cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Data Mining for Protein Secondary Structure Prediction

Accurate protein secondary structure prediction from the amino acid sequence is essential for almost all theoretical and experimental studies on protein structure and function. After a brief discussion of application of data mining for optimization of crystallization conditions for target proteins we show that data mining of structural fragments of proteins from known structures in the protein data bank (PDB) significantly improves the accuracy of secondary structure predictions. The original method was proposed by us a few years ago and was termed fragment database mining (FDM) (Cheng H, Sen TZ, Kloczkowski A, Margaritis D, Jernigan RL (2005) Prediction of protein secondary structure by mining structural fragment database. Polymer 46:4314–4321). This method gives excellent accuracy for predictions if similar sequence fragments are available in our library of structural fragments, but is less successful if such fragments are absent in the fragments database. Recently we have improved secondary structure predictions further by combining FDM with classical GOR V (Kloczkowski A, Ting KL, Jernigan RL, Garnier J (2002a) Combining the GOR V algorithm with evolutionary information for protein secondary structure prediction from amino acid sequence. Proteins 49:154–66; Sen TZ, Jernigan RL, Garnier J, Kloczkowski A (2005) GOR V server for protein secondary structure prediction. Bioinformatics 21:2787–8) predictions to form a combined method, so-called consensus database mining (CDM) (Sen TZ, Cheng H, Kloczkowski A, Jernigan RL (2006) A Consensus Data Mining secondary structure prediction by combining GOR V and Fragment Database Mining. Protein Sci 15:2499–506). FDM mines the structural segments of PDB, and utilizes structural information from the matching sequence fragments for the prediction of protein secondary structures. By combining it with the GOR V secondary structure prediction method, which is based on information theory and Bayesian statistics, coupled with evolutionary information from multiple sequence alignments (MSA), our CDM method guarantees improved accuracies of prediction. Additionally, with the constant growth in the number of new protein structures and folds in the PDB, the accuracy of the CDM method is clearly expected to increase in future. We have developed a publicly available CDM server (Cheng H, Sen TZ, Jernigan RL, Kloczkowski A (2007) Consensus Data Mining (CDM) Protein Secondary Structure Prediction Server: combining GOR V and Fragment Database Mining (FDM). Bioinformatics 23:2628–30) (http://gor.bb.iastate.edu/cdm) for protein secondary structure prediction.
Organizing for Change: Latinx Im/migrant Parents, School Decision-Making, and the Racial Politics of Parent Leadership in School Reform.

This article draws on a multi-year, participatory action case study of ALIANZA, a California-based Latinx im/migrant parent group. Grounded in Latina/o Critical Theory (LatCrit), this article focuses specifically on the development of political agency among ALIANZA members, highlighting organizational strategies aimed at school reform while strengthening counter-narratives to interrupt racist depictions that functioned to cast Latinx parents as “unfit” to serve as educational leaders. Data suggests that ALIANZA’s approach helped its members heal from past abuse and racist encounters, identify and speak out against injustice, and build a collective and shared political capital to leverage their voice in local reform efforts. The author concludes with implications for future research and practice, with specific recommendations for other educational leaders and those who train them.
Effects of a Sedentary Intervention on Cognitive Function.

Purpose:To examine the effects of a free-living, sedentary-inducing intervention on cognitive function.Design:Randomized controlled, parallel group intervention.Setting:University campus.Participants:Thirty-three young adults (n = 23 intervention; n = 10 control).Measures:The intervention group was asked to eliminate all exercise and minimize steps to ≤5000 steps/day for 1 week, whereas the control group was asked to continue normal physical activity (PA) levels for 1 week. Both groups completed a series of 8 cognitive function assessments (assessing multiple parameters of cognition) preintervention and immediately postintervention. The intervention group was asked to resume normal PA levels for 1 week postintervention and completed the cognitive assessments for a third time at 2 weeks postintervention.Analysis:Split-plot repeated-measures analysis of variance.Results:The results of our statistical analyses showed that the group × time interaction effect was not significant (P > .05) for any of the evalua...
Efficiency Impacts of Utilizing Soil Data in the Pricing of the Federal Crop Insurance Program

Since the Agricultural Act of 2014, the federal crop insurance program (FCIP) has been the cornerstone agricultural policy in the United States, and is the largest such program globally, with about $100 billion in coverage annually. Given its scale and scope, the FCIP has the potential to have pervasive impacts on incentives and policy functioning if not designed and priced properly. Surprisingly, soil data are not considered by the government when establishing insurance guarantees or rates. Using soil data that could easily and feasibly be scaled nationally, we find that the pricing differentials caused by the government's failure to handle soil information leads to large errors in rating.
Using depolarization to quantify ice nucleating particle concentrations: a new method

