cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Relação entre a Qualidade dos Sites das Prefeituras e o Nível de Divulgação da Remuneração dos Servidores Públicos Municipais

A transparencia das contas publicas e um dos principais pilares do direito democratico, sancionado principalmente pelas leis de acesso a informacao, da transparencia e de responsabilidade fiscal. Portanto, a qualidade das informacoes divulgadas nos sites e essencial para a compreensao do cidadao, inclusive as informacoes da remuneracao dos servidores que representam parte significativa das despesas publicas. Assim, este estudo buscou verificar como pode ser avaliada a qualidade das informacoes dos sites das prefeituras da Serra Gaucha, especialmente em relacao a divulgacao da remuneracao de seus servidores. Para tanto, a metodologia utilizada quanto aos procedimentos tecnicos foi o estudo de caso multiplo e a pesquisa documental, de natureza descritiva, com analise qualitativa e quantitativa. Os resultados indicam que nao ha relacao entre a qualidade das informacoes e a divulgacao completa da remuneracao. Alem disso, foi evidenciado que as informacoes divulgadas necessitam ser aprimoradas para serem uteis aos cidadaos, principalmente no que concerne a atualizacao dos dados. Com relacao aos salarios, muitos municipios ja divulgam essas informacoes, inclusive nominalmente, contudo ainda ha grandes dificuldades no acesso a essas informacoes pela populacao.
Socioeconomic status and its relationship to chronic respiratory disease

Socioeconomic status (SES) is defined as an individual's social or economic standing, and is a measure of an individual's or family's social or economic position or rank in a social group. It is a composite of several measures including income, education, occupation, location of residence or housing. Studies have found a lower SES has been linked to disproportionate access to health care in many diseases. There is emerging data in pulmonary diseases such as COPD, asthma, cystic fibrosis, pulmonary hypertension and other chronic respiratory conditions that allude to a similar observation noted in other chronic diseases. In the setting of COPD, SES has an inverse relationship with COPD prevalence, mortality, health utilization costs and HRQoL. Asthma and cystic fibrosis show an increased severity and hospitalizations in relationship to a lower SES. Similar observations were seen in sarcoidosis, PHTN and obstructive sleep apnea. There remains a limited data on non-CF bronchiectasis and interstitial lung diseases. Population SES may be gauged by various measures such as education, occupation, marital status but no value is more indicative than income. Currently guidelines and management algorithms do not factor the effect of SES in the disease process. Despite the great amount of data available, a standardized method must be created to include SES in the prognostic calculations and management of chronic pulmonary diseases.
Nutritional Requirements of Bifidobacteria

Abstract Bifidobacteria are a genus of beneficial microbes that colonize in the human gastrointestinal tract. A critical feature of this genus is their ability to metabolize a variety of carbohydrates encountered in the gastrointestinal tract, including oligosaccharides. The central fermentative pathway unique to bifidobacteria is known as the bifid shunt and is employed to generate ATP following scavenging of carbohydrates. The bifidobacteria have evolved efficient molecular mechanisms to acquire and metabolize carbohydrates in order to successfully compete with other members of the microbiota. This chapter summarizes what is currently understood about the nutritional requirements and the metabolism of environmental substrates that contribute to biomass and ATP production.
Cerebral Glutamine/Glutamate Interrelationships and Metabolic Compartmentation

The fact that in animals the concentration of glutamate and glutamine are higher in brain than in any other tissue initially attracted interest in attempting to understand the function or functions of these amino acids in the central nervous system. They were evidently required for protein synthesis and early studies established their close relationship to the Krebs tricarboxylic acid cycle and energy metabolism in brain. Glutamine formation in brain was also shown to be sensitive to elevations in plasma ammonia levels and to serve as the primary method for detoxifying this substance in brain in contrast to urea formation in liver. Also noted was the interesting observation that the increased levels of glutamine that occurred in hepatic encephalopathy was not accompanied by a concomitant decrease in glutamic acid levels. The level of these two amino acids were apparently not tightly coupled despite high levels of glutamine synthetase activity in brain and glutamic acid is the only established immediate precursor of glutamine. In recent years increasing evidence pointed to the probability that glutamic acid also functions as an excitatory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system. It appears that glutamate serving these various functions is compartmented into pools of different sizes which turn over at different rates and are not in rapid equilibrium with each other.
Causes, pathophysiology, and treatment of pruritus in the mature patient

