cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Shame in Pastoral Practice: Reflections in the Light of Field Research, Bonhoeffer and Godly Play

Shame can be an immensely debilitating experience for some and the church as an institution does, at times, exacerbate this shame. This article draws on a qualitative research project exploring shame in the church in the light of ministerial praxis completed as part of ordination and post-ordination training. Two conversation partners illuminate a discussion of pastoral practice in relation to shame. Firstly Bonhoeffer's incomplete essay written in prison on what it means to tell the truth and secondly Godly Play's open, non-directive wondering questions. Truth telling is seen by Bonhoeffer as contextual and living rather than absolute and static in nature. It is also limited by constraints of time, place, mission and office or role. Wondering questions contribute to a pastoral approach which can help to mitigate against shaming and which resonate with Bonhoeffer's understanding of telling the truth. The intention of the article is to encourage a more mindful approach to pastoral practice in the light of ...
Dehydrogenation properties of ammonia borane–polyacrylamide nanofiber hydrogen storage composites

The current investigation seeks to measure the thermal and vibrational response of ammonia borane (NH3BH3, AB)/polyacrylamide (PAM, M n ~ 150,000) composites in bulk and electrospun fiber forms. The hydrogen release and melting temperature profiles for the composites were found to be lower than pristine AB. The kinetic analysis of the first dehydrogenation peak with respect to the heating ramp rates showed that the corresponding activation energy (E a) revealed the greatest decrease for the electrospun fibers (~61 kJ/mol), as compared to the bulk composites (~95 kJ/mol) and the pristine AB (~133 kJ/mol). Overall, the nanofibers showed the greatest decrease in E a, suggesting improved kinetic behavior. In addition to the enhanced kinetic properties, thermal gravimetric analysis showed significantly reduced weight loss for the composites. We have hypothesized that this is due to the suppression of the unwanted boracic byproducts and NH3. The weight loss decreased from 57.8% (AB) to 21.8% (fibers). Fourier-transform infrared study shows the interaction between the AB and PAM indication for the mentioned improvements. Decomposition IR studies revealed the disruption of the bonds with the broadening of the peaks and the disappearance of B–H stretch due to the dehydrogenation. These results imply that the novel composites revealed tuned properties by confining the AB molecules within the polymer matrix, having major implications in potential hydrogen storage applications.
Ligand Receptor-Mediated Regulation of Growth in Plants.

Abstract Growth and development of multicellular organisms are coordinately regulated by various signaling pathways involving the communication of inter- and intracellular components. To form the appropriate body patterns, cellular growth and development are modulated by either stimulating or inhibiting these pathways. Hormones and second messengers help to mediate the initiation and/or interaction of the various signaling pathways in all complex multicellular eukaryotes. In plants, hormones include small organic molecules, as well as larger peptides and small proteins, which, as in animals, act as ligands and interact with receptor proteins to trigger rapid biochemical changes and induce the intracellular transcriptional and long-term physiological responses. During the past two decades, the availability of genetic and genomic resources in the model plant species, Arabidopsis thaliana , has greatly helped in the discovery of plant hormone receptors and the components of signal transduction pathways and mechanisms used by these immobile but highly complex organisms. Recently, it has been shown that two of the most important plant hormones, auxin and abscisic acid (ABA), act through signaling pathways that have not yet been recognized in animals. For example, auxins stimulate cell elongation by bringing negatively acting transcriptional repressor proteins to the proteasome to be degraded, thus unleashing the gene expression program required for increasing cell size. The “dormancy” inducing hormone, ABA, binds to soluble receptor proteins and inhibits a specific class of protein phosphatases (PP2C), which activates phosphorylation signaling leading to transcriptional changes needed for the desiccation of the seeds prior to entering dormancy. While these two hormone receptors have no known animal counterparts, there are also many similarities between animal and plant signaling pathways. For example, in plants, the largest single gene family in the genome is the protein kinase family (approximately 5% of the protein coding genes), although the specific function for only a few dozen of these kinases is clearly established. Recent comparative genomics studies have revealed that parasitic nematodes and pathogenic microbes produce plant peptide hormone mimics that target specific plant plasma membrane receptor-like protein kinases, thus usurping endogenous signaling pathways for their own pathogenic purposes. With biochemical, genetic, and physiological analyses of the regulation of hormone receptor signal pathways, we are thus just now beginning to understand how plants optimize the development of their body shape and cope with constantly changing environmental conditions.
Adaptive immune resistance in gastro-esophageal cancer: Correlating tumoral/stromal PDL1 expression with CD8+ cell count.

