cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Impact of Obesity on Risk Factors for Adverse Outcomes in Patients Undergoing Elective Posterior Lumbar Spine Fusion.

Study design Retrospective case-control study. Objective The aim of this study was to determine the influence of obesity on risk factors for adverse outcome after lumbar spine fusion (LSF). Summary of background data Obesity is risk factor for complications after LSF and poses unique challenges regarding optimization of care. Nonetheless, this patient population is not well-studied. Methods Adult patients undergoing LSF were identified the State Inpatient Database. Patients were identified as obese or nonobese using ICD-9 codes. Outcome variables were 90-day readmission, major medical complication, infection, and revision rates. Data were queried for demographics, comorbidities, surgery characteristics, and outcome variables. Logistic multivariate regression was utilized, serially testing interactions between obesity and other independent variables in separate models for each outcome. The Benjamini-Hochberg procedure was used to adjust statistical significance for multiple comparisons. Results A total of 262,153 patients were included: 31,062 obese and 231, 091 nonobese. For major complications, obese patients had lower odds ratios (ORs) versus nonobese patients for cerebrovascular accident, diabetes with chronic complications, age ≥65, congestive heart failure, history of myocardial infarction, renal disease, chronic pulmonary disease, Medicare/Medicaid payor, more than two levels fused, transforaminal/posterior lumbar interbody fusion, and female sex, and higher OR for non-White race. For readmission, obese patients had lower OR for age ≥65, history of MI, renal disease, and mental health disease, and higher OR for female sex. For revision, obese patients had higher OR for female sex and TLIF/PLIF. For infection, obese patients had lower OR for diabetes with and without chronic complications, and higher OR for female sex. Conclusion Many medical comorbidities have less impact in obese patients than nonobese patients in predicting adverse outcomes despite increased rates of adverse outcomes in obese patients. These findings reflect the impact of obesity as an independent risk factor and have important implications for preoperative optimization.Level of Evidence: 3.
Observational Evidence for the Co-evolution of Galaxy Mergers, Quasars, and the Blue/Red Galaxy Transition

We compile a number of observations to estimate the time-averaged rate of formation or buildup of red sequence galaxies, as a function of mass and redshift. Comparing this with the mass functions of mergers and quasar hosts, and independently comparing their clustering properties as a function of redshift, we find that these populations trace the same mass distribution, with similar evolution, at redshifts 0 ~10^11 M_solar at z ~50%) assembled at a given redshift, which increases with redshift over the observed range in a manner consistent with suggestions that cosmic downsizing may apply to red galaxy assembly as well as star formation. These mass distributions as a function of redshift do not uniformly trace the all/red/blue galaxy population, ruling out models in which quasar activity is generically associated with star formation or is long lived in 'old' systems.
Inhibition of MET Signaling with Ficlatuzumab in Combination with Chemotherapy in Refractory AML: Clinical Outcomes and High-Dimensional Analysis

Acute myeloid leukemia patients refractory to induction therapy or relapsed within one year have poor outcomes. Autocrine production of hepatocyte growth factor by myeloid blasts drives leukemogenesis in pre-clinical models. A phase Ib trial evaluated ficlatuzumab, a first-in-class anti-HGF antibody, in combination with cytarabine in this high-risk population. Dose-limiting toxicities were not observed, and 20 mg/kg was established as the recommended phase II dose. The most frequent treatment-related adverse event was febrile neutropenia. Among 17 evaluable patients, the overall response rate was 53%, all complete remissions. Phospho-proteomic mass cytometry showed potent on-target suppression of p-MET after ficlatuzumab treatment and that attenuation of p-S6 was associated with clinical response. Multiplexed single cell RNA sequencing using prospectively acquired patient specimens identified interferon response genes as adverse predictive factors. The ficlatuzumab and cytarabine combination is well-tolerated with favorable efficacy. High-dimensional analyses at single-cell resolution represent promising approaches for identifying biomarkers of response and mechanisms of resistance in prospective clinical studies.
When It's Right to Be "Wrong": The Effects of Overconfidence and Planning on Product Performance in a Dynamic Environment

Some authors emphasize overconfidence may benefit managers by increasing decision-making efficiency, whereas others argue it results in serious errors. This study helps resolve the debate by examining the relationship between overconfidence and product performance, as well as testing whether planning might mediate the link. The study sampled 52 small computer companies that had decided to introduce a product. It examined the manager's overconfidence and planning when the product was launched and measured the product's performance 18 months later. We found that overconfidence decreased planning, planning decreased performance, and, as hypothesized, planning mediated the relationship between the two other variables. By examining the meditating role of planning, we were able to better identify the causal relationships and clarify the effects of overconfidence.
Multibus-based parallel processor for simulation

