cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Spinal cord injury following operative shoulder intervention: A case report

AbstractContextCervical myelopathy is a spinal cord dysfunction that results from extrinsic compression of the spinal cord, its blood supply, or both. It is the most common cause of spinal cord dysfunction in patients greater than 55 years of age.Findings: A57-year-old male with right shoulder septic arthritis underwent surgical debridement of his right shoulder and sustained a spinal cord injury intraoperatively. The most likely etiology is damage to the cervical spinal cord during difficult intubation requiring multiple attempts in this patient with underlying asymptomatic severe cervical stenosis.ConclusionAlthough it is not feasible to perform imaging studies on all patients undergoing intubation for surgery, this patient's outcome would suggest consideration of inclusion of additional pre-surgical screening examination techniques, such as testing for a positive Hoffman's reflex, is appropriate to detect asymptomatic patients who may have underlying cervical stenosis.
Single-exposure wide-wavelength-coverage echelle spectrograph

We present the design for an echelle spectrograph for 6.5 m telescopes: i.e. the converted MMT and Magellan. We incorporate fused silica prism cross dispersion for higher transmission, and use a single camera that records simultaneously full 300 - 1100 nm wavelength range of CCD detectors. The broad wavelength coverage in a single exposure will make this a powerful instrument for many scientific problems: i.e. the study of the metallicity, evolution and clustering of the primordial Lyman alpha forest, tracing the nucleosynthetic history and element depletion pattern in the ISM of high redshift galaxies, determining if dark- matter halos are ubiquitous, and studying metal abundance analyses of stars. Six detectors are placed tangent to the focal sphere of a Schmidt camera. Each has its own thin field flattener. In this way excellent image quality is maintained while the obscuration by the detector array is minimal, even though it is big enough to cover the entire cross dispersed spectrum. Each back-illuminated CCD is dedicated to a limited spectral range, and can be given appropriately optimized coatings for highest efficiency. Designs for 20 and 30 cm beams have been produced, both using 60 cm Schmidt plates and achieve resolving power slit width products of 50,000 arcseconds. The 2048 square CCDs yield spectral resolution sampling of 200,000/pixel. The `point and shoot' character of the spectrograph should result in simplified controls and software.© (1995) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Correlation of apoproteins with the genes of the major chlorophyll a/b binding protein of photosystem II in Arabidopsis thaliana Confirmation for the presence of a third member of the LHC IIb gene family

The major light-harvesting complex in higher plants is LHC IIb. The LHC IIb of Arabidopsis thaliana contains 2 pigment-binding apoproteins of 28 and 25 kDa. To determine the relationship between them and the LHC IIb gene family members, each protein was purified to homogeneity, subjected to direct protein sequencing, and the sequences compared with those deduced from LHC IIb genes in this organism. The 28 kDa protein is the product of Type I LHC IIb genes. The 25 kDa LHC IIb component is distinctly different from the 28 kDa LHC IIb protein, and is more closely related to the type III LHC IIb gene product of barley. Type III gene products lack the first 9–11 residues found in proteins of the Type I and II genes, a region that contains a phosphorylatable threonine residue. The lack of the N-terminal residues explains why this LHC IIb apoprotein has never been seen to be phosphorylated, and partly or wholly why it is smaller. The implication of the missing N-terminus on uptake of LHC II precursor proteins into the plastid and of the relative organization of the LHC IIb subunits in the PS II antenna is discussed.
Patterns of Alkaline Phosphatase in Developing Drosophila

Electrophoretic study of alkaline phosphatase in developing Drosophila shows that different stages are characterized by the appearance and disappearance of organ-specific enzyme bands. A new electrophoretic variant, from adult hindgut, is controlled by the second chromosome locus Aph-2.
Electrophysiology of the Novel Class III Agent, Ibutilide, in the Neonatal Heart - Rate-Dependent Characteristics

Electrophysiology of the Novel Class III Agent, Ibutilide, in the Neonatal Heart - Rate-Dependent Characteristics
PRODUCTIVITY RELATIONS IN CARBOY MICROCOSMS1

Measurements of gross photosynthesis; respiration, rate of net oxygen diffusion, and organic storage are reported for 7 microcosms maintained over periods of 5 to 7 months. Average rates of gross photosynthesis ranged from 0.86 to 1.69 g Oz/m2/day and were related to the amounts of inorganic nutrients added. Average final organic storage was equal to 35.6% of gross photosynthesis. Assumed photosynthetic quotients between 0.88 and 1.03 allowed the construction of oxygen budgets in which the total product of gross photosynthesis was accounted for. Some problems of establishing productive microcosms representing natural situations are also discussed.
Pliocene and Pleistocene alkalic flood basalts on the seafloor north of the Hawaiian islands

