cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Development and evaluation of an EMG-based model to estimate lumbosacral loads during seated work

Abstract Low back pain (LBP) is a common occupational problem and continues to be the leading cause of occupational disability. Among diverse known risk factors, sitting is commonly considered as an important exposure related to LBP risk, and modern living and contemporary work both involve increasing sedentary behaviors including more frequent and prolonged sitting. Specifically, a few studies have assessed lumbosacral loads in seated postures, but no sitting-specific model has been developed to investigate the effects of seated tasks and time-dependent variations in lumbosacral loading during sitting. Here, a three-dimensional, electromyography-based biomechanical model of the trunk was developed to predict lumbosacral loads during a range of seated tasks. This model was a modification of an earlier approach, and specific modifications included a revised representation of lumbar muscle anatomy and viscoelastic soft-tissue properties, and a method to account for muscular fatigue during prolonged sitting. With these enhancements, the predictive ability of the model was assessed over a range of seated tasks that differed in terms of lumbar posture, time pressure, and mental workload. Predicted model parameters corresponded well with values reported earlier. Reasonable levels of correspondence were found between external and predicted lumbosacral moments across all tested tasks. Physical exposures and injury risks related to seated work can potentially be estimated using this modeling approach, which may facilitate future injury prevention strategies.
Plant Defense Gene Regulation and Transcription Factor Dynamics

Plants respond to different pests and pathogens by activating a set of resistance genes that involve in substantial transcriptional reprogramming integrating hormonal, metabolic, and physiological movements [1]. These cumulative downstream defense responses alleviate pathogen and pest by subsequent local or systemic induced resistance. Hormone signaling and trans-acting regulatory factors/ Transcription factors (TFs) are the major factors that facilitate downstream defense responses in plants [2]. Approximately, 7% of plant genome coding sequences represent TFs [3]. Among many different type of TFs available in plants, the most common TFs mainly belong to six groups; AP2/ERF, MYB, BZIP, WRKY, MYC and NAC [4]. There is no exact mechanism or correlation between the type of TFs and plant defense signaling. AP2/ERF TFs were found to be mainly involved in Jasmonic acid (JA) and ethylene (ET) signal transduction while, WRKY and bZIP TFs were mostly involved in salicylic acid (SA) mediated signal transduction. TFs encoding genes may be differentially regulated (up or down) by different stresses and substantial overlap occurs in the defense pathways allow integration of different defense signal and thereby, fine tune the Plant defense to pathogen/pest attack.
Career and Vocational Assessment 1997-1998 A Biennial Review

This is the third biennial review of career assessment research for the Journal of Career Assessment; this article covers assessment research and affiliated topics from 1997 to 1998. The primary inclusion criterion was that the articles be research-based; in total, there were six inclusion criteria. Seven primary topics are addressed. This review covers the research advances demonstrated by the plethora of research conducted during the biennial period. Sections address new measurement tools, issues of career assessment, and special populations. The review concludes with a summary of the key advances in career assessment research and current trends in the career assessment literature.
1729 Biological Clocks

Internal timekeepers in organisms synchronize internal functions and keep the timing of those functions correct with respect to the daily cycle of light and dark.
The effectiveness of an analytic hierarchy process in group decision making: a case study

Group decision making is a key activity in firms of all sizes. A great deal of research has been directed toward improving the effectiveness of group meetings through the use of electronic meeting rooms without the desired results. As an alternative, this paper examines the use of the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) as a group decision support tool. The paper outlines the benefits and effectiveness of AHP as a group decision support tool, and elaborates on the details of its application to a business organisation in the form of a case study.
Deadlines, Work Flows and Work Quality

We examine work flow patterns and its relation to work quality using data on patent applications. Because the filing date is critical for determining the priority date for a patent and because ideas likely arrive randomly, the distribution of patent filings can be expected to be uniform over time. Analyzing data on almost 3 million utility patents granted between 1976 and 2009 and about 1.9 million applications applied and published between 2001 and 2010, we find striking deviations from uniform filing volumes, with significant month-end, quarter-end and year-end clustering of patent applications. Results from a number of empirical tests, as well as from interviews with patent attorneys, strongly suggest that these patterns are induced by reporting and planning deadlines at corporates and patent law firms. We then examine the quality of work output during month-ends using three proxy measures of work quality, viz probability of approval, probability of obtaining an 'application incomplete' notice from the USPTO, and duration of review for successful applications. We find, relative to other applications, a small but robust decline in work quality of applications filed at month-ends on all three measures. Interestingly, we do not find any evidence that this drop in work quality is driven by the sorting of lower quality ideas towards month-ends. On the contrary, the evidence strongly suggests that more complex applications get filed close to the end of the month. We conclude by presenting a simple model which reconciles all of the observed patterns as arising from rational responses to discontinuous incentives around month-end deadlines.
Within-Epitope Interactions Can Bias CTL Escape Estimation in Early HIV Infection.

