cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Pharmacological Management of Acute Endodontic Pain

Pain associated with infections of the tooth pulp and periapical tissues is intense and often the most common reason for patients seeking emergency dental care. Effective management of acute dental pain requires a deep understanding of pain mechanisms, which enables accurate diagnosis and definitive treatment. While drugs are only used as an adjunct to definitive dental treatment, a thorough understanding of their mechanism of action and effectiveness enables clinicians to effectively control intra-operative and post-operative pain and prevent persistent pain. This review describes how pain is detected, processed, and perceived. It also provides information on evidence-based strategies on the use of different classes of drugs to effectively manage endodontic pain.
Rational Expectations and Monetary Institutions

The concept of ‘monetary regime figures prominently in the recent rational expectations literature. Elsewhere,1 I have used the following two-part definition of it: a monetary regime is a system of expectations that governs the behaviour of the public and that is sustained by the consistent behaviour of the policy-making authorities. This is a rational expectations concept although, as the rational expectations literature tends to go, it is stated here in fairly loose language. The present definition assumes that people understand the systematic components of the authorities’ behaviour in a general sort of way, but avoids a linkage so tight as to build, for example, short-run neutrality or policy ineffectiveness assertions into the concept itself. Nonetheless, it is in effect an equilibrium concept. The expectations of the public and the actual behaviour of the authorities mesh in equilibrium; when they do not mesh, it does not make sense to speak of a regime.
“How to get out and stay out”: an educational videodisc for the chronically mentally ill

An educational interactive videodisc for the chronically mentally ill called "How to Get Out and Stay Out: The Story of Cathy" is described. The description includes the rationale for the use of this new technique, technical and content features of the disc, the process of design, the preliminary field testing, and plans for further evaluation.
The interdependencies of theory formation, revision, and experimentation

This paper depicts theory development as a synergistic cooperation of scientific methodologies, each focusing on different aspects of the problem. It discusses how they may be integrated to provide a more unified and comprehensive treatment of scientific theory discovery. We describe a general protocol for interaction between theory formation, theory revision, and experimentation. This protocol enables theory formation to make specific queries about the state of the world to fulfill its hypothesis generation goals. It also enables experimentation-based revision to post tasks for theory formation to supply relevant hypotheses. The utility and generality of this protocol is demonstrated by an implementation of our unified framework, which consists of the integration of two, previously autonomous systems. Its performance is described for discovering and revising models of evaporation and osmosis.
Allelic variation in ABCR associated with Stargardt disease but not age-related macular degeneration

Allelic variation in ABCR associated with Stargardt disease but not age-related macular degeneration
Psychosocial Stages of Development

Erik Erikson's psychosocial development model has been a leading theory on the stages of human development since 1963. Erikson was a student of Anna Freud, studying to become a psychoanalyst. However, his view of psychosocial development diverged from psychoanalysis and he concluded that development is influenced not only by inner conflicts, but also by the social world. He challenged the field to examine how identity is formed and the extent of social and environmental influences in shaping individual development. Erikson's theory revolutionized the field of development and identity, leading to pioneering work such as James Marcia's identity status model, which focused on adolescent development. Keywords: lifespan and development psychology; Erikson, Erik; personality
A versatile polychromatic dynamic testbed for testing of optical disks

A dynamic testbed for the evaluation of optical disks has been designed and constructed. The system is achromatic within the wavelength range of 440 nm to 690 nm, allowing any light source in this range to be utilized for read/write/erase experiments. In addition, the system accepts disks with substrate thicknesses ranging from 0 to 1.7 mm. The testing of both magneto-optical (MO) and phase-change (PC) disks, in addition to compact disks (CD) and digital versatile disks (DVD) is performed.
Static and dynamic postural stability in veterans with combat-related mild traumatic brain injury

Persistent post-concussive symptoms are reported by 10-15% of individuals who suffer mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), but their basis is often uncertain. One such symptom is disequilibrium, a sensation of impaired balance during standing and walking. The hypothesis for this study was that this subjective symptom is associated with objective and measurable deficits in static and dynamic postural stability. An infrared motion tracking system was used to record body motion during quiet standing and in response to waist perturbations in fourteen veterans (age 22-40 years, 13 male) of the Operations Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Iraqi Freedom (OIF), who had a history of mTBI that occurred 7 months to 7 years prior to testing. We compared body sway between veterans with mTBI reporting persistent disequilibrium (TD, n=8) and those with no vestibular symptoms (n=6), as well as to a group of non-veterans with no balance symptoms (n=10). Static postural stability was reduced in TD veterans in comparison to each of the other two groups (p<0.0002), most notably on a compliant surface with eyes closed. The TD group also had decreased dynamic stability of the upper trunk (p<0.05) and enhanced postural oscillations (p<0.02) following waist perturbations. Our findings support a physiological basis for persistent disequilibrium after mTBI and are consistent with impaired vestibular processing. Disruption of semicircular canal inputs is unlikely to be the cause, as head impulse responses were normal in all groups. The unexpected finding of dynamic postural oscillations requires further study but may indicate enhanced instability in sensorimotor networks responsible for postural control.
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN GLENOHUMERAL JOINT TOTAL ROTATIONAL RANGE OF MOTION AND THE FUNCTIONAL MOVEMENT SCREEN™ SHOULDER MOBILITY TEST

