cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Problems with reclassification of insulin-like growth factor I production and action disorders

Context: Recent developments in the IGF field have raised questions on whether this is the right time to redefine IGF deficiency. Objective: In this controversy, arguments are made against the need for redefining IGF deficiency at this moment, suggesting instead to wait for further clinical developments. Case: Although a number of rare case reports of IGF deficiency with precise molecular etiologies have been described, the vast majority of the cases remain clinically defined and without a genetic diagnosis. Interventions: Because IGF products are now available for clinical use in IGF-deficient patients, we are still using GH stimulation and static IGF levels as our only clinical diagnostic and classification tools. Positions: We need to develop additional clinical tools, side by side with molecular tools, for the diagnosis and subclassification of IGF deficiency. Chief among these are the IGF-generation test for identification of GH-insensitive patients and genetic panels of polymorphic changes in releva...
Life‐cycle cost analysis of supplemental damping

This paper illustrates a method for assessing the economic effects of supplemental damping in a building design (new or rehabilitation scheme) over a given time period of interest. The method involves simulation of life-cycle costs and benefits (in terms of avoided loss) attributable to earthquake hazard over a user-defined time period. At each time step, the capacity of the building is a function of the capacity and earthquake performance at the previous time step. The method allows for the user to specify the threshold for capacity updating, as well as the level of damage at which repairs will be made (i.e. losses will actually be incurred). The simulation method is illustrated through a case study of a high-rise steel moment frame building located in a region of high seismicity. The effects of adding supplemental damping to the building are investigated for several time periods. Time periods of 5, 15, 30, 50 and 100 years are used, and, for each time period, damping ratios of 5%, 10%, 20% and 30% of critical are used. The results can be used to help determine whether it is beneficial or not to incur the extra cost associated with adding supplemental damping in the building design. For example, for a 30-year time period, the results show that it would be beneficial to use supplemental damping devices to increase the damping to 10% if the added cost is less than US$4·9 million, to 20% if the added cost is less than US$8·3 million, and to 30% if the added cost is less than US$10 million. Similarly, if an additional US$3·25 million is spent to increase the damping in the building to 20%, the results show that it would take approximately 15 years to recover the additional cost in terms of expected loss reduction. The paper also discusses the limitations associated with these results. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Melissopalynology in the United States; a review and critique

Abstract Scientific investigation of U.S. honey began in the 1900s when Young examined the pollen contents of honey to determine potential floral sources and to search for a test to detect adulterated samples. Later, in the early 1940s, Todd and Vansell examined the role of pollen in the identification of honey types. Their study followed the path of pollen from its floral source to its eventual location in honey samples. The first extensive study of U.S. honey types was conducted by M. Lieux in the late 1970s. She examined 54 samples of honey from Louisiana, and 68 samples of honey from Mississippi. Since Lieux's studies, there has been only one other pollen study of honey samples from U.S. sources. This study by White et al. (1991) examined the chemical and pollen properties of 11 honey samples collected from regions in Mexico, Texas, and Arizona. Although the United States ranks third in the world in honey production, much of its honey cannot be verified for consumer consumption or effectively exported...
Quantification of the modulated structures in TiPdCr alloys

SUMMARY Ti50Pd(50-x)Crxβ2 alloys (B2, CsCl-type crystal structure) have been investigated as part of an overall study of the systematics of phase transformation behaviour and also for the commercial applicability of the shape memory effect at elevated temperatures. The phase transformations are unique in the sense that electron diffraction and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy of Ti50Pd(50-x)Crx alloys with x between 6 and 10 at.% reveal {110}B2 modulated structures with periodicities between 3 and 4·5 planes that vary linearly with composition. Satellites along certain * lying at incommensurate positions are observed in electron diffraction patterns and are consistent with transverse lattice displacements. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) imaging usually reveals sinusoidal displacements; however, a few images appear ‘banded’ at three- and four-plane intervals suggesting the possibility that three- and four-plane commensurate packets combine to give the overall incommensurate satellite spacing. With the use of a newly developed technique for quantifying atomic displacements from HRTEM images, modulated phases in Ti50Pd43Cr7 and Ti50Pd42Cr8 alloys, where atoms are shifted from the cubic lattice sites by a transverse lattice displacement wave, have been studied. The real space displacements of the modulated structures were determined and compared to truly incommensurate and varying three- and four-plane wave packet combinations by examination of the goodness of fit as assessed by the correlation coefficient for a least-squares fit. In the cases of the Ti50Pd43Cr7 and Ti50Pd42Cr8 alloys, the incommensurate sine wave exhibited much better matching than the commensurate packets, indicating that these modulations are probably incommensurate.
Idiopathic Systemic Granulomatous Disease and Macrophage Expression of PTHrP in a Miniature Pony

