cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Robust Forecasting.

We use a decision-theoretic framework to study the problem of forecasting discrete outcomes when the forecaster is unable to discriminate among a set of plausible forecast distributions because of partial identification or concerns about model misspecification or structural breaks. We derive "robust" forecasts which minimize maximum risk or regret over the set of forecast distributions. We show that for a large class of models including semiparametric panel data models for dynamic discrete choice, the robust forecasts depend in a natural way on a small number of convex optimization problems which can be simplified using duality methods. Finally, we derive "efficient robust" forecasts to deal with the problem of first having to estimate the set of forecast distributions and develop a suitable asymptotic efficiency theory. Forecasts obtained by replacing nuisance parameters that characterize the set of forecast distributions with efficient first-stage estimators can be strictly dominated by our efficient robust forecasts.
Perceptions of virtual primary care physicians: A focus group study of medical and data science graduate students.

Background Artificial and virtual technologies in healthcare have advanced rapidly, and healthcare systems have been adapting care accordingly. An intriguing new development is the virtual physician, which can diagnose and treat patients independently. Methods and findings This qualitative study of advanced degree students aimed to assess their perceptions of using a virtual primary care physician as a patient. Four focus groups were held: first year medical students, fourth year medical students, first year engineering/data science graduate students, and fourth year engineering/data science graduate students. The focus groups were audiotaped, transcribed verbatim, and content analyses of the transcripts was performed using a data-driven inductive approach. Themes identified concerned advantages, disadvantages, and the future of virtual primary care physicians. Within those main categories, 13 themes emerged and 31 sub-themes. Discussion While participants appreciated that a virtual primary care physician would be convenient, efficient, and cost-effective, they also expressed concern about data privacy and the potential for misdiagnosis. To garner trust from its potential users, future virtual primary physicians should be programmed with a sufficient amount of trustworthy data and have a high level of transparency and accountability for patients.
Impact of Pharmacogenomic Information on Values of Care and Quality of Life Associated with Codeine and Tramadol-Related Adverse Drug Events.

Abstract Objective To assess the potential impact of Pharmacogenomic (PGx) variation in cytochrome P450 2D6 (CYP2D6) enzyme function, using loss in quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) associated with treatment problems, and the willingness to pay to avoid treatment problems from patients’ and payers’ perspectives. Patients and Methods The study included patients prescribed tramadol or codeine, or both, between January 1, 2005, and December 31, 2017. Demographic information and adverse drug events, including adverse drug events and poor pain control, were collected from the electronic health records using natural language processing techniques and review by trained abstractors. Patients’ willingness to pay and QALY estimates were based on comprehensive literature review. The CYP2D6 phenotypes were divided into 4 groups: ultra-rapid metabolizers, normal metabolizers, intermediate metabolizers, and poor metabolizers. Results Among the 2860 identified patients, 63 (2%) were ultrarapid metabolizers, 1449 (50%) were normal metabolizers, 1155 (40%) were intermediate metabolizers, and 193 (7%) were poor metabolizers. The patients’ average estimated willingness-to-pay value to avoid treatment problems was $23 per month; poor metabolizers developed problems with the highest estimated willingness-to-pay value ($32 per month). The mean QALY loss among all patients was 0.024 QALYs (8.8 healthy days); poor metabolizers had the highest loss (0.027 QALYs, 9.9 healthy days). Conclusion Patients with various phenotypes developed different treatment problem profiles. Poor CYP2D6 metabolizers developed problems with highest willingness to pay, and they might potentially benefit most from PGx-guided treatment and problem prevention.
Functional Outcomes of a Community Occupation-Based Hand Therapy Class for Older Adults

Aim: This mixed methods study examined the functional outcomes of an occupation-based educational program for older adults with hand and wrist pain. A pretest–posttest design was used to understand...
Replacement of Banking Model by Critical Pedagogy for English Language and Literature Teaching

Is English language teaching suffering from narration sickness? Are the learners oppressed? If so, is there any pedagogy of the oppressed? Is banking model suitable for the 21st century techno-savvy learners? Are they not the victims of the outdated colonial curriculum? Don’t learners deserve better? Interrogation of the present English language curriculum is no longer a luxury that can wait another generation. Rather, it needs immediate intervention so that another generation may not go economically powerless, linguistically inarticulate, and socially oppressed! The present article discusses the various strategies of reading literature through critical pedagogy that would promote their critical literacy skills of critical thinking, interrogating, transforming oneself and the world.
JUST ANOTHER PATIENT WITH CHEST PAIN.. THINK AGAIN

Takayasu arteritis (TA) is rare cause of angina and coronary artery disease (CAD). 45 year-old female with hypertension, stroke 17 years ago and NSTEMI in the past presented with weight loss, hand numbness and angina for 2 months worse since a week. Her cardiac enzymes were elevated that prompted
Improvement in Metabolic Co-Morbidities after Implantation of CardioMEMS in Patients with Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction Phenotype.

