cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
ACETYL MONOSES V. THE RATES OF HYDROLYSIS OF TETRAACETYLMETHYLMANNOSIDES AND OF TRIACETYLMETHYLLYXOSIDES

Fischer, Bergmann, and Rabel made the important discovery that on methylation of bromotriacetyl-Lrhamnose two crystalline triacetylmethyl-l-rhamnosides were formed, one with the specific rotation of 3-45.7” in acetylene tetrachloride, the other with the specific rotation of +2&O’ in the same solvent. The latter possessed an unusual stability of one of the acetyl groups, so that on saponification with alkali a monoacetylmethyl-l-rhamnoside was obtained. Dale2 and later Levene and Sobotka3 have shown that bromotetraacetyl-d-mannose also yields a tetraacetylmethyl-dmannoside which on saponification with alkali yields a monoacetylmethyl-d-mannoside. This form will be referred to in this discussion as the third form. The form of the tetraacetylmethyl-lrhamnoside with the rotation of +45.7” will be referred to as the second form, and the first will be considered the form which is obtained on acetylation of ol-methylrhamnoside. Fischer, Bergmann, and Rabe regarded the second form as the P form of the first cy form. The basis for their conclusion was the fact that the first and the second forms showed approximately the same rate of hydrolysis with acid, whereas the third form hydrolyzed at a much higher velocity. From bromotetraacetylmannose likewise two crystalline methyl-
A Metal-Free Route to Heterocyclic Trifluoromethyl- and Fluoroalkylselenolated Molecules

A metal-free methodology to easily synthesize various CF3Se-containing heterocyclic compounds has been developed through intramolecular ring closures of alkynes promoted with CF3SeCl. Moreover, this strategy has also been extended to other fluoroalkylselenyl groups.
Rotational Rheology of Bovine Serum Albumin Solutions: Confounding Effects of Impurities, Mechanistic Considerations and Potential Implications on Protein Formulation Development.

To show and rationalize the confounding effects on the rotational/oscillatory rheology of surface active impurities in commercial protein formulations such as bovine serum albumin, BSA. Bulk and interfacial rotational/oscillatory rheology were used to study the viscosity, complex viscosity, storage/elastic modulus, G’ and loss/viscous modulus, G”, as a function of time of aqueous formulations of BSA and their purified components. Viscosity/time profiles at steady shear for different commercial BSA products and lots showed viscosity increase, decrease and time-independent profiles at low shear rates. All lots showed shear thinning. BSA monomer and dimers/aggregates, in general, showed similar profiles. Addition of low levels of surfactant or high shear rates rendered all solutions to be Newtonian-like. Interfacial viscosity studies paralleled those on the rotational rheometer. G’ > G” with viscosity increase and G’ < G” with viscosity decrease over time. We provide a rational explanation for the time-dependent and source-dependent rheological behavior of aqueous formulations of commercially available BSA proteins based on the migration of protein and surface active impurities to the air/water interface within the rheometer plates leading to the formation and breakdown of protein networks. Highly purified proteins is warranted in rheological studies of protein drug product candidates.
The Effects of Diuretics on Salt Transport in Renal Diluting Segments

The purpose of this paper is to communicate recent work from our laboratory pertaining to the mechanism of the ADH-induced increase in salt absorption in the medullary thick ascending limb of Henle’s loop (mTALH) of mice. The specialized transport properties of the thick ascending limb of Henle’s loop enable this segment of the nephron to dissociate salt and water absorption. Sodium chloride absorption by the cortical and medullary thick ascending limb is responsible for urinary dilution, since these segments are water-impermeable, as well as urinary concentration by creating a hypertonic medullary interstitium. The primary site of action of the “loop” diuretics, the TALH absorbs roughly 15% of the filtered sodium load.
A Candidate Gene Approach to the Genetics of Normal Lipid Variation: DNA Association Studies and Genotype by Environment Interaction

The chronic diseases of later life such as diabetes, cancer and coronary heart disease represent the largest burden to public health. These complex diseases are the result of the interaction of numerous etiological factors, both genetic and environmental, each making a relatively small contribution to overall liability. Therefore, the contribution to disease risk of variation at any single gene is likely small when compared to all other risk factors combined. In addition, the contributing genes do not act alone; rather they are interacting with other genes and environmental factors in determining disease risk. Therefore, the effect of a gene measured in one environment or population may be very different from its effect in another.
On the Cataclysm of Judicial Elections and Other Popular Anti-Democratic Myths

