cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Status of Peripheral Atherectomy

Atherectomy-the removal of atheroma from diseased arteries either percutaneously or through a small arteriotomy remote from the diseased site-has several theoretical advantages over transluminal angioscopy. This article discusses the advantages and disadvantages of the four atherectomy devices currently approved by the US Food and Drug Administration
Free radicals and the ischemia-evoked extracellular accumulation of amino acids in rat cerebral cortex.

The effects of free radical generating systems on basal and ischemia/reperfusion-evoked release of amino acids into cortical superfusates was examined in the rat using the cortical cup technique. Xanthine oxidase plus xanthine significantly enhanced GABA levels 358 fold over controls during 20 min of four vessel occlusion. Glutamate and phosphoethanolamine release following reperfusion were also elevated. Prostaglandin synthase plus arachidonic acid significantly enhanced the ischemia-evoked release of all amino acids (aspartate 360 fold; glutamate 433 fold; glycine 6 fold; GABA 689 fold; phosphoethanolamine 69 fold) and increased the pre-ischemic levels of glutamate, glycine and phosphoethanolamine. Administration of H2O2 plus ferrous sulfate significantly elevated both pre-ischemic amino acid release and ischemia-evoked release. A role for free radical generating systems in the development of ischemic injury is supported by the ability of superoxide dismutase plus catalase to reduce ischemia-evoked amino acid efflux into cortical superfusates. Thus, the species of free radical produced, as well as the amount generated, may alter the pattern of amino acid release under both ischemic and non-ischemic conditions.
Tetraterpenes or Carotenoids

Carotenoids, which occur in all plants, bacteria, and fungi, are probably the most widely distributed of all natural pigments; they are involved in many fundamental processes such as photosynthesis and mammalian vision. These highly unsaturated lipids also serve as vegetative, floral, and fruit pigments in plants and as pigments in the feathers of birds, outer parts of insects, as well as the skins of fish and other animals (Britton, 1976, 1983; Buchecker, 1982; Kayser, 1982).
An Active/Passive Microwave Retrieval Algorithm for Inferring Ocean Vector Winds from TRMM

This paper describes a novel ocean vector wind (OVW) retrieval algorithm that uses Ku-band Precipitation Radar (PR) and the multi-frequency TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI), both on board the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite. The basis of this algorithm is the anisotropic nature of ocean backscatter (sig-0) and brightness temperature (Tb), which are used in a maximum likelihood estimation procedure to infer wind speed and wind direction. For this paper, we leverage from previous research that characterized the Geophysical Model Functions (GMF) for both TMI and PR observations. NOAA Numerical Weather Product (GDAS) was used as a nature run, to perform a Monte Carlo simulation to conduct trade studies and predict the OVW retrieval performance over the TRMM orbit. Examples of retrieved ocean winds and statistics of WS and WD differences are presented.
Clear cell renal cell carcinoma with heterotopic bone formation: A case report and literature review

The phenomenon of heterotopic bone formation (osseous metaplasia) is defined as an abnormal ossification of non-skeletal tissues and does represent a rare occurrence in the renal cell carcinoma setting. We describe a case of a 40-year old man with bilateral renal cell carcinomas of the histological clear cell subtype, with the right-sided renal cell carcinoma demonstrating heterotopic bone formation, as well as the presence of intratumoral adipose tissue. The etiology of bone formation in a renal cell carcinoma is unclear, but possible explanations include a response to tissue ischemia and the expression of Bone Morphogenetic Protein 2. The detection of these rare morphologic variations is of paramount importance, not to be mistaken as sarcomatoid transformation and renal sinus fat invasion, which would advance the pathologic tumor stage and aggressiveness of the disease.
The Intersection of Natural Resource and Energy Policy

This chapter explores the natural resource and energy policy nexus that often define environmental policy in the American West. This chapter begins with the voice of Representative Raul Grijivala and a family vacation to Grand Canyon National Park. This introductory story gets at the heart of the interconnectedness of natural resource and energy policy. The majority of public lands are managed by federal agencies (e.g., BLM, USFWS, USFS, NPS). Yet, within these lands are resources that could be used for energy development in the United States. The chapter concludes with the case of the Dakota Access Pipeline to the true complexities of the actors involved trying to influence public policy outcomes.
Robotic-assisted surgery for complicated and non-complicated diverticulitis: a single-surgeon case series

