cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
High-efficiency microstructured semiconductor neutron detectors for direct 3He replacement

Abstract High-efficiency Microstructured Semiconductor Neutron Detectors (MSNDs) have been tiled and arranged in a cylindrical form factor in order to serve as a direct replacement to aging and increasingly expensive 3 He gas-filled proportional neutron detectors. Two 6-in long by 2-in diameter cylinders were constructed and populated with MSNDs which were then directly compared to a 4 atm Reuter Stokes 3 He detector of the same dimensions. The Generation 1 MSND-based 3 Helium-Replacement (HeRep Mk I) device contained sixty-four 1-cm 2 active-area MSNDs, each with an intrinsic neutron detection efficiency of approximately 7%. A Generation 2 device (the HeRep Mk II) was populated with thirty 4-cm 2 active-area MSNDs, with an intrinsic thermal neutron detection efficiency of approximately 30%. The MSNDs of each HeRep were integrated to count as a single device. The 3 He proportional counter and the HeRep devices were tested while encased in a cylinder of high-density polyethylene measuring a total of 6-in by 9-in. The 3 He counter and the HeRep Mk II were each placed 1 m from a 54-ng 252 Cf source and tested for efficiency. The 3 He proportional counter had a net count rate of 17.13±0.10 cps at 1 m. The HeRep Mk II device had a net count rate of 17.60±0.10 cps, amounting to 102.71±2.65% of the 3 He gas counter while inside of the moderator. Outside of moderator, the 3 He tube had a count rate of 3.35±0.05 cps and the HeRep Mk II device reported 3.19±05, amounting to 95.15±9.04% of the 3 He neutron detector.
Accurate and efficient pre-mRNA splicing in Drosophila cell-free extracts.

Abstract Synthetic mRNA precursors from the Drosophila fushi tarazu (ftz) gene were shown to be accurately and efficiently spliced in Drosophila nuclear extracts derived from Kc tissue culture cells or 0- to 12-hr embryos. Splicing the ftz pre-mRNA requires ATP and low levels of Mg2+. The reaction proceeds with a lag of 20-30 min prior to appearance of spliced mRNA and appears to proceed in two steps. The first step is cleavage at the 5' splice site to generate a 5' exon (E1) fragment and an intron-3' exon (IVS-E2) species. The second step involves cleavage at the 3' splice site, ligation of the two exons (E1-E2), and intron (IVS) release. The excised intron (IVS) and intron-3' exon (IVS-E2) exhibit anomalous electrophoretic mobility, suggesting that they contain branched structures. Nuclease analysis using two-dimensional thin-layer chromatography indicates that both the IVS and IVS-E2 species possess branched trinucleotides in which a guanosine residue at the 5' end of the intron is linked in a 2'-5' phosphodiester bond to the 2' hydroxyl group of an adenosine residue in the intron. The site of branchpoint formation was localized by debranching the Drosophila lariat with mammalian (HeLa) cell debranching enzyme and by P1 and T2 nuclease analysis. These findings indicate that nuclear extracts derived from Drosophila cultured cells or embryos can accurately splice mRNA precursors and that the reaction mechanism is the same as has been observed in yeast and mammalian cells. This system provides an initial step toward the biochemical analysis of developmentally regulated pre-mRNA splicing events in Drosophila.
Ablation of prion protein immunoreactivity by heating in saturated calcium hydroxide

Background: Prions, the infectious agents that cause transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs), are relatively resistant to destruction by physical, enzymatic, and chemical treatments. Hydrolysis in boiling saturated calcium hydroxide (limewater) utilizes inexpensive chemicals to digest protein components of offal. The purpose of this work was to determine if incubating brain material from scrapie-infected sheep in near-boiling saturated calcium hydroxide solution (Ca(OH) 2 ) would abolish immunoreactivity of the infectious prion (PrPSc) as determined by western blot.
Spectra of Pigments Responsible for Pink Color in Pork Roasts Cooked to 65 or 82°C

Undenatured oxymyoglobin and deoxymyoglobin were the pigments responsible for pink color in pork roasts cooked to 65 o C. Roasts cooked to 82 o C had gray internal color after cooking, but panelists noted development of pink internal color after refrigerated storage. Reflectance spectra of pink slices from roasts cooked to 82 o C, then stored for 12 days at 2 o C, were characteristic of denatured globin hemochromes or related nonnitrosyl hemochromes
New dark energy constraints from supernovae, microwave background, and galaxy clustering.