Chronic itch is a common and debilitating health condition in the elderly. There are several common causes of itch in the mature population, such as skin xerosis, immunosenescence, and neuropathic changes. In addition, skin diseases, such as seborrheic dermatitis and stasis dermatitis, systemic conditions (end-stage renal disease and diabetes), or psychogenic derailments, such as depression, anxiety, and dementia, can all serve as triggers of pruritus. Polypharmacy, a common occurrence among the elderly population, may also serve as a cause of itch that may or may not be accompanied by dermatitis. Such medications as μ opioids and calcium channel blockers have been found to have a connection with pruritus in the advanced aging population. Determining the exact trigger for pruritus in the elderly may be especially challenging, because itch can be idiopathic in many cases. The role of treatments should not only take into account elimination of various underlying cutaneous, systemic, or psychogenic conditions associated with itch but also focus on the skin changes that are characteristic of the aging process. Development of such treatment options can be guided by elucidation of the mechanisms underlying the pathophysiology of itch in the geriatric population.
Cognition is associated with gait variability in individuals with multiple sclerosis

Fluctuations in gait, or gait variability, are closely related to cognitive function in various clinical populations. However, there are limited data on this relationship in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. This investigation determined whether cognitive function as measured by processing speed is associated with gait variability in individuals with MS. This secondary analysis included 191 individuals with MS who underwent gait assessment and cognitive assessment. Cognitive processing speed was index by symbol digit modalities test (SDMT). Gait variability was indexed by step length and step time coefficient of variation (CV). Hierarchical linear regressions were performed to examine whether SDMT scores would predict step length and step time CV. After adjusting for age, gender, and disability, we found that SDMT was a significant predictor of step time CV (p < 0.001) and step length CV (p = 0.03). Overall, slower cognitive processing speed was significantly associated with greater gait variability. It is speculated that neural damage in MS patients impairs both cognitive processing speed and gait control. This study provides further evidence that motor and cognitive functions are interrelated.
A Decision Tree Interface Based on Predicate Calculus

The paper presents automated relational technology ART Studio that generates end-user decision trees from relational data automatically. End-users navigate down these tree structures to pinpoint information managed by the RDBMS. This decision tree reflects and selfreferences data in the database; it turns the data inside out. To generate this visualization, the Studio models a uniform pattern of data in the RDBMS called the Aleph data relation. Earlier research reports that the Aleph is a mechanically derived parent-child data relationship that is ubiquitous throughout the database. The paper will now argue that the Aleph is a complex mathematical object that is dense and compact. Subsequently, its identity is multifaceted. On the computer, its physical symbols represent both an IF-THEN construct, as well as a rich and expressive predicate that replace the need for creating SQL SELECT commands. To support this claim the author draws on two sources: 1) Codd's view of the relational database as a form of predicate calculus, and 2) the author's nascent theory of meta-symbols. The bridging metaphor between these two ideas is the fact that data symbols can be viewed in linguistic terms as tokens and types. The paper will show how the Alephbased decision tree models database tables and their data. It has a logical correspondence with the tables attributes and tuples. The paper shows how predicates in its pathways map to predicates in Codd's tuple components. This point is made to highlight how Alephbased decision trees project Codd's view of the RDBMS as a form of predicate calculus.
Mindfulness-related differences in neural response to own infant negative versus positive emotion contexts

Abstract Mindfulness is thought to promote well-being by shaping the way people respond to challenging social-emotional situations. Current understanding of how this occurs at the neural level is based on studies of response to decontextualized emotion stimuli that may not adequately represent lived experiences. In this study, we tested relations between mothers' dispositional mindfulness and neural responses to their own infant in different emotion-eliciting contexts. Mothers ( n = 25) engaged with their 3-month-old infants in videorecorded tasks designed to elicit negative (arm restraint) or positive (peekaboo) emotion. During a functional MRI session, mothers were presented with 15-s clips from these recordings, and dispositional mindfulness scores were used to predict their neural responses to arm restraint > peekaboo videos. Mothers higher in nonreactivity showed relatively lower activation to their infants’ arm restraint compared to peekaboo videos in hypothesized regions—insula and dorsal prefrontal cortex—as well as non-hypothesized regions. Other mindfulness dimensions were associated with more limited areas of lower (nonjudgment) and higher (describing) activation in this contrast. Mothers who were higher in mindfulness generally activated more to the positive emotion context and less to the negative emotion context in perceptual and emotion processing areas, a pattern that may help to explain mindfulness-related differences in well-being.
Architecture of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae Replisome.