As human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) begins to replicate within hosts, immune responses are elicited against it. Escape mutations in viral epitopes -immunogenic peptide parts presented on the surface of infected cells- allow HIV to partially evade these responses, and thus rapidly go to fixation. The faster they go to fixation, i.e. the higher their escape rate, the larger the selective pressure exerted by the immune system is assumed to be. This relation underpins the rationale for using escapes to assess the strength of immune responses. However, escape rate estimates are often obtained by employing an aggregation procedure, where several mutations that affect the same epitope are aggregated into a single, composite epitope mutation. The aggregation procedure thus rests upon the assumption that all within-epitope mutations have indistinguishable effects on immune recognition. In this study, we investigate how the violation of this assumption affects escape rate estimates. To this end, we extend a previously developed simulation model of HIV that accounts for mutation, selection and recombination to include different distributions of fitness effects (DFEs) and inter-mutational genomic distances. We use this discrete-time Wright-Fisher based model to simulate early within-host evolution of HIV for DFEs and apply standard estimation methods to infer the escape rates. We then compare true with estimated escape rate values. We also compare escape rate values obtained while applying the aggregation procedure with values estimated without use of that procedure. We find that across the DFEs analyzed, the aggregation procedure alters the detectability of escape mutations: large-effect mutations are over-represented while small-effect mutations are concealed. The effect of the aggregation procedure is similar to extracting the largest-effect mutation appearing within an epitope. Furthermore, the more pronounced the over-exponential decay of the DFEs, the more severely true escape rates are underestimated. We conclude that the aggregation procedure has two main consequences. On the one hand, it leads to a misrepresentation of the DFE of fixed mutations. On the other hand, it conceals within-epitope interactions that may generate irregularities in mutation frequency trajectories that are thus left unexplained.
The effect of probiotic supplementation on gastrointestinal quality of life

Purpose: “The purpose of this research study was to investigate the effect of Puritan’s Pride probiotic on gastrointestinal quality of life of working adults aged 18 to 65years at the Loma Linda Support Services Building.” Methods: Working adults, 18 to 65years of age, from the Loma Linda Support Services Building were eligible to participate in the study. Subjects were excluded if they were taking antibiotics or had taken antibiotics within the previous six months. Subjects who consented were given an initial Gastrointestinal Quality of Life Index (GIQLI)1 test and a probiotic supplement for 60days. Subjects’ body composition was also tested during the initial visit. After the 60 days of supplementation, subjects returned to retake the GIQLI and to retest their body composition. Results: Eleven subjects, 1 male and 10 female, reported for post intervention GIQLI and body composition testing. A mean increase of 10.7 (SD= 11.1) in GIQLI scores was found after probiotic supplementation (p= .009). No significant differences were found in pre and post intervention measurements for BMI, body fat, and weight. The best predictor of post intervention GIQLI scores was pre intervention GIQLI scores. Conclusion: There was an improvement in the related gastrointestinal quality of life in our subjects as shown through a significant increase in GIQLI scores and subjects’ commentary. The best predictor of posttest GIQLI scores was pretest GIQLI scores.
Age-specific patterns of infection with haemosporidians and trypanosomes in a warbler: implications for sexual selection

Although the selective loss of individuals susceptible to disease can favor the evolution of female preference for older males, the interrelationship between age, infection, longevity, and mating success remains poorly characterized in natural populations. In a longitudinal study of 61 male common yellowthroats (Geothlypis trichas), we found that the probability of infection with hematozoa increased as males aged from 1 to 5 years. Despite a significant, negative association between infection and longevity that partially masked age-effects, the odds that a male was infected with Trypanosoma, Plasmodium, or Leucocytozoon increased 71–212% per year. Nearly 75% of males in their first breeding season were either uninfected or infected with only a single parasite, while 50% of older males were infected with at least two parasites and 16% were infected with all three. No males escaped infection after their second breeding season. Older males were also more likely to sire extra-pair young (EPY) and, as a consequence, infection with multiple parasites was associated with a fourfold increase in the odds of producing EPY. Unlike younger males, 80% of the oldest males had a history of either surviving chronic infection or recovering. Combined with previous work showing higher diversity at the major histocompatibility complex among older males, our results suggest that the song and plumage traits that signal male age in common yellowthroats also, perforce, signal resistance to parasites. By preferring older males, females may obtain good genes for disease resistance even in the absence of any effect of infection on male ornamentation.
Abstract 1034: Role of KEAP1/NRF2 and TP53 mutations in lung squamous cell carcinoma development and radiation resistance

