cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
COVID-19 economic shocks and fiscal policy options for Ghana

This article examines the fiscal challenges the coronavirus pandemic poses in African countries, using Ghana as a case study and summarizes the country's immediate monetary and fiscal responses to the pandemic. The article also discusses the potential impacts of coronavirus-related shocks on the Ghana economy and policy options the national government may pursue to counteract the pandemic's adverse long-term effects.,The article uses daily and monthly economic indicators to assess the immediate impact of the pandemic on Ghana's economy. The article also uses latest data from the Ghana Living Standards Survey (GLSS) to simulate potential shocks to the economy related to the coronavirus crisis and examines the outcomes from a potential government response that expands spending on an existing direct social assistance program.,The authors find that the coronavirus pandemic is associated with a significant increase in Ghana's poverty measures over time, and an expansion in government spending under an existing cash transfer program would partly offset the economic shocks related to the crisis and improve outcomes for poverty and inequality. The authors also argue that other well-targeted expenditure and revenue policies will support long-term economic resilience.,The research suggests that a temporary expansion of the existing program of direct cash payments to poor households may be an effective social protection policy, as are well-targeted revenue and spending policies that support economic recovery and long-term fiscal sustainability.,The findings imply that while the pandemic might cause severe shocks in the economy, well-targeted spending and revenue policies that are anchored in sound macroeconomic management can promote economic resilience and long-term fiscal sustainability.,Public managers must ensure that national policy responses to the coronavirus pandemic consider socio-economic indicators, such as poverty and income inequality.,The authors present research that uses novel household-level data and an evidence-based microsimulation framework to articulate potential public policy strategies that can guide national responses to, and recovery from, the coronavirus pandemic.
The Value of Plasma-Warfarin Measurement

For the last 30 years I have measured the plasma concentration of warfarin in man and animal and correlated it with the pharmacologic effect (O’Reilly, 1986). This effect of oral anticoagulants like warfarin is measured by the one-stage prothrombin time in plasma, which is easily quantitated. In the therapeutic monitoring of oral anticoagulants, the prothrombin time must be utilized and not the blood concentrations of the drug. Both the therapeutic efficacy and the clinical safety of these drugs in patients is achieved only by the careful control of the prothrombin time within narrow limits. The correlation of the plasma concentration of warfarin and the prothrombin-time response has yielded insights on the clinical use of racemic warfarin. For each of the entities described herein, the tables of data and the illustrations may be found in the original publications cited in the references.
Immune-related Adverse Effects Associated with Programmed Death-1 Inhibitor Therapy in the Treatment of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Incidence, Management, and Effect on Outcomes.

BACKGROUND The programmed death 1 (PD-1) inhibitors may improve survival outcomes of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients but are associated with immune-related adverse effects (IRAEs). Management of IRAEs may include immunosuppression (ie, corticosteroids), but there is concern that this may affect efficacy. This study evaluated the influence of IRAEs and immunosuppression for IRAEs on survival outcomes of NSCLC patients treated with PD-1 inhibitors (pembrolizumab and nivolumab). METHODS We retrospectively examined data from Kaiser Permanente Southern and Northern California members diagnosed with NSCLC who received a PD-1 inhibitor from March 1, 2011 to September 30, 2016. Our primary goal was to evaluate the effects and management of IRAEs on survival with PD-1 inhibitors. Electronic database records were used to identify the occurrence of IRAEs, medication utilization, and death. Cox proportional hazard models were used to evaluate variables for association with increased risk of death. RESULTS A total of 662 patients were included in the study (median age = 68 years) (interquartile range 61-74). IRAEs were identified in 18% of patients, of which 62% received immunosuppression. Median overall survival was 10 months (interquartile range = 4 months to not reached). Adjusting for covariates, use of immunosuppression during PD-1 inhibitor treatment was not associated with a significantly higher risk of death (hazard ratio = 1.04, 95% confidence interval = 0.84-1.29), whereas corticosteroid use before initiating PD-1 inhibitor therapy was (hazard ratio = 1.48, 95% confidence interval = 1.14-1.91). CONCLUSIONS In a large, real-world cohort from an integrated healthcare system, use of corticosteroids prior to PD-1 inhibitors was associated with worse survival outcomes, whereas concomitant treatment was not.
Is Silence Golden? Earnings Warnings and Subsequent Changes in Analyst Following

Skinner (1994) proposes that managers have reputational incentives to preempt negative earnings news and speculates that firms that fail to warn are less likely to be followed by financial analysts. My study formally puts forward this argument and empirically tests the reputational cost of withholding bad news in the form of a decrease in analyst following. I find that among firms with a similar level of existing disclosure reputation, those that fail to warn experience a significant decrease in analyst following relative to those that warn. This finding is consistent with managers' concerns that withholding bad news would damage their reputation for being transparent about forward-looking earnings news.
Size Effect in Transverse Compressive Strength of Composites Analyzed by the Fixed Crack Model

AbstractPresented in this study is a numerical analysis of the size effect in the transverse compressive strength of unidirectional (UD) composites by employing the fixed crack model. The model is ...
Entity Linking and Discovery via Arborescence-based Supervised Clustering.

