cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
1002-89 Cost Effectiveness of Coil Embolization of Patent Ductus Arteriosus

Transcatheter closure of patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) using the Rashkind occluder is less effective and more costly than surgical closure. Coil embolization is an alternative method of closing a small PDA. We reviewed our experience to compare current costs of coil embolization and surgical closure. Between 3/3/86 and 8/31/94, 19 patients (ages 16 months to 43 years) underwent cardiac catheterization for possible coil embolization of PDA. Fourteen (74%) had successful coil placement (range of minimum PDA diameter 1.0–3.0 mm; fluoroscopy time 27 ± 10 min). Closure was documented by Doppler echocardiography in 13 patients; one patient with a trace shunt has not had post-catheterization follow-up. Five PDA's were not embolized and had subsequent surgical ligation. Two were not attempted because of deficient aortic diverticulum and 3 failed (2 with minimum PDA diameter g 3.3 mm had snare retrieval of coils embolized into the pulmonary artery and-l was removed due to poor coil position). One of the patients who failed PDA embolization required surgical femoral artery embolectomy. The last nine patients catheterized (12/1/93–8/31/94) were all successfully embolized without complication. Total cost, including all hospital and professional fees, was available in 12 of 14 patients from the embolization group (8 of the last 9). Average cost for all embolizations was $8062 ± 2934. Cost decreased to $6796 ± 941 in the last 8 patients (p l 0.01). Average cost of uncomplicated surgical PDA ligation in 5 patients (ages 16 months to 9 years; 7/1/93 to 8/31/94) was significantly greater at $11,679 ± 1813 (p l 0.05 for all embolizations and p l 0.001 for recent embolizations). Average total cost for unsuccessful embolization followed by surgical closure was $25,582 ± 5120 for the 3 patients who failed embolization. We conclude that coil embolization of small PDA is very effective and is less expensive than surgical closure. Our success rate improved and cost and complication rate decreased with experience.
Statistical thermodynamics evaluation of polymer–polymer miscibility

The Simha and Somcynsky (S–S) statistical thermodynamics theory was used to compute the solubility parameters as a function of temperature and pressure [δ = δ(T, P)], for a series of polymer melts. The characteristic scaling parameters required for this task, P*, T*, and V*, were extracted from the pressure–temperature–volume (PVT) data. To determine the potential polymer–polymer miscibility, the dependence of δ versus T (at ambient pressure) was computed for 17 polymers. Close proximity of the δ versus T curves for four miscible polymer pairs: PPE/PS, PS/PVME, and PC/PMMA signaled the usefulness of this approach. It is noteworthy, that the tabulated solubility parameters (derived from the solution data under ambient conditions) propounded the immiscibility of the PVC/PVAc pair. The computed values of δ also suggested miscibility for polymer pairs of unknown miscibility, namely PPE/PVC, PPE/PVAc, and PET/PSF. In recognizing the limitations of the solubility parameter approach (the omission of several thermodynamic contributions), these preliminary results are auspicious because they indicate a new route for estimating the miscibility of any polymeric material at a given temperature and pressure. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 42: 2909–2915, 2004
Comparison of Young's modulus and specific heat anomalies at the magnetic transition in α'-NaV2O5

Abstract We have measured Young's modulus (using a vibrating reed technique) and the specific heat (using ac calorimetry) on the same crystals of α′-NaV 2 O 5 at its T c =34 K magnetic phase transition. Both properties exhibit large, unsymmetrical, and sample-dependent anomalies. While the specific heat results suggest tricritical behavior of the transition, large fluctuation effects are observed in the modulus above T c . Fits of the modulus in terms of the specific heat, entropy, and free energy suggest that fluctuations are strongly stress- and sample-dependent.
Identification of the template-binding cleft of T7 RNA polymerase as the site for promoter binding by photochemical cross-linking with psoralen.

We describe a novel method of photo-cross-linking DNA-binding proteins to DNA employing psoralen as a tether. We apply this method for the interaction of T7 RNA polymerase to its promoter. The crystallographic model of T7 RNA polymerase shows a cleft formed by the palm, thumb, and fingers domains. It was proposed that template DNA binds in the cleft. Here we directly and positively identify, in solution, the cleft as the seat of template binding. We photo-cross-linked a 23 bp promoter DNA to T7 RNA polymerase. We then determined the masses of cross-linked tryptic peptides by mass spectrometry and analyzed their amino acid composition. The cross-linked peptides were projected on the crystal structure of T7 RNA polymerase. The peptides nicely decorated the back, front, and side wall of the cleft. In a previous work [Sastry et al. (1993) Biochemistry 32, 5526−5538] we used site-specific psoralen furan-side monoadducts for cross-linking DNAs to DNA-binding proteins. We cross-linked a single-stranded 12-mer ol...
Effects of snake venom on rabbit basophil leukocytes.

Abstract Rabbits respond to treatment with Crotalus atrox venom with a biphasic basopenic response. The lecithinase A content of snake venom may satisfactorily account for the rapid depletion of basophils in rabbit blood, while other mechanisms, possibly endocrine, may account for the delayed response. Constituents other than lecithinase A are responsible for the major portion of the lethal action of Crotalus atrox venom in rabbits.
Teacher, is there a gifted reader in first grade?

