cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Triaxial ellipsoid dimensions and rotational pole of 2 Pallas from two stellar occultations

The ability to derive unique triaxial ellipsoid dimensions and a rotational pole for an asteroid is demonstrated on the basis of three stellar occultations. Two such occultations for Pallas are used to examine the locus of solutions falling along a curve in seven-dimensional parameter space. While the first occultation slightly overestimated the true size of the asteroid's outline, more plausible solutions are allowed within its errors. The occultation model is combined with speckle interferometric results. Pallas is more flattened, with a greater b/c ratio, and smaller c, than found in previous estimates.
Adenovirus type 8 epidemic keratoconjunctivitis in an eye clinic : risk factors and control

Epidemic keratoconjunctivitis (EKC) due to adenovirus type 8 affected 126 (7%) of 1870 ophthalmology clinic patients during an outbreak. Risk factors and mode of transmission were studied by comparing cases (n = 58) and controls (n = 200) for exposure to risk factors. Pneumotonometry (odds ratio [OR], 10.5; 95% confidence interval [CI], 4.0-27.7), multiple clinic visits (OR, 5.9; 95% CI, 3.3-10.6), and contact with an infected physician (OR, 3.3; 95% CI, 1.2-9.0) were significant risk factors for infection. The hands of 3 patients and 3 physicians with EKC were cultured before and after hand washing to assess adenovirus removal; 3 had hand cultures positive for adenovirus after hand washing. In conclusion, this outbreak appeared to be due to inadequate disinfection of instruments, especially pneumotonometers, and finger-to-eye transmission by health care workers. Hand washing did not reliably remove adenovirus from contaminated fingers. Gloving for exam of eyes with EKC may help prevent transmission. Ophthalmologists with EKC were a significant risk factor for patients and should be furloughed for the duration of communicability.
Trans acting regulation of β globin gene expression in erythroleukemia (K562) cells

Abstract K562 cells are induced by hemin to produce gamma and epsilon globin but not beta globin, although the beta globin gene is intact, and when isolated is expressed in a transient expression assay (1, 2). We have previously shown that an epsilon globin gene transferred into K562 cells is expressed and inducible (3). In this paper, we report the stable transfer of a sickle or betaS globin gene into K562 cells. Thirty-six different transformed lines were tested; 24 of 36 lines contained an intact betaS globin gene. However, using S1 nuclease, Dot blot, and Northern blotting analyses, none of these lines showed beta globin mRNA expression. These results indicate that trans acting factors are responsible for the lack of expression of the beta globin gene in K562 cells.
Measurement of the gravitational acceleration of an atom with a light-pulse atom interferometer

Velocity sensitive stimulated Raman transitions have been used to measure the gravitational acceleration, g, of laser cooled sodium atoms in an atomic fountain geometry. By using an improved scheme to drive the Raman transitions, we have demonstrated a resolution of 3×10−8 g after 2×103 seconds of integration time. In addition to presenting recent experimental results, we review the theory of stimulated Raman transitions as it applies to atom interferometers and discuss the prospects of an atom interferometer-based gravimeter with better than 10−10 g absolute accuracy.
A comparison of the home and social environments of children of alcoholic and non-alcoholic parents

Summary The home environments of 32 children of alcoholic parents and 22 children with neither parent alcoholic are compared. The home environments of the children of alcoholics show diminished global functioning. In particular they are characterized by marital conflict, parent-child conflict, poor adaptive functioning on the part of the parents and in some cases by physical abuse. Out of the 32 children with alcoholic parents, a majority of the children received 1 or more DSM-III diagnoses. A comparison of the home environments of the children of alcoholics with and without psychiatric diagnoses shows that the homes of the ‘disturbed’ children are characterized by a greater exposure to the effects of parental drinking, more parent-child conflict and less parent-child interaction than the homes of children who received no diagnoses.
Pancreatic Lipase Activity in Deuterium Oxide.

SummaryThe activity of purified pancreatic lipase, with tributyrin emulsified in gum arabic as the substrate, has been studied in ordinary water and in varying concentrations of D2O up to 100%. Estimates of maximum reaction velocities indicate that the degree of inhibition increases linearly with increasing D2O. At low substrate concentrations, however, the inhibition produced by D2O was much less, an indication that there is a stronger solvent effect on enzyme-substrate binding than on the rate of hydrolysis itself.
Modeling wind-gust disturbances for the analysis of antenna pointing accuracy

This paper develops and compares three wind models used to simulate antenna pointing errors. The first model represents wind forces acting on the antenna dish, thus closely representing actual wind action. The second model represents wind gusts as torque disturbances applied at the antenna drives. The third model represents gusts acting at the antenna rate input. A wind filter introduced in this paper, makes the wind gusts of the third model equivalent to the gusts of the second model. The third model is applicable to the currently developed models of the antenna's closed loop systems. Simulink models of the 34-meter and 70-meter antennas' close-loop system were used to simulate antenna pointing errors in wind gusts. The paper shows that for the NASA 34-meter and for the 70-meter antennas, all three models give similar results, and the results are compatible with field measurements of the servo errors taken in wind.
Large Employers' Selection Criteria in Purchasing Behavioral Health Benefits

