cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Comparison of fluorescence quantitative PCR and direct PCR sequencing in the detection of HBV polymerase RT region

Objective To explore the feasibility of Direct PCR sequencing in clinic and the significance of Direct PCR sequencing for retrieval treatment plan. Methods To address this issue, a crosssectional study on the drug resistance in the HBV polymerase RT region was performed using Fluorescence quantitative PCR and Direct PCR sequencing in 60 chronic hepatitis B patients, who responded failure to long-term LAM and/or ADV therapy. Result Compared with Fluorescence quantitative PCR, Direct PCR sequencing expressed a higher positive rate (43.2% vs 38.6%; 66.7% vs 54.2%, respectively) and a lower missing rate (9.5% vs 19.0%; 5.9% vs 23.5%, respectively) in the detection of drug resistance in the patients treated with LAM or combination therapy of LAM with ADV. The sensitivity of experiment using Direct PCR sequencing seemed better than Fluorescence quantitative PCR, although the difference was not significant.Further analysis on sensitivity and specificity of detection between high and low viral loads groups indicated that the consensus of two experiments in high viral load group is better than that in low viral load group ( x2 = 5.18, P = 0.023). In low viral load group, Direct PCR sequencing expressed higher sensitivity and higher specificity than Fluorescence quantitative PCR, although the difference did not approach significant. Conclusion Direct PCR sequencing is better than Fluorescence quantitative PCR in the detection of drug resistance in clinic, not only with higher sensitivity and specificity, but also with comprehensive information of HBV polymerase RT region. Key words: Hepatitis B, chronic; Nucleos(t)ide analogues; Resistance; Fluorescence quantitative PCR; Direct PCR sequencing
Biomarkers of Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia

As the understanding of the pathogenesis of BPD has progressed in recent decades, there has been a focus on the role of inflammation in the pulmonary growth impairment and abnormal vascular development characterized by the “new” BPD. The inflammatory process is often initiated in response to prenatal factors and exacerbated in the postnatal environment by mechanical ventilation, supplemental oxygen, and infection. The measurement of certain molecules involved in the inflammatory process, termed biomarkers, in various compartments (e.g., the serum and pulmonary secretions) of preterm infants has been studied extensively. While the use of biomarkers in the clinical setting is limited, a more comprehensive understanding of their role in the pathogenesis of BPD may provide insights into the identification of infants at the highest risk of developing BPD in addition to developing potential therapeutic strategies to prevent BPD.
Lenalidomide and Rituximab Are a Promising Combination in Vitro, in Vivo Preclinically and in a Phase I/II Clinical Trial in Relapsed/Refractory Mantle Cell Lymphoma

Relapsed/refractory mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is difficult to treat. Rituximab (R) targets CD20 antigen on the surface of MCL cells while lenalidomide (Len) may target the microenvironment of MCL cells and enhance the antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) activity of R. To test this hypothesis, we initiated preclinical studies and a phase I/II clinical trial. In the preclinical study we found that Len and R induced growth inhibition and apoptosis of both cultured and fresh primary MCL cells. Len enhanced R-induced apoptosis via upregulating phosphorylation of c-Jun N-terminal protein kinases (JNK), Bcl-2, Bad; increasing release of cytochrome-c; enhancing activation of caspase-3, -8, -9 and cleavage of PARP. Daily treatment with Len increased NK cells by 10 times in SCID mice. The combination of Len and R decreased tumor burden and prolonged survival of MCL-bearing SCID mice. In the phase I/II clinical trial, Eligible patients (pts) with MCL had 1–4 lines of prior therapies. Treatment consisted of Len given orally daily on days 1–21 of a 28-day cycle and R 375 mg/m 2 by IV infusion weekly for 4 weeks only during the first cycle with the first dose on Day 1 in Cycle 1. A standard 3+3 dose escalation was used to determine MTD with Len doses at 10 mg, 15 mg, 20 mg, and 25 mg. Detailed toxicity profile in phase I was reported previously (Wang et al, ASH 2007). Two DLT s occurred at 25 mg including 1 grade 3 hypercalcemia and 1 grade 4 non-neutropenic fever during the first cycle. Six patients from phase 1 were at 20 mg dosage level. One patient from phase 1 was initially at 25 mg dosage level and was subsequently reduced to 20 mg dosage level due to DLT. Eight patients have been enrolled in the phase II trial at MTD. In the 14 patients evaluated at 20 mg dosage level in phase II, median age was 68 (51–77); median prior therapies were 2 (1–4); median cycles received to date were 4 (range 2–26). Grade 3/4 hematologic toxic events included neutropenia (35), febrile neutropenia (2), and thrombocytopenia (11). There was no grade 3–4 anemia. Grade 3 non-hematologic toxic events included fatigue (2) and myalgia (1). Fourteen pts at MTD (20 mg) including 7 in phase I plus 7 in phase II were evaluable for response. Eight out of 14 pts achieved responses including 4 CRs, 4 PR s, 2 SD and 4 PD s. Conclusions: Lenalidomide in combination with rituximab provided a synergistically therapeutic effect on mantle cell lymphoma cells by enhancement of apoptosis and R-dependent NK cell-mediated cytotoxicity preclinically. Lenalidomide plus rituximab showed early evidence of response with a very favorable toxicity profile in a phase I/II clinical trial. Updated information will be presented at the conference.
Use of locking compression plates in ulnar fractures of 18 horses.