Laparoscopic colectomy is the preferred approach for surgical management of non-complicated diverticulitis, with lower complication rates, shorter length of stay, and decreased narcotic use compared with open surgery. Complicated diverticulitis, characterized by abscess, fistula or stricture, is more difficult to manage with minimally invasive surgery, with reports of higher conversion rates, prolonged operative time, longer length of stay, and increased complication rates. The robotic platform may provide an alternative safe and feasible option for managing complicated diverticulitis with minimally invasive surgery. A prospectively maintained database of robotic-assisted colorectal surgery performed at our university-affiliated community hospital was used to identify consecutive patients who underwent robotic-assisted surgery for complicated or non-complicated diverticulitis. Thirty-two patients with non-complicated diverticulitis and 36 patients with complicated diverticulitis had surgery between January, 1, 2014 and September 30, 2017. The database was used to compare the two groups of patients in regard to operative time, estimated blood loss, ureteral stent usage, conversions, ostomies, pelvic drains, post-operative complications, length of stay, return of bowel function, and post-operative narcotic use. Comparison of the two groups revealed significant differences in operative times (172 vs. 196 min, p = 0.01), conversions (3.1% vs. 22.2%, p = 0.03), ostomies (9.4% vs. 33.3%, p = 0.04), and pelvic drains (3.2% vs. 28.6%, p = 0.02). No significant differences were noted for estimated blood loss, complications, return of bowel function, narcotic use, length of stay, or readmissions. Four complicated diverticulitis patients had intra-operative ureteral stents, and there were no ureteral injuries in either group. Patients with complicated diverticulitis required longer operative time, and more often required conversion, an ostomy, and a pelvic drain. Robotic-assisted surgery is safe and feasible for both non-complicated and complicated diverticulitis.
Idea Generation Practices in a Biomedical Engineering Capstone Course

Contribution: This paper examines ideation practices of biomedical engineering (BME) students in a capstone design course during a designated team ideation session and provides recommendations for structuring idea generation instruction. Background: Capstone courses provide students with opportunities to engage with open-ended and complex engineering problems requiring knowledge from multiple disciplines. Limited work has focused on how BME students engage in idea generation in capstone courses. Yet, success in solving problems depends on how students engage with and organize their idea generation efforts. Research Questions: What design activities do BME students engage in during a session designated for idea generation? What factors impact how students approach their ideation sessions and select the ideation approaches to use in a design course? Methodology: Five student teams were recorded during their idea generation sessions. Post-session interviews were conducted with a subset of students. Qualitative analysis of transcripts revealed themes related to design activities and factors impacting idea generation. Findings: Students commonly moved into convergent idea evaluation activities during generation. Their approaches to ideation were influenced by course activities and structures, design requirements, and sponsor feedback.
A precise determination of (anti)neutrino fluxes with (anti)neutrino-hydrogen interactions

Abstract We present a novel method to accurately determine the flux of neutrinos and antineutrinos, one of the dominant systematic uncertainty affecting current and future long-baseline neutrino experiments, as well as precision neutrino scattering experiment. Using exclusive topologies in ν ( ν ¯ ) -hydrogen interactions, ν μ p → μ − p π + , ν ¯ μ p → μ + p π − , and ν ¯ μ p → μ + n with small hadronic energy, we achieve an overall accuracy on the relative fluxes better than 1% in the energy range covering most of the available flux. Since we cannot rely on simulations nor model corrections at this level of precision, we present techniques to constrain all relevant systematic uncertainties using data themselves. The method can be implemented using the approach we recently proposed to collect high statistics samples of ν ( ν ¯ ) -hydrogen interactions in a low-density and high-resolution detector, which could serve as part of the near detector complex in a long-baseline neutrino experiment, as well as a dedicated beam monitoring detector.
Implementation of a piecewise-linear dynamic attenuator

A dynamic prepatient attenuator can modulate flux in a computed tomography (CT) system along both fan and view angles for reduced dose, scatter, and required detector dynamic range. Reducing the dynamic range requirement is crucial for photon counting detectors. One approach, the piecewise-linear attenuator (Hsieh and Pelc, Med Phys 2013), has shown promising results both in simulations and an initial prototype. Multiple wedges, each covering a different fan angle range, are moved in the axial direction to change thickness seen in an axial slice. We report on an implementation of a filter with precision components and a control algorithm targeted for a tabletop system. Algorithms for optimizing wedge position and mA modulation and for correcting bowtie-specific beam-hardening are proposed. In experiments, the error between expected and observed bowtie transmission was ∼2 % on average and ∼7 % at maximum for a chest phantom. Within object boundaries, the observed flux dynamic ranges of 42 for a chest and 25 for an abdomen were achieved, corresponding to a reduction factor of 5 and 11 from the object scans without the bowtie. With beam hardening correction, the CT number in soft tissue regions was improved by 79 HU and deviated by 7 HU on average from clinical scanner CT images. The implemented piecewise-linear attenuator is able to dynamically adjust its thickness with high precision to achieve flexible flux control.
Analysis of the data of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome in Shenzhen using circle distribution method

Objective To explore the seasonal characteristic of Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome in Shenzhen,and to provide theoretic basis for formulating control measures.Methods The circular distribution method was used to analyze the data of HFRS in Shenzhen from 2005 to 2009.Results There were 145 HFRS patients included in the study.Incidence rate fluctuated between 0.18/100 000 and 0.49/100 000.The peak incidence date is on 2nd,March.There was no seasonal trend(r=0.2329).Conclusion The epidemic characteristic of HFRS in Shenzhen was sporadic.Prevention measures should be taken according to the epidemiology.
1244 Introduction to Laparoscopic Myomectomy: A Teaching Video for Medical Students