To determine the criteria other than cost large employers use in selecting and monitoring behavioral health benefits, this study interviewed 31 of 44 (70.4%) randomly selected corporations employing at least 5,000 workers. While more than 60% of employers considered administrative efficiency and provider access to be very influential in their selection of behavioral health benefits, only 12.9% (95% confidence interval 0.7%–25.1%) considered clinical outcomes. Employers who considered clinical outcomes in their purchasing decision reported significantly greater satisfaction with the quality and cost of their behavioral health benefits. Following selection, 38.7% of corporations used employee complaints to monitor quality problems in their behavioral health benefits; 3.2% used clinical outcomes. If society expects employers to purchase behavioral health care on the basis of quality as well as cost, more employers need better indicators of quality.
COLICINE K : VII. THE TRANSFER OF TYPE K COLICINOGENY TO SHIGELLA SONNEI

1. The transfer of type K. colicinogeny to Shigella sonnei Phase II has been described. 2. The colicine elaborated by this microorganism is a lipopolysaccharide-protein complex which resembles the somatic antigen of the noncolicinogenic parent. 3. Although the colicine K of Escherichia coli K235 and of Sh. sonnei differ both chemically and serologically, they resemble each other in that both elicit type K colicine-neutralizing antibodies and both have the same bactericidal specificity. 4. The nature of the chemical changes brought about in the somatic antigen of Sh. sonnei through the acquisition of colicinogeny remains unknown
Harnessing proteasome dynamics and allostery in drug design

Significance: The proteasome is the essential protease that is responsible for regulated cleavage of the bulk of intracellular proteins. Its central role in cellular physiology has been exploited in therapies against aggressive cancers where proteasome-specific competitive inhibitors that block proteasome active centers are very effectively used. However, drugs regulating this essential protease are likely to have broader clinical usefulness. The non-catalytic sites of the proteasome emerge as an attractive alternative target in search of highly specific and diverse proteasome regulators. Recent Advances: Crystallographic models of the proteasome leave the false impression of fixed structures with minimal molecular dynamics lacking long-distance allosteric signaling. However, accumulating biochemical and structural observations strongly support the notion that the proteasome is regulated by precise allosteric interactions arising from protein dynamics, encouraging the active search for allosteric regulators. Here, we discuss properties of several promising compounds that affect substrate gating and processing in antechambers, and interactions of the catalytic core with regulatory proteins. Critical Issues: Given the structural complexity of proteasome assemblies, it is a painstaking process to better understand their allosteric regulation and molecular dynamics. Here, we discuss the challenges and achievements in this field. We place special emphasis on the role of atomic force microscopy imaging in probing the allostery and dynamics of the proteasome, and in dissecting the mechanisms involving small-molecule allosteric regulators. Future Directions: New small-molecule allosteric regulators may become a next generation of drugs targeting the proteasome, which is critical to the development of new therapies in cancers and other diseases. Antioxid. Redox Signal. 21, 2286–2301.
Predicting teacher referrals of emotionally disturbed children

The degree to which teachers' perceptions of a student can be distorted by characteristics indigenous to teachers, as well as students, were investigated to determine whether teachers would initiate a referral for special education. Sixty-five teachers volunteered for participation. Twenty-seven of them were experienced, having had their own classrooms in a public school. Thirty-eight were preservice student teachers who had not yet had their own classrooms. Teachers were evaluated to have had either an internal or external locus of control and were judged to have had either a high or low opinion of self according to either of two separate scales. After viewing two video tapes of two elementary-aged students (one student was severely emotionally disturbed [SED] and the other non-SED), teachers rated the children on several child characteristics and referral questions. Results revealed that the locus of control and self-esteem of teachers, in conjunction with teaching experience and a child's characteristics, can predict teachers' inclinations to refer children. Findings point to the need to place greater care in the initiation of referrals. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Premature sebaceous gland hyperplasia

A case of premature sebaceous gland hyperplasia of the face in a young man is described. The clinical and histologic differentiation from other papulonodular facial lesions is discussed.
Fluorescence studies on tryptophan and sulfhydryl group changes of bovine lens crystallins in a photodynamic system: Current Eye Research

Conformational changes in the three crystallins α-, β-, and γ- in a singlet-oxygen generating system were investigated by fluorescence studies of tryptophan and covalently-bound sulfhydryl probe 4-[(N-iodoacetoxy)N-methyl]amino-7-nitrobenz-2-oxa-l,3-diazole (IANBD). Upon excitation at 295 nm, the tryptophan emission maxima of the crystallins were red-shifted by irradiation with visible light in the presence of the photosensitizer methylene blue. β- crystallin showed the largest shift (A nm) of the emission spectrum. Time course of the fluorescence changes by irradiation showed that the decrease in the tryptophan fluorescence yield occurs most rapidly for β-crystallins, as compared to α- or γ-crystallins. Fluorescence changes of IANBD-labeled crystallins show a 40% decrease in the fluorescence intensity of the sulfhydryl probe for β-crystallin after one hour of irradiation. For α- and γ-crystallin smaller decreases (7% and 15% respectively) were observed. Since all the sulfhydryl groups of β-crystallin are...
LACK OF TUBAL OCCLUSION BY INTRAUTERINE QUINACRINE AND TETRACYCLINE IN THE PRIMATE

