cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Understanding support network capacity during the transition from foster care: Youth-identified barriers, facilitators, and enhancement strategies

This study explores how foster care experiences can impact support network functionality as young people exit the foster care system. This can be conceptualized as a function of both network member capacity to provide adequate support to address young adult needs, and network stability, which reflects cohesion within and across relationships to facilitate consistent support over time. We conducted support network mapping and semi-structured interviews with youth in foster care aged 16-20 (N=22) and used theoretical thematic analysis to explore support barriers and facilitators in relation to the organizing concepts of support capacity and network stability. Overall, support capacity was limited by interpersonal difficulties inhibiting the presence and supportiveness of some network members (including family members, informal peer and community-based connections, and caseworkers), whereas network stability facilitated multidimensional support through strong and interconnected relationships with caregivers and service providers. Emergent network patterns reflected distinct subgroups of more and less functional support networks, and strategies for network enhancement focus on promoting youth-directed services and support, developing youth skills and opportunities to invest in informal relationships, and using network assessment to identify unmet support needs. Findings advance a framework for understanding how foster care impacts support network characteristics, and inform ongoing efforts to address resulting limitations through services and programming.
Hartmann's Procedure vs Primary Anastomosis with Diverting Loop Ileostomy for Acute Diverticulitis: Nationwide Analysis of 2,729 Emergency Surgery Patients

Background Recent small randomized trials suggest that primary anastomosis with a diverting loop ileostomy (PADLI) is a safe alternative to Hartmann's procedure (HP) for patients with acute diverticulitis necessitating emergent operation. We sought to examine the 30-day outcomes of patients undergoing emergent HP vs PADLI. Method Using the American College of Surgeons NSQIP Colectomy Procedure Targeted Database from 2012 to 2016, all patients with acute diverticulitis who underwent emergent HP or PADLI were identified. Multivariable logistic models were constructed to compare the 30-day mortality, overall morbidity, and individual postoperative complications (eg surgical site infection, bleeding, sepsis) of the 2 procedures, controlling for all preoperative variables (eg demographics, comorbidities, laboratory values, illness severity), as well as intraoperative and procedure-specific variables (eg wound classification). Results Of 130,963 patients, 2,729 patients were included. Median age was 64 years, 48.5% were male; the majority of patients underwent HP and only 208 (7.6%) underwent PADLI. Hartmann's procedure patients had more comorbidities (eg COPD: 9.8% vs 4.8%; p = 0.017), were more functionally dependent (6.3% vs 2.4%; p = 0.025), and were sicker (eg septic shock: 11.1% vs 5.3%; p = 0.015) compared with PADLI patients. The mortality rates for HP vs PADLI were 7.6% and 2.9%, respectively (p = 0.011). The morbidity rates were 55.4% and 48.6%, respectively (p = 0.056). In multivariable analyses, compared with HP, PADLI did not result in increased rates of mortality (odds ratio 0.21; 95% CI 0.03 to 1.58; p = 0.129) or morbidity (odds ratio 0.96; 95% CI 0.63 to 1.45; p = 0.834). The odds of most major postoperative complications were also similar for HP and PADLI overall. Conclusions Currently, surgeons perform HP more frequently than PADLI. When controlling for patient population differences, PADLI appears to be at least a safe alternative to HP for select patient populations needing emergent surgical management of acute diverticulitis.
Stress Migration Followed by Electromigration Reliability Testing

Electromigration (EM) and Stress Migration (SM) are reliability concerns for modern day integrated circuits. However, neither mechanism is completely independent of the other, but instead they have a combined impact on the failure behavior of copper interconnects. Due to the differences in the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE), thermally induced stress is ‘quenched in’ the conductors during processing. The presence of this thermal stress may reduce the amount of stress needed for electromigration to cause failure; hence, reduce lifetime of the interconnect. For this study, we investigated the effect of a temperature anneal on electromigration lifetime. It was found that stress migration may play a significant role in the distribution of the first failure mode or the early failures of the electromigration failure. However, with stress anneals at $250^{\circ}\text{C}$ up to 500 hours, it did not have a significant effect on the second failure mode associated with electromigration failure.
Mechanics of compaction of a porous non-woven fiber solid

Abstract A porous non-woven material system is investigated where glass fibers bonded by a polymeric binder phase. This work contributes a micromechanics perspective to the understanding of the long-term stability of thermal insulation materials. The non-woven is considered as a soft and compliant material system, and the study focuses on the influence of the binder phase on the mechanical response of the overall non-woven material. Cyclic compression experiments demonstrate the relationship of the modulus of the binder to the modulus and the degradation rate in cyclic loading. A micromechanics model is established based on CT images. Computations demonstrate the formation of force chains and fiber–fiber contact during compression. Stresses are highest in fibers possessing curvature. After the occurrence of fiber fracture the compressive response is more compliant even if a larger material volume is recruited to participate in load transfer. Such stress redistribution overall lowers the stress level and reduces the subsequent material degradation rate.
Outcomes for older adults with acute myeloid leukemia after an intensive care unit admission

