cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Role of baseline volumetric functional MRI in predicting histopathologic grade and patients' survival in hepatocellular carcinoma.

We aimed to evaluate the role of volumetric ADC (vADC) and volumetric venous enhancement (vVE) in predicting the grade of tumor differentiation in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The study population included 136 HCC patients (188 lesions) who had baseline MR imaging and histopathological report. Measurements of vVE and vADC were performed on baseline MRI. Tumors were histologically classified into low-grade and high-grade groups. The parameters between the two groups were compared using Mann-Whitney U and chi-square tests for continuous and categorical parameters, respectively. Area under receiver operating characteristic (AUROC) was calculated to investigate the accuracy of vADC and vVE. Logistic regression and multivariable Cox regression were used to unveil the potential parameters associated with high-grade HCC and patient’s survival, respectively. Lesions with higher vADC values and a higher absolute vADC skewness were more likely to be high grade on histopathology assessment (p = 0.001 and p = 0.0291, respectively). Also, vVE showed a trend to be higher in low-grade lesions (p = 0.079). Adjusted multivariable model including vADC, vVE, and vADC skewness could strongly predict HCC degree of differentiation (AUROC = 83%). Additionally, a higher Child-Pugh score (HR = 2.39 [p = 0.02] for score 2 and HR = 3.47 [p = 0.001] for score 3), vADC skewness (HR = 1.52, p = 0.02; per increments in skewness), and tumor volume (HR = 1.1, p = 0.001; per 100 cm3 increments) showed the highest association with patients’ survival. vADC and vVE have the potential to accurately predict HCC differentiation. Additionally, some imaging features in combination with patients’ clinical characteristics can predict patient survival. • Volumetric functional MRI metrics can be considered as non-invasive measures for determining tumor histopathology in HCC. • Estimating patient survival based on clinical and imaging parameters can be used for modifying management approach and preventing unnecessary adverse events.
Characterizing and Understanding the Architectural Implications of Cloudnative Edge NFV Workloads

In responding to the fast-varying user service requirements and highly mixed traffics, the 5G network exploits Network Function Virtualization (NFV) and network slicing to enhance its functional and architectural viability. With the new service provisioning requirements posed by 5G (e.g. the ultra-low latency and massive machine-type communication) urge the functionality deployment to offload from the network core to edge, the various demands of QoS guarantee cast by the diverse services make the NFV an essential enabler of edge network evolution. However, the newly created performance challenges at the network edge are still unexplored. In this paper, we investigate the converged RAN and MEC architecture in the 5G era. Specifically, we characterize the collocated cloud-native workloads (RAN and MEC) on the COTS edge platform and provide the architectural implication which will benefit the future edge architecture design.
Lower levels of bodily pain increase risk for non-medical use of prescription drugs among current US reserve soldiers

Abstract Background Military populations have a higher prevalence of pain compared to their civilian counterparts and are also at increased risk for substance use. The link between clinically significant pain and substance use has been established, but it is unclear if lower levels of pain relate to risk. The goal of this inquiry was to determine if level of bodily pain was associated with increased risk of current substance use over time among a community sample of U.S. Army Reserve/National Guard (USAR/NG) soldiers. Methods Data were drawn from an ongoing study of USAR/NG soldiers. We used generalized estimating equations to examine the longitudinal impact of baseline bodily pain level (modeled in standard deviations from the mean pain score) on current drug use (illicit and non-medical use of prescription drugs [NMUPD]) among soldiers (n = 387) over two-years. Final models controlled for baseline post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, and depression symptomatology, history of deployment (yes/no), years of military service, and substance use norms. Results Bodily pain was longitudinally associated with increased odds of current NMUPD (AOR: 1.49, p .05), controlling for symptoms of PTSD, anxiety, depression, deployment, years of service, and substance use norms. Conclusions Overall, our findings indicate that bodily pain is longitudinally associated with NMUPD among male soldiers, but not with illicit drugs. Significantly, our results stem from a non-clinical sample of soldiers with overall lower levels of pain. This indicates that pain may be important, even at lower levels, and underscores the importance of early non-pharmacologic interventions for pain.
Reduced expression of COVID-19 host receptor, ACE2 is associated with small bowel inflammation, more severe disease, and response to anti-TNF therapy in Crohn's disease

Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2 ( ACE2 ) has been identified as the host receptor for SARS-coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) which has infected millions world-wide and likely caused hundreds of thousands of deaths. Utilizing transcriptomic data from four cohorts taken from Crohn's disease (CD) and non-inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) subjects, we observed evidence of increased ACE2 mRNA in ileum with demographic features that have been associated with poor outcomes in COVID-19 including age and raised BMI. ACE2 was downregulated in CD compared to controls in independent cohorts. Within CD, ACE2 expression was reduced in inflamed ileal tissue and also remarkably, from uninvolved tissue in patients with a worse prognosis in both adult and pediatric cohorts. In active CD, small bowel ACE2 expression was restored by anti-TNF therapy particularly in anti-TNF responders. Collectively our data suggest that ACE2 downregulation is associated with inflammation and worse outcomes in CD.
MSCs for Enhancement of Hematopoietic Progenitor Cell Engraftment and Poor Graft Function