Using supernova, cosmic microwave background, and galaxy clustering data, we make the most accurate measurements to date of the dark energy density ${\ensuremath{\rho}}_{X}$ as a function of cosmic time, constraining it in a rather model-independent way, assuming a flat universe. We find that Einstein's simplest scenario, where ${\ensuremath{\rho}}_{X}(z)$ is constant, remains consistent with these new tight constraints and that a big crunch or big rip is more than 50 Gyr away for a broader class of models allowing such cataclysmic events. We discuss popular pitfalls and hidden priors.
Symptomatic refluxing distal ureteral stumps after nephroureterectomy and heminephroureterectomy. What should we do

ABSTRACTPurpose: We hypothesize that residual ureteral stumps following nephroureterectomy (NU) or heminephroureterectomy (HNU) are associated with an increased risk of urinary tract infection (UTI) that is decreased by distal ureterectomy.Materials and Methods: We performed a retrospective review of 71 patients who underwent NU or HNU for reflux into a nonfunctioning system between 1990 and 2003. The indications for all renal surgery included recurrent UTIs in 44 patients, hypertension in 8 and a combination of these conditions in 19. Voiding cystourethrogram and urine cultures were performed in all patients with recurrent symptomatic UTIs.Results: Followup in all 71 patients averaged 52 months. A total of 11 patients who underwent laparoscopic NU or HNU to the hiatus of the bladder were excluded because they did not have a ureteral remnant. The remaining 60 patients all underwent an open procedure. Of these patients 32 (53%) had refluxing distal ureteral remnants. Six of these 32 patients with refluxing...
Hydrogen and deuterium analysis by heavy ion activation

The use of heavy ion activation as a method for the analysis of hydrogen and deuterium has been evaluated. Thick target yields from reactions of7Li,10B,11B and19F on1H and2H have been determined; activation curves for many of these reactions are presented and interferences are evaluated. Hydrogen has been determined in titanium via1H(10B, α)7Be at the 100 and 33 ppm levels with relative precisions of 8 to 10%.
A matter of western civilisation: transnational support for the Salvadoran counterrevolution, 1979–1982

This article considers how transnational right-wing networks contributed to the origins of El Salvador's civil conflict (1980–1992) using research from the archives, scholarship, media, and popular histories of the United States, El Salvador, Mexico, and Guatemala. Salvadoran counterrevolutionaries used material resources, training, and advice procured from foreign sympathisers to develop a political-paramilitary organisation that undermined socioeconomic and political reforms through violence and intimidation, before transforming that organisation into a formal political party capable of participating in the democratisation process. Additionally, these networks facilitated right-wing Salvadoran contributions to debates in the United States over the direction of US policy in El Salvador at the beginning of the Ronald Reagan administration.
Studies on the fatty acid oxidizing system of animal tissues. VIII. Reconstruction of fatty acid oxidizing system with triphenyltetrazolium as electron acceptor

Abstract An assay system is described in which butyrate is oxidatively converted to citrate with 2, 3, 5-triphenyl tetrazolium as terminal electron acceptor. The role of this assay system in the recognition, one by one, of all the enzymes involved in the β-oxidation of fatty acids has been described.
Lightweight polymeric sound generator

A very low-mass sound generator with wide frequency bandwidth is described. It is constructed of four layers of PVDF film configured as a dual bi-laminate bender. The top and bottom bi0laminates are separately formed in a pre- curved press to form a rippled geometry. These two laminates are then attached back-to-back, and flat cover plates are applied. When a voltage is applied, the forced bending of these bi-laminates will generate a net thickness change of the package. Results obtained are shown to be in agreement with the predictions of the numerical model. While the measured displacement is small, useful sound pressure levels can be produced from devices with reasonably large surface areas. These devices are expected to find principal use in aerospace applications, where mass is of crucial importance.© (2000) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Doppler color flow mapping of epicardial coronary arteries: Initial observations☆

Abstract Objectives. We addressed the hypothesis that blood flow could be imaged by Doppler color flow mapping of the coronary arteries and characteristic patterns described in normal and diseased vessels. Background. Echocardiographic imaging of the epicardial coronary arteries has been suggested as a useful adjunct to their intraoperative evaluation. Addition of Doppler color flow mapping could potentially enhance this evaluation by displaying the flow disturbance produced by anatomic lesions whose physiologic significance may otherwise be uncertain. In experimental models, such displays could also potentially provide insights into the pathophysiology of coronary blood flow and stenosis. Methods. Epicardial coronary arteries were examined with a high resolution 7-MHz linear phased-array transducer both in vivo and in vitro. 1) The coronary arteries were studied in the beating hearts of 10 open chest dogs in which experimental stenoses were also created; the maximal extent of the arterial tree in which flow could be seen in the most ideal setting was also examined in four additional excised perfused canine hearts. 2) Six excised human coronary arteries were perfused in a pulsatile manner to determine whether abnormal flow patterns could be prospectively identified and subsequently correlated with pathologic evidence of stenosis. Results. All normal coronary artery segments studied showed homogeneous flow without evidence of flow disturbance. In the excised heart, flow could be visualized to the distal extent of the epicardial vessels; in the open chest model, visualization of the proximal 5 to 6 cm was comparable, although surrounding structures limited access to the terminal portions of the vessels. The stenotic lesions created in the canine hearts (n = 9) showed recognizable alterations in the flow pattern: localized aliasing, proximal blood flow acceleration, distal flow disturbance and recirculatory flow. In the excised human arteries, these features identified 12 lesions, all of which corresponded to areas of ≥50% lumen narrowing by pathologic examination. Conclusion. Blood flow in the epicardial coronary arteries can be imaged by Doppler color flow mapping and characteristic flow patterns described in normal and diseased vessels.
Importance of oceanic heat uptake in transient climate change

