cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Legislative Vote Prediction using Campaign Donations and Fuzzy Hierarchical Communities

An important aspect of social networks is the discovery and partitioning of the complex graphs into dense sub-networks referred to as communities. The goal of such partitioning is to find groups who have similar attributes or behaviors. In the realm of politics, it is possible to group individuals with similar political behavior by analyzing campaign finance records. In this paper we use fuzzy hierarchical spectral clustering to find communities with campaign finance networks. Multiple experiments were performed using varying edge weighting, number and type of communities, as well as analyzing multiple different years of voting data. The results show that using the full hierarchy of community assignments for legislators is highly predictive of voting behavior in the US House of Representatives and Senate.
The Role of Diet and Nutrition in Migraine Triggers and Treatment: A Systematic Literature Review.

Background Migraine is a disabling primary headache disorder often associated with triggers. Diet-related triggers are a common cause of migraine and certain diets have been reported to decrease the frequency of migraine attacks if dietary triggers or patterns are adjusted. Objective The systematic literature review was conducted to qualitatively summarize evidence from the published literature regarding the role of diet patterns, diet-related triggers, and diet interventions in people with migraine. Methods A literature search was carried out on diet patterns, diet-related triggers, and diet interventions used to treat and/or prevent migraine attacks, using an a priori protocol. MEDLINE and EMBASE databases were searched to identify studies assessing the effect of diet, food, and nutrition in people with migraine aged ≥18 years. Only primary literature sources (randomized controlled trials or observational studies) were included and searches were conducted from January 2000 to March 2019. The NICE checklist was used to assess the quality of the included studies of randomized controlled trials and the Downs and Black checklist was used for the assessment of observational studies. Results A total of 43 studies were included in this review, of which 11 assessed diet patterns, 12 assessed diet interventions, and 20 assessed diet-related triggers. The overall quality of evidence was low, as most of the (68%) studies assessing diet patterns and diet-related triggers were cross-sectional studies or patient surveys. The studies regarding diet interventions assessed a variety of diets, such as ketogenic diet, elimination diets, and low-fat diets. Alcohol and caffeine uses were the most common diet patterns and diet-related triggers associated with increased frequency of migraine attacks. Most of the diet interventions, such as low-fat and elimination diets, were related to a decrease in the frequency of migraine attacks. Conclusions There is limited high-quality randomized controlled trial data on diet patterns or diet-related triggers. A few small randomized controlled trials have assessed diet interventions in preventing migraine attacks without strong results. Although many patients already reported avoiding personal diet-related triggers in their migraine management, high-quality research is needed to confirm the effect of diet in people with migraine.
Comparative Effectiveness of Knowledge Graphs- and EHR Data-Based Medical Concept Embedding for Phenotyping

ABSTRACT Objective Feature engineering is a major bottleneck in phenotyping. Properly learned medical concept embeddings (MCEs) have the semantics of medical concepts, thus useful for retrieving relevant medical features in phenotyping tasks. We compared the effectiveness of MCEs learned from knowledge graphs and electronic healthcare records (EHR) data in retrieving relevant medical features for phenotyping tasks. Materials and Methods We implemented five embedding methods including node2vec, singular value decomposition (SVD), LINE, skip-gram, and GloVe with two data sources: (1) knowledge-graphs obtained from the Observational Medical Outcomes Partnership (OMOP) common data model; and (2) patient level data obtained from the OMOP compatible electronic health records (EHR) from Columbia University Irving Medical Center (CUIMC). We used phenotypes with their relevant concepts developed and validated by the Electronic Medical Records and Genomics (eMERGE) network to evaluate the performance of learned MCEs in retrieving phenotype-relevant concepts. Hits@k% in retrieving phenotype-relevant concepts based on a single and multiple seed concept(s) was used to evaluate MCEs. Results Among all MCEs, MCEs learned by using node2vec with knowledge graphs showed the best performance. Of MCEs based on knowledge graphs and EHR data, MCEs learned by using node2vec with knowledge graphs and MCEs learned by using GloVe with EHR outperforms other MCEs respectively. Conclusion Medical concept embedding enables scalable feature engineering tasks, thereby facilitating high-throughput phenotyping. Knowledge graphs constructed by hierarchical relationships among medical concepts learn more effective MCEs, highlighting the need of more sophisticated use of big data to leverage EHR for phenotyping.
The Engagement Process: Examining the Evidence from Diverse Perspectives

In this paper we extend and elaborate an engagement process model, initially developed as an approach for improving the effectiveness of strategy implementation. Based on a qualitative analysis of an expansive set of studies, we find solid support for a three-component definition of engagement, add greater dimension and depth to the model’s construct of social significance, and identify several factors associated with the development of an engaged workforce. We advance four propositions to guide future empirical research.
Base-pair Ambiguity and the Kinetics of RNA Folding: a Hypothesis-Driven Statistical Analysis