Purpose/Background: Side to side asymmetry in glenohumeral joint rotation correlates with injury risk in overhead athletes. The purpose of the current study was to identify the relationship between side‐to‐side asymmetries in glenohumeral joint total rotational range of motion and shoulder mobility test scores from the Functional Movement Screen™ in collegiate overhead athletes. The authors hypothesized that asymmetries of > 10° in glenohumeral total rotation would not be associated with asymmetrical findings in the Functional Movement Screen™ (FMS) shoulder mobility test.
Commentary: Geographies of digital lives: Trajectories in the production of knowledge with user-generated content

Whether it is “volunteered” or not, user-generated content is the fastest-growing source of spatially referenced data as people around the world use various portals to comment on everyday life, share photos and sounds, and use location-aware devices to inform and influence everyday life. Planners and geographers are well-situated to employ such data in their efforts to broaden public participation in decision-making; understand people's perspectives of neighborhoods, monuments, natural areas, and infrastructure; and more deeply theorize new urban social relations emerging with the digital revolution. The three articles reviewed here engage with different on-line portals (Twitter, Flickr, and web-based collective sound maps), but encounter some similar methodological challenges for which they each develop novel solutions, thus indicating some important developments in the production of knowledge. At a more conceptual level, the articles each demonstrate the progress being made in theorizing new geographies of digital lives.
Social Work and the Challenges of the Green Economy

This is an ethnographic account of a social worker’s efforts to create a local “Energy Alliance” to help moderate-income residents reduce energy costs in a small, urban, northern plains community in the United States. Additionally, the initiative would help create jobs, increase energy efficiency, and reduce carbon outputs. While the project met with mixed results, lessons learned are relevant to the emergent intersections of community practice, sustainable community development (economic and social), and social work. The benefits of social work education and experience to this work are highlighted, as are the challenges inherent in planning and implementing green community development.
Heterogeneous Distributed Computing

The sections in this article are 1 Examples of HC Application Studies 2 Examples of HC Environments and Tools 3 PVM and HeNCE 4 Taxonomies of Heterogeneous Computing 5 A Conceptual Model of Heterogeneous Computing 6 Task Profiling and Analytical Benchmarking 7 Matching and Scheduling 8 Matching and Scheduling Metatasks 9 Summary and Future Directions 10 Acknowledgment
The contribution of maternal epilepsy and its treatment to the etiology of oral clefts: a population based case-control study.

The associations between maternal epilepsy and anticonvulsant drug therapy with the risk of oral clefts in the offspring were investigated using data from a population-based case-control study. Cases included 238 infants with cleft lip +/- cleft palate (CLP) and 107 infants with cleft palate (CP) ascertained through the Metropolitan Atlanta Congenital Defects Program (MACDP) between 1968 and 1980. Controls included 3029 population-based normal infants. Histories of maternal epilepsy and drug therapy during pregnancy were compared between cases and controls using maternal interviews and reviews of hospital medical records. Maternal epilepsy was associated with increased risk of nonsyndromic CLP (OR = 3.78, 95% C.I. 1.65-7.88), and less with CP (OR = 1.75, 95% C.I. 0.20-6.99). Therapy during pregnancy was associated with the greatest excess risk (CLP OR = 7.77, C.I. 2.02-26.0; CP OR = 3.61, C.I. 0.08-26.5). The use of polytherapy was associated with the highest risk (CLP OR = 10.5, C.I. 1.52-59.9). Adjustment for potential confounding variables in the study did not change these findings. In this well-defined population, maternal epilepsy and its treatment account for a small proportion of nonsyndromic oral clefts (attributable fraction CLP = 3.3%, CP = 0.9%).
One “Nation,” Under Stephen? The Effects of The Colbert Report on American Youth

This study examines the effect of The Colbert Report, Comedy Central's mock conservative talk show, on young adults. By fashioning his character as a hyperbolic ideologue, Colbert is mocking personalities such as Bill O'Reilly. However, this study finds that when young adults are exposed to The Colbert Report's humor, they are not led to be more critical of the far right. Instead, the opposite happens, and there is an increased affinity for President Bush, Republicans in Congress, and Republican policies. Ironically, Colbert's attempts to poke fun at conservative commentators may be helping those same commentators spread their message.
Art nouveau in fin-de-siècle France: Politics, psychology, and style

(1994). Art nouveau in fin-de-siecle France: Politics, psychology, and style. History of European Ideas: Vol. 18, No. 5, pp. 799-801.
Ultra-high, 72 GHz resonance frequency and 44 GHz bandwidth of injection-locked 1.55-/spl mu/m DFB lasers

We demonstrate record high resonance frequency (72 GHz) and record broadband performance (44 GHz) for 1.55-/spl mu/m direct-modulated distributed-feedback (DFB) lasers under strong optical injection locking. The frequency response above 50 GHz is measured directly using optical heterodyne detection.
Near-far resistance of Alamouti space-time coded CDMA communication systems