[1] The impact of the differences in the oceanic heat uptake and storage on the transient response to changes in radiative forcing is investigated using two newly developed coupled atmosphere-ocean models. In spite of its larger equilibrium climate sensitivity, one model (CM2.1) has smaller transient globally averaged surface air temperature (SAT) response than is found in the second model (CM2.0). The differences in the SAT response become larger as radiative forcing increases and the time scales become longer. The smaller transient SAT response in CM2.1 is due to its larger oceanic heat uptake. The heat storage differences between the two models also increase with time and larger rates of radiative forcing. The larger oceanic heat uptake in CM2.1 can be traced to differences in the Southern Ocean heat uptake and is related to a more realistic Southern Ocean simulation in the control integration.
Ethnicity, Crime, and Immigration

Members of some disadvantaged minority groups in every Western country are disproportionately likely to be arrested, convicted, and imprisoned for violent, property, and drug crimes. This is true whether the minority groups are members of different "racial" groups from the majority population, for example, blacks or Afro-Caribbeans in Canada, England, or the United States, or of different ethnic backgrounds, for example, North African Arabs in France or the Netherlands, orirrespective of race or ethnicity-are recent migrants from other countries, for example, Yugoslavs or Eastern Europeans in Germany and Finns in Sweden. Important social policy dilemmas that are seen in individual countries to be uniquely their own, such as race relations in the United States or assimilation of Maghreb-derived guest workers in France or the experience of Aborigines in Australia, are not unique at all but are instead variations on common themes of social structure
William S. Hettinger, Living and Working in Paradise: Why Housing Is Too Expensive and What Communities Can Do About It(Windham, CT: Thames River Publishing, 2005).

With 20 years of experience in real estate, housing, and community development, Dr. William S. Hettinger, also CEO of the Wyndham Financial Group, has succeeded in writing a comprehensive guide und...
Influence of the telopeptides on type I collagen fibrillogenesis.

Preparations have been made of acid-soluble collagens whose telopeptides have suffered different levels of proteolytic attack. The collagens with more intact telopeptides form fibrils more rapidly than those with degraded telopeptides. In addition, we have shown that a high molecular weight aggregate rich in the carboxyterminal CNBr peptide, α1CB6, can be found in cyanogen bromide digests of fibrils formed from intact collagen. A similar aggregate is found in CNBr digests of native tendons. The aggregate formed in fibrils assembled in vitro can be stabilized by reduction, and its generation is strongly dependent on the presence of intact telopeptides. The latter point is the most objective evidence that to reproduce the characteristics of native fibrils in vitro, the collagen telopeptides must be preserved from proteolysis.
Processing and Mechanical Properties of Ti3SiC2: II, Effect of Grain Size and Deformation Temperature

In this article, the second part of a two-part study, we report on the mechanical behavior of Ti3SiC2. In particular, we have evaluated the mechanical response of fine-grained (3–5 μm) Ti3SiC2 in simple compression and flexure tests, and we have compared the results with those of coarse-grained (100–200 μm) Ti3SiC2. These tests have been conducted in the 25°–1300°C temperature range. At ambient temperature, the fine- and coarse-grained microstructures exhibit excellent damage-tolerant properties. In both cases, failure is brittle up to ∼1200°C. At 1300°C, both microstructures exhibit plastic deformation (>20%) in flexure and compression. The fine-grained material exhibits higher strength compared with the coarse-grained material at all temperatures. Although the coarse-grained material is not susceptible to thermal shock (up to 1400°C), the fine-grained material thermally shocks gradually between 750° and 1000°C. The results presented herein provide evidence for two important aspects of the mechanical behavior of Ti3SiC2: (i) inelastic deformation entails basal slip and damage formation in the form of voids, grain-boundary cracks, kinking, and delamination of individual grains, and (ii) the initiation of damage does not result in catastrophic failure, because Ti3SiC2 can confine the spatial extent of the damage.
The D2 dopamine receptor mediates inhibition of growth in GH4ZR7 cells: involvement of protein kinase-C epsilon

The D2 dopamine agonist, bromocriptine, has been used as treatment for human PRL-secreting pituitary adenomas. The result of bromocriptine treatment is often a substantial reduction of tumor mass, suggesting that the dopamine agonist is acting as an antiproliferative agent. This action can be observed with a clonal pituitary tumor cell line. The agonist activation of the D2 dopamine receptor inhibits the growth of GH4ZR7 cells, a GH4C1 cell line stably transfected with the cDNA encoding the short form of the D2 dopamine receptor. This effect of dopamine was not sensitive to overnight treatment with 100 ng/ml pertussis toxin. Treatment of GH4ZR7 cells with the phorbol ester 4 beta-phorbol 12,13-didecanoate resulted in the loss of dopaminergic inhibition of growth, whereas treatment with 4 alpha-phorbol 12,13-didecanoate had no effect. Inhibitors of protein kinase-C (PKC), such as staurosporine and H7, also blocked the effect of dopamine. Down-regulation of cellular PKC by phorbol ester treatment resulted i...
Extracting hadronic viscosity from microscopic transport models