Non-coding RNA molecules contribute to cellular function through diverse roles, including genome regulation, DNA and RNA repair, RNA splicing, catalysis, protein synthesis, and intracellular transportation. The mechanisms of these actions can only be fully understood in terms of native secondary and tertiary structures. When provided with a sufficient number of homologous sequences, the gold standard for secondary structure prediction continues to be comparative analysis. Alternatively, the prevailing computational approach to secondary structure is through the Gibbs (thermal) equilibrium, by Monte Carlo sampling or approximating the minimum free energy (MFE) configuration. Aside from the necessary approximations, an enduring debate concerns the biological relevance of equilibrium configurations. Here we adopt a kinetic perspective and argue that the existence of reliable folding on biologically relevant time scales suggests an intramolecular statistical relationship between secondary and primary structures: as compared with other locations, nucleotide sequences in and around secondary-structure stems will have fewer Watson-Crick matches that are inconsistent with the native structure. An "ambiguity index", one for each pair of molecule and presumed secondary structure, measures the prevalence of false matches and hence the tendency to form metastable structures incompatible with native structures. The ambiguity index statistically separates an ensemble of RNA molecules that operate as single entities (Group I and II Introns) from an ensemble that operates as protein-RNA complexes (SRP and tmRNAs), and ensembles of secondary structures determined by comparative analysis from ones based on thermal equilibrium. We find lower average ambiguity in single-entity RNA's than protein-RNA complexes, and, among single-entity RNA's, lower ambiguity with comparative analyses than equilibrium analyses. Both comparisons are supported by exact and highly significant hypothesis tests. These experiments, motivated by a hypothesized mechanism of folding, and the first of their kind, are consistent with folding to metastable but not necessarily equilibrium structures.
Integrated Framework for Optimizing Inspection Tests of Concrete Pavement Materials

AbstractTransportation agencies have been facing the challenge of shrinking budgets and reductions in the size of inspection staff with an increased number of construction projects over the last de...
Pension Funds in Bankruptcy: The Spendthrift Trust Safe Harbor

This article describes the dual objectives of bankruptcy: the financial rehabilitation of debtors and the satisfaction, to the greatest extent possible, of creditors' claims. The first objective promotes the "fresh start" notion, by holding some of debtors’ assets outside the reach of creditors, thereby preventing the bankrupt from becoming a ward of the state. Leaving the debtor with no post-bankruptcy assets would make the promise of a fresh start merely illusory. In contrast, the second objective implies that, in satisfying their claims, creditors should have the benefit of everything the debtor owns upon entering bankruptcy. A recent debate focuses on the juxtaposition of these dual bankruptcy objectives and the policy encompassed by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA). ERISA plans and similar pension plans encourage and protect accumulated savings for retirement years. Whether such pension assets are subject to creditors' attachment in bankruptcy is the topic of continued legal debate. This article focuses on the pension fund as a spendthrift trust issue, tracing the history of the bankruptcy and pension policies involved in this conflict in Section I. Section II provides a brief introduction on the types of relief available to debtors through bankruptcy. Sections III and IV trace the evolution of the bankruptcy laws' treatment of property excluded or exempt from the estate, with a focus on early cases that dealt with employment-related property and pension plans. Section V explains section 541(c)(2) of the Bankruptcy Code, which carves out the spendthrift trust "safe harbor," one of the Code's possible protections for pension assets in bankruptcy. Section VI highlights various pension plan options, and Section VII presents a survey of bankruptcy cases based primarily in Florida that focus on the issue of pension plans as spendthrift trusts. The article closes by suggesting a statutory solution in the nature of a spendthrift trust rollover statute with a caveat about ERISA preemption.
The chemical microenvironment

The in vitro chemical micro environment can be regarded as having three main phases, the medium, the atmosphere or head space, and the plant material. This is analogous to the ex vitro environment of the soil, the air and the plant. The in vitro and ex vitro environments differ in that the former is essentially a closed system which, at least initially, can be precisely defined. Apart from varying degrees of gaseous exchange, depending on the type of culture vessel enclosure, changes in the chemical environment in vitro must be accountable in terms of a redistribution of a finite supply of ingredients. The plant itself plays a role in this redistribution. This chapter focuses primarily on the composition of the medium and its relationship to the plant.
Reactive oxygen species and acute kidney injury after trauma in obese rats (859.2)

Acute kidney injury (AKI) occurs more often in obese than in lean patients after blunt trauma, with similar results observed in obese rats. While studies have suggested that reactive oxygen species...
On kissing and sighing: Renaissance homoerotic love from Ficino's De Amore and Sopra Lo Amore to Cesare Trevisani's L'impresa (1569).