Previous work has shown promising results in performing entity linking by measuring not only the affinities between mentions and entities but also those amongst mentions. In this paper, we present novel training and inference procedures that fully utilize mention-to-mention affinities by building minimum arborescences (i.e., directed spanning trees) over mentions and entities across documents in order to make linking decisions. We also show that this method gracefully extends to entity discovery, enabling the clustering of mentions that do not have an associated entity in the knowledge base. We evaluate our approach on the Zero-Shot Entity Linking dataset and MedMentions, the largest publicly available biomedical dataset, and show significant improvements in performance for both entity linking and discovery compared to identically parameterized models. We further show significant efficiency improvements with only a small loss in accuracy over previous work, which use more computationally expensive models.
Proximity Compatibility and the Object Display

Object displays have been proposed as an efficient, economical means for presenting multiple sources of information that must be integrated. In this paper, we outline the fundamental theoretical and applied principles that have been cited to justify object display advantages, and suggest some modifications to those principles. In particular, we describe the compatibility of proximity principle which asserts that object displays will facilitate information integration, but disrupt focused attention on the individual dimensions of the object. We then discriminate between homogeneous and heterogeneous feature objects, suggesting that only the former will produce emergent features that can facilitate information integration. Finally, we describe an experiment in which the object display is designed to incorporate an emergent feature that will support the perception of aircraft stall conditions. Evaluation of the display reveals superior integration performance to a separate bar graph display, but degraded foc...
Use of the Acoustic Shadow Width to Determine Kidney Stone Size with Ultrasound.

Purpose: Ultrasound is known to overestimate kidney stone size. We explored measuring the acoustic shadow behind kidney stones combined with different ultrasound imaging modalities to improve stone sizing accuracy.Materials and Methods: A total of 45 calcium oxalate monohydrate stones were imaged in vitro at 3 different depths with the 3 different ultrasound imaging modalities of conventional ray line, spatial compound and harmonic imaging. The width of the stone and the width of the acoustic shadow were measured by 4 operators blinded to the true size of the stone.Results: Average error between the measured and true stone width was 1.4 ± 0.8 mm, 1.7 ± 0.9 mm, 0.9 ± 0.8 mm for ray line, spatial compound and harmonic imaging, respectively. Average error between the shadow width and true stone width was 0.2 ± 0.7 mm, 0.4 ± 0.7 mm and 0.0 ± 0.8 mm for ray line, spatial compound and harmonic imaging, respectively. Sizing error based on the stone width worsened with greater depth (p <0.001) while the sizing er...
Faculty development for the 21st century: Lessons from the Society of General Internal Medicine-Hartford collaborative centers for the care of older adults.

In this review of a recent set of faculty development initiatives to promote geriatrics teaching by general internists, nontraditional strategies to promote sustained change were identified, included enrolling a limited number of "star" faculty, creating ongoing working relationships between faculty, and developing projects for clinical or education program improvement. External funding, although limited, garnered administration support and was associated with changes in individual career trajectories. Activities to enfranchise top leadership were felt essential to sustain change. Traditional faculty development programs for clinician educators are periodic, seminar-based interventions to enhance teaching and clinical skills. In 2003/04 the Collaborative Centers for Research and Education in the Care of Older Adults were funded by the John A. Hartford Foundation and administered by the Society of General Internal Medicine. Ten academic medical centers received individual grants of $91,000, with required cost sharing, to develop collaborations between general internists and geriatricians to create sustained change in geriatrics clinical teaching and learning. Through written and structured telephone surveys, activities designed to foster sustainability at funded sites were identified, and the activities and perceived effects of funding at the 10 funded sites were compared with those of the 11 highest-ranking unfunded sites. The experience of the Collaborative Centers supports the conclusion that modest, targeted funding can provide the credibility and legitimacy crucial for clinician educators to allocate time and energy in new directions. Key success factors likely include high intensity and duration, integration into career trajectories, integration into clinical programs, and activities to enfranchise institutional leadership.
Problem Solving Through Video Game Creation

This chapter explores changing conceptions of learning brought about by technological changes and opportunities and examines more closely the potential of video game creation as a way to teach problem solving. A general background on video games for education is provided, followed by how video games teach problem solving skills. Problem solving skills are then examined in the context of game design with three empirical studies using three different models discussed. Each study explores how problem solving opportunities are presented, the properties of the models, and implications for game creation as a curricular enhancement. Four design models are analyzed for problem solving considerations and to conclude, implications for game design in education and future directions of problem solving through video game creation are examined.
My Recency, Our Primacy: How Social Connection Influences Evaluations of Sequences