Abstract The effects of slow- and fast-releasing quinacrine pellets and tetracycline tablets on the genital tracts of 20 cynomolgus monkeys was evaluated. After surgical implantation of the pellets, the primates were observed for three months. No signs of toxic effects to the drugs were observed during the three-month period and on autopsy. Histopathological evaluation of the fallopian tubes, cervix, ovaries and uterus (except the endometrium) indicated they were all within normal limits. In no case were the uterotubal junctions obstructed. Endometrial changes were more frequent for quinacrine-treated monkeys. The results of the study point to the need for additional reseach regarding the optimal dose and duration of quinacrine administration.
Coherent control of a superconducting qubit with dynamically tunable qubit-cavity coupling

We demonstrate coherent control and measurement of a superconducting qubit coupled to a superconducting coplanar waveguide resonator with a dynamically tunable qubit-cavity coupling strength. Rabi oscillations are measured for several coupling strengths showing that the qubit transition can be turned off by a factor of more than 1500. We show how the qubit can still be accessed in the off state via fast flux pulses. We perform pulse delay measurements with synchronized fast flux pulses on the device and observe ${T}_{1}$ and ${T}_{2}$ times of 1.6 and 1.9 $\ensuremath{\mu}$s, respectively. This work demonstrates how this qubit can be incorporated into quantum architectures.
Scaling Spatial Alarm Services on Road Networks

Spatial alarm services are essential components of many location-based applications. One of the key technical challenges for supporting spatial alarms as a service is performance and scalability. This paper shows that the Euclidean distance-based spatial alarm processing techniques are inadequate for mobile users traveling on road networks due to the high overhead in terms of server load for alarm checks and the high energy consumption in terms of client wakeups. We design and develop RoadAlarm, a road network aware spatial alarm processing service, with three unique features. First, we introduce the concept of road network-based spatial alarms using road network distance measures and a set of metrics specialized for spatial alarm processing. Second, we develop the basic model for spatial alarm processing by exploiting two types of filters: subscription filter and Euclidean lower bound filter. Third and but not the least, we develop a suite of optimization techniques to further reduce the frequency of wakeups at mobile clients and the number of alarm checks at the alarm processing server, while ensuring high accuracy of spatial alarm processing. Our experimental results show that RoadAlarm outperforms existing Euclidean space-based approaches with high success rate (accuracy) and significantly increased hibernation time.
Potent and Selective Peptidyl Boronic Acid Inhibitors of the Serine Protease Prostate-Specific Antigen

Prostate cancer cells produce high (microgram to milligram/milliliter) levels of the serine protease Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA). PSA is enzymatically active in the extracellular fluid surrounding prostate cancers but is found at 1,000- to 10,000-fold lower concentrations in the circulation, where it is inactivated due to binding to abundant serum protease inhibitors. The exclusive presence of high levels of active PSA within prostate cancer sites makes PSA an attractive candidate for targeted imaging and therapeutics. A synthetic approach based on a peptide substrate identified first peptide aldehyde and then boronic acid inhibitors of PSA. The best of these had the sequence Cbz-Ser-Ser-Lys-Leu-(boro)Leu, with a K(i) for PSA of 65 nM. The inhibitor had a 60-fold higher K(i) for chymotrypsin. A validated model of PSA's catalytic site confirmed the critical interactions between the inhibitor and residues within the PSA enzyme.
4. Basic wind erosion processes

Abstract Basic wind erosion processes are discussed under the major headings of soil particle dynamics, particle flow rates, and principles and general strategies of control. Particle dynamics are described in terms of suspension, saltation, surface creep, abrasion, sorting and threshold conditions. Soil particle flow rates are divided between the all-erodible-particle case and the more common but more complex case of mixtures of erodible particles and non-erodible elements. Specific principles of wind erosion control are identified. A wind erosion equation, which estimates potential erosion from a particular field, and the conditions necessary to reduce potential erosion to tolerable amounts are discussed.
Policy exchange and management for Policy Compliance and Change Detection System in managed service in data networks

Greater frequencies of change to network devices configuration is a potentially disruptive factor in an already complex and challenging networked universe. Changes may lead to potential configuration errors, policy violations, inefficiencies, vulnerable states, and security threats that are “allowed in” through faulty or non-compliant configurations. The current Network Management landscape is in dire need for an automated process to prioritize and manage risks, audit configurations against internal policies or external best practices, and provide centralized reporting for monitoring and regulatory purposes in real time. Our proposed Policy Compliance and Change Detection System is implemented using two modules: The Runtime Compliance Manager (RCM), and the Common Policy Language (CPL). The CPL is used to express device and organizational policies, and was detailed. This paper describes the design requirements for policy exchange and management between the Policy Decision Control Server and the Policy Clients, and describes the methods for keeping the policy between the Policy Client and the Policy Decision Control Server in sync despite network interruptions.
Analysis on the Influencing Factors of Heat Transfer for the Slot Nozzle Convection Impact in Rolled Strip Preposition Ultra-Fast Cooling