Eukaryotic replication proteins are highly conserved, and thus study of Saccharomyces cerevisiae replication can inform about this central process in higher eukaryotes including humans. The S. cerevisiae replisome is a large and dynamic assembly comprised of ~50 proteins. The core of the replisome is composed of 31 different proteins including the 11-subunit CMG helicase; RFC clamp loader pentamer; PCNA clamp; the heteroligomeric DNA polymerases e, δ, and α-primase; and the RPA heterotrimeric single strand binding protein. Many additional protein factors either travel with or transiently associate with these replisome proteins at particular times during replication. In this chapter, we summarize several recent structural studies on the S. cerevisiae replisome and its subassemblies using single particle electron microscopy and X-ray crystallography. These recent structural studies have outlined the overall architecture of a core replisome subassembly and shed new light on the mechanism of eukaryotic replication.
Exploring the Acceptability of Densification: How Positive Framing and Source Credibility Can Change Attitudes:

Planners often divisively advocate densification in developed areas. This article investigates the possibility that framing densifying development in positive ways may reduce conflict around greate...
UPLC-ESI-MS/MS method for the quantitative measurement of aliphatic diamines, trimethylamine N-oxide, and β-methylamino-l-alanine in human urine

Abstract This work describes a quantitative high-throughput analytical method for the simultaneous measurement of small aliphatic nitrogenous biomarkers, i.e., 1,6-hexamethylenediamine (HDA), isophoronediamine (IPDA), β-methylamino- l -alanine (BMAA), and trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO), in human urine. Urinary aliphatic diamines, HDA and IPDA, are potential biomarkers of environmental exposure to their corresponding diisocyanates. Urinary BMAA forms as a result of human exposure to blue-green algae contaminated food. And, TMAO is excreted in urine due to the consumption of carnitine- and choline-rich diets. These urinary biomarkers represent classes of small aliphatic nitrogen-containing compounds (N-compounds) that have a high aqueous solubility, low logP, and/or high basic pKa. Because of the highly polar characteristics, analysis of these compounds in complex sample matrices is often challenging. We report on the development of ion-pairing chemistry based ultra-performance liquid chromatography–electrospray ionization–tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC–ESI–MS/MS) method for the simultaneous measurement of these biomarkers in human urine. Chromatographic separation was optimized using heptafluorobutyric acid-(HFBA-) based mobile phase and a reversed-phase C18 column. All four analytes were baseline separated within 2.6 min with an overall run time of 5 min per sample injection. Sample preparation involved 4 h of acid hydrolysis followed by automated solid phase extraction (SPE) performed using strong cation exchange sorbent bed with 7 N ammonia solution in methanol as eluent. Limits of detection ranged from 0.05 ng/mL to 1.60 ng/mL. The inter-day and intra-day accuracy were within 10%, and reproducibility within 15%. The method is accurate, fast, and well-suited for biomonitoring studies within targeted groups, as well as larger population-based studies such as the U. S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).
Generation of multi-element reference materials on PTFE filters mimicking ambient aerosol characteristics

Abstract Multi-element reference materials (ME-RMs) mimicking atmospheric aerosol composition were generated using certified multi-element solutions on PTFE filters for use in calibration and quality checks of x-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis. The ME-RMs reference loadings were assigned using an approach based on two assumptions: the accuracy of potassium (K) measured by energy-dispersive XRF (EDXRF) analysis at the University of California-Davis, and no change in the chemical profile of multi-element solutions when deposited on PTFE filters. A subset of ME-RMs was analyzed by EDXRF and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) to check the agreement between the two methods and the reference loadings. Several statistical metrics revealed good agreements for Na, Al, Si, S, K, Ti, V, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Se, As, and Pb. Selected ME-RMs were tested for short-and long-term stability and homogeneity of deposit; they were shown to be homogeneously deposited and, except for Cl and Br, stable when handled and stored properly. The generated ME-RMs have the potential to fill a gap in the currently available XRF quality assurance resources by providing known element loadings in the range of interest for atmospheric aerosol measurements.
Morphine-6beta-glucuronide modulates the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase.

The immunomodulatory effects of morphine are well established; however, suprisingly little is known about the immunomodulatory properties of the major metabolites of morphine. The present study tests the hypothesis that expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) is modulated by the administration of the morphine metabolite, morphine-6β-glucuronide. The initial study using rats shows that morphine-6β-glucuronide administration (0, 1.0, 3.163, 10 mg/kg s.c.) results in a pronounced reduction in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced expression of iNOS (inducible nitricoxide synthease) in spleen, lung, and liver tissue as measured by western blotting. Morphine-6β-glucuronide also produces a reduction in the level of plasma nitrite/nitrate, the more stable end-product of nitric oxide degradation. In a subsequent study, administration of the opioid receptor antagonist, naltrexone (0.1 mg/kg) prior to the injection of morphine-6β-glucuronide (10 mg/kg) blocks the morphine-6β-glucuronide induced reduction of iNOS expression and plasma nitrite/nitrite levels indicating that the effect is mediated via the opioid-receptor. This study provides the first evidence that morphine-6β-glucuronide alters the expression of iNOS.
Drug Action and Assay by Microbial Kinetics