4031 Background: In adaptive resistance, tumors use PDL1 induction as a protective mechanism against an antitumor immune response implying underlying immuno-surveillance. By upregulating the expression of ligands for inhibitory receptors on tumor specific lymphocytes in the tumor microenvironment a growing malignancy can avoid immune elimination. Here we report the interaction between PDL1 status and the density of CD8+ at the tumor stromal interface in gastric and gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinomas (G/GEJ). Methods: 34 invasive G/GEJ were stained for PDL1 using the 5H1 clone both at the tumor cell and associated tumor infiltrating lymphocyte/macrophages (TILs/TAMs). Tumors with greater than 5% membranous staining were considered PDL1 positive. TILs/TAMs were scored as no significant staining (0), less than 50% (focal) or greater than 50% (high). CD8+ density was determined using image analysis. Survival was evaluated according to PDL1 and CD8+ status. Results: 4/34 tumors (12%) showed membranous P...
A vision of international HRM research

AbstractThis editorial was written as a vision of IHRM research, to be both thought-provoking and to start a conversation that can continue to move the field forward. Starting with a brief outline of the field, the editorial emphasizes distinct research route trajectories charting the landscape and anatomy of HRM in an international context, focusing on HRM in multinational corporations (MNCs) as well as Comparative HRM and the related, but distinct, cross-cultural management thread. Additionally, the editorial accentuates the importance of context in IHRM research, explaining the resultant debate on adopting a universalist vs. a contextual paradigm. The editorial presents a future agenda for IHRM research, focusing on challenges of research sampling, appropriate methodologies, social impact and interdisciplinary research. Finally, the editorial introduces four featured articles from the 2nd Global Conference on IHRM. Each article represents an interesting take on comparative HRM and/or strategic IHRM in ...
Characteristics of US-Born Versus Foreign-Born Americans of African Descent With Chronic Hepatitis B

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is more common in African Americans than in white Americans. We compared the epidemiologic, clinical, and virological characteristics of US-born African Americans (USAAs) to those of foreign-born African Americans (FBAAs) with chronic hepatitis B. The adult cohort study of the Hepatitis B Research Network enrolls patients with HBV infection from 21 clinical sites in the United States and Canada. A total of 237 (15%) of the adult participants with chronic HBV infection that were enrolled from January 20, 2011, to October 2, 2013, were of African descent, including 57 USAAs and 180 FBAAs (76%). Compared with FBAAs, USAAs were older and more likely to have acquired HBV through sexual exposure, to be HBeAg-positive, to have higher HBV DNA levels, and to be infected with HBV genotype A2. FBAAs from West Africa were more likely to have elevated serum alanine aminotransferase (72% vs. 50%; P < 0.01) and higher HBV DNA levels (median, 3.2 log10 IU/mL vs. 2.8 log10 IU/mL; P = 0.03) compared with East African FBAAs. The predominant HBV genotype among West African FBAAs was E (67%), whereas genotypes A (78%) and D (16%) were common in East African FBAAs. Significant differences were found between USAAs and FBAAs, highlighting the need for tailored strategies for prevention and management of chronic HBV infection for African Americans.
Keeping it Light: Perceptions of Humor Styles in Robot-Mediated Conflict

A 2 (mediator: human, robot) x 3 (humor styles: affiliative, aggressive, self-defeating) factorial experiment was conducted to test participant perceptions of robot-enacted humor in conflict mitigation. Participants watched brief video vignettes of roommate conflict in which either a robot or human employed humor. Funniness ratings did not differ significantly between conditions of humor style or mediator. However, participants perceived affiliative and aggressive humor employed by a robot as less appropriate than when used by a human.
Machine Learning in Computer-Aided Synthesis Planning

ConspectusComputer-aided synthesis planning (CASP) is focused on the goal of accelerating the process by which chemists decide how to synthesize small molecule compounds. The ideal CASP program would take a molecular structure as input and output a sorted list of detailed reaction schemes that each connect that target to purchasable starting materials via a series of chemically feasible reaction steps. Early work in this field relied on expert-crafted reaction rules and heuristics to describe possible retrosynthetic disconnections and selectivity rules but suffered from incompleteness, infeasible suggestions, and human bias. With the relatively recent availability of large reaction corpora (such as the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), Reaxys, and SciFinder databases), consisting of millions of tabulated reaction examples, it is now possible to construct and validate purely data-driven approaches to synthesis planning. As a result, synthesis planning has been opened to machine learning te...
Demand for and Welfare Implications of Health Insurance, Theory of

Understanding the demand for health insurance is challenging to economists because of the complexities associated with specifying the gain from its purchase. In this article, two theories are presented to explain why consumers purchase health insurance. The conventional theory holds that insurance is purchased because consumers prefer certain losses to uncertain ones of the same expected magnitude. The alternative theory holds insurance is purchased because consumers desire a transfer of income when ill. The two theories hold diametrically opposite views of the welfare implications of moral hazard, the additional health care that is consumed when one becomes insured.
Polymers for Structure Design of Dairy Foods