Background: Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) patients often have other comorbidities, including obesity, dyslipidemia, hypertension, and diabetes, comprising the metabolic syndrome. The impacts of hemodynamic monitoring via CardioMEMS on these co-morbidities remain unknown. Methods: A retrospective analysis of 29 patients with HFpEF (EF 45% or greater) and CardioMEMS was performed at a single center. Weight, body mass index (BMI), systolic blood pressures (SBP), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), triglycerides (TGL), hemoglobin A1C (HbA1c), and pulmonary artery diastolic pressures (PADP) were assessed at baseline and six months post-implant. Paired t-tests and the Wilcoxon signed-rank test were used, as appropriate, to test differences between time points. Results: These patients were 69% female, with a mean age of 73 years, and 62% had non-ischaemic cardiomyopathies (NICM). At the time of CardioMEMS implantation, average PADP was 20.1 mmHg ± 5.7, weight was 102.6 kg ± 22.7, BMI was 38.0 kg/m2 ± 8.3, SBP was 135 mmHg ± 19, HDL was 42.4 mg/dL ± 11.3, and median TGL was 130 mg/dL (100, 180). At six months we witnessed a decrease by 20.9% in PADP to 15.9 mmHg ± 5.8, (p < 0.001). In addition, the following was noted: weight decreased by 2.5% to 100.0 kg ± 23.2, (p = 0.006), BMI reduced by 2.6% to 37.0 ± 8.2, (p = 0.002), SBP decreased by 6.7% to 126 mmHg ± 16 (p < 0.001), HDL increased by 10.8% to 47 mg/dL ± 11.9 (p < 0.001), and TGL decreased by 15.4% to 110 mg/dL (105, 135) (p = 0.001). 62% of patients were diabetic with no significant improvements in HbA1C values at the 6-month follow-up. Conclusion: The utilization of CardioMEMS to optimize PADP results in an improvement in the comorbidities associated with the metabolic syndrome. Further studies are warranted to validate these findings and delineate clinical significance.
Dismissing child attachment and discordance for subjective and neuroendocrine responses to vulnerability.

Emerging evidence suggests that as with adults, dismissing children underreport their psychological distress relative to physiological indicators of their experience (startle response, neural signals). In this report, we extend these observations to neuroendocrine reactivity. One hundred and six 8–12-year-old children completed the Child Attachment Interview and a computer-based paradigm comprised of vignettes reflecting vulnerability in interpersonal contexts. Dismissing children's cortisol responses remained comparable from pre-to-post paradigm, while secure children's cortisol responses decreased from pre-to-post paradigm. Furthermore, compared to secure children, dismissing children reported less distress than their cortisol response would suggest. Implications for dismissing children's coping and self-regulation are discussed. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Dev Psychobiol 56: 584–591, 2014.
Biosynthesis of the Peptidoglycan of Bacterial Cell Walls VIII. SPECIFICITY IN THE UTILIZATION OF l-ALANYL TRANSFER RIBONUCLEIC ACID FOR INTER-PEPTIDE BRIDGE SYNTHESIS IN ARTHROBACTER CRYSTALLOPOIETES

Abstract A particulate enzyme system which catalyzes the biosynthesis of the peptidoglycan of Arthrobacter crystallopoietes from uridine nucleotide substrates and the simultaneous incorporation of l-alanine into the interpeptide bridge of the peptidoglycan has been obtained. The incorporation of l-alanine required l-alanyl transfer RNA (l-alanyl-tRNA) as an intermediate. l-Cysteinyl-tRNA was converted to l-alanyl-tRNA by reduction with Raney nickel, as previously described in studies of protein synthesis. This l-alanyl-tRNAcys did not participate detectably in peptidoglycan synthesis. There is therefore some specificity in the participation of tRNA in peptidoglycan synthesis.
A theory of spatial system archetypes

Historic reference behavior and archetypes of system structure are key tools for creating rigorous system dynamics (SD) models. Modelers often delineate causal relationships by employing common archetypes of dynamic system structure, which produce behaviors such as growth and decline, oscillation, and complex combinations thereof. We extend archetypes to spatial-dynamic models, focusing on structural archetypes that exhibit changing spatial patterns in two-dimensional landscapes. Although many fields employ spatial modeling techniques, analogy-based, causally focused system archetypes remain confined to non-spatial SD models. We draw on spatial analysis literature to explore the influence of space on dynamic relationships and archetypes, including methods for articulating “space” and expressing feedback. We offer simple examples of spatial system archetypes and explore network structures for spatially extending SD models. By doing this, we argue for spatial modeling techniques that parallel the learn-by-analogy environment that archetypes have promoted in aspatial SD research. Copyright © 2012 System Dynamics Society.
Kalman Filters and Observers

The sections in this article are 1 White Noise 2 Linear Estimation 3 The Linear Optimal Estimator In Discrete Time (Kalman Filter) 4 The Continuous-Time Optimal Estimator (Kalman-Bucy Filter) 5 Nonlinear Estimation 6 The Matrix Riccati Differential Equation 7 Controllers, Observers, And The Separation Principle 8 Implementation Methods
Thermal Pulse Annealing of Hg1−xCdxTe

