cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Strategies and Sources of Support for Beginning Teachers of Science and Mathematics

This study examines the support structures and strategies utilized by beginning mathematics and science teachers. The qualitative case study of 18 teachers (0–3 years of experience) includes teachers from rural, suburban and urban schools. Data collection consisted of one-hour interviews. The findings indicate participants utilized formal and informal support structures within the school district (e.g., mentoring programs, talking to other new teachers) as well as those external to the school (e.g., professional organizations and conferences, talking to family and friends). We propose a model of beginning teachers' initiating access to support structures based on the realization that their ideal images of teaching do not match the realities of their classrooms. Implications are given for teacher educators, researchers, and school administrators.
Crusades Against Frost: Frankenstein, Polar Ice, and Climate Change in 1818

This paper recovers the climatological dimension to the controversy that surrounded John Barrow's early Quarterly Review articles on the Arctic and uses this intervention as an entry point for an exploration of the link between polar ice and climate change in Romantic Britain. 1818 attacks on Barrow's “poetic” views of polar ice – attacks that M. W. Shelley's Frankenstein has been read as anticipating – drew on a well-established association of polar ice with visions of climate improvement such as that articulated in Erasmus Darwin's The Botanic Garden. In 1816, Darwinian faith in the ability of Europeans to combat a spreading “empire of ice” was severely tested by the climate crisis of the “year without a summer.” Newly urgent anxieties over the efficacy and wisdom of climate modification surface, I argue, not only in Barrow's Quarterly articles, but also in Shelley's Frankenstein, where Victor's and Walton's rhetoric allies their scientific projects to “poetic” schemes for climate improvement. Such prob...
Glomus intraradix effects on citrus rootstock seedling growth in various potting media

Five potting media components mixed in various combinations and in various percentages of one with another (0, 14·3, 29, 42, 57, 71 and 100% by volume of the second component with the first) were inoculated with Glomus intraradix in six experiments. Seedlings of citrus rootstocks were grown from seed in these mixes. Sour orange in inoculated peat plus vermiculite, Astatula fine sand plus vermiculite, and peat plus Perlite® in all percentage combinations grew c. two- to threefold taller than noninoculated control plants. Up to twofold growth increases of sour orange occurred in vermiculite amended with wood shavings. The best evidence for fungus-mediated plant growth occurred in Astatula fine sand amended with 29–71% Perlite, and the roots in that combination had the highest percentage of infection. In another experiment in which Astatula fine sand was amended with up to 16% of an acid peat, ratios of inoculated rough lemon plant growth to controls decreased as the peat content in the medium increased. Top and root weight ratios of inoculated:control seedlings in the six experiments did not fit four simple linear models.
ALTERNATIVE MATERIALS FOR DENSE MEDIUM SEPARATIONS

In response to concerns regarding cost and future supply of magnetite, a study has been performed to evaluate the potential of alternative materials that can be used to generate a dense medium for coal-cleaning applications. Alternative materials included waste steel slag, fine sand, and high-density material existing in run-of-mine feed. Under certain conditions, each of the materials tested provided separation efficiencies that meet industrial standards including probable error values of around 0.03. Dense medium derived from the non-magnetite sources achieved organic efficiency values exceeding the 95% level over a medium density range from 1.3 RD to 1.6 RD with lower than normal density offsets. Lower cost, coarse magnetite provided excellent separation efficiencies when medium density values above 1.6 RD are sufficient to meet product grade requirements.
Texture change of NiSi film with dopant implantation

We investigated the texture of NiSi films on Si substrates with various implanted species. Detailed analysis using pole figure measurements shows that implantation of boron on substrate changes the texture of NiSi films drastically, from axiotaxy to transrotational structure, when the dose of boron is more than 5e15 atoms/cm2. We predict that this transition of crystallographic orientation is driven by the total energy minimization, which consists of interfacial energy of films and/or elastic energy of NiSi lattice.
Cloning and expression of the exfoliative toxin B gene from Staphylococcus aureus.

Exfoliative toxin type B is produced by bacteriophage group II strains of Staphylococcus aureus and is a causative agent of staphylococcal scalded-skin syndrome. In addition to exfoliative toxin B, most isolates also produce a bacteriocin and are immune to the action of the bacteriocin. These phenotypes, as well as resistance to cadmium, were lost after elimination of a 37.5-kilobase plasmid, pRW001, from S. aureus UT0007. Transduction and transformation showed that pRW001 carries the structural genes for four phenotypic characteristics of S. aureus UT0007: (i) exfoliative toxin B production, (ii) bacteriocin production, (iii) bacteriocin immunity, and (iv) resistance to Cd(NO3)2. The exfoliative toxin B structural gene (etb), which is located on a 1.7-kilobase HindIII fragment of pRW001, was cloned in the plasmid pDH5060 and transformed into phage group III S. aureus RN4220. Transformant clones produced extracellular exfoliative toxin B that was biologically active in the neonatal mouse assay. In the Escherichia coli genetic background, the exfoliative toxin B gene was expressed only after being cloned into the positive selection-expression vector pSCC31. The structural gene for cadmium resistance was also isolated on an HindIII fragment of pRW001 cloned in pDH5060. The loci for the exfoliative toxin B gene and the cadmium resistance gene(s) were identified on a restriction map of plasmid pRW001. Images
directPath: An expert path planning framework to handle environment knowledge