In this essay, I survey the body of empirical evidence demonstrating the political efficacy of state supreme court elections, as well as the policy making role of judges and the impact of their personal preferences on judicial choice. As part of this discussion, I delineate the failed promises of judicial reform advocates about nonpartisan and retention elections, and the most recent inaccurate predictions about the consequences of Republican Party of Minnesota v. White (2002). Similarly, I discuss the current conceptual muddle impeding public dialogue whereby advocates define independence as freedom from elections and then decree that the integrity of the judiciary is being jeopardized when any form of electoral politics is present. This tautological loop tells us little without providing evidence of how these negative effects occur and with what consequence, and how any proposed solutions will correct the problem without introducing others that are worse. In this regard, I argue that discussions of reforming judicial elections should be considered within the broader framework of reforming elections generally. Concerns about the deleterious effects of money and negative tone are not limited to judicial elections. We should match solutions to problems and stop the hyperbolic tendency to insist that judicial elections end when any complication arises. Finally, I argue the need to integrate any proposed solutions with an overall assessment of what the pitfalls of the alternatives might be. In other words, advocacy should focus on the advantages and disadvantages of each system and not just on the negative aspects of judicial elections alone.
Effects of Temperature and Light in High Tunnel Primocane Red Raspberry Production

High tunnel production of primocane red raspberries extendsthe growing season, decreases winter injury, increases cane height and growth rate, and improves overall fruit quality and yield. However, tunnels have the potential to increase light intensity levels and result in high air and soil temperatures, which are detrimental to primocane red raspberry production. Soil and air temperatures above 16°C (60.8°F) and 24°C (75.2°F) and light intensity levels beyond 600 µmol·mˉ²sˉ¹ have been shown to decrease water uptake, encourage premature bud-dormancy, delay time to ripening, and reduce fruit quality and weight. The proposed study is intended to 1) assess the relationship between temperature and light intensity and their effect(s) on primocane raspberry growth and development, 2) evaluate how effective shade cloth and soil mulch are in reducing temperature and light intensity levels of high tunnel red raspberry production, and 3) provide relatively inexpensive solutions to minimize temperature and light intensity damage in protected red raspberry production during the warm summer monthsin Iowa.
Disabling Fields, Enabling Capital: Mothers with Disabilities and the Concerted Cultivation Habitus

This article examines the experiences of mothers with disabilities who engage in concerted cultivation, a parenting style commonly practiced in middle-class communities. The author explores these mothers' experiences in the "fields" of their children's schools and organized extracurricular activities. Findings illuminate how ruptures in these mothers' middle - class habitus occur as they confront accessibility barriers and social exclusion while engaging in concerted cultivation. These mothers are found to simultaneously deploy class-based resources to overcome these barriers. This analysis lays bare the ways in which the concerted cultivation habitus presumes a nondisabled identity.
Dipeptidyl Peptidase-4 Inhibitors and Inflammatory Bowel Disease Risk: A Meta-analysis:

Background: Dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP-4) inhibitors are a popular second-line treatment for type 2 diabetes mellitus. Several studies have reported on the association between DPP-4 inhibitors and...
The role of transcatheter aortic valve replacement in the patients with severe aortic stenosis requiring major non-cardiac surgery

Severe aortic stenosis (AS) is considered as an independent risk factor for perioperative cardiac complications of non-cardiac surgery. Surgical aortic valve replacement should be considered before non-cardiac surgery in patients with symptomatic severe AS. However, recently, transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) has emerged as an alternative approach for selected AS patients. We sought to determine the safety and efficacy of TAVR in preparation for major non-cardiac surgery. From our retrospective database, seven patients who underwent TAVR in preparation for major non-cardiac surgery were identified, and their clinical and hemodynamic data were collected. After TAVR, a significant reduction in the mean transaortic pressure gradient from 54.0 (Interquartile range (IQR) 47.5–64.5) to 18.0 (IQR 12.5–19.0) mmHg (p = 0.016) and an increase in the calculated aortic valve area from 0.6 (IQR 0.6–0.7) to 1.3 (IQR 1.1–1.5) cm2 (p = 0.022) were noted. Non-cardiac surgery included lung segmentectomy and lymph node dissection, lung lobectomy, ileocecal resection, partial colectomy, partial nephrectomy, nephroureterectomy, laparoscopic nephrectomy, and laparoscopic nephroureterectomy. All the initial non-cardiac surgeries were performed without cardiac complications, under general anesthesia, 37 (IQR 32–74) days after TAVR. Two of the patients eventually needed additional non-cardiac surgery, which was performed uneventfully without the need for additional AS treatment. TAVR was an effective and safe procedure that might reduce the risk of general anesthesia and major non-cardiac surgery in severe AS.
A Unified Unsupervised Gaussian Mixture Variational Autoencoder for High Dimensional Outlier Detection