Engraftment failure is a rare but life-threatening complication of hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). Newer approaches to HCT, including use of haploidentical donors, umbilical cord blood (UCB) transplant, nonmyeloablative and reduced-intensity conditioning regimens, appear to have an increased risk of graft failure. Multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) are essential bone marrow components that have the potential to differentiate in vitro into tissues along mesenchymal lineages, including bone marrow stroma. This regenerative potential, coupled with the capability to secrete cytokines and growth factors, suggests that MSCs would facilitate and promote hematopoiesis. Moreover, MSCs have immunoregulatory properties and thus could have an additional application in the setting of HCT by reducing both graft rejection and graft-versus-host disease. Initial trials have demonstrated the safety and feasibility of infusion of ex vivo-expanded autologous and allogeneic MSCs. Results from these early trials suggested MSCs may enhance hematopoiesis when infused at the time of HCT; however, subsequent trials have not yet provided confirmation that MSCs accelerate hematopoietic recovery when given shortly after HCT. Ongoing research initiatives include use of MSC infusions for patients who have some evidence of regenerating marrow but have delayed or incomplete hematopoiesis.
Building the First Statewide Quality Improvement Collaborative, the CPQCC: A Historic Perspective.

The California Perinatal Quality Improvement Collaborative (CPQCC), founded in 1997, was the country’s first statewide perinatal quality improvement collaborative. Our goal was to improve the quality and outcomes of perinatal healthcare in California by developing a collaborative network of public and private obstetric and neonatal providers, insurers, public health professionals, and business groups to support a system for benchmarking and performance improvement activities for perinatal care. In this presentation, we describe how viewing the CPQCC as a complex value-driven organization, committed to identifying and addressing the needs of both its stakeholder partners and neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) members, has shaped the course of its development.
Outcomes of Organizational and Community Embeddedness: A Conservation of Resources Perspective:

Drawing on Conservation of Resources and spillover theories, we empirically examine work and community outcomes of both organizational and community embeddedness and the underlying mechanism whereb...
RECOGNICER: A coarse-graining approach for identifying broad domains from ChIP-seq data.

Histone modifications are major factors that define chromatin states and have functions in regulating gene expression in eukaryotic cells. Chromatin immunoprecipitation coupled with high-throughput sequencing (ChIP-seq) technique has been widely used for profiling the genome-wide distribution of chromatin-associating protein factors. Some histone modifications, such as H3K27me3 and H3K9me3, usually mark broad domains in the genome ranging from kilobases (kb) to megabases (Mb) long, resulting in diffuse patterns in the ChIP-seq data that are challenging for signal separation. While most existing ChIP-seq peak-calling algorithms are based on local statistical models without account of multi-scale features, a principled method to identify scale-free board domains has been lacking. Here we present RECOGNICER (Recursive coarse-graining identification for ChIP-seq enriched regions), a computational method for identifying ChIP-seq enriched domains on a large range of scales. The algorithm is based on a coarse-graining approach, which uses recursive block transformations to determine spatial clustering of local enriched elements across multiple length scales. We apply RECOGNICER to call H3K27me3 domains from ChIP-seq data, and validate the results based on H3K27me3’s association with repressive gene expression. We show that RECOGNICER outperforms existing ChIP-seq broad domain calling tools in identifying more whole domains than separated pieces. RECOGNICER can be a useful bioinformatics tool for next-generation sequencing data analysis in epigenomics research.
Evaluating a novel faculty development program in teaching at a research-intensive university

Early-career faculty (ECF) are faced with maintaining excellence in teaching and research for tenure. However, many enter academia with little or no teaching experience. Madison Teaching and Learni...
Cryomap failure

Background The use of cryomapping at a temperature of −30° to produce reversible lesions has been reported to improve the safety of accessory pathways ablation performed close to the normal conduction system while maintaining efficacy.
A Review of "Social Media for Creative Libraries"

Social Media for Creative Libraries is the second edition of author Phil Bradley's 2007 book, How to Use Web 2.0 in Your Library. Because social media has developed so quickly since then, Bradley u...
The Identity Criterion: Resuscitating a Cardozian, Relational Approach to Duty of Care in Negligence

