cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Chasing the Crowd: Digital Transformations and the Digital Driven System Design Paradigm

These days business successes and economic opportunities steadily depend on IT-capabilities and digital driven business transformations. Digitalization continues to advance with new business models and growing prospects in various dimensions from higher margins and greater public sector funding to new customers, markets and more diverse suppliers’ networks. The key digital transformation drivers of change –fundamental redesign of business activities, processes, and models– are each significantly facilitated by integrated mix of digital technologies that includes, but not limited to, social, mobile, analytics and cloud (SMAC) and sometimes SMACIT when counting the Internet of Things. Increasingly the actual digital transformation has much more to do with information, data, analytics, workflow, culture, and management than traditional IT/IS. In the last decades IT/IS has been essential driver of organizational changes, the recent developments in digitalization and innovations shifted the emphasis on the information rather than the technology in “IT” abbreviation. To understand the prospects and challenges associate with the digital driven business strategy and operational transformations, a modified model of the socio-technical system is created and presented. It depicts at macro level how digital technologies and utility type computing platforms act as drivers for supporting digital business strategies and advancing with the customers. While it simplifies the relations of the internal organization socio-technical model with the external world, the enhanced socio-technical (EST) model indicates the interactions of the four organization’s forces: structure, people, technology and processes with the platform technologies such as O2O and SMACIT and further with the crowds. The paper confers the impact of digital driven transformations to the system design and development process and specifically emphasizes on agile transformational practices aligning better with business agility, asset utilization, and greater customers’ satisfaction.
Sea urchins mediate the availability of kelp detritus to benthic consumers

Detritus can fundamentally shape and sustain food webs, and shredders can facilitate its availability. Most of the biomass of the highly productive giant kelp, Macrocystis pyrifera, becomes detritus that is exported or falls to the seafloor as litter. We hypothesized that sea urchins process kelp litter through shredding, sloppy feeding and egestion, making kelp litter more available to benthic consumers. To test this, we conducted a mesocosm experiment in which an array of kelp forest benthic consumers were exposed to 13C- and 15N-labelled Macrocystis with or without the presence of sea urchins, Strongylocentrotus purpuratus. Our results showed that several detritivore species consumed significant amounts of kelp, but only when urchins were present. Although they are typically portrayed as antagonistic grazers in kelp forests, sea urchins can have a positive trophic role, capturing kelp litter before it is exported and making it available to a suite of benthic detritivores.
Slow-channel myasthenia due to novel mutation in M2 domain of AChR delta subunit.

Objective To characterize the molecular and phenotypic basis of a severe slow-channel congenital myasthenic syndrome (SCCMS). Methods Intracellular and single-channel recordings from patient endplates; alpha-bungarotoxin binding studies; direct sequencing of AChR genes; microsatellite analysis; kinetic analysis of AChR activation; homology modeling of adult human AChR structure. Results Among 24 variants reported to cause SCCMS only two appear in the AChR δ-subunit. We here report a 16-year-old patient harboring a novel δL273F mutation (δL294F in HGVS nomenclature) in the second transmembrane domain (M2) of the AChR δ subunit. Kinetic analyses with ACh and the weak agonist choline indicate that δL273F prolongs the channel opening bursts 9.4-fold due to a 75-fold increase in channel gating efficiency, whereas a previously identified eL269F mutation (eL289F in HGVS nomenclature) at an equivalent location in the AChR e-subunit prolongs channel opening bursts 4.4-fold due to a 30-fold increase in gating efficiency. Structural modeling of AChR predicts that inter-helical hydrophobic interactions between the mutant residue in the δ and e subunit and nearby M2 domain residues in neighboring α subunits contribute to structural stability of the open relative to the closed channel states. Interpretation The greater increase in gating efficiency by δL273F than by eL269F explains why δL273F has more severe clinical effects. Both δL273F and eL269F impair channel gating by disrupting hydrophobic interactions with neighboring α-subunits. Differences in the extent of impairment of channel gating in δ and e mutant receptors suggest unequal contributions of e/α and δ/α subunit pairs to gating efficiency.
Bringing static code to life: The instructional work of animating computer programs with the body

Author(s): Flood, VJ; Deliema, D; Abrahamson, D | Abstract: In this preliminary report, we propose a previously unidentified role that instructors’ gestures may play in helping students evaluate existing computer code. We find that instructors use gesture to animate processes encoded in the static inscriptions of computer programs in order to make invisible, dynamic phenomena perceptible to students. Our findings contribute to a better understanding of the embodied instructional work of teaching programming.
The child with asthma.

This article is concerned primarily with history taking in diagnosing asthma. Allergic rhinitis is likely to precede asthma in childhood by one or more years. Asthma itself may cause fever, and there is a tendency to equate fever with infection. “Continuity” symptoms can assist greatly in distinguishing between infection and allergy. An “allergy questionnaire” is presented which has been useful both in making a diagnosis of asthma and in detecting some of the causes.
Traumatic brain injury.

