granted for selenium supplements to swine and certain poultry diets in 1974. At that time, FDA staff members reported that the inability to supplement these diets with selenium had caused annual losses of over $82 million. Annual losses to the beef cattle, dairy cattle and sheep industry were estimated in 1975 at nearly $545 million. In a coordinated effort (initiated in 1975) involving scientists at nine United States universities and the FDA, data were gathered leading to approval in 1979 of selenium supplements for ruminants. The cost of the effort to meet regulatory requirements for selenium has been estimated at more than $1 million. Since this nutrient is not a proprietary product, this effort has been made largely at public expense. The inability to supplement selenium-deficient diets prior to FDA approval has cost hundreds of millions of dollars.
The Hydropower Potential Assessment Tool (HPAT): Evaluation of run-of-river resource potential for any global land area and application to Falls Creek, Oregon, USA

Abstract Small-scale hydropower systems are popular both in the United States and much of the developing world due to the emphasis on renewable energy and the general cost-competitiveness of hydroelectric power generation. We present a novel modeling package, referred to as the Hydropower Potential Assessment Tool (HPAT), to assess historic and projected future small-scale run-of-river hydropower resource potential at a single location or distributed over a study region. HPAT implements a fully-distributed streamflow model, which is coupled to a digital elevation model to assess hydropower resource potential. To demonstrate HPAT, we implement the models for a privately-owned run-of-river facility on Falls Creek outside of Sweet Home, Oregon, USA. We use an ensemble of Global Climate Models (GCMs) for two future climate scenarios to project a plausible range of future changes at this site. For the Falls Creek facility, HPAT projects that the timing of peak streamflow will shift from spring to winter and that mean annual hydropower potential will likely decrease slightly from average 1980–2010 historic conditions through the end of the 21st century. All inputs to HPAT are globally available, except for streamflow observations necessary for calibration.
Riot and Rebellion

London liked to portray itself as a loyal, royal city, but also as the bastion of English liberties. It was that second description that worried the authorities. Quite simply, there were too many Londoners to control, and the city's wealth, size, location, and administrative importance ensured that it played a decisive role in the rise or fall of rulers and dynasties. No wonder that both the court at Whitehall and the Corporation at the Guildhall took alarm at even the hint of riot, let alone rebellion. The last chapter addressed how the authorities tried to maintain order, and how they reacted when individual Londoners violated that order. In particular, we noted the difficulties facing metropolitan governors who lacked a police force or any of the modern technology of surveillance or law enforcement. The regime was even more vulnerable to disorder when Londoners acted en masse, because the state had no standing army until the Civil Wars of the 1640s. From 1660 to 1685 the army was small and barely able to cope with localized rebellion; thereafter it was mostly away fighting continental wars and so unavailable for domestic security. In any case, Englishmen and women hated standing armies for the same reasons that they hated urban police forces: they were expensive and a threat to liberty. Instead, during the reign of Henry VIII, London established a militia, the trained bands, which was easily the most formidable military force in England before 1650. Trained by the Artillery Company on the Artillery Ground just north of the ancient wall, they numbered at least 4,000 under Elizabeth I and expanded to 10,000 during the Civil Wars. The nine wartime regiments of trained bands distinguished themselves in the defense of London at Turnham Green in 1642 and the relief of Gloucester in 1643. But these amateur soldiers, shopkeepers, and tradesmen in their day jobs could not be relied on to fire at fellow Londoners. Indeed, the active enlistment of ordinary Londoners in their own policing as soldiers, constables, and watchmen seems to have promoted a sense of identification with, and ownership of, law and custom that ironically encouraged some of them to riot.
The Reverend Thomas Malthus, the OPEC Cartel, and the Price of Energy from 1800 to 2100

The Reverend Thomas Malthus of Jesus College, Cambridge, was one of the foremost economists of the early nineteenth century. His key idea was that since population increases at a geometric rate (1, 2, 4, 8, 16) while food production increases at an arithmetic rate (1, 2, 3, 4, 5), the eventual result will be famine — too many mouths, not enough food.
Mass Media Guerrilla Warfare: Tony Schwartz vs. the Tobacco Industry

As the recognized leader in the US in the field of Public Health Communications—the use of mass media to reduce death, disease, and disability, Tony Schwartz has created dozens of memorable commercial advertisements aimed at curtailing tobacco use and promotion. Schwartz is known in the inner sanctum of mass media as the person who goes by no rules whatsoever. He is the bane of large, conventional advertising agencies because he achieves, with a minimal amount of money, very short notice, and extremely few advertisements per intervention, what the big firms often can’t do, even with far greater budgets.
Analysis of the Effect of Prevailing Weather Conditions on the Occurrence of Grain Dust Explosions.