Thermal pulse annealing has been used to modify the near surface of Hg1−xCdxTe. Using anneals of approximately 260°C for seven seconds, the crystal quality of epitaxial HgCdTe surfaces can be improved as observed by MeV He+ ion channeling. Similar anneals have also been used to repair the damage resulting from a 250 keV, 101511B/cm2 implant into HgCdTe held at LN2. For higher temperatures and/or longer anneals, surface Hg loss is observed. Rutherford Backscattering measurements are used to measure this loss. The resulting loss rate data is described by N□= A exp (−∆E/kT) where A and ∆E depend on the material composition with A = 1029, ∆E = 1.8 eV and A = 1036, ∆E = 2.6 eV for x = 0.23 and 0.4, respectively.
The Discovery and Frequency of Barium Stars

The frequency of barium stars as compared to normal giants and intermediate supergiants of classes G and K is assessed through a study of the characteristics of H.D. barium-star suspects south of δ = -26ΰ found on moderate-dispersion objective-prism plates. For stars of the type that can be found from such plates, the frequency appears to lie between one-half and one percent.
Hematopoietic-specific β1 tubulin participates in a pathway of platelet biogenesis dependent on the transcription factor NF-E2

The cellular and molecular bases of platelet release by terminally differentiated megakaryocytes represent important questions in cell biology and hematopoiesis. Mice lacking the transcription factor NF-E2 show profound thrombocytopenia, and their megakaryocytes fail to produce proplatelets, the microtubule-based precursors of blood platelets. Using mRNA subtraction between normal and NF-E2–deficient megakaryocytes, cDNA was isolated encoding β1 tubulin, the most divergent β tubulin isoform. In NF-E2–deficient megakaryocytes, β1 tubulin mRNA and protein are virtually absent. The expression of β1 tubulin is exquisitely restricted to platelets and megakaryocytes, where it appears late in differentiation and localizes to microtubule shafts and coils within proplatelets. Restoring NF-E2 activity in a megakaryoblastic cell line or in NF-E2–deficient primary megakaryocytes rescues the expression of β1 tubulin. Re-expressing β1 tubulin in isolation does not, however, restore proplatelet formation in the defective megakaryocytes, indicating that other critical factors are required; indeed, other genes identified by mRNA subtraction also encode structural and regulatory components of the cytoskeleton. These findings provide critical mechanistic links between NF-E2, platelet formation, and selected microtubule proteins, and they also provide novel molecular insights into thrombopoiesis.
Quantitative analysis of collagen accumulation during protein malnutrition

Abstract It is generally believed that protein malnutrition is detrimental to proper wound healing. However, there is limited evidence in the literature to support this. The authors studied the effect of protein depletion on the accumulation of collagen to determine the quantitative changes taking place in the healing wound. Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) wound cylinders were implanted subcutaneously in 30 male Sprague-Dawley rats. The rats were divided into two groups and fed either chow (C) (n = 12) or an isocaloric protein-free (PF) diet (n = 18). Seven, 14, and 21 days later, the rats were weighed, bled, and wound cylinders harvested. PTFE cylinder collagen content, hematologic parameters, total serum protein, and serum albumin were determined. The rats with the PF diet had significant ( P P P P P
ELECTROLYTE BALANCE IN UNCONTROLLED AND CONTROLLED DIABETIC KETOSIS AND ACIDOSIS

RECENT chemical studies, during the treatment of diabetic acidosis, have emphasized certain changes in electrolyte balance which warrant careful appraisal and possible therapeutic application. Soon after the discovery of insulin, Harrop and Benedict (1), and shortly thereafter Briggs and co-workers (2), demonstrated a fall in the potassium level in the plasma when insulin was administered. In the early period after the introduction of insulin little attention was given to the fall of potassium following the administration of insulin, since the glycosuria, hyperglycemia and ketonuria were the factors deserving the greatest emphasis in the treatment of the diabetic state. In 1933 Atchley, Loeb and co-workers (3) noted electrolyte changes with a fall in plasma potassium in two diabetic patients upon withdrawal and then later reestablishment of insulin therapy. Shortly thereafter Elkinton and coworkers (4), and the Wileys (5) noted a fall in plasma potassium in states of diuresis and dehydration. This led to ...
Deletions in mitochondrial DNA (mt-DNA) during hypoxic cell death in the human NT2-N neuronal cell line

Background: Mitochondrial damage and delayed cellular energy failure may be a cause of hypoxic cell death. Mt-DNA deletions are seen with ageing and in some neuro-degenerative diseases and may contribute to cell death.
Enhanced detection and visualization of anomalies in spectral imagery

