cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Clinical Impact of Second Opinion Radiology Consultation for Patients With Breast Cancer.

Abstract Purpose To assess the incidence and clinical significance of discrepancy in subspecialty interpretation of outside breast imaging examinations for newly diagnosed breast cancer patients presenting to a tertiary cancer center. Materials and Methods This Institutional Review Board–approved retrospective study included patients presenting from July 2016 to March 2017 to a National Cancer Institute–designated comprehensive cancer center for second opinion after breast cancer diagnosis. Outside and second opinion radiology reports of 252 randomly selected patients were compared by two subspecialty breast radiologists to consensus. A peer review score was assigned, modeled after ACR’s RADPEERTM peer review metric: 1—agree; 2—minor discrepancy (unlikely clinically significant); 3—moderate discrepancy (may be clinically significant); 4—major discrepancy (likely clinically significant). Among cases with clinically significant discrepancies, rates of clinical management change (management alterations including change in follow-up, neoadjuvant therapy use, and surgical management as a direct result of image review), and detection of additional malignancy were assessed through electronic medical record review. Results A significant difference in interpretation (scores = 3 or 4) was seen in 41 of 252 cases (16%, 95% confidence interval [CI], 11.7%-20.8%). The difference led to additional workup in 38 of 252 cases (15%, 95% CI 10.6%-19.5%) and change in clinical management in 18 of 252 cases (7.1%, 95% CI 4.0%-10.2%), including 15 of 252 with change in surgical management (6.0%, 95% CI, 3.0%-8.9%). An additional malignancy or larger area of disease was identified in 11 of 252 cases (4.4%, 95% CI, 1.8%-6.9%). Conclusion Discrepancy between outside and second-opinion breast imaging subspecialists frequently results in additional workup for breast cancer patients, changes in treatment plan, and identification of new malignancies.
Teaching to Connect: Community-Building Strategies for the Virtual Classroom

A sense of community is central to student engagement and satisfaction. However, many students struggle with developing connections in online programs. Drawing on interviews with 13 instructors, this paper explores the strategies that they use to help students develop a sense of community in synchronous virtual classrooms. Four strategies for building community online are identified: reaching out to students often, limiting time spent lecturing, using video and chat as modes to engage students, and allowing class time to be used for personal and professional updates.
The ketogenic diet and the QT interval

Long QT syndrome is a disorder of ventricular myocardial repolarization associated with an increased risk of life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death. This report highlights a case of QT prolongation with torsades de pointes in a patient with baseline congenital long QT syndrome, believed to be precipitated by metabolic changes associated with the "ketogenic diet."
Identifying NK-Cell Donors for Cell Therapy Based on Functional Phenotype.

Abstract Donor natural killer (NK) cells after haploidentical hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation (HSCT) and infusion of haploidentical NK-cells have demonstrated a therapeutic effect. NK alloreactivity resulting from appropriate Killer cell Ig-like receptor (KIR)-ligand disparity in human-leukocyte-antigen (HLA)-haplotype mismatched HSCT has resulted in improved engraftment and decreased incidence of leukemia relapse. Yet, not all patient-donor pairs benefit for an allogeneic NK-cell effect. To identify NK-cell donors with a suitable KIR-ligand mismatch, we have developed a functional assay to measure NK-cell killing through KIR-ligand interactions. NK-cell lysis of target cells is blocked by inhibitory KIR that recognize classical HLA class I allotypes and HLA mismatches of an altered allelic repertoire, as in haploidentical HSCT, leading to KIR-ligand mismatch and alloreactive NK cell-mediated target killing (Figure 1A). A cytotoxicity assay was developed based on the NK-cell target HLAnull 721.221 cells, and a panel of targets with enforced expression of HLA genes recognized by KIR. After the killing assay was optimized for high throughput and sensitivity, we used the panel of targets to determine whether bulk populations of donor NK cells could be predicted to kill based on KIR and HLA typing. The results demonstrate patterns of target-cell lysis for the KIR repertoires corresponding, for some donors, with predicted donor-versus-recipient NK-cell alloreactivity (Figure 1B). A relative inhibition of HLA+ target-cell lysis of >30% was associated with binding of KIR to introduced HLA class I molecules. The benefit of this assay to transplant physicians is a tool to actually measure phenotype (lysis), rather than relying on predictive models based on genotype. This assay will be combined with typing data to help identify donors with NK-cell killing function for recipients of haploidentical HSCT and infusion of haploidentical NK cells. Download : Download high-res image (157KB) Download : Download full-size image Figure 1 . (A) Schematic of alloreactivity generated between NK cells that are KIR-ligand mismatched with targets. (B) Observed lysis of 721.221 cells, with enforced expression of HLA class I, by KIR-typed donar(box).
Perturbations of Ubiquitin-Proteasome-Mediated Proteolysis in Aging and Alzheimer’s Disease

