cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Staying the Course: Facility and Profession Retention Among Nursing Assistants in Nursing Homes

Objectives. High turnover rates among nursing assistants (NAs) in nursing homes have costly implications for facility operation and quality, and low rates of NA profession retention can deplete the stock of experienced staff. This study assessed the extent to which the same factors are associated with NAs’ intent to leave a particular job versus the NA profession. Methods. We used data for 2,328 NAs from the 2004 National Nursing Assistant Survey to model (a) two measures of facility retention (whether NAs expected to leave their current job within 1 year and whether they were also searching for a new job); and (b) NA profession retention, measured by whether NAs did not expect their next job to be as an NA. Results. Substantially different factors affected facility versus profession retention. Facility characteristics (including supervisor qualities, training/safety, and benefits) primarily affected facility retention, whereas NA profession retention was negatively associated with income and education. Discussion. Facilities can implement specific actions to retain NAs, though such policies may have a limited effect on retention in the profession. Broader enhancements of career opportunities may be necessary for profession retention, though balance between retention and promotion may be important.
Role of the rapA Gene in Controlling Antibiotic Resistance of Escherichia coli Biofilms

By using a high-throughput screening method, a mutant of a uropathogenic Escherichia coli strain affected in the rapA gene was isolated. The mutant formed normal-architecture biofilms but showed decreased penicillin G resistance, although the mutation did not affect planktonic cell resistance. Transcriptome analysis showed that 22 genes were down-regulated in the mutant biofilm. One of these genes was yhcQ, which encodes a putative multidrug resistance pump. Mutants with mutations in this gene also formed biofilms with decreased resistance, although the effect was less pronounced than that of the rapA mutation. Thus, an additional mechanism(s) controlled by a rapA-regulated gene(s) was involved in wild-type biofilm resistance. The search for this mechanism was guided by the fact that another down-regulated gene in rapA biofilms, yeeZ, is suspected to be involved in extra cell wall-related functions. A comparison of the biofilm matrix of the wild-type and rapA strains revealed decreased polysaccharide quantities and coverage in the mutant biofilms. Furthermore, the (fluorescent) functional penicillin G homologue Bocillin FL penetrated the mutant biofilms more readily. The results strongly suggest a dual mechanism for the wild-type biofilm penicillin G resistance, retarded penetration, and effective efflux. The results of studies with an E. coli K-12 strain pointed to the same conclusion. Since efflux and penetration can be general resistance mechanisms, tests were conducted with other antibiotics. The rapA biofilm was also more sensitive to norfloxacin, chloramphenicol, and gentamicin.
Essential skills for pharmacy graduates reported by advanced pharmacy practice experience preceptors

Abstract Objective To determine which skills are essential for pharmacy students in the United States as reported by advanced pharmacy practice experience preceptors. Methods Pharmacy faculty developed a survey used to collect demographic and other information regarding essential skills for pharmacy graduates. Survey responses were evaluated qualitatively and reported quantitatively. Results Communication was identified as an essential skill for pharmacy graduates. Graduates should also be able to prepare sterile and nonsterile compounds, evaluate patient and prescription information as well as vital signs and laboratory values. Graduates should be able to independently identify and solve problems using critical thinking. Appropriate dress and personal hygiene and the ability and willingness to collaborate were also important. Conclusion Pharmacy graduates must be able to communicate. In addition, they should maintain a professional appearance and possess a wide variety of practical pharmacy skills.
Dating the Dipsacales: comparing models, genes, and evolutionary implications

Dipsacales is an asterid angiosperm clade of ca. 1100 species, with most of its lineages occupying temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. A recent phylogenetic analysis based on 7593 nucleotides of chloroplast DNA recovered a well-resolved and strongly supported phylogenetic hypothesis, which we use here to estimate divergence times within the group. A molecular clock is strongly rejected, regardless of data partition. We used recently proposed methods that relax the assumption of rate constancy among lineages (local clocks, nonparametric rate smoothing, penalized likelihood, and Bayesian relaxed clock) to estimate the ages of major lineages. Age estimates for Dipsacales varied widely among markers and codon positions, and depended on the fossils used for calibration and method of analysis. Some methods yielded dates for the Dipsacales diversification that appear to be too old (prior to the presumed 125 my [million years] age of eudicots), and others suggested ages that are too young based on well-documented Dipsacales fossils. Concordant penalized likelihood and Bayesian studies imply that Dipsacales originated in the Cretaceous, as did its two major lineages, Adoxaceae and Caprifoliaceae. However, diversification of crown Adoxaceae and Caprifoliaceae mainly occurred in the Tertiary, with the origin of major lineages within these clades mainly occurring during the Eocene. Another round of diversification appears to have occurred in the Miocene. Several radiations, such as Valerianaceae in South America and Dipsacaceae around the Mediterranean, are even more recent. This study demonstrates the wide range of divergence times that can be obtained using different methods and data sets, and cautions against reliance on age estimates based on only a single gene or methodology. Despite this variance, significant conclusions can be made about the timing of Dipsacales evolution.
Endogenous H2S is required for hypoxic sensing by carotid body glomus cells.