A crucial task for the first grade teacher is to determine skill deficiencies in an early reader's ability so that the instructional program is truly differentiated.
Studies on Action of Penicillin. V. Virulence of Penicillin‘Resistant Strains of Meningococcus

SummaryThe antibody response of swine to formolized swine influenza virus adsorbed on alum is essentially the same as that to the vaccine dispersed in saline solution. The chief influence of the alum is a brief delay in the peak response. The higher concentrations of alum lessen the primary antibody response, but the subsequent antibody levels and the rates of diminution in titers are nearly identical with the two sorts of vaccine.
Oxime Derivatives of the Intermediary Oncostatic Metabolites of Cyclophosphamide and Ifosfamide: Synthesis and Deuterium Labeling for Applications to Metabolite Quantification

There is ongoing interest in the selective, quantitative analysis of the cyclophosphamide metabolites 4-hydroxycyclophosphamide (2a) and aldophosphamide (3a) because these tautomers are generally believed to play a key role in oncostatic selectivity and metabolite transport. O-(2,3,4,5,6-Pentafluorobenzyl)hydroxylamine (C6F5CH2ONH2, 1 equiv) provided for the complete conversion (by 31P NMR, 60% reaction within 15 min at 20°C) of 2a/3a (175272mM in H2O/CH3OH) to E/Z-aldophosphamide O-(2,3,4,5,6-pentafluorobenzyl)oxime [C6F5CH2ON=CHCH2CH2OP-(O)(NH2)N(CH2CH2Cl)2; E:Z = 54:46 (±3% average deviation)]. Under these conditions, the oxime exhibited little (6%) decomposition over 3 weeks. Parallel studies showed that 4-hydroxyifosfamide/aldoifosfamide reacted completely to give the analogous aldoifosfamide oxime [C6F5CH2ON=CHCH2CH2OP(O)(NHCH2CH2Cl)2; E:Z = 52:48 (±1% average deviation)] with 50% reaction within 15 min at 20 °C with no product decomposition over 3 weeks. In aqueous methanol and with 2 equiv C6F5CH2ONH2, clinically useful 4-hydroperoxycyclophosphamide (10 mM; τ1/2 = 10 min, 37 °C) and its isomer 4-hydroperoxyifosfamide (10 mM; τ1/2 = 25 min, 20 °C) underwent complete conversion to the corresponding aldehyde oximes. Each oxime was synthesized with deuterium in the chloroethyl moieties for use as internal standards in GC/MS applications.
The Occurrence of Auxin-induced Pectin Methylation in Plant Tissues

Treatment of coleoptile tissues with indoleacetic acid (IAA) lead to an enhanced incorporation of mnethyl groups into both the cold-water-soluble uronic acids (C-Pectin) and the hot-water-extractable fraction of the cell wall (HW-Pectin). This promotion of pectin methylation is one of the most extensively studied of the biochemical effects of auxin (4, 5, 7, 8, 9). There are 2 reasons for this particular attention. First, it is one of the few biochemical effects which has been shown to occur in response to auxin rather than to cell elongation. This is indicated by the fact that IAA still enhances pectin methylation even when all cell elongation is osmotically inhibited (9). Secondly, it was thought that this reaction might be important in the loosening of the cell wall and, thus, in auxin-induced cell elongation (8,9). This possibility has been eliminated by the finding that auxin-induced cell elongation can occur even when auxin-induced methylation is completely blocked by ethionine (5). Although this auxin-induced pectin methylation does not lead to cell elongation, it may still be important in the growth or development of cells. If this is so, one might expect to find this particular biochemical effect in most primary plant tissues. At present, auxin-induced pectin methylation has only been found in one highly specialized organ, the coleoptile of Avena and maize (4). The following investigation was carried out in order to determine whether auxin-induced pectin methylation is of common occurrence in plant tissues. Selected for study were tissues in which elongation is promoted by IAA (Avena coleoptile, maize coleoptile and mesocotyl, Helianthus hypocotyl, and pea epicotyl), insensitive to IAA (Avena leaf), or inhibited by IAA (pea root).
Derivation of the Casimir limit phonon distribution using the Boltzmann transport equation

The modes of energy transfer in solid thin films of electrically insulating material are lattice vibrations, which take the form of elastic waves. These energy waves are quantized and referred to as phonons. Phonon theory combines mechanics, statistics, thermodynamics, and quantum theory to provide an approximation for the energy transferred through a lattice due to disturbances in the equilibrium distances between atoms. On the macroscale, the heat transfer can be modeled by Fourier`s equation as q = -{lambda}{triangledown}T, where {triangledown}T is the local temperature gradient. This model yields accurate results when the mean free path of the phonons is much smaller than the thickness of the film. This form of transport is referred to as conductive transport and is based on an approximation of scattering events and phonon-phonon interference occurring within the solid. 12 refs.
THE SCALE WHERE SUPERSYMMETRY BREAKS: A NEW PARAMETER IN UNIFIED MODELS

