cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Protein Structure and Function: Methods for Prediction and Analysis

Protein structure and functions that are associated with it have been studied extensively. Traditional methods of studying protein and structure have largely relied on biochemical and biophysical characterization methods. However, these methods rely on the assumption that proteins are largely structured and adopt energetically stable three-dimensional conformations with minimum free energy. The discovery of naturally unfolded proteins or disordered proteins that are characterized by lack of stable tertiary structure paved the way to study hitherto unexplained facets of protein structure and function. There are a number of computational methods that exploit protein sequence information to predict whether a protein is disordered. These are complemented by a number of other tools that allow users to predict protein function based on the occurrence of post translational modifications, short linear motifs and other disorder associated regions driving functional plasticity. These easy to apply and interpret tools are presented in the form of a user-friendly workflow for bench-scientists in the current communication.
Vicarious Calibration of EO-1 Hyperion

The Hyperion imaging spectrometer on the Earth Observing-1 satellite is the first high-spatial resolution imaging spectrometer to routinely acquire science-grade data from orbit. Data gathered with this instrument needs to be quantitative and accurate in order to derive meaningful information about ecosystem properties and processes. Also, comprehensive and long-term ecological studies require these data to be comparable over time, between coexisting sensors and between generations of follow-on sensors. One method to assess the radiometric calibration is the reflectance-based approach, a common technique used for several other earth science sensors covering similar spectral regions. This work presents results of radiometric calibration of Hyperion based on the reflectance-based approach of vicarious calibration implemented by University of Arizona during 2001-2005. These results show repeatability to the 2% level and accuracy on the 3-5% level for spectral regions not affected by strong atmospheric absorption. Knowledge of the stability of the Hyperion calibration from moon observations allows for an average absolute calibration based on the reflectance-based results to be determined and applicable for the lifetime of Hyperion.
Role of Terrestrial Hydrologic Memory in Modulating ENSO Impacts in North America

Abstract Relationships among the terrestrial hydrologic processes over the North American continent associated with the El Nino–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) are investigated using a large-area basin-scale land surface model driven by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts Re-Analyses 15-yr (1979–93) dataset. The modeling approach allows for the study of the relationships of ENSO with several hydrologic variables simultaneously, such as soil water storage, basin runoff, snow-water equivalent, and precipitation. The cross-correlation coefficients between terrestrial variables and the ENSO index are computed. The runoff from the northern part of North America was found to be most often negatively correlated with ENSO, and there are four distinct coherent regions over the continent where the runoff anomalies are positively correlated. The terrestrial systems have a delayed response to the ENSO signal, as compared to the precipitation, and the delay may range from a month to a season or longer. ...
Fast copy coalescing and live-range identification

This paper presents a fast new algorithm for modeling and reasoning about interferences for variables in a program without constructing an interference graph. It then describes how to use this information to minimize copy insertion for ϕ-node instantiation during the conversion of the static single assignment (SSA) form into the control-flow graph (CFG), effectively yielding a new, very fast copy coalescing and live-range identification algorithm.This paper proves some properties of the SSA form that enable construction of data structures to compute interference information for variables that are considered for folding. The asymptotic complexity of our SSA-to-CFG conversion algorithm is where-is the number of instructions in the program.Performing copy folding during the SSA-to-CFG conversion eliminates the need for a separate coalescing phase while simplifying the intermediate code. This may make graph-coloring register allocation more practical in just in time (JIT) and other time-critical compilers For example, Sun's Hotspot Server Compiler already employs a graph-coloring register allocator[10].This paper also presents an improvement to the classical interference-graph based coalescing optimization that shows adecrease in memory usage of up to three orders of magnitude and a decrease of a factor of two in compilation time, while providing the exact same results.We present experimental results that demonstrate that our algorithm is almost as precise (within one percent on average) as the improved interference-graph-based coalescing algorithm, while requiring three times less compilation time.
Improving Generalization with Active Learning

Active learning differs from “learning from examples” in that the learning algorithm assumes at least some control over what part of the input domain it receives information about. In some situations, active learning is provably more powerful than learning from examples alone, giving better generalization for a fixed number of training examples. In this article, we consider the problem of learning a binary concept in the absence of noise. We describe a formalism for active concept learning called selective sampling and show how it may be approximately implemented by a neural network. In selective sampling, a learner receives distribution information from the environment and queries an oracle on parts of the domain it considers “useful.” We test our implementation, called an SG-network, on three domains and observe significant improvement in generalization.
Modeling population connectivity by ocean currents, a graph-theoretic approach for marine conservation

