cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Interfacing neural constructs with the Hierarchical Taxonomy of Psychopathology: ‘Why’ and ‘how’

The Hierarchical Taxonomy of Psychopathology (HiTOP) represents a crucial step forward in the empirical refinement of psychiatric nosology. Although grounded in factor analyses of clinical symptoms and affiliated traits, HiTOP encourages research using measures of other types, including neural-system variables, to clarify coherent processes contributing to the hierarchical structure of psychopathology. However, systematic strategies for interfacing HiTOP dimensions with neural-system variables have not been put forth. We discuss reasons for considering neurobiological systems in relation to HiTOP (i.e. 'why') and propose alternative strategies that might be used to develop an interface between HiTOP and neurobiology (i.e. 'how'). In particular, we highlight potential advantages and limitations of establishing this interface through reference to (i) HiTOP dimensions themselves, or conventional personality trait models linked to HiTOP; (ii) alternative trait constructs designed to link conventional personality models and neurobiological measures; and (iii) mechanistic models of neurobiological processes relevant to HiTOP constructs, derived from computational modelling. We discuss the importance of establishing an interface between HiTOP and neurobiology to develop a more comprehensive, mechanistic understanding of psychopathology and to guide the refinement of the HiTOP model. Such efforts have the potential to guide the development and provision of effective, individualized psychological treatment.
Cerebral Air Embolism after Esophagogastroduodenoscopy: Insight on Pathophysiology, Epidemiology, Prevention and Treatment.

Abstract Background Air embolism is an extremely rare complication that can follow gastrointestinal endoscopy. The most accepted treatment of cerebral air embolism (CAE) is hyperbaric oxygen (HBO). Limited evidence suggests that lidocaine may have a neuroprotective effect. The exact mechanism does not appear to be well elucidated. Methods We conducted a literature search using multiple combinations of keywords from PubMed and Ovid Medline databases according to the PRISMA guidelines. We included articles with cases of air embolism caused by an esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD). We excluded cases related to other procedures e.g. colonoscopy, endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography, cholangioscopy, Kasai procedure, bronchoscopy, laparoscopy or thoracoscopy. We were able to identify 30 cases of CAE associated with EGD. We included our experience in treating one patient with CAE after elective EGD. Results Given the results of our literature search and this patient's characteristics, we chose to treat our patient with HBO and lidocaine infusion. Our case series consists of 31 patients of post EGD CAE, the mean age was 63.7 ± 11.14 years, 38.7% of the patients were women (n = 12). 38.7% of the cases underwent esophageal dilatation (n = 12), while 19.35% had EGD biopsy (n = 6), 9.6% had variceal ligation (n = 3), and 3.22% had variceal banding (n = 1). In 20 out of 31 cases, echocardiography has been documented, 20% of those patients (n = 4) had patent foramen ovale. HBO was used in treatment of 48% of cases (n = 15), among the included patients, 61% survived (n = 19). Our patient showed significant neurological improvement. Conclusions Despite the rare incidence of CAE during or after EGD, physicians should be aware of this potential complication. In patients who develop sudden acute neurological symptoms, early diagnosis and intervention may prevent devastating neurological injury and death. The most accepted emergent treatment for CAE includes HBO, consideration of lidocaine, and work-up of source of the air embolism.
Academia Against Popular Culture: Popular Culture Against Academia

How should popular music scholars (or students of other popular art forms) embrace antielitism while avoiding the scepticism of theory it so often accompanies? I do not argue that theory is beyond reproach or that all theories offer useful answers to all questions. Scholarship should often include refining theories to improve their utility, requiring critical engagement with theory. Anti-elitism too often becomes at worst a dismissal of theory, at best a disregard for it. I discuss popular music scholarship and its value, with particular attention to “train-spotting” and criticism of comic books. If scholars want to understand human experiences (as I trust we do), theory can help us understand why humans do what we do and how our art reflects and affects those experiences.
Stability Improvement of Power Networks using Cluster based Dynamic Excitation of AVR

The dynamic stability of power systems consisting of multiple machines is affected by the excitation of each machine, the system configuration and the loading conditions. In this paper, a method that could improve the dynamic stability of power networks in the presence of internal and external disturbances is presented. Automatic voltage regulator (AVR) based clustering and dynamic excitation of machines is proposed. Distributed perturbations are used to evaluate the stability of an experimental New England 10-machine, 39-bus test system. From the results, it was seen that the proposed clustering-based excitation algorithm could uniquely improve the stability conditions of the perturbed New effectively power system by around 10%, which could not be achieved using other methods.
Utilization of Ultrasound to Assess Volume Status in Heart Failure.

