cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
CovRNN - A recurrent neural network model for predicting outcomes of COVID-19 patients: model development and validation using EHR data

BackgroundPredicting outcomes of COVID-19 patients at an early stage is critical for optimized clinical care and resource management, especially during a pandemic. Although multiple machine learning models have been proposed to address this issue, based on the need for extensive data pre-processing and feature engineering, these models have not been validated or implemented outside of the original study site. MethodsIn this study, we propose CovRNN, recurrent neural network (RNN)-based models to predict COVID-19 patients outcomes, using their available electronic health record (EHR) data on admission, without the need for specific feature selection or missing data imputation. CovRNN is designed to predict three outcomes: in-hospital mortality, need for mechanical ventilation, and long length of stay (LOS >7 days). Predictions are made for time-to-event risk scores (survival prediction) and all-time risk scores (binary prediction). Our models were trained and validated using heterogeneous and de-identified data of 247,960 COVID-19 patients from 87 healthcare systems, derived from the Cerner(R) Real-World Dataset (CRWD). External validation was performed using three test sets (approximately 53,000 patients). Further, the transferability of CovRNN was validated using 36,140 de-identified patients data derived from the Optum(R) de-identified COVID-19 Electronic Health Record v. 1015 dataset (2007-2020). FindingsCovRNN shows higher performance than do traditional models. It achieved an area under the receiving operating characteristic (AUROC) of 93% for mortality and mechanical ventilation predictions on the CRWD test set (vs. 91{middle dot}5% and 90% for light gradient boost machine (LGBM) and logistic regression (LR), respectively) and 86.5% for prediction of LOS > 7 days (vs. 81{middle dot}7% and 80% for LGBM and LR, respectively). For survival prediction, CovRNN achieved a C-index of 86% for mortality and 92{middle dot}6% for mechanical ventilation. External validation confirmed AUROCs in similar ranges. InterpretationTrained on a large heterogeneous real-world dataset, our CovRNN model showed high prediction accuracy, good calibration, and transferability through consistently good performance on multiple external datasets. Our results demonstrate the feasibility of a COVID-19 predictive model that delivers high accuracy without the need for complex feature engineering.
SafeCampus: Multimodal-based Campus-wide Pandemic Forecasting

The motivation of this work is to build a multimodal-based COVID-19 pandemic forecasting platform for a large-scale academic institution to minimize the impact of COVID-19 after resuming academic activities. The design of this multimodality work is steered by video, audio, and tweets. Before conducting COVID-19 prediction, we first trained diverse models including traditional machine learning models (e.g., Navie Bayes, SVM, and TF-IDF) and deep learning models (e.g., LSTM, MobileNetV2 and SSD) to extract meaningful information from video, audio, and tweets by i) detecting and counting face masks, ii) detecting and counting cough for potential infected cases, and iii) conducting sentiment analysis based on COVID-19 related tweets. Finally, we fed the multimodal analysis results together with daily confirmed cases data and social distancing metrics into the LSTM model to predict the daily increase rate of confirmed cases for the next seventh day. Finally, important observations with supporting evidence are presented.
Quantum Technology and the Medical Librarian

Citation: Bengtson, Jason. “Quantum Technology and the Medical Librarian." Journal of Hospital Librarianship 15.3 (2015) : 326-333. Print.
Pair Programming: Addressing Key Process Areas of the People-CMM

It has been long recognized that the quality of the people employed by a software organization is a major determinant of the quality of its products. Acknowledging the pivotal role played by people in software development, the Software Engineering Institute (SEI) devised the People - Capability Maturity Model. Like its software counterpart, the People CMM (P-CMM) defines five levels of maturity. An organization can achieve a level by institutionalizing the "best practices" for that level. The best practices are grouped together as Key Process Areas (KPAs). Pair programming is a practice in which two programmers work together at one computer on a single module of code - designing, coding and testing it together. Evidence indicates that pair programming improves teamwork, communication and knowledge levels - all KPAs of the P-CMM. This paper establishes a link between pair programming and the KPAs defined in the P-CMM. Specifically, the paper provides an outline on the advantages and effects of adopting pair programming if an organization wants to achieve a higher P-CMM level.
Fine mapping of chromosome 15q25 implicates ZNF592 in neurosarcoidosis patients

Neurosarcoidosis is a clinical subtype of sarcoidosis characterized by the presence of granulomas in the nervous system. Here, we report a highly significant association with a variant (rs75652600, P = 3.12 × 10−8, odds ratios = 4.34) within a zinc finger gene, ZNF592, from an imputation-based fine-mapping study of the chromosomal region 15q25 in African-Americans with neurosarcoidosis. We validate the association with ZNF592, a gene previously shown to cause cerebellar ataxia, in a cohort of European-Americans with neurosarcoidosis by uncovering low-frequency variants with a similar risk effect size (chr15:85309284, P = 0.0021, odds ratios = 5.36).
Extraction of Safe Operating Area and long term reliability of experimental Silicon Carbide Super Gate Turn Off Thyristors