In this paper, the near far resistance of the MMSE detector is derived for the code division multiple access communication systems with the Alamouti space-time block coding. It is shown that transmitter/receiver diversity has benefits on the near--far resistance performance while receiver diversity has more impact on the near-far resistance.
Some applications of Henkin quantifiers

We show how to approximate a Henkin formula by first order formulas. This method of approximation is then applied to problems of axiomatizing classes of structures.
C-H BOND ACTIVATION IN THE FORMATION OF AN OSMIUM(IV) METALLACYCLE

The osmium methylimido complex [(η5-C5H5)Os(NCH3)(CH2SiMe3)2][SO3CF3], 1, reacts with PPh3 to give both the methyleneamido complex (η5-C5H5)Os(NCH2)(CH2SiMe3)2, 2, and the unique osmium(IV) hydride [(η5-C5H5)Os(H)(PPh3){CHSiMe3PPh2(C6H4)}][SO3CF3], 4. A single-crystal X-ray diffraction study of 4 shows that this molecule has a distorted square pyramidal structure with the center of the cyclopentadienyl ring at the apex. This molecule results from a series of reactions that includes two C−H activation steps: α-hydrogen elimination and orthometalation.
Quantitation of acetylcholinesterase and acetylcholine-binding sites in excitable membrane fragments from electric eel.

Abstract 1. 1. Titration of membrane-bound acetylcholinesterase with a specific active-site reversible inhibitor 3-hydroxyphenyltrimethylammonium iodide allows a quantitative determination of active site concentration of the enzyme in the membrane fragments from electroplax of the electric eel. 2. 2. Extraction of acetylcholinesterase activity from membrane fragments by I M NaCl results in an enzymatically inactive preparation which is still capable of binding acetylcholine. 3. 3. The quantity of acetylcholine binding sites is about 16–20% of the catalytic sites of the enzyme in the electroplax membrane fragments, in agreement with results obtained with monocellular electroplax preparation. The K D for the acetylcholine-receptor complex is 1.8· 10−7 M.
Protective effects of dietary α-tocopherol in rats exposed to toxic levels of ozone and nitrogen dioxide

Abstract The effect of dietary α-tocopherol at various levels, especially in the range 0–45 mg/kg, on the acute toxicity of O 3 and NO 2 to rats was studied. The highest level of α-tocopherol was 1500 mg/kg of diet in combination with ascorbic acid, dl -methionine and butylated hydroxytoluene; the level of O 3 ranged from 0.7 to 16 ppm and NO 2 from 20 to 25 ppm; and various exposure periods were used. α-Tocopherol alone and in combination with the other antioxidants exerted a protective effect in rats exposed to O 3 and NO 2 as measured by acute toxicity and animal weight change. During 1 ppm O 3 exposure voluntary activity decreased, while at lower levels of O 3 (0.7–0.8 ppm) α-tocopherol protection against lipid peroxidation in the lung, as measured by endogenous lung thiobarbituric acid reactants, was a reciprocal function of the logarithm of dietary α-tocopherol. Extracts of lung tissue from animals exposed to O 3 and O 2 showed no increase in fluorescent products associated with lipid peroxidation.
Diazepam enhancement of GABA-gated currents in binary and ternary GABAA receptors: relationship to benzodiazepine binding site density.

Although the predominant GABAA receptor isoform in the adult rodent central nervous system is a ternary complex composed of α1β2/3γ2-subunits, small populations of binary receptors lacking β-subunits (i.e., complexes containing αγ-subunits) have also been identified. When expressed in HEK 293 cells, recombinant GABAA receptors composed of either α1β2/3γ2- or α1γ2-subunits form benzodiazepine-responsive, GABA-gated chloride channels. The objective of this study was to compare the ability of a prototypic benzodiazepine (diazepam) to augment GABA-gated chloride currents in these binary and ternary receptor isoforms. The potency of GABA was characteristically increased by diazepam (1μM) in both receptor isoforms, but this increase was significantly greater (p<0.05) in receptors composed of α1β2γ2-subunits (approximately five-to sixfold) compared to α1γ2-subunits (∼2.2-fold). At GABA concentrations approximating its EC50 value (5 μM), the greater augmentation observed in ternary receptors was attributable to a higher efficacy of diazepam. Radioligand binding studies revealed that theB max of [3H]flunitrazepam was increased ∼1.8- and 3.5-fold in cells expressing α1β2γ2- and α1β3γ2-subunits, respectively, compared to cells expressing α1γ2-subunits. A similar increase (∼3.8-fold) in theB max of [3H]Ro 15-4513 was observed in HEK 293 cells transiently transfected with cDNAs encodign α6β3γ2- compared to α6γ2-subunits. TheK d values of these radioligands were not different in binary and ternary receptor isoforms. It is hypothesized that the greater efficacy of diazepam in α1β2γ2 compared to α1γ2 GABAA receptors results from the higher benzodiazepine binding site density produced by the formation of a ternary complex.
Geometry of compressible and incompressible quantum Hall states: Application to anisotropic composite-fermion liquids

