cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Antibacterial prophylaxis for gram-positive and gram-negative infections in cranial surgery: A meta-analysis.

Abstract Background Perioperative antibiotic prophylaxis against gram positive and gram negative infections is considered standard of care in the perioperative management of patients undergoing cranial surgery. The antibiotic regimen which best reduces the risk of surgical site infections (SSIs) remains controversial. Objectives A systematic literature review and meta-analysis were conducted to examine the effect of various prophylactic antibiotics on infection incidence among patients undergoing cranial surgeries. Methods A comprehensive search was conducted on Pubmed, EMBASE and Cochrane databases through October 2014 for studies that evaluated the efficacy of antibiotic prophylaxis among patients undergoing cranial surgeries. Pooled effect estimates using both fixed- and random-effect models were calculated. Results Eight articles were included in the meta-analysis, with a combined total of 1655 cranial procedures. Among these, 74 cases of SSIs were reported after patients received a single antibiotic or a combination of 2 or more antibiotics (pooled incidence of SSIs = 6.00%; 95% CI = 4.80%, 7.50%; fixed-effects model; I2 = 73.7%; P-heterogeneity Conclusion Lincosamides, glycopeptides, third generation cephalosporins, other combinations of prophylactic antibiotics, or penicillin-family antibiotics alone offer better coverage against SSIs than first generation cephalosporin among cranial surgery patients.
Darters: Who Needs Vision?

This article presents a very brief history of recreational and competitive darts, presents relevant neurological systems pertinent to throwing darts, discusses dart equipment, and talks about techniques of throwing darts as a recreational and competitive sport. In particular, the performance aspect of darts for individuals with visual impairment or blindness is examined in depth.
Recommending highlights in Anime movies: Mining the real-time user comments “DanMaKu”

DanMaKu is the real-time interactive comments showing overlay on a web video. Such DanMaKu websites are popular in Asia, especially in Japan and China. In this paper, an analysis of nine Japanese Anime movies based on DanMaKu counts will be presented. Highlight moments and key sentences of each movie are selected based on the analysis of DanMaKu counts. An experiment is designed to test the effect of the selected highlight moments and key sentences.
Group Decision Making and the AHP

This paper focuses on the application of the Analytic Hierarchy Process in a group setting. In particular, we present observations and suggestions that are intended to help in the planning and execution of a group decision-making effort in which AΗΡ plays a major role.
Radiofrequency Treatment of Trigeminal Neuralgia Using A Cordotomy-type Electrode A Method

A specific technique for treating trigeminal neuralgia with radiofrequency thermocoagulation uses a small electrode which allows the lesion to be made behind the ganglion in the retro gasserian rootlets where little pain is produced and the patient can be treated while awake. On-line monitoring during the lesioning with this electrode permits accurate control over the location and extent of the numbness in the face. This technique yields a very high incidence of patient satisfaction and a very low incidence of annoying dysesthesias in the face and corneal sensory loss
NASA’s Plans for Development of a Standard for Additively Manufactured Components

The current version of NASA standards for manned spaceflight hardware do not contain sufficient detail for the certification of additively manufactured components. The development of additively manufactured standards is currently in work by several standards organizations. However, NASA cannot wait on these organizations to develop such standards. NASA and its program partners in manned spaceflight (Commercial Crew, Space Launch System and the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle) are actively developing additively manufactured components for flight as early as 2019.
Square-Planar Iron(II) Silyl Complexes: Synthesis, Characterization, and Insertion Reactivity

Treatment of [Fe(BH4)(CyPNP)] (CyPNP = bis(dicyclohexylphosphinomethyl)pyrrole) with 2 or 3 equiv of phosphine afforded the octahedral low-spin iron hydride compounds [FeH(PMe2Ph)(N2)(CyPNP)] and [...
Introduction of a tobacco-screening initiative for those at risk for bladder cancer in a high volume urology clinic.

4540 Background: Tobacco use is causal or contributory in 50% of bladder cancer diagnoses. Continued use after diagnosis may negatively impact recurrence, progression, and mortality. Despite its re...
Tight-Binding Modeling of Uranium in an Aqueous Environment

The first density functional tight-binding (DFTB) parameters for uranium, oxygen, and hydrogen chemistry are reported, which enable quantum molecular dynamics simulations that will be instrumental in understanding actinide speciation, reaction mechanisms, and kinetics. These parameters were fitted to atomization energies and forces obtained from density functional theory with a training set of small molecules that includes various oxidation states. The energetic results with these DFTB parameters for various reactions of hydration, hydrolysis, dimerization, and isomerization demonstrate that the DFTB method can qualitatively capture the correct chemistry with a small systematic deviation from the density functional theory reference values. Structural results on the molecules not in the training set, including dimers, show generally good agreement with the reference and demonstrate the transferability of these first DFTB parameters for uranium chemistry.
Analytic solution of the SEIR epidemic model via asymptotic approximant