The main purpose of this paper is to present a new path planning framework, called directPath , aimed to handle a priori environment knowledge efficiently. Our algorithm is an expert system designed to specifically exploit that knowledge, and then eventually collaborate with other frameworks in order to improve overall path planning performances. It performs a forward search with partial heuristic. It is iterative and can return a partial but safe path when terminated early. Moreover, unlike classical search algorithms, its design allows a quick detection of unfeasible problems. In this paper, we present the framework structure and illustrate its performances and properties by simulations. We will show that directPath can complete the planning task very quickly, with only minor optimality loss.
Antibody to Hepatitis C Virus among Cardiac Surgery Patients, Homosexual Men, and Intravenous Drug Users in Baltimore, Maryland

In order to define the risk factors for infection with hepatitis C virus, the authors determined the prevalence and incidence of antibodies to hepatitis C in three cohorts in Baltimore, Maryland, enrolled in prospective studies of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) infection. Among 500 multi-transfused patients who underwent cardiac surgery in 1985 and 1986, 12 (2.4%) were hepatitis C seropositive before surgery while 19 (3.9%) developed antibodies in the 8-12 months after surgery. The seroprevalence of hepatitis C virus among 225 intravenous drug users followed since 1988 was 85%, which did not vary by HIV-1 status. Longer duration of intravenous drug use was significantly associated with hepatitis C seropositivity. Among 926 homosexual/bisexual men followed since 1984, 15 (1.6%) were hepatitis C seropositive; only intravenous drug use and a history of hepatitis A were marginally associated with hepatitis C in this population. No association was found between hepatitis C virus and HIV-1 or sexual behavior variables in this population. These data suggest that hepatitis C is readily transmitted by blood exposure, but is transmitted inefficiently by sexual means.
Implications of False Conflict Rate Trends for Robust Software Transactional Memory

We demonstrate that a common optimization for reducing the single-thread overhead of word-based Software Transactional Memory (STM) systems can have a significant negative impact on their scalability. Specifically, we find that the use of a tagless ownership table incurs false conflicts at a rate that grows superlinearly with both the TM data footprint and concurrency, and that increasing the size of the ownership table results in only a sub-linear reduction in conflict rate. These empirically observed trends are shown to result from the same statistical priniciples responsible for the (so called) "Birthday Paradox," as we demonstrate with an analytical model based on random population of an ownership table by concurrently executing transactions. From this study, we conclude that tagless ownership tables are not a robust approach to supporting transactional memories. Even large tables (> 64K entries) are only somewhat effective at mitigating false conflicts in the presence of modestly-sized transactions (e.g., 20 cache blocks) and modest degrees of concurrency (e.g., 4 simultaneous transactions). The practical implications of these results are particularly acute for a hybrid TMs, where the small transactions are likely handled in hardware, leaving only the large ones for the STM. For reasonably-sized tables, a tagless organization will almost guarantee a maximum concurrency of 1 for these overflowed transactions. Using a tagged ownership table completely avoids these false conflict problems.
Effects of recombinant human growth hormone therapy in adults with Prader-Willi syndrome: a meta-analysis.

Objective Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) is associated with GH deficiency, deleterious changes in body composition and function. As the effects of recombinant human GH (rhGH) in PWS adults have not been well established, we sought to conduct a meta-analysis of pertinent studies. Design Meta-analysis of studies examining the effects of rhGH therapy in PWS adults. Patients One hundred and thirty four PWS adults (75 men, 59 women). Measurements Literature searches, including publications (PubMed, EMBASE and the Cochrane Register), and abstracts presented at meetings through July 2011 describing studies of rhGH therapy in PWS adults; 8/1194 articles, describing unique cohorts, were included. Two authors independently extracted data and examined study quality. Results rhGH therapy for 12 months led to [weighted mean difference (95% CI)] decreased body fat [-2·91% (-3·90, -1·91)], visceral [-32·97 cm(2) (-55·67, -10·26)] and subcutaneous adiposity [-55·24 cm(2) (-89·05, -21·44)], and increased lean body mass (LBM) [2·41 Kg (1·32, 3·49)]. Similar changes in body fat [-2·89% (-4·69, -1·07)] and LBM [2·82 Kg (1·31, 4·33)] were found in longer studies. There were no changes in body mass index (BMI) or lipids. There was a small increase in fasting glucose [0·27 mmol/l (0·05, 0·49)] and trends towards higher fasting insulin [20·24 pmol/l (-0·55, 41·02)] and insulin resistance [HOMA: 0·60 (-0·04, 1·24)] after rhGH therapy for 12 months. Conclusions In PWS adults, rhGH therapy led to decreased body adiposity and increased LBM without changes in BMI or lipids. There was a small increase in fasting glucose and trends towards higher insulin and insulin resistance.
Do rural hospitals lag behind urban hospitals in addressing community health needs? An analysis of recent trends in US community hospitals.