Idiopathic systemic granulomatous disease, which has been reported in horses, cattle and human beings, is characterized by perivascular granulomatous and lymphoplasmacytic inflammation in many organ systems. Diagnosis is based on the exclusion of possible viral, fungal or bacterial causes. The disease was identified in a miniature pony with widespread lymphoplasmacytic and granulomatous inflammation, special staining techniques having revealed no evidence of any aetiological agent. Skin lesions, which were severe, consisted of hyperkeratosis and serocellular crust formation, with inflammatory infiltrates in a perivascular to diffuse pattern in both the superficial and deep dermis. Inflammatory infiltrates were also present in lymph nodes and around the blood vessels in most organs. Immunohistochemically, both CD3-positive T lymphocytes and BLA36-positive B lymphocytes were identified in the inflammatory infiltrates, and macrophages were immunolabelled for parathyroid hormone-related protein, a factor associated with hypercalcaemia in human beings with granulomatous diseases.
Effect of diet composition on energy expenditure during weight loss: the POUNDS LOST Study.

Weight loss reduces energy expenditure, but the contribution of different macronutrients to this change is unclear. We tested the hypothesis that macronutrient composition of the diet might affect the partitioning of energy expenditure during weight loss. A substudy of 99 participants from the Preventing Overweight Using Novel Dietary Strategies (POUNDS LOST) trial had total energy expenditure (TEE) measured by doubly labeled water, and resting energy expenditure (REE) measured by indirect calorimetry at baseline and repeated at 6 months in 89 participants. Participants were randomly assigned to one of four diets with either 15 or 25% protein and 20 or 40% fat. TEE and REE were positively correlated with each other and with fat-free mass and body fat, at baseline and 6 months. The average weight loss of 8.1±0.65 kg (least-square mean±s.e.) reduced TEE by 120±56 kcal per day and REE by 136±18 kcal per day. A greater weight loss at 6 months was associated with a greater decrease in TEE and REE. Participants eating the high-fat diet (HF) lost significantly more fat-free mass (1.52±0.55 kg) than the low-fat (LF) diet group (P<0.05). Participants eating the LF diet had significantly higher measures of physical activity than the HF group. A greater weight loss was associated with a larger decrease in both TEE and REE. The LF diet was associated with significant changes in fat-free body mass and energy expenditure from physical activity compared with the HF diet.
Comparison of sensitization elicited by amphetamine and pertussis toxin: Characterization of locomotor behavior and limbic dopamine release

Abstract 1. 1. Male, Sprague-Dawley rats were pretreated with one of several regimens of repeated, intermittent amphetamine or with a single-dose of intra-VTA pertussis toxin (PTX). 2. 2. An amphetamine challenge dose (0.5 mg/Kg I.P.) produced increased locomotor activity in both amphetamine and pertussis toxin-pretreated rats. 3. 3. The magnitude of activity in PTX pretreated rats exceeded 5-fold that of the amphetamine-pretreated rats. 4. 4. There were no significant differences in the levels of sensitized behavior elicited by 4 distinct amphetamine pretreatment protocols. 5. 5. Neither of the drug pretreatments caused significant changes in the ability of 10μM amphetamine to promote dopamine efflux from nucleus accumbens or striatal tissue in vitro. 6. 6. The sensitized behavior cannot be explained by in vitro alterations in pre-synaptic dopamine release, which may suggest an up-regulation of post-synaptic activity.
FINANCE AND DEVELOPMENT: THE KOREAN APPROACH

During the last three decades, the Korean economy has recorded a remarkable growth. The rapid growth of the Korean economy started with the government's aggressive development strategy in the early 1960s. The government set up a sequence of comprehensive five-year economic development plans starting in 1962 and has implemented them through various fiscal and financial incentives. It was directly involved in arranging finance for de velopment projects. In the process, the government strongly controlled the financial system: it owned all major commercial banks as well as specialized banks; it administered interest rates; and it directed a large proportion of intermediaries' credit alloca tion.
Effect of ethanol on tropomyosin in solution and in reconstituted thin filaments.

Abstract The effects of ethanol at concentrations below 10% on the conformation of tropomyosin, its end-to-end polymerization, its binding to F-actin, and its effects on actomyosin ATPase activity were studied. Ethanol stabilized the tropomyosin conformation by shifting the helix thermal unfolding profile to higher temperatures, and increased the end-to-end polymerization of tropomyosin. Ethanol-induced changes in the excimer fluorescence of pyrene-tropomyosin indicated that its conformation was stabilized by ethanol both free and bound to F-actin. Effects of tropomyosin and tropomyosin-troponin on actomyosin ATPase activity were measured under conditions for which tropomyosin binding to F-actin increases the activity. Under conditions for which the binding of tropomyosin to F-actin is optimum, in the presence of tropomyosin, the actomyosin ATPase activity decreased as the ethanol concentration increased, further indicating that ethanol induces a structural change in the tropomyosin-F-actin complex. Under conditions for which the binding of tropomyosin to F-actin is weak (low salt or high temperature), addition of ethanol increased the ATPase activity due to increased binding of tropomyosin to F-actin. Thus, ethanol appears to modify actomyosin ATPase activity by (1) increasing the binding of tropomyosin to F-actin and (2) affecting the structure of tropomyosin in the tropomyosin-F-actin filament.
Ultrastructural specialization at the host-pathogen interface in rust-infected flax