Abstract An analytic solution is obtained to the SEIR Epidemic Model. The solution is created by constructing a single second-order nonlinear differential equation in ln S and analytically continuing its divergent power series solution such that it matches the correct long-time exponential damping of the epidemic model. This is achieved through an asymptotic approximant (Barlow et al., 2017) in the form of a modified symmetric Pade approximant that incorporates this damping. The utility of the analytical form is demonstrated through its application to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Iron Homeostasis and Ferritin in Sepsis-Associated Kidney Injury

Sepsis associated acute kidney injury (SA-AKI) is a common clinical syndrome that occurs among hospitalized patients and significantly impacts mortality. Furthermore, survival after sepsis is intricately dependent on recovery of kidney function. In this review, we discuss the role of iron imbalance in mediating the pathogenic events during sepsis. Intracellular ferritin serves as a repository for iron and prevents iron-mediated injury and may limit the availability of iron to pathogens. Circulating levels of ferritin also increase during sepsis and often correlate with severity of sepsis. Herein, we examine preclinical and clinical data and discuss recent findings that suggest immunomodulatory roles for ferritin. We also discuss the possible mechanistic roles for ferritin in mitigating the pathogenic sequelae of sepsis and highlight current gaps in knowledge.
On the Use of Artificial Intelligence for High Impedance Fault Detection and Electrical Safety

Accidents caused by faults on overhead power lines have been more frequently reported under extreme weather conditions and may strongly threaten the safety and stability of the power grids, e.g., massive wildfires caused by the electrical arcs or lines getting in touch with vegetation, relay miss-operations, etc. It has been widely recognized that the electric safety concerns engendered by overhead line faults have to be timely and properly addressed to minimize the subsequent risks and damages. The existing monitoring devices and protective relays can barely detect high impedance faults (HIFs) and are unable to warn the system operators until serious abnormalities or damages are observed. Aiming at avoiding the damaging consequences of HIFs, an online monitoring system embedded with machine learning analytics is proposed that ensures a fast and accurate detection of HIFs in power systems. The performance of the proposed artificial intelligence engine is tested under a variety of simulated conditions and the numerical results demonstrate its efficacy and superiority over the state-of-the-art advancements.
Strategies to integrate multi-omics data for patient survival prediction.

Genomics, especially multi-omics, has made precision medicine feasible. The completion and publicly accessible multi-omics resource with clinical outcome, such as The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) is a great test bed for developing computational methods that integrate multi-omics data to predict patient cancer phenotypes. We have been utilizing TCGA multi-omics data to predict cancer patient survival, using a variety of approaches, including prior-biological knowledge (such as pathways), and more recently, deep-learning methods. Over time, we have developed methods such as Cox-nnet, DeepProg, and two-stage Cox-nnet, to address the challenges due to multi-omics and multi-modality. Despite the limited sample size (hundreds to thousands) in the training datasets as well as the heterogeneity nature of human populations, these methods have shown significance and robustness at predicting patient survival in independent population cohorts. In the following, we would describe in detail these methodologies, the modeling results, and important biological insights revealed by these methods.
The Effect of Weather on Subjective Performance Evaluation

We examine how weather influences subjective performance evaluations in the context of a specific bias documented by prior literature: spillover from performance on an objective measure to the subjective evaluation of an unrelated performance dimension. Results of our experiment show that cloudy weather can mitigate spillover effects in subjective evaluations. In our primary sample, the magnitude of the spillover effect on sunny days is virtually identical to that documented by prior work. On cloudy days, however, the magnitude of the spillover effect is only one-third of that on sunny days. We examine and rule out various channels through which weather may affect the spillover effect, concluding that our results are most likely attributable to cloudy weather inducing a more detailed and systematic cognitive processing style. In contrast to conventional wisdom, we find no evidence that sunny weather results in more positive evaluations.
COVID-19 Vaccine Breakthrough Infections in the Veterans Health Administration.