Objective: This study examined whether rural and urban hospitals differ in their level of responsiveness to community health needs. Design: This study used a multivariate, longitudinal research design. Research setting: A cross-sectional survey was the setting for this study. Participants: The participants were rural or urban hospitals in the United States. Main outcome measures: The dependent variables were selected from the American Hospital Association hospital survey questions that are related to community health needs. The independent variable was rural or urban location. Results: Rural hospitals improved more than urban hospitals in addressing community health needs from 1997 through 2006 for most of the indicators, especially in working with other providers to conduct a community health assessment. However, rural hospitals still lag significantly behind urban hospitals in tracking health information. Conclusions: This study suggests that rural hospitals do not lag behind urban hospitals in addressing community health needs. Further research is needed to understand the role of community hospitals in influencing local health delivery system activities regarding the potential community benefits and their impact on improving health of local populations.
Welfare and child support program knowledge gaps reduce program effectiveness

There is little research on knowledge of the policy rules that could affect individuals, either in general or in evaluations of new programs. The lack of research is surprising, given that knowledge gaps could limit the effectiveness of reforms or lead to incorrect inferences regarding the effects of a policy change. In this article, we use survey data to examine the level and sources of welfare participants' policy knowledge in the context of a substantial change in child support and welfare policy in Wisconsin. We find very low levels of knowledge of child support policy rules. Multivariate analyses suggest that people tend to learn policy rules by experience; we find less consistent support for knowledge being primarily imparted through interactions with caseworkers. A difference-in-difference analysis suggests that if participants had been more knowledgeable, program impacts would have been larger. Implications of this research for policy implementation and policy evaluations are discussed. © 2007 by the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management
Parasympathetic Control of Coronary Blood Flow in Dogs

The role of the vagus in the control of coronary blood flow was studied in chloralose-anesthetized dogs with open chests. Propranolol, 1.0 mg/kg iv, was used for beta-receptor blockade. Heart rate was maintained at a constant level with atrial and ventricular pacing. Left circumflex coronary artery blood flow was measured with an electromagnetic flowmeter. The experimental design accounted for the four major determinants of coronary blood flow: (1) aortic pressure, (2) myocardial systolic compression, (3) alterations in myocardial oxygen tension and metabolism secondary to changes in contractile force, (4) neural control. Efferent stimulation of the cut cervical vagi (30 Hz, 2 msec, 8-10 v) resulted in decreased aortic blood pressure and increased coronary blood flow. Late diastolic coronary artery resistance fell to 58% of the control value after 5 seconds of vagal stimulation. Atropine, 0.5 mg/kg iv, blocked these effects. It is concluded that direct parasympathetic coronary vasodilation results from vagal stimulation, which is independent of vagal chronotropic and inotropic effects.
Performance-Contingent Pricing for Broadband Services

Market segmentation and price differentiation is considered essential to improve the market efficiency of Internet access and data transport services. The market for cable Internet access exhibits a surprising lack of segmentation, despite a high degree of customer heterogeneity. This article examines the applicability of performance-contingent pricing schemes to broadband Internet access services, with long-term (rather than per-packet) statistical performance guarantees. We study two types of contingent price contracts, with rebate proportional to performance gap, and fixed rebate for below-threshold performance. We show that threshold-performance contingency pricing can increase both profits and fairness (customers who receive higher benefits pay higher effective price) relative to standard pricing. A menu of pricing schemes (allow customers to choose between standard and contingent pricing) works even better: it can increase the firms profit and segment the market.
Beyond the CB1 Receptor: Is Cannabidiol the Answer for Disorders of Motivation?

The Cannabis sativa plant has been used to treat various physiological and psychiatric conditions for millennia. Current research is focused on isolating potentially therapeutic chemical constituents from the plant for use in the treatment of many central nervous system disorders. Of particular interest is the primary nonpsychoactive constituent cannabidiol (CBD). Unlike Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), CBD does not act through the cannabinoid type 1 (CB1) receptor but has many other receptor targets that may play a role in psychiatric disorders. Here we review preclinical and clinical data outlining the therapeutic efficacy of CBD for the treatment of motivational disorders such as drug addiction, anxiety, and depression. Across studies, findings suggest promising treatment effects and potentially overlapping mechanisms of action for CBD in these disorders and indicate the need for further systematic investigation of the viability of CBD as a psychiatric pharmacotherapy.
Acute hypoxia causes membrane depolarization and calcium influx in fetal pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells

Changes in oxygen tension in the perinatal period contribute to high pulmonary vascular tone in the fetus and the decline in resistance that occurs at birth. Distal pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMC) isolated from late-gestation ovine fetuses respond to acute hypoxia with an increase in cytosolic calcium concentration ([Ca2+]i) dependent on Ca2+ entry. The purpose of this study is to determine 1) whether acute hypoxia results in PASMC membrane depolarization, 2) whether Ca2+ entry was through voltage-operated calcium channels (VOCC), 3) the contribution of Ca(2+)-induced Ca2+ release (CICR) to the hypoxic response, and 4) whether a subset of K+ channels might serve as oxygen sensors in fetal PASMC. We used microfluorimetry on subconfluent monolayers of PASMC in primary culture loaded with either a membrane potential-sensitive dye, bis(1,3-dibutylbarbituric acid) trimethine oxonol (DiBAC4; DPASMC), to estimate membrane potential, or the Ca(2+)-sensitive fluorophore, fura 2, to measure [Ca2+]i. Hypoxia increased fluorescence from PASMC loaded with DiBAC4, consistent with membrane depolarization. Verapamil (an inhibitor of VOCC) attenuated, and BAY K 8644 (a VOCC facilitator) potentiated, the hypoxia-induced increase in [Ca2+]i, respectively. The hypoxic response was transient after treatment with ryanodine (10(-7) M), a blocker of calcium release from intracellular stores. Charybdotoxin (10(-7) M), an inhibitor of Ca(2+)-activated K+ channels, almost doubled [Ca2+]i, whereas glibenclamide (10(-5) M), an ATP-sensitive K(+)-channel antagonist, had no effect.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
The Prototypicality of Genocide: Implications for International Intervention

In many cases of mass violence and genocide there is ambiguity and uncertainty as to whether and how external bystanders (i.e., third parties) should respond. How does the way we construe genocide influence our evaluations of particular cases of mass violence and our willingness to intervene? In five studies, using content analyses and experiments, prototype theory is applied to this important social issue. Studies 1 and 2 examine the prototype structure of genocide; finding among a student and a community sample that some features are perceived as more central to genocide than others. Studies 3 and 4 show the effects of this prototype on the cognitive processing of the category. Study 5 investigates how this prototype structure affects evaluations of mass violence and support for political and military intervention. Taken together, these studies suggest that socially shared prototypes of genocide matter: The more a case of mass violence is represented in accordance with this prototype, the more people remember and respond to it, for example, by supporting policies aimed at preventing and halting mass violence. These findings have important policy implications for how cases of mass violence are framed and discussed in the public and political sphere.
Investigation of Peak-Hour Factor at Freeway Segments: Urban and Suburban Vicinities

The peak-hour factor (PHF) adjusts for traffic volume variability during the peak hour so that traffic demand can be converted to represent the busiest 15 min of the peak hour. Operational and planning analyses of freeways start by adjusting traffic demand by the PHF. Although the importance of the PHF is widely recognized, few efforts have been dedicated to a comprehensive understanding of this factor. The Highway Capacity Manual 2010 (HCM 2010) recommends the use of a single default freeway PHF value equal to 0.94 when local data are not available. The main aim of this study was to provide a quantitative analysis of the PHF values at freeways and the potential sources of its variability including the peak period (a.m., p.m., and weekend periods), day-to-day variation, traffic volume and level of service, early or late peak-hour onset, day of the week, month, season, and weather. Traffic data were collected at 54 sites along 10 freeway corridors in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, during 2014. A massive data...
MATHEMATICAL MODELLING & SIMULATION OF THE PASSAIC RIVER BASIN IN NEW JERSEY

Abstract A deterministic model was developed for a major water supply drainage basin in northern New Jersey, U.S.A. to predict the safe yield of the system under various operational scenarios. The basin is 800 square miles with five major water purveyors delivering water to several million people in northern New Jersey. The model operates on each individual purveyor's infrastructure, as well as the entire basin as a whole, for sixty years of record. Included in the basin are ten reservoirs, four pump stations diverting water from the rivers to the reservoirs, and five system diversions. The model operates on reconstructed historical daily flow records at eleven stream locations in the basin. The model determines safe yields and it also predicts the return period of the drought of record for each purveyor system utilizing the Gumbel extreme value technique. The model may also be modified in the near future as an operational model to optimize the yield and cost of system delivery for the basin.
EXPERT SYSTEM MODEL OF SMALL FATIGUE CRACK GROWTH

In this paper, we discuss the development and testing of a fatigue crack growth model based on an novel numerical approach. Our overall objective is to develop an efficient numerical algorithm for predicting the growth of small cracks. Unevenness of crack front advance due to microscale inhomogeneity is a significant feature of small crack growth. This distortion of the crack front leads to the intermittent growth commonly reported in small crack experiments. This model captures the distortion effects by using a expert system methodology to model obstacles' trapping and distortion of the crack front, as well as the eventual circumvention of each obstacle. For a given cyclic load condition, the result is a history of crack front shapes and associated growth rates as the simulated crack front advances. This information can be used for fatigue lifetime prediction. Since this model includes uneven front advance based on obstacle size and distribution parameters, it is able to model the behaviors of small crack growth more faithfully than many current industrial codes. However, it is much less costly computationally than a series of micromechanic al finite element models. Additionally, results of a Monte Carlo simulation correlate well with results of small crack experiments. Therefore, this type of algorithm represents an promising approach as an efficient predictive technique.
Abstract: Classification Quality and Locally Optimal Solutions in a Mixture Model.