Microbial kinetics can elucidate the effects, potency and assay of drugs by monitoring the generation or growth rate of microorganisms in the presence of varied concentrations of such drugs. Quantitative kinetic expressions for such generation or growth can be established as functions of drug concentration, inoculum size, temperature, pH and composition of the nutrient media [1–14]. Generation and growth rate are not necessarily synonymous since the former signifies rates of increase in numbers of organisms and the latter rates of increase in size, volume or concomitant metabolic processes. Thus, these terms will be used rigorously in this presentation which will largely deal with the kinetics of microbial generation. Unfortunately, the literature has used these two terms interchangeably.
Tensile Behavior of Neutron-Irradiated Martensitic Steels: A Review

Chromium-molybdenum martensitic (ferritic) steels such as 9 Cr-1 Mo-V-Nb and 12 Cr-1 Mo-V-W are candidates for fast reactor and fusion reactor applications. In a fast reactor, the effect of neutron irradiation is caused by displacement damage, that is, by the interstitials and vacancies that are created by the high-energy neutrons. Increases in strength occur for irradiation up to [approximately]450 C. This hardening is largely attributed to the dislocation loops that form from the agglomeration of the interstitials. Precipitates that form during irradiation can also contribute to the hardening. At higher temperatures, most of the displacement damage anneals out. Irradiation effects expected in the first wall of a fusion reactor differ from those in a fast reactor. In addition to displacement damage, large amounts of transmutation helium will also be produced. The simultaneous effects of displacement damage and helium can be simulated by irradiating nickel-doped ferritic steels in a mixed-spectrum fission reactor. Helium is produced by transmutation reactions between thermal neutrons and nickel, and displacement damage is formed by the fast neutrons of the spectrum. Results using this technique indicate that hardening occurs as in a fast reactor, but the helium causes a strength increase in addition to that caused bymore » displacement damage alone. This effect of helium could have a significant effect on other properties, especially toughness, and must be considered in the design of fusion reactors.« less
Reconciling Scale in Paleontological and Neontological Data: Dimensions of Time, Space, and Taxonomy

Conserving biodiversity in the face of expanding human degradation of ecosystems is facilitated by understanding the natural state of communities prior to the impact of anthropogenic disruptions. Reconstructing communities and ecosystems as they existed in the past requires data from the fossil record on their species composition, richness, and abundance. Fossil data are potentially different from data collected from living communities in their spatial, temporal, and taxonomic scales and these differences must be understood so that accurate comparisons can be made between past and present states of living communities. Fifty-four long-term ecological studies of a wide range of taxon groups (mammals, invertebrates, plants, corals) and habitat types (marine, terrestrial, freshwater) were surveyed from the published ecological literature to determine the range of spatial, temporal and taxonomic scales at which data are commonly collected in ecological research. Long-term ecological studies encompass spatial scales from 50m2 to 100,000km2 and temporal scales from 5 to 100 years. Most studies resolve taxa to the species level and count individuals, although plant and coral studies sometimes quantify species by percent cover. All taxon groups and habitat types were studied across a wide range of spatial and temporal scales. Whether or not data from fossils can be collected and analysed at scales comparable to data from living communities depends on the type of organism, as well as the taphonomic circumstances of preservation, accumulation and deposition. Marine invertebrates can be sampled at comparable spatial and taxonomic scales to living invertebrates, but time averaging degrades the temporal resolution of the fossil deposits. Vertebrate fossils provide data at comparable taxonomic scales with some reduction in spatial and temporal resolution relative to live data. Plant fossils and pollen are capable of being sampled at temporal resolutions comparable to modern ecological studies, but pollen data are prone to spatial averaging and have much poorer taxonomic resolution than censuses of living communities. It is important to be mindful of the limitations that scale mismatches produce in the ability to use fossil data to resolve ecological events and to compare the details of ecological composition and structure between the present and the past.
A Renewable Source of Human Beige Adipocytes for Development of Therapies to Treat Metabolic Syndrome.

Summary Molecular- and cellular-based therapies have the potential to reduce obesity-associated disease. In response to cold, beige adipocytes form in subcutaneous white adipose tissue and convert energy stored in metabolic substrates to heat, making them an attractive therapeutic target. We developed a robust method to generate a renewable source of human beige adipocytes from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). Developmentally, these cells are derived from FOXF1+ mesoderm and progress through an expandable mural-like mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) to form mature beige adipocytes that display a thermogenically active profile. This includes expression of uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) concomitant with increased uncoupled respiration. With this method, dysfunctional adipogenic precursors can be reprogrammed and differentiated into beige adipocytes with increased thermogenic function and anti-diabetic secretion potential. This resource can be used to (1) elucidate mechanisms that underlie the control of beige adipogenesis and (2) generate material for cellular-based therapies that target metabolic syndrome in humans.
Considerations in multi-gene panel testing in pediatric ophthalmology

Multi-gene panel testing is used increasingly in ophthalmology practice as an efficient and cost-effective method for diagnosing inherited eye conditions. Panel testing is a powerful diagnostic tool, and it has the potential to reveal syndromic information in patients with seemingly isolated eye findings. This case series highlights our experience with 4 children in 3 families who were referred for evaluation of an isolated retinal degeneration and diagnosed with neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis on panel testing. These cases are important reminders that several neurodegenerative conditions can present initially with isolated eye findings in childhood and pretest genetic counseling is critical.
DARC: Differentiable ARchitecture Compression.