Anomaly detection algorithms applied to hyperspectral imagery are able to reliably identify man-made objects from a natural environment based on statistical/geometric likelyhood. The process is more robust than target identification, which requires precise prior knowledge of the object of interest, but has an inherently higher false alarm rate. Standard anomaly detection algorithms measure deviation of pixel spectra from a parametric model (either statistical or linear mixing) estimating the image background. The topological anomaly detector (TAD) creates a fully non-parametric, graph theory-based, topological model of the image background and measures deviation from this background using codensity. In this paper we present a large-scale comparative test of TAD against 80+ targets in four full HYDICE images using the entire canonical target set for generation of ROC curves. TAD will be compared against several statistics-based detectors including local RX and subspace RX. Even a perfect anomaly detection algorithm would have a high practical false alarm rate in most scenes simply because the user/analyst is not interested in every anomalous object. To assist the analyst in identifying and sorting objects of interest, we investigate coloring of the anomalies with principle components projections using statistics computed from the anomalies. This gives a very useful colorization of anomalies in which objects of similar material tend to have the same color, enabling an analyst to quickly sort and identify anomalies of highest interest.
Bureaucratic Diplomacy: Technocratic Cooperation in Transatlantic Trade Relations

Cooperating on Competition in Transatlantic Economic Relations: The Politics of Dispute Prevention. By Damro Chad. Basingstoke (England); New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2006. 214 pp., hardcover, $69.95 (ISBN-13: 978-1403987143). Bureaucrats are perhaps the unsung heroes of international cooperation. Widely politicized transatlantic disputes surrounding the 1997 Boeing-McDonnell Douglas and 2001 General Electric-Honeywell mergers have grossly distorted our perception of transatlantic trade relations, Damro claims in Cooperating on Competition in Transatlantic Economic Relations . In reality, competition regulators in the US and the European Union have cooperated extensively since the 1990s, sharing information, taking into consideration each other's interests in cases of concurrent jurisdiction, and even promoting rule convergence. After decades of adversarial relations, a framework of bureaucratic cooperation is now in place that prevents the bulk of possible EU–US conflicts over mergers. What makes this framework successful, according to the author, is precisely that it stays below the political radar of legislators and the media. Regulators have designed cooperative mechanisms that allow technocracy to prevail over politics while carefully respecting the boundaries of administrative discretion. This, in a nutshell, is Damro's argument. The bulk of the literature on international cooperation focuses on non-discretionary and legalistic forms of dispute settlement and formal international organizations. More recently, non-governmental actors have risen to prominence in studies of international cooperation. But Damro draws our attention to cooperative agreements negotiated and implemented by regulatory agents , who deliberately seek to depoliticize their sphere of action. Competition regulators, he shows, eschew possible conflicts by choosing non-treaty mechanisms of cooperation that do not require any organizational apparatus of their own. Damro thus refines existing theories …
Song recognition memory in juvenile zebra finches: Effects of varying the number of presentations of heterospecific and conspecific songs

Seven male and three female zebra finches were exposed to 14 zebra finch (CON) and 14 starling (HET) songs during their sensitive period for song learning and then tested for their recognition memory of both the CON and HET songs in two separate memory tests. Amount of song exposure was varied by presenting individual songs either 3, 9, 27, or 81 times per day for nine consecutive days. After song exposure the birds were trained to discriminate two of the exposed, familiar songs (FAM) from two novel songs (NOV) in a go/no-go operant discrimination procedure, with FAM songs as "go" stimuli. Following discrimination training, untrained FAM and NOV songs were presented as probe songs without reinforcement. Birds responded more to FAM than NOV songs at all levels of song exposure, indicating that the songs were recognized. There were no differences in recognition memory for CON and HET song at any level of song exposure. The results suggest that selective song learning does not result from selective memorization of conspecific song.
Criteria for the recurrence or transience of stochastic process. I

Conditions for recurrence or transience of Markov chains are studied. Criteria of intermediate generality are established for some classes of processes with known transition probabilities which arise in queueing, random walks, etc. These criteria are established by use of a modified form of the semi-martingale theorem. (T.F.H.)
Music modeling with random fields

Recent interest in the area of music information retrieval is exploding. However, very few of the existing music retrieval techniques take advantage of recent developments in statistical modeling. In this report we discuss an application of Random Fields to the problem of statistical modeling of polyphonic music. With such models in hand, the challenges of developing effective searching, browsing, and organization techniques for the growing bodies of music collections may be successfully met. 1 Polyphonic music can be thought of as a two-dimensional stochastic process. Unlike text, the musical vocabulary is relatively small, containing at most several hundred discrete note symbols. What makes music so fascinating and expressive is the very rich structure inherent in musical pieces. Whereas text samples can be reasonably modeled using simple unigram or bi-gram language models, polyphonic music is characterized by numerous periodic symmetries, repetitions, and overlapping shortand long-term interactions that are beyond the capabilities of simple Markov chains. Random Fields are a generalization of Markov chains to multidimensional spatial processes. They are incredibly flexible, allowing us to model arbitrary interactions between elements of data. Recently random fields have found applications in large-vocabulary tasks, such as language modeling and information extraction. One of the most influential works in the area is the 1997 publication of Della Pietra et al. [2], which outlined the algorithms used in parts of this paper. Berger et al. [1] were the first to suggest the use of maximum entropy models for natural language processing. While our work was inspired by applications of random fields to language processing, it bears more similarity to the use of the framework by the researchers in computer vision. In most natural language applications authors start with a reasonable set of features (which are usually single words, or hand-crafted expressions), and the main challenge is to optimize the weights corresponding to these features. This works well in natural language, where words bear significant semantic content. In our case, induction of the random field is the crucial step. We will use the techniques suggested by [2] to automatically induce new high-level, salient features, such as chords and melodic progressions.
Cross-cultural groups at work