OBJECTIVES To describe the outcome, clinical findings, and complications associated with the use of the locking compression plate (LCP) for various types of ulnar fractures in horses. STUDY DESIGN Retrospective case series. SAMPLE POPULATION Client owned horses (n = 18). METHODS Medical records, radiographs, and follow-up for horses having an ulnar fracture repaired using at least 1 LCP were reviewed. Fifteen of 18 horses had fractures of the ulna only, and 3 horses had fractures of the ulna and proximal radius. RESULTS All 18 horses were discharged from the hospital. Complications occurred in 5 horses; incisional infection (n = 4, 22%), implant-associated infection (n = 2, 11%), and colic (n = 1, 6%). Follow-up was available for all horses at a range of 13-120 months and 15 horses (83%) were sound for their intended purpose and 3 horses (17%) were euthanatized. One horse was euthanatized for complications associated with original injury and surgery. CONCLUSIONS The LCP is a viable method of internal fixation for various types of ulnar fractures, with most horses in this series returning to soundness.
Impact of neutron irradiation on thermal helium desorption from iron

Abstract The synergistic effect of neutron irradiation and transmutant helium production is an important concern for the application of iron-based alloys as structural materials in fission and fusion reactors. In this study, we investigated the impact of neutron irradiation on thermal helium desorption behavior in high purity iron. Single crystalline and polycrystalline iron samples were neutron irradiated in HFIR to 5 dpa at 300 °C and in BOR-60 to 16.6 dpa at 386 °C, respectively. Following neutron irradiation, 10 keV He ion implantation was performed at room temperature on both samples to a fluence of 7 × 1018 He/m2. Thermal desorption spectrometry (TDS) was conducted to assess the helium diffusion and clustering kinetics by analyzing the desorption spectra. The comparison of He desorption spectra between unirradiated and neutron irradiated samples showed that the major He desorption peaks shift to higher temperatures for the neutron-irradiated iron samples, implying that strong trapping sites for He were produced during neutron irradiation, which appeared to be nm-sized cavities through TEM examination. The underlying mechanisms controlling the helium trapping and desorption behavior were deduced by assessing changes in the microstructure, as characterized by TEM, of the neutron irradiated samples before and after TDS measurements.
Temporomandibular joint arthritis in patients with non-JIA childhood arthritis

Purpose Arthritis of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is a well recognized entity in patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). Recently, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) evaluations have proven to have much greater sensitivity to detect arthritis compared to ultrasound and place the prevalence of TMJ arthritis in this population between 63% and 75%. There are a number of other rheumatologic diseases which can also present with TMJ inflammation [sarcoidosis, Sjogren disease, mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD)] but the prevalence of TMJ arthritis in these populations is less known. The goal of the current study is to report on TMJ arthritis in non-JIA patients with various chronic childhood arthritides. Methods
Bringing Semantics to Spatiotemporal Data Mining: Challenges, Methods, and Applications

The pervasiveness of GPS-equipped mobile devices has been nurturing an unprecedented amount of semanticsrich spatiotemporal data. The confluence of spatiotemporal and semantic information offers new opportunities for extracting valuable knowledge about people's behaviors, but meanwhile also introduces its unique challenges that render conventional spatiotemporal data mining techniques inadequate. Consequently, mining semantics-rich spatiotemporal data has attracted significant research attention from the data mining community in the past few years. In this tutorial, we start with reviewing classic spatiotemporal data mining tasks and identifying the new opportunities introduced by semantics-rich spatiotemporal data. Subsequently, we provide a comprehensive introduction of existing techniques for mining semantics-rich spatiotemporal data, covering topics including spatiotemporal activity mining, spatiotemporal event discovery, and spatiotemporal mobility modeling. Finally, we discuss about the limitations of existing research and identify several important future directions.
Scalable manufacturing of solar cells enabled by intense pulsed light

The manufacturing of solar photovoltaic panels has seen dramatic reductions in costs primarily through business innovations to the extent that the industry is quite laige. The implementation of newer technologies that could further reduce costs are very attractive, especially technologies that can be adapted to continuous printing particularly involving polymer film substrate. The Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) technology is well suited to continuous manufacturing platforms such as roll-to-roll due to its very large processing area and rapid processing time scales. The IPL technique delivers high energy pulses of broad spectrum light (UV-Vis-NIR) in a very short duration (ms) over a large processing area (100 cm2). In the past few years, the method has found a number of applications within the flexible electronics industry as printed structures for wire traces, transparent conductors and RFID and is now gaining traction within the photovoltaics industry. The IPL technology has been explored for each of the three generations of solar cells. Examples of the IPL processing technique will be detailed for each of the three generation devices: current collecting lines for the market dominant crystalline silicon technology; complimentary processing of electrochemically deposited chalcogenide thin films; and as a rational alternative for the emerging flexible perovskite materials. The most promising opportunity for the IPL within photovoltaics is the application towards the flexible large area roll-to-roll production offered by the solution phase processed perovskites.
Abstract 12829: Sodium Excretion and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease: A 20-year Follow-up Study