A Multibus-based parallel processor simulation system is described. The system is intended to serve as a vehicle for gaining hands-on experience, testing system and application software, and evaluating parallel processor performance during development of a larger system based on the horizontal/vertical-bus interprocessor communication mechanism. The prototype system consists of up to seven Intel iSBC 86/12A single-board computers which serve as processing elements, a multiple transmission controller (MTC) designed to support system operation, and an Intel Model 225 Microcomputer Development System which serves as the user interface and input/output processor. All components are interconnected by a Multibus/IEEE 796 bus. An important characteristic of the system is that it provides a mechanism for a processing element to broadcast data to other selected processing elements. This parallel transfer capability is provided through the design of the MTC and a minor modification to the iSBC 86/12A board. The operation of the MTC, the basic hardware-level operation of the system, and pertinent details about the iSBC 86/12A and the Multibus are described.
Mathematics in Historical Context: The Eighteenth Century

Great Britain Neither William nor Anne (Mary's sister, and William's successor) produced an heir to the throne, so on June 12, 1701, Parliament passed the Act of Settlement which expressly stated that the crown of England would pass to Sophia of Hanover, the granddaughter of James I (and daughter of Frederick V the “Winter King”), or any Protestant children she might have, and not to ex-king James or his children. Thus on William's death in 1702, Anne became Queen of England and Scotland (Mary predeceased her husband). Anne knighted Newton in 1705 (the first scientist to be honored for his scientific work), and became the first monarch of Great Britain after Parliament passed the Act of Union on May 1, 1707, formally recognizing the unification of Scotland and England. A new nation needed a new flag, and the St. Andrew's cross (a white ×, symbol of Scotland) combined with the St. George's cross (a red +, symbol of England) to form the “Union Flag”, a precursor to the modern British flag. In addition to a new flag, England received a new symbol. In 1712, Anne's personal physician JOHN ARBUTHNOT (April 29, 1667–February 27, 1735) published The Law is a Bottomless Pit , usually known by its subtitle, The History of John Bull . Published as a series of five pamphlets, the satire told the tale of how an honest clothier, John Bull, and a linen-draper, Nicholas Frog, spent all their money in a lawsuit against Louis Baboon. The personifications were transparent to anyone: John Bull was England, Nicholas Frog the Netherlands, and Louis Baboon was France.
Effect of Chemistry on the Physical Properties of Perovskite and Post‐Perovskite

We use density functional theory to study the effect of Fe and Al on properties of MgSiO 3 perovskite and post-perovskite. The addition of Fe increases the compressibility and density of MgSiO 3 and considerably decreases the transition pressure between the two phases. MgSiO 3 perovskite transforms to post-perovskite at about 112 GPa. FeSiO 3 is stable as post-perovskite at all pressures relative to perovskite. We find ferrous iron to be in a high spin state over the whole mantle pressure range, and it partitions preferentially into the post-perovskite structure. Ferrous iron in MgSiO 3 decreases the seismic wave velocities and slightly decreases the seismic anisotropy. At 120 GPa, FeSiO 3 post-perovskite has Vp= 12.4 km/s and Vs = 6.3 km/s and MgSiO 3 post-perovskite has Vp = 14.2 km/s and Vs = 7.9 km/s. The seismic anisotropy of post-perovskite MgSiO 3 is 15% for Vp and 26% for Vs. Aluminum slightly decreases the density and increases the transition pressure. Pure alumina transforms from perovskite to post-perovskite at 120 GPa. Al 2 O 3 also increases the compressibility of perovskite and decreases that of post-perovskite. Al decreases the seismic wave velocities and considerably increases the seismic anisotropy of post-perovskite. At 120 GPa, post-perovskite Al 2 O 3 has V p = 13.8 km/s and Vs = 7.4 km/s and seismic anisotropy of 18% for Vp and 43% for Vs. For proposed mantle compositions such as pyrolite the changes in seismic wave velocities due to the transition from perovskite to post-perovskite, that is positive jumps in both Vp and Vs, can explain those observed at the top of the D" layer.
Tl-based high temperature superconducting cuprates: Structure and properties

The structure and properties of the Tl-based high temperature superconducing cuprates are reviewed. The single Tl−O layered phases Tl(Sr/Ba)2 Ca2Cu3O9 stabilized by substitution of Pb or Bi in the Tl site are being developed for technological applications, because of their high T c , excellent magnetic flux pinning and minimal weak-link behavior. Some of the factors that affect the high temperature superconducting properties, including substitutions, electronic structure, oxygen nonstoichiometry and defects are discussed in relation to the structure.
Jonathan Karp: The Politics of Jewish Commerce: Economic Thought and Emancipation in Europe, 1638–1848

The Politics of Jewish Commerce is a learned, subtle, and at times penetrating study. Its premise is that Jews are a revealing lens through which to dissect the many controversial, multilayered, and perennially fascinating questions about the rise of capitalism in Europe. This premise holds particularly true for the period before the mid-nineteenth century, when the legal status of Jews in Christian Europe was often linked to their perceived economic utility and danger, and when the power of money to shape society, politics, and culture was not taken for granted and elicited ambivalent responses. In Karp's lucid prose, "A central argument of this book is the notion that a specifically Jewish commerce served a vital function in Western thought. It served to abstract various types of activities from the generality of economic life and, through their association with stigmatized Jews, make them vehicles for expressing widely felt anxieties about commerce in a manner that was politically safe and psychically tolerable" (p. 2). Karp examines how Jewish and Christian authors between 1638 and 1848 depicted Jews' economic roles in medieval and early modern Europe. At the same time, he connects these authors' images of "Jewish commerce" to heated debates about the legal status and political rights of Jews. One of Karp's considerable merits is thus to have shown the interdependence between economic and political ideologies, the economic dimension of political debates about Jewish emancipation, and, more generally, the didactic function that Jewish history played in the history of European political and economic thought. The parade of authors Karp analyzes begins with the seventeenth-century Venetian rabbi Simone Luzzatto a clear indication that Jewish scholars participated in these debates and that their voices influenced both coreligionists and gentiles in the years and centuries to come. Luzzatto made an "ingenious argument" (p. 22) that both exalted the beneficial effect of Jewish commerce on the Christian polity and downplayed Christian fears by emphasizing Jews'
Statistical models for term compression