Abstract Multinational teams are often formed in hopes of producing cross-cultural collaboration. These terms face a special challenge as they work to become functional groups for, unlike groups composed of individuals from one nationality, the members of a multinational team cannot assume that they share the same beliefs about work group dynamics. It is more likely that each member approaches the assignment to a multinational team with a very different understanding about how to contribute to the development of a productive team. This paper by Kenwyn Smith and David Berg explores the different, often polar opposite approaches that are alive in multinational groups and proposes a ‘paradoxical’ framework for understanding and exploring them.
Mitochondrial disposition in mammalian spermatozoa.

A modified technique for preparing surface replicas simplified the analysis of mitochondrial arrangement in the midpiece of spermatozoa from nine mammalian species. The plasma membrane was removed from epididymal sperm by detergent to expose the underlying mitochondria. Sperm were attached to poly- l -lysine-coated coverslips and critical-point dried. The disposition of mitochondria as revealed in platinum replicas of these preparations varied among species. Rabbit sperm possessed coils of mitochondria in a quadruple or quintuple helix. The mitochondrial helix was triple or quadruple in bull sperm, double or triple in mouse sperm, and single or double in rhesus monkey sperm. The outer faces of individual mitochondria appeared rectangular in Chinese hamster, diamond-shaped in rhesus monkey, S- or V-shaped in rat, and irregular in guinea pig and degu.
Characterization of volatile constituents of Haplopappus greenei and studies on the antifungal activity against phytopathogens.

Essential oil of Haplopappus greenei A. Gray was obtained by hydrodistillation of aerial parts, which were subsequently analyzed by gas chromatography and gas chromatography−mass spectrometry. Major components were identified as carvacrol (8.7%), β-pinene (7.6%), trans-pinocarveol (6.2%), and caryophyllene oxide (5.8%), respectively. In total, 104 components representing 84.9% of the investigated essential oil were characterized. Furthermore, the essential oil was evaluated for antimalarial, antimicrobial, and antifungal activities. However, only antifungal activity was observed against the strawberry anthracnose-causing fungal plant pathogens Colletotrichum acutatum, Colletotrichum fragariae, and Colletotrichum gloeosporioides using the direct overlay bioautography assay. Major essential oil components were also evaluated for antifungal activity; the carvacrol standard demonstrated nonselective activity against the three Colletotrichum species and the other compounds were inactive. Keywords: Haplopappus ...
Hybrid Ray-Propagator Matrix Modeling of Complex Stratified Reservoirs

A hybrid ray-propagator matrix approach can be an efficient, accurate and robust method to seismic modeling of complex stratified reservoirs. The hybrid approach combines wavefront construction (WFC) ray tracing with composite reflection coefficients to generate synthetic seismograms of such reservoir models. The WFC method will efficiently simulate the wave propagation in the geologic layer over a target reservoir, while the composite reflection coefficient obtained by the propagator matrix will model the amplitude of the signal reflected by the stratified reservoir model. The approach is applied to compute synthetic seismograms for test models of turbidite reservoirs in the Ursa field, Gulf of Mexico, validating the new results against exact calculations using the discrete wavenumber method. Comparison of synthetic seismograms between the hybrid approach and exact solutions demonstrates an excellent agreement. Since the total thickness of the turbidite reservoir is relatively thin to the seismic wavelength, the central frequency of the source at 10 and 60 Hz is conducted to discuss the frequency dependence of waveforms in the synthetic seismograms of a thin and complex stratified reservoir. As the source frequency goes higher, the more complex waveforms in the synthetic seismograms. They suggest the internal fluctuation of layering is detectable and the reflections from the top and bottom interfaces are differentiable. The new approach, however, can also be used to generate synthetic seismograms for the laterally heterogeneous, complex stratified reservoir models.
Experimental Demonstration of Optical Nanofocusing by a Plasmonic Dimple Lens

This paper reports the first experimental characterization of Plasmonic Dimple Lens structure that can focus optically-coupled surface plasmons to a nanoscopic volume beyond the diffraction limit, using the near-field scanning optical microscopy (NSOM) technique.
Activation of rat lung soluble guanylate cyclase by sodium nitroprusside: effects of hemoglobin and reducing agents.

Abstract A potent vasodilator, sodium nitroprusside, activated rat lung soluble guanylate cyclase about 2.0-fold; this activation was potentiated by reducing agents such as ascorbic acid and thiols, 4.5 to 9-fold. In the presence of 2-mercaptoethanol and sodium nitroprusside maximal enzymatic activity in crude enzyme preparation was evident after a lag of several minutes, after which the activity declined. Hemoglobin blocked sodium nitroprusside activation of a partially purified enzyme by causing a lag in the activation, and this inhibition was reversed by 2-mercaptoethanol. Therefore, the extent of sodium nitroprusside activation measured is affected by the concentration of hemoglobin and reducing agent present, and the activation time.
OTITIS MEDIA WITH EFFUSION: A POSSIBLE ROLE FOR HELICOBACTER PYLORI?