Heart failure (HF) represents a significant financial burden to the US health care system, affecting approximately 5.7 million Americans. By 2030, the prevalence of HF is expected to increase by 23%. Clinicians generally evaluate volume status in patients with HF by visualizing jugular venous distension to estimate right atrial pressure; a method with an estimated accuracy of only 50%. Currently, the only endorsed methods for acute HF diagnosis in the 2017 American College of Cardiology (ACC) guidelines are brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) or N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), pre-discharge BNP or NT-proBNP, and myocardial fibrosis markers. However, serial testing of BNP to monitor therapy remains controversial. Moreover, an elevated BNP cannot be attributed solely to a cardiac cause. Given the limitations of the current methods, a robust tool is needed to reliably assess volume status in HF patients. It is now known that hemodynamic congestion from increases in intracardiac pressure occurs days to weeks prior to the onset of typical HF symptoms, such as weight gain and shortness of breath. It has been postulated that assessing the inferior vena cava (IVC) diameter with a portable ultrasound, may be the simple, reliable, and cost-effective method of evaluating right atrial pressure, and thus, the severity of HF. Given this exciting new tool in assessing volume status in patients with HF, we pose the question of whether this imaging modality can be used to risk-stratify patients and guide management. The aim of this paper is to highlight the many benefits of portable ultrasound in assessing volume status in this population, and to discuss whether this imaging modality can help guide physicians in the management of their HF patients. J Clin Med Res. 2020;12(4):230-232 doi: https://doi.org/10.14740/jocmr4049
Neural-trust-region algorithm for unconstrained optimization (Part 1)

In this paper (part 1), we describe a derivative-free trust-region method for solving unconstrained optimization problems. We will discuss a method when we relax the model order assumption and use artificial neural network techniques to build a computationally relatively inexpensive model. We directly find an estimate of the objective function minimizer without explicitly constructing a model function. Therefore, we need to have the neural-network model derivatives, which can be obtained simply through a back-propagation process.
On the Ambiguity and Relevance of Place Names in Scientific Text

How hard is it to systematically identify and disambiguate place names in scientific text? In order to address this question, we applied MapAffil, a toponymic search interface, on a random sample of 500 place name sentences from PubMed abstracts. The algorithm correctly identified and disambiguated 39.2% of the place names in sentences. An error analysis revealed six unique challenges: Biological terms (14.2%), Method terms (11.6%), Acronyms (10%), References (6%), Other entity names (4.2%), and Other errors (2.2%). Interestingly, a large portion of the correctly identified place names appeared irrelevant to the subject matter. Many of these errors can be fixed easily, but irrelevance is much harder to address, for it depends on semantics and purpose. To study the role of place in scientific text, it is not sufficient to disambiguate accurately, but it is also necessary to be able to assess the degree of relevance.
Religion and Spirituality: Diversity Issues for the Future

ABSTRACT Recent studies involving practitioners, field instructors, and social work educators have acknowledged the importance of religious and spiritual issues when dealing with clients. These articles also have pointed to the dearth of information on these topics in the social work curriculum. This study examines students' perceived needs for information in these areas. Suggestions for imparting information on matters of spiritual and religious diversity are presented.
The Nuclear Receptor Seven Up Regulates Genes Involved in Immunity and Xenobiotic Response in the Adult Drosophila Female Fat Body

The physiology of organisms depends on inter-organ communication in response to changes in the environment. Nuclear receptors are broadly expressed transcription factors that respond to circulating molecules to control many biological processes, including immunity, detoxification, and reproduction. Although the tissue-intrinsic roles of nuclear receptors in reproduction have been extensively studied, there is increasing evidence that nuclear receptor signaling in peripheral tissues can also influence oogenesis. We previously showed that the Drosophila nuclear receptor Seven up (Svp) is required in the adult fat body to regulate distinct steps of oogenesis; however, the relevant downstream targets of Svp remain unknown. Here, we took an RNA sequencing approach to identify candidate Svp targets specifically in the adult female fat body that might mediate this response. svp knockdown in the adult female fat body significantly downregulated immune genes involved in the first line of pathogen defense, suggesting a role for Svp in stimulating early immunity. In addition, we found that Svp transcriptionally regulates genes involved in each step of the xenobiotic detoxification response. Based on these findings, we propose a testable model in which Svp functions in the adult female fat body to stimulate early defense against pathogens and facilitate detoxification as part of its mechanisms to promote oogenesis.
Drain fluid creatinine-to-serum creatinine ratio as an initial test to detect urine leakage following cystectomy: A retrospective study.