Summary form only given. Computing systems frequently deal with symbolic tree data structures, which are also known as terms in universal algebra and logic. Our goal is to develop universal, effective and efficient term compression techniques superior to specialized or universal compression techniques currently available. Our approach is to use knowledge of term structure to build accurate universal statistical models of terms. These models can compress terms faster or more effectively than comparable sequential methods. We present two statistical term models that are related to Markov random fields over trees. These models gather statistical information about parent-child symbol relationships in terms. Huffman or arithmetic codes generated from these probability estimates are used to encode the terms. In the first model, a symbol's value is predicted by the value of its parent symbol alone. Thus, in compressing a subterm of the form t+u, the +operator would be used to select a specialized code for the root symbols of subterms t and u. The second model also uses the symbol's argument position as a predictor. For example, in compressing t+u, we would make different probability estimates for the first and second arguments, and use one code to encode the first children of + and another code for the second children. It might be the case that t+1 (but not 1+t) occurs frequently for many different terms t, in which case we could give 1 a shorter code as the second child of +. We have not achieved our goal of improved term compression, but we believe that more sophisticated and more effective techniques remain to be investigated. For example one improvement would be to make a term version of PPM in which contexts are ancestor symbols in the term rather than predecessors in a sequence. Our implementation could be viewed as a first step in that direction.
Graphene Oxide Colloidal Suspensions as Cutting Fluids for Micromachining—Part II: Droplet Dynamics and Film Formation

Part-2 of this paper is focused on studying the droplet spreading and the subsequent evaporation/film-formation characteristics of the graphene oxide colloidal solutions that were benchmarked in Part-1. A high-speed imaging investigation was conducted to study the impingement dynamics of the colloidal solutions on a heated substrate. The spreading and evaporation characteristics of the fluids were then correlated with the corresponding temperature profiles and the subsequent formation of the residual graphene oxide film on the substrate. The findings reveal that the most important criterion dictating the machining performance of these colloidal solutions is the ability to form uniform, sub-micron thick films of graphene oxide upon evaporation of the carrier fluid. Colloidal suspensions of ultrasonically-exfoliated graphene oxide at concentrations < 0.5 wt% are best suited for micromachining applications since they are seen to produce such films. The use of thermally-reduced graphene oxide suspensions at concentrations < 0.5 wt% results in non-uniform films with thickness variations in the 0–5 μm range that are responsible for the fluctuations seen in the cutting force and temperatures. At concentrations ≥ 0.5 wt%, both the thermally-reduced and ultrasonically-exfoliated graphene oxide solutions result in thicker and non-uniform films that are detrimental for machining results. The findings of this study reveal that the characterization of the residual graphene oxide film left behind on a heated substrate may be an efficient technique to evaluate different graphene oxide colloidal solutions for cutting fluids applications in micromachining.© 2015 ASME
Transduction of Gal+ by Coliphage T1 II. Role of λ Transcription Control in the Efficiency of Transduction

One of the crossovers leading to the transduction of Escherichia coli W3350 or one of its derivatives for the Gal(+) marker by T1 grown on donors lysogenic for lambda must occur to the right of the galactose operon. The location of this crossover determined both the rate of transduction and the lambda genes which control the transduction by (lambda-gal)T1. When the crossover occurred either to the left of gene N or the right of the cI gene, it was affected in a positive fashion by the gene product of the N(+) gene. When the crossover occurred either to the left of gene N or between N and gene Q, its efficiency was not significantly affected by the expression of Q(+). However, crossovers to the right of gene Q were greatly stimulated by the presence of a functioning Q gene on the chromosome of (lambda-gal)T1 hybrid. The repressor made by the cI(+) gene of lambda blocked efficient transduction. Therefore, the control of efficient transduction by (lambda-gal)T1 is the same as the control of transcription of lambda. It is concluded that the increased efficiency of transduction by (lambda-gal)T1 in nonimmune recipients is not caused by any particular product of a gene but rather by the process of transcription itself.
Licorice-induced pseudoaldosteronism

Licorice ingestion as a cause of pseudoaldosteronism is discussed. The mechanism whereby licorice, when consumed in large quantities, exhibits the physiologic properties of aldosterone, is reviewed. A case report of a 51-year-old male hospitalized with hypertension and hypokalemia is presented with reports of laboratory findings which lead to the diagnosis of pseudoaldosteronism.
New species of Aristolochia and Pararistolochia (Aristolochiaceae) from Australia and New Guinea.