Abstract. Grain dust explosions have been occurring in the U.S. for the past twenty years. In the past ten years, there have been an average of ten explosions a year, resulting in nine fatalities and 93 injuries. In more than half of these cases, the ignition source remains unidentified. The effect of ambient humidity on the likelihood of a dust explosion has been discussed for many years. However, no investigation into a possible link between the two has been carried out. In this study, we analyzed local weather data and grain dust explosions during the period 2006 to 2014 to measure potential relationships between the two events. The 84 analyzed explosions do not show any trend with regard to prevailing temperatures, or relative or absolute humidity. In addition, the ignition source could not be identified in 54 of the incidents. The majority of grain dust explosion incidents occurred at grain elevator facilities, where the dust generation potential was high compared with grain processing industries.
Transonic aerodynamics of dense gases

Transonic flow of dense gases for two-dimensional, steady-state, flow over a NACA 0012 airfoil was predicted analytically. The computer code used to model the dense gas behavior was a modified version of Jameson's FL052 airfoil code. The modifications to the code enabled modeling the dense gas behavior near the saturated vapor curve and critical pressure region where the fundamental derivative, Gamma, is negative. This negative Gamma region is of interest because the nonclassical gas behavior such as formation and propagation of expansion shocks, and the disintegration of inadmissible compression shocks may exist. The results indicated that dense gases with undisturbed thermodynamic states in the negative Gamma region show a significant reduction in the extent of the transonic regime as compared to that predicted by the perfect gas theory. The results support existing theories and predictions of the nonclassical, dense gas behavior from previous investigations.
The Testosterone Trials: What the Results Mean for Healthcare Providers and for Science

The purpose of this review was to assess the results of the Testosterone (T) Trials with regard to their clinical and scientific implications. The T Trials investigated 1 year of T gel versus placebo in 790 men 65 years and older with unequivocally low serum T concentrations (< 275 ng/dl). Safety monitoring was performed for an additional year. Primary results were improvement over placebo for sexual desire, sexual activity, erection quality, physical activity, and mood. Vitality improved with some instruments, but not all. Improvement was noted in bone density and anemia. Coronary CT provided mixed results—coronary calcium scores were unchanged whereas volume of non-calcified plaque increased more in the testosterone group. There were no worrisome safety concerns. Major adverse cardiovascular events over 2 years occurred in 9 testosterone-treated men and 16 placebo-treated men. The T Trials provide high-level evidence of strong, broad benefits of T therapy, without substantive safety concerns.
Becoming flesh: refugee hunger strike and embodiments of refusal in German necropolitical spaces

The securitization of the EU’s external borders and repressive asylum policies biopolitically control and discipline the bodies of refugees. In Germany, these developments hark back to a longer col...
A test of the heterozygote-advantage hypothesis in cystic fibrosis carriers

We report a test of the hypothesis that the high frequency of cystic fibrosis (CF) in Caucasian populations is due to a fertility advantage in CF carriers. One hundred forty-three grandparent couples of Utah CF cases were compared with 20 replicate sets of matched control couples drawn from the Utah Genealogical Database. Ascertainment correction, which has not been applied in previous studies of CF carrier fertility, was applied to these data. Before ascertainment correction was applied, CF carriers appeared to manifest a significant fertility advantage over controls. After the correction formula was applied, this difference disappeared. Carriers and controls were also compared in terms of the length of intervals between births. Again, no significant differences were found. It was concluded that fertility differences are unlikely to account for the observed Caucasian CF gene frequency. Other mechanisms, particularly a past selective event or random genetic drift, are more likely to be responsible.
The Effect of Surfactants on Nocardia Foaming in Activated Sludge

Biodegradation experiments of the non-ionic surfactants Igepal C-620 (an alkyl-phenol ethoxylate) and Neodol 25-7 (an alcohol ethoxylate) were performed, and biodegradation assessed by concentration, foam potential and surface tension measurements. Igepal C-62 0 biodegraded much slower than Neodol 25-7. The foaming of activated sludge was significantly enhanced by the presence of surfactants, but surfactants alone could not generate a stable foam if the sludge did not contain Nocardia cells. It was also found that products of surfactant biodegradation which were not detected by standard non-ionic surfactant analysis method (CTAS) might still possess some foam-enhancing ability. The results indicate that slowly biodegradable surfactants can enhance the foaming of Nocardia-containing sludge and increase the trapping of Nocardia foam in activated sludge plants.
Memory and Creativity

Although there are many ways to define creativity, creative behavior usually involves a product or response both novel and appropriate to the task at hand. Creative ideas and discoveries often provide new information and perspectives that were not apparent in the past. In contrast, the concept of memory is typically associated with ideas that are not novel or original. Indeed, the act of remembering is an attempt to recreate events and experiences that have occurred in the past. From this perspective, memory and creativity appear to involve very different kinds of activities.
Changes in vocal behavior of North Atlantic right whales in increased noise.