Ultrarelativistic heavy-ion collisions at the Relativistic Heavy-Ion Collider (RHIC) are thought to have created a Quark–Gluon Plasma, characterized by a very small shear viscosity to entropy density ratio η/s, close to the lower bound predicted for that quantity by string theory. However, due to the dynamics of the collision, the produced matter passes through a phase characterized by an expanding and rapidly cooling hadron gas with strongly increasing η/s. Such a rise in η/s would not be compatible with the success of (viscous) hydrodynamics, which requires a very small value of η/s throughout the full evolution of the reaction in order to successfully describe the collective flow seen in the experiments. Here we show that the inclusion of a pion-chemical potential, which is bound to arise due to the separation of chemical and kinetic freeze-out during the collision evolution, will reduce the value of η/s, and argue that introduction of other chemical potentials could ensure the successful application of (viscous) hydrodynamics to collisions at RHIC.
Characterization of hydrodynamic strange attractors

Strange attractors are fractal limit sets describing the evolution of chaotic systems in phase space. Recent progress in measuring the properties of strange attractors for weakly turbulent hydrodynamic flows is reviewed. We then describe some of the difficulties and open questions suggested by these developments.
Sigma Overbounding using a Position Domain Method for the Local Area Augmentaion of GPS

The local area augmentation system (LAAS) is a differential GPS navigation system being developed to support aircraft precision approach and landing navigation with guaranteed integrity and availability. While the system promises to support Category I operations, significant technical challenges are encountered in supporting Category II and III operations. The primary concern has been the need to guarantee compliance with stringent requirements for navigation availability. This paper describes how a position domain method (PDM) may be used to improve system availability by reducing the inflation factor for standard deviations of pseudo-range correction errors. Used in combination with the current range domain method (RDM), a 30% reduction in the inflation factor is achieved with the same safety standard. LAAS prototype testing verifies the utility of the PDM to enhance Category II/III user availability.
Thirteenth Annual Meeting of the Social Science History Association

America. She stressed the importance of placing women's migration in the context of family and economic conditions. Seeking to maximize their families' economic positions, women migrated under different circumstances. Decisions to migrate were shaped by labor force segregation in the destination cities, and by the possible existence of kin or ethnic networks. Women's family roles and obligations were the key determinants of their migration decisions. Louise Tilly (New School for Social Research) urged a sensitivity to the difficulty in using "identity" as a category in historical analysis and suggested that the emerging working-class culture dis cussed by Locke applied to women at only one point in their life cycles. She also pointed out that varied places of origin may have had a dramatic effect on the experiences of migrant women. In her comments, Donna Gabaccia (Mercy College) stressed the importance of tying together "women adrift" and "family economy" approaches to the experiences of working-class women. She suggested that economic and cultural conditions are difficult to separate when studying immigrant women and recommended a comparative approach to the history of female migration. These sessions revealed the need to approach working-class life with a sensitivity to the many factors mediating class experience. The sessions borrowed analytic insights from other disciplines to make sense out of working-class experiences, stepping outside rigid definitions of labor history and narrow concep tions of class. These labor historians benefit from analyses of race, gender, ethnicity, culture, and politics. Yet the various sessions were seldom talking to one another. These varied and useful approaches have eroded the unity of labor history and, while all would agree that something links the experiences of working-class people, it is difficult to blend the diverging approaches into a comprehensive understanding of working-class experience. While these papers offer rich analyses of worker life and protest, they lack an adequate theoretical tie, making sense out of what makes these different cases part of the same history, labor history.
Multipath delay estimation using the magnitude spectrum

Four methods are presented by which the relative delay structure of a multipath signal can be estimated from the Fourier magnitude spectrum of the observation. The phase of the underlying source signal may be completely unknown. While the signal autocorrelation function could be used to estimate relative delay from uniform samples of the received magnitude spectrum, the novelty of the proposed methods lies in the fact that the magnitude spectrum samples are not assumed to be uniformly spaced. This makes these methods appropriate for use in frequency-hopped and collaborative sensing systems. Four methods, including a least-squares (LS), maximum likelihood (ML), maximum a posteriori (MAP), and entropy-based approach are presented. Simulation and laboratory experiments indicate that the MAP and ML algorithms provide the best performance
A modified radial basis function network for system identification

Feedforward neural networks have demonstrated an ability to learn arbitrary nonlinear mappings. Knowledge of such mappings can be of use in the identification and control of unknown or nonlinear systems. One such network, the Gaussian radial basis function (RBF) network has received a great deal of attention. Such networks, however, grow exponentially in size with the number of inputs. Several modifications to the standard RBF network are presented. A new network, the modified radial basis function (MRBF) network, which has far fewer adjustable parameters than its existing counterparts is proposed. The addition of recurrent weights to the MRBF network allows the network to learn dynamic mappings. Additionally, a new training algorithm based on gradient descent is developed for all of the parameters of the MRBF network. Simulations were performed which showed the new MRBF network was able to learn nonlinear systems as well as the standard RBF. >
The relationship between self-regulation and driving-related abilities in older drivers: an exploratory study.

