cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Special Section on Visual Analytics: Visualization of cluster structure and separation in multivariate mixed data: A case study of diversity faultlines in work teams

In organizational management, researchers and managers study separations or faultlines that occur in diverse teams when members form subgroups based on the alignment of multiple demographic characteristics. The team faultline concept is operationalized using multivariate cluster analysis-analysts use faultline measures to identify subgroups/clusters in a team and to quantify how subgroups/clusters are separated. Unfortunately, these measures have limited capacity to enable users to observe and explore faultlines and subgroup structure across the examined attributes efficiently. We address this problem and make three contributions. First, we propose a visual representation for communicating faultline information that is based on multiple linked, stacked histograms in an axis-parallel layout. Second, we evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed technique in a controlled user study, comparing it to the two other common multivariate representations of clusters: parallel coordinates and scatter plot matrices. While we chose faultline-related tasks based on the requirements by domain experts in organizational management, the study findings can be generalized to representations and tasks involving distributions of clusters of multivariate objects in mixed-type data. Finally, inspired by geological faultlines, we propose several visual enhancements to stacked histograms to further facilitate the task of identifying ''cracks'' within work teams.
Tumor necrosis factor genetic polymorphisms correlate with infections after renal transplantation

Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) is a pro-inflammatory mediator of the immune response to allogenic and infectious stimuli. Non-immunosuppressed individuals possessing a NcoI restriction enzyme site in the TNF gene locus produce less TNF-α in vitro and in vivo compared with individuals lacking this restriction site. We performed polymerase chain reaction amplification and restriction enzyme fragment length analysis of the TNF locus from 86 liver transplant recipients to determine if presence of the NcoI site is associated with the frequency of rejection or infection, time to rejection or infection, and patient and graft survival. We controlled for recipient primary diagnosis, age, sex, United Network for Organ Sharing status, year of transplant, type of immunosuppression, use of anti-lymphocyte agents, and graft ischemia time. Fifty-six recipients possessed the NcoI+/low TNF-α genotype and 30 were NcoI-/high TNF-α genotype. In the first year after transplant, there were no significant differences in the frequency, or time to first rejections or the overall number of rejection episodes between the two genotypes. NcoI+/low TNF-α genotype recipients had significantly more infections (1.52 vs. 0.87, P=0.014). In a linear regression, multivariate model controlling for all marginally significant variables, the NcoI+/low TNF-α genotype was still associated with significantly more infections (P=0.0031). Patient and graft survival were equal for the two groups. One implication of this study, in individuals genetically predetermined to be low TNF-α producers, is that additional inhibition of TNF-α production by routine immunosuppression may be excessive, rendering these individuals less able to respond to infectious stimuli. These patients may benefit from lower doses or withdrawal of corticosteroids.
Psychometric qualities of the figure rating scale

The Figure Rating Scale is a widely used measure of body image disturbance that consists of a series of nine schematic figures of varying size. In previous research, investigators have measured many different aspects of figure selection, including ideal body size, current body size, and the figure subjects believe is most attractive to the opposite sex. Important findings have eventuated from research using this index of body image. However, minimal attention has focused on an examination of the psychometric properties of the Figure Rating Scale. In the current study, reliability and validity studies were completed on separate samples of male and female college students. The findings indicate good test—retest reliability and moderate correlations with other measures of body image dissatisfaction, eating disturbance, and overall self-esteem. It is concluded that the Figure Rating Scale is an appropriate tool for the investigation of body image disturbance.
Location-based Spatial Queries with Data Sharing in Wireless Broadcast Environments

Location-based spatial queries (LBSQs) refer to spatial queries whose answers rely on the location of the inquirer. Efficient processing of LBSQs is of critical importance with the ever-increasing deployment and use of mobile technologies. We show that LBSQs have certain unique characteristics that traditional spatial query processing in centralized databases does not address. For example, a significant challenge is presented by wireless broadcasting environments, which often exhibit high-latency database access. In this paper, we present a novel query processing technique that, while maintaining high scalability and accuracy, manages to reduce the latency considerably in answering location-based spatial queries. Our approach is based on peer-to-peer sharing, which enables us to process queries without delay at a mobile host by using query results cached in its neighboring mobile peers. We illustrate the appeal of our technique through extensive simulation results.
Acute effects of the antibiotic oxytetracycline on the bacterial community of the grass shrimp, Palaemonetes pugio†