We examine supersymmetry breaking in string-inspired models through gaugino condensation in the hidden sector. With the physically sensible assumption that observable supersymmetry breaking effects turn off above the gaugino condensation scale (Λh), we derive a realistic range for the scale where supersymmetry breaks (1012 GeV<ΛSUSY= Λh<1016 GeV) which should be contrasted with the usual identification of ΛSUSY with the gauge coupling unification scale. We also derive constraints on the hidden sector to be consistent with this ΛSUSY range and to allow supersymmetry breaking with a perturbative gauge coupling in two-gaugino-condensate models. We then establish ΛSUSY as a new parameter in two unified models, the supersymmetric standard model (SSM), and the string-inspired standard model (SISM). We briefly review the two models, examining radiative electroweak breaking and the resulting phenomenology to determine allowed regions in parameter space as a function of ΛSUSY for a few representative cases. We als...
Cattle or Sheep Reduce Fawning Habitat Available to Columbian White- tailed Deer in Western Oregon

Abstract We studied responses of Columbian white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus leucurus) to cattle and sheep in western Oregon because of viability concerns. We used radio-telemetry, observations from horseback, and searches with a trained dog to determine fawning habitat, dam home ranges, and habitat use by fawns. Dams (n = 12) shifted ( = 366 m, P < 0.05) their center of activity by establishing disjunct areas of use prior to fawning. Ten dams exhibited their largest Euclidian movement during May—July; 7 females undertook extended ( = 1445 m) forays during spring. Three natal sites averaged 1926 m from the center of the dam's annual home-range. Dams avoided (P < 0.05) areas with livestock during fawning; 3 fawns were encountered during 243 h of searching (1 fawn/91.4 h) in areas with livestock stocking levels of ≥2.5 animal use month/ha (AUM), whereas 39 fawns were encountered during 275 h of searching (1 fawn/7.1 h) in areas with <2.5 AUM of livestock use. Natal areas (n = 52) were in denser luxu...
Sum rules and optical moments for a coarse scattering medium

The frequency-dependent extinction cross section of an ellipsoidal particle is examined from the point of view of sum rules and optical moments. For particles of any size a second-moment representation generates a characteristic extinction cross-section frequency that depends only on the plasma frequency, the dc dielectric constant of the bulk material, and the particle shape and is independent of the order or the disorder inside the object. In addition, this characteristic extinction frequency has the same value as the characteristic absorption frequency previously found for the small-particle Rayleigh limit. To illustrate these intrinsic features, numerical calculations are carried out on spherical shells and on silicon spheres. A spherical particle with fractal structure is used to demonstrate that the characteristic frequency can depend on a special internal structure of the particle. Finally, the characteristic frequency of a dust of randomly oriented ellipsoids is determined. Since the characteristic extinction frequency is independent of particle size, size distributions cannot influence its value.
A Brief History of Electronic Reserves

Electronic reserves has existed as a library service for barely ten years, yet its history, however brief, is important as an indicator of the direction being taken by the profession of Librarianship as a whole. Recent improvements in technology and a desire to provide better service to students and faculty have resulted in the implementation of e-reserves by ever greater numbers of academic libraries. Yet a great deal of confusion still surrounds the issue of copyright compliance. Negotiation, litigation, and legislation in particular have framed the debate over the application of fair use to an e-reserves environment, and the question of whether or not permission fees should be paid to rightsholders, but as of yet no definitive answers or standards have emerged.
Standing on the schemas of giants: socially augmented information foraging

People spend an enormous amount of time searching for complex information online; for example, consumers researching new purchases or patients learning about their conditions. As they search, people build up rich mental schemas about their target domains; which, if effectively shared, could accelerate learning for others with similar interests. In this paper we introduce a novel approach for integrating the schemas individuals develop as they gather information online and surfacing them for others with similar interests. Through a controlled experiment we show that having access to others' schemas while foraging for information helps new users to induce more useful, prototypical, and better-structured schemas than gathering information alone.
Polychlorinated acetamides from the cyanobacterium Microcoleus lyngbyaceus.

Several new compounds were isolated from the organic extract of the cyanobacterium Microcoleus lyngbyaceus, and their structures were determined by spectroscopic means. Polychlorinated acetamidoalkynes and alkanes were the major metabolites. 6-Acetamido-1,1,1-trichloroundecane, a positional isomer of the naturally occurring 5-acetamido-1,1,1-trichloroundecane, was synthesized in six steps from δ-decanolactone.
SOME PROPERTIES OF PLANT WAXES IN RELATION TO CLIMATE OF HABITAT

Since the melting points of fatty oils and alkaloids have been found to vary in accordance with the climatic habitats of the plants producing them, it is of interest to determine whether a similar condition exists in the case of vegetable waxes. Waxes, like fatty oils, may be considered when chemically pure as salts of an acid or acids and an alcohol (esters). Waxes, too, have melting points intermediate between the oils and the alkaloids. If waxes have differences in melting points in accordance with their climatic habitats, then concomitant variations may be expected in their molecular weights and empirical formulae.
Change Point Model for Hazard Function