Video Objective Surgical videos allow students to observe and study the elements of a case prior to initial exposure, improving the intraoperative learning experience for both the student and the educator. Minimally invasive surgery is especially suited to this modality of teaching, as students typically are able to observe the procedure clearly, but surgeon-educators do not always have the luxury of teaching in the moment. In response to both of these challenges, we created an interactive video series that allows students to obtain a better understanding of a laparoscopic myomectomy prior to encountering this procedure in the operating room. Setting An academic teaching hospital introducing third-year medical students to their obstetrics and gynecology rotation. Interventions We created a three-part video series designed to review the steps of a laparoscopic myomectomy. The video is narrated by a senior medical student walking through the major steps of the procedure, so that they may match their didactic learning with their surgical learning. Exit interviews and quantitative data from students actively using these teaching videos are currently being collected by students on their ob/gyn clerkship. Conclusion This video is being used as an accessory teaching tool to supplement surgical teaching. Our goal is for students and surgeon educators to use this tool together in order to lay the groundwork for students to learn about minimally invasive gynecologic surgery, as well as to review the footage after the case to consolidate learning.
A Systematic Review of Cost-Effectiveness of Sodium-Glucose Cotransporter Inhibitors for Type 2 Diabetes

Sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) are the most recently approved class of drugs (since 2012) for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), but their economic merits have yet been fully confirmed. The objective of this review was to evaluate the most updated evidence that examined the cost-effectiveness of SGLT2i for T2DM. We systematically searched Medline (PubMed), EMBASE, and Web of Science for eligible articles from January 1, 2011, to October 31, 2019, using combinations of search words. A supplementary search using reference lists of eligible articles and other review articles was also performed. A multistage screening process was carried out with duplicates removal, abstract screening, and full-text reading to confirm eligibility. Two reviewers independently screened the eligible articles and assessed reporting quality using the Consolidated Health Economic Evaluation Reporting Standards (CHEERS) checklist. A total of 24 studies were included in the final review. All studies showed good quality according to the CHEERS checklist (scored 21–24). Seven studies compared SGLT2i vs. dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors (DPP-4i), 3 studies compared SGLT2i vs. sulfonylureas (SU), 3 compared SGLT2i vs. glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1 RA), 2 compared SGLT2i vs. SGLT2i, 3 compared SGLT2i vs. other antidiabetic therapies including thiazolidinediones (TZD), alpha-glucosidase inhibitors (AGI) or insulin, and 5 compared SGLT2i vs. standard care/metformin. Most studies concluded SGLT2i was cost-effective relative to its comparator except GLP-1 RA, where two studies suggested GLP-1 RA was the favorable treatment option relative to SGLT2i. The literature demonstrated that SGLT2i may be cost-effective compared to many antidiabetic therapies including DPP-4i, SU, TZD, AGI, insulin, and standard care .
Arsenic Concentrations in Ground and Surface Waters across Arizona Including Native Lands

Parts of the Southwestern United States report arsenic levels in water resources that are above the United States Environmental Protection Agency's current drinking water limits. Prolonged exposure to arsenic through food and drinking water can contribute to significant health problems including cancer, developmental effects, cardiovascular disease, neurotoxicity, and diabetes. In order to understand exposure risks, water sampling and testing has been conducted throughout Arizona. This information is available to the public through often non-overlapping databases that are difficult to access and in impracticable formats. The current study utilized a systemic compilation of online databases to compile a spreadsheet containing over 33,000 water samples. The reported arsenic concentrations from these databases were collected from 1990-2017. Using ArcGIS software, these data were converted into a map shapefile and overlaid onto a map of Arizona. This visual representation shows that arsenic levels in surface and ground water exceed the United States Environmental Protection Agency's drinking water limits for many sites in several counties in Arizona, and there is an underrepresentation of sampling in several tribal jurisdictions. This information is useful for water managers and private well owners throughout the State for determining safe drinking water sources and limiting exposure to arsenic.
Convergence Rates of Two-Component MCMC Samplers

Component-wise MCMC algorithms, including Gibbs and conditional Metropolis-Hastings samplers, are commonly used for sampling from multivariate probability distributions. A long-standing question regarding Gibbs algorithms is whether a deterministic-scan (systematic-scan) sampler converges faster than its random-scan counterpart. We answer this question when the samplers involve two components by establishing an exact quantitative relationship between the $L^2$ convergence rates of the two samplers. The relationship shows that the deterministic-scan sampler converges faster. We also establish qualitative relations among the convergence rates of two-component Gibbs samplers and some conditional Metropolis-Hastings variants. For instance, it is shown that if a two-component conditional Metropolis-Hastings sampler is geometrically ergodic, then so are the associated Gibbs samplers.
Utilization of video oculography to quantify oculomotor dysfunction in anti-DPPX encephalitis: A case study

Anti-DPPX encephalitis is an increasingly recognized cause of neurological disability. We describe a case of a 44 year-old woman who presented to our facility with the chief complaint of confusion, weight loss, and a visual disturbance. Multidirectional nystagmus was noted, and she underwent additional evaluation. Anti-DPPX antibodies returned positive, and she treated with immunotherapy with improvement in her symptoms and deficits. We describe the video-oculography findings in the case, and discuss the implications for localization.
Religious Boundaries for Sex, Gender, and Corporeality By A. Cuffel, A. Echevarria, and G. T. Halkias (eds) (2019)