Dairy foods ranging from liquids, semi-solids to solids are considered as complex viscoelastic materials. Maintaining the physical stability over the shelf life and delivering superior mouthfeel of foods after series of treatments have always been challenging for the dairy industry. During the manufacturing process, both high shear stress and temperature changing history can significantly affect the macro- and microstructure of dairy food systems. Therefore, their physical stability and sensory attributes are altered as consequences. Food polymers as stabilizer and texturizer are used in different dairy systems for eliminating negative impacts of intensive processing treatments and for manipulating texture for meeting the specific sensory preference for a targeted group of consumers. As kinetically metastable systems, the optimum structure of dairy foods may be engineered by following a universal two steps principle: (1) Apply the proper mix of food polymers in the dairy food formulation; (2) Process the formula with dedicated parameters and procedures. Although the principle is simple, the implementation is complicated. Such existence of challenge is due to the detailed interaction mechanisms between non-dairy polymers and dairy components in various physicochemical environments are not entirely understood. In this chapter, the nondairy polymers induced destabilization/stabilization of dairy systems are explained, the technical challenges of stabilization of dairy systems are discussed. It focuses on three major topics regarding dairy food structure design: (1) Formulation strategy of thickening dairy matrices; (2) Formulation strategy of increasing perception of the creaminess of dairy matrices; (3) The current updates about the synergetic functionality of food polymers.
Managed Aquifer Recharge as a Tool to Enhance Sustainable Groundwater Management in California: Examples From Field and Modeling Studies

Abstract A growing population and an increased demand for water resources have resulted in a global trend of groundwater depletion. Arid and semi-arid climates are particularly susceptible, often relying on groundwater to support large population centers or irrigated agriculture in the absence of sufficient surface water resources. In an effort to increase the security of groundwater resources, managed aquifer recharge (MAR) programs have been developed and implemented globally. MAR is the approach of intentionally harvesting and infiltrating water to recharge depleted aquifer storage. California is a prime example of this growing problem, with three cities that have over a million residents and an agricultural industry that was valued at 47 billion dollars in 2015. The present-day groundwater overdraft of over 100 km3 (since 1962) indicates a clear disparity between surface water supply and water demand within the state. In the face of groundwater overdraft and the anticipated effects of climate change, many new MAR projects are being constructed or investigated throughout California, adding to those that have existed for decades. Some common MAR types utilized in California include injection wells, infiltration basins (also known as spreading basins, percolation basins, or recharge basins), and low-impact development. An emerging MAR type that is actively being investigated is the winter flooding of agricultural fields using existing irrigation infrastructure and excess surface water resources, known as agricultural MAR. California therefore provides an excellent case study to look at the historical use and performance of MAR, ongoing and emerging challenges, novel MAR applications, and the potential for expansion of MAR. Effective MAR projects are an essential tool for increasing groundwater security, both in California and on a global scale. This chapter aims to provide an overview of the most common MAR types and applications within the State of California and neighboring semi-arid regions.
Novel ranking of protective and risk factors for adolescent adiposity in US females.

Objective Rank the importance of potentially modifiable psychosocial, dietary and environmental risk and protective factors for female adolescent obesity in order to target and inform public health prevention efforts. Utilizing the largest dataset available that captures the onset of the adolescent obesity surge in the USA, the study provides a more robust understanding of paediatric obesity risk factors. Methods Data were obtained from an observational, longitudinal study conducted between 1989 and 2001, the NHLBI Growth and Health Study. This study includes girls aged 9-19 years from three urban US locations, with Black and White girls generally represented equally. Data were analysed using multiple regression, random forest and propensity score matching to determine the strongest adiposity risk and protective factors during ages 9-12 predicting adiposity at age 19 with multiple methods to maximize the ability to identify possible public health interventions. Multiple linear regression and random forest analysis identified the strongest associations among 288 risk and protective factors selected from the study's literature review. For the 190 factors associated with follow-up adiposity from the data, propensity score matching was used to control for confounding of these factors. Results Findings suggest that highest priority interventional targets across the domains surveyed are lowering specific nutrients; eating meals with others or during activities without skipping; parents fixing evening snacks; improving perceptions of non-extremes as the healthy weight; improving self-worth, physical activity and social competence; and limiting any negative impact of dieting relatives. Similar associations were observed for Black and White girls. Conclusion The clinical implications of these findings allow health practitioners to target behavioural change efforts and address social and environmental factors that have demonstrated higher prioritization value for early obesity interventional efforts for adolescents.
The Credit Rating Agencies and Their Role in the Financial System

Despite extensive criticism, the major credit rating agencies (CRAs) – Moody’s, Standard & Poor’s, and Fitch – remain as central entities in the financial markets of the U.S. and Europe, especially with respect to bonds and similar financial instruments. This chapter provides a discussion of the role that the CRAs continue to play in the financial system and how and why they play that role. After a brief overview of the CRAs as providers of information that lessens the problems of asymmetric information in lending/borrowing markets, the chapter discusses the expanded use of the CRAs’ ratings in the prudential regulation of financial institutions and the problems that contributed to the financial crisis of 2008. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the likely direction of the CRAs and their regulation.
Separation of polar lipid by column chromatography hydroxylapatite