H2S generated by the enzyme cystathionine-γ-lyase (CSE) has been implicated in O2 sensing by the carotid body. The objectives of the present study were to determine whether glomus cells, the primar...
A low-order model of biological neural networks for hierarchical or temporal pattern clustering, detection and recognition

A low-order model (LOM) of biological neural networks, which is biologically plausible, is herein reported. LOM is a recurrent hierarchical network composed of novel models of dendritic trees for encoding information, spiking neurons for computing subjective probability distributions and generating spikes, nonspiking neurons for transmitting inhibitory graded signals to modulate their neighboring spiking neurons, unsupervised and supervised covariance learning and accumulation learning mechanisms, synapses, a maximal generalization scheme, and feedback connections with different delay durations. An LOM with a main network that learns without supervision and clusters similar patterns, and offshoot structures that learn with supervision and assign labels to clusters formed in the main network is proposed as a learning machine that learns and retrieves easily, generalizes maximally on corrupted, distorted and occluded temporal and spatial patterns, and utilizes fully the spatially and temporally associated information.
Multiple splicing defects caused by hERG splice site mutation 2592+1G>A associated with long QT syndrome

Long QT syndrome type 2 (LQT2) is caused by mutations in the human ether-a-go-go-related gene (hERG). Cryptic splice site activation in hERG has recently been identified as a novel pathogenic mecha...
A blinded assessment of video quality in wearable technology for telementoring in open surgery: the Google Glass experience

The goal of telementoring is to recreate face-to-face encounters with a digital presence. Open-surgery telementoring is limited by lack of surgeon’s point-of-view cameras. Google Glass is a wearable computer that looks like a pair of glasses but is equipped with wireless connectivity, a camera, and viewing screen for video conferencing. This study aimed to assess the safety of using Google Glass by assessing the video quality of a telementoring session. Thirty-four (n = 34) surgeons at a single institution were surveyed and blindly compared via video captured with Google Glass versus an Apple iPhone 5 during the open cholecystectomy portion of a Whipple. Surgeons were asked to evaluate the quality of the video and its adequacy for safe use in telementoring. Thirty-four of 107 invited surgical attendings (32 %) responded to the anonymous survey. A total of 50 % rated the Google Glass video as fair with the other 50 % rating it as bad to poor. A total of 52.9 % of respondents rated the Apple iPhone video as good. A significantly greater proportion of respondents felt Google Glass video quality was inadequate for telementoring versus the Apple iPhone’s (82.4 vs 26.5 %, p < 0.0001). Intraclass correlation coefficient was 0.924 (95 % CI 0.660–0.999, p < 0.001). While Google Glass provides a great breadth of functionality as a wearable device with two-way communication capabilities, current hardware limitations prevent its use as a telementoring device in surgery as the video quality is inadequate for safe telementoring. As the device is still in initial phases of development, future iterations or competitor devices may provide a better telementoring application for wearable devices.
Effects of hyperellipsoidal decision surfaces on image segmentation in artificial color

Artificial color uses the projection of the spectrum into two or more broad, overlapping spectral bands to discriminate, pixel by pixel, among user-defined classes of objects. As initially practiced, it used a sequence of hyperspherical regions of the decision space to define class membership. Of course, a hypersphere is just a degenerate hyperellipsoid; thus, exploring the effect of loosening that degeneracy seemed appropriate. Initially, we use two-foci hyperellipsoids with a hyperellipsoidal distance metric to classify pixels with dramatic improvement in performance. We explore the work even further by allowing many foci and noting the effects of increased complexity of the decision surfaces. In the example case, three foci gave superior performance to one or two foci, but four added little improvement.
A novel ELISA reveals high frequencies of BP180-specific IgE production in bullous pemphigoid

Bullous pemphigoid (BP) is a humoral autoimmune disease directed predominantly against the non-collagenous NC16A domain of the BP180 hemidesmosomal protein. Our laboratory has recently shown, using a mouse xenograft model, that passive transfer of IgE autoantibodies from BP sera induces a skin phenotype that recapitulates the early phases of the disease. Herein, we describe the development of a highly specific and sensitive ELISA to detect circulating IgE autoantibodies that recognize BP180-NC16A. Using this assay, we detected NC16A-specific IgE-class autoantibodies in 77% of BP sera. This frequency, which is significantly higher than reported previously, is comparable to that of anti-NC16A IgG autoantibody production. In 3 BP patients monitored over time, the circulating NC16A-specific levels of both IgE and IgG were associated with clinical disease activity; however, patient sera did not always contain high levels of both isotypes. In conclusion, our ELISA provides a highly sensitive and specific tool for the detection of BP180-specific IgE in patient sera. Furthermore, we report that the majority of BP sera contain both IgE and IgG class autoantibodies specific for NC16A and suggest that screening for both isotypes of autoantibodies may provide a better diagnostic value than IgG alone.
Magnetic levitation of metamaterial bodies enhanced with magnetostatic surface resonances