Ultrastructure of the association between the rust fungus, Melampsora lini, and a compatible variety of flax, Linum usitatissimum, was studied to clarify the structural relationships and interactions at the site of host penetration and at the host-parasite interface. Results of freeze-etching as well as a special section-staining procedure consisting of periodate-chromate-phosphotungstate (PACP) are shown with a host-parasite combination for the first time. The host plasma membrane is invaginated by the fungus and forms a continuous boundary around the fungal haustoria which penetrate the host cells. No morphological continuities are observed linking the protoplasts of host and fungus. With both freeze-etching and the PACP stain, the invaginated portion of the host plasma membrane at the host-parasite interface shows distinctive features that are not characteristic of the non-invaginated portion of the membrane. This localized specialization of host plasma membrane in response to the fungus appears as a significant and consistent feature of the host-parasite interaction. The host plasma membrane is separated from the haustorial wall by an amorphous layer of sheath material which covers the body but not the neck of the haustorium. This sheath provides the environment in which the haustorium exists and functions during the course of the host-parasite association. Occasionally, a collar of wall-like material derived from the host cell forms around the haustorial neck. The collar is continuous with the host wall and is distinct and discontinuous from the haustorial sheath. In fewer than 5% of the infected cells this wall material encases entire haustoria. The fungal wall is structurally specialized around the site of host penetration, and it becomes intimately associated with the host wall where the fungus penetrates into the lumen of the host cell. During penetration, the host and fungal walls appear to be fused so that the interface between them is not clearly delineated. The haustorial wall is continuous, via the haustorial neck, with the wall of the haustorial mother cell which lies outside the host cell. Different staining properties reveal this wall continuum to consist of several well-defined regions having different structure or composition. A ring of fungal wall material midway along the haustorial neck stains densely with lead citrate, but is preferentially etched away by periodic acid. The neck ring denotes a transition in the staining reaction of the fungal wall, from that present in the region of host penetration to that of the wall surrounding the haustorium. The findings demonstrate specialization of the fungal wall in the area of host penetration as well as specialization of the host plasma membrane at the host-parasite interface to a degree not previously realized from ultrastructural information.
Quality Ratings for Frequency-Shaped Peak-Clipped Speech: Results for Listeners With Hearing Loss

Peak clipping is a common form of distortion in hearing aids and can reduce the subjective quality of the amplified speech. In a previous study involving listeners with normal hearing Kates & Kozma...
Structures of ceftazidime and its transition-state analogue in complex with AmpC beta-lactamase: implications for resistance mutations and inhibitor design.

Third-generation cephalosporins are widely used β-lactam antibiotics that resist hydrolysis by β-lactamases. Recently, mutant β-lactamases that rapidly inactivate these drugs have emerged. To inves...
Exact internal controllability of a one-dimensional aeroelastic plate

This paper considers a control problem associated with a one-dimensional elastic plate with self-induced aerodynamic pressure. When the support of control lies in a prescribed subinterval, exact controllability is established by deriving a key energy estimate. By means of this estimate, it is also proved that the energy of a beam with partial damping decays exponentially fast.
Characterization of biorthogonal cosine wavelets

This paper is devoted to the study of characterization of two-overlapping dual window functions that give rise to biorthogonal Schauder bases, frames, and Riesz bases by modulation of the cosines. We show that in this case any frame is a Riesz basis and our characterization of Riesz bases may be considered as a generalization of the theorems established by Coifman, et al. [6] and by Jawerth and Sweldens [9].
The Mentoring Relationship Challenges Scale: The impact of mentoring stage, type, and gender

The current study investigated the role of relational challenges as reported by 309 proteges in various stages and types of mentoring relationships. The Mentoring Relationship Challenges Scale (MRCS) was newly constructed using the results of an earlier qualitative study (Ensher & Murphy, 2005). The scale measured three factors of relational challenges which were: Demonstrating Commitment and Resilience, Measuring Up to a Mentor's Standards, and Career Goal and Risk Orientation. The results demonstrated that with respect to mentoring stages, those proteges in the beginning stages of their relationships reported experiencing significantly fewer challenges related to Demonstrating Commitment and Resilience than those in the mature or ending stages of the relationship. Also, it was found that the type of mentoring relationship (traditional, step-ahead, or peer) affected the prevalence of the three types of challenges. Proteges in peer relationships reported significantly fewer of all three types of challenges than those in step-ahead or traditional relationships. However, contrary to predictions, there were no significant differences found betweenthoseininformalversusthoseinformalmentoringrelationships.Asexpected,protegeand mentor gender interacted significantly. Female proteges reported experiencing significantly fewer challenges related to the factor of Measuring Up to a Mentor's Standards, than did male proteges. Also, female proteges reported experiencing a significantly higher degree of relational challenges related to Career Goal and Risk Orientation from their male mentors than from their female mentors. Finally, after controlling for perceptions of career and psychosocial support for proteges in traditional mentoring relationships, two of the three relational challenges factors remained significant and explaineda significant amount of variance in overall satisfaction with the mentoring relationship.Thissuggeststhatrelationalchallenges,atleastfor traditionalmentoringrelationships, serve as an important mechanism to impact overall relationship satisfaction.
The summer research conferences and the SRCOS: a historical perspective