In many learning situations, resources at inference time are significantly more constrained than resources at training time. This paper studies a general paradigm, called Differentiable ARchitecture Compression (DARC), that combines model compression and architecture search to learn models that are resource-efficient at inference time. Given a resource-intensive base architecture, DARC utilizes the training data to learn which sub-components can be replaced by cheaper alternatives. The high-level technique can be applied to any neural architecture, and we report experiments on state-of-the-art convolutional neural networks for image classification. For a WideResNet with $97.2\%$ accuracy on CIFAR-10, we improve single-sample inference speed by $2.28\times$ and memory footprint by $5.64\times$, with no accuracy loss. For a ResNet with $79.15\%$ Top1 accuracy on ImageNet, we improve batch inference speed by $1.29\times$ and memory footprint by $3.57\times$ with $1\%$ accuracy loss. We also give theoretical Rademacher complexity bounds in simplified cases, showing how DARC avoids overfitting despite over-parameterization.
Recruitment of native parasitic wasps to populations of the invasive winter moth in the northeastern United States

Ecological communities may be resistant to invasive species through a combination of top-down and bottom-up mechanisms, including predation, competition, parasitism, and disease. In particular, natural enemies that cross over from native species to use newly introduced non-native species as hosts can influence invasive species population dynamics and may slow down invasions. However, research on parasitism in biological invasions is lagging behind research on biological invasions in general. We used the model species winter moth (Operophtera brumata) to study the effect of recruitment of native parasitoids on an invasive population of winter moth in the northeastern United States. We deployed sentinel pupae over 4 years across this population’s range, identified recovered parasitoids, and measured the rate of parasitism by native sources across years, seasons, invasion history, and host densities. Native Pimpla wasps inflicted 98% of the parasitism detected, resulting in an annual average of 15–40% mortality on pupae not depredated. Pimpla were present across all years, seasons, and sites. Where winter moth has invaded, parasitism was greatest when winter moth pupal density was high (i.e., positive density-dependent mortality) suggesting that Pimpla is helping to regulate the population. The wasps were morphologically identified as Pimpla aequalis Provancher; however, using a multilocus genetic comparison approach, they were determined to comprise two cryptic species. Overall, this study shows that recruitment of these native wasps to the invasive winter moth population is likely playing a significant role in regulating population outbreaks and is aiding in biological control of winter moth.
Nonoperative Management of Minimally Displaced Patellar Sleeve Fractures.

Patellar sleeve fractures primarily occur in the adolescent population from a rapid contraction of the quadriceps with the knee in a flexed position. Several small case reports describe operative reduction and fixation for displaced fractures. However, there is sparse literature on nonoperative management of these injuries. Retrospective review and prospective follow-up of all patients diagnosed with patellar sleeve fracture between 1991 and 2014 at a single institution. Patients with superior pole avulsion fractures, history of prior knee surgery, and fractures managed operatively were excluded. Patients with a clinical diagnosis without support of advanced imaging were also excluded. Radiographs and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were reviewed for initial fracture displacement, time until fracture union, and the presence of patellar tendon ossification. Outcome was assessed using the Tegner's activity scale, Kujala's Score and the International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) subjective knee evaluation score at final follow-up. Eighteen nonoperatively treated distal patellar pole sleeve fractures were identified, while five patients had advanced imaging to support their diagnosis. All were males with a mean age of 15.1 (range: 12-18). Traumatic and sport-related injuries were noted in the majority of patients. Only one patient had any appreciable displacement, but still < 2 mm. Final radiographic evaluation revealed fracture healing without patellar tendon ossification in all patients. All five patients had full terminal knee extension and symmetric range of motion. Mean IKDC score was 96.4 (range: 82-100) mean Tegner's activity score was 60 (range: 5-8), and mean Kujala's score was 89.7 (range: 63-100) at final follow-up. Of the five cases, three patients presented in a delayed fashion, and all went on to have surgical treatment. Two required arthroscopic loose body removal, while the other had an open patellar debridement and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection. Minimally displaced patellar sleeve fractures can be successfully managed nonoperatively with excellent clinical outcomes. However, delayed in presentation may be associated with worse outcome. This study of case series reflects level of evidence IV.
News Media Literacy: Effects of Consumption

This study examines the relationship between news consumption habits, prosumption, and news media literacy among young adults. Maskl, Ashley, and Craft provide the basis for the modified survey instrument used in this study. The findings suggest that the amount of news consumed does not predict news media literacy on any level. However, news type can predict news media literacy. Moreover, acting as a prosumer by sharing unoriginal news stories (reposting) is associated with news media literacy. Sharing original stories, video, or pictures is not.
G-CSF Mobilized Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells Are Found in the Peripheral Blood and Have Telomere Limited Growth Potential.

