cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Clinical characteristics and outcomes of PTLD following intestinal transplantation.

Post-transplant lymphoproliferative disease (PTLD) has the highest incidence following intestinal transplantation (ITx). Our center has seen a recent increase in PTLD. Our aim was to review a single-center PTLD experience with a focus on clinical characteristics and outcomes. We completed a retrospective review of biopsy-proven PTLD cases using a prospectively maintained database of 115 ITx recipients transplanted between 1991 and 2014. Nineteen (17%) ITx recipients developed 25 PTLD cases during a median follow-up time of 6.4 (1.6-14.6) years. The incidence of early PTLD was 6% (n = 7). There was a trend toward increased risk of PTLD in children compared with adults (P = .11) and a significantly increased risk of PTLD in re-ITx compared with primary ITx recipients (P = .03). Most PTLD cases were diagnosed between 2010 and 2014 (n = 14). All early PTLD cases were EBV+ on in situ hybridization. Overall graft and patient survival are 68% and 74%, respectively. Second episodes of PTLD were diagnosed in 43% of surviving pediatric patients. Our program has a low incidence of early PTLD with overall excellent graft and patient survival following diagnosis. However, we have also seen a rising incidence of late PTLD. The cause of the increase is unknown as no major changes in immunosuppression protocols have occurred since 1999.
Tetrahydrocannabinol-induced manifestations of the "marihuana syndrome" in group-living macaques.

The issue of whether long-term frequent use of marihuana can lead to marked persistent changes in behavior and neuroendocrine function in man is still being debated. While the immediate short-term behavioral effects of the drug can be readily measured in a laboratory setting, the characterization of slowly-developing drug-induced changes in individually characteristic aspects of emotional and social behavior is more difficult. The nature of sample selection and the uncontrolled environmental variables in studies of chronic marihuana users versus nonusers have made the conclusions of such studies open to question.
Effect of Expiratory Positive Airway Pressure on Sleep Disordered Breathing

STUDY OBJECTIVES We sought to determine the effect of expiratory positive airway pressure on end expiratory lung volume (EELV) and sleep disordered breathing in obstructive sleep apnea patients. DESIGN Observational physiology study PARTICIPANTS We studied 10 OSA patients during sleep wearing a facial mask. We recorded 1 hour of NREM sleep without treatment (baseline) and 1 hour with 10 cm H2O EPAP in random order, while measuring EELV and breathing pattern. RESULTS The mean EELV change between baseline and EPAP was only 13.3 mL (range 2-25 mL). Expiratory time was significantly increased with EPAP compared to baseline 2.64 +/- 0.54 vs 2.16 +/- 0.64 sec (P = 0.002). Total respiratory time was longer with EPAP than at baseline 4.44 +/- 1.47 sec vs 3.73 +/- 0.88 sec (P = 0.3), and minute ventilation was lower with EPAP vs baseline 7.9 +/- 4.17 L/min vs 9.05 +/- 2.85 L/min (P = 0.3). For baseline (no treatment) and EPAP respectively, the mean apnea+hypopnea index (AHI) was 62.6 +/- 28.7 and 56.8 +/- 30.3 events per hour (P = 0.4). CONCLUSION In OSA patients during sleep, the application of 10 cm H2O EPAP led to prolongation of expiratory time with only marginal increases in FRC. These findings suggest important mechanisms exist to avoid hyperinflation during sleep.
The Advancing Frontier in the Knowledge of the Structure of Interphases

This is a comprehensive document about the structure of the double layer in electrochemical systems, which involves mainly the metal/ and semiconductor/solution interphases, as well as metal/moltensalt interphases. It begins with an account of the classical method of investigating interfaces, which appears to be no longer applicable. Among, topics discussed are the different models of water structure at the double layer, the various potentials in the interphaeial region, and ab-initla calculations.
Target Counting in Wireless Sensor Networks

Target counting in wireless sensor networks has attracted a lot of attention in recent years from both academia and industry. In this chapter, we review various problem formulations and technical approaches proposed in recent literature for target counting. Major existing works are classified into the following four categories: binary counting, numeric counting, energy counting, and compressive counting, based on the sensing capabilities of the network and the underlying theoretical foundations of the technical approaches. Within each category, we summarize the representative works according to their objectives, technical methods, performances, and advantages and disadvantages. Comparative evaluations are provided to illustrate the influence of different sensor network settings on the target counting accuracy. The applicable environments of these algorithms are also discussed at the end of the chapter.
Middle East, North Africa: Sociocultural Overview

The Middle East, North Africa region, presents a complex heterogeneity of historical, social and political interconnections. This article begins with a brief overview of earlier scholarly approaches to the region and then focuses on the 1990s as a turning point that launched a new literature based on critical readings of both Orientalist and developmentalist approaches. Works over the past two decades have provided exciting insights into the workings of nation, gender, and religion in the region. However, there is still insufficient attention to issues of identity and difference that structure these societies and fuel much of its dynamics.
Electron Microscopy and Microanalysis for Wear Surface Characterization