Abstract The separation of various lipid by column chromatography on hyddroxylapatite was investigated. Selective elution of lipid classes was affected by varying the ratio of acetone to methanol in the eluant. Separations achieved compared favorably to those obtained with silicic acid or DEAE-cellulose. Column chromatography on hydroxylapatite afforded complete recovery of polar lipids, judged by the 99–100% recovery of total phosphorus. Careful examination of eluted fractions did not indicate degradation of lipids during column development.
SYNTHESIS AND STRUCTURE DETERMINATION OF A NUCLEOSIDEDERIVED NEW HETEROCYCLIC SYSTEM: 8H,10H,15b(S)-2,3,6,7-TETRAHYDRO-1,5,3-DIOXAZEPINO[3,2-c]INDOLO[3,2-g]PTERIDINE-7-ONE

Abstract Condensation of 5-aminocytidine with N-methylisatin yielded a new heterocyclic system, 8H,10H,15b(S)-2,3,6,7-tetrahydro-1,5,3-dioxazepino[3,2-c]indolo[3,2-g]pteridine-7- one. The assignment of S configuration at position 15b, which is generated as a result of the nucleophilic attack of the 5′-hydroxy of the ribosyl moiety at the position 6 of the cytosine base, is discussed.
A SAS macro to compute HUI summary and utility scores: An application to the Fit Blue study

AbstractThe Health Utilities Index (HUI) questionnaire provides a mechanism to assess intervention effectiveness in multi-attribute health-related quality of life utilizing a set of health status c...
Making Place for My Space/Making Space for our Displacement: An Embodied Autoethnography of a Reflexive Communicative Urban Planner:

Styled as a letter to my multiple selves, this autoethnography performs a cultural politics of gentrification embodied in my journeys as a community activist, urban planning practitioner, and schol...
Impact of induction chemotherapy and socioeconomics on sinonasal undifferentiated carcinoma survival.

BACKGROUND Sinonasal undifferentiated carcinoma (SNUC) is an uncommon malignancy of the nasal cavity and accessory sinuses with limited available studies evaluating role of induction chemotherapy (IC), demographics, and socioeconomic factors on overall survival (OS). METHODS The 2004-2015 National Cancer Database was queried for patients with histologically confirmed SNUC. IC was defined as chemotherapy administered 6 months to 2 weeks before surgery or ≥45 days before radiotherapy. RESULTS Of 440 identified patients, 70 (16%) underwent treatments involving IC. This consisted of 52 (12%), 15 (3%), and 3 (1%) patients receiving IC before definitive radiation therapy, surgery and adjuvant radiotherapy, or surgery only, respectively. On univariate analysis, IC (p = 0.34) did not affect OS, whereas having government insurance (hazard ratio [HR], 1.79; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.37-2.34; p < 0.001) and living in regions with ≥13% of the population without a high school diploma (HR, 1.38; 95% CI, 1.06-1.79; p = 0.02) were associated with worse OS. On log-rank test, patients with advanced stage had similar OS regardless of whether or not they received IC (p = 0.96). Patients who received IC lived closer to their treatment site (p = 0.02) and had worse overall health, with more comorbidities (p = 0.02). The timing of IC before definitive surgery or radiation did not affect OS (p = 0.69). CONCLUSION In this SNUC population-based analysis, IC did not appear to provide additional OS benefit regardless of disease stage or timing before definitive treatment. Distance to treatment and level of comorbidities may be associated with receiving IC, whereas type of insurance and residence education level may impact SNUC OS, regardless of treatment.
Reconstruction Following Endoscopic Endonasal Skull Base Surgery: Options and Technical Considerations

To provide a brief overview of the options available for reconstruction of the skull base and to discuss their technical considerations. To review the contemporary literature surrounding adjunctive measures such as acetazolamide and perioperative cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) diversion. A recent randomized, control trial examining perioperative lumbar drainage following endoscopic skull base surgery has demonstrated that perioperative lumbar drainage is significantly associated with decreased incidence of postoperative CSF leak in specific anatomical subsites. Many factors must be weighed when considering proper skull base reconstruction. For large defects, multilayered repair with vascularized tissue is the gold standard. Perioperative lumbar drainage is recommended for large anterior or posterior fossa defects. The effect of acetazolamide on postoperative CSF leak remains unclear. Indocyanine green angiography (ICG) is a promising innovation that can aid in assessment of vascularized flaps.
Microstructure evolution during indentation of Inconel-718 created by additive manufacturing