Mixture modeling is a common tool for modeling population heterogeneity. Algorithms used to fit a mixture model are only guaranteed to arrive at a locally, rather than globally, optimal solution. R...
Digital Platforms and Supervisory Feedback to Graduate Student Clinicians

Portable electronic devices are becoming more prevalent in the field of speech-language pathology, from assessment and intervention to supervision. This study examined the use of various forms of s...
Stelazine® (Smith Kline & French)

Trifluoperazine is a potent tranquilizer from the phenothiazine group. Like other phenothiazines, trifluoperazine has antiemetic action. As a group, the phenothiazines produce emotional quieting, psychomotor slowing, and affective indifference. They tend to decrease paranoid ideation, anxiety, delusions, and agitation. Hypotension and sedation are less likely with Stelazine than with some of the other phenothiazines, but all of these cause Parkinson-like symptoms.
The role of compassion, suffering, and intrusive thoughts in dementia caregiver depression.

ABSTRACTObjectives: Exposure to suffering of a relative or friend increases the risk for psychological and physical morbidity. However, little is known about the mechanisms that account for this effect. We test a theoretical model that identifies intrusive thoughts as a mediator of the relation between perceived physical and psychological suffering of the care recipient and caregiver depression. We also assess the role of compassion as a moderator of the relation between perceived suffering and intrusive thoughts.Methods: Hispanic and African American caregivers (N = 108) of persons with dementia were assessed three times within a one-year period. Using multilevel modeling, we assessed the mediating role of intrusive thoughts in the relation between perceived physical and psychological suffering and CG depression, and we tested moderated mediation to assess the role of caregiver compassion in the relation between perceived suffering and intrusive thoughts.Results: The effects of perceived physical sufferi...
Recommended Intake of Fish and Fish Oils Worldwide

There is substantial evidence that a higher intake of fish and/or long-chain (LC) n–3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) is associated with health benefits. Consequently, dietary recommendations for fish and/or LC n–3 PUFA have been issued by numerous expert authorities worldwide to promote health and reduce CVD risk. Oily fish are the primary dietary source of the LC n–3 PUFAs, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). However, many commonly consumed fish contain relatively low concentrations of LC n–3 PUFA, and some may contain environmental toxins. A variety of LC n–3 PUFA supplements are widely available, including standard fish body oils, omega-3 fatty acid concentrates, and pharmaceutical preparations (ie, Epanova, Lovaza, and VascEPA). Supplements contain varying amounts of EPA and DHA, do not contain any contaminants, and may be more suitable for some populations. Although fish and fish oil are the main source of LC n–3 PUFA, there are other dietary sources and supplements that may become increasingly important contributors to LC n–3 PUFA intake. In addition to recommendations for the general population, specific life stages (ie, pregnant and/or lactating women) and populations (ie, vegetarians) have unique LC n–3 PUFA needs that should be taken into consideration. Emerging evidence has indicated that a third LC n–3 PUFA species—docosapentaenoic acid (DPA, 22:5n3)—may contribute to the beneficial health effects previously attributed solely to EPA and DHA. While few populations consume recommended amounts of LC n–3 PUFA, the sustainability of fish and fish oil is a major concern. To ensure the continued availability of LC n–3 PUFA needed to meet recommended intakes, sustainable fishery and aquaculture practices will be crucial, and alternative sources of LC n–3 PUFA will likely need to be further developed and commercialized.
Stabilized mixed three‐field formulation for a generalized incompressible Oldroyd‐B model

Summary This paper presents a generalization of the incompressible Oldroyd-B model based on a thermodynamic framework within which the fluid can be viewed to exist in multiple natural configurations. The response of the fluid is viewed as a combination of an elastic component and a dissipative component. The dissipative component leads to the evolution of the underlying natural configurations, while the response from the natural configuration to the current configuration is considered elastic and therefore non-dissipative. For an incompressible fluid, it is necessary that both the elastic behavior as well as the dissipative behavior is isochoric. This is achieved by ensuring that the determinant of the stretch tensor associated with the elastic response meets the constraint that its determinant is unity. A new stabilized mixed method is developed for the velocity, pressure and the kinematic tensor fields. Analytical models for fine scale fields are derived via the solution of the fine-scale equations facilitated by the Variational Multiscale framework that are then variationally embedded in the coarse-scale variational equations. The resulting method inherits the attributes of the classical SUPG and GLS methods, while a significant new contribution is that the form of the stabilization tensors is explicitly derived. A family of linear and quadratic tetrahedral and hexahedral elements is developed with equal-order interpolations for the various fields. Numerical tests are presented that validate the incompressibility of the elastic stretch tensor, show optimal L2 convergence for the conformation tensor field, and present stable response for high Weissenberg number flows. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Stimulation of Cystathionine-γ-lyase (CSE) Activity and Generation of Hydrogen Sulfide in Gastrointestinal Smooth Muscle via NO/cGMP/PKG pathway

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) plays an important role in the regulation of gastrointestinal motility and secretion. H2S is synthesized mainly from L-cysteine via cystathionine-γ-lyase (CSE) and cystathion...
The Predictive Value of a “Positive” ASH Abstract in AML Therapeutics.