We propose that macroscopic objects built from negative-permeability metamaterials may experience resonantly enhanced magnetic force in low-frequency magnetic fields. Resonant enhancement of the time-averaged force originates from magnetostatic surface resonances (MSRs), which are analogous to the electrostatic resonances of negative-permittivity particles, well known as surface plasmon resonances in optics. We generalize the classical problem of the MSR of a homogeneous object to include anisotropic metamaterials and consider the most extreme case of anisotropy, where the permeability is negative in one direction but positive in the others. It is shown that deeply subwavelength objects made of such indefinite (hyperbolic) media exhibit a pronounced magnetic dipole resonance that couples strongly to uniform or weakly inhomogeneous magnetic field and provides strong enhancement of the magnetic force, enabling applications such as enhanced magnetic levitation.
Using Transfer of Stimulus Control Technology to Promote Generalization and Spontaneity of Language

Children with autism often use newly acquired language in restricted contexts and with limited variability. Instructional tactics that embed generalization technology have shown promise for increasing spontaneity, response variation, and the generalized use of language across settings, people, and materials. In this study, we explored the integration of textual scripts and explicit engineering of transfer of stimulus control procedures to facilitate functional conversation skills of a young girl with autism. The generalized use of prepositions, coordinating conjunctions, and subordinating conjunctions was assessed within the context of natural conversation with teachers, parents, and peers. The intentional programming of training contexts has the potential to affect language spontaneity, generalization, and variability without relying on script-fading conventions.
Intangible resources, Tobin's q, and sustainability of performance differences

This paper tests empirically the hypothesis that the greater the intangibility of a firm’s resources, the greater the sustainability of its competitive advantage. Resource intangibility is measured by: (1) Tobin’s q and (2) the predicted value from a hedonic regression of q on several accounting measures of intangibles. Sustainability is measured by the persistence of firm-specific profits. Using a dynamic panel data regression model, I find that intangibles play an effective role in sustaining a firm’s competitive advantage, as predicted by the resource-based view of the firm. However, the results suggest that intangibles can also lock firms into persistent disadvantages.
Post routing performance optimization via multi-link insertion and non-uniform wiresizing

Most existing performance-driven and clock routing algorithms construct optimal routing topology for each net individually without considering its routability on the chip, so they can not guarantee performance after all nets are routed. This paper proposes a new approach for post routing performance optimization via multi-link insertion and non-uniform wiresizing, which improves the performance of a net topology obtained from a global routing solution. Unlike previous approaches, it can achieve reduction in both maximum delay and skew to satisfy user specified constraints and minimizes the routing resource consumed. During optimization, the topology of the net is kept routable. Experiments show that link insertion and wiresizing can improve net performance significantly, and among all approaches, multi-link insertion and wiresizing achieves the best performance and area efficiency.
The floodplain food web mosaic: a study of its importance to salmon and steelhead with implications for their recovery

Although numerous studies have attempted to place species of interest within the context of food webs, such efforts have generally occurred at small scales or disregard potentially important spatial heterogeneity. If food web approaches are to be employed to manage species, studies are needed that evaluate the multiple habitats and associated webs of interactions in which these species participate. Here, we quantify the food webs that sustain rearing salmon and steelhead within a floodplain landscape of the Methow River, Washington, USA, a location where restoration has been proposed to restore side channels in an attempt to recover anadromous fishes. We combined year-long measures of production, food demand, and diet composition for the fish assemblage with estimates of invertebrate prey productivity to quantify food webs within the main channel and five different, intact, side channels; ranging from channels that remained connected to the main channel at low flow to those reduced to floodplain ponds. Although we found that habitats within the floodplain had similar invertebrate prey production, these habitats hosted different local food webs. In the main channel, 95% of total prey consumption flowed to fishes that are not the target of proposed restoration. These fishes consumed 64% and 47% of the prey resources that were found to be important to fueling chinook and steelhead production in the main channel, respectively. Conversely, in side channels, a greater proportion of prey was consumed by anadromous salmonids. As a result, carrying capacity estimates based on food were 251% higher, on average, for anadromous salmonids in side channels than the main channel. However, salmon and steelhead production was generally well below estimated capacity in both the main and side channels, suggesting these habitats are under-seeded with respect to food, and that much larger populations could be supported. Overall, this study demonstrates that floodplain heterogeneity is associated with the occurrence of a mosaic of food webs, all of which were utilized by anadromous salmonids, and all of which may be important to their recovery and persistence. In the long term, these and other fishes would likely benefit from restoring the processes that maintain floodplain complexity.
Elevated Hemostasis Markers after Pneumonia Increases One-Year Risk of All-Cause and Cardiovascular Deaths