The aim of this work is to optimize process design parameters of the hot rolling steel strip preposition ultra-fast cooling (UFC) system, and improve the stability and uniformity of micro heat transfer during the high strength cooling process of hot rolling strip. According to the technology and equipment feature of the pre-UFC system for a factory, the convective heat transfer process of single nozzle and strip in UFC system was studied numerically by the fluid-structure interaction finite element method (FEM). The influence of different parameters on the slot impinging jet heat transfer coefficient was obtained, such as jet angle, the jet velocity, the slot nozzle width and water temperature. The results show that on the ultra-fast cooling process of the strip in the initial temperature of 850 °C and thickness of 8 mm, the global average heat transfer coefficient can be increased with the increase of jet velocity, and decrease of the cooling water temperature. The jet angle and the slot nozzle width have minimal effect on it for the whole heat transfer zone. The local average heat transfer coefficient first increased and then decreased with the increase of jet angle and slot nozzle width at the jet impingement location.
Les bouteilles peuvent-elles être transcrites en volumes ? L'effet de la forme de l'emballage sur la quantité à acheter

Quatre etudes multi-methodes montrent que plus l'emballage est allonge, moindre en est la quantite achetee. La premiere etude, realisee en laboratoire, revele que les bouteilles de biere sont percues comme contenant plus de produit que les canettes. Ce resultat est particulierement vrai pour les faibles consommateurs de biere. Dans la deuxieme etude, on a analyse des donnees magasin qui montrent que la quantite achetee en canette est 63.66 fois plus elevee que la quantite achetee en bouteille. L'etude 3, une enquete de shopping virtuel, demontre que ces effets sont amplifies lorsque le contexte est socialisant et domestique. L'etude 4, en laboratoire, montre que les resultats ne restent verifies que lorsque le niveau de consommation desiree est constant. Nous apportons des implications pour les distributeurs et les chefs de produit.
Targeting of Adenovirus Serotype 5 Pseudotyped with Short Fiber from Serotype 41 to c-erbB2-Positive Cells Using Bispecific Single-Chain Diabody

Abstract The purpose of the current study was to alter the broad native tropism of human adenovirus for virus targeting to c-erbB2-positive cancer cells. First, we engineered a single-chain antibody (scFv) against the c-erbB2 oncoprotein into minor capsid protein IX (pIX) of adenovirus serotype 5 (Ad5) in a manner commensurate with virion integrity and binding to the soluble extracellular c-erbB2 domain. To ablate native viral tropism and facilitate binding of the pIX-incorporated scFv to cellular c-erbB2, we replaced the Ad5 fiber with the Ad41 short (41s) fiber devoid of all known cell-binding determinants. The resultant Ad5F41sIX6.5 vector demonstrated increased cell binding and gene transfer as compared to the Ad5F41s control; however, this augmentation of virus infectivity was not c-erbB2 specific. Incorporation of a six-histidine (His6) peptide into the C-terminus of the 41s fiber protein resulted in markedly increased Ad5F41s6H infectivity in 293AR cells, which express a membrane-anchored scFv against the C-terminal oligohistidine tag, as compared to the Ad5F41s vector and the parental 293 cells. These data suggested that a 41s-fiber-incorporated His6 tag could serve for attachment of an adapter protein designed to guide Ad5F41s6H infection in a c-erbB2-specific manner. We therefore engineered a bispecific scFv diabody (scDb) combining affinities for both c-erbB2 and the His6 tag and showed its ability to provide up to 25-fold increase of Ad5F41s6H infectivity in c-erbB2-positive cells. Thus, Ad5 fiber replacement by a His6-tagged 41s fiber coupled with virus targeting mediated by an scDb adapter represents a promising strategy to confer Ad5 vector tropism for c-erbB2-positive cancer cells.
Meet the new boss…same as the old boss? Female supervisors and subordinate career prospects ☆

Whereas prior research has focused on women’s access to managerial authority, an equally important question is the effect on subordinates’ careers when they report to a female boss. One line of thought suggests that female bosses act as change agents by fostering the careers of female subordinates, whereas the cog in the machine perspective suggests that female bosses either willingly or are constrained to promote men’s careers. Using data from the 2002 National Study of the Changing Workforce, analytic models of subordinates’ perceived job-related support from supervisors and advancement prospects were developed. Results were consistent with the cog in the machine perspective in that in contrast to women, men received more job-related support and were more optimistic about their careers when they reported to a female supervisor. Yet, given the paucity of research on this topic, more research (especially longitudinal studies) is needed to fully understand how supervisors affect subordinates’ careers.
In vivo magnetic resonance imaging of ferritin-based reporter visualizes native neuroblast migration