In this paper, a brief account of the origin and evolution of the Southern Regional Council on Statistics/American Statistical Association (SRCOS/ASA) Summer Research Conference (SRC) is outlined. The 40th SRC was held in Blacksburg, Virginia, on 6–9 June 2004. The conference was originally the brainchild of the Southern Regional Education Board's Committee on Statistics (SREB-COS), created to fulfill a unique need for a small gathering of statisticians and other scientists in the Southern region of the United States, at which research topics in statistics and statistical training could be addressed in a relaxed and unhurried way amid pleasant surroundings. Young statisticians were included along with well-known senior researchers to be able to interact, get to know each other, and enhance their research and training efforts. A brief history of the SREB-COS and its successor, the SRCOS, is also presented to convey its role in the development of the discipline in the region.
Underexpanded jet noise reduction using radial flow impingement.

Reduction of noise from underexpanded axisymmetric jet flows using radial jet flow impingement
Pad++: a zoomable graphical interface system

Large information spaces are often difficult to access efficiently and intuitively. We are exploring Pad++, a graphical interface system based on zooming, as an alternative to traditional window and icon-based approaches. Objects can be placed in the graphical workspace at any size, and zooming is the fundamental navigational technique. The goal is to provide simple methods for visually navigating complex information spaces that ease the burden of locating information while maintaining an intuitive sense of location and of relationship between information objects.
Bird fat reductions in forests treated with dimilin

Indirect, nonacutely toxic, effects of pesticide applications on birds have been largely overlooked. Diflubenzuron (trade name Dimilin®) has extremely low toxicity to birds (LD50 > 3,762 mg/kg for red-winged blackbirds, Agelaius phoeniceus). It has gained widespread use for control of gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar) populations in Eastern forests. However, Dimilin® has been implicated in mortality of nontarget insects, many of which have been shown to be food for birds. This study examined the overall condition of birds breeding on Dimilin®-treated and untreated plots by determining the percentage of dry weight fat for a group of common forest songbirds. It was found that seven of the nine tested bird species had significantly (p < 0.05) lower fat reserves on treated plots than those on nontreated plots. Although the two nonsignificantly different bird species were permanent residents (black-capped chickadee and tufted titmouse), all of the remaining seven species were neotropical migrants. Possible causes of the fat reductions center on (a) reduction in food, resulting in a decrease in biomass of ingested food; (b) increase cost in obtaining food; and (c) reduction in food quality. Whether or not the reduced fat levels cause concomitant reductions in adult/juvenile survival could not be demonstrated.
Minimal bystander activation of CD8 T cells during the virus-induced polyclonal T cell response.

Acute infections with viruses such as lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) are associated with a massive polyclonal T cell response, but the specificities of only a small percentage of these activated T cells are known. To determine if bystander stimulation of T cells not specific to the virus plays a role in this T cell response, we examined two different systems, HY-specific T cell receptor (TCR)-transgenic mice, which have a restricted TCR repertoire, and LCMVcarrier mice, which are tolerant to LCMV. LCMV infection of HY-transgenic C57BL/6 mice induced antiviral CTLs that lysed target cells coated with two of the three immunodominant epitopes previously defined for LCMV (glycoprotein 33 and nucleoprotein 397). Although LCMV-induced cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) from C57BL/6 mice could lyse uninfected H-2k and H-2d allogeneic targets, LCMV-induced CTLs from HY mice lysed only the H-2kexpressing cells. The HY mice generated both anti-H-2k and anti-H-2d CTL in mixed leukocyte reactions, providing evidence that the generation of allospecific CTLs during acute LCMV infection is antigen specific. During the LCMV infection there was blastogenesis of the CD8+ T cell population, but the HY-specific T cells (as determined by expression of the TCR-α chain) remained small in size. To examine the potential for bystander stimulation under conditions of a very strong CTL response, T cell chimeras were made between normal and HY mice. Even in the context of a normal virus-induced CTL response, no stimulation of HY-specific T cells was observed, and HY-specific cells were diluted in number by day 9 after infection. In LCMV-carrier mice in which donor and host T cells could be distinguished by Thy1 allotypic markers, adoptive transfer of LCMV-immune T cells into LCMV-carrier mice, whose T cells were tolerant to LCMV, resulted in activation and proliferation of donor CD8 cells, but little or no activation of host CD8 cells. These results support the hypothesis that the massive polyclonal CTL response to LCMV infection is virus-specific and that bystander activation of non–virus-specific T cells is not a significant component of this response.
Race differences in the physical and psychological impact of hypertension labeling