Abstract In preparation for a forthcoming revision of the family Aristolochiaceae in Australia and New Guinea, a total of 14 new species and two new subspecies are described. Due to the fact that Aristolochiaceae within the region fall into two distinctive, well-defined groups of species, it was considered necessary to examine the affinities of these within the family. One group belongs to Aristolochia , whereas the other is clearly accommodated in Pararistolochia , the latter previously regarded as being solely a tropical African genus. The distinction between Pararistolochia and Aristolochia is discussed. It is concluded that the Australia and New Guinea taxa were found to substantiate circumscription of Pararistolochia . Two new species of Aristolochia ( A. nauseifolia and A. goliathiana ) are described, as well as 12 species of Pararistolochia (P. alexandriana, P. australopithecurus, P. biakensis, P. kepara, P. manokwariensis, P. meridionaliana, P. paradisiana, P. peninsulensis, P. tithonusiana, P. sepikensis, P. sparusifolia, P. linearifolia ). Two subspecies of P. meridionaliana (subsp. popondettensis and subsp. milnensis ) are described. Eleven other taxa from Australia and New Guinea are newly combined under Pararistolochia: P. deltantha F. Muell., 1868; P. dictyophlebia Merr. & Perry, 1948; P. dielsiana O.C. Schmidt, 1923; P. engleriana O.C. Schmidt, 1927; P. gracilifolia O.C. Schmidt, 1923; P. laheyana Bail., 1912; P. momandul K. Sch., 1889; P. praevenosa F. Muell., 1861; P. pithecurus Ridl., 1914; P. schlechteri Laut., 1905; as well as P. decandra Ding Hou, 1983, from Borneo.
Declarative ad-hoc sensor networking

Networking protocols for distributed collaborative ad-hoc wireless sensing are constrained by requirements such as energy efficiency, scalability, and support for greater variations in topology than traditional fully wired or last- hop wireless (remote to base station) networks. In such a highly constrained and dynamic environment, conventional networking approaches are generally not adequate. A declarative approach to network configuration and organization appears to offer significant benefits. Declarative networking exploits application-supplied data descriptions to control network routing and resource allocation in such a way as to enhance energy efficiency and scalability. An implementation of this approach, called the Declarative Routing Protocol (DRP) has been developed as part of DARPA's Sensor Information Technology program. This paper introduces the concept of declarative networking and what distinguishes it from more conventional networking approaches, describes the Declarative Routing Protocol, and presents performance results from initial experiments.© (2000) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Glauber exchange amplitudes for the scattering of electrons from hydrogenlike ions

A simple analytic expression for the Coulomb-Glauber-Ochkur amplitudes is derived for the exchange scattering of electrons from hydrogenic ions. The exchange amplitude is combined with the direct Coulomb-Glauber amplitude, derived by Thomas and Franco, to calculate the exchange-corrected cross section for the process e + He/sup +/(1s) ..-->.. e + He/sup +/(2s). The results are compared with other theoretical calculations and experimental data.
Coppicing alters ecophysiology of Quercus rubra saplings in Wisconsin forest openings

In the spring of 1987, entire shoots were removed from Quercus rubra L. saplings in two southwestern Wisconsin forest openings. Shoots possessed newly expanding leaves at the time of coppicing. All coppiced individuals sprouted from dormant stem buds near the root collar. Leaf gas exchange and water potential were monitored on these sprouts and on untreated (control) Q. rubra saplings throughout several clear warm days during the 1987 growing season. Daily maxima and averages for sprout leaf photosynthesis and stomatal conductance generally exceeded those of controls. On average, treatment differences in daily maximum photosynthetic rate were modest (11–14%) and were attributed primarily to a 30–38% enhancement of sprout leaf stomatal conductance. Relative differences in daily average photosynthetic rate (29–39%) were substantially larger than those in daily maximum photosynthesis, owing to the fact that sprouts and controls exhibited distinct diurnal gas exchange patterns. Photosynthetic rate and stomatal conductance of control leaves typically declined during the day following a mid-morning maximum. Sprout leaves, on the other hand, tended to maintain gas exchange rates nearer to their morning maxima throughout the day. This difference in diurnal gas exchange pattern was associated with an apparent differential leaf sensitivity to leaf-to-air vapor pressure gradient (VPG). The relative decline in sprout leaf gas exchange rates with increasing VPG was less than that of controls. Treatment differences in gas exchange did not appear to be related to leaf water potential or tissue water relations, but sprouts had a higher soil-to-leaf hydraulic conductivity than controls.
The 100 Brightest X-Ray Stars within 50 Parsecs of the Sun