Adult neurogenesis research in mammals presents a challenge as most stem cells and progenitors are located deep in opaque brain tissues. Here, we describe an efficient ferritin-based magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) reporter and its use to label mouse subventricular zone progenitors, enabling in vivo visualization of endogenous neuroblast migration toward the olfactory bulb. We quantify the effect of the ferritin transgene expression on cellular iron transport proteins such as transferrin receptor, divalent metal transporter and STEAP reductase. Based on these data, we elucidate key aspects of the cellular pathways that the reporter utilizes to load iron and form its superparamagnetic core. This MRI reporter gene platform can facilitate the non-invasive study of native or transplanted stem cell migration and associated neurogenic or therapeutic molecular events in live animals.
Patients With Therapy-Related CMML Have Shorter Median Overall Survival Than Those With De Novo CMML: Mayo Clinic Long-Term Follow-Up Experience.

Abstract Background Chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML) is a malignant hematologic neoplasm characterized by peripheral blood monocytosis and bone marrow dysplasia. The World Health Organization classified therapy-related (t-) myeloid neoplasm (MN) as another category. It is known that t-MNs tend to have a worse prognosis than de novo (dn-) MN (dn-MN). Patients and Methods Previous exposure to chemotherapy (CT), radiotherapy (RT), or both were defined as t-CMML and lack of both as dn-CMML. Results Of 265 CMML patients, 30 (11%) had t-CMML. Seventeen (57%) patients had previous exposure to CT, 6 (20%) to RT, and 7 (23%) to CT and RT. Leukemic transformation (LT) was seen in 5 (17%). In comparison, only lower platelet count was found to be statistically significant compared with dn-CMML. Median overall survival (OS) was 20 months in the dn-CMML group versus 11 months in the t-CMML group ( P = .02). Median OS was 9 months in the CT group versus 4.4 months in the RT group versus 13 months in the CT and RT group ( P = .7). Conclusion t-CMML comprises a small portion of all CMML cases (11%). Median OS in the dn-CMML group was longer than in the t-CMML group but LT seemed to be similar in terms of incidence and time to occurrence. Additional studies are needed to confirm our results.
Evaluating alternative implementations for LDPC decoder check node function

Low density parity checks (LDPC) are a method of error detection and correction that are able to achieve near Shannon-limit channel communication. LDPC decoders involve a series of computations between two units, the check node and the bit node. In this paper we propose the use of an approximation unit to perform the check node operation. Additionally, we propose a ROM based look-up table (LUT) as a function approximation technique, to be used with an LDPC decoder. The paper shows that a ROM based LUT achieves better performance than using a piecewise linear approximation method to approximate the LDPC computation function. Furthermore, this paper shows that the ROM LUT method can gradually take over as the selected function approximation technique for computationally intensive demanding VLSI designs as the technology shifts to the nanometer era.
Prioritizing write acknowledgment inside network fileservers

Output of network file servers exhibits bursty traffic patterns, and this sometimes contends with control traffic. An example is contention between data traffic and write acknowledgments on a loaded server. In such a situation, we can improve the write performance by prioritizing write acknowledgments at the network interface of the server. To validate this scheme, we conducted an empirical study of the prioritization of write acknowledgments. Systematic experiments revealed that the proposed scheme can improve write latency and throughput of loaded servers without influencing read performance. The results suggested that the technique is widely applicable to systems where transactions are a mixture of read and write requests, and especially if the degree of concurrency is high.
Pediatric homonymous hemianopia

Introduction: Homonymous hemianopia is a disabling condition caused by numerous lesions affecting the retrochiasmal visual pathways. Little is known about homonymous hemianopia in childhood. Methods: All patients seen in the Neuro-Ophthalmology Unit at Emory University with homonymous hemianopia (confirmed by Goldmann, Humphrey, or confrontation visual fields) between 1989 and 2004 were included. Demographic characteristics, clinical features, and evolution of the visual field defects were compared between the pediatric group (18 years of age or younger) and the adult group (older than 18 years). Results: Among 852 patients with homonymous hemianopia, there were 81 children (86 homonymous hemianopias) and 771 adults (818 homonymous hemianopias). Formal visual field testing was obtained in 93% of pediatric cases and 96% of adults; a majority of patients in both groups were evaluated with Goldmann visual field testing. Demographic and visual field characteristics were similar in both groups. Significant differences were noted for the causative lesions and their location. Traumatic brain injury (34%) and tumor (27%) were the most common causes of homonymous hemianopia in the pediatric group, whereas infarction (63%), traumatic brain injury (12%), and hemorrhage (11%) were the most common causes in the adult group. Most lesions involved the optic radiations (37%), followed by the occipital lobes (26%), in the pediatric group, whereas occipital lobes (47%), followed by optic radiations (32%), were most commonly involved in adults. Approximately one third of the pediatric patients were seen in follow-up, and one third of these homonymous hemianopias spontaneously improved over the course of time. Of the 16 pediatric homonymous hemianopias evaluated within 1 month of onset of the cerebral disorder, 8 (50%) improved. Conclusion: Trauma and tumors are the most common cause of homonymous hemianopia in childhood. Although spontaneous improvement can be expected in approximately one third to one half of patients within the first few months, the recognition of homonymous hemianopia frequently is delayed in this population.
Time-line interviews and inductive content analysis: their effectiveness for exploring cognitive behaviors

