cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Development of predictive models to enhance microbiological safety of ready-to-eat meats

P microbiology has been extensively applied in food production to assess microbiological safety and shelf life of food products as well as to develop product formulation, processes, and control measures. Notable and widely adapted models include those in USDA Pathogen Modeling Program (U.S. Department of Agriculture), Combase (UK’s Institute of Food Research, USDA, and Australia’s Food Safety Center), and Seafood Spoilage and Safety Predictor (Technical University of Denmark). In the U.S., the consumption of refrigerated ready-to-eat (RTE) meats has increased significantly due to the demand for convenient foods by consumers. Since heating is not required prior to consumption, RTE meats may become a safety risk if they are contaminated with pathogens, particularly Listeria monocytogenes, which is capable of growing at refrigeration temperature. Several outbreaks of L. monocytogenes induced illnesses have been linked to the consumption of RTE meats. Studies were conducted to examine and develop predictive models for the growth behavior of L. monocytogenes in RTE meats as affected by the presence of lactate and diacetate, native microflora, and acid stress. Results showed that the growth of L. monocytogenes was significantly delayed by lactate and diacetate at <12°C and by the native microflora (Brochothrix spp.) at 4-8°C and when L. monocytogenes was subjected <pH 4 stresses. The effect of these factors on L. monocytogenes growth were described in mathematical models that can be used by RTE meat producers to select product formulations and assess product safety to reduce L. monocytogenes hazard in RTE meats.
Producing Islamic philosophy: The life and afterlives of Ibn Ṭufayl’s Ḥayy ibn Yaqẓān in global history, 1882–1947:

In recent decades, the trope that classical Muslim thinkers anticipated or influenced modern European thought has provided an easy endorsement of their contemporary relevance. This article studies ...
The Third Torus and Counterpoint

This chapter deals with the mathematics of the third torus group ℤ3 × ℤ4 and its symmetries and then applies these structures to music theory, in particular to counterpoint.
Studying disorders of vertebrate iron and heme metabolism using zebrafish.

Iron is a crucial component of heme- and iron-sulfur clusters, involved in vital cellular functions such as oxygen transport, DNA synthesis, and respiration. Both excess and insufficient levels of iron and heme-precursors cause human disease, such as iron-deficiency anemia, hemochromatosis, and porphyrias. Hence, their levels must be tightly regulated, requiring a complex network of transporters and feedback mechanisms. The use of zebrafish to study these pathways and the underlying genetics offers many advantages, among others their optical transparency, ex-vivo development and high genetic and physiological conservations. This chapter first reviews well-established methods, such as large-scale mutagenesis screens that have led to the initial identification of a series of iron and heme transporters and the generation of a variety of mutant lines. Other widely used techniques are based on injection of RNA, including complementary morpholino knockdown and gene overexpression. In addition, we highlight several recently developed approaches, most notably endonuclease-based gene knockouts such as TALENs or the CRISPR/Cas9 system that have been used to study how loss of function can induce human disease phenocopies in zebrafish. Rescue by chemical complementation with iron-based compounds or small molecules can subsequently be used to confirm causality of the genetic defect for the observed phenotype. All together, zebrafish have proven to be - and will continue to serve as an ideal model to advance our understanding of the pathogenesis of human iron and heme-related diseases and to develop novel therapies to treat these conditions.
Machinery automation at a coke battery

The degree of success of automation in other areas of the steel plant has depended to a great degree on the close cooperation of the user, the machinery builder, and the electrical supplier. If the three of us can work together in evaluation, design, and installation, a system can be selected and made to operate that is reliable in operation and will pay its way. The control system feasibility has been proven. When the machines are ready and the operators are convinced of the economics, the control system is available.
Estimation of the common mean from heterogeneous normal observations with unknown variances

Summary To determine the common mean of heterogeneous normal observations, the Bayes procedures and the invariant maximum likelihood estimators of the weights forming the weighted means statistic are obtained when there are no variance estimates. The Bayes statistic is based on the reference, Geisser–Cornfield prior distribution which makes the posterior (discrete) distribution of the mean to be supported by the observed data with probabilities determined via the geometric means of the distances between data points. The maximum likelihood estimator coincides with the observation which has the maximal posterior probability. These procedures can be useful when measurement uncertainties are not reported or are misspecified.
A game-theoretic defense against data poisoning attacks in distributed support vector machines

With a large number of sensors and control units in networked systems, distributed support vector machines (DSVMs) play a fundamental role in scalable and efficient multi-sensor classification and prediction tasks. However, DSVMs are vulnerable to adversaries who can modify and generate data to deceive the system to misclassification and misprediction. This work aims to design defense strategies for DSVM learner against a potential adversary. We use a game-theoretic framework to capture the conflicting interests between the DSVM learner and the attacker. The Nash equilibrium of the game allows predicting the outcome of learning algorithms in adversarial environments, and enhancing the resilience of the machine learning through dynamic distributed algorithms. We develop a secure and resilient DSVM algorithm with rejection method, and show its resiliency against adversary with numerical experiments.
Fexaramine as an entry blocker for feline caliciviruses