Abstract Mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) are multipotent cells found lining the bone marrow cavity. Their primary function is to support the growth and differentiation of hematologic progenitors. MSC have been shown to differentiate into a variety of cell types including: bone, adipocytes, cartilage, neuron-like, and muscle-like cells. There is mounting evidence that these cells can, under the right circumstances, enter the peripheral circulation. However, MSC have not been routinely isolated from peripheral blood. Granulocyte colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) is commonly used to mobilize hematopoietic stem cells from the bone marrow into the peripheral circulation. We show that G-CSF mobilized peripheral blood also contains a small percentage of MSC although lower than that of bone marrow derived MSC (BMMSC): 0.012% vs 0.04%. Isolates were morphologically similar to BMMSC and were successfully expanded and shown to differentiate into osteogenic and adipogenic lineages in the appropriate differentiation conditions. FACS analysis showed that the cells reliably expressed cell surfaces markers commonly found on MSC including CD105, CD29, CD166, and CD13. They were negative for CD14, CD34, CD133, and CD45. Mobilized peripheral blood derived MSC (MPB-MSC) had limited expansion potential when compared with bone marrow isolated MSC. Most cells appeared to cease cell division 20–25 days after isolation. MPB-MSC did not have any detectable telomerase activity (as determined by TRAP assay) and consequently were found to have undergone significant telomere shortening (shown by Southern analysis.) The rarity of this cell in G-CSF-mobilized peripheral blood and the subsequent tremendous pressure to divide in cell culture are likely contributing factors leading to the telomere loss seen in MPB-MSC. This phenomenon probably also accounts for the observed senescence observed in vitro. While we have conclusively shown that MSC can be found in G-CSF mobilized peripheral blood, the use of such cells for transplant or gene therapy may be of limited potential due to the telomere-restricted capability of expansion.
Tips for the Budding Esophagologist.

The specialty of gastroenterology has evolved such that there are now multiple areas of “superspecialty” within the field. Interest in “esophagology” has expanded as options for medical therapy, advanced optics, motility testing and reflux monitoring, and minimally invasive and endoscopic therapeutics have grown. For a multitude of reasons, academic and private practices alike are looking to expand in this growing superspecialty. Several articles offer criteria for competency in manometry. This article discusses in detail multiple options for developing skills in diagnosis and treatment of esophageal disease with “tips for the budding esophagologist.”
I Am a Warrior: An Analysis of the Military Masculine-Warrior Narrative Among U.S. Air Force Officer Candidates:

This qualitative study examines how cadets at the U.S. Air Force Academy make sense of their experiences, form attitudes and beliefs, construct identities, and how a vocal minority of men create an...
Heterotrophic calcification of medial collateral ligament of knee joint: A case report.

Abstract Soft-tissue calcification is characterised by the deposit of calcium in the damaged collagen fibres. The pathology of the phenomenon is not fully known. Trauma, spinal cord injury and traumatic brain injury have been reported as possible risk factors. Hypertrophic calcification of medial collateral ligament can be post-traumatic with unexplained aetiology. It can restrict the normal range of joint motion, affecting performance of activities of daily living, resulting in disturbance of quality of life. It may be managed conservatively, but if unsuccessful, surgical removal of the calcification may be carried out. Here, we present a case of post-traumatic heterotrophic calcification of medial collateral ligament of knee joint and review of current literature. Keywords: Heterotrophic calcification, Lower extremity functional scale, medial collateral ligament, Continuous...
Tolling the Freeway: Congestion Pricing and the Economics of Managing Traffic