Social communication requires the detection and recognition of a signal from a sender by a receiver. Sources of noise in the environment can limit the range for successful detection of signals (Brumm and Slabbekoorn 2005; Wiley and Richards 1978). A number of compensation mechanisms are used by individuals producing acoustic communication signals in increased noise to increase the probability of detection. These types of changes are called “vocal adjustments,” indicating that changes in sound production occur over short time scales, with individuals actively changing their signals in response to exposure to changing noise levels (Patricelli and Blickley 2006). This plasticity enables animals to compensate actively for changing noise spectra and levels in their environment. A diverse range of vertebrate taxa, ranging from small bird species to marine mammals, exhibit similar “vocal adjustment” capabilities (Brumm and Slabbekoorn 2005; Tyack 2008).
Cost-Effectiveness of Robot-assisted Radical Cystectomy Using a Propensity-matched Cohort

Background Health-related quality of life is important for patients undergoing radical cystectomy (RC). Objective To determine the cost-effectiveness of robotic-assisted RC (RARC) compared to open cystectomy (OC) for bladder cancer and factors that contribute to cost-effectiveness. Design, setting, and participants A decision analytic model was used to compare health-related quality of life and medical costs for RARCs with intracorporeal urinary diversion and OCs performed between 2007 and 2015. Outcome measurements and statistical analysis Propensity matching was performed among 1322 cases to yield a final cohort of 100 RARC and 96 ORC cases. Probabilities were obtained from the clinical study data, while quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) and health utility values were derived from the literature. A complication, readmission, or transfusion was included in the 90-d time horizon model. Results and limitations There were no differences between the groups in patient demographics, pathologic staging, or length of stay. Multivariable analysis revealed that the RARC group had fewer transfusions and complications compared to the OC group. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio was $2969. RARC cost $2969 less per QALY when compared to OC. While RARC was $17000 more expensive, it also associated with an increase of 0.32 QALYs. One-way sensitivity analysis identified RARC as the preferred strategy if a complication can be prevented 74% of the time. RARC is preferred as long as it is 70% effective in preventing a transfusion. Two-way sensitivity analysis showed that as long as RARC can prevent complications and transfusions, it is the preferred cost-effective treatment when compared to OC. The study is limited by the omission of a societal perspective and the lack of health utility values for RC. Conclusions RARC is cost-effective compared to OC when the rates of complications and transfusions are significantly lower. Patient summary Bladder removal via a robotic approach is more expensive, but it improves health-related quality of life. Robotic surgery is cost-effective compared to an open approach for bladder removal if there are low rates of complications and blood transfusion.
Enteroendocrine Regulation of Nutrient Absorption

Enteroendocrine cells (EECs) in the intestine regulate many aspects of whole-body physiology and metabolism. EECs sense luminal and circulating nutrients and respond by secreting hormones that act on multiple organs and organ systems, such as the brain, gallbladder, and pancreas, to control satiety, digestion, and glucose homeostasis. In addition, EECs act locally, on enteric neurons, endothelial cells, and the gastrointestinal epithelium, to facilitate digestion and absorption of nutrients. Many recent reports raise the possibility that EECs and the enteric nervous system may coordinate to regulate gastrointestinal functions. Loss of all EECs results in chronic malabsorptive diarrhea, placing EECs in a central role regulating nutrient absorption in the gut. Because there is increasing evidence that EECs can directly modulate the efficiency of nutrient absorption, it is possible that EECs are master regulators of a feed-forward loop connecting appetite, digestion, metabolism, and abnormally augmented nutrient absorption that perpetuates metabolic disease. This review focuses on the roles that specific EEC hormones play on glucose, peptide, and lipid absorption within the intestine.
DIFICULDADES ENFRENTADAS POR GESTORES DA TECNOLOGIA DA INFORMAÇÃO (TI) EM DIFERENTES SETORES ORGANIZACIONAIS NO MÉDIO NORTE DO MATO GROSSO – MT