The ubiquitin-proteasome pathway (UPP) has multiple roles in the normal nervous system, including the development of synaptic connections and synaptic plasticity. Research over the past several years has indicated a role for the UPP in aging without any overt pathology in the brain. In addition, malfunction of the UPP is implicated in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and dementia associated with it. In this mini review article, we assess the literature on the role of protein degradation by the UPP in aging and in AD with special emphasis on dysregulation of the UPP and its contribution to cognitive decline and impairment.
Science and Industry

Science and industry have long been related even as they have maintained their distinct identities (Clow 1960). Even before the development of modern science 'by the middle of the thirteenth century the association of learning and industry was fully recognized as a necessity for successful commercial pursuits (Davis 1984). However, in recent decades, science has become increasingly industrialized even as industry has become infused with science in a number of ways going well beyond the transfer of knowledge. Thus, ‘during the last fifty years, science has given birth to a new golden age of craft industry’ as laboratory devices are translated into production equipment and even become the source of new industries (Dyson 1999, p. 10). Indeed, scientific, technological, and organizational innovation is the root of the so-called ‘new economy’ (Carnavale 1991).
Video Analysis of Concussion Exposures in a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Team

Background:Research into improving player safety of sport-related concussion (SRC) in American football has been an ongoing endeavor. In an attempt to better understand the incidence of SRCs in Ame...
Gut Microbiota and Cancer of the Host: Colliding Interests

Cancer develops in multicellular organisms from cells that ignore the rules of cooperation and escape the mechanisms of anti-cancer surveillance. Tumorigenesis is jointly encountered by the host and microbiota, a vast collection of microorganisms that live on the external and internal epithelial surfaces of the body. The largest community of human microbiota resides in the gastrointestinal tract where commensal, symbiotic and pathogenic microorganisms interact with the intestinal barrier and gut mucosal lymphoid tissue, creating a tumor microenvironment in which cancer cells thrive or perish. Aberrant composition and function of the gut microbiota (dysbiosis) has been associated with tumorigenesis by inducing inflammation, promoting cell growth and proliferation, weakening immunosurveillance, and altering food and drug metabolism or other biochemical functions of the host. However, recent research has also identified several mechanisms through which gut microbiota support the host in the fight against cancer. These mechanisms include the use of antigenic mimicry, biotransformation of chemotherapeutic agents, and other mechanisms to boost anti-cancer immune responses and improve the efficacy of cancer immunotherapy. Further research in this rapidly advancing field is expected to identify additional microbial metabolites with tumor suppressing properties, map the complex interactions of host-microbe 'transkingdom network' with cancer cells, and elucidate cellular and molecular pathways underlying the impact of specific intestinal microbial configurations on immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy.
Phase-field simulations of electromigration-induced defects in interconnects with non-columnar grain microstructure

In this work, we utilize a phase-field model to investigate electromigration-mediated defects in non-columnar polycrystalline interconnects. We find that the misalignment of the grain boundary with respect to an externally applied electric field governs the non-linear kinetics of electromigration-induced slit evolution. We explore the mechanisms by which electromigration-induced defects propagate in interconnects comprising equiaxed and randomly distributed grains. We deduce that when atomic mobility in grain boundaries ( M g b) is two orders of magnitude larger than along the surface ( M s), the defect manifests as grain boundary slits, while a smaller M g b / M s promotes surface drift. By the aid of an extensive parametric study, the presence of a mixed mode at intermittent values of M g b / M s is established. Our simulations of slit formation in a network of randomly distributed grains validate our hypothesis that grain boundary alignment and the grain size distribution determine failure rates. Finally, we found that the failure rates in 3D are several times faster than in 2D, which indicates the importance of accounting the physics of three-dimensional capillarity in the present modeling approach.
Can GPT-3 Pass a Writer’s Turing Test?

Until recently the field of natural language generation relied upon formalized grammar systems, small-scale statistical models, and lengthy sets of heuristic rules. This older technology was fairly limited and brittle: it could remix language into word salad poems or chat with humans within narrowly defined topics. Recently, very large-scale statistical language models have dramatically advanced the field, and GPT-3 is just one example. It can internalize the rules of language without explicit programming or rules. Instead, much like a human child, GPT-3 learns language through repeated exposure, albeit on a much larger scale. Without explicit rules, it can sometimes fail at the simplest of linguistic tasks, but it can also excel at more difficult ones like imitating an author or waxing philosophical.
Comparative Analysis of Meta-Heuristic Algorithms for Optimal Sizing of Hybrid Renewable Energy System

This study analyzes and evaluates five meta-heuristic algorithms, the Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO), the Harmony Search (HS), the Firefly Algorithm (FA), the Cultural Algorithm (CA), and the flower pollination algorithm (FPA), to address optimal configuration of Hybrid Renewable Energy System (HRES). The proposed hybrid system is comprised of a Photovoltaic (PV), wind turbine, and biomass generator designed to meet the electrical load of a remote village located in Saudi Arabia. The objective of optimizing the system is to identify an optimum system configuration with minimum total net present costs (TNPC). Per each technique, simulations have been made for 30 independent runs to verify the proposed methodology. The results of the five algorithms (minimum TNPC) were examined using an independent t-test sample. The analysis demonstrates that the FPA was the best algorithm followed by the FA.
Pathways and disease-causing alterations in visual chromophore production for vertebrate vision