Introduction: Urine leak following radical cystectomy is a known complication. Among the various methods to diagnose this, assessment of drain fluid creatinine is a relatively easy procedure. We aimed to ascertain the validity of the drain fluid creatinine-to-serum creatinine ratio (DCSCR) as an initial indicator of urinary leak in patients undergoing radical cystectomy. Methods: We retrospectively identified consecutive patients with documentation of drain fluid creatinine in the postoperative period following cystectomy and urinary diversion at our institution between January 2009 and December 2018. All continent diversions and any patient with a DCSCR >1.5:1 underwent contrast study postoperatively. A diagnosis of urine leak was made following confirmatory imaging. Receiver operative characteristic curves were created, and Youden's index was used to determine the strength and clinical utility of DCSCR as a diagnostic test. Results: Two hundred forty-four of the 340 patients included in the study underwent cystectomy with conduit and 81 underwent neobladder creation. Sixteen out of 340 (4.7%) patients had radiologically confirmed urinary leak. DCSCR was elevated in all ureteric anastomotic leaks and in 1 out of the 7 neobladder-urethral anastomotic (NUA) leaks. The sensitivity and specificity of DCSCR to predict all urinary leaks were 68.8% and 80.9% at 1.12 (area under the curve [AUC] = 0.838), whereas at a value of 1.18 (AUC = 0.876) and with the exclusion of NUA leaks, the sensitivity was 77.8% and specificity was 87.6%. Conclusions: DCSCR is a good preliminary test for identifying patients who need prompt confirmatory testing for localizing urinary leaks. A drain creatinine level just 18% higher than the serum creatinine level can signify a urine leak. This is different from general assumptions of a higher DCSCR.
Assessment of Skeletal Maturity and Postoperative Growth Disturbance After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction in Skeletally Immature Patients: A Systematic Review.

Background:Growth disturbance is an uncommon but potentially serious complication after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction in skeletally immature patients.Purpose:To describe how the p...
High-throughput screening assays for SARS-CoV-2 drug development: current status and future directions.

In response to the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, a panel of assays has been developed and applied to screen collections of approved and investigational drugs for anti-severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) activity in a quantitative high-throughput screening (qHTS) format. In this review, we applied data-driven approaches to evaluate the ability of each assay to identify potential anti-SARS-CoV-2 leads. Multitarget assays were found to show advantages in terms of accuracy and efficiency over single-target assays, whereas target-specific assays were more suitable for investigating compound mechanisms of action. Moreover, strict filtering with counter screens might be more detrimental than beneficial in identifying true positives. Thus, developing novel HTS assays acting simultaneously against multiple targets in the SARS-CoV-2 life cycle will benefit anti-COVID-19 drug discovery.
Reimagining solidarity with strawberry farmworkers in the United States

First paragraph: Shortly after finishing Dvera I. Saxton’s The Devil’s Fruit: Farmworkers, Health, and Environ­mental Justice, I awoke to the rare occurrence of farmworkers making national headlines. H.R. 1603, the Farm Workforce Modernization Act of 2021—providing a path to citizenship for undocumented agricultural workers—had just passed the U.S. House of Representatives (for the second time). Supported by agricultural trade organizations and a small handful of farm labor groups as a compro­mise measure (Farmworker Justice, 2021), the bill is also opposed by farmworker advocacy groups such as the Food Chain Workers Alliance for its failure to provide stronger protections (Food Chain Workers Alliance, n.d.). . . .
Analysis of per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in processed foods from FDA’s Total Diet Study

Additional occurrence data are needed to better understand human exposure to per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from commercially available foods in the United States. The Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Total Diet Study (TDS) collects foods that are both nationally and regionally distributed. In 2018, 172 processed foods were collected from grocery stores around Lenexa, KS, as part of the TDS national collection. A previously developed method for the analysis of PFAS in foods as part of the TDS regional collection was modified and optimized for these samples. This method was single lab validated using 5 different matrices and method detection limits were calculated. During the analysis of these samples, challenges arose with method blanks and further investigation into statistical methods to distinguish between blank and sample concentrations were done. The confirmation of two short chain PFAS, perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA) and perfluoropentanoic acid (PFPeA), was not possible using triple quadrupole mass spectrometry and a confirmation method was developed using high-resolution mass spectrometry. This technique was also used to investigate potential detections and interferents that fell within the retention time criteria for positive detections. In the national collection, positive detections of perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) and perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA) were found in frozen fish sticks/patties, PFOS and perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA) in canned tuna, and PFOS in protein powder. Concentrations were all below 150 ppt, and no other detects were confirmed above the method detection limits in any other foods.
The hallmarks of cancer and immunology

Abstract Cancer is a disease of molecular evolution. A cancer cell is merely a cell that will adapt and change in any way it can to confer survival. The 13 hallmarks of cancer are the survival skills and abilities of the disease. Although there are two hallmarks directly related to the immune system and inflammation, each of the hallmarks can be related to the immune component of a tumor. This is particularly relevant as immune dysfunction is central to the initiation and propagation of cancer. The tumor microenvironment is both cooperative and competitive and this drives both the immune response and tumor-promoting inflammation. Understanding the immunology of cancer hallmarks is fundamental to advancing cancer biology and optimizing therapeutic strategies.
Publishing as Medium

