cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Assigning Function to Yeast Proteins by Integration of Technologies

Interpreting genome sequences requires the functional analysis of thousands of predicted proteins, many of which are uncharacterized and without obvious homologs. To assess whether the roles of large sets of uncharacterized genes can be assigned by targeted application of a suite of technologies, we used four complementary protein-based methods to analyze a set of 100 uncharacterized but essential open reading frames (ORFs) of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. These proteins were subjected to affinity purification and mass spectrometry analysis to identify copurifying proteins, two-hybrid analysis to identify interacting proteins, fluorescence microscopy to localize the proteins, and structure prediction methodology to predict structural domains or identify remote homologies. Integration of the data assigned function to 48 ORFs using at least two of the Gene Ontology (GO) categories of biological process, molecular function, and cellular component; 77 ORFs were annotated by at least one method. This combination of technologies, coupled with annotation using GO, is a powerful approach to classifying genes.
The advance of technology and the scientific commons

The advance of technology proceeds through an evolutionary process, with many different new departures in competition with each other and with prevailing practice, and with ex-post selection determining the winners and losers. In modern times what gives power to the process is the strong base of scientific and technological understanding and technique that guides the efforts of those seeking to advance the technology. Most of that base is part of a commons open to all who have expertise in a field. The proprietary aspects of technology traditionally have comprised a small topping on the commons. But recently parts of the commons have become privatized. While the justification for the policies and actions that have spurred privatization of the commons is that this will spur technological progress, the argument here is that the result can be just the opposite.
Implementation of Political Party Gender Quotas Evidence from the German Länder 1990–2000

The use of gender quotas to increase women's political representation in legislatures has expanded in recent years. Scholars have identified three main categories of gender quotas, including consti...
Answer mining from on-line documents

Mining the answer of a natural language open-domain question in a large collection of on-line documents is made possible by the recognition of the expected answer type in relevant text passages. If the technology of retrieving texts where the answer might be found is well developed, few studies have been devoted to the recognition of the answer type.This paper presents a unified model of answer types for open-domain Question/Answering that enables the discovery of exact answers. The evaluation of the model, performed on real-world questions, considers both the correctness and the coverage of the answer types as well as their contribution to answer precision.
U.S. GOFS participation in JGOFS Pilot Study

The U.S. Global Ocean Flux Study (GOFS) program, a component of the international Joint Global Ocean Flux Study (JGOFS), plans a large-scale operation, the North Atlantic Bloom Experiment, in the North Atlantic Basin in spring and summer 1989. A proposal for support of U.S. GOFS Level 1 activities in the North Atlantic was submitted tothe National Science Foundation (NSF) in February 1988.
Settlement Hierarchies and Political Complexity in Nonmarket Societies: The Formative Period of the Valley of Mexico

Archaeologists have long recognized that increases in political centralization often coincide with the growth of regional settlement hierarchies. Here I develop a theoretical model which explicitly relates certain aspects of political complexity to variation in settlement size. This model applies specifically to hierarchical societies without well-developed market economies—societies which Service would classify as chiefdoms and (perhaps) simple states. Using settlement data from the Formative Period Valley of Mexico, I show how this model is useful in measuring (1) the number of levels in a regional hierarchy, (2) the degree of political centralization, and (3) the relative amount of surplus food mobilized to support the political establishment.
Tutorial: optical cross-connect and add-drop multiplexers: technologies and applications

One of the most significant changes in telecommunications networks over the last decade has been a movement towards management at the wavelength level, rather than in smaller units of bandwidth. Optical crossconnects and add-drop multiplexers are the network elements that enable this wavelength-by-wavelength network management. This tutorial will begin by reviewing the likely evolution of long-haul optical telecommunications networks, and the role of optical crossconnects and optical add-drop multiplexers in this evolution. We will examine several broad classes of optical crossconnects and add-drop multiplexers, and the types of networks they enable. We will then focus on technologies for the switch fabrics in these elements.
Do we get what we pay for

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to discuss the use of intermediary companies (i.e. jobbers) in library operationsDesign/methodology/approach – The paper investigates how service charges are determined, if any industry standards for these charges exist, and if so, how they are monitored by companies and clients.Practical implications – Not much is known about the nature of jobber's business. This discussion has reinforced Daniel that the library makes good use of the jobbers employed, but has also underscored the importance of being able to explain, to people outside the library field, why they are important to library operation.Findings – For the authors' small academic library, employing intermediaries is currently worth the service charges.Originality/value – It is hoped librarians and library staff who use or are considering using intermediary businesses will find these experiences useful.
Motivating people to perform better in exergames: Collaboration vs. competition in virtual environments

Repetitive indoor exercises as running on a treadmill or cycling on an exercise bike use to be tedious and hard to keep in diary basis. In sports, social relationships are an important source of stimulus to achieve a goal. Better performances can be achieved when one compete against others, as well as when a group collaborate to achieve a common target. In this work we propose a motivational system to help people to perform better in exergames using a virtual environment and testing the effects of collaboration and competition in such environment.
Source, transport, and evolution of saline groundwater in a shallow Holocene aquifer on the tidal deltaplain of southwest Bangladesh