Abstract Feline calicivirus (FCV) is a small non-enveloped virus containing a single-stranded, positive-sense RNA genome of approximately 7.7 kb. FCV is a highly infectious pathogen of cats and typically causes moderate, self-limiting acute oral and upper respiratory tract diseases or chronic oral diseases. In addition, in recent years, virulent, systemic FCV (vs-FCV) strains causing severe systemic diseases with a high mortality rate of up to 67% have been reported in cats. Although FCV vaccines are commercially available, their efficacy is limited due to antigenic diversity of FCV strains and short duration of immunity. In this study, we identified fexaramine as a potent inhibitor of FCV including vs-FCV strains in cell culture and demonstrated that fexaramine is a entry blocker for FCV by using various experiments including time-of-addition studies, generation of resistant viruses in cell culture and the reverse genetics system. A fexaramine resistant FCV mutant has a single amino acid change in the P2 domain of VP1 (the major capsid), and the importance of this mutation for conferring resistance was confirmed using the reverse genetics system. A comparative analysis of viral resistance was also performed using a peptidyl inhibitor (NPI52) targeting FCV 3C-like protease. Finally, the effects of combination treatment of fexaramine and NPI52 against FCV replication and emergence of resistant viruses were investigated in cell culture.
Tumour-immune dynamics with an immune checkpoint inhibitor

The use of immune checkpoint inhibitors is becoming more commonplace in clinical trials across the nation. Two important factors in the tumour-immune response are the checkpoint protein programmed death-1 (PD-1) and its ligand PD-L1. We propose a mathematical tumour-immune model using a system of ordinary differential equations to study dynamics with and without the use of anti-PD-1. A sensitivity analysis is conducted, and series of simulations are performed to investigate the effects of intermittent and continuous treatments on the tumour-immune dynamics. We consider the system without the anti-PD-1 drug to conduct a mathematical analysis to determine the stability of the tumour-free and tumorous equilibria. Through simulations, we found that a normally functioning immune system may control tumour. We observe treatment with anti-PD-1 alone may not be sufficient to eradicate tumour cells. Therefore, it may be beneficial to combine single agent treatments with additional therapies to obtain a better antitumour response.
Late Third Millennium Abrupt Climate Change and Social Collapse in West Asia and Egypt

The palaeoenvironmental record for the 2200 BC abrupt climate change is synthesized. Alternative explanations for synchronous and extended Old World social collapse are examined and rejected. Quantification of the abrupt climate change is necessary if we are to understand its social consequences.
Behavioral differences following ingestion of large meals and consequences for management of a harmful invasive snake: A field experiment

Many snakes are uniquely adapted to ingest large prey at infrequent intervals. Digestion of large prey is metabolically and aerobically costly, and large prey boluses can impair snake locomotion, increasing vulnerability to predation. Cessation of foraging and use of refugia with microclimates facilitating digestion are expected to be strategies employed by free-ranging snakes to cope with the demands of digestion while minimizing risk of predation. However, empirical observations of such submergent behavior from field experiments are limited. The brown treesnake (Serpentes: Colubridae: Boiga irregularis) is a nocturnal, arboreal, colubrid snake that was accidentally introduced to the island of Guam, with ecologically and economically costly consequences. Because tools for brown treesnake damage prevention generally rely on snakes being visible or responding to lures or baits while foraging, cessation of foraging activities after feeding would complicate management. We sought to characterize differences in brown treesnake activity, movement, habitat use, and detectability following feeding of large meals (rodents 33% of the snake's unfed body mass) via radio telemetry, trapping, and visual surveys. Compared to unfed snakes, snakes in the feeding treatment group showed drastic decreases in hourly and nightly activity rates, differences in refuge height and microhabitat type, and a marked decrease in detectability by trapping and visual surveys. Depression of activity lasted approximately 5-7 days, a period that corresponds to previous studies of brown treesnake digestion and cycles of detectability. Our results indicate that management strategies for invasive brown treesnakes need to account for cycles of unavailability and underscore the importance of preventing spread of brown treesnakes to new environments where large prey are abundant and periods of cryptic behavior are likely to be frequent. Characterization of postfeeding behavior changes provides a richer understanding of snake ecology and foraging models for species that consume large prey.
Characteristics of General Neurology Readmissions (P3.164)