Abstract. We have developed a new method to determine ice nucleating particle (INP) concentrations observed by the Texas A&M University continuous flow diffusion chamber (CFDC) under a wide range of operating conditions. In this study, we evaluate differences in particle optical properties detected by the Cloud and Aerosol Spectrometer with POLarization (CASPOL) to differentiate between ice crystals, droplets, and aerosols. The depolarization signal from the CASPOL instrument is used to determine the occurrence of water droplet breakthrough (WDBT) conditions in the CFDC. The standard procedure for determining INP concentration is to count all particles that have grown beyond a nominal size cutoff as ice crystals. During WDBT this procedure overestimates INP concentration, because large droplets are miscounted as ice crystals. Here we design a new analysis method based on depolarization ratio that can extend the range of operating conditions of the CFDC. The method agrees reasonably well with the traditional method under non-WDBT conditions with a mean percent error of ±32.1 %. Additionally, a comparison with the Colorado State University CFDC shows that the new analysis method can be used reliably during WDBT conditions.
A co-benefit and tradeoff evaluation framework for connected and automated vehicle applications

A large number of Connected and Automated Vehicle (CAV) applications have been emerging that benefit transportation systems in terms of safety, mobility and the environment. These benefits can be quantified by a variety of performance indices (PIs) as described in recent literature. However, there has been very little research in analyzing the potential co-benefits and tradeoffs among all these PIs for the various CAV applications. In this paper, we examine a number of CAV applications whose system effectiveness focus is targeted on the three key areas of safety, mobility and environment, and then examine whether some PIs are synergistic or antagonistic. Using the Lane Speed Monitoring application as a specific example, we explore the in-depth relationship between different types of measures of effectiveness (MOEs) under different penetration rates of the technology, in order to show the association between the application focus and tradeoffs to be made among different performance measures. As part of the analysis, several future research directions are discussed, including the identification of key influential factors on system performance to obtain co-benefits in terms of different types of MOEs.
Hybrid analysis for SAR change detection based on time series data

This paper presents the Hybrid Analysis for Synthetic Aperture Radar (HASAR) framework for time series change detection (TSCD). The HASAR framework utilizes spatiotemporal observations to identify abrupt changes in SAR data stacks. Full resolution is used and no filtering processes are involved. Moreover, no thresholds or prior knowledge of the changes are required. The HASAR framework includes two steps: 1) extraction of spatiotemporal observations and 2) automatic change detection. First, it extracts the time series of statistically homogeneous pixels (SHP) to acquire the spatial temporal observations. Second, it performs the automatic change detection on the spatiotemporal observations to target significant changes in time. This hybrid analysis integrates pixel-/object-based processing techniques with spatial/temporal observations. It preserves details while mitigating the speckle effect. The temporal observations also help justify the significance of the changes. In our experiment, we apply this technique on 30 ERS-2 images. The results show that the HASAR system performs well and possesses the characteristics of generalization. A vast amount of change analysis can be carried out using the same framework. Therefore, the proposed method reveals high potentials for continuous Earth monitoring.
Supporting Data and Services Access in Digital Government Environments

We describe a Web-based architecture, named WebDG, to support emerging Digital Government applications. We use anontological approach to organize government data and services (applications). The data space is segmented into logically inter-related clusters of databases to accelerate metadata and data discovery. Equally, services are segmented into vocabulary-based taxonomies to provide a fast mechanism for their retrieval and enactment. As a proof of concept, we use government social services, namely, the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA), as a case study for the deployment of our novel techniques. The implementation uses several state-of-the-art, Web-based middleware and e-services technologies as building blocks for WebDG. These include, CORBA, EJB, and HP’s e-speakproducts.
The impact of interprofessional education on family nurse practitioner students' and family medicine residents' knowledge and confidence in screening for breast and cervical cancer

Background and Purpose:This study determined the impact of an interprofessional education (IPE) simulation on family nurse practitioner (FNP) students' and family medicine residents' (FMRs) self-reported confidence in counseling women reluctant to engage in cancer screening or evaluation and assesse
Nitrogen and Flowering Dogwood. I. Impact of Nitrogen Fertilization Rate on the Occurrence of Spot Anthracnose, Powdery Mildew, and Cercospora Leaf Spot and Their Effect on Tree Growth

Abstract Impact of nitrogen (N) rate on spot anthracnose, powdery mildew, and Cercospora leaf spot as well as their impact on the growth of field-grown ‘Cloud 9’ and ‘Cherokee Chief’ flowering dogwood was assessed in 2003, 2004, and 2005. From 2001 to 2005, ammonium nitrate was applied at 4.1, 8.3, 16.5, 33.0 and 66.0 g N·m−2 (37.5, 75, 150, 300, 600 lb N·A−1). Heritage 50W fungicide was applied to one ‘Cherokee Chief’ and ‘Cloud 9’ flowering dogwood in each plot, while the second was untreated. Powdery mildew and Cercospora leaf spot were impacted by N rate more than spot anthracnose. In two of three years, powdery mildew intensified, particularly on the non-treated trees, as N rates increased. Cercospora leaf spot intensity (AUDPCI) and defoliation (AUDPCD) on the fungicide-treated and non-treated trees was influenced by N-rate in two of three and one of three years, respectively. Regardless of fungicide treatment, Cercospora leaf spot incited leaf spotting and defoliation was often lower at the two hig...
Getting more health from healthcare: quality improvement must acknowledge patient coproduction—an essay by Paul Batalden

Modelling healthcare as either a product or a service neglects essential aspects of coproduction between doctors and patients. Paul Batalden shares his learning from 10 years of studying change
Subject Retention in Prehospital Stroke Research Using a Telephone-Based Physician-Investigator Driven Enrollment Method.