Paradigm-shifting systems such as cyber-physical systems, collect data of high- or ultrahigh- dimensionality tremendously. Detecting outliers in this type of systems provides indicative understanding in wide-ranging domains such as system health monitoring, information security, etc. Previous dimensionality reduction based outlier detection methods suffer from the incapability of well preserving the critical information in the low-dimensional latent space, mainly because they generally assume an isotropic Gaussian distribution as prior and fail to mine the intrinsic multimodality in high dimensional data. Moreover, most of the schemes decouple the model learning process, resulting in suboptimal performance. To tackle these challenges, in this paper, we propose a unified Unsupervised Gaussian Mixture Variational Autoencoder for outlier detection. Specifically, a variational autoencoder firstly trains a generative distribution and extracts reconstruction based features. Then we adopt a deep brief network to estimate the component mixture probabilities by the latent distribution and extracted features, which is further used by the Gaussian mixture model to estimate sample densities with the Expectation-Maximization (EM) algorithm. The inference model is optimized jointly with the variational autoencoder, the deep brief network, and the Gaussian mixture model. Afterwards, the proposed detector identifies outliers when the estimated sample density exceeds a learned threshold. Extensive simulations on six public benchmark datasets show that the proposed framework outperforms state-of-the-art outlier detection schemes and achieves, on average, 27% improvements in F1 score.
The Relationship Between Autonomic Dysfunction of the Gastrointestinal Tract and Emotional Distress in Patients With Systemic Sclerosis.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES We hypothesized that emotional distress in systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients with moderate to severe gastrointestinal (GI) dysfunction is associated with dysautonomia. We sought to determine (1) the clinical characteristics associated with emotional distress in SSc, (2) the odds of having dysautonomia in those with emotional distress, and (3) whether GI dysautonomia, as measured by the Survey of Autonomic Symptoms (SAS), correlates with GI dysautonomia on the Composite Autonomic Symptom Score-31 (COMPASS-31). METHODS Clinical and demographic features from our prospective cohort study were compared among SSc patients with and without GI-associated emotional distress (University of California at Los Angeles Scleroderma Clinical Trial Consortium Gastrointestinal Tract 2.0 well-being subscale >0.5 or ≤0.5) in cross-sectional analysis. Covariates/confounders independently associated with emotional distress were used to construct multivariable logistic regression models. The COMPASS-31 and SAS GI subdomains were compared with Spearman correlation. RESULTS Forty-six patients with SSc were enrolled in the study. In univariate analyses, age (odds ratio [OR], 1.06; p = 0.026), severity of GI dysautonomia (COMPASS-31: OR, 1.41; p = 0.003), anti-centromere (A/B) antibodies (OR, 3.60; p = 0.044), and anti-PM-Scl (75/100) antibodies (OR, 0.15; p = 0.035) were associated with emotional distress. In the adjusted model, those with more severe GI dysautonomia remained more likely to have emotional distress (OR, 1.85; p = 0.026); those with anti-PM-Scl (75/100) antibodies were less likely to have emotional distress (OR, 0.03; p = 0.031). The SAS and COMPASS-31 GI subdomains moderately correlated (ρ = 0.68, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS In SSc, increased symptom burden related to GI dysautonomia is associated with emotional distress. Multidisciplinary approaches addressing both the physical and emotional needs of the SSc patient may be warranted to optimize patient care.
Discrete and looking (to profit): homoconnectivity on Grindr*

The queer dating and hookup app Grindr evidences a technological and economic intensification in queer spaces online. The dominant modality of capitalist power is no longer consumerist norms but th...
Validation of the prescription drug monitoring program Web site.

Objective: Evaluate the accuracy of the Pennsylvania Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PA PDMP) in patients undergoing upper extremity procedures. The authors hypothesized that the PA PDMP would provide an accurate account of the prescriptions that were filled. Design: The authors prospectively collected post-operative pain prescription information of patients undergoing outpatient upper extremity surgery over a 2-week period. Patient-reported prescription-filling of opioid was cross-referenced with the PA PDMP information. Setting: The study was performed at one private institution. Patients: One hundred and thirty-nine consecutive patients undergoing upper extremity procedures. Main outcome measure(s): The PA PDMP information was cross-referenced with the post-operative prescription in the medical record to confirm the patient filled the surgeon’s prescription. Results: Of the 111 patients who reported filling their prescription, 107 (96.4 percent) of these were confirmed on the PA PDMP Web site (96.4 percent sensitivity; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 91.0-99.0 percent). None of 28 patients who did not fill their prescription appeared in the database search, resulting in 100 percent specificity (95% CI: 87.7-100 percent). Consequently, the overall accuracy of the PA PDMP was shown to be 97.1 percent (95% CI: 92.8-99.2 percent). Conclusions: The authors’ results suggest that the PA PDMP and its many supplementary databases are accurate as it relates to monitoring opioid prescriptions.
Müllerian duct anomalies coincident with endometriosis: a review

The association between obstructed mullerian duct anomalies and endometriosis has been well established and the pathogenesis is attributed to the theory of retrograde menstruation. However, this relationship with endometriosis is less clear in women with unobstructed mullerian duct anomalies and in those with rudimentary uterine structures that lack functioning endometrial tissue. This article reviews the embryology, genetics, pathophysiology, and American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) classification for mullerian duct anomalies together with the genetics and pathophysiology of endometriosis to provide a framework for understanding the complex relationship between these two entities. Available published data examining the coexistence of endometriosis in relationship to mullerian duct anomalies, including studies that stratify this relationship according to specific classes of anomalies, are reviewed and organized. Awareness of the increased prevalence of endometriosis among patients with uterine anomalies, particularly those with outflow obstruction, may facilitate early diagnosis of endometriosis and subsequent intervention, with the potential to reverse disease symptoms and arrest disease progression.
Landscape shape adjusted compactness index for urban areas