While Silicon Carbide (SiC) based power switching elements are starting to appear that are able to perform better than their Si counterparts in terms of voltage hold off, current density and operating temperature, the material is still relatively new in the semiconductor arena, and although new device designs are simulated extensively before being committed to fabrication, there is often a large discrepancy between actual device performance and simulated results. Manufacturers certainly carry out some electrical testing of these quasi experimental components, but there is a dearth of information pertaining to Safe Operating Area (SOA) and device longevity. Texas Tech University's Center for Pulsed Power and Power Electronics, in cooperation with Army Research Lab, has carried out extensive long term, high — energy testing of SiC Super Gate Turn Off Thyristors (SGTOs) produced by Cree Inc. To conduct this extremely high volume testing at high energy levels, an automated test bed was designed that pulses the devices for an arbitrary number of cycles and alternately switches the device to a low energy characterization system, with all waveforms and current — voltage characteristics recorded. Approximately 350,000 high energy cycles on various SGTOs have been recorded. From this large database of results, actual SOA at high cycle count (>>10,000 pulses) has been extracted for the devices. With each cycle's waveforms recorded, and the devices' characteristics traced at chosen intervals, several distinct changes in these parameters have been found to inevitably herald the imminent failure of a device. The most common change is in the gate — anode junction, where curve traces show a leaking, almost resistive behavior immediately before the junction becomes forward biased. As the system is completely automated, and limits can be set to halt a test sequence upon being broached, several devices have been brought to the brink of failure — an event that is usually catastrophic, physically destroying the device — to be examined by the manufacturer.
Linear chains in networks with monodisperse molecular weight subchains

Abstract Monodisperse linear polytetrahydrofuran (PTHF) chains with unreactive end groups were mixed with PTHF chains with reactive ends. The concentration of the linear unreactive chains was dilute, approximately 3 wt%. The phase behaviour as well as the single chain conformation of the unreactive chains was investigated after the reactive chains were end-linked via either a tetrafunctional crosslinker or a free radical polyaddition reaction. The results were found to depend strongly on the difference in the molecular weights between the reactive chains and the unattached linear chains.
Anesthetic management of a large mediastinal mass for tracheal stent placement

The anesthetic management of patients with large mediastinal masses can be complicated due to the pressure effects of the mass on the airway or major vessels. We present the successful anesthetic management of a 64-year-old female with a large mediastinal mass that encroached on the great vessels and compressed the trachea. A tracheal stent was placed to relieve the tracheal compression under general anesthesia. Spontaneous ventilation was maintained during the perioperative period with the use of a classic laryngeal mask airway. We discuss the utility of laryngeal mask airway for anesthetic management of tracheal stenting in patients with mediastinal masses.
Zatosetron, a 5-HT3 receptor antagonist in a multicenter trial for acute migraine

Zatosetron (13 mg or 0.19 mg/kg), a potent and selective 5-HT3 receptor antagonist was studied with a 30 min infusion in a crossover double-blind placebo-controlled trial for acute migraine therapy. Groups receiving zatosetron and placebo were demographically similar and zatosetron was well-tolerated in all patients with no clinically significant adverse effects. Migraine severity was reduced in both the placebo and zatosetron groups with no statistically significant differences between zatosetron and placebo. Likewise, no statistically significant differences between placebo and zatosetron treatment groups were identified with regard to migraine duration, overall migraine severity or the relief medication required. Although several limitations of this study exist, these data documenting a lack of benefit of intravenously-administered zatosetron in alleviating the acute pain of migraine add to the list of 5-HT3 receptor antagonists that have failed to support efficacy of this therapeutic modality in the acute treatment of migraine.
Assessing a predictive model of land change using uncertain data

This paper presents a method to assess models that predict changes among land categories between two points in time. Cross-tabulation matrices show comparisons among three maps: 1) the reference calibration map of an initial time, 2) the reference validation map of a subsequent time, and 3) the model's predicted map of the same subsequent time. The proposed method analyzes these three maps to evaluate the ability of the model to predict land change vis-a-vis a null model, while accounting for the error in the reference maps. We illustrate this method with a prediction of land change from 1971 to 1999 in Central Massachusetts, USA. Results reveal that the land change model predicts a larger quantity of transition from forest to built than the reference maps indicate, and the model allocates the transition erroneously in space, thus causing substantial error where the model predicts built in 1999 but the reference map shows forest. If the accuracy of each category in the 1971 reference map is greater than 81 percent, then the predicted change is larger than the error in the 1971 reference map. If the accuracy of each category in the 1999 reference map is greater than 82 percent, then the model's prediction disagreement with respect to truth is larger than the error in the 1999 reference map. Partial information concerning the accuracy of the reference maps indicates that the maps are likely to be more accurate than the 82 percent threshold. The method is designed to analyze predictions for the common situation when the levels of accuracy in the reference maps are not known precisely.
Asymmetry of Low-Energy Positrons from Muon Decay