Objective: The objective of this study was to determine clinical variables and their relationships to general neurology readmissions. Background: Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) reduces payments to hospitals with excessive readmissions associated with certain diseases and procedures. Neurologic conditions may be targeted in the future. There is a paucity of literature regarding readmission rates for general neurologic disorders. Design/Methods: Patients discharged from the general neurology service at a tertiary care teaching hospital from January to December 2015 were identified. Patients discharged from neuro-intensive care, stroke and epilepsy services were excluded. Age, gender, length of stay (LOS), diagnosis, and discharge disposition were compared by t-test or odds ratio for admissions which resulted in 30-day readmissions as defined by CMS (A r ) and those which did not (A 0 ). Readmissions were analyzed with descriptive statistics. Results: The unplanned readmission rate was 13.7%. While the average age of A r was older (62.32 ± 16.63 years vs 56.35 ± 20.44 years, p=0.05), length of stay, gender, neurologic diagnoses did not differ among the groups. Patients were more likely to be readmitted if they were discharged to acute rehabilitation (OR=2.24, 95 CI 1.06–4.69, p=0.03). Patients were more likely to be readmitted if they initially had a urinary tract infection on index admission (OR 5.04, CI 1.99–12.77, p Conclusions: Although CMS has strict criteria for defining readmissions, our data suggests that it may not be applicable to general neurology patients. Further classification and disease-based criteria may need to be developed. Disclosure: Dr. Kim has nothing to disclose. Dr Kothare has nothing to disclose. Dr. Weinberg has nothing to disclose.
Controlled Synthesis of InGaN Quantum Dots for Efficient Light Emitters

InGaN quantum dots formed by quantum-size controlled photoelectrochemical etching are demonstrated. The QDs are capped with AlGaN/GaN passivation layers to reduce surface recombination These QDs are small-sized, <10 nm in diameter, and emit at ∼412 nm with a narrow FWHM of 8 nm at 77 K.
Updates on vaccinating the inflammatory bowel disease patient.

ABSTRACTIntroduction: Many of the therapeutic options for patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) suppress the immune system, which increases the risk of certain infections in these patients...
Genetic variants and cognitive functions in patients with brain tumors.

BACKGROUND Patients with brain tumors treated with radiotherapy (RT) and chemotherapy (CT) often experience cognitive dysfunction. We reported that single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the APOE, COMT, and BDNF genes may influence cognition in brain tumor patients. In this study, we assessed whether genes associated with late-onset Alzheimer's disease (LOAD), inflammation, cholesterol transport, dopamine and myelin regulation, and DNA repair may influence cognitive outcome in this population. METHODS One hundred and fifty brain tumor patients treated with RT ± CT or CT alone completed a neurocognitive assessment and provided a blood sample for genotyping. We genotyped genes/SNPs in these pathways: (i) LOAD risk/inflammation/cholesterol transport, (ii) dopamine regulation, (iii) myelin regulation, (iv) DNA repair, (v) blood-brain barrier disruption, (vi) cell cycle regulation, and (vii) response to oxidative stress. White matter (WM) abnormalities were rated on brain MRIs. RESULTS Multivariable linear regression analysis with Bayesian shrinkage estimation of SNP effects, adjusting for relevant demographic, disease, and treatment variables, indicated strong associations (posterior association summary [PAS] ≥ 0.95) among tests of attention, executive functions, and memory and 33 SNPs in genes involved in: LOAD/inflammation/cholesterol transport (eg, PDE7A, IL-6), dopamine regulation (eg, DRD1, COMT), myelin repair (eg, TCF4), DNA repair (eg, RAD51), cell cycle regulation (eg, SESN1), and response to oxidative stress (eg, GSTP1). The SNPs were not significantly associated with WM abnormalities. CONCLUSION This novel study suggests that polymorphisms in genes involved in aging and inflammation, dopamine, myelin and cell cycle regulation, and DNA repair and response to oxidative stress may be associated with cognitive outcome in patients with brain tumors.
Novelty and Novel Objects Increase c-Fos Immunoreactivity in Mossy Cells in the Mouse Dentate Gyrus

The dentate gyrus (DG) and its primary cell type, the granule cell (GC), are thought to be critical to many cognitive functions. A major neuronal subtype of the DG is the hilar mossy cell (MC). MCs have been considered to play an important role in cognition, but in vivo studies to understand the activity of MCs during cognitive tasks are challenging because the experiments usually involve trauma to the overlying hippocampus or DG, which kills hilar neurons. In addition, restraint typically occurs, and MC activity is reduced by brief restraint stress. Social isolation often occurs and is potentially confounding. Therefore, we used c-fos protein expression to understand when MCs are active in vivo in socially housed adult C57BL/6 mice in their home cage. We focused on c-fos protein expression after animals explored novel objects, based on previous work which showed that MCs express c-fos protein readily in response to a novel housing location. Also, MCs are required for the training component of the novel object location task and novelty-encoding during a food-related task. GluR2/3 was used as a marker of MCs. The results showed that MC c-fos protein is greatly increased after exposure to novel objects, especially in ventral DG. We also found that novel objects produced higher c-fos levels than familiar objects. Interestingly, a small subset of neurons that did not express GluR2/3 also increased c-fos protein after novel object exposure. In contrast, GCs appeared relatively insensitive. The results support a growing appreciation of the role of the DG in novelty detection and novel object recognition, where hilar neurons and especially MCs are very sensitive.
Long-range interdomain communications in eIF5B regulate GTP hydrolysis and translation initiation.