Wear surface analysis , specifically in the subsurface regions, is essential for understanding the fundamental mechanisms of friction and material removal during wear. The advent of focused ion-beam systems (combined scanning electron and focused ion-beam microscopes) has made it possible to prepare site-specific cross sections of wear surfaces for scanning electron microscopy, electron backscattered diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and X-ray microanalysis. During the past decade, these state-of-the-art electron microscopy techniques are being increasingly used to characterize wear-induced changes to microstructures and crystallographic textures.
Quenching distances of propane-air flames in a constant-volume bomb

Abstract By means of two flat plates inserted in a 5-in. spherical cavity, quenching distances have been measured for five propane-air mixtures as a function of pressure from 3 to 90 atm. The results show that at high pressures the quenching distance becomes independent of pressure.
Interventions to prevent child maltreatment: US Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement

Importance In 2016, approximately 676 000 children in the United States experienced maltreatment (abuse, neglect, or both), with 75% of these children experiencing neglect, 18% experiencing physical abuse, and 8% experiencing sexual abuse. Approximately 14% of abused children experienced multiple forms of maltreatment, and more than 1700 children died as a result of maltreatment. Objective To update the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) 2013 recommendation on primary care interventions to prevent child maltreatment. Evidence Review The USPSTF commissioned a review of the evidence on primary care interventions to prevent maltreatment in children and adolescents without signs or symptoms of maltreatment. Findings The USPSTF found limited and inconsistent evidence on the benefits of primary care interventions, including home visitation programs, to prevent child maltreatment and found no evidence related to the harms of such interventions. The USPSTF concludes that the evidence is insufficient to assess the balance of benefits and harms of primary care interventions to prevent child maltreatment. The level of certainty of the magnitude of the benefits and harms of these interventions is low. Conclusions and Recommendation The USPSTF concludes that the current evidence is insufficient to assess the balance of benefits and harms of primary care interventions to prevent child maltreatment. (I statement)
ALook: adaptive lookup for GPGPU acceleration

Associative memory in form of look-up table can decrease the energy consumption of GPGPU applications by exploiting data locality and reducing the number redundant computations. State of the art architectures utilize associative memory as static look-up tables. Static designs lack the ability to adapt to applications at runtime, limiting them to small segments of code with high redundancy. In this paper, we propose an adaptive look-up based approach, called ALook, which uses a dynamic update policy to maintain a set of recently used operations in associative memory. ALook updates with values computed by floating point units at runtime to adapt to the workload and matches the stored results to avoid recomputing similar operations. ALook utilizes a novel FPU architecture which accelerates GPU computation by parallelizing the operation lookup process. We test the efficiency of ALook on image processing, general purpose, and machine learning applications by integrating it beside FPUs in an AMD Southern Island GPU. Our evaluation shows that ALook provides 3.6X EDP (Energy Delay Product) and 32.8% performance speedup, compared to an unmodified GPU, for applications accepting less than 5% output error. The proposed ALook architecture improves the GPU performance by 2.0X as compared to state-of-the-art computational reuse methods for the same level of output error.
Surrogates' and Researchers' Assessments of Prehospital Frailty in Critically Ill Older Adults.

BACKGROUND Prehospital frailty has been associated with adverse hospital outcomes in critically ill adults. Although frailty assessment in intensive care units depends on patients' surrogates, frailty assessments by surrogates and researchers have not been compared. OBJECTIVES To compare agreement and validity between surrogates' and researchers' assessments of frailty in critically ill older adults. METHODS An observational cohort study of adults (aged ≥ 50 years) admitted to a medical/surgical intensive care unit was conducted. On admission, patients' surrogates quantified prehospital frailty by using the Clinical Frailty Scale (range, 1-9; scores > 4 defined as frail). Researchers blinded to surrogates' assessments also quantified frailty. Agreement was described with κ scores, McNemar tests, and Bland-Altman plots; validity was compared by using χ2 tests and logistic regression. RESULTS For 298 patients (mean [SD] age, 67.2 [10.5] years), both surrogates' and researchers' frailty assessment scores ranged from 1 to 9, with moderate to substantial agreement between scores (g ≥ 0.40). Surrogates' frailty assessment scores were significantly lower than researchers' (mean difference, -0.62; 95% CI, -0.77 to -0.48; P < .001). Surrogates were less likely than researchers to identify as frail those patients who experienced adverse hospital outcomes (death, prolonged stay, or disability newly identified at discharge). CONCLUSIONS Surrogates identified fewer patients as frail than did researchers. Factors involved in surrogates' assessments of patients' prehospital frailty status should be studied to see if the Clinical Frailty Scale can be modified to facilitate more accurate surrogate assessments.
Do you really hate Tom Brady? Pretense and emotion in sport

As sports fans, we often experience what seem to be strong garden-variety emotions—everything from joy and euphoria to anger, dread and despair. In self-description, in physiology and even in pheno...
Association Between Specialist Office Visits and Health Expenditures in Accountable Care Organizations.