Author(s): Rosell, Bryant J; Shkirkova, Kristina; Saver, Jeffrey L; Liebeskind, David S; Starkman, Sidney; Kim-Tenser, May; Eckstein, Marc; Sharma, Latisha; Conwit, Robin; Hamilton, Scott; Sanossian, Nerses | Abstract: Background and purposeSubject retention into clinical trials is vital, and prehospital enrollment may be associated with higher rates of subject withdrawal than more traditional methods of enrollment. We describe rates of subject retention in a prehospital trial of acute stroke therapy.MethodsAll subjects were enrolled into the NIH Field Administration of Stroke Therapy-Magnesium (FAST-MAG) phase 3 clinical trial. Paramedics screened eligible subjects and contacted the physician-investigator using a dedicated in-ambulance cellular phone. Physician-investigators obtained explicit informed consent from the subject or on-scene legally authorized representative (LAR) who reviewed and signed a consent form. Exception from informed consent (EFIC) was utilized in later stages of the study.ResultsThere were 1,700 subjects enrolled; 1,017 provided consent (60%), 662 were enrolled via LAR (39%), and 21 were enrolled via EFIC (1%). Of the 1,700 patients, 1,413 (83%) completed the 90-day visit, 265 (16%) died prior to the 90-day visit, and 22 (1.3%) withdrew from the study before completion. There were no differences in rates of withdrawal by method of study enrolment, i.e., self-consent (n = 14), 1.4%; LAR (n = 8), 1.2%; EFIC (n = 0) 0%.ConclusionThere was a high rate of retention when subjects were enrolled into prehospital stroke research using a phone-based method to obtain explicit consent.
Extended Semi-Supervised Learning GAN for Hyperspectral Imagery Classification

Hyperspectral imagery (HSI) cubes are high-dimensional datasets that lend themselves well to deep learning approaches for classification. Deep learning approaches, specifically generative adversarial networks (GANs), have been shown to be very effective in classification and generation of accurate synthetic data in computer vision problems. This work proposes an extension of an existing GAN training scheme, called extended semi-supervised learning (ESSL), metrics for evaluating GAN training performance, and demonstrates the effectiveness of the proposed training scheme to improve classification of HSI. Using ESSL with GAN, we have been able to achieve approximately 0.8% increase in classification accuracy over convolutional neural networks as well as generate extremely accurate synthetic imagery.
Ecosystem services from old-fields: Effects of site preparation and harvesting on restoration and productivity of traditional food plants

Abstract Highly disturbed landscapes, including fallowed or abandoned farmland, are known to experience losses in native plant diversity that negatively impact the ecological functions and services provided by an ecosystem. The restoration of native species to the post-agricultural landscape using principles derived from indigenous knowledge could reverse this damage. This study examines the effects of three site preparation treatments (prescribed burning, tilling, and mowing) and biomass harvesting on the establishment and productivity of four native, edible, culturally-significant forbs (Apios americana Medik., Helianthus annuus L., Helianthus tuberosus L., and Oenothera biennis L.) restored to a fallow farm field. Species' responses to site preparation treatments varied over three years of observations, with plants grown from tubers establishing populations more successfully after burning or mowing and plants grown from seed establishing better after tillage. Harvesting of biomass after the first growing season reduced the number of individual plants observed for all restored species across all site preparation treatments but demonstrated the potential for production of traditional food resources in a low-management, multi-purpose agroecosystem. H. tuberosus showed particular promise for this purpose, producing an average of 881, 1397, and 1848 kg ha−1 of dry edible biomass on tilled, burned, and mowed plots, respectively. Burning was also found to enhance concentrations of organic matter, calcium, and magnesium in the soil, and many indicators of soil quality varied seasonally. These results indicate that with low-energy input management strategies, native wild edibles could be reintroduced into old-field systems to provide provisioning and cultural ecosystem services while maintaining or enhancing ecosystem function.
Lessons in Medicine, Mortality, and Reflexive Verbs

During my internship at a county hospital in southern California, we learned much of our Spanish from patients. My own best teacher was a young woman who was admitted with acute myeloid leukemia, and she taught me considerably more than Spanish nouns and verbs.
Assessing and Addressing Family Caregivers' Needs and Risks in Primary Care