A head trauma is any injury that results in trauma to the skull, scalp, or brain. Every patient with a suspected head trauma should initially undergo a focused neurological examination which consists of the Glasgow Coma Scale Score (GCS), plus pupillary reactivity, that classifies the traumatic brain injury (TBI) as mild, moderate, or severe. Mild TBI is defined as GCS 14 or 15. In victims of a moderate (GCS between 9 and 13) and a severe (GCS equal or lower than 8) TBI, respiratory and hemodynamic conditions, cervical control, and the involvement of other surgical specialties should be prioritized to determine the presence or nature of associated lesions in other organs and systems. Intracranial lesions are accurately diagnosed by computed tomography and can be classified as focal (epidural hematomas, subdural hematomas, multiple or isolated intracerebral contusions) or diffuse (subarachnoid hemorrhage and diffuse axonal lesion).
Emotions and Cognitions in Early Childhood Aggression: the Role of Irritability and Hostile Attribution Biases

The present study examines the role of irritability in form and function subtypes of aggression over 1 year in early childhood (N = 300, Mage = 44.70 months, SD = 4.38 months). This study prospectively tests hostile attribution biases (HAB) as a mediator in irritability’s relations with aggression, with hypothesized form-specific relations between HAB and aggression. Moderation by gender and a reversed alternative model (aggression to irritability, mediated by HAB), were also tested. Path analyses showed irritability predicted increases in all subtypes of aggression (βs = 0.24–0.34), but with moderation by gender, such that irritability significantly predicted increases in reactive relational aggression for girls only (β = 0.43). Reactive physical aggression also significantly predicted increases in irritability (β = 0.15). HAB was not associated significantly with any forms or functions of aggression, although gender differences emerged between HAB for instrumental provocations and reactive physical aggression. No significant indirect effects were found. Results highlight the importance of considering both forms and functions of aggression when investigating irritability, and point to potential gender differences in the role of irritability in relational aggression in early childhood.
Privacy-Preserving Distributed Coordination of Distributed Energy Resources

In this paper, we consider the problem of optimally coordinating the response of a set of distributed energy resources (DERs) for serving the needs of a set of electrical loads while protecting the privacy of consumer usage data. The DERs are coordinated via a distributed approach that relies on an averaging step for guiding DERs towards the optimal operating point. Since naive exchanges of information during the averaging step might reveal sensitive information about personal energy consumption, we incorporate homomorphic encryption into the averaging step to enforce electricity usage privacy. To carry out such a procedure, power consumption data collected at electrical loads are first quantized and encrypted using the Paillier homomorphic cryptosystem. The averaging step is then executed using the homomorphically encrypted version of the so-called ratio consensus algorithm that operates exclusively on integer values. We further analytically show that the use of homomorphic encryption does not significantly affect the performance of the distributed scheme, and prove that the resulting homomorphically encrypted distributed algorithm achieves geometric convergence speed over directed communication graphs with packet losses. We showcase the proposed algorithm using the standard IEEE 14-bus test system.
A comparison of performance metrics for cloth face masks as source control devices for simulated cough and exhalation aerosols

Universal mask wearing is recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to help control the spread of COVID-19. Masks reduce the expulsion of respiratory aerosols (called source control) and offer some protection to the wearer. However, masks vary greatly in their designs and construction materials, and it is not clear which are most effective. Our study tested 15 reusable cloth masks (which included face masks, neck gaiters, and bandanas), two medical masks, and two N95 filtering facepiece respirators as source control devices for aerosols ≤ 7 µm produced during simulated coughing and exhalation. These measurements were compared with the mask filtration efficiencies, airflow resistances, and fit factors. The source control collection efficiencies for the cloth masks ranged from 17% to 71% for coughing and 35% to 66% for exhalation. The filtration efficiencies of the cloth masks ranged from 1.4% to 98%, while the fit factors were 1.3 to 7.4 on an elastomeric manikin headform and 1.0 to 4.0 on human test subjects. The correlation coefficients between the source control efficacies and the other performance metrics ranged from 0.31 to 0.66 and were significant in all but one case. However, none of the alternative metrics were strong predictors of the source control performance of cloth masks. Our results suggest that a better understanding of the relationships between source control performance and metrics like filtration efficiency, airflow resistance, and fit factor are needed to develop simple methods to estimate the effectiveness of masks as source control devices for respiratory aerosols.
An AC/DC hybrid campus microgrid: Modelling, control and financial analysis