Background: Acceleration of chronic diseases, particularly cardiovascular disease, may increase long-term mortality after community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), but underlying mechanisms are unknown. Persistence of the prothrombotic state that occurs during an acute infection may increase risk of subsequent atherothrombosis in patients with pre-existing cardiovascular disease and increase subsequent risk of death. We hypothesized that circulating hemostasis markers activated during CAP persist at hospital discharge, when patients appear to have recovered clinically, and are associated with higher mortality, particularly due to cardiovascular causes. Methods: In a cohort of survivors of CAP hospitalization from 28 US sites, we measured D-Dimer, thrombin-antithrombin complexes [TAT], Factor IX, antithrombin, and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 at hospital discharge, and determined 1year all-cause and cardiovascular mortality. Results: Of 893 subjects, most did not have severe pneumonia (70.6% never developed severe sepsis) and only 13.4% required intensive care unit admission. At discharge, 88.4% of subjects had normal vital signs and appeared to have clinically recovered. D-dimer and TAT levels were elevated at discharge in 78.8% and 30.1% of all subjects, and in 51.3% and 25.3% of those without severe sepsis. Higher D-dimer and TAT levels were associated with higher risk of all-cause mortality (range of hazard ratios were 1.66-1.17, p=0.0001 and 1.46-1.04, p=0.001 after adjusting for demographics and comorbid illnesses) and cardiovascular mortality (p=0.009 and 0.003 in competing risk analyses). Conclusions: Elevations of TAT and D-dimer levels are common at hospital discharge in patients who appeared to have recovered clinically from pneumonia and are associated with higher risk of subsequent deaths, particularly due to cardiovascular disease.
An overview of rotating stall and surge control for axial flow compressors

Modeling and control for axial flow compression systems have received great attention in recent years. The objectives are to suppress rotating stall and surge, to extend the stable operating range of the compressor system, and to enlarge domains of attraction of stable equilibria using feedback control methods. The success of this research field will significantly improve compressor performance and thus future aeroengine performance. This paper surveys the research literature and summarizes the major developments in this active research field, focusing on the modeling and control perspectives to rotating stall and surge for axial flow compressors.
Health Insurance for Low-Income Working Families: Effect on the Provision of Immunizations to Preschool-Age Children

Background: The out-of-pocket cost for immunizations is a cause for referral to public health department clinics and is associated with delayed immunization. In 1991, New York State started Child Health Plus (CHPlus), an insurance program that covers ambulatory care and immunization services for children of families earning less than 222% of the poverty level. Objective: To determine the effect of CHPlus on the provision of immunizations. Design: A before-and-after design was used to compare the year immediately before enrollment in CHPlus with the first year after enrollment in CHPlus. A mixed-model analysis of variance was used to control for the effects of age. Setting: All area primary care practices (n= 164) and public health department clinics (n=6). Subjects: Children (n= 1730) younger than 6 years who were enrolled in (CHPlus. Main Outcome Measures: Number of immunization visits; types of providers (public health department clinics or primary care providers [pediatricians and family physicians]); and series-complete immunization coverage, including the diphtheria toxoid, tetanus toxoid, and pertussis vaccine, the oral poliovirus vaccine, and the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine. Results: The average age of the children was 37.7 months, 85% were white, 50% had been uninsured for immunizations before enrollment in CHPlus, and 16% previously received Medicaid. For infants, CHPlus decreased immunization visits to public health department clinics by 37% (from 0.14 to 0.09 visits per child,P=.009), increased immunization visits to primary care providers' offices by 15% (from 2.3 to 2.7 visits per child,P=.001), and increased immunization coverage by 7% (from 76% to 83%,P=.03), For children aged 1 to 5 years, CHPlus decreased visits to public health department clinics by 67% (from 0.06 to 0.02 visits per child,P Conclusions: Insurance coverage for low-income working families resulted in a shift in the provision of immunizations from the health department to primary care providers and in increased immunization coverage. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 1997;151:798-803.
Glioma virus therapies between bench and bedside

Despite extensive research, current glioma therapies are still unsatisfactory, and novel approaches are pressingly needed. In recent years, both nonreplicative viral vectors and replicating oncolytic viruses have been developed for brain cancer treatment, and the mechanistic background of their cytotoxicity has been unveiled. A growing number of clinical trials have convincingly established viral therapies to be safe in glioma patients, and maximum tolerated doses have generally not been reached. However, evidence for therapeutic benefit has been limited: new generations of therapeutic vectors need to be developed in order to target not only tumor cells but also the complex surrounding microenvironment. Such therapies could also direct long-lasting immune responses toward the tumor while reducing early antiviral reactions. Furthermore, viral delivery methods are to be improved and viral spread within the tumor will have to be enhanced. Here, we will review the outcome of completed glioma virus therapy trials as well as highlight the ongoing clinical activities. On this basis, we will give an overview of the numerous strategies to enhance therapeutic efficacy of new-generation viruses and novel treatment regimens. Finally, we will conclude with approaches that may be crucial to the development of successful glioma therapies in the future.
The $6.1 Million Question