Abstract Book publishing has been the subject of study by historians, economists, bibliographers, legal scholars, and sociologists. At the junction of culture and commerce, the industry is a focus for researchers interested in issues such as commodification, cultural identity and protectionism, mass versus elite culture, intellectual property, freedom of expression, and business practices. The technology of publishing, from scribal to print to digital cultures, has affected all of these issues. Since World War II, book publishing has become increasingly concentrated, with mergers occurring across economic sectors and national borders, raising questions about organization and cultural protectionism. The rise of digital media has intensified debate about intellectual property law, authorship, and the future of books and reading.
Inducer-dependent transcriptional activation of the P4501A2 gene in vivo and in isolated hepatocytes.

Abstract In vitro nuclear run-on transcription analysis using probes directed against different regions of CYP1A2 revealed that the 70-100-fold induction of CYP1A2 mRNA by polycyclic aromatic compounds is associated with a corresponding increase in the transcriptional activation of this gene in rat liver. Probes from regions of the 1st, 2nd, and 4th introns detected approximately 50-100-fold higher CYP1A2 run-on transcription in liver nuclei from inducer-treated animals than in nuclei from untreated animals. The run-on signals from untreated rats were 3-5-fold above background signals. Additional experiments using single-stranded DNA probes and a probe from a region 5' to the CYP1A2 transcription start site revealed that the inducer-dependent transcripts were colinear with the CYP1A2 mRNA and that they did not result from read through of an initiation event 5' to CYP1A2. Run-on transcription analyses were also carried out with nuclei from isolated hepatocytes using the same series of probes spanning CYP1A2. These analyses indicated that the inducer-dependent accumulation of CYP1A2 mRNA in hepatocytes is associated with at least a 20-fold increase in CYP1A2 transcription. In contrast to liver and hepatocytes, these probes failed to detect run-on transcripts from kidney nuclei, indicating that the lack of CYP1A2 mRNA in this tissue is due to the lack of transcriptional activation of this gene by polycyclic aromatic compounds.
ERROR-CORRECTING PARSING FOR SYNTACTIC PATTERN RECOGNITION.

Abstract : The problem of modeling, analysis and reconstruction of noisy and/or distorted syntactic patterns is studied. Segmentation errors and primitive extraction errors can be treated as syntac errors and defined in terms of language transformation rules. Three types of error transformations are defined on strings, namely substitution, insertion and deletion. Consequently, the parser constructed according to the grammar generating the strings and the three types of transformations is called the error-correcting parser. This technique is also extended to tree languages. In formulating error-correcting tree automata (ECTA), five types of error-transformations on trees are defined, namely, substitution, split, stretch, branch and deletion. By way of using language transformations, the distance between two sentences can be determined. A definition of distance between a sentence and a language is proposed. Based on this definition, a clustering procedure is proposed, where error-correcting parsers are employed to determine the distance between an input syntactic pattern and a formed cluster, or a language.
Regression Methods for Epidemiologic Analysis

Basic tabular and graphical methods are an essential component of epidemiologic analysis and are often sufficient, especially when one need consider only a few variables at a time. They are, however, limited in the number of variables that they can examine simultaneously. Even sparse-strata methods (such as Mantel-Haenszel) require that some strata have two or more subjects; yet, as more and more variables or categories are added to a stratification, the number of subjects in each stratum may eventually drop to 0 or 1.
Exploiting social ties for cooperative D2D communications: a mobile social networking case

Thanks to the convergence of pervasive mobile communications and fast-growing online social networking, mobile social networking is penetrating into our everyday life. Aiming to develop a systematic understanding of mobile social networks, in this paper we exploit social ties in human social networks to enhance cooperative device-to-device (D2D) communications. Specifically, as handheld devices are carried by human beings, we leverage two key social phenomena, namely social trust and social reciprocity, to promote efficient cooperation among devices. With this insight, we develop a coalitional game-theoretic framework to devise social-tie-based cooperation strategies for D2D communications. We also develop a network-assisted relay selection mechanism to implement the coalitional game solution, and show that the mechanism is immune to group deviations, individually rational, truthful, and computationally efficient. We evaluate the performance of the mechanism by using real social data traces. Simulation results corroborate that the proposed mechanism can achieve significant performance gain over the case without D2D cooperation.
Exploiting protein homeostasis for cancer therapy (472.2)

Cancer cells often harbor numerous genomic insults and an altered metabolism. Together, these changes impede protein folding and assembly. As a result, cancer cells can have an elevated dependence on mechanisms that sustain protein assembly and quality control. To test whether cancer cells are hypersensitive to inhibition of protein homeostasis pathways, we seek to develop small molecule antagonists of ubiquitin system enzymes involved in protein quality control. In particular, we have been pursuing the proteasome, the COP9-Signalosome, and the ubiquitin-selective ‘segregase’ p97/VCP. Over the past 5 years we have carried out HTS against these targets through the NIH’s Molecular Libraries Program. Analysis of structure-activity relationships for the resulting hits has led to enzyme inhibitors with IC50 ~0.1-1 µM that are active in cells. These compounds are useful tools for basic research and represent starting points for drug discovery. My talk will focus on our recent progress in developing novel small ...
The network equilibrium problem in integers