Deltaic groundwater resources are often vulnerable to degradation from seawater intrusion or through interaction with saline paleowaters. The Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna River delta, in Bangladesh and West Bengal, India, is a particularly vulnerable area with an estimated 20 million coastal inhabitants directly affected by saline drinking water. The shallow groundwater of the coastal regions is primarily brackish with pockets of fresher water. A small-scale hydrologic investigation of groundwater salinity beneath an embanked tidal channel island was undertaken to explore possible hydrogeological explanations of the distribution of water salinities in the shallow aquifer. This study employs a combination of 3H and 14C dating, electromagnetic subsurface mapping, and a 2-D solute transport model. The authors conclude that the shallow groundwater salinity can best be explained by the slow infiltration of meteoric water into paleo-brackish estuarine water that was deposited during the early-mid Holocene.
The theory and practice of modern nanobiosensors

Label-free electronic detection of biomolecules has long been a cherished dream for researchers involved in Genomics and Proteomics. Despite significant interest and almost monthly reports of groundbreaking experimental results in leading journals by researchers all over the world, the elements that dictate response of a biosensor has remained - until recently - poorly understood. In this paper, we discuss how the elementary use of fractal geometry of diffusion, percolative transport in random networks, electrolyte screening-limited response, etc. are finally allowing us to establish the performance potential of such sensors. We also discuss the broader context of the electronic detection problem and the challenges of practical application.
Trends in the incidence and treatment of parathyroid cancer in the United States.

BACKGROUND. Parathyroid cancer is a rare cause of hyperparathyroidism. The objectives of this study were to determine the patterns of disease, treatment trends, and outcomes among patients with parathyroid cancer by using a population-based data source. METHODS. Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) cancer registry data were used to identify patients who were diagnosed with parathyroid cancer from 1988 through 2003. To assess whether the incidence rate, treatment, tumor size, and cancer stage changed over time, the Cochrane-Armitage trend test was used, and Cox proportional-hazards modeling was used to identify the factors associated with an improved overall survival rate. RESULTS. From 1988 through 2003, 224 patients with parathyroid cancer were reported in the SEER data. Over that 16-year study period, the incidence of parathyroid cancer increased by 60% (1988–1991, 3.58 per 10,000,000 population; 2000–2003, 5.73 per 10,000,000 population). Most patients (96%) underwent surgery (parathyroidectomy, 78.6% of patients; en bloc resection, 12.5% of patients; other, 4.9% of patients). The rate of surgical treatment increased significantly during the study period. The 10-year all-cause mortality rate was 33.2%, and the 10-year cancer-related mortality rate was 12.4%. Patient age (P < .0001), sex (P ¼ .0106), the presence of distant metastases at diagnosis (P ¼ .0004), and the year of diagnosis (P ¼ .0287) were associated significantly with the overall survival rate. Tumor size, lymph node status, and type of surgery were not associated significantly with the overall survival rate. CONCLUSIONS. Although parathyroid cancer is rare, the incidence increased significantly in the United States from 1988 through 2003. Young age, female gender, recent year of diagnosis, and absence of distant metastases were associated significantly with an improved survival rate. Cancer 2007;109:1736–41. � 2007 American Cancer Society.
Practical parallel remote method invocation for the Babel compiler

Parallel components are types of software components that contain Single Program Multiple Data (SPMD) parallel code and are used and defined by the Common Component Architecture (CCA) component model. Parallel Remote Method Invocation (PRMI) defines a communication paradigm between two parallel components of this kind. Within the CCA community, we define PRMI to include two parts: collective invocations and data redistribution. In this paper, wedevise a way to build PRMI onto the Babel compiler, which is a central supporting technology of CCA. We perform this integration cleanly, by preserving Babel's design principles and allowing user choice in the wire protocol and parallel communication library. In addition to this, we define a novel set of synchronization options for PRMI that allow trading off synchronization for better performance while notendangering the accuracy of the result.
Dual mitogen-activated protein kinase and epidermal growth factor receptor inhibition in biliary and pancreatic cancer

This study aimed to develop rational combinations of targeted agents against biliary and pancreatic cancers. To this end, we compared the global gene expression profile of biliary cancer cell lines with different degrees of sensibility to the epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors gefitinib and erlotinib using the Affymetrix U133A microarray platform. A set of 32 genes, including genes involved in signal transduction pathways, cell cycle regulation, and angiogenesis, was highly overexpressed in resistant cells. Five of these genes encoded proteins in the Ras/Raf/mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway, a finding that was confirmed by Western blot and immunohistochemistry. Gefitinib failed to inhibit the MAPK pathway in resistant cell lines. Based on these data, we explored the activity of dual treatment with gefitinib in combination with CI-1040, a MAPK inhibitor. This strategy effectively resulted in inhibition of the MAPK signaling pathway and exerted antitumor effects in vitro and in vivo in tumors resistant to each of the agents alone. To further confirm these results, we tested the combined treatment in four tumor xenografts generated from patients with resected pancreatic cancer. Combined treatment was more effective than either single agent alone in this model. This study illustrates the value of global analysis of gene expression to rationally design combinations of mechanistic-based drugs. In addition, the data support the efficacy of combined epidermal growth factor receptor and MAPK inhibitors in biliary and pancreatic cancers, providing the basis to test this combination in the clinic.
Towards High‐Energy‐Density Pseudocapacitive Flowable Electrodes by the Incorporation of Hydroquinone