All that we view of the world begins with an ultrafast cis to trans photoisomerization of the retinylidene chromophore associated with the visual pigments of rod and cone photoreceptors. The continual responsiveness of these photoreceptors is then sustained by regeneration processes that convert the trans-retinoid back to an 11-cis configuration. Recent biochemical and electrophysiological analyses of the retinal G-protein-coupled receptor (RGR) suggest that it could sustain the responsiveness of photoreceptor cells, particularly cones, even under bright light conditions. Thus, two mechanisms have evolved to accomplish the reisomerization: one involving the well-studied retinoid isomerase (RPE65) and a second photoisomerase reaction mediated by the RGR. Impairments to the pathways that transform all-trans-retinal back to 11-cis-retinal are associated with mild to severe forms of retinal dystrophy. Moreover, with age there also is a decline in the rate of chromophore regeneration. Both pharmacological and genetic approaches are being used to bypass visual cycle defects and consequently mitigate blinding diseases. Rapid progress in the use of genome editing also is paving the way for the treatment of disparate retinal diseases. In this review, we provide an update on visual cycle biochemistry and then discuss visual-cycle-related diseases and emerging therapeutics for these disorders. There is hope that these advances will be helpful in treating more complex diseases of the eye, including age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
Cognitive Sophistication, Religion, and the Trump Vote

Objectives Support for Donald has been linked to religious commitments and education, though the issue of how cognitive sophistication may play a role in his support has rarely been examined. This study explores how cognitive sophistication and religion influenced political orientations and Trump voting. Methods Data from the 2018 General Social Survey are examined. Logistic regression is used to predict voting and choice. Structural equation models are estimated to examine the interrelationships between cognitive ability, education, religious commitments, political orientations, and the Trump vote. Results Cognitive sophistication was found to have a positive effect on voting, but a negative effect on choosing Trump. The influence of cognitive sophistication works through its support for secular beliefs and opposition to biblical inerrancy, influencing Republican partisanship and political conservatism that favored Trump. Conclusions Cognitive sophistication and educational attainment are important for influencing political commitments and the Trump vote, and the effect of cognitive sophistication is entwined with its negative association with religious fundamentalism and positive association with secularism.
B7 immune-checkpoints as targets for the treatment of neuroendocrine tumors

The B7 family, and their receptors, the CD28 family, are major immune checkpoints that regulate T-cell activation and function. In the present study, we explore the role of two B7 immune-checkpoints: HERV-H LTR-Associating Protein 2 (HHLA2) and B7 Family Member, H4 (B7x), in the progression of gastrointestinal and pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (GINETs and PNETs). We demonstrated that both HHLA2 and B7x were expressed to a high degree in human GINETs and PNETs. We determined that the expression of B7x and HHLA2 correlates with higher grade and higher incidence of nodal and distant spread. Furthermore, we confirmed that HIF-1α overexpression is associated with the upregulation of B7x both in our in vivo (animal model) and in vitro (cell culture) models. When grown in vitro, islet tumor β-cells lack B7x expression, unless cultured under hypoxic conditions, which results in both hypoxia-inducible factor 1 subunit alpha (HIF-1α) and B7x upregulation. In vivo, we demonstrated that Men1/B7x double knockout (KO) mice (with loss of B7x expression) exhibited decreased islet β-cell proliferation and tumor transformation accompanied by increased T-cell infiltration compared with Men1 single knockout mice. We have also shown that systemic administration of a B7x mAb to our Men1 KO mice with PNETs promotes an antitumor response mediated by increased T-cell infiltration. These findings suggest that B7x may be a critical mediator of tumor immunity in the tumor microenvironment of NETs. Therefore, targeting B7x offers an attractive strategy for the immunotherapy of patients suffering from NETs.
Christian America? Understanding the Link between Churches, Attitudes, and “Being American” among Latino Immigrants

In recent decades, Evangelical churches in the United States have expanded their outreach to Latino immigrants, seeking to incorporate these new Americans into their churches. We investigate the implications of this movement by examining the impact of church affiliation on Latino immigrants’ conceptions of what it means to be “fully American.” Relying on the 2006 Latino National Survey, we find that church affiliation significantly impacts immigrants’ beliefs about what it means to “be American” in the eyes of other Americans and the likelihood of identifying themselves as “American.” Specifically, Protestant Latinos (be they mainline or Evangelical) are more likely than Catholic Latinos (the majority of Latinos) to identify as American and to believe that Americans think being a Christian is a defining feature of American identity. We conclude by discussing the implications of our findings.
Mobilités et urbanisme patrimonial : les modes de vie mobiles et leurs implications territoriales