Importance Accountable care organizations (ACOs) aim to control health expenditures while improving quality of care. Primary care has been emphasized as a means to reduce spending, but little is known about the implications of using specialists for achieving this ACO objective. Objective To examine the association between ACO-beneficiary office visits conducted by specialists and the cost and utilization outcomes of those visits. Design, Setting, and Participants This cross-sectional study obtained data on 620 distinct ACOs from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Shared Savings Program Accountable Care Organizations Public-Use Files from April 1, 2012, to September 30, 2017. Generalized estimating equation models were used for analysis of ACOs, adjusting for ACO-beneficiary health status, Medicare enrollment groups, ACO size, and proportion of participating specialists. Exposures Specialist encounter proportion, the percentage of office visits provided by a specialist, was categorized into 7 discrete groups: less than 35%, 35% to less than 40%, 40% to less than 45% (reference group), 45% to less than 50%, 50% to less than 55%, 55% to less than 60%, and 60% or greater. Main Outcomes and Measures The primary outcome was total expenditures (given in US dollars) per assigned beneficiary person-year. The secondary outcomes were total numbers of emergency department visits, hospital discharges, skilled nursing facility discharges, and magnetic resonance imaging orders. Results In total, the data set included 1836 ACO-year (number of participation years per ACO) observations for 620 distinct ACOs. Those ACOs with a specialist encounter proportion of 40% to less than 45% had $1129 (95% CI, $445-$1814) lower per-beneficiary person-year spending than did ACOs in the lowest specialist encounter proportion group and had $752 (95% CI, $115-$1389) lower per-beneficiary person-year spending compared with ACOs in the highest specialist encounter proportion group. Monotonic decreases in emergency department visits, hospital discharges, and skilled nursing facility discharges were observed with increasing specialist encounter proportion. Conversely, monotonic increases in magnetic resonance imaging volume discharges were observed with increasing specialist encounter proportion. Conclusions and Relevance These findings suggest that an ACO’s ability to reduce spending may require sufficient involvement in care processes from specialists, who seem to complement the intrinsic primary care approach in ACOs.
Site-Specific Load-Induced Expansion of Sca-1+Prrx1+ and Sca-1-Prrx1+ Cells in Adult Mouse Long Bone Is Attenuated With Age.

Aging is associated with significant bone loss and increased fracture risk, which has been attributed to a diminished response to anabolic mechanical loading. In adults, skeletal progenitors proliferate and differentiate into bone-forming osteoblasts in response to increasing mechanical stimuli, though the effects of aging on this response are not well-understood. Here we show that both adult and aged mice exhibit load-induced periosteal bone formation, though the response is significantly attenuated with age. We also show that the acute response of adult bone to loading involves expansion of Sca-1+Prrx1+ and Sca-1-Prrx1+ cells in the periosteum. On the endosteal surface, loading enhances proliferation of both these cell populations, though the response is delayed by 2 days relative to the periosteal surface. In contrast to the periosteum and endosteum, the marrow does not exhibit increased proliferation of Sca-1+Prrx1+ cells, but only of Sca-1-Prrx1+ cells, underscoring fundamental differences in how the stem cell niche in distinct bone envelopes respond to mechanical stimuli. Notably, the proliferative response to loading is absent in aged bone even though there are similar baseline numbers of Prrx1 + cells in the periosteum and endosteum, suggesting that the proliferative capacity of progenitors is attenuated with age, and proliferation of the Sca-1+Prrx1+ population is critical for load-induced periosteal bone formation. These findings provide a basis for the development of novel therapeutics targeting these cell populations to enhance osteogenesis for overcoming age-related bone loss. © 2019 The Authors. JBMR Plus published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.
The association of nodal upstaging with surgical approach and its impact on long-term survival after resection of non-small-cell lung cancer.

OBJECTIVES Proponents of open thoracotomy (OPEN) and robot-assisted thoracic surgery (RATS) claim its oncological superiority over video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) in terms of the accuracy of lymph node staging. METHODS The National Cancer Database was queried for patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) undergoing lobectomy without neoadjuvant therapy from 2010 to 2014. Nodal upstaging rates were compared using a surgical approach. Overall survival adjusted for confounding variables was examined using the Cox proportional hazards model. RESULTS A total of 64 676 patients fulfilled the selection criteria. The number of patients who underwent lobectomy by RATS, VATS and OPEN approaches was 5470 (8.5%), 17 545 (27.1%) and 41 661 (64.4%), respectively. The mean number of lymph nodes examined for each of these approaches was 10.9, 11.3 and 10 (P < 0.01) and upstaging rates were 11.2%, 11.7% and 12.6% (P < 0.01), respectively. For patients with clinical stage I disease (N = 46 826; RATS = 4338, VATS = 13 416 and OPEN = 29 072), the mean lymph nodes examined were 10.6, 10.8 and 9.4 (P < 0.01), and upstaging rates were 10.8%, 11.1% and 12.1% (P < 0.01), respectively. A multivariable analysis suggested an association with improved survival with RATS and VATS compared with OPEN surgery [hazard ratio (HR) = 0.89 and 0.89, respectively; P < 0.01] for patients with all stages. In stage I disease, VATS but not RATS was associated with increased overall survival compared with the OPEN approach (HR = 0.81; P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS RATS lobectomy is not superior to VATS lobectomy with respect to lymph node yield or upstaging of NSCLC. Increased nodal upstaging by the OPEN approach does not confer a survival advantage in any stage of NSCLC and may be associated with decreased overall survival.
Energy transfer for storage or recovery in capacitive deionization using a DC-DC converter

