cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Conference Summary and Recent Advances: the 8th Conference on Metal Toxicity and Carcinogenesis

Diseases caused by occupational and environmental exposure to metals are a public health concern. The underlying molecular mechanisms of metal toxicity and carcinogenicity remain largely unknown. Over 130 scientists attended the 8th Conference on Metal Toxicity and Carcinogenesis, presenting their various research concerns and recent findings to stimulate interactions and collaborations among scientists in the field. Several major areas were emphasized, including human & population studies, molecular & cellular mechanisms, biological targets, epigenetic effects, metabolism, and metal mixtures. Here we summarize presentations at the conference sessions and highlight the attendees’ latest work published in this special issue of Biological Trace Element Research.
Quark jets scattering from a gluon field: From saturation to high p t

We continue our studies of possible generalization of the color glass condensate effective theory of high energy QCD to include the high ${p}_{t}$ (or equivalently large $x$) QCD dynamics as proposed in [Phys. Rev. D 96, 074020 (2017)]. Here, we consider scattering of a quark from both the small and large $x$ gluon degrees of freedom in a proton or nucleus target and derive the full scattering amplitude by including the interactions between the small and large $x$ gluons of the target. We thus generalize the standard eikonal approximation for parton scattering, which can now be deflected by a large angle (and therefore have large ${p}_{t}$) and also lose a significant fraction of its longitudinal momentum (unlike the eikonal approximation). The corresponding production cross section can thus serve as the starting point toward the derivation of a general evolution equation that would contain the Dokshitzer-Gribov-Lipatov-Altarelli-Parisi evolution equation at large ${Q}^{2}$ and the Jalilian-Marian-Iancu-McLerran-Weigert-Leonidov-Kovner evolution equation at small $x$. This amplitude can also be used to construct the quark Feynman propagator, which is the first ingredient needed to generalize the color glass condensate effective theory of high energy QCD to include the high ${p}_{t}$ dynamics. We outline how it can be used to compute observables in the large $x$ (high ${p}_{t}$) kinematic region where the standard color glass condensate formalism breaks down.
Acute fatty liver

Acute fatty liver of pregnancy is a genetic disorder worsened during late pregnancy when heightened lipid metabolism contributes to accumulation of fatty acids in the liver. Symptoms are mostly attributable to liver and kidney damage and may include liver failure of hepatic encephalopathy. Prompt delivery of the fetus, with urgent cesarean delivery in severe cases, is key to recovery.
Development of critical experiments to provide validation data for multiphysics coupling codes

Abstract Modern reactor simulation tools provide advanced prediction capabilities by coupling multiphysics models to simulate reactor behaviors, involving thermal, neutronic, and mechanical interactions. To assure high-fidelity predictions by these tools, experimental data are needed to validate coupled-physics models deployed by these tools. In order to provide data to benchmark the feedback between thermal-hydraulic and neutronic simulations, coupled-physics critical experiments are designed and performed at a Reactor Critical Facility (RCF). The facility houses a low power and open-pool type light water reactor operated at the atmospheric pressure. The reactor allows flexible reconfigurations for many unique critical experiments. Recently, a water loop system has been designed and installed in the facility with the heated water circulating through the center of the reactor core, which broadens the range of validation experiments available for neutronics/thermal-hydraulics couplings. Direct effects of the loop water thermal dynamic change on reactor power and derived reactivity are demonstrated through a series of different experiments, including reactivity change over different loop water temperatures and reactor power evolution under influence of flow transient conditions in the water loop. Changes as low as 1% in the reactor power/neutron flux caused by small water temperature perturbations are observable experimentally.
An inside look at the Opioid Crisis over Twitter

The dramatic increase of opioid use and abuse has become a crisis in the United States. To tackle this crisis, the necessary first step is to understand the behavioral processes of its consumers. Recent years, Twitter has become one of the most popular social media platforms that can provide researchers with real-world insights into users health behaviors. In this work, we collected and evaluated a large number of tweets related to opioid us and abuse in terms of 4 aspects: 1) a general overview of the discussions related to opioids on Twitter; 2) the prevalence of co-use of opioids and other substances; 3) the trajectory of an individuals opioid use behavior, i.e., from the first time that the substances were taken to regular use; and 4) the consumer vocabulary used by the laypeople. The preliminary results demonstrated that Twitter can provide valuable insights on opioid use and abuse, as well as the nexus of alcohol consumption, opioid use, and pain management.
The Influence of Interfacial Chemistry on Magnesium Electrodeposition in Non-nucleophilic Electrolytes Using Sulfone-Ether Mixtures.