will manually Highway congestion increases the cost of travel in most urban areas of the United States. Policy makers have tried to reduce congestion by building more highways and mass transit. This approach is expensive and has generally failed to put a significant dent in congestion. Long commute times cost the United States an estimated $121 billion in 2012. This paper examines the economics of highway congestion pricing. Its goal is to make clear to policy makers how a variable congestion toll can reduce congestion and improve the operation of urban highway systems. Failure to charge a toll in order to use a highway can lead to congestion at certain times of the day. Additional drivers entering the freeway at some point slow traffic, which imposes an externality or cost on other highway users. The result is an inefficient use of the highway and too much infrastructure investment. The congestion externality can be corrected by a congestion toll that varies with the level of traffic. There are concerns that gasoline and congestion taxes are regressive. Many factors, such as the proximity of residential communities to jobs, can influence this outcome. Also, the use to which the tax revenues are put determines the degree a tax is regressive or progressive. The evidence is mixed with respect to congestion tolls. In order to better understand how congestion pricing might be implemented in the United States, cases where variable highway pricing systems have been used are analyzed. The evidence indicates congestion tolls reduce congestion and increase driving speeds. These cases provide examples of how congestion pricing might be implemented in the United States. To encourage and facilitate the adoption of congestion pricing in the United States, congestion tolls should be made legal on all interstate highways. They could stand alone or be part of a vehicle-miles-traveled tax. While both types of taxes provide revenues and influence traffic, the congestion toll has a bigger impact on improving highway efficiency as it directly addresses peak congestion. Advances in technology have lowered the transaction costs of collecting tolls, eliminating a barrier to adoption. Experience with congestion tolling improves the public perception and willingness to accept highway tolls. One tactic that has been successful is to follow a pricing experiment with a referendum on whether the system should be made permanent. The private sectors role in building and managing roads can be increased to improve highways in the United States. The private sector offers a source of capital to expand the highway system. An advantage of private ownership is that it creates incentives for efficient management.
Bee-associated fungi mediate effects of fungicides on bumble bees

Bumble bees are important pollinators that face threats from multiple sources, including agrochemical application. Declining bumble bee populations have been linked to fungicide application, which could directly affect the fungi often found in the stored food and GI tract of healthy bumble bees. Here, we test the hypothesis that fungicides impact bee health by disrupting bee-fungi interactions. We examine the interactive effects of the fungicide propiconazole and fungal supplementation on the survival, reproduction, and microbiome composition of microcolonies (queenless colonies) using two species, Bombus vosnesenskii and B. impatiens. We found that both bee species benefitted from fungi, but were differentially affected by fungicides. In B. vosnesenskii, fungicide exposure decreased survival while fungal supplementation mitigated fungicide effects. For B. impatiens, fungicide application had no effect, but fungal supplementation improved survival and offspring production. Fungicides reduced fungal abundance in B. vosnesenskii microcolonies, but not in B. impatiens, where instead fungal addition decreased fungal abundance. In B. vosnesenskii, the abundance of the pathogen Ascosphaera was negatively associated with survival, while the yeast Zygosaccharomyces was positively associated with survival. Our results highlight species-specific differences in response to fungicides and the nature of bee-fungi associations, and caution the use of results obtained using one species to predict responses of other species. These results demonstrate that fungicides can alter bee-fungi interactions with consequences for bee survival and reproduction, and suggest that exploring the mechanisms of such interactions, including interactions among fungi in the bee GI tract, may offer insights into bumble bee biology and conservation strategies.
India as a ‘crypto-ethnic democracy’: the dynamics of ‘control’ in relation to peripheral ethnic minorities

What type of democracy is multi-ethnic India, and how has it maintained territorial unity since Independence? I argue that India is best coded as a ‘crypto-ethnic democracy’, in contrast to traditi...
Four-dimensional computed tomography (4D-CT) for preoperative parathyroid localization: A good study but are we using it?

Abstract Background Four-dimensional computed tomography (4D-CT) scan to localize abnormal parathyroid glands is diagnostically superior to ultrasound (US) and sestamibi. The implementation of 4D-CT imaging is unknown. Methods The Collaborative Endocrine Surgery Quality Improvement Program (CESQIP) database from 2014 to 2018 was utilized. Patients with hyperparathyroidism undergoing an initial operation were included. The rate of US, sestamibi and 4D-CT performance was calculated for the entire study population, and for each institution. Results 7,959 patients were included. In 311(3.9%) patients, no preoperative imaging was recorded. Of patients with imaging, US was performed in 6,872(86.3%), sestamibi in 5,094(64.0%), and 4D-CT in 1,630(20.4%). The combination of US and sestamibi was most frequent (3,855, 48.4%). Institutional rates of 4D-CT performance varied from 0.1% to 88.7%. Conclusions Of the imaging modalities, 4D-CT was utilized least frequently and with greatest variability. Given the high accuracy of 4D-CT, efforts to reduce this variation may improve overall preoperative localization in patients with hyperparathyroidism.
Psychosocial aspects of depression and the role of psychotherapy.

The psychosocial aspects of depression are considered with respect to psychological factors (i.e., thinking, personality, coping style) and social factors (i.e., family, relationships, employment, life events). Etiologic/mechanistic controversies are only acknowledged, as the purpose of this review is to underscore the wide variety of psychosocial complications that can occur during a depressive episode. The potential roles of psychotherapy in the treatment of mood disorders are considered. Results regarding the efficacy of behavioral therapy, cognitive therapy, and interpersonal psychotherapy in the treatment of unipolar, nonpsychotic, adult depressed outpatients are summarized.
Global channels of evidence for learning and assessment in complex game environments

In this paper, we take a designer's look at how the activities and data of learning and assessment can be structured in immersive virtual game environments called Massively Multi-Player Online Games (MMOG). In doing so, we examine the channels of evidence through which learning and assessment activities are derived in MMOGs, offering examples of how multiple evidence channels in operation through game-based activities can be utilised to construct rich data trails for assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Development of cephalometric norms using a unified facial and dental approach.