Scattered urban development leads to non-compact urban form. In this paper, I demonstrate that Index of Moment of Inertia is a useful metric to measure compactness. However, elongated political boundaries and natural restrictions severely distort the metric, rendering it less useful for monitoring urban development. I propose a landscape shape adjustment of this metric that retains some of the useful properties of the Index.
Vortex ring bifurcation and secondary structures in a finite-span synthetic jet

An experimental investigation using stereo particle image velocimetry (SPIV) was performed to study the vortex dynamics of an aspect ratio 13 rectangular orifice synthetic jet issuing into quiescent fluid. Data were obtained on the orifice centreline planes for four Reynolds numbers and five Strouhal numbers, ranging from 298 to 731 and 0.039 to 0.100, respectively. At one condition, SPIV data obtained on parallel planes distributed across the width of the jet were used to reconstruct the three-dimensional, three-component velocity field. The results reveal that the axis switching deformations of the non-circular vortex rings give rise to several types of secondary structures. Before the primary vortex ring completed its first axis switch, the anti-parallel sides of the ring collided, resulting in vorticity reconnection. Consequently, the elongated vortex ring bifurcated into two circular vortex rings which propagated off along independent paths. The development and structure of vortex ring bifurcation in addition to the bifurcation's effect on the jet shape, momentum and entrainment are presented. The bifurcation process captured in the synthetic jet experiment is similar in many ways to computational simulations of isolated vortex rings. Despite these similarities and the fact that vortex ring bifurcation was detected for all conditions tested, it is shown that the bifurcation process is sensitive to the unique conditions in synthetic jets, specifically the proximity of other vortex rings as indicated by the Strouhal number. Finally, the results at different jet conditions are discussed in relation to prior studies of synthetic jets.
Matching Representations of Explainable Artificial Intelligence and Eye Gaze for Human-Machine Interaction.

Rapid non-verbal communication of task-based stimuli is a challenge in human-machine teaming, particularly in closed-loop interactions such as driving. To achieve this, we must understand the representations of information for both the human and machine, and determine a basis for bridging these representations. Techniques of explainable artificial intelligence (XAI) such as layer-wise relevance propagation (LRP) provide visual heatmap explanations for high-dimensional machine learning techniques such as deep neural networks. On the side of human cognition, visual attention is driven by the bottom-up and top-down processing of sensory input related to the current task. Since both XAI and human cognition should focus on task-related stimuli, there may be overlaps between their representations of visual attention, potentially providing a means of nonverbal communication between the human and machine. In this work, we examine the correlations between LRP heatmap explanations of a neural network trained to predict driving behavior and eye gaze heatmaps of human drivers. The analysis is used to determine the feasibility of using such a technique for enhancing driving performance. We find that LRP heatmaps show increasing levels of similarity with eye gaze according to the task specificity of the neural network. We then propose how these findings may assist humans by visually directing attention towards relevant areas. To our knowledge, our work provides the first known analysis of LRP and eye gaze for driving tasks.
259-OR: The Effect of Impaired Glucagon Suppression on Endogenous Glucose Production Is Independent of Insulin Action

Type 2 diabetes is a disease characterized by impaired insulin secretion and defective glucagon suppression in the postprandial period. We examined the effect of impaired glucagon suppression on glucose concentrations and Endogenous Glucose Production (EGP) at different degrees of insulin secretory impairment. The contribution of anthropometric characteristics, peripheral, and hepatic, insulin action to this variability was also examined. To do so, we studied 54 nondiabetic subjects on two occasions in which endogenous hormone secretion was inhibited by somatostatin, with glucagon infused at a rate of 0.65 ng/kg/min, at 0 min to prevent a fall in glucagon (non-suppressed day) or at 120 min to create a transient fall in glucagon (suppressed day). Subjects received glucose (labeled with [3-3H]-glucose) infused to mimic the systemic appearance of 50g oral glucose. Insulin was infused to mimic a prandial insulin response in 18 subjects, another 18 received 80% of the dose and the remaining 18 received 60%. EGP was measured using the tracer-dilution technique. Decreased prandial insulin resulted in greater % increase in peak glucose (56±5 vs. 44±6 vs. 31±6 %, p=0.01 - 0.6, 0.8 and 1.0 dose respectively) but not in integrated (area above basal - AAB) glucose (39±4 vs. 43±9 vs. 36±9 %, p=0.82) caused by non-suppressed glucagon. The % change in integrated EGP was unaffected by insulin dose (51±20 vs. 27±19 vs. 22±18 %, p=0.53). Multivariate regression analysis, adjusted for age, sex, weight and insulin dose, did not show a relationship (R2=0.04, p=0.21) between the EGP response to impaired suppression of glucagon and insulin action as measured at the time of screening by oral glucose tolerance. A similar analysis for hepatic insulin action did not show a relationship (R2=0.06, p=0.06) with the EGP response to non-suppressed glucagon. These data indicate that the change in EGP produced by impaired glucagon suppression is independent of anthropometric characteristics and insulin action. Disclosure M. C. Laurenti: None. A. M. Egan: None. D. Schembri wismayer: None. C. Cobelli: None. C. Dalla man: Research Support; Self; Becton, Dickinson and Company, Sanofi-Aventis Deutschland GmbH. A. Vella: Research Support; Self; Novo Nordisk. Funding National Institutes of Health (DK116231, DK78646)
Hyperuricemia, Elevated Body Mass Index, Female Sex, and Albuminuria Increase the Probability of Elevated High-Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein: Results From the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2015–2018