What is the dollar value of saving a human life? Cost-benefit analysis of health and environmental regulation requires such a number, yet the concept raises numerous ethical and philosophical questions. There are good general reasons to reject the entire enterprise of monetizing life, and specific reasons to criticize the methods used to create such values. Valuations of life are most often based on analysis of the wage premium for risky jobs. Recent EPA analyses have relied on an extensive but dated database of wage-risk estimates, leading to an inflation-adjusted estimate of $6.1 million per life in 1999 dollars. A more appropriate interpretation of that database implies an estimate of at least $9-11 million. Some newer studies suggest much lower values - perhaps due to the weakened bargaining position of labor, a factor that has nothing to do with the value of environmental risk. The risk premium for working women is five times as great as for men, underscoring the impossibility of a "one size fits all" estimate of the value of a statistical life. Such values are not necessary for reasonable decision-making about how to reduce fatal risks.
Service Reliability Theory and Engineering, II: Models and Examples

AbstractIn Part I of this work, the primitives, concepts, terminology, and fundamental ideas of service reliability theory and engineering were developed. The purpose of this paper is to describe some mathematical models useful for service reliability engineering and to illustrate the use of these ideas by examination of some examples. The paper deals mainly with examples from the author’s experiences in the telecommunications industry. Failure modes and failure mechanisms for telecommunications services are described and some mathematical models suitable for reliability engineering for these services are reviewed. The models help with discussion of service reliability figures of merit and metrics and with the specific tasks required to design a service to be reliable.
Semantic structure from motion: a novel framework for joint object recognition and 3d reconstruction

Conventional rigid structure from motion (SFM) addresses the problem of recovering the camera parameters (motion) and the 3D locations (structure) of scene points, given observed 2D image feature points. In this chapter, we propose a new formulation called Semantic Structure From Motion (SSFM). In addition to the geometrical constraints provided by SFM, SSFM takes advantage of both semantic and geometrical properties associated with objects in a scene. These properties allow to jointly estimate the structure of the scene, the camera parameters as well as the 3D locations, poses, and categories of objects in a scene. We cast this problem as a max-likelihood problem where geometry (cameras, points, objects) and semantic information (object classes) are simultaneously estimated. The key intuition is that, in addition to image features, the measurements of objects across views provide additional geometrical constraints that relate cameras and scene parameters. These constraints make the geometry estimation process more robust and, in turn, make object detection more accurate. Our framework has the unique ability to: i) estimate camera poses only from object detections, ii) enhance camera pose estimation, compared to feature-point-based SFM algorithms, iii) improve object detections given multiple uncalibrated images, compared to independently detecting objects in single images. Extensive quantitative results on three datasets --- LiDAR cars, street-view pedestrians, and Kinect office desktop --- verify our theoretical claims.
Biotechnology by Design: An Introductory Level, Project-Based, Synthetic Biology Laboratory Program for Undergraduate Students.

Synthetic biology offers an ideal opportunity to promote undergraduate laboratory courses with research-style projects, immersing students in an inquiry-based program that enhances the experience of the scientific process. We designed a semester-long, project-based laboratory curriculum using synthetic biology principles to develop a novel sensory device. Students develop subject matter knowledge of molecular genetics and practical skills relevant to molecular biology, recombinant DNA techniques, and information literacy. During the spring semesters of 2014 and 2015, the Synthetic Biology Laboratory Project was delivered to sophomore genetics courses. Using a cloning strategy based on standardized BioBrick genetic “parts,” students construct a “reporter plasmid” expressing a reporter gene (GFP) controlled by a hybrid promoter regulated by the lac-repressor protein (lacI). In combination with a “sensor plasmid,” the production of the reporter phenotype is inhibited in the presence of a target environmental agent, arabinose. When arabinose is absent, constitutive GFP expression makes cells glow green. But the presence of arabinose activates a second promoter (pBAD) to produce a lac-repressor protein that will inhibit GFP production. Student learning was assessed relative to five learning objectives, using a student survey administered at the beginning (pre-survey) and end (post-survey) of the course, and an additional 15 open-ended questions from five graded Progress Report assignments collected throughout the course. Students demonstrated significant learning gains (p < 0.05) for all learning outcomes. Ninety percent of students indicated that the Synthetic Biology Laboratory Project enhanced their understanding of molecular genetics. The laboratory project is highly adaptable for both introductory and advanced courses.
Correspondence re: S. D. Stellman et al., Relative Abundance of Organochlorine Pesticides and Polychlorinated Biphenyls in Adipose Tissue and Serum of Women in Long Island, New York. Cancer Epidemiol. Biomark. Prev., 7: 489–496, 1998

Recent concern about potential adverse health effects of chemicals in the environment has placed great pressure on the analytical chemist to provide instant and unequivocal solutions to problems relating to the detection and determinations of trace levels of environmental chemicals. Within the past
The quest for effective treatments of mucositis.