The high penetration of renewable fed decentralized generation has paved the way for realizing microgrids that can offer better resiliency and reliability than traditional distribution systems. This paper discusses the modeling and operation of a hybrid AC-DC microgrid for the Clemson University Campus. Various inverter-based Distributed Energy Resources(DERs) models are developed to accomplish the task and presented in the paper. The central controller for the hybrid microgrid is designed to correctly dispatch DERs and Battery Energy Storage Systems(BESS) in regulating voltage and frequency to nominal values as per IEEE 2030.7-2017 std. The campus microgrid is sized to work in grid-connected and islanded modes of operation with a load shedding scheme. The results for different dynamic events in both AC and DC microgrids depict a seamless operation between the two modes with the proper voltage and frequency regulation. Finally, a cost analysis is performed to look at the financial viability of implementation.
Shunt operations to relieve portal hypertension

Shunt operations to decompress the portal circulation into a systemic vein — usually the inferior vena cava or a branch thereof — have been performed for more than a century. Since 1945, portacaval shunts have been widely used to treat the haemorrhagic complications of portal hypertension induced by hepatic cirrhosis, but it soon became clear that, although portosystemic shunts may be highly effective in treating portal hypertension, they frequently do so at the cost of accelerated liver failure and a disabling neuropsychiatric dysfunction called portosystemic encephalopathy. Early prospective randomized trials suggested that portosystemic shunts did not prolong survival in patients with bleeding varices but only changed the cause of their demise.
Examining Planned U.S. Power Plant Capacity Additions in the Context of Climate Change

This paper seeks to assess the degree to which the 471 planned fossil fired power plants announced to be built within the next decade in the continental U.S. are amenable to significant carbon dioxide emissions mitigation via carbon dioxide capture and disposal in geologic reservoirs. The combined generating capacity of these 471 planned plants is 320 GW. In particular, we seek to assess the looming ''carbon liability'' (i.e., the nearly 1 billion tons of CO2 these plants are likely to emit annually) that these power plants represent for their owners and for the nation as the U.S. begins to address climate change. Significant emission reductions will likely be brought about through the use of advanced technologies such as carbon capture and disposal. We find that less than half of these plants are located in the immediate vicinity of potentially suitable geologic carbon dioxide disposal reservoirs. The authors discuss the implications of this potential carbon liability that these plants may come to represent.
Literature review: using pictographs in discharge instructions for older adults with low-literacy skills

Aims. To evaluate current visual aids used in health education; to explore evidence regarding the use of pictographs (simple line drawings showing explicit health care actions); and to provide suggestions for uses of pictographs in discharge instructions for older adults with low-literacy skills. Background. Discharge instructions consist of recommended homecare actions. However, these healthcare actions are provided in text-based discharge instructions, which are often difficult for patients with low-literacy skills to follow precisely at home. Various forms of visual aids are currently used to improve health education; however, the appropriateness of these visual aids for educating discharge instructions for older adults with low-literacy skills is unknown. Design. A narrative literature review. Methods. Eligible articles were identified via electronic searches of databases. In total, 44 articles were reviewed and analysed. Results. Among various visual aids, pictographs using simple line drawings combined with simplified text are the most efficient and effective tool to improve discharge education. Indeed, pictographs are well suited to show a step-by-step procedure of complex and lengthy discharge instructions consisting of multiple actions, thus making an entire action sequence easier to learn. Conclusion. By using pictographs with simplified text, healthcare educators can improve discharge instructions for low-literate older adults. Further research is needed to develop pictographs representing explicit healthcare actions themselves rather than concepts associated with healthcare actions; and to examine the effects of pictographs on adherence and health outcomes. Relevance to clinical practice. Healthcare education materials using pictographs provide effective strategies in improving discharge education for low-literate older adults in acute healthcare settings where nurses have primary responsibility as a first line of healthcare providers. It can also serve as an efficient tool to improve health education for immigrants speaking English as a second language.
Abstract 13469: Drp1 Accumulates in Mitochondria and Plays a Protective Role in the Heart in Response to Pressure Overload

Dynamin-related protein 1 (Drp1) plays an essential role in maintaining the quality control of mitochondria through mitochondrial (Mt) fission and mitophagy. We investigated how Mt function, autophagy and Drp1 are regulated in the heart during pressure overload (PO) and whether endogenous Drp1 plays an important role in regulating cardiac function. Mice were subjected to transverse aortic constriction (TAC) at multiple time points between 6 hours and 30 days. Left ventricular (LV) weight/tibial length (LVW/TL) was significantly elevated at Day 7 (TAC vs sham; 5.92 ± 0.27 vs 4.22 ± 0.12, p<0.05). Ejection fraction (EF) was maintained at Day 7, but gradually decreased thereafter (at 30 days; 65±9 vs 83±9 %, p<0.05). LC3-II was decreased (-45.7%, p<0.05) while p62 accumulated (1.17 fold, p<0.05) significantly at Day 7. Both Mt ATP content (-65.6%, p<0.05) and production (-90.3%, p<0.05) were reduced significantly at Days 7 and 14, respectively, and thereafter. Mt mass, evaluated by electron microscopy, was a...
New Techniques and Applications for High Resolution Tunable Submillimeter Spectroscopy