Objectives To characterize current practices, barriers, and facilitators to assessing and addressing family caregivers' needs and risks in primary care. Design Cross-sectional, national mail-based survey. Setting American Medical Association Masterfile database. Participants U.S. primary care physicians (N = 106), including general internists (n = 44) and geriatricians (n = 62). Measurements Approaches to assessing and addressing family caregivers' needs and risks; barriers and facilitators to conducting caregiver assessments. Results Few respondents reported conducting a formal caregiver assessment using a standardized instrument in the past year (10.5%). Informal, unstructured discussions about caregivers' needs and risks were common and encompassed a range of issues, most frequently caregivers' management of patients' safety (41.0%), ability to provide assistance (40.0%), and need for support (40.0%). To address caregiver needs, most respondents endorsed referring patients to services (e.g., adult day care, home care) (69.8%), assessing the appropriateness of the patient's living situation (67.9%), and referring caregivers to community agencies (63.2%). Lack of time was the most frequently cited barrier to assessing caregivers' needs (81.1%). The most commonly endorsed facilitators were access to better referral options (67.0%) and easier referral mechanisms (65.1%). Practice patterns, barriers, and facilitators to caregiver assessment did not differ by physician type. Conclusions Primary care physicians use informal, unstructured discussions rather than standardized instruments to assess caregivers' needs and risks. There is heterogeneity in the topics discussed and types of referrals made. Findings indicate the lack of translation of caregiver assessment tools from research to practice.
Trust Does Beget Trustworthiness and Also Begets Trust in Others

Social scientists widely believe that trust begets trustworthiness, meaning that persons reward actions that they view as expressing trust. But evidence from the trust game (also known as the inves...
Reactive intermediates for interactome mapping

The interactions of biomolecules underpin all cellular processes, and the understanding of their dynamic interplay can lead to significant advances in the treatment of disease through the identification of novel therapeutic strategies. Protein-protein interactions (PPIs) in particular play a vital role within this arena, providing the basis for the majority of cellular signalling pathways. Despite their great importance, the elucidation of weak or transient PPIs that cannot be identified by immunoprecipitation remains a significant challenge, particularly in a disease relevant cellular environment. Recent approaches towards this goal have utilized the in situ generation of high energy intermediates that cross-link with neighboring proteins, providing a snapshot of the biomolecular makeup of the local area or microenvironment, termed the interactome. In this tutorial review, we discuss these reactive intermediates, how they are generated, and the impact they have had on the discovery of new biology. Broadly, we believe this strategy has the potential to significantly accelerate our understanding of PPIs and how they affect cellular physiology.
The State of Drones: State Authority to Regulate Drones

This article argues that there are significant areas in which both state and local governments have the authority to act to control those who fly drones, and that these actors cannot escape state and local regulation simply by using a drone to engage in their actions. It notes that the generally prevailing view at the time the article was written was that state and local governments were without significant authority to regulate any activity related to Unmanned Aerial Vehicles/Systems (UAV/UAS—aka, drones) because federal law preempted such regulation and argues that this perception was too narrow. The article begins by looking carefully at federal law related to preemption of authority over flight and airplanes and concludes that, while state and local governments may be preempted from directly regulating drone flights and drone designs, they are unlikely to be prohibited from regulating a variety of activities that may be engaged in with or without a drone, and thus can capture within their authority significant activities that many believed to be outside of their control. The article supports the authority of states to regulate a variety of drone-related activities, while also providing a road-map for states and local governments to be more involved with drone developments and management than had previously been viewed as possible. The article identifies certain areas -- such as the traditional acts of state and local governments to provide economic incentives to businesses -- that are clearly within state and local authority in most cases. The article also discusses Government use of drones as a potential operating arena for local and state control, as well as traditional state regulation of activities such as property use (through mechanisms such as zoning law). The article concludes that local and state authority is still robust even when regulations may affect drones and their operation, and states and local governments should not abdicate this authority simply because some believe their authority to be more widely preempted.
APRN Prescribing in Georgia: An Evolving Environment

AbstractPurposeWhile it took over 20 years to achieve legal authority to write prescriptions in Georgia, effective July 1, 2006, nearly 40% of Georgia advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) are still not using this method of prescribing. An investigation was conducted to identify the current pr
Towards Optimality in Automated Feature Recognition

Various approaches to the automated recognition of form features from geometric models are reviewed, and their relative advantages and disadvantages analysed. A synthesis is then made of the best aspects of the methods surveyed, and suggestions put forward for the development of improved methods for the future.
CD19 CAR Therapy for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) therapy is an emerging immunotherapy that shows great promise for cancer, in particular acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). CARs are recombinant receptors for antigen, which, in a single molecule, redirect the specificity and function of T lymphocytes. Following their genetic transfer to patient T cells, the latter acquire the ability to recognize leukemia cells and destroy them. Several years ago, we identified CD19 as an attractive target for CAR therapy for most B cell malignancies, including ALL. We and others have reported remarkable clinical outcomes in adults and children with ALL, achieving a high complete remission rate irrespective of age, prior treatments, or other prognostic markers. Severe cytokine release may develop in patients with high tumor burdens. Several interventions are available to curb the cytokine release syndrome when it occurs. Based on the impressive results obtained with CD19 CAR therapy for ALL, it is realistic to expect that CD19 CARs will become part of the armamentarium for B cell-ALL and other B cell malignancies.
An electrorheologically controlled semi-active landing gear