Based on the Hipparcos and Tycho-2 astrometric catalogs and the ROSAT surveys, a sample of 100 stars most luminous in X-rays within or around a distance of 50 pc is culled. The smallest X-ray luminosity in the sample, in units of 1029 ergs s-1, is LX = 9.8; the strongest source in the solar neighborhood is II Peg, a RS CVn star, at LX = 175.8. With respect to the origin of X-ray emission, the sample is divided into partly overlapping classes of pre–main-sequence, post–T Tauri, and very young ZAMS objects (type XY), RS CVn–type binary stars (type RS), other active short-period binaries, including binary BY Dra–type objects (type XO), apparently single or long-period binary active evolved stars (type XG), contact binaries of WU UMa kind (type WU), apparently single or long-period binary variable stars of BY Dra kind (type BY), and objects of unknown nature (type X?). Chromospherically active, short-period binaries (RS and XO) make up 40% of the brightest X-ray emitters, followed by young stars (XY) at 30% and unknown sources (X?) at 15%. The fraction of spectroscopically single evolved X-ray emitters of spectral classes IV and III is quite large (10%). The sources identified as RS CVn–type stars (RS, 23 objects) are considerably stronger in X-ray than the XY-objects and the other active binaries (XO and WU, 20 objects). Seven objects have LX > 100, all RS except one XY, viz., BO Mic. Only five (22%) RS objects have LX 25. Formally, the limit of LX = 25 could serve as a statistical criterion to differentiate RS and XY stars. However, the other short-period binaries (including eclipsing stars of Algol and β Lyr type) have a distribution of LX very similar to the XY objects. The contact binaries (WU) appear to be much weaker in X-rays than their detached counterparts of RS type, but the sample of the former is too small (three objects) to reach a firm conclusion. Sources matched with giants (either single or in binaries) are found to be significantly harder, with only 7% of hardness ratios below 0, than subgiants (66% of HR1 < 0) and dwarfs (59% of HR1 < 0). Almost all objects in the sample are binary or multiple stars; the fraction of components (FC), defined as the total number of components in all binary and multiple systems divided by the sum of the total number of components and single stars, is at least 0.90. The FC for the XY objects reaches 0.81, and for the unknown type 0.89. About 70% of RS objects have also visual or astrometric companions, which makes them hierarchical multiple systems. The RS objects (mostly old, evolved stars) and the XY stars have quite different kinematics. While the RS objects move at considerable velocities in apparently random directions with respect to the local standard of rest, the young stars have smaller and orderly velocities and tend to comprise expanding mini-associations such as the β Pic and the Tucana groups. The majority of the young X-ray active stars belong to the Pleiades stream with the mean heliocentric velocity (U, V, W) = (-9.6, -21.8, -7.7) km s-1.
Scattering from polydisperse melts

Effective isotropic pair potentials for polymer chains in a melt are derived from a phenomenological, coarse grained model of mixing on small distance scales, and the radial distribution functions of chain centers of mass and the scattering are calculated in the hypernetted chain approximation. The systems chosen for illustrative calculations are quasi-binary melts of deuterated and protonated polyethylene and polystyrene, both of which have been reported to exhibit anomalous composition dependence of neutron scattering. Quite large deviations from the Flory-Huggins picture of random spatial mixing of chains are found and the deviations decrease rather slowly with increasing molecular weights. However, nonrandom mixing gives rise to anomalous scattering of significant magnitude only if the mixture is asymmetric in particular ways. Differences in molecular weight (smaller for the deuterated polymer) and polydispersity (larger for the deuterated polymer) of about 10% are sufficient to exhibit anomalous scattering due to errors in the Flory-Huggins entropy of mixing. Smaller differences in the packing energies of the two different monomers, which are associated in the phenomenological model with composition dependent partial monomer volumes, reveal errors in the usual random phase analysis of scattering. Relative volumes of mixing deuterated and protonated polymer must range up to 1% in order to rationalize experimental anomalous scattering.
Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol inhibits gastric motility in the rat through cannabinoid CB1 receptors

We investigated involvement of the autonomic nervous system in gastric motor and cardiovascular responses to delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol (delta9-THC) in anesthetized rats. Intravenously administered delta9-THC evoked long-lasting decreases in intragastric pressure and pyloric contractility, bradycardia, and hypotension. The changes in gastric motor function and bradycardia were abolished by vagotomy and ganglionic blockade, whereas spinal cord transection prevented the hypotensive response. Administered intravenously alone, N-(piperidin-1-yl)-5-(4-chlorophenyl)-1-(2,4-dichlorophenyl)-4-met hyl-1H-pyrazole-3-carboxamide, a putative cannabinoid CB1 receptor antagonist, evoked transient decrease in intragastric pressure, and hypertension that was associated with bradycardia. However, this agent completely blocked the gastric motor and cardiovascular responses to intravenous delta9-THC. Application of delta9-THC to the dorsal surface of the medulla resulted in small and short-lasting decreases in gastric motor and cardiovascular function. We conclude that the decrease in gastric motor function and bradycardia are partially due to an action of delta9-THC in the dorsal medulla and that intact vagal nerves are required. The hypotension was mediated through sympathetic pathways. Both gastric motor and cardiovascular effects of peripherally administered delta9-THC seem to be mediated through cannabinoid CB1 receptors.
The effect of pancreas transplantation on peripheral vascular disease complications