Recent advances in submillimeter detectors [1] and sources [2] have opened up new possibilities for high resolution spectroscopy in the 300 to 3000 GHz regime (10 to 100 cm−1). The techniques described here are based on the development of GaAs Schottky diode detectors mounted in a corner-cubeconfiguration, and upon new optically pumped cw submillimeter lasers. The diodes, in conjunction with the lasers have been used to make high sensitivity heterodyne radiometers and receivers suitable for high resolution spectroscopy. In addition, the same Schottky diode system has been utilized for efficient sideband modulation of laser signals. This use of the diode permits tunable radiation to be generated ± 1 cm−1 about any submillimeter laser line.
Is “feeling good” good enough? Differentiating discrete positive emotions at work

Summary Overwhelming evidence demonstrates the benefits of positive affect for various life and work outcomes. However, the relevant organizational research almost exclusively has focused on general positive affect, thereby implying that all positive affect has consistent and equal relationships with other work variables. The purposes of this theoretical paper are to review and highlight research from basic psychology demonstrating the unique nature and correlates of specific positive emotions and to translate those ideas and findings into the organizational context. Specifically, we discuss three discrete positive emotions—pride, interest, and gratitude—and offer propositions regarding their differential effects on relevant workplace outcomes and regarding the differential antecedents of them. Our hope is that this paper stimulates future research on this topic, and we offer specific research strategies and ideas to facilitate those endeavors. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The War between Disparate Impact and Equal Protection

“The way to stop discrimination on the basis of race,” Chief Justice John Roberts recently wrote, “is to stop discriminating on the basis of race.” In other words, state actors can best achieve equal treatment by eliminating all governmental racial preferences. This position contrasts with Justice Harry Blackmun’s equally canonical view that “in order to get beyond racism, we must first take account of race.” To the extent that anti-discrimination jurisprudence now adopts (or shuttles between) these conflicting views, a difficult question emerges for disparate-impact doctrine: under what circumstances, if any, can state actors take race-conscious actions in order to avoid the unintended discrimination that might otherwise result from facially neutral policies? Specifically, are race-conscious actions undertaken to conform to disparate impact law consistent with the Constitutional guarantee that no person will be denied “the equal protection of the laws”? Although posed in Ricci v. DeStefano, the issue is not resolved there. As Justice Antonin Scalia observed in his concurrence to that decision, the Court’s narrow resolution of the New Havens firefighters’ case “merely postpones the evil day” the Court will have to decide the central, looming question: “Whether, or to what extent, are the disparate-impact provisions of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 consistent with the Constitution’s guarantee of equal protection?” As Scalia points out, “the war between disparate impact and equal protection will be waged sooner or later…it behooves us to begin thinking about how - and on what terms - to make peace between them.” This article will argue that equal protection is consistent with disparate impact only when the latter provision is narrowly construed. Since Title VII’s disparate-impact provision is based in significant measure on a less-than-compelling rationale, this Article will argue that it must be narrowed or struck down.
Radon–Nikodym Theorem

The Radon–Nikodym Theorem, in the context of probability measures, states that if all events having probability 0 under one probability measure also have probability 0 under a second measure, then the second measure is obtained by integrating some density function with respect to the first measure. Applications in probability and statistics arise in the contexts of likelihood functions, conditional expectation, Girsanov's formula, spectral measures and local time. The theorem and these applications are discussed. Keywords: density; Radon–Nikodym derivative; conditional expectation; likelihood; Girsanov's formula
Performance of Directional Collision Avoidance in Ad Hoc Networks

This paper analyzes the performance of directional collision avoidance schemes, in which antenna systems are used to direct the transmission and reception of control and data packets in channel access protocols based on four-way collision avoidance handshake. We present an analytical model that considers both directional reception and the possible difference in gain between omni-directional and directional transmissions. Analytical results show that, when the directional collision avoidance scheme in which all transmissions are directional is augmented with directional receiving, one-hop throughput does not decrease due to the increased spatial reuse, even when the number of competing nodes within a region increases as long as the directional transmission/reception beamwidth is narrow. It is also shown that, as expected, the performance of directional collision avoidance schemes degrades when directional transmissions have much higher gain than omni-directional transmissions. However, this degradation is relatively small. Simulations of the IEEE 802.11 protocol and its directional variants validate the results predicted in the analysis; and show that side lobes affect little on throughput if they are reasonably low and the carrier sensing threshold is raised to make nodes less sensitive to channel activities. It is argued that the all-directional scheme in which both transmission and reception of packets is directional is the most attractive collision avoidance approach.
Simple Regression Analysis