This study is to explore the application of electrorheology (ER) to the real-time control of damping forces that are transmitted through the nose landing gear for an F-106B aircraft. The main part of the landing gear is a strut that consists of a pneumatic spring and an ER controlled damper that is situatted on the strut centerline and applies a force directly opposing the vertical displacement of the nose wheel. The damping element rotates in response to strut displacement, employing a co-axial arrangement of stator and rotor plates connected to the opposing electrodes in the control circuit. The vertical displacement is conveted into rotation of the damper through a screw-nut mechanism. The ER fluid between the electrodes is thus engaged in shear along circumferential lines of action. This design results in a fast time response and a high ratio of strut forces achieved under Er-vs. zero-field control. Compact size and simplicity in fabrication are also attained. The analysis shows that when using an ER fluid of a yield stress of 7kPa, the energy absorption efficiency of the landing gear can reach almost 100% at various sink rates.
Levetiracetam may favorably affect seizure outcome after temporal lobectomy.

Summary Purpose: To study the prognostic implications of antiepileptic drug (AED) use on seizure freedom following temporal lobe resections for intractable epilepsy. Methods: Seizure outcome implications of epilepsy characteristics and AED use were studied in patients who underwent temporal lobectomy patients at the Cleveland Clinic between September 1995 and December 2006. Survival analysis and multivariate regression with Cox proportional hazard modeling were used. Complete seizure freedom was defined as a favorable outcome. Key Findings: Records of 312 patients were analyzed (mean ± standard deviation follow-up 3.5 ± 1.7 years). The estimated probability of complete seizure freedom was 69% at 12 months (95% confidence interval [CI] 66–72%), and 48% at 36 months (95% CI 45–52%). The mean number of AEDs used per patient at the time of surgery was 1.78 (range 1–4), dropping to 1.02 at last follow-up (range 0–4). Following multivariate analysis, a lower preoperative seizure frequency and perioperative use of levetiracetam predicted a favorable outcome (risk ratio [RR] 0.62, 95% CI 0.43–0.89, and RR = 0.57, 95% CI 0.39–0.83, respectively), whereas nonspecific pathology (RR 1.71, 95% CI 1.15–2.47) and a higher number of AEDs used at the time of surgery correlated with higher rates of seizure recurrence (whole-model log-rank test p-value < 0.0001). Better outcomes within the levetiracetam group were seen despite a higher proportion of several poor prognostic indicators within this patient group, and started as early as 4 months after surgery, gradually increasing to a 15–20% survival advantage by 5 years. No similar outcome correlations were identified with another AED. Significance: AED use may be a potential new modifiable seizure-outcome predictor after temporal lobectomy. This possible prognostic indicator is discussed in light of proposed seizure recurrence mechanisms.
MARINE RADIOCARBON RESERVOIR VALUES IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA ESTUARIES: INTERSPECIES, LATITUDINAL, AND INTERANNUAL VARIABILITY

Many studies use radiocarbon dates on estuarine shell material to build age-depth models of sediment accumulation in estuaries in California, USA. Marine 14 C ages are typically older than dates from contemporaneous terrestrial carbon and local offsets (∆R) from the global average marine offset need to be calculated to ensure the accuracy of calibrated dates. We used accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) 14 C dating on 40 pre-1950 salt marsh snail and clam shells previously collected from four California estuaries. The average ∆R and standard deviation of 217 ± 129 14 C yr is consistent with previous calculations using mixed estuarine and marine samples, although the standard deviation and resulting age uncertainty was higher for our estuarine calculations than previous studies. There was a slight but significant difference ( p = 0.024) in ∆R between epifaunal snails (∆R = 171 ± 154 14 C yr) and infaunal clams (∆R = 263 ± 77 14 C yr), as well as between samples from individual estuaries. However, a closer examination of the data shows that even for the same species, at the same estuary, ∆R can vary as much as ~500 14 C yr. In some cases, the bulk of this variation occurs between samples collected by different collectors at different times, potentially indicating time dependence in carbon sources and ∆R variation. These variations could also be attributed to differences in collection location within a single estuary and resulting spatial differences in carbon sources. Intertidal specimens located in the high marsh may have lower ∆R than fully marine counterparts because of increased terrestrial 14 C input. The large variations in ∆R here highlight the need for conservative chronological interpretations, as well as the assumption of wide uncertainties, when dating samples from estuarine sources. DOI: 10.2458/azu_rc.57.18389
Communication about patient pain in primary care: development of the Physician-Patient Communication about Pain scale (PCAP).