The dispersal of individuals among marine populations is of great importance to meta- population dynamics, population persistence, and species expansion. Understanding this connectivity between distant populations is key to their effective conservation and management. For many marine species, population connectivity is determined largely by ocean currents transporting larvae and juveniles between distant patches of suitable habitat. Recent work has focused on the biophysics of marine larval dispersal and its importance to population dynamics, although few studies have evaluated the spatial and temporal patterns of this potential dispersal. Here, we show how an Eulerian advection-diffusion approach can be used to model the dispersal of coral larvae between reefs throughout the Tropical Pacific. We illustrate how this connectivity can be analyzed using graph theory—an effective approach for exploring patterns in spatial connections, as well as for determining the importance of each site and pathway to local and regional connectivity. Results indicate that the scale (average distance) of dispersal in the Pacific is on the order of 50-150 km, consistent with recent studies in the Caribbean (Cowen, et al. 2006). Patterns in the dispersal graphs highlight pathways for larval dispersal along major ocean currents and through island chains. A series of critical island 'stepping stones' are discovered providing potential pathways across the equatorial currents and connect- ing distant island groups. Patterns in these dispersal graphs highlight possible pathways for species expansions, reveal connected upstream/downstream populations, and suggest areas that might be priori- tized for marine conservation efforts.
What have we learned from social learning

Abstract Models of herd behavior and informational cascades often make strong assumptions about the information available to agents, the nature of the choices being made, the timing of decisions, and the symmetry of equilibrium. This note considers the robustness of some results from the literature on social learning and argues that the inefficiency of equilibrium in the presence of informational externalities and strategic delay may be the most important lesson of all.
Carcinoma of both breasts in a woman under twenty years of age

C A R C I N O M A of the Breast in pat ients under twenty , aIthough infrequent, is probabIy Iess rare t han is generaIIy supposed. This assumption is supported by the statistics of the Uni ted States Bureau of the Census for the past twenty-f ive years of dea th in 85 femaIes under twen ty years of age from cancer and other mal ignant tumors of the breast. In a carefuI search of the Iiterature for cases of carcinoma in young individuaIs there were noted about twelve cases of uniIateraI cancer of the breast (confirmed by microscopic examination) in pat ients under twen ty years of age, but onIy one case of cancer of both breasts in a girl under t w e n t y years of age. The detaiIs of interest in this case, reported by R. H. FowIer, Medica~,jBecord, LXXXVII, 730, M a y I, I915, are. as folIows:
Idiographic quality of life assessment before radical cystectomy.

Background We sought to determine if idiographic, or self-defined, measures added to our understanding of patients with bladder cancer's quality of life (QOL) prior to radical cystectomy (RC). We tested whether idiographic measures increased prediction of global QOL beyond standard (nomothetic) measures of QOL components. Methods We administered the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaires (QLQ)-C30 and QLQ-BLM30, and our own idiographic Quality of Life Appraisal Profile prior to RC. Idiographic measures included number of goal statements, distance from goal attainment, and ability to complete goal attainment activities. Multivariate linear regression was used to predict measures of global QOL and related constructs of life satisfaction and mental health. Results Two hundred fiftheen patients reported a median of 8 (interquartile range [IQR] 6, 11) goals and half had an average goal attainment rating above 6.9 out of 10 (IQR 5.5, 8.2). On multivariable analysis, QLQ-C30 role functioning and QLQ-BLM30 future perspective explained 15.7% of the variability in preoperative global QOL. Including goal attainment and activity difficulty explained an additional 12% of global QOL variance. Smaller gains were seen on measures of global health, life satisfaction, mental health, and activity, suggesting that idiographic measures capture aspects of QOL distinct from health and functional status defined by nomothetic scales. Conclusions Idiographic assessment of QOL added to prediction of global QOL above and beyond health-related components measured using nomothetic instruments. This self-defined information may be valuable in communicating with cancer patients about their QOL. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Indium-III Labelled Platelet Imaging of Prosthetic Materials in Humans

Prosthetic materials are increasingly used in medicine. Currently, prosthetic materials are used in the construction of vascular catheters, arterial and venous substitutes, membrane oxygenators, dialysis machines, heart valves, ventricular assist devices and totally artificial hearts. The major complications of prosthetic materials are mechanical failure, infection, thrombotic occlusion due to thrombus formation on the prosthetic surface, and systemic embolization due to the breaking off of thrombotic deposits. Due to improved materials and fabrication techniques, mechanical failure is now extremely rare. The most common complications of prosthetic materials currently encountered are thromboemblic events. There is now abundant evidence that platelet mechanisms play a predominant role in the thrombotic and embolic events caused by intravascular prosthetic materials. All currently used prosthetic materials are thrombogenic when placed in humans.
Social Class Dialogues and the Fostering of Class Consciousness

How do critical pedagogies promote undergraduate students’ awareness of social class, social class identity, and social class inequalities in education? How do undergraduate students experience class consciousness-raising in the intergroup dialogue classroom? This qualitative study explores undergraduate students’ class consciousness-raising in an intergroup dialogue on social class at a large, private Northeastern university. Analyses of weekly student journals are offered to expand upon our knowledge of undergraduate students’ social class experiences in higher education contexts, as well as illuminate positive impacts that intergroup dialogue pedagogy has on students’ class consciousness-raising in the intergroup dialogue classroom.
Femtosecond Lasers for Ultra-Accurate Surgery: Application to Corneal Surgery