BACKGROUND Older adults with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) are often assumed to have poor outcomes after admission to the intensive care unit (ICU). However, little is known about ICU utilization and post-ICU outcomes in this population. METHODS The authors conducted a retrospective analysis for 330 patients who were 60 years old or older and were diagnosed with AML between 2005 and 2013 at 2 hospitals in Boston.They used descriptive statistics to examine the proportion of patients admitted to the ICU as well as their mortality and functional recovery. They used logistic regression to identify risk factors for in-hospital mortality. RESULTS Ninety-six patients (29%) were admitted to the ICU, primarily because of respiratory failure (39%), septic shock (28%), and neurological compromise (9%). The proportions of patients who survived to hospital discharge, 90 days, and 1 year were 47% (45 of 96), 35% (34 of 96), and 30% (29 of 96), respectively. At 90 days, 76% of the patients had an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status (ECOG PS) of 0 or 1, and 86% were in complete remission (CR) and/or continued to receive AML-directed therapy. In a multivariate analysis, a poorer baseline ECOG PS score (odds ratio, 2.76; P = .013) and the need for 2 or more life-sustaining therapies (ie, vasopressors, invasive ventilation, and/or renal replacement therapy; odds ratio, 12.4; P < .001) were associated with increased odds of in-hospital mortality. CONCLUSIONS Although almost one-third of older patients with AML are admitted to an ICU, nearly half survive to hospital discharge with good functional outcomes. The baseline performance status and the need for 2 or more life-sustaining therapies predict hospital mortality. These data support the judicious use of ICU resources for older patients with AML.
Resolving Single-Nanoconstruct Dynamics during Targeting and Nontargeting Live-Cell Membrane Interactions.

This paper describes how differences in the dynamics of targeting and nontargeting constructs can provide information on nanoparticle (NP)–cell interactions. We probed translational and rotational dynamics of functionalized Au nanostar (AuNS) nanoconstructs interacting with cells in serum-containing medium. We found that AuNS with targeting ligands had a larger dynamical footprint and faster rotational speed on cell membranes expressing human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER-2) receptors compared to that of AuNS with nontargeting ligands. Targeting and nontargeting nanoconstructs displayed distinct membrane dynamics despite their similar protein adsorption profiles, which suggests that targeted interactions are preserved even in the presence of a protein corona. The high sensitivity of single-NP dynamics can be used to compare different nanoconstruct properties (such as NP size, shape, and surface chemistry) to improve their design as delivery vehicles.
Mathematics Learning in Language Inclusive Classrooms: Supporting the Achievement of English Learners and Their English Proficient Peers:

National and state assessments show that English language learners (ELs) in elementary and secondary grades score lower in mathematics compared with their matched English proficient peers (EPs). To...
Acoustic droplet vaporization threshold of perfluorocarbon droplets as a function of frequency: Effects of droplet cores and size

Phase shift liquid perfluorocarbon (PFC) droplets vaporizable by ultrasound can be used for many therapeutic and diagnostic applications. The ultrasound activation pressure required for the phase change of these droplets into echogenic microbubbles is termed acoustic droplet vaporization (ADV) threshold. We have studied the ADV and IC (inertial cavitation) thresholds in a tubeless setup using an acoustic means varying frequency of the excitation, the droplet core and their average size. The ADV threshold was found to increase with the increasing frequency for the lowest boiling point liquid, perfluoropentane (PFP), for both large and small average size droplets. For higher boiling point liquids, perfluorohexane (PFH) and perfluorooctyle bromide (PFOB), this study did not detect vaporization for small size droplets at the excitation levels (maximum 4 MPa peak negative) studied here. The large PFOB droplets experienced ADV only at the highest excitation frequency 15 MHz. For large PFH droplets, ADV threshold decreases with frequency that could possibly be due to the superharmonic focusing being a significant effect at larger sizes and the higher excitation pressures. ADV thresholds at all the frequencies studied here occurred at lower rarefactional pressures than IC thresholds indicating that phase transition precedes inertial cavitation.
Kinship Structure & Women: Evidence from Economics

Economists are increasingly interested in understanding how culture shapes outcomes for women and the origins of these cultural practices. I review recent work in economics on how culture affects t...
When medical information comes from Nazi atrocities.

The nerve surgeon Susan Mackinnon discovered that an old but precise textbook she relied on was created by a Viennese anatomist who had dissected Hitler’s victims to produce his detailed illustrations. Should we still be using the illustrations, she asks
Influences of Climate on Phyllosphere Endophytic Bacterial Communities of Wild Poplar