egimen-related mucosal toxicity (mucosi-tis) is a largely unsolved medical need as-sociated with cancer treatment. Despite itslong history, patients continue to suffer and cli-nicians are frustrated by the diffuse, painful ul-cerative lesions of the mouth, esophagus, intes-tine, and rectal mucosa that are commonlyinduced by a range of chemotherapeutics andradiation therapies and which largely defy effec-tive intervention. This review by Bowen andcolleagues largely captures the past and currentroles animal modeling plays in regard to ourunderstanding of mucositis and the quest for ef-fective treatments.Until the late 1990s the biological complexityof mucositis was underappreciated. Prior to thattime, the condition was considered to be solelythe consequence of nonspeciﬁc direct damage torapidly dividing epithelial “stem” cells. Anythoughts of intervention were focused on pallia-tion or modifying proliferating normal cells. At-tempts to better understand the pathogenesiswere largely limited to the use of cadaveric ma-terial.
Improvement of the Glucose Oxidase Immunoenzyme Technic: Use of a Tetrazolium Whose Formazan is Stable without Heavy Metal Chelation

Glucose oxidase immunoenzymatic localization provides a simple way to show antigens in mammalian tissues, with no need for the quenching of endogenous nonspecific staining. The method is useful for the demonstration of many antigens in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues. Improvement of this technic by the use of p-nitro blue tetrazolium chloride (NBT) as the disclosing reagent provides a stable, finely grained localization not possible with the previously used thiazolyl blue (MTT). The described modification makes available an ideal immunoenzymatic stain for the study of tissues at the level of the light microscope. This stain is especially useful for the examination of tissues with hemorrhagic or inflammatory lesions, since there is no endogenous background staining. Slides are permanent, and the technic can be used with peroxidase-labeled antibody to localize two antigens in the same tissue.
Economic Model Predictive Control of Transport-Reaction Processes

This work focuses on the development of economic model predictive control (EMPC) systems for transport-reaction processes described by nonlinear parabolic partial differential equations (PDEs) and their applications to a non-isothermal tubular reactor where a second-order chemical reaction takes place. The tubular reactor is modeled by two nonlinear parabolic PDEs. Galerkin’s method is used to derive finite-dimensional systems that capture the dominant dynamics of the parabolic PDEs which are subsequently used for the EMPC design. The EMPC formulation uses the integral of the reaction rate along the length of the reactor as an economic cost function subject to constraints on the control action and states over an operation period. Closed-loop simulations are conducted of a low-order EMPC system, formulated with a constraint on the available reactant material over each operation period, applied to a high-order discretization of the PDEs and of a high-order EMPC system formulated with a specific state constr...
Breakdown Characteristics of SF_6 in Uniform Electric Field Using FEM-FCT

Through studying the dynamic properties of micro particles in SF6 gas discharge, we can obtain some macro parameters like critical breakdown field strength, which are indexes for evaluating gas insulation. These macro parameters play an important role in designing and developing high voltage switchgears. Thus, we established a hydrodynamic model by using the steamer theory to depict the dynamic properties of micro particles in gas discharge. On the basis of the model and combining the finite element method with the flux corrected transport method, we calculated some characteristics of SF6 gas discharge in 0.5 cm gap in uniform electric field, and analyzed the dynamic behavior of charged particles and the influence of space charges on electric field in the discharge process. Meanwhile, the critical breakdown field strength of SF6 in uniform electric field was calculated through loop calculations of discharges under various applied voltages. Moreover, the critical breakdown field strength under various pressures was computed. The results were verified through comparing with existing experimental data, and the effect of pressure on the breakdown properties in SF6 was discussed. The results show that when the pressure is 0.1 MPa, SF6 breakdown happens when the voltage between 0.5 cm spaced electrodes is 39 kV. 6.8 ns after applying the voltage, the electric field in the gap starts to distort, and the electron number density reaches 2.7×1017 m-3 at this moment. Then SF6 gas changes from insulation state to conduction state. When pressure varies from 0.1 MPa to 0.4 MPa, the critical breakdown field strength of SF6 is generally linear to pressure, which is in accordance with experimental data.
Activation of A3 adenosine receptors on human eosinophils elevates intracellular calcium

Adenosine (ADO) is a potent bronchoconstrictor in allergic patients and has been shown to increase the release of histamine from human lung tissues. Antagonists of ADO A1 and A2A receptors are not effective in attenuating these effects. Therefore, involvement of ADO A3 receptors in the bronchoconstrictor and/or inflammatory effects have to be considered. Eosinophils also play a pivotal role in allergic diseases such as asthma, thus it is natural to consider a link between the A3 receptor and eosinophils. Human peripheral blood eosinophils express the ADO A3 receptor as indicated by detection of the transcript for A3 receptors in polymerase chain reaction-amplified cDNA derived from the cells. A3 receptors on eosinophil membranes were characterized using the A3 receptor agonist radioligand 125I-labeled AB-MECA, which yielded Bmax and Kd values of 1.31 pmol/mg protein and 3.19 nmol/L, respectively. Treatment of eosinophils with the highly potent and selective A3 receptor agonist CI-IB-MECA clearly induced Ca2+ release from intracellular Ca2+ pools followed by Ca2+ influx, suggesting the presence of phospholipase C-coupled A3 receptors. In contrast, the ADO receptor agonists CPA and CGS 21680, selective for A1 and A2A receptors, respectively, at concentrations of < or = 30 mumol/ L did not elevate the intracellular Ca2+ level. These results attest to the existence of ADO A3 receptors on eosinophils and suggest that ADO stimulates these cells to release Ca2+ from intracellular stores via the activation of A3 receptors.
Programmers Are Users Too: Human-Centered Methods for Improving Programming Tools