Abstract Finishing of components originating from additive manufacturing (AM) is critically important for providing them with adequate tolerances and fatigue life. These processes often rely on surface deformation for removal of roughness features and enhancing the underlying microstructures. Optimization of finishing processes is however challenging for AM components as their mechanics of deformation is complicated by microstructure/defect/roughness combinations present in as-received surfaces. In this work, the mechanics of surface deformation in additively manufactured IN718 is studied via indentation. Effects of graded surface microstructure, surface texture and porosity defects on microstructure evolution trajectories are delineated. Using these insights, a finite element based numerical framework of surface deformation of additively manufactured IN718 is created. Utility of this framework in analysis of surface deformation of various microstructure/defect/roughness combinations is demonstrated. Implications of these insights in the optimization of finishing processes of various additively created parts is discussed.
Exploitable ambiguities & the unruliness of natural resource dependence: Public infrastructure in North Dakota's Bakken shale formation

Abstract Whether public infrastructure investments reinforce or disrupt natural resource dependence constitutes a critical knowledge gap in resource geography and energy impacts scholarship. This research revitalizes William Freudenburg's (1992) addictive economies framework to address the conundrums and ambiguities of infrastructure in communities that host unconventional oil and gas (UOG) development. The addictive economies framework is applied to a large regional water supply project in North Dakota (the Bakken Formation) to investigate the endogenous and exogenous drivers that shape infrastructure decisions. The analysis illustrates how a descriptive approach to theorizing dependence foregrounds geographic context, allowing for a more nuanced understanding of the everyday challenges facing decision-makers in communities with extractive industries. Specifically, it illustrates how infrastructure embodies exploitable ambiguities that can be leveraged by different stakeholders to justify and advance diverging agendas. The principal findings suggest that the interplay between the UOG industry and the local geography shapes governance decisions related to public infrastructure with ambiguous future consequences for communities.
Emerald Ash Borer Specific Gene Silencing Has No Effect on Non-target Organisms

The sequence complementarity of the RNA interference (RNAi) pathway allows for targeted suppression of genes essential for insect survival, and enables development of pest management strategies specific to a given species while reducing the likelihood of adversely impacting non-target organisms (NTOs). The feasibility of manipulating the RNAi pathway to cause mortality in the highly invasive emerald ash borer (EAB) has been demonstrated. Here the spectrum of activity of three double stranded RNAs (dsRNAs) targeting the genes hsp, shi and sn-rnp in EAB was evaluated in model insects representing five functional guilds including herbivore, predator, detritivore, pollinator, parasitoid; the last represented by the classical biological control agents currently deployed for EAB management in North America. All NTOs were exposed to EAB-specific dsRNAs in diet bioassays that measured potential lethal effects. Gene expression and in silico analysis were also assessed on NTOs for which gene sequences were publicly available. Bioassays demonstrated no lethal effects on our model insects, suggesting a narrow spectrum of activity for the three EAB-specific dsRNAs evaluated. The gene expression and in silico analyses suggest potential sublethal effects on our model pollinator; however we found no effects on insect survival. Overall, our results suggest no adverse effects of the RNAi strategy targeting EAB genes on the survival of the selected non-target organisms we evaluated. The results from this study provide guidance for future RNAi risk analyses that will allow this technology to move forward to a deployment stage.
Approach to Perinatal Psychiatry

This chapter serves as a blueprint to provide a framework for considerations in differential diagnosis and treatment recommendations for pregnant and postpartum patients. This chapter will cover various categories of possible psychiatric differential diagnoses in pregnant and postpartum patients, the process of the perinatal psychiatric consultation and general principles of psychiatric treatment in perinatal patients. Lastly, particular treatment considerations for patients along the reproductive span will be reviewed, including preconception counseling, pregnancy and postpartum visits.
Molecular engineering of antimicrobial peptide (AMP)–polymer conjugates

As antimicrobial resistance becomes an increasing threat, bringing significant economic and health burdens, innovative antimicrobial treatments are urgently needed. While antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are promising therapeutics, exhibiting high activity against resistant bacterial strains, limited stability and toxicity to mammalian cells has hindered clinical development. Attaching AMPs to polymers provides opportunities to present AMPs in a way that maximizes bacterial killing while enhancing compatibility with mammalian cells, stability, and solubility. Conjugation of an AMP to a linear hydrophilic polymer yields the desired improvements in stability, mammalian cell compatibility, and solubility, yet often markedly reduces bactericidal effects. Non-linear polymer architectures and supramolecular assemblies that accommodate multiple AMPs per polymer chain afford AMP-polymer conjugates that strike a superior balance of antimicrobial activity, mammalian cell compatibility, stability, and solubility. Therefore, we review the design criteria, building blocks, and synthetic strategies for engineering AMP-polymer conjugates, emphasizing the connection between molecular architecture and antimicrobial performance to inspire and enable further innovation to advance this emerging class of biomaterials.
The Gender of the Interface: Coding Masculinity, Crafting Femininity among Berlin’s Creative Class

For many cosmopolitan urban Germans and Europeans in Berlin in the late 2000s, social media platforms were a site where gender and class were enacted through articulations of emergent nerd masculinity or hip, ironic femininity. But these platforms, such as Facebook or Pinterest, encoded normative assumptions about masculinity and femininity in their visual and interaction design, excluding women and acceptable femininity as subjects of technological expertise. Sites that presented themselves as neutral spaces for connection and interaction, like Twitter or Facebook, instantiated gendered understandings of technology that rendered public space implicitly masculine, white, and middle class. Visually based sites like Pinterest and Etsy, in contrast, were marked as domains of feminine domesticity, representing not only a shift to visual communication but to visual modes of interaction that structured gender online. Although many young people resisted hegemonic notions of gender, their social media practices stabilized their class status as aspiring urban cosmopolitans. In this article, I consider how gender and class stabilized temporarily through material-semiotic engagements with technology interfaces.
Cost-effectiveness of Prophylaxis Against Pneumocystis jiroveci Pneumonia in Patients with Crohn's Disease.