This study reports an investigation of hydroquinone (HQ) as a multielectron organic redox molecule to enhance the performance of flowable electrodes. Two different methods to produce high-performance pseudocapacitive flowable electrodes were investigated for electrochemical flow capacitors. First, HQ molecules were deposited on carbon spheres (CSs) by a self-assembly approach using various HQ loadings. In the second approach, HQ was used as a redox-mediating agent in the electrolyte. Flowable electrodes composed of HQ showed a capacitance of 342 F g−1, which is >200 % higher than that of flowable electrodes based on nontreated CSs (160 F g−1), and outperformed (in gravimetric performance) many reported film electrodes. A similar trend in capacitance was observed if HQ was used as a redox agent in the electrolyte; however, its poor cycle life restricted further consideration. In addition, a twofold increase in capacitance was observed under flow conditions compared to that of previous studies.
Calculated enhancement for intracavity spectroscopy with a single-mode laser

A semiclassical description of the laser is employed to calculate the change in laser intensity due to the small perturbation of an absorbing medium within the laser cavity. The laser is assumed to be operating in a single-mode near its threshold of oscillation. An expression is derived for the enhancement in detection sensitivity of laser intracavity absorption measurements over conventional absorption measurements and estimates of detection sensitivity are given.
Influence of phosphorus scavenging by iron in contrasting dimictic lakes

Internal regulatory controls of phosphorus (P) via iron (Fe) scavenging were quantified in four contrasting dimictic Wisconsin lakes: Mendota (eutrophic, calcareous), Fish (mesotrophic, calcareous), Devil’s (mesotrophic, noncalcareous), and Sparkling (oligotrophic, noncalcareous). Hypolimnetic enrichment of P was highest in Mendota and Devil’s and least in Fish and Sparkling. This enrichment was attributed mainly to internal loading in the noncalcareous lakes and regeneration of sedimenting epilimnetic P in the calcareous lakes. Differences in Fe scavenging efficiencies at fall turnover were related to hypolimnetic Fe:P molar ratios as well as Fe availability and its control by sulfate–sulfide chemistries. In the noncalcareous lakes with high hypolimnetic Fe enrichment (Fe:P > 2), 45% of whole-lake total P was removed. P removal was low (<20%) in the two calcareous lakes with minimal Fe enrichment (Fe:P < 2). These differences in hypolimnetic P enrichment and subsequent Fe scavenging at fall turnover help...
Configurational Thermodynamics of Solid Solutions

Publisher Summary This chapter reviews current theoretical models applicable to concentrated solid solutions. It focuses on concentrated solutions because dilute ones can be considered as special cases and because the interesting effects of clustering and ordering are most apparent at high solute concentrations. The extended ranges of solubility are often found in metallic systems, and for this reason most examples selected will refer to metals and alloys, although the models presented are equally applied to off-stoichiometric compounds, metallic or inorganic, and to amorphous solids. The chapter provides description of the state of the order of the system through suitable averaging procedures. It discusses the internal energy of solutions, from both electronic and elastic standpoints. The chapter presents free energy models, such as generalized Bragg- Williams's model, Landau theory, and cluster variation method. These models are applied to the study of phase equilibrium.
Skin Rashes in Children

소아들에서 피부의 발진 소견은 전신적 또는 국소 적 질환의 경과중에 발현되는 한 증세로서 발진의 임 상적 의의는 극히 일부 특정 질환에서 특징적 진단 소견으로서 의미가 있을 수도 있으나, 대체적으로는 비특이적으로 발진의 모양, 위치, 분포와 같은 자체의 특성과 함께 선행 증상이나 동반 증상, 약물복용력, 알레르기에 관한 병력, 사회적 또는 환경적 배경 등과 연관지어 진단 및 감별진단에 보조적 도움이 될 수 있는 의미가 있다. 소아에서의 발진은 발진의 형태적 특성, 분포적 특 성, 동반 증상의 특성에 따라 발열성 전신적 반점 구 진상 발진(febrile generalized maculopapular exanthems), 비발열성 전신적 반점 구진상 발진(afebrile generalized maculopapula eruptions), 대칭성 전신적 수포성 발진(symmetrical generalized vesicular exanthems), 비대칭성 국소적 발진(asymmetrical circumscribed skin lesions)으로 구별 할 수 있고, 원인적 특성에 따라 감염성 발진과 비감염성 발진으 로 분류 할 수 있다. 그리고 발현 양상에 따라 급성과 만성 발진으로 대별된다.
A unified modeling of neural networks architectures