Introduction: Effects of sodium intake and cardiovascular (CV) events from prospective cohort studies have been conflicting. The present study aims to estimate the effect of sodium excretion on cardiovascular disease in Chinese population. Methods: Data from the PRC-USA Collaborative Study of Cardiovascular and Cardiopulmonary Epidemiology were used in the analyses, including 880 men and women ages 35-59 years at baseline from 4 urban and rural population samples in Beijing and Guangzhou of China. Three timed 8-hour overnight urine samples were collected for each participant; the average of 3 times urinary sodium measurements were used. The association of urinary sodium categorized by tertiles with CV events was tested by Cox proportional hazards multivariable models. Results: At baseline, the mean (SD) estimated 8-hour overnight excretion for sodium was 63.48 (33.66) mmol. After a median follow-up of 20.25 years, the total CV outcome occurred in 64 (7.3%) participants, including 15 coronary heart disease (CHD) events (acute myocardial infarction, sudden cardiac death, or CHD death) and 52 stroke. From lowest ( =72.28 mmol/8h) tertile of sodium excretion, the cumulative incidence was 4.1%, 6.8%, and 10.9% for total CV events and 3.4%, 5.4%, and 8.9% for stroke. Compared with the lowest sodium excretion group, the Hazard Ratios (HRs) and 95% CI after adjustment for age, gender, site, type of work, smoke, alcohol drinking and serum total cholesterol for total CV outcome were 1.764 (0.853-3.647) and 2.745 (1.390-5.419) in middle (44.28-72.28 mmol/8h) and the highest sodium excretion groups, respectively. Furthermore, the HRs and 95% CI for stroke were 1.756 (0.789-3.912) and 2.737 (1.296-5.777) in middle and the highest sodium excretion groups, respectively. However, the association of sodium excretion with total CV outcome and stroke was not significant both in middle and the highest groups when we additionally adjusted for baseline systolic blood pressure. Conclusions: Higher urinary sodium excretion is associated with increased risk of CV events and stroke, but this relationship is not independent of baseline blood pressure levels.
A Personalized "Course Navigator" Based on Students' Goal Orientation

Higher education institutions must understand students' mastery and performance goals in order to guide them in selecting suitable courses to take, so that they are successful. We propose a personalized recommendation system called "Course Navigator" for guiding undergraduate Information Technology (IT) students in selecting course curriculum based on their self-reported goal orientation and past course performance. We analyzed data from 2500 IT students at University of Central Florida (UCF) to create course recommendations. Our preliminary results show that the course recommendations for students with different goal orientations differ and may help students customize their course selections based on their goals.
Drag Mechanisms Controlling Dynamic Dislocation Behavior in MgO Single Crystals

Edge and screw dislocation velocities in “pure” and iron-doped magnesium oxide single crystals, with and without dislocation dipoles, have been measured as a function of stress, temperature, and valence state of the iron impurities to identify the rate-controlling drag mechanisms for dislocation mobility. Edge dislocations have been observed to move faster than screw dislocations in the valence states of iron impurities over the stress and temperature regimes investigated. The edge and screw dislocations move faster in reduced (Fe+2) samples than in oxidized (Fe+3) samples. From the analysis of the data for the edge and screw dislocation velocities in terms of the activation parameters (activation volume, activation enthalpy, total activation enthalpy, and the stress exponent of dislocation velocity), it is suggested that the edge and screw dislocation mobilities in “pure” MgO single crystals in the reduced state are controlled by Peierls mechanism, with thermally activated double-kink nucleation as the rate-limiting step. The calculated values of the Peierls stress for edge and screw dislocation mobilities in “pure” MgO crystals in the reduced state are 0.6 x 108 and 1.7 x 108 Nm−2, respectively.
Phospholipase A2 Enzymes: Potential Targets for Therapy

The endothelial cells lining blood vessels control vascular tone and actively participate in the inflammatory process by recruiting circulating cells to the underlying tissue. Activation of endothelial cell phospholipase A2 (PLA2) results in enhanced membrane phospholipid hydrolysis, leading to free fatty acid and lysophospholipid production. Arachidonic acid is further metabolized into eicosanoids, and lysophospholipids can be acetylated to form platelet-activating factor (PAF). Endothelial cells can release vasodilator or constrictor prostaglandins depending on the stimulus involved thereby regulating the vascular tone and local blood flow. Recruitment of inflammatory cells is mediated by endothelial cell PAF production. We have determined that endothelial cell PAF production is dependent upon iPLA2β-mediated phospholipid hydrolysis and we propose that selective inhibition of this enzyme could be of potential therapeutic value for inflammatory diseases in the future. This review offers a discussion of activation and inhibition of PLA2 enzymes and further focuses on our more recent studies that highlight endothelial cell iPLA2β activation and the implication for inflammatory disease management.
Psychosocial Factors in the Management of Children with Limb Deficiencies