Human-centered methods can help researchers better understand and meet programmers' needs. Because programming is a human activity, many of these methods can be used without change. However, some programmer needs require new methods, which can also be applied to domains other than software engineering. This article features five Web extras. The video at https://youtu.be/4PH9-qi-yTQ demonstrates Azurite, an Eclipse plug-in with a selective undo feature that lets programmers more easily backtrack their code. The video at https://youtu.be/gOSlR62-rd8 describes Graphite, an Eclipse plug-in offering active code completion, a simple but powerful technique that integrates useful code-generation tools directly into the editor. The video at https://youtu.be/zyrqcYxqDtI describes HANDS, a new programming system that emphasizes usability by building on children's and beginning programmers' natural problem-solving tendencies. The video extra at https://youtu.be/80EctbI7PFc describes Whyline, a debugging tool that lets developers ask questions about their program's output and behavior. The video at https://youtu.be/3L4MK2dG_6k demonstrates the prototype for Whyline, a debugging tool that lets developers pose questions about their program's output.
Statistical Analysis of Dynamic Transcriptional Regulatory Network Structure

Here, we present a detailed method for generating a dynamic transcriptional regulatory network from large-scale chromatin immunoprecipitation data, and functional analysis of participating factors through the identification and characterization of significantly overrepresented multi-input motifs in the network. This is done by visualizing interactive data using a network analysis tool, such as Cytoscape, clustering DNA targets of the transcription factors based on their network topologies, and statistically analyzing each cluster based on its size and properties of its members. These analyses yield testable predictions about the conditional and cooperative functions of the factors. This is a versatile approach that allows the visualization of network architecture on a genome-wide level and is applicable to understanding combinatorial control mechanisms of DNA-binding regulators that conditionally cooperate in a wide variety of biological models.
The Umbrella Movement and the Political Apparatus: Understanding “One Country, Two Systems”

Prior to the Umbrella Movement, there was little reason for people who were not from Hong Kong to care much about its politics, unless, of course, one were a devoted reader of The Economist, which did cover Hong Kong as a former British colony. Alas, my experience in the academy corroborates the former sentiment: when I began studying Christian involvement in Hong Kong’s politics in the late 2000s, nobody was interested. “You have to study Christianity in China,” one advisor said, “because that’s where the jobs are.” The growth of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), especially the explosion of Christianity in China, was what people wanted to talk about. The fascination was tied to the economic spectacle of China’s spectacular urban landscapes, the political force of China’s increasing influence on international relations, the social impact of Chinese immigration to Anglo-American metropolises.1 Indeed, with the recent spate of church buildings being demolished in Wenzhou and crosses being taken down in Zhejiang Province, China proper is still the only thing in the Greater China region that everyone wants to talk about. In this context, Christianity was fascinating because it told the story of China’s human rights record as well as missionary impulses still alive and well in the West.2 Another faculty committee member told me: “I know people who go over to China and go through networks in Hong Kong. You should follow them on a missions trip and do an ethnography on them.” Hong Kong, it turns out, was only interesting as it was tied to doing research on China proper. The local politics of Hong Kong and the engagement of Christians with them were not on my Anglo-American advisors’ radar screens. When I finally did get myself over to Hong Kong in 2010, people there confirmed to me that, as an Asian American, I was ill equipped to study China and Hong Kong’s relations with the motherland. Indeed, theologians and social scientists in Hong Kong were already studying Christianity in China, and church leaders were getting heavily involved in various kinds of missionary projects.3 They told me to go home.
Primary Caregiver Perception of Pain Control following Pediatric Adenotonsillectomy A Cross-Sectional Survey

ObjectivesTo (1) review pain medications prescribed following pediatric adenotonsillectomy (T&A), (2) identify pain medications reported to be helpful, and (3) compare parent-reported outcomes amon...
Do Bird Friendly® Coffee Criteria Benefit Mammals? Assessment of Mammal Diversity in Chiapas, Mexico