Although lung squamous cell carcinomas (LSCC) comprise a large fraction of non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLCs), their pathogenesis and cell of origin remain incompletely understood and biomarkers that predict therapeutic responses are lacking. Here we describe novel, clinically relevant murine LSCC models driven by inactivation of Trp53 with or without Keap1, both of which are frequently mutated in human LSCCs. Homozygous inactivation of Keap1 or Trp53 promoted airway basal stem cell (ABSC) self-renewal both in vitro and in in vivo, suggesting that Trp53 or Keap1 mutations lead to expansion of mutant stem cell clones. Deletion of Trp53 with or without Keap1 in ABSCs, but not more differentiated tracheal cells, produced tumors recapitulating histologic and molecular features of human LSCCs. However, deletion of Trp53 with or without Keap1 in type II pneumocytes (ATIIs) or bronchioalveolar stem cells (BASCs) produced tumors with the features of adenocarcinoma, indicating that ABSCs represent the likely cell of origin for LSCC in this model. Deletion of Keap1 promoted tumor growth, metastasis and resistance to oxidative stress. N-acetylcysteine (NAC) treatment enhanced tumorsphere formation and metastasis in Keap1WT LSCCs, but not in Keap1-/- LSCCs, suggesting that NRF2-ROS pathway activation is the main mediator of Keap1 loss. Finally, Keap1 deletion induced radioresistance in vitro and in vivo in both LSCCs and lung adenocarcinomas (LUADs). Congruous with these findings, KEAP1/NRF2 mutation status strongly predicted risk of local recurrence in NSCLC patients treated with RT and these mutations could be non-invasively identified in circulating tumor DNA. These data suggest that Trp53 and Keap1 mutations in ABSCs play important roles in LSCC initiation and progression and identify KEAP1/NRF2 mutations as predictive biomarkers that could be used for personalization of therapeutic strategies for NSCLCs, and likely other cancers in which they are recurrently mutated. Citation Format: Youngtae Jeong, Ngoc Hoang, Henning Stehr, Alexander Lovejoy, Andrew Gentles, Aadel Chaudhuri, Billy Loo, Ash Alizadeh, Maximilian Diehn. Role of KEAP1/NRF2 and TP53 mutations in lung squamous cell carcinoma development and radiation resistance [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2017; 2017 Apr 1-5; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 1034. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-1034
The Study of Animal Behavior Provides Valuable Opportunities for Original Science Fair Projects: Recommendations from the Animal Behavior Society, Education Committee

The study of Animal Behavior is critically important in understanding our living world and is a major program within the NSF. For students, animal behavior projects offer the opportunity to explore original questions in a scientifically rigorous manner. However, animal behavior projects are under-represented in science fairs and are often discouraged by teachers and judges. We give a sample of the types of questions that students could explore and we suggest appropriate judging criteria.
How We Got to Where We Are Today: A Brief History of Economic Thought and Its Paradoxes

This chapter assesses earlier economic theories from an energy perspective, where that is possible. We also make the case that although economics has not dealt with energy very explicitly, the discipline has addressed many other important issues that help us today to understand just how energy operates within economies as well as provide a number of interesting and important perspectives on economies that are not related to energy. The purpose of this chapter and the next three is to utilize the insights and the methods of prior economic schools of thought to build a new theory that explains actual economies much better while addressing energy and biophysical limits to human activity far more explicitly than does mainstream theory.
Influence of rest interval on foot-tibia coordination with chronic ankle instability during the Star Excursion Balance Test

Abstract The purpose of this study was to determine whether different rest intervals affect performance on the Star Excursion Balance Test (SEBT) associated with chronic ankle instability (CAI) and whether foot-tibia coordination can be associated factors that may help discriminate between individuals with and without CAI during the SEBT. Participants included forty-eight individuals with (n = 24) and without CAI (n = 24). Subjects completed 3 trials in each of the 3 reach directions (anteromedial, medial, posteromedial) in random order. A total of three visits were required to complete the 3 rest interval conditions (10, 20, 40 s). Coupling angles (CA) of tibial internal rotation/dorsiflexion (TIR/DF) and tibial internal rotation/eversion (TIR/EV) were calculated and compared between groups in each direction for each rest interval. Individuals with CAI showed greater CAs of TIR/DF in the M direction (p = 0.01) and of TIR/EV in the P direction (p = 0.04) than healthy individuals in 20 s rest interval time. Overall, joint CAs were different between healthy individuals and those with CAI during the SEBT regardless of rest interval. Based on these results, rest interval and a natural result of CAI could alter ankle joint coordination in comparison of healthy individuals when performing the SEBT.
Knocking out Ornithine Decarboxylase Antizyme 1 (OAZ1) Improves Recombinant Protein Expression in the HEK293 Cell Line

Creating efficient cell lines is a priority for the biopharmaceutical industry, which produces biologicals for various uses. A recent approach to achieving this goal is the use of non-coding RNAs, microRNA (miRNA) and small interfering RNA (siRNA), to identify key genes that can potentially improve production or growth. The ornithine decarboxylase antizyme 1 (OAZ1) gene, a negative regulator of polyamine biosynthesis, was identified in a genome-wide siRNA screen as a potential engineering target, because its knock down by siRNA increased recombinant protein expression from human embryonic kidney 293 (HEK293) cells by two-fold. To investigate this further, the OAZ1 gene in HEK293 cells was knocked out using CRISPR genome editing. The OAZ1 knockout cell lines displayed up to four-fold higher expression of both stably and transiently expressed proteins, with comparable growth and metabolic activity to the parental cell line; and an approximately three-fold increase in intracellular polyamine content. The results indicate that genetic inactivation of OAZ1 in HEK293 cells is an effective strategy to improve recombinant protein expression in HEK293 cells.
Hemonectin mediates adhesion of engrafted murine progenitors to a clonal bone marrow stromal cell line from Sl/Sld mice