An investigation of the angular asymmetry of lowenergy positrons from the decay of polarized muons coming to rest in a propane bubble chamber is reported. The energy dependence of the asymmetry parimeter alpha is predicted by the two-component theory of the neutrino, while according to the four- component theory, with arbitrary parity-nonconserving interactions, this parameter can have a wide range of energy variations depending on the values of the interaction constants. Berley et al., have recently investigated the energy dependence of the asymmetry parameter for the upper half of the energy spectrum by an absorption technique and found approximate agreement with the prediction of the two-component theory. The results of the present work support this view. (A.C.)
I-V characteristics and stationary dynamics of a Josephson junction including the interference term in the current phase relation

The equation of motion for a local Josephson junction is solved assuming a current phase relation jz= sigma 0V+ sigma 1Vcos phi +j1 sin phi , whose parameters sigma 0, sigma 1,j1 are calculated as appropriate averages from BCS weak-coupling theory. Analytical solutions can be given in the case of strong and weak damped junctions, the latter even for small currents. The I-V characteristics and the stationary dynamics are discussed for various damping parameters and relative conductivities. The critical current as a function of these quantities is also investigated.
Broad Field Science Endorsements in the United States

Data on broad field science endorsements were collected from the State Science Supervisors in the fifty states. The response rate was 96%. Sixty-one percent of the responding states have one or more broad field science endorsements. The status of broad field science endorsements has changed significantly since Blank and Espenshade's 1988 study. This study reveals tremendous diversity in the grade levels and subjects covered by broad field science endorsements, and the names for these endorsements.
Effect of cooling rate on microstructure and shear strength of pure Sn, Sn-0.7Cu, Sn-3.5Ag, and Sn-37Pb solders

The microstructure and shear strength characteristics of pure Sn and the eutectic compositions of Sn-37Pb, Sn-0.7Cu, and Sn-3.5Ag prepared under identical reflow conditions but subjected to two different cooling conditions were evaluated at room temperature. For the four solders, the ultimate shear strength increased with increasing strain rate from 10−5 s−1 to 10−1 s−1. Decreasing the cooling rate tended to decrease the ultimate shear strength for both the Sn-0.7Cu and Sn-3.5Ag solders. The effects of work hardening resulting from increased strain rate were more prevalent in quench-cooled (QC) samples.
Defining functional domains within PF16: a central apparatus component required for flagellar motility.

Mutations affecting the assembly and stability of the central apparatus result in flagellar paralysis. Chlamydomonas cells with mutations at the PF16 locus have paralyzed flagella, and the C1 microtubule of the central apparatus is missing in isolated axonemes. On the basis of its mutant phenotype, sequence, and localization, PF16, a member of the armadillo repeat containing family of proteins, is involved in protein-protein interactions required for stability of the C1 microtubule and flagellar motility. Previous biochemical analysis of flagella isolated from pf16 cells demonstrated that assembly of the PF16 protein is either dependent on, or required for, the assembly of at least two other flagellar components. As a first step toward identifying functional domains in the PF16 protein that are essential for these interactions, we have characterized three mutations at the PF16 locus. In addition, we have generated deletion constructs of the PF16 gene and tested for their ability to assemble and rescue motility upon transformation of mutant pf16 cells. Our results demonstrate that the first armadillo repeat is necessary but not sufficient for assembly; that the C-122 amino acids are not required for assembly or motility; and that the repeats appear to form a single functional unit required for PF16 assembly. Cell Motil. Cytoskeleton 46:157–165, 2000 © 2000 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Phase Transitions in Driven Bilayer Systems: A Monte Carlo Study

We investigate the phase diagram of a system with two layers of an Ising lattice gas at half filling. In addition to the usual intralayer nearest neighbor attractive interaction, there is an interlayer potential $J$. Under equilibrium conditions, the phase diagram is symmetric under $J\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\ensuremath{-}J$, though the ground states are different. The effects of imposing a uniform external drive, studied by simulation techniques, are dramatic. The mechanisms responsible for such behavior are discussed.
Reply to ``Comment on `Cooperation in an evolutionary prisoner's dilemma on networks with degree-degree correlations' ''

We respond to the comment of Zhuet al. [Phys. Rev. E 82, 038101 (2010)] and show that the results in question are not misleading.
Effect of adrenalectomy on tyrosine hydroxylase activity.