Abstract Energy recovery from capacitive deionization (CDI) has the potential to increase overall desalination efficiency. We here define the storage (one-way) and utilization (round-trip) efficiencies between a CDI cell and an energy storage device using a generic direct current/direct current (DC/DC) converter circuit. Presented is a closed-form analytical model for the case of a supercapacitor (SC) as the energy storage device and a buck-boost converter as the DC/DC converter. The model is benchmarked with a numerical model, showing good agreement. Also presented is a comparison among energy transfer methods wherein desalination productivity is fixed. For constant current operation, this condition requires higher currents to compensate for the inactive time introduced by the converter. For fixed productivity, the mean current of the converter circuit approaches the constant current value for higher initial voltages and lower capacitances in the supercapacitor. Finally, we show the effect of relevant parameters of the SC in the storage and utilization efficiency. The model predicts storage and utilization efficiencies of at least 90% for an initial voltage of 1 V or higher and reasonable CDI and SC parameters. Lastly, we provide engineering operational parameters to maximize the efficiency of energy transfer and guidance in the selection of electronic components.
A Content Based Assessment of the Relative Quality of Leading Accounting Journals

This analysis advances faithful representation of statistical evidence as a substantive basis for assessing accounting journal research quality. The analysis builds upon recent work by Cready et al. (2019) indicating that accounting research articles commonly misrepresent null outcomes in their abstracts. Our analysis exploits this reporting deficiency to objectively assess journal reporting quality. The analysis determines misrepresentation rates for five leading general interest academic accounting journals based on direct review of article abstract contents. While all five of these journals commonly publish articles with containing such misrepresentations, the relative frequencies with which they do so differ considerably among them. Moreover, the resulting rankings vary from those commonly reported in existent accounting journal quality and impact assessments. The analysis also finds that financial and archival studies are less prone to statistical evidence misrepresentation while audit and experimental studies are more prone to engaging in such misrepresentation.
Impact of Early-Onset Sepsis and Antibiotic Use on Death or Survival with Neurodevelopmental Impairment at 2 Years of Age among Extremely Preterm Infants.

Objective To evaluate the hypothesis that early-onset sepsis increases risk of death or neurodevelopmental impairment (NDI) among preterm infants; and that among infants without early-onset sepsis, prolonged early antibiotics alters risk of death/NDI. Study design Retrospective cohort study of infants born at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Neonatal Research Network centers (2006-2014) at 22-26 weeks of gestation and birth weight 401-1000 g. Early-onset sepsis defined as growth of a pathogen from blood or cerebrospinal fluid culture ≤72 hours after birth. Prolonged early antibiotics was defined as antibiotics initiated ≤72 hours and continued ≥5 days without culture-confirmed infection, necrotizing enterocolitis, or spontaneous perforation. Primary outcome was death before follow-up or NDI assessed at 18-26 months corrected age. Poisson regression was used to estimate adjusted relative risk (aRR) and CI for early-onset sepsis outcomes. A propensity score for receiving prolonged antibiotics was derived from early clinical factors and used to match infants (1:1) with and without prolonged antibiotic exposure. Log binomial models were used to estimate aRR for outcomes in matched infants. Results Among 6565 infants, those with early-onset sepsis had higher aRR (95% CI) for death/NDI compared with infants managed with prolonged antibiotics (1.18 [1.06-1.32]) and to infants without prolonged antibiotics (1.23 [1.10-1.37]). Propensity score matching was achieved for 4362 infants. No significant difference in death/NDI (1.04 [0.98-1.11]) was observed with or without prolonged antibiotics among the matched cohort. Conclusions Early-onset sepsis was associated with increased risk of death/NDI among extremely preterm infants. Among matched infants without culture-confirmed infection, prolonged early antibiotic administration was not associated with death/NDI.
Microsurgical vascular bypass in the setting of pediatric limb length discrepancy.

Abstract Management of pediatric iatrogenic arterial occlusions can be challenging clinically, leading to chronic complications such as claudication and limb length discrepancy. We report the case of a 6-month-old female patient who had experienced iatrogenic right external iliac and common femoral arterial occlusion. At the age of 8 years, she had developed claudication and a limb length discrepancy of 3.2 cm. She underwent common iliac artery to superficial femoral artery and profunda artery bypass via a branched autologous reverse great saphenous vein using microsurgical techniques for the distal anastomoses. In the present report, we have focused on the musculoskeletal improvements, benefits of microsurgery in pediatric vessels, and maximization of epiphyseal perfusion.
Concurrent Anti-Glomerular Basement Membrane Antibody Disease and Membranous Nephropathy: A Case Series.