In this chapter we return to the statistical relationship between two quantitative variables. In Chapter 5 the correlation coefficient is described as a symmetrie index of strength of association. In this chapter we examine the directional relationship of two variables. In many instances one variable may have a direct effect on the other or may be used to predict the other. For example, sodium intake may affect blood pressure; rainfall influences crop yield; SAT scores may predict college grade averages; and parents’ heights may predict offsprings’ heights.
Trends in Serum Folate, RBC Folate, and Circulating Total Homocysteine Concentrations in the United States: Analysis of Data from National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys, 1988–1994, 1999–2000, and 2001–2002

Folate intakes increased dramatically after folic acid fortification. We investigated the changes in serum folate, RBC folate, and total homocysteine (tHcy) concentrations utilizing data from National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) 1988-2002. NHANES 1988-2002 were based on a stratified, multistage, probability sampling design conducted among civilian U.S. residents. The current study included 17,144, 17,213, and 11,415 measurements for serum folate, RBC folate, and tHcy, respectively. Overall, geometric mean serum folate concentrations were 149.6 and 129.8% higher in 1999-2000 and 2001-2002, respectively, than in 1988-1994 (P < 0.0001). Sex-, age-, and race-ethnicity-adjusted serum folate was significantly lower in 2001-2002 than in 1999-2000 (10.4%, P < 0.0002). The prevalence of low serum folate decreased from 18.4% in 1988-1994 to 0.8% in 1999-2000 and to 0.2% in 2001-2002 (P < 0.0001). RBC folate increased from 391 nmol/L in 1988-1994 to 618 nmol/L in 1999-2000, and to 611 nmol/L in 2001-2002. Consequently, the prevalence of low RBC folate decreased from 45.8% in 1988-1994 to 7.3% in 1999-2000 and to 7.1% in 2001-2002 (P < 0.0001). Although, RBC folate status improved after folic acid fortification in all race-ethnicities, the prevalence of low RBC folate ( approximately 20.5%) continues to be high in non-Hispanic blacks. Age-, sex-, and race-ethnicity-adjusted tHcy declined from 9.5 micromol/L in 1988-1994 to 7.6 mumol/L in 1999-2000 and to 7.9 micromol/L in 2001-2002. Although folic acid fortification contributed to significant improvement in folate status, serum folate concentrations have declined recently. This may be attributable to lower folic acid intakes.
Tomographic reconstruction of high energy density plasmas with picosecond temporal resolution

Three-dimensional reconstruction of the electron density in a plasma can be obtained by passing multiple beams at different field angles simultaneously through a plasma and performing a tomographic reconstruction of the measured field-dependent phase profiles. A relatively simple experimental setup is proposed and simulations are carried out to verify the technique. The plasma distribution is modeled as a discrete number of phase screens, and a Zernike polynomial representation of the phase screens is used to reconstruct the plasma profile.
Perioperative Management of the Opioid-Tolerant Patient

Christopher Viscomi, MD*, Jared K. Pearson, MD Department of Anesthesiology, University of Vermont/Fletcher Allen Healthcare, ACC WP2 GME, 111 Colchester Avenue, Burlington, VT 05401, USA Acute Pain Service, University of Vermont/Fletcher Allen Healthcare, ACC WP2 GME, 111 Colchester Avenue, Burlington, VT 05401, USA Virginia Mason Medical Center, Graduate Medical Education, H8-925 Seneca Street, Seattle, WA 98101, USA
The neurosecretory effect of Ouabain on isolated rabbit ileal mucosa

Abstract Ouabain, when added to fluid bathing rabbit ileal mucosa mounted in a flux chamber, transiently increases short circuit current, implying a paradoxical secretory response. To determine the cause of this change, we studied unidirectional fluxes of 36Cl and 23Na and the effects of ion substitution, of reduced Ca concentration, verapamil, tetrodotoxin and atropine. Ouabain 0.1 mM, transiently increased the serosal to mucosal flux of Cl and Na, increased Isc and PD and reduced ion conductance. The Isc response to ouabain was diminished by reducing the bath fluid concentration of Cl, of Ca, and by adding verapamil. Tetrodotoxin both delayed and reduced the maximal Isc response; atropine has no effect. We conclude that ouabain acts by releasing a neurotransmitter of unknown identity and by increasing the serosal to mucosal flux of Cl.
Crystal structure and electrical conductivity of Rb18Cu31Cl49