Although neural networks can ultimately be used for many applications, their suitability for a specific application depends on the acquisition/representation, performance vs. training data, response time, classification accuracy, fault tolerance, generality, adaptability, computational efficiency, size and power requirement. In order to deal with such a multiple-spectrum consideration, there is a need of unified examination of the theoretical foundations of neural network modeling. This can lead to more effective simulation and implementation tools. For this purpose, the paper proposes a unified modeling formulation for a wide variety of artificial neural networks (ANNs): single layer feedback networks, competitive learning networks, multilayer feed-forward networks, as well as some probabilistic models. The existing connectionist neural networks are parameterized by nonlinear activation function, weight measure function, weight updating formula, back-propagation, and iteration index (for retrieving phase) and recursion index (for learning phase). Based on the formulation, new models may be derived and one such example is discussed in the paper. The formulation also leads to a basic structure for a universal simulation tool and neurocomputer architecture.
Carotenoids Normally Present in Serum Inhibit Proliferation and Induce Differentiation of a Human Monocyte/Macrophage Cell Line (U937)

Carotenoids, plant pigments with potent antioxidant activity, are implicated in chronic disease protection. They are absorbed from the diet and transported by plasma lipoproteins. Monocytes, as circulating blood cells, are exposed to carotenoid-rich lipoproteins. Such exposure may lead to enrichment with carotenoids and may affect the functions of monocyte-derived macrophages. This study explored the effect of cellular enrichment in vitro with beta-carotene, lycopene, or lutein on monocyte/macrophage function, using U937 cells as a model. Cell proliferation, production of reactive oxygen species, and cell-substrate adhesion were examined. Maximal carotenoid levels in medium supplemented with preenriched human serum were 2-8 mumol/L; incubation for 1-6 d resulted in 0.2-1.1 nmol carotenoid/mg cell protein (0.25-1 nmol/10(6) cells), approximately 10-fold more than that reported in normal tissue in vivo but within the range that might be anticipated with dietary supplementation. beta-Carotene, lycopene, and lutein markedly inhibited the proliferation of U937 cells, to an extent similar to or greater than that due to phorbol myristic acetate, a known differentiation/activation agent. Lycopene, but not beta-carotene or lutein, caused a significant increase in reactive oxygen species, indicating the induction of cell differentiation. Adhesion and LDL oxidation were unaffected. Thus, cellular carotenoids inhibit proliferation, and for lycopene at least, this may involve cell differentiation. The effectiveness of lycopene, a nonprovitamin A carotenoid, is consistent with a vitamin A-independent pathway modulating cell function.
Developmental and environmental influences on physiology and behavior — 2014 Alan N. Epstein Research Award

Environmental factors acting during development of an individual may influence future health and disease susceptibility. Stressors, including altered diet, psychosocial stress, and immune challenge, during gestation can have negative consequences on the intrauterine environment and increase disease susceptibility of the developing fetus. The long-term effects on offspring have been observed in humans and include greater susceptibility to psychiatric disease, such as depression and anxiety disorders, and adverse metabolic conditions including obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Studies in my laboratory use rodent models and incorporate a multilevel approach to determine the behavioral, physiological, and neurobiological correlates of disease development as a consequence of early life stressors. The road I took in developing this research program was a rather circuitous one and navigating that path would not have been possible without the many mentors, colleagues, fellows and students who provided critical support. Although my name appears on the plaque of the Alan N. Epstein Research Award, I share this with all those I had the privilege of working with along that road, as briefly summarized in this article.
Tissue-engineered meniscal constructs

The medial and lateral menisci play important roles in knee biomechanics, kinematics, and stability. Unfortunately, these structures are prone to damage and, because of a tenuous blood supply, have great difficulty healing. Many interventions have been proposed for treatment of damaged meniscal tissue, but most surgical options are fraught with difficulties, from continued osteoarthritic degeneration to potential for disease transmission. The field of tissue engineering has made wide inroads into constructing meniscal tissue. Investigations involving collagenous tissue, meniscal fibrochondrocytes, chondrocytes, synthetic scaffolds, and gene therapy have all been reported in the literature. Despite these advances, however, more work needs to be done, including incorporating concepts and applications from other engineering disciplines, to potentiate the possibility of a tissue-engineered meniscus that approximates native tissue. In particular, the histologic, morphologic, and biomechanical properties of tissue-engineered meniscal constructs must be better understood to facilitate this goal.
Independently controlling protein dot size and spacing in particle lithography.