Everyone agrees that the canonical case in American negligence law is Palsgraf v. Long Island Railroad Co. In his famous majority opinion in the New York Court of Appeals, Chief Judge Benjamin Cardozo held that the outcome of the case turned on whether the plaintiff, Mrs. Palsgraf, had been owed a duty of care by the Long Island Railroad. He declared that the answer to this question depended on whether the parties had a relevant relationship at the time of the conduct under consideration. “Negligence, like risk,” he said, is “a term of relation. Negligence in the abstract, apart from things related, is surely not a tort, if indeed it is understandable at all.” Over ninety years have passed since then. One thing that everyone agrees upon (including Judge Charles Andrews, who wrote the almost equally famous dissent in Palsgraf) is that not everyone who sustains an injury as the result of someone else’s negligence is entitled to compensation in a court of law. In Andrews’s words, “because of convenience, of public policy, of a rough sense of justice, the law arbitrarily declines to trace a series of events beyond a certain point.” Yet torts lawyers continue to search in vain for a full articulation of a relational approach to duty of care that tells us where that point is. This paper seeks to fill that void.
Notes on Seiberg-Witten Theory

Preliminaries The Seiberg-Witten invariants Seiberg-Witten equations on complex surfaces Gluing techniques Epilogue Bibliography Index.
Vision-based end-effector position error compensation

This paper describes a computationally efficient algorithm that provides the ability to accurately place an arm end-effector on a target designated in an image using low speed feedback from a fixed stereo camera. The algorithm is robust to visual occlusion of the end-effector and does not require high fidelity calibration of either the arm or stereo camera. The algorithm works by maintaining an error vector between the locations of a fiducial on the arm's end-effector as predicted by a kinematic model of the arm and detected and triangulated by a stereo camera pair. It then uses this error vector to compensate for errors in the kinematic model and servo to the target designated in the stereo camera pair.
Photochemistry of nitrosamines

Abstract UV irradiation of nitrosamines in neutral and acidic media has been investigated. In the presence of oxygen (air) in methanol solution dibenzylnitrosamine undergoes photolysis to give N-benzylidenebenzylamine, dibenzylamine and dibenzylammonium nitrate by a radical abstraction mechanism. Under acid conditions nitrosamines eliminate nitroxyl to form alkyldeneimines and these moieties subsequently recombine to produce amidoximes. This latter process has been shown by crossover experiments using isotopically labeled nitrosamines to be an intermolecular reaction. Evidence is presented in favor of a non-stereospecific photoelimination of nitroxyl from nitrosamines which are protonated at the amino N atom.
Viral Infection and Heart Disease: Autoimmune Mechanisms

Abstract Myocarditis and subsequent dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) are major causes of heart failure, especially in children and young adults. There is at present no definitive treatment other than cardiac transplantation. The diseases are frequently associated with prior viral infection, especially by coxsackievirus B (CB3). The production of heart-specific autoantibodies by many patients suggests that autoimmunity may play a role. To investigate plausible mechanisms by which an infection can initiate an autoimmune disease, we developed two experimental models in mice. In one model, myocarditis and DCM follow infection of genetically restricted strains by cardiolytic CB3. In the second model, the same susceptible mouse strains are immunized with cardiac myosin (CM) heavy chain or an immunodominant peptide of CM. Susceptibility in the mouse is greatly affected by non-major histocompatibility complex immunoregulatory genes and biased by male sex. The progression from infection or immunization to inflammatory autoimmune disease to fibrotic cardiomyopathy has been traced by cytokines and other mediators generated during production of innate and adaptive responses to CM. The results suggest opportunities to intervene therapeutically in this and other post-infection autoimmune diseases.
The Teacup Ministry and Other Stories: Subtle Boundaries of Class

The Teacup Ministry and Other Stories: Subtle Boundaries of Class. Rhoda H. Halperin. Austin: University of Texas Press, 2001.134 pp.
Primary myocutaneous flap closure following resection of locally advanced pelvic malignancies.

Background: Perineal wounds, created at the time of extended resection for locally advanced malignancy and following chemoradiation, are at risk of serious complications. Methods: To determine whether immediate myocutaneous flap closure prevents complications, 57 patients treated with multimodality therapy and proctectomy (35 perineal wounds) or sacrectomy (22 posterior wounds) were studied. Patients were categorized according to whether they underwent primary skin and pelvic closure (group 1; n = 20); primary skin and omental pelvic closure (group 2; n = 24); or immediate myocutaneous flap closure (group 3; n = 13). Results: Groups were similar with respect to age and sex; however, group 1 had more primary tumours and required less radical surgery and chemoirradiation than groups 2 and 3. Groups 1 and 2 experienced more complications overall (eight of 20, nine of 24 and three of 13 patients in groups 1, 2 and 3 respectively), more acute wound complications (seven of 20, nine of 24 and two of 13), delayed wound healing (three of 20, six of 24 and one of 13) and more reoperations for perineal wound problems (five of 20, seven of 24 and zero of 13). Patients in group 2 had a significantly longer hospital stay than those in group 1. Flap closure (group 3) did not increase the length of stay. The routine use of primary flap closure reduced overall wound complications (eight of 31 versus ten of 26 patients) and length of hospitalization (13 versus 17 days). Conclusion: Complete wound healing was achieved in all patients; however, immediate myocutaneous flap closure reduced the need for readmission and reoperation.
An evaluation of response prompts for teaching behavior chains