We investigated refractive corneal surgical procedures utilizing amplified femtosecond laser pulses from a reliable and compact femtosecond laser system suited for medical applications. Procedures such as corneal flap cutting and laser keratomileusis have been demonstrated in vivo and in vitro. Cutting was found to be well confined and highly precise.
Characteristics of the near‐surface atmosphere over the Ross Ice Shelf, Antarctica

Two years of data from a 30 m instrumented tower are used to characterize the near-surface atmospheric state over the Ross Ice Shelf, Antarctica. Stable stratification dominates the surface layer at this site, occurring 83% of the time. The strongest inversions occur for wind speeds less than 4 m s−1 and the inversion strength decreases rapidly as wind speed increases above 4 m s−1. In summer unstable stratification occurs 50% of the time and unstable conditions are observed in every season. A novel aspect of this work is the use of an artificial neural network pattern identification technique, known as self-organizing maps, to objectively identify characteristic potential temperature profiles that span the range of profiles present in the 2 year study period. The self-organizing map clustering technique allows the more than 100,000 observed potential temperature profiles to be represented by just 30 patterns. The pattern-averaged winds show distinct and physically consistent relationships with the potential temperature profiles. The strongest winds occur for the nearly well mixed but slightly stable patterns and the weakest winds occur for the strongest inversion patterns. The weakest wind shear over the depth of the tower occurs for slightly unstable profiles and the largest wind shear occurs for moderately strong inversions. Pattern-averaged log wind profiles are consistent with theoretical expectations. The log wind profiles exhibit a kinked profile for the strongest inversion cases indicative of decoupling of the winds between the bottom and top of the tower.
Repeated Play Reduces Video Games’ Ability to Elicit Guilt: Evidence from a Longitudinal Experiment

Statements supported mostly by correlational and cross-sectional studies suggest that playing violent video games can cause emotional desensitization. A longitudinal experiment examined a) whether repeated violent game play leads to emotional desensitization and b) whether desensitization generalizes to other play and real-life experiences. Participants played alternative versions of the same violent game for the first four days; on these days, the character role was varied between-subjects to be moral (United Nations soldier) or immoral (terrorist soldier). On Day 5, all participants played a novel game as a terrorist. Results indicate two things. First, habituation occurs over repeated game play: Repeated exposure decreased the ability of the original game to elicit guilt. Second, the decreased ability to elicit guilt can generalize to other game-play experiences: Guilt elicited by the novel game on Day 5 was reduced for the immoral character condition compared to the moral character condition. The curr...
Research on silicon rubber material of flexible joint within wide temperature range

Silicon rubber was taken as first choice material for flexible joint within wide temperature range due to its superior properties at high and low temperature.The effects of reinforcing agent,plasticizer and vulcanizing agent on properties of silicon rubber were analyzed,then formulation of silicon rubber was optimized so as to improve mechanical properties of low-modulus silicon rubber.The results show that shear modulus of the vulcanized silicon rubber was controlled within 0.25 to 0.30 MPa by adding some ingredients into methyl vinyl silicone rubber,such as 30 to 40 portion gas-phase reinforcing white carbon black,0.3 to 0.5 portion vulcanizing agent,proper plasticizer and so on;mechanical properties of the vulcanized silicon rubber are better than that of 4# white carbon black reinforced silicon rubber;the SiO2/epoxy resin was used for binding silicon rubber vulcaniate and metal test piece,so tensile shear strength reaches 3.0 MPa,and bond reliability between silicone rubber and other material is improved.
Fate of inducer during induction of aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase activity in mammalian cell culture. I. Intracellular entry, binding, distribution, and metabolism.

The fate of the inducer benz[a]anthracene has been examined during the induction of aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase, a microsomal enzyme system inducible by polycyclic hydrocarbons in hamster fetal cells grown in culture. Diffusion of the inducer into the cell is a passive phenomenon; a net accumulation of intracellular polycyclic hydrocarbon is reached after about 30 min of exposure of the cells to benz[a]anthracene. Less than 1% of the total intracellular polycyclic hydrocarbon content is bound covalently to cellular macromolecules. This binding process is enzymatic and can be inhibited by 2-diethylaminoethyl-2,2-diphenylvalerate HC1 (SKF 525-A). More than one-half of the covalently bound polycyclic hydrocarbon is located in the nuclear and microsomal fractions. About one-half of the physically bound polycyclic hydrocarbon is associated with the nuclear fraction, but this chemical has a strong affinity for all subcellular organelles and for cytoplasmic macromolecules. In cells derived from various hamster fetal tissues, there are differences in the maximal saturating levels of intracellular polycyclic hydrocarbon and in the rates of hydroxylase induction. Polar metabolites of benz[a]anthracene appear in the medium during the process of hydroxylase induction, and this accumulation is prevented by cycloheximide.
Interactions between alpha-adrenoceptors and adenosine receptors on microvascular smooth muscle.