La popularite croissante des modes de vie mobiles a d’importantes consequences pour les communautes urbaines ou ces mobilites sont souvent manifestes. Les modes de vie mobiles contribuent a l’appropriation des espaces bâtis par des classes sociales plus mobiles que d’autres, a l’instar des retraites des pays a revenus eleves qui experimentent de nouvelles facons de vivre et de vieillir dans une culture etrangere. L’emergence et la popularite de ces mobilites affectent la circulation dans l’espace urbain et son usage, particulierement pour les residents urbains a faibles revenus. Cet article se penche sur les impacts des personnes ayant adopte un mode de vie mobile Nord-Sud sur trois villes inscrites au patrimoine mondial de l’UNESCO : Cuenca (Equateur), Rabat (Maroc) et Lisbonne (Portugal).
A Cable-Driven Switching-Legged Inchworm Soft Robot: Design and Testing

Inspired from biological systems, researchers are designing soft robots to replace conventional rigid body robots in many applications, including human-machine interaction, manipulation, medical instrumentation and wearable devices. In this paper, a cable-driven switching-legged inchworm-inspired soft robot is presented, in which motion is obtained by deforming the elastic body with actuated cables. The robot features low cost and fast manufacturing, as most of its components and molds for the soft body are 3D-printed, while electrical components are widely accessible on the market. Inspired by inchworm locomotion, we have developed a leg switching approach to control and exploit the difference of friction between the front and back of the robot to achieve basic motion capabilities. An extensive experimental campaign shows that the robot can perform basic movements (linear and angular motions) in multiple conditions as different surface frictions and slopes as well as following generic trajectories.
The cyber-physical immune system: work-in-progress

Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) are important components of critical infrastructure and must operate with high levels of reliability and security. We propose a conceptual approach to securing CPSs: the Cyber-Physical Immune System (CPIS), a collection of hardware and software elements deployed on top of a conventional CPS. Inspired by its biological counterpart, the CPIS comprises an independent network of distributed computing units that collects data from the conventional CPS, utilizes data-driven techniques to identify threats, adapts to the changing environment, alerts the user of any threats or anomalies, and deploys threat-mitigation strategies.
Addendum To: Almost Ricci solitons and K-contact geometry

We improve the previous result “A complete Ricci soliton whose metric g is K-contact and the soliton vector field X is strictly contact, is compact Sasakian Einstein” and show that, if a complete Ricci soliton (M, g, X) whose metric g is a contact metric and the soliton vector field X is strictly contact, then X is an infinitesimal automorphism and g is Einstein. Finally, for a Ricci soliton with X as the Reeb vector field, we show that (M, g) is compact Einstein and and Sasakian.
Buddhist Majoritarianism and Ethnocracy in Sri Lanka

Majoritarianism rarely, if ever, accompanies good governance, and Sri Lanka is a case in point. Unwilling to build on a history of pluralism, the island’s post-independence elites manipulated ethno...
Why so many tests to measure texture

Publisher Summary Many different instruments using different principles are used to measure food texture and they are all needed because people use different parts of the body and different chewing patterns for different foods. Fingers, lips, tongue, incisor teeth, cuspid teeth, and molar teeth use different test principles. There are many different texture notes in foods and different principles are needed to detect different notes. Single test instruments measure only one texture note while universal testing machines can be programmed to measure from one to several texture notes. For both classes of instrument it is necessary to select a test principle that correlates highly with the one used by people for that food. However, there are no general rules to cover what needs to be done to standardize and optimize the test procedure. Each food has its own unique characteristics and therefore all of the items need to be examined to see whether they are critical, somewhat important, or not important. Apart from a thorough understanding of “texture”, this chapter describes the various ways and procedures of measuring texture and focuses on a series of questions that are needed to be answered to find a suitable instrument.
Probabilistic versus possibilistic conceptualization of uncertainty

The paper overviews the conceptualization of uncertainty in the Dempster-Shafer theory. The measure of discord is introduced; it is more satisfactory than the measures of dissonance and confusion previously proposed. Probabilistic and possibilistic formalizations of uncertainty are then compared. >
Newton’s Law and Tensor Calculus

Newton’s Law of Motion is studied in introductory courses in calculus, physics, and dynamics. Being familiar, fundamental, and simple, Newton’s Law is an ideal vehicle for introducing many of the key ideas in tensor calculus.
Capital Asset Pricing Model

The capital asset pricing model (CAPM) is an equation which specifically links the expected return of a security to its underlying risk. Keywords: capital asset pricing model
Stochastic vector quantization, and stochastic VQ with state feedback using neural networks

Memoryless vector quantization (VQ) is the process of representing a continuous-valued vector by a vector function of a discrete-valued index. A novel system which performs VQ stochastically is introduced. This system uses an encoder which produces, for a given vector to be quantized, a probability distribution over the N indices, then randomly chooses one of the N indices using that distribution. The structure used to compute the distribution is a feedforward neural network classifier. The decoder is a simple codebook lookup exactly as in plain VQ. The performance of this memoryless stochastic scheme must be suboptimal. By taking the error to be minimized as the expected value, over the set of random choices, of the error between original vector and decoder output, it is possible to find the error gradient over the encoder/classifier's outputs and decoder's codebook vectors. Then gradient descent (backpropagation) may be used to train all the system's parameters in order to minimize the error. When the data to be quantized is a correlated sequence of vectors, each vector could be quantized separately by a memoryless VQ system. However, performance can be improved in theory by using some state information about the past. The usual state-feedback extension of plain VQ is finite-state vector quantization (FSVQ). Unfortunately, there is no known optimal training procedure for FSVQ. The stochastic VQ scheme can also be extended to use feedback state information. Unlike for FSVQ, the optimal training scheme (given the structure of the system) is known. By using gradient descent (backpropagation-through-time), the system can be trained to optimize its parameters. Experimental results show that this stochastic system with state-feedback can perform up to 0.45 dB better than FSVQ on a Gauss-Markov source.
Workforce Alternatives to Graduate Students