In the usual approach to network equilibrium models, the flow variables are modeled as continuous. When the problem under study involves discrete decision makers each controlling an indivisible unit of flow, another approach is called for. We treat the problem as an n-person noncooperative game with pure strategies corresponding to feasible paths through the network. It is shown that pure-strategy Nash equilibria exist and that any solution to an integer-variable analogue of the usual network equilibrium model is such a Nash equilibrium. It is also shown that when individuals can control more than a single unit of flow and want to minimize the sum of their costs, pure-strategy Nash equilibria do not necessarily exist.
Production and engineering of terpenoids in plant cell culture

Terpenoids are a diverse class of natural products that have many functions in the plant kingdom and in human health and nutrition. Their chemical diversity has led to the discovery of over 40,000 different structures, with several classes serving as important pharmaceutical agents, including the anticancer agents paclitaxel (Taxol) and terpenoid-derived indole alkaloids. Many terpenoid compounds are found in low yield from natural sources, so plant cell cultures have been investigated as an alternate production strategy. Metabolic engineering of whole plants and plant cell cultures is an effective tool to both increase terpenoid yield and alter terpenoid distribution for desired properties such as enhanced flavor, fragrance or color. Recent advances in defining terpenoid metabolic pathways, particularly in secondary metabolism, enhanced knowledge concerning regulation of terpenoid accumulation, and application of emerging plant systems biology approaches, have enabled metabolic engineering of terpenoid production. This paper reviews the current state of knowledge of terpenoid metabolism, with a special focus on production of important pharmaceutically active secondary metabolic terpenoids in plant cell cultures. Strategies for defining pathways and uncovering rate-influencing steps in global metabolism, and applying this information for successful terpenoid metabolic engineering, are emphasized.
Antibacterial Activity Demonstrated by Culture Filtrates of Proteus Mirabilis Isolated from Screwworm (Cochliomyia Hominworax) (Diptera: Calliphoridae) Larvae

Several strains of Proteus mirabilis isolated from screwworm ( Cochliomyia hominivorax ) (Diptera: Calliphoridae) larvae were found to produce a bactericidal substance (mirabilicide). The mirabilicide was extracted from culture filtrates at pH 2.9 with chloroform. Both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria were susceptible to mirabilicide. A coagulase-positive strain of Staphylococcus aureus (boil isolate) was killed 4 min; however, a strain of Providencia rettgeri (formerly in the genus Proteus ) isolated from screwworm larvae showed significant resistance to the mirabilicide. Ultrastructural and morphological changes in P. mirabilis cells exposed to mirabilicide were limited to cytoplasmic changes, while Salmonella typhimurium cells showed both cytoplasmic changes and cell wall modifications, although the cells did not lyse. Mirabilicide may play a significant role in the establishment of the nonpurulent, larval-infested wound.
Parallel-plate Flow Chamber and Continuous Flow Circuit to Evaluate Endothelial Progenitor Cells under Laminar Flow Shear Stress

The overall goal of this method is to describe a technique to subject adherent cells to laminar flow conditions and evaluate their response to well quantifiable fluid shear stresses. Our flow chamber design and flow circuit (Fig. 1) contains a transparent viewing region that enables testing of cell adhesion and imaging of cell morphology immediately before flow (Fig. 11A, B), at various time points during flow (Fig. 11C), and after flow (Fig. 11D). These experiments are illustrated with human umbilical cord blood-derived endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) and porcine EPCs. This method is also applicable to other adherent cell types, e.g. smooth muscle cells (SMCs) or fibroblasts. The chamber and all parts of the circuit are easily sterilized with steam autoclaving. In contrast to other chambers, e.g. microfluidic chambers, large numbers of cells (> 1 million depending on cell size) can be recovered after the flow experiment under sterile conditions for cell culture or other experiments, e.g. DNA or RNA extraction, or immunohistochemistry (Fig. 11E), or scanning electron microscopy. The shear stress can be adjusted by varying the flow rate of the perfusate, the fluid viscosity, or the channel height and width. The latter can reduce fluid volume or cell needs while ensuring that one-dimensional flow is maintained. It is not necessary to measure chamber height between experiments, since the chamber height does not depend on the use of gaskets, which greatly increases the ease of multiple experiments. Furthermore, the circuit design easily enables the collection of perfusate samples for analysis and/or quantification of metabolites secreted by cells under fluid shear stress exposure, e.g. nitric oxide (Fig. 12).
Predictors of seizure occurrence in children undergoing pre-surgical monitoring