Particle lithography is a relatively simple, inexpensive technique used to pattern inorganics, metals, polymers, and biological molecules on the micro- and nanometer scales. Previously, we used particle lithography to create hexagonal patterns of protein dots in a protein resistant background of methoxy-poly(ethylene glycol)-silane (mPEG-sil). In this work, we describe a simple heating procedure to overcome a potential limitation of particle lithography: the simultaneous change in feature size and center-to-center spacing as the diameter of the spheres used in the lithographic mask is changed. Uniform heating was used to make single-diameter protein patterns with dot sizes of approximately 2–4 or 2–8 μm, depending on the diameter of the spheres used in the lithographic mask, while differential heating was used to make a continuous gradient of dot sizes of approximately 1–9 μm on a single surface. We demonstrate the applicability of these substrates by observing the differences in neutrophil spreading on p...
Transposition as a function of within-pair differences

A replication and extension of Zeiler’s (1966) experiment was conducted with 80 nursery school children. Experimental treatments differed in the training ratios, testing ratios and testing stimulus distances experienced by independent groups. The replication was only partially successful: (1) First test trial results showed more transposition for Ss trained with larger ratios, but no distance effect. (2) Overall test performance showed some evidence of a distance effect, but no differences attributable to the major variables. (3) A significant increase in transposition across test trials was obtained.
Fever and headache in a splenectomized woman.

Cas d'une femme splenectomisee presentant une babesiose. L'evolution a ete compliquee d'un œdeme pulmonaire aigu et d'une anemie hemolytique provoquee par la quinine. On a diagnostique une infection concomitante a B. burgdorferi qui apparemment a repondu au traitement
About Representation; Or, How To Avoid Being Caught Between Animal Perception and Human Language

L'A. denonce le faux dilemme entre perception naturaliste et langage conventionnel qui domine les theories de la representation picturale. En reference a l'oeuvre photographique de S. Levine et C. Sherman, l'A. montre que la sensibilite perceptive et la competence linguistique s'enracinent dans le meme contexte historique afin de saisir le sujet meme (aboutness) de la representation.
Financial and Cost Issues in Sustainable Business and Government

This chapter discusses the financial and the cost issues that are there in a sustainable business and government. A key problem is the development of a strategy for a transition to sustainable business. Significant amounts of capital may be required. A transition to renewable energy sources, for example, would require an expensive restructuring of the generating and supply industries because renewable energy sources have different characteristics than nonrenewable ones. Financial markets are, at base, tools that reflect society's values and thus should reward firms that rationally manage environmental resources. The necessary capital comes from the financial markets: the equity markets, bond markets, and the banks. It may be possible in some instances to finance much of the necessary investment from profits. A few issues of financing the transition to sustainable business are: sustainable business often requires long-term payback; eco-efficiency often provides returns in the future, beyond 5 to 10 years; financing is difficult when resource prices are relatively low; and environmental costs are often external to the firm and thus are not included in the calculation of profits.
GATEWAY Demonstrations: LED System Performance in a Trial Installation--One Year Later, Yuma Border Patrol, Yuma, Arizona

Along the Yuma Sector Border Patrol Area in Yuma, Arizona, the GATEWAY program conducted a trial demonstration in which the incumbent quartz metal halide area lighting was replaced with LED at three pole locations at the Yuma Sector Border Patrol Area in Yuma, Arizona. The retrofit was documented to better understand LED technology performance in high-temperature environments. This report follows the GATEWAY Yuma Phase 1.0 Report and reflects LED system results documented one year after the demonstration began.
Bi-directional power architectures for electric vehicles

Although electric vehicles (EVs) and plug in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) yield significant gains in driving efficiency and CO 2 reduction, the value of these systems are diminished by the cost of the battery subsystem. To offset the cost of electric vehicles, this paper presents two bi-directional charging architectures that use the batteries from electric vehicles for grid ancillary and facility level services. Grid-scale frequency regulation with Vehicle to Grid (V2G) technology and facility peak demand reduction with Vehicle to Base technology (V2B) for military bases, commonly known as Vehicle to Building for commercial applications, are shown as promising potential avenues to make the economics of electric vehicles viable. To effectively analyze the benefit of either technology, the cost of battery cycle life lost and bi-directional inverter purchase are quantified as the main costs of the services. The revenues or savings from using the battery in either scenario are calculated using real utility usage data and rates for three utilities and typical military installations. The optimum V2B vehicle fleet sizes for cars and trucks are derived from these models. V2B operations are sized to offset the transient peak demands in facility electrical loads, while V2G operations make use of contracted frequency regulation with the local grid. The results show that both V2B and V2G can offset a large part of the cost premium of electric vehicles. These services, combined with the enhanced driving efficiency of electricity over liquid fuel, make the life cycle cost of the electric vehicles attractive compared to conventional ones. V2B and V2G can be implemented separately or in combination to greatly improve the economics of electric vehicles in the near future. The magnitude of benefits of either make electric vehicles more attractive to early buyers, and present an opportunity to push the technology into production quantities sufficient to drive the price of electric vehicles down to a level that is economically feasible for the general population.
A bi-directional, X-band 6-Bit phase shifter for phased array antennas using an active DPDT switch

This paper presents an X-band 6-bit phase shifter using active bi-directional double-pole, double-throw (DPDT) switches. The phase shifter is implemented in a 130-nm SiGe BiCMOS technology. Three additional tuning bits are included in the design to achieve accurate phase shifting performance. The phase shifter demonstrates a > 11.5-dB gain in both directions of operation over the 8–12 GHz frequency range, with an RMS amplitude error 10 dB and an input-referred 1 dB compression point of −15 dBm. The circuit has dimensions of 2.6 × 1.5 mm2, including pads.
Opioid Self-Administration in the Presence of Chronic Pain: Analgesia or Addiction?