The toxicity of oxytetracycline (OTC) was evaluated in adult grass shrimp, Palaemonetes pugio. Initially, static acute (96 h) toxicity tests were conducted with shrimp exposed from 0 to 1,000 mg/L OTC. A calculated lethal concentration 50% value of 683.30 mg/L OTC (95% confidence interval 610.85-764.40 mg/L) was determined from these tests, along with a lowest-observable-effect concentration of 750 mg/L and no-observable-effect concentration of 500 mg/L. Moreover, chronic sublethal effects of OTC exposure on grass shrimp intestinal bacterial population were assessed using doses from 0 to 32 mg/L OTC. The total viable counts in digestive tract content had levels between 5.2 and 1x10(4) colony-forming units per gram of tissue at times 0 and 96 h, respectively. Aeromonas hydrophila were the most resistant isolates (27.78%) to OTC exposure. Vibrio alginolyticus showed significant positive growth following exposure to OTC, whereas other bacterial species abundance declined over time. A total of 268 bacterial isolates were screened using antibiotic resistance analysis from a library containing 459 isolates. Among the tested isolates from the OTC treatments, 15.4% were resistant to OTC and 84.6% were OTC sensitive. Oxytetracycline was generally not consistently quantifiable with liquid chromatography-mass spectroscopy technique in shrimp homogenates. The only peak detected was at the 32 mg/L dose of OTC at 96 h. Nevertheless, OTC had a significant biological effect on the bacterial population. Antibiotic resistance to five other antibiotics (penicillin G, sulfathiazole, trimethoprim, trimethoprim and sulfamethoxazole, and tetracycline) was strongly associated with OTC exposures. The present study indicates that OTC toxicity effects in P. pugio and changes in the shrimp microbial community would only be expected under special circumstances.
Learning or lurking?: Tracking the “invisible” online student

While much has been written regarding the learning behaviors of students participating in online courses, little research has been conducted to ascertain whether or not students are still engaged and actually learning when not actively involved in online discourse with other students and faculty. This case study of inactive students enrolled in an online graduate course attempts to identify how much time is spent in course-related activity, what the reasons are for student’s ‘‘invisibility,’’ and if their preferred learning styles influence online behavior. The data show that these students do, in fact, spend a significant amount of time in learning-related tasks, including logging on, even when not visibly participating, and they feel they are still learning and benefiting from this low-profile approach to their online studies. However, preliminary analyses of course grades indicate that the mean course grade is better for high-visibility learners than for no-visibility learners. Findings suggest that further research in the area of the so-called invisible learner is a critical area of investigation to better understand the dynamics of asynchronous learning and teaching. D 2002 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.
Chemical and vibronic effects in the high-resolution near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure spectra of polystyrene isotopomers

Abstract This Letter presents the high-resolution C 1s near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) spectra of hydrogenated and deuterated polystyrene. The differences between these spectra provide unambiguous evidence for the presence of a significant vibronic contribution to the shape and structure of the C 1s(C–H) →1π ∗ C  C transition in polystyrene. High-resolution NEXAFS spectra, spectroscopic simulations and ab initio calculations are used to help resolve the relative contributions of chemical shifts and vibronic excitation to the shape of the characteristic C 1s(C–H) →1π ∗ C  C transition.
Effects of Habitat Area on the Occurrence of Grassland Birds in Illinois

Abstract We documented the occurrence of 12 bird species within Prairie Ridge State Natural Area, Jasper County, Illinois, a matrix of nine grassland tracts (range 7–120 ha, totaling 489 ha), from 1994 to 1997 and analyzed the presence of these species relative to the area of the nine grassland tracts. Grassland tract area was correlated with the occurrence of greater prairie-chickens (Tympanuchus cupido) (P = 0.016), upland sandpipers (Bartramia longicauda) (P = 0.012), savannah sparrows (Passerculus sandwichensis) (P = 0.009) and Henslow's sparrows (Ammodramus henslowii) (P = 0.005). Minimum area requirements varied from 12 ha for grasshopper sparrows (Ammodramus savannarum), 55 ha for northern harriers (Circus cyaneus), 65 ha for greater prairie-chickens and upland sandpipers, to 75 ha for Henlsow's and savannah sparrows. Therefore, grasslands larger than 60 ha may be required to attract nine breeding grassland bird species. Each grassland tract was divided into 2- to 6-ha management units (mode = 2.8 ...
Snacking, Satiety, and Weight: A Randomized, Controlled Trial.

Abstract Purpose. To compare the effects of nut-based snack bars (NBSB) vs. prepackaged 200-kcal portions of typical conventional snack foods, when consumed over a 12-week period by a group of overweight adults. Design. Randomized, single-blind parallel design with two treatment groups. Setting. Clinical trial. Subjects. Thirty-four overweight participants were enrolled. Intervention. Commercially available NBSB or conventional snack foods as part of an ad libitum diet for 12 weeks. Measures. Primary outcome measures: body mass index, body weight, body composition, waist circumference. Secondary outcome measures: blood pressure, lipid profile, nutrients intake, hunger/satiety, quality of life. Analysis. Generalized linear models with time as repeated measure were used to analyze these data. Results. Daily consumption of NBSB for 12 weeks, as compared to daily consumption of conventional snacks, significantly reduced percentage body fat (−1.7% ± 10.8% vs. 6.2% ± 9.3%; p = .04) and visceral fat (−1.3 ± 5.9 ...
Diabetes with and without ketoacidosis on right atrial pacemaker rate and autonomic responsiveness