Importance: High uric acid (UA) is hypothesized to worsen kidney and cardiovascular disease morbidity via activation of systemic inflammation. Clinical trials of UA modification report reduction of the inflammatory marker high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) as an outcome measure, but studies have not demonstrated that hyperuricemia independently increases hs-CRP when adjusted for important confounders such as body mass index (BMI), sex, and age. Objective: To identify clinical risk factors for elevated hs-CRP, including but not limited to hyperuricemia, through a cross-sectional analysis of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2015-2018. Results: In the final multivariate logistic regression model, the exposure with the strongest effect on the odds of elevated hs-CRP was BMI in the fourth quartile, OR = 13.1 (95% CI 6.25-27.42), followed by female sex (OR = 4.9, 95% CI 2.92-8.34), hyperuricemia (OR = 2.2, 95% CI 1.36-3.45), urine albumin creatinine ratio (ACR; OR = 1.5, 95% CI 1.09-2.18), poor overall health (OR = 1.4, 95% CI 1.18-1.58), and interactions between hyperuricemia and sex (OR = 1.4, 95% CI 1.05-1.83), and between BMI and sex (OR = 1.2, 95% CI 1.03-1.47). Notably, chronic kidney disease (CKD) and CKD surrogates were not associated with hs-CRP despite urine ACR maintaining a significant independent effect. Conclusions: In this national population-based study, we demonstrated that hyperuricemia significantly increases the odds of elevated hs-CRP, independent from BMI, female sex, urine ACR, and overall health status. Further study is recommended to better understand the sex difference in this association and the role of albuminuria, but not CKD, in systemic inflammation.
Patient Perspectives on the Cost of Hand Surgery.

BACKGROUND Health-care expenditures in the U.S. are continually rising, prompting providers, patients, and payers to search for solutions to reduce costs while maintaining quality. The present study seeks to define the out-of-pocket price that patients undergoing hand surgery are willing to pay, and also queries the potential cost-cutting measures that patients are most and least comfortable with. We hypothesized that respondents would be less accepting of higher out-of-pocket costs. METHODS A survey was developed and distributed to paid, anonymous respondents through Amazon Mechanical Turk. The survey introduced 3 procedures: carpal tunnel release, cubital tunnel release, and open reduction and internal fixation of a distal radial fracture. Respondents were randomized to 1 of 5 out-of-pocket price options for each procedure and asked if they would pay that price. Respondents were then presented with various cost-saving methods and asked to select the options that made them most uncomfortable, even if those would save them out-of-pocket costs. RESULTS There were 1,408 respondents with a mean age of 37 years (range, 18 to 74 years). Nearly 80% of respondents were willing to pay for all 3 of the procedures regardless of which price they were presented. Carpal tunnel release was the most price-sensitive, with rejection rates of 17% at the highest price ($3,000) and 6% at the lowest ($250). Open reduction and internal fixation was the least price-sensitive, with rejection rates of 11% and 6% at the highest and lowest price, respectively. The use of older-generation implants was the least acceptable cost-cutting measure, at 50% of respondents. CONCLUSIONS The present study showed that most patients are willing to pay a considerable amount of money out of pocket for hand surgery after the condition, treatment, and outcomes are explained to them. Furthermore, respondents are hesitant to sacrifice advanced technology despite increased costs.
A History of Chile, 1808-2002

A History of Chile chronicles the nation's political, social, and economic evolution from its independence until the early years of the Lagos regime. Employing primary and secondary materials, it explores the growth of Chile's agricultural economy, during which the large landed estates appeared; the nineteenth-century wheat and mining booms; the rise of the nitrate mines; their replacement by copper mining; and the diversification of the nation's economic base. This volume also traces Chile's political development from oligarchy to democracy, culminating in the election of Salvador Allende, his overthrow by a military dictatorship, and the return of popularly elected governments. Additionally, the volume examines Chile's social and intellectual history: the process of urbanization, the spread of education and public health, the diminution of poverty, the creation of a rich intellectual and literary tradition, the experiences of middle and lower classes and the development of Chile's unique culture.
Charting a New Course for the Workplace with an Experience Framework

Like many, our company had a wealth of data about business users that included both big data by-products of operations (e.g., transactions) and outputs of traditional User Experience (UX) methods (e.g. interviews). To fully leverage the combined intelligence of this rich data, we had to aggregate big data and the outputs of traditional UX together. By connecting user stories to big data, we could test the generalizability of insights of qualitative studies against the larger world of business users and what they actually do. Similarly, big data benefited from the rich contextual insights found in more traditional UX studies. In this paper, we present a hybrid analysis approach that allowed us to leverage the combined intelligence of big data and outputs of UX methods. This approach allowed us to define an over-arching experience framework that provided actionable insights across the enterprise. We will discuss the underlying methodology, key learnings and how the work is revolutionizing experience decision making within the enterprise.
Nature's agents or agents of empire? Entomological workers and environmental change during the construction of the Panama Canal.