Plant-associated microbial communities play a central role in the plant response to biotic and abiotic stimuli, improving plant fitness under challenging growing conditions. Many studies have focused on the characterization of changes in abundance and composition of root-associated microbial communities as a consequence of the plant response to abiotic factors such as altered soil nutrients and drought. However, changes in composition in response to abiotic factors are still poorly understood concerning the endophytic community associated to the phyllosphere, the above-ground plant tissues. In the present study, we applied high-throughput 16S rDNA gene sequencing of the phyllosphere endophytic bacterial communities colonizing wild Populus trichocarpa (black cottonwood) plants growing in native, nutrient-limited environments characterized by hot-dry (xeric) riparian zones (Yakima River, WA), riparian zones with mid hot-dry (Tieton and Teanaway Rivers, WA) and moist (mesic) climates (Snoqualmie, Skykomish and Skagit Rivers, WA). From sequencing data, 587 Amplicon Sequence Variants (ASV) were identified. Surprisingly, our data show that a core microbiome could be found in phyllosphere-associated endophytic communities in trees growing on opposite sides of the Cascades Mountain Range. Considering only taxa appearing in at least 90% of all samples within each climatic zone, the core microbiome was dominated only by two ASVs affiliated Pseudomonadaceae and two ASVs of the Enterobacteriaceae family. Alpha-diversity measures indicated that plants colonizing hot-dry environments showed a lower diversity than those from mid hot-dry and moist climates. Beta-diversity measures showed that bacterial composition was significantly different across sampling sites. Accordingly, we found that specific ASV affiliated to Pseudomonadaceae and Enterobacteriaceae were significantly more abundant in the phyllosphere endophytic community colonizing plants adapted to the xeric environment. In summary, this study highlights that sampling site is the major driver of variation and that only a few ASV showed a distribution that significantly correlated to climate variables.
Teenager With Abdominal Pain and Decreased Appetite

A 16-year-old girl presented to her primary care physician with a one-month history of decreased appetite and abdominal pain. She had normal bowel movements and no vomiting, but her periumbilical pain limited her ability to finish most meals. She had gradual weight loss over the previous 2 years, and during the previous 4 years, she intermittently received counseling for depression after the loss of her mother. Her initial physical examination and laboratory evaluation were unremarkable. She was referred to a nutritionist, adolescent medicine, and pediatric gastroenterology. Her presentation evolved over time, which ultimately led to a definitive diagnosis.
Techniques for improving monotonicity in a fourth-order finite-volume algorithm solving shocks and detonations

Abstract Techniques are proposed to reduce numerical oscillations in a fourth-order, finite-volume algorithm for solving thermally-perfect, reacting fluid flows with strong discontinuities, such as shock or detonation waves. These additional mechanisms have proven necessary for multispecies flows solved at fourth-order accuracy, and contribute towards bounding the variation of the solution in the vicinity of strong discontinuities. There, oscillations can form due to strong gradients in the flow and may be further intensified by numerical procedures introduced to treat the thermally-perfect thermodynamic system and physical constraints on species mass fractions. The new techniques are designed to respect the conservative property of the base algorithm, retain fourth-order accuracy of the solution in regions of smooth flow, and cooperate with the high-order piecewise parabolic method limiter. Extensive numerical tests, ranging from multispecies mixing flows to reacting flows with detonations, are performed to verify that the new techniques meet the design criteria while effectively suppressing oscillations. The proposed techniques are applied to solve the Shu-Osher and double Mach reflection problems and a set of oblique detonation wave problems. The results demonstrate the effectiveness and robustness of the algorithm.
Knowledge and experience in the ‘disguised duke’ play:

Seventeenth-century English dramatists produced several ‘disguised duke’ plays in which a ruler disguises himself to reinforce political control. Critics typically view these as a call for monarchs...
Breast biopsies obtained with MAMMOTOME® device can be tested ex vivo with ChemoFx® assay.

5466 Background: Multiple chemotherapy options exist for the treatment of primary breast cancer. Treatment is typically based on clinical and histological features, as well as historical population response rates. Although response rates are good, many patients are treated with unnecessary or ineffective chemotherapy. Inadequate treatments are partly due to the lack of accurate predictors of response in individual patients. To predict an individual patient’s clinical response to therapy, ex vivo chemosensitivity and resistance assays (CSRAs) have long been evaluated, but have historically been limited by the need for large (1-2 gm) amounts of fresh tissue and other technical difficulties. However, these problems have largely been overcome with new technology. Novel methods used in Precision Therapeutics’ ChemoFx® Assay allow for testing smaller amounts of tissue (35 mg). This reduced tissue requirement is crucial in the breast cancer setting, as the diagnosis is often made by biopsy. The goal of this study was to determine the success rate of culturing cells from patient biopsies obtained through use of the MAMMOTOME® device and to determine the feasibility of testing these cells with the ChemoFx® Assay. Methods: This was a prospective study of women with primary breast cancer whose tissue was obtained using the MAMMOTOME® Breast Biopsy System. This ultrasound guided, vacuum-assisted biopsy device used an 11-gauge probe (estimated yield 80-100 mg) to extract tissue. The specimens were then submitted to Precision Therapeutics, Inc. A primary culture of each specimen was established, and the ex vivo chemoresponse profiles of each culture were evaluated. Success was defined as the ability to grow enough cells to test at least two chemotherapy drugs per specimen using the ChemoFx® Assay. Results: 14 out of 14 [95% CI: 0.77-1.00] consecutively received specimens grew successfully and all specimens were tested for chemoresponsiveness using the ChemoFx® Assay. Chemotherapy drugs tested included cyclophosphamide, docetaxel, doxorubicin, 5-fluorouracil, gemcitabine, irinotecan, methotrexate, and paclitaxel. The average number of drugs tested for each specimen was 4.5 (range: 2-6). The average amount of time needed to provide an assay result was 23.1 days (range: 11-38). Conclusions: It is feasible to culture breast cancer cells from MAMMOTOME® biopsies and perform the ChemoFx® Assay on them. Demonstrating that sufficient cells can be cultured for ex vivo chemoresponse testing from biopsies greatly increases the utility of the assay in adjuvant or neoadjuvant primary breast cancer settings.
Geometric conditions for saturating the data processing inequality.