Experiments were designed to determine whether insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) alters direct chronotropic effects of adrenergic and cholinergic agonists and whether the observed changes are associated with hyperglycemia or combined hyperglycemia and ketoacidosis. Diabetes was induced by intravenous administration of 45, 50, or 65 mg/kg streptozotocin (STZ). Rats treated with 65 mg/kg STZ had higher levels of blood glucose and ketones compared with the levels of the other groups. Right atria were isolated 12 wk after administration of STZ and bathed in Krebs-Henseleit solution. Basal spontaneous pacemaker rate was diminished in preparations isolated from diabetic rats. The maximum pacemaker rate observed during exposure to isoproterenol or norepinephrine was also depressed in preparations from diabetic animals; however, the increase in rate and half-maximal effective concentration values for each agent were not affected. The sensitivity to the negative chronotropic action of acetylcholine was enhanced by IDDM, whereas the response to carbachol (a cholinergic agonist not readily metabolized by acetylcholinesterase) was not changed. No significant differences were observed when we compared preparations isolated from diabetic animals with and without ketoacidosis. In summary, these data suggest 1) that IDDM is associated with a diminished basal spontaneous pacemaker without changes in the responsiveness to adrenergic and cholinergic receptor activation and 2) that ketoacidosis does not play a role in the observed alterations.
The IDXelerator™: Learning-centered Instructional Design

IDXelerator™ is an authoring system implementing the notion of learning-centered instruction. Instructional design is built-into the system via built-in lessons of different types. It is based on the assumption that different instructional goals required different types of instructional presentation and practice. The system includes four built-in lessons each complete with presentation, practice, and learner guidance: information about, parts of, kinds of, and how to. In addition the system includes a text module and slide show function. IDXelerator™ is a ToolBook™ plug-in adding an IDX item to the authoring menu. Any IDX component can be linked to any ToolBook object. IDXelerator™ increases authoring efficiency by at least 50% and simultaneously increases the effectiveness of the instruction by using scientifically verified instructional strategies consistent with instructional outcomes.
All work and no play? The sociology of women and leisure

In 1981, a group of women graduate students at the University of Wisconsin–Madison (USA) came to me and asked if I would teach a seminar on “Women and Leisure”. My first reaction was to say no. I h...
Isoproterenol-induced inhibition of immunoglobulin E-mediated release of histamine and arachidonic acid metabolites from the human lung mast cell.

The inhibitory effect of isoproterenol was examined on the release of histamine, leukotriene C4 (LTC4), and prostaglandin D2 (PGD2) from human lung mast cells. Isoproterenol was more potent in inhibiting anti-immunoglobulin (Ig) E-induced LTC4 and PGD2 release than histamine release from the dispersed lung cell preparations (2-5% mast cells). The negative log molar EC50 values of isoproterenol for inhibiting histamine, LTC4 and PGD2 release were 8.2 +/- 0.2, 8.9 +/- 0.2 and 8.7 +/- 0.3, respectively (mean +/- S.E.M., n = 8). Isoproterenol seldom inhibited histamine release by more than 60%, but usually abolished the release of LTC4 and PGD2. The potency of propranolol (KB = 6 X 10(-10) M) was the same for competitively antagonizing isoproterenol mediated inhibition of histamine, LTC4 or PGD2 release. Using the irreversible beta adrenergic receptor antagonist, bromoacetylalprenololmenthane, the estimated dissociation constant of isoproterenol was 2 X 10(-7) M irrespective of whether inhibition of anti-IgE-induced histamine or LTC4 release was examined. When the divalent cation ionophore A23187 was used to induce histamine release, isoproterenol had either no effect or potentiated the release. In contrast, isoproterenol was capable of virtually abolishing A23187-induced LTC4 release. Qualitatively similar effects of isoproterenol were observed on purified mast cell preparations (greater than 80% mast cells); however, the potency of isoproterenol in inhibiting mediator release from these preparations was reduced. The results demonstrate that there is a substantial receptor reserve for isoproterenol-mediated inhibition of histamine, LTC4 and PGD2 release from the human lung mast cell. The intrinsic efficacy of isoproterenol in inhibiting anti-IgE-induced release of arachidonic acid metabolites is approximately 3 times greater than that for inhibiting histamine release.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
27.3 Area-efficient 1GS/s 6b SAR ADC with charge-injection-cell-based DAC

To support growing data bandwidths, high-speed moderate-resolution ADCs have become vital for high-speed serial links. Interleaved SAR ADCs achieve high sampling speeds and good energy efficiency. However a challenge is that these ADCs are large and therefore suffer from interleaving artifacts related to size [1]. Compact, efficient SAR ADCs are needed to address this problem. As an alternative, multiple-bit-per-cycle SAR ADCs deliver high speed from a single SAR ADC, but at the cost of significant added complexity (i.e., extra quantizers and capacitor DACs) and die area [2,3]. This work addresses the need for a fast, compact SAR ADC, with a 1GS/s SAR ADC that has the best Walden FOM and the smallest area among 5-to-6.3b ADCs published in ISSCC (see Fig. 27.3.1).
Adverse Outcome Pathway (AOP) Development I: Strategies and Principles