Abstract This essay investigates the homoerotic connotations present in the so-called treatises on lovea popular philosophical and literary genre of the Italian Renaissance. The referential text of this sixteenth-century genre is Marsilio Ficino's De amore(1484), a deeply innovative interpretation of Plato's Symposium.Focusing on the initial section of Ficino's text, Maggi highlights some important structural differences between the De amoreand the Symposium.Moreover, by comparing Ficino's Latin text with his own subsequent Italian translation (Sopra lo amore1544), Maggi examines how Ficino interprets some key terms such as “appearance” and “splendor.” The second part of the essay studies Cesare Trevisani's L'impresa(1569), a later treatise on love with an explicit homoerotic foundation.
Genetic variation of the whole ICAM4 gene in Caucasians and African Americans.

Background Landsteiner-Wiener (LW) is the human blood group system Number 16, which comprises two antithetical antigens, LWa and LWb and the high-prevalence antigen LWab. LW is encoded by the intracellular adhesion molecule 4 (ICAM4) gene. The ICAM4 protein is part of the Rhesus complex in the red cell membrane and is involved in cell–cell adhesion. Study Design and Methods We developed a method to sequence the whole 1.9-kb ICAM4 gene from genomic DNA in one amplicon. We determined the nucleotide sequence of Exons 1 to 3, the two introns, and 402-bp 5′-untranslated region (UTR) and 347-bp 3′-UTR in 97 Caucasian and 91 African American individuals. Results Seven variant ICAM4 alleles were found, distinct from the wild-type ICAM4 allele (GenBank KF712272), known as LW*05 and encoding LWa. An effect of the LWa/LWb amino acid substitution on the protein structure was predicted by two of the three computational modeling programs used. Conclusions We describe a practical approach for sequencing and determining the ICAM4 alleles using genomic DNA. LW*05 is the ancestral allele, which had also been observed in a Neanderthal sample. All seven variant alleles are immediate derivatives of the prevalent LW*05 and caused by one single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in each allele. Our data were consistent with the NHLBI GO Exome Sequencing Project (ESP) and the dbSNP databases, as all SNPs had been observed previously. Our study has the advantage over the other databases in that it adds haplotype (allele) information for the ICAM4 gene, clinically relevant in the field of transfusion medicine.
Transnational Responsibility and Recourse for Ozone Depletion

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260 INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260 I. DEPLETION OF THE OZONE LAYER 264 A. Causes of Ozone Depletion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264 B. Results of Ozone Depletion . 266 C. Response of the International Community . 267 II. SOURCES OF STATE RESPONSIBILITY 269 A. Treaty Responsibilities . 270 1. Vienna Convention 271 2. Montreal Protocol 274 B. General International Law Responsibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 277 1. State Practice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278 2. International Conventions 279 3. Judicial Decisions 281 4. Scholarly Writings 282 a. The Restatement 283 b. Other Scholarly Writings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 284 C. Responsibilities of Developing Countries . 285 III. RECOURSE FOR OZONE DEPLETION 287 A. Recourse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 287 B. Dispute Resolution Techniques. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 288 1. Negotiation 289 2. Mediation 289 3. Conciliation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 290 4. Arbitration 291 5. Redress from the International Court of Justice .... 292 C. Specific Remedies Available . 292 IV. CONCLUSION 294 * Associate, International Practice Group, Baker & Botts, L.L.P., Houston Texas; Adjunct Professor, University of Houston Law Center;J.D. Vanderbilt University School of Law. The author wishes to thank Professor Jonathan 1. Charney for his review of this article. The author would also like to thank Lisa Tilton-McCarthy and Richard A. Bales for their assistance.
Improving ECG Services at a Children's Hospital: Implementation of a Digital ECG System

Background. The use of digital ECG software and services is becoming common. We hypothesized that the introduction of a completely digital ECG system would increase the volume of ECGs interpreted at our children's hospital. Methods. As part of a hospital wide quality improvement initiative, a digital ECG service (MUSE, GE) was implemented at the Children's Hospital at Montefiore in June 2012. The total volume of ECGs performed in the first 6 months of the digital ECG era was compared to 18 months of the predigital era. Predigital and postdigital data were compared via t-tests. Results. The mean ECGs interpreted per month were 53 ± 16 in the predigital era and 216 ± 37 in the postdigital era (p < 0.001), a fourfold increase in ECG volume after introduction of the digital system. There was no significant change in inpatient or outpatient service volume during that time. The mean billing time decreased from 21 ± 27 days in the postdigital era to 12 ± 5 days in the postdigital era (p < 0.001). Conclusion. Implementation of a digital ECG system increased the volume of ECGs officially interpreted and reported.
Alteration of lymphocyte microtubule assembly, cytotoxicity, and activation by the anticancer drug taxol.