Objectives. The objectives of this paper are to review the published research findings about the role of self-regulation in older driver safety and to report on an exploratory study to better understand the self-regulatory practices of older drivers as demonstrated through the avoidance of a number of specific driving situations including making left turns and driving alone, at night, in bad weather, in high traffic, and on the expressway and through restricting driving to familiar or local areas only. Methods. As part of a larger study on the development and testing of a self-screening instrument by older drivers, data on self-regulation were compared with data on driving-related abilities collected through clinical and on-road assessments for 68 drivers age 65 and older. Results. Findings indicate that 25% of subjects reported self-regulating their driving in some way. Of those who self-regulated, five individuals reported avoiding just one type of driving situation, six reported avoiding two, one repor...
Underwater acoustic field extrapolation using vertical reference arrays

Conventional methods for predicting acoustic propagation through a region of ocean require detailed knowledge of the environment. A method that acoustically "calibrates" the medium through the use of vertical transmit and receive arrays is discussed. By combining (via a generalized form of Huygens' principle) the measured calibration data with field estimates based on limited local environmental knowledge, the acoustic field due to a source outside the calibration region can be calculated. The mathematical formulation for this "extrapolated" field is discussed. The effects of mismatch between the estimated local environmental information and the true propagation conditions are also examined. >
Database of exact tandem repeats in the Zebrafish genome

Sequencing of the approximately 1.7 billion bases of the zebrafish genome is currently underway. To date, few high resolution genetic maps exist for the zebrafish genome, based mainly on single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and short microsatellite repeats. The desire to construct a higher resolution genetic map led to the construction of a database of tandemly repeating elements within the zebrafish Zv8 assembly. Exact tandem repeats with a repeat length of at least three bases and a copy number of at least 10 were reported. Repeats with a total length of 250 or fewer bases and their flanking regions were masked for known vertebrate repeats. Optimal primer pairs were computationally designed in the regions flanking the detected repeats. This database of exact tandem repeats can then be used as a resource by molecular biologists with interests in experimentally testing VNTRs within a zebrafish population. A total of 116,915 repeats with a base length of at least three nucleotides were detected. The longest of these was a 54-base repeat with fourteen tandem copies. A significant number of repeats with a base length of 18, 24, 27 and 30 were detected, many with potentially novel proline-rich coding regions. Detection of exact tandem repeats in the zebrafish genome leads to a wealth of information regarding potential polymorphic sites for VNTRs. The association of many of these repeats with potentially novel yet similar coding regions yields an exciting potential for disease associated genes. A web interface for querying repeats is available at http://bioinformatics.louisville.edu/zebrafish/ . This portal allows for users to search for a repeats of a selected base size from any valid specified region within the 25 linkage groups.
In situ histopathological correlation of FDG uptake by autoradiography of needle biopsy specimens obtained under PET-CT guidance

586 Objectives To study correlations between FDG uptake and histopathology with high spatial accuracy. Methods Fresh core needle biopsy specimens were exposed on digital autoradiography (ARG) plates for 10 minutes after extraction and before routine histopathology evaluation. Different disease and tumor locations were targeted under an IRB approved protocol. Activity profiles along the specimen were assessed relative to previously generated calibration curves obtained with in-house developed F-18 standards for 18G and 20G core needles. The ARG image was fused with the PET/CT images using the Computational Environment for Radiation Research (CERR) software. Specimen FDG uptake - histopathology - PET image correlations were visually examined. Results Readable ARG images of the biopsy specimens were obtained for 8 of the first 10 patients. Activity quantification was prevented by the presence of bone in 2 specimens and by the irregular shape of another specimen obtained with an aspiration needle. Specimen fragmentation during pathology processing affected few cases and prevented 1 correlation. Two-way correlations between ARG images, histopathology and PET were found in 5 of 6 cases for ARG vs. PET, in 5 of 6 cases for ARG vs. histopathology, and in 8 of 10 cases for PET vs. histopathology. Conclusions Quantitative Autoradiography of Biopsy Specimens (QABS) obtained under PET/CT guidance allows spatially accurate in situ association of specimen tracer uptake and histopathological findings with the PET/CT images. Fusing this data for peripheral needle placements promises an opportunity to adjust the display window setting of the PET image to more accurately represent the tumor margin at the point of biopsy. Research Support Acknowledgements for support and contribution to this work are due to Dr. Joseph O. Deasy, PhD, Dr. Ellen Yorke Ph.D., Dr. Jeremy C. Durack, MD, Dr. Joseph P. Erinjeri, MD, Dr. Majid Maybody, MD, Dr. Robert H. Siegelbaum, MD, Dr. Constantinos T. Sofocleous MD, all from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) and to Dr. Irene A. Burger, MD, from University Hospital, Zurich. This work is supported in part by the Department of Medical Physics at MSKCC and by Biospace Lab, S.A.
Pulmonary effects of the Cocoanut Grove fire; a 5 year follow up study.