Background Vaccination against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has been accompanied by rising concern of vaccine breakthrough due to SARS-CoV-2 variants, waning protection over time, differential vaccine effectiveness, and regional resurgence of Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19). Characterizing the frequency and drivers of vaccine breakthrough is necessary to inform COVID-19 control efforts. Methods We performed a retrospective cohort study of vaccine breakthrough infections in fully vaccinated persons in Veterans Health Administration. We applied Cox proportional hazard models to estimate cumulative incidence, assess differences in outcomes by vaccine, and identify associations with individual characteristics as well as time-dependent geographic variation in COVID-19 incidence, proportion of delta variant, and vaccine coverage. Results Among 3,032,561 fully vaccinated persons, documented SARS-CoV-2 infection occurred in 11,197 (0.37%) and COVID-19 hospitalization occurred in 2,080 (0.07%). Compared to Ad26.COV2.S, BNT162b2 and mRNA-1273 had lower occurrence of documented SARS-CoV-2 infection (aHR 0.54, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.51-0.58; aHR 0.36; 95% CI 0.33-0.38; respectively) and COVID-19 hospitalization (aHR 0.56, 95% CI 0.47-0.66; aHR 0.30; 0.25-0.35; respectively). Documented SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 hospitalization were associated with younger age, Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, number of comorbidities, and previous SARS-CoV-2 infection. Regional proportion of delta variant and county-level COVID-19 incidence were predictors of vaccine breakthrough events; county-level vaccine coverage was inversely associated. Conclusions Vaccine breakthrough was rare among fully vaccinated persons. mRNA-1273 and BNT162b2 were more protective against documented SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 hospitalization compared to Ad26.COV2.S. Efforts to limit COVID-19 transmission and bolster vaccine coverage would also curtail vaccine breakthrough.
Heterogeneous Impacts of Sentencing Decisions

We examine 70,581 felony court cases ﬁled in Chicago, IL during the period 1990-2007. We exploit case randomization to assess the impact of judge assignment and sentencing decisions on the arrival rates of new charges. Relative to prior research, we document an important source of heterogeneity in the impact of incarceration on recidivism. Incarceration creates lasting reductions in recidivism among first oﬀenders but not repeat oﬀenders. We present suggestive evidence that these reductions among first oﬀenders primarily reflect outcomes for oﬀenders who live in lower-crime areas of the city and are not involved in the drug trade. During our sample period, Illinois parole officers were able to issue arrest warrants for former inmates under their supervision. These powers place former inmates at significant risk of returning to prison as punishment for violations of technical conditions of their supervision. However, we find no evidence that these police powers increased the arrival rate of new charges against formerly incarcerated oﬀenders. Incarceration does not reduce the arrival of new criminal charges among repeat oﬀenders, and this outcome is not the result of parole officers over-policing repeat oﬀenders.
Robots and Agents to Support Collaborative Learning

This chapter examines how social components of robot and agent technology, combined with learning theories and methodologies, can develop powerful learning partnerships. Exploring ways to leverage the affordances of technology as peers and learning tools can provide teachers with useful information to identify features and conditions for learning. This in turn can help design activities using pedagogical robots/agents to assist collaboration with and between students.
Logic Elements and Neuron Networks

In this chapter logic elements with memory and artificial neuron networks, based on organic memristive devices, are discussed. It is considered practical realization and properties of AND, OR, and NOT elements with memory. In addition, it is presented practical realizations of single- and double-layer perceptrons, capable to make classification of linearly separable (single-layer perceptron) and linearly not-separable (double-layer perceptron) objects.
Solutions to the Intractability of Distributional Concerns

Law and Economics has been attacked for ignoring distributional concerns, despite that utilitarianism has strong redistributional implications. Recently, the disregard of some scholars to distribution has been defended with the claim that only the tax system aught to provide redistribution. This essay challenges both claims. The utilitarian foundation of Law and Economics does argue for redistribution. Moreover, the wastefulness of redistributional rules is a truism, rather than an objection. Redistributional rules cannot be rejected against the current suboptimal income tax, because even if they wastefully deter work, the current tax may deter work more. Redistributional rules can even be superior to optimal income taxation. Redistributional rules can be superior because they can redistribute welfare, rather than money, avoiding any tax disincentive; because they can induce the revelation of skill and avoid the distortions of even an optimal income tax; because they can improve the incentives of even an optimal tax by burdening leisure activities and reducing the taxes' deterrence of work; and because they may produce distortions that are synergistic with the redistributional goal. Several potentially advantageous redistributive rules are identified, such as the right to abortion, emissions trading, bottle laws, the homeownership bias, public housing, and excessive tort liability from accidents in leisure activities. Their superiority to an equivalently redistributive, optimal, tax substitute is shown. Law and Economic scholarship is uniquely poised to design such rules, as several existing proposals show, such as the proposal for "blind" political contributions, for random Lojack installations in high-crime appliances, or for "shall-issue" firearm permits. Further proposals are discussed: intellectual property fees, redistributive Coasean bargains, missed pre-natal care vouchers, and school licenses for standardized scores.
The USArray Transportable Array as a Platform for Weather Observation and Research

AbstractThe USArray Transportable Array (TA), a component of the National Science Foundation’s EarthScope Initiative, has proven to be a successful model for large-scale real-time monitoring networks. Approximately 400 stations are deployed simultaneously in the continental United States on a nominal Cartesian grid across an area of approximately 2,000,000 km2. Each station was originally designed to operate autonomously as a seismic observing platform capable of recording and transmitting data at 1 and 40 samples per second in real time. The expansion of onboard instrumentation to include surface atmospheric pressure sensors improved the USArray’s real-time capability in monitoring the atmosphere and weather phenomena at the same sample rates. Though not a traditional weather monitoring station, the combination of these seismic and pressure sensors at each TA station can contribute to the observation of surface weather phenomena and has facilitated broader-scale observational applications. Twenty-five TA...
Return to Sport Following Surgery for a Complicated Tibia and Fibula Fracture in a Collegiate Women's Soccer Player with a Low Level of Kinesiophobia.