O presente estudo tem como objetivo avaliar as dificuldades por gestores da tecnologia da informacao em diferentes setores organizacionais no medio norte do Mato Grosso – MT. Atraves dessa problematica podemos observar que a maioria dos gestores da TI exercem funcao area comercial, seguido na prestacao de servicos, onde 35% destes optam em terceirizar os servicos devido as empresas nao possuir orcamento ou investimentos proprio para o setor. No entanto a maior parte investe em manutencao, seguido em softwares, adequacao e correcoes de servidores e equipamentos, contratando pessoas qualificadas, para a funcao de manutencao dos equipamentos, alem da possibilidade de crescimento profissional dentro das organizacoes. Devido a esse segmento ser responsavel pelo controle interno e externo de todos os processos organizacionais, gerando assim resultados de forma rapida, agil e segura, fato influenciado pelas redes sociais, principal canal de comunicacao entre gestores, colaboradores e clientes, especialmente para prestacao de servico, atendimento direto, marketing, assistencia e esclarecimento de duvidas ou informacoes referentes a produtos e servicos. Nesse aspecto os gestores na area tornam - se primordiais, com uma visao ampla e detalhada de todos os processos envolvidos nesse setor de TI.
Cytochrome P450 Catalysis in the Biosynthesis of Natural Products

Abstract Cytochrome P450 (P450, CYP) enzymes are ubiquitous in nature, with nearly 400,000 genes identified to date (UniProt). In addition to the roles that the mammalian enzymes play in the metabolism of drugs, steroids, and other compounds, the P450s in microorganisms and plant have major roles in the biosynthesis of natural products, including terpenes, alkaloids, antibiotics, and mycotoxins. The basic chemistry of the reaction in the P450s is the same as in the mammalian systems but there is considerable diversity of the electron-transfer systems providing reducing equivalents for these reactions. In addition to the typical set of hydroxylations, epoxidations, and reactions at heteroatoms, many C–C forming and breaking reactions are seen. Many of the biosynthetic products probably have protective functions, which may be modulated by P450 reactions. Some of the P450s involved in natural product biosynthesis are of commercial interest and have been used in biotechnology applications. A need exists to annotate the functions of more of the P450 enzymes in plants, microorganism, and mammals.
Concussion Management: Psychological Considerations

Due to the risks of reinjury and prolonged recovery, the management of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) and sports-related concussion primarily involve behavioral interventions. In the youth population, prolonged recovery impacts school performance, making schools a primary focus of attention. The disciplines of clinical psychology and school psychology provide training that is compatible with several aspects of concussion management, including behavioral assessment and the treatment of affective responses to injury. The latter is a significant risk for prolonged recovery. We suggest that clinical psychologists, neuropsychologists, and school psychologists support each other in providing concussion care to youth.
Caspase-6 Is a Key Regulator of Innate Immunity, Inflammasome Activation, and Host Defense

Caspases regulate cell death, immune responses, and homeostasis. Caspase-6 is categorized as an executioner caspase but shows key differences from the other executioners. Overall, little is known about the functions of caspase-6 in biological processes apart from apoptosis. Here, we show that caspase-6 mediates innate immunity and inflammasome activation. Furthermore, we demonstrate that caspase-6 promotes the activation of programmed cell death pathways including pyroptosis, apoptosis, and necroptosis (PANoptosis) and plays an essential role in host defense against influenza A virus (IAV) infection. In addition, caspase-6 promoted the differentiation of alternatively activated macrophages (AAMs). Caspase-6 facilitated the RIP homotypic interaction motif (RHIM)-dependent binding of RIPK3 to ZBP1 via its interaction with RIPK3. Altogether, our findings reveal a vital role for caspase-6 in facilitating ZBP1-mediated inflammasome activation, cell death, and host defense during IAV infection, opening additional avenues for treatment of infectious and autoinflammatory diseases and cancer.
The Lambayeque Valley Complex: Food and Culture in Context

The Spanish invasion and conquest of the Central Andes initiated two centuries of upheaval and fundamentally altered indigenous lives and cultures. However, decades of bioarchaeological research have underscored the variation in indigenous experiences in colonized communities and pointed to resilience despite often-horrific treatment at the hands of colonizers. This chapter revisits the overarching research questions posed in chapter “Introduction”, interpreting our paleopathological and isotopic results using the theoretical frameworks discussed in chapter “Theorizing Food and Power in the Ancient Andes”. Our results point to the likely persistence of traditional Muchik foodways despite the denigration of indigenous foods by the Spanish and adoption of European foods by some, but not all, indigenous households. This persistence in traditional foodways across the centuries points to resilience that continues to this day, which may prove invaluable in the centuries to come.
En Bloc Capsulectomy for Breast Implant Illness: A Social Media Phenomenon?