Individuals have many life experiences (e.g., work and vacations) that consist of a series of interconnected episodes (i.e., temporal sequences). Assessments of such experiences are integral to daily life in that they facilitate future planning and behaviors for individuals. Therefore, these experiences often culminate in evaluations of their global affect. Past work has shown that retrospective, affective evaluations of these sequences generally exhibit an “end effect,” whereby a sequence's end intensity—but not its start intensity—is disproportionately weighted. Yet, researchers have largely investigated experiences that occur alone. In contrast, many real-world experiences vary in their extent of social connection to others (e.g., working in an office with others versus alone in a cubicle). The present work fills this gap by showing the moderating role of social connection on how episodes are weighted in global affective ratings. Five studies involving two autobiographical experiences spanning several days each (workweek and spring break) and two brief simulated experiences show that high social connection leads to greater (lesser) weighting of the first (last) episode. To our knowledge, we are the first to demonstrate that these effects persist across different forms of social connection (i.e., interpersonal interaction versus semantic priming tasks) and are supported regardless of whether social connection occurs at encoding or retrieval of an experience
ANTI-SLAVERY COSMOPOLITANISM IN THE BLACK ATLANTIC

Black maritime labor was essential to the capitalist world economy as European nations began to reconsolidate their Atlantic empires in the wake of the Haitian Revolution (1804) and Emancipation in the British West Indies (1838). British merchant vessels plying the waters of these lucrative Atlantic economies were often crewed by those colonial subjects whom they once held as commodities. Atlantic scholarship – most notably Paul Gilroy's Black Atlantic – has looked to the chronotope of the seafaring ship in its efforts to chart the cosmopolitan contours of the nineteenth century. For Gilroy, the ship gives figurative expression to a cultural and political remapping of modern racial formations that transcends the “boundaries and integrity of modern nation states” (4). Ships call to mind both the Middle Passage and the mercantile routes that joined the Americas with Europe, Africa, and the plantation zones of the Caribbean. For Peter Linebaugh and Marcus Rediker, black maritime circulation thus constituted one aspect of the “many-headed hydra” that unsettled the political sovereignty of European nation-states in the Atlantic world (31).
CFTR (ABCC7) is a hydrolyzable-ligand-gated channel

As the product of the gene mutated in cystic fibrosis, the most common genetic disease of Caucasians, CFTR is an atypical ABC protein. From an evolutionary perspective, it is apparently a relatively young member of the ABC family, present only in metazoans where it plays a critical role in epithelial salt and fluid homeostasis. Functionally, the membrane translocation process it mediates, the passive bidirectional diffusion of small inorganic anions, is simpler than the vectorial transport of larger more complex substrates ("allocrites") by most ABC transporters. However, the control of the permeation pathway which cannot go unchecked is necessarily more stringent than in the case of the transporters. There is tight regulation by the phosphorylation/dephosphorylation of the unique CFTR R domain superimposed on the basic ABC regulation mode of ATP binding and hydrolysis at the dual nucleotide binding sites. As with other ABCC subfamily members, only the second of these sites is hydrolytic in CFTR. The phosphorylation and ATP binding/hydrolysis events do not strongly influence each other; rather, R domain phosphorylation appears to enable transduction of the nucleotide binding allosteric signal to the responding channel gate. ATP hydrolysis is not required for either the opening or closing gating transitions but efficiently clears the ligand-binding site enabling a new gating cycle to be initiated.
Phenomenological studies on molten core-concrete interactions☆☆☆

Abstract Recent assessments of risk due to severe accidents in light water reactors indicate that molten core-concrete interactions (MCCI) may dominate containment loads and performance, as well as the release of non-volatile fission product aerosols to the containment building. This program has investigated several important aspects of MCCIs in an effort to support the USNRC integral melt-concrete programs as well as the CORCON and VANESA computer code development and verification program. Among these are interlayer heat and mass transfer and liquid-liquid boiling processes. The issues of interlayer heat and mass transfer address phenomena that occur primarily interior to the molten core debris itself. Models have been developed to predict the onset of entrainment between liquid layers, the rate of entrainment, and the rate of heat transfer, both with and without entrainment. Application to the reactor case indicates that entrainment and mixing may or may not occur, depending upon the prevailing thermal hydraulic conditions in the melt. The issues of liquid-liquid film boiling address phenomena that occur primarily at the melt-coolant interface. Results from melt-water film boiling studies have suggested that the coolant heat flux increases above the flat plate limit with non-condensable gas injection from below. Steam explosions occur frequently; the frequency and magnitude vary with gas injection rate.
Concurrent presence of inv(14)(q11q32) and t(4;11)(q21;q23) in Pre-B Acute Lymphoblastic leukemia