Abstract Background We sought to determine whether pancreas transplantation reduced the incidence of peripheral vascular complications in diabetics with renal insufficiency. Methods A retrospective single-center review was done of 36 kidney–pancreas (KP) and 88 kidney-alone (KA) recipients with a diagnosis of diabetes and end-stage renal disease (ESRD) transplanted between May 1997 and July 2002. Risk factors studied included type of transplant, age, gender, history of smoking, coronary artery disease, hypertension, and peripheral vascular disease (PVD). The endpoint was first peripheral vascular event occurring after transplantation, defined as either an amputation or revascularization procedure. Results The mean age of the cohort was 51 ± 9 years, 64% of patients were of male gender, 20% with a history of smoking, 98% with hypertension, 15% with coronary artery disease (CAD), and 12% with a history of PVD. With a median follow-up of 45 months (12 to 79 months), 3/36 (8%) of KP recipients suffered a PVD complication, compared to 10/88 (11%) of KA recipients ( P = NS). Similarly, age, gender, a past history of smoking, CAD, and hypertension were not predictive of PVD complications. Five of 15 patients (33%) with a pretransplant history of PVD suffered a postoperative PVD event compared to only 8 of 109 patients (7%) with no prior history of PVD ( P = .008). Conclusions Restoration of normoglycemia by pancreas transplantation did not reduce the risk of PVD complications in diabetics with renal failure. A pretransplant history of PVD was the only risk factor associated with posttransplant PVD events.
Pericardial tamponade associated with myeloid metaplasia

A 32-year-old white male with agnogenic myeloid metaplasia developed pericardial tamponade shortly after elective splenectomy. Tamponade was relieved by pericardiocentesis but recurred, necessitating partial pericardiectomy. Following surgery and a course of radiation therapy to the heart, there was no further significant reaccumulation of fluid. Pathologic evaluation demonstrated foci of extramedullary hematopoiesis in the pericardium. To our knowledge, pericardial tamponade has not previously been reported as a biopsy-proven complication of myeloid metaplasia.
Embedded real-time architecture for level-set-based active contours

Methods described by partial differential equations have gained a considerable interest because of undoubtful advantages such as an easy mathematical description of the underlying physics phenomena, subpixel precision, isotropy, or direct extension to higher dimensions. Though their implementation within the level set framework offers other interesting advantages, their vast industrial deployment on embedded systems is slowed down by their considerable computational effort. This paper exploits the high parallelization potential of the operators from the level set framework and proposes a scalable, asynchronous, multiprocessor platform suitable for system-on-chip solutions. We concentrate on obtaining real-time execution capabilities. The performance is evaluated on a continuous watershed and an object-tracking application based on a simple gradient-based attraction force driving the active countour. The proposed architecture can be realized on commercially available FPGAs. It is built around general-purpose processor cores, and can run code developed with usual tools.
Metastability limits of superheated liquids: Bubble nucleation temperatures of hydrocarbons and their mixtures☆

The limit of superheat has been determined at atmospheric pressure for a wide variety of pure liquid hydrocarbons and for three binary mixtures of hydrocarbons. The pure liquids include normal, branched, and cyclic alkanes, as well as several alkenes and alkynes. The three mixtures each have n-pentane as their more volatile component and cyclohexane, n-dodecane, and n-hexadecane as the less volatile components. The pure liquids vaporize at an absolute temperature which is about 90% of the critical temperature. The vaporizations all occur over a narrow temperature range with a sharp report. The liquid mixtures vaporize over a wider temperature range with a softer report. The temperature range increases and the violence of the vaporization decreases as the volatility difference between the two components increases. These effects are consistent with homogeneous nucleation theory and diffusion controlled bubble growth for the mixtures.
High-Dose Daptomycin Therapy for Staphylococcal Endocarditis and When to Apply It

Infective endocarditis (IE) continues to present a large burden to the health-care system. Staphylococcus aureus, the leading pathogen associated with the disease, has always proven difficult to treat. Increasing numbers of S. aureus isolates are demonstrating reduced susceptibility to vancomycin, and therapeutic options are limited. Daptomycin is frequently employed when vancomycin therapy proves unsuccessful or when vancomycin minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values rise above 1 mg/L. Currently, daptomycin is FDA-approved at a dose of 6 mg/kg/day for the treatment of S. aureus bacteremia and associated right-sided endocarditis. However, numerous in vitro and clinical studies suggest that daptomycin doses up to 12 mg/kg/day may provide improved efficacy and resistance prevention. Additionally, high-dose daptomycin has demonstrated excellent safety. Together, these data suggest a role for high-dose daptomycin in staphylococcal IE patients who are severely ill, previously failed therapy with vancomycin, or possess a S. aureus isolate with an elevated vancomycin MIC.
On-demand generation of monodisperse femtolitre droplets by shape-induced shear