Background & purpose Much attention has been solely paid to physical outcome measures for return to sport after injury in the past. However, current research shows that the psychological component of these injuries can be more predictive of return to sport than physical outcome measures. The purpose of this case report is to describe the successful return to sport following surgery of a complicated tibia and fibula fracture of a Division I collegiate women's soccer player with a low level of kinesiophobia. Case description A 22-year-old female sustained a closed traumatic mid-shaft fracture of her tibia and fibula. During a high velocity play she sustained a direct blow while colliding with an opposing player's cleats. As a result of the play, her distal tibia was displaced 908 to the rest of her leg. She underwent a closed reduction and tibial internal fixation with an intramedullary rod. Outcome scores were tracked using the IKDC and TSK-11. The IKDC measures symptoms, function, and sport activity related to knee injuries. The TSK-11 measures fear of movement and re-injury, which was important to assess during this case due to the gruesome nature of the injury. Outcomes At 4 months, the subject became symptomatic over the fibula and was diagnosed with a fibular nonunion fracture. This was unexpected due to the low incidence of and usual asymptomatic nature of fibular nonunion fractures, which required an additional surgery. TSK-11 scores ranged from 19-20 throughout, signifying low levels of kinesiophobia. IKDC scores improved from 8.05 to 60.92. The subject ultimately signed a professional soccer contract. Discussion The rehabilitation of this subject was complex due to her low levels of kinesiophobia, self-guided overtraining, and the potential role they may have had in her fibular nonunion fracture. This case study demonstrates a successful outcome despite a unique injury presentation, multiple surgeries, and low levels of kinesiophobia. While a low level of kinesiophobia can be detrimental to rehabilitation compliance, it may have benefited her in the long-term. Level of evidence 5.
Wavefront correction of laser rods using magnetorheological finishing

A magnetorheological finishing technique for correcting the transmitted wavefront of laser rods is reported. Significant improvements for large-aperture Nd:YLF laser rods are demonstrated, and the potential for correcting smaller apertures and thermal aberrations is addressed.
Practical Science Communication Strategies for Graduate Students

Development of skills in science communication is a well-acknowledged gap in graduate training, but the constraints that accompany research (limited time, resources, and knowledge of opportunities) make it challenging to acquire these proficiencies. Furthermore, advisors and institutions may find it difficult to support graduate students adequately in these efforts. The result is fewer career and societal benefits because students have not learned to communicate research effectively beyond their scientific peers. To help overcome these hurdles, we developed a practical approach to incorporating broad science communication into any graduate-school time line. The approach consists of a portfolio approach that organizes outreach activities along a time line of planned graduate studies. To help design the portfolio, we mapped available science communication tools according to 5 core skills essential to most scientific careers: writing, public speaking, leadership, project management, and teaching. This helps graduate students consider the diversity of communication tools based on their desired skills, time constraints, barriers to entry, target audiences, and personal and societal communication goals. By designing a portfolio with an advisor's input, guidance, and approval, graduate students can gauge how much outreach is appropriate given their other commitments to teaching, research, and classes. The student benefits from the advisors' experience and mentorship, promotes the group's research, and establishes a track record of engagement. When graduate student participation in science communication is discussed, it is often recommended that institutions offer or require more training in communication, project management, and leadership. We suggest that graduate students can also adopt a do-it-yourself approach that includes determining students' own outreach objectives and time constraints and communicating these with their advisor. By doing so we hope students will help create a new culture of science communication in graduate student education.
Regulation of tumor initiation and metastatic progression by Eph receptor tyrosine kinases

In recent years, a growing body of evidence has indicated that signaling molecules previously implicated in axon guidance are important regulators of multistep tumorigenesis and progression. Eph receptors and ephrins belong to this special class of molecules that play important roles in both axon guidance and cancer. Tremendous progress has been made in the past few years in both understanding the role of Eph receptors and ephrins in cancer and designing therapeutic strategies for cancer therapy. This review will focus on new advances in elucidating the contribution of Eph/ephrin molecules to key processes in tumor initiation and metastatic progression, including cancer cell proliferation, invasion and metastasis, and tumor angiogenesis.
Surface effects in metal microclusters.

The interatomic distances encountered in metal microclusters are calculated by assuming that the phenomenon of multilayer relaxation observed on macroscopic surfaces applies also to the surfaces of finite polyhedron-shaped clusters. The calculations of surface relaxation values are done by means of the modified point-ion model developed by the authors. Application of such values to Cu microclusters with specific surfaces lead to interatomic distances in semiquantitative agreement with the experimental results published by other authors. Thus the interatomic distances in metallic microclusters seem to be determined by the same electrostatic interactions that can account for surface relaxation in macroscopic crystals.
Evidence for two differentially regulated populations of peripheral beta-endorphin-releasing cells in humans.