In studies of information users' cognitive behaviors, it is widely recognized that users' perceptions of their information problem situations play a major role. Time-line interviewing and inductive content analysis are two research methods that, used together, have proven extremely useful for exploring and describing users' perceptions in various situational contexts. This article describes advantages and disadvantages of the methods using examples from a study of users' criteria for evaluation in a multimedia context.
Anterior portal selection for shoulder arthroscopy

A posterior portal site has become the accepted standard for introduction of the arthroscope for routine diagnostic procedures of the shoulder. Few published guidelines exist, however, on the optimum and safe positions of accessory portals for introduction of a probe or surgical instruments during shoulder arthroscopy. The relatively thick surrounding muscle layers and the close proximity of vital neurovascular structures would make guidelines for safer and more reproducible accessory portal selection helpful to minimize the risk of injury to these structures. The "intraarticular triangle" bounded by the humeral head, the glenoid rim, and the biceps tendon has been found to be an excellent intraarticular landmark for placement of an accessory anterior portal for shoulder arthroscopy. Anatomical dissections on 20 cadaver shoulders have confirmed that instruments passed through this location are at little risk to injure adjacent neurovascular structures about the shoulder. Clinical data in 30 shoulder arthroscopies performed utilizing this landmark for placement of an anterior portal have confirmed this position to be a safe and useful location for portal placement if proper precautions are followed.
Performance of a Tree-Based Collision Resolution Algorithm in Cellular Systems with Smart Antennas

A smart antenna's ability to simultaneously resolve more than one user on the same channel is exploited to help expedite the process of random access, especially for the reverse channel. However, use of a smart antenna requires frequent array adaptation, a difficult task in a random access environment. In papers H. Jin and Acampora (2005), we proposed and studied the SINR performance of a media access protocol intended for use with smart antennas. In this paper, we study the random access performance of the proposed protocol when a fast collision resolution algorithm is used. Found are the maximum achievable throughput and an upper bound on the expected delay. The impact of the number of antennas on the performance with both flat fading and frequency selective fading is studied. Topical results show significant improvement in throughput for systems with smart antennas. For example, when the fading is flat, the gain in maximum achievable throughput can be as large as 232% and 550% with four and eight antenna elements respectively. Even when severe frequency selective fading is present, there is a gain of 40% and 145% with four and eight antenna elements, respectively. We also show that dynamically adjusting the retransmission probability in the collision resolution process is not worthwhile since this extra complexity produces a gain of only about 6.2% in the best case
A new process aid for melt compounding of PVC with ethylene copolymer resins

Ethylene copolymer resin (ECR) modifiers are solid, high molecular weight, permanent plasticizers for PVC. During the melt compounding step, the low melting ECR (m.p. ∼50°C) melts first forming a relatively low viscosity phase in which the higher melting (Tg ∼80°C) and more viscous PVC powder grains (∼150 μm in diameter) are suspended. Under these conditions, it is sometimes difficult to get enough shear energy into the system to break down, or flux, all of the PVC grains into unagglomerated primary particles (∼1 μm diameter). The remaining grains appear as gel-like heterogeneities, in the final blend, that can produce rough, pimpled extrudates with reduced physical properties. This paper describes the use of a new experimental process aid that significantly improves homogenization, during the melt compounding process, leading to improved product quality and/or production rates.
Angiographic demonstration of atherosclerotic stenosis, arterial spasm, and thrombus formation in an infarct-related coronary artery

Clinical, angiographic, and pathologic data support the contention that atherosclerosis, platelet aggregation, and coronary vasomotility work in unison to cause coronary thrombosis, which in turn leads to myocardial infarction. A patient is described in whom, 2 months after an acute myocardial infarction, inducible coronary artery spasm and a nonocclusive thrombus were angiographically demonstrated at the site of a minimal atherosclerotic narrowing in the infarction-related vessel. This report, to the best of our knowledge, is the first time that these three pathophysiologic mechanisms have been shown, in vivo, to be occurring concomitantly in an infarct-related vessel. Documentation of the unified occurrence of these phenomena support the current concept of the pathophysiology of myocardial infarction.
Experimental study of a surfactant-driven fingering phenomenon in a Hele-Shaw cell