Abstract Objective This paper describes the development of the 47-item Physician–Patient Communication about Pain (PCAP) scale for use with audiotaped medical visit interactions. Methods Patient pain was assessed with the Medical Outcomes Study SF-36 Bodily Pain Scale. Four raters assessed 181 audiotaped patient interactions with 68 physicians. Descriptive statistics of PCAP items were computed. Principal components analyses with 20 scale items were used to reduce the scale to composite variables for analyses. Validity was assessed through (1) comparing PCAP composite scores for patients with high versus low pain and (2) correlating PCAP composites with a separate communication rating scale. Results Principal components analyses yielded four physician and five patient communication composites (mean alpha = .77). Some evidence for concurrent validity was provided (5 of 18 correlations with communication validation rating scale were significant). Paired-sample t tests showed significant differences for 4 patient PCAP composites, showing the PCAP scale discriminates between high and low pain patients’ communication. Conclusion The PCAP scale shows partial evidence of reliability and two forms of validity. Practice implications More research with this scale (developing more reliable and valid composites) is needed to extend these preliminary findings before this scale is applicable for use in practice.
"Flat" electroencephalograms in physiological decortication and hemispherectomy (recordings awake and asleep).

Abstract Four patients with severe bilateral cortical damage were chosen for study because they had bilateral flat (almost isoelectric) electroencephalograms. In two of these patients the damage was presumably due to an anesthesia accident, in one to encephalitis and in one to severe prolonged hypo-glycemia. Two cases on whom hemispherectomies were performed were chosen for study because they showed post-surgically a flattening of activity on the operated side while the unoperated side retained a normal voltage. In all these cases sleep produced no significant change in the flat electroencephalogram; sleep was distinguised in the flat EEG only by dropping out of superimposed muscle potentials. In cases where a relatively isoelectric state is the result of destruction or absence of cortical tissue the same extreme hypopotentia continues in sleep.
Functional characteristics and responses to adrenergic stimulation of isolated heart preparations from hypothermic and hibernating subjects

Abstract Contemporary studies of isolated hearts from hibernators and nonhibernators are presented. Original experiments with isolated perfused hamster hearts are reported. Such hearts can maintain left ventricular function at temperatures as low as 7 °C. Generated left ventricular pressure was 40 ± 9 mm Hg and heart rate was 7 ± 1 beats/min. During cooling heart rate dropped dramatically, coronary flow increased, and ventricular pressure decreased initially, plateaued, and then fell as 7 °C was approached. Norepinephrine can cause increased heart rate and left ventricular pressure at 22 and 7 °C. This positive inotropic and chronotropic response was associated with increased cAMP at 30 sec after stimulation at 22 °C but not at 7 °C. Furthermore. cAMP was also not changed at peak response at 7 °C. Isoproterenol increased cAMP content in 37 °C ventricular slices but not at hypothermic temperatures. Possible mechanisms of nonadenylate cyclase mediation of inotropic and chronotropic responses at 7 °C are discussed.
Investigation of sidewall cracking in PMMA LIGA structures

During x-ray exposure in the LIGA process, the polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) photoresist undergoes chain scission, which reduces the molecular weight of the exposed materials. Under some exposure and development conditions, sidewall cracking is observed on the PMMA sidewall, creating surface texture that is undesirable. In this research, exposed and developed PMMA sidewalls were examined for evidence of crack formation using optical profilometry. PMMA thickness, exposure dose and delay time between the end of exposure and beginning of development were varied. Our analysis of samples, with three different radiation doses and four different delay times from the end of exposure to the beginning of development, indicate that the first occurrence of cracking and the extent of cracking are affected by both the dose and the development delay time. This work includes the examination of the depth of cracks into the PMMA, distance between cracks, the width of cracks and the relationship between crack occurrence and dose profile. An empirical predictive model to correlate the delay time to the observance of sidewall cracking based on the deposited dose is presented. This information has direct implication for predicting processing conditions and logistics for LIGA fabricated parts.
Biomechanical outcomes after bioenhanced anterior cruciate ligament repair and anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction are equal in a porcine model.

Purpose The objective of this study was to compare the biomechanical outcomes of a new method of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) treatment, bioenhanced ACL repair, with ACL reconstruction in a large animal model. Methods Twenty-four skeletally immature pigs underwent unilateral ACL transection and were randomly allocated to receive bioenhanced ACL repair with a collagen-platelet composite, allograft (bone–patellar tendon–bone) reconstruction, or no further treatment (n = 8 for each group). The structural properties and anteroposterior laxity of the experimental and contralateral ACL-intact knees were measured 15 weeks postoperatively. All dependent variables were normalized to those of the contralateral knee and compared by use of generalized linear mixed models. Results After 15 weeks, bioenhanced ACL repair and ACL reconstruction produced superior biomechanical outcomes to ACL transection. However, there were no significant differences between bioenhanced ACL repair and ACL reconstruction for maximum load ( P = .4745), maximum displacement ( P = .4217), or linear stiffness ( P = .6327). There were no significant differences between the 2 surgical techniques in anteroposterior laxity at 30° ( P = .7947), 60° ( P = .6270), or 90° ( P = .9008). Conclusions Bioenhanced ACL repair produced biomechanical results that were not different from ACL reconstruction in a skeletally immature, large animal model, although the variability associated with both procedures was large. Both procedures produced significantly improved results over ACL transection, showing that both were effective treatments in this model. Clinical Relevance Bioenhanced ACL repair may one day provide an alternative treatment option for ACL injury.
Mutational analysis of the complement receptor type 2 (CR2/CD21)-C3d interaction reveals a putative charged SCR1 binding site for C3d.