Biodiversity-friendly coffee certifications offer a viable way to protect wildlife habitat while providing a financial incentive to farmers. Most studies related to these certifications focus on avian habitat requirements and it is not known whether these standards also apply to other wildlife, such as mammals, that inhabit the coffee landscapes. We assessed the non-volant mammalian fauna and their associated habitat requirements in 23 sites representing forest, Bird Friendly® shade, conventional shade, and sun coffee habitats. We used Sherman trap-grids to measure small mammal abundance and richness, while camera traps were set for medium-sized and large mammals. We detected 17 species of mammals, representing 11 families. This preliminary study indicates that coffee farms in this region provide an important refuge for mammalian wildlife. Mammal species density ranked significantly higher in Bird Friendly® coffee sites than other coffee habitats, although there was no significant difference for species richness (using Chao2 estimator) among the habitat types. No significant difference was found in small mammal abundance among the habitat types. We found a higher species density of medium and large mammals in sites with larger, more mature shade trees associated with, but not required by Bird Friendly® certification standards. However, lower strata vegetation (5 cm to 1 m tall), the only vegetation parameter found to increase abundance and density for small mammals, is not specified in the Bird Friendly® standards. Our findings suggest that although the standards devised for avian habitat do benefit mammals, further study is needed on the requirements specific for mammals that could be included to enhance the coffee habitat for mammals that inhabit these coffee landscapes.
Free-electron lasers probe protein dynamics

Proteins are extraordinary and distinctive materials that have been shaped by evolutionary forces over hundreds of millions of years. Our understanding of these complex molecules has greatly improved through nuclear magnetic resonance and X-ray crystallography, which have elucidated the three-dimensional structure of many proteins, and through the use of molecular biology to generate "mutant" proteins. Moreover, computer simulations have allowed protein dynamics to be modelled in detail.
Misinterpretation of Gram Stain from the Stationary Growth Phase of Positive Blood Cultures for Brucella and Acinetobacter Species

Introduction Acinetobacter baumannii and Brucella species are Gram-negative organisms that are vulnerable to misinterpretation as Gram-positive or Gram-variable in blood cultures. Objective We assess the random errors in gram stain interpretation to reduce the likelihood of such errors and therefore patient harm. Methodology Aerobic and anaerobic blood cultures from two patients in an acute care facility in Saudi Arabia were subjected to preliminary Gram-staining. In case 1, VITEK-2 Anaerobe Identification, repeat Gram staining from a blood agar plate, Remel BactiDrop™ Oxidase test, Urea Agar urease test and real-time PCR were used to confirm presence of Brucella and absence of Coryneform species. In case 2, repeat Gram- staining from the plate and the vials, VITEK-2 Gram-Negative Identification, real-time PCR and subculture on to Columbia agar, blood agar, and MacConkey agar were carried out to identify A. baumannii. Results In case 1, initially pleomorphic Gram-positive bacteria were identified. Coryneform species were suspected. Tiny growth was observed after 24 h on blood agar plates, and good growth by 48 h. Presence of Brucella species was ultimately confirmed. In case 2, preliminary Gram-stain results suggested giant Gram-positive oval cocci. Further testing over 18-24 h identified A. baumannii. Conclusions Oxidase test from the plate and urease test from the culture vial is recommended after apparent identification of pleomorphic Gram-positive bacilli from blood culture, once tiny growth is observed, to distinguish Brucella from Corynebacterium species. If giant Gram-positive oval cocci are indicated by preliminary Gram-staining, it is recommended that the Gram stain be repeated from the plate after 4-6 h, or culture should be tested in Triple Sugar Iron (TSI) medium and the Gram stain repeated after 2-4 h incubation.
Reward Magnitude, Reward Shift, and Resistance to Extinction in the Mongolian Gerbil

A 3-phase (acquisition, shift, extinction) study of reward magnitude in the gerbil found that running speed was greater and resistance to extinction less with 4 pellets than with 1 pellet—similar effects to those previously reported for rats. However, the effects of a reward shift for gerbils were found to be different from those for rats; a shift from 4 to 1 pellets led to a gradual increase in running speeds. The results were compared to those reported for rats, turtles, and goldfish; results with gerbils were considered to be consistent with a model in which reward magnitude influences associative strength directly and where incentive motivation plays a minor role.
PD-1 checkpoint inhibition: Toxicities and management.

Abstract Purpose With the recent approval of 5 PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors for a number of malignancies, PD-1 axis inhibition is drastically changing the treatment landscape of immunotherapy in cancer. As PD-1/PD-L1 are involved in peripheral immune tolerance, inhibition of this immune checkpoint has led to novel immune-related adverse events including colitis, hepatitis, pneumonitis, rash, and endocrinopathies among many others. Materials and Methods In this seminar, we will analyze the incidence of immune-related adverse events for nivolumab, pembrolizumab, atezolizumab, durvalumab, and avelumab. Then, we will discuss the specific management of the most common immune-mediated adverse events including colitis, hepatitis, pneumonitis, rash, endocrinopathies, nephritis, and neurologic toxicities. Results Immune-related adverse events are frequently treated with immunosuppressive medication such as steroids and mycofenolate mofetil. Conclusions There are specific immune-related adverse events which are frequently seen by the treating oncologist from checkpoint inhibitors. It is essential to understand the recommended treatment options to minimize toxicity and mortality from this important class of anti-neoplastic therapies.