One of the limiting factors in the development of magnesium batteries is the reversibility of magnesium electrodeposition and dissolution at the anode. Often irreversibility is related to impurities and decomposition. Herein we report on the cycling behavior of magnesium metal anodes in different electrolytes, Mg(HMDS)2 – 4 MgCl2 in tetrahydrofuran (THF) and a butyl sulfone/THF mixture. The deposition morphology and anode-electrolyte interface is studied and related to Mg/Mg cell cycling performance. It is found that adding the sulfone caused the formation of a boundary layer at the electrode-electrolyte interface, which, in turn, resulted in a particle-like deposition morphology. This type of deposition has a high surface area, which alters the effective local current density and results in electronically isolated deposits. Extended cycling resulted in magnesium growth through a separator. Electrolyte decomposition is observed with and without the addition of the sulfone, however the addition of the sulfone increased the degree of decomposition.
Enhanced Denoising Auto-Encoder for Robust Speech Recognition in Unseen Noise Conditions

We present a robust front-end processing method for speech recognition in unseen noise conditions. Towards this end, we have investigated the efficacy of a Time Delay Neural Network based Denoising Auto-Encoder (TDNN-DAE) in seen and unseen noise conditions. We show that while the TDNN-DAE succeeds in improving the performance of the speech recognition by a large margin in seen noise conditions (noise encountered during decoding was used in the training of the TDNN-DAE), it fails to improve the performance in unseen noise conditions (noise encountered during decoding was not used in the training of the TDNN-DAE). To address this, we propose to pre-process the training input to the TDNN-DAE using an enhancement technique. In essence, the TDNN-DAE is being trained to address the residual noise left behind by the enhancement technique. For this task, we compare the performance of two enhancement techniques, namely Vector Taylor Series with Acoustic Masking (VTS-AM) and Spectral Subtraction (SS). We show that both these enhancement techniques improve the efficacy of the TDNN-DAE significantly in unseen noise conditions and that the VTS-AM enhanced TDNN-DAE outperforms the SS enhanced TDNN-DAE.
Irish Immigrant Rebellion in O’Neill’s The Hairy Ape and Miller’s A Memory of Two Mondays

This paper compares Eugene O’Neill’s The Hairy Ape and Arthur Miller’s A Memory of Two Monday to study how the playwrights similarly used Irish immigrant characters in industrial settings as powerful vehicles of reflection and rebellion, and how these similarities relate to their own immigrant family histories.
Hybrid arch surgery challenges other forms of arch treatment.

INTRODUCTION The gold standard for aortic arch replacement remains total arch replacement (TAR) procedure. Hybrid techniques, utilizing a combination of open and endovascular approaches, have been developed with goal of lowering postoperative mortality and morbidity, as well as providing an alternative therapy for patients who are elderly, have significant comorbid burden, or patients in whom circulatory arrest may pose significant risk. EVIDENCE ACQUISITION To date, there are no prospective randomized trials comparing hybrid aortic ach procedures to TAR. Further, many case series describing the outcomes of hybrid procedures involve cohorts with significant comorbidities and, thus, comparison with historical, total arch replacement controls is difficult. However, retrospective studies comparing hybrid arch procedures to TAR are accruing including a Society of Thoracic Surgery Database review conducted by our institution. EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS Review of the literature demonstrates that the optimal surgical management of aortic arch pathology remains a clinical challenge. Several institutions, including our own, have demonstrated that hybrid arch procedures can be safely performed with acceptable postoperative outcomes and improvements in aortic remodeling. However, many other groups have advocated for the use of hybrid procedures only in the setting of high risk patients due to concerns for increased risk as compared to total arch replacement. At present, the majority of the available data suggests that hybrid arch procedures are most frequently reserved for patients who are of significant operative risk. CONCLUSIONS Hybrid arch procedures are frequently employed for high risk patients. The available data demonstrates that in this population these procedures produce satisfactory outcomes.
Pediatric Leigh Syndrome: Neuroimaging Features and Genetic Correlations.

The neurodiagnostic criteria of Leigh syndrome have not yet been clearly redefined based on the expanding of molecular etiologies. We aimed to analyze 20 years of clinical, genetic, and magnetic resonance studies from our Leigh syndrome cohort to provide a detailed description of central nervous system lesions in Leigh syndrome and their biological evolution in view of their genetic and clinical findings. Our study adds new neurodiagnostic insights to the current knowledge of Leigh syndrome, including association with overlapping syndromes, and the correlation of pathogenic genetic variants with neuroimaging phenotypes. ANN NEUROL 2020;88:218-232.
Using single-electron box arrays for voltage sensing applications

Single-electron tunneling transistors (SETs) and boxes (SEBs) belong to the family of charge-sensitive electronic devices based on the phenomenon of Coulomb blockade. An SEB is a two-terminal device composed of “leaky,” C j, and “non-leaky,” C g, nanoscaled capacitors in series. At low temperatures, the charge at the common node is quantized and can only be changed near energy-population degeneracy points, resulting in periodic oscillations of the SEB admittance as a function of voltage applied to C g. In comparison to the SETs, SEBs have higher operating temperature, are electrostatic discharge tolerant, and have a much smaller footprint. To monitor the SEB admittance, Radio Frequency reflectometry can be used. To improve the signal-to-noise ratio, limited by the small change in admittance in an SEB, multiple devices sharing the same source and gate electrodes are connected in parallel to form arrays of SEBs. Due to unavoidable random offset charges, the signal boost for an array of N SEBs is expected to be ∼ N. We experimentally demonstrate that by carefully choosing the operating point, the response to the voltage on the sensing gate can be enhanced, for small arrays scales, by a factor approaching N and, thus, provides a method by which these devices can be used in practical sensing applications, such as a scanning probe.
Characterizing chromatin packing scaling in whole nuclei using interferometric microscopy