Abstract Bilateral adrenalectomy produced a fall in blood pressure and an increase in tyrosine hydroxylase activity in the superior cervical ganglion in the rat. The fall in blood pressure and the increase in tyrosine hydroxylase activity in the superior cervical ganglion were prevented by giving the adrenalectomized animals 0.9° o saline as their only drinking fluid. The increase in tyrosine hydroxylase activity was also prevented by decentralization (severing the preganglionic fiber) of the superior cervical ganglion. These results suggest that the induction of tyrosine hydroxylase activity results from a reflexly mediated increase in nerve impulse traffic that results from the adrenalectomy-induced fall in blood pressure. Further characterization of this response showed that the glucocorticoid, dexamethasone, did not cause a further induction of enzyme in adrenalectomized rats whereas, treatment with epinephrine as well as dexamethasone, did result in an augmentation of the enzyme activity above that seen in the already induced adrenalectomized animals.
KP web-solitons from wave patterns: an inverse problem

Nonlinear interactions among small amplitude, long wavelength, obliquely propagating waves on the surface of shallow water often generate web-like patterns. In this article, we discuss how line-soliton solutions of the Kadomtsev-Petviashvili (KP) equation can approximate such web-pattern in shallow water wave. We describe an inverse problem which maps a certain set of measurable data from the solitary waves in the given pattern to the parameters required to construct an exact KP soliton that describes the non-stationary dynamics of the pattern. We illustrate the inverse problem using explicit examples of shallow water wave pattern.
A review of pharmacogenetic studies of substance-related disorders

Abstract Background Substance-related disorders (SRDs) are a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Family, twin, and adoption studies have demonstrated the substantial heritability of SRDs. To determine the impact of genetic variation on risk for SRD and the response to treatment, researchers have conducted a number of secondary data analyses and quasi-experimental studies that target one or more candidate gene variants. Methods This review examines studies in which candidate polymorphisms were examined as mediator variables to identify pharmacogenetic effects on subjective responses to drug administration or cues or outcomes of medication trials for SRDs. Efforts to use a meta-analytic approach to quantify these effects are premature because the number of available studies using similar methods and outcomes is limited, so the present review is qualitative. Results Findings from these studies provide preliminary evidence of clinically relevant pharmacogenetic effects. However, independent replication of these findings has been sparse. Conclusions Although this growing body of literature has produced conflicting results, improved statistical controls may help to clarify the findings. Additionally, the use of empirically derived sub-phenotypes (i.e., which serve to differentiate distinct groups of affected individuals) may also help to identify genetic mediators of pharmacologic response in relation to SRDs. The identification of genetic mediators can inform clinical care both by identifying risk factors for SRDs and predicting adverse events and therapeutic outcomes associated with specific pharmacotherapies.
Activity adaptations to the development of functional limitations and results for subjective well-being in later adulthood: A qualitative analysis of longitudinal panel data over a 16-year period

Abstract Activity changes reported by 29 panel respondents who developed functional limitations over a 16-year period were compared with activity changes in a matched control group that did not develop functional limitations. Maintaining a stable activity level by increasing participation in activities that remained to offset declines or losses in other activities (consolidation) was the most common adaptation pattern for both groups. Continuity of both pattern and level of activities occurred only in the control group. Disengagement—a sharp reduction in both number and level of activities—occurred only in association with functional limitations. Activity adaptations resulted in preserved morale for all but one in the control group and for most of the functional limitations group, but disengagement produced a sharp reduction in morale for 71 percent of the small number who reported this pattern.
Control of magnesia–alumina properties by acetic acid in sol–gel synthesis

Sol–gel synthesis was used to prepare oxides of aluminum and magnesium from mixtures of Al(O–s-Bu)3 and Mg(O–Et)2, with the atomic ratio of Al to Mg being 4. The hydrolysis and condensation reactions were controlled by acetic acid in the absence of added water; the ratio R of acetic acid to aluminum alkoxide (R=[CH3COOH]/[Al(O–s-Bu)3]) was varied from 1 to 6. The products were characterized by differential thermal analysis, X-ray diffraction, infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and atomic force microscopy. For R>1, gelatinous precipitates formed as relatively large amounts of acetate species in the form of crystalline layered materials, which upon calcination lost their acetate ligands and formed a crystalline material composed of a mixture of amorphous alumina and crystalline spinel syn MgAl2O4. The excess alumina is inferred to have remained amorphous and highly dispersed in this relatively ordered material. For R=1, however, a gel formed, and the material was less crystalline than the gelatinous precipitates because of the relatively low concentration of acetate. When the gel was calcined, a mixture of crystalline spinel syn MgAl2O4 and amorphous alumina formed, with the alumina being separate from the spinel and not highly dispersed so that, after calcination at temperatures higher than 750°C, a heterogeneous mixture of crystalline phases of magnesium–aluminum oxide and aluminum oxide formed.
Radial growth changes following hemlock woolly adelgid infestation of eastern hemlock