In an era of excitement and growth in the biomedical sciences, many people are concerned about the career prospects of young scientists. It is therefore essential that we initiate an expanded dialog on career options in the biomedical sciences before our ability to renew the scientific workforce is compromised. A reduced dependence on graduate students and postdoctoral labor should be explored. We need to broaden the career ladder to create more staff scientist positions that would recognize and compensate the contributions of researchers who have concluded their formal training but do not run laboratories of their own.
Arrangement of substrates at the active site of yeast phosphoglycerate kinase. Effect of sulfate ion.

beta, gamma-Bidentate CrATP, a stable exchange-inert metal-nucleotide analog, was used as a probe of the conformation of the substrates at the active site of yeast phosphoglycerate kinase (PGK). The paramagnetic effects of Cr3+ on the longitudinal relaxation rates (1/T1p) of the 1H, 31P, and 13C nuclei of 3-phospho-D-glycerate (3PGA) were examined to determine the distances between enzyme-bound CrATP and the nuclei of 3PGA in the ternary PGK.CrATP.3PGA complex. Kinetic studies indicated that Ki(CrATP) was dependent on the concentration of 3PGA that was abolished in the presence of activator sulfate ion. Similarly, NMR studies showed that the environment of CrATP bound at the active site was altered by the presence of sulfate ion. The determined metal-to-nucleus distances show the close proximity of the substrates at the active site of PGK, which is consistent with a hinge-bending mechanism of the enzyme for bringing the two substrates together. Additionally, the presence of an activating concentration of sulfate was observed to cause significant changes in both the relative Cr(3+)-to-3PGA distances and the overall conformation of 3PGA when compared to the findings in the absence of sulfate. This is consistent with the active site being in a "less closed" configuration when sulfate is present. Under both conditions, models can be constructed that allow for direct transfer of a phosphoryl group between the bound substrates.
Theory and implementation issues of the 2-dimensional polynomial residue number system

The authors present 2D polynomial residue number system techniques for parallel polynomial multiplication in modular rings and discuss array implementation issues of such 2D polynomial multipliers. A specific example design is presented. The proposed arrays are modular and thus they can be pipelined suitable for VLSI implementations. >
The Flow Behavior of Ultrafine-Grained Materials

Processing through the application of severe plastic deformation (SPD) leads to very significant grain refinement with grains that are typically in the submicrometer or even the nanometer range. These ultrafine-grained (UFG) materials provide an opportunity for achieving exceptional flow properties including high strength at ambient temperature and, if the very small grains are reasonably stable, superplastic elongations at high testing temperatures. These flow characteristics are examined for materials processed using the two SPD procedures of equal-channel angular pressing (ECAP) and high-pressure torsion (HPT).
Oxygen Reduction on Supported Iridium Oxide Films in Neutral Phosphate Buffer: Implications for Neural Stimulation

Certain aspects of oxygen reduction on (hydrous) iridium oxide (IrO x ) films deposited galvanostatically on smooth Au and glassy carbon (GC) electrodes have been examined in aqueous O 2 -saturated neutral phosphate buffer (pH 7) solutions. Regardless of the nature of the substrate, the onset potential for O 2 reduction, E O2 onset , as determined by cyclic voltammetry, was ca. ―0.1 V vs saturated calomel electrode, which is very close to the corresponding E O2 onset found for both bare Au and GC electrodes. On this basis, the potential range in which the charge stored in the film is available for functional neural stimulation without generation of potentially harmful oxygen-derived species is on the order of 0.9 V. Studies involving a rotating Pt ring GC disk revealed that the reduction of dioxygen on IrO x |GC yields predominantly hydrogen peroxide. Further measurements performed with a rotating GC disk showed that IrO x | GC can oxidize hydrogen peroxide in the potential region associated with the more positive IrO x redox peak, a factor that might mitigate, at least in part, problems associated with the charge imbalance during the bipolar neural stimulation.
Direct NMR spinning sideband analysis for a dipolar coupled system: structure elucidation of a proton—trimethylphosphine complex in LaH-Y zeolites

Abstract A new approach is proposed to determine the dipolar coupling constant, and hence the internuclear distance through direct NMR sample spinning sideband intensity analysis. This highly sensitive method reveals a small change in either the structure or the dynamics of a protonated trimethylphosphine complex, [(CH3)3P−H]+, in a series of La-exchanged zeolite-Y of different La loading. The dipolar coupling constants exhibits an inverse correlation with the activity of the zeolite for n-hexane cracking, which is a measure of the Bronsted acidity. Assuming a rigid lattice model, the P—H bond distances in the various LaH-Y zeolites were found to range from 1.454 to 1.419 A. The distances are in good agreement with typical P—H bond distances found in various phosphines. Molecular dynamics of the [(CH3)3P−H]+ complex for samples with different acidity are proposed to account for the variation in the dipolar coupling constant. This direct and sensitive approach is expected to be readily applicable to general structural and dynamic studies of polycrystalline or amorphous samples involving two-body dipolar interactions.
Technological implications of stable strange quark matter