alpha 2-Adrenoceptor but not alpha 1-adrenoceptor constriction of arterioles is selectively inhibited by tissue acidosis, ischemia, and increased metabolic rate. To further examine neural-local interactions, we studied the effect of adenosine receptor stimulation on alpha 1- or alpha 2-adrenoceptor constriction. Intravital microscopy was used to study large arterioles (133 +/- 3 microns diam; mean +/- SE), small arterioles (16 +/- 1 microns), and large venules (178 +/- 3 microns) of rat cremaster skeletal muscle. Concentration-response (diameter change) curves were obtained for bath-added norepinephrine in the presence of either rauwolscine or prazosin to provide selective alpha 1- and alpha 2-constriction, respectively. The adenosine receptor agonist 59-N-ethylcarboxamidoadenosine (2.24 x 10(-8) M) significantly attenuated both alpha 1- and alpha 2-constriction by 5- to 20-fold; alpha 1-constriction was three- to fourfold more sensitive than alpha 2-constriction. Similar inhibitory effects were obtained with adenosine (2.24 x 10(-6) M). The adenosine receptor antagonist 8-[4-[N(2-aminoethyl)carbamoylmethoxy]phenyl]-1,3-dipropylxanthine (0.7 microM) reversed the inhibitory effect of adenosine, which implicates extracellular A2 adenosine receptors. Intrinsic tone in large vessels was unaffected by adenosine receptor stimulation but was completely inhibited in small arterioles. These findings suggest that both alpha 2- and especially alpha 1-adrenoceptor constriction and intrinsic tone (of small but not large arterioles) are inhibited by physiologically relevant concentrations of adenosine.
Molecular events that control the protein C anticoagulant pathway

Despite its rather recent identification, the protein C activation system has afforded many investigators with unique opportunities to probe the molecular basis by which cofactors function. Thrombomodulin clearly exerts its specificity switch both by interacting directly with the fibrinogen binding site on thrombin (exosite 1) and by altering the conformation within the enzyme center. At least in the case of thrombomodulin, these conformational changes appear to overcome repulsive interactions between acidic residues in the substrate and the enzyme. To determine whether the models derived from attempts at the molecular analysis of the protein C activation complex are at all relevant to the other coagulation complexes will require further examination, but the concept that residues near the cleavage site contact residues in the free enzyme in an unfavorable fashion, and that the cofactors overcome these inhibitory interactions is a hypothesis that is directly testable for all of the complexes. The availability of crystal structures for the coagulation enzymes, coupled with the capacity to mutagenize both the substrate and the enzyme, promises to provide new insights into molecular events that control coagulation.
Ginseng and obesity: observations and understanding in cultured cells, animals and humans

Ginseng, a traditional medical herb, has been reported having beneficial effects in fatigue, heart diseases, diabetes, immune function and erectile dysfunction. In recent years, increasing investigations have been conducted on ginseng in preventing and treating of obesity, one of the major worldwide escalating public health concerns. However, the effect and the relevant mechanisms behind how ginseng works as an antiobesity treatment are still controversial. In this review, we briefly discussed the chemical structures, metabolism and pharmacokinetics of ginseng and its major bioactive components ginsenosides. The major focus is on the antiobesity effects and the physiological, cellular and molecular mechanisms of ginseng and its ginsenosides in cultured cells, animal models and humans. We particularly compared the ginsenosides profiles, the antiobesity effects and the mechanisms between Asian ginseng (Panax ginseng) and American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius), the two major ginseng species having opposite medical effects in traditional Chinese medicine. Our unpublished data on the ginseng antiobesity in cultured cells and mice were also included. We further addressed the current problems and future directions of the ginseng antiobesity research.
Brief Informant Interviews to Screen for Dementia: The AD8 and Quick Dementia Rating System

The AD8 is an informant-based dementia screening test designed to capture intra-individual change in cognitive and functional abilities. Taking only 2–3 min, the AD8 is highly correlated with gold standard evaluations including the Clinical Dementia Rating scale, neuropsychological testing, and cerebrospinal fluid and imaging biomarkers of Alzheimer’s disease. The AD8 has validated in a variety of clinical settings across the world. As the AD8 is in a Yes/No format, it may not be applicable to staging severity of longitudinal follow-up. The Quick Dementia Rating System is a ten-item multiple choice questionnaire that takes 3–5 min and provides a quantitative assessment of cognitive, functional, and behavioral domains to stage dementia severity. Combining a brief informant assessment with a brief performance measure should markedly increase the ability to detect and stage dementia and other cognitive impairments in a variety of clinical, research, and community settings.
Playing with power