THE Cocoanut Grove fire took place on November 28, 1942. In a previous report1 we described the initial pulmonary complications in the group of 39 patients admitted to the Massachusetts General Hos...
An improved procedure for the preparation of 9-β-D-Arabitiofuranosyl-2-ñuoroadenine

An improved procedure for the preparation of 9-β-D-arabinofuranosyl-2-fluoroadenitie (11) utilizing the readily available 2,4,5,6-tetraaminopyrimidine (1) is described; the overall yield based on the arabinosugar was quadrupled.
The early course of pulmonary artery hypertension in patients undergoing mitral valve replacement with cardioplegic arrest.

In an effort to describe the immediate course of pulmonary hypertension following mitral valve replacement, we reviewed preoperative and postoperative data from 62 patients who underwent mitral valve replacement Patients were divided based on the absence (Group I) or presence (Group II) of severe preoperative pulmonary hypertension, defined as a mean pulmonary artery pressure ≥40 mm Hg. Group II patients were subdivided based on the absence (Group IIa) or presence (GroupIIb) of markedly elevated preoperative pulmonary vascular resistance indices, defined as a ≥700 dynes · sec · cm-5 · m2. Pulmonary artery wedge pressures fell promptly following mitral valve replacement in all groups, but the course of other hemodynamic parameters varied among groups. Cardiac index increased significantly among Group I and IIb patients but not among Group IIa patients. Group I patients did not have significant changes in mean pulmonary artery pressure and pulmonary vascular resistance index. Group IIa patients had substantial reductions in mean pulmonary artery pressure while pulmonary vascular resistance index remained near 400 dynes · sec · cm-5 · m2. Group IIb patients had substantial reductions in mean pulmonary artery pressure while pulmonary vascular resistance index fell significantly to about 400 dynes · sec · cm-5 · m2. Primary valvular lesion and pharmacologic support were insignificant variables. Data from these hemodynamic groups suggest that at least three mechanisms contribute to the pulmonary hypertension seen in mitral valve disease: passive transmission of elevated left atrial pressures, reactive pulmonary arteriolar vasoconstriction, and morphologic changes in the pulmonary vasculature. The first two mechanisms appear to be rapidly reversed following mitral valve replacement. While others have described the regression of pulmonary hypertension several months following mitral valve operations, data presented here suggest that changes in pulmonary artery pressures and pulmonary vascular resistance index may occur much earlier.
When Deceitful Chats Look Truthful

ABSTRACTThe amount of deception taking place via electronic text-based communication is increasing. Research has sought to automatically detect deception by analyzing the text from the communicator. However, the deceptive intent of the communication partner is being ignored. We compare the text from subjects who are trying to deceive each other, subjects trying to deceive truth tellers, subjects telling the truth to truth tellers, and subjects telling the truth to deceivers. We hypothesize that despite the intent of the partner, deceitful text will cluster closest to deceitful text. We cluster each of the four conditions using the text content. The cluster algorithm placed subjects trying to deceive each other closest to subjects telling the truth to each other. In this analysis, the language that led subjects to choose the same outcomes had a stronger effect than the language tied to being deceitful or truthful.
Bacterial communities of oceanic sea star (Asteroidea: Echinodermata) larvae

Planktotrophic sea star larvae of several species are abundant in oligotrophic waters of the Gulf Stream, western Sargasso Sea, and Caribbean Sea. One abundant larval morphotype at the bipinnaria stage of development is unusual in its ability to constitutively produce clones and in harboring a community of auto-fluorescent bacteria. We hypothesized that the bacterial community would be distinct in these larvae compared to those that do not consistently reproduce clonally. Three sea star larval morphotypes were collected in the Gulf Stream off the coast of Florida. We used DNA-based maximum likelihood phylogenetic analyses to taxonomically classify the larvae and 16S rDNA profiling by deep sequencing to characterize the bacterial communities harbored within. The cloning bipinnaria and non-cloning brachiolaria morphotypes were determined to be a single species of Asteroidea in the family Oreasteridae. The third morphotype, a non-cloning bipinnaria, was identified as Mithrodia clavigera. With bacterial 16S rDNA profiling, we found that the two species of larvae harbor bacterial communities distinct from each other. The Oreasteridae bacterial community at both developmental stages has a photosynthetic Cyanobacteria Synechococcus sp. as the most abundant bacteria. The M. clavigera larvae host a flora consisting primarily of Gammaproteobacteria. The identification of the larval microbiomes is a step toward understanding their host–microbe interactions. Specifically, the association of photosynthetic bacteria with cloning larvae allows for future assessments of whether the bacteria supplement the nutrition of the larvae during extended periods of development and clonal reproduction in open ocean regions where phytoplankton food for the larvae may be in limited supply.
SU-F-I-01: Normalized Mean Glandular Dose Values for Dedicated Breast CT Using Realistic Breast-Shaped Phantoms