The inv(14)(q11q32) is a non-random chromosomal aberration which has been associated with a variety of T-cell malignancies. We have studied a case of inv(14)(q11q32) that is unique in several respects. First, the inversion, which is expressed at the mRNA level, occurred in the context of a pre-B acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) as opposed to a T-cell malignancy. Second, cloning and sequencing of the inversion revealed that it resulted from a fusion between an immunoglobulin heavy chain variable (V) segment and a T-cell receptor delta diversity (D) segment. In addition, the patient had a second chromosomal abnormality at diagnosis, a t(4;11)(q21;q23) which disrupted the MLL gene. The fact that there were two distinct chromosomal abnormalities at diagnosis enabled us to address the question of leukemic clonal evolution during the course of this patient's disease. We present evidence suggesting that the t(4;11)(q21;q23) occurred first, with the inv(14)(q11q32) occurring as a second event.
An impulsive control approach to deriving the optimal dynamic mix of manual and automatic output

Abstract An optimization model is described in which the level and composition of productive capacity are obtained over time. Specifically, the levels of output achieved manually and from automatic equipment are optimally derived. The objective is to minimize costs incurred due to deviating from a goal level of output, operating the manual and automatic equipment, and changing the level of output obtained manually and from automation. Since all costs are expressed as functions of time, factors such as technological innovation and increasing wage rates (operating cost of manual output) are considered. Automation is acquired at discrete times in the planning period so that the model is formulated and solve using optimal impulsive control theory.
Stated and Revealed Preferences for Organic and Cloned Milk: Combining Choice Experiment and Scanner Data

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s recent announcement that milk from cloned cows is as safe to drink as that from conventionally bred cows prompted interest among farmers, food retailers, and regulators in the market impacts of the introduction of milk from clones. Because milk from cloned animals is not currently labeled in the market, we utilized a stated preference experiment to determine consumer preferences for the attribute, but also sought to determine whether the survey-based choices were consistent with people’s revealed preferences given by scanner data. Our analysis indicates that a pooled model combining stated and revealed preference data exhibits overall better out-of-sample prediction performance than either data set used alone. Results from the pooled model indicate that consumers are willing to pay large premiums to avoid milk from cloned cows—an amount that is over three times that for organic or rBST-free milk. The results are used to calculate the value of a mandatory labeling program.
Ventricular arrhythmias from the coronary venous system: Prevalence, mapping, and ablation

Background The coronary venous system (CVS) is linked to the origin of idiopathic epicardial ventricular arrhythmias (VAs). Objective The purpose of this study was to identify the prevalence and effective mapping/ablation strategies for idiopathic VAs mapped to the CVS. Methods Detailed activation and pace-mapping of the right ventricle (RV), left ventricle (LV), CVS, and aortic cusps was performed, followed by attempted catheter ablation. Results Forty-seven of 511 patients with non–scar-related VAs (21 males, age 55 ± 15) had earliest activation in the CVS, 39 ± 18 ms before QRS. Twenty-five (53%) were in the great cardiac vein, 19 (40%) in the anterior interventricular vein, and 3 (7%) in the middle cardiac vein. We ablated inside CVS in 32 patients (68%) at the earliest activation site, in 18 patients at an adjacent CVS site, and in 14 patients because of an inability to advance the catheter in 4, inadequate power delivery in 2, and for safer distance from the coronary artery in 8. Proximity to coronaries precluded ablation inside the CVS in the remaining 15 patients (32%), who underwent ablation from adjacent left sinus of Valsalva, RV or LV endocardium, or LV epicardium. Success was achieved in 17 of 18 (94%) ablated at the earliest CVS site and in 16 of 29 (55%) ablated at adjacent CVS or non-CVS sites. Conclusion Idiopathic VAs are occasionally (9%) linked to CVS. Although ablation at the earliest CVS site is effective, it is often (62%) precluded, mainly because of proximity to coronary arteries. Ablation at adjacent CVS and non-CVS sites can be successful in 55% of these anatomically challenging cases, for an overall ablation success rate of 70%.
Flavonoid systematics of Potamogeton subsections Perfoliati and Praelongi (Potamogetonaceae)

The flavonoid pigments of Potamogeton praelongus Wulfen, P. perfoliatus L., and P. richardsonii (A. Benn.) Rydberg were isolated and identified. Five flavone glycosides based on three aglycone types and one C-glycosylflavone were identified. Potamogeton perfoliatus and P. richardsonii are most similar in flavonoid composition. The greatest number of compounds are found in P. praelongus with the other two species having a subset of its profile. The flavonoid data suggest that P. richardsonii arose by means other than hybridization between P. perfoliatus and P. praelongus.
Solving Complex-Valued Linear Systems via Equivalent Real Formulations