Chronic pain is a major unmet clinical need and despite over two decades of preclinical research of the mechanisms of chronic pain novel therapies have been scarce. Opioids, alpha adrenergics, and antiepileptics continue to be the mainstays for treatment. In the early to mid 1990s, under treatment of chronic pain was highlighted as a major clinical problem, particularly concerning the conservative prescribing of opioids in sufficient doses to alleviate chronic nonmalignant pain (Jamison, J Pain Symptom Manage 11:231–241, 1996; Portenoy, J Pain Symptom Manage 11:203–217, 1996). The subsequent liberalization of guidelines and practices for prescribing opioids for the management of chronic nonmalignant pain has unfortunately been met with dramatic increases in the abuse of these medications. The economic burden of chronic pain in the USA is staggering, with an estimated cost of up to $635 billion annually (Gaskin and Richard, J Pain 13:715–724, 2012). In terms of the percentage of gross domestic product, the economic burden is similar or higher in several European countries as well (Breivik et al. BMC Public Health 13:1229, 2013). The total economic burden of nonmedical use of prescription opioids is estimated to be $53–$56 billion annually, with two-thirds of that cost attributable to abuse of oxycodone, hydrocodone, propoxyphene, and methadone (Birnbaum et al. Pain Med 12:657–667, 2011; Hansen et al. Clin J Pain 27:194–202, 2011). Clearly there is a need to understand mechanisms through which chronic pain produces suffering and limits productivity, as well as mechanisms through which opioids produce addiction and abuse both in the presence and absence of pain.
The Impact of Science Field Courses in the Bahamas on the Personal and Professional Development of U.S. College Students, 1977-2014

Fieldwork is a component of many college science courses. Faculty at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga have facilitated fieldwork-intensive science courses in The Bahamas for many years. The study surveyed students who participated in fieldwork in The Bahamas between 1977 and 2014, measuring the perceived impact the courses had on their personal and professional development, as well as their international perspective. Survey participants agreed the experience had a high impact on their personal development (97), professional development (91%), and international perspective (89%). General Linear Model results indicated no statistically significant differences between or within groups, suggesting participants' perceived impacts are the same regardless of gender, age, institution or field station location. Qualitative data analysis revealed several types of impact, such as understanding of and appreciation for Bahamian culture, appreciation or tropical environments, development of research skills, and enhanced career opportunities. International fieldwork in The Bahamas clearly has positive long-term impacts on students and should be continued.
Turbulence-Induced Anti-Stokes Flow and the Resulting Limitations of Large-Eddy Simulation

AbstractThis study shows that the presence of Stokes drift us in the turbulent upper ocean induces a near-surface Eulerian current that opposes the Stokes drift. This current is distinct from previously studied anti-Stokes currents because it does not rely on the presence of planetary rotation or mean lateral gradients. Instead, the anti-Stokes flow arises from an interaction between the Stokes drift and turbulence. The new anti-Stokes flow is antiparallel to us near the ocean surface, is parallel to us at depth, and integrates to zero over the depth of the boundary layer. The presence of Stokes drift in large-eddy simulations (LES) is shown to induce artificial energy production caused by a combination of the new anti-Stokes flow and LES numerics. As a result, care must be taken when designing and interpreting simulations of realistic wave forcing, particularly as rotation becomes weak and/or us becomes perpendicular to the surface wind stress. The mechanism of the artificial energy production is demonst...
Enhancement in magnetocaloric properties of ErCrO3 via A-site Gd substitution

Rare earth chromites (RCrO3) continue to be of considerable interest due to their intriguing physical properties such as spin-reorientation, multiferroicity, and magnetocaloric effect. In this paper, we compare the structural, magnetic, and magnetocaloric properties of bulk ErCrO3 with those of bulk Er0.33Gd0.67CrO3, the latter obtained by Gd substitution at the A-site (Er-site) and report substantial enhancement in the magnetocaloric response by Gd substitution. The samples prepared by the citrate route were structurally characterized at room temperature using x-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. The XRD measurements refined by Rietveld analysis indicate that both samples crystallized in the orthorhombically distorted perovskite structure with Pbnm space group. Magnetic measurements on both samples were carried out between 5 K and 300 K in magnetic fields up to 7 T and show that TNCr (where Cr3+ orders) for Er0.33Gd0.67CrO3 is enhanced to 155 K vs. 133 K for ErCr...
Refocusing the lens on engagement in MOOCs