Purpose: To estimate normalized mean glandular dose values for dedicated breast CT (DgN-CT) using breast CT-derived phantoms and compare to estimations using cylindrical phantoms. Methods: Segmented breast CT (bCT) volume data sets (N=219) were used to measure effective diameter profiles and were grouped into quintiles by volume. The profiles were averaged within each quintile to represent the range of breast sizes found clinically. These profiles were then used to generate five voxelized computational phantoms (V1, V2, V3, V4, V5 for the small to large phantom sizes, respectively), and loaded into the MCNP6 lattice geometry to simulate normalized mean glandular dose coefficients (DgN-CT) using the system specifications of the Doheny-prototype bCT scanner in our laboratory. The DgN-CT coefficients derived from the bCT-derived breast-shaped phantoms were compared to those generated using a simpler cylindrical phantom using a constant volume, and the following constraints: (1) Length=1.5*radius; (2) radius determined at chest wall (Rcw), and (3) radius determined at the phantom center-of-mass (Rcm). Results: The change in Dg-NCT coefficients averaged across all phantom sizes, was - 0.5%, 19.8%, and 1.3%, for constraints 1–3, respectively. This suggests that the cylindrical assumption is a good approximation if the radius is taken at the breast center-of-mass, but using the radius at the chest wall results in an underestimation of the glandular dose. Conclusion: The DgN-CT coefficients for bCT-derived phantoms were compared against the assumption of a cylindrical phantom and proved to be essentially equivalent when the cylinder radius was set to r=1.5/L or Rcm. While this suggests that for dosimetry applications a patient's breast can be approximated as a cylinder (if the correct radius is applied), this assumes a homogenous composition of breast tissue and the results may be different if the realistic heterogeneous distribution of glandular tissue is considered. Research reported in this paper was supported in part by the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health under award R01CA181081. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institue of Health.
ID 143 – Motor mapping using high-frequency cortical stimulation & EMG pickup

Introduction We describe a cortical and subcortical mapping method for use in the OR under local or general anesthesia, as well as at the bedside in patients with implanted electrodes. The method distinguishes primary, supplementary and subcortical motor elements based on EMG responses, and does not require patient cooperation. Methods Trains of constant-current, pulses are applied via a handheld probe and/or subdural electrodes. Triggered EMG from multiple contralateral face, arm and leg are used to register motor responses. In the OR, the handheld probe is used to identify and spare cortical and subcortical motor elements, while steady-state triggered EMG via subdural electrodes is used for monitoring during resections. Results The method is simple and convenient to implement with typical intraoperative monitoring equipment, and standard disposable sterile probes and electrodes. We describe our experience with over 100 cases with significant pre-operative risk of motor function disruption. Resections were limited when MEP signal loss was observed and by the detection of low threshold MEPs in the resection margins. This led to maximal resections with minimal residual tumor, while preserving motor function. In the small number of cases with MEP signal loss at closing, the majority had transient deficits with full recovery.
Big Data and Regulatory Arbitrage in Healthcare

This chapter accepts that data analytics have the potential to make major improvements in the health care system. However, its focus is not big data being used within healthcare, but rather the use of healthcare data for market segmentation or profiling purposes that occurs outside of healthcare space. At root there are some serious weaknesses in healthcare data protection such as the HIPAA federal privacy and security rules. As a result of what is euphemistically called an “uneven policy environment,” increasingly large amounts of sensitive healthcare data exist in a lightly regulated space outside of the reach of traditional healthcare data protection regimes. This leads to regulatory disruption as patients, providers, and healthcare policymakers struggle not only with under-regulation but also with costly indeterminacy as to the when and how such data may or may not be protected. In the context of data brokers, it has enabled successful regulatory arbitrage as they have learned to do in lightly-protected space what they are prohibited from doing in HIPAA-regulated space. This chapter first summarizes the reasons for this contemporary policy environment. It then details the types of legislative reform that have been proposed, before concluding that the specific and general powers of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) remain the primary defenses against big data abuses.
Pentostatin, Cyclophosphamide, and Rituximab (PCR) Achieve High Response Rates in Indolent B-Cell Lyphoma without Prolonged Myelosuppression

Background: The addition of rituximab to combination chemotherapy has improved treatment outcomes of indolent lymphomas. Combination therapy with purine analogs, akylating agents, and monoclonal antibodies is a promising approach for treating indolent B-cell lymphoma. Nucleoside analog-based regimens selectively target lymphoid cells, making them attractive drugs for lymphoid cancers. Pentostatin is a nucleoside analog that compared with other nucleoside analogs is reported to have less bone marrow cell toxicity. The combination of pentostatin, cyclophosphamide, and rituximab (PCR) is an effective regimen for relapsed chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Methods:In this study, we examined the efficacy of pentostatin, cyclophosphamide, and rituximab for the treatment of B-cell lymphoma. Pentostatin (4 mg/m2), cyclophosphamide (600 mg/m2), and rituximab (375 mg/m2) were given on day 1 of a 21-day cycle with planned 6 or 9 cycles and restaging after every 3 cycles. Patients received prophylaxis with acyclovir 400 mg/po bid and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole 3 times per week. Small lymphocytic lymphoma/chronic lymphocytic leukemia (SLL/CLL) tissues were stained for ZAP70 protein. Results: At the time of abstract submission, 80 patients with a median age was 60 years were treated, 43 patients with follicular lymphoma, 27 with SLL/CLL, and 9 with mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue. We observed an overall response of 77 out of 80 (96%), CR/CRu in 65 out of 80 (81%), PR in 12 out of 80 (15%), and mixed response or progression in 3 out of 80 (4%). Neutropenia (49% Conclusions: PCR therapy is an effective regimen in indolent B cell lymphoma with tolerable toxicity.
Theoretical and computational analysis of the quantum radar cross section for simple geometrical targets