BACKGROUND En bloc capsulectomy has recently increased in prominence as a potential surgical therapy for patients with breast implant illness (BII). However, this procedure has chiefly been recommended for treating breast implant-associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma (BIA-ALCL). OBJECTIVES This study aimed to review the current literature and evaluate the public understanding of treatment options for BII via social media to characterize any potential communication disconnect between clinicians and patients. METHODS An electronic literature review was performed to identify all available publications mentioning evidence-based support for en bloc capsulectomy as treatment for BII and BIA-ALCL. Twitter social media posts referencing BII or BIA-ALCL were analyzed from 2010 to 2019. Author identity and any mention of surgical treatment were assessed. RESULTS A total of 115 publications on the subject of BII and 315 articles on BIA-ALCL were identified. En bloc resection was recommended only for patients with a diagnosis of BIA-ALCL. A total of 6419 tweets referencing BII and 6431 tweets referencing BIA-ALCL were identified. Tweets referencing BIA-ALCL were significantly more likely to be authored by physicians (25.9% vs 5.3%, P < 0.001), and tweets referencing BII were significantly more likely to mention any surgical treatment (7.8% vs 1.9%, P < 0.001) and en bloc capsulectomy (1.4% vs 0.3%, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS This study demonstrates that a communication disconnect exists between the scientific literature and social media regarding treatment options for BII and BIA-ALCL. Physicians should be aware of these potential misconceptions to empathetically address patient concerns in a patient-centered manner.
miR-205: A Potential Biomedicine for Cancer Therapy

microRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small non-coding RNAs that regulate the expression of their target mRNAs post transcriptionally. miRNAs are known to regulate not just a gene but the whole gene network (signaling pathways). Accumulating evidence(s) suggests that miRNAs can work either as oncogenes or tumor suppressors, but some miRNAs have a dual nature since they can act as both. miRNA 205 (miR-205) is one such highly conserved miRNA that can act as both, oncomiRNA and tumor suppressor. However, most reports confirm its emerging role as a tumor suppressor in many cancers. This review focuses on the downregulated expression of miR-205 and discusses its dysregulation in breast, prostate, skin, liver, gliomas, pancreatic, colorectal and renal cancers. This review also confers its role in tumor initiation, progression, cell proliferation, epithelial to mesenchymal transition, and tumor metastasis. Restoration of miR-205 makes cells more sensitive to drug treatments and mitigates drug resistance. Additionally, the importance of miR-205 in chemosensitization and its utilization as potential biomedicine and nanotherapy is described. Together, this review research article sheds a light on its application as a diagnostic and therapeutic marker, and as a biomedicine in cancer.
The Rags of Time: Psychoanalytic Notes on Ingmar Bergman's Wild Strawberries

Movies and psychoanalysis have largely disregarded the “vicissitudes of aging” and the old person's “quest for meaning.” An exception to this disregard is Ingmar Bergman's Wild Strawberries, which concentrates on the remarkable emotional journey taken by Dr. Isak Borg, a retired professor of medicine. In one day, Borg manages to transform his long-term despair into hope by experiencing “cataclysmic psychological upheaval and renewal.” Borg's epiphany demonstrates that elderly people are capable of learning lessons that have evaded them throughout their long lives from dreams, new relationships, and introspection.
The quality of pharmacotherapy in older veterans discharged from the emergency department or urgent care clinic.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence and type of suboptimal pharmacotherapy that older veterans discharged from the emergency department (ED) or urgent care clinic (UCC) receive and to examine factors associated with suboptimal pharmacotherapy in this population. DESIGN: Retrospective, cohort study. SETTING: An academically affiliated Department of Veterans' Affairs (VA) Medical Center. PARTICIPANTS: Four hundred twenty-one veterans aged 65 and older who were prescribed a new medication at the time of discharge from the ED or UCC. MEASUREMENTS: The primary dependent variable, suboptimal pharmacotherapy, was a composite measure defined as one or more drug-related problems, based on drugs-to-avoid criteria, drug–drug interactions, drug–disease interactions, and failure to satisfy an explicit quality indicator for prescribing or medication monitoring. RESULTS: A total of 757 drugs were prescribed to the 421 patients at the time of discharge from the ED or UCC (mean number±standard deviation per patient 1.65±1.1). The most frequently prescribed medications were nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (n=59), opioid analgesics (n=47), and fluoroquinolone antibiotics (n=46). Overall, 134 (31.8%) subjects were found to have suboptimal pharmacotherapy with regard to their discharge medications; 49 (11.6%) were prescribed a drug to avoid, 53 (12.6%) received a drug that introduced a new drug–drug interaction, 24 (5.7%) were given a drug that introduced a drug–disease interaction, and 74 (17.6%) did not have a quality indicator satisfied (61% of these evaluated prescribing and 39% evaluated medication monitoring). No consistent associations between patient or visit characteristics and suboptimal pharmacotherapy were identified in multivariable models. CONCLUSION: A substantial number of older adults discharged from the ED or UCC may be at risk for adverse events due to suboptimal prescribing and inadequate medication monitoring. Further study is needed to examine the relationship between suboptimal pharmacotherapy and adverse clinical outcomes.
Epstein-Barr Virus Latent Membrane Protein 2 Induces Autophagy To Promote Abnormal Acinus Formation