The data processing inequality (DPI) is a scalar inequality satisfied by distinguishability measures on density matrices. For some distinguishability measures, saturation of the scalar DPI implies an operator equation relating the arguments of the measure. These results are typically derived using functional analytic techniques. In a complementary approach, we use geometric techniques to derive a formula that gives an operator equation from DPI saturation for any distinguishability measure; moreover, for a broad class of distinguishability measures, the derived operator equation is sufficient to imply saturation as well. Our operator equation coincides with known results for the sandwiched Renyi relative entropies, and gives new results for $\alpha$-$z$ Renyi relative entropies and a family of of quantum $f$-divergences, which we compute explicitly. We also comment on connections to Petz recovery, and on how our framework could be used to derive operator equations from approximate DPI saturation.
Unraveling the mechanism of recognition of the 3' splice site of the adenovirus major late promoter intron by the alternative splicing factor PUF60.

Pre-mRNA splicing is critical for achieving required amounts of a transcript at a given time and for regulating production of encoded protein. A given pre-mRNA may be spliced in many ways, or not at all, giving rise to multiple gene products. Numerous splicing factors are recruited to pre-mRNA splice sites to ensure proper splicing. One such factor, the 60 kDa poly(U)-binding splicing factor (PUF60), is recruited to sites that are not always spliced, but rather function as alternative splice sites. In this study, we characterized the interaction of PUF60 with a splice site from the adenovirus major late promoter (the AdML 3' splice site, AdML3'). We found that the PUF60-AdML3' dissociation constants are in the micromolar range, with the binding affinity predominantly provided by PUF60's two central RNA recognition motifs (RRMs). A 1.95 A crystal structure of the two PUF60 RRMs in complex with AdML3' revealed a dimeric organization placing two stretches of nucleic acid tracts in opposing directionalities, which can cause looping of nucleic acid and explain how PUF60 affects pre-mRNA geometry to effect splicing. Solution characterization of this complex by light-scattering and UV/Vis spectroscopy suggested a potential 2:1 (PUF602:AdML3') stoichiometry, consistent with the crystal structure. This work defines the sequence specificity of the alternative splicing factor PUF60 at the pre-mRNA 3' splice site. Our observations suggest that control of pre-mRNA directionality is important in the early stage of spliceosome assembly, and advance our understanding of the molecular mechanism by which alternative and constitutive splicing factors differentiate among 3' splice sites.
Lateral advection supports nitrogen export in the oligotrophic open-ocean Gulf of Mexico.

In contrast to its productive coastal margins, the open-ocean Gulf of Mexico (GoM) is notable for highly stratified surface waters with extremely low nutrient and chlorophyll concentrations. Field campaigns in 2017 and 2018 identified low rates of turbulent mixing, which combined with oligotrophic nutrient conditions, give very low estimates for diffusive flux of nitrate into the euphotic zone ( 90% of open-ocean nitrogen export in the GoM. Results show that lateral transport needs to be closely considered in studies of biogeochemical balances, particularly for basins enclosed by productive coasts. The middle of the Gulf of Mexico is stratified and highly oligotrophic, yet there are anomalously high fluxes of sinking particulate matter from the euphotic zone. Here the authors show that lateral advection of organic matter supports nitrogen export in the Gulf of Mexico’s open ocean.
Us and Them (and It): Social Orientation, Privacy Concerns, and Expected Use of Pandemic-Tracking Apps in the United States

The deployment of technologies to track and mitigate the spread COVID-19 has surfaced tensions between individual autonomy and the collective good. These tensions reflect a conflict between two central concerns: (i) effectively controlling the spread of the pandemic and (ii) respecting individual rights, values, and freedoms. We explored these tensions in an online experiment (n = 389) designed to identify the influence of social orientation and communicative framing on perceptions and expected use of pandemic-tracking apps. We found that social orientation is a statistically significant predictor of app perception and expected use, with collectivist social orientation associated with higher levels and individualist social orientation with lower levels for both aspects. We found interactions between social orientation and communicative framing, as well as a connection between privacy concerns and expected duration of app use. Our findings hold important implications for the design, deployment, and adoption of technology for the public good. Shaping the post-pandemic social contract requires considering the long-term sociocultural impact of these technological solutions.
Agglomerative Effects of Crime Attractors and Generators on Street Robbery? An Assessment by Luojia 1-01 Satellite Nightlight

Scholars have long confirmed the agglomerative effect in retail geography. The colocation of multiple shops would encourage customers to make multiple stops in a single shopping trip. Does the aggl...
Quality Improvement: Effect of Standardized Plastic Surgery Consultation Note Templates on Charge Capture.