Though playing with natural versus traditional game controllers affects game experiences, studies have not investigated how power poses affect the experience of playing natural controlled video games. Participants keeping powerful poses experienced increased enjoyment, presence, and controller responsiveness compared with those holding powerless poses. Congruent with self-perception and automatic activation models, mediation analyses uncovered direct effects of power poses and also indirect effects in which power poses increased power feelings, which in turn were associated with higher enjoyment, presence, and controller responsiveness but reduced arousal. This provides initial evidence for how physical poses affect people's experiences with natural game interfaces, and highlight basic self-perception and automatic activation mechanisms behind the effect. We manipulated the physical poses of participants playing a motion-controlled game.Power poses boosted enjoyment, presence, and perceived controller responsiveness.Power feelings mediated power pose effects on enjoyment, presence, and responsiveness.Power feelings were negatively linked to game arousal.
Biogenic Shell Damage in the Small Gastropod Odostomia Impressa (Say)

Nearly every shell and fragment of the small pyramidellid snail Odostomia impressa, occurring in very large numbers in and around modern intertidal oyster banks in coastal Georgia, shows evidence of biogenic shell damage. Almost all of the shells have repaired or unrepaired fractures caused by crabs; most of the shell fragments also appear to be the result of attack by crabs, rather than physical breakage by waves or compaction. Most of the specimens are infested by an algal microborer, which gives shells a chalky, excoriated appearance. Gastropod borings in the Georgia odostomes were very rare. In a comparison with O. impressa shells from subtidal oyster banks in Virginia, it was found that crab damage in the Georgia samples was much more extensive, but that many of the Virginia shells had been bored by the bryozoan Electra. A conservative estimate of the average frequency of fatal attacks on Georgia odestomes from intertidal oyster banks is about 25 percent, using samples from time averaged shelly deposits. The predator on O. impressa in this setting is probably the xanthid crab Panopeus herbstii, which is in turn preyed upon by raccoons, birds, and fish. The algal microborer responsible for microscopic holes and striations in adostome shells appears to be a cyanophyte typical of lower intertidal zones.
Relevant Physical Optics Concepts

This chapter reviews two fundamental concepts regarding the wave nature of light, diffraction and interference. There is not a very clear distinction between the two concepts – they are very much intertwined. Diffraction is the phenomenon of a wave changing direction as it encounters an obstacle that is explained using an argument based on wave superposition, or interference. Likewise, interference between waves implies diffraction, since each wave acts as an obstacle to the other, redirecting energy in propagation components of opposing phase into components that are in phase.
The Intrinsic Coagulation/Kinin-Forming Cascade: Assembly in Plasma and Cell Surfaces in Inflammation

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the intrinsic coagulation/kinin-forming cascade. The plasma kinin-forming system consists of three essential plasma proteins that interact upon binding to certain negatively charged surfaces or macromolecular complexes. These are coagulation factor XII (Hageman factor or HF), prekallikrein, and high-molecular-weight kininogen (HK). The rate of factor XII conversion to factor XIIa is dependent on each protein of the kinin-forming pathway, and thus all the proteins are coagulation factors. This intrinsic coagulation/kinin-forming cascade is in equilibrium in plasma even in the absence of any exogenous surface—that is, there is a finite rate at which activation occurs continuously, but plasma inhibitors hold the system in check. The addition of a macromolecular surface augments the activation rate such that the significant generation of bradykinin occurs; then a combination of kininases and protease inhibitors re-establish the equilibrium. Certain blood cells and vascular wall endothelial cells are capable of binding the proteins of the kinin-forming cascade. Thus, activation may preferentially occur along the cell surface and some of the binding proteins may actually function as endogenous activators.
From Classroom-Making to Functional-Making: A Study in the Development of Making Literacy

An important aspect of the Making ethos is the creation of artifacts that are personally significant through technological means. Many Making activities implicitly presume that participants have the mindset needed to be able to engage in such meaning-making processes before participation. We argue that attention has to be paid to how individuals may acquire this Making literacy in the first place before being able to participate in activities that are aligned with the Making ethos as it is currently most often understood. We present an approach to inculcate Making literacy in children through prescribed Making activities that are aligned with, and thus admissible in the elementary school science curriculum. Our analysis draws from video recordings of two 4th grade classrooms in which the students, who had already participated in 1.5 years of more structured 'makified activities', engaged in an open-ended, exploration-based, playful and more personally meaningful task that was more in line with the Making ethos. Our qualitative analysis demonstrates that a prescribed approach is able to inculcate a burgeoning Making literacy in students from a public elementary school, and thus prepare them to be able to engage in the creation of personally-meaningful artifacts effectively.1
The creative educational film