Epstein-Barr virus latent membrane protein 2A (LMP2A) induces many characteristics of carcinoma, including transformation, migration, invasion, and impaired differentiation. The MCF10A cell line differentiates to form hollow acini when grown in Matrigel, and expression of LMP2A inhibited differentiation and anoikis induced by loss of matrix attachment. LMP2A-infected cells formed large, lobular structures rather than hollow acini. Autophagy inhibitors impaired this abnormal growth and induced caspase 3 activation and acinus formation. LMP2A also increased autophagosome formation and expression of proteins in the autophagosome pathway. These findings suggest that LMP2A may inhibit anoikis and luminal clearance in acini through induction of autophagy.
Leadership, management, and derailment: A model of individual success and failure

Purpose – This paper examines the relationship among leadership skills, management skills and individual success and failure in formal organizations.Design/methodology/approach – A model is presented depicting the interactive relationship among the three variables and explaining why some high potential employees suffer derailment while other individuals with similar skills continue to develop and achieve organizational success.Findings – The model indicates that there is not one combination of management and leadership skills related to individual success.Practical implications – Developmental activities should be ongoing regardless of the individual's level in the organization.Originality/value – This paper synthesizes several streams of research into a coherent model that can be used as a guide for leadership development activities.
A 30 MHz high-speed analog/digital PLL in 2 mu m CMOS

An analog/digital approach to data clock recovery that allows the implementation of a quasi-digital phase-locked loop (PLL) with an effective local clock frequency of 1 GHz in 2- mu m CMOS is described. The large phase jumps normally associated with digital PLLs are avoided. The basic concept of the clock recovery system is shown. A long ring oscillator (32 stages in this example) is permanently frequency locked to a reference frequency at the data window rate. Since the dynamics of this loop do not affect phase acquisition or tracking, the design is noncritical. Each tap on the ring oscillator is used to latch data samples into one of the 32 latches, so at the end of one round trip (one bit time) 32 samples spaced one gate delay apart are stored in the 32 data latches. In 2- mu m technology this gives an effective sample rate of 1 GHz. In 1- mu m technology it is about 5 GHz. After subsequently being moved to a separate holding register, the bit pattern is evaluated to determine the location of valid transitions in the data window by means of digital transition detectors of complexity appropriate to the application. >
The effects of user friendly keyboard slope modifications on wrist postures when keyboarding.

Background Extensive keyboarding has been associated as a risk factor for repetitive strain injuries. Modifying the slope angle may decrease the negative cumulative effects of this activity. Objective This study investigated the kinematic effect of four keyboard modifications on wrist extension during keyboarding. Participants 32 female college students between the age of 21 and 25, mean age of 22.4 years. Method A Greenleaf Biomechanical Analyzer was utilized to determine the wrist extension angles across four keyboard modifications. Results A one way ANOVA with repeated measures revealed significant differences between all 4 test conditions for both right and left wrist extension, Wilks Lambda 0.249 F (3,29) 29.1, p=0.000 n2 = 0.75 for left wrist and Wilks Lambda 0.158 F (3,29) 51.6, p=0.000 n2 = 0.84 for the right wrist. Conclusion The study suggests that simple modifications to a standard computer keyboard can significantly vary wrist angles during keyboarding. These findings could possibly improve worksite modification guidelines and prevent repetitive strain injuries among keyboarders.
Gas clumping in self-consistent reionization models