Background Effective medical record documentation is imperative for both patient care and reimbursement for care provided. The purpose of this study was to compare coding/billing patterns for plastic surgery consultations before and after implementation of a standardized documentation protocol. Methods Standardized hand, facial trauma, and general plastic surgery consult note templates were created. Following institutional approval, records were reviewed for all plastic surgery consultations from January to October 2019. Template notes were universally implemented in July 2019. Medical coding was performed by a certified professional coder using the 1995 Evaluation and Management Review Worksheet. Coding/billing patterns between groups were compared with and without standardized documentation using univariate analysis. Results Seventy-five consecutive preimplementation consult notes and 75 consecutive postimplementation consult notes were selected for review. Each group included 25 hand, 25 facial trauma, and 25 general plastic surgery consultation notes. The history and physical examination components of the visit code were more frequently coded as "comprehensive"postimplementation (P = 0.000). There was no significant difference in coding for medical decision making between the two groups (P = 0.340). The final visit code was significantly higher in the postimplementation group (45.3% 99254/99284 versus 2.7%, P = 0.000), and the charges were significantly higher post implementation-average charge per consult $250 versus $203 (P = 0.000) with a 22.8% increase in total charges generated. Conclusion Utilization of standardized consultation note templates increases the accuracy of coding and associated billing of inpatient and emergency department plastic surgery consultations through documentation and reflection of level of service provided.
Transfer of Knowledge from Model Organisms to Evolutionarily Distant Non-Model Organisms: The Coral Pocillopora damicornis Membrane Signaling Receptome

With the ease of gene sequencing and the technology available to study and manipulate non-model organisms, the need to translate our understanding of model organisms to non-model organisms has become an urgent problem. For example, mining of large coral and their symbiont sequence data is a challenge, but also provides an opportunity for understanding functionality and evolution of these and other non-model organisms. Much more information than for any other eukaryotic species is available for humans, especially related to signal transduction and diseases. However, the coral cnidarian host and human have diverged over 700 million years ago and homologies between proteins are therefore often in the gray zone or undetectable with traditional BLAST searches. We introduce a two-stage approach to identifying putative coral homologues of human proteins. First, through remote homology detection using Hidden Markov Models, we identify candidate human homologues in the cnidarian genome. However, for many proteins, the human genome alone contains multiple family members with similar or even more divergence in sequence. In the second stage, therefore, we filter the remote homology results based on the functional and structural plausibility of each coral candidate, shortlisting the coral proteins likely to be true human homologues. We demonstrate our approach with a pipeline for mapping membrane receptors in humans to membrane receptors in corals, with specific focus on the stony coral, P. damicornis. More than 1000 human membrane receptors mapped to 335 coral receptors, including 151 G protein coupled receptors (GPCRs). To validate specific sub-families, we chose opsin proteins, representative GPCRs that confer light sensitivity, and Toll-like receptors, representative non-GPCRs, which function in the immune response, and their ability to communicate with microorganisms. Through detailed structure-function analysis of their ligand-binding pockets and downstream signaling cascades, we selected those candidate remote homologues likely to carry out related functions in the corals. This pipeline may prove generally useful for other non-model organisms, such as to support the growing field of synthetic biology.
Histology of Structures from a Soybean (Glycine Max) Somatic Embryogenesis Protocol

Globular and heart-shaped soybean (Glycine max) embryoids were obtained from the Phillips and Collins somatic embryogenesis procedure (Plant Cell Tissue Organ Culture 1:123–129). These structures, in addition to comparable stage zygotic embryos, were fixed, sectioned, and then stained with safranin-fast green. Although the somatic structures appear similar to zygotic embryos in gross morphology, the somatic structures are generally 2 to 5 times larger than comparable stage zygotic embryos. When thin sections of the somatic structures and the zygotic embryos were compared, the somatic structures lacked both a true epidermis and an internal organization capable of producing a shoot meristem.
Inhibition of Phlebovirus infections in vivo by tiazofurin and selenazofurin

Summary The c-nucleosides tiazofurin and selenazofurin were evaluated in mice against the Adames strain of Punta Toro virus, a Phlebovirus related to Rift Valley fever and sandfly fever viruses. When administered sub­ cutaneously (s.c.) twice a day for 5 days starting 4h before virus inoculation, tiazofurin reduced mortality, hepatic icterus scores, serum aspartate aminotrans­ ferase (AST) levels, and serum virus titres at 25~ 500mg kg- 1 day-1. Liver virus titres were not reduced in these treated animals, however. Oral tiazofurin treatment was effective by the samecriteria at 375 and 750mg kg- 1, exceptthat livervirus titres were reduced at 750mg kg- 1• Similar effects were observed with selenazofurin given s.c, (8~160mg kg- 1) or orally (8Q-320mg kg- 1) for 5 days. Selenazofurin suppressed liver virus titres by oral but not s.c, treatment. In a time-course study tiazofurin was effective s,c, at 25~1000mg kg- 1 when administered once only at 48h after virus inoculation, whereas treatments at 4, 24, 72 and 96h were less or not effective. By comparison with published results, tiazo­ furin and selenazofurin do notappearto be as active or selective as ribavirin and ribamidine against Punta Toro virus infections in mice.
Aadhaar: India's 'Unique Identification' System (TN)