Massive open online courses (MOOCs) continue to see increasing enrollment and adoption by universities, although they are still not fully understood and could perhaps be significantly improved. For example, little is known about the relationships between the ways in which students choose to use MOOCs (e.g., sampling lecture videos, discussing topics with fellow students) and their overall level of engagement with the course, although these relationships are likely key to effective course implementation. In this paper we propose a multilevel definition of student engagement with MOOCs and explore the connections between engagement and students' behaviors across five unique courses. We modeled engagement using ordinal penalized logistic regression with the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO), and found several predictors of engagement that were consistent across courses. In particular, we found that discussion activities (e.g., viewing forum posts) were positively related to engagement, whereas other types of student behaviors (e.g., attempting quizzes) were consistently related to less engagement with the course. Finally, we discuss implications of unexpected findings that replicated across courses, future work to explore these implications, and relevance of our findings for MOOC course design.
The Zavanelli maneuver for fetal shoulder dystocia. Three cases with poor outcomes.

BACKGROUND : There are several reports on the management of severe fetal shoulder dystocia by pushing the head back into the vagina and delivering the infant by cesarean section ; this procedure is called the Zavanelli maneuver. CASES : Three cases were reviewed to determine the outcomes of the infants. The three neonates all demonstrated severe perinatal hypoxia that ultimately resulted in brain damage and/or death. CONCLUSION : Management of shoulder dystocia using the Zavanelli maneuver carries a high risk of severe infant perinatal hypoxia and damage. (J Reprod Med 1995 ;40 :543-544)
Quasi-complete Semilocal Rings and Modules

Let R be a (commutative Noetherian) semilocal ring with Jacobon radical J. Chevalley has shown that if R is complete, then R satisfies the following condition: given any descending chain of ideals \(\left \{A_{n}\right \}_{n=1}^{\infty }\) with \(\bigcap \nolimits _{n=1}^{\infty }A_{n} = 0\), for each positive integer k there exists an s k with \(A_{s_{k}} \subseteq J^{k}\). A finitely generated R-module M is said to be (weakly) quasi-complete if for any descending chain \(\left \{A_{n}\right \}_{n=1}^{\infty }\) of R-submodules of M (with \(\bigcap \nolimits _{n=1}^{\infty }A_{n} = 0\)) and k ≥ 1, there exists an s k with \(A_{s_{k}} \subseteq (\bigcap \nolimits _{n=1}^{\infty }A_{n}) + J^{k}M\). An easy modification of Chevalley’s proof shows that a finitely generated R-module over a complete semilocal ring is quasi-complete. However, the converse is false as any DVR is quasi-complete. In this paper we survey known results about (weakly) quasi-complete rings and modules and prove some new results.
A critique of merozoite and sporozoite vaccines in malaria.

How can a vaccine be effective against an organism that in nature is poorly immunogenic? Children within hyperendemic areas are repeatedly infected with Plasmodium falciparum malaria over many years before the incidence of parasitemia, splenomegaly, and clinical disease decreases. This immunity, once acquired, may wane in the absence of repeated exposure to malaria. The theoretical problems of a malaria vaccine are further complicated by antigenic differences that exist between the different geographic strains of P. falciparum. James et al. (1932) observed that a patient who was resistant to challenge with the Indian strain of P. falciparum was susceptible to the Sardinian strain. On the other hand, gamma globulin from immune, adult West Africians suppressed falciparum parasitemia in East African children (McGregor et al. 1963). In addition, antigenic differences do not appear to exist between sporozoites of falciparum strains isolated from Asia and Panama; individuals who were immunized by irradiated sporozoites from one area of the world resisted challenge by sporozoites from other areas (Clyde et al. 1973).
On the economics of development: A view from Latin America

This paper surveys my research on development economics, undertaken in the context of the historical experiences of Brazil and Latin America. The research consists of academic papers, essays, economic fables, and reflections on my experiences in policy making. It spans different fields, including income distribution, industrial policies, dollar constraints and debt crises, commodity booms and coffee valorization, high inflation and stabilization policies, and Brazil’s growth record. JEL codes : F34, J24, N16, O11, O41, O54 Keywords : Brazil, debt crises, development economics, high inflation, income distribution, Latin America
Ion Implantation for VLSI

Publisher Summary Ion implantation is usually performed through a mask, usually of photoresist, a layer of organic material thick enough to stop the incoming ions except where it has been patterned lithographically to expose key areas. The lithography is an essential adjunct to implantation, as with other processes used in VLSI. Many of the limitations of ion implantation arise from limitations and drawbacks of the lithography and of the masking materials and their properties. This chapter outlines some commercial ion implanters, such as low-current first-generation implanters, medium-current implanters, high-current implanters, very-high current implanters, low-energy implanters, high-energy implanters, mask-projection implantation, and direct-write implantation. It also discusses ion beam production and acceleration and the problems associated with ion implantation. It then reviews ion implanter system design. Ion implanters grow increasingly complex. The successful implanter design will be one in which these complex needs are implemented in simple ways, in which subsystems can communicate and yet can stand alone, and in which access, particularly to key areas such as the ion source and its gases and to areas needing regular preventative maintenance, such as beam dumps and vacuum pumps, is as uncluttered and direct as possible.
Neuropsychology in the Twenty-First Century: The Rise of Multicultural Assessments