Rationale & Objective Anti–glomerular basement membrane (GBM) disease is a rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis which, in some instances, occurs concurrently with other diseases such as antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis. Rarely, it also occurs with membranous nephropathy (MN). We report a series of such patients, characterizing their long-term follow up. Study Design Case series. Setting & Participants Twelve patients referred to 1 medical center between 2001 and 2019 with anti-GBM disease and MN whose clinical characteristics and course were described. Results Patients’ ages ranged from 20 to 81 years old, and all presented with severe acute kidney injury requiring dialysis on presentation or shortly thereafter. Only 1 patient had pulmonary findings on presentation. The predominant pathology was crescentic and necrotizing glomerulonephritis with linear staining for immunoglobulin G along the GBM associated with epimembranous electron-dense immune-type deposits. All 11 patients who were tested had significant titers of anti-GBM antibodies, but only 1 of the 5 tested for phospholipase A2 receptor (PLA2R) on biopsy was positive. Eight patients received therapy with cyclophosphamide, prednisone, and plasmapheresis; 2 patients with prednisone and plasmapheresis; and 2 with rituximab-based regimens. Progression to a requirement for kidney replacement therapy occurred in all 12 patients, but 2 patients later recovered kidney function. Recurrence of anti-GBM disease did not occur for any of the patients studied. Limitations Incomplete testing for PLA2R in biopsy and serum, limited sample size, and lack of uniform treatment regimen. Conclusions In this case series, the presentation of concurrent anti-GBM disease and MN was characterized by rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis and poor kidney outcomes. These findings suggest possible value from earlier diagnosis and the need for identification of more effective treatment regimens.
Profiles of Rater Dis/Agreement within Universal Screening in Predicting Distal Outcomes

The success of a comprehensive and integrated school mental health system is dependent on data to inform decision-making. Universal screening is one such method utilized by schools to inform treatment across universal, targeted, and individual levels of service. However, the use of multiple informants (teacher and student) remains elusive due to a lack of practical and research based-aggregation guidance. The purpose of the current study is to identify the optimal numbers of rater agreement profiles, determine demographic predictors of profiles membership, and if profiles differentially predict distal academic outcomes. Nearly 24,000 teacher-student dyads were included in this study. Results suggested four profiles emerged with significant differences in academic outcomes. Considerations for research and practice are presented.
Prediction of Smoking Risk From Repeated Sampling of Environmental Images: Model Validation.

Background: Viewing their habitual smoking environments increases smokers’ craving and smoking behaviors in laboratory settings. A deep learning approach can differentiate between habitual smoking versus nonsmoking environments, suggesting that it may be possible to predict environment-associated smoking risk from continuously acquired images of smokers’ daily environments. Objective: In this study, we aim to predict environment-associated risk from continuously acquired images of smokers’ daily environments. We also aim to understand how model performance varies by location type, as reported by participants. Methods: Smokers from Durham, North Carolina and surrounding areas completed ecological momentary assessments both immediately after smoking and at randomly selected times throughout the day for 2 weeks. At each assessment, participants took a picture of their current environment and completed a questionnaire on smoking, craving, and the environmental setting. A convolutional neural network–based model was trained to predict smoking, craving, whether smoking was permitted in the current environment and whether the participant was outside based on images of participants’ daily environments, the time since their last cigarette, and baseline data on daily smoking habits. Prediction performance, quantified using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) and average precision (AP), was assessed for out-of-sample prediction as well as personalized models trained on images from days 1 to 10. The models were optimized for mobile devices and implemented as a smartphone app. Results: A total of 48 participants completed the study, and 8008 images were acquired. The personalized models were highly effective in predicting smoking risk (AUC=0.827; AP=0.882), craving (AUC=0.837; AP=0.798), whether smoking was permitted in the current environment (AUC=0.932; AP=0.981), and whether the participant was outside (AUC=0.977; AP=0.956). The out-of-sample models were also effective in predicting smoking risk (AUC=0.723; AP=0.785), whether smoking was permitted in the current environment (AUC=0.815; AP=0.937), and whether the participant was outside (AUC=0.949; AP=0.922); however, they were not effective in predicting craving (AUC=0.522; AP=0.427). Omitting image features reduced AUC by over 0.1 when predicting all outcomes except craving. Prediction of smoking was more effective for participants whose self-reported location type was more variable (Spearman ρ=0.48; P=.001). Conclusions: Images of daily environments can be used to effectively predict smoking risk. Model personalization, achieved by incorporating information about daily smoking habits and training on participant-specific images, further improves prediction performance. Environment-associated smoking risk can be assessed in real time on a mobile device and can be incorporated into device-based smoking cessation interventions.
Evaluating load distribution at the bearing-housing interface using thin film pressure sensors