Translation initiation controls protein synthesis by regulating the delivery of the first aminoacyl-tRNA to messenger RNAs (mRNAs). In eukaryotes, initiation is sophisticated, requiring dozens of protein factors and 2 GTP-regulated steps. The GTPase eIF5B gates progression to elongation during the second GTP-regulated step. Using electron cryomicroscopy (cryo-EM), we imaged an in vitro initiation reaction which is set up with purified yeast components and designed to stall with eIF5B and a nonhydrolyzable GTP analog. A high-resolution reconstruction of a "dead-end" intermediate at 3.6 A allowed us to visualize eIF5B in its ribosome-bound conformation. We identified a stretch of residues in eIF5B, located close to the γ-phosphate of GTP and centered around the universally conserved tyrosine 837 (Saccharomyces cerevisiae numbering), that contacts the catalytic histidine of eIF5B (H480). Site-directed mutagenesis confirmed the essential role that these residues play in regulating ribosome binding, GTP hydrolysis, and translation initiation both in vitro and in vivo. Our results illustrate how eIF5B transmits the presence of a properly delivered initiator aminoacyl-tRNA at the P site to the distant GTPase center through interdomain communications and underscore the importance of the multidomain architecture in translation factors to sense and communicate ribosomal states.
The Health Burden of Obesity

Obesity constitutes a significant and rapidly increasing public health challenge, and is associated with increased risks for many of the most serious diseases and conditions affecting modern populations, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and certain cancers. In addition to these significant health risks, obesity is also associated with social stigmatization, sleep apnea, osteoarthritis, gout, and risks of infertility. In this chapter, we discuss the relationships between obesity and disease, in both children and adults, the underlying mechanisms, and the social and economic consequences.
Do health literacy disparities explain racial disparities in family-centered care for youths with special health care needs?

Abstract Objective To explore the relationship among youth health literacy, parental health literacy, and family-centered care (FCC) for youth with special health care needs (YSHCN) and assess potential racial disparities. Methods HL and FCC were assessed in 486 Medicaid-enrolled YSHCN (ages 12–18) and their healthcare-responsible parent/caregiver. Analyses assessed racial differences in HL and FCC for parents and youth using logistic regression. Results Half of youth and over 80 percent of parents had adequate HL (REALM score ≥62). Adequate HL was significantly lower in African Americans (AA) for both YSHCN and parents. Only 57 % of parents and 29 % of YSHCN reported FCC. AA YSHCN reported significantly lower levels of FCC compared to White YSHCN. AA parents trended lower for FCC compared to Whites, though the disparity was not significant. AA youth and parents had significantly lower odds of reporting that doctors spent enough time with them compared to Whites. Conclusion Results suggest that AA and those with less than adequate health literacy experience lower FCC, however the relationship between race and health literacy does not explain the racial disparity in FCC. Practical Implications Provider time spent focused on HL may not reduce the racial disparity in FCC, but opportunities for improvement exist.
Association of Therapy Time Per Day With Functional Outcomes and Rate of Recovery in Older Adults After Elective Joint Replacement Surgery.

Abstract Objectives To explore the association between therapy minutes per length of stay (LOS) day (TMLD), functional outcomes, and rate of functional recovery among older adults after elective hip or knee replacement surgery across postacute (PAC) settings. Design Secondary analysis of data collected for an observational cohort study from 2005 to 2010. Setting Four inpatient rehabilitation facilities (IRF) and 7 skilled nursing facilities (SNF). Participants Adults aged 65 years or older (N=162) with Medicare fee-for-service insurance and a primary diagnosis of elective hip or knee replacement. Interventions Not applicable. Main Outcome Measures FIM mobility and self-care measures at discharge. Results The TMLD was divided into high, medium, and low categories. Participants were grouped into low, medium, and high gain rate groups based on their average change in mobility and self-care FIM measures per LOS day. Gain rate and TMLD groups were crossmapped to create 9 gain-TMLD groups separately for mobility and self-care. There were no significant differences in admission mobility or self-care measures by gain rate and TMLD trajectory or by facility type (IRF or SNF). TMLD was not significantly associated with discharge mobility measures. Participants in high gain trajectories attained independence with mobility and self-care tasks at discharge regardless of TMLD. Those in low gain trajectories needed supervision or assistance on all mobility tasks. Older age and greater pain at discharge were significantly associated with lower odds of being in the medium or high gain rate groups. Conclusions For clinicians and facility managers who must care for patients with constrained resources, the shift to value-based reimbursement for rehabilitation services in PAC settings has reinvigorated the question of whether the duration of therapy provided influences patient outcomes. Three hours of daily therapy after joint replacement surgery may exceed what is necessary for recovery. Postsurgical pain management remains a significant challenge in older adults.
Estimating Agricultural Groundwater Withdrawals with Energy Data