Most preconditioned iterative methods apply to both real- and complex-valued linear systems. At the same time, most iterative linear solver packages available today focus exclusively on real-valued systems or deal with complex-valued systems as an afterthought. By recasting the complex problem in a real formulation, a real-valued solver can be applied to the equivalent real system. On one hand, real formulations have been dismissed due to their unfavorable spectral properties. On the other hand, using an equivalent preconditioned real formulation can be very effective. We give theoretical and experimental evidence that an equivalent real formulation is useful in a number of practical situations. Furthermore, we show how to use the advanced features of modern solver packages to formulate equivalent real preconditioners that are computationally efficient and mathematically identical to their complex counterparts. The effectiveness of equivalent real formulations is demonstrated by solving ill-conditioned complex-valued linear systems for a variety of large scale applications. Moreover, the circumstances under which certain equivalent real formulations are competitive is more clearly delineated.
Ethical Challenges in Assisted Reproduction The Place of Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis in a Just Society

The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of preimplantation genetic diagnosis and identify the relevant moral questions it raises. In the course of this discussion, the scope of parental rights and the inherent difficulty in defining disease/disability will be considered.
Hydrogen and electricity from water and light: A lanthanum chromite-titanium dioxide anode

Abstract A photo-active anode involving lanthanum chromite has been studied. The electrodes were made by firing lanthanum and chromium oxides, or salts which are converted upon heating to the oxide, in a paste of citric acid on a titanium oxide base. The anodic photo currents obtained were around four times greater than on an TiO2 single crystal in the same potential region on a conventional scale. The photoelectrochemical spectrum showed a pronounced and characteristic peak which differed markedly in wave length region from that on TiO2. The efficiency of conversion of solar light at a LaCrO3-TiO2 electrode is at least one order of magnitude greater than on TiO2. Hence, the situation for photo-assisted electrolysis is improved. In self-generating photo-electrolysis cells in solar light, the expected efficiency of conversion is calculated to be about one order of magnitude more than the hitherto most efficient couple, GaP-TiO2. The efficiency of hydrogen production from solar light is expected to be about 1.8% (up from 0.2175%), but the implication for the use of transition metal oxides for photo anodes is encouraging.
Atypical phonocardiographic presentation of a patient with congenital aortic insufficiency.

Abstract A patient with congenital aortic regurgitation in whom there was an abnormal aortic protodiastolic click and mid- and late-diastolic murmur is described.
Art to Commerce: The Trajectory of Popular Music Criticism

This article reports the results of a content and textual analysis of popular music criticism from the 1960s to the 2000s to discern the extent to which criticism has shifted focus from matters of music to matters of business. In part, we believe such a shift to be due likely to increased awareness among journalists and fans of the industrial nature of popular music production, distribution and consumption, and to the disruption of the music industry that began in the late 1990s with the widespread use of the Internet for file sharing. Searching and sorting the Rock’s Backpages database of over 22,000 pieces of music journalism for keywords associated with the business, economics and commercial aspects of popular music, we found several periods during which popular music criticism’s focus on business-related concerns seemed to have increased. The article discusses possible reasons for the increases as well as methods for analyzing a large corpus of popular music criticism texts.
Race of appellant, sentencing guidelines, and decisionmaking in criminal appeals: A research note

Abstract Many studies have examined race and the processing of criminal cases at trial court. Practically no studies exist on race and decisionmaking in criminal appeals. This research note explores the influence of race on decisions reached in criminal appeals from two Florida trial courts to an intermediate appellate court. The results indicate that African-American appellants who had been sentenced in excess of the recommended maximum sentence were more likely to have the trial court's decision affirmed on appeal. The implications of the findings of the study also are discussed.
A synthetic five amino acid propeptide increases dopamine neuron differentiation and neurochemical function.

Abstract A major consequence of Parkinson’s disease (PD) involves the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra (SN) and a subsequent loss of dopamine (DA) in the striatum. We have shown that glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) shows robust restorative and protective effects for DA neurons in rats, non-human primates and possibly in humans. Despite GDNF’s therapeutic potential, its clinical value has been questioned due to its limited diffusion to target areas from its large size and chemical structure. Several comparatively smaller peptides are thought to be generated from the prosequence. A five amino-acid peptide, dopamine neuron stimulating peptide-5 (DNSP-5), has been proposed to demonstrate biological activity relevant to neurodegenerative disease. We tested the in vitro effects of DNSP-5 in primary dopaminergic neurons dissected from the ventral mesencephalon of E14 Sprague Dawley rat fetuses. Cells were treated with several doses (0.03, 0.1, 1.0, 10.0 ng/mL) of GDNF, DNSP-5, or an equivalent volume of citrate buffer (vehicle). Morphological features of tyrosine hydroxylase positive neurons were quantified for each dose. DNSP-5 significantly increased ( p in vivo studies, a unilateral DNSP-5 treatment (30 μg) was administered directly to the SN. Microdialysis in the ipsilateral striatum was performed 28 days after treatment to determine extracellular levels of DA and its primary metabolites (3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid and homovanillic acid). A single treatment significantly increased (∼66%) extracellular DA levels compared to vehicle, while DA metabolites were unchanged. Finally, the protective effects of DNSP-5 against staurosporine-induced cytotoxicity were investigated in a neuronal cell line showing substantial protection by DNSP-5. Altogether, these studies strongly indicate biological activity of DNSP-5 and suggest that DNSP-5 has neurotrophic-like properties that may be relevant to the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases like PD.
A crystal field analysis of the energy level splittings for erbium in ErBa2Cu3O7