We describe a method for creating discrete femtolitre-scale water-in-oil droplets on demand, based solely on a geometrically induced reduction in oil/water interfacial area at microfabricated junction orifices. This on-demand generation method is driven by self-shear of droplets due to interfacial tension induced forces resulting from a localized transition in microchannel height. The magnitudes of shear stresses involved appear to be significantly less than the shearing instabilities used to split off daughter droplets from aqueous mother plugs at microfabricated junctions in continuous water-in-oil segmented flows, which implies that this method may be better suited for studying biochemical reactions and reaction kinetics in droplets of decreased volume without loss of chemical reactivity due to redistribution of surfactant density used to passivate the oil/water interface. Predictable droplet generation rates under constant pressure conditions or the gated formation of one, two or more droplets at a time with fixed pressure pulses have been demonstrated in a similar manner to active on-demand droplet generation strategies, but with a simpler system not needing actuation and sensing equipment beyond a pressure regulator.
Tree-lined lanes or vacant lots? Evaluating non-stationarity between urban greenness and socio-economic conditions in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA at multiple scales

Abstract This paper investigates the non-stationary relationship between metrics of urban greenness and socio-economic conditions across Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.A. at multiple scales using Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) and Geographically Weighted Regression (GWR) techniques. The analysis integrates environmental data on vegetation cover, using Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) values derived from 30 m/pixel Landsat Thematic Mapper imagery, with land use data derived from the 2000 City of Philadelphia Licenses and Inspections Department Vacancy Survey and socioeconomic data at the U.S. Census Tract level from the 2000 U.S. Census. City-wide OLS, sub-city zone OLS and local GWR models were developed by regressing mean NDVI against three independent variables for each Census Tract: population density, median household income, and percentage of vacant lots. These models indicate that the strength and nature of the relationship among the variables varies spatially, with highly localized relationships not evident with the global regression models alone. Results suggest that while wealth is a strong predictor of vegetation vigor in some neighborhoods in Philadelphia, this relationship changes drastically across a heterogeneous urban environment. This paper contributes to the growing body of academic research on GWR and the urban ecology of dynamic urban human-environmental contexts.
Combining ergonomics and work measurement for job analysis

Abstract This presentation discusses a program that combines the benefits of ergonomic analysis and an established predetermined time system (MODAPTS) to identify and reduce the risks of cumulative trauma disorders.
Aspects of histamine metabolism

Progress in learning the role of histamine in physiology and pathology has been impeded by difficulties in accurately measuring histamine and by the deficiencies of methods to measure its metabolites. The availability of specific, sensitive and rapid methods to measure histamine has helped in understanding the role of histamine in disease. Measuring histamine alone may provide an incomplete indication of the role of histamine in disease or in any other process. For histamine is metabolized by multiple pathways, and the kinetics of these enzymatic activities (as well as the rate of synthesis of histamine) determine the steady-state levels of histamine in tissue and in body fluids. Measurements of both histamine and its metabolites would contribute, and may be essential, to the understanding of the role of histamine in disease, just as measurements of the metabolites of other biogenic amines have been critical to understanding of their roles in diseases. Yet another reason that compels measurements of metabolites is evidence that some of the metabolites of histamine are pharmacologically, perhaps physiologically, active.
Testis tumor in an adult presenting with torsion of testis

Abstract A testicular tumor presenting as torsion is reported in a fifty-two-year-old man. This is the first reported case in a patient more than twenty-eight years old.
Reducing Blood Culture Contamination in the Emergency Department: An Interrupted Time Series Quality Improvement Study

Objectives Blood culture contamination is a common problem in the emergency department (ED) that leads to unnecessary patient morbidity and health care costs. The study objective was to develop and evaluate the effectiveness of a quality improvement (QI) intervention for reducing blood culture contamination in an ED.
Topography and time course of changes in spinal neuropeptide Y immunoreactivity after spared nerve injury.

Abstract We used a new computer-assisted method to precisely localize and efficiently quantify increases in neuropeptide Y immunoreactivity (NPY-ir) along the mediolateral axis of the L4 dorsal horn (DH) following transection of either the tibial and common peroneal nerves (thus sparing the sural branch, spared nerve injury (SNI)), the tibial nerve, or the common peroneal and sural nerves. Two weeks after SNI, NPY-ir increased within the tibial and peroneal innervation territories; however, NPY-ir in the central-lateral region (innervated by the spared sural nerve) was indistinguishable from that of sham. Conversely, transection of the sural and common peroneal nerves induced an increase in NPY-ir in the central-lateral region, while leaving the medial region (innervated by the tibial nerve) unaffected. All nerve injuries increased NPY-ir in dorsal root ganglia (DRG) and nucleus gracilis (NG). By 24 weeks, both NPY-ir upregulation in the DH and hyper-responsivity to cold and noxious mechanical stimuli had resolved. Conversely, NPY-ir in DRG and NG, and hypersensitivity to non-noxious static mechanical stimuli, did not resolve within 24 weeks. Over this time course, the average cross-sectional area of NPY-immunoreactive DRG neurons increased by 151 μm 2 . We conclude that the upregulation of NPY after SNI is restricted to medial zones of the DH, and therefore cannot act directly upon synapses within the more lateral (sural) zones to control sural nerve hypersensitivity. Instead, we suggest that NPY in the medial DH tonically inhibits hypersensitivity by interrupting mechanisms of central sensitization and integration of sensory signals at the spinal and supraspinal levels.
The effects of HOPE on post-college retention in the Georgia workforce