Religious Boundaries for Sex, Gender, and CorporealityBy A. Cuffel, A. Echevarria, and G. T. Halkias (eds) (2019)London: Routledge, 196pp.
Community intervention projects as a strategy to integrate essential public health functions (EPHF) with clinical knowledge into the curriculum of medicine

Background: Students in medical school often do not get the opportunity to apply public health principles to their work. This can affect the likelihood that they will apply population and public health principles in practice. Activities: From 2010 to 2015, the faculty of Medicine at Fundacion Universitaria San Martin from Sabaneta Campus – Colombia, developed an educational strategy called “Community Health Intervention Projects” (CHIP) as a new way to integrate essential public health functions with clinical knowledge into the curriculum. This approach was based on Community-Based Medical Education (COME) and Community-Oriented Primary Care. Seven CHIPS were developed by 65 undergraduate students partnering with organizations as two secondary schools, one clinic, two community-based groups, one nongovernmental organization, and two secretaries of health in four different cities. Outcomes: The breastfeeding programs increased the time of breastfeeding by the mothers and the tools to measure breastfeeding have been used in other research projects (Medellin 2015, Envigado 2017). The project about increasing Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices in Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) in young scholars from two cities (Caldas and Sabaneta) served as a springboard for one of the students of medicine to receive a scholarship to attend the global forum in SRH “Women Deliver” in Kuala Lumpur in 2013. The project about Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery Health-care Program, addressed to children with asthma, were adopted by the Ambulatory Clinics Organization after the results of the pilot program (2016–2017). This project won the TUFH– FAIMER student projects for health award in 2016, showing the sustainability and generalizability of the educational program. Conclusion: Health professions educators can use CHIPS to integrate the mission-related axes in their programs: Academia, research, and extension activities in a community setting.
Advances in the World of Bacterial Microcompartments

Bacterial microcompartments (MCPs) are extremely large (100–400 nm) and diverse proteinaceous organelles that compartmentalize multistep metabolic pathways, increasing their efficiency and sequestering toxic and/or volatile intermediates. This review highlights recent studies that have expanded our understanding of the diversity, structure, function, and potential biotechnological uses of MCPs. Several new types of MCPs have been identified and characterized revealing new functions and potential new associations with human disease. Recent structural studies of MCP proteins and recombinant MCP shells have provided new insights into MCP assembly and mechanisms and raised new questions about MCP structure. We also discuss recent work on biotechnology applications that use MCP principles to develop nanobioreactors, nanocontainers, and molecular scaffolds.
Effectiveness of Complementary and Integrative Approaches in Promoting Engagement and Overall Wellness Toward Suicide Prevention in Veterans.

Objective: Suicide is a major public health problem, specifically among U.S. veterans, who do not consistently engage in mental health services, often citing stigma as a barrier. Complementary and ...
Prehospital shock index outperforms hypotension alone in predicting significant injury in trauma patients.

Background The American College of Surgeons Resources for Optimal Care of the Injured Patient recommends using hypotension, defined as systolic blood pressure ≤90 mm Hg, as an indicator of a full team trauma activation. We hypothesized that an elevated shock index (SI) predicts significant traumatic injuries better than hypotension alone. Methods This is a retrospective cohort study analyzing full team trauma activations between February 2018 and January 2020, excluding transfers and those who had missing values for prehospital blood pressure or heart rate. We reviewed patients’ demographics, prehospital and emergency department vitals, injury pattern, need for operation, and clinical outcomes. The primary outcome was rate of significant injury defined as identified injured liver, spleen, or kidney, pelvis fracture, long bone fracture, significant extremity soft tissue damage, hemothorax, or pneumothorax. Results Among 544 patients, 82 (15.1%) had prehospital hypotension and 492 had normal blood pressure. Of the patients with prehospital hypotension, 34 (41.5%) had a significant injury. There was no difference in age, gender, medical history, or injury pattern between the two groups. There was no difference between the two groups in rate of serious injury (41.5% vs. 46.1%, NS), need for emergent operation (31.7% vs. 28.1%, NS) or death (20.7% vs. 18.8%, NS). On the other hand, SI ≥1 was associated with increased rate of serious injury (54.6% vs. 43.4%, p=0.04). On a logistic regression analysis, prehospital hypotension was not associated with significant injury or need for emergent operation (OR 0.83, 95% CI 0.51 to 1.33 and OR 1.32, 95% CI 0.79 to 2.25, respectively). SI ≥1 was associated with both increased odds of significant injury and need for emergent operation (OR 1.57, 95% CI 1.01 to 2.44 and OR 1.64, 95% CI 1.01 to 2.66). Discussion SI was a better indicator and could replace hypotension to better categorize and triage patients in need of higher level of care. Level of evidence Prognostic and epidemiologic, level III.
Participatory Feeling: Re-Visioning Transformative Learning Theory Through Heron’s Whole Person Perspective:

John Heron’s whole person theory can expand transformative learning theory by elaborating a more nuanced understanding of affect. In contrast to the vague conceptualization of affect’s role and the...
Parasites and promiscuity: Acute disease salience leads to more restricted sexual attitudes:

How does disease threat influence sexual attitudes and behaviors? Although research on the influence of disease threat on social behavior has grown considerably, the relationship between perceived ...
Resolution of status epilepticus after ketamine administration.