Abstract We report the magnetic excitation spectra of ErBa 2 Cu 3 O 7 determined by inelastic neutron scattering. The energies and intensities of the excitations are analyzed in terms of a crystal field model under the scheme of intermediate coupling calculated by spherical tensor techniques. The parameters obtained here are compared with parameters previously determined for the same material, as well as with parameters determined for other rare earths in the same environment.
Porphyromonas gingivalis lipopolysaccharide induces tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-6 secretion, and CCL25 gene expression, in mouse primary gingival cell lines: interleukin-6-driven activation of CCL2

Background and Objective: Porphyromonas gingivalis infection is strongly associated with periodontitis. Although P. gingivalis is known to elicit a strong inflammatory response, details of that remain fragmentary. To understand the local response to P. gingivalis, primary cell lines derived from mouse gingival tissues were exposed to P. gingivalis or Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide, and the production of interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α was measured. CCL25 gene expression was measured by real-time polymerase chain reaction. Cells stimulated with combinations of interleukin-6, soluble interleukin-6 receptor and/or soluble gp130 were assayed for CCL2 and tumor necrosis factor-α secretion. Material and Methods: Primary cell lines were generated from mouse gingival tissues. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays were used to determine cytokine levels, and real-time polymerase chain reaction was used to quantify CCL25 gene expression. Results: Exposure to P. gingivalis lipopolysaccharide but not to E. coli lipopolysaccharide resulted in significantly elevated levels of both interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α, and stimulation with P. gingivalis lipopolysaccharide also upregulated CCL25 gene expression. In one of three experiments, interleukin-6 induced CCL2 secretion, whereas interleukin-6 plus soluble interleukin-6 receptor induced CCL2 secretion in all three experiments, suggesting that both direct interleukin-6 signaling and interleukin-6 trans-signaling may be involved. However, because soluble gp130 did not inhibit trans-signaling, and because direct stimulation of gingival cells with soluble gp130 resulted in CCL2 secretion, the possibility exists that soluble gp130 forms binary complexes with soluble interleukin-6 receptor that promote direct interleukin-6 stimulation. Conclusion: These findings define a pathway in which exposure of gingival cells to P. gingivalis induces the release of interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α; interleukin-6, in turn, induces CCL2 secretion.
Constraints on dust aerosols from the Mars Exploration Rovers using MGS overflights and Mini‐TES

[1] Overflights of the Mars Exploration Rovers (MER) by the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) provide a unique opportunity to examine some of the basic properties of dust aerosols, starting with one of the most fundamental, the indices of refraction (m = n + ik) in the infrared. The upward-viewing geometry of the Miniature Thermal Emission Spectrometer (Mini-TES) and the combined contemporaneous observations from both MER and MGS are powerful tools. Their use allows atmospheric retrievals to directly determine n and k while offering constraints for the menagerie of other radiative transfer input parameters. We exploit these coordinated observing campaigns, along additional data sources, to carry out series of radiative transfer analyses that ultimately return the set of refractive indices. We apply the resulting m to a larger sample of Mini-TES data to both further validate our approach and retrieve several other aerosol properties, including dust optical depth, dust size, and a measure of the vertical mixing profile. We find good agreement with the empirical approach of Smith et al. (2006), in terms of both the optical depths themselves and the frequency dependence of their extinction cross section and single scattering albedo. The retrieved dust sizes vary from near 1.3 μm to 1.8 μm within the selected sample, with a precision estimated to be ≃0.1–0.2 μm. The vertical mixing profile evolves from well-mixed to appreciably confined by LS ∼ 30°. For Spirit (MER-A), there is an abrupt transition back to a more well-mixed vertical profile with the onset of regional dust activity at LS ∼ 140°. We discuss the lack of a definitive detection of water ice clouds in Mini-TES observations and the potential effects of vertical gradients in particle size distribution. Finally, as part of coordinated overflight analyses, an atmospherically corrected TES Lambert albedo map is derived and presented in Appendix A.
Postsecondary Transition Under IDEA 2004: A Legal Update

Postsecondary transition planning for students with disabilities first entered the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) in 1990. The required provisions for transition planning were u...
Inadequate child supervision: The role of alcohol outlet density, parent drinking behaviors, and social support