Abstract Research suggests that merit scholarship programs increase college enrollment in states that adopt them but post-college migration may limit the effect these programs have on the stock of college-educated labor in those states. In this paper we consider the effect of Georgia's HOPE Scholarship program on post-college retention, estimating the effect in two ways. First, we use administrative data on student and employment records to examine the effects of the HOPE Scholarship on post-college retention rates in the Georgia workforce for students enrolled in the University System of Georgia (USG). Second, we use data from the census and ACS and a difference-in-difference model following the approach of Hickman (2009) .
The Platelet Factor‐ 3 Test for Detection of Canine Antiplatelet Antibody

Summary Autoimmune thrombocytopenia can be diagnosed by demonstrating antiplatelet antibody in patient's serum using a platelet factor-3 test. A procedure was developed to conduct the platelet factor-3 test using a Fibrometer to record coagulation time. The procedure provides a more practical and consistent way of reading results than making visual observations. It is also simple enough for use as a laboratory method to evaluate thrombocyto-penic patients. With this procedure, positive results were obtained for about one-third of the thrombocytopenic dogs examined so far.
Design of Agricultural Waste Charcoal Cooking Fuel for Developing Countries

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Tata Center for Technology and Design (Fellowship 2012)
Specific binding of the E2 subunit of pyruvate dehydrogenase to the upstream region of Bacillus thuringiensis protoxin genes.

During sporulation, Bacillus thuringiensis produces inclusions comprised of different amounts of several related protoxins, each with a unique specificity profile for insect larvae. A major class of these genes designatedcry1 have virtually identical dual overlapping promoters, but the upstream sequences differ. A gel retardation assay was used to purify a potential regulatory protein which bound with different affinities to these sequences in three cry1 genes. It was identified as the E2 subunit of pyruvate dehydrogenase. There was specific competition for binding by homologous gene sequences but not by pUC nor Bacillus subtilis DNA; calf thymus DNA competed at higher concentrations. The B. thuringiensis gene encoding E2 was cloned, and the purified glutathioneS-transferase-E2 fusion protein footprinted to a consensus binding sequence within an inverted repeat and to a potential bend region, both sites 200–300 base pairs upstream of the promoters. Mutations of these sites in the cry1A gene resulted in decreased binding of the E2 protein and altered kinetics of expression of a fusion of this regulatory region with the lacZ gene. Recruitment of the E2 subunit as a transcription factor could couple the change in post exponential catabolism to the initiation of protoxin synthesis.
Probing the effects of heterogeneity on delocalized π⋯π interaction energies

Dimers composed of benzene (Bz), 1,3,5-triazine (Tz), cyanogen (Cy) and diacetylene (Di) are used to examine the effects of heterogeneity at the molecular level and at the cluster level on π⋯π stacking energies. The MP2 complete basis set (CBS) limits for the interaction energies (Eint) of these model systems were determined with extrapolation techniques designed for correlation consistent basis sets. CCSD(T) calculations were used to correct for higher-order correlation effects (δECCSD(T)MP2) which were as large as +2.81 kcal mol−1. The introduction of nitrogen atoms into the parallel-slipped dimers of the aforementioned molecules causes significant changes to Eint. The CCSD(T)/CBS Eint for Di–Cy is −2.47 kcal mol−1 which is substantially larger than either Cy–Cy (−1.69 kcal mol−1) or Di–Di (−1.42 kcal mol−1). Similarly, the heteroaromatic Bz–Tz dimer has an Eint of −3.75 kcal mol−1 which is much larger than either Tz–Tz (−3.03 kcal mol−1) or Bz–Bz (−2.78 kcal mol−1). Symmetry-adapted perturbation theory calculations reveal a correlation between the electrostatic component of Eint and the large increase in the interaction energy for the mixed dimers. However, all components (exchange, induction, dispersion) must be considered to rationalize the observed trend. Another significant conclusion of this work is that basis-set superposition error has a negligible impact on the popular δECCSD(T)MP2 correction, which indicates that counterpoise corrections are not necessary when computing higher-order correlation effects on Eint. Spin-component-scaled MP2 (SCS-MP2 and SCSN-MP2) calculations with a correlation-consistent triple-ζ basis set reproduce the trends in the interaction energies despite overestimating the CCSD(T)/CBS Eint of Bz–Tz by 20–30%.
The pursuit of the natural

In recent years, it has become common to defend science against charges of bias against the supernatural by explaining that science must remain methodologically natural but does not assume metaphysical naturalism. While such a response is correct, some details about the distinction between methodological naturalism and ontological or metaphysical naturalism have been lacking, as has a clear understanding of the distinction between the methodological restriction of science to natural explanations and naturalistic claims about the scope of those methods. We still require an account of the natural that explains well why science is restricted to giving naturalistic methods, and why the pursuit of natural explanations is not tantamount to the assumption that only natural causes exist. I suggest that the distinguishing characteristics of thenatural are not metaphysical at all but broadly epistemological, concerning goals of intersubjectivity and predictability. I argue that by focusing on naturalistic goals we can better explain why the pursuit of natural explanations need not presume any purely natural metaphysics. But I also suggest that the adoption of natural methods is not entirely metaphysically neutral, as it is associated with values that may be more closely associated with some metaphysical views than others.