Abstract Experiments to look for metastable, small drops of strange quark matter, S-drops, at present relativistic fixed-target heavy-ion facilities are in progress at BNL and are proposed at CERN. Recent calculations have shown that these experiments can be made sensitive enough to detect expected rates of production, if indeed strange quark matter is stable. It has been proposed that, if found, these small metastable S-drops could be rapidly grown to larger stable S-drops through neutron capture in a confining apparatus. This would form the scientific basis for subsequent studies of using S-drops as an energy source. Here we present some further exciting technological aspects: breeding of S-drops, disposal of radioactive waste, and use as a compact, safe, and efficient energy source for space travel. We note that the S-drops cannot be used to give a chain reaction; also, the possibility of stable S-drops with negative electric charge, Z, (which would interact with normal matter and grow without bounds) can be ruled out.
Extreme water mass anomaly observed in the Hawaii ocean time-series

Extremely anomalous water mass properties, with deviations as high as 35σ, were observed in the thermocline during January 2001 at the Hawaii Ocean Time-series site north of Oahu. The spatial distribution of the anomalous waters is consistent with a submesoscale vortex with radius ∼15 km, possibly a remnant of a mesoscale eddy. The most plausible source location of the anomalous waters is offshore of Mexico near Baja California. Given the southwestward subtropical gyre circulation, it is unlikely that these waters were transported directly westward to Hawaii. Unusual northward transport of Equatorial Waters along the North American coast during the 1997–98 El Nino event, and subsequent transport southwestward in the core of a California Undercurrent eddy is more plausible. El Nino modulation of eddy transport and diffusion of water mass properties may substantially impact the mean distribution of properties in the North Pacific subtropical gyre.
Nonlinear “Rainbow” trapping effect for broadband third-harmonic generation

We studied a plasmonic graded grating structure that can simultaneously generate third harmonic ultraviolet light of different wavelengths at different positions along the grating. Such broadband discrete ultraviolet generation is achieved through surface dispersion engineering.
Arterial plasma norepinephrine correlates to blood pressure in middle-aged men with sustained essential hypertension

Abstract Increased plasma catecholamine levels assessed from the venous blood have been found in a number of studies of younger patients with essential hypertension, but hypertensive-normotensive differences could not easily be demonstrated in subjects above 40 years of age. For several reasons, measurement of arterial plasma catecholamines may be a more sensitive tool for the detection of hypertensive-normotensive differences. The present study therefore aimed at examining both venous and arterial plasma catecholamines in a group of white men, all 50 years of age, with never-treated, established essential hypertension ( n = 61, blood pressure 165 ± 2112 ± 1mm Hg, means ± SE) and comparing them with a similar group of normotensive men ( n = 51, blood pressure 128 ± 185 ± 1mm Hg). Arterial and venous plasma epinephrine, heart rate, and body weight were significantly elevated in the hypertensive group. Plasma norepinephrine was similar between the groups in the venous blood, whereas in the arterial blood the values in hypertensive subjects were moderately, but significantly increased ( p r = 0.51, t = 4.05, p = 0.0002). Such a relationship was not found in the normotensive group. Thus based on measurements in arterial blood, we conclude that plasma norepinephrine, representing sympathetic tone, may be an important pathogenetic factor for high blood pressure in middle-aged men with established hypertension.
Endoplasmic reticulum, oleosins, and oils in seeds and tapetum cells.

Diverse organisms contain neutral lipids in subcellular particles for food reserves and other purposes. These lipid particles are present in seeds, flowers, pollen and fruit of higher plants, the vegetative and reproductive organs of primitive plants, algae, fungi, nematodes, mammalian glands and
The Role of Precision Agriculture in Cropping Systems

SUMMARY Precision agriculture is a new and developing discipline that incorporates advanced technologies to enhance the efficiency of farm inputs in a profitable and environmentally sensible manner. Yield monitoring and variable rate application are the most widely used precision technologies. Versatile guidance systems utilizing the global positioning system (GPS) and management zone approaches are also being developed to further increase productivity by reducing error, cost, and time. These technologies provide tools to quantify and manage variability existing in fields across an array of cropping systems. A review of precision farming technologies that are currently being used in the United States and around the world is presented in this article.
Greater secretion of growth hormone in black than in white men: possible factor in greater bone mineral density--a clinical research center study.