ABSTRACT This essay examines the role that entomological workers played in U.S. public health efforts during the construction of the Panama Canal (1904–1914). Entomological workers were critical to mosquito control efforts aimed at the reduction of tropical fevers such as malaria. But in the process of studying vector mosquitoes, they discovered that many of the conditions that produced mosquitoes were not intrinsic to tropical nature per se but resulted from the human‐caused environmental disturbances that accompanied canal building. This realization did not mesh well with an American ideology of tropical triumphalism premised on the notion that the Americans had conquered unalloyed tropical nature in Panama. The result, however, was not a coherent counternarrative but a set of intra‐administrative tensions over what controlling nature meant in Panama. Ultimately, entomological workers were loyal not just to the U.S. imperial mission in Panama but also to a modernist culture of science and to the working...
DNS-based Internet client clustering and characterization

This paper proposes a novel protocol which uses the Internet domain name system (DNS) to partition Web clients into disjoint sets, each of which is associated with a single DNS server. We define an L-DNS cluster to be a grouping of Web clients that use the same Local DNS server to resolve Internet host names. We identify such clusters in real-time using data obtained from a Web Server in conjunction with that server's authoritative DNS-both instrumented with an implementation of our clustering algorithm. Using these clusters, we perform measurements from four distinct Internet locations. Our results show that L-DNS clustering enables a better estimation of proximity of a Web client to a Web server than previously proposed techniques. Thus, in a content distribution network, a DNS-based scheme that redirects a request from a web client to one of many servers based on the client's name server coordinates (e.g., hops/latency/loss-rates) would perform better with our algorithm.
Transcriptional activation of promoters of the superoxide and multiple antibiotic resistance regulons by Rob, a binding protein of the Escherichia coli origin of chromosomal replication

The Rob protein, isolated on the basis of its ability to bind to the right arm of the Escherichia coli origin of chromosomal replication, is about 50% identical in amino acid sequence to SoxS and MarA, the direct regulators of the superoxide (soxRS) and multiple antibiotic resistance (mar) regulons, respectively. Having previously demonstrated that SoxS (as a MalE-SoxS fusion protein) and MarA are essentially identical in their abilities to activate in vitro transcription of genes of the sox-mar regulons, we investigated the properties of Rob as a transcriptional activator. We found that Rob (i) activates the transcription of zwf,fpr,fumC, micF, nfo, and sodA, (ii) requires a 21-bp soxbox-marbox-robbox sequence to activate zwf transcription, (iii) protects the soxbox/marbox/robbox from attack by DNase 1, (iv) is ambidextrous, i.e., requires the C-terminal domain of the alpha subunit of RNA polymerase for activation of zwf but not fumC or micF, (v) bends zwf and fumC DNA, and (vi) binds zwf and fumC DNA as a monomer. Since these transcription activation properties of Rob are virtually identical to those of MalE-SoxS and MarA, it appears as if the E. coli genome encodes three genes with the same functional capacity. However, in contrast to SoxS and MarA, whose syntheses are induced by specific environmental stimuli and elicit a clear defense response, Rob is expressed constitutively and its normal function is unknown.
Semantic data modeling support for CAD

The Scrimshaw system is an interactive design tool that supports the creation and editing of three-dimensional hierarchically detailed graphical objects. Scrimshaw is based on an object-oriented data model that permits the construction of arbitrary images. Object types are organized in an is-instance-of hierarchy that provides for inheritance. A locality mechanism adds flexibility by permitting minor deviations in typing without the creation of numerous subtypes. The functionality of Scrimshaw is illustrated by an extensive example of its object-editing capabilities.
Performance Pricing in Debt Contracts

In this paper we examine the decision to include performance pricing in lending contracts and we examine how that decision affects the spread that is charged on the loan. We find that contracts are more likely to include this feature when moral hazard costs are expected to be higher, uncertainty about changes in borrower credit risk is greater, managers willingness to bear increased risk is lower, adverse selection problems are larger, and when there are likely to be more renegotiation costs. Consistent with performance pricing reducing these problems, we find that after controlling for a selectivity correction and other factors known to affect loan spreads, the spread charged on a loan is 117 basis points lower when the price of the loan varies with the performance of the borrower. These results suggests that performance pricing provides a mechanism in addition to other contract features, such as covenants and loan maturity, that can be used to address some of the problems associated with debt.
Sojourn times of brownian sheet

Keyword and Phrases Brownian sheet, arcsine law, Feynman-Kac formula AMS 1991 Subject Classification 60G60.
Hypermedia for avionic system software