In the current study we tested the hypothesis that human plasma beta-endorphin (beta E) is derived from at least two subpopulations of beta E-releasing cells: one sensitive to glucocorticoids as well as to dopamine (DA; regulated analogously to the corticotrophs of the rat pituitary), and one insensitive to glucocorticoids but sensitive to DA (regulated analogously to the melanotrophs of the rat pituitary). To test this hypothesis, human plasma levels of ACTH, cortisol, and beta E-like immunoreactivity were measured at baseline and after haloperidol treatment (0.05 mg/kg, i.v.) in two experimental groups, one pretreated with dexamethasone (1.5 mg) and one pretreated with placebo. Plasma PRL levels were also measured in both groups as an indicator of DA receptor blockade. Dexamethasone partially suppressed both baseline and haloperidol-stimulated levels of human plasma beta E-like immunoreactivity, whereas it completely suppressed both basal and haloperidol-stimulated levels of ACTH and cortisol and had no statistically significant effect on either basal or haloperidol-stimulated PRL levels. These data support a negative feedback effect of glucocorticoids on one DA-sensitive cell population that releases both ACTH and beta E (corticotroph like), but not on a second cell population that releases beta E but not ACTH.
Performance enhancement of mobile ad hoc networks using nodal cooperation

Mobility is known to drastically affect the performance of wireless ad hoc networks. Link breakages resulting from node mobility are among the primary causes leading to degradation in network performance. Recent research on cooperative communication demonstrates that spatial diversity achieved through cooperating nodes can significantly improve the performance of wireless networks. In this paper, we investigate the impact of introducing nodal cooperation to mitigate the adverse effects of mobility on network performance. Results show that utilizing a cooperative MAC sub-layer helps in improving the network's performance even when the participating nodes are mobile.
PAH effects on removal of meiobenthic copepods by juvenile spot (Leiostomus xanthurus: Pisces)

Abstract Juvenile spot, Leiostomus xanthurus , 20–35 mm SL, feed by taking small mouthfuls of sediment; preferentially they feed on muddy estuarine sediments, and consume harpacticoid copepods over other prey. This study tested the difference in copepod removal by juvenile spot feeding in sediments spiked with PAHs (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) at recorded, measured field levels vs uncontaminated sediments. Into 2 l of sediment and seawater glass microcosms (some uncontaminated, some contaminated), 300–700 copepods and two juvenile spot were added; the spot were allowed to feed for 4 h. Copepod removal was significant in all microcosms, and there was a statistically significant difference between copepod removal in PAH-contaminated vs uncontaminated sediments. The difference was small and probably not energetically important to the spot. Conducting the experiments in contaminant levels recorded from the field provides a baseline for making hazard assessments in environments where contaminant spills or discharge have occurred.
Photoemission spectra in t-J ladders with two legs.

Photoemission spectra for the isotropic two-leg {ital t}-{ital J} ladder are calculated at various hole-doping levels using exact diagonalization techniques. Low-energy sharp features caused by short-range antiferromagnetic correlations are observed at finite doping levels close to half-filling, above the naive Fermi momentum. These features should be observable in angle-resolved photoemission experiments. In addition, the formation of a {ital d}-wave pairing condensate as the ratio {ital J}/{ital t} is increased leads to dynamically generated spectral weight for momenta close to {ital k}{sub {ital F}} where the {ital d}{sub x{sup 2}{minus}y{sup 2}} order parameter is large. {copyright} {ital 1996 The American Physical Society.}
Biomaterials for skin and bone replacement and repair in plastic surgery

Abstract Fabricating new tissues requires an interdisciplinary approach that combines developmental, cellular, and molecular biology with clinical medicine, biochemistry, immunology, engineering, and the material sciences. While many researchers are attempting to replicate endogenous structures to create new tissues, numerous barriers must be overcome to create complex, vascularized, patient-specific tissue constructs for replacement and repair. Although multi-step, multi-component tissue fabrication requires an amalgamation of ideas, for clarity we will limit this review to recent developments in the application of natural and synthetic bioabsorbable scaffolds. Herein, we highlight biomaterials potentially useful to plastic and reconstructive surgeons that are currently being used or developed for the replacement and repair of skin and bone.
Genome-wide copy number profiling reveals molecular evolution from diagnosis to relapse in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