We present an experimental study of a new surfactant-driven fingering phenomenon in a Hele-Shaw cell. First, the threshold of instability is examined and compared with the linear theory. Second, the nonlinear evolution of fingering is quantified, and steady and unsteady patterns are distinguished. A wide range of dynamical behaviour is observed from drifting and merging fingers to cusp formation between fingers and subsequent ejection of air bubbles. All experiments are performed with a pure surfactant – sodium dodecyl sulphate – thus allowing us to obtain a well-defined bifurcation map for the specific kinetic and material properties of this surface-active substance. The measurements are conducted in a Hele-Shaw cell with smooth and roughened walls. A basic physical model is proposed to obtain further insight into the influence of the surfactant properties on the dip-coating process and, as a result, on the critical phenomena. The study allows us to resolve the discrepancies between previous experimental results and linear theory.
Cosmic ray soft error rates of 16-Mb DRAM memory chips

Manufactured 16-Mb DRAM memory chips use three different cell technologies for bit storage: stacked capacitors, trenches with internal charge, and trenches with external charge. We have measured the soft fail probability of 26 different 16-Mb chips produced by nine vendors to evaluate whether the different cell technologies have an impact on the chip soft error rate. This testing involved irradiation with neutrons, protons, and pions, the principle hadrons of terrestrial cosmic rays. The results show clear differences in soft-fail sensitivity, which appears to be related to the cell structure.
Range segmentation using visibility constraints

Visibility constraints can aid the segmentation of foreground objects observed with multiple range images. In our approach, points are defined as foreground if they can be determined to occlude some empty space in the scene. We present an efficient algorithm to estimate foreground points in each range view using explicit epipolar search. In cases where the background pattern is stationary, we show how visibility constraints from other views can generate virtual background values at points with no valid depth in the primary view. We demonstrate the performance of both algorithms for detecting people in indoor office environments.
Extensive allozyme monomorphism in a threatened species of freshwater mussel, Margaritifera hembeli Conrad (Bivalvia: Margaritiferidae)

A threatened but under-studied component offreshwater biodiversity in North America is thenative freshwater mussels (Bivalvia:Unionoidea: Margaritiferidae and Unionidae). Genetic data suggest that these mussel speciesgenerally exhibit levels of variability similarto other invertebrates. We surveyed allozymevariation in the Louisiana Pearlshell, Margaritifera hembeli (Margaritiferidae), athreatened freshwater mussel. Five examinedpopulations are monomorphic for 25 allozymeloci, the first report of a native freshwatermussel species with extensive allozymemonomorphism. Low genetic diversity appears tobe characteristic of margaritiferids, as anANOVA indicated that mussels of the familyMargaritiferidae have significantly lowerlevels of heterozygosity than the mussels ofthe family Unionidae. Margaritiferids havestrong habitat preferences and modification ofhabitat leads to rapid loss of populations.Although bottlenecks are known to cause lowgenetic variability, margaritiferids mayexhibit meta-population structure withextinction/re-colonization dynamics leading tolow genetic variability. Margaritiferidsgenerally exhibit a patchy distribution with acolonization rate that is approximately twicethat of extinction. Tests of themetapopulation hypothesis will requireadditional allozyme population genetic data aswell as hypervariable microsatellite loci.
Catabolic Response to Stress and Injury: Implications for Regulation

Muscle catabolism is an important component of the metabolic response to stress and injury, including sepsis and burn injury. Muscle wasting and weakness in catabolic patients may adversely affect the outcome in these patients owing to delayed ambulation and involvement of respiratory muscles. An understanding of the regulation of muscle protein breakdown during sepsis and following injury therefore is of great importance from a clinical standpoint and is essential for the development of new therapeutic modalities to prevent protein loss from muscle tissue. Studies in experimental animals and in patients have provided evidence that the myofibrillar proteins actin and myosin are particularly sensitive to the effects of sepsis and injury. (Glucocorticoids, interleukin-1, and tumor necrosis factor participate in the regulation of muscle protein breakdown. Most muscle proteins are degraded by the ubiquitin-proteasome-dependent proteolytic pathway. Because the proteasome does not degrade intact myofibrils, a calcium-dependent Z-band disintegration and release of myofilaments from the myofibrils may be an important initial step of muscle breakdown during sepsis and other catabolic conditions. Continued studies to define mechanisms of the catabolic response to stress and injury are important for improving the metabolic care of patients with muscle catabolism.
A Hierarchical Bayesian Model for Calibrating Estimates of Species Divergence Times

In Bayesian divergence time estimation methods, incorporating calibrating information from the fossil record is commonly done by assigning prior densities to ancestral nodes in the tree. Calibration prior densities are typically parametric distributions offset by minimum age estimates provided by the fossil record. Specification of the parameters of calibration densities requires the user to quantify his or her prior knowledge of the age of the ancestral node relative to the age of its calibrating fossil. The values of these parameters can, potentially, result in biased estimates of node ages if they lead to overly informative prior distributions. Accordingly, determining parameter values that lead to adequate prior densities is not straightforward. In this study, I present a hierarchical Bayesian model for calibrating divergence time analyses with multiple fossil age constraints. This approach applies a Dirichlet process prior as a hyperprior on the parameters of calibration prior densities. Specifically, this model assumes that the rate parameters of exponential prior distributions on calibrated nodes are distributed according to a Dirichlet process, whereby the rate parameters are clustered into distinct parameter categories. Both simulated and biological data are analyzed to evaluate the performance of the Dirichlet process hyperprior. Compared with fixed exponential prior densities, the hierarchical Bayesian approach results in more accurate and precise estimates of internal node ages. When this hyperprior is applied using Markov chain Monte Carlo methods, the ages of calibrated nodes are sampled from mixtures of exponential distributions and uncertainty in the values of calibration density parameters is taken into account.
The effectiveness of computerized order entry at reducing preventable adverse drug events and medication errors in hospital settings: a systematic review and meta-analysis