Background Blood pressure screening is an important component of cardiovascular disease prevention, but a hypertension diagnosis (i.e., label) can have unintended negative effects on patients’ well-being. Despite persistent disparities in hypertension prevalence and outcomes, whether the impact of labeling differs by race is unknown. The purpose of this study was to evaluate possible race differences in the relationships between hypertension labeling and health-related quality of life and depression.
Generation of coherent radiation in XUV by fifth- and seventh-order frequency conversion in rare gases

Results of experimental studies of the generation of coherent radiation in the XUV by high order optical nonlinearities in the rare gases are described. Fifth- and seventh-harmonic conversion and six wave mixing of harmonic pulses from an Nd:YAG laser were used to produce radiation at several discrete wavelengths between 38 and 76 nm. Experimental measurements of fifth-haxmonic conversion of pump pulses at 266.1 nm in helium are compared with theoretical predictions. Discrepancies between theory and experiment are observed at high laser powers, and the role of competing processes is discussed.
Defective Escherichia coli signal peptides function in yeast

Summary To investigate structural characteristics important for eukaryotic signal peptide function In vivo, a hybrid gene with interchangeable signal peptides was cloned into yeast. The hybrid gene encoded nine residues from the amino terminus of the major Escherichia coli lipoprotein, attached to the amino terminus of the entire mature B. coli β-lactamase sequence. To this sequence were attached sequences encoding the non-mutant E. coli lipoprotein signal peptide, or lipoprotein signal peptide mutants lacking an amino-terminal cationic charge, with shortened hydrophobic core, with altered potential helicity, or with an altered signal-peptide cleavage site. These signal-peptide mutants exhibited altered processing and secretion in E. coli. Using the GAL10 promoter, production of all hybrid proteins was induced to constitute 4–5% of the total yeast protein. Hybrid proteins with mutant signal peptides that show altered processing and secretion in E. coli, were processed and translocated to a similar degree as the non-mutant hybrid protein in yeast (approximately 36% of the total hybrid protein). Both non-mutant and mutant signal peptides appeared to be removed at the same unique site between cysteine 21 and serine 22. one residue from the E. coli signal peptidase II processing site. The mature lipo-β-lactamase was translocated across the cytoplasmic membrane into the yeast periplasm. Thus the protein secretion apparatus in yeast recognizes the lipoprotein signal sequence in vivo but displays a specificity towards altered signal sequences which differs from that of E. coli.
Atlantic Deep-Sea Sediment Cores

Studies of lithology, particle-size distributions, and micropaleontology and chemical analyses of 221 Atlantic and Caribbean deep-sea cores lead to new conceptions of processes of sedimentation, rates of sediment accumulation, Pleistocene chronology, and pre-Pleistocene history of the Atlantic Basin. Anomalous layers of sand, silt, and lutite occur widely in the deep basins of the Atlantic. Evidence for deposition of these layers by turbidity currents is as follows: (1) the layers occur in submarine canyons, in deltalike features at the terminal ends of canyons, in basins and depressions, never on isolated rises; (2) they are interbedded with late Pleistocene sediments of abyssal facies; (3) they are well-sorted and commonly graded; and (4) they commonly contain organic remains of shallow-water origin. Late Pleistocene slumping of compacted Neogene sediments along the banks of the Hudson Submarine Canyon at depths exceeding 3000 m indicates deepening of the canyon by erosion by turbidity currents. Variations in the planktonic Foraminifera in 108 of the cores and extrapolation of rates of sediment accumulation determined by 37 radiocarbon dates in 10 cores show that the last period of climate comparable with the present ended about 60,000 years ago. A faunal change indicating climatic amelioration, probably corresponding to the beginning of postglacial time, occurred about 11,000 years ago. Cross-correlations by micropaleontological methods establish the continuity of the climatic record deduced from the planktonic Foraminifera. Study of variation in the Planktonic Foraminifera leads to a different Pleistocene chronology from that proposed by Emiliani (1955). Cross-correlations of faunal zones and radio-carbon dates show that rates of continuous sediment accumulation, as opposed to turbidity-current deposition, range from 0.5 cm to 274.4 cm in 1000 years, depending upon bottom configuration. Cross-correlations by means of changes in coiling direction of planktonic Foraminifera give relative rates of sediment accumulation beyond the range of the radiocarbon method of dating. Forty one of the cores contain pre-Pleistocene sediments. The oldest sediment is Upper Cretaceous. Foraminifera and discoasters indicate the ages. Absence of sediment older than Late Cretaceous and thickness, 800–1000 m, of sediment in the Atlantic Basin as determined by seismic methods suggest that a large-scale reorganization of the Atlantic Basin took place in the Mesozoic.
Entrepreneurs from technology-based universities: Evidence from MIT