The underlying pathways that lead to relapse in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) are unknown. To comprehensively characterize the molecular evolution of relapsed childhood B-precursor ALL, we used human 500K single-nucleotide polymorphism arrays to identify somatic copy number alterations (CNAs) in 20 diagnosis/relapse pairs relative to germ line. We identified 758 CNAs, 66.4% of which were less than 1 Mb, and deletions outnumbered amplifications by approximately 2.5:1. Although CNAs persisting from diagnosis to relapse were observed in all 20 cases, 17 patients exhibited differential CNA patterns from diagnosis to relapse. Of the 396 CNAs observed in 20 relapse samples, only 69 (17.4%) were novel (absent in the matched diagnosis samples). EBF1 and IKZF1 deletions were particularly frequent in this relapsed ALL cohort (25.0% and 35.0%, respectively), suggesting their role in disease recurrence. In addition, we noted concordance in global gene expression and DNA copy number changes (P = 2.2 × 10−16). Finally, relapse-specific focal deletion of MSH6 and, consequently, reduced gene expression were found in 2 of 20 cases. In an independent cohort of children with ALL, reduced expression of MSH6 was associated with resistance to mercaptopurine and prednisone, thereby providing a plausible mechanism by which this acquired deletion contributes to drug resistance at relapse.
Weapon detection using a wideband millimeter-wave linear array imaging technique

A wideband millimeter-wave imaging technique has been developed by the Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) for the detection of concealed weapons carried by personnel through high- security areas, such as airports. A practical airport system based on this technique should be capable of real-time image frame rate of 10 to 30 frames per second. This technique, similar to an extremely high-resolution radar system, actively probes the target with millimeter-waves and reconstructs an image from the backscattered phase and amplitude data. The primary goal of the system is the detection of weapons and the placement of the detected weapon on the body. An important additional goal is the identification of detected items, which requires a high resolution imaging technique. An experimental system has been developed at PNL which has gathered millimeter wave imagery from clothed mannequins and human beings carrying concealed weapons. This system is capable of forming images in excess of 1 meter by 2 meters at resolutions on the order of 1 cm, and is capable of scanning in less than 5 seconds. This experimental system could be enhanced to function in real time by eliminating the relatively slow mechanical scan. A sequentially switched linear array of transceiver antennas would allow real-time gathering of the imaging information, since the data would be electronically scanned in the lateral direction and electronically swept in frequency. This allows formation of a 2D image from a 1D array of transceiver antennas.
Swing Phase Simulation and Design of Above Knee Prostheses

A detailed dynamic model of the stump-prosthesis system for an above knee amputee was developed. The model was used to examine the influence of controls and design parameters on the limb system performance during the swing phase of gait. The model duplicated the clinically known fact that hydraulic knee controllers allow the amputee to change walking speed while mechanical knee controllers limit the amputee to a single walking speed. Contrary to current practice, the simulations suggest that light weight prosthesis designs do not perform as well as heavier designs. A simple design based on a constant friction knee is shown to yield good overall performance.
Bacterial communities on electron-beam Pt-deposited electrodes in a mediator-less microbial fuel cell.

The content of a bacterial consortium found on an electron beam (e-beam) Pt-deposited electrode in a mediator-less microbial fuel cell (MFC) using glucose and glutamate as fuel is reported in this paper. The e-beam Pt-deposited electrode and electrochemically active bacteria (EAB) consortium were developed to improve the mediator-less MFC performance. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE), restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP), and 16S rRNA sequencing were used to identify the EAB consortia. Sequencing results showed that clone ASP-31 was predominant and was similar to Aeromonas hydrophila, an Fe(III)-reducing and EAB. The phylogenetic tree analysis disclosed the presence of γ-proteobacteria groups such as Aeromonas genus, Enterobacter asburiae, and Klebsiella oxytoca. These results suggest that MFC performance of the e-beam Pt-deposited electrode with Aeromonas genus consortia dominated by A. hydrophila was higher than other MFCs within a short period. With the e-beam Pt-deposited elec...
The human genome encodes at least three non-allellic G proteins with αi-type subunits

The amino acid sequence and composition of α-subunits of signal transducing G proteins of the same kind appear to vary by no more than 2% from species to species. Here we isolated a human liver cDNA using an oligonucleotide complementary to the sequences encoding the pertussis toxin (PTX) ADP-ribosylation site of the α-subunit of the rat brain G protein called Gi. Its open reading frame characterizes it as an αi-type cDNA—as opposed to αo-type—but predicts an amino acid composition that differs by 7% and 14%, respectively, from two other human αi-type molecules. Together with human brain αi (type-1) and human monocyte αi (type-2), the new human liver αi cDNA (type-3) forms part of a family of αi molecules. Type-3 αi cDNA hybridizes to a ∼ 3.6 kilobase long mRNA and type-2 αi cDNA hybridizes to an mRNA species of ∼ 2.7 kilobases. This indicates that the human genome has at least three non-allellic genes encoding non-αo-type PTX substrates and provides structural evidence for the hypothesis that distinct effector systems are regulated by similar but nevertheless distinct PTX substrates.
NMDAR-Mediated Calcium Transients Elicited by Glutamate Co-Release at Developing Inhibitory Synapses.