Abstract We studied the effect of the anticancer drug taxol on the cytotoxic mechanism of major histocompatibility complex nonrestricted lymphocytes and their activation with interleukin 2. Unseparated lymphocytes or highly enriched natural killer or T-cells were treated with 0.2–10 µg/ml of taxol for various times and tested for cytotoxicity against the K562 cell line and the ovarian cell line, OV-2774. Taxol caused a dose- and time-dependent suppression of lymphocyte cytotoxicity. The most pronounced suppression was noted after treatment with 10 µg/ml of taxol for 6 h; a lower but significant decrease in cytotoxicity was observed after treatment with 2 and 5 µg/ml of taxol. In addition, taxol inhibited activation of lymphocytes with interleukin 2; however, the cytotoxicity of interleukin 2-preactivated lymphocytes was less sensitive to taxol treatment. Mechanism studies showed that taxol was not directly toxic to lymphocytes and did not alter their ability to form conjugates with target cells. Taxol treatment decreased a rate of kinetics of lysis and lymphocyte recycling ability. The immunofluorescence and electron microscopic analysis showed polymerization of microtubules in taxol-treated lymphocytes. These data demonstrate that taxol impairs lymphocyte cytotoxic function and activation and indicate the role of microtubules in these functions. Clinically, these findings suggest that activation of lymphocytes prior to taxol treatment may increase the therapeutic benefit of this drug.
Secular Trends of Overweight and Obesity in Young Southern Californians 2008-2013.

Objective To investigate secular trends in pediatric obesity in Southern California between 2008 and 2013. Study design In a population-based cohort study, measured weight and height were extracted from electronic health records of 1 331 931 patients aged 2-19 years who were enrolled in an integrated prepaid health plan between 2008 and 2013. Outcomes were the prevalence of overweight and obesity (body mass index-for-age ≥85th percentile). Results The prevalence of obesity was 19.1% in 2008 and decreased by 1.6% (95% CI, 1.7%-1.5%) by 2013, corresponding to a relative decline of 8.4%. A significant decline was observed across all ages, sexes, races, and socioeconomic groups, but the magnitude of the decrease varied. The relative decline in obesity was stronger in boys (−9.3%) than in girls (−7.2%), in children aged 2-5 years (−15.4%) and 6-11 years (−11.8%) than in adolescents aged 12-19 years (−4.5%), and in whites (−12.6%) and Asians (−12.2%) than in Hispanics (−6.9%) and African Americans (−7.5%). Conclusion Secular trends from this large population-based cohort suggest that overweight and obesity in boys and girls are declining across age and racial/ethnic groups. However, the declines are less pronounced in adolescents compared with children, in girls, and in some minority groups. Programs addressing childhood obesity may need to be targeted.
A economia do care

In recent decades, in both Europe and USA, economic sociology has moved away from strict concentration on individual firms, markets, and their representations in economic theory toward more generous and creative treatments of interpersonal relations and of economic activity in a wide variety of settings. The study of interpersonal care, both paid and unpaid, illustrates these trends.
Triple-Bottom-Line Goals in a Management Control System: Experimental Effects on Commitment and Trust

Despite empirical evidence that corporate social - and environmental - performance is positively related to financial performance, extensive skepticism of this link exists. One source of skepticism is a lack of clarity about the mechanisms by which seeking social performance leads to better financial performance. This study tests a specific causal mechanism and some of its likely boundary conditions, through which setting corporate social and even environmental goals may lead to better financial outcomes for a firm. Organizational leaders attracted to the triple-bottom-line ideal of simultaneously improving financial, and social, and environmental performance may reasonably be reluctant to impose additional goals and performance measures on already busy managers. A management control system (MCS) that supplements budget-based goals with holistic, sustainable business goals may either inspire managers to unite behind the organization’s vision, or dilute the attention and energy of managers away from being effective. Improving triple-bottom-line performance will also be an unfamiliar task, frequently difficult to measure, and discomfiting for individuals who value the status quo. Learning goals are suggested as a way to address these concerns, and the results of an experiment suggest that using learning goals to broaden a MCS to include triple-bottom-line goals is a potentially beneficial approach. In particular, the use of learning goals to implement a triple-bottom-line was associated with increased trust, goal commitment, and affective organizational commitment, even amongst participants who held values thought to be incompatible with sustainability initiatives. Limitations of the proposed intervention, along with the potential organizational benefits of increased trust and commitment are then discussed.
Overview Of Optical Fiber Research At Rutgers University

The Fiber Optic Materials Research Program (FOMRP) was established in July 1985 at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey through major funding from the New Jersey Commission on Science and Technology. This summary outlines some of the important features of FOMRP including basic program goals and objectives, current research initiatives and thrust areas, the role of corporate and government sponsors, present and future availability of research facilities, of recent scientific publications, the make-up of FOMRP faculty and graduate students and a listing of recent scientific publications.
Cloning of a mitogen-inducible gene encoding a kappa B DNA-binding protein with homology to the rel oncogene and to cell-cycle motifs.