Chromatin is the macromolecular assembly containing the cell's genetic information, and its architectural conformation facilitates accessibility to activation sites and thus gene expression. We have developed an analytical framework to quantify chromatin structure with spectral microscopy. Chromatin structure can be described as a mass fractal, with packing scaling D up to specific genomic length scales. Considering various system geometries, we established a model to measure D with the interferometric technique partial wave spectroscopy (PWS) and validated the analysis using finite difference time domain to simulate the PWS system. Calculations of D were consistent with ground truth electron microscopy measurements, enabling a high-throughput, label-free approach to quantifying chromatin structure in the nanometer length scale regime.
Community and structural constraints on the complexity of eastern North American forests

AIM: Canopy structural complexity, which describes the degree of heterogeneity in vegetation density, is strongly tied to a number of ecosystem functions, but the community and structural characteristics that give rise to variation in complexity at site to subcontinental scales are poorly defined. We investigated how woody plant taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity, maximum canopy height, and leaf area index (LAI) relate to canopy rugosity, a measure of canopy structural complexity that is correlated with primary production, light capture, and resource‐use efficiency. LOCATION: Our analysis used 122 plots distributed across 10 ecologically and climatically variable forests spanning a > 1,500 km latitudinal gradient within the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) of the USA. TIME PERIOD: 2016–2018. TAXA STUDIED: Woody plants. METHODS: We used univariate and multivariate modelling to examine relationships between canopy rugosity, and community and structural characteristics hypothesized to drive site and subcontinental variation in complexity. RESULTS: Spatial variation in canopy rugosity within sites and across the subcontinent was strongly and positively related to maximum canopy height (r² = .87 subcontinent‐wide), with the addition of species richness in a multivariate model resolving another 2% of the variation across the subcontinent. Individually, woody plant species richness and phylogenetic diversity (r² = .17 to .44, respectively) and LAI (r² = .16) were weakly to moderately correlated with canopy rugosity at the subcontinental scale, and inconsistently explained spatial variation in canopy rugosity within sites. MAIN CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that maximum canopy height is a substantially stronger predictor of complexity than diversity or LAI within and across forests of eastern North America, suggesting that canopy volume places a primary constraint on the development of structural complexity. Management and land‐use practices that encourage and sustain tall temperate forest canopies may support greater complexity and associated increases in ecosystem functioning.
Variable fluid flow regimes alter human brain microvascular endothelial cell-cell junctions and cytoskeletal structure.

The human brain microvasculature is constantly exposed to variable fluid flow regimes and their influence on the endothelium depends in part on the synchronous cooperative behavior between cell-cell junctions and the cytoskeleton. In this study, we exposed human cerebral microvascular endothelial cells to a low laminar flow (1 dyne⋅cm-2 ), high laminar flow (10 dyne⋅cm-2 ), low oscillatory flow (±1 dyne⋅cm-2 ), or high oscillatory flow (±10 dyne⋅cm-2 ) for 24 hr. After this time, endothelial cell-cell junction and cytoskeletal structural response was characterized through observation of zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1), claudin-5, junctional adhesion molecule-A (JAM-A), vascular endothelial cadherin (VE-Cad), and F-actin. In addition, we also characterized cell morphology through measurement of cell area and cell eccentricity. Our results revealed the greatest change in junctional structure reorganization for ZO-1 and JAM-A to be observed under low laminar flow conditions while claudin-5 exhibited the greatest change in structural reorganization under both low and high laminar flow conditions. However, VE-Cad displayed the greatest structural response under a high laminar flow, reflecting the unique responses each cell-cell junction protein had to each fluid flow regime. In addition, cell area and cell eccentricity displayed most significant changes under the high laminar flow and low oscillatory flow, respectively. We believe this study will be useful to the field of cell mechanics and mechanobiology.
Colosseum, the world's largest wireless network emulator

Practical experimentation and prototyping are core steps in the development of any wireless technology. Often times, however, this crucial step is confined to small laboratory setups that do not capture the scale of commercial deployments and do not ensure result reproducibility and replicability, or it is skipped altogether for lack of suitable hardware and testing facilities. Recent years have seen the development of publicly-available testing platforms for wireless experimentation at scale. Examples include the testbeds of the PAWR program and Colosseum, the world's largest wireless network emulator. With its 256 software-defined radios, 24 racks of powerful compute servers and first-of-its-kind channel emulator, Colosseum allows users to prototype wireless solutions at scale, and guarantees reproducibility and replicability of results. This tutorial provides an overview of the Colosseum platform. We describe the architecture and components of the testbed as a whole, and we then showcase how to run practical experiments in diverse scenarios with heterogeneous wireless technologies (e.g., Wi-Fi and cellular). We also emphasize how Colosseum experiments can be ported to different testing platforms, facilitating full-cycle experimental wireless research: design, experiments and tests at scale in a fully controlled and observable environment and testing in the field. The tutorial concludes with considerations on the flexible future of Colosseum, focusing on its planned extension to emulate larger scenarios and channels at higher frequency bands (mmWave).
An Inflection Point for Affordable Housing: The Promise of Inclusionary Mixed-Use Redevelopment