Abstract Crystals of Rb18Cu31Cl49 belong to the cubic space group I 4 3d(T 6 d ) with a = 21.220 ± 0.008 A, Z = 4. One of the two crystallographically nonequivalent Rb+ ions clearly has nine-coordination to Cl− ions; the other has what might be called (7 + 2)-coordination to Cl− ions. All Cu+ ions are tetrahedrally coordinated to Cl− ions; each of two of the four crystallographically nonequivalent Cu+ ions has a very long Cu+Cl− distance. The arrangement of the [CuCl4] tetrahedra is complex with mostly corner and some edge sharing. The Cu+ ions in at least one set of positions are disordered, i.e., there are 12 Cu+ ions in a set of 16 c positions. At 298 K, the specific electrical conductivity measured at 1 kHz is 3.2 × 10−5 Ω−1 cm−1, while at 420 K, it is 1.1 × 10−3 Ω−1 cm−1. A straight line is obtained for log10(σT) vs T−1, with an enthalpy of activation of motion of 0.35 eV. Two octahedra and two five-cornered pyramids of Cl− ions connect the [CuCl4] tetrahedra through face sharing throughout the crystal structure. It is probable that Rb18Cu31Cl49 is a true solid electrolyte, albeit a poor one, with considerable correlation in the motions of the Cu+ charge carriers.
Myosin II activity dependent and independent vinculin recruitment to the sites of E-cadherin-mediated cell-cell adhesion

Background Maintaining proper adhesion between neighboring cells depends on the ability of cells to mechanically respond to tension at cell-cell junctions through the actin cytoskeleton. Thus, identifying the molecules involved in responding to cell tension would provide insight into the maintenance, regulation, and breakdown of cell-cell junctions during various biological processes. Vinculin, an actin-binding protein that associates with the cadherin complex, is recruited to cell-cell contacts under increased tension in a myosin II-dependent manner. However, the precise role of vinculin at force-bearing cell-cell junctions and how myosin II activity alters the recruitment of vinculin at quiescent cell-cell contacts have not been demonstrated.
Breaking of Rotational Symmetry in Cylindrically Bounded 2D Electron Plasmas and 2D Fluids

Off-axis final states of cylindrically bounded 2D fluids can develop from initially unstable, but cylindrically symmetric, 2D vorticity distributions. Experiments with electrons in a Malmberg-Penning trap, as well as 2D fluid simulations, demonstrated that such states result when the initial vorticity distribution is close to the boundary, while less extended distributions lead to on-axis states. A simple thermodynamic model, maximizing the entropy of a state consisting of a diffuse background surrounding a strong coherent vortex, is shown to quantitatively predict this bifurcation, while conserving circulation, angular momentum, and energy.
End‐to‐end portocaval shunt for venous drainage of the native foregut in combined liver–intestinal transplantation

: An end-to-side portocaval shunt has been classically described as the standard procedure that needs to be performed to obtain adequate venous drainage of the foregut in combined liver–intestinal transplant. The transplanted organs are placed en bloc in a piggyback fashion on the recipient's vena cava, and graft's porto-mesenteric venous circulation is left intact. Recurrent portal hypertension with hemorrhage has been reported as a complication after such a procedure. In an effort to improve the technical aspects of this complex operation, we began to perform an end-to-end shunt from the recipient portal vein to the infrahepatic donor cava. Here, we describe this new surgical technique and discuss its potential advantages. The new technique is described in detail. Of the 70 intestinal transplants performed in 67 patients at The Mount Sinai Hospital from 1998 to December 2004, three were multivisceral transplants (MVTx) and 28 were combined liver intestine transplants (LITx), post-surgical outcome including recurrent portal hypertension and the presence of splenomegaly and significant thrombocytopenia was retrospectively review between the group that received the classic end–side vs. the new end–end portocaval shunt. Of the 28 LITx, 23 were done with the classic end–side portocaval shunt and in five (one adult, four pediatric) the end-to-end portocaval shunt described in the present study. One patient in this group died on post-operative day 31 (adult); after a mean follow up of 19.5 months there is a 100% patient and graft survival for the pediatric population. Post-operatively there have been no complications related to this technique. Few modifications have been made to the original description of MVTx. This is the first description of this technique that is relatively simple to perform, creating a large vascular conduit with high flow rates and theoretically less turbulence compared with the end-to-side shunt.
A numerical technique for the solution of integrodifferential equations arising from balances over populations of drops in turbulent flows

Abstract This paper describes a numerical technique designed to solve certain forms of partial differential equations. The method is applied to the partial integrodifferential population balance equations presented by Jairazbhoy [Jairazbhoy, V., Tavlarides, L. L., & Lewalle, J., (1995) A cascade model for neutrally buoyant two-phase homogeneous turbulence – part I. Model formulation. International Journal of Multiphase Flow , 21 (3), 467] that describe the behavior of dense liquid dispersions of interacting drops in isotropic turbulence. In the successively contained semi-discretization scheme developed, the drop number density functions are discretized into non-uniform intervals corresponding to Gaussian quadrature points. The governing equations are assumed to hold identically at all the discretization points, generating a set of ordinary integrodifferential equations that are solved by an integrator package. The integrals in each function evaluation are calculated by Gaussian quadrature. The results show that, in some cases, as many as fifteen quadrature points are required to achieve grid independence. Each additional discretization point results in an additional ordinary integrodifferential equation. To achieve comparable accuracy with a uniform discretization scheme, many more discretization points would be required, resulting in an inordinately large number of ordinary integrodifferential equations. The computations also show that, in every run, there appears to be an optimum number of discretization intervals around which incremental increases in the resolution do not increase the CPU time or perceivable accuracy of the solution.
Statistical mechanics of pentagonal and icosahedral order in dense liquids.