AbstractAgricultural water use is the leading cause of groundwater overdraft in California. However, agencies tasked with managing groundwater resources do not have access to accurate and reliable ...
Coronary Heart Disease

Despite considerable advances in research and practice over the past three decades, cardiovascular disease and, in particular, coronary heart disease (CHD) remains the primary cause of premature death in the United States. This chapter will illustrate the various methods and concepts within health psychology that have been applied to further our understanding of the factors that contribute to CHD and the various prevention and intervention strategies used to reduce the risk of CHD morbidity and mortality. This chapter will first provide an overview of etiological considerations, including a definition of CHD and specification of risk factors. The remainder of the chapter will focus on “coronary-prone behavior pattern,” or the Type A behavior pattern, as it relates to the development and maintenance of CHD. As was discussed in Chapter 1, this behavior pattern represents the first well-defined psychological or behavioral risk factor in the history of risk factor research in health and illness. Therefore, the Type A behavior pattern will be emphasized, with a focus on (1) defining the pattern and presenting it in historical perspective, (2) describing the pattern and the methods used to measure and identify it, (3) reviewing the research validating the Type A construct and providing an overview of the psychological aspects of the behavior pattern, and (4) reviewing the psychophysiological
Deep autoencoders for physics-constrained data-driven nonlinear materials modeling

Abstract Physics-constrained data-driven computing is an emerging computational paradigm that allows simulation of complex materials directly based on material database and bypass the classical constitutive model construction. However, it remains difficult to deal with high-dimensional applications and extrapolative generalization. This paper introduces deep learning techniques under the data-driven framework to address these fundamental issues in nonlinear materials modeling. To this end, an autoencoder neural network architecture is introduced to learn the underlying low-dimensional representation (embedding) of the given material database. The offline trained autoencoder and the discovered embedding space are then incorporated in the online data-driven computation such that the search of optimal material state from database can be performed on a low-dimensional space, aiming to enhance the robustness and predictability with projected material data. To ensure numerical stability and representative constitutive manifold, a convexity-preserving interpolation scheme tailored to the proposed autoencoder-based data-driven solver is proposed for constructing the material state. In this study, the applicability of the proposed approach is demonstrated by modeling nonlinear biological tissues. A parametric study on data noise, data size and sparsity, training initialization, and model architectures, is also conducted to examine the robustness and convergence property of the proposed approach.
Housing Instability and Quality

Distinct from homelessness, housing instability can include moving frequently between residences (also known as “couch surfing”), being behind on rent payments, or being threatened with evictions. While estimating the number of people with unstable housing is difficult given inconsistent definitions, 2.3 million people annually face evictions alone. In addition to housing instability, six million households live in substandard housing conditions nationally, an estimate virtually unchanged in 20 years. Unstable housing and poor housing quality are associated with adverse health outcomes, particularly for those with chronic diseases, and are therefore an important consideration in the management of emergency department patients. Research across settings has found that both housing instability and poor housing quality are common among emergency department patients. This chapter provides guidance for emergency providers on assessing and responding to patients’ housing stability and quality status in the emergency department and beyond.
A Finite Element Implementation in Three Dimensions

Classical techniques construct approximations from globally kinematically admissible functions, which we define as functions that satisfy the displacement boundary condition beforehand. Two main obstacles arise: (1) it may be very difficult to find a kinematically admissible function over the entire domain and (2) if such functions are found they lead to large, strongly coupled, and complicated systems of equations. These problems have been overcome by the fact that local approximations (posed over very small partitions of the entire domain) can deliver high quality solutions, and simultaneously lead to systems of equations which have an advantageous mathematical structure amenable to large-scale computation by high-speed computers. These piece-wise or “element-wise” approximations were recognized at least 60 years ago by Courant [1] as being quite advantageous. There have been a variety of such approximation methods to solve equations of mathematical physics. The most popular method of this class is the Finite Element Method. The central feature of the method is to partition the domain in a systematic manner into an assembly of discrete subdomains or “elements,” and then to approximate the solution of each of these pieces in a manner that couples them to form a global solution valid over the whole domain. The process is designed to keep the resulting algebraic systems as computationally manageable, and memory efficient, as possible.
High-level synthesis using computation-unit integrated memories

High-level synthesis (HLS) of memory-intensive applications has featured several innovations in terms of enhancements made to the basic memory organization and data layout. However, increasing performance and energy demands faced by application-specific integrated circuits (ASIC) are forcing designers to alter the fundamental architectural template of the HLS output, namely, a controller-datapath associated with a memory subsystem (monolithic, banked, etc.). We propose an architectural template for the HLS output that consists of a controller-datapath circuit associated with a memory subsystem into which computation units have been integrated. The enhanced memory subsystem is called computation-unit integrated memory (CIM). A CIM offers higher memory bandwidth (relative to what is offered through the system bus) to computation units present locally within it and reduces the overall communication between the memory subsystem and the controller-datapath, thus providing a template highly suitable for deriving efficient implementations of memory-intensive applications. This work addresses the challenge of providing an automatic synthesis framework for a CIM-based architecture. Our framework can analyze the various trade-offs involved in selecting suitable operations in a behavior for execution using a CIM and generate a high-performance, low-overhead implementation. Experiments with several behaviors indicate that an average performance improvement of 1.88/spl times/ (a maximum of 2.63/spl times/) is possible with very low area overheads. The energy-delay product improves by an average of 2.1/spl times/ (maximum of 3.4/spl times/).
Recombination rates, Resonance Strengths and Line Profiles of Dielectronic Satellite Lines of He-like Ca, Fe, Ni