ASH abstracts describing outcomes of trials of new therapies (Rxs) are presumably read in anticipation that positive results, although necessarily preliminary, will herald therapeutic advances. Here we examine the predictive value of a “positive” (pos) ASH abstract. We reviewed abstracts, presented in oral or poster sessions from 1993–2001, dealing with early phase trials of new drugs, used alone or together with more standard Rx, in adult AML (APL excepted). A research nurse (RN), a medical editor (ME), and E. Estey (EE) reviewed the abstracts independently, with the latter’s decision final. There was 80–85% concordance among the 3 reviewers, with EE tending to view fewer abstracts as pos. 63/91 abstracts (69%) were judged pos from a therapeutic standpoint (based typically on conclusions that the rx was “active” or “effective”), 14 were considered “negative”, and 14 inconclusive. The 63 pos abstracts involved 37 separate drugs, i.e. several drugs were the subject of > 1 pos abstract, including gemtuzumab, and topotecan combinations (5 abstracts each) and PSC and IL-2 (without histamine) (4 abstracts each). A “pub med” search indicated that 45/63 (71%) pos abstracts, covering 27 of the 37 separate drugs, subsequently appeared in peer-reviewed journals, with half the unpublished abstracts appearing at the 2000 or 2001 ASH meetings. The pos conclusion was unaltered in 38 of the 45 and was changed to negative in 5 and to inconclusive in 2. Three of the 37 pos drugs have either migrated into clinical practice (gemtuzumab) or been pos in a randomized trial (IL-2 + histamine, cyclosporine + infusional daunorubicin + ara-C). Four of the pos drugs (PSC833 + chemotherapy. HuM195, fludarabine + ara-C, troxacitabine + ara-C) have appeared, in some pt subsets, negative in randomized trials. However, 81% (30/37) of the drugs reported pos in ASH abstracts remain, at least 5 years from date of ASH publication, either outside the scope of clinical practice or unevaluated in randomized trials. We suggest that the reasons for this phenomenon be explored.
Identification of Genes Affected during Myeloid Differentiation Induced by Valproic Acid and Retinoic Acid: The Choice of Array Pre-Processing and Normalization Algorithm Has a Critical Effect on Results.

Abstract Valproic acid is an anti-epileptic drug with histone deacetylase inhibitor activity currently in clinical trial for the treatment of leukemia. In order to understand the effects of this agent in myeloid differentiation and leukemia therapy we determined the changes in gene expression that occurred when the myeloid cell line ML-1 was treated with valproic acid (VPA), all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) or the combination for 24 or 96 hours. Each condition was compared to no drug treatment at each time point, as full biological triplicates. RNA samples were labeled and hybridized to Affymetrix HGU133A genechips. The data was processed using the Affymetrix MAS5.0 calculated intensity signals or was pre-processed using three different algorithms to normalize data: GC-RMA (GeneChip-Robust Microarray Analysis), RMA (Robust Microarray Analysis) or MBEI (Model-Based Expression Index), using the original Affymetrix CEL files. From the resulting normalized data sets, we then identified genes that were up or down regulated at least two-fold by the combination VPA + ATRA treatment when compared to the no drug condition or either drug alone. If any of these genes were affected by either ATRA or VPA, we selected only those with an additional change of 50% or more with the combination therapy. There were striking differences in the gene sets obtained from each normalization algorithm with respect to both list size and content. GC-RMA identified 100 genes significantly differentially expressed according to the above criteria at the 24 hour time point, MBEI found 19 and MAS5.0 found 39. Using the RMA algorithm, 33 genes were determined to be significantly affected by the combination treatment and all of these were also found with GC-RMA suggesting that GC-RMA has a greater sensitivity than RMA. This may be because GC-RMA, a refinement of RMA, takes into account mismatched probe set signals and probe set sequence content. Only 12 genes were common to all lists, including endothelin receptor B, myosin binding protein H, IL8, and G0S2. We are currently using real-time PCR to validate the extent of differential regulation of the commonly identified genes in reponse to VPA+ATRA. This will be contrasted with the levels of regulation of gene sets found by only one or two algorithms in order to determine the sensitivity and specificity of these methods. These data indicate the potential power of new bioinformatic tools for microarray analysis and the need for systematic validation to ensure biological relevance.
Unapproved routes: histories of the Irish border 1922–1972