Hemlock woolly adelgid (Adelges tsugae) is an invasive insect that is defoliating and killing eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) in the USA. We quantified changes in tree-ring growth rates and wood anatomy for living trees infested with hemlock woolly adelgid across six sites from Massachusetts (42°41′N) to Georgia (34°53′N) to identify growth responses of eastern hemlock that had survived infestation. Annual ring widths from infested eastern hemlocks were cross-dated and measured. Growth rates before and after infestation were compared. Two infested trees from Virginia were cut, and thin sections were prepared to identify changes in cell properties. At three sites, trees experienced a significant decrease in radial growth after hemlock woolly adelgid arrival; however, the other three sites showed no change or increase in growth. Latewood produced after hemlock woolly adelgid infestation had significantly smaller cells with reduced cell wall thickness compared to latewood prior to infestation. At half the sites where hemlock woolly adelgid infested eastern hemlock trees were sampled, radial growth increased or remained unchanged. This unexpected response may be due to reduced competition due to mortality of other eastern hemlocks or physiological compensatory responses of increased photosynthetic rate and increased water use efficiency experienced by eastern hemlock infested with hemlock woolly adelgid.
Babesia major: protection of intact calves against homologous challenge by the injection of irradiated piroplasms.

Abstract Blood from a splenectomized calf infected with Babesia major was divided into 20 ml aliquots which were γ-irradiated at doses of 0, 23.3, 27.3, 31.4, 35.4 and 39.5 krad and then inoculated into groups of three intact calves. Animals receiving non-irradiated blood had typical mild B. major reactions, but those receiving blood irradiated at 23.3, 27.3 and 31.4 krad and 2 of 3 receiving blood irradiated at 35.4 krad had minimal reactions. The remaining 4 animals had no detectable parasitaemic reactions. When the calves were challenged with a similar number (6.0 × 10 9 ) of homologous parasites, they were all immune with the exception of the 4 animals which had not reacted initially. The immune status of individual cattle was reflected accurately in the results of the micro-ELISA test, which detected a significant rise in serum antibody titre of the 4 susceptible animals 7 days after challenge.
Multiplicity of steady states in glycolysis and shift of metabolic state in cultured mammalian cells.

Cultured mammalian cells exhibit elevated glycolysis flux and high lactate production. In the industrial bioprocesses for biotherapeutic protein production, glucose is supplemented to the culture medium to sustain continued cell growth resulting in the accumulation of lactate to high levels. In such fed-batch cultures, sometimes a metabolic shift from a state of high glycolysis flux and high lactate production to a state of low glycolysis flux and low lactate production or even lactate consumption is observed. While in other cases with very similar culture conditions, the same cell line and medium, cells continue to produce lactate. A metabolic shift to lactate consumption has been correlated to the productivity of the process. Cultures that exhibited the metabolic shift to lactate consumption had higher titers than those which didn’t. However, the cues that trigger the metabolic shift to lactate consumption state (or low lactate production state) are yet to be identified. Metabolic control of cells is tightly linked to growth control through signaling pathways such as the AKT pathway. We have previously shown that the glycolysis of proliferating cells can exhibit bistability with well-segregated high flux and low flux states. Low lactate production (or lactate consumption) is possible only at a low glycolysis flux state. In this study, we use mathematical modeling to demonstrate that lactate inhibition together with AKT regulation on glycolysis enzymes can profoundly influence the bistable behavior, resulting in a complex steady-state topology. The transition from the high flux state to the low flux state can only occur in certain regions of the steady state topology, and therefore the metabolic fate of the cells depends on their metabolic trajectory encountering the region that allows such a metabolic state switch. Insights from such switch behavior present us with new means to control the metabolism of mammalian cells in fed-batch cultures.
Further evidence for reduced role of photorespiration in low compensation point species.

MOST plant species cannot show a net photosynthetic uptake of CO2 when the CO2 concentration of the surrounding atmosphere falls below about 50 p.p.m., because at this point photosynthetic carbon fixation is reduced by lack of substrate to the rate at which CO2 is being released from the plant by photorespiration. The concentration of CO2 at which this occurs is called the CO2 compensation point. A few species, including such important crop plants as Zea mays, have unusually low CO2 compensation points, typically near zero. Such plants may not photorespire, or alternatively may be capable of refixing all the photorespired CO2 by an unusually efficient photosynthetic mechanism.
Hyperimmune F(ab') 2 antibody: role in canine hyperacute renal allograft rejection.

An attempt to obtain protection of the renal allograft in a sensitized recipient by ex vivo perfusion with F(ab′)2-modified antibody was unsuccessful. The major contributing factor to this failure appeared to be related to the species differences in IgG and their mode of degradation. The canine IgG molecule proved to be very hard to degrade to F (ab′)2 as tested by the loss of the lymphocytotoxic titer at the end of 20 hr of pepsin digestion.
Adapting problem-solving therapy for depressed older adults in methadone maintenance treatment

Late-life depression is prevalent in older adults who are dependent on opiates. Depressive disorders among opiate abusers have detrimental effects on their well-being and ability to refrain from illegal drugs. There are numerous barriers to the provision of appropriate mental health care to older adults receiving methadone maintenance treatment. This article focuses on problem-solving therapy (PST) and presents evidence that PST may be a promising nonpharmacological treatment for older methadone clients with comorbid depressive disorders that can be applied within the staffing and resource limits of methadone maintenance treatment facilities. The advantages of PST relative to other behavioral therapies for this population are based on evidence that PST is less cognitively demanding for an older adult population with mood and substance use disorders. A properly modified PST for an older adult substance-dependent population with subsyndromal or diagnosed depression may be a viable option for methadone maintenance programs with limited resources.
Determination of bile acid pool size, turnover time, and distribution of male broiler chicks during the first 6 weeks posthatch using SEHCAT, a gamma ray-emitting bile acid analogue.