In the previous chapters, we presented change point analyses for various models. In this chapter, we introduce another change point problem, often encountered in reliability analysis, the problem of estimating the change point in a failure rate or hazard function.
Motor learning in the binocular tracking system

Motor learning is the ability that the brain utilizes to optimize a task. The human brain has the ability to change its motor control strategy with the use of memory and learning. This study analyzed the latency of convergent and divergent eye movements from a predictable and nonpredictable stimulus. Two stimulus types, a single frequency sinusoidal wave and a multi frequency sinusoidal wave, were presented to the subject. The subject was asked to track the target and data were collected utilizing an eye movement monitor. The goal of the study was to determine If the feedback portion of the vergence system changed as a result of learning. Results show that the response-timing Index decreases and movements can occur before stimulus onset when learning Is utilized.
Environmentally induced spectral shifts of oxidized lumiflavin : charge transfer and electrochromic effects

Abstract Spectroscopic INDO calculations have been performed on molecular complexes of lumiflavin and lumiflavin in the presence of point charges. In complexes with appropriate “ligands”, both model flavins and certain flavoenzymes exhibit red-shifted absorption spectra. In addition, redshifted flavoprotein spectra may arise from the presence of nearby charged amino acid residues. Optical spectra have been calculated for stacked charge transfer complexes of lumiflavin and anthranilic acid based on crystal coordinates (H.-S. Shieh et al., Biochemistry, 20 (1981) 4766). Calculations on 1:1 complexes red shifted the lowest energy π→π* transition relative to lumiflavin by ca. 1400 cm− and added an out-of-plane (2) component to its transition moment vector. The red shift arises from a destabilization of the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) which, in the complex, contains about 50% contribution from the anthranilic acid. The lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) remains > 98% lumiflavin; its energy is unaffected by the presence of the anthranilic acid. These results demonstrate that the lowest energy transition of the 1:1 complex reflects a transfer of net charge from the anthranilic acid donor (HOMO) to the lumiflavin acceptor (LUMO). The addition of an “extra” lumiflavin to the stack dramatically decreased the calculated red shift because of lumiflavin-lumiflavin exciton interactions that favored the enhancement of a higher energy component. These interactions were found to be very dependent on the relative lateral displacement of the lumiflavin subunits. The electrostatic shifts induced by positive and negative point charges placed both 3.5 A above the lumiflavin and in-plane 2 A outside the van der Waals surface were also calculated. Red shifts of various magnitudes were obtained with both positive and negative charges at all positions, except within a plane that lies roughly normal to the transition dipole direction of the lowest energy π→π∗ transition and bisects the flavin. These results suggest that charged amino acid groups within flavoproteins will induce mostly red shifts.
Interaction Effects of Students, Drugs and Alienation.

The purpose of this study was to examine the interaction effects of students, drugs and alienation in a large university. More specifically, the study attempts to test the linkages of both social and political alienation with drug behavior. By using a statistical technique to test for interaction the study found that certain forms of alienation were important predictors of drug usage. The interaction terms which composed these forms of alienation were evaluated as to their comparative ability to produce drug behavior.
Origin of the low-temperature drift mobility increase in a-Si: H

Abstract The low-temperature rise in drift mobility in a-Si: H is interpreted in terms of a hopping model. The model predicts a critical temperature above which the transport level is pinned at the conduction band edge giving an activated behaviour of the drift mobility and below which the transport level falls in the gap leading to non-dispersive transport. It also predicts the rise of the drift mobility below the critical temperature when the transport level falls faster than k b T. In conclusion, we have shown that (1) hopping can account for the observed low-temperature drift-mobility behaviour if one properly takes into account the position of the dominant transport level and if one applies the calculations to a density of states with a sharp drop, and that (2) the mobility rise is the result of the fast decrease of the hopping activation energy that accompanies the lowering of the temperature.
Entrainment Mapping in Patients With Sustained Atrioventricular Nodal Reentrant Tachycardia: Insights Into the Sites of Conduction Slowing in the Slow Atrioventricular Nodal Pathway

Abstract The inferoposterior region of the triangle of Koch is hypothesized to be the location of the atrial insertion of the slow atrioventricular (AV) nodal pathway. However, the actual site of conduction slowing in the slow AV nodal pathway is unknown. Entrainment mapping during AV nodal reentry can localize the reentrant pathway as follows: the AH interval measured from the mapping catheter = A′H (where A′ is the exit site of the reentrant circuit) minus A′A (the conduction time from A′ to the site of mapping); the SH interval during entrainment = SA′ (the conduction time from stimulus into the reentry circuit) plus A′H. Thus, in all cases, the SH interval should be greater than or equal to the AH interval, and the ΔAH-SH should increase as distance and conduction time (SA′ and A′A) from the reentry circuit increases. Fourteen patients with typical AV nodal reentry (cycle length 346 ± 62 ms) and 1 with fast-slow (cycle length 430 ms) underwent activation and entrainment mapping from 8 to 12 sites in the triangle of Koch and coronary sinus. Pacing was performed at 2 to 3 mA above threshold, at a cycle length 10 ms shorter than tachycardia. A mapping site was defined as being in close proximity to the circuit if the ΔAH-SH was within 120% of the shortest 20th percentile ΔAH-SH value from all measured sites. In the 14 typical cases, 45 of 83 sites (54%) in the anatomic slow pathway region fulfilled criteria for close proximity to the reentry circuit compared with 13 of 50 sites (26%) outside of this region (p = 0.005). For these patients, the shortest SH interval measured from any entrainment site was 294 ± 58 ms (89 ± 10% of tachycardia cycle length, range 70% to 119%), indicating that the site of slow conduction in the slow pathway during AV nodal reentrant tachycardia was distal to all mapped sites. Thus, during typical AV nodal reentry, the “slow” pathway does not conduct slowly, and its insertion is located at or within the inferoposterior or midseptal regions in most cases.
Outcomes of Stent Thrombosis and Restenosis During Extended Follow-Up of Patients Treated With Bare-Metal Coronary Stents