We use a suite of cosmological hydrodynamic simulations including a self-consistent treatment for inhomogeneous reionization to study the impact of galactic outflows and photoionization heating on the volume-averaged recombination rate of the intergalactic medium (IGM). By incorporating an evolving ionizing escape fraction and a treatment for self-shielding within Lyman limit systems, we have run the first simulations of ‘photon-starved’ reionization scenarios that simultaneously reproduce observations of the abundance of galaxies, the optical depth to electron scattering of cosmic microwave background photons τes and the effective optical depth to Lyα absorption at z = 5. We confirm that an ionizing background reduces the clumping factor C by more than 50 per cent by smoothing moderately overdense (Δ = 1–100) regions. Meanwhile, outflows increase clumping only modestly. The clumping factor of ionized gas is much lower than the overall baryonic clumping factor because the most overdense gas is self-shielded. Photoionization heating further suppresses recombinations if reionization heats gas above the canonical 10 000 K. Accounting for both effects within our most realistic simulation, C rises from 10 to 3.3 at z = 6. We show that incorporating temperature- and ionization-corrected clumping factors into an analytical reionization model reproduces the numerical simulation's τes to within 10 per cent. Finally, we explore how many ionizing photons are absorbed during the process of heating filaments by considering the overall photon cost of reionization in analytical models that assume that the IGM is heated at different redshifts. For reionization redshifts of 9–10, cold filaments boost the reionization photon budget by ∼1 photon per hydrogen atom.
Modelling forest canopy trends with on-demand spatial simulation

Understanding trends in forest canopy cover at local, national, and global scales is important for many applications, including policymaking related to forest carbon sequestration. Globally consistent land-cover data sets derived from MODerate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer MODIS are now available for a period of more than 10 years, long enough to detect trends both in deforestation and in afforestation. However, methods of modelling land-cover change normally require specialized software and expertise, limiting the availability of this information. This barrier to access can be eliminated through the use of web services that construct models on demand based on user-specified regions of interest, so that parameters are inferred from, and relevant to, local conditions. In this paper we present a proof-of-concept system for building and running spatial Markov chain models of forest-cover change on demand, and demonstrate how the on-demand approach may be implemented for similar applications.
Phase space conservation and selection rules for astigmatic mode converters

Abstract An astigmatic mode converter consists of a pair of cylindrical lenses which, when properly located and oriented, can transform a Hermite–Gauss mode (HG nm ) with rectangular symmetry into a Laguerre–Gauss mode (LG nm ) with cylindrical symmetry (see E. Abramochkin, V. Volstnikov, Opt. Commun. 83 (1991) 123; M.W. Beijersbergen, L. Allen, H.E.L.O. van der Veen, J.P. Woerdman, Opt. Commun. 96 (1993) 123; M.J. Padgett, J. Arlt, N. Simpson, Am. J. Phys. 64 (1996) 77; and J. Courtial, M.J. Padgett, Opt. Commun. 159 (1999) 13). In this paper we discuss how the conservation of phase space area determines the selection rules on which mode conversions are possible. A discussion of the beam quality factor M 2 is also given for both Hermite–Gauss and Laguerre–Gauss modes.
Erlotinib for metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer: first-, second- or third-line setting - does it matter ? A single-institution experience.

Background: Erlotinib is approved as treatment for metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), following failure of initial therapy. Studies to define patients that derive maxima
Statistical foundations of thermal equilibrium

A many-body system is considered in thermostatic equilibium with a heat reservoir. The state function for the system in the momentum representation is expressed as an infinite series expansion in terms of the Hermite orthonormal functions. It is demonstrated that the symmetrization of the terms of the series will lead to statistical independence of molecular momenta in the limit of classical mechanics. By applying this condition to Liouville’s equation, it is shown that the density in phase space is canonical in form.
Path-tree: An efficient reachability indexing scheme for large directed graphs

Reachability query is one of the fundamental queries in graph database. The main idea behind answering reachability queries is to assign vertices with certain labels such that the reachability between any two vertices can be determined by the labeling information. Though several approaches have been proposed for building these reachability labels, it remains open issues on how to handle increasingly large number of vertices in real-world graphs, and how to find the best tradeoff among the labeling size, the query answering time, and the construction time. In this article, we introduce a novel graph structure, referred to as path-tree, to help labeling very large graphs. The path-tree cover is a spanning subgraph of G in a tree shape. We show path-tree can be generalized to chain-tree which theoretically can has smaller labeling cost. On top of path-tree and chain-tree index, we also introduce a new compression scheme which groups vertices with similar labels together to further reduce the labeling size. In addition, we also propose an efficient incremental update algorithm for dynamic index maintenance. Finally, we demonstrate both analytically and empirically the effectiveness and efficiency of our new approaches.
Oasis: Onboard autonomous science investigation system for opportunistic rover science