Abstract Objective: To develop a cephalometric determination of anteroposterior skeletal occlusion on the basis of a clinically rational “gold standard” and objectively determined cut points. Materials and Methods: Pretreatment cephalograms from 10- to 18-year-old Caucasian patients with a normal vertical face dimension were digitized. Facial profile line drawings were judged by orthodontist raters as Class I, II, or III. Subjects who met all inclusion criteria were divided into Class I, Class II, and Class III on the basis of the matched skeletal (facial) and dental occlusion and comprised our gold standard for anteroposterior skeletal occlusions. Cephalometric variables included ANB angle, McNamara analysis, Harvold unit differential, anteroposterior dysplasia index (APDI), and Wits analysis. Half the sample was used to derive skeletal classification norms using receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curves, and half the sample was used to test for diagnostic ability and to compare the diagnoses based o...
Rotamer-pair energy calculations using a trie data structure

Protein design software places amino acid side chains by precomputing rotamer-pair energies and optimizing rotamer placement. If the software optimizes by rapid stochastic techniques, then the precomputation phase dominates run time. We present a new algorithm for rapid rotamer-pair energy computation that uses a trie data structure. The trie structure avoids redundant energy computations, and lends itself to time-saving pruning techniques based on a simple geometric criteria. With our new algorithm, we compute rotamer-pair energies nearly 4 times faster than the previous approach.
System Reliability: Monte Carlo Estimation

Monte Carlo methods are useful for a number of situations in reliability. First, for very complex systems, it is difficult to determine the system reliability even if the component reliabilities are known. This can be done by simulating the performance (operating/failed) of each component, and determining the status of the system given the performances of these components. Second, the system reliability can be estimated when component reliabilities are estimated from pass/fail data. Uncertainties in the resulting estimate of system reliability can be obtained via Monte Carlo simulation. Third, many questions of availability (or other measures of system performance) can be treated using queuing theory. Since queuing models can become intractable, especially when times between events or repair times are not exponential random variables, Monte Carlo methods can be used. Keywords: system reliability; simulation; queues; Bayesian analysis; availability
Interconnect technologies for the 90's

Mainframe computers have provided the major driving forces for performance oriented interconnect and packaging technologies in the past. Consumer electronic products have driven the low cost of the spectrum. In the 90's, workstations with demands both on performance and price, and high volume peripheral and portable products with demands on price, performance and portability will drive the technologies. Driving towards a common possible set of chip interconnect technologies that are compatible with different substrate technologies will help in meeting the needs of the different market segments. Migration from single chip packages to multichip modules will be limited to applications having compelling performance requirements; multichip modules will become pervasive if test/burn-in and standardization issues of vendor supplied bare chip ICs are addressed and prices are attractive. Paradigm for technology development and access will change-from vertical integration to partnerships and outsourcing.
Simultaneous determination of electrolyte diffusivity and concentration using alternating current

Two alternating current (ac) methods are presented for simultaneously determining the diffusivity and bulk concentration of a diffusing species in an electrolyte. The first technique is called the phase angle method, which consists of applying a sinusoidal ac in the frequency range of 0.1–0.5 Hz to a rotating disk electrode (rde) and measuring the phase lag of the resulting concentration overpotential changes at a given rotational speed. The diffusivity of the diffusing species may be calculated from the measured quantity without the need of its bulk concentration and information on the number of electron transfer on the electrode reaction. The second technique is called the limiting ac current density method, which consists of measuring the limiting ac current density on the rde in the ac frequency range of 20–300 Hz and plotting the ratio of limiting ac current density to the steady-state dc limiting current density against the square-root of the ratio of ac frequency to angular speed of the rde. A straight line passing through the origin is obtained, and the diffusivity of the diffusing ion may be calculated from the slope of the straight line using the kinematic viscosity of the electrolyte. Once the diffusivity is known, the bulk concentration of the diffusing species is obtained from the dc limiting current on the rde using the Levich equation. The feasibility of the above ac methods was examined by measuring the diffusivities and concentrations of ferricyanide and tri-iodide ions in various supporting electrolytes in the temperature range of 20–50°C. The results were compared to the concentration and diffusivity values independently obtained by an iodometric titration and conventional dc limiting current technique on a rde. A reasonably good agreement was obtained between the results of ac methods and those of the chemical analysis and rde techniques. The root-mean-square deviation between the two sets of data was within ± 15% for the diffusivity and ± 13% for the concentration measurements.