Racial, cultural, and linguistic diversity in the United States is growing exponentially. Whereas multicultural neuropsychological assessment was once considered a subspecialty, it is migrating toward center stage. Consequently, neuropsychologists have been developing culturally informed neuropsychological assessments to better serve multicultural patients. The role of culture in neuropsychological assessment is explored in this chapter, and critical elements comprising culturally informed assessments are delineated at each point of the evaluation. At minimum, they incorporate (1) greater sensitivity to the psychological factors that affect the evaluation of multicultural populations, (2) knowledge of the ways in which culture impacts the testing environment, (3) multicultural assessment tools and evaluation techniques, and (4) knowledge of how to work with interpreters, if necessary.
An FDA analysis of the association between adverse events and outcome in patients with urothelial cancer receiving a programmed death protein 1 or programmed death ligand 1 (anti-PD-1/L1) antibody.

4549Background: To assess the relationship between tumor response rate, overall survival, and the development of related adverse events of special interest (AESIs) or related immune-mediated advers...
Effects of poor sanitation procedures on cross-contamination of animal species in ground meat products

The presence of <1% of an undeclared species in ground meat is generally thought to be indicative of cross-contamination as opposed to intentional mislabeling; however, this has not been experimentally tested. The objective of this study was to quantify the effects of poor sanitation on the cross-contamination of animal species in ground meat products, with the example of undeclared pork in ground beef. Cross-contamination was quantified using real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Three different sanitation treatments were tested with a commercial grinder (“no cleaning”, “partial cleaning”, or “complete cleaning”) in between grinding of pork and beef samples (13.6 kg each). A 100-g sample was collected for each 0.91 kg (2 lb) of beef processed with the grinder and each sanitation treatment was tested twice. For the “no cleaning” treatment, the first 100-g sample of ground beef run through the grinder contained 24.42 ± 10.41% pork, while subsequent samples (n = 14) contained <0.2% pork. With “partial cleaning,” the first sample of ground beef contained 4.60 ± 0.3% pork and subsequent samples contained <0.2% pork. Pork was not detected in ground beef following “complete cleaning.” These results indicate that incomplete cleaning of grinding equipment leads to species cross-contamination at levels of <1% in most cases. Proper sanitation procedures must be followed when grinding multiple species in order to prevent cross-contamination and product mislabeling.
Intensive Care Unit (ICU): Resources and Demands

Recent events have reinforced the notion that mass casualty events (MCEs) (both natural and man-made) are an ever-present threat to public safety. Though each mass casualty incident is unique, there is a similar pattern of challenges for the intensive care unit. This chapter will review those commonly encountered challenges of resource planning and provide a guide for allocation of resources once all efforts of extending care have been exhausted.
Relationship of Servo Pressure in High Frequency Jet Ventilation in Lung Models with Variable Compliance for Neonates

Introduction High Frequency Jet Ventilation (HFJV) has been shown to improve oxygenation and ventilation in premature neonates with respiratory distress syndrome and in those with evolving chronic lung disease. Higher positive end expiratory pressure (PEEP) use in HFJV has been associated with improving lung compliance and reducing ventilator requirements. Servo pressure in HFJV is the driving pressure required to regulate flow. In general, increased resistance and decreased compliance generate lower servo pressure. Lung volumes also affect servo pressure. Servo pressure variability in HFJV has not been studied. We aim to study changes in servo pressures for variable compliance …
9.29 – Thioacetamide

Thioacetamide (TA), a centrilobular hepatotoxicant, undergoes a two-step bioactivation mediated by cytochrome P450 (CYP)2E1 to TA sulfoxide (TASO) and further to thioacetamide sulfdioxide (TASO2), a reactive metabolite that initiates cellular necrosis. Various studies have suggested CYP2E1 to be the specific enzyme responsible for the bioactivation of TA in TA hepatotoxicity. Studies designed to investigate the roles of flavin monooxygenase (FMO)1, CYP1A1/2, and CYP3A clearly revealed that they are highly unlikely to play a role in bioactivation-mediated liver injury by TA. The role of CYP2B1/2 has been investigated thoroughly and it is unlikely to play a role in TA bioactivation. From CYP2E1 knockout studies, CYP2E1 appears to be the major enzyme that metabolizes TA. Studies revealed that saturation of CYP2E1 occurs at the first (TA to TASO) and second steps (TASO to TASO2) of TA bioactivation in vivo as well as in vitro. The ability of TA to stimulate DNA synthesis and cell division has been exploited as a mechanistic tool for delineating the biology of tissue repair and its role in the ultimate outcome of toxicity in several structurally and mechanistically dissimilar hepatotoxic models. The dramatic protective effects of caloric restriction on the toxicity of TA have been extensively studied.