Today, the aims of inclusionary housing are converging with the new realities of both the workplace and consumer housing preferences. This century finds neither viable nor likely the prospect of having a life-long job at a blue-chip company and settling down in a nearby single-family home in an exclusively residential subdivision. Demographic trends reveal a growing population of millennial and their successors whose digital conservancy, lifestyles and work routines favor accessibility, flexibility, independence, mobility, environmental conservation and ease of access to work, housing, recreation, goods, services and transportation. Simultaneously, the demand for affordable housing remains acute, compounded by rising gentrification, mounting student and consumer debt, escalating housing costs and increasing costs of living. In cities, the last several decades’ cultural preference for urbanism has displaced or shut out low-income residents. In prime suburban and city locations, the need for affordable inclusionary housing can be met in partnership with the wants of growing populations across all income levels for denser, walk-able, mixed-use communities. This Article sets forth a template for advancing the aims of housing equity and inclusion amidst the opportunities presented by mixed-use redevelopment.
Racial Identity and Mental Well-Being: The Experience of African American Medical Students, A Report from the Medical Student CHANGE Study

Diversification of the physician workforce continues to be a national priority; however, a paucity of knowledge about the medical school experience for African American medical students limits our ability to achieve this goal. Previous studies document that African American medical students are at greater risk for depression and anxiety. This study moves beyond these findings to explore the role of racial identity (the extent to which a person normatively defines her/himself with regard to race) and its relationship to well-being for African American medical students in their first year of training. This study used baseline data from the Medical Student Cognitive Habits and Growth Evaluation (CHANGE) Study; a large national longitudinal cohort study of 4732 medical students at 49 medical schools in the US racial identity for African American students (n = 301) was assessed using the centrality sub-scale of the Multidimensional Inventory of Black Identity. Generalized linear regression models with a Poisson regression family distribution were used to estimate the relative risks of depression, anxiety, and perceived stress. First year African American medical students who had lower levels of racial identity were less likely to experience depressive and anxiety symptoms in their first year of medical school. After controlling for other important social predictors of poor mental health (gender and SES), this finding remained significant. Results increase knowledge about the role of race as a core part of an individual’s self-concept. These findings provide new insight into the relationship between racial identity and psychological distress, particularly with respect to a group of high-achieving young adults.
The Entrenched Position of Plea Bargaining in United States Legal Practice

Though the right to a jury trial is one of the most fundamental rights of criminal defendants under the United States constitution, jury trials have long been the exception to the way in which most American criminal cases are resolved. In the criminal justice sys tems of the 50 states, over 95 percent of all criminal cases are dis posed of without a trial, through the entry of a guilty plea. In the federal system the percentage of bargained-for convictions is even higher.' A number of structural features of the U.S. legal system facili tate the use of plea bargains as short-cuts to criminal convictions. First and foremost among these is the adversarial nature of the U.S. criminal process, which validates convictions as the outcome of a con test between parties rather than the search for truth by an actively inquiring (and at least nominally neutral) judiciary. Passive judges have no independent access to information by which to assess the strength of the case against defendants who offer to plead guilty. The fate of criminal prosecutions ultimately rests with the parties them selves, whose prerogative it remains to exercise their procedural enti tlements or to bargain them away. Second, the absence of a principle of compulsory prosecution (or "principle of legality") gives prosecutors convenient leeway in selecting charges, reducing them, or dismissing some charges altogether in exchange for guilty pleas. Plea bargain ing helps prosecutors dispose of cases efficiently, maintain control over caseloads, and avoid the risk of acquittal. Third, the inability of crime victims to mount private prosecutions or to compel public pros ecution reinforces the charging discretion and bargaining power of prosecutors-as does the relatively limited ability of crime victims to influence the terms of plea agreements.2 There is little outside check
TH‐CD‐210‐00: Nuclear Medicine 102