Abstract The objective of this investigation was to utilize thin film pressure sensors to evaluate the pressure distribution between rolling element bearings and a housing. A test rig was constructed to place thin film sensors around the perimeter of a test bearing inside of a housing. High precision drive shafts were manufactured that produce a light and heavy interference fit with each of the test bearings. Pressure map results are used to evaluate the effect of internal clearance on the load distribution of different bearing types. The thin film sensor system was also used to investigate the circumferential load distribution on the housing. The presented apparatus and test method could be used to validate bearing fit selection and housing design.
Oral Immunization for Cholera: Mucosal Antitoxic Immunity is Important and can Probably be Safely Achieved

There is now much evidence to support the notions that secretory IgA antibody is the first line of immunologic defense of the intestinal mucosa and that a mucosal IgA response is best stimulated by antigens applied to the mucosal surface. On this basis, it has been argued that immunization against cholera, a superficial mucosal infection, should be given orally with the aim of evoking a protective mucosal IgA response (1). Some progress in this direction has been made using either live avirulent mutants of V. cholerae or nonliving antigens derived from this organism (2,3).
Quantitative analysis of Akt phosphorylation state in patient samples of glioblastoma using a nanofluidic capillary western platform

Proc Amer Assoc Cancer Res, Volume 47, 2006 4462 The role of PKB/Akt in cell cycle regulation and cell death contributes to its role as an indicator for tumor response to therapy in glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). Methods are currently lacking for accurate quantitative analysis of PKB/Akt (and other protein) phosphoforms in GBM extracts. Using a novel nanofluidic Western-blot-like analysis system (“Blotless Nano Western”), various phosphorylation states of PKB/Akt were identified using phosphorylation-site mutants of Akt. The identity of these different forms of PKB/Akt protein was confirmed by comparing analytical profiles of mutant proteins at Thr-308 and Ser-473 to those obtained from samples of wild-type protein. The Blotless Nano Western system utilized a charge-based separation enabling resolution and detection of phosphorylated and non-phosphorylated protein isoforms in a single analysis. Following separation, proteins were immobilized in the capillaries. Antibodies to total PKB/Akt, phospho-Thr308, and phospho-Ser473 were then flowed through the capillaries followed by secondary antibodies coupled with reporter molecules (as used in conventional Western blotting procedures). Antibody binding was detected by high sensitivity chemiluminescence detection. Peak identification of the various PKB/Akt mutants analyzed by the Blotless Nano Western system and confirmation by other detection methods enabled identification of individual phospho-PKB/Akt peaks identified in extracts of patient samples. From this information, patient survival time and response to molecular targeted therapies may in the future be correlated to the Akt phosphorylation levels measured in GBM samples.
ICEAGE: Interactive Clustering and Exploration of Large and High-Dimensional Geodata

The unprecedented large size and high dimensionality of existing geographic datasets make the complex patterns that potentially lurk in the data hard to find. Clustering is one of the most important techniques for geographic knowledge discovery. However, existing clustering methods have two severe drawbacks for this purpose. First, spatial clustering methods focus on the specific characteristics of distributions in 2- or 3-D space, while general-purpose high-dimensional clustering methods have limited power in recognizing spatial patterns that involve neighbors. Second, clustering methods in general are not geared toward allowing the human-computer interaction needed to effectively tease-out complex patterns. In the current paper, an approach is proposed to open up the “black box” of the clustering process for easy understanding, steering, focusing and interpretation, and thus to support an effective exploration of large and high dimensional geographic data. The proposed approach involves building a hierarchical spatial cluster structure within the high-dimensional feature space, and using this combined space for discovering multi-dimensional (combined spatial and non-spatial) patterns with efficient computational clustering methods and highly interactive visualization techniques. More specifically, this includes the integration of: (1) a hierarchical spatial clustering method to generate a 1-D spatial cluster ordering that preserves the hierarchical cluster structure, and (2) a density- and grid-based technique to effectively support the interactive identification of interesting subspaces and subsequent searching for clusters in each subspace. The implementation of the proposed approach is in a fully open and interactive manner supported by various visualization techniques.
Variations on the Village Model: An Emerging Typology of a Consumer-Driven Community-Based Initiative for Older Adults

Villages, which are community-based initiatives designed to help older adults age in place through a combination of services, participant engagement, and peer support, have expanded rapidly since their initial development in the early 2000s. Using a sample of Villages in the United States, we examined variations from characteristics of the Village model as portrayed by media and organizational leaders. Results indicate there is no uniform Village model that can be implemented and evaluated by policy makers, funders, service providers, and researchers. Based on the extent of member involvement, methods of service provision, and funding sources, we developed a conceptually and empirically informed typology of Villages that reflects the model’s focus on consumer involvement. Descriptive analyses indicate potential differences in member, community, and organizational characteristics. This emerging typology has implications for understanding the implementation and sustainability of Villages, including whether ...
Metal complexes as ligands—VII: The chemistry of the monothiooxalate complexes