The case focuses on the execution challenges facing Nandan Nilekani, the Chairman, and Ram Sevak Sharma, Director General and Mission Director of the Unique Identification Authority of India. India had no nationally accepted way to prove identity and hence 42% of the population at the base of the pyramid had to resort to bribery to access entitlements, while a web of fake or multiple identities facilitated criminal diversion of government subsidies. UIDAI was tasked to deliver a unique identification number to every Indian resident. This involved the issue of a total of 1.2 billion unique IDs by 2020 and an interim goal of 600 million UIDs by 2014 - the largest data management program in the world. The case deals with the challenge of implementing a towering vision, of executing on an epic technology project, and of changing minds on an unprecedented scale. It examines the forces that both facilitate and derail change. It also examines the leadership style and motivation of Nilekani, and the transition in skills required to move from building a global organization to working within the Indian bureaucracy.
Electrical validation of source synchronous chip-chip server links at 6.25 Gb/s

Modeling and validation of 6.25 Gb/s source synchronous backplane links is demonstrated using a correlation methodology. The link model predictions correlate within 10-25% error against scope measured eye and using on-die scope eye when the transmitter output jitter, the interconnect loss and impedance profile and the transmitter equalizer is well modeled and correlated individually. In this paper, the link is assumed to have only transmitted side de-emphasis (equalization). The procedure get additional confidence, when the eye, created from the internal timing and voltage margins, correlates within 10-25% error to the predicted data pad eye. With these a reasonably scalable model over different topologies/speeds that can be used confidently for sensitivity analysis and predictions is obtained.
Acute Traumatic Coagulopathy Accompanying Traumatic Brain Injury is Associated with Worse Long Term Cognitive and Functional Outcomes: A Retrospective Analysis of the COBRIT Data. (S27.005)

OBJECTIVE: To examine the effects of acute traumatic coagulopathy (ATC) on long-term functional and cognitive outcomes in TBI patients. BACKGROUND: Retrospective and prospective studies have characterized ATC in TBI patients with increased morbidity/mortality. The relationship between ATC and long-term functional and cognitive outcomes after TBI are not as well characterized. DESIGN/METHODS: 1213 patients included in Citicoline Brain Injury Treatment Trial (COBRIT) were examined. Exclusion criteria were a medical history of renal failure or malignancy, and any extra-cranial injury severity score >3. ATC was defined as INR>1.3, PTT>38, or platelets<100K, determined at baseline, and during the first 7-days. RESULTS: 647 patients (53[percnt]) were included, 133 (21[percnt]) of which were found to have ATC over the first 7-days. The highest incidence of ATC occurred at baseline, and on day two, in both severe and whole TBI cohorts. ATC patients had lower GCS, received more blood products, required higher volumes of resuscitation, demonstrated dysthermia, and lower systolic blood pressure. In-hospital mortality, mean length of stay, incidence of DVT and seizures were also higher in ATC patients. There was no difference between groups for open neurosurgical intervention or invasive ICP management. A significantly lower portion of ATC patients had good outcomes on the Glasgow Outcome Scale Extended (>6), and the Disability Rating Scale (<4) at 180 days. There was no linear relationship between ATC-burden (i.e. number of days with ATC) and functional outcome. Additionally, ATC patients preformed significantly worse on several components of the California Verbal Learning Test at 180 days. CONCLUSIONS: TBI associated ATC is associated with worse functional and cognitive outcomes at 180 days. Study Supported by: National Institute Award numbers NICHD U01HD042823, U01HD042738, U01HD042687,U01HD042736, U01HD042678, U01HD042686, U01HD042653, U01HD042689, U01HD042652 to eight clinical sites and data coordinating center. Disclosure: Dr. Abdelmalik has nothing to disclose. Dr. Jallo has nothing to disclose. Dr. Rincon has received personal compensation for activities with Bard Medical and Otsuka Pharmaceutical as a consultant. Dr. Rincon has received research support from Cerner Corporation and Genentech, Inc.
Analyzing collaborative learning: multiple approaches to understanding processes and outcomes

It is important to consider collaborative processes from multiple perspectives because collaborative learning environments are complex, often requiring multiple methodological approaches to understand their different aspects (Hmelo-Silver, 2003). Collaborative learning is the subject of study in a wide variety of disciplines such as developmental psychology (e.g., sociocognitive conflict), social psychology (person perception, motivation, group processes), sociology (status, power and authority), cognitive psychology (how learning occurs, learning outcomes) and sociocultural perspectives (cultural influence on interaction, mediation of learning). These different perspectives suggest that a variety of methodological tools are needed to understand collaborative interactions. Each of the papers in this symposium explores one or more methods for examining the quality of collaborative interactions. The discussion will focus on criteria for good analyses of collaborative work as well as strengths and limitations of various methods.
On the further development of the multispectral approach