There have been significant recent advances in SPECT/CT and PET/CT for Oncology and Cardiology. In oncologic imaging, some commercial SPECT/CT systems now output quantitative uptake values; calibration and calculation of these quantitative uptake values will be discussed. Advances in PET detector design and PET data acquisition modes that have implemented in commercial PET/CT systems will be presented. Innovations in iterative reconstruction of SPECT/CT and PET/CT will also be described. In cardiac imaging, novel collimator designs, such as multi-pinhole and locally focusing collimators arranged in geometries that are optimized for cardiac imaging have been implemented to reduce imaging time and radiation dose. These new collimators have been coupled with solid-state photon detectors. The new SPECT scanners demonstrate up to a 7-fold increase in photon sensitivity and up to 2 times improvement in image resolution. Although PET scanners are used primarily for oncological imaging, cardiac imaging can benefit from the improved PET sensitivity of 3D systems without inter-plane septa and implementation of the time-of-flight reconstruction. Additionally, all major PET vendors now implement resolution recovery techniques. These new methods improve image contrast, image resolution, and reduce image noise for cardiac imaging. New quantification techniques have been proposed for analysis of cardiac SPECT and PET images. These include direct change analysis, motion-frozen analysis, hybrid quantification of SPECT and anatomical CT angiography data, and integration of several quantitative parameters in composite scores. Learning Objectives: 1. To discuss clinical implementation of commercial quantitative SPECT/CT systems 2. To describe advances in PET detector design and data acquisition 3. To report on innovations in iterative reconstruction of SPECT/CT and PET/CT 1. 4 Describe novel hardware designed for cardiac SPECT 4. Understand how recent hardware advances in PET/CT are relevant to cardiology 5. Describe new software techniques for quantification of cardiac SPECT and PET
Comparison Of Key West And Persian Gulf Seawaters

Abstract : The experiments described in this paper demonstrate changes in the chemistries and microflora of two natural coastal seawaters collected from Key West, Florida, and the Persian Gulf as a result of storage and environmental conditions. Exposure to an anaerobic atmosphere containing a mixed gas of nitrogen, carbon dioxide, and hydrogen generated the highest microflora concentration, especially sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB). Biotic dissolved sulfide levels were also highest in the mixed gas atmosphere. In contrast, sulfides were not detected in seawater maintained anaerobic with bubbled nitrogen. Separate introductions of carbon steel and agitation also affected chemistries and microflora. Key West seawater consistently had equal or greater bacterial numbers in all conditions when compared with Persian Gulf seawater. Bubbling nitrogen into natural seawater to achieve an anaerobic condition is not conducive to the growth of SRB and the resulting biotic sulfide. Laboratory experiments that mimic anaerobic conditions by bubbling nitrogen may not produce conditions found in the field due to pH changes. Therefore, removal of oxygen is not the only consideration when attempting to reproduce anaerobic conditions. A followup paper is planned to address the influences of chemistry and microflora on corrosivity.
Spectral differentiation and gas chromatographic/mass spectrometric analysis of the lacrimators 2-chloroacetophenone and o-chlorobenzylidene malononitrile

2-Chloroacetophenone (CN) and o-chlorobenzylidene malononitrile (CS) are the most common chemical agents used as lacrimators in the United States. There is a lack of complete spectral data on these compounds in the literature. Spectral data (ultraviolet, fluorescence, proton nuclear magnetic resonance, and infrared) and a gas-liquid chromatographic/mass spectrometric method are presented that differentiate and identify CN and CS. These methods and data were used to identify a forensic science specimen from an accidental intoxication.
Global Capital and National Institutions: Crisis and Choice in the International Financial Architecture

Determinants and Effects of International Capital Flows: Introduction: Institutions, Policies, and Capital Flows Policies and Effects of Foreign Direct Investment Financial Crises, Contagion, and Exchange Rate Determination Capital Flows: Benefactor or Menace? Policies and Strategies for Harnessing the Benefits of Financial Globalization: Managing Capital Inflows Managing Capital Outflows Capital Flows and Tax Policy Capital Flows and Monetary Policy in Emerging Markets Capital Mobility and the International Financial Architecture Challenges of Large Economies: Monetary Policy in Japan Exchange Rate Policy in China Global Imbalances and The US Current Account Deficit Global Financial Crisis Capital Flows Between Rich and Poor Countries.
Turbulence characteristics inside a turbulent spot in plane Poiseuille flow

Turbulence characteristics inside a turbulent spot in plane Poiseuille flow are investigated by analyzing a database obtained from a direct simulation. The spot area is divided into two distinct regions—a turbulent area and a wave area. It is found that the flow structures inside the turbulent area have strong resemblance to those found in fully-developed turbulent channel flow. A suitably defined mean and r.m.s. fluctuations as well as the internal shear-layer structures are found to be similar to the turbulent counterpart. The r.m.s. fluctuations and Reynolds stress are found to be higher in the wave area, and the shear-layer structures are similar to those observed in the secondary instability of two-dimensional Tollmien-Schlichting waves.
Human centric cyber security: What are the new trends in data protection?

The debate about the use of automated security measures versus training and awareness of people with access to data (such as employees) to protect sensitive and/or private information has been going on for some time. In this paper, we outline the thinking behind security, what hackers are trying to accomplish and the best ways of combating these efforts using the latest techniques that combine multiple lines of defense. Different major categories of automated security measures as well as major training and awareness techniques are discussed outlining strengths and weaknesses of each method.
A Department-of-Anesthesiology-based management protocol for perioperative corneal abrasions.