Haldane's geometrical description of fractional quantum Hall states is generalized to compressible states. It is shown that anisotropy in the composite fermion Fermi surface is a direct reflection of this intrinsic geometry. A simple model is introduced in which the geometric parameter can be obtained exactly from other parameters including electron mass anisotropy. Our results compare favorably with recent measurements of anisotropy in composite fermion Fermi surface [Kamburov, Liu, Shayegan, Pfeiffer, West, and Baldwin, Phys. Rev. Lett. 110, 206801 (2013)]. Broader implications of our results are discussed.
Experimental Determination of the Dissolution Kinetics of Plutonium- and Uranium-Bearing Ceramics at 90°C

Titanate-based ceramics have emerged as the leading candidate for a matrix for disposal of excess weapons-grade plutonium in a deep geologic repository. Concern persists, however, that accumulation of radiation damage will compromise the chemical durability of the titanate matrix. As a first step toward understanding the effects of radiation damage on element release rates, we performed single-pass flow-through (SPFT) experiments with 239Pu- and 238U-bearing ceramics over a solution pH-interval of 2 to 10 at 90?C. The ceramics tested include chemically complex zirconolite (CaBTi2O7), betafite (Ti-rich pyrochlore, ABTi2O7)(A = Ca2+, Gd3+, B = Gd3+, Hf4+, Pu4+, U4/6+), and betafite-rich samples. The 239Pu-bearing specimens contained 7.4 to 12.4 mass% PuO2 and 15.4 to 23.7 mass% UO2. In addition, a 238Pu-bearing (11.8 and 23.9 mass% PuO2 and UO2, respectively) betafite-rich specimen was tested at pH = 2, 90?C. The experiment with the 238Pu-bearing ceramic utilized a platinum-lined Teflon reactor to eliminate radiation damage to the Teflon from direct contact with the ceramic powder. The 239Pu-bearing specimens slowly released Pu to solution (rate = 8.3x10^-6 g m^-2 d^-1), even at pH = 2. At higher pH values, the dissolution rate decreased by a factor of 10 and then increased near pH = 10. Ratesmore » based upon release of calcium are typically >10X faster and are inconsistent with rates based on other elements. Compared to results from the 239Pu-bearing materials, the 238Pu-bearing specimen released Pu nearly 400X faster (rate = 3.2x10^-3 g m^-2 d^-1). Release rates of U, Gd, and Hf are also faster from the 238Pu-bearing ceramic compared to the specimen containing 239Pu. Although preliminary, the data can be interpreted to indicate that accumulation of radiation damage may result in faster release of Pu and U to solution than previously suspected.« less
Child-rearing violence

In 1989, a national, random sample of 801 adults was questioned about the punishment they received as children and the way they discipline their own offspring. Analysis revealed that verbal and physical discipline are not substitutes, but, instead, are commonly used together. Parents who yell frequently are the ones most likely to hit frequently, and vice versa. In addition, both physical and verbal violence appear to be transgenerational. Respondents who were spanked (yelled at) frequently as children are more prone to frequently spank (yell at) their own children. Still, most people are able to break out of the transgenerational cycle of punitive child rearing. This outcome may be found particularly among those who consider themselves to have been abused.
A model for pion absorption in nuclei

Abstract To describe pion absorption in nuclei, we introduce a model which assumes that incident pion is absorbed by the row of target nucleons along the beam direction. The momentum distribution of these nucleons after absorbing the pion is assumed to be determined by the phase space. The experimental data on the inclusive proton cross section are well reproduced.
Photorealistic lighting with offset radiance transfer mapping

We propose a precomputation-based approach for the real-time rendering of scenes that include a number of complex illumination phenomena, such as radiosity and subsurface scattering, and allows interactive modification of camera and lighting parameters. At the heart of our approach lies a novel parameterization of the rendering equation that is inherently supported by the modern GPU. During the pre-computation phase, we build a set of offset transfer maps based on the proposed parameterization, which approximate the complete radiance transfer function for the scene. The rendering phase is then reduced to a set of texture-blending and mapping operations that execute in real-time on the GPU. In contrast to the current state-of-the-art, which employs environment maps to produce global illumination, our approach uses arbitrary first-order lighting to compute a final lighting solution, and fully supports point and spot lights. To discretize the transfer maps, we develop an efficient method for generating and sampling C0-continuous probability density functions from unordered data points.We believe that the contributions of this paper offer a significantly different approach to precomputed radiance transfer from those previously proposed.
The analysis of hidden electrophoretic variation: interspecific electrophoretic differentiation and amino acid divergence.

In a study of 25 human variants and 23 “evolutionary alleles” of hemoglobin we show that intraspecific and interspecific patterns of electrophoretic variability are not comparable. Significant deviation from the predicted electrophoretic differentiation between evolutionary alleles is normally found only when amino acid sequence divergence exceeds 10%. When two sequences had diverged at less than 30 out of 287 amino acid residues sites, only 7% of comparisons showed significant deviations from the expected difference of electrophoretic mobility, while significant deviation was shown by 57% of comparisons involving 30–40 residue differences, by 79% in the case of 51–60 differences and by all of the comparisons involving more than 60 differences. In contrast, human variants, which differ by only one or two amino acid residues (less than 1% difference), had significant deviations in 58% of comparisons. Those mutations that appear as fixed differences in the evolutionary material probably represent only a subset of the mutations which can appear within the species. The results suggest that statistical comparisons such as genetic distance may not measure the same process within a species as between species. This is due not to inherent problems with the statistic, but rather to inherent differences in the nature of molecular changes that are detectable by electrophoresis at different stages of population divergence.
Improving the Recognition of Eating Gestures Using Intergesture Sequential Dependencies