An adverse outcome pathway (AOP) is a conceptual framework that organizes existing knowledge concerning biologically plausible, and empirically supported, links between molecular-level perturbation of a biological system and an adverse outcome at a level of biological organization of regulatory relevance. Systematic organization of information into AOP frameworks has potential to improve regulatory decision-making through greater integration and more meaningful use of mechanistic data. However, for the scientific community to collectively develop a useful AOP knowledgebase that encompasses toxicological contexts of concern to human health and ecological risk assessment, it is critical that AOPs be developed in accordance with a consistent set of core principles. Based on the experiences and scientific discourse among a group of AOP practitioners, we propose a set of five fundamental principles that guide AOP development: (1) AOPs are not chemical specific; (2) AOPs are modular and composed of reusable components—notably key events (KEs) and key event relationships (KERs); (3) an individual AOP, composed of a single sequence of KEs and KERs, is a pragmatic unit of AOP development and evaluation; (4) networks composed of multiple AOPs that share common KEs and KERs are likely to be the functional unit of prediction for most real-world scenarios; and (5) AOPs are living documents that will evolve over time as new knowledge is generated. The goal of the present article was to introduce some strategies for AOP development and detail the rationale behind these 5 key principles. Consideration of these principles addresses many of the current uncertainties regarding the AOP framework and its application and is intended to foster greater consistency in AOP development.
Why the Generals Wage War on the People

(1990). Why the Generals Wage War on the People. Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists: Vol. 46, The Arms Race Shifts to the Third World, pp. 30-33.
COCAINE TOXICITY PRESENTING AS ACUTE REVERSIBLE PULMONARY HYPERTENSION AND RIGHT HEART FAILURE

While chronic pulmonary hypertension is a known manifestation of cocaine intoxication, acute reversible pulmonary hypertension with right ventricular dysfunction has been rarely reported and poses diagnostic challenges. A 56 year old African-American male with polysubstance abuse and chronic
Isostructural PdII and PtII Pyrophosphato Complexes: Polymorphism and Unusual Bond Character in d8−d8 Systems

Isostructural, “clamshell”-like, neutral dimeric pyrophosphato complexes of general formula {[M(bipy)]2(μ-P2O7)} [M = PdII (1) or PtII (2)] were synthesized and studied through single-crystal X-ray diffraction, IR, 31P NMR spectroscopy, and MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. Compound 1 was synthesized through the reaction of palladium(II) acetate, 2,2′-bipyridine (bipy), and sodium pyrophosphate (Na4P2O7) in water. Compound 2 was prepared through two different routes. The first involved the reaction of the PtIV precursor Na2PtCl6, bipy, and Na4P2O7 in water, followed by reduction in DMF. The second involved the reaction of the PtII precursor K2PtCl4, bipy, and Na4P2O7 in water. Both complexes crystallize in the monoclinic chiral space group Cc as hexahydrates, 1·6H2O (1a, yellow crystals) and 2·6H2O (2a, orange crystals), and exhibit a zigzag chain-like supramolecular packing arrangement with short and long intra/intermolecular metal−metal distances [3.0366(3)/4.5401(3) A in 1a; 3.0522(3)/4.5609(3) A in 2a]. A ...
Application of Geant4 simulation for analysis of soil carbon inelastic neutron scattering measurements.

Abstract Inelastic neutron scattering (INS) was applied to determine soil carbon content. Due to non-uniform soil carbon depth distribution, the correlation between INS signals with some soil carbon content parameter is not obvious; however, a proportionality between INS signals and average carbon weight percent in ~10 cm layer for any carbon depth profile is demonstrated using Monte-Carlo simulation (Geant4). Comparison of INS and dry combustion measurements confirms this conclusion. Thus, INS measurements give the value of this soil carbon parameter.
96 ANALYSIS OF NATRIURETIC PEPTIDE RECEPTOR A INTERNALIZATION BY RIBONUCLEIC ACID INTERFERENCE.

Guanylyl cyclase/natriuretic peptide receptor A (GC-A/NPRA) is considered the principal receptor for both atrial and brain natriuretic peptides (ANP and BNP). Binding of these hormones to NPRA leads to the generation of the intracellular second messenger cGMP, which, in turn, maintains blood pressure and cardiovascular homeostasis. The objective of the present study was to determine whether ANP-NPRA complexes are internalized to release the bound ANP from the receptor in the intracellular compartments. In these studies, we used human embronic kidney-293 (HEK-293) cells stably transfected with murine NPRA cDNA. Cells were cultured in Dulbecco9s Modified Eagle9s Medium (DMEM) supplemented with 10% bovine fetal serum and maintained at 37°C under an atmosphere of 5% CO 2 /95% O 2 . Receptor internalization studies were performed using 125 I-ANP in intact HEK-293 cells. All hormonal treatments and binding assays were performed in DMEM serum-free medium containing 0.1% bovine serum albumin. We used vector-based artificial microRNA for expression of short-hairpin RNA (shRNA) to more potently silence the target gene expression of NPRA. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Northern blot analyses were applied to confirm the specificity and the efficiency of the constructs. The results showed that the expression of shRNA accounted for more than 80% down-regulation of NPRA. Furthermore, the results revealed that the internalized 125 I-ANP radioactivities were drastically reduced by almost 80% in cells depleted with NPRA compared with wild-type control cells. The results demonstrate that NPRA undergoes internalization as part of its normal trafficking and metabolism. The findings of this study are important toward the understanding of the signaling mechanisms and the functional role of NPRA to maintain the cardiovascular homeostasis.
A Time-Sensitive Targets System Simulation Model Based on Extendsim