Abstract The North Arch volcanic field is located north of Oahu on the Hawaiian Arch, a 200-m high flexural arch formed by loading of the Hawaiian Islands. These flood basalt flows cover an area of about 25, 000 km 2 ; the nearly flat-lying sheet-like flows extend about 100 km both north and south from the axis of the flexural arch. Samples from 26 locations in the volcanic field range in composition from nephelinite to alkalic basalt. Ages estimated from stratigraphy, thickness of sediment on top of the flows, and thickness of palagonite alteration rinds on the recovered lavas, range from about 0.75–0.9 Ma for the youngest lavas to somewhat older than 2.7 Ma for the oldest lavas. Most of the flow field consists of extensive sheetflows of dense basanite and alkalic basalt. Small hills consisting of pillow basalt and hyaloclastite of mainly nephelinite and alkalic basalt occur within the flow field but were not the source vents for the extensive flows. Many of the vent lavas are highly vesicular, apparently because of degassing of CO 2 . The lavas are geochemically similar to the rejuvenated-stage lavas of the Koloa and Honolulu Volcanics and were generated by partial melting of sources similar to those of the Koloa Volcanics. Prior to eruption, these magmas may have accumulated at or near the base of the lithosphere in a structural trap created by upbowing of the lithosphere.
Energy rate equations for mode-locked lasers

A rate equation for pulse energy is obtained from the master equation of mode locking. This rate equation is used to investigate self-starting, steady-state pulse energy, stability, pulse quantization, simultaneous cw and pulse operation, hysteresis in mode locking, multiple-pulse operation, relaxation oscillations, and noise behavior. The theory also provides criteria for low-noise as well as high-power operation. The formulation is applied to both soliton lasers and stretched-pulse lasers, and their operations are compared.
The Relevance of the Balanced Scorecard on Assessing Firm Performance of eCommerce Companies

Strategic alignment between the business model and the assessment of firm performance in the context of particular operational and competitive environments has been increasingly discussed in the literature on measurement of economic performance. In this paper, the relevance of non-financial measures in representing the strategic alignment between the business model and firm performance is examined in the context of the eCommerce environment. A set of financial and non-financial measures unique to eCommerce companies are developed. This set of measures is utilized to rank order eCommerce companies by applying a Latent class model. The classification procedure is then cross-validated to assess the goodness of fit and results demonstrate that the Latent class model is a good fit for classifying the eCommerce companies on their performance on multiple dimensions. The rank orderings of the companies are then examined to document the alignment between eCommerce companies' strategic focus on customers and innovation objectives and indicators of future firm performance, such as continued viability and survival of company, and market performance. Results highlight the relevance of non-financial versus financial metrics in assessing future firm performance in the context of the specific operational and competitive environments within which eCommerce companies operate.
Energy-efficient synchronization through program patterns

This paper addresses energy consumption in multi-threaded programs. In particular, it demonstrates why synchronizations -- a fundamental fabric of multi-core software -- may lead to unnecessary energy consumption, and proposes a pattern-based compilation technique to improve energy efficiency. The key insight is that energy efficiency may be improved by adjusting the relative speed of individual threads participating in a synchronization, and different synchronization patterns can offer clues on how adjustments should be made.
An analysis of seed development in Pisum sativum XVIII. The isolation of mutants defective in embryo development

Following EMS mutagenesis of pea (Pisum sativum L.) seed, nine mutants have been isolated whose embryos are affected in their development, being defective either in organogenesis or in cell differentiation. Studies of their morphology at the whole organ level and their histology indicated at least four groups: those with single cotyledons (representing at least three loci), two blocked at the early cotyledonary stage, one with abnormal root development and two with cellular defects. Genetic analysis indicated the mutants were behaving as monogenic recessive mutations. These mutants represent the first of their type for legumes and should prove especially useful, therefore, for examining those aspects of development characteristic of these species
A comparison of survival of teeth following endodontic treatment performed by general dentists or by specialists

Abstract Objective A chart review was performed at 3 private general practices in different regions of Alabama to compare success of endodontic treatment provided by specialists versus generalists. Study design To qualify for the study the general dentists had to perform some endodontic treatment and to refer some to endodontists. Success was defined as the treated tooth being present at 5 years after the date of treatment initiation. This criterion, was chosen because of its unequivocal categorization of results. Calibrated dentists reviewed over 3,000 charts. Results 350 met the inclusion criteria. 195 teeth were treated by generalists, with an 89.7% success rate. 155 teeth were treated by endodontists, with a 98.1% success rate. Conclusion In this limited survey, endodontic treatment by specialists was significantly more successful.
Empowerment, Predisposition to Resist Change, and Support for Organizational Change

This article investigates the extent to which empowerment and dispositional characteristics contribute to behavioral support for organizational change.The study is the first to use a comprehensive intrapersonal variable—psychological empowerment— to represent the interaction between an individual and his or her work environment. Furthermore, by examining the influence of predisposition to resist change, the study contributes to the understanding that change content, change process, change context, and individual differences all contribute differentially to organizational change. Results from data collected from part-time MBA students as well as employees of a nonprofit organization confirmed two hypothesized predictions.
Reliable Physical Unclonable Functions Using Data Retention Voltage of SRAM Cells