This paper analyzes major patterns and trends in entrepreneurship among technology-based university alumni since the 1930s by asking two related research questions: (1) Who enters entrepreneurship, and has this changed over time? (2) How does the rate of entrepreneurship vary with changes in the entrepreneurial business environment? We describe findings based on data from two linked datasets joining Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) alumni and founder information. New company formation rates by MIT alumni have grown dramatically over seven decades, and the median age of first time entrepreneurs has gradually declined from about age 40 (1950s) to about age 30 (1990s). Women alumnae lag their male counterparts in the rate at which they become entrepreneurs, and alumni who are not U.S. citizens enter entrepreneurship at different (usually higher) rates relative to their American classmates. New venture foundings over time are correlated with measures of the changing external entrepreneurial and business environment, suggesting that future research in this domain may wish to more carefully examine such factors. © 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Safety and Efficacy of Statins in Patients With End-Stage Renal Disease

Objective: To review statins in the prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD) events and their associated safety in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Data Sources: Peer-reviewed clinical trials, review articles, and treatment guidelines were identified from MEDLINE (1966-July 2013) using the following search terms: end stage renal disease, statin, HMG-CoA (hydroxymethylglutaryl-coenzyme A) reductase inhibitor, chronic kidney disease, cardiovascular outcomes, and cardiovascular disease. Results were limited to human trials published in English. Citations from articles were reviewed for additional references. Study Selection and Data Extraction: Only clinical trials evaluating cardiovascular end points of statins used in patients with ESRD were included. Data Synthesis: In patients with ESRD, CVD is the leading cause of death. Statin therapy has been evaluated in 3 clinical trials in patients with ESRD. The 4D and AURORA trials failed to show a benefit with statin therapy, and the SHARP trial, ...
Validity of Medication Adherence Self-Reports in Adults With Type 2 Diabetes

OBJECTIVE To assess the validity of self-report measures of diabetes medication adherence and evaluate the effect of depression on the validity of these reports. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Adults with type 2 diabetes, treated with oral medications, completed a set of medication adherence self-reports that varied response scales and time frames, were administered structured clinical interviews for depression, and provided blood samples for HbA 1c as part of a screening for an intervention study. A subsample of participants with HbA 1c ≥7.0% and clinically significant depression received Medication Event Monitoring System (MEMS) bottle caps to record adherence. Analyses examined relationships between adherence measures and HbA 1c and, in the subsample, MEMS. Moderated linear regression evaluated whether depression severity modified relationships with HbA 1c . RESULTS Participant ( n = 170, 57% men, 81% white, mean HbA 1c 8.3% [SD, 1.7]) adherence self-reports were significantly ( r = −0.18 to −0.28; P 1c . In the subsample ( n = 88), all self-reports were significantly ( r = 0.35 to 0.55; P ≤ 0.001) associated with MEMS-measured adherence. Depression significantly moderated the relationship between three of six self-reports and HbA 1c ; at high levels of depression, associations with HbA 1c became nonsignificant. CONCLUSIONS Results support the validity of easily administered self-reports for diabetes medication adherence. One-month, percentage-based ratings of adherence had the strongest associations with MEMS and HbA 1c ; those requiring the report of missed doses had weaker associations. One-week self-ratings and measures that require respondents to record the number of missed doses appear to be vulnerable to bias from depression severity.
One world, one health: the threat of emerging swine diseases. A North American perspective.

Summary The predicted expansion of global livestock populations to meet the food and fibre demands of the growing human population raises numerous concerns, including the implications for disease emergence. The evolution of animal production in developed countries has been marked by substantial reduction in farm numbers with correspondingly larger herd sizes, specialization of enterprises, concentration or ownership and vertical integration. Innovations in the structure and operations of swine production have been largely driven by efforts to improve swine health, and the impact of several important swine diseases has declined. Productivity in swine production and the safety of pork products have increased markedly. The most significant emerging infectious diseases of pigs over the last decades have been highly host-specific viruses rather than multihost pathogens. While some bacterial pathogens of pigs have increased in importance in modern systems, improved management systems and biosecurity have enabled herd sizes to increase without negative impact on swine health. The most vulnerable scenario for disease emergence in swine, particularly for zoonotic agents, may be rapid expansion and intensification of swine industries in developing countries without incorporating the stringent biosecurity measures and veterinary oversight that have helped maintain the health and productivity of large herds in North America. Factors that may influence disease emergence in the long term include regulatory measures (particularly related to antimicrobial use), genetics and feeding practices.
An Empirically Derived Taxonomy of Manufacturer–Retailer Channel Structures

Despite efforts at channels theory integration, observers note that this literature lacks a systematic taxonomy of channel systems that reflects the literature's diversity. This study advances a framework that depicts channel structure as being composed of two dimensions: operational integration and joint decision-making. It also illustrates the sociopolitical, economic, and strategic antecedents to channel structure. Using finite mixture regression, differences in various types of manufacturer–retailer channel structure are explored. Based on this analysis, six classes of manufacturer–retailer channel structures are identified.
A Concept for Tactical Reroute Generation, Evaluation and Coordination