Mutant Sl/Sld mice exhibit decreased marrow hematopoiesis. The defect is known to reside in the marrow microenvironment of these animals, which is reproduced in vitro by primary marrow explants as well as by cloned marrow stromal cell lines. Bone marrow progenitor cells are incapable of adhering to primary Sl/Sld stromal cells or cloned stromal cell lines derived from them to form cobblestone-islands and proliferate. The role of hemonectin, a marrow-specific adhesion protein in the defective hematopoiesis of the Sl/Sld mice, was studied. Indirect immunoperoxidase staining of marrow in situ from Sl/Sld mice showed little specific staining while specific staining was seen in a pericellular distribution in marrow from +/+ mice. Hemonectin expression in several cloned stromal cell lines from Sl/Sld mice was compared by immunoblotting with that in cloned stromal cell lines from normal +/+ littermates. Cell line Sld3, which has the least hematopoiesis supportive capacity in vitro, showed no detectable hemonectin by immunoblotting, while Sld1 and Sld2 showed detectable but greatly reduced amounts compared with normal +/+ 2.4, GBI/6, and D2XRII. Confluent cultures incubated with purified hemonectin and engrafted with enriched progenitors showed a significant increase in the cumulative number of cobbleston-islands and day 14 spleen colony-forming units (CFU-s) forming progenitors (39.15 +/- 3.6/dish; 16.3 +/- 3.1/dish, respectively), compared with untreated Sld3 cultures (cobblestone-islands 8.1 +/- 3.6/dish; CFU-s forming progenitors 8.8 +/- 0.05/dish). Hemonectin-mediated progenitor cell binding to the Sld3 stromal cells was specifically inhibited by antihemonectin but not by preimmune serum. These data support the role of hemonectin in early progenitor-stromal cell interactions.
Bipolar Affective Disorder and Recurrent Unipolar Depression

Lithium (Lithonate®, Lithane®, Eskalith®, and others), a naturally occurring salt, has been used for various medical purposes since the 1800s. Initially, it was given to patients who suffered from urinary calculi and gout. Later, it was combined with bromides and used as a sedative. In 1949, Cade observed that lithium calmed agitated psychotic patients: ten manic patients responded, six schizophrenic and chronically depressed psychotic patients did not, and one patient’s symptoms reappeared after lithium was stopped.1 During this same period, lithium was introduced in the United States as a salt substitute for cardiac patients, but it caused numerous toxic reactions and several deaths. Thus, even with the emergence of convincing evidence that lithium was safe and effective in manic-depressive illness, it was not accepted in the United States until 1970.
Does the Patient-centered Medical Home Model Change Staffing and Utilization in the Community Health Centers?

BACKGROUND Few studies have looked under the hood of practice redesign to understand whether and, if so, how staffing changed with the adoption of patient-centered medical home (PCMH), and whether these staffing changes impacted utilization. OBJECTIVES To examine the workforce transformation occurring in community health centers that have achieved PCMH status, and to assess the relationship of those changes to utilization, as measured by the number of visits. RESEARCH DESIGN, SUBJECTS, MEASURES Using a difference-in-differences approach, we compared staffing and utilization outcomes in 450 community health centers that had adopted a PCMH model between 2007 and 2013 to a matched sample of 243 nonadopters located in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. RESULTS We found that adopting a PCMH model was significantly associated with a growth in use of advanced practice staff (nurse practitioners and physician assistants) [0.53 full-time equivalent (FTE), 8.77%; P<0.001], other medical staff (medical assistants, nurse aides, and quality assurance staff) (1.23 FTE, 7.46%; P=0.001), mental health/substance abuse staff (0.73 FTE, 17.63%; P=0.005), and enabling service staff (case managers and health educators) (0.36 FTE, 6.14%; P=0.079), but not primary care physicians or nurses. We did not observe a significant increase in utilization, as measured in total number of visits per year. However, the visits marginally attributed to advanced practice staff (539 FTE, 0.89%; P=0.037) and mental health/substance abuse staff (353 FTE, 0.59%; P=0.051) significantly increased. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that the implementation of PCMH actively reengineers staff composition and this, in turn, results in changes in marginal utilization by each staff type.
Electrochemical Desalination Using Bi/BiOCl Electrodialysis Cells

The construction of new types of electrodialysis (ED) cells composed of Bi and BiOCl electrodes were investigated to achieve more cost-effective desalination using ED. By using the oxidation of Bi ...
Will donor-derived neoplasia be problematic after clinical pig organ or cell xenotransplantation?