Physical unclonable functions (PUFs) are circuits that produce outputs determined by random physical variations from fabrication. The PUF studied in this paper utilizes the variation sensitivity of static random access memory (SRAM) data retention voltage (DRV), the minimum voltage at which each cell can retain state. Prior work shows that DRV can uniquely identify circuit instances with 28% greater success than SRAM power-up states that are used in PUFs [1] . However, DRV is highly sensitive to temperature, and until now this makes it unreliable and unsuitable for use in a PUF. In this paper, we enable DRV PUFs by proposing a DRV-based hash function that is insensitive to temperature. The new hash function, denoted DRV-based hashing (DH), is reliable across temperatures because it utilizes the temperature-insensitive ordering of DRVs across cells, instead of using the DRVs in absolute terms. To evaluate the security and performance of the DRV PUF, we use DRV measurements from commercially available SRAM chips, and use data from a novel DRV prediction algorithm. The prediction algorithm uses machine learning for fast and accurate simulation-free estimation of any cell’s DRV, and the prediction error in comparison to circuit simulation has a standard deviation of 0.35 mV. We demonstrate the DRV PUF using two applications—secret key generation and identification. In secret key generation, we introduce a new circuit-level reliability knob as an alternative to error correcting codes. In the identification application, our approach is compared to prior work and shown to result in a smaller false-positive identification rate for any desired true-positive identification rate.
Moesin regulates stable microtubule formation and limits retroviral infection in cultured cells

In a functional screen of mammalian complementary DNA libraries, we identified moesin as a novel gene whose overexpression blocks infection by murine leukemia viruses and human immunodeficiency virus type 1 in human and rodent lines, before the initiation of reverse transcription. Knockdown of moesin by RNA interference resulted in enhanced infection, suggesting that even the endogenous basal levels of moesin in rat fibroblasts are sufficient to limit virus infection. Moesin acts as a crosslinker between plasma membrane and actin filaments, as well as a signal transducer in responses involving cytoskeletal remodeling. Moesin overexpression was found to downregulate the formation of stable microtubules, whereas knockdown of moesin increased stable microtubule formation. A virus-resistant mutant cell line also displayed decreased stable microtubule levels, and virus-sensitive revertants recovered from the mutant line showed restoration of the stable microtubules, suggesting that these cytoskeletal networks play an important role in early post-entry events in the retroviral lifecycle. Together, these results suggest that moesin negatively regulates stable microtubule networks and is a natural determinant of cellular sensitivity to retroviral infection.
Learners and users of English in China

Just how many millions are there? China’s huge English-knowing population of 200–350 million is often cited as evidence of the language being nativized in the world’s most populous country. We may note, however, that the words user and learner are used interchangeably in reference to its speakers of English. When however the focus is on the nativization of English in China, a country in Kachru’s ‘Expanding Circle’ of Englishes, it is imperative to distinguish between users and learners of the language. Kachru points out that institutionalized varieties of English in Outer Circle countries have four functions: the instrumental, the regulative, the interpersonal, and the imaginative/innovative. For English to perform any such functions, there needs to be a large number of proficient bilingual users of the language – which seems not to be the case in China, where English is primarily learned in the classroom as a foreign language. This means that college graduates should have learned the most English, but some constraining factors have prevented the majority of them from obtaining an advanced level of proficiency.
Integral equation solution of heat extraction from a fracture in hot dry rock

In the study of heat extraction by circulating water in a fracture embedded in geothermal reservoir, the heat conduction in the reservoir is typically assumed to be one dimensional and perpendicular to the fracture. In this paper, we demonstrate that by an integral equation formulation utilizing Green's function, the multi-dimensional heat flow in the reservoir can be modelled. In the resulting numerical solution system, the discretization of reservoir geometry is entirely eliminated, leading to a much more efficient scheme. The multi-dimensional heat conduction effect as compared to its one-dimensional simplification is studied. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Individualism and Intellectual Liberty in Tocqueville and Descartes

This paper seeks to clarify Tocqueville's view that a political order premised on the primacy of individual reason over moral authority can be detrimental to genuine intellectual liberty. Beginning with Tocqueville's famous comment that Americans are Cartesians without having read Descartes, I compare Tocqueville's assessment of American intellectual life to Descartes' hopes for future political societies. I describe their disagreement about the effect that moral authority and rational individualism have on the development of the mind and locate its source in two competing theories of mind. This reveals a debate about our human needs with echoes in contemporary political discontent.
Computed Torque Control of a Quaternion Based Space Robot

In this paper, the dynamical model for a two-link space robot is developed utilizing quaternion based rotation operators. The model is simulated and is shown to be free of orientation induced singularities. Furthermore, the limitations of computed torque control for this type of system is examined.
When interpretation masquerades as explanation.