A concept is described that enables traffic managers to efficiently develop and coordinate tactical reroutes around convective weather, facilitating incremental decision making. Tactical reroutes are more precise and efficient than strategic ones, since weather predictions improve as look-ahead time decreases. Currently, tactical rerouting is prohibitively labor intensive as there is little automation assistance to identify flights projected to be affected by weather, to choose appropriate reroutes, and to coordinate them. In the United States, electronic means will soon be available for coordinating reroutes between traffic managers and en route controllers, making tactical rerouting a much more viable option for traffic managers. The Tactical Rerouting concept presented here takes advantage of this technology, and adds decision support capabilities that together increase throughput near a weather constraint and thereby reduce the need for larger scale, strategic Traffic Management Initiatives that frequently produce unnecessary delays.
An overview of recent nucleon spin structure measurements at Jefferson Lab

Jefferson Lab have made significant contributions to improve our knowledge of the longitudinal spin structure by measuring polarized structure functions, g1 and g2, down to Q2 = 0.02 GeV2. The low Q2 data is especially useful in testing the Chiral Perturbation theory (cPT) calculations. The spin-dependent sum rules and the spin polarizabilities, constructed from the moments of g1 and g2, provide an important tool to study the longitudinal spin structure. We will present an overview of the experimental program to measure these structure functions at Jefferson Lab, and present some recent results on the neutron polarizabilities, proton g1 at low Q2, and proton and neutron d2 measurement. In addition to this, we will discuss the transverse spin structure of the nucleon which can be accessed using chiral-odd transversity distribution (h1), and show some results from measurements done on polarized 3He target in Hall A.
Measurement and Safety Classification of Medical Laser Products

The laser is a wavelength range from very short ultraviolet to far infrared electromagnetic radiation energy.Monochrome laser,the coherence and collimation,high energy density,concentrated and strong,great harm on the human body.Potentially harmful levels of laser on the human body,it is necessary to the security classification of the laser.This paper describes the GB 7247.1-2001 Safety of laser products-Part 1:Equipment classification,requirements and user’s guide AEL value of the calculated and experimental methods of laser products,and make the classification judgment.
Demand for gambling: development and assessment of a gambling purchase task

AbstractSelf-report purchase tasks are a novel approach examining the reinforcing value of addictive behaviour relative to increasing monetary costs required to access the addictive behaviour (i.e. demand). These measures reveal a positive relationship between the indices of demand and addiction problem severity and can elucidate factors associated with motivation for substance use. Gambling is an addictive behaviour that has not been examined using this paradigm. This study seeks to adapt and examine the purchase task for gambling behaviour. A gambling purchase task was devised that asked individuals how often per month they would gamble at various cover charges. Participants were 73 adults from the community with either gambling disorder (n = 28) or alcohol use disorder (n = 24) or were a healthy control (n = 21). Both the alcohol and gambling purchase tasks were administered. Results demonstrate discriminant validity of the gambling purchase task, as individuals with gambling disorder have significantl...
Region Comparative Study on Transplanting and Accurate Quantitation Cultivation of Hybrid Rice Yongyou 12

[Objective] The aim was to explore the high-yielding cultivation techniques in inter subspecific hybrid rice Yongyou 12. [Method] An accurate quantitation cultivation region comparative test of Yongyou 12 was launched in Tudian town of Tongxiang City in 2014. [Result] The results showed that the yield of accurate quantitation cultivation was the highest compared with the conventional machine planting and the machine planting without nitrogen. The former's yield was 11 871 kg/hm2, with increase of 13.2% and 60.0%respectively. The main reason was accurate quantitative cultivation more harmonious in group and individual development space. [Conclusion] Based on the necessary ear number, this variety was easy to obtain high yield by fighting big spike.
Cardiovascular risk factors in women of reproductive age

Risk factor control at an early age is predicted to have substantial benefits after menopause, when the risk of cardiovascular events climbs steeply.
Continuous renal prosthetic therapy in acute renal failure: an overview.

The technology surrounding the treatment of acute renal failure has been traditionally left in the realm of dialysis. The use of peritoneal dialysis for the neonate or small infant and the often difficult use of hemodialysis in larger children and adolescents have been the mainstay of support. Not infrequently, however, the multisystem nature of the failure demonstrated by these patients made either form of therapy at best inadequate. The morbidity of the procedure would add to the already high morbidity of the disease and the patient would either be unable to receive the needed medications because of necessary fluid restrictions, or be subjected to severe hemodynamic or respiratory embarrassment due to the treatment methods them selves. It is precisely toward this patient population that the continous forms of renal replacement therapy, reviewed herein, are directed.
Intrinsic Neuronal Mechanisms in Axon Regeneration After Spinal Cord Injury