Objectives To compare Helicobacter pylori prevalence rates in the nasopharynx of pediatric patients with and without otitis media with effusion (OME). Study Design Prospective, controlled. Methods The study group consisted of patients undergoing adenoidectomy for persistent OME. A control group of patients with no history of OME undergoing adenoidectomy was simultaneously enrolled. As a substudy, middle ear effusion samples were also analyzed for Helicobacter pylori . Polymerase chain reaction assays were run by using primers against the Helicobacter pylori gene. Results Helicobacter pylori was detected in the adenoids of 10 of 45 study group patients, and 6 of 37 controls ( P = 0.49). Thirty-two percent of middle ear aspirates were positive for Helicobacter pylori . Conclusion The current study confirms the presence of Helicobacter pylori in the nasopharynx and middle ear space, but our results do not support a role for this bacterium in the pathogenesis of otitis media with effusion.
Why Katrina's Victims Aren't Refugees: Musings on a" Dirty" Word

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, a controversy emerged in the U.S. public sphere over the use of the word refugee to characterize the displaced residents of New Orleans. In this article, I explore the significance of the concept of "the refugee" for U.S. citizens, and I discuss what the failure to find an appropriate term to describe stranded New Orleanians reveals about the experience of poverty. I argue that the conceptual void uncovered by the crisis reflects the larger social void in which poor New Orleanians have long been confined and I examine the role of public discourse in defining and helping justify the inequalities uncovered by Katrina.
Penalty finite-element analysis of coupled fluid flow and heat transfer for in-line bundle of cylinders in cross flow

Abstract The two-dimensional steady state Navier-Stokes equations and the energy equation governing laminar incompressible flow are solved using a penalty finite-element model for the case of flow across an in-line bundle of cylinders. Two cases of in-line cylinder bundles, one five rows deep and the other an infinite bundle, are considered with pitch-diameter ratios of 1.25, 1.5 and 1.8 Reynolds numbers studied range from 100 to 600 and Prandtl number is taken as 0.7. Velocity field vectors, stream lines, vorticity, pressure and temperature contours, local and average Nusselt numbers, pressure and shear stress distribution around the cylinder walls and drag coefficients are presented. The results obtained agree well with available experimental and numerical data.
Combinatorial signaling in the specification of primary pigment cells in the Drosophila eye.

In the developing eye of Drosophila , the EGFR and Notch pathways integrate in a sequential, followed by a combinatorial, manner in the specification of cone-cell fate. Here, we demonstrate that the specification of primary pigment cells requires the reiterative use of the sequential integration between the EGFR and Notch pathways to regulate the spatiotemporal expression of Delta in pupal cone cells. The Notch signal from the cone cells then functions in the direct specification of primary pigment-cell fate. EGFR requirement in this process occurs indirectly through the regulation of Delta expression. Combined with previous work, these data show that unique combinations of only two pathways - Notch and EGFR - can specify at least five different cell types within the Drosophila eye.
Evaluating emergency medical service performance measures

The ultimate goal of emergency medical service systems is to save lives. However, most emergency medical service systems have performance measures for responding to 911 calls within a fixed timeframe (i.e., a response time threshold), rather than measures related to patient outcomes. These response time thresholds are used because they are easy to obtain and to understand. This paper proposes a methodology for evaluating the performance of response time thresholds in terms of resulting patient survival rates. A model that locates ambulances to optimize patient survival rates is used for base comparison. Results are illustrated using real-world data collected from Hanover County, Virginia. The results indicate that locating ambulances to maximize seven and eight min response time thresholds simultaneously maximize patient survival. Nine and 10 min response time thresholds result in more equitable patient outcomes, with improved patient survival rates in rural regions.
Isolation of Phosphopeptides by pI-Difference-Based Electrophoresis

Effective proteomics studies of protein phosphorylation require an efficient enrichment method for phosphopeptides, which remains a challenge. Here, we describe the discovery of pI differences betw...
Direct Logging of Formation P And S-Waves In Cased Holes Using a Multipole Tool

We have found, in field observations, that the sonic logging tool (Chen, '1984) can multipole effective1 data in y measure formation Plwave and S-wave a cased hole. The multipole tool, containing both monopole and quadrupole source/receiver systems, was originally designed to log P and S waves directly, in all lithologies, for an open borehole. The monooole source/receiver system (P-wave) operates at i-10 KHz, as compared with 15-25 KHz for a conventional sonic tool, while the quadrupole source/receiver system (S-wave) operates at 3-7 KHz. These low operating frequencies enable the signals to penetrate the well casing and cement more effectively than signals from a conventional sonic tool. As a result, the formation P and S waves, recorded by the multipole tool, are generally much stronger than the unwanted waves which travel through the well casing and cement. Therefore, the formation arrivals can be easily identified and separated from the casing arrivals.
Designing and analysing case‐control studies to exploit independence of genotype and exposure