Precision strike of time-sensitive targets requires high-efficiency systems to perform surveillance, reconnaissance, tracking, command, control, striking and effect evaluation in limited time accurately. This paper analyzes architecture and operational process of time-sensitive targets systems, and presents a discrete-event simulation model of time-sensitive targets system. Within the model, target generating and evolving, reconnaissance plane, command and control, fire strike shooter are modeled based on ExtendSim. Simulation rationale and simulation model in typical scenario is built. The joint military planner can assess mission success probability and average length of kill chain, and study variations and sensitivities in a controlled manner among different plan of weapon resources by the simulation model.
La 2298: The Oldest Pueblito Revisited

ABSTRACTTree-ring dates from Tapacito Ruin (LA 2298), the earliest securely dated Navajo pueblito, have played a central role in the interpretation of the Gobernador phase of Navajo history. Although previous research provided general parameters for the site occupation, the lack of provenience data for many of the tree-ring specimens left several questions unanswered. Research conducted in 1990 confirms the early occupation of the pueblito and offers suggestions concerning the site occupation and its role in post-Revolt Dinetah.
Reasonable foreseeability and blameless ignorance

This paper draws attention to a fundamental problem for a version of the tracing strategy defended by a number of theorists in the current literature (Rosen in Philos Perspect 18(1):295–313, 2004; Fischer and Tognazzini in Nous, 43(3):531–556, 2009). I argue that versions of the tracing strategy that require reasonable foreseeability (rather than actual foresight) are in tension with the view that blameless ignorance excuses. A stronger version of the tracing strategy (i.e., one that requires actual foresight) is consistent with the view that blameless ignorance excuses and is therefore preferable for those tracing theorists who wish to continue maintaining that it does.
Lowerbounds for the online minimum matching problem on the line

We present lowerbounds for the competitive ratio of randomized algorithms on the online minimum matching problem on the line for both the minimum weight and bottleneck objectives. To the best of our knowledge, there is no established lowerbound for randomized algorithms for either objective on the line: we show a lowerbound of 2 for the minimum weight objective and a linear lowerbound for the bottleneck objective, hence proving that the bottleneck objective is a harder problem than the minimum weight objective on the line. We also present a tool for establishing a higher lower bound for the minimum weight objective.
Modified non-restoring division algorithm with improved delay profile and error correction

This paper focuses on improving the performance of non-restoring division by reducing the delay and finding a correct quotient quickly. Although the non-restoring division algorithm is the fastest and has less complexity than other radix-2 digit recurrent division algorithms, there are still some possibilities to enhance its performance. To improve its performance, two new approaches are proposed here. For the first proposed approach, a non-restoring divider with a modified algorithm is presented. The new algorithm changes the order of the flowchart, which reduces one unit delay of the multiplexer per iteration. Secondly, a new method to find a correct quotient is presented and it removes an error that the quotient is always odd number after a digit conversion from a digit converter from the quotient with digits 1 and −1 to a conventional binary number. The new logic to generate the LSB of the quotient quickly is also explained in this paper.
Exploring relationships of catheter-associated urinary tract infection and blockage in people with long-term indwelling urinary catheters

Aims and objectives To describe and explore relationships among catheter problems in long-term indwelling urinary catheter users, including excess healthcare use for treating catheter problems. Background Long-term urinary catheter users experience repeated problems with catheter-related urinary tract infection and blockage of the device, yet little has been reported of the patterns and relationships among relevant catheter variables. Design Secondary data analysis was conducted from a sample in a randomised clinical trial, using data from the entire sample of 202 persons over 12 months' participation. Methods Descriptive statistics were used to characterise the sample over time. Zero-inflated negative binomial models were employed for logistic regressions to evaluate predictor variables of the presence/absence and frequencies of catheter-related urinary tract infection and blockage. Results Catheter-related urinary tract infection was marginally associated with catheter blockage. Problems reported at least once per person in the 12 months were as follows: catheter-related urinary tract infection 57%, blockage 34%, accidental dislodgment 28%, sediment 87%, leakage (bypassing) 67%, bladder spasms 59%, kinks/twists 42% and catheter pain 49%. Regression analysis demonstrated that bladder spasms were significantly related to catheter-related urinary tract infection and sediment amount, and catheter leakages were marginally significantly and positively related to catheter-related urinary tract infection. Frequencies of higher levels of sediment and catheter leakage were significantly associated with higher levels of blockage, and being female was associated with fewer blockages. Persons who need help with eating (more disabled) were also more likely to have blockages. Conclusions Catheter-related urinary tract infection and blockage appear to be related and both are associated with additional healthcare expenditures. More research is needed to better understand how to prevent adverse catheter outcomes and patterns of problems in subgroups. Relevance to clinical practice Nurses can develop care management strategies to identify catheter blockage prior to its occurrence by tracking the amount of sediment and frequency of leakage. Bladder spasms could be an early warning of catheter-related urinary tract infection.
Red Blood Cell Alloimmunization Is Affected by Depletion of Donor White Cell Subsets.