WE have cloned and characterized a mitogen-inducible gene isolated from human T cells that predicts a protein of 968 amino acids. The amino-terminal domain has regions homologous to the oncogene rel and to the developmentally important gene dorsal of Drosophila. The carboxy-terminal domain contains repeat structures found in a variety of proteins that are involved in cell-cycle control of yeast and in tissue differentiation in Drosophila and Ceanorhabditis elegans, as well as in the putative human oncogene bcl-3 and in the ankyrin protein. A truncated form of the product of this gene translated in vitro is a DNA-binding protein which interacts specifically with the KB binding site found in many inducible genes, including the enhancer in human immunodeficiency virus. This gene is yet another in a growing list of important regulatory molecules whose expression is transcrip-tionally induced upon cellular activation.
Distributed tactical reasoning framework for intelligent vehicles

In independent vehicle concepts for the Automated Highway System (AHS), the ability to make competent tactical-level decisions in real-time is crucial. Traditional approaches to tactical reasoning typically involve the implementation of large monolithic systems, such as decision trees or finite state machines. However, as the complexity of the environment grows, the unforeseen interactions between components can make modifications to such systems very challenging. For example, changing an overtaking behavior may require several, non-local changes to car-following, lane changing and gap acceptance rules. This paper presents a distributed solution to the problem. PolySAPIENT consists of a collection of autonomous modules, each specializing in a particular aspect of the driving task - classified by traffic entities rather than tactical behavior. Thus, the influence of the vehicle ahead on the available actions is managed by one reasoning object, while the implications of an approaching exit are managed by another. The independent recommendations form these reasoning objects are expressed in the form of votes and vetos over a 'tactical action space', and are resolved by a voting arbiter. This local independence enables PolySAPIENT reasoning objects to be developed independently, using a heterogenous implementation. PolySAPIENT vehicles are implemented in the SHIVA tactical highway simulator, whose vehicles are based on the Carnegie Mellon Navlab robots.© (1998) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Return to Sender On the Politics of Cultural Property and the Proper Address of Art

This essay explores two recent examples of claims for the return of objects in the context of larger historical and political struggles: the repatriation of cultural property to indigenous groups, ...
Architectural issues in designing symbolic processors in optics

This paper analyzes potential optical architectures for AI applications (such as knowledge-based systems). Our goal was to investigate architectures most suitable for implementation completely in optics. While optical computing appears to hold much promise because of its inherent parallelism and speed, constructing a symbolic processor or even a general purpose computer in optics requires examining many issues never before addressed. This paper presents these issues and discusses those architectures which appear most feasible in optics. We take into account fundamental physical limitations as well as the state-of-the-art optical device research. We conclude that, unlike in electronics, large-grained parallelism is not suitable for implementation in optics. We also find that functional languages, rather than logic languages, are better candidates for optics. Finally, we show that implementing an optical symbolic processor warrants the need for a real, or at least an emulated, addressable memory in optics.
Educating Parents on Gastrostomy Devices: Necessary Components to Achieve Success

Often parents leave the hospital without the education needed to care for their child's gastrostomy device. Lack of nurse knowledge and the use of various types of devices contribute to their confusion and inability to adequately educate parents. An enhanced methodology and process to standardize gastrostomy education were designed and implemented. Data results confirmed an improvement in the knowledge and competency of both staff nurses and parents. Empowering staff nurses with knowledge and the necessary resources and tools to confidently educate parents, along with a standardized process, has improved overall outcomes.
Relationships between the nuclear membrane, nuclear pore complexes, and organelles in the type II pneumocyte

Abstract Functional relationships among organelles of the type II cell are suggested based upon the proximity of organelles to specialized areas of the plasma- and nuclear membranes. In a two-dimensional morphometric analysis of the profiles of organelles in type II cells of the ferret and rat (and beagle dog), lamellar bodies were more likely to be located near the nuclear membrane than at the alveolar space (where exocytosis occurs). The size of lamellar body profiles was not correlated with distance from the nuclear membrane; however, large profiles were nearer the apical membrane, and smaller ones nearer the basement membrane. Profiles of highly branched mitochondria were 10 times more frequently associated with nuclear pore complexes than with the inter-pore nuclear membrane. Forty percent of all mitochondrial profiles were within 0.25 μm of the nucleus, 5% were within 0.02 μm and half of these appeared to touch the filaments of the nuclear pore complexes. The size of mitochondrial profiles was not correlated with distribution. In the ferret and rat, 8.6% and 2.5% respectively, of the nuclear pore complexes were associated with mitochondria. Sebaceous cells, from control mice, demonstrated a spatial distribution of granules which was size dependent but unrelated to the nuclear membrane.
Oral beclomethasone dipropionate: a topically active corticosteroid for the treatment of gastrointestinal graft-versus-host disease following allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation

Beclomethasone dipropionate (BDP) is a topically active anti-inflammatory corticosteroid. Oral BDP is metabolized in the intestine to a potent metabolite, 17-beclomethasone monopropionate (17-BMP). An oral formulation (orBec; DOR BioPharma), consisting of a gastric release and an enteric-coated pill, was studied in patients with acute gastrointestinal graft-versus-host disease, an inflammatory disorder that is common after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation. Randomized trials demonstrated that orBec is safe and effective in treating acute gastrointestinal graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) when used with a short induction course of prednisone, reducing the risk of GVHD treatment failure by > 60% and reducing mortality 1 year after randomization by 45%, with fewer deaths due to infection and recurrent malignancy. The type of conditioning and the type of donor had no effect on the frequency of GVHD treatment failure during the 80-day study period; the greatest benefit in terms of survival was among patients who had received reduced-intensity conditioning therapy and among those who received a graft from other than a human leukocyte antigen-matched sibling. orBec controls the intestinal inflammatory process of GVHD and avoids prolonged exposure to prednisone, which is the present standard of care. Oral BDP is the only therapy to be studied in the last 30 years to effectively treat acute GVHD and reduce mortality.
Distance Determination in Multimeric Membrane Protein by Symmetry Constrained Analysis of Double Electron-Electron Resonance Spectroscopy

Distance determinations are often a core strategy to decipher the molecular mechanism by which membrane proteins execute their biological function. EPR spectroscopy and pulsed Double Electron-Electron Resonance (DEER) methods are unparalleled tools for the measurement of probe-based long-range distances in protein. However, distance determination from echo intensity modulation in pulsed DEER experiments is a moderately ill-posed problem. Here, we show that by using protein symmetry-based geometrical constraints in homo-oligomeric membrane proteins, we are able to greatly facilitate the fitting solution. We modeled the distance distribution with 2 Gaussians, with each mean distance identified by its Gaussian peak. During the fit process, the mean distance ratio was constrained to be within a specified tolerance of the theoretical distance ratio determined by the symmetry of the oligomeric assembly (1:1.4 for tetramers; 1:1.6 for pentamers). We compared this approach against the classical Tikhonov regularization, concluding that our method stabilizes a solution that is much easier to interpret in molecular modeling terms. Importantly, we also show that when the qualities of the dipolar evolution signal increases (more observed periods and higher SNR), there is little or no difference in the distance distribution obtained by our method vs. Tikhonov regularization. This suggests that the geometrically constrained fit does not artificially distort the distance distribution. Our approach was validated on 2 different ion channels of different oligomeric states: CorA, a homopentameric Mg2+ channel and KcsA, a homotetrameric K+ channel. In all cases, the distances obtained by DEER are in excellent agreement with respective crystal structures.
A SPECIAL ISSUE DEDICATED TO THE MEMORY OF OWEN M. GRIFFIN

Abstract This issue of the Journal of Fluids and Structures is dedicated to the memory of Dr Owen M. Griffin, who died on September 29, 1995, on the same day as his retirement from the Naval Research Laboratory. Owen was one of the first Associate Editors of JFS . Hence, this issue in his honor is both appropriate and relevant. The articles in this issue have been contributed by a few of the many friends across the fluid mechanics world who enjoyed knowing Owen during his 27 years at NRL.
Total shoulder arthroplasty: Long-term survivorship, functional outcome, and quality of life

This study examines long-term outcomes of total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA) via survivorship analysis, patient questionnaires, and minimum 10-year physical examinations. The study group consisted of 320 consecutive TSAs performed in 267 patients between 1974 and 1988. Diagnoses included rheumatoid arthritis (69%), osteoarthritis (22%), and juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (4.7%). Minimum 10-year physical examination follow-up was obtained on a subset of 72 TSAs at a mean (+/- SD) of 14.0 +/- 2.7 years. A Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH) questionnaire was obtained from 80 patients with 103 TSAs at a mean of 15.4 +/- 3.4 years after the index procedure (range, 10.4-23.2 years). Kaplan-Meier survivorship rates with revision as the endpoint at 5, 10, 15, and 20 years were 98%, 93%, 88%, and 85%, respectively. Of the shoulders, 22 (6.9%) required a revision, most commonly for loosening of one or both components (15 shoulders). Dislocation occurred earlier than other causes of revision or complication (P < .05, analysis of variance). Minimum 10-year physical examination follow-up revealed lasting, significant improvements in range of motion and strength. The patients' subjective assessments of TSA were favorable in that 92% felt that their shoulder was "much better" or "better" after TSA. The mean DASH score was 49 +/- 25; no significant differences were found among diagnoses. Long-term analysis of the Neer-type TSA revealed survivorship rates comparable to other joint replacements. The significant improvements in relief of pain, shoulder range of motion, and strength are associated with a high degree of patient satisfaction.
SSc management – In person appointments and remote therapy (SMART): A framework for management of chronic hand conditions