The principal goal of the clinical interpretation (and of the larger clinical narrative) is to bring about insight and change in the patient, and not to present a reasoned argument that relies on public data and shared rules of evidence and logic. When the clinical account is transposed to the public domain and presented as a form of explanation, it is no longer designed for the benefit of one individual but must now be accessible to all. We are still under the shadow of Freud's five famous cases which are literary landmarks of exposition and persuasion. As a result, we are less sensitive to what happens when interpretations are substituted for explanations. The time has come to develop a new genre and a new mode of clinical reporting that would allow the reader to participate in the argument, allow him to evaluate the proposed links between evidence and conclusion (instead of relying on the authority of the analyst-author), and open up the clinical report to the possibilities of refutation, disconfirmati...
An efficient and accurate compact model for thin-oxide-MOSFET intrinsic capacitance considering the finite charge layer thickness

As the gate oxide thickness is vigorously scaled down, quantization-induced charge layer thickness in MOSFETs has to be considered for accurate MOSFET intrinsic capacitance modeling for circuit simulation. We report in this paper an analytical MOSFET intrinsic capacitance model incorporating the concept of charge layer thickness, which was developed based on the self-consistent solution of the Schrodinger and Poisson equations with Fermi-Dirac statistics. The results demonstrate that this model has excellent accuracy and simulation performance.
On the Verifiability of Programs Written in the Feature Language Extensions

High assurance in embedded system software is difficult to attain. Verification relies on testing. The unreliable and costly testing process is made much worse because the software base constantly changes: Adding a feature is by changing the code of other features, and the programs of the features entangle in the same reusable program unit of the programming language. For a large class of applications, including those requiring exception handling, this entanglement problem cannot be solved using existing general purpose programming languages. The Feature Language Extensions (FLX) is a set of language constructs designed to enable the programmer to solve the entanglement problem. It provides language support for assertion based verification. The satisfiability of first order assertions composed of variables defined by FLX can be determined without iterations of trials and errors. An executable FLX program is compiled into a finite state machine even if the state variables are unbounded.
Shaping a City Museum's Future: Developing an Audience-Centered Approach

AbstractFollowing the celebration marking its 150th anniversary year, the Chicago History Museum found itself at a crossroads in envisioning its future. How could it make the city's history—and its oldest cultural institution—relevant in the 21st century? The staff of the museum has been exploring the answer to this and other questions to better understand what it is and what it might become. The results have led the institution to prioritize its audience and to create a culture that strives to know and understand that audience as well as it knows and understands the collection.
Second-best theory and the use of multiple policy instruments

In many cases policy makers employ multiple instruments to address a single environmental problem, but much of the economics literature on instrument choice focuses on comparing properties of single policy instruments. We argue that under a fairly broad set of circumstances the use of multiple policy instruments can be justified as optimal in a second-best world. We examine two broad categories of second-best policy making: cases with multiple market failures only some of which can be corrected at any one time; and cases with exogenous (often political) constraints that cannot be removed. The fact that the use of multiple policy instruments can be justified economically in these two cases does not imply, however, that all multiple instruments employed in actual practice are economically justified.
Biomechanical analysis of Olympic flatwater kayaking and canoeing.

Abstract Slow-motion movies were taken of Olympic-caliber canoe and kayak paddlers over a 9-year period, including filming done during early season regattas in Sweden, Holland, and West Germany in 1971, during the Montreal Olympics of 1976, and during a postseason regatta in Mexico City in 1978. Kinetic and kinematic data were obtained from the films on both world-class and less successful paddlers to determine which measurements would best explain the successes of the champions. The relative motion of the path of the joint centers of the two arms to the boat, the paddle patterns, the absolute motion of the paddle underwater, and the stroke times were the most useful measurements for differentiating between good and poor performances.
ETHNIC DIFFERENCES IN HEALTH KNOWLEDGE AND BEHAVIORS RELATED TO THE PREVENTION AND TREATMENT OF CORONORY HEART DISEASE: THE SAN ANTONIO HEART STUDY