Abstract Red blood cell (RBC) alloimmunization leads to therapeutic limitations due to difficulties in obtaining compatible RBC components. Better understanding of immune mechanisms responsible for alloantibody formation are necessary in order to develop ways of preventing or treating alloimmunization in high risk patients. A murine model of RBC alloimmunization was developed using B6CBA-F1-Tg Fyb mice that express the human Fyb blood group as donors, and recipient mice of the B6CBA-F1 strain. RBC were obtained from donor mice that were anesthetized and exsanguinated by cardiac puncture. Donor whole blood was collected into sterile syringes containing CPDA-1 (Sigma Aldrich, St. Louis, MO) and was then centrifuged to produce packed RBCs. Recipient mice were transfused 0.3 mL via the tail vein once a week for two weeks with donor RBC that had 108 spleen cells added which were then depleted of either CD4, CD8, CD19 or natural killer (NK) cell subsets (n=6 in each group). Depletions were performed using immunodensity negative selection with murine anti-CD4, CD8, CD19 and DX5 antibodies (StemCell Technologies, Vancouver, BC). Two control groups were transfused with either washed buffy coat depleted RBC (leukodepletion to fewer than 5 × 106 remaining white blood cells (WBC)) or RBC with spleen cells added that was processed through immunodensity negative selection without the addition of antibody (no leukodepletion with 1 × 108 WBC). Serum was collected from recipient mice once a week for four weeks post-transfusion. Circulating IgG anti-Fyb titers were measured by flow cytometry using donor RBC and staining with fluorescein isothiocyanate conjugated rat anti-mouse IgG (Jackson ImmunoResearch, West Grove, PA); target cells were gated on by size and side scatter parameters using a FACScan flow cytometer (Becton Dickenson, Franklin Lakes, NJ). Serum samples from week 4 post transfusion demonstrated a mean anti-Fyb titer of 64 in the CD4 depleted group. Mean titers of 256, 512 and 512 were observed in the CD8, CD19 and NK depletion groups, respectively. The leukodepletion control group had a mean anti-Fyb titer of 16, and the non-leukodepletion control group showed a mean titer of 64. These results indicate that donor contaminating WBC affect RBC alloimmunization. CD4 cell removal led to an anti-Fyb titer that was the same as the non-leukodepletion control group. CD8, CD19 and NK cell removal increases anti-Fyb titer and may indicate a variety of inhibitory roles of these cell types.
1% Bikers, the Outlaw Extreme: An Evolving Subculture

This article reviews the development and criminal activities of 1% bikers with an emphasis on their psychology and organizational aspects as they have evolved over the last half century. Its focus is mainly upon North America but a few examples are drawn from Europe and Australia. The interaction of the clubs’ fraternal, gang-like, and syndicate-like aspects jointly explain their actions and attitudes. The impact of social control efforts upon the subculture’s development is described as central to the development of their current practices. Well-publicized incidents of biker violence in North America are used to illustrate the complexity of these organizations. It is contended that these clubs represent a shadow side of western society, amplifying and even exalting some of its more dangerous subterranean values, such as the desire for raw power, reckless expansionism, and extreme tribal or nationalistic loyalty.
Leveraging Team Diversity toward Collaborative Crowdsourcing Success

This study draws from the literature on team diversity and Group Faultline theory to investigate what team compositions lead to collaborative crowdsourcing success. With data from a global crowdsou...
REMAP: a reliability/endurance mechanism for advancing PCM

Even given PCM's attractive features that include high scalability and lower power, write endurance remains a critical issue that impedes the move for this technology to replace DRAM in main memory systems. The wear-out problem is further exacerbated by advances in future technologies, where cell sizes are reduced and process variation increases. When using PCMs, worn-out cells are permanently stuck at either '0' or '1'. Successful adoption of PCM requires recovery from multiple stuck-at faults in a data block. Current error correction schemes for PCMs have limited capabilities to tolerate faults. In this paper we propose REMAP to improve the reliability of PCMs so that they can tolerate a large number of hard faults. In contrast to previous schemes, REMAP uses all the metadata space for replacing faulty bits - error detection and location information is not needed. The detection and location of failed memory cells are identified by read verification and an extra write operation. Despite tolerating many hard errors, employing REMAP can negatively impact cell lifetime due to the extra writes. We propose solutions to alleviate this problem and increase memory lifetime significantly. REMAP performs write endurance localization using both static and dynamic partitioning. Additionally, fault location caching is used to avoid the extra write overhead. Given the error correction capabilities of REMAP, we consider using it as a second layer of defense that is combined with other schemes. Our evaluation, which includes both Monte Carlo and trace-driven simulation, shows that REMAP is capable of boosting the PCM lifetime by 56% on average (up to 78%) as compared to our baseline.
Efficient one-pot enzymatic synthesis of dephospho coenzyme A.