Limb deficiencies in children are the result of trauma, disease, and congenital causes. Clinical observations have described children and adolescents with limb deficiencies as manifesting depression, anxiety, and loss of self-esteem. However, there is considerable variability in individual children’s adaptation to their limb deficiency. Recent research studies have begun the empiric process of identifying the potentially modifiable predictors of the psychologic and social functioning of children with congenital or acquired limb deficiencies.
Neoplastic meningitis following surgical resection of isolated cerebellar metastasis : A potentially preventable complication

Neoplastic meningitis (NM) occurs in approximately 8% of all cancer patients. To confirm a clinical impression that NM is relatively common in patients who undergo surgical resection of an isolated cerebellar metastasis (ICM), a retrospective studywas performed. All patients who underwent a surgical resection of an isolated CNS metastasis at The Johns Hopkins Hospital betweenJanuary 1991 and June 1993 were identified. Their charts, laboratoryand pathologic data, radiologic studies, survival andcause of death were reviewed. A total of 66 patients were identified. Fifty-five patients underwent a surgical resectionof a supratentorial metastasis while 11 patients (6 females and5 males) underwent a surgical resection of an isolated cerebellarmetastasis. The ages of patients with cerebellar metastases rangedfrom 23 to 74 years at the time of diagnosis with a median age of49 years. All 11 patients had stable systemic disease and an excellent performance status. Five patients had tumors from lung,2 from breast, and 4 from other sites. Each was expected to have a long survival. However, 4 of the 11 patients (36%)developed unequivocal NM at 1, 3, 6, and 7 months following surgicalresection and all died within 1 month from the diagnosisof NM. Two patients had a positive CSF cytology and the other two had multiple enhancing leptomeningeal metastases on MRI. Two additionalpatients died of progressive neurological disease without evidence of local recurrence, yet were never formally evaluated for NM and two were lost to follow-up. Thus, the incidence of NM in this patient population is at least 36%. In the 55 patientswho had resections of supratentorial metastases, only 1 patient (2%) developed NM. This study suggests thatNM following surgical resection of an ICM may be common and mayresult in the premature demise of patients with excellent performancestatus, minimal systemic disease, and a reasonable life expectancy.Further studies are needed to determine if prophylacticintrathecal chemotherapy administered perioperatively could diminish the incidence of clinically apparent NM in this patient population.
Options for multimodal classification based on L1-Tucker decomposition

Most commonly used classification algorithms process data in the form of vectors. At the same time, mod- ern datasets often comprise multimodal measurements that are naturally modeled as multi-way arrays, also known as tensors. Processing multi-way data in their tensor form can enable enhanced inference and classification accuracy. Tucker decomposition is a standard method for tensor data processing, which however has demonstrated severe sensitivity to corrupted measurements due to its L2-norm formulation. In this work, we present a selection of classification methods that employ an L1-norm-based, corruption-resistant reformulation of Tucker (L1-Tucker). Our experimental studies on multiple real datasets corroborate the corruption-resistance and classification accuracy afforded by L1-Tucker.
A Non-causal Inverse Model for Source Signal Recovery in Large-Domain Wave Propagation

A non-causal inverse model for source signal recovery is formulated. The inverse model is derived from a causal forward model. For a dynamical system where the causal inverse is unstable, a non-causal inverse model can be used instead. Application of the non-causal inverse technique on a High Performance Computing (HPC) acoustic propagation model of an office and laboratory campus in Hanover, New Hampshire, USA is presented.
Ultrasonically-assisted in-situ Micro-endoscopic Optical Imaging

A novel technique is presented for micro-endoscopy in which ultrasonic waves will alter the optical properties of tissue for sculpting virtual optical waveguides with graded refractive index profiles to guide and focus photons through the medium. Using this technique, images of target objects can be relayed through a turbid medium without implanting a physical endoscope. We demonstrate imaging of fluorescent objects with feature sizes as small as 22 µm through a scattering tissue phantom. The presented method can also enable in situ volumetric scanning of the medium by changing the pattern and intensity of ultrasonic waves. We demonstrate that arbitrary patterns of light can be sculpted in the target medium in the form of dipole, quadrupole and higher-order beam patterns using a multi-segment cylindrical ultrasonic array.
Birth Month and Influenza Vaccination in Children

Birth Month and Influenza Vaccination in Children Young children often have annual visits with pediatricians near the time of their birthdays. An analysis of insurance claims data showed that child...
Applying Servant Leadership in a Telehealth Environment

This article presents an application of servant leadership to respond to the global pandemic, COVID-19. The application of servant leadership is applied to the telehealth environment and healthcare delivery.
Association of dementia diagnosis with urinary tract infection in the emergency department.