This paper considers the problem of recognizing eating gestures by tracking wrist motion. Eating gestures are activities commonly undertaken during the consumption of a meal, such as sipping a drink of liquid or using utensils to cut food. Each of these gestures causes a pattern of wrist motion that can be tracked to automatically identify the activity. Previous works have studied this problem at the level of a single gesture. In this paper, we demonstrate that individual gestures have sequential dependence. To study this, three types of classifiers were built: 1) a K-nearest neighbor classifier which uses no sequential context, 2) a hidden Markov model (HMM) which captures the sequential context of subgesture motions, and 3) HMMs that model intergesture sequential dependencies. We built first-order to sixth-order HMMs to evaluate the usefulness of increasing amounts of sequential dependence to aid recognition. On a dataset of 25 meals, we found that the baseline accuracies for the KNN and the subgesture HMM classifiers were 75.8% and 84.3%, respectively. Using HMMs that model intergesture sequential dependencies, we were able to increase accuracy to up to 96.5%. These results demonstrate that sequential dependencies exist between eating gestures and that they can be exploited to improve recognition accuracy.
Corporations as Partners: “Connected Capitalism” and The Coca‐Cola Company

For-profit corporations increasingly promote themselves as potential partners with government (state actors) and community (NGOs and civil society groups) in addressing social problems. These partnerships enact what the former CEO of The Coca-Cola Company, Neville Isdell, calls “connected capitalism”—collaborations in which businesses must do good in order to maximize shareholder value. How should we understand the self-qualification of corporations as responsible partners and thus the corporate rejection of Milton Friedman's famous claim that the social responsibility of business is to increase its profits? I address the question by considering how the partnerships currently advocated by The Coca-Cola Company enhance the value of corporate-owned brands and deflect criticism of business operations. I argue that these partnerships perform what Garsten and Jacobsson call “post-political governance” in which cooperation with business displaces regulation of business by government. I argue furthermore that these partnerships represent what Nader calls “harmony ideology,” in which the concern for polite consensus displaces any interest in addressing social inequality.
Acetate production by Clostridium thermoaceticum in corn steep liquor media

A low-cost nutrient medium based on corn steep liquor (CSL) was developed for the production of acetates byClostridium thermoaceticum. Pre-treatment of CSL with dolime and vitamin supplementation increased the rate of acetate production. Adding excess nutrients in a fed-batch mode minimized by-product formation and increased final acetate concentration from 19 g L−1 to 40 g L−1 acetic acid. High yields of acetic acid (0.95 g g−1 glucose in fed-batch mode) was probably due to the conversion of the lactic acid in CSL into acetic acid by the organism.
Kinase inhibition-related adverse events predicted from in vitro kinome and clinical trial data

BackgroundKinase inhibition is an increasingly popular strategy for pharmacotherapy of human diseases. Although many of these agents have been described as "targeted therapy", they will typically inhibit multiple kinases with varying potency. Pre-clinical model testing has not predicted the numerous significant toxicities identified during clinical development. The purpose of this study was to develop a bioinformatics-based method to predict specific adverse events (AEs) in humans associated with the inhibition of particular kinase targets (KTs). MethodsThe AE frequencies of protein kinase inhibitors (PKIs) were curated from three sources (PubMed, Thompson Physician Desk Reference and PharmGKB), and affinities of 38 PKIs for 317 kinases, representing >50% of the predicted human kinome, were collected from published in vitro assay results. A novel quantitative computational method was developed to predict associations between KTs and AEs that included a whole panel of 71 AEs and 20 PKIs targeting 266 distinct kinases with Kd<10µM. The method calculated an unbiased, kinome-wide association score via linear algebra on (i) the normalized frequencies of AEs associated with 20 PKIs and (ii) the negative log-transformed dissociation constant of kinases targeted by these PKIs. Finally, a reference standard was calculated by applying Fisher's exact test to the co-occurrence of indexed Pubmed terms (p≤0.05, and manually verified) for AE and associated kinase targets (AE-KT) pairs from standard literature search techniques. We also evaluated the enrichment of predictions between the quantitative method and the literature search by Fisher's exact testing. ResultsWe identified significant associations among already empirically well established pairs of AEs (e.g. diarrhea and rash) and KTs (e.g. EGFR). The following less well recognized AE-KT pairs had similar association scores: diarrhea-(DDR1;ERBB4), rash-ERBB4, and fatigue-(CSF1R;KIT). With no filtering, the association score identified 41 prioritized associations involving 7 AEs and 19 KTs. Among them, eight associations were reported in the literature review. There were only 78 out of a total of 4522 AE-KT pairs meeting the evaluation threshold, indicating a strong association between the predicted and the text mined AE-KT pairs (p=3i?10-7). As many of these drugs remain in development, a larger volume of more detailed data on AE-PKI associations is accessible only through non-public databases. These prediction models will be refined with these data and validated through dedicated prospective human studies. Conclusion and future directionsOur in silico method can predict associations between kinase targets and AE frequencies in human patients. Refining this method should lead to improved clinical development of protein kinase inhibitors, a large new class of therapeutics. http://www.lussierlab.org/publication/PAS/.
The expression of the placental anticoagulant protein, annexin V, by villous trophoblasts: immunolocalization and in vitro regulation