Emerging evidence suggests that Pneumocystis jiroveci pneumonia is occurring more frequently in Crohn’s disease patients on immunosuppressive medications, especially corticosteroids. Considering its excess mortality and the efficacy of chemoprophylaxis in reducing P. jiroveci pneumonia in acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, there is debate without consensus on the need for chemoprophylaxis in Crohn’s disease patients on corticosteroids. We sought to address this debate using insights from simulation modeling. We used a Markov microsimulation model to simulate the natural history of Crohn’s disease in 1 million virtual patients receiving appropriate care and who faced P. jiroveci pneumonia risks that varied with corticosteroid use. We examined several chemoprophylaxis strategies and compared their population-level economic and clinical impact using various indices including costs, quality-adjusted life expectancy, and incremental cost-effectiveness ratios. We also performed several nested probabilistic sensitivity analyses to estimate the health and economic impact of chemoprophylaxis in patients on triple immunosuppressive therapy. At the current PJP incidence, no PJP chemoprophylaxis was the preferred strategy from a population perspective. Considered chemoprophylactic strategies led to higher average costs and fewer P. jiroveci pneumonia cases. However, they also led to lower average quality-adjusted life expectancy and were thus dominated. Nevertheless, these alternative strategies became preferred with progressively higher risks of P. jiroveci pneumonia. Our results also suggest that PJP chemoprophylaxis may be cost-effective in patients on triple immunosuppressive therapy. Our findings support a case-by-case consideration of P. jiroveci pneumonia chemoprophylaxis in Crohn’s disease patients receiving corticosteroids.
SU-E-J-114: A Practical Hybrid Method for Improving the Quality of CT-CBCT Deformable Image Registration for Head and Neck Radiotherapy

Purpose: Accurate deformable image registration (DIR) between CT and CBCT in HN Step1) DIR using pixel intensity only, Step2) DIR with additional use of structure VOI and rigidity penalty, and Step3) interactive local correction. For Step1, a public-domain open-source DIR algorithm was used (cubic B-spline, mutual information, steepest gradient optimization, and 4-level multi-resolution). For Step2, rigidity penalty was applied on bony anatomies and brain, and a structure VOI was used to handle the body truncation such as the shoulder cut-off on CBCT. Finally, in Step3, the registrations were reviewed on our in-house developed software and the erroneous areas were corrected via a local registration using level-set motion algorithm. Results: After Step1, there were considerable amount of registration errors in soft tissues and unrealistic stretching in the posterior to the neck and near the shouldermore » due to body truncation. The brain was also found deformed to a measurable extent near the superior border of CBCT. Such errors could be effectively removed by using a structure VOI and rigidity penalty. The rest of the local soft tissue error could be corrected using the interactive software tool. The estimated interactive correction time was approximately 5 minutes. Conclusion: The DIR using only the image pixel intensity was vulnerable to noise and body truncation. A corrective action was inevitable to achieve good quality of registrations. We found the proposed three-step hybrid method efficient and practical for CT/CBCT registrations in H&N. My department receives grant support from Industrial partners: (a) Varian Medical Systems, Palo Alto, CA, and (b) Philips HealthCare, Best, Netherlands.« less
Cranial osteology of Exostinus serratus (Squamata: Anguimorpha), fossil sister taxon to the enigmatic clade Xenosaurus

Within the squamate clade Anguimorpha, Xenosaurus is an enigmatic taxon combining several apparently primitive features with a highly specialized set of autapomorphies. This combination makes the fossil record along the Xenosaurus stem particularly important for resolving the relationships of Xenosaurus with other anguimorphs, and between species of Xenosaurus.Exostinus serratus Cope, 1873 from the Oligocene of the western United States is currently hypothesized to be the immediate sister taxon to Xenosaurus. The cranial osteology of this pivotal taxon is described here for the first time from all known material, using high-resolution X-ray computerized tomography (CT) scanning to visualize individual elements. Exostinus serratus displays a mosaic of ancestral anguimorph features that are transformed in Xenosaurus, as well as unique synapomorphies shared with Xenosaurus. The region of the external nares is less transformed than in Xenosaurus, as are the general proportions of the bones surrounding the cartilaginous nasal capsule. However, the forms of the teeth and of the osteodermal sculpture, as well as several details of maxillary and mandibular morphology, are distinctly Xenosaurus-like. Several autapomorphies are also present, including an abbreviated tooth row and an unusually wide palatal shelf of the maxilla. An understanding of the ways in which the non-ossified tissues of the head influenced the development of the bones is crucial to interpreting their morphology. Furthermore, subtle anatomical features often provide important comparative information, and are emphasized herein. © 2010 The Linnean Society of London, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2010, 159, 921–953.
Airbus A380—Turbulence Ahead