The Onboard Autonomous Science Investigation System has been developed to enable a rover to identify and react to serendipitous science opportunities. Using the FIDO rover in the Mars Yard at JPL, we have successfully demonstrated a fully autonomous opportunistic science system. The closed loop system tests included the rover acquiring image data, finding rocks in the image, analyzing rock properties and identifying rocks that merit further investigation. When the system on the rover alerts the rover to take additional measurements of interesting rocks, the planning and scheduling component determines if there are enough resources to meet this additional science data request. The rover is then instructed to either turn toward the rock, or to actually move closer to the rock to take an additional, close-up image. Prototype dust devil and cloud detection algorithms were delivered to an infusion task which refined the algorithms specifically for Mars Exploration Rovers (MER). These algorithms have been integrated into the MER flight software and were recently uploaded to the rovers on Mars. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Glycosaminoglycans in granulation tissue and hypertrophic scars

Abstract The glycosaminoglycans of granulation tissue from regenerating tissue of severely burned patients was investigated and compared with those of (1) hypertrophic scars and keloids, (2) mature scars and (3) normal skin. Results clearly show that granulation tissues have high levels of chondroitin-4-sulphate relative to the other glycosaminoglycans as compared to low levels in mature scar and normal skin. The chondroitin-4-sulphate levels of children's granulation tissue was significantly higher than the levels from hypertrophic scars of children, however the chondroitin-4-sulphate levels of adults' granulation tissue was not significantly different from those of hypertrophic scars. The dermatan sulphate levels of granulation tissue are significantly lower than the dermatan sulphate levels of hypertrophic scars, mature scars or normal skin. This suggests that chondroitin-4-sulphate is related to proliferation of collagen in granulation tissue, and that as the collagen matures and the normal scar forms, chondroitin-4-sulphate levels decrease and dermatan sulphate increases. When the hypertrophic scar develops, the high chondroitin-4-sulphate levels remain high, dermatan sulphate increases, but does not reach the levels of those in the mature scar. Neither hypertrophic scar nor mature scar have levels of hyaluronic acid as high as normal skin. However, our data suggest that adult granulation tissue may have relatively high hyaluronic acid levels. It is suggested that the different distribution of glycosaminoglycans in granulation tissue influences the size and shape of collagen filaments and may also influence the rate of synthesis of collagen.
Species Differences in Growth Requirements for Bone Marrow Stromal Fibroblast Colony Formation In Vitro

The marrow stromal fibroblast (MSF) population has been shown to include precursor cells for at least five types of connective tissue: bone, cartilage, adipose tissue, fibrous tissue, and hematopoiesis-supporting reticular stroma. In this study, growth requirements for MSF colony formation were studied in vitro. In order to exclude the influence of nonadherent cells, after a period of initial adhesion of bone marrow cells in serum-containing medium nonadherent cells were removed. Further cultivation was carried out in either serum-containing or serum-free conditions, with or without feeder cells (irradiated bone marrow cells). This approach revealed differences between animal species in initial MSF growth requirements. In serum-containing conditions, mouse MSF precursor cells (colony-forming units-fibroblast, CFU-Fs) were shown to be feeder cell dependent: MSF colonies were formed only in the presence of feeder cells. Guinea pig CFU-Fs were partially feeder cell dependent, whereas human CFU-Fs were feeder cell independent. In serum-free conditions, CFU-Fs of all three species were feeder cell dependent. The difference between the growth requirements for mouse and human MSFs was not caused by serum origin or concentration, feeder cell origin, or differences in the preparation of marrow cell suspensions.
Peptide Immunoreactivity of Unmyelinated Primary Afferent Axons in Rat Lumbar Dorsal Roots

The present study demonstrates calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), somatostatin (SOM), bombesin (BOM), and substance P (SP) at the electron microscopic level in lumbar dorsal root axons of normal rats. The highest percentages of labeled axons were for CGRP (14%) and then, in descending order, for SP (8.6%), SOM (6.8%), and BOM (3.1%). The labeled axons were exclusively unmyelinated for SP, SOM, and BOM, and predominantly unmyelinated for CGRP. These data are consistent with the data for labeled sensory cell bodies for these same compounds. We emphasize that these peptides were immunocytochemically visualized in the dorsal roots without experimental manipulation, such as colchicine or dorsal root ligation. Quantitative sampling of this type can be used to assay changes in response to physiological stimuli in numbers of sensory axons that contain identifiable concentrations of these peptides.