We evaluated the histological and ultrastructural localization of the potent anticoagulant protein, annexin V, at the light and electron microscopic levels, using immunohistochemistry and an immunogold method. Annexin V was found to localize to the microvillar surface of the villous syncytiotrophoblasts. Isolated villous-derived trophoblasts were then utilized to evaluate the expression of annexin 1 protein mRNA in response to syncytialization in vitro, as well as to exposure to adenylate cyclase and protein kinase C agonists. Levels of immunoreactive annexin V released into the conditioned media and associated with cell protein were assessed by ELISA while levels of annexin V mRNA were evaluated by Northern analysis. No significant change in either media or cell-associated annexin V concentrations were detected over time in culture or in response to 1.5 mM 8-bromo-cyclic-adenosine-monophosphate (8-b-cAMP) or 0.15 nM phorbol ester myristic acid (PMA). These results indicate that annexin V is ideally positioned to inhibit intervillous thrombosis and maintain the fluidity of the intervillous circulation. Moreover, the absence of trophoblast annexin V regulation by intracellular second messenger regulators suggests that this crucial placental anticoagulant factor is constitutively produced.
Nocturnal Augmentation of Growth Hormone (GH) Secretion Is Preserved during Repetitive Bolus Administration of GH-Releasing Hormone: Potential Involvement of Endogenous Somatostatin-A Clinical Research Center Study*

Pulsatile GH secretion in humans is under the dual and opposing regulation of hypothalamic GHRH and SRIH. GH pulses result from acute GHRH secretory discharges, and their occurrence and amplitude are augmented at night. We hypothesized that normal adults have predictable circadian or ultradian patterns of SRIH secretion and that this rhythm modulates both spontaneous GH secretion and the GH response to GHRH in a similar manner. To test this hypothesis, we compared baseline GH concentration patterns with GH profiles during submaximal iv boluses of GHRH. Every 20 min blood sampling for plasma GH determination over a 24-h period was performed in seven middle-aged men on days 1 and 7. Each subject received a GHRH (0.33 microgram/kg) iv bolus every 2 h on days 2-7, during which the GH responses to the first two boluses were measured. Plasma insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) was measured at 0800 h on each day. [The subjects had GH response to every GHRH bolus] and the integrated GH concentration on day 7 was increased 4.3 +/- 0.6-fold over that in the baseline study on day 1. There was no acute or chronic desensitization to GHRH, and the pituitary remained equally responsive to the GHRH boluses despite a 2.6-fold increase in IGF-I by day 7. During this same time period, there was a 1.4-fold increase in IGF-binding protein 3. The subjects showed similar circadian patterns of GH secretion at baseline and during repetitive GHRH boluses, with a maxima on each day occurring during the early night-time hours. These data demonstrate that healthy men remain sensitive to the GH-releasing effects of submaximal bolus doses of GHRH despite significant increases in GH and IGF-I. The similarities between the GH concentration profiles during days 1 and 7 are consistent with the hypothesis that the ultradian pattern of GH secretion in humans is in part a product of hypothalamic GHRH discharges superimposed on more slowly changing SRIH secretion.
Temporal and spatial variation of free calcium with contraction in isolated cardiac myocytes

Recent advances in the development of calcium-sensitive fluorescent dyes and spectrofluorometry have greatly increased their use in assessing transient changes in free cytosolic calcium during contraction of single isolated cardiac myocytes. The same fluorescent images used for this purpose can be captured using a video frame-grabber for subsequent analysis of the distribution of free calcium within each myocyte, and also provide excellent contrast for edge-detection systems used to track changes in myocyte length during contraction. We have applied these techniques to the study of differences in free calcium concentration and contraction in normal ventricular myocytes and in myocytes obtained from hypertrophied failing hearts. In the process, we have sought to optimize our equipment and procedures to meet specific needs. Progress with cell imaging, signal averaging, and data acquisition and processing is described in the context of our experimental objectives.
Bacteremic Staphylococcus aureus Pneumonia

Medical records of 44 consecutive patients with bacteremic Staphylococcus aureus pneumonia between 1980 to 1984 in a 750-bed community teaching hospital were reviewed. 36 patients (82%) were 60 years or older and the median age was in the 8th decade. There was no seasonal variation in the prevalence. The infection was hospital-acquired in 29 patients (66%). All patients had 1 or more (median 3) major underlying conditions. The chest roentgenogram was non-diagnostic; only 1 patient had empyema. Fever and leukocytosis were common. Many patients had renal insufficiency and hyperbilirubinemia. The overall mortality was 84%.
Fatalities among Civil Infrastructure Workers: Variable Annuity with Guaranteed Minimum Death Benefits Approach