Abstract A synthesis of potassium monothiooxalate, K2C2SO3, and its reactions with metal ions are reported. The spectroscopic properties of the complexes, M(C2SO3)nn−, for M  Ni(II), Cu(II), Zn(II) (n = 2); and M  Cr(III), Co(III), Fe(III) (n = 3) are indicative of (SO) chelated ligands while the Al(III) (n = 3) complex is an (OO) bonded chelate. The copper(II) complex undergoes an irreversible oxidation at 0.43 V. This oxidation is accompanied by reduction of the copper(II) and evolution of CO2 and SCO. The inert cations which accompany the anionic monothiooxalate complexes are readily replaced by the coordinatively unsaturated (Ph3P)2M+, M  Ag(I), Cu(I) complex cations. The bridging of the monothiooxalate ligand in the resulting polynuclear complexes is of the type MOOC2SOM′, M  Al(III), Fe(III), M′  Ag(I), Cu(I); M  Cr(III), M′  Cu(I) and MSOC2O2M′, M  Cr(III), Co(III), M′  Cu(I).
Toward Equity in Health: A New Global Approach to Health Disparities, by Barbara C. Wallace (Ed.): New York: Springer, 2008, 562 pages, $85.00 (hardcover).

With this book, Barbara Wallace, a psychologist and professor of Health Education at Columbia University Teachers College, wishes to move the public health community from thinking about inequities ...
Postpartum Psychosocial and Behavioral Health: A Systematic Review of Self-Administered Scales Validated for Postpartum Women in the United States

Abstract Purpose Women's poor postpartum psychosocial and behavioral health may negatively affect them and their infants. Validated postpartum screening scales can help to identify problems early, but currently there is limited knowledge in this area. Thus, we conducted a systematic examination of self-administered psychosocial and behavioral scales validated for postpartum women in the United States in the domains of depression, body image, diet, physical activity, smoking, and alcohol use. We examined the characteristics of included scales, their validation samples, and reported psychometric properties. Method Nine databases were searched during October 2014 through February 2015. After meeting inclusion/exclusion criteria, article information was extracted independently by two authors, compared, and differences were resolved through discussions. Results The final sample included 23 published articles covering 19 scales. Seventeen were in the domain of depression, and one each in physical activity and dietary domains. None was found in the domains of body image, smoking, or alcohol use. The number of scale items varied from 2 to 35. The majority of scales were originally designed for postpartum women, and validated in one or two postpartum studies with samples of predominantly adult women. If reported, scale reliability coefficients were generally 0.80 or greater and validity coefficients of 0.70 or greater. Five depression scales had favorable sensitivity and specificity using standard cutpoints, but only one was tested across adolescent, low-income, and predominantly ethnic minority postpartum populations. Conclusion No U.S.-validated postpartum scales were found for body image, smoking, or alcohol use. Most scales had limited validity testing, and validation was in predominantly advantaged samples. Further scale development and testing are recommended.
Alteration of long-lasting structural and functional effects of kainic acid in the hippocampus by brief treatment with phenobarbital

Kainic acid, an analog of the excitatory amino acid L-glutamate, induces acute hyperexcitability and permanent structural alterations in the hippocampal formation of the adult rat. Administration of kainic acid is followed by acute seizures in hippocampal pathways, neuronal loss in CA3 and the hilus of the dentate gyrus, and reorganization of the synaptic connections of the mossy fiber pathway. Rats with these hippocampal structural alterations have increased susceptibility to kindling. To evaluate the role of the acute seizures and associated hippocampal structural alterations in the development of this long- lasting susceptibility, rats that received intraventricular kainic acid were cotreated with phenobarbital (60 mg/kg, s.c., once daily). Treatment with this dose for 5 d after administration of kainic acid suppressed acute seizure activity, protected against excitotoxic damage in the dentate gyrus, reduced mossy fiber sprouting, and completely abolished the increased susceptibility to kindling associated with kainic acid. Brief treatment with phenobarbital modified the pattern of damage and synaptic reorganization in the dentate gyrus in response to seizure-induced injury, and altered the long-lasting functional effects associated with hippocampal damage. As phenobarbital treatment did not protect against neuronal damage in CA3 or other regions of the hippocampus, the circuitry of the dentate gyrus was implicated as a locus of cellular alterations that influenced the development of kindling. These observations are evidence that pharmacological intervention can prevent the development of epilepsy in association with acquired structural lesions, and suggest that pharmacological modification of cellular responses to injury can favorably alter long- term functional effects of CNS damage.
A Theory of Fluid Mixing

A recently developed theory of fluid mixing is summarized here. It describes linear advection of a passive scalar by a random velocity field. Asymptotic scaling laws are given, which are consistently derived from leading order results of primitive and renormalized perturbation theory in both the Eulerian and Lagrangian pictures. The theory has been verified by numerical simulation, for moderately large perturbation parameters, and by comparison to an exactly solvable case. The theory is suitable for the description of the passive transport of pollutants in ground water. In this context, the time independent velocity υ is a random field, of nonzero mean υ, with a fluctuation δυ = υ — υ which is used as the perturbation expansion parameter. For the purposes of deriving analytic asymptotics, υ is assumed to be a Gaussian random field. For the simulation studies of this theory, υ is derived from Darcy’s law, with heterogeneous geology specified by a log-normal random permeability field.
Postmitotic expression of ankyrinR and beta R-spectrin in discrete neuronal populations of the rat brain