Dielectronic satellite (DES) lines arising from the radiative decay of ions with excited cores are used as diagnostics of the plasma conditions found in astronomical objects. In collisional plasmas, the most common DES lines are due to an electron being dielectronically captured by a He-like ion, forming a 3-electron, Li-like ion in a doubly excited, autoionizing state (i.e. 1s2l2l’ (KLL), 1s2l3l’ (KLM), etc). These states can decay to bound levels by emitting a photon, completing a process known as dielectronic recombination (DR). The autoionizing KLL complex gives rise to 22 DES lines, labeled ‘a’ through ‘v’, via transitions of the type 1s2l2l’→1s22 l. These lines are seen at energies lower than the He-like resonance line (1s2p(1P0 1)→ 1s2(1S0) - which is also referred to as the ‘w’ line). The unified recombination method, which treats photoionization and electron-ion recombination in a manner which couples autoionizing states to the continuum, has been extended to study the DES lines of the highly charged ions Ca XVIII, Fe XXIV, and Ni XXVI. In contrast to obtaining a single energy point for a DES line (as is the case for existing theoretical approaches based on the isolated resonance approximation - IRA), the unified method: (i) provides detailed profiles of DES lines, including the blending of lines which occurs in nature, (ii) includes the background contribution of radiative recombination (RR), and (iii) provides a simple relation between the resonance strengths and recombination rates of narrow lines which is useful for astrophysical modeling.
Manejo de la hiperglucemia en el paciente hospitalizado

Management of hyperglycemia in the hospitalized patient. Hyperglycemia is a frequent compli- cation in patients admitted to the hospital, and it is associated with increased morbidity, mortality and length of stay. The mechanisms that cause these complications are not clear, but multiple physiological processes are affected with increased glucose levels. Prospective studies have showed a positive impact of glucose control on morbidity, and mortality in different groups of patients. However, questions have risen re- garding glucose targets, and consequently many healthcare providers do not have a well-formulated and objec- tive approach to handle hyperglycemia in critically, and non-critically ill patients. In this article we review obser- vational and prospective studies regarding hyperglycemia in the hospital. We also describe options for glucose control, and recommendations for the transition of glucose management to the ambulatory setting.
Health-Related Quality of Life of Patients With Diabetes and Foot Ulcers:

Thirty-four patients with diabetes who attended a university diabetic foot clinic for treatment of a foot ulcer completed the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Musculoskeletal Outcomes Measure. The purpose of the study was to measure the impact of foot ulcers in patients with diabetes on the physical, mental, emotional, and social aspects of patients' lives. Thirty had at least a high school education. Only six were employed at the time. Nineteen were retired or disabled due to poor health. Sixteen were obese, 10 were considered overweight, and eight had a BMI within the acceptable range. Subjects had an average of four to five bodily systems affected by comorbid illness for which they were receiving treatment, some of which limited their activities. Approximately 85% of the study population required some type of ambulatory assist device or were unable to ambulate independently. The study population was significantly limited in performing all physical activities, especially those requiring use of the foot and ankle, and viewed their own health as being significantly worse than that of the general population. All stated that their foot/ankle disease interfered with their lives. Pain was not a significant component of their disability. The results of this study confirm the hypothesis that foot ulcers in patients with diabetes have a negative impact on quality of life in affected individuals.
On the de Haas – van Alphen effect

Guillemin, V. and A. Uribe, On the the Haas - van Alphen effect, Asymptotic Analysis 6 (1993) 205-217.
Halogen chemistry of the red alga Asparagopsis

Ethanol extraction of fresh Asparagopsis taxiformis and A. armata, followed by pentane partition, results in the isolation of a series of halomethanes, among them MeI, CHCl3, and CCl4. Under these extraction conditions, esterification readily occurs, allowing the isolation and identification of a series of polyhaloethyl acetates and acrylates. The recognition of acetone and polyhaloacetones in these extracts suggests biological halogenations occur which result in haloform reactions.
Evaluating the concerns of pregnant women with epilepsy: a focus group approach.