Individuals who have been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders can have difficulty acquiring new skills, and teaching procedures found to be efficient with 1 individual may not be efficient with others. However, relatively little research has evaluated methods to identify efficient, individualized response-prompt and prompt-fading procedures. We evaluated an assessment of multiple response prompts and prompt-fading procedures with 10 individuals with an autism spectrum disorder. The prompt types assessed were verbal and gestural, model, and physical. Prompt-fading procedures assessed were least to most, most to least, and a progressive delay. Each assessment was conducted at least twice, and the findings of both prompt-type and prompt-fading assessments were generally reliable. A final validity test showed the assessment outcomes to have generality that may extend to other clinically significant responses.
Effort and response rate

Key pecking of pigeons was reinforced on a variable interval 2 min schedule. On alternate days the response force requirement was varied between 35 g and 175 g. Large differences in rate of responses above the force criterion were observed on the alternate days; however, no differences in rate of responding were found if all responses above a low force (15 g) were considered.
The characteristic polynomial of a principal subpencil of a Hermitian matrix pencil

Abstract Given n -square Hermitian matrices A , B , let A i , B i denote the principal ( n −1)- square submatrices of A , B , respectively, obtained by deleting row i and column i . Let μ, λ be independent indeterminates. The first main result of this paper is the characterization (for fixed i ) of the polynomials representable as det(μ A i −λ B i ) in terms of the polynomial det(μ A −λ B ) and the elementary divisors, minimal indices, and inertial signatures of the pencil μ A −λ B . This result contains, as a special case, the classical interlacing relationship governing the eigenvalues of a principal sub- matrix of a Hermitian matrix. The second main result is the determination of the number of different values of i to which the characterization just described can be simultaneously applied.
The structure of phytochrome: a picture is worth a thousand spectra.

Sensing and responding to light is a central feature of plant biology that is critical for tuning plant metabolism to the light environment. To accomplish this vital task, plants use a number of different photosensory proteins that perceive different bands of the electromagnetic spectrum ([
Recovery of impact signatures in machine structures

Abstract Reciprocating machines are difficult to diagnose using traditional frequency domain techniques because they generate predominantly transient vibrations which have a broad frequency content. We have found that transient vibrations, like those generated by valve impacts in a reciprocating compressor, are best analysed in the time-domain. Unfortunately, by the time the vibrations reach the surface of the machine where we can measure them non-invasively, reverberation and dispersion have disfigured them so that they look nothing like their originating forces. In order to convert them into a useful form, where they can be characterized in terms of timing and strength on a cycle-by-cycle basis, the vibration signal can be compressed by filtering it with the inverse of the structural transfer function. This is a straightforward process if the exact transfer function is known; however, in practice we expect to have simply a ‘typical’ transfer function from a nominally identical machine. Additional transfer function variability results from changes in machine operating conditions such as temperature and load. The inverse-filtering process can be made robust to transfer function variability through a combination of cepstral-smoothing and minimum-phase processing. In addition, if a cepstral comb window is incorporated into the signal processing scheme, multiple impact signatures can be removed.
Ranolazine terminates atrial flutter and fibrillation in a canine model

Background Ranolazine has been shown to have antiarrhythmic properties. Objective We tested the hypothesis that intravenous ranolazine would terminate induced atrial flutter (AFL) or atrial fibrillation (AF) in the canine sterile pericarditis model. Methods In 6 dogs with sterile pericarditis, we performed electrophysiological measurements of the atrial effective refractory period (AERP) and conduction time (CT) while pacing from the right atrial appendage, Bachmann bundle, and the posteroinferior left atrium at cycle lengths (CLs) of 400, 300, and 200 ms before and after the administration of ranolazine. In 13 induced episodes of AFL (n = 9) and AF (n = 4), ranolazine was administered intravenously as a 3.2 mg/kg bolus, followed by a maintenance infusion of 0.17 mg/(kg·min). Six episodes (4 AFL and 2 AF) were induced in the open-chest state to perform simultaneous, multisite (486 electrodes), epicardial mapping of the arrhythmia and its termination. Results Ranolazine terminated 7 of 9 AFL and 3 of 4 AF episodes. Ranolazine significantly prolonged the AFL CL by a mean of 43 ms (P Conclusion Ranolazine terminated AFL/AF in our canine sterile pericarditis model by interrupting the regular driver. Ranolazine was found to significantly prolong the AERP, CT, and tachycardia CLs.
Reliable end-user communication under a changing packet network protocol

We present the first end-user protocol, guaranteeing the delivery of messages, that automatically adapts to any new packet format that is obtained by applying a short, efficient function to packets from an earlier protocol.
Partial purification and characteristics of membrane-associated NAD+-dependent isocitrate dehydrogenase activity from etiolated pea mitochondria