The changing health care climate poses unique challenges to managing a chronic and progressive disease like systemic sclerosis (SSc). At our institution, we employ a new model for SSc management that combines “in person” appointments and “remote” therapy (SMART). This program fosters an understanding of the disease process with the goal of improving skills and confidence for self-management and empowering individuals by providing a means of daily self-assessment. Technology is utilized as a means to remotely monitor and assess progress. We present our approach as a framework for long term management of chronic hand conditions. Evidence from a variety of disciplines is cited to support the design and parameters of this model.
Hyperspectral discrimination of floating mats of seagrass wrack and the macroalgae Sargassum in coastal waters of Greater Florida Bay using airborne remote sensing

Abstract Floating mats of vegetation serve to transfer biomass, nutrients and energy across marine habitats and alter the spectral properties of the sea surface. Here, spectral measurements from the airborne Portable Remote Imaging Spectrometer (PRISM) imagery at 1-m resolution and experimental mesocosms were used to assess the hyperspectral properties of the macroalgae Sargassum and aggregations of the seagrass Syringodium filiforme wrack in Greater Florida Bay. A simple Normalized Difference Vegetative Index (NDVI) effectively discriminated the presence of vegetation floating on the sea surface. The Sargassum Index derived from reflectance ratios at 650 and 630 nm was used to effectively discriminate Sargassum from Syringodium wrack. Mesocosm spectral measurements revealed an initial lowering of wrack reflectance over the first 3 days followed by a subsequent increase in reflectance over the next 8 days. The age of the wrack estimated from 2 to 5 days was best characterized using narrowband indices of the water absorption feature at 930 and 990 nm potentially from increasing water content in wrack leaves over time. Hyperspectral imagery ( 10 nm) was necessary to differentiate between these two types of floating vegetation and assess age of the wrack. PRISM imagery revealed seagrass wrack organized in 5–35 m spaced windrows caused by Langmuir circulation. Wrack was only detectable at 60 m pixel resolution when densities were high and individual windrows were in close proximity.
Neuromuscular transmission in the gastropod mollusc Helisoma trivolvis: Identification of motoneurons

Intracellular records from three muscles in the gastropod mollusc Helisoma trivolvis are described and correlated with extracellular electromyograms and tension recordings. These data are then used to formulate criteria for the identification of motoneurons in the central nervous system. 1. Individual muscle fibers in the three muscles studied were small in diameter (less than 10 μ), arranged in a parallel fashion, and heavily invested by connective tissue (Fig. 1). 2. Initial identification of neurons in the central nervous system as excitatory motoneurons to particular muscles was based on a number of criteria: a) each action potential in that neuron was followed by an extracellular electromyogram response in the muscle of relatively constant latency; b) in the case of the posterior jugalis, the action potentials of the motoneuron accounted for all extracellularly recorded activity in the muscle during normal function (Fig. 3) ; and c) procion yellow dye injections and antidromic stimulation showed that the axons of such neurons leave the CNS in nerve trunks shown by electrical stimulation to contain the excitatory axons to specific muscles. 3. A single basic pattern of muscle innervation, which was comparable to the vertebrate motor unit, was observed. The posterior jugalis appears to be controlled by a single motoneuron whereas the columellar muscle appears to be under the control of a number of motoneurons. Intracellular recordings gave no indication of multiple innervation of individual muscle fibers. High gain intracellular records revealed miniature excitatory junctional potentials but inhibitory junctional potentials were never observed in any of the muscles studied.
Improving Computational Efficiency of 3D Point Cloud Reconstruction from Image Sequences

The Levenberg-Marquardt optimization is normally used in 3D point cloud reconstruction from image sequences which is computationally expensive. This paper presents a two-stage camera pose estimation approach where an initial camera pose is obtained during the first stage and a refinement is performed during the second stage. This approach does not require the use of the Levenberg-Marquardt optimization and LU matrix decomposition for computing the projection matrix, thus providing a more computationally efficient 3D point cloud reconstruction as compared to the existing approaches. The results obtained using real video sequences indicate that the introduced approach generates lower re-projection errors as well as faster 3D point cloud reconstruction.
The Sufficient and Necessary Conditions for Decomposability of Mechanical Systems

The concept of decomposition degree of mechanical system is given and the sufficient and necessary conditions for determining a system to be locally decomposable are obtained. In the last section a system is given which is not completely decomposable but locally decomposable
Gas Production in Cheddar Cheese Caused by Leuconostoc Citrovorum

Summary Several cultures of L. citrovorum were isolated from Cheddar cheese showing slit openness. Two separate commercial cheese cultures of different origin produced the defect quite distinctly at ripening temperatures of 50 and 58° F. With a single-strain S. lactis (712) culture, it was possible to make cheese with little or no evidence of the defect. However, when S. lactis (712) was used in conjunction with an isolated strain of L. citrovorum (4) the defect was very pronounced.
The precollege examination: Fostering a healthy transition****

Abstract The college years are marked by major life changes, character development, decision making about the future, added responsibilities, and moving away from home. Nurse practitioners have the unique opportunity to facilitate this transition to adulthood by using the precollege examination to screen for potential problems and to encourage the development of responsible health-promoting behaviors. J Pediatr Health Care. (2001). 15 , 63-70.
Sensitivity to reinforcer delay predicts ethanol's suppressant effects, but itself is unaffected by ethanol.