In Derry, the South is north. My brothers and sisters confronted this cartological contradiction every weekend when they headed north across the border into Donegal to dance the hucklebuck at Borde...
Evolving role of the endoscopist in management of gastrointestinal neuroendocrine tumors

Neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) are uncommon gastrointestinal neoplasms but have been increasingly recognized over the past few decades. Luminal NETs originate from the submucosa of the gastrointestinal tract and careful endoscopic exam is a key for accurate diagnosis. Despite their reputation as indolent tumors with a good prognosis, some NETs may have aggressive features with associated poor long-term survival. Management of NETs requires full understanding of tumor size, depth of invasion, local lymphadenopathy status, and location within the gastrointestinal tract. Staging with endoscopic ultrasound or cross-sectional imaging is important for determining whether endoscopic treatment is feasible. In general, small superficial NETs can be managed by endoscopic mucosal resection and endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD). In contrast, NETs larger than 2 cm are almost universally treated with surgical resection with lymphadenectomy. For those tumors between 11-20 mm in size, careful evaluation can identify which NETs may be managed with endoscopic resection. The increasing adoption of ESD may improve the results of endoscopic resection for luminal NETs. However, enthusiasm for endoscopic resection must be tempered with respect for the more definitive curative results afforded by surgical treatment with more advanced lesions.
Systemic Inflammatory Response to Malaria During Pregnancy Is Associated With Pregnancy Loss and Preterm Delivery.

Background Pregnancy malaria (PM) is associated with a proinflammatory immune response characterized by increased levels of cytokines and chemokines such as tumor necrosis factor-α, interferon-γ, interleukin 10 (IL-10), and CXCL9. These changes are associated with poor outcomes including low birthweight delivery and maternal anemia. However, it is unknown if inflammatory pathways during malaria are related to pregnancy loss and preterm delivery (PTD). Methods Cytokine and chemokine levels were measured in maternal peripheral blood at enrollment, gestational week 30-32, and delivery, and in placental blood, of 638 women during a longitudinal cohort study in Ouelessebougou, Mali. Plasmodium falciparum infection was assessed by blood smear microscopy at all visits. Results PM was associated with increased levels of cytokines and chemokines including IL-10 and CXCL9. In a competing risks model adjusted for known covariates, high CXCL9 levels measured in the peripheral blood during pregnancy were associated with increased risk of pregnancy loss and PTD. At delivery, high IL-10 levels in maternal blood were associated with an increase in pregnancy loss, and increased IL-1β levels in placental blood were associated with pregnancy loss and PTD. Conclusions PM is associated with increased proinflammatory cytokine and chemokine levels in placental and maternal peripheral blood. Systemic inflammatory responses to malaria during pregnancy predict increased risk of pregnancy loss and PTD. Clinical trials registration NCT01168271.
A Social Networking Site Portable Profile System for Blind and Visually Impaired Users Based on Cloud and Semantic Web Technologies

While the potential benefits of the Friend of a Friend (FOAF) vocabulary within the context of facilitating Social Networking Site (SNS) user profile portability have been broadly discussed, the potential benefits for users with visual impairments have been overlooked. Previous studies have identified SNSs categorically as presenting a number of unique usability challenges for users with visual impairments, a contentions supported by our ethnographic study of Facebook involving blind participants and the JAWS screen reader. Participants were most severely challenged by the process of creating and modifying user profile information and identifying other users with whom to establish relationships. The ability to decouple these activities from any single SNS using a FOAFbased cloud system may enable users to perform these activities in a more screen reader compatible (e.g. JAWS, NVDA) environment. In this paper we propose a portable profile cloud architecture based on the FOAF vocabulary and discuss the implementation of this architecture using several services of the Windows Azure cloud ecosystem. This system, as implemented, enables users to create multiple, parallel SNS-agnostic user profiles. As the system is currently constituted, these profiles can be generated with new data or information retrieved from an existing Facebook user profile. This modifiable profile and relationship information is then exported to Azure BLOB storage as an RDF file that may be accessed via a URL and may be used with any compatible system.
Taming Performance Degradation of Containers in the Case of Extreme Memory Overcommitment

The efficiency of datacenters is important consideration for cloud service providers to make their datacenters always ready for fulfilling the increasing demand for computing resources. Container-based virtualization is one approach to improving efficiency by reducing the overhead of virtualization. Resource overcommitment is another approach, but cloud providers tend to make conservative allocations of resources because there is no good understanding of the relationship between physical resource overcommitment and its impact on performance. This paper presents a quantitative study of performance degradation of containerized workloads due to memory overcommitment and a technique to mitigate it. We focused on physical memory overcommitment, where the sum of the working set memory is larger than the physical memory. We drove a small fraction of Docker containers at a high load level and the rest of them at a very low load level to emulate a common usage pattern of cloud datacenters. Detailed measurements revealed it is difficult to predict how many additional containers can be launched before thrashing hurts performance. We show that tuning the per-container swappiness of heavily loaded containers is effective for launching a larger number of containers and that it achieves an overcommitment of about three times.
Willingness to Use Mobile Phone Apps for HIV Prevention Among Men Who Have Sex with Men in London: Web-Based Survey