Genetic susceptibility and environmental exposures play a synergistic role in the aetiology of many diseases. We consider a case-control study of a rare disease in relation to a categorical exposure and a genetic factor under the assumption that the genotype and the exposure occur independently in the population under study. Using a logistic model for risk, we describe maximum likelihood methods based on log-linear models that explicitly impose the independence assumption, something the usual logistic regression analyses cannot do. The estimator of the genotype–exposure interaction effect depends only on data from cases. Estimators for genotype and for exposure effects depend also on data from controls, but only through their respective marginal totals. All three estimators have smaller variance than they would were independence not enforced. These results have important implications for design: (i) Case-only studies can efficiently estimate gene-by-environment interactions. (ii) Studies where controls are genotyped anonymously can estimate genotype, exposure, and interaction effects as efficiently as designs where genotype and exposure data are linked. This feature addresses a growing concern of human subjects review boards. (iii) Exposure and interaction effects, but not genotype effects, can be estimated from studies where genetic information is only collected from cases (although one can recover the genotype effect if external gene prevalence data exist). Such designs have the compensatory benefit that the response rate (hence, validity) is higher when controls are not subjected to intrusive tissue sampling. However, the independence assumption can be checked only with linked genotype and exposure data for some controls. We illustrate the methods by applying them to recent study of cleft palate in relation to maternal cigarette smoking and to a variant of the transforming growth factor alpha gene in the child. © 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Processes, Conceptual Knowledge, and Mathematical Problem-Solving Ability.

A well-founded "theory of instruction" for mathematical problem solving is still in the developmental stages. Recent investigations focusing on issues related to problem solving have posed many questions but have provided few definitive answers. Certain assumptions regarding developmental, psychological, and pedagogical factors are essential to any theory of instruction. The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship and relative importance of two components that are essential to solving mathematical problems. One is the conceptual knowledge-the facts, concepts, principles, and algorithms that are needed to solve problems. The other is the processes, heuristics in particular, that are used to recall and construct information while solving the problem. The basic assumption for this study is that problem solving is a constructive act.
On the Classification of Cyclic Hadamard Sequences*This paper was presented at IWSDA'05, Shimonoseki, Japan.

Binary sequences with two-level periodic autocorrelation correspond directly to cyclic (v, k, λ)-designs. When v = 4t - 1, k = 2t - 1 and λ = t - 1, for some positive integer t, the sequence (or design) is called a cyclic Hadamard sequence (or design). For all known examples, v is either a prime number, a product of twin primes, or one less than a power of 2. Except when v = 2k - 1, all known examples are based on quadratic residues (using the Legendre symbol when v is prime, and the Jacobi symbol when v = p(p+2) where both p and p+2 are prime); or sextic residues (when v is a prime of the form 4a2 + 27). However, when v = 2k - 1, many constructions are now known, including m-sequences (corresponding to Singer difference sets), quadratic and sextic residue sequences (when 2k - 1 is prime), GMW sequences and their generalizations (when k is composite), certain term-by-term sums of three and of five m-sequences and more general sums of trace terms, several constructions based on hyper-ovals in finite geometries (found by Segre, by Glynn, and by Maschietti), and the result of performing the Welch-Gong transformation on some of the foregoing.
Deep trapping states for hydrogen in deformed iron

Abstract Hydrogen trapping in deformed iron was studied by time lag measurements based upon gas phase charging and electrochemical measuring techniques. A trap binding energy of 14.3 ∓ 1.1 kcal mol−1H (59.9 ± 4.6 kJ mol−1H) was determined. Trap densities varied from just under 1020m−3 for annealed iron to a little over 1023 m−3 for heavily deformed iron. The traps are believed to be associated with the imperfection structure, dislocations and/or dislocation debris, developed during plastic deformation.
Preserving Scholarly E-Journals

For research libraries, the long-term preservation of digital collections may well be the most important issue in digital libraries. In certain ways, digital materials are incredibly fragile, dependent for their continued utility upon technologies that undergo rapid and continual change. In the world of physical research materials, a great number of valuable research resources have been saved passively: acquired by individuals or organizations and stored in little-visited recesses. These physical resources are still viable decades later. This is not the case with the digital equivalents. Changes in computing technology will insure that, over relatively short timeframes, both the media and the technical format of old digital materials will become unusable. Keeping digital resources accessible for use by future generations will require conscious effort and continual investment.
Non-Skeletal Accumulation of Bone Seeking Agents: Pelvis