Objectives Overdiagnosis of urinary tract infections (UTI) among people living with dementia is a nationally recognized problem associated with morbidity from antibiotics as well as multidrug-resistant bacteria. However, whether this problem also exists in the emergency department (ED) is currently unknown. Methods To examine the association between dementia and UTI diagnosis in the ED we performed a retrospective analysis of Medicare beneficiaries older than 65 years old who presented to an ED in 2016. A diagnosis of UTI was present in 58,580 beneficiaries, and 321,479 beneficiaries without a diagnosis of UTI served as the comparison group. Our logistic regression model controlled for dementia, older age, female sex, Medicaid status, skilled nursing facility residence, history of prostate cancer, recent urinary catheter use, recurrent UTI, and multiple comorbidities. Results In our model, people living with dementia had over twice the odds (odds ratio = 2.27, 95% confidence interval = 2.21, 2.33) of being diagnosed with a UTI in the ED compared to those without dementia despite their lower prevalence of symptoms and signs localizing to the genitourinary tract (3.8% vs 8.9%, respectively). Conclusion This is the first study from a national database that examines the association of dementia with UTI diagnosis among older adults who visit the ED. Our study could not establish whether the UTI diagnoses in the ED were accurate but does imply a disproportionate burden of UTI diagnoses in people living with dementia despite their lower prevalence of clinical criterion. Antimicrobial stewardship in the ED should address the complexity of UTI diagnosis in dementia.
C. elegans establishes germline versus soma by balancing inherited histone methylation

ABSTRACT Embryos undergo extensive reprogramming at fertilization to prevent the inappropriate inheritance of histone methylation. In C. elegans, this reprogramming is mediated by the H3K4me2 demethylase, SPR-5, and the H3K9 methyltransferase, MET-2. In contrast to this reprogramming, the H3K36 methyltransferase, MES-4, maintains H3K36me2/3 at germline genes between generations to help re-establish the germline. To determine whether the MES-4 germline inheritance system antagonizes spr-5; met-2 reprogramming, we examined the interaction between these two systems. We find that the developmental delay of spr-5; met-2 mutant progeny is associated with ectopic H3K36me2/3 and the ectopic expression of MES-4 targeted germline genes in somatic tissues. Furthermore, the developmental delay is dependent upon MES-4 and the H3K4 methyltransferase, SET-2. We propose that the MES-4 inheritance system prevents critical germline genes from being repressed by maternal spr-5; met-2 reprogramming. Thus, the balance of inherited histone modifications is necessary to distinguish germline versus soma and prevent developmental delay.
GAPP: Inventory Tracking Applications in Mobile Networks

On a daily basis people waste so many items, and what better way to help them from wasting but to create an app that tracks their groceries, creates less waste in the world and saves money at the same time in mobile networks. People waste food on average 1 pound per person each day they live. The application GAPP will cut down costs and waste in everyday life. People also misplace or lose track of items daily. Location of items is a big deal and knowing where they are at all times on a device would help.
Ancient DNA from the extinct Haitian cave-rail (Nesotrochis steganinos) suggests a biogeographic connection between the Caribbean and Old World.

Worldwide decline in biodiversity during the Holocene has impeded a comprehensive understanding of pre-human biodiversity and biogeography. This is especially true on islands, because many recently...
Transcriptomic and Epigenetic Profiling of Fibroblasts in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF).

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a devastating, fibro-proliferative chronic lung disorder, is associated with expansion of fibroblasts/myofibroblasts, which leads to excessive production and deposition of extracellular matrix (ECM). IPF is typically clinically identified as end-stage lung disease, after fibrotic processes are well-established and advanced. Fibroblasts have been shown to be critically important in the development and progression of IPF. We hypothesize that differential chromatin access can drive genetic differences in IPF fibroblasts relative to healthy fibroblasts. To this end, we performed Assay of Transposase-Accessible Chromatin (ATAC)-sequencing to identify differentially accessible regions within the genomes of fibroblasts from healthy and IPF lungs. Multiple motifs were identified to be enriched in IPF fibroblasts compared to healthy fibroblasts, including binding motifs for TWIST1 and FOXA1. RNA-sequencing identified 93 genes that could be annotated to differentially accessible regions. Pathway analysis of the annotated genes identified cellular adhesion, cytoskeletal anchoring, and cell differentiation as important biological processes. In addition, single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) analysis showed that linkage disequilibrium (LD) blocks of IPF risk SNPs with IPF accessible regions that have been identified to be located in genes which are important in IPF, including MUC5B, TERT and TOLLIP. Validation studies in isolated lung tissue confirmed increased expression for TWIST1 and FOXA1 in addition to revealing SHANK2 and CSPR2 as novel targets. Thus, modulation of differential chromatin access may be an important mechanism in the pathogenesis of lung fibrosis.
Elevated intracranial pressure with craniosynostosis: a multivariate model of age, syndromic status, and number of involved cranial sutures