Background: Many men who have sex with men (MSM) use apps to connect with and meet other MSM. Given that these apps are often used to arrange sexual encounters, it is possible that apps may be suitable venues for messages and initiatives related to HIV prevention such as those to increase HIV testing rates among this population. Objective: The purpose of this study was to assess willingness to use a new app for reminders of when to be tested for HIV infection among a sample of MSM in London who use apps to arrange sexual encounters. Methods: Broadcast advertisements targeted users of a popular social-networking app for MSM in London. Advertisements directed users to a Web-based survey of sexual behaviors and sexual health needs. Willingness to use apps for reminders of when to be tested for HIV was assessed. In addition, participants responded to items assessing recent sexual behaviors, substance use, and demographic characteristics. Exploratory analyses were undertaken to examine differences in willingness to use an app by demographic and behavioral characteristics. Results: Broadcast advertisements yielded a sample of 169 HIV-negative MSM. Overall, two-thirds (108/169, 63.9%) reported willingness to use an app to remind them when to be tested for HIV. There were no significant differences in willingness to use these apps based on demographic characteristics, but MSM who reported recent binge drinking and recent club drug use more frequently reported willingness to use this app compared to their nonusing counterparts. Conclusions: MSM in this sample are willing to use a new app for HIV testing reminders. Given the high levels of willingness to use them, these types of apps should be developed, evaluated, and made available for this population. [JMIR Mhealth Uhealth 2017;5(10):e153]
Impact of number of realizations on the suitability of simulated weather data for hydrologic and environmental applications

Stochastic weather generators are widely used in hydrological, environmental, and agricultural applications to simulate weather time series. However, such stochastic models produce random outputs hence the question on how representative the generated data are if obtained from only one simulation run (realization) as is common practice. In this study, the impact of different numbers of realizations (1, 25, 50, and 100) on the suitability of generated weather data was investigated. Specifically, 50 years of daily precipitation, and maximum and minimum temperatures were generated for three weather stations in the Western Lake Erie Basin (WLEB), using three widely used weather generators, CLIGEN, LARSWG and WeaGETS. Generated results were compared with 50 years of observed data. For all three generators, the analyses showed that one realization of data for 50 years of daily precipitation, and maximum and minimum temperatures may not be representative enough to capture essential statistical characteristics of the climate. Results from the three generators captured the essential statistical characteristics of the climate when the number of realizations was increased from 1 to 25, 50 or 100. Performance did not improve substantially when realizations were increased above 25. Results suggest the need for more than a single realization when generating weather data and subsequently utilizing in other models, to obtain suitable representations of climate.
Evaporation-induced monolayer compression improves droplet interface bilayer formation using unsaturated lipids

In this article, we report on a new experimental methodology to enable reliable formation of droplet interface bilayer (DIB) model membranes with two types of unsaturated lipids that have proven difficult for creating stable DIBs. Through the implementation of a simple evaporation technique to condition the spontaneously assembled lipid monolayer around each droplet, we increased the success rates of DIB formation for two distinct unsaturated lipids, namely 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DOPC) and 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (POPC), from less than 10% to near 100%. Separately, using a pendant drop tensiometer, we learned that: (a) DOPC and POPC monolayers do not spontaneously assemble into their tightest possible configurations at an oil-water interface, and (b) reducing the surface area of a water droplet coated with a partially packed monolayer leads to a more tightly packed monolayer with an interfacial tension lower than that achieved by spontaneous assembly alone. We also estimated from Langmuir compression isotherms obtained for both lipids that the brief droplet evaporation procedure prior to DIB formation resulted in a 6%-16% reduction in area per lipid for DOPC and POPC, respectively. Finally, the increased success rates of formation for DOPC and POPC DIBs enabled quantitative characterization of unsaturated lipid membrane properties including electrical resistance, rupture potential, and specific capacitance.
Phosphorylation and Modulation of Enzymic Activity of 3-Hydroxy-3-Methylglutaryl Coenzyme A Reductase by Multiple Kinases

3-Hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase (HMG-CoA reductase, EC 1.1.1.34) is the rate-limiting enzyme which regulates the synthesis of cholesterol and other polyisoprenoid compounds (Rodwellet al., 1976; Goldstein and Brown, 1977; Brown and Goldstein, 1980; Ingebritsen and Gibson, 1980; Beg and Brewer, 1981, 1982; Kennelly and Rodwell, 1985; Beget al., 1987). In mammalian cells, HMG-CoA reductase is a transmembrane glycoprotein with its active site facing the cytosol and a carbohydrate-containing site oriented toward the luminal surface of the endoplasmic reticulum. The protomer of HMG-CoA reductase is an approximately 100,000-D protein (Chinet al., 1984). Proteolysis (Nesset al., 1981) of the native protein results in a 53,000 molecular weight fragment that contains the active site of the enzyme (Chinet al., 1984).