Multiple delays of the Airbus A380 have shocked analysts and investors alike. What are the causes of these delays and how should investors respond to the signals they may be sending about the company's outlook?
High speed processing of biomedical images using programmable GPU

In this paper, we report our research results on high speed processing of large size biomedical images. The biomedical images usually contain various shapes of bioorganism. To accurately quantify these objects, shape-independent image processing techniques are needed. One of such techniques is level set (LS) method. However, its application to large size images is constrained by the extremely high computational cost. This is because a set of numerical simulations has to be performed repeatedly on every pixel of an image and the general-purpose central processing unit (CPU) has only one execution core and limited memory bandwidth. Thus, we researched for techniques that can perform a large number of iterative tasks effectively. As a result, we designed and developed a graphics processing unit (GPU) based level set (LS) algorithm, GPU-LS, to process large size of biomedical images. In this paper, we report how we perform LS processing utilizing features of advanced graphics hardware. Comparing CPU-LS and GPU-LS, we have achieved average 12-13 times increase in processing speed.
Metabolism of D-fructose.

Publisher Summary Crystalline D-fructose is produced and offered as an unusually sweet sugar and also a beneficial sweetening agent for people with certain ailments or for athletes in whom it is said to provide quick energy. This chapter provides an overview of the literature on the metabolism of D-fructose. D-fructose in the human diet is derived mainly from sucrose, fruits, and honey. Liver is the principal site of D-fructose metabolism. D-fructose is transported to the liver from the small intestine by way of the portal blood-vessel. D-fructose transport values suggest that, at physiological D-fructose concentrations, membrane transport limits the rate of uptake, thereby protecting the liver from severe depletion of adenine nucleotide. It is noted that same pathway is followed for D-fructose metabolism in liver, intestine, and kidney. D-fructose exerts beneficial effects as a component of diets for mild and well-balanced diabetes, but should be taken within caloric restriction, as obesity impairs D-glucose tolerance and increases the insulin resistance of peripheral tissue. D-fructose lessens dental plaque and results in fewer caries than sucrose.
Peritectoid Phase Transformations in Ni3Mo Alloy

High-energy ball milling was used to produce a partially alloyed elemental nickel and molybdenum of Ni3Mo composition, cold-compacted and then sintered/solutionized at 1300°C for 100 h and quenched. Three transformation studies were performed. First, the intermetallic γ-Ni3Mo was formed from the supersaturated solution at temperatures below the peritectoid isotherm. Cellular precipitation was observed in some samples. Second, the reversed peritectoid transformation from γ-Ni3Mo to α-Ni and δ-NiMo was performed. Regardless of heat-treatment temperature, samples heat-treated for short times exhibited small precipitates of δ-NiMo along and within grain boundaries of α-Ni phase. Third, the transformation from the supersaturated solution to the peritectoid two-phase region was performed. Precipitates of δ-NiMo were observed and additionally, spinodal structure with compositions of 14 and 24 at. % Mo developed in the solid solution matrix for most samples. In all three cases, hardness values increased and peaked in a way similar to that of traditional aging, except that the peak occurred much rapidly in the second and third cases.
Plasma free fatty acids and risk of stroke in the Cardiovascular Health Study.

Background: Although free fatty acids have been positively associated with risk factors for stroke, the role of plasma free fatty acids in the development of stroke has not been elucidated in older adults. Aims: We sought to examine the association between plasma free fatty acids and incident stroke. Methods: Prospective cohort of 4369 men and women ≥65 years of age in the Cardiovascular Health Study. Plasma levels of free fatty acids were measured at the 1992-1993 examination and stroke events were adjudicated by a committee of experts including neurologists and neuroradiologists. Cox regression was used to estimate the relative risk of stroke associated with free fatty acids concentrations. Results: The average age among participants was 75±5·2 years. During a median follow-up of 11·4 years, 732 incident strokes occurred. The crude incidence rates of stroke were 14·5, 14·9, and 17·6 per 1000 person-years across increasing tertiles of plasma free fatty acids. The adjusted hazard ratio (95% confidence interval) for incident stroke was 1·05 (0·97-1·14) per standard deviation increase in plasma free fatty acids. Restriction to ischemic stroke did not alter the results [hazard ratio (95% confidence interval): 1·04 (0·96-1·14) per standard deviation higher free fatty acids], and there was no effect modification by adiposity (P interaction=0·18) or by diabetes (P interaction=0·15). Conclusion: Our data did not show an association of plasma free fatty acids with incident stroke among community dwelling older adults.
Chilling-induced limitations on photosynthesis in warm climate plants: Contrasting mechanisms