INTRODUCTION: Corneal abrasions (CAs) are the most prevalent ocular injuries in the perioperative period. Previously, patients at our community hospital would wait for an ophthalmologist to be available to manage these minor injuries. To decrease this waiting period - and thereby increase patient satisfaction - we developed an anesthesiology-based protocol to manage minor CAs arising in the recovery room. The current study sought to assess this protocol's efficacy as well as further establish the incidence and some risk factors of CA. METHODS: This was a hospital-based, observational study. As per protocol, anesthesiologists saw and diagnosed any patient exhibiting symptoms of CA, after which they initiated a preestablished treatment regimen. To examine the efficacy of this protocol between March 2007 and December 2011, the number of CAs anesthesiologists managed and time to treatment were recorded. Additionally, the frequency of CAs was established along with some of their risk factors. RESULTS: Throughout the study period, there were 91,064 surgical cases, with 118 CAs (0.13% incidence). Anesthesiology alone managed 110 (93.22%) of these cases. The median time between the end of anesthesia to the time of prescribed ophthalmic medication was 156 minutes (first-third interquartile range: 108-219). All patients experienced resolution of symptoms by the morning following their complaint. Compared to the general surgical population, CA patients were older (P<0.01) and underwent longer surgeries (P<0.01). CONCLUSION: Minor CAs can be safely and effectively managed using an anesthesiology-based approach. Advanced age and longer surgery are confirmed as risk factors for these injuries.
Requirement of Deoxyribonucleic Acid Synthesis for Microcycle Sporulation in Bacillus megaterium

Bacillus megaterium cells have been examined during outgrowth for their macromolecular content, ability to undergo microcycle sporulation, the time of their growth division, the time of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) replication initiation, and their ability to synthesize DNA after transfer to sporulation medium. The increase in total DNA content of the cells increased discontinuously beginning at 90 min. Thymidine incorporation became insensitive to chloramphenicol between 90 and 105 min of outgrowth. At 90 min the cells acquired the ability to undergo microcycle sporulation and the degree of sporulation depended on the time spent in outgrowth, with maximal sporulation occurring at 180 min. During outgrowth, cells underwent one synchronous growth division beginning at 225 min and ending at 270 min. Outgrowing cells were not able to continue DNA synthesis after transfer to sporulation medium. The data suggest that DNA replication starts before cells are able to undergo microcycle sporulation; however, the initiation of replication may not be the only requirement for microcycle sporulation.
Spontaneous synchronous synaptic calcium transients in cultured cortical neurons

The firing pattern displayed by neuronal aggregates is thought to play a key role in cortical development and physiology. In this study, we have employed optical recording of intracellular calcium to monitor activity of multiple neurons simultaneously in primary cortical cultures. With this approach, we have observed spontaneous synchronous calcium transients among adjacent cortical neurons. These transients appear to be mediated by prominent spontaneous synaptic excitation, as they are enhanced by picrotoxin, a blocker of inhibitory GABAergic transmission, and reduced by antagonism of glutamate receptors or addition of TTX. After picrotoxin treatment, the calcium transients exhibit regular frequency and amplitude, and occur in synchrony with bursts of excitatory synaptic potentials every 10-20 sec. Using electrical stimulation, we have identified a relative refractory period, extending up to 5 sec after a synchronous burst, that may play a role in cell synchronization. NMDA receptor antagonists or reduced extracellular calcium levels lower the amplitude of the calcium transients yet fail to alter their frequency, suggesting that intracellular calcium levels may not be a major determinant of burst frequency. In contrast, mild depolarization with kainic acid (0.5-1 microM) increased burst frequency up to fivefold, suggesting a critical dependence of rhythmic activity on membrane potential. Chronic blockade of electrical activity with TTX beginning a few days after plating of cultures dampens the amplitude and significantly increases the frequency of calcium transients in mature cultures. These studies demonstrate that aggregates of cultured cortical neurons express synchronous firing activity in vitro and that this network activity is dependent in part on neuronal firing during development.
White Saris and Sweet Mangoes: Aging, Gender, and the Body in North India

White Saris and Sweet Mangoes: Aging, Gender, and the Body in North India. Sarah Lamb. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2000. xvii. 306 pp.
'Metal Detecting and Archaeology' by Suzie Thomas and Peter G. Stone Review

A review of "Metal Detecting and Archaeology", Edited by Suzie Thomas and Peter G. Stone. The Boydell Press, Woodbridge, England 2008.
Hazards with ordering troponin in patients with low pretest probability of acute coronary syndrome

Abstract Background In clinical practice, we progressively rely on biomarkers, without estimating the pretest probability. There is not enough support for the use of cardiac troponin (cTn) I in the management of noncardiac patients. We studied the rate at which this test was ordered, the prevalence of detection of a positive result in noncardiac patients, and the impact of this incidental finding on clinical management. Methodology Patients admitted from December 2011 to 2013 to our community hospital with diagnosis of noncardiac disease who had positive cTn were included. Data collected included final diagnosis, patient disposition, cardiac monitoring, cardiology consult, and cardiac biomarker testing. Results Cardiac troponin I was ordered for 1700 patients in our emergency department. Seven hundred fifty patients had a positive cTn. Of the 750 patients, 412 had a positive cTn without any clinical suspicion of an acute coronary syndrome. An incidental finding of a positive cTn leads to ordering of cTn on average 4 times during admission, cardiac monitoring of 379 (91.99%) patients for at least 1 day, and a cardiac consultation for 268 (63.65%) of these patients. None of these patients was candidates for an invasive cardiac intervention. Seventy-eight (19.17%) patients were admitted to the cardiac care unit and subsequently transferred to the medical intensive care unit. Conclusions A positive cTn in patients diagnosed with a nonacute coronary syndrome was associated with increased cardiac biomarker testing, telemetry monitoring, and cardiology consults. This study supports adherence to national guidelines for the use of cTn, to reduce hospital cost and resource utilization.
TIME-RESOLVED PHOTOELECTRON ANGULAR DISTRIBUTIONS: Concepts, Applications, and Directions