Supervisory neglect, or the failure of a caregiver to appropriately supervise a child, is one of the predominant types of neglectful behaviors, with alcohol use being considered a key antecedent to inadequate supervision of children. The current study builds on previous work by examining the role of parental drinking and alcohol outlet densities while controlling for caregiver and child characteristics. Data were obtained from 3,023 participants via a telephone survey from 50 cities throughout California. The telephone survey included items on neglectful parenting practices, drinking behaviors, and socio-demographic characteristics. Densities of alcohol outlets were measured for each of the 202 zip codes in the study. Multilevel Bernoulli models were used to analyze the relationship between four supervisory neglect parenting practices and individual-level and zip code-level variables. In our study, heavy drinking was only significantly related to one of our four outcome variables (leaving a child where he or she may not be safe). The density of on premise alcohol outlets was positively related to leaving a child home alone when an adult should be present. This study demonstrates that discrete relationships exist between alcohol related variables, social support, and specific supervisory neglect subtypes at the ecological and individual levels. Language: en
FLES--A GUIDE FOR PROGRAM REVIEW.

The function searches for character strings in the response which match strings of the same length in the answer. As used in the German item pedagogy, the function searches for strings of seven or more characters, then five or more, then four, three, and two characters. When matching strings are found, the characters are marked and cannot be matched again. Where an item has several correct answers, the student's first response is tested against the alternate answers using a variation of the string-matching algorithm described above, to select the answer which corresponds most closely to the student response. The algorithm in this case uses string length three or more, and introduces a bias toward similar word order
A note on the strong and weak generative powers of formal systems

This paper is a note on some relationships between the strong and weak generative powers of formal systems, in particular, from the point of view of squeezing more strong power out of a formal system without increasing its weak generative power. We will comment on some old and new results from this perspective. Our main goal of this note is to comment on the strong generative power of context-free grammars, lexicalized tree-adjoining grammars (and some of their variants) and Lambek grammars, especially in the context of crossing dependencies, in view of the recent work of Tiede (Ph.D. Dissertation, Indiana University, Bloomington, 1999).
Limit theorems for the multivariate binomial distribution

Abstract Nonsingular limit distributions are determined for sequences of affine transformations of random vectors whose distributions are multivariate binomial. Each of these limit distributions is that of an affine transformation of a random vector having a multivariate normal distribution or a multivariate Possion distribution or a joint distribution of two independent random vectors, one normal and the other Poisson.
High-speed rapid transit equipment

Traffic congestion resulting from the increased use of vehicles on our city streets has reached the point where drastic measures are needed to permit freer movement of people within the metropolitan area. One of the brightest hopes for relief is high-speed rapid transit operating on private rights of way. This paper describes the performance which can be obtained with a conventional rail rapid transit system utilizing recent advances in propulsion equipment.
Influence of polymolecular events on inactivation behavior of xylose isomerase from Thermotoga neapolitana 5068.

The inactivation behavior of the xylose isomerase from Thermotoga neapolitana (TN5068 XI) was examined for both the soluble and immobilized enzyme. Polymolecular events were involved in the deactivation of the soluble enzyme. Inactivation was biphasic at 95°C, pH 7.0 and 7.9, the second phase was concentration-dependent. The enzyme was most stable at low enzyme concentrations, however, the second phase of inactivation was 3- to 30-fold slower than the initial phase. Both phases of inactivation were more rapid at pH 7.9, relative to 7.0. Differential scanning calorimetry of the TN5068 XI revealed two distinct thermal transitions at 99° and 109°C. The relative magnitude of the second transition was dramatically reduced at pH 7.9 relative to pH 7.0. Approximately 24% and 11% activity were recoverable after the first transition at pH 7.0 and 7.9, respectively. When the TN5068 XI was immobilized by covalent attachment to glass beads, inactivation was monophasic with a rate corresponding to the initial phase of inactivation for the soluble enzyme. The immobilized enzyme inactivation rate corresponded closely to the rate of ammonia release, presumably from deamidation of labile asparagine and/or glutamine residues. A second, slower inactivation phase suggests the presence of an unfolding intermediate, which was not observed for the immobilized enzyme. The concentration dependence of the second phase of inactivation suggests that polymolecular events were involved. Formation of a reversible polymolecular aggregate capable of protecting the soluble enzyme from irreversible deactivation appears to be responsible for the second phase of inactivation seen for the soluble enzyme. Whether this characteristic is common to other hyperthermophilic enzymes remains to be seen. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Biotechnol Bioeng 62: 509–517, 1999.
The Electro-Optical Kerr Effect in Methane, Ethylene and Ethane

The Kerr effect has been measured in methane, ethylene, and ethane. The measurements were made at a wave-length of 6500A, pressures from 30 to 100 atmospheres and temperatures from 15 to 55\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}C. With the aid of the Langevin-Born theory absolute values for the Kerr constant at N.P.T. and 6500A have been deduced from these measurements. The values are: for methane 3.66\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}${10}^{\ensuremath{-}12}$, for ethylene 16.3\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}${10}^{\ensuremath{-}12}$, and for ethane 10.4\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}${10}^{\ensuremath{-}12}$. These are in fair agreement with theoretical values computed from the Langevin-Born theory.
Between laboratory and clinic: Paving the two-way street