Abstract Rationale Some women with epilepsy stop or decrease their antiepileptic drug (AED) therapy during pregnancy because they fear fetal effects of the therapy. This places the patient and her fetus at risk for potential adverse outcomes due to increased seizure activity. The rationale of this behavior is not completely understood and is underexplored. The aim of this qualitative project was to determine the concerns of pregnant women with epilepsy via small focus groups. Methods Pregnant women with epilepsy were recruited to participate in small group sessions involving direct interviews which were analyzed by thematic content analysis. Results Ten focus groups were conducted with a total of 21 second or third trimester pregnant women with epilepsy. Twelve women reported changes to their AED regimen during pregnancy, with six having made changes requested by their prescriber and six (29% of all study participants) self-altering their AED regimen. In contrast to the former group, the alterations made by the latter group were either dose-lowering or stopping AEDs altogether. Via content analysis, four pregnancy specific patient-related concerns arose: 1) the safety of drug therapy during pregnancy, 2) potential neonatal complications, 3) labor and delivery issues and 4) neonatal and post-partum management. An unanticipated benefit was the fostering of patient comfort and an opportunity for patient-to-patient collaboration. Conclusions Our study adds insight into the concerns of pregnant women with epilepsy. By identifying these concerns, we may be able to provide more effective patient education, and we hope to ultimately improve outcomes in women with epilepsy.
Role of GAP-43 in Sequestering Phosphatidylinositol 4,5-Bisphosphate to Raft Bilayers

The lipid phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) is critical for a number of physiological functions, and its presence in membrane microdomains (rafts) appears to be important for several of these spatially localized events. However, lipids like PIP2 that contain polyunsaturated hydrocarbon chains are usually excluded from rafts, which are enriched in phospholipids (such as sphingomyelin) containing saturated or monounsaturated chains. Here we tested a mechanism by which multivalent PIP2 molecules could be transferred into rafts through electrostatic interactions with polybasic cytoplasmic proteins, such as GAP-43, which bind to rafts via their acylated N-termini. We analyzed the interactions between lipid membranes containing raft microdomains and a peptide (GAP-43P) containing the linked N-terminus and the basic effector domain of GAP-43. In the absence or presence of nonacylated GAP-43P, PIP2 was found primarily in detergent-soluble membranes thought to correspond to nonraft microdomains. However, when GAP-43P was acylated by palmitoyl coenzyme A, both the peptide and PIP2 were greatly enriched in detergent-resistant membranes that correspond to rafts; acylation of GAP-43P changed the free energy of transfer of PIP2 from detergent-soluble membranes to detergent-resistant membranes by −1.3 kcal/mol. Confocal microscopy of intact giant unilamellar vesicles verified that in the absence of GAP-43P PIP2 was in nonraft microdomains, whereas acylated GAP-43P laterally sequestered PIP2 into rafts. These data indicate that sequestration of PIP2 to raft microdomains could involve interactions with acylated basic proteins such as GAP-43.
Hyperelastic Material Properties of Mouse Skin under Compression.

The skin is a dynamic organ whose complex material properties are capable of withstanding continuous mechanical stress while accommodating insults and organism growth. Moreover, synchronized hair cycles, comprising waves of hair growth, regression and rest, are accompanied by dramatic fluctuations in skin thickness in mice. Whether such structural changes alter skin mechanics is unknown. Mouse models are extensively used to study skin biology and pathophysiology, including aging, UV-induced skin damage and somatosensory signaling. As the skin serves a pivotal role in the transfer function from sensory stimuli to neuronal signaling, we sought to define the mechanical properties of mouse skin over a range of normal physiological states. Skin thickness, stiffness and modulus were quantitatively surveyed in adult, female mice (Mus musculus). These measures were analyzed under uniaxial compression, which is relevant for touch reception and compression injuries, rather than tension, which is typically used to analyze skin mechanics. Compression tests were performed with 105 full-thickness, freshly isolated specimens from the hairy skin of the hind limb. Physiological variables included body weight, hair-cycle stage, maturity level, skin site and individual animal differences. Skin thickness and stiffness were dominated by hair-cycle stage at young (6–10 weeks) and intermediate (13–19 weeks) adult ages but by body weight in mature mice (26–34 weeks). Interestingly, stiffness varied inversely with thickness so that hyperelastic modulus was consistent across hair-cycle stages and body weights. By contrast, the mechanics of hairy skin differs markedly with anatomical location. In particular, skin containing fascial structures such as nerves and blood vessels showed significantly greater modulus than adjacent sites. Collectively, this systematic survey indicates that, although its structure changes dramatically throughout adult life, mouse skin at a given location maintains a constant elastic modulus to compression throughout normal physiological stages.
Energy transfer in master equation simulations: A new approach

Collisional energy transfer plays a key role in recombination, unimolecular, and chemical activation reactions. For master equation simulations of such reaction systems, it is conventionally assumed that the rate constant for inelastic energy transfer collisions is independent of the excitation energy. However, numerical instabilities and nonphysical results are encountered when normalizing the collision step-size distribution in the sparse density of states regime at low energies. It is argued here that the conventional assumption is not correct, and it is shown that the numerical problems and nonphysical results are eliminated by making a plausible assumption about the energy dependence of the rate coefficient for inelastic collisions. The new assumption produces a model that is more physically realistic for anyreasonablechoiceofcollisionstep-sizedistribution,butmoreworkremainstobedone.The resulting numerical algorithm is stable and noniterative. Testing shows that overall accuracy in master equation simulations is better with this new approach than with the conventional one. This new approach is appropriate for all energy-grained master equation formulations. C � 2009
An empirical evaluation of the Gilly-Enis updated household life cycle model