Isoforms of ankyrin (ankyrinR) are expressed in both the erythrocyte and the brain. Four cDNAs representing regulatory domains of ankyrinR expressed in the rat spleen and brain were cloned and sequenced. These different cDNAs were found to result from tissue-specific alternative mRNA processing of the ankyrinR regulatory domain. One of the isolated cDNAs was used to develop an antibody to brain isoforms of ankyrinR, and this antibody was used to study the localization of ankyrinR in the rat brain. The protein was found to be widely expressed in neurons of the metencephalon but limited to a discrete subset of neurons in the rat forebrain. In the thalamus and areas of the basal ganglia, these neurons were grouped in defined nuclei, whereas in the cortex, hippocampus, and caudate putamen they appeared as isolated cells distributed randomly throughout these structures. A similar study using an antibody raised against erythrocyte spectrin (beta R) showed a comparable localization to that of ankyrinR. Both proteins were expressed late in the developing rat brain, as part of the maturation stage of neural development. These data suggest a specific role for these erythrocyte structural proteins in the postmitotic development of a subset of neurons in the rat brain.
Mechanism of energy coupling for transport of deoxycytidine, uridine, uracil, adenine and hypoxanthine in Escherichia coli

The transport processes for uridine, deoxycytidine, uracil, adenine and hypoxanthine require an energy source and are active under anaerobic or aerobic conditions. Inhibitory effects of cyanide, arsenate, carbonylcyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone, 2,4-dinitrophenol and N,N'-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide on the transport of uridine and deoxycytidine differ from the corresponding effects on the transport of uracil, adenine and hypoxanthine. The nature of these inhibitory effects supports the conclusion that uridine and deoxycytidine transport is energized either by electron transport or by ATP hydrolysis via (Ca2+ + Mg2+)-ATPase. The transport or uracil, adenine and hypoxanthine is dependent upon ATP or some high energy phosphate derivative of ATP, but is independent of (Ca2+ + Mg+)-ATPase and electron transport. Uptake of the ribose moiety of uridine by a mutant of Escherichia coli B, which lacks the transport system for uracil and intact uridine, is neither stimulated by energy sources nor inhibited by various inhibitors of energy metabolism under either aerobic or anaerobic conditions.
A stochastic technique for multidimensional granulation modeling

Recent granulation modeling research has produced compelling evidence that simple one-dimensional (I-D) models will not suffice when describing the dynamics of particle growth. During the mixing process particles gradually become more saturated due to the loss of air in particles resulting from collisions with the surroundings. This process, called consolidation, influences not only granule pore saturation and binder layer thickness, but also particle coalescence properties. Due to the consolidation behavior observed, a simple size dependent model is typically not adequate. The solution of a multidimensional population balance equation (PBE) is performed using a multiscale solution technique. A microscale model which utilizes a discrete element method (DEM) simulation is used to determine granular flow characteristics and coalescence efficiency. Statistical analysis of data from interactions at the microscale is then used to produce a multidimensional coalescence kernel. Since analytical solutions to PBEs with more than one internal dimension typically do not exist, a constant number kinetic Monte-Carlo (MC) method is used to solve the PBE. This solution technique is used in a test case to model growth of a lactose/starch/HPC and water mixture. The simulated results corresponded well with experimental data. This technique, while in its infancy, proves to be a unique and effective method of bridging multiple scales of the granulation process.
The Role of Organic Acids in the Domestication of Oxalis tuberosa: A New Model for Studying Domestication Resulting in Opposing Crop Phenotypes1

The Role of Organic Acids in the Domestication ofOxalis tuberosa: A New Model for Studying Domestication Resulting in Opposing Crop Phenotypes. Though few crops display directly opposing domesticated phenotypes, these crops may be the key to understanding domestication processes that address conflicting selective pressures in the agricultural ecosystem. Two relatively well-known examples are cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz), which has high-cyanide and low-cyanide varieties, and potato (Solanum section Petota). Among the potatoes are several species, including the common potato (Solanum tuberosum L.), that have low levels of glycoalkaloids and there are other species of “bitter potato” with elevated levels of glycoalkaloids. We propose that Oxalis tuberosa Molina, “oca,” may represent a third example of such a crop system, with opposing high organic acid and low organic acid cultivars. Each cultivar set has different cultural food preparation practices (“use-categories”), similar to the “use-categories” that have been described for potatoes in the Andes (Brush et al. Economic Botany 35;70–88, 1981; Zimmerer Journal of Biogeography 18;165–178, 1991). Our initial analyses suggest that organic acids in tubers may be an important biochemical difference between use-categories, based on both oxalic acid and pH data. Here, we review our understanding of organic acids in oca tubers, while highlighting areas that merit further investigation.