Many important agronomic species grown in temperate climates have been imported from warmer tropical and subtropical habitats. Unlike native temperate climate species, most plants from warm climate evolutionary origins have very little capacity to acclimate to cool much less freezing temperatures. Because the cool temperature sensitivity of these crops plays a central role in determining the growing range as well as annual variations in their economic success, there is intense interest in discovering the mechanistic bases for low temperature sensitivity. It is hoped that by defining the primary chilling-induced lesions that cause the metabolic dysfunctions in warm climate plants that it will be possible to devise strategies to minimize the sensitivity. However, the relevant physiological bases of chilling sensitivity depends critically on the seasonal climatic conditions of the target growing region, whether the low temperature episodes occur at night or in the light, as well as on the species of warm climate plant under consideration. These issues are considered in the context of what is currently understood about the underlying mechanisms of chilling sensitivity.
Interactions of CO + K on Ru(001): Structure and bonding

Abstract Recent studies of CO + K on Ru(001) revealed an anomalously low CO streaching frequency of 1460 cm −1 for low CO and K coverages. Hoffmann and de Paola proposed a side-on bound molecule with the CO molecular axis parallel to the metal surface: Weimer and Umbach suggested that CO is bound perpendicular to the surface, as on clean Ru(001), but that the CO is sp 2 hybridized in the presence of K(ads). The main objectives of the present work were to search for configurational changes of adsorbed CO on K + Ru(001) and to compare these results with CO + O(ad). We used the ESDIAD (electron stimulated desorption ion angular distribution) method in combination with LEED (low energy electron diffraction) and TDS (thermal desorption spectroscopy). The ESDIAD data for low coverages ( θ K × 0.1) of CO + K on Ru(001) show that the O + ESD signal from CO is suppressed by coadsorption with K; this can arise from a reorientation of the CO molecular axis, from perpendicular to inclined, or from increased reneutralization rates due to coadsorption with K. TDS provides evidence for strong interaction between CO and K, and a combination of LEED and ESD measurements suggest the formation of ordered species having K x (CO) 2 x stoichiometry.
An electronic health record-based intervention to increase follow-up office visits and decrease rehospitalization in older adults.

Objectives: To assess the effect of an electronic health record�based transitional care intervention involving automated alerts to primary care providers and staff when older adults were discharged from the hospital. Design: Randomized controlled trial. Setting: Large multispecialty group practice. Participants: Individuals aged 65 and older discharged from hospital to home. Intervention: In addition to notifying primary care providers about the individual's recent discharge, the system provided information about new drugs added during the inpatient stay, warnings about drug�drug interactions, recommendations for dose changes and laboratory monitoring of high-risk medications, and alerts to the primary care provider's support staff to schedule a posthospitalization office visit. Measurements: An outpatient office visit with a primary care provider after discharge and rehospitalization within 30 days after discharge. Results: Of the 1,870 discharges in the intervention group, 27.7% had an office visit with a primary care provider within 7 days of discharge. Of the 1,791 discharges in the control group, 28.3% had an office visit with a primary care provider within 7 days of discharge. In the intervention group, 18.8% experienced a rehospitalization within the 30-day period after discharge, compared with 19.9% in the control group. The hazard ratio for an office visit with a primary care physician did not significantly differ between the intervention and control groups. The hazard ratio for rehospitalization in the 30-day period after hospital discharge in the intervention versus the control group was 0.94 (95% confidence interval = 0.81�1.1). Conclusion: This electronic health record�based intervention did not have a significant effect on the timeliness of office visits to primary care providers after hospitalization or risk of rehospitalization.
Estrogen Induces Global Reorganization of Chromatin Structure in Human Breast Cancer Cells

In the cell nucleus, each chromosome is confined to a chromosome territory. This spatial organization of chromosomes plays a crucial role in gene regulation and genome stability. An additional level of organization has been discovered at the chromosome scale: the spatial segregation into open and closed chromatins to form two genome-wide compartments. Although considerable progress has been made in our knowledge of chromatin organization, a fundamental issue remains the understanding of its dynamics, especially in cancer. To address this issue, we performed genome-wide mapping of chromatin interactions (Hi-C) over the time after estrogen stimulation of breast cancer cells. To biologically interpret these interactions, we integrated with estrogen receptor (ERα) binding events, gene expression and epigenetic marks. We show that gene-rich chromosomes as well as areas of open and highly transcribed chromatins are rearranged to greater spatial proximity, thus enabling genes to share transcriptional machinery and regulatory elements. At a smaller scale, differentially interacting loci are enriched for cancer proliferation and estrogen-related genes. Moreover, these loci are correlated with higher ERα binding events and gene expression. Taken together these results reveal the role of a hormone - estrogen - on genome organization, and its effect on gene regulation in cancer.