The study of multispectral reflectance characteristics for use in remotely identifying and measuring Earth surface cover types began in earnest in the early 1960s. The analysis methods which are appropriate have been controlled by the available sensor technology over the time since then. In recent years, sensor developments have made possible multispectral data of much greater quality and complexity. In the discussion which follows, some of the aspects significant to the further development of this technology are discussed.
Formal Reasoning of Various Categories of Widely Exploited Security Vulnerabilities Using Pointer Taintedness Semantics

This paper is motivated by a low level analysis of various categories of severe security vulnerabilities, which indicates that a common characteristic of many classes of vulnerabilities is pointer taintedness. A pointer is said to be tainted if a user input can directly or indirectly be used as a pointer value. In order to reason about pointer taintedness, a memory model is needed. The main contribution of this paper is the formal definition of a memory model using equational logic, which is used to reason about pointer taintedness. The reasoning is applied to several library functions to extract security preconditions, which must be satisfied to eliminate the possibility of pointer taintedness. The results show that pointer taintedness analysis can expose different classes of security vulnerabilities, such as format string, heap corruption and buffer overflow vulnerabilities, leading us to believe that pointer taintedness provides a unifying perspective for reasoning about security vulnerabilities.
Regulation of Net Biosynthesis of Serum Albumin and Acute Phase Plasma Proteins INDUCTION OF ENHANCED NET SYNTHESIS OF FIBRINOGEN, α1-ACID GLYCOPROTEIN, α2 (ACUTE PHASE)-GLOBULIN, AND HAPTOGLOBIN BY AMINO ACIDS AND HORMONES DURING PERFUSION OF THE ISOLATED NORMAL RAT LIVER

Abstract Livers isolated from normal, male, fed rats were perfused for 12 hours with bovine or rabbit red blood cells suspended in Krebs-Ringer-bicarbonate solution containing bovine serum albumin (3.0 g/100 ml) with l-lysine-1-14C and 500 mg of glucose continuously infused. Net synthesis of five specific plasma proteins was estimated by serological measurements of changes in their concentration in perfusate. The influence of insulin, cortisol, and growth hormone, and of a nutritionally complete mixture of amino acids on net synthesis of plasma proteins was evaluated. Control perfusions (no hormones or amino acids added) resulted in relatively linear net synthesis of the specific plasma proteins throughout the experiments. In experiments with full supplementation (insulin, cortisol, growth hormone, and the amino acid mixture) fibrinogen and haptoglobin synthesis increased 3-fold between 2 and 6 hours, α1-acid glycoprotein synthesis increased 3.5-fold between 4 and 8 hours, and α2 (acute phase)-globulin synthesis increased 11-fold between 8 and 10 hours. Increases in the latter four proteins were critically dependent upon the presence of cortisol and represented the first demonstration in vitro of hormone effects on net plasma protein synthesis. These effects may be important for understanding the increased blood levels of certain plasma α and β globulins that occur in vivo in mammals after many forms of injury and may serve as a useful model for furthering our understanding of the influence of hormones and amino acids on protein synthesis. Maximum net plasma protein synthesis occurred in perfusions with positive nitrogen balance (more net amino acid nitrogen loss from perfusate than urea nitrogen gain). Under the conditions employed the combination of amino acids and insulin was the minimal partial supplementation required for positive nitrogen balance. Additional data are presented on effects of amino acids and hormones on incorporation of l-lysine-1-14C into total plasma proteins and hepatic proteins, oxidation of l-lysine-1-14C to 14CO2, production of bile, utilization of glucose, net urea synthesis, net changes in amino acid nitrogen, and on nitrogen balance as defined for the liver perfusion system.
ATRIOVENTRICULAR NODAL (RECIPROCATING) RHYTHM. REPORT OF A CASE.

Abstract Electrocardiograms of a patient showed (a) evidence of atrial echo beats following a ventricular beat initiated by an atrial pacemaker, and (b) long periods of apparent atrioventricular (A-V) nodal rhythm consistent with reciprocal atrioventricular beating. The atrial pacemaker activity was poorly sustained and was associated with slight prolongation of the P-R interval when atrial re-entry occurred. A right bundle branch block was present, and a Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome had been observed in an electrocardiogram of this patient several years previously.
24-hour blood glucose profiles in insulin-dependent diabetics treated with intravenous insulin infusion systems. A comparison between closed- and open-loop systems