Background Status Epilepticus is the most common non-traumatic neurologic emergency in childhood. Current algorithms prioritize the use of benzodiazepines as first line treatment followed by Levetiracetam or Valproic Acid, possibly Fosphenytoin and eventually high dose Propofol and intubation. Case report A 9-month old girl was brought to the emergency department with a continuous seizure involving the right upper and lower extremity for 45 min prior to arrival. Patient received a dose of rectal Diazepam, intramuscular Midazolam, 2 doses of Lorazepam, Levetiracetam, Fosphenytoin and 2 additional doses of Lorazepam. The seizure remained refractory and generalized. In anticipation of intubation, and because of its action on the NMDA receptor, Ketamine (1 mg/kg IV) was administered. The clonic movements and eye deviations stopped. Patient was intubated for airway protection, sedated with Propofol, then admitted to the PICU. EEG showed no evidence of a seizure pattern. Labs (CBC, CMP, COVID) were unremarkable except for WBC 24.5, blood glucose of 346 and CO2 of 17 with normal anion gap. Urinalysis showed a urinary tract infection. Patient was at her baseline on 1 week post-discharge re-evaluation. Ketamine theoretically may abort seizures through blockade of NMDA receptors which are unregulated in status epilepticus. To date, no randomized controlled trials have been reported. WHY SHOULD AN EMERGENCY PHYSICIAN BE AWARE OF THIS?: Ketamine may have a role in treating status epilepticus. It may be considered for induction for rapid sequence intubation and possibly as a third or fourth line agent in refractory cases.
Pressure Behavior during the Loading of Adsorption Systems

Large transients in pressure and flow were observed experimentally during column loading. Results from a single CSTR model agree qualitatively with experiments. Oscillations in pressure and flow occur when a CSTRs-in-series model is used; they appear to smooth out as the limit to plug flow is approached. However, oscillations in pressure and flow were obtained experimentally when columns were connected in series.
Effect of methylphenidate on cardiorespiratory responses in hyperactive children.

Abstract Methylphenidate (Ritalin®) is used for the treatment of hyperactivity in children. The effect of methylphenidate on cardiorespiratory responses during rest and exercise conditions was studied in 20 hyperactive children. Each child was studied during both medicated and placebo conditions (double-blind) with respect to heart rate and oxygen consumption. Heart rate was found to be elevated during methylphenidate medication at rest ( DIFF = 14.2 bpm) and during a 5-min submaximal treadmill walk ( DIFF = 9.2 bpm). The increased heart rate was independent of the work output as reflected by the oxygen consumption of the walk. Tolerance to methylphenidate usage did not appear to develop, although there was a trend toward increased heart rate response to both rest and exercise with an increase in methylphenidate dosage.
Recovering articulated motion with a hierarchical factorization method

Recovering articulated human motion is an important task in many applications including surveillance and human-computer interaction. In this paper, a hierarchical factorization method is proposed for recovering articulated human motion (such as hand gesture) from a sequence of images captured under weak perspective projection. It is robust against missing feature points due to self-occlusion, and various observation noises. The accuracy of our algorithm is verified by experiments on synthetic data.
The 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Russian–Japanese relations

There can be no question that 2011 marked a turning point for Japan in many respects. In addition to the immediate environmental, health, and social consequences of the earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear crisis, the disaster will have profound political implications. This paper investigates the significance of these effects in one area: Russian–Japanese relations. Specifically, it is asked whether, in combination with pre-existing economic and strategic incentives, the closure of Japan's nuclear plants and resulting need to secure abundant new supplies of energy will finally prompt a sustained warming in ties between Japan and its resource-rich northern neighbor. The merits of this proposal are evaluated through close examination of developments in the energy and political fields between March 2011 and February 2013. Findings indicate that there has indeed been a significant increase in energy ties, accompanied by a remarkable turnaround in political relations. This demonstrates that large-scale improvement...
Trade and investment linkages and policy coordination: Lessons from case studies in Asian developing countries

The Asia-Pacific Research and Training Network on Trade (ARTNeT) launched an exploratory study on trade and investment policy linkages and coordination in 2007 , which included exploratory surveys of private sector stakeholders in three South-Asian countries (Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka) on the need for improved trade and investment policy coordination and coherence based on the Policy Framework for Investment (PFI) developed by OECD. Following a short overview of trade and investment linkages from an Asian perspective, this paper summarizes the key findings from the exploratory surveys and draw preliminary policy implications.
Analysis of the myosins encoded in the recently completed Arabidopsis thaliana genome sequence.