OBJECTIVE Children with multiple prematurely fused cranial sutures and those undergoing surgical correction later in life appear to experience worse neurocognitive outcomes, but it is unclear whether higher intracranial pressure (ICP) is implicated in this process. The purpose of this study was to elucidate the effect of age at intervention and number of involved cranial sutures on ICP, as well as to assess which cranial suture closure may be more associated with elevated ICP. METHODS The prospective craniofacial database at the authors' institution was queried for patients undergoing initial corrective surgery for craniosynostosis in whom intraoperative measurement of ICP was obtained prior to craniectomy. Age, involved sutures, and syndromic status were analyzed in the context of measured ICP by using multiple linear regression. RESULTS Fifty patients met the inclusion criteria. Age at procedure (p = 0.028, β = +0.060 mm Hg/month) and multiple-suture involvement (p = 0.010, β = +4.175 mm Hg if multisuture) were both significantly implicated in elevated ICP. The actual number of major sutures involved was significantly correlated to ICP (p = 0.001; β = +1.687 mm Hg/suture). Among patients with single-suture involvement, there was an overall significant difference of median ICP across the suture types (p = 0.008), with metopic having the lowest (12.5 mm Hg) and sagittal having the highest (16.0 mm Hg). Patients with multiple-suture involvement had significantly higher ICP (p = 0.003; 18.5 mm Hg). Patients with craniofacial syndromes were 79.3 times more likely to have multiple-suture involvement (p < 0.001). Corrective surgery for craniosynostosis demonstrated significant intraoperative reduction of elevated ICP (all p < 0.050). CONCLUSIONS Syndromic status, older age at intervention for craniosynostosis, and multiple premature fusion of cranial sutures were associated with significantly higher ICP.
Tight binding inhibitors—IX: Kinetic parameters of dihydrofolate reductase inhibited by methotrexate, an example of equilibrium study

Equilibrium studies in the presence of methotrexate (MTX), based on the new theories of tight-binding inhibitors and on classical initial velocity analysis, indicated that the reaction mechanism of dihydrofolate reductase Lactobacillus casei MTX/R is consistent with a rapid equilibrium random bi-bi and that MTX inhibits the enzyme competitively with respect to dihydrofolate but noncompetitively with respect to NADPH. The kinetic parameters determined at pH 7.3 and 23° were: Km for DHF, 9.8 ± 1.3 μM; Km for NADPH, 6.0 ± 1.2 μM; Kd for E·DHF, 5.7 ± 0.7 μM; Kd for E·NADPH, 0.037 ± 0.028 μM; Kd for E·MTX, 1.20 ± 0.15 nM; Kd for E·NADPH·MTX → E·NADPH + MTX, 0.19 ± 0.04 nM; and Kd for E·NADPH·MTX → E·MTX + NADPH, 7.6 ± 5.9 nM; the molar equivalency factor was 3.33 ± 0.44 nM per unit/liter of the enzyme, and the catalytic number was 300 min−.
Null Hypothesis Significance Testing

Null hypothesis significance testing (NHST) is an inferential statistical method for deciding whether a well-specified hypothesis, identified as the null hypothesis, is to be regarded as true for a population from which a given set of data has been obtained by random sampling. In the usual procedure the data from a particular dependent (i.e., measured) variable are first summarized by a single number called a test statistic. Usually, some assumptions must then be made in order to find the relative likelihoods of all possible values of that test statistic when the null hypothesis is true, and thus to find the null hypothesis distribution (NHD). The next step is to calculate the probability of obtaining one's actual test statistic from the NHD, or one that is even further from the mean of the NHD. From what is called the “frequentist” point of view, that probability, called a p value, tells us the proportion of times that the NHD would yield a test statistic at least as inconsistent with the null hypothesis as the one you obtained, over many exact replications of your study. In the accept-support (AS) form of NHST, researchers actually want to obtain a p value that is close to its maximum of 1.0, because the null hypothesis being tested is consistent with the theory that motivated the study. Keywords: null hypothesis distribution; p value; statistical significance; type I error; effect size
A Warm Liquid Forward Calorimeter for the SSC - A New Technology with New Challenges

As part of the WALIC international collaboration, LBL engineers and physicists are building accelerator beamline prototype calorimeters using a room temperature ionizing liquid. If successful, this technology will be an immediate contender for the Forward Calorimeter of the Solenoidal Detector Collaboration (SDC), with potential application to complete, full scale SSC calorimeters.
Detection of Integrin αIIbβ3Clustering in Living Cells