From a public health perspective, Mexican Americans are widely recognized as an understudied population. Available evidence suggests that Mexican Americans shared equally with non-Hispanic Caucasians (Anglo Americans or "Anglos") in the national decline in coronary heart disease (CHD) mortality during 1970-1976. This finding is somewhat unexpected in view of Mexican Americans' relatively lower socioeconomic status, and it suggests that studying this ethnic group may be strategic in understanding which factors have operated to produce the decline in general. Data obtained from a random sample of Mexican Americans and Anglos residing in three socioeconomically and culturally distinct neighborhoods in San Antonio, Texas, indicated that Anglos were significantly more informed than Mexican Americans about CHD prevention and generally reported engaging in more behaviors specifically aimed toward prevention than did Mexican Americans. Levels of knowledge were not particularly high in either ethnic group; moreover, reported behavior lagged considerably behind knowledge. While Mexican Americans were significantly less likely than Anglos to volunteer knowledge about major heart attack symptoms, there were negligible ethnic differences in awareness of the need for prompt utilization of medical treatment resources when a heart attack actually occurs. Awareness of the need for prompt action was notably high among both ethnic groups. Although limitations in the nature and scope of the data dictate that these findings should be interpreted with caution, the results tend to argue in the direction that prompt access to medical treatment when coronary emergencies occur may have made a relatively greater contribution to the CHD mortality decline in both Mexican Americans and Anglos than did changes in life-style. Much additional data are needed, however, before a definitive explanation of the decline will be possible.
Cardiac myosin-binding protein C: A protein once at loose ends finds its regulatory groove.

The cardiac isoform of myosin-binding protein C (cMyBP-C) is a sarcomeric protein that is believed to be a key regulator of myocardial contractility (review in ref. 1). Although cMyBP-C was thought for many years to be a structural scaffold or template for the cardiac thick filament, there is now considerable evidence for its regulatory function. Previous work has demonstrated reversible phosphorylation of cMyBP-C in vivo in amphibian (2) and mammalian (3) myocardium, as well as phosphorylation-dependent binding of the N terminus of cMyBP-C to cardiac myosin (4) or actin (5). Extraction (6), genetic ablation (7), or phosphorylation (8) of cMyBP-C accelerates contraction. The importance of cMyBP-C to normal cardiac function is highlighted by observations that mutations in the protein account for many cases of heritable hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (9) and by evidence that phosphorylation of the protein is cardioprotective in murine models of transient cardiac ischemia (10).
Sample Preparation Composite and Replicate Strategy for Assay of Solid Oral Drug Products

In pharmaceutical analysis, the results of drug product assay testing are used to make decisions regarding the quality, efficacy, and stability of the drug product. In order to make sound risk-based decisions concerning drug product potency, an understanding of the uncertainty of the reportable assay value is required. Utilizing the most restrictive criteria in current regulatory documentation, a maximum variability attributed to method repeatability is defined for a drug product potency assay. A sampling strategy that reduces the repeatability component of the assay variability below this predefined maximum is demonstrated. The sampling strategy consists of determining the number of dosage units (k) to be prepared in a composite sample of which there may be a number of equivalent replicate (r) sample preparations. The variability, as measured by the standard error (SE), of a potency assay consists of several sources such as sample preparation and dosage unit variability. A sampling scheme that increases ...
LES/RANS Simulations of High-Speed Mixing Processes

A large-eddy simulation / Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (LES/RANS) model is applied to three high-speed mixing layers to generate data suitable for evaluating two current RANS models for turbulent mass diffusivity (Xiao, et al., AIAA Journal, Vol. 44, Brinckman, et al., AIAA Journal, Vol. 46). These models solve transport equations for concentration variance and dissipation rate and differ in the constitutive relation for the turbulent mass diffusivity and the form of the evolution equation for the dissipation rate. The predictive capability of the LES/RANS model is assessed through simulations of an air-air mixing-layer experiment due to Barre, and co-workers (Barre, et al., Journal of Fluid Mechanics, Vol. 259). The LES/RANS model provides good predictions of the mean velocity, turbulence intensity, and rms temperature fluctuation throughout the flow field but slightly over-predicts the spreading rate of the mixing layer. Two other LES/RANS data sets, involving the replacement of the lower air stream in the Barre, et al. configuration by an argon stream and a helium stream, are also generated, and all data sets are ‘mined’ to extract turbulent mass diffusivities, concentration variances, and scalar dissipation rates associated with the resolved eddy motion. The results show that the mass diffusivity model of Xiao, et al. provides better agreement with the LES/RANS data. Both models, however, can be optimized to achieve a good match with the exact scalar-variance production rate. An evaluation of the two models for the scalar dissipation rate indicates that both proposals are in good agreement with LES/RANS dissipation values in the fully developed part of the mixing region, but with significant discrepancies present in the near-field mixing region.
The association of early unexplained elevated alanine aminotransferase with large-for-gestational-age birthweight