Background— Concern regarding risk of late thrombosis after “off-label” treatment with drug-eluting stents has prompted increased use of bare-metal stents (BMS) in current practice. The sequelae of late BMS failures, however, have been poorly characterized. Methods and Results— We performed a retrospective study of 4503 consecutive patients treated with at least 1 BMS and dual antiplatelet therapy between 1994 and 2000. The cumulative incidence of stent thrombosis was 0.5% at 30 days (95% CI, 0.3% to 0.7%), 0.8% at 1 year (95% CI, 0.6% to 1.1%), and 2.0% at 10 years (95% CI, 1.5% to 2.5%). Risk of late (30 days to 1 year) and very late (>1 year) BMS thrombosis was increased among patients considered off label for drug-eluting stent use (P=0.024). When saphenous vein graft interventions were excluded, however, risk after off-label use was not significantly increased (P=0.23). Other correlates included vein graft intervention, prior myocardial infarction (MI), peripheral vascular disease, and ulcerated lesi...
Optically-induced molecular reorientation in nematic liquid crystals and nonlinear optical processes in the nanoseconds regime

We present a detailed theoretical analysis and experimental study of purely optically-induced nematic axis reorientation and the associated nonlinear optical processes such as self-phase modulations and optical switching. It is shown that under a sufficiently intense laser field (∼ 100 MW/cm2), nematic liquid crystals will respond in the nanosecond regime. Single nanosecond laser pulse self-phase modulation and intensity switching effects are observed. The magnitude and dynamics of the response are in agreement with theoretical expectations. Optical power limiting and switching effects associated with self-phase modulations are also demonstrated.
A Data Model for Data Integration

Data integration systems provide a uniform query interface (UQI) to multiple, autonomous data sources [Alon Y. Halevy. Answering queries using views: A survey. The VLDB Journal, 10(4):270-294, 2001]. This paper presents the universal data model (UDM) that captures the semantically salient aspects of relational, entity-relationship, and XML data models. As a consequence, UDM - including its accompanying query language - provides a simple and elegant UQI for integrating data represented in some of the most widely adopted data models.
Simulation of time-discontinuous chemically-aided intergranular fracture

In this work, based on experimental observations, a model for the pressure dependent diffusion and accumulation of hydrogen ahead of a propagating intergranular crack front is developed. In the model, the pressure dependency of the diffusion is incorporated into the activation energy of an Arrhenius form of the material's diffusivity tensor along high-diffusivity grain boundaries. Inherent to the model is that large amounts of hydrogen can be absorbed into the crack's process zone, due to the high triaxial stress in that region, which produces a larger effective diffusivity locally. Further ahead, the effective diffusivity quickly decreases. The combined effect forms a barrier to further rapid penetration, which leads to the mentioned accumulation of the hydrogen in the process zone. Theoretical aspects of the model are discussed and numerical simulations of the transient distributions of hydrogen and subsequent crack front propagation are performed to illustrate the main characteristics of the model.
Recovery of escherichia coli and vibrio cholerae from aquatic microcosms

Abstract Escherichia coli and Vibrio cholerae strains were inoculated separately, and together, to aquatic microcosms containing water of 7–25‰ salinities. V. cholerae could be recovered for up to 56 days if sediment was stirred before sampling, but for only 14 days from the unstirred water column. E. coli could be recovered for no more than 7 days, and lost its metallic sheen characteristic on EMB or Endo agar after 24 h, and the characteristic blue colony color on M-FC agar was lost by fecal strains after exposure to salinity for 48–72 h. Results reported indicate that the coliform criteria for harvest of shellfish in estuarine waters needs critical re-evaluation.
Universal traversal sequences with backtracking

We introduce a new notion of traversal sequences that we call exploration sequences. Exploration sequences share many properties with the traversal sequences defined in (AKL+), but they also exhibit some new properties. In particular, they have an ability to backtrack, and their random properties are robust under choice of the probability distribution on labels. Further, we present extremely simple constructions of polynomial length universal exploration sequences for some previously studied classes of graphs (e.g. 2-regular graphs, cliques, expanders), and we also present universal exploration sequences for trees. Our constructions beat previously known lower-bounds on the length of universal traversal sequences.
Ischemia-induced cleavage of cadherins in NRK cells: evidence for a role of metalloproteinases