Abstract A bile acid analogue, SEHCAT (tauro-23-75 Se-selena-homocholic acid), was used to determine bile acid pool size, turnover time, and distribution in the developing broiler chick. Bile acid pool size was significantly affected by age and followed a quintic trend (a fifth degree polynomial). It remained steady until 30 days of age when it decreased significantly and then rose significantly at 37 days of age. The bile acid pool half-life remained constant until 28 days of age when it increased significantly and then held steady until it increased again at 8 wk of age following a quartic trend. The distribution of bile acids was affected by age with the amount in the gizzard, duodenum, cloaca, liver, and gall bladder varying significantly with age. Jejunal, ileal, and cecal bile acids did not vary significantly with age. Liver bile acid levels followed a quintic trend, rising until 23 days of age and dropping sharply at 30 days of age and holding steady.
Biosynthesis of hydrocarbon in anabaena variabilis in vivo incorporation of [18-14c]stearate

Abstract Cell-free extracts of Anabaena variabilis which are capable of incorporating the methyl group of S -[methyl- 14 C ] adenosylmethionine into branch methylheptadecanes (Fehler, S.W.G. and Light, R.J. (1972) Biochem-istry 11, 2411–2416) have now been shown to incorporate [18- 14 C]stearate into alkane. The rate of stearate incorporation is only about 0.1% that of the methyl group incorporation, and only about 10% the rate of stearate decarboxylation, as measured by conversion of [1- 14 C]stearate to carbon dioxide. Oxygen stimulates the stearate incorporation into alkanes but inhibits the methyl group incorporation.
New scholarship on academic women: beyond "women's ways"

Although the number of women academics has increased worldwide, there is still ample evidence that the academy is a patriarchal organization. This review examines four recent books on academic women. Collectively, they suggest that new scholarship on academic women is more international, reflects a postmodern attention to difference and power, rejects "women's ways" feminism as a sufficient response, and seeks to reclaim issues of power, authority, and politics through attention to policy.
Atomic physics effects on dissipative toroidal drift wave stability

The effects of atomic physics processes such as ionization, charge exchange, and radiation on the linear stability of dissipative drift waves are investigated in toroidal geometry, both numerically and analytically. For typical Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor (TFTR) [Plasma Physics and Controlled Nuclear Fusion Research, 1986 (IAEA, Vienna, 1987), Vol. 1, p. 51] and Texas Experimental Tokamak (TEXT) [Nucl. Technol. Fusion 1, 479 (1981)] edge parameters, overall linear stability is determined by the competition between the destabilizing influence of ionization and the stabilizing effect due to the electron temperature gradient. An analytical expression for the linear marginal stability condition, ηcrite, is derived. The instability is most likely to occur at the extreme edge of tokamaks with a significant ionization source and a steep electron density gradient.
Availability of Integrated Care for Co-occurring Substance Abuse and Psychiatric Conditions

The co-occurrence of psychiatric conditions and substance abuse presents significant challenges for behavioral healthcare providers. The need for integrated care has received substantial recent attention from clinical, research, and funding entities. However, the availability of integrated care has been low, carrying potential adverse implications for quality of care and treatment outcomes. This article describes the prevalence and key correlates of the availability of integrated care for co-occurring conditions within public and private-sector addiction treatment programs. Several organizational attributes, caseload characteristics, and service provision patterns were associated with the availability of integrated care.
Engaging Early Engineering Students (EEES)

Undergraduate STEM student enrollment has declined substantially over the last decade. Specifically there has been a steady decline in retention of early engineering students working through the first half of their degree programs. Student “leavers” typically fall into two categories (i) those facing academic difficulties and (ii) those that perceive the education environment of early engineering as hostile and not engaging. The Engaging Early Engineering Students Project (EEES) is a collaborative effort between Michigan State University (MSU) and Lansing Community College (LCC). EEES functions through the integration of four component programs designed to ease the transition of high school students into engineering undergraduate programs, and, by making the transition smoother, to increase retention at the College of Engineering (COE). The programs are: (a) Peer-Assisted Learning, (b) Connector Faculty, (c) Diagnostic-driven Early Intervention and (d) Cross Course linkages.
Pharmacoeconomic considerations in the management of acute tumor lysis syndrome