BACKGROUND: Three types of molecular motors play an important role in the organization, dynamics and transport processes associated with the cytoskeleton. The myosin family of molecular motors move cargo on actin filaments, whereas kinesin and dynein motors move cargo along microtubules. These motors have been highly characterized in non-plant systems and information is becoming available about plant motors. The actin cytoskeleton in plants has been shown to be involved in processes such as transportation, signaling, cell division, cytoplasmic streaming and morphogenesis. The role of myosin in these processes has been established in a few cases but many questions remain to be answered about the number, types and roles of myosins in plants. RESULTS: Using the motor domain of an Arabidopsis myosin we identified 17 myosin sequences in the Arabidopsis genome. Phylogenetic analysis of the Arabidopsis myosins with non-plant and plant myosins revealed that all the Arabidopsis myosins and other plant myosins fall into two groups - class VIII and class XI. These groups contain exclusively plant or algal myosins with no animal or fungal myosins. Exon/intron data suggest that the myosins are highly conserved and that some may be a result of gene duplication. CONCLUSIONS: Plant myosins are unlike myosins from any other organisms except algae. As a percentage of the total gene number, the number of myosins is small overall in Arabidopsis compared with the other sequenced eukaryotic genomes. There are, however, a large number of class XI myosins. The function of each myosin has yet to be determined.
Alpha Particles and Protons Emitted in the Bombardment of Au 197 and Bi 209 by C 12 , N 14 , and O 16 Projectiles

Angular distributions, energy spectra, and absolute cross sections have been measured for alpha particles emitted in the bombardment of ${\mathrm{Au}}^{197}$ and ${\mathrm{Bi}}^{209}$ by ${\mathrm{C}}^{12}$, ${\mathrm{N}}^{14}$, and ${\mathrm{O}}^{16}$ projectiles at bombarding energies of 10.5 Mev/nucleon and for the C+Bi reaction at reduced energies of 8.7 and 7.1 Mev/nucleon. Angular distributions and absolute cross sections have also been measured for protons from the C+Bi and O+Bi reactions at bombarding energies of 10.5 Mev/nucleon. It was found that, from the angular distributions and energy spectra, it was possible to separate the contributions from direct and evaporation processes. The direct alpha particle results suggest that the principal direct process involved is the breakup of the incident projectile in an interaction with the surface of the target nucleus. At the 10.5 Mev/nucleon bombarding energies the cross sections for the emission of direct protons and direct alpha particles are found to be about 10% and 25-35%, respectively, of the calculated total reaction cross sections. The evaporation cross sections depend strongly on the excitation energy available in the compound system. The evaporation energy spectra can be fitted by an expression of the form $\mathrm{exp}(\ensuremath{-}\frac{{E}_{\ensuremath{\alpha}}}{T})$ and the results yield an average level density parameter, $a=22\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}2$ ${\mathrm{Mev}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$, for these reactions.
An XML-based collaborative framework for ASIC eDesign

Efficient management of the large number of expertise and services required for design and verification of complex integrated circuits demands a collaborative design environment. Such an environment should be able to accommodate distributed design teams and design services, as well as heterogeneous design tools and data models. This paper describes a web-based framework for collaborative design of complex integrated circuits such as Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASIC) and System-on-a-chip (SoC). The XML-based framework provides a collaborative environment for secure exchange and OnDemand conversion of heterogeneous design data and delivery of design services. It enables sharing of design data among various design tools and applications by utilizing a central data XML schema. The framework enables transport of integrated design data, design services and EDA tools across a unified XML protocol. The virtual central database provides managed access, control, collaboration, and sharing of expertise and design services across LAN, Intranet, or Internet. Secure design data and silicon IP interchange are supported across distributed design centers. Outsourced resources and internal expertise are integrated via IBM Customer Connect or industry standard HTTP tunnel protocols. A web-based silicon IP portal for OnDemand IP design specification, qualification and data exchange is developed based on the system architecture described in this paper.
Skeletons in the Closet: HOSTAGES AND SKELETONS IN POLAND, HUNGARY, AND THE CZECH REPUBLIC

This chapter uses the main empirical implications derived from the TSI model to explain the variation in the passage of lustration laws observed in Figure 1.1. I start by explaining why I collected data in Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic. Next, I discuss the nature of the elite interview data. I talk of its advantages and limitations. The interviews are used in two ways to illustrate the model's results: first in analytic narratives, next in the form of aggregated responses. I illustrate the use of the qualitative data to corroborate one of the assumptions of the skeletons model: namely, that the issue of accountability for past human rights violations was salient during the roundtable negotiations. Next, I derive empirical implications from the skeletons model. Case Selection All three countries under investigation here share two important features: Their transitions were final and nonviolent. In fact, even though dubbed “revolutions,” their actual peaceful character earned the intentionally oxymoronic adjectives of “velvet” (Czechoslovakia), “self-limiting” (Poland) (Staniszkis and Gross 1984), and “negotiated” (Hungary) (Bruszt 1990). The lack of violence in post-communist transitions leaves little room for doubt about their contractual character and makes them suitable for applying the TSI model. The contracting sides entered roundtable pacts voluntarily, not under the threat of force. In the words of Andrzej Garlicki, the author of a famous historical account of the Polish roundtable negotiations: “The roundtable negotiations are a global-scale phenomenon: Without a broken glass or any bloodshed whatsoever, a regime transition took place. Nobody, with perhaps the exception of extreme political optimists, could have foreseen such an unfolding of events” (Garlicki 2003).
Abstract T P23: Endovascular Treatment of Stroke in Elderly Patients: Comparison With Conventional Thrombolysis and Best Medical Treatment