▪ Abstract The use of photoelectron angular distributions (PADs) as a probe in short-pulse, pump-probe scenarios is reviewed. We focus on concepts, on the insight that can be gained through theoretical analysis, on applications, and on future opportunities. Time-resolved PADs are sensitive to both the time-evolving rotational composition of wavepackets and their time-evolving electronic symmetry. The former feature renders this observable a potential probe of molecular structure, intensity effects, and rotational perturbations. The latter feature renders the PAD a potential probe of radiationless transitions.
Serosal patching impairs intestinal adaptation following enterectomy.

Increasing intestinal absorptive surface by mucosal regeneration on serosal patched intestinal defects is a potential surgical treatment for the short bowel syndrome. We previously found in long-term studies that serosal patching in dogs undergoing 75% enterectomy was deleterious to intestinal adaptation and absorption. Our aim was to evaluate the effect of serosal patching on the early morphologic and functional changes in postresectional adaptation and to examine the role of polyamine metabolic pathways in this process. Five unoperated New Zealand white rabbits (GP I) served as controls. Twelve other rabbits underwent either 50% distal enterectomy alone (GP II) or simultaneously had two 2 × 5-cm full-thickness ileal defects patched with adjacent cecal serosa (GP III). Animals in GP II gained an average of 7.2 ± 5.3% body weight, whereas GP III animals lost 5.6 ± 9.0% body weight (P < 0.05). Intestinal remnant length was significantly less in GP III 3 weeks postoperatively (66 ± 11 vs 85 ± 8 cm, P < 0.05) as was mucosal protein content (4.1 ± 1.8% vs 6.2 ± 1.9%) but villus height was similar in GPs II and III (505 ± 131 vs 508 ± 110 μm). In vitro mucosal function was similar in all three groups. Crypt cell production rate was significantly lower while ornithine decarboxylase and diamine oxidase activity were higher in GP III compared to GP II. However, polyamine levels were similar in all three groups. Serosal patching impairs intestinal adaptation following massive enterectomy. This is due in part to a decrease in proliferative activity which is not directly related to altered polyamine levels. Thus, procedures intended to improve intestinal function after massive intestinal resection should not be performed until intestinal adaptation is complete.
A Strain-Promoted [3 + 2] Azide−Alkyne Cycloaddition for Covalent Modification of Biomolecules in Living Systems

Selective chemical reactions that are orthogonal to the diverse functionality of biological systems have become important tools in the field of chemical biology. Two notable examples are the Staudinger ligation of azides and phosphines and the Cu(I)-catalyzed [3 + 2] cycloaddition of azides and alkynes (“click chemistry”). The Staudinger ligation has sufficient biocompatibility for performance in living animals but suffers from phosphine oxidation and synthetic challenges. Click chemistry obviates the requirement of phosphines, but the Cu(I) catalyst is toxic to cells, thereby precluding in vivo applications. Here we present a strain-promoted [3 + 2] cycloaddition between cyclooctynes and azides that proceeds under physiological conditions without the need for a catalyst. The utility of the reaction was demonstrated by selective modification of biomolecules in vitro and on living cells, with no apparent toxicity.
Models of Competence in Solving Physics Problems

We describe a set of two computer-implemented models that solve physics problems in ways characteristic of more and less competent human solvers. The main features accounting for different competences are differences in strategy for selecting physics principles, and differences in the degree of automation in the process of applying a single principle. The models provide a good account of the order in which principles are applied by human solvers working problems in kinematics and dynamics. They also are sufficiently flexible to allow easy extension to several related domains of physics problems.
Ca2+ is an obligatory intermediate in the excitation cascade of limulus photoreceptors.

Abstract We have investigated the role of Ca 2+ in the excitation of Limulus photoreceptors by intracellular injection of the Ca 2+ buffer, 5,5′-dibromo-BAPTA. Buffer with free Ca 2+ of 0.5 or 5 μM slowed the rising edge of the light response over 100-fold and greatly reduced both the transient and plateau phases of the light response, as expected if Ca 2+ elevation is necessary for all phases of excitation. Injection of buffers with free Ca 2+ of 5 or 45 μM, levels normally reached during light, evoked sustained inward current as expected if Ca 2+ is sufficient for excitation. The transduction cascade appears due to a single pathway that sequentially involves 1,4,5-trisphosphate inositol, Ca 2+ , and cyclic GMP.
Intensely cytotoxic anthracycline prodrugs: glucuronides