Abstract Background Relative preference for smaller, sooner rewards over larger, later rewards (“delay discounting”) is increased by acute ethanol. Additionally, drug-naive levels of delay discounting can predict subsequent ethanol consumption. However, it is unknown whether these phenomena are driven by a difference in sensitivity to the reinforcer delay or a difference in sensitivity to the reinforcer magnitude, because typical delay discounting tasks manipulate both parameters simultaneously. Methods To disambiguate these factors, two tasks were developed in which animals chose between levers with either different delay contingencies (adjusting delay task) or different magnitude contingencies (adjusting magnitude task). When task performance was stable, rats received ethanol (0, 0.6, and 0.9 g/kg, i.p.). Results Ethanol did not affect sensitivity to delay or sensitivity to magnitude. However, responding was suppressed at the highest dose of ethanol (0.9 g/kg). Less suppression was found in animals exhibiting high levels of drug-naive sensitivity to delay. Conclusion Thus, this study suggests that ethanol's effect on standard delay discounting tasks is not due to an alteration in sensitivity to delay or magnitude. Additionally, these data show that animals with high sensitivity to delay are resistant to the behaviorally suppressant effects of ethanol, which suggests that low tolerance for delayed rewards and low sensitivity to the behaviorally suppressant effects of ethanol may partly be driven by the same underlying mechanism.
High Resolution Polymer Pattern Fabrications With Low Energy Proton Beams

Low energy protons in several keV energy range have very limited penetration depths into polymer films. This necessitates uses of very thin oxygen etch barrier layers and of dry image developments in oxygen reactive ion etching. For negative tone images the etch barrier layers were deposited patternwise in proton beam induced polymerizations of organo-metallic compounds, followed by dry image developments in oxygen reactive ion etching. For positive tone images the etch barrier layers were deposited prior to patternwise exposures to proton beams on top of polymer films by plasma polymerizations of organo-metallic compounds, or by evaporation or sputtering of certain metals. Hydrogen atoms and/or protons react with metal atoms in the etch barrier layers to yield volatile metal hydrides, making the exposed areas more vulnerable to oxygen reactive ion etching, and providing positive tone images after image developments. In these processes almost any kind of carbonaceous polymer films can be used as imaged materials. With a bright ion source available the exposure times could be less than a second, yielding high aspect ratio and high resolution polymer patterns.
Eccrine Function in Psoriasis1

The stimulus to this study was a series of physiologic observations made during a prolonged period of hospitalization of a case of psoriatic erythro-derma. This case, in which there was unusual involvement of the skin and appendages of an exfoliative type, demonstrated grossly altered sweat function during the acute phase of his disease, in addition to a markedly decreased responsiveness of the cutaneous vessels to temperature changes, parasympathomi-metic and sympathomimetic stimuli. It was noted that during the phase of universal involvement sweating could not be elicited by local injection with methacholine chloride (Mecholyl ®) or by thermal stimulation. Regression of cutaneous symptoms occurred slowly and incompletely during a three month period. Sweat function and vascular responses returned to normal gradually with gross clinical improvement.
Comparative gas chromatographic separation of simple diastereomeric amides and carbamates using isotropic and cholesteric liquid crystal phases

Zusammenfassung A series of diasteromeric amides and carbamates have been prepared, and comparisons are made between the gas—liquid chromatographic separations obtained with several stationary phases in capillary columns. These are: SE-54 as a non-polar phase, polyenthylene glycol polar phase, and a liquid crystal phase, cholesteryl para-chlorocinnamate (CpCC). For the compounds studied, the CpCC column provided greater separation factors that the the other two columns. Since the elution order of pairs of diasteromers was the same on all three columns, the enhanced separation with CpCC suggests greater sensitivity of the ordered mesophase to the shape of the solution conformers of solute molecules.
Slim VM: optimistic partial program loading for connected embedded Java virtual machines

Embedded systems are inherently limited in terms of local storage capacity. This limitation conflicts with the demands of modern virtual machine platforms, which require large amounts of library code to be present on each client device. These conflicting requirements are often resolved by providing specialized embedded versions of the standard libraries, but even these stripped down libraries consume significant resources.We present a solution for "always connected" mobile devices that is based on a zero footprint paradigm. In our approach, all code resides on a remote host. Only those parts of applications and libraries that are likely to be needed are transferred to the mobile device. Since it is difficult to predict statically which library parts will be needed at runtime, we combine static analysis and lazy code loading to transfer code with a high likelihood of execution ahead of time while other code (such as exception code) remains on the remote host and is provided only on demand. This allows us to perform not only dead code elimination, but also aggressive elimination of cold (or potentially unused) code.The granularity of our approach is flexible all the way down to individual basic blocks. Our method achieves total code size reductions of up to 95%.