A Ginzburg-Landau model of short-range icosahedral order in bulk liquids, and of pentagonal order in two-dimensional fluids, is used to calculate density correlation functions in these systems. The theory predicts peaks in the structure factor, at positions determined by symmetries of ideal curved-space ``crystals.'' The peaks are broadened in a way which reflects the inability of icosahedra and pentagons to form a close-packed lattice in flat space. The results in three dimensions provide a good fit to experiments on vapor-deposited metal films and to computer simulations.
Computation of Mie derivatives.

Analytical expressions are obtained for the derivatives of Mie scattering coefficients with respect to the electrical radius of the spherical scattering particle, and to the relative permittivity and permeability of both the particle and the surrounding medium. Their corresponding approximate expressions are developed to avoid numerical overflow based on the logarithmic derivative of Riccati–Bessel functions. The analytical expressions have been verified by comparing their results with those calculated by analytical expressions developed by Mathematica. Compared with the numerical derivative, the analytical expressions and approximate expressions show a higher accuracy and are 2.0 and 2.8 times, respectively, faster in the case of a single magnetodielectric sphere. Generally, for spheres with an electrical radius in a large range, the approximate expressions can yield acceptable accuracy and computation time up to a high order. This work can be used in the design of nonmetallic metamaterials, and in the retrieval of aerosol properties from remote sensing data. An example calculation is given for the design of an optical, all-dielectric, mu-negative metamaterial consisting of a simple cubic array of tellurium nanoparticles.
Presentism, Anachronism and the Case of Titus Andronicus

Today Shakespeare studies is exploring alternatives to an exhausted new historicism, and critical presentism is one of the new tendencies being explored. But presentism itself is a pluralistic endeavour, and this article pursues one possible path within it and one that speaks to one of the major criticisms made in reaction to early presentism: its supposed ignoring of history. But presentist criticism investigating how our present shapes our views of history has already been developed and can help rescue the field from an overly positivist approach to mere historical “facts” through its value-conscious engagement with the past. Here we focus on such a reading of “Titus Andronicus,” a play which fully expresses its historical moment of composition in the early 1590s. But today, the play in addition speaks to us of our own twenty-first century experience of terrorism. This approach can be seen as anachronistic, but it is an anachronism that opens up the play to its full meanings as a work of art in the twen...
Comparison of site-specific coupling chemistry for antibody immobilization on different solid supports

Abstract Silica is an important chromatographic support for high-performance affinity chromatography due to its high mechanical stability. However, silica is very different from traditional gel chromatographic materials, such as agarose, dextran, and polyacrylamide, with respect to many chemical and physical properties. Thus, it is expected that different immobilization techniques must be used for orienting the immobilized ligand on the surfaces of the two substrates. In this study, a site-specific coupling chemistry for immobilization of antibodies on modified silica surfaces and on agarose gels was investigated. The effects of substrates on the orientations of immobilized native and partially denatured antibodies was deduced. An important conclusion is that non-covalent interactions (physical adsorption) dominate the orientation of immobilized antibodies on silica surfaces.
High-resolution, real-time three-dimensional shape measurement

We describe a high-resolution, real-time 3-D shape measurement system based on a digital fringe projection and phase-shifting technique. It utilizes a single-chip digital light processing projector to project computer-generated fringe patterns onto the object, and a high-speed CCD camera synchronized with the projector to acquire the fringe images at a frame rate of 120 frames/s. A color CCD camera is also used to capture images for texture mapping. Based on a three-step phase-shifting technique, each frame of the 3-D shape is reconstructed using three consecutive fringe images. Therefore the 3-D data acquisition speed of the system is 40 frames/s. With this system, together with the fast three-step phase-shifting algorithm and parallel processing software we developed, high-resolution, real-time 3-D shape measurement is realized at a frame rate of up to 40 frames/s and a resolution of 532×500 points per frame.
A Multiplex PCR Assay to Characterize Potato virus Y Isolates and Identify Strain Mixtures

Lorenzen, J. H., Piche, L. M., Gudmestad, N. C., Meacham, T., and Shiel, P. 2006. A multiplex PCR assay to characterize Potato virus Y isolates and identify strain mixtures. Plant Dis. 90:935940. Potato virus Y (PVY) has become a serious problem for the seed potato industry, with increased incidence and rejection of seed lots submitted for certification. New PVY strains and strain variants have emerged in recent decades in Europe and North America, including the PVY N strain that causes veinal necrosis in tobacco, and strain variants that represent one or three recombination events between the common strain (PVY O ) and PVY N . Several reverse transcription– polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assays have been described that characterize PVY isolates as to strain type, but they are limited in their ability to detect some combinations of mixed strain infections. We report here the development of a single multiplex RT-PCR assay that can assign PVY strain type and detect mixed infections with respect to the major strain types. Validation of this assay was achieved using 119 archived PVY isolates, which had been previously characterized by serology and bioassay and/or previously published RT-PCR assays. Results for singlestrain isolates were comparable to previous results in most cases. Interestingly, 16 mixed infections were distinguished that had previously gone undetected. The new multiplex RT-PCR assay will be useful for researchers and seed production specialists interested in determining PVY infection type using a single assay.
Two Methods of Implementing a Home Economics Competency‐Based Education Course