Abstract Dephospho coenzyme A (depCoA) is the last intermediate for CoA biosynthesis, and it can be used as a transcription initiator to prepare CoA-linked RNA by in vitro transcription. However, commercially available depCoA is expensive. We hereby describe a simple and efficient enzymatic synthesis of depCoA in a single-step from commercially available and inexpensive oxidized pantethine (Ox-Pan) and ATP. A plasmid (pCoaDAa) was constructed to co-express and co-purify two enzymes pantothenate kinase (PanK/coaA) and phosphopantetheine adenylyltransferase (PPAT/coaD). Starting from Ox-Pan and ATP, two different synthetic routes of one-pot reaction catalyzed by PanK and PPAT, followed by a simple column purification step, afforded depCoA and its oxidized dimer (Ox-depCoA) with high yields and purity. The simplicity and low cost of our method should make depCoA easily accessible to a broad scientific community, and promote research on CoA-related areas in biology and biomedicine.
Nutrients and Harmful Algal Blooms: Dynamic Kinetics and Flexible Nutrition

Nutrient pollution is altering the availability of nutrients for phytoplankton in waters throughout the world. The consequence is that many receiving waters are now not only enriched with nutrients, but these nutrients are in proportions that differ from those of decades past—and also diverge considerably from those that have long been associated with phytoplankton growth, namely, Redfield proportions. The classic focus on nutrient limitation and application of fixed kinetic models has created considerable confusion in the literature with respect to nutrient regulation of harmful algal blooms (HABs). Here, we underscore the dynamic nature of nutrient responses and the fact that nutrient ratios do, indeed, matter, whether nutrients are limiting or not. Understanding nutrient limitation of growth does not inform changes in biodiversity, including changes leading to HABs. Our concepts of nutrient regulation must be expanded to include an understanding of how nutrients can be regulating even in a nutrient-saturated, eutrophic environment. The complexity of management of anthropogenic nutrient loads is well recognized, but our practice of viewing responses through a single, limiting nutrient viewpoint has hampered progress of nutrient management in relation to HABs. Controlling one nutrient may control overall biomass, but it may have unintended consequences for community structure. The synergism complicating our understanding of the relationship between nutrients and HABs, and further negating the simple construct of nutrient-dose relationships, is the fact that for many HABs, acquisition of nutrients occurs not only in dissolved but also in particulate form. The balance between autotrophy and mixotrophy thus becomes another factor that can drive biodiversity changes. The synergism of phototrophy and heterotrophy in mixotrophs has important consequences for cell metabolism, especially the maintenance of cell stoichiometry. Mixotrophy not only is an important nutritional strategy in plankton that form toxic blooms, but it is this process that may allow blooms to be sustained in nutrient-enriched environments where both dissolved nutrients and prey are ample and may allow blooms to be sustained for longer periods than autotrophy alone would allow.
Development and characterization of a high-efficiency, aircraft-based axial cyclone cloud water collector.

Abstract. A new aircraft-mounted probe for collecting samples of cloud water has been designed, fabricated, and extensively tested. Following previous designs, the probe uses inertial separation to remove cloud droplets from the airstream, which are subsequently collected and stored for offline analysis. We report details of the design, operation, and modelled and measured probe performance. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) was used to understand the flow patterns around the complex interior geometrical features that were optimized to ensure efficient droplet capture. CFD simulations coupled with particle tracking and multiphase surface transport modelling provide detailed estimates of the probe performance across the entire range of flight operating conditions and sampling scenarios. Physical operation of the probe was tested on a Lockheed C-130 Hercules (fuselage mounted) and de Havilland Twin Otter (wing pylon mounted) during three airborne field campaigns. During C-130 flights on the final field campaign, the probe reflected the most developed version of the design and a median cloud water collection rate of 4.5 mL min −1 was achieved. This allowed samples to be collected over 1–2 min under optimal cloud conditions. Flights on the Twin Otter featured an inter-comparison of the new probe with a slotted-rod collector, which has an extensive airborne campaign legacy. Comparison of trace species concentrations showed good agreement between collection techniques, with absolute concentrations of most major ions agreeing within 30 %, over a range of several orders of magnitude.
A Comparison of Character and Word Embeddings in Bidirectional LSTMs for POS Tagging in Italian

Word representations are mathematical items capturing a word’s meaning and its grammatical properties in a machine-readable way. They map each word into equivalence classes including words sharing similar properties. Word representations can be obtained automatically by using unsupervised learning algorithms that rely on the distributional hypothesis, stating that the meaning of a word is strictly connected to its context in terms of surrounding words. This assessed notion of context has been recently reconsidered in order to include both distributional and morphological features of a word in terms of characters co-occurrence. This approach has evidenced very promising results, especially in NLP tasks, e.g, POS Tagging, where the representation of the so-called Out of Vocabulary (OOV) words represents a partially solved issue. This work is intended to face the problem of representing OOV words for a POS Tagging task, contextualized to the Italian language. Potential benefits and drawbacks of adopting a Bidirectional Long Short Term Memory (bi-LSTM) fed with a joint character and word embeddings representation to perform POS Tagging also considering OOV words have been investigated. Furthermore, experiments have been performed and discussed by estimating qualitative and quantitative indicators, and, thus, suggesting some possible future direction of the investigation.
Macrodiscs Comprising SMALPs for Oriented Sample Solid-State NMR Spectroscopy of Membrane Proteins.