Axon transection and failure of axon regeneration after spinal cord injury result in permanent functional deficits. Previous focus on blocking the inhibitory environment turns out to be insufficient to achieve robust axon regeneration in the central nervous system (CNS). Loss of intrinsic axon growth ability in adult CNS neurons might also play a critical role in underlying such regeneration failure. Based on recently revealed mechanistic insights about intrinsic ability controls, several experimental strategies have been devised to promote injured axons to regenerate with large quantities and long distance, and may provide important therapeutic approaches to recovering function after spinal cord injury.
Probabilistic planning with nonlinear utility functions

Researchers often express probabilistic planning problems as Markov decision process models and then maximize the expected total reward. However, it is often rational to maximize the expected utility of the total reward for a given nonlinear utility function, for example, to model attitudes towards risk in high-stake decision situations. In this paper, we give an overview of basic techniques for probabilistic planning with nonlinear utility functions, including functional value iteration and a backward induction method for one-switch utility functions.
Hybrid algorithm for automatic regulation of mechanical ventilation in premature infants based on expert rules and proportional differential control

Mechanically ventilated premature infants present with fluctuations in ventilation that cannot be addressed by conventional mechanical ventilation with fixed positive pressure and constant frequency. A hybrid algorithm for automatic targeting of minute ventilation and tidal volume by individual or combined closed loop control of the ventilator frequency and peak inspiratory pressure was developed. The objective of this system is to minimize the mechanical support and adapt to changes in ventilatory need. Under the most challenging conditions, the combined controller is more efficient than individual control.
Solar System Exploration Augmented by In-Situ Resource Utilization: Human Planetary Base Issues for Mercury and Saturn

Human and robotic missions to Mercury and Saturn are presented and analyzed with a range of propulsion options. Historical studies of space exploration, planetary spacecraft, and astronomy, in-situ resource utilization (ISRU), and industrialization all point to the vastness of natural resources in the solar system. Advanced propulsion benefitted from these resources in many ways. While advanced propulsion systems were proposed in these historical studies, further investigation of nuclear options using high power nuclear thermal and nuclear pulse propulsion as well as advanced chemical propulsion can significantly enhance these scenarios. Updated analyses based on these historical visions are presented. Nuclear thermal propulsion and ISRU enhanced chemical propulsion landers are assessed for Mercury missions. At Saturn, nuclear pulse propulsion with alternate propellant feed systems and Saturn moon exploration with chemical propulsion and nuclear electric propulsion options are discussed. Issues with using in-situ resource utilization on Mercury missions are discussed. At Saturn, the best locations for exploration and the use of the moons Titan and Enceladus as central locations for Saturn moon exploration is assessed.
Review of The Bio-Integrated Farm: A Revolutionary Permaculture-Based System Using Greenhouses, Ponds, Compost Piles, Aquaponics, Chickens, and More

Permaculture merges the terms “permanent” with “(agri-)culture” and thus incorporates ecology with the need for agriculture. It goes beyond a self-sustaining and high-maintenance farm to one that m...
A high-pressure superconducting polymorph of cadmium tin diarsenide

Abstract A superconducting polymorph of CdSnAs2 prepared at about 60kbar and 25–450°C has been retained at atmospheric pressure and temperature. Its crystal structure is Bl(NaCl) with a lattice constant of 5.679–5.695 A depending on the temperature at which it was prepared. The superconducting transition temperature is also a function of the preparation temperature and varies from 1.79° to 2.29°K.
Where are you from: Home location profiling of crowd sensors from noisy and sparse crowdsourcing data

Crowdsourcing has emerged as an important data collection paradigm in participatory and human-centric sensing applications. While many crowdsourcing studies focus on sensing and recovering the status of the physical world, this paper investigates the problem of profiling the crowd sensors (i.e., humans). In particular, we study the problem of accurately inferring the home locations of people from the noisy and sparse crowdsourcing data they contribute. In this study, we propose a semi-supervised framework, Where Are You From (WAYF), to accurately infer the home locations of people by explicitly exploring the localness of people and the dependency between people based on their check-in behaviors under a rigorous analytical framework. We perform extensive experiments to evaluate the performance of our scheme and compared it to the state-of-the-art techniques using three real world data traces collected from Foursquare. The results showed the effectiveness of our scheme in accurately profiling the home locations of people.
$l_p$ Analysis and Synthesis of Linear Switched Systems: A Unified Input-Output and State-Space Approach

In this paper, we develop a new framework to analyze stability and stabilizability of linear switched systems (LSSs) as well as their gain computations. Our approach is based on a combination of state space operator descriptions and the Youla parametrization and provides a unified way for analysis and synthesis of LSS and, in fact of linear time varying systems, in any $l_p$ induced norm sense. By specializing to the $l_{\infty }$ case, we show linear programming can be used to test stability, stabilizability, and to synthesize stabilizing controllers that guarantee a near optimal closed-loop gain. Furthermore, we extend our results to the general class of linear systems, finite or infinite dimensional. To show the utility of this framework, we develop a set of necessary and sufficient conditions for the stability of linear systems with time varying delays.