Background and Purpose: Elderly patients have often been excluded from randomized stroke trials. The benefit of endovascular treatment of stroke in these patients remains uncertain. We sought to evaluate the outcomes of elderly patients treated endovascularly compared to those treated with conventional thrombolysis or best medical therapy. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed all stroke patients admitted to our center between 2008-2011. We included all patients age 75 or older with large vessel occlusion presenting within 8 hours of stroke onset. We evaluated outcomes at discharge including modified rankin score (mRS) and mortality as well as symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage (sICH) within 24 hours for patients receiving endovascular treatment (EVT) with or without conventional thrombolysis , intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) or best medical treatment (BMT). Good outcome was defined as mRS of 3 or less at discharge. Results: A total of 91 patients met the inclusion criteria. 41 patients underwent EVT, 19 received IVtpa, and 31 BMT. Baseline NIHSS was not significantly different between the groups (17 SD 7, 16 SD 5, 14 SD 8 respectively). There was no difference in good outcomes between patients undergoing EVT compared to BMT (unadjusted OR 1.46, 95% CI 0.44-4.9), IVT compared to BMT (OR 2.4, 95% CI 0.62-9.36), or EVT compared to IVT (OR 0.61, 95% CI 0.18-2.06). There was no difference in mortality for the EVT, IVT, and BMT groups (22%, 26%, and 16% respectively, chi square p=0.79 for intergroup differences). Similarly there was no difference in rates of sICH 12%, 11%, and 3% p=0.41. Conclusion: Despite similar mortality and cerebral hemorrhage rates, we found no difference in good outcome for elderly patients treated with endovascular therapy or intravenous thrombolysis compared to best medical treatment within 8 hours of stroke onset. Larger studies are needed to clarify the role of intervention in elderly stroke patients.
MECHANISMS OF CELL REARRANGEMENT AND CELL RECRUITMENT IN DROSOPHILA OVARY MORPHOGENESIS AND THE REQUIREMENT OF BRIC A BRAC

The Drosophila ovary consists of repeated units, the ovarioles, where oogenesis takes place. The repetitive structure of the ovary develops de novo from a mesenchymal cell mass, a process that is initiated by the formation of a two-dimensional array of cell stacks, called terminal filaments, during the third larval instar. We have studied the morphogenetic process leading to the formation of terminal filaments and find that this involves recruitment, intercalation and sorting of terminal filament cells. Two other types of cell stacks that participate in ovary morphogenesis, the basal stalks and interfollicular stalks, also form by cell rearrangement utilizing a convergence and extension mechanism. Terminal filament formation depends on the Bric a brac protein, which is expressed in the nuclei of terminal filament cells and is cell autonomously required. Disruption of terminal filament formation, together with defects of basal and interfollicular stalk development, leads to disruption of ovariole formation and female sterility in bric a brac mutants.
Dependence and Independence in Clinical Supervision

Abstract Dependence and independence can pose important learning issues in clinical supervision. Dependence in supervisees is frequently defined as a problem, while independence is more likely to be valued and supported. The differential valuation of dependence and independence in the supervisory relationship reflects core cultural values which are embodied in traditional psychodynamic developmental theories. This paper explores the challenges to learning posed by supervisee independence, and conceptualizes these challenges using the developmental learning theory of L.S. Vygotsky, a Soviet Psychologist.
Temporomandibular Joint MRI

The sections in this article are 1 Introduction 2 Anatomy and Physiology 3 Treatment 4 Technique 5 Elements of a TMJ Interpretation 6 Summary 7 Biographical Sketch Related Articles
Role of the Translocation Factor G in the Regulation of Ribonucleic Acid Synthesis

Abstract In an Escherichia coli rel+arg strain (ES-2) which carries a temperature-sensitive “G factor,” the synthesis of ribonucleic acid (RNA) continues at the nonpermissive temperature (42 C) even though protein synthesis is terminated. However, at 32 C, the strain exhibits a stringent control of RNA synthesis in the absence of arginine. The stringent control of RNA synthesis imposed by trimethoprim (an inhibitor of initiation of protein synthesis) at 32 C is released at the nonpermissive temperature. Even the diauxie lag in RNA synthesis, which is regulated independently of the allelic state of the rel gene, is overcome by inactivation of the G factor. The unusual guanosine nucleotide, guanosine 5′-diphosphate 2′ or 3′-diphosphate (ppGpp), is produced in small amounts during growth in strain ES-2. Withdrawal of arginine results in a greater accumulation of this compound at 32 C. At 42 C, the synthesis of ppGpp is abolished and is considerably lower than the level found in ES-2 under normal growth conditions. These results indicate that the translocation factor G plays an important role in the regulation of RNA synthesis and in the synthesis of ppGpp.
Comparison of VDL modes in the aeronautical telecommunications network