Two strategies for implementing a competency-based course in home economics education were compared. Sixty-three senior students were alternately assigned to a teacher-directed or student-directed class for attainment of specified competencies. Nine modules were developed to be used in the student-directed class and as the basis for instruc tion in the teacher-directed class. Criterion tests measured the extent to which compe tencies were attained for each group, and a Likert-type scale indicated students' attitudes toward competency-based education. Data were also analyzed to determine if student teach ing affected achievement of competencies. No significant difference in gain scores appeared between students who achieved com petencies through the student-directed and teacher-directed methods except in the competency area of program planning involving state standards. Significantly higher gain scores were attained by students who took the course before student teaching as opposed to those who took the course after student teaching in the competency areas of personal man agement, teaching skills, and motivation. No significant differences were found in gain scores between students who took the course before and after student teaching in the com petency areas of evaluation, departmental management, unit planning, program stan dards, or professionalism. No significant difference was found in attitude scores between individuals in the student-directed and teacher-directed sections.
Oral feeding of interferon τ can prevent the acute and chronic relapsing forms of experimental allergic encephalomyelitis

Abstract IFN τ is a member of the type I IFN family but unlike IFN α and IFN β , IFN τ lacks toxicity at high concentrations. Recently, ovine IFN τ was shown to prevent acute induction and superantigen reactivation of experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE), an animal model for multiple sclerosis (MS). In this report, we examined the ability of IFN τ when administered by oral feeding to block development of EAE. Oral feeding of IFN τ prevented paralysis in the acute form of EAE in NZW mice and chronic-relapsing EAE in SJL/J mice. In addition, oral feeding of IFN τ at 10 5 U/dose was as effective as intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection in preventing chronic-relapsing EAE, and both forms of IFN τ administration resulted in IL10 production. Histological examination revealed no inflammatory lymphocytic infiltration to the CNS in IFN τ treated animals as compared to controls. Prolonged treatment of IFN τ was shown to be necessary for chronic-relapsing EAE since removal of IFN τ treatment by either oral feeding or i.p. injection resulted in onset of disease. Lastly, sera from SJL/J mice which received prolonged IFN τ treatment by oral feeding exhibited little to no development of anti-IFN τ antibodies. Thus, oral feeding of ovine IFN τ may be a successful form of IFN τ administration for treatment of autoimmune diseases such as MS and may circumvent potentially debilitative antibody responses.
The chemoprophylaxis of tuberculosis.

Abstract Antituberculous chemoprophylaxis is defined as the use of antituberculous drugs in situations other than demonstrated active disease. Treatment of tuberculin-negative individuals to forestall infection has met with only partial success, in that, in some instances, the evolution of infection appears merely to have been delayed, and occurs without immunological inhibition after cessation of treatment. The use of isoniazid-resistant BCG may be a feasible method of inducing immunity while administering isoniazid. Good evidence exists that chemoprophylaxis is indicated in young individuals with recently acquired tuberculin hypersensitivity and in tuberculin-positive children under 3 years of age. A vigorous reaction to small doses of tuberculin may at times be an indication for treatment when epidemiologic evidence makes recent infection likely or when other clinical situations prejudicial to the evolution of tuberculosis are present. Treatment of quiescient, previously untreated pulmonary tuberculosis should be based on a clinical assessment of activity or the coexistence of factors predisposing to exacerbation of tuberculosis. Undiagnosed pulmonary lesions in tuberculin-positive patients should probably be treated as tuberculous, although careful clinical observation of these patients is often a safe alternative. Factors prejudicial to the development and course of tuberculosis which, taken together with a positive-tuberculin test, constitute adequate reason for prophylactic treatment include (1) prolonged corticosteroid therapy; (2) silicosis; (3) brittle, poorly controlled diabetes; (4) the post-gastrectomy state in the presence of a demonstrated pulmonary lesion presumed to be quiescent; and (5) factors such as intercurrent pulmonary surgery, severe viral illnesses, and malignant disease of the hematopoietic and reticuloendothelial systems. Prophylaxis should also be considered in tuberculin-negative patients receiving steriods in the presence of coexisting conditions which might vitiate a positive tuberculin test. The recommended regimen is isoniazid, given alone, in daily dosage of 5 mg per kg body weight for a period of at least a year.