Although ischemia has been shown to disrupt cell adhesion, the underlying molecular mechanism is unknown. In these studies, we adapted a model of ischemia-reperfusion to normal rat kidney (NRK) cel...
A decentralized variable ordering method for distributed constraint optimization

Many different multi-agent problems, such as distributed scheduling, can be formalized as distributed constraint optimization problems (DCOP [1]). Ordering the constraint variables is an important preprocessing step of the ADOPT algorithm [1], the state of the art method of solving DCOP. Currently ADOPT uses depth-first search (DFS) trees for that purpose. For certain classes of tasks DFS ordering does not exploit the problem structure as compared to pseudo-tree ordering [3]. Also the variables are currently ordered by using a centralized scheme, which requires global information about the problem structure.We present a variable ordering algorithm, which is both decentralized and makes use of pseudo-trees, thus exploiting the problem structure when possible. This allows to apply ADOPT to domains, where global information is unavailable, and find solutions more efficiently. The worst-case pseudo-tree depth resulting from our algorithm is √2k|V|, where V is the set of variables, and k is maximum cluster size in constraint graph. The algorithm has space and time complexity polynomial in size of the constraint graph.
Current trends in the philosophy of medicine

. The philosophy of medicine, a developing discipline, is defined as critical reflection on the activity of medicine. The clinical encounter is both its central aspect and the focus for philosophical analysis. The most systematic example of this discipline employs a mixture of empiricism and phenomenology. Systems thought presents an organizing schema by which the philosophy of medicine can move toward a more comprehensive and fundamental analysis of its own agenda, which includes four main topics: understanding the patient-physician interaction, concepts of health and disease, foundations of medical ethics, and the dialogue between medicine and the larger culture.
Visual evoked potentials detect cortical processing deficits in Rett syndrome.

Objective Rett syndrome (RTT) is a neurodevelopmental disorder caused by mutation of the X-linked MECP2 gene and characterized by developmental regression during the first few years of life. The objective of this study was to investigate if the visual evoked potential (VEP) could be used as an unbiased, quantitative biomarker to monitor brain function in RTT. Methods We recorded pattern-reversal VEPs in Mecp2 heterozygous female mice and 34 girls with RTT. The amplitudes and latencies of VEP waveform components were quantified, and were related to disease stage, clinical severity, and MECP2 mutation type in patients. Visual acuity was also assessed in both mice and patients by modulating the spatial frequency of the stimuli. Results Mecp2 heterozygous female mice and RTT patients exhibited a similar decrease in VEP amplitude that was most striking in the later stages of the disorder. RTT patients also displayed a slower recovery from the principal peak of the VEP response that was impacted by MECP2 mutation type. When the spatial frequency of the stimulus was increased, both patients and mice displayed a deficit in discriminating smaller patterns, indicating lower visual spatial acuity in RTT. Interpretation VEP is a method that can be used to assess brain function across species and in children with severe disabilities like RTT. Our findings support the introduction of standardized VEP analysis in clinical and research settings to probe the neurobiological mechanism underlying functional impairment and to longitudinally monitor progression of the disorder and response to treatment. Ann Neurol 2015;78:Ann Neurol 2015;78:679–696
“I Reach to Where the Freedom Is”: The Influence of the Slave Narrative Tradition on A. J. Verdelle's The Good Negress

Abstract The Good Negress, A. J. Verdelle's choice of title for her first novel, implies a certain character type—specifically, the obedient female slave. Deneese's joy in cleaning and the novel's setting in 1960s Detroit problematize any limited view of the novel as an oppressive statement about contemporary enslavement. I believe Verdelle expects her readers to keep the slavery tradition in mind throughout the novel, and I propose that in form and content the novel both depends on and undermines the literary tradition of the slave narrative.
Fast and Accurate Analytical Modeling of Through-Silicon-Via Capacitive Coupling

In this paper, we present analytical models for fast estimation of coupling capacitance of square-shaped through-silicon vias (TSVs) in three-dimensional integrated circuits (3D ICs). Errors between our model and Synopsys Raphael simulation on regular TSV structures remain less than 6.03% while the computation time of our model for capacitance estimation is negligible. We also develop a simple capacitance estimation technique to extract TSV-to-TSV coupling capacitance in general layouts. Average errors between our model and Raphael simulation on random TSV structures is 5.06%-8.24%, and maximum errors remain less than 18.91% which is tolerable for fast capacitance estimation in computer-aided design area.
From Fin-De-Siecle to New Age Thought

The lead-up to the birth of Australia was the first fin-de-siecle period, and its 1901 constitution came as the great Victorian age was giving way to the Edwardian era. According to Frank Kermode in his 1974 book on D.H. Lawrence, underlying all the views of this period, which saw Nietzsche "newly available in cheap translation", was "a strong sense of historical dissolution [and] the need for renovation". An avant-garde thinking developed which was pervaded by a "blend of theosophy; socialism, sexual reformism, evolutionism [and] religious primitivism". Out of this atmosphere, Kermode continues, came not only "new theories of history and the psyche" but also Lawrence's "Leadership" novels, which included his Australian effort Kangaroo. Another eminent literary commentator, George Steiner, in his little book on Heidegger (1992), says the writings associated with many of the early twentieth-century "isms" were all "meant to be read either by men and women doomed to decay, or by men and women destined to undergo some fundamental renovation, some agonising rebirth out of the ash of a dead past." Taking such remarks on the intellectual currents of the period of Australia's birth as a signpost, I set out to put these currents and the Australian political culture together.
Electrochemical Performance and Safety of Lithium Ion Battery Anodes Incorporating Single Wall Carbon Nanotubes