THE MOTION PICTURE is little more than 50 years old, but in perspective it appears to have advanced very little since its early beginnings. Some critics, indeed, feel that both film and its halfbrother, television, are dying of old age. Technical advances aside, many of our best films are still our older ones. In the non-theatrical field, I am thinking of the widely used Brotherhood of Man, produced in 1946; Boundary Lines, 1947; the now almost classic films of elementary level, Adventures of Bunny Rabbit, 1937, and Gray Squirrel, 1938. The River and The Monarch Butterfly are other examples of films 10 to 15 years old which fall into the classic category. I am, emphatically, not saying that we have no fine films today, but only that we did have fine films 10 to 15 years ago, and that the art hasn't moved very far ahead in that time. Even a film like
Pathophysiology and Clinical Recognition of Heart Failure

Heart failure is a clinical syndrome characterized by exertional fatigue, exertional dyspnea, or both related to cardiac dysfunction.1 It is commonly accompanied by circulatory congestion manifested by edema in the lungs or extremities and by ventricular arrhythmias (Fig. 62.1). Heart failure may be precipitated by acute events that disturb the structure or function of the ventricular chambers or by chronic cardiac disease that eventuates in the clinical syndrome. The distinction between cardiac and noncardiac causes of the symptomatology depends on the clinical demonstration of altered cardiac structure or impaired cardiac function. This may be accomplished at the bedside, sometimes with assistance from a blood test for natriuretic hormone level, in the cardiac catheterization laboratory, or by the use of a variety of imaging techniques. Since the clinical syndrome is often preceded by months or years of relatively asymptomatic cardiac dysfunction, it is appropriate to encompass the preclinical phase with consideration of the overall syndrome, as has been done in recent guidelines. Thus semantic rigor mandates confining the diagnosis of heart failure to the symptomatic state, but recognition of the functional and structural cardiac disorder that leads to the syndrome provides an opportunity for prevention rather than treatment.
Genetic Aspects of Beef Production among Holstein-Friesians Pedigree Selected for Milk Production

To explore the potential of cattle to produce both milk and beef, the genetic aspects of beef production among Holstein‐Friesian bulls pedigree selected for milk were studied. The data included growth records of 504 bulls (DPT) by 120 sires (SPT) pedigree selected for progeny testing by American Breeders Service, 1964 to 1971. DPT bulls with proofs had an average predicted difference for milk (PMD) of +180 kilograms. The daughter average was 7,273 kg per lactation under varying herd conditions. Sires accounted for 10% of the variation in average daily gain (ADG), 10% in daily gain per 100 kg body weight (DG/100) and 16% in body weight, indicating substantial genetic variability in beef traits. Sire variance components for beef traits varied with age. There were wide ranges in estimated breeding value (EBV) and estimated transmitting ability (ETA) for beef traits among DPT and SPT bulls, respectively. Ranking EBV among DPT bulls and ETA among SPT bulls for beef traits and selecting the top 10% and 20%, respectively, showed high selection differentials, empirically reflecting the potential for genetic improvement
Surveillance and Digital Health.

The ethical challenges posed by digital medicine and the potential impact on the therapeutic alliance are considerable. With specific applications of digital medicine, such as “smart pills,” it is ...
The modulation of force steadiness by electrical nerve stimulation applied to the wrist extensors differs for young and older adults

We compared the modulation of force steadiness by different types of electrical nerve stimulation in young (n = 13, 25 ± 4 years) and older (n = 12, 78 ± 5 years) adults. The protocol involved four types of isometric contractions with the wrist-extensor muscles at 10% of the maximal force. Three of the contractions involved electrical nerve stimulation that comprised two forms of neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) to evoke muscle contractions and a voluntary contraction with superimposed transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) at an intensity less than motor threshold. The coefficient of variation (CV) for force during voluntary wrist extension was less (P = 0.03) for young (1.82 ± 0.43%) than older adults (2.80 ± 1.08%). The CV for force did not differ between age groups during the three types of electrical nerve stimulation but was reduced relative to the value observed during voluntary wrist extension for older adults. In contrast, the CV for force increased during the voluntary contraction with superimposed TENS for young adults but not for older adults. Moreover, there were significant negative correlations in older adults between the CV for force during the voluntary contraction and its decrease with electrical nerve stimulation. Differences in the CV for force between the evoked and voluntary contractions for the two age groups suggest that the variance in common synaptic input to motor neurons during steady voluntary contractions with the wrist extensors is greater for older adults than young adults.
Tracking State Estimation in Distribution Networks Using Distribution-level Synchrophasor Data

State estimation is often a challenging task in distribution systems due to numerous nodes and limited number of measurement sources. As a result, distribution system state estimation is often not real-time; instead, it is done once every 5 to 15 minutes, e.g., when smart meter measurements are available. Accordingly, this paper proposes a novel method for tracking state estimation in distribution systems to update the system states following an event, e.g., a sudden load change, that occurs in between the 5 to 15 minutes intervals of a typical distribution system state estimation cycle, without the need to rerun the whole state estimation. This method is of great interest for real-time monitoring and control applications. The proposed method uses measurements from as few as only two distribution-level phasor measurement units, a.k.a., micro-PMUs, that are installed at the substation and at the end of the main feeder or laterals. The method is developed based on the compensation theorem in circuit theory to generate an equivalent circuit according to the pre-event and post-event feeder data in order to update the state estimation results. The effectiveness of the proposed method is demonstrated through simulating the IEEE 33-bus test system.
Surgeon of the Modern Hospital