Abstract Purpose Long-Term-Monitoring (LTM) is a valuable tool for seizure localization/lateralization among children with refractory-epilepsy undergoing pre-surgical-monitoring. The aim of this study was to examine the factors predicting occurrence of single/multiple seizures in children undergoing pre-surgical monitoring in the LTM unit. Methods Chart review was done on 95 consecutive admissions on 92 children (40 females) admitted to the LTM-unit for pre-surgical workup. Relationship between occurrence of multiple (≥3) seizures and factors such as home seizure-frequency, demographics, MRI-lesions/seizure-type and localization/AED usage/neurological-exam/epilepsy-duration was evaluated by logistic-regression and survival-analysis. Home seizure-frequency was further categorized into low (up-to 1/month), medium (up-to 1/week) and high (>1/week) and relationship of these categories to the occurrence of multiple seizures was evaluated. Mean length of stay was 5.24 days in all 3 groups. Results Home seizure frequency was the only factor predicting the occurrence of single/multiple seizures in children undergoing presurgical workup. Other factors (age/sex/MRI-lesions/seizure-type and localization/AED-usage/neurological-exam/epilepsy-duration) did not affect occurrence of single/multiple seizures or time-to-occurrence of first/second seizure. Analysis of the home-seizure frequency categories revealed that 98% admissions in high-frequency, 94% in the medium, and 77% in low-frequency group had at-least 1 seizure recorded during the monitoring. Odds of first-seizure increased in high vs. low-frequency group ( p =0.01). Eighty-nine percent admissions in high-frequency, 78% in medium frequency, versus 50% in low-frequency group had ≥3 seizures. The odds of having ≥3 seizures increased in high-frequency ( p =0.0005) and in medium-frequency ( p =0.007), compared to low-frequency group. Mean time-to-first-seizure was 2.7 days in low-frequency, 2.1 days in medium, and 2 days in high-frequency group. Time-to-first-seizure in high and medium-frequency was less than in low-frequency group ( p p =0.038). Conclusion Majority of the admissions (92%) admitted to the LTM-unit for pre-surgical workup had at-least one seizure during a mean length of stay of 5.24 days. Home seizure-frequency was the only predictor influencing occurrence of single/multiple seizures in the LTM unit. Patients with low seizure-frequency are at risk for completing the monitoring with less than the optimum number (
Color Deducto: playing games to learn about color

Casual users of color frequently misunderstand the relationships between spatially adjacent colors or even the simpler concepts of value and chroma. In this paper we discuss the design and use of Color Deducto, a computer game that provides an enjoyable way for players to learn about color relationships. Players learn from Color Deducto in two ways. First, they learn by playing the game, which consists of a series of logic puzzles. In each puzzle, players must infer the rule that distinguishes 'matching' grids (arrangements of colors that satisfy the rule) from non-matching grids. Second, players learn by devising their own rules for others to infer.
Historical review of the treatment of bacterial vaginosis

The review of the treatment of bacterial vaginosis parallels the history of this syndrome. Before the syndrome was defined, treatment was local and nonspecific. Gardner and Dukes defined nonspecific vaginitis in 1955 as an infection caused by Haemophilus vaginalis. Therapy was directed toward this aerobic "pathogen" and included oral tetracycline and a triple sulfa vaginal cream. Subsequent studies indicated success with this regimen as well as with ampicillin, a drug with good aerobic activity. Since 1977, studies have shown the importance of anaerobes in this clinical syndrome. Both metronidazole and clindamycin have been found to have clinical success. The clinical definition of the disease makes evaluation of treatment difficult, because it includes women without symptoms.
Toward construct validity for DSM-III axis V

This study investigates the construct validity of DSM-III Axis V ratings, made in diverse clinical settings, by means of independent assessments of adaptive functioning. Three hundred and sixty-two patients received supervised multiaxial assessments and were then blindly reinterviewed with the Psychiatric Epidemiology Research Interview, which contains scales measuring various aspects of social and occupational functioning. A subsample of 154 patients received a second independent interview that assessed characteristics of the individuals' social networks. The results indicate that Axis V ratings (1) demonstrate predictable diagnostic and demographic group differences, and (2) are determined by both social and occupational variables, but occupational factors predominate. The significance of the results for defining the adaptive functioning construct, for methods of assessment, and for the revisions of Axis V in DSM-III-R, is discussed.
Multiphase reliability analysis of complex systems