In platelets, bidirectional signaling across integrin alpha(IIb)beta(3) regulates fibrinogen binding, cytoskeletal reorganization, cell aggregation, and spreading. Because these responses may be influenced by the clustering of alpha(IIb)beta(3) heterodimers into larger oligomers, we established two independent methods to detect integrin clustering and evaluate factors that regulate this process. In the first, weakly complementing beta-galactosidase mutants were fused to the C terminus of individual alpha(IIb) subunits, and the chimeras were stably expressed with beta(3) in Chinese hamster ovary cells. Clustering of alpha(IIb)beta(3) should bring the mutants into proximity and reconstitute beta-galactosidase activity. In the second method, alpha(IIb) was fused to either a green fluorescent protein (GFP) or Renilla luciferase and transiently expressed with beta(3). Here, integrin clustering should stimulate bioluminescence resonance energy transfer between a cell-permeable luciferase substrate and GFP. These methods successfully detected integrin clustering induced by anti-alpha(IIb)beta(3) antibodies. Significantly, they also detected clustering upon soluble fibrinogen binding to alpha(IIb)beta(3). In contrast, no clustering was observed following direct activation of alpha(IIb)beta(3) by MnCl(2) or an anti-alpha(IIb)beta(3)-activating antibody Fab in the absence of fibrinogen. Intracellular events also influenced alpha(IIb)beta(3) clustering. For example, a cell-permeable, bivalent FK506-binding protein (FKBP) ligand stimulated clustering when added to cells expressing an alpha(IIb)(FKBP)(2) chimera complexed with beta(3). Furthermore, alpha(IIb)beta(3) clustering occurred in the presence of latrunculin A or cytochalasin D, inhibitors of actin polymerization. These effects were enhanced by fibrinogen, suggesting that actin-regulated clustering modulates alpha(IIb)beta(3) interaction with ligands. These studies in living cells establish that alpha(IIb)beta(3) clustering is modulated by fibrinogen and actin dynamics. More broadly, they should facilitate investigations of the mechanisms and consequences of integrin clustering.
Overcoming the challenges in thin wafer (/spl les/8 mils) manufacturing

In this paper effective manufacturing of power discrete devices on thinned (/spl les/8 mils or /spl sim/200 /spl mu/m) 200 mm substrates will be discussed. The findings in this study can also be applied to integrated circuit technologies. Most of the challenges occur in the back end of line (BEOL) where the substrate thinning typically is performed; therefore issues in this area will be discussed. The other key areas that will be discussed are substrate issues, wafer handling issues, and equipment & tool issues. The overall goal will be to highlight challenges in each area and denote possible or existing resolutions that enable high yield and low breakage manufacturing.
The Magsat scalar magnetometer

The Magsat scalar magnetometer is derived from optical pumping magnetometers flown on the orbiting geophysical observatories. The basic sensor, a cross-coupled arrangement of absorption cells, photodiodes, and amplifiers, oscillates at the Larmor frequency of atomic moments precessing about the ambient field direction. The Larmor frequency output is accumulated digitally and stored for transfer to the spacecraft telemetry stream. In orbit the instrument has met its principal objective of calibrating the vector magnetometer and providing scalar field data.
Does the modality principle hold for different media? A test of the method‐affects‐learning hypothesis

Abstract Does the modality of instructional messages affect learning? How does it affect different media? In this paper, I offer an answer to these questions by first proposing a theoretical framework from which effective instructional methods can be derived. Then, I report a set of studies where one method, the modality principle, was tested across different media and found to produce significant learning benefits. Based on the findings and those of a recent meta-analysis of modality effects, I suggest future research directions to examine method and media contributions to learning.
Simulation of Nonlinear Systems Having Series and Parallel Friction Elements

The numerical response of a SDOF oscillator with a friction element and spring in series is investigated. The connection between the friction element and the spring is massless resulting in an ideal “Iwan element,” also termed an elastic/perfectly-plastic element. A methodology is proposed that avoids the complications caused by hysteresis, allowing the system to be simulated using relatively simple programming logic. A notable feature of the technique is that it yields a functional relation for the friction force that depends on the present value of the state vector, rather than on prior history of the motion. The method introduces a small, “fictitious” slider mass within the Iwan element. Simulations are presented to show how the relative size of the slider mass affects the trade off between accuracy and computational costs. It is seen that the results of the method are very accurate and easy to implement. It is also shown that the added numerical stiffness associated with the high-frequency dynamics of the slider mass can be alleviated through use of a switchable viscous damping term. The viscous damping term decreases the number of timesteps required for simulation without adversely affecting the accuracy. The paper considers SDOF systems having a single Iwan-element as well as multiple Iwan elements.Copyright © 2011 by ASME
Fast scalable selection algorithms for large scale data

Selection finding, and its most common form median finding, are used as a measure of central tendency for problems in biology, databases, and graphics. These problems often require selection finding as a subcomponent where it can be called many times, and as such speed is important. The Map/Reduce framework has been shown to be an important tool for creating scalable applications. There are a number of valid implementations of the selection algorithms inside of a Map/Reduce framework, certain of which are compared in this paper. However, as the volume of data increases, subtle theoretical algorithmic implementation differences can lead to significant differences in practical application. Therefore, an efficient and scalable selection finding method has the potential to provide general benefit to a number of applications. This paper compares algorithms that have been redesigned or created for the Map/Reduce framework for the purpose of selection finding, or, finding the k-th ranked element in an unordered set. This paper takes the concepts used from two existing selection algorithms and translates them into a novel method using the Map/Reduce framework with two variations. Each approach uses a different methodology to reduce the total amount of workload needed for a selection. All the algorithms are compared together for scalability and efficiency in a computing cluster environment with up to 256 processing cores. The results show that the methods proposed in this paper outperform several common alternatives in identifying medians with Hadoop, including using sorting, Pig, and BinMedian methods. Our implementations are also available upon request.
A miniaturized electromechanical impedance-based node for the wireless interrogation of structural health