Abstract NAD+-dependent isocitrate dehydrogenase from pea mitochondrial matrix has been isolated, partially purified, and characterized [1] . Of the total NAD-ICDH activity found in pea mitochondria, 35–50% is found tightly associated with the membrane. Isolation and partial purification of membrane-associated ICDH showed that this activity has physical properties that differ from those of the matrix form. Membrane-ICDH was not removed from the membrane by washing with weak detergent, conditions which result in solubilization of over 90% of the malate dehydrogenase activity. Both forms of the enzyme bind to Matrex Gel Blue A in the absence of detergent, however 4× higher salt levels are required to elute the membrane form; membrane-ICDH also binds to Blue A in the presence of detergent while the matrix form does not. Membrane-ICDH is also more anionic requiring higher salt for elution from Mono Q, and in the absence of detergent is unrecoverable from this column. Characterization of ca. 40-fold purified membrane-ICDH revealed that the membrane and matrix form of the enzyme have similar kinetic properties. The possible nature of physical differences between these activities as well as potential physiological roles is discussed.
Functional and Nutritional Characteristics of Wheat Grown in Organic and Conventional Cropping Systems

The effects of organic versus conventional farming practices on wheat functional and nutritional characteristics were compared. Soft white winter wheat and hard red spring wheat were obtained from multiyear replicated field plots near Pullman, Washington, and Bozeman, Montana. Test weight, kernel weight, and kernel diameter tended to be greater in both soft and hard organic wheat than in conventional wheat in the Pullman studies. Phenolic content and total antioxidant capacity tended to be lower in organic than in conventional wheat. Flour ash, P, and Mg contents in whole wheat flour varied in parallel among cropping systems, but levels were not consistently associated with either organic or conventional cropping systems. Protein contents of whole wheat and refined flours were similar in organic and conventional wheat from Pullman when fertility levels were similar. Higher fertility was associated with higher protein content in both organic and conventional cropping systems. Soft wheat flour from a low-fe...
Characterization of two forms of cyclic 3', 5'-adenosine monophosphate-dependent protein kinase in rat testicular interstitial cells.

Abstract The adenosine-3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cyclic AMP)-dependent protein phosphokinase of rat interstitial cells was characterized by ion-exchange chromatography and sucrose density gradient centrifugation. The 0.2 M NaCl fraction from DEAE-Sephadex showed a small 2.9-S peak of basal enzyme activity, and a large 6.5-S peak of cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase activity; fractions eluted from DEAE-Sephadex with 0.3–0.5 M NaCl contained a major 3.8-S peak of cyclic AMP-dependent enzyme activity. Activation of protein kinase in cell extracts by cyclic AMP, and in intact interstitial cells by trophic hormone, caused a major shift of enzyme activity to the 2.9-S cyclic AMP-dependent form which was eluted from DEAE-Sephadex by 0.2 M NaCl. These results are consistent with the presence of two distinct protein kinase holoenzymes, with a common 2.9-S catalytic subunit. During hormonal activation of protein kinase in dispersed interstitial cells by 10 −10 M human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), conversion to the 2.9-S catalytic subunit was observed between 2 and 30 min of incubation. Protein kinase activity was correlated with cyclic AMP production, and full enzyme activation occurred at the time of maximum intracellular cyclic AMP concentration. The presence of two forms of cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase in the Leydig cell provides a potential mechanism whereby progressive occupancy of gonadotropin receptors could evoke a series of discrete target cell responses.
Marginal Risk Constraint Linear Program for Activity Analysis

A dichotomous Marginal Risk Constraint (MRC) criterion is proposed to take explicit account of activity income covariance relationships and to restrict the choice of activities within the range of rational combinations. A parametric LP solution procedure is also presented. The E,V boundary approximated is satisfactorily close to that generated from QP.
A new methodology for study of plaque formation in natural human fissures.

— A model system has been developed to study the formation of plaque in natural, human, enamel fissures. Surgically removed, fully impacted third molars were used. The occlusal two-thirds of the crowns were separated from the teeth and sonicated. The specimens were then placed on a bridge or an acrylic appliance and exposed to the oral environment for 0, 1, 2, 3 and 5 d. The experimental fissures were then subjected to microbiologic and ultrastructural analysis. The results documented that fissure plaque could be conveniently sampled for subsequent microbiologic analysis using this technique. The microbiologic composition of developing fissure plaque was verified by ultrastructural data.
The use of free Response Data in Writing Choice-Type Items