Modern industrial systems assume different configurations to accomplish multiple objectives during different phases of operation, and the component parameters may also vary from one phase to the next. Consequently, reliability evaluation of complex multi-phased systems is a vital and challenging issue. Maximization of mission reliability of a multi-phase system via optimal asset selection is another key demand; incorporation of optimization issues adds to the complexities of reliability evaluation processes. Introduction of components having self-diagnostics and self-recovery capabilities, along with increased complexity and phase-dependent configuration variations in network architectures, requires new approaches for reliability evaluation. This paper considers the problem of evaluating the reliability of a complex multi-phased system with self-recovery/fault-protection options. The reliability analysis is based on a colored digraph (i.e., multi-functional) model that subsumes fault trees and digraphs as special cases. These models enable system designers to decide on system architecture modifications and to determine the optimum levels of redundancy. A sum of disjoint products (SDP) approach is employed to compute system reliability. We also formulated the problem of optimal asset selection in a multi-phase system as one of maximizing the probability of mission success under random load profiles on components. Different methods (e.g., ordinal optimization, robust design, and nonparametric statistical testing) are explored to solve the problem. The resulting analytical expressions and the software tool are demonstrated on a generic programmable software-controlled switchgear, a data bus controller system and a multi-phase mission involving helicopters.
NOVEL AQUEOUS FOAMS FOR SUPPRESSING VOC EMISSION

Reducing volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions from crude oil/gasoline distribution and storage facilities is important in controlling environmental pollution and enhancing workplace safety. Stable aqueous foam formulations are developed to provide a mass transfer barrier to the emission of VOCs during loading of gasoline. Experiments are carried out in a bench-scale foam cell using liquid hexane as oil. The foam columns of 32 cm in height were able to suppress the plateau concentration of hexane vapors in the effluent by 87% under experimental conditions tested. Vapor suppression increased with foam height but was almost insensitive to liquid viscosity. These experiments are then upscaled from bench-scale to a vessel having an exposed surface area of roughly 2 orders of magnitude higher. Gasoline is used as oil in the upscaled experiments, and the concentrations of volatile hydrocarbons in the effluent are measured during oil loading. A 40-cm-thick foam column is found to reduce the emissions by 96% ...
The role of calcium in mucin packaging within goblet cells.

Recent reports hypothesize that calcium plays an important role in providing cationic shielding to keep negatively charged mucins condensed and tightly packed within mucus granules of goblet cells. Vitamin D controls mineral ion homeostasis and intestinal calcium absorption, which is mediated by the nuclear vitamin D receptor (VDR). Hypocalcemia is observed in mice in which the VDR has been ablated. The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that normal levels of calcium are required for the physiological packaging of mucins, by comparing the morphology and mucin extractability of conjunctival goblet cells of VDR-ablated to wild-type control mice. Whole eyes from C57/129/sv hybrid wild-type, VDR-ablated, and VDR-ablated mice fed a diet high in calcium to normalize serum ionized calcium levels were fixed in situ and processed for light and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Mucin extractability from sections of mouse eyes was assessed by lectin-blot, using helix pomatia agglutinin (HPA), and mucin content within goblet cells was assessed by immunohistochemistry, using an antibody specific to the goblet cell mucin Muc5AC. Altered mucin packaging in the goblet cells of VDR-ablated mice as compared to control mice was observed by both light and electron microscopy. In the VDR-ablated mice, the mucin packets varied in size and staining. In contrast, in the controls, the secretory granules appeared regular and uniform. By TEM, mucin packets in the VDR-ablated mice showed dispersed fibrillar and less electron-dense material compared to the homogeneous and more electron-dense packets in wild type. The appearance of mucin packets in the VDR-ablated mice with restored calcium levels was comparable to those of the wild-type control mice. HPA binding to mucin extracted from sections of VDR mouse eyes was reduced when compared to that from wild type. By immunohistochemistry, there was markedly less binding of the antibody to the mucin Muc5AC to goblet cells of VDR-ablated mice compared to controls.VDR-ablated mice presented altered conjunctival mucin packaging. There were lower levels of extractable and immunohistochemically localizable mucin in VDR-ablated mouse conjunctivas than in the wild-type controls. Restoration of ionized calcium levels in the VDR-ablated mice prevented altered mucin packaging, supporting the hypothesis that calcium is required for the physiological packaging of mucins in goblet cells.
Prosecuting Injuries in Early Modern Germany (ca. 1550–1650)

On Saturday, September 4, 1610, an urgent message arrived at the criminal court ( Zentgericht ) of Remlingen from the nearby rural market of Neubrunn: a dangerous criminal by the name of Georg Schmid, alias “Baker Georg,” had been apprehended the previous day, and the officials of the Zentgericht should come and get him. The chief magistrate ( Zentgraf ) Johann Muller, together with the court clerk and one of the jurors, accordingly rode out to Neubrunn, where the prisoner was handed over, but with the condition, as Muller subsequently reported, that if the prisoner should be released alive, and if he should cause any harm to any members of the community of Neubrunn in either the village [itself] or its fields, that they would in every case seek to recover these [damages] from the Remlingen Zentgericht, and moreover, that if they had reason to believe that the evildoer would [in fact] escape in this way, they would prefer that he die in prison.
Linking messages and form requests