As part of the modern hospital, surgeons will face a changing landscape in their practice and training from cutting-edge new technologies to a diverse set of medical stakeholders. Their skills will be in demand as population growth outpaces workforce expansion. This gap is likely to be exaggerated in rural and underserved areas, which could potentially serve as a venue for additional training positions. Regardless of practice setting, the modern surgeon must be able to lead a high performance and frequently multidisciplinary team to optimize the care and outcomes of many disease states. A knowledgeable surgeon recognizes the different learning styles, technological skills, and interpersonal behaviors across generations and engages each of them effectively. They will find the modern patient better informed about diseases and recent technology. Accordingly, their patients will expect to be involved in shared decision-making and treatment planning. Surgeons will be exposed to technologic advancements and must champion the safe and ethical introduction into everyday practice. Surgical practitioners must be dedicated to lifelong learning and performance improvement – both for their own and for their group, practice, or institution. Changes in technology and care will occur within the span of their career; thus effectively learning, adopting, and evaluating innovations will be an important aspect of their practice. Overall, the surgeon of the modern hospital will practice in an era of innovation, changing interpersonal dynamics and team-based care.
Net reduction of CO 2 via its thermocatalytic and electrocatalytic transformation reactions in standard and hybrid processes

Many research efforts into CO2 reduction to valuable products are motivated by a desire to reduce the atmospheric CO2 concentration. However, it is unclear how laboratory-scale catalytic performance translates to the goal of reducing CO2. In this Perspective, we analyse recently reported thermocatalytic and electrocatalytic performances for reduction of CO2 to methanol in terms of net CO2 reduction, on a mole basis. Our calculations indicate that even an ideal catalytic process needs to be powered by electricity emitting less than 0.2 kg of CO2 per kWh to achieve a net reduction in CO2. We conclude that hybrid processes combining thermocatalysis and electrocatalysis are promising opportunities to reduce CO2 to methanol, as long as practical electrocatalysts achieve reaction rates two orders of magnitude larger than those observed in current laboratory tests. In such a scenario, an increase in the global methanol market could benefit the overall reduction of atmospheric CO2 via conversion of CO2 to methanol. CO2 hydrogenation is frequently acclaimed as a strategy for greenhouse gases mitigation, although the carbon footprint of the corresponding electrocatalytic or thermocatalytic process is often neglected. This Perspective analyses the amount of CO2 generated during methanol production for different catalytic processes and hybrid thereof.
High grade sarcoma, with predominant neuroectodermal and minor embryonal rhabdomyosarcomatous tumor of the uterus: A case report.

Abstract Background There have been few documented cases of combined primitive neuroectodermal and embryonal rhabdomyosarcomas (ERMS) in the uterus. Due to their rarity, there is no consensus on the optimal treatment for patients with primitive neuroectodermal tumor (PNET) and ERMS of the uterus. Studies on treatment and outcome are limited. Case presentation A 32 year-old female presented with heavy vaginal bleeding. Ultrasound revealed an 18 cm uterus with thickened endometrium. Histopathology revealed embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma. She underwent a total abdominal hysterectomy, bilateral salpingectomy, lymph node dissection, and omentectomy. Pathologic review confirmed a tumor with mainly central-type PNET and focally ERMS within the uterus and cervix. She was treated with adjuvant chemoradiation. Conclusion Treatment of the predominant tumor, PNET, should be the primary goal of therapy. Vincristine, doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, ifosfamide, and etoposide with tumor directed radiation may be efficacious for the treatment of this specific high grade uterine sarcoma.
Increasing Patient Portal Activation in a Pediatric Subspecialty Clinic

Background Online patient portals are not widely used, despite their advantages for efficient communication, especially for patients with chronic conditions. A hospital-based group practice of Developmental-Behavioral Pediatricians initiated this quality improvement (QI) project with a goal to increase the percentage of patients with an active MyChart (Epic Systems Corporation's patient portal) account and ultimately improve efficiency of communication between families and clinical staff. Methods Using QI methodology, we identified staff commitment, workflow issues, and family awareness as gaps and implemented progressive Plan, Do, Study, Act cycles aimed at developing standard processes for activating families on MyChart. We tracked our project measures with statistical process control methodology and sustained our progress with improving awareness and regular feedback. Results Patient portal activations increased from 1.8% to 30% in a 6-month time period. Highly successful interventions included development and implementation of a standard process for activation, staff education to ensure comfort and commitment, having families opt out instead of opt in, and completed activation of accounts before families leaving clinic. Conclusions Patient portal activation can be significantly increased through systematic application of QI methodology to address staff training and workflow in a busy subspecialty clinic. Engagement of operations staff and completion of the activation process while the family is still in clinic seemed to be effective in getting families activated in MyChart. It is possible to improve patient portal activation with minimal impact to workflow.
U.S. Climate Change Law and Policy: Possible Paths Forward