P HARMACOECONOMIC analysis is a relatively new method of assessing the financial impact of drug therapies related to the cost of a multitude of potential patient outcomes. These outcomes may range from the resources required for the short-term control of an acute condition, to the length of hospital stay, to quality of life issues. Each outcome is associated with a specific cost. Pharmacoeconomics is a comparative analysis of various pharmaceutical alternatives to determine which provides the desired outcome for the health resources invested. The desired outcome also may differ depending on the individual perspective the decisions are made from (ie, patient pl provider, provider v hospital/health system).’ Historically, the financial impact of a medication or therapy has been based solely on the direct acquisition cost of the drug(s) involved. Prospective payment systems using diagnostic-related groups were one of the key components that prompted a reevaluation of the methodologies used to assess drug costs, particularly on an inpatient basis. Drugs with greater acquisition costs may be justified if compensated by a decrease in resource utilization, and/or length of hospital stay, and/or significant improvement in patient outcome(s). Specific examples in the hematology/ oncology realm include the use of the 5-HT3 antagonists or the hematopoietic growth factors. The 5-HT3 antagonists, dolasetron, granisetron, and ondansetron, are highly effective in reducing nausea and vomiting associated with emetogenic chemotherapy. Yet, despite the significant improvement in efficacy, the considerable increased acquisition cost of these agents when compared with traditional agents yields great cause for concern for hospital and pharmacy administrators. However, when used in properly selected patients, the 5-HT3 antagonists have been shown through pharmacoeconomic analyses to reduce overall costs. The marked decreased in nausea and vomiting prevents delays in chemotherapy administration, decreases length of hospital stay and subsequent resource utilization, and ultimately improves patient satisfaction and outcomes.2.4 Similarly, the hematopoietic growth factors, erythropoietin, filgrastim, and sargramostim, each affiliated with a
Topological landscape ensembles for visualization of scalar-valued functions

Visual representation techniques enable perception and exploration of scientific data. Following the topological landscapes metaphor of Weber et al., we provide a new algorithm for visualizing scalar functions defined on simply connected domains of arbitrary dimension. For a potentially high dimensional scalar field, our algorithm produces a collection of, in some sense complete, two-dimensional terrain models whose contour trees and corresponding topological persistences are identical to those of the input scalar field. The algorithm exactly preserves the volume of each region corresponding to an arc in the contour tree. We also introduce an efficiently computable metric on terrain models we generate. Based on this metric, we develop a tool that can help the users to explore the space of possible terrain models.
Routing of multicast audio/video streams in reconfigurable WDM optical networks

Due to its low attenuation, fiber has become the medium of choice for point-to-point links. Using Wavelength-Division Multiplexing (WDM), many independent channels can be created in the same fiber. A network node equipped with a tunable optical transmitter can select any of these channels for sending data. An optical interconnection combines the signal from the various transmitters in the network, and makes it available to the optical receivers, which may also be tunable. By properly tuning transmitters and/or receivers, point-to-point links can be dynamically created and destroyed. Therefore, in a WDM network, the routing algorithm has an additional degree of freedom compared to traditional networks: it can modify the netowrk topology to create the routes. In this paper, we consider the problem of routing multicast audio/video streams in WDM networks and propose heuristic algorithms to solve it. The performance of these heuristics is evaluated in a number of scenarios, with a realistic traffic model, and from the evaluation we derive guidelines for usage of the proposed algorithms.
Neurobiology of Self-Awareness in Schizophrenia: an fMRI Study

Self-awareness (SA) is one of the core domains of higher cortical functions and is frequently compromised in schizophrenia. Deficits in SA have been associated with functional and psychosocial impairment in this patient population. However, despite its clinical significance, only a few studies have examined the neural substrates of self-referential processing in schizophrenia. The aim of this study was to assess self-awareness in schizophrenia using a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) paradigm designed to elicit judgments of self-reference in a simulated social context. While scanned, volunteers looked at visually-displayed sentences that had the volunteer's own first name (self-directed sentence-stimulus) or an unknown other person's first name (other-directed sentence stimulus) as the grammatical subject of the sentence. The volunteers were asked to discern whether each sentence-stimulus was about the volunteer personally (during a self-referential cue epoch) or asked whether each statement was about someone else (during an other-referential cue epoch). We predicted that individuals with schizophrenia would demonstrate altered functional activation to self- and other-directed sentence-stimuli as compared to controls. Fifteen controls and seventeen schizophrenia volunteers completed clinical assessments and SA fMRI task on a 3T Philips 3.0 T Achieva system. The results showed significantly greater activation in schizophrenia compared to controls for cortical midline structures in response to self- vs. other-directed sentence-stimuli. These findings support results from earlier studies and demonstrate selective alteration in the activation of cortical midline structures associated with evaluations of self-reference in schizophrenia as compared to controls.
On the superconductivity in β-beryllium and related phases