To determine why blacks have a higher bone mineral density (BMD) and lower incidence of osteoporosis and fractures than whites, we investigated whether the secretion of GH is higher in black than in white men. Measurements of GH were obtained at 20-min intervals over 24 h and analyzed by deconvolution. BMD was determined by dual energy x-ray absorptiometry in 16 normal black and 17 normal white men, aged 20-40 yr. The 24-h integrated GH concentration 942 +/- 174 vs. 602 +/- 104 micrograms/L; P = 0.0495) and GH secretory burst amplitude (0.499 +/- 0.163 vs. 0.169 +/- 0.027 micrograms/L.min; P = 0.0482) were higher in black than in white men. GH burst frequency, half-duration, mass, and half-life were not different in the 2 groups. The serum 17 beta-estradiol level (162 +/- 12 vs. 108 +/- 11 pmol/L; P = 0.0011) was higher, and the serum insulin-like growth factor-binding protein 3 level (2.2 +/- 0.1 vs. 2.8 +/- 0.1 microgram/mL; P = 0.0001) was lower in black than in white men. BMD values for total body (1....
Topological Cluster: A Generalized View for Density-based Spatial Clustering

Clustering analysis has become an important tool in knowledge engineering and business intelligence. There are rapidly growing number of clustering algorithms, however, one of the most important clustering algorithms is the density based spatial clustering, and its various variations. These algorithms are either based on the density connected chains, or weighted density, or the gravity based connected sets. They seem similar in idea but there does not exist a unified presentation. The purpose of this paper is to give a topological view to the spatial clustering focusing on density based clustering with its variations. We propose the definition of cluster topology, define clusters as various kinds of topological connected sets. More in this paper, the topological cluster forming algorithms are presented. Then we reform some typical algorithms with the new topological view. Examples are given to show the theories.
Isolation and Characterization of Human Pituitary Chorionic Gonadotropin

Human CG (hCG) is the hormone associated with the maintenance of pregnancy. Although three related glycoprotein hormones, LH, hFSH, and hTSH, are secreted by the pituitary, HCG is the only one of this family of glycoprotein hormones that is produced by the placenta in primates to maintain the steroid hormone secretions of the corpus luteum. Although hCG is not considered to be a pituitary hormone, hCG-like immunoreactive materials have been reported in pituitary tissue, blood, and urine from healthy nonpregnant individuals for 2 decades, but it was never isolated. We now report the purification and characterization of pituitary hCG from acetone-preserved human pituitary glands. After gell permeation chromatography, the fractions containing hCG molecules were pooled and purified by immunoaffinity chromatography using antibodies to the COOH-terminal region of hCGbeta. Amino acid analyses, amino-terminal sequence analyses, as well as mass spectrometric studies gave similar results for both pituitary hCG and hCG purified from the urine of pregnant women. Analyses for sulfate and sialic acid contents demonstrated that pituitary hCG contained both sulfate and sialic acid. In vitro biological activity of pituitary hCG indicated that it was 50% as active as hCG purified from the urine of pregnant women in cAMP assays.
Atherosclerotic lesions produced in baboons by feeding an atherogenic diet for four years

Abstract Baboons were fed a diet containing high levels of saturated fat and cholesterol for 49 months. Atherosclerotic lesions in the aorta and the major branches of the coronary arteries were examined grossly after staining with Sudan IV. Sections prepared from these arteries were examined histologically. In spite of only moderate elevation of serum cholesterol, fatty streaks and fibrous plaques were produced in both aorta and coronary arteries. Aortic fatty streaks contained both lipid filled intimal smooth muscle cells and foam cells together with variable amounts of extracellular lipid. The distribution of this lipid varied considerably among lesions and also from one area to another within a single lesion. Aortic fibrous plaques showed much collagen and elastin, contained seven to nine layers of smooth muscle cell and two to three layers of foam cells, and had large amounts of extracellular lipid. In some animals abdominal aortic fibrous plaques appeared to be formed to two distinct layers. The gross and histologic features of the lesions produced in these baboons by feeding an atherogenic diet for 49 months were similar to features of lesions observed in the human. This study provides further evidence that the baboon is an appropriate model and should continue to be used for the study of chronically induced atherosclerotic lesions.
An efficient, full-potential implicit method based on characteristics for supersonic flows

La methode utilise la theorie de la propagation de signal caracteristique pour simuler avec precision la structure de l'ecoulement qui inclut des ondes de choc et un ecoulement transversal mixte elliptique-hyperbolique
Puzzles and potential for gamma-ray line observations of solar flare ion acceleration

The best tool for understanding ion acceleration in solar flares is gamma-ray line emission from nuclear de-excitation, positron annihilation, and neutron capture. These techniques have not yet come close to reaching their potential due to limited counting statistics in the lines. Instruments with focusing optics and large effective areas promise real breakthroughs in understanding high-energy solar processes. I discuss what can be learned from the various lines and the instrumental requirements for future focusing observations.
Short- and intermediate-term survival after extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in children with cardiac disease.