The Hypermedia for Avionic System Software (HASS) was developed for the United States Air Force Wright Laboratory under contract with the Charles Stark Draper Laboratory. The Hypermedia Avionics Software Support (HASS) System is a prototype that demonstrates how access to technical reference manuals can be improved with the use of a computer utilizing the new techniques of hypermedia. The HASS framework consists of two parts: the Document Loader and the Reference System. Using the Document Loader, an author loads text, video, and audio, relating to a particular project into a database. The Reference System retrieves and presents the desired information stored in the database. The hypermedia links are created dynamically using standard database queries and require no maintenance. >
Epidemiologic correlates of pyrazinamide resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis in New York City

Pyrazinamide (PZA) has important sterilizing activity in tuberculosis (TB) chemotherapy. We describe trends, risk factors, and molecular epidemiology associated with PZA-resistant (PZAr) Mycobacterium tuberculosis in New York City (NYC). From 2001 to 2008, all incident culture-positive TB cases reported by the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) were genotyped by IS6110-based restriction fragment length polymorphism and spoligotype. Multidrug-resistant (MDR) isolates underwent DNA sequencing of resistance-determining regions of pncA, rpoB, katG, and fabG1. Demographic and clinical information were extracted from the NYC DOHMH TB registry. During this period, PZAr doubled (1.6% to 3.6%) overall, accounting for 44% (70/159) of the MDR population and 1.4% (75/5511) of the non-MDR population. Molecular genotyping revealed strong microbial phylogenetic associations with PZAr. Clustered isolates and those from acid-fast bacillus (AFB) smear-positive cases had 2.7 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.71 to 4.36) and 2.0 (95% CI = 1.19 to 3.43) times higher odds of being PZAr, respectively, indicating a strong likelihood of recent transmission. Among the MDR population, PZAr was acquired somewhat more frequently via primary transmission than by independent pathways. Our molecular analysis also revealed that several historic M. tuberculosis strains responsible for MDR TB outbreaks in the early 1990s were continuing to circulate in NYC. We conclude that the increasing incidence of PZAr, with clear microbial risk factors, underscores the importance of routine PZA drug susceptibility testing and M. tuberculosis genotyping for the identification, control, and prevention of increasingly resistant organisms.
Complementary and alternative medicine use in African Americans with rheumatoid arthritis.

Objective Racial/ethnic differences with regard to complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use have been reported in the US. However, specific details of CAM use by African Americans with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are lacking. Methods Data were collected from African Americans with RA enrolled in a multicenter registry regarding the use of CAM, including food supplements, topical applications, activities, and alternative care providers. Factors associated with CAM use by sex and disease duration were assessed using t-test, Wilcoxon's rank sum test, chi-square test, and logistic regression analyses. Results Of the 855 participants, 85% were women and mean age at enrollment was 54 years. Overall, ever using any of the CAM treatments, activities, and providers was 95%, 98%, and 51%, respectively (median of 3 for number of treatments, median of 5 for activities, and median of 1 for providers). Those with longer disease duration (>2 years) were significantly more likely (odds ratio ≥2.0, P < 0.05) to use raisins soaked in vodka/gin, to take fish oils, or to drink alcoholic beverages for RA treatment than those with early disease. As compared to men, women were significantly (P < 0.05) more likely to pray/attend church, write in a journal, and use biofeedback, but were less likely to smoke tobacco or topically apply household oils for treatment of RA. Conclusion CAM use was highly prevalent in this cohort, even in individuals with early disease. Health care providers need to be aware of CAM use as some treatments may potentially have interactions with conventional medicines. This could be important within this cohort of African Americans, where racial disparities are known to affect access to conventional care.
Analysis Of Current Electro-Optical Modeling And Field Testing In The Smoked Environment

Results of recent research efforts to quantify effects of battlefield countermeasure smokes on electro-optical sensor performance are presented. The approach is through modeling and testing with emphasis on comparison of modeling theories with results from major smoke effectiveness field tests. The scope of the modeling includes effects of extinction, scattering and (thermal) emission for scenarios from the visible through the infrared. The work represents preliminary results of a long range effort to couple all factors which ultimately effect sophisticated electro-optical sensors. Special emphasis is given to modeling path radiance.© (1981) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Carbon Tetrachloride Effect on Liver Autotransplants with Totally Reversed Blood Flow

LOCALIZATION of injury to specific zones in the liver lobule after the administration of many toxins is well recognized1. Carbon tetrachloride, an agent extensively examined in hepatotoxicology, characteristically produces centrilobular necrosis and lipid accumulation. Himsworth2 and, more recently, Brody3 suggested that the centriobular location of injury after acute carbon tetrachloride intoxication resulted from centrilobular ischaemia secondary to the hydrocarbon's effect (directly or indirectly) on blood passing from the periphery to the centre of the lobule. This concept has been challenged on several grounds including the observation that the earliest signs of parenchymal cell injury precede vascular changes associated with ischaemia4. Several investigations have indicated that hepatic cells within different zones of the lobule have dissimilar function5. This has been ascribed to the relation of the hepatic cell to the blood flow through the lobule which causes these cells to adopt particular functions in accordance with available substrates or metabolites in the blood. Wilson describes certain zonal functions as representing habitual patterns of activity which become characteristic of hepatocytes in a particular location6. Zonal heterogeneity of function may explain the centrilobular location of acute carbon tetrachloride injury if it is assumed that hepatocytes in this location are susceptible to its effect.
Physicians' knowledge and practices regarding natural family planning.