AbstractMany studies are concerned with monitoring, evaluating, expanding, repairing, replacing, financing, or otherwise sustaining the civil infrastructure. Few studies address the ongoing and evolving financial problems associated with the workers responsible for developing civil infrastructure development. According to U.S. federal statistics, civil infrastructure activities are responsible for 22% of all work-related fatalities—the highest among all industries. In 2008, 429,000 nonfatal injuries and 1,005 fatal injuries were recorded on job sites. However, civil infrastructure workers still have some of the weakest coverage of health and retirement benefits. It is crucial to have a strong system that protects workers and their families in cases of work-related fatal and nonfatal injuries. This paper developed a financial model incorporating a variable annuity embedded with guaranteed minimum death benefits. The model is based on the principles of insurance pricing, option theory, Monte Carlo simulatio...
Publication practices in various sciences

From a study of Papers published in 1990 in major journals in eight sciences (astrophysics, biology, chemistry, geophysics, mathematics, physics, psychiatry, and radiology) we learn the following. The median numbers of authors per paper range from 1.0 (in mathematics) to 3.7 (in the medical fields). Only a few percent (0–5%) of the papers have more than eight authors. Nearly half (30–55%) of the papers in American journals are partly or totally from abroad, except in the medicinal fields (10%). The fractions of papers with authors from two or more countries are as high as 26% (in astrophysics and geophysics). Mean paper lengths range from 4.6 1000-word pages in the medical fields to 8–13 pages in the observational sciences (astrophysics, biology, geophysics) and mathematics. The fraction of papers revised range from 8% in mathematics to 100% in geophysics. The mean publication times (submission to publication) range from 200 days in physics to 600 days in mathematics.
T-cell death and cancer immune tolerance

Cancer patients mount adaptive immune responses against their tumors. However, tumor develops many mechanisms to evade effective immunosurveillance. T-cell death caused by tumor plays a critical role in establishing tumor immunotolerance. Chronic stimulation of T cells by tumors leads to activation-induced cell death. Abortive stimulation of T cells by tolerogenic antigen-presenting cells loaded with tumor antigens leads to autonomous death of tumor-specific T cells. Therapeutic approaches that prevent T-cell death in the tumor microenvironment and tumor draining lymph nodes, therefore, should boost adaptive immune responses against cancer.
Synthesis and Dynamic Analysis of a Quick-Return Mechanism Using MATLAB and SIMULINK

The approach adopted in this work is an attempt to introduce students, in kinematics and dynamics of machinery course, to a complete design and analysis of function generation mechanisms via analytical methods. Although the approach implemented in this work is for function generation type of mechanisms, the concept is indeed extendable to the other types of mechanisms as well. As a project in the kinematics and dynamics of machinery class, students designed, and analyzed a four bar quick-return mechanism using MATLAB and SIMULINK as the primary software tools. One of the aims of this project was to abandon the traditional graphical synthesis and graphical analysis, covered in all the mechanisms textbooks, and to use the powerful combination of MATLAB and SIMULINK to implement the entire design and analysis process. The project, given to an undergraduate class, serves also as a prologue to future advanced courses in mechanical engineering, such as multi-body dynamics. In implementing the dimensional synthesis portion of the project, students employed complex number arithmetic to realize the design specifications. Once the design specifications were met, a known motor torque was applied to the crank to drive the mechanism. With the known geometric and inertial properties of each link, Lagrange’s equations for constraint motion were then utilized to arrive at the second order differential equations of motion. SIMULINK, as a user friendly graphical interface, was used to carry out the integration to obtain angular position, velocity, and acceleration of the designed mechanism. The project also calculates the reaction loads on the mechanism using the concepts of Newtonian mechanics. The project, though rigorous, is an excellent way to force students to practice their knowledge of dynamics and numerical methods. The project, certainly, meets the ABET criteria for implementing design in mechanical engineering curriculum. The author received positive feedbacks from his students with regard to this project.Copyright © 2007 by ASME
Longitudinal Evaluation of PROMIS-29 and FACIT-Dyspnea Short Forms in Systemic Sclerosis

Objective. To assess the sensitivity of the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System 29-item Health Profile (PROMIS-29) and the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Dyspnea 10-item short form (FACIT-Dyspnea) for measuring change in health status and dyspnea in systemic sclerosis (SSc). Methods. One hundred patients with SSc completed the PROMIS-29, FACIT-Dyspnea, and traditional instruments [Medical Research Council Dyspnea Score, St. George’s Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ), Health Assessment Questionnaire-Disability Index (HAQ-DI), and Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-36 (SF-36)] at baseline and 1-year visits. PROMIS-29, FACIT-Dyspnea, and traditional instrument change scores were compared across composite modified Medsger Disease Severity and modified Rodnan Skin score (mRSS) change groups. Results. Moderately high Spearman correlation coefficients were observed between FACIT-Dyspnea and SGRQ (r = 0.57), FACIT-Dyspnea functional limitations and SF-36 physical component summary (PCS; r = 0.51), PROMIS-29 physical functioning and HAQ-DI (r = 0.50), and SF-36 PCS (r = 0.52) change scores. In most validity comparisons, PROMIS-29, FACIT-Dyspnea, HAQ-DI, and SF-36 scores performed similarly. While PROMIS-29 covers more content areas than SF-36 (e.g., sleep), it may do so at the expense of responsiveness of its 4-item physical function scale as compared to the multiitem-derived SF-36 PCS. Statistically significant increases in SF-36 role physical (p = 0.01) and physical component scale (p = 0.016), but not PROMIS-29, were observed in patients with mRSS improvement. Conclusion. PROMIS-29 and FACIT-Dyspnea are valid instruments to measure health status and dyspnea in patients with SSc. In physical function assessment, longer PROMIS short forms or computer adaptive testing should be considered to improve responsiveness to the effect of skin disease changes on physical function in patients with SSc.
DYNAMICS OF SUPPLY CHAINS: A MULTILEVEL (LOGISTICAL - INFORMATIONAL - FINANCIAL) NETWORK PERSPECTIVE