In April 2014 the American Bar Association will publish the second edition of Global Climate Change and U.S. Law, which is co-edited by Mike Gerrard and Jody Freeman. The first edition appeared in 2007 and was widely adopted in law school courses; this second edition adds several entirely new chapters (covering NEPA, ESA, civil remedies, water, cap and trade, CCS, agriculture and forestry, non-climate international agreements, adaptation, geoengineering, and energy regulation), and brings everything up to date.
BONE MARROW TRANSPLANTATION, A POSSIBLE THERAPY FOR IDIOPATHIC THROMBOCYTOPENIC PURPURA

Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP) is an autoimmune disease which causes the destruction of platelets. Patients who suffer from ITP can have excessive bleeding due to a lack of platelet coagulation. Current therapies to treat ITP are splenectomies and steroid treatments cause many complications and do not guarantee lasting remission. The purpose of this study is to find a more effective and permanent therapy such as bone marrow transplantation (BMT) to treat ITP using a novel mouse model. BMT can be a risky procedure, so we aim to improve it in mice by increasing the hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) homing efficiency to the bone marrow by upregulating the important chemotactic receptor, CXCR4, using compounds such as fluticasone propionate (Flonase). We found that glucocorticoids such as Flonase significantly increases CXCR4 on cultured murine HSCs, and our preliminary data suggests that HSCs double their bone marrow engraftment when treated with Flonase in competitive transplantations in wild type mice. We also found that Flonase increased chemotaxis to the CXCR4 ligand, stromal derived factor-1 in a transwell system. Second, we are creating an inducible ITP mouse model using CRISPR technology to test BMT as a possible therapy for ITP. This study can shed light on the application of BMT in ITP and a novel mouse model that can be used to test possible therapies that can have more lasting and less damaging effects than existing treatments for ITP.
Diagnostic Radiologists' Participation in the American Board of Radiology Maintenance of Certification Program.

OBJECTIVE. Physicians across specialties have expressed concerns about Maintenance of Certification (MOC) programs of American Board of Medical Specialties member boards, calling for research about...
Adherence-adjustment in placebo-controlled randomized trials: An application to the candesartan in heart failure randomized trial

Abstract Background The per-protocol effect provides important information in randomized trials with incomplete adherence. Yet, because valid estimation typically requires adjustment for prognostic factors that predict adherence, per-protocol effect estimates are often met with skepticism. In placebo-controlled trials, however, the validity of adjustment can be indirectly verified by demonstrating no association between adherence and the outcome among the placebo arm. Here, we describe a two-stage procedure in which we first adjust for time-varying adherence in the placebo arm and then use a similar procedure to estimate the per-protocol effect. Methods We use the Candesartan in Heart Failure: Assessment of Reduction in Mortality and Morbidity (CHARM) randomized trial. First, we compare adherers versus non-adherers in the placebo arm, adjusting for pre- and post-randomization variables. Second, we use models validated in the placebo arm to estimate the per-protocol effect of adherence to candesartan versus placebo in the full trial. Findings We successfully estimated no association between adherence and mortality in the placebo arm; hazard ratio: 0.91 (95% CI: 0.51, 2.52). We then estimated the per-protocol effect under two sets of protocol-defined stopping criteria after adjustment for post-randomization confounders. The mortality hazard ratio estimates ranged from 0.91 to 0.93 for the per-protocol effect estimates, similar to the intention-to-treat effect estimates. Interpretation Adherence adjustment in the CHARM trial is feasible when appropriate assumptions about missing data and confounding are made. These assumptions cannot be verified but can be supported through the use of placebo-arm adherence assessment.
Estimation of lake ecological quality from Sentinel-2 remote sensing imagery

The Water Framework Directive requires European states to monitor the ecological quality of their lakes. Detailed information on the composition and abundance of biological groups such as aquatic plants (macrophytes) and phytoplankton (including chlorophyll a) must be expressed as an ecological quality ratio (EQR), ranging from 1 (close to reference status) to 0 (bad status). Effort is often focused on gathering this detailed information on selected lakes at the expense of more synoptic approaches that could capture a more holistic assessment of a catchment’s water quality. This could be rectified if remote sensing can provide predictions of ecological quality for unmonitored lakes. We found that data from Sentinel-2 satellites, based on regression model outputs of observed vs estimated results, successfully predicted the macrophyte EQR (R2 = 0.77) and the maximum lake depth that macrophytes colonised to (R2 = 0.80) but average chlorophyll a was less well predicted (R2 = 0.66). Predictions for a test catchment indicated that results were within one ecological assessment class width of measured values for macrophytes. This approach can potentially estimate status for unmonitored lakes in Ireland, be integrated with results on monitored lakes and used to direct resources where needed at national and catchment scales.