Abstract Objective: To assess physicians’ knowledge and practices of modern methods of natural family planning. Methods: A questionnaire was mailed to 840 physicians selected randomly from Missouri state licensing records for obstetrics-gynecology, family practice, general practice, and general internal medicine. Results: The response rate was 65%. A total of 375 physicians (69% of respondents) saw women for reproductive issues. About half (46%) of physicians reported that they mentioned natural family planning to at least some women when discussing family planning issues. Observing vaginal discharge of cervical mucus was discussed by 40% of physicians in the context of avoiding pregnancy and by 36% of physicians in the context of helping a couple achieve pregnancy. Twenty-two percent of physicians estimated the best possible effectiveness of natural family planning to avoid pregnancy to be greater than 90%, and 35% estimated the actual effectiveness to avoid pregnancy to be greater than 70%. (The threshold rates of 90% best possible effectiveness and 70% actual effectiveness were chosen to be somewhat less than those reported in medical literature.) Physicians who gave higher estimates of effectiveness of natural family planning and physicians who were aware of an instructor in their community were more likely to provide women with relevant information about natural family planning. Conclusion: Most physicians, especially those unaware of availability of instructors in their areas, underestimate the effectiveness of natural family planning and do not give information about modern methods to women.
Remote sensing of snow albedo for determination of dustfall.

Changes in snow reflectivity as a function of dustfall were used to measure dust deposition rates in terms of satellite reflectivity data. The results show that for dry snow conditions, snow reflectivity can be approximated by Kubelka-Munk theory. Dustfall above threshold values of 10μg/cm2 can be detected using Land-sat computer tape data. Determination of dust deposition over ice-covered lakes and harbors appears in good agreement with sampling measurements.
Neural network applications in surface topography

Abstract There is an industrial need for the measurement and classification of the topography of engineering surfaces - two-dimensional (2-D) analysis is fast, but limited in the usefulness of the results obtainable whilst the three-dimensional (3-D) approach offers greater scope. Unfortunately, the data analysis step for 3-D data characterisation can be time-consuming, and often requires a skilled metrologist. The approach has therefore been adopted only with reluctance for on-line work. This Paper presents an approach to on-line 3-D surface characterisation/classification (for quality control purposes) based on artificial neural networks (ANN). Inter-surface classification has allowed the authors to place any new surface received by the system into its correct manufacturing process group (honed, turned, shot-blasted etc.). The second part of this work - reported here - has enabled the authors to reliably and consistently place surfaces in different roughness categories (for example, worn and unworn). Such a system, together with the classification module previously developed, would serve as a quality control tool, by interrogating surfaces presented to it and making reliable predictions on the state of the manufacturing process.
Effects of active immunization with ovine FSH on the reproductive capacity of female rats and rabbits.

The reproductive performance of female rats and rabbits was impaired after active immunization with ovine follicle stimulating hormone. The female rats responded to the immunization by becoming anestrous, exhibiting nonmating behavior or having sterile matings. These responses were not different from those of the animals that had been immunized with luteinizing hormone (Endocrinology 82: 1109, 1968). That there is a distinct difference between FSH and LH immunization can be seen, however, in the appearance of the ovarian tissue. The ovaries of the FSH immunized animals demonstrated diminished follicular development with persistent corpora lutea, whereas the ovaries of the LH immunized animals had a dearth of luteal tissue, with evident follicular development. The reproductive capacity of female rabbits was likewise impaired. Successful insemination was followed by diminished litter size, fetal reabsorption, or no pregnancies. (Endocrinology 84: 185, 1969)
Radiotherapy and radiosurgery for skull base tumors

Tumors arising in the vicinity of the skull base are relatively uncommon; however, lesions that may be successfully treated by radiotherapy and radiosurgery include temporal bone chemodectomas, schwannomas, juvenile angiofibromas, pituitary adenomas, and meningiomas. This article reviews treatment techniques and results and discusses the pertinent literature.
Experimental molar volumes for some LNG-related saturated liquid mixtures

Abstract Miller, R.C. and Hiza, M.J., 1978. Experimental molar volumes for some LNG-related saturated liquid mixtures. Fluid Phase Equilibria, 2: 49–57. Saturated (orthobaric) liquid molar volumes are reported for some methane-rich mixtures containing ethane, propane, isobutane, normal butane and nitrogen at temperatures between 100 and 115 K. These data were obtained with a gas-expansion system calibrated against pure methane orthobaric liquid molar volumes. Comparisons are shown between the experimental molar volumes and the results of some recent calculational methods. Discrepancies between experimental and calculated values are all within ± 0.15 percent. The more accurate correlations generally predict the molar volumes within ± 0.1 percent.