Background Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease causes hepatic insulin resistance and is associated with metabolic syndrome. Elevated levels of alanine aminotransferase are associated with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. The effect of hepatic insulin resistance is not only increased glycogen breakdown but also liberation of free fatty acids due to increased lipolysis. Both of these fuel sources are associated with macrosomia. There is little known about the impact of maternal nonalcoholic fatty liver disease on excessive fetal growth. Objective The purpose of this study was to investigate the association of early elevated alanine aminotransferase with large-for-gestational-age birthweight. Study Design This is a secondary analysis from a nested case-control study of maternal alanine aminotransferase values measured between 8–18 weeks and subsequent gestational diabetes. We included women with singleton gestations with complete delivery information and without known diabetes, liver disease, or moderate self-reported alcohol use during pregnancy. We used inverse probability weighting to standardize the population and minimize selection bias. We calculated population-based birthweight z scores and defined large for gestational age as ≥90th percentile for gestational age. We compared maternal baseline characteristics with analysis of variance, Fisher exact test, or Wilcoxon rank sum. We then performed conditional logistic regression to evaluate the relationship between alanine aminotransferase and large for gestational age adjusting for maternal age, body mass index, parity, gestational diabetes, smoking, and maternal weight gain. Results We identified 26 cases of large for gestational age out of 323 mother-infant dyads. The mean maternal body mass index was higher in the large-for-gestational-age group compared to controls (33.7 [SD 4.3] vs 28.9 [SD 6.5], P = .002). Large-for-gestational-age babies were less likely to be male (8 [31%] vs 172 [58%], P = .01) and had a higher mean gestational age (39.5 [SD 0.9] vs 38.4 [SD 2.3] weeks, P = .01). Maternal and infant characteristics were otherwise similar. The mean alanine aminotransferase among the large-for-gestational-age cases was 28 (SD 37) U/L compared to 16 (SD 8) U/L for controls. Each unit increase in log-transformed alanine aminotransferase was associated with a 3-fold odds of large for gestational age (adjusted odds ratio, 3.05; 95% confidence interval, 2.27–4.10; P P P = .04, and alanine aminotransferase ≥90th percentile: adjusted odds ratio, 4.21; 95% confidence interval, 1.20–14.82; P = .03). Conclusion Unexplained elevated alanine aminotransferase in the first trimester was associated with a 4-fold increase in the odds of large-for-gestational-age birthweight even in the absence of clinical glucose intolerance. This may represent the impact of maternal nonalcoholic fatty liver on the fetal developmental milieu.
Doppler ultrasonography and endoscopy in gastrointestinal injury with allergic purpura abdominalis

Objective To evaluate the usefulness of abdominal doppler ultrasonography and endoscopy in the diagnosis of gastrointestinal injury in children with purpura abdominalis.Method Abdominal doppler ultrasonography and endoscopy in 126 cases of allergic purpura were analyzed.Results All patients complained of abdominal pain with or without paroxysmal abdominal colics,before or meanwhile or after skin purpura.The symptom was serious,but abdomen physical sign was mild.The ache spot were not localized.Mitis patients had no positive finding in abdominal ultrasonography,but patients with obviously abdominal pain demonstrated single segmental oedema of the injured intestine,serious intussusception,intestinal obstruction and perforation.Endoscopy found mucous membrane had pathological changes in gastrointestinal tract with various degrees of hyperaemia,gedaucjed,dotor plateshaped blood,and multiple ulcers.Conclusion Early abdominal doppler ultrasonography and endoscopy examination had values in diagnosis with allergic purpura abdominalis.
Selection of Cosmetic Surgery Patients: Social and Psychological Considerations

Selection of a patient for cosmetic surgery requires assessment of the candidate’s physical defect in the contex of his emotional state, sociocultural background, motives, and expectations. Criteria for rejection are discussed.
Parallel best-first search: the role of abstraction

To harness modern multicore processors, it is imperative to develop parallel versions of fundamental algorithms. In this paper, we present a general approach to best-first heuristic search in a shared-memory setting. Each thread attempts to expand the most promising nodes. By using abstraction to partition the state space, we detect duplicate states while avoiding lock contention. We allow speculative expansions when necessary to keep threads busy. We identify and fix potential livelock conditions. In an empirical comparison on STRIPS planning, grid pathfinding, and sliding tile puzzle problems using an 8-core machine, we show that A* implemented in our framework yields faster search performance than previous parallel search proposals. We also demonstrate that our approach extends easily to other best-first searches, such as weighted A* and anytime heuristic search.
Retinal and Choroidal Folds in Papilledema.

Purpose To determine the frequency, patterns, associations, and biomechanical implications of retinal and choroidal folds in papilledema due to idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH).
A simple lightning assimilation technique for improving retrospective WRF simulations

Convective rainfall is often a large source of error in retrospective modeling applications. In particular, positive rainfall biases commonly exist during summer months due to overactive convective parameterizations. In this study, lightning assimilation was applied in the Kain-Fritsch (KF) convective scheme to improve retrospective simulations using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model. The assimilation method has a straightforward approach: force KF deep convection where lightning is observed and, optionally, suppress deep convection where lightning is absent. WRF simulations were made with and without lightning assimilation over the continental United States for July 2012, July 2013, and January 2013. The simulations were evaluated against NCEP stage-IV precipitation data and MADIS near-surface meteorological observations. In general, the use of lightning assimilation considerably improves the simulation of summertime rainfall. For example, the July 2012 monthly averaged bias of 6 h accumulated rainfall is reduced from 0.54 to 0.07 mm and the spatial correlation is increased from 0.21 to 0.43 when lightning assimilation is used. Statistical measures of near-surface meteorological variables also are improved. Consistent improvements also are seen for the July 2013 case. These results suggest that this lightning assimilation technique has the potential to substantially improve simulation of warm-season rainfall in retrospective WRF applications.
An observational study of handwashing compliance in a child care facility