Single wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) were incorporated into lithium ion battery anodes as conductive additives in mesocarbon microbead (MCMB) composites and as a free-standing support for silicon active materials. In the traditional MCMB composite, 0.5% w/w SWCNTs were used to replace 0.5% w/w SuperP conductive additives. The composite with 0.5% SWCNTs had nearly three times the conductivity which leads to improved electrochemical performance at higher discharge rates with a 20% increase in capacity at greater than a C/2 rate. The thermal stability and safety was measured using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and a 35% reduction in exothermic energy released was measured using the highly thermally conductive SWCNTs as an additive. Alternatively, free-standing SWCNT papers were coated with increasing amounts of silicon using a low pressure chemical vapor deposition technique and a silane precursor. Increasing the amount of silicon deposited led to a significant increase in specific capacity (>2000 mAh/g) and coulombic efficiency (>90%). At the highest silicon loading, the surface area of the electrode was reduced by over an order of magnitude which leads to lower solid electrolyte interface formation and improved safety as measured by DSC.
Platelet-Rich Plasma May Improve Osteochondral Donor Site Healing in a Rabbit Model.

PurposeThe purpose of this study was to assess the effect(s) of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) on osteochondral donor site healing in a rabbit model.MethodsOsteochondral donor sites 3 mm in diameter and 5 mm in depth were created bilaterally on the femoral condyles of 12 New Zealand White rabbits. Knees were randomized such that one knee in each rabbit received an intra-articular injection of PRP and the other received saline (placebo). Rabbits were euthanized at 3, 6, and 12 weeks following surgery. Repair tissue was evaluated using the International Cartilage Repair Society (ICRS) macroscopic and histological scores.ResultsNo complications occurred as a result of the interventions. There was no significant difference in macroscopic scores between the 2 groups (5.5 ± 3.8 vs. 3.8 ± 3.5; P = 0.13). Subjective macroscopic assessment determined greater tissue infill with fewer fissures and a more cartilage-like appearance in PRP-treated knees. Overall ICRS histological scores were better in the PRP group compare...
Effect of SPNE on hybrid breed production and epigenetic inheritance of rice

The male parent and female parent was treated by Special plant nutritional element(shorted for SPNE) when hybrid breeding,and the effect of different treatment on hybrid breed production and seedling quality of rice was compared.The results indicated that the hybrid seed fertility,single plant yield and apparent genetic effect of rice treated by SPNE were higher than the control.Among them,the hybrid seed fertility,single plant yield and apparent genetic effect of the treatment that male parent and female parent both treated by SPNE,surpassed the treatment that only female parent treated by SPNE.And the latter exceeded the control.Different treatment seeds germinated and grew at the same condition.The germination percentage,amylase vigor of the seed treated by SPNE,as well as the plant weight,chlorophyll content and protein content of seedling were higher than the control.Furthermore,the treatment treated by SPNE produced some apparent genetic effect.The content of main nutritional ingredient of seeds that male parent and female parent both treated by SPNE was higher than the control.
Fractured Ribs and the CT Funky Fat Sign of Diaphragmatic Rupture.

Traumatic diaphragmatic rupture remains a diagnostic challenge for both radiologists and surgeons. In recent years, multidetector CT has markedly improved the diagnosis of diaphragmatic injury in polytrauma patients. Herein, we describe two cases of subacute presentation of traumatic diaphragmatic rupture from a penetrating rib fracture and subsequent intrathoracic herniation of omental fat, representing the CT “funky fat” sign.
A SHORT LIST OF PROBLEMS

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses a few problems , such as the Poincare Conjecture in dimensions 3 and 4, the Smith Conjecture, the Novikov Conjecture, and the h-Cobordism conjecture in dimension 4. A conjecture very closely related to Hilberts Fifth Problem is the conjecture that every compact group that acts effectively n a manifold in a Lie group. If G is such a group, then either G is a Lie group or G contains the p-adic group A p and A p acts effectively on manifold. If the p-adic group A p acts effectively on the n -dimensional manifold M , then the dimension of the orbit space M/ A p is either infinite or N + 2 .
Experimental verification of distortion analysis of welded stiffeners

This paper presents an experimental verification for the predictive distortion analysis approach proposed in Michaleris & DeBicarri (1996,1997) and Vanli & Michaleris (2001) for welded T-type stiffeners. The predictive technique employing the decoupled 2-D and 3-D approach is used for the prediction of buckling distortion and the magnitude of bowing distortion. Two-dimensional thermo-mechanical welding process simulations are performed to determine the residual stress. The critical buckling stress along with the buckling mode are computed in 3-D eigenvalue analyses. Large deformation analyses are carried out to predict the magnitude of bowing distortion. Experimental validation of the prediction is carried out in the lab. Welding experiments are carried out using welding conditions identical to those used in the FEA model. The computational results are then verified with experimental observations.
Patterns: From Chaos to Order