Before hearing onset, the topographic organization of the inhibitory sound localization pathway from the medial nucleus of the trapezoid body (MNTB) to the lateral superior olive (LSO) is refined by means of synaptic silencing and strengthening. During this refinement period MNTB-LSO synapses not only release GABA and glycine but also release glutamate. This co-released glutamate can elicit postsynaptic currents that are predominantly mediated by NMDA receptors (NMDARs). To gain a better understanding of how glutamate contributes to synaptic signaling at developing MNTB-LSO inhibitory synapse, we investigated to what degree and under what conditions NMDARs contribute to postsynaptic calcium responses. Our results demonstrate that MNTB-LSO synapses can elicit compartmentalized calcium responses along aspiny LSO dendrites. These responses are significantly attenuated by the NMDARs antagonist APV. APV, however, has no effect on somatically recorded electrical postsynaptic responses, indicating little, if any, contribution of NMDARs to spike generation. Small NMDAR-mediated calcium responses were also observed under physiological levels of extracellular magnesium concentrations indicating that MNTB-LSO synapses activate magnesium sensitive NMDAR on immature LSO dendrites. In Fura-2 AM loaded neurons, blocking GABAA and glycine receptors decreased NMDAR contribution to somatic calcium responses suggesting that GABA and glycine, perhaps by shunting backpropagating action potentials, decrease the level of NMDAR activation under strong stimulus conditions.
Protein interactions in reduced-fat and full-fat Cheddar cheeses during melting

Abstract Changes in physicochemical properties of 12-wk-old, half-fat (50 g/100 g reduced-fat) and full-fat Cheddar cheeses on heating at 180 °C for 25 min were investigated. The loss of moisture and fat in both cheeses were proportional to their initial amounts present; both protein:fat ratio and protein:moisture ratio were higher in half-fat cheese than in full-fat cheese. Various types of protein interactions during melting were measured by dispersing cheeses in different dissociating agents (SDS, EDTA, mercaptoethanol, and urea). Protein interactions which were expressed by dissolving heated cheese in urea appeared to contribute the most; this was followed by those expressed by dissolving in SDS. In interaction with temperature, dissociating agents appeared to have the greatest effect on the undissociated proteins still present. The protein–protein interactions during melting of cheeses, which form the hard surface skin in reduced-fat cheeses, were shown to involve disulfide bonds and hydrophobic interactions and to some extent ionic bonds with calcium.
RSVP: An experimental organization

RSVP is a volunteer organization of psychologists formed to facilitate participation in community activities. Its first venture was in working with 10 tutoring programs in the Boston area. Emphasis in the first year was on discovering areas in which psychologists could be helpful. Projects included group discussion leadership, workshops, and recruitment of tutors and professionals. At present the organization is attempting to broaden the number and kind of activities in which it is engaged and is facing a number of questions relative to future programs. The members consider that RSVP has been a successful experiment.
Symptomatic Overlap of Cocaine Intoxication and Acute Schizophrenia at Emergency Presentation

Cocaine intoxication and acute abstinence alter brain dopaminergic functioning, resulting in behavioral changes closely mimicking the positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia. In emergency room settings, recent cocaine abuse can be mistaken for schizophrenia and may cause inappropriate diagnosis and in some instances medical mismanagement. Schizophrenia patients presenting with recent cocaine abuse may also present with significant diagnostic and treatment dilemmas. This study attempts to distinguish between cocaine and schizophrenic psychosis by examining patients who present with both recent cocaine abuse and acute schizophrenia (CA+SZ), cocaine intoxication without schizophrenic illness (CA), and acute schizophrenia with no comorbid substance abuse (SZ) within the first 24 hours after arrival at the Bellevue psychiatric emergency service. Clinical assessment included the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale, the Schedule for the Assessment of Positive Symptoms, and the Schedule for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms. Both cocaine abusing groups were required to have positive urine toxicology screens for inclusion in the study. Multivariate analysis of variance showed the CA+SZ patients present with a clinical profile that overlaps with CA patients on mood and negative symptom dimensions and overlaps with SZ patients on most positive symptoms. CA+SZ patients differed from both groups, however, by presenting with significantly more hallucinatory experiences than cocaine abusing or schizophrenia patient counterparts. Despite considerable overlap, each group of patients presented with a discernible cross-sectional symptom pattern.
The biological relationship of mouse hepatitis virus (MHV) strains and interferon: in vitro induction and sensitivities.