MOST TEXTBOOKS on educational measure ment present rules or suggestions for construct ing objective test items of various types. One suggestion often made is that the distracters (wrong responses) for choice-type items should be plausible. The application of this rule re quires that an item writer have some notion con cerning what alternatives are likely to serve as efficient distracters. For an experienced item writer this selection of plausible distracters may be relatively easy. A relatively inexper ienced item writer, however, may experience difficulty in devising plausible wrong choices. Some writers on educational test construction have suggested using students' responses to items set up in free response form as a source of possible distracters. In general, these writ ers suggest that using student responses to free response items as a source of distracters for a choice-type item often results in a better item than if such data is not used. Although the use of free response data has been recommended by many authors of textbooks in educational measurement, r e s e arch studies designed to evaluate the procedure have been rel atively few. Kelley (1) in 1937 used free re sponse data in constructing a vocabulary test and concluded that the procedure was questionable in view of the work involved and the results obtained. Frederiksen and Satter (2) in 1953 reported on the use of free response data in construe ting arithmetic problems and found the method was of some help. They did not, however, make any di rect comparison between items constructed with and without knowledge of such data. The results of these two research studies sug gest that the value of free response data is ques tionable. In addition, the procedure has appar ently been applied only to such factual school sub jects as vocabulary and arithmetic, where it is relatively easy to define incorrect answers. As far as it could be determined, no experimental evidence has been obtained in "content" areas such as the social studies. Furthermore, pre vious studies appeared to have only one person doing the item writing. As the method of using free response data is offered as a general sugges tion for all item writers, it is possible that the re sults of previous studies have been largely deter mined by the ability of a particular writer to use the free response data, rather than to the general value of the method itself. In view of the above considerations and the rather limited amount of
Operationalizing the outcomes of union commitment: The dimensionality of participation

In contrast to the past and current reliance upon a unidimensional or additive index of union participation, our research presents evidence of the multidimensional nature of the construct of union participation, a behavioral manifestation of union commitment. In this study, we examined a more diverse set of items than typically used in studies of union commitment and participation, ranging from holding union office to voting and to the more mundane, day-to-day activities which may take place in the workplace. Our results suggest three distinct dimensions to union participation, each representing potentially varying strengths of union commitment: an administrative factor reflecting office holding duties; an intermittent factor, reflecting participation in activities scheduled or available at particular times; and a supportive factor, reflecting on-going participative activities in support of other members of the union. Our findings further suggest these dimensions are relatively stable across time periods in two diverse samples: a retail worker sample and a nursing sample. Implications of the results are discussed.
New sorbents for desulfurization of diesel fuels via π‐complexation

Desulfurization of a commercial diesel fuel by different adsorbents was studied in a fixed-bed adsorber operated at ambient temperature and pressure. In general, the adsorbents tested for total sulfur adsorption capacity at breakthrough followed the order: AC/Cu(I)-Y > Cu(I)-Y > Selexsorb® CDX (alumina) > CuCl/γ-Al2O3 > activated carbon > Cu(I)-ZSM-5. The best adsorbent, AC/Cu(I)-Y (layered bed of 15 wt % activated carbon followed by Cu(I)Y), is capable of producing 30 cm3 of diesel fuel per gram of adsorbent with a weighted average content of 0.15 ppmw-S, and about 20 cm3 of diesel fuel per gram of adsorbent with a weighted average content of 0.06 ppmw-S. These low-sulfur fuels are suitable for fuel cell applications. The added layer of carbon not only delayed the sulfur breakthrough significantly but also sharpened the sulfur wavefronts. GC-FPD results showed that the π-complexation sorbents selectively adsorbed highly substituted thiophenes, benzothiophenes, and dibenzothiophenes from diesel, which is not possible with conventional hydrodesulfurization (HDS) reactors. The high sulfur selectivity and high sulfur capacity of Cu(I)Y were because of π-complexation. © 2004 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 50: 791–801, 2004
Comparing Clinician Knowledge and Online Information Regarding Alli (Orlistat)

Abstract Background Many consumers join online communities focused on health. Online forums are a popular medium for the exchange of health information between consumers, so it is important to determine the accuracy and completeness of information posted to online forums. Objective We compared the accuracy and completeness of information regarding the FDA-approved over-the counter weight-loss drug Alli (Orlistat) from forums and from clinicians. Methods We identified Alli-related questions posted on online forums and then posed the questions to 11 primary care providers. We then compared the clinicians' answers to the answers given on the forums. A panel of blinded experts evaluated the accuracy and completeness of the answers on a scale of 0–4. Another panel of blinded experts categorized questions as being best answered based on clinical experience versus review of the literature. Results The accuracy and completeness of clinician responses was slightly better than forum responses, but there was no significant difference (2.3 vs. 2.1, p =0.5). Only one forum answer contained information that could potentially cause harm if the advice was followed. Conclusions Forum answers were comparable to clinicians' answers with respect to accuracy and completeness, but answers from both sources were unsatisfactory.
Tests for Light Speed Isotropy: Experimental Method for Constraining the Mansouri-Sexl Parameter a by Using Ring Laser Gyroscopes

The Mansouri-Sexl theory is a well known test theory of relativity, alongside with the Standard Model Extension it is the golden standard for testing the predictions of special relativity. Mansouri and Sexl dealt with the theory of the Michelson-Morley, Kennedy-Thorndike and Ives-Stilwell experiments but left out the very interesting Sagnac experiment. In this paper we present a novel experimental measurement of light speed anisotropy via the reenactment of the Sagnac experiment using ring laser gyroscopes (RLG) and we constrain the Mansouri-Sexl parameter ato less than 0.5±0.98⇥10 6. In a recent paper [1] we have shown how to use fiberoptics gyroscopes for constraining the parameter a, in the present paper we show how the ring laser gyroscopes are used for constraining light speed anisotropy in the framework of the Mansouri-
Surgically created Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome after Fontan operation.

The Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome is caused by a congenital accessory connection between the atrium and ventricle. We describe a case of symptomatic Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome that arose after a Bjork modification of the Fontan operation. Invasive electrophysiologic and intraoperative mapping indicated that the surgically created atrioventricular connection was functioning as an accessory pathway. Surgical dissection and cryoablation abolished the symptoms and the preexcitation.
Computing ethics Computer experts: guns-for-hire or professionals?

Considering the responsibilities of those who build systems fundamental to significant social functions, institutions, and values.
Automated quality assurance of a CT scanner video frame grabber

While acceptance of standards for digital image transfer may make video image capture obsolete, this technique of getting an image from a device such as a CT scanner will be in use for many years. Because the devices are inherently analog, these circuits are susceptible to errors in image capture, which can lead to degradation in image quality. We have designed a series of phantom images and used them to periodically measure the quality of captured images. The CT images are displayed at specific window width and window level settings, so that the value of each pixel is known, and is analyzed automatically by a computer program. The procedure involves capturing each of the four quality assurance (QA) images and storing them on the image capture computer. The QA software may be run immediately or it may be run at a later date, when it will analyze images collected over a period of time. The results of the analysis are stored in the computer in a database. This allows displays of the captured image quality, including tables, graphs, charts, and trend plots. A video frame grabber was connected to a CT advantage computed tomography independent console. The images were captured once per week over a period of three months to determine the range of variation which could be expected in the first part of the device's useful life.
A PPM-family protein phosphatase from the thermoacidophile Thermoplasma volcanium hydrolyzes protein-bound phosphotyrosine

The genomes of virtually all free-living archaeons encode one or more deduced protein-serine/threonine/tyrosine kinases belonging to the so-called eukaryotic protein kinase superfamily. However, the distribution of their cognate protein-serine/threonine/phosphatases displays a mosaic pattern. Thermoplasma volcanium is unique among the Archaea inasmuch as it is the sole archaeon whose complement of deduced phosphoprotein phosphatases includes a member of the PPM-family of protein-serine/threonine phosphatases—a family that originated in the Eucarya. A recombinant version of this protein, TvnPPM, exhibited protein-tyrosine phosphatase in addition to its predicted protein-serine/threonine phosphatase activity in vitro. TvnPPM is the fourth member of the PPM-family shown to exhibit such dual-specific capability, suggesting that the ancestral versions of this enzyme exhibited broad substrate specificity. Unlike most other archeaons, the genome of T. volcanium lacks open reading frames encoding stereotypical protein-tyrosine phosphatases. Hence, the dual-specificity of TvnPPM may account for its seemingly aberrant presence in an archaeon.
How does the brain make economic decisions

For millennia the quest to understand human nature and, in particular, why we behave the way we do, was mostly the domain of religion and philosophy. Over the last two centuries, this quest has become the domain of three scientific disciplines: behavioral neuroscience, psychology and economics. Although these disciplines share a common goal, their methodology and sensibilities are significantly different, which often leads to inconsistent and even contradictory explanations of the same behavioral phenomena.
Ventricular-arterial coupling, remodeling, and prognosis in chronic heart failure

Objectives The objective of this study was to compare the physiological determinants of ejection fraction (EF)—ventricular size, contractile function, and ventricular-arterial (VA) interaction—and their associations with clinical outcomes in chronic heart failure (HF). Background EF is a potent predictor of HF outcomes, but represents a complex summary measure that integrates several components including left ventricular size, contractile function, and VA coupling. The relative importance of each of these parameters in determining prognosis is unknown. Methods In 466 participants with chronic systolic HF, we derived quantitative echocardiographic measures of EF: cardiac size (end-diastolic volume [EDV]); contractile function (the end-systolic pressure volume relationship slope [Eessb] and intercept [V0]); and VA coupling (arterial elastance [Ea]/Eessb). We determined the association between these parameters and the following adverse outcomes: 1) the combined endpoint of death, cardiac transplantation, or ventricular assist device (VAD) placement; and 2) cardiac hospitalization. Results Over a median follow-up of 3.4 years, there were 76 deaths, 52 transplantations, 14 VAD placements, and 684 cardiac hospitalizations. EF was independently associated with death, transplantation, and VAD placement (adjusted hazard ratio [HR]: 3.0; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.8 to 5.0 comparing third and first tertiles), as were EDV (HR: 2.6; 95% CI: 1.5 to 4.2); V0 (HR: 3.6; 95% CI: 2.1 to 6.1); and Ea/Eessb (HR: 2.1; 95% CI: 1.3 to 3.3). EDV, V0, and Ea/Eessb were also associated with risk of cardiac hospitalization. Eessb was not significantly associated with any adverse outcomes in adjusted analyses. Conclusions Left ventricular size, V0, and VA coupling are associated with prognosis in systolic HF, but end-systolic elastance (Eessb) is not. Assessment of VA coupling via Ea/Eessb is an additional noninvasively derived metric that can be used to gauge prognosis in human HF.
On Radiation Pressure in Static, Dusty HII Regions