Background Handwashing (HW) compliance, although an effective means of limiting childhood illness, remains low among personnel in early childhood centers (ECCs). Our study determined HW compliance and efficacy of ECC personnel. Methods Surveillance cameras were used to determine HW opportunities, compliance, occurrences, and effectiveness based on child-care oriented criteria. Results We observed 349 HW triggering events, with 14 events per hour; a median of 2 personnel (caregivers, paraprofessional aides, or parents) were present at any given time period. Compliance was 30% (caregivers), 11% (paraprofessional aides), and 4% (parents), with an overall compliance of 22%. Between-room and between-age groups of children being cared for and compliance of caregivers and paraprofessional aides were not found to be significantly different ( P Conclusions Methods and strategies need to be developed to increase compliance. Current technology provides an effective means of gathering data for determining HW compliance in ECCs.
Integrated two-dimensional free-space acousto-optics on suspended membranes

We propose and have experimentally demonstrated integrated two-dimensional free-space acousto-optics on suspended membranes. Both the Stokes and anti-Stokes sidebands due to Brillouin frequency shift have been observed in a prototype aluminum nitride device.
Research on impact of prediction error of new energy on power grid based on probabilistic power flow algorithm

Research on evaluation for overload probability, probability-limit and static safety of voltage based on stochastic trend, can be used to discover vulnerabilities in the power grid. Wind power output, load changes, forced outages and generator fault lines and other uncertainties were considered. Random disturbances of large-scale new energy generation accessing the grid concerned, linear Monte Carlo method, probability distribution of node voltages and branch flow were obtained. IEEE-30 node test was taken, impact of large-scale wind power on the voltage limit and flow distribution of grid based on proposed probabilistic power flow algorithm. Results show that: the branch power and node voltage with random fluctuations significantly increased near the wind farm accessing point. The algorithm can reflect the uncertainty and relevance of large-scale new energy accessing to the system, valuable information for power system planning and decision-makers can be provided.
Nonopioid and Adjuvant Analgesics for Acute Pain Management

The goals of therapy for the management of acute pain are to provide optimal analgesia while minimizing adverse effects from therapy. Drug therapy is often the mainstay of acute pain management, and clinicians should consider several factors before initiating analgesics including pain etiology and duration, patient age, comorbidities, potential for adverse outcomes, potential drug interactions, adherence, complexity of the regimen, costs, and patient knowledge of risks of treatment. Drugs used for acute pain management are categorized as nonopioid analgesics (e.g., acetaminophen), adjuvant analgesics (e.g., local anesthetics), and opioid analgesics, and these therapies target select aspects of pain processing. The use of nonopioid and adjuvant analgesics can have beneficial effects for various types of acute pain, and their use may be associated with a reduction in the need for high risk analgesics (e.g., opioids) when initiated as part of a multimodal approach to therapy.
Play It Again, Grandma: Effect of Intergenerational Video Gaming on Family Closeness

Population aging, one of the sturdiest demographic trends of the past few decades, is leaving a substantial mark on the relationships and the structure of family. Three and even four generations are now in a position to spend significant parts of their lives together, making it increasingly important to form and maintain strong bonds among older and younger adults in families. One way to achieve this is through shared activities appealing to both sides of the age spectrum. In this study, we examined the potential of joint video gameplay to build or restore intergenerational family relationships. Participants (n = 183), mainly grandparents and grandchildren, were asked to play video games together over a period of six weeks. Before and after the treatment, participants completed a modified version of the questionnaire on the inclusion of the other in self as the measure of relationship closeness, as well as responded to a series of open-ended questions post-treatment. Results indicate a significant increase in the inclusion of other in the self. A comparison group (n = 88), tasked with having conversations with the same stipulations, yielded considerably less significant results. These findings suggest that video games as a shared activity hold the potential to positively impact family relationships by increasing relationship closeness, and thus improve the lives of both younger and older generation.
A catenated DNA molecule as an intermediate in the replication of the resistance transfer factor R6K in Escherichia coli

Abstract Pulse-labeling of an Escherichia coli strain harboring the resistance transfer factor R6K results in a transient increase in labeled catenated R6K DNA molecules. After a chase the level of labeled catenated DNA molecules is greatly reduced concomitant with a marked increase in labeling of the supercoiled DNA form of R6K. The data presented support a role for the catenated DNA molecule as an intermediate in the replication of the plasmid R6K.
Intravenous mycophenolate mofetil with low-dose oral tacrolimus and steroid induction for live donor liver transplantation.