There is an increased incidence of certain tumors and other neoplastic disease in organ allotransplant recipients receiving immunosuppressive therapy. Following clinical pig organ xenotransplantation, will there be a risk of the development of neoplasia in the pig graft or in other tissues transplanted with it, e.g., lymph nodes? The incidence of neoplasia in young slaughterhouse pigs is very low (<0.005%), but in older pigs is largely unknown (as most pigs are killed within the first six months of life). However, lymphosarcoma, nephroblastoma, and melanoma have been reported in pigs. These tumors should be readily identified by ultrasound or direct inspection and palpation before an organ is excised for clinical xenotransplantation, and so transfer to the human recipient should be unlikely. Post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD) has been reported in pigs receiving intensive immunomodulatory therapy, particularly if this includes whole body irradiation, in an effort to induce mixed hematopoietic chimerism and immunological tolerance. However, the pigs used as sources of organs in xenotransplantation should be free of the porcine lymphotropic herpesvirus that is a key causative factor for PTLD in pigs, and so donor-derived PTLD should not occur. We conclude that the risk of a malignant tumor developing in a transplanted organ from a young pig is small.
Constructing Justice: The Selective Use of Scripture in Formulating Early Jewish Accounts of the Courts

Elaborate depictions of the court system in Second Temple and rabbinic literature signify its centrality for the Jewish legal tradition. Rather than offering positivistic descriptions, these representations are better thought of as templates of how to organize justice. While historically less informative, they are vivid expressions of the early Jewish legal imagination and its fascinating fixation on the architecture of justice.A measure of the ahistoric quality of early accounts of judicial administration is their considerable exegetical strata. This article surveys how four seminal Second Temple and rabbinic works constructed accounts of the judiciary on the foundation of Scripture. The variances among them unfold from decisive hermeneutical choices, beginning with the threshold question of which among several, internally inconsistent, biblical sources to select as a base text. What animates these various choices, in turn, are competing conceptions of the origin and nature of legal authority within a religious tradition that enshrines the role of law.
SCN2A Related Early Onset Epileptic Encephalopathy Responsive to Phenobarbital (P2.231)

BACKGROUND: Voltage gated sodium (Nav) channels are critical regulators of neuronal excitability. Genes for the alpha-subunits of three of the main CNS sodium channel subtypes - SCN1A, SCN2A, and SCN3A - are all located on chromosome 2q24. CASE: A full-term boy with an unremarkable pre- and peri-natal history presented at one month of age with unusual movements that had onset on day of life two. Exam was notable for lack of visual attention, hypotonia, and hyperreflexia. EEG background was characterized by invariant burst-suppression including multifocal spikes, and ictal episodes with bicycling movements associated with buildups of rhythmic activity and epileptic spasms in clusters with corresponding diffuse high amplitude slow waves followed by attenuation and overriding beta activity. Following negative imaging and metabolic studies, chromosomal microarray identified a 1.77 Mb duplication at locus 2q24.3, encompassing the entirety of SCN2A and SCN3A, but not SCN1A. Phenobarbital led to rapid resolution of the clinical seizures. At two months of age, EEG background was normal other than rare sharp waves. At 6-month follow-up there were no recurrent seizures and only mild residual hypotonia. CONCLUSIONS: Early onset epileptic encephalopathy (EOEE), with neonatal seizures, burst-suppression on EEG, and reversibility on phenobarbital, is part of the enlarging spectrum of Nav channelopathies. The diagnosis at age one month, related to the time at which parents brought the child to medical attention, allowed for an unusual opportunity to view the early natural history of this disorder and remarkable responsivity to barbiturate therapy. The clinical and EEG response to phenobarbital therapy implicates the epilepsy itself as the cause of the encephalopathy. Clinical follow-up will allow for assessment of long-term outcome. Disclosure: Dr. Baumer has nothing to disclose. Dr. Peters has nothing to disclose. Dr. Achkar has nothing to disclose. Dr. Pearl has nothing to disclose.
TRENDS IN ORAL ANTICOAGULANT USE FOR THE TREATMENT OF VENOUS THROMBOEMBOLISM IN THE UNITED STATES, 2010-2016

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) occurs in approximately 100 persons per 100,000 each year in the United States (US). Warfarin had been the mainstay of therapy. However, beginning in 2012, direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) were approved for treatment of VTE. We assessed the prescription patterns of
The Power of Rejection in Online Bottleneck Matching

We consider the online matching problem, where \(n\) server-vertices lie in a metric space and \(n\) request-vertices that arrive over time each must immediately be permanently assigned to a server-vertex. We focus on the egalitarian bottleneck objective, where the goal is to minimize the maximum distance between any request and its server. It has been demonstrated that while there are effective algorithms for the utilitarian objective (minimizing total cost) in the resource augmentation setting where the offline adversary has half the resources, these are not effective for the egalitarian objective. Thus, we propose a new Serve-or-Skip bicriteria analysis model, where the online algorithm may reject or skip up to a specified number of requests, and propose two greedy algorithms: GriNN \((t)\) and Grin* \((t)\). We show that the Serve-or-Skip model of resource augmentation analysis can essentially simulate the doubled-server-capacity model, and then characterize the performance of GriNN \((t)\) and Grin* \((t)\).
Glycopyrrolate (Lonhala Magnair) for Treatment of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