The search for regularity is a dominant theme in man’s attempt to understand the world around him. Any such attempt is based on an assumption, tacitly made or explicit, that phenomena in nature and in the man-made world are governed by laws that result in order and structure.
Dark energy and inflation with a volume normalized action

In the theories described by a volume normalized action functional, an arbitrary cosmological constant is eliminated from the physical picture of our Universe, and dynamical alternatives must be responsible for today's accelerated expansion as well as the conjectured early-time inflation in the Universe. A few well-known such scenarios realized by a single homogeneous scalar field are examined in this new context, and their diverse fates are elucidated. Typical inflationary models are not affected at the level of the background evolution, and also give rise to the scalar perturbations equivalent to those obtained in the standard general relativity; however, the primordial quantum tensor fluctuations are absent in the new framework, irrespective of the inflationary model. As a consequence, our proposal would be ruled out should the primordial tensor modes, or their indirect consequences, be observed experimentally.
Business Cycle Synchronization and Monetary Policy Coordination Between the U.S. and China: Evidence From a Structural VAR Model

This article studies the interactions between the U.S. and China’s economies in an integrated structural VAR model. We incorporate seven variables representing both the U.S. and China’s economies and use both short-run and long-run restrictions to identify the structural shocks and examine impacts of these shocks on outputs, prices, and monetary policies of the two countries. Using monthly data from 2000:1 to 2015:6, we find that China’s business cycles have become increasingly synchronized with the U.S. economy and China’s monetary policy coordinated with that of the United States, since China’s output, consumer price, and monetary policy all respond in a symmetric way to the U.S. macroeconomic shocks, but the same is not found for the United States to China’s. However, we do find that China exerts influence on the U.S. consumer price. Our results have important policy implications regarding the bilateral economic relations between China and the United States.
Community Success: Rethinking Public Services in Academic Libraries

ABSTRACTThe members of our communities interact with library services, resources, and spaces through a number of touchpoints. In academic libraries, those touchpoints often come through curricular and co-curricular activities. A critical goal of connecting our community to our library via the curriculum is to enhance student learning, which we address through internal activities, such as developing instruction plans and external activities, such as exhibits and workshops. We, then, design rigorous assessments and a multitude of program evaluation projects to measure howwell libraries contribute to student learning so that we can communicate the degree to which we meet that goal. This article is a reframing of that progression—defining our community, what we do for that community, why, and how well—as an invitation to challenge our assumptions about public services and community success.
Exploring the Utility of Longitudinal Clinical Electives in Training Dual-Degree Students

Longitudinal clinical encounters have proven to be effective alternatives to traditional single-specialty block rotations in medical education. These experiences enhance learning by allowing students to develop longer relationships with patients and mentors and to participate in interdisciplinary care. Though proven useful for students pursuing the MD degree, application and assessment of such longitudinal clinical experiences have not been studied with students seeking a dual degree. At our institution, students working towards both MD and PhD degrees have considerably longer matriculation periods than their single-degree peers. In the years in which they concentrate on research towards the PhD, they traditionally have not taken part in clinical activities, threatening atrophy of clinical knowledge and skills attained to that point. To counter this effect, our institution has developed a longitudinal clinical elective (LCE) in which students can take part simultaneous with their research tasks. We interviewed 16 dual-degree students after participation in the LCE and learned that they garnered similar benefits to those experienced by single-degree students participating in longitudinal clerkships. Additionally, students in our study described ways in which they were able to not only preserve but also enhance their clinical acumen, as well as ways in which simultaneous research and clinical endeavors complemented one another. Our exploratory study suggests that given the long matriculation of dual-degree students, LCEs are effective in mitigating atrophy of clinical skills and are useful in various other ways that we highlight. These findings may benefit other types of dual-degree students (e.g., MD/MBA) as well.
Cognitive Health in the Postmenopausal Woman

Publisher Summary Promising results from observational studies suggest that hormone replacement therapy (HRT) attenuates age-related cognitive decline and decreases the risk of Alzheimer's disease. However, results from Women's Health Initiative Memory Study (WHIMS) clearly demonstrate that conjugated equine estrogen and medroxyprogesterone acetate do not benefit cognitive health in women aged 65 or older. These drugs should not be used to maintain cognitive function in these women. HRT may exert a cognitive benefit in younger postmenopausal women, particularly those reporting menopausal symptoms. Cognitive benefit is most often seen on measures of attention and verbal memory. These impairments of cognitive dysfunction may be among the menopausal symptoms ameliorated by HRT in some women. It would be clinically prudent to prescribe HRT only for its approved indications and to caution younger women initiating HRT about the WHIMS findings. Further research is needed on the effects of timing of HRT and on the cognitive effects of other hormone preparations, doses, modes of administration, and effects of the various progestational agents used in combination therapy.