The aim of this study was to compare the 24-hour blood glucose profiles of insulin-dependent diabetics during treatment with preprogramed insulin delivery systems with those of patients on treatment with the artificial beta cell (Biostator). Mean blood glucose (MGB) was 4.4 +/- 0.5 mmol/l for 15 controls, 5.8 +/- 1.0 for 53 patients on open-loop and 6.0 +/- 0.6 for 20 patients on closed-loop treatment. MBG was significantly higher in diabetics than in non-diabetic, but the difference between the two diabetic populations was not significant. Mean amplitude of blood glucose excursion was 1.8 +/- 0.6, 4.3 +/- 1.3 and 3.5 +/- 0.8 mmol/l respectively, the difference between the diabetic groups being significant. No hypoglycemia was seen in patients during closed-loop treatment, whereas this was the case in 10 of 53 patients on treatment with open-loop systems. Physical exercise resulted in small but normal decreases in blood glucose without hypoglycemia. Plasma insulin was within the normal range during both regimes. It is concluded that blood glucose control during treatment with closed-loop system is superior to that during treatment with open-loop systems. However, under standard conditions i.v. insulin infusion with preprogramed pump devices resulted in blood glucose fluctuations comparable with those during Biostator treatment.
Modeling the excitability of mammalian nerve fibers: influence of afterpotentials on the recovery cycle

Human nerve fibers exhibit a distinct pattern of threshold fluctuation following a single action potential known as the recovery cycle. We developed geometrically and electrically accurate models o...
Playing repeated Stackelberg games with unknown opponents

In Stackelberg games, a "leader" player first chooses a mixed strategy to commit to, then a "follower" player responds based on the observed leader strategy. Notable strides have been made in scaling up the algorithms for such games, but the problem of finding optimal leader strategies spanning multiple rounds of the game, with a Bayesian prior over unknown follower preferences, has been left unaddressed. Towards remedying this shortcoming we propose a first-of-a-kind tractable method to compute an optimal plan of leader actions in a repeated game against an unknown follower, assuming that the follower plays myopic best-response in every round. Our approach combines Monte Carlo Tree Search, dealing with leader exploration/exploitation tradeoffs, with a novel technique for the identification and pruning of dominated leader strategies. The method provably finds asymptotically optimal solutions and scales up to real world security games spanning double-digit number of rounds.
Schema-Theoretic Models of Arm, Hand, and Eye Movements

Analysis of complex systems requires a coarse grain of analysis to complement that of neural networks or detailed programming. We use an approach in which the units of such an analysis are called schemas. Schema theory is exemplified here in two case studies showing its use in neuroscience: analyses of the coordination of reaching and grasping movements in humans, and of saccadic eye movements. The concluding section offers a broader characterization of schema theory as a possible language for bridging between Neuroscience and Artificial Intelligence.
Photocurable Monomers and Oligomers for Space Applications

The rationale and prospects for using photocurable monomers for a variety of space applications are discussed. In particular, the fabrication of lightweight composite structures for use in earth orbit as well as for planetary exploration using ambient solar irradiation appears to be attractive. Such structures could be transported either into space or to the surface of the moon or planetary bodies in a collapsed condition. Therefore, they could be deployed by inflation with a gas and then allowed to become rigid as a result of polymerizations induced by light. The key to this technology is the development of photosensitive initiators and specially tailored monomers and reactive oligomers.
Radiation-hardened 32-bit single board computer

Most of the cost for developing a computing solution for space and launch vehicles is in the development of the software. Thus, space-qualified computing hardware, supported by mature software development tools, is very desirable. Honeywell, under contract with the Air Force Rome Laboratory, has developed a radiation-hardened processor based on the R3081, called the RH32. The RH32 uses the mature R3000 family based commercial Ada and C software development tools and VxWorks real-time executive. We have also developed an RH32 single board computer (SBC) for the Air Force Phillips Laboratory. The SBC is designed to operate for 15 years in severe radiation environments. The SBC will continue to operate after exposure to 100 K rad total dose, it will not latchup, and it has an unrecoverable SEU rate less than 3.25E-5/SBC-day, The SBC is one building block for realizing a launch vehicle flight computer. Others offered by Honeywell are chassis, power supplies, I/O suite, and inertial measure units. We also have the software expertise to insure development tools and real-time operating environment are in place.
Differential up-regulation of sodium channel α- and β1-subunit mRNAs in cultured embryonic DRG neurons following exposure to NGF

Abstract Although the pattern of expression of various sodium channel α- and β-subunits changes as development proceeds, the mechanisms that control the expression of these subunits are not yet understood. To study the role of nerve growth factor (NGF) in modulating the expression of sodium channel subunits, we used in situ hybridization cytochemistry to examine the distribution of sodium channel α- and β1-subunit mRNAs in embryonic day 16 (E16) dorsal root ganglia (DRG) neurons cultured in the absence or presence of NGF. At 4 days in vitro in the absence of NGF, sodium channel α-subunit II mRNA was expressed at low-to-moderate levels in DRG neurons, but the transcripts for sodium channel a-subunits I, III and NaG and β1-subunit were not detectable. In the presence of NGF, DRG neurons expressed low-to-moderate levels of sodium channel α-I, high levels of α-II and low levels of α-III; NaG mRNA was not detectable. Sodium channel β1 mRNA was up-regulated and was expressed at high levels in DRG neurons in NGF-containing media. These observations demonstrate that the NGF exerts a differential up-regulation of sodium channel α- and β-subunit mRNAs in DRG neurons derived from E16 embryos.