Glycopyrrolate is a safe alternative to long-acting muscarinic antagonists delivered by metered-dose inhaler for patients with moderate to severe COPD.
The composition of foreign direct investment and protection of intellectual property rights : evidence from transition economies

While existing literature has examined the impact of intellectual property protection on the volume of foreign direct investment (FDI), little is known about its effect on the composition of FDI inflows. The author addresses this question empirically, using a unique firm-level data set from Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. She finds that weak protection deters foreign investors in technology-intensive sectors that rely heavily on intellectual property rights. The results also indicate that a weak intellectual property regime encourages investors to undertake projects focusing on distribution rather than local production. The latter effect is present in all sectors, not just those relying heavily on intellectual property protection.
The Design and Manufacture of Vacuum Electronic Amplifiers: Progress and Challenges

The Vacuum Electronics industry can make use of modern Simulation Based Design methodology to create smart designs compatible with low volume flexible manufacturing in order to reduce production costs and development and production time. This approach promises to make vacuum electronic devices more competitive in both the civilian and military markets.
On the Interpretation of Parameters in Multivariate Multilevel Models Across Different Combinations of Model Specification and Estimation.

The increasing availability of software with which to estimate multivariate multilevel models (also called multilevel structural equation models) makes it easier than ever before to leverage these ...
Associations between Self-Reported Daily Affect Ratings and Sleep Duration during the First Two Weeks of Antidepressant Therapy

Background: In the context of a randomized controlled trial evaluating the efficacy of augmenting fluoxetine treatment in young adults with major depressive disorder (MDD) using a modified repeated...
Efficacy of nalmefene antagonizing postoperative respiratory depression in children with congenital heart disease

Objective To evaluate the efficacy of nalmefene antagonizing postoperative respiratory depression in children with congenital heart disease.Methods Sixty ASA Ⅰ or Ⅱ children,aged 3 y-6 y and undergoing congenital heart disease surgery,were included and randomly divided into 3 groups (n=20).All the patients were sent into the cardiac intensive care unit (CICU) after surgery.At 10 min following the patients' vital sign was stable in the CICU,patients in group Ⅰ were administered intravenously with nalmefene 0.25 μg/kg and group Ⅱ were injected intravenously with nalmefene 0.25 μg/kg twice.Patients in group C were not given drug (control group).Mean arterial pressure(MBP),heart rate(HR),pulse oxygen saturation(SpO2) and blood gas analysis before and after administration,during respiratory recovery,duration of extubation,duration of monitoring in the CICU,and adverse effects including nausea,vomiting,fever,restlessness and wound pain were observed.Results Duration of respiratory recovery,extubation,and monitoring in the CICU were (2.9±1.0),(3.6± 1.4) h and (18.5±5.8) h in group C,respectively,(1.8± 0.6),(2.3±0.6) h and(8.2±3.1) h in group Ⅰ,(1.7±0.5),(2.1±0.7) h and (7.9±2.9) h in group Ⅱ.Duration of respiratory recovery,extubation,and monitoring in the CICU were significantly shorter in groups Ⅰ and Ⅱ than in control group (P＜0.05).Incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting was 15％,5％ and 0％ in groups C,Ⅰ and Ⅱ,respectively,with a lower incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting in groups Ⅰ and Ⅱ than in group C (P＜0.05).Conclusions Nalmefene is effective and safe for antagonism of postoperative respiratory depression after congenital heart disease surgery in children. Key words: Nalmefene; Congenital heart disease; Postoperative respiratory depression
Description of a new species of Haemaphysalis Koch, 1844 (Acari: Ixodidae) from the H . ( Rhipistoma ) asiatica subgroup, parasite of an endemic Malagasy carnivoran (Carnivora: Eupleridae)

Haemaphysalis (Rhipistoma) galidiae n. sp. (Acari: Ixodidae) is described herein based on males and a single female. Adults of H. galidiae n. sp. were collected from the ring-tailed vontsira, Galidia elegans Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire (Carnivora: Eupleridae) on Madagascar. Males and the single female of this new species morphologically are most close to H. obtusa Donitz, 1910, known from various Malagasy euplerid carnivorans, including G. elegans, as well as introduced carnivorans, but can be differentiated from it by the shape of the female genital aperture, shape of posterolateral margin of palpal segment II ventrally in both male and female and shape and size of spurs on palpal segment II, coxa I and trochanter I in both sexes.
Implementing Web Design and Usability Principles in Online Medical Curricula is Associated with Improved Student Utilization and Satisfaction

The Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine medical education curriculum includes a series of supplemental online pharmacology modules (“PharmWeb”) that run concurrently with the standard curriculum to introduce first-year students to fundamental principles of pharmacology. Although this voluntary online pharmacology curriculum correlated with higher test scores during the formal, required portion of pharmacology learning in the curriculum, the utilization among medical students of the PharmWeb resource was low. We hypothesized that improving the design and accessibility of the online curriculum using commercial design principles could promote adoption of this voluntary curriculum. The modules were redesigned with a cleaner interface, and convenience of access to each module was enhanced by adding links to relevant modules within required, formative weekly pharmacology multiple choice questions. We report here an increased use of this optional online introduction to pharmacological principles and increased satisfaction in learning pharmacology that correlates with the design intervention.
Multi-stage mixer-settler planet centrifuge : Preliminary studies on partition of macromolecules with organic-aqueous and aqueous-aqueous two-phase solvent systems

A rotary-seal-free planetary centrifuge holds a separation column which consists of multiple partition units (ca. 200) connected in series with transfer tubes. In the cavity of each partition unit the transfer tube extends to form a mixer which vibrates to stir the contents under an oscillating force field generated by the planetary motion of the centrifuge. Consequently, solutes locally introduced at the inlet of the column are subjected to an efficient partition process in each partition unit and separated according to their partition coefficients. The mixer tube equipped with a flexible silicone rubber joint was found to produce excellent results for partition with viscous polymer phase systems. The capability of the method was demonstrated on separation of cytochrome c and lysozyme using a PEG-aqueous dibasic potassium phosphate-aqueous two-phase solvent system.
Experimental demonstration of performance enhancement on highly-scaled bulk nFinFETs with novel carrier transport engineering

For the first time, the concept of source side potential energy engineering to enhance the average velocity of carriers at the beginning of the channel, known as injection velocity, while keeping the same electrostatics was proposed and realized by the process integration on highly scaled bulk nFinFETs. >7% and 4% improvement on the saturation drain current (I sat ) and the ring oscillator speed was demonstrated at V dd =0.8V under the same electrostatics due to the enhanced injection velocity. Under the same process, experimental results for the different V dd , the temperature sensitivity and the local variability were also discussed in this work.
Sentinel lymph node biopsy in breast cancer: unfiltered radioisotope is superior to filtered.

Abstract Background: The combination of gamma-probe radiolocalization and blue-dye mapping of sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs) has been advocated as the most accurate method for staging the clinically negative axilla in breast cancer patients, but the technical aspects of these procedures are not fully characterized in the literature. In this study, we compared the success of SLN localization in 134 consecutive breast cancer patients using blue dye plus two different preparations of radiocolloid. Study Design: A retrospective analysis of a prospectively maintained data base was performed to assess SLN localization in two cohorts of patients. Unfiltered technetium-99m (Tc-99m) sulfur colloid (in 77 patients; group I) was compared with filtered Tc-99m sulfur colloid (in 57 patients; group II). All patients had a peritumoral injection of blue dye and isotope, followed immediately by lymphoscintigraphy to confirm radioactivity at the injection site and to image the SLN. Statistical analysis was performed using the Pearson chi-square test. Results: Unfiltered Tc-99m sulfur colloid was superior to the filtered radiocolloid in localizing the SLN (88% versus 73%; p=0.03). SLN imaging by lymphoscintigraphy was also more successful in the unfiltered group. Using the combination of blue dye and radiolocalization, SLNs were identified in 94% of patients. Conclusions: For optimal localization of the SLN in breast cancer patients, surgeons should use the combined technique of blue-dye mapping and gamma-probe localization using unfiltered Tc-99m sulfur colloid.
Preparation and characterization of Co(II)ZrO2 solid solution

Abstract Samples of cubic ZrO 2 containing up to almost 10 atomic percent cobalt were prepared by codecomposition of the nitrate. Magnetic susceptibility measurements confirmed the limit of solubility and the presence of the cobalt as Co(II). The reduction of the cobalt inserted in cubic zirconia took place at a considerably higher temperature than bulk cobalt oxide.
Interobserver variation in assessment of respiratory signs. Physicians' guesses as to interobserver variation

Interobserver variation was studied for 11 respiratory signs and for the diagnostic conclusions made on the basis of these signs. Two physicians each, with and without knowledge of the patient's history, performed physical examination of the lungs in a total of 202 unselected patients from a department of internal medicine. The interobserver variation was calculated as the kappa coefficient, using a modified method that made it possible to calculate the interobserver variation for a pair of observers made up by varying physicians. No difference was demonstrated between the kappa coefficients obtained for examinations performed with and without knowledge of the history. The kappa values for the signs ranged from -0.04 to 0.58, and for the diagnoses from 0.15 to 0.68, i.e., expressed by kappa values, poor agreement. In a questionnaire study we asked a number of physicians from departments of internal medicine to guess the size of the interobserver variation for the 11 respiratory signs examined. A total of 47 physicians (90%) returned the questionnaire and the answers showed that the physicians markedly underestimated the interobserver variation.
Experimental test-bed for a single link flexible manipulator