In this paper, we propose a multilevel network perspective for the conceptualization of the dynamics underlying supply chains in the presence of competition. The multilevel network consists of: the logistical network, the informational network, and the financial network. We describe the behavior of the network decisionmakers, which are spatially separated and which consist of the manufacturers and producing firms, the retailers, and the consumers located at the demand markets. We propose a projected dynamical system, along with stability analysis results, that captures the adjustments of the commodity shipments and the prices over space and time. A discrete-time adjustment process is described and implemented in order to illustrate in several numerical examples the evolution of the commodity shipments and prices to the equilibrium solution.
The Krüppel-like transcriptional factors Zf9 and GKLF coactivate the human keratin 4 promoter and physically interact

Zf9/CPBP/KLF6 is a widely expressed member of the Kruppel-like family of transcriptional factors which regulates gene expression in hepatic stellate cells. Because of its ubiquitous expression including in the esophagus, we have explored its function in the esophageal squamous epithelium, a model system to study cellular proliferation and differentiation. Reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) and Western blot analyses revealed that Zf9 was highly expressed in human esophageal squamous cancer cell lines. Additionally, Zf9 localizes to the esophageal squamous epithelium by immunohistochemistry. Using transient transfection, Zf9 transactivates the human keratin 4 (K4) promoter reporter gene construct in a subset of the esophageal cancer cell lines through indirect mechanisms. Co-transfection of Zf9 and GKLF/KLF4, which is also a member of the Kruppel-like factors and expressed in the esophageal squamous epithelium, leads to coactivation in an additive fashion. Furthermore, we demonstrate that there is a physical interaction between GKLF and Zf9, a novel finding for Kruppel-like family members.
Multiple SR-T tubule junctions in a single insect flight muscle fiber

The membranes of mesothoracic dorsoventral flight muscle of Libellua needhami and Erythemis simplicicolis (Odonata: Libellulidae) were studied by transmission electron microscopy using uranyl acetate en bloc staining. Intact fibers were studied by conventional scanning electron microscopy procedures. Dyadic, triadic, and tetradic transverse tubule (TT)—sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) junctions as well as plasma membrane—SR junctions are described for the first time in the same insect muscle fiber. Triadic (SR—TT—SR) and, rarely tetradic (TT—SR—TT—SR) junctions were limited to regions between adjacent myofibrils and near the ends of fibers. Dyadic (TT—SR) junctions are found between myofibrils or within indentations of slablike mitochondria. Interspecific variation in SR—TT junctional assemblies from previous similar studies is reviewed and summarized and a three-dimensional model based on SEM and TEM observations is presented.
Stability of the Io Torus

The inherent stability of the coupled neutral-plasma Io torus is investigated. Under the assumptions that the neutrals arise through sputtering by corotating torus ions, and that the ions move radially by centrifugally driven diffusion, it is found that the equilibrium state properties of the Io torus depend on two quantities: the sputtering yield, and Jupiter's ionospheric Pedersen conductance. For fixed values of these quantities, the torus equilibrium state is stable. When the torus neutral and ion densities deviate from the equilibrium state, the perturbations decay without oscillating, with a decay time near 1 day for the neutrals and near 60 days for the ions. The growths of the neutrals and ions from seed populations are computed. The torus evolves directly to its equilibrium state.
Assessment of an Adult Population's Knowledge Regarding Vaccine-Preventable Diseases

Background The purpose of this study was to determine adult patients' knowledge about their history of age-appropriate routine vaccinations and vaccine preventable diseases. Methods This was a prospective descriptive study using a self-administered questionnaire. During a 9-month period, all patients older than 18 years of age answered a questionnaire at the time of their first visit to a health department travelers' clinic. Questions included knowledge of vaccines that they might have received (against tetanus, diphtheria, polio, measles, rubella, influenza, and pneumococcus); knowledge of illnesses that they might have had (measles and rubella); incidence of visits to a regular physician; and incidence of chronic illness. Results Two hundred and twenty patients answered the questionnaire. Eighty-two percent had a regular physician whom they had visited within 5 years. Respondents reported their age-appropriate vaccination history as follows: Td-69%; polio-48%; measles-41%; rubella-38%; influenza-68%; and pneumococcal-13%. For any vaccine, approximately one-third of respondents did not know their status. Age, gender, or a regular source of medical care did not influence the results. Conclusions Adult patients frequently did not receive, or do not know whether they received, recommended immunizations. Until physicians giving primary medical care improve patient education about vaccination status and develop a better system for having patients keep records of their routine vaccinations, travel clinics will have to function, in part, as primary health care providers.