The concept of the quantum radar cross section (QRCS) has generated interest due to its promising feature of enhanced side lobe target visibility in comparison to the classical radar cross section. Researchers have simulated the QRCS for very limited geometries and even developed approximations to reduce the computational complexity of the simulations. This paper develops an alternate theoretical framework for calculating the QRCS. This new framework yields an alternative form of the QRCS expression in terms of Fourier transforms. This formulation is much easier to work with mathematically and allows one to derive analytical solutions for various geometries, which provides an explanation for the aforementioned sidelobe advantage. We also verify the resulting equations by comparing with numerical simulations, as well as provide an error analysis of these simulations to ensure the accuracy of the results. Comparison of our simulation results with the analytical solutions reveal that they agree with one another extremely well.
Spinal Cord and Peripheral Nerve Abnormalities of the Ruminant

In food animals, spinal cord damage is most commonly associated with infection or trauma. Antemortem diagnosis is based on clinical signs, history, cerebrospinal fluid analysis, and imaging. As clinical signs are often severe, and prognosis is grave, necropsy may provide a postmortem diagnosis. Peripheral nerve abnormalities are most often the result of trauma. Calving paralysis or paresis is the most common condition affecting the sciatic or obturator nerve and often concurrently involves the peroneal branch of the sciatic. Damage to peripheral nerves is often transient and resolves within a few days as long as the nerve is not severed.
NAAG Peptidase Inhibitors Act via mGluR3: Animal Models of Memory, Alzheimer’s, and Ethanol Intoxication

Glutamate carboxypeptidase II (GCPII) inactivates the peptide neurotransmitter N-acetylaspartylglutamate (NAAG) following synaptic release. Inhibitors of GCPII increase extracellular NAAG levels and are efficacious in animal models of clinical disorders via NAAG activation of a group II metabotropic glutamate receptor. mGluR2 and mGluR3 knock-out (ko) mice were used to test the hypothesis that mGluR3 mediates the activity of GCPII inhibitors ZJ43 and 2-PMPA in animal models of memory and memory loss. Short- (1.5 h) and long- (24 h) term novel object recognition tests were used to assess memory. Treatment with ZJ43 or 2-PMPA prior to acquisition trials increased long-term memory in mGluR2, but not mGluR3, ko mice. Nine month-old triple transgenic Alzheimer’s disease model mice exhibited impaired short-term novel object recognition memory that was rescued by treatment with a NAAG peptidase inhibitor. NAAG peptidase inhibitors and the group II mGluR agonist, LY354740, reversed the short-term memory deficit induced by acute ethanol administration in wild type mice. 2-PMPA also moderated the effect of ethanol on short-term memory in mGluR2 ko mice but failed to do so in mGluR3 ko mice. LY354740 and ZJ43 blocked ethanol-induced motor activation. Both GCPII inhibitors and LY354740 also significantly moderated the loss of motor coordination induced by 2.1 g/kg ethanol treatment. These data support the conclusion that inhibitors of glutamate carboxypeptidase II are efficacious in object recognition models of normal memory and memory deficits via an mGluR3 mediated process, actions that could have widespread clinical applications.
Use of Placebo Pills Before Treatment Initiation in Youth with HIV: Are They Ready?

Highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) nonadherence is related to negative health outcomes and is well-documented in adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with behaviorally acquired HIV. Few st...
CTO revascularization: Obstacles and options in balloon nonpenetrable lesions

CTO lesions resisting balloon crossing are located in moderate/severe tortuous coronary arteries contain more moderate/severe calcification burden and carry a higher J-CTO score as compared with balloon crossable CTO lesions. CTO lesions resisting balloon crossing do not constitute a homogenous group. In 25% of the patients, the resisting CTO was caused by stent restenosis and thrombus is an integral component of CTO in addition to calcium and fibrosis. The excimer laser and rotational/orbital atherectomy are among useful debulking technologies capable of creating a "pilot recanalization channel" in the CTO that enables completion of the revasularization.
A DEVELOPMENTAL APPROACH TO CONCEPTUAL GROWTH

Publisher Summary Concepts are the fundamental agents of intellectual work. An individual's conceptual structure passes through different stages over the course of development. The stages are characterized by qualitatively different structures and not by mere accretion of more or richer concepts. The process of conceptual growth is akin to the growth of a butterfly from egg through larva and pupa to mature form, in contrast to the growth in weight of a group of muscles. There is a considerable body of data to rationalize a commitment to these two principles, but the available knowledge contains two serious lacunae. There are no intuitively commanding or attractive theories to aid in the understanding of how concepts are formed or how structures change. The noteworthy flaw in Piaget's prodigious output is the absence of any set of theoretical statements that accounts for how or why a child passes from one stage of operations to another. A second void is the absence of a systematic description of the nature of the conceptual structures the child possesses at any one stage in development. This chapter discusses how and why conceptual structures change with experience, and what the organization of conceptual units is at different developmental stages.