The advantage that lightweight flexible manipulators present over rigid robots have been recognized in several previously published works. During the past few years several researchers have investigated the modelling and control aspects of this complex structure but a review of the work already done shows very few facilities available for the actual implementation and verification of the theories presented. Because of this the authors have developed a laboratory facility at Colorado State University to investigate flexible manipulators. This work presents the description of the manipulator, the computer resources and data acquisition board. A detailed presentation of the collocated sensors available is also given. Non-collocated control of flexible manipulators is a very difficult task. For this purpose a wide field non-collocated sensor was developed and presented in detail. With respect to the parameter identification issue, much has been presented, however it is very difficult to do an extensive comparison under different load conditions without using expensive spectrum analyzers. At CSU an extensive software package and interface have been developed to obtain the frequency response of the arm when excited by differents patterns. This tool proves to be very useful and reliable in obtainning the actual frequency response of the arm to compare with the responses obtained by on-line algorithms. The hardware and software available at this laboratory is very important for future development at CSU in the area of control of flexible manipulators.
EPIDEMIOLOGY OF LUMBAR DISC LESIONS IN THE MILITARY IN WORLD WAR II

A study was carried out in 1095 first Army hospital admissions for lumbar herniation of the nucleus pulposus (HNP) who were individually matched on age and period of service during World War II to holders of Army National Service Life Insurance policies. For both the cases and the comparison group, data were obtained from military records, particularly records of induction into service. Factors showing a statistically significant positive association (p less than 0.05) with admission for HNP in the entire sample and also among enlisted cases matched to enlisted members of the comparison group were: occupation of craftsman or foreman, married status, rural residence, excess height, excess weight, heavy frame, good posture, defects relating to back or legs, military occupation specialty of ground combat, and rank of sergeant or staff sergeant. Factors showing a negative association with admission for HNP in these same groups were: clerical occupation, two or more battle stars earned and officer rank. Essentially the same relationships were found among cases with surgically confirmed diagnoses of HNP, less than 30 years old at hospital admission, and with recent onset of symptoms, when the cases in these groups were compared with their matches in the comparison group. Mechanical factors related to body build as evaluated by height and weight measurements appear to be of significance in the etiology of HNP. Occupational factors also appear to be of importance. Some cases and some controls were hospitalized prior to the first hospital admission of the case for a disease possibly related to HNP. For that time period there were no remarkable differences between cases and controls in service hospital diagnoses, including those of trauma.
Dynamics of Self-Assembled Chaining in Magnetorheological Fluids

The aggregation dynamics of paramagnetic spherical particles embedded in a viscous fluid is investigated via numerical simulations using a fully coupled three-dimensional model. Particles experience simultaneously Brownian motion, dipolar magnetic attraction, and multibody hydrodynamic interactions. When the dipole strength characterizing the ratio of magnetic attraction to random diffusion exceeds a critical value, particles join together forming supraparticle structures. As time evolves, particle/chain and chain/ chain interactions lead to a continuous increase of the cluster size. The mean length of particle chains has a power-law dependence with respect to time, as predicted by the theory of diffusion-limited aggregation. Both the exponent and the characteristic time scale agree very well with the experimental results of Promislow et al. (J. Chem. Phys. 1995, 102, 5492).
Histochemical demonstration of hyaluronic acid molecules by alcian blue.

Specimens of vitreous humour (monkey eye), Wharton jelly (human umbilical cord) and commercial hyaluronates were immersed in buffered fixative solutions containing either aldehydes and Alcian Blue, or aldehydes and Alcian Blue with MgCl2 as electrolyte. Two MgCl2 concentrations were used, 0.025m and 0.3m. Immersion in both solutions induced formation of precipitates which were postfixed in OsO4, dehydrated and embedded for thin section electron microscopy. The use of the same fixative solution produced morphologically comparable precipitates from all three materials. The precipitates, especially after fixation in the presence of electrolyte, were composed of linear, unbranched filaments, frequently aggregated into bundles. The filaments were considered to be molecules of hyaluronic acid.
Psychological Support for Cancer Patients

This article describes the setting up, the development and the evaluation of an attempt to provide psychological help and support for cancer patients and their families within the National Health Service.
Cytogenetic findings in regressing skin lesions of lymphomatoid papulosis

Abstract In this report, we present cytogenetic findings in an adult female patient with lymphomatoid papulosis (LyP) type A, a cutaneous lymphoproliferative disorder with possible progression to lymphoma. Karyotyping of the CD30+ atypical lymphoid cells revealed numerical and structural aberrations. Trisomy 7, a common finding in hematologic disorders such as adult T-cell leukemia and non-Hodgkin lymphomas, was detected. Additionally, a breakpoint was found at 10q24 in the region of the TCL3 oncogene. These results contrast with cells of a young female patient (age 3) with a type A LyP, which showed a normal karyotype as well as cells of a male adult with type B LyP. None of the cases showed the t(2;5)p(23;q35) common in CD30+ anaplastic large cell lymphomas, which can closely resemble LyP. Our findings are discussed in the context of the literature concerning the histology, immunophenotyping, and cytogenetics of LyP. Together the results suggest different steps in the development of LyP and distinct forms of this one disease.