Large organizations with sophisticated infrastructures have large form-based systems that manage the interaction between the user community and the infrastructure. In many cases, when a user needs to complete a form to accomplish a task, the user e-mails a description of the task to the appropriate form expert. In many cases this description is incomplete and the expert engages in a clarification dialog to determine the details of the task. Since many tasks and descriptions are routine, this e-mail dialog can be replaced with an intelligent user interface. The interface proactively reads e-mail (or IM) messages and assists the user in completing the associated task without involving the expert. To ground our vision in a specific application, we have built an agent that functions as a webmaster assistant. For example, a user emails the request: "Change John Doe's home phone number to 800-555-1212" to the agent. The webmaster agent then replies with the biographical data form displaying information about John Doe with the new phone number pre-filled in the form. The user then simply approves the change.In this paper we describe a prototype website maintenance agent that (i) allows users to express the updates they want to make in human terms (free text input expression of intent), and (ii) allows users to quickly repair any inference errors the agent makes. In addition, we present the results of a proof of concept study that details how interacting with a webmaster agent that makes inference errors is both more efficient (faster) and more effective (errors made to site) than sending a request to a human webmaster. We conclude the paper with a discussion of the application of our work to any form-based system.
Characterization of Oxidation-Induced Stacking Fault Rings in Cz Silicon: Photoluminescence Imaging and Visual Inspection After Wright etch

Abstract Oxidation-induced stacking fault rings in polished Cz silicon samples before and after thermal wet oxidation are investigated by use of photoluminescence imaging. Currently the standard procedure for OSF ring detection is to expose the samples to a toxic preferential etchant, e.g. a Wright solution, after a thermal oxidation. This solution primarily attacks the regions with stacking faults, allowing detection by visual inspection. Samples from the seed end of p-type Cz silicon ingots with resistivities of approximately 1 Ohm-cm were measured by PL imaging before and after a thermal oxidation process. Subsequently, Wright-etching was performed on the oxidized samples to expose stacking faults. The lifetime variations in the PL images were correlated with the location of the rings in the preferentially etched surfaces, and good agreement was found. The results show that for this crystal pulling process, even the PL images of unpassivated polished samples can be used to detect the OSF ring location. The thermal oxidation at 1100°C enhanced the contrast between the OSF ring and the rest of the sample in the PL image.
Multiple scattering in a two-dimensional rectangular medium exposed to collimated radiation.

Abstract Two-dimensional multiple scattering in a rectangular medium exposed to uniform collimated radiation is studied using an exact radiative transfer formulation. The two-dimensional integral equation is solved numerically by subtracting out the singularity of the kernel. Graphical and tabulated results of the flux and scattered intensity at the boundary of the rectangular medium, as well as the source function, are presented for a wide variety of geometrics exposed to normal incident, collimated radiation. Comparisons are made to existing solutions of two-dimensional radiative transfer in a one-dimensional geometry. Results of the source function using the first term of a Taylor series expansion are also presented. A method is presented for extending these results to the problem of a strongly anisotropic scattering phase function which is made up of a spike in the forward direction superimposed on an isotropic phase function.
Difference in dose-response curves for glucose-induced insulin and somatostatin release in rat pancreas.

Abstract We studied the glucose dependence of insulin and somatostatin release from rat pancreata, which were perfused in vitro in the presence of 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine (IBMX; 0.5 mM). Half-maximal insulin released occurred at approx. 12 mM glucose, and half-maximal somatostatin release at approx. 7 mM glucose.
Minimally invasive echo-guided placement of the cardiac tube in a ventriculoatrial shunt during pregnancy: technical note.

OBJECTIVE: We describe a minimally invasive echo-guided placement of the cardiac tube in a ventriculoatrial shunt in a young pregnant woman, in order to avoid any radiological procedure. METHODS: We used a central venous catheter placement kit for percutaneous echo-guided right internal jugular vein puncture located by a 7.5 mHz microlinear probe. Through the catheter, the distal portion of the shunt device was positioned into the internal jugular vein to the right atrium using ultrasound control by a 2.5 to 3.5 mHz probe in a four-chamber transthoracic view. RESULTS: Sonographic guidance in percutaneous placement of a vertebral artery shunt is a safe and fast minimally invasive technique that improves success rates and decreases complications such as incidental puncture of the carotid artery and pneumothorax. The use of a two-dimensional echocardiographic apparatus in a four-chamber transthoracic view is an accurate and simple method to verify the position of the distal tip of the shunt in the mid-right atrium with no risks for the patient. CONCLUSION: The use of these two techniques allows a minimally invasive, safe, accurate, and complete x-ray-free procedure.