We have characterized the interaction between the first two short consensus repeats (SCR1-2) of complement receptor type 2 (CR2, CD21) and C3d in solution, by utilising the available crystal structures of free and C3d-bound forms of CR2 to create a series of informative mutations targeting specific areas of the CR2–C3d complex. Wild-type and mutant forms of CR2 were expressed on the surface of K562 erythroleukemia cells and their binding ability assessed using C3dg-biotin tetramers complexed to fluorochrome conjugated streptavidin and measured by flow cytometry. Mutations directed at the SCR2–C3d interface (R83A, R83E, G84Y) were found to strongly disrupt C3dg binding, supporting the conclusion that the SCR2 interface reflected in the crystal structure is correct. Previous epitope and peptide mapping studies have also indicated that the PILN 11 GR 13 IS sequence of the first inter-cysteine region of SCR1 is essential for the binding of iC3b. Mutations targeting residues within or in close spatial proximity to this area (N11A, N11E, R13A, R13E, Y16A, S32A, S32E), and a number of other positively charged residues located primarily on a contiguous face of SCR1 (R28A, R28E, R36A, R36E, K41A, K41E, K50A, K50E, K57A, K57E, K67A, K67E), have allowed us to reassess those regions on SCR1 that are essential for CR2–C3d binding. The nature of this interaction and the possibility of a direct SCR1–C3d association are discussed extensively. Finally, a D52N mutant was constructed introducing an N-glycosylation sequence at an area central to the CR2 dimer interface. This mutation was designed to disrupt the CR2–C3d interaction, either directly through steric inhibition, or indirectly through disruption of a physiological dimer. However, no difference in C3dg binding relative to wild-type CR2 could be observed for this mutant, suggesting that the dimer may only be found in the crystal form of CR2.
Cervical cancer screening in medically underserved California Latina and non-Latina women: effect of age and regularity of Pap testing.

Abstract Background : This study focuses on age, race/ethnicity and regular cervical cancer screening of medically underserved Latina and non-Latina women enrolled in California's Cancer Detection Programs: Every Woman Counts ( CDP: EWC ). Methods : Data from a cohort of women were evaluated for regularity of screening and ethnicity utilizing multi-category logistic regression models to investigate Pap test and biopsy results. Results : There was no statistically significant difference among medically underserved Latina or non-Latina women in Pap test result and stage of cervical cancer after controlling for age and screening regularity. Rarely/never Pap-tested women were more likely to have ‘SIL/ASC' (odds ratio=1.19; 95% confidence interval=1.08, 1.31) compared to women who were screened regularly. Medically underserved 25–39-year-old women were also more likely to be identified with ‘SIL/ASC' (odds ratio=1.64; 95% confidence interval=1.50, 1.79) than women 50 and over. Younger were more likely to have low-grade ‘HPV/Condylomata, Atypia/CINI/LSIL' (odds ratio=2.48; 95% confidence interval=1.66, 3.72) and high-grade ‘CIN II/III/HSIL/CI/Other Cancers' (odds ratio=1.53; 95% confidence interval=1.08, 2.16) than women age 40 and above, similar to rarely/never Pap-tested women. Conclusions : Women were more likely to be identified with high-grade precancerous cervical lesions and cancer process when they did not have regular screening, Ethnic differences in screening outcomes seem to be minimized by participation in a program that provides consistent screening resources to the medically underserved women who enroll. These findings support prevention strategies that expand screening to all medically underserved younger women or that provide HPV vaccination at an early age.
Prognostic significance of tuber count and location in tuberous sclerosis complex.

The objectives of this study were (1) to test the utility of tuber count and tuber location as biomarkers of disease severity in patients with tuberous sclerosis complex and (2) to examine the relationship between gene mutation, tuber count, and tuber location. We found that an increased tuber count per lobe and in total was associated with an increased risk of infantile spasms (P .01). The TSC2 gene mutation was associated with a significant increase in the tuber count per lobe and in total (P < .01). In summary, increased tuber count is strongly associated with infantile spasms and a TSC2 gene mutation. Seizure control and developmental delay do not show the strong assoc...
A High Bandwidth, Low Loss Magnetic Suspension System for Turbomachinery

Magnetic bearings, unlike traditional mechanical bearings, consist of a series of components that, when mated together, form a stabilized system. The correct design of the magnetic bearing actuators will provide a cost effective device with low power requirements. The necessity of stability, which a magnetic suspension control system requires in both gain and phase margin, demands the actuators have sufficient bandwidth over the operating range. This paper presents designs for both radial and axial actuators which have attained both high bandwidth and low loss in operation. Test data which verifies the actuator models are presented. Applications of this technology for turbomachinery are described. These include fully magnetically levitated rotor systems, tip clearance control systems and noise and vibration control systems.Copyright © 1998 by ASME
Role of U.S. animal control agencies in equine neglect, cruelty, and abandonment investigations.