Abstract Macrodiscs, which are magnetically alignable lipid bilayer discs with diameters of >30 nm, were obtained by solubilizing protein-containing liposomes with styrene-maleic acid copolymers. Macrodiscs provide a detergent-free phospholipid bilayer environment for biophysical and functional studies of membrane proteins under physiological conditions. The narrow resonance linewidths observed from membrane proteins in styrene-maleic acid macrodiscs advance structure determination by oriented sample solid-state NMR spectroscopy.
Transfer factor: a potential agent for cancer therapy

This review has attempted to describe the characteristics of transfer factor which make it a very attractive potential agent for immunotherapy. Preliminary observations suggest that it may be capable of modifying resistance to a variety of diseases including cancer but considerable progress in basic knowledge regarding this agent is crucial to its successful application in clinical disease states. Fortunately, a sizable number of interested and dedicated investigators are exploring these difficult problems and their success may lead to new approaches in immunotherapy.
Balancing Regulatory Control, Scientific Knowledge, and Public Understanding

The commercial application of the modern biotechnologies or “New Biotechnology” (recombinant DNA, monoclonal antibodies, and advanced micro-chemical analysis and synthesis) has been in progress for slightly more than a decade. The initial products that resulted were monoclonal antibodies for disease diagnosis and new drugs resulting from the large-scale fermentation of microorganisms that had been genetically modified. In each case, the living cells were not the products themselves, but were simply the means by which the end product was produced. Production was done in carefully controlled, contained facilities, and product regulation was almost independent of the mode of manufacture.
Aeromedical Evacuation of Psychiatric Casualties

The psychiatric patient presents many unique problems for AE. When possible, the patient should be treated medically for 3 to 7 days so psychotic or manic symptoms can be adequately controlled before flight. If urgent AE of the acutely disturbed psychiatric patient is required, appropriate amounts of medication are needed for safe transportation. If traditional antipsychotic medications are administered, coadministration of an anticholinergic agent is recommended. In all cases, adequate medication for sedation should be available for use during the flight. An attendant should accompany patients who are seriously depressed or suicidal or have persistent manic or psychotic symptoms. Restraints should be used only when absolutely necessary and be closely monitored when used.
Pharmacokinetic Models for Anticancer and Antiviral Drugs Following Administration as Novel Drug Delivery Systems

Physiologically-based pharmacokinetic (PB-PK) models are a valuable means to evaluate drug distribution in tissues. PB-PK models, with its origins in chemical engineering [1], provide a unified and comprehensive account of drug transport by utilization of differential mass balance equations. The equations and associated parameters, such as organ blood flows and tissue to blood partition coefficients, yield a framework to represent mechanistic information on drug transport. PB-PK models offer advantages of providing predicted tissue drug concentrations as a function of time for different experimental conditions, and by model scale-up for humans. PB-PK models are distinct from other pharmacokinetic data analysis methods in being able to predict individual tissue drug concentrations, and to investigate alterations in physiological parameters on drug disposition. The advantages of PB-PK modeling are counterbalanced by variable parameter estimation methods, lack of uniform model discrimination methods and requirement of large data bases for either model development or validation.
Comments on the use of liquid-membrane electrodes for potentiometric titrations

wie von Chevallerie-Haaf u.a. [6] werden mit photometrischen Methoden f/Jr Bor 16 ng/g bzw. 1 ng/g als Nachweisgrenze angegeben, so dab damit das Nachweisverm6gen des in dieser Arbeit beschriebenen Verfahrens noch etwas giinstiger liegt. Entsprechend den natfirlichen Gehalten dfirften so mit der MS-IVA die Bor-, Chlorid-, Bromidund Iodidkonzentrafionen der meisten Wasserproben bestimmbar sein.
Case-based Reasoning Model of CO2 Corrosion Based on Field Data

An important aspect in corrosion prediction for oil and gas wells and pipelines is to obtain a realistic estimate of the corrosion rate. Corrosion rate prediction involves developing a predictive model that utilizes commonly available operational parameters, existing lab/field data and theoretical models to obtain realistic assessments of corrosion rates. The Case-based Reasoning (CBR) model for CO2 corrosion prediction is designed to mimic the approach of experienced field corrosion personnel. The model takes knowledge of corrosion rates for existing cases and uses CBR techniques and Taylor series expansion to predict corrosion rates for new fields having somewhat similar parameters. The corrosion prediction using CBR model is developed in three phases: case retrieval, case ranking, and case revision. In case retrieval phase, the database of existing cases is queried in order to identify the group of cases with similar values of critical corrosion parameters. Those cases are ranked in the second phase, using a modified Taylor series expansion of the corrosion function around each case. The most similar case is passed to the third phase: case revision. The correction of the corrosion rate by using a mechanistic corrosion model is utilized in order to predict the corrosion rate of the problem under consideration. The (CBR) model has been implemented as a prototype and verified on a large hypothetical case database and a small field database with real data.