VHF digital link (VDL) has been identified as a method of communication between aircraft and ground stations in the aeronautical telecommunications network (ATN). Three different modes of VDL have been suggested for implementation. Simulations were conducted to compare the data transfer capabilities of VDL modes 2, 3, and 4. These simulations focus on up to 50 aircraft communicating with a single VDL ground station. The data traffic is generated by the standard file transfer protocol (FTP) and hyper text transfer protocol (HTTP) applications in the aircraft. Comparisons of the modes are based on the number of files and pages transferred and the response time.
Density and length

Abstract An axiomatization is provided of the density dimension together with a parallel axiomatization of length, which is completely equivalent to the classical one. The strategy is to weaken the traditional identity and associativity axioms for length, respectively, to the solvability and interchange axioms of the present paper—these weaker axioms are true for density as well as length. From an empiricist view, the crucial axioms are intermediacy (the density of a composition is intermediate between those of the components) for density, and extension (the length of a composition is no smaller than that of either component) for length. From a rationalist view, explored in the Appendix, the crucial axioms are intermediacy for density and the Archimedean property for length. From either view, every axiom of either dimension is also true in the other, save for the crucial ones.
An atomistic study of grain boundary segregation and cracking

Abstract A Monte Carlo model is applied to study a Σ = 5 (310) fcc tilt boundary structure and impurity segregation to this boundary. The Johnson-type potential functions are used to express atomic interactions for two binary alloys of NiCu and CuSb systems. Through atomic relaxation near absolute zero, the basic structural unit of the Σ = 5 CSL boundary is found to dissociate into two subunits. For the NiCu system, copper segregation to the boundary follows the Gibbsian equilibrium segregation behavior in which the segregation is localized on a few atomic layers, its amount increases with increase in the bulk concentration but decreases with increase in temperature. For the CuSb system, an assumption of the CuCu bond weakening due to the strong, adjacent CuSb bonds is also incorporated to realize the embrittling effect of Sb atoms. The preferential site for the large Sb atoms is the vertex of a pentagonal bipyramid in the Σ = 5 grain boundary. Without bond weakening, the Sb-segregated grain boundary maintains a structure combined with a distorted pentagonal bipyramid and a capped trigonal prism. However, with bond weakening some bonds of the trigonal prisms are disrupted in order to form new pentagonal bipyramids. When a uniaxial strain is applied in the direction perpendicular to the grain boundary plane, the weakened copper bonds become the source of microcracks thus enhancing brittle fracture along the Sb-segregated grain boundary.
The effect of a tumor promoter, 12-O-tetradecanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate (TPA), on sister-chromatid exchange formation in cultured Chinese hamster cells

The tumor promoter 12-O-tetradecanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate (TPA) does not increase the sister-chromatid exchange (SCE) frequency in either Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) or lung (V 79) cells which are cultured in the presence of 5-bromodeoxyuridine. Moreover, TPA does not alter the induction of SCEs in CHO cells by mitomycin C during the first 3 cycles following addition of the alkylating agent. These SCE induction data do not by themselves support the hypothesis that tumor promotion by TPA depends on the enhancement of mitotic recombination.
Coordination Languages and MPI Perturbation Theory: The FOX Tuple Space Framework for Resilience

Coordination languages are an established programming model for distributed computing, but have been largely eclipsed by message passing (MPI) in scientific computing. In contrast to MPI, parallel workers never directly communicate, instead "coordinating" indirectly via key-value store puts and gets. Coordination often focuses on program expressiveness, making parallel codes easier to implement. However, coordination also benefits resilience since the key-value store acts as a virtualization layer. Coordination languages (notably Linda) were therefore leading candidates for fault-tolerance in the early '90s. We present the FOX tuple space framework, an extension of Linda ideas focused primarily on transitioning MPI codes to coordination programming. We demonstrate the notion of "MPI Perturbation Theory," showing how MPI codes can be naturally generalized to the tuple-space framework. We also consider details of high-performance interconnects, showing how intelligent use of RDMA hardware allows virtualization with minimal added latency. The framework is shown to be resilient to degradation of individual nodes, automatically rebalancing for minimal performance loss. Future fault-tolerant extensions are discussed.
Short- and Long-Term Effects of Postoperative Corticosteroids on Trabeculectomy

All patients with primary open-angle or primary angle-closure glaucoma requiring trabeculectomy between January 1982 and January 1983 were entered into a randomized prospective study to evaluate the effect of postoperative corticosteroids. Twenty-three eyes in Group 1 received a cycloplegic and topical antibiotic. Twenty-nine eyes in Group 2 received the same treatment, with the addition of topical 1% prednisolone acetate. Twenty-three eyes in Group 3 received the same treatment as Group 2, with the addition of systemic prednisone. Success rate was significantly improved with the use of topical corticosteroids. Systemic steroids did not prove to be of any added benefit over topical use alone.