Every state in the United States has regulations prohibiting acts of neglect and cruelty against animals. Local law enforcement and animal control agencies are responsible in many communities to enforce these statutes. As society's perception of horses has changed from their origin as livestock to companion animals in modern times, owners have transitioned their care and management. The goal of this study was to identify the role and capacities of local animal control services in the United States that investigate equine neglect, cruelty, and abandonment investigations and to identify challenges and outcomes of the investigations. A 128-question online survey was accessible for animal agencies to complete. Comprehensive questions included their capacity for investigating equine cases, funding, housing for horses, and causes and outcomes of investigations. Respondents also were asked to select a single case and provide detailed information on the condition of horses, seizure and custody procedures, costs, and prosecution proceedings. A total of 165 respondents from 26 states completed all or the majority of the questions. A total of 6,864 equine investigations were initiated between 2007 and 2009 by 90 agencies, which extrapolates to 38 investigations annually per agency. A typical agency has an average annual budget of $740,000, employs 7 animal control officers, and spends about $10,000 annually on equine cases. Neglect was ranked as the most common reason for investigation. Owner ignorance, economic hardship, and lack of responsibility were the highest ranked causes of neglect and cruelty. Individual cases were provided by 91 agencies concerning 749 equines. The physical condition of the horse was the primary factor of investigation, and low body condition, parasite infestation, and compromised dental condition were present in most seized horses. Over half of the equine owners previously had been investigated or charged with neglect or cruelty of animals or were identified with cruelty or abuse offenses to people. Less than 3% of the cases advanced to adjudication, and these were likely to be decided by a judge rather than a jury. Judgments of guilty verdicts and pleas were 9 times more common than acquittal. Challenges for equine investigations cases included lack of funding, limited availability of facilities for horses, and providing educational materials for horse owners to aid in prevention and resolution of neglect cases.
Concerning the “ D ” Ring of Saturn

IN his excellent chronological review book of observations, The Planet Saturn, Alexander1 compares the outer, “D” ring of Saturn to the Loch Ness Monster: some see it, and some do not. During the second half of the nineteenth century a number of visual observations were reported by experienced observers but the issue seems to have been settled by Barnard2 in 1909, using the 40 in. Yerkes refractor visually and getting negative results. Apparently few, if any, attempts have been made photographically to detect a ring outside the well known A, B and C rings.
Strategically Functionalized Adenosines: Agonists for Adenosine Receptors

Abstract The syntheses of three classes of adenosine analogues involving cyclosubstitution at the 6-position and functionalization at the 2-position are reported. The target molecules synthesized are stable with respect to hydrolytic deamination by mammalian adenosine deaminase, and, because of major structural changes at the 2- and 6-positions, these compounds are expected to be poor phosphorylation substrates for the kinases. Adenosine receptor binding data reveal that several of the compounds synthesized show excellent A1 receptor affinity and A2/A1 selectivity.
Richard Hartshorne, 1899–1992

(1994). Richard Hartshorne, 1899–1992. Annals of the Association of American Geographers: Vol. 84, No. 3, pp. 480-492.
Power and Impression Formation: The Effects of Power on the Desire for Morality and Competence Information

Abstract Across two studies, power-primed and neutral perceivers faced the task of forming an impression of a target person who was characterized by substantial evaluative inconsistencies and thus thwarted easy judgment. It was hypothesized that the loss to prediction and control engendered by such a target should have an especially strong impact on powerful perceivers' desire for additional target information, as such perceivers enjoy a higher initial level of control and are motivated to maintain it. As predicted, relative to neutral perceivers, power-primed perceivers in both studies indicated greater motivation to process additional target information. Moreover, attesting to their sensitivity to the target's inconsistencies, power-primed perceivers' pronounced motivation to expend processing effort was specific to the most salient domain (morality or competence) in which the target defied easy judgment. These findings add to the growing literature examining boundary conditions of the oft-cited link be...
Hobbes's Theories of Freedom

Hobbes seems to provide a logically coherent concept of liberty. He tells us that agents are free to the extent they are unimpeded by external obstacles. It is not surprising, therefore, that most commentators have seen Hobbes as the primary theorist of what I call "pure" negative freedom. I argue, however, that his theory of freedom tends to be considerably more complicated than usually thought. Hobbes actually discusses a great many other conditions of freedom besides the absence of external impediments. Once we examine his argument carefully, we find a rich, although sometimes confused, view of freedom. I claim that Hobbes actually uses the term freedom in several ways which sometimes complement one another and which sometimes lead Hobbes to contradictory positions. In this article I identify the extent to which Hobbes is consistent in his different usages of the term freedom and how it relates to such concepts as causality, fear, obligation, endeavor, punishment, and the laws and right of nature.