Two high temperature beryllium allotropes have been stabilized at room temperature through the addition of transition elements. Superconductivity has been observed in almost all of them. Beryllium films reported superconducting in the past appear in all probability to require the presence of transition element impurities, in order to show the phenomenon.
Neutron scattering by flux-line lattices in clean, type II superconductors

The scattering of neutrons by a clean, type II superconductor in the mixed state is studied, using a quantized hydrodynamic theory for the superfluid vortex lattice. If the scattering amplitude is expanded in the number of quanta of vortex waves emitted or absorbed, the resulting inelastic cross section diverges at long wavelengths. Inclusion of inelastic effects to all orders removes this unphysical singularity and yields a differential cross section which differs only slightly from that predicted for elastic scattering.
Analysis of the intracellular barriers encountered by nonviral gene carriers in a model of spatially controlled delivery to neurons

Background Neuron-specific, nonviral gene delivery vehicles are useful tools for the potential treatment of neurological disease and spinal cord injury. For minimally invasive, peripheral administration, gene carriers must efficiently mediate uptake at axon terminals, retrograde axonal transport, vesicular escape, and nuclear entry. The design of improved vehicles will benefit from an understanding of the barriers that limit nonviral delivery to neurons. Here, we demonstrate a detailed analysis of intracellular trafficking of both a lipid-based and a polymer-based delivery vehicle following site-specific exposure to neuron-like cells. Methods Site-specific exposure of gene carriers to soma or neurites of neuron-like PC-12 cells was accomplished using a microfluidic, compartmented culture chamber. Binding and internalization of vehicles at neurites and soma were quantified using an environmentally sensitive fluorescent marker. The intracellular transport of gene carriers was analyzed by time-lapse particle tracking in live cells, and transfection efficiencies were measured using green fluorescent protein (GFP) as a reporter gene. Results While the lipid-based carrier mediated measurable transfection when delivered to neuronal soma, neuritic delivery of this formulation failed to produce reporter gene expression due to limited internalization and transport. In contrast, the polymeric nanoparticles displayed active retrograde transport toward neuronal soma, but failed to produce measurable reporter gene expression. Conclusions These results highlight distinct intracellular barriers preventing efficient neuronal transfection by the nonviral carriers examined, and provide a basis for the rational improvement of existing nonviral systems. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Exploring Theories Identified in the Journal of Interior Design

This study identified the need for theory building within interior design through the examination of content published in the Journal of Interior Design. From 1975 to 1991, the iournal was called the Journal of Interior Design Education and Research (JIDER) and then in 1992 was renamed the Journal of Interior Design (JID). Specifically, the purpose of this study was to identify all the theories reported in JIDER/JID from 1975 to 2008 to explore the extent to which theory is represented and applied to interior design and to identify any theories unique to the field. This journal was selected since it represents a refereed journal dedicated to the design of interior environments and serves as a credible source to explore the presence of theory in the body of knowledge. The findings identified that the theories, reported in JID, were primarily borrowed from the social sciences. In addition, the findings provided sample definitions of interior design theories cited in JID, and offered suggestions concerning why there is limited theory cited. Finally, themes and subthemes emerged that shaped a model, which offers a representative image of theory in JID and the presence of theory in the body of knowledge. This study is but the first stage in the process of identifying and building theory specific to interior design. Future areas of research are suggested to shape additional conversations concerning interior design scholarship focused on theory building and development.
Pharmacokinetics of modified slow-release oral testosterone over 9 days in normal men with experimental hypogonadism.

Oral administration of testosterone has potential use for the treatment of hypogonadism. We have recently demonstrated that a novel formulation of oral testosterone transiently normalized serum testosterone in a single-dose pharmacokinetic study. In this report, we present the steady-state pharmacokinetics of this formulation. Twelve healthy young men were rendered hypogonadal with the gonadotropin-releasing hormone antagonist acyline (300 μg/kg subcutaneously) and administered 300 mg of oral testosterone 3 times daily for 9 days. Serum testosterone, dihydrotestosterone (DHT), estradiol, and sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) were measured before and 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 11, 12, 14, 16, and 24 hours on the first and ninth day of dosing. Before testosterone administration, all men had serum testosterone under 75 ng/dL. Over day 1, the 24-hour average (geometric mean [%CV]) serum total testosterone was 378 (45) ng/dL. This decreased to 315 (41) ng/dL after 9 days of continuous treatment (P = .1 compared with day 1). The 24-hour average serum SHBG was 27 (46) nmol/L on day 1 and was significantly reduced to 19 (47) nmol/L by day 9 (P < .01). As a result, the calculated free testosterone values were similar between day 1 and day 9: 8.7 (43) and 8.3 (37) ng/dL, respectively. DHT was in the reference range and estradiol was slightly below on day 9. Oral testosterone (300 mg) dosed 3 times daily normalized serum testosterone in men with experimentally induced hypogonadism after 9 days of dosing and significantly suppressed SHBG. This formulation of oral testosterone may have efficacy for the treatment of testosterone deficiency.