Bandura's (1978) article “On paradigms and recycled ideologies” is criticized from several perspectives. In essence, Bandura argues that the dichotomy between laboratory treatments and clinical behavior therapy is not only false but also reflects grave ideological misconceptions. We analyze what we regard as several flaws in this argument. Bandura's imputation of an implicit medical model to critics of “analogue” research seems to be ill-founded and of questionable relevance. We underscore how Bandura inadvertently argues for the very thesis that he attempts to refute—namely, that clinic patients and phobic subjects do differ in fundamental ways. In our view, when estimating the clinical significance of his research, Bandura tends to extrapolate beyond his data. Our chief objection to Bandura's (1978) position is that it overlooks certain realities of clinical practice. By hypothesizing some essential differences between clinical fears and snake phobias, we hope to place laboratory research in its proper context and thus to facilitate productive dialogues between practitioners and experimenters.
Consumer non-energy benefits as a motivation for making energy-efficiency improvements

Few benefits (e.g., employment) are provided by electric power plants, coal mines, oil pipelines, or other energy-supply systems aside from the energy they produce. Technologies to improve energy end-use efficiency, however, frequently offer non-energy benefits beyond those provided by supply-side options. One class of such benefits accrues at the national level (improved competitiveness, energy security, net job creation, environmental protection) while another relates to consumers and their decision making processes. From a consumer perspective, it is often the non-energy benefits that motivate or can be used to promote decisions to adopt energy-efficient technologies. Specific technical examples are provided for highly efficient windows, energy-efficient lighting, space conditioning, ventilation and indoor air quality.
Hyperbilirubinemia Guidelines in Newborn Infants

To the Editor .— We read with interest the recent hyperbilirubinemia guidelines by the American Academy of Pediatrics1 (AAP). We found them to be very informative, but we believe these guidelines can be adapted further to become more “user friendly.” To follow the guidelines, the practicing pediatrician needs to use information from 1 algorithm, 3 nomograms, and 4 tables that are spread over several pages. In our experience, using a 1-page practice guideline is a feasible solution to this problem (see Fig 1). Fig 1. Hyperbilirubinemia guidelines for infants ≥34 weeks' gestation. The AAP allows 2 options for predischarge assessment of newborns: (1) predischarge bilirubin measurement, …
Near-field investigation of ions emitted from a hollow cathode assembly operating at low-power

RPA and Langmuir probe measurements were made in the near-field plume on the axis of a hollow cathode assembly (HCA). High-energy ions were detected at low-powers consistent with the detection of such ions at high powers in previous investigations. The absence of a potential hill in the testing conditions suggests that an additional source of high energy ions may be charge exchange ions in the luminous region of the cathode discharge. The peaks in the RPA data tend to support this theory. In addition, it was established that the conditions in the near-field of the HCA expellent would be condusive to laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) measurement.
Development of glycinergic cells and puncta in nuclei of the superior olivary complex of the postnatal ferret.

The distribution of glycine-immunopositive cells and axonal endings was studied in the adult and early postnatal ferret superior olive. As in other species, the most prominent glycine-immunopositive cell group in the adult ferret superior olive was the medial nucleus of the trapezoid body. Other darkly immunostained cells were present, although more scattered, in most periolivary regions, including the lateral and ventral trapezoid body nuclei. In the lateral superior olivary nuclei, glycine-immunopositive cells were intermingled with immunonegative cells. A comparable population of cells in the ipsilateral lateral superior olivary nucleus was retrogradely labeled in cases with unilateral injections of tritiated glycine in the inferior colliculus. Glycine-immunopositive puncta were widely distributed in the neuropil in most periolivary regions, including dense accumulations in the dorsomedial periolivary region and ventral and lateral nuclei of the trapezoid body. In the lateral and medial superior olivary nuclei, immunopositive puncta were distributed around the principal cells in characteristic perisomatic halos. In postnatal ferrets, immunopositive cell bodies were first observed by postnatal day 7 and were distributed in regions comparable to regions in the adult, with the exception that immunopositive cells in the lateral superior olivary nucleus did not appear until about postnatal day 28. There was diffuse staining in the neuropil in principal and periolivary nuclei by postnatal day 7. During the third postnatal week, the immunostaining in the neuropil began to take on a more granular appearance and immunopositive puncta could be seen by postnatal day 35. In the lateral and medial superior olivary nuclei, the earliest distribution of immunostaining in the neuropil was nonuniform, being greater in the high-frequency, medial, and ventral regions, respectively. The density gradient in these areas was gradually eliminated over the next 2 postnatal weeks as immunostained processes and endings appeared over greater portions of the nuclei. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Leadership in Health for All in developing countries: quo vadis?

Health For All by the Year 2000 and enhancing child survival are goals of the world health community. However, attainment of these goals will occur only if there is leadership that mobilises effect...