HE GAMUT for extraosseous localization of Tc phosphate has expanded considerably since Heck published a total body list in the July 1980 issue (Semin Nucl Med 10:311). We discovered more than 20 additions in the pelvis alone. After falling out of bed, a 79-year-old female nursing home patient with a history of right hip surgery was found unconscious and distended. The patient was hospitalized and one day later a whole body scan was obtained to determine the extent of skeletal injury. The pelvic images (Fig 1) were more helpful in diagnosing bladder distention than sites of trauma. An immediate therapeutic catheterization followed by a diagnostic scintiphoto (Fig 2) uncovered several pelvic fractures. Activity in the low pelvis was initially felt to represent an incompletely drained bladder. Closer inspection suggested central photon deficiency, not the usual appearance of technetium homogeneously distributed in urine. A subsequent pelvic radiograph (Fig 3) demonstrated
Tandem Mass Spectrometry as a Novel Tool for Elucidating Pituitary–Thyroid Relationships

Background: Our objective was to determine the performance of liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) in documenting both group and individual relationships between thyroid hormone and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) concentrations. Methods: This was a prospective analysis of 50 euthyroid patients undergoing thyroidectomy. Thyroxine (T4), triiodothyronine (T3), free T4 (FT4), and TSH levels were documented on two occasions before thyroidectomy. After thyroidectomy, patients were treated with levothyroxine (LT4) to achieve either a normal or low serum TSH concentration. All laboratory evaluations were repeated twice while patients were taking LT4. Thyroid hormone concentrations were documented by both immunoassay and LC-MS/MS, and their relationship with TSH was studied both in the entire group and in individual patients pre- and postthyroidectomy. Results: FT4 and total T3 correlated better with the log-transformed TSH when measured by LC-MS/MS. Postthyroidectomy the closest correlatio...
Is post‐feeding thermotaxis advantageous in elasmobranch fishes?

The effects of post-feeding thermotaxis on ileum evacuation and absorption rates were examined in the laboratory using two elasmobranch species, the Atlantic stingray Dasyatis sabina, which inhabits thermally variable environments, and the whitespotted bamboo shark Chiloscyllium plagiosum, a stenothermic fish living on Indo-Pacific reefs. Experiments at temperatures similar to those experienced in nature revealed temperature change had no significant effect on C. plagiosum absorption or evacuation rates, suggesting stenothermic sharks cannot exploit temperature differences as a means to improve digestion efficiency. On the other hand, D. sabina showed significantly lower evacuation and absorption rates at lower temperatures. The relative decrease was greater for evacuation (Q10 = 3·08) than absorption rates (Q10 = 2·20), resulting in a significant increase in total absorption, suggesting D. sabina can benefit from using shuttling behaviour to exploit thermal variability in their environment to maximize energetic uptake.
Textural image classification using variograms

A method of image classification based on image texture is presented. Texture analysis is performed using the variogram function. The classifier used is a supervised parallelepiped type classifier using a minimum distance to mean check for overlapping classifications.© (1990) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Biofuel Combustion. Energetics and Kinetics of Hydrogen Abstraction from Carbon-1 in n-Butanol by the Hydroperoxyl Radical Calculated by Coupled Cluster and Density Functional Theories and Multistructural Variational Transition-State Theory with Multidimensional Tunneling

Multistructural canonical variational transition-state theory with small-curvature multidimensional tunneling (MS-CVT/SCT) is employed to calculate thermal rate constants for hydrogen-atom abstraction from carbon-1 of n-butanol by the hydroperoxyl radical over the temperature range 250-2000 K. The M08-SO hybrid meta-GGA density functional was validated against CCSD(T)-F12a explicitly correlated wave function calculations with the jul-cc-pVTZ basis set. It was then used to compute the properties of all stationary points and the energies and Hessians of a few nonstationary points along the reaction path, which were then used to generate a potential energy surface by the multiconfiguration Shepard interpolation (MCSI) method. The internal rotations in the transition state for this reaction (like those in the reactant alcohol) are strongly coupled to each other and generate multiple stable conformations, which make important contributions to the partition functions. It is shown that neglecting to account for the multiple-structure effects and torsional potential anharmonicity effects that arise from the torsional modes would lead to order-of-magnitude errors in the calculated rate constants at temperatures of interest in combustion.
Data integration through transform reuse in the Morpheus project

We discuss Morpheus, a data transformation construction tool and associated repository. The architecture of Morpheus is motivated by the goal to reuse (pieces of) previously written transformations to solve data integration problems by finding relevant ones in the repository and then modifying them for repurposing. In addition, Morpheus is integrated with a DBMS so as to leverage existing capabilities including the runtime environment for transforms. We discuss the architecture of Morpheus and illustrate its usage with the help of a simple transform construction scenario.
Effect of countercurrent ethanol washing on sunflower pectin quality

Development of efficient ethanol washing technology to remove acid and ash in precipitated sunflower pectin gels is highly desirable in industrial production. A seven-stage, countercurrent washing process was developed in which the ethanol was neutralized between each stage. Ethanol from the final stage could be recovered by standard distillation methods and used again. This process significantly reduced the quantity of ethanol used, compared to a batch washing process using fresh ethanol for each washing step. The composition, color, and gelling characteristics of pectin washed by this countercurrent process were determined and compared with those of a pectin obtained by a batch washing process using fresh ethanol for each washing step and with commercial citrus pectin. The pectin gels were of good quality.