We previously reported the synthesis of a series of doxorubicin analogue prodrugs that give rise to intensely cytotoxic metabolites in the presence of carboxylate esterases. We now report studies on structurally related beta-glucuronide prodrugs that are converted to similar potent metabolites in the presence of beta-glucuronidases. These prodrugs were prepared by reductive condensation of daunomycin or doxorubicin with methyl 1-O-[(1'RS)-1'-ethoxy-4'-oxobutyl]-2,3,4-tri-O-acetyl-beta-D- glucopyranosyluronate in the presence of sodium cyanoborohydride followed by base-mediated cleavage of the glucuronate protective groups. The doxorubicin derivatives were isolated in very low yield, most likely because of the inherent base lability of the parent aglycone. By contrast, fairly good yields of the more base-stable daunomycin analogues were obtained. The target daunomycin glucuronide, N-[(4"RS)-4"-ethoxy-4"-(sodium 1"'-O-beta-D-glucopyranuronate)butyl]daunorubicin (6a), had a half-life of 30 h when incubated at a concentration of 12 microM in aqueous 0.05 M phosphate buffer, pH 7.4, at 37 degrees C. Under identical conditions in the presence of 197 units/mumol of Escherichia coli beta-glucuronidase, 6a was hydrolyzed with a half-life of 1.7 h. The single metabolite observed was chromatographically identical with that formed from the hydrolysis of N-(4,4-diacetoxybut-1-yl)daunomycin by carboxylate esterases. 6a was approximately 10,000-fold more toxic to human A375 melanoma cells in the presence of E. coli beta-glucuronidase than in the absence of the enzyme. These findings indicate the therapeutic potential of anthracycline glucuronide prodrugs as independent entities or four use in conjunction with enzyme tissue-targeting strategies such as antibody-directed enzyme prodrug therapy (ADEPT) or gene-directed enzyme prodrug therapy (GDEPT).
PROBLEMS WITH CHAOTIC CRYPTOSYSTEMS

Matthews [1] has proposed a function based on chaos theory for generating sequences of random numbers to be used like a one-time pad. When implemented on digital computer systems, these functions must produce repeating cycles of values. The cycle length turns out to be unpredictable and often short. The function is not suitable for cryptographic use in the manner proposed by Matthews.
Accretion of bone quantity and quality in the developing mouse skeleton.

In this work, we found that bone mineral formation proceeded very rapidly in mice by 1 day of age, where the degree of mineralization, the tissue mineral density, and the mineral crystallinity reached 36%, 51%, and 87% of the adult values, respectively. However, even though significant mineralization had occurred, the elastic modulus of 1-day-old bone was only 14% of its adult value, indicating that the intrinsic stiffening of the bone lags considerably behind the initial mineral formation. Introduction: To meet the mechanical challenges during early development, the skeleton requires the rapid accretion of bone quality and bone quantity. Here, we describe early bone development in the mouse skeleton and test the hypothesis that specific compositional properties determine the stiffness of the tissue. Materials and Methods: Tibias of female BALB mice were harvested at eight time-points (n = 4 each) distributed between 1 and 40 days of age and subjected to morphometric (μCT), chemical (Fourier transform infrared microspectroscopy), and mechanical (nanoindentation) analyses. Tibias of 450-day-old mice served as fully mineralized control specimens. Results: Bone growth proceeded very rapidly; at 1 day of age, the degree of mineralization (phosphate/protein ratio), the density of mineralized bone (TMD), and mineral crystallinity had reached 36%, 51%, and 87% of the adult (450 days) values, respectively. Spatially, the variability in mineralization across the mid-diaphysis was very high for the early time-points and declined over time. In contrast to the notable changes in mineralization, carbonate substitution into the mineral lattice (carbonate/phosphate ratio) and collagen cross-linking did not show any significant changes over this time period. Even though significant mineralization had occurred, the elastic modulus of 1-day-old bone was only 14% of the adult value and increased to 89% (of its adult value) after 40 days. Between samples of different time-points, significant positive correlations were observed between the elastic modulus and TMD (r2 = 0.84), phosphate/protein ratio (r2 = 0.59), and crystallinity (r2 = 0.23), whereas collagen cross-linking showed a small but significant negative correlation (r2 = 0.15). Conclusions: These data indicate that specific chemical and morphometric properties modulate bone's stiffness during early growth. The intrinsic stiffening of the bone, however, lags considerably behind the initial mineral formation, emphasizing the importance of bone mineral quality for optimizing matrix integrity.
Modeling and simulation: a practical guide for network designers and developers [Guest Editorial]

Modeling and simulation (M&S) is a critical element in the design, development, and test and evaluation (T&E) of any network product or solution. This feature topic features seven articles that present practical information such as current best practices, tools, and techniques.
A program for calculating Mahalanobis distances using principal component analysis

Abstract A technique for pattern recognition analysis of near-infrared reflectance spectra is described. Classification of samples is achieved by using the Mahalanobis distances of spectra in a principal component subspace. Probability levels for class membership are determined from the Chi-squared distribution.