Abstract An updated household life cycle model, originally proposed by Gilly and Enis (1982), is evaluated empirically. The model produces strong significant differences across a variety of consumption areas, even after one adjusts for income as a covariate. Furthermore, this model results in only one percent of the sample classified as “other” and incorporates individuals into new classifications reflecting changing demographic trends as called for by other researchers.
Numerical approach for solving rigid spacecraft minimum time attitude maneuvers

The minimum time attitude slewing motion of a rigid spacecraft with its controls provided by bounded torques and forces is considered. Instead of the slewing time, an integral of a quadratic function of the controls is used as the cost function. This enables us to deal with the singular and nonsingular problems in a unified way. The minimum time is determined by sequentially shortening the slewing time. The two-point boundary-value problem is derived by applying Pontryagin's maximum prinicple to the system and solved by using a quasilinearization algorithm. A set of methods based on the Euler's principal axis rotation is developed to estimate the unknown initial costates and the minimum slewing time as well as to generate the nominal solutions for starting this algorithm. It is shown that one of the four initial costates associated with the quaternions can be arbitrarily selected without affecting the optimal controls and thus simplifying the computation. Several numerical tests are presented to show the applications of these methods.
The botulinum toxins in the treatment of cervical dystonia.

The use of botulinum toxin to treat cervical dystonia (CD) has dramatically improved the quality of life of patients with this disabling, often painful disease. Two forms of toxins, botulinum toxin type A (BTX-A) and botulinum toxin type B (BTX-B), have each been studied in large multicenter trials in subjects with CD. A study of BTX-A demonstrated improvement of 5.15 to 10.65 degrees in head position using the Cervical Dystonia Severity Scale (CDSS) in those treated with BTX-A (trade name BOTOX ® ) compared with placebo. A study in patients who continued to respond to BTX-A and a similarly designed study in patients who were resistant to BTX-A demonstrated statistical improvement in the Toronto Western Spasmodic Torticollis Rating Scale (TWSTRS) in those treated with BTX-B (evaluated as NeuroBloc ® ) compared with placebo. The potential availability of both forms of toxin will allow physicians to offer further treatment options to patients with CD.
Physiological Responses of Hybrid Striped Bass to Aqueous Copper in Freshwater and Saltwater

Copper (Cu) is an abundant trace metal, and although essential at low levels, it is also potentially toxic to aquatic organisms. Mechanisms of toxicity and consequences of exposure vary depending on ionoregulatory status (acclimated to freshwater or salt water). The goal of this research was to examine the responses of hybrid striped bass (Morone chrysops × Morone saxatilis) exposed to Cu in freshwater and 15 g/L salt water. In freshwater, a general dose- and time-dependent pattern of increasing Cu accumulation in gill tissue was evident in fish exposed to aqueous Cu (220 and 447 mg/L) for up to 96 hours. The 96-hour acute median lethal concentration for freshwater-acclimated hybrid striped bass exposed to Cu was 94 mg/L (confidence interval = 62 to 144 mg/L). Plasma osmolality and Na+ concentrations decreased in Cu-exposed fish. Freshwater-acclimated hybrid striped bass exposed to aqueous Cu (60 mg/L) for 3 weeks decreased in mass and accumulated Cu in gill, intestine, and liver. In salt water, no mortality occurred, and there were no statistical differences in growth, tissue Cu, or plasma ion concentrations in hybrid striped bass exposed to Cu compared with control fish. Freshwater-acclimated hybrid striped bass were very sensitive to Cu exposure and exhibited responses typical of commonly tested teleost fishes; however, the same sensitivity was not observed in salt water–acclimated fish.
Syndesmos, a Syndecan-4 Cytoplasmic Domain Interactor, Binds to the Focal Adhesion Adaptor Proteins Paxillin and Hic-5

Syndecan-4 and integrins are the primary transmembrane receptors of focal adhesions in cells adherent to extracellular matrix molecules. Syndesmos is a cytoplasmic protein that interacts specifically with the cytoplasmic domain of syndecan-4, and it co-localizes with syndecan-4 in focal contacts. In the present study we sought possible interactors with syndesmos. We find that syndesmos interacts with the focal adhesion adaptor protein paxillin. The binding of syndesmos to paxillin is direct, and these interactions are triggered by the activation of protein kinase C. Syndesmos also binds the paxillin homolog, Hic-5. The connection of syndecan-4 with paxillin through syndesmos parallels the connection between paxillin and integrins and may thus reflect the cooperative signaling of these two receptors in the assembly of focal adhesions and actin stress fibers.