The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act subsidizes implementation by hospitals of electronic health records with computerized provider order entry (CPOE), which may reduce patient injuries caused by medication errors (preventable adverse drug events, pADEs). Effects on pADEs have not been rigorously quantified, and effects on medication errors have been variable. The objectives of this analysis were to assess the effectiveness of CPOE at reducing pADEs in hospital-related settings, and examine reasons for heterogeneous effects on medication errors. Articles were identified using MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, Econlit, web-based databases, and bibliographies of previous systematic reviews (September 2013). Eligible studies compared CPOE with paper-order entry in acute care hospitals, and examined diverse pADEs or medication errors. Studies on children or with limited event-detection methods were excluded. Two investigators extracted data on events and factors potentially associated with effectiveness. We used random effects models to pool data. Sixteen studies addressing medication errors met pooling criteria; six also addressed pADEs. Thirteen studies used pre-post designs. Compared with paper-order entry, CPOE was associated with half as many pADEs (pooled risk ratio (RR) = 0.47, 95% CI 0.31 to 0.71) and medication errors (RR = 0.46, 95% CI 0.35 to 0.60). Regarding reasons for heterogeneous effects on medication errors, five intervention factors and two contextual factors were sufficiently reported to support subgroup analyses or meta-regression. Differences between commercial versus homegrown systems, presence and sophistication of clinical decision support, hospital-wide versus limited implementation, and US versus non-US studies were not significant, nor was timing of publication. Higher baseline rates of medication errors predicted greater reductions (P < 0.001). Other context and implementation variables were seldom reported. In hospital-related settings, implementing CPOE is associated with a greater than 50% decline in pADEs, although the studies used weak designs. Decreases in medication errors are similar and robust to variations in important aspects of intervention design and context. This suggests that CPOE implementation, as subsidized under the HITECH Act, may benefit public health. More detailed reporting of the context and process of implementation could shed light on factors associated with greater effectiveness.
Pharmacological characterization of mitogen-activated protein kinase activation by recombinant human 5-HT2C, 5-HT2A, and 5-HT2B receptors.

The type 2 serotonin (5-HT2) receptor subfamily is known to couple to phosphoinositide hydrolysis (PI) and the subsequent mobilization of intracellular Ca2+, as well as the release of arachidonic acid (AA). Less is known of 5-HT2-mediated activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) or extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK1/2) signaling. The present study measured the relative efficacies and potencies of 5-HT agonists to activate ERK2 in non-neuronal cells expressing recombinant human 5-HT2A, 5-HT2B, and 5-HT2C(ISV) receptors. 5-HT agonists stimulated ERK2 activity via all three 5-HT2 subtypes. There were no meaningful differences in the potencies or relative efficacies of these agonists to affect ERK2 activity vs. PI accumulation or Ca2+ mobilization, suggesting that these pathways may be sequentially linked. Indeed, ERK2 activity was very sensitive to PKC inhibition and calcium chelation and insensitive to tyrosine kinase and PI-3-kinase inhibition. 5-HT2 receptors efficiently couple to MAPK activation via sequential PI hydrolysis, and Ca2+ mobilization. This profile differs from reports of “agonist-directed trafficking of receptor stimulus” between PI/Ca2+ and AA pathways activated by 5-HT2 receptors.
Continent Jejunal Reservoir (Kock Pouch) for Urinary Diversion in Dogs

Urinary diversion by transplantation of both ureters into a reservoir constructed from 60 cm of jejunum was performed in six clinically normal dogs. The reservoir was connected to a stoma on the abdominal wall through a valve constructed from a short segment of intussuscepted bowel to provide continence. The reservoir was emptied three times daily by catheterization. One dog did not survive the surgical procedure and two dogs died within 1 week of surgical complications. The postoperative capacity of the reservoir in surviving dogs was 100 to 200 mL; it increased during the first month to 600 to 750 mL. Continence was excellent in two dogs. One dog was continent until month 2, when partial slippage of the intussusception occurred. A reversible hyponatremic, hypochloremic, hypokalemic metabolic acidosis developed. Bacteriuria was not responsive to systemic or local instillation of antibiotics. Ascending pyelonephritis, hydroureter, and hydronephrosis occurred in two dogs. Struvite urinary calculi formed in one dog. The procedure as described would be unsuitable for clinical use in dogs.