Objectives In children with cardiac disease, common indications for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) include refractory cardiopulmonary resuscitation (E-CPR), failure to separate from cardiopulmonary bypass (OR-ECMO), and low cardiac output syndrome (LCOS-ECMO). Despite established acceptance, ECMO outcomes are suboptimal with a survival between 38% and 55%. We evaluated factors associated with significantly increased survival in cardiac patients requiring ECMO. Methods We conducted a retrospective investigation of consecutive patients undergoing ECMO between 2006 and 2010. Demographic, pre-ECMO, ECMO, and post-ECMO parameters were analyzed. Neurologic outcomes were assessed with the pediatric overall performance category scale at the latest follow-up. Results There were 3524 admissions, 95 (3%) of which necessitated ECMO; 40 (42%) E-CPR, 31 (33%) OR-ECMO, and 24 (25%) LCOS-ECMO. The overall hospital survival was 73%. The within-groups hospital survival was 75% in E-CPR, 77% OR-ECMO and 62% LCOS-ECMO. In the multivariable logistic regression analysis, chromosomal anomalies (odds ratio [OR], 8; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2-35), single ventricle (OR ,6; 95% CI, 3-33), multiple ECMO runs (OR, 15; 95% CI, 4-42), higher 24-hour ECMO flows (OR, 8; 95% CI, 4-22), decreased lung compliance (OR, 5; 95% CI, 2-16), and need for plasma exchange (OR, 5; 95% CI, 3-18) were all significant factors associated with mortality. From the univariate analysis, a common parameter associated with mortality within all groups was intracranial hemorrhage. At 1.9 years (0.9, 2.9) of follow-up, 66% were still alive, and 89% of survivors had normal function or only mild neurodevelopmental disability. Conclusions ECMO was successfully used in children with cardiac disease with 73% and 66% short- and intermediate-term survival, respectively. The majority of the survivors had normal function or only a minimal neurodevelopmental deficit.
Observations of Population Increases and Injury by Spider Mites (Acari: Tetranychidae) on Ornamental Plants Treated with Imidacloprid

A series of experiments were conducted to investigate previous observations that soil applications of imidacloprid resulted in increased spider mite populations and spider mite injury on ornamental plants. Marigolds, Tagetes erecta L., treated with either a soil drench or soil granular formulation of imidacloprid were observed to sustain significantly greater damage from twospotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae Koch, than untreated plants. Populations of the honeylocust spider mite, Platytetranychus multidigituli (Ewing), were as much as 3-4 times higher on honeylocust, Gleditsia triacanthos L., which had received an imidacloprid soil drench, compared with control plants. Effects on spider mite populations or injury were not observed in greenhouse trials involving marigolds, suggesting that this effect was not caused by either hormoligosis or phytotoxicity. However, mortality of Orius tristicolor (White), a hemipteran predator of spider mites, was observed to increase significantly when confined with leaves collected from plants that had received soil treatments of imiclacloprid. The adverse effects to predators may be an important reason for the increase in spider mite injury and abundance resulting from soil treatments of imidacloprid in Colorado.
The Clinical Impact of Risk Factor Analysis and Prophylaxis on Pulmonary Embolism

Pulmonary emboli cause 50,000 deaths annually despite recognized risk factors and methods of prophylaxis. To determine the impact of risk factor analysis and the use of prophylaxis, a retrospective chart review of patients suffering pulmonary embolism (PE) at Georgetown University Hospital was performed. During a fifty-month period, 25,000 surgical and 36,000 nonsurgical admissions included 171 cases of PE. The incidence of PE among surgical patients was 0.24% (n = 61) and was 0.30% (n = 110) among nonsurgical patients as confirmed in 82% by pulmonary angiography or high-probability ventilation/perfusion scans. PE prophylaxis included pneumatic stockings, low-dose heparin, combination low-dose heparin/stockings, and coumarin. However, prophylactic measures were absent in 23% of the surgical and in all the nonsurgical patients suffering PE. On the basis of established criteria (SVS/ISCVS), 57% of surgical patients suffering PE were considered at high risk as compared with 13% of nonsurgical patients. Conversely, 54% of nonsurgical patients suffering a PE were considered to be at low risk. Standard treatment modalities were instituted after nonfatal PE: anticoagulation (61%), inferior vena cava filter (14%), and anticoagulation/filter (6%). While risk factor analysis identifies high-risk surgical patients, it may be less effective in identifying nonsurgical patients at increased risk for PE.
Characterization of monoclonal antibodies generated to the cornified envelope of human cultured keratinocytes

The cornified envelope of keratinocytes is an insoluble structure formed beneath the plasma membrane at the base of the stratum corneum. It is made by cross-linking precursor proteins by a membrane-associated transglutaminase. We have prepared monoclonal antibodies to the cornified envelope of cultured human keratinocytes and used these to identify precursor proteins using Western blotting. We have uncovered a number of precursors including involucrin and a 195 kD membrane-associated protein, which had previously been reported. Antibodies to these precursors, with the exception of the one to involucrin, reacted with the epidermis of other mammalian species, suggesting structural conservation in at least some envelope components.
CD Laser As A Fiber Optic Source For Computer Data Links

Computer data links are evolving from copper cable systems to fiber optics simply because the optical fiber itself offers the advantages of higher data rates and longer distances. The Compact Disc (CD) laser is suitable as the light source because it satisfies the computer system requirements for low cost, high data rate, miniaturized package, and high reliability.