Radiation pressure acting on gas and dust causes HII regions to have central densities that are lower than the density near the ionized boundary. HII regions in static equilibrium comprise a family of similarity solutions, parametrized by 3 parameters: beta, gamma, and the product (Q_0 n_rms); beta characterizes the stellar spectrum, gamma characterizes the dust/gas ratio, Q_0 is the ionizing output from the star (photons/s), and n_rms is the rms density within the ionized region. Adopting standard values for beta and gamma, varying (Q_0 n_rms) generates a one-parameter family of density profiles, ranging from nearly uniform density (small Q_0 n_rms), to hollow-sphere HII regions (large Q_0 n_rms). When (Q_0 n_rms) exceeds 10^{52} cm^{-3} s^{-1}, dusty HII regions have conspicuous central cavities, even if no stellar wind is present. For given beta, gamma and (Q_0 n_rms), a fourth quantity, which can be Q_0, determines the overall size and density of the HII region. Examples of density and emissivity profiles are given. We show how quantities of interest -- such as the peak-to-center emissivity ratio, the rms-to-mean density ratio, the edge-to-rms density ratio, and the fraction of the ionizing photons absorbed by the gas -- depend on the 3 parameters beta, gamma, and (Q_0 n_rms). For dusty HII regions, compression of the gas and dust into an ionized shell results in a substantial increase in the fraction of the >13.6 eV photons that actually ionize H (relative to a uniform density HII region with the same dust/gas ratio and density n=n_rms). We discuss the extent to which radial drift of dust grains in HII regions can alter the dust-to-gas ratio. The applicability of these solutions to real HII regions is discussed.
Photochemical keratodesmos as an adjunct to sutures for bonding penetrating keratoplasty corneal incisions.

Abstract Purpose: To evaluate the benefit of photochemical keratodesmos (PKD) in acute wound closure of penetrating keratoplasty (PKP) corneal incisions in vivo. Setting: Massachusetts General Hospital and Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. Methods: Penetrating keratoplasty incisions were performed in both eyes of 6 New Zealand white rabbits, followed by application of 1.5 mM rose bengal dye at the wound edges. The incision in 1 eye of each rabbit was irradiated with neodymium:YAG laser light at 532 nm and fluence of 40 J/cm 2 ; the contralateral control eye was untreated. Intraocular pressure at which fluid leaked at the edges (IOP L ) was determined immediately after surgery. Results: The mean IOP L was 410 mm Hg ± 70 (SD) in the PKD-treated eyes and 250 ± 150 mm Hg in the unirradiated eyes. The difference was statistically significant by paired t test ( P Conclusions: Photochemical keratodesmos may be a useful adjunct to sutures for approximating PKP corneal incisions in the immediate postoperative period. This process does not induce high temperature, and thus denaturation can be avoided and structural integrity restored.
Peripapillary Schisis in Glaucoma Patients With Narrow Angles and Increased Intraocular Pressure

Purpose To describe two cases of peripapillary retinal schisis in patients with glaucoma without evidence of optic nerve pits, pseudopits, or X-linked retinoschisis. Design Two observational case reports and literature review. Methods Imaging of the peripapillary nerve fiber layer and schisis cavities was completed in two patients, and one patient was followed over time. Results The first patient, diagnosed with narrow angle glaucoma, was noted to have peripapillary schisis in the right eye with matching changes on visual field and optical coherence tomographic (OCT) results. Follow-up examination revealed that the schisis disappeared in the right eye while appearing in the left. The findings were verified with high-speed ultra–high-resolution OCT performed in both eyes. The second case involved a patient with anatomically narrow angles, high intraocular pressure (IOP), and peripapillary schisis extending into the macula. Conclusions Peripapillary retinoschisis may represent a unique sequelae of intraocular fluctuations in patients with uncontrolled glaucoma. Further studies are needed to better understand this disease process.
Distributed expectation-driven residual testing

Software testing techniques are widely used to assure properties such as dependability, as well as to gather system usage information to support software evolution. However, in spite of such techniques, comprehensive testing of commercial-grade software is rarely performed, resulting in software that is released with neglected test obligations. The dissemination power of the Internet and the increased connectivity of systems have made the pressure to release software earlier even more apparent. Fortunately, at the same time, researchers have investigated using the infrastructure of the Internet for performing remote testing and analysis. One particular approach called residual testing allows the testing of software after it is deployed to beta testers or end users. This paper builds upon existing residual testing techniques, presenting an approach to integrate residual testing with a way to dynamically measure the behavioral conformity of the deployed system with its specifications. Our approach uses the facility of an extensible and configurable publish/subscribe infrastructure, dynamic instrumentation techniques and software tomography to address many of the issues faced by current remote residual testing