This paper presents the development and applications of a miniaturized impedance sensor node for structural health monitoring. The principle behind the impedance-based structural health monitoring technique is to apply high frequency structural excitations (typically higher than 30 kHz) through the surface-bonded piezoelectric transducers, and measure the impedance of structures by monitoring the current and voltage applied to the piezoelectric transducers. Changes in impedance indicate changes in the structure, which in turn can indicate that damage has occurred. Although many proof-of-concept experiments have been performed using the impedance methods, the impedance-measuring device is bulky and impractical for field-use. Therefore, a recently developed, miniaturized, low-cost impedance measurement chip was used to measure and record the electric impedance of a piezoelectric transducer. The performance of this miniaturized and portable device has been compared to our previous results and its effectiveness has been demonstrated in detecting bolt preload changes in a bolted frame structure. Furthermore, the possibility of wireless communication and local signal processing at the sensor node has been investigated by integrating the device with a microprocessor and telemetry.
Use of a post-column reaction and a spectrophotometric detector for the liquid chromatographic determination of water

Abstract A sensitive method for the determination of water in the presence of common interferents is presented. An ion-exchange column in the Li + form and acetonitrile-methanol (60:40) as eluent are used to separate water from other sample components. The detection system is based on the effect of water on the equilibrium which results from the reaction of cinnamaldehyde (added to the eluent) and methanol in the eluent to form cinnamaldehyde dimethylacetal plus water. This equilibrium is shifted in the catalytic atmosphere of an H + -form post-column reactor. The extent of the shift and the resulting change in absorbance at 310 nm are proportional to the amount of water present. The method is rapid, sensitive, relatively free from interferences and gives a linear calibration graph over approximately three orders of magnitude difference in water concentration.
Effects of antimalarials and protease inhibitors on plasmodial hemozoin production

Malarial hemozoin may play an important role as a target for antimalarial drugs and in disease pathogenesis. A new assay for hemozoin was developed in which the hemozoin was separated from cells by filtration. Trophozoites have substantially more hemozoin than rings, but there are relatively small differences between chloroquine-sensitive and chloroquine-resistant strains. The effects on hemozoin content of chloroquine and artemisinin, two antimalarial drugs, and E64 and Pepstatin A, two protease inhibitors, were measured. At concentrations at which hypoxanthine incorporation was unaffected, the hemozoin content of rings was decreased by E64, but not by the other three compounds. Artemisinin and Pepstatin A also had little effect on the bemozoin content of trophozoites. Chloroquine and E64 inhibited trophozoite hemozoin formation, but inhibited hypoxanthine uptake to a similar or greater extent. When either rings or trophozoites were exposed to several higher concentrations of chloroquine, hemozoin content was diminished, but significantly less than hypoxanthine uptake. Various concentrations of E64, in contrast, inhibited hemozoin production by both rings and trophozoites significantly more than hypoxanthine incorporation, suggesting that hemozoin production may be directly affected by E64.
High-resolution subtropical summer precipitation derived from dynamical downscaling of the NCEP/DOE reanalysis: how much small-scale information is added by a regional model?

This study assesses the regional-scale summer precipitation produced by the dynamical downscaling of analyzed large-scale fields. The main goal of this study is to investigate how much the regional model adds smaller scale precipitation information that the large-scale fields do not resolve. The modeling region for this study covers the southeastern United States (Florida, Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, and North Carolina) where the summer climate is subtropical in nature, with a heavy influence of regional-scale convection. The coarse resolution (2.5deg latitude/longitude) large-scale atmospheric variables from the National Center for Environmental Prediction (NCEP)/DOE reanalysis (R2) are downscaled using the NCEP Environmental Climate Prediction Center regional spectral model (RSM) to produce precipitation at 20 km resolution for 16 summer seasons (19902005). The RSM produces realistic details in the regional summer precipitation at 20 km resolution. Compared to R2, the RSM-produced monthly precipitation shows better agreement with observations. There is a reduced wet bias and a more realistic spatial pattern of the precipitation climatology compared with the interpolated R2 values. The root mean square errors of the monthly R2 precipitation are reduced over 93 (1,697) of all the grid points in the five states (1,821). The temporal correlation also improves over 92 (1,675) of all grid points such that the domain-averaged correlation increases from 0.38 (R2) to 0.55 (RSM). The RSM accurately reproduces the first two observed eigenmodes, compared with the R2 product for which the second mode is not properly reproduced. The spatial patterns for wet versus dry summer years are also successfully simulated in RSM. For shorter time scales, the RSM resolves heavy rainfall events and their frequency better than R2. Correlation and categorical classification (above/near/below average) for the monthly frequency of heavy precipitation days is also significantly improved by the RSM.
Learning About Sampling and Measurement by Doing Content Analysis of Personal Advertisements

THOSE WHO TEACH social research methods often note that their students approach the required course with dread, lack of interest, and questions about why they need to know "this stuff." This is especially true of sampling and measurement. Students describe these topics as "too abstract," "intimidating," or "irrelevant." In this paper, we detail a "learning by doing" approach to teaching sampling and measurement in the undergraduate social research methods course. Critical issues in sampling and measurement become concrete and relevant to