Objectives Mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) is used in liver transplantation (LTx) to reduce rejection, nephrotoxicity, neurotoxicity, and the need for steroids. Lower trough concentrations and bioavailability have been reported with oral MMF in first week after LTx. These parameters improve after the first month postoperatively. Previously published studies have used oral formulations of MMF. In this study, we sought to examine survival, rejection, and nephrotoxicity rates using IV MMF in live donor liver transplantation (LDLT). Patients and methods Twenty-eight patients (mean age, 50.1 years; 15 men, 13 women) were examined between January 2000 and January 2004 with a mean follow-up of 17 months for survival, rejection, and renal function. Results Four patients died at 2, 5, 8, and 18 months after LDLT from sepsis (n = 3) and recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma (n = 1). There were no retransplants; hence, patient and graft survival rates were the same (82.4%). Three patients (10.7%) experienced acute cellular rejection requiring treatment. The mean serum creatinine level prior to LDLT was 0.9 +/- 0.4 mg/dL, which remained stable throughout the study. One patient required hemodialysis during the perioperative period for 8 days. Conclusions In the current study, we demonstrate a new strategy of IV MMF administration with low-dose tacrolimus that provides for lower rates of acute rejection, better preservation of renal function, and one that is better tolerated compared with historical treatments after LTx.
Sex Differences in Estradiol Secretion by Trigeminal Brainstem Neurons

Estrogen status is a significant risk factor in the development of temporomandibular joint disorders (TMD). Classically, estrogen status is thought to derive mainly from ovarian sources; however, it is well known that estradiol (E2) also is synthesized by neurons in the brain. This study tested the hypothesis that E2 is produced by neurons in trigeminal subnucleus caudalis (Vc), the principal site of termination for sensory afferents that supply the temporomandibular joint (TMJ), to modify evoked responses in a model of TMJ nociception in male and female rats. Intra-TMJ injection of the small fiber excitant, allyl isothiocyanate (AIC), increased the levels of E2 collected from microdialysis probes sites at Vc of ovariectomized (OvX) female rats, ipsilateral to the stimulus, whereas males displayed no change. Dialysate levels of E2 collected from probe sites in the contralateral Vc or cerebellum in OvX rats were not affected by TMJ stimulation. Reverse dialysis of anastrozole, an aromatase (ARO) inhibitor, via the probe reduced perfusate levels of E2 in Vc. Systemic administration of letrozole, a non-steroid ARO inhibitor, for 4 days prevented TMJ-evoked increases in masseter muscle electromyography (MMemg) activity. ARO-positive neurons were distributed mainly in superficial laminae (I-III) at Vc and cell counts revealed no significant difference between OvX and male rats. Intra-TMJ injection of AIC revealed similar numbers of ARO/Fos dual-labeled neurons in OvX and male rats. By contrast, the percentage of ARO neurons co-labeled for glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD), the biosynthetic enzyme for GABA, was greater in OvX (35%) than male rats (14%). Few ARO-positive neurons were co-labeled for estrogen receptor alpha. These data indicate that E2 is secreted continuously by Vc neurons and that acute stimulation of TMJ nociceptors evokes further secretion in a sex-dependent manner. Reduced TMJ-evoked MMemg activity after ARO inhibition suggests that locally produced E2 by Vc neurons acts via paracrine mechanisms to modify TMJ nociception in female rats.
CD32-RNA Co-localizes with HIV-RNA in CD3+ Cells Found within Gut Tissues from Viremic and ART-Suppressed Individuals.

Background: Identifying biomarkers for cells harboring replication-competent HIV is a major research priority. Recently, there have been mixed reports addressing the possibility that CD32-expressing T-cells are enriched for HIV. There is growing evidence that CD32 expression increases with cellular activation that may be related to, but not necessarily specific for, infection with HIV. However, the relationship of CD32 expression to HIV-infection in subtypes of tissue-resident leukocytes is unclear. Methods: First, we used duplex chromogenic in situ hybridization to identify cells actively transcribing RNA for both CD32 and HIV on human gut tissues. Then we performed multiplexed immunofluorescence and in situ hybridization (mIFISH) on sections from the same tissues to determine the phenotype of individual cells co-expressing HIV-RNA and CD32-RNA. Results: HIV-RNA+ cells were more abundant in tissues from viremic individuals compared to those on suppressive anti-retroviral therapy (ART). However, staining by both methods indicated that a higher proportion of HIV-RNA+ cells co-expressed CD32-RNA in ART-suppressed compared to viremic individuals. The majority of HIV-RNA+ cells were CD3+. Conclusions: Our data suggest that the transcription of CD32-RNA is correlated with HIV transcriptional activity in CD3+ cells found within human gut tissue. Whether or not up-regulation of CD32-RNA is a direct result of HIV reactivation or more global T cell activation remains unclear.