Five prototype strains of mouse hepatitis virus (MHV) -1, -3, -S, -A59 and -JHM were analyzed for their ability to induce interferon (IFN) in seven cell lines of rodent origin. Induction of IFN by all of the prototype MHV strains was infrequent and unpredictable, while IFN was produced consistently by five cell lines treated with known inducers. Priming and/or aging of cells did not enhance IFN induction by the MHV strains except in the case of MHV-A59 which consistently induced moderate levels of IFN on L-cells which were both primed and aged. Kinetic studies of MHV-A59-induced IFN on primed and aged L-cells demonstrated that detectable levels of IFN were not produced until 24 hours post-inoculation (p.i.). Peak levels were attained at 30 hours p.i. with no additional IFN produced through 48 hours p.i. MHV-induced IFN was similar in composition and properties to Newcastle disease virus-induced IFN. The sensitivities of the five MHV strains to eight concentrations of preformed L-cell IFN were also assessed. All strains except MHV-S fit a linear model with MHV-3, MHV-A59 and MHV-JHM having similar slopes. At most concentrations MHV-3 was less sensitive than MHV-1, -A59 or -JHM to IFN. The response curve for MHV-S was non-linear. This strain was more sensitive to the antiviral effects of the pre-formed IFN except at the highest concentrations of IFN used.
Kagomé- and triangular-lattice Heisenberg antiferromagnets: Ordering from quantum fluctuations and quantum-disordered ground states with unconfined bosonic spinons.

The kagome\ifmmode\acute\else\textasciiacute\fi{}-lattice quantum Heisenberg antiferromagnet is studied by a large-N expansion based upon groups with symplectic Sp(N) symmetry. Two distinct types of ground states are found. (i) for large values of the ``spin'' the ground state has long-range magnetic order with the spins ordered in a \ensuremath{\surd}3 \ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{} \ensuremath{\surd}3 structure with 9 sites per unit cell. Quantum fluctutions are explicitly shown to select this structure from the large number of classically degenerate states. The only zero-energy excitations about the magnetically ordered state are shown to be the physical, infinite-wavelength, Goldstone spin waves; in contrast the naive semiclassical theory has zero-energy spin waves at all wave vectors. (ii) For small values of the ``spin,'' the ordered moment disappears and we obtain a quantum-disordered ground state with no broken symmetries. As in previous work on frustrated square-lattice antiferromagnets, this state is argued to possess unconfined, spin-1/2, bosonic, spinon excitations for all values of the underlying lattice spin. A similar, small-``spin'' quantum-disordered ground state with unconfined bosonic spinons is studied in the triangular-lattice quantum Heisenberg antiferromagnet by extending earlier results. A large N, Sp(N) theory of the classical kagome\ifmmode\acute\else\textasciiacute\fi{} Heisenberg antiferromagnet at finite temperature is also presented: fluctuations of the \ensuremath{\surd}3 \ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{} \ensuremath{\surd}3 structure dominate, with a correlation length which diverges exponentially in the zero-temperature limit. The significance of these results for experimental kagome\ifmmode\acute\else\textasciiacute\fi{}-lattice systems is discussed.
Increased Pitch Increases Accuracy of Voice Identification

Previous work suggested that greater accuracy rates in identifying voices that have been increased in frequency over those that have been decreased in frequency may be due to complex vocal characteristics and specific memory for familiar voices. Here we asked 17 men and 21 women between the ages of 18 and 21 to learn a simple vowel exemplar produced by an unfamiliar target speaker and measured the proportion of times the frequency-shifted exemplar was identified as the originally encoded target speaker. Analysis showed that exemplars when increased in frequency were perceived as belonging to the target speaker significantly more often than exemplars which were decreased in frequency. These findings suggest that the greater accuracy in identifying speakers with increased frequency voice samples does not require previous familiarity with the vocalizations of a particular speaker or complex memory schemata for familiar voices.
Please confirm what I inferred: On the Korean inferential-evidential marker -napo-

Abstract The aim of this paper is to shed light on the semantics of the Korean inferential evidential marker -napo- (-na ‘whether’ and po- ‘see’ > -napo-), which had not received much attention in the literature. This paper also aims to discuss its underlying cognitive mechanism by investigating their functions and distributions. First, this paper addresses its core function of marking inferential evidentiality, which relies on the speaker's inductive reasoning process. Then, I focus on the marker's extended functions of encoding mirativity and of mitigating the strength of the speaker's assertion, providing a unified account of the marker's multiple functions. Finally, this paper discusses that the underlying cognitive mechanism of the marker is to pose a conceptual distance between the speaker and the inference that she makes in the utterance. The discussion includes comparison with -napo- and -n-moyang-i- (-n ‘relativizer,’ moyang ‘appearance,’ and i- ‘copular verb’ > -n moyangi-), another inferential periphrastic expression in Korean.
The flight instrument design for the Terrestrial Planet Finder Interferometer

This paper describes the opto-mechanical systems of the telescopes and beramcombiner spacecraft including the wavefront and optical path control devices and alignment systems. The mechanical layouts of the spacecraft are described along with the predicted performance of the structure in terms of thermal and vibration control. The layout of the control system is also described.