cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Towards better understanding of the heparin role in NETosis: feasibility of using native mass spectrometry to monitor interactions of neutrophil elastase with heparin oligomers

Neutrophil elastase is a serine protease released by neutrophils, and its dysregulation has been associated with a variety of debilitating pathologies, most notably cystic fibrosis. This protein is also a prominent component of the so-called neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs), whose formation is a part of the innate immunity response to invading pathogens, but also contributes to a variety of pathologies ranging from autoimmune disorders and inflammation to cancer to thrombotic complications in COVID-19. Retention of neutrophil elastase within NETs is provided by ejected DNA chains, although this protein is also capable of interacting with a range of other endogenous polyanions, such as heparin and heparan sulfate. In this work, we evaluate the feasibility of using native mass spectrometry (MS) as a means of studying interactions of neutrophil elastase with heparin oligomers ranging from structurally homogeneous synthetic pentasaccharide fondaparinux to relatively long (up to twenty saccharide units) and structurally heterogeneous chains produced by partial depolymerization of heparin. The presence of heterogeneous glycan chains on neutrophil elastase and the structural heterogeneity of heparin oligomers render the use of standard MS to study their complexes impractical. However, supplementing MS with limited charge reduction in the gas phase allows meaningful data to be extracted from MS measurements. In contrast to earlier molecular modeling studies where a single heparin-binding site was identified, our work reveals the existence of multiple binding sites, with a single protein molecule being able to accommodate up to three decasaccharides. The measurements also reveal the ability of even relatively short heparin oligomers to bridge two protein molecules, suggesting that characterization of these complexes using native MS can shed light on the structural properties of NETs. Lastly, the use of MS allows the binding preferences of heparin oligomers to neutrophil elastase to be studied with respect to specific structural properties of heparin, such as the level of sulfation (i.e., charge density). All experimental measurements are carried out in parallel with molecular dynamics simulations of the protein/heparin oligomer systems, which are in remarkable agreement with the experimental data and highlight the role of electrostatic interactions as dominant forces governing the formation of these complexes.
Understanding online travel communities: a literature review and future research directions in hospitality and tourism

This study conducts a literature review and thematically synthesizes 71 OTC articles published from 2002 to 2020, primarily from the leading hospitality and tourism journals. The findings reveal fo...
Adiposity and Interstitial Lung Abnormalities in Community-Dwelling Adults: The MESA Cohort Study.

Background Obesity is associated with restrictive ventilatory defects and a faster rate of decline in FVC. This association is not exclusively mediated by mechanical factors and may reflect direct pulmonary injury by adipose-derived mediators. Research Question Is adipose tissue involved in the pathogenesis of interstitial lung disease (ILD)? Study Design and Methods We evaluated the association of CT measures of pericardial, abdominal visceral, and abdominal subcutaneous adipose tissue with high-attenuation areas (HAAs) and interstitial lung abnormalities (ILAs) in a large multicenter cohort study of community-dwelling adults, using multivariable-adjusted models. We secondarily evaluated the association of adipose depot size with FVC and biomarkers of obesity and inflammation. Results In fully adjusted models, every doubling in pericardial adipose tissue volume was associated with a 63.4-unit increase in HAA (95% CI, 55.5-71.3), 20% increased odds of ILA (95% CI, –2% to 50%), and a 5.5% decrease in percent predicted FVC (95% CI, –6.8% to –4.3%). IL-6 levels accounted for 8% of the association between pericardial adipose tissue and HAA. Every doubling in visceral adipose tissue area was associated with a 41.5-unit increase in HAA (95% CI, 28.3-54.7), 30% increased odds of ILA (95% CI, –10% to 80%), and a 5.4% decrease in percent predicted FVC (95% CI, –6.6% to –4.3%). IL-6 and leptin accounted for 17% and 18%, respectively, of the association between visceral adipose tissue and HAA. Interpretation Greater amounts of pericardial and abdominal visceral adipose tissue were associated with CT measures of early lung injury and lower FVC in a cohort of community-dwelling adults. Adipose tissue may represent a modifiable risk factor for ILD.
Patient-Reported Outcomes and Risk of Hospitalization and Readmission in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Diseases.

Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) provide a wholesome view of patient well-being. We conducted a retrospective cohort study to evaluate whether PROMs inform risk of unplanned healthcare utilization in patients with IBD. We identified adult patients with IBD who completed at least two surveys in a large Internet-based cohort within 1 year. We evaluated the association between baseline patient characteristics, disease activity indices, medication use, and PROMs, assessed using NIH Patient-Reported Outcome Measurement Information System (PROMIS) and subsequent risk of incident hospitalization (at time of first follow-up) within 1 year, and readmission within 1 year (in patients with hospitalization at first follow-up), using multivariable logistic regression. Of 7902 patients with IBD (45.5 year, 72% females, 63% Crohn’s disease), 1377 (17.4%) were hospitalized within 1 year. Among PROMs, pain interference (adjusted OR per 5-point increase in PROMIS, 1.09; 95% CI 1.05–1.14), but not depression, anxiety, fatigue or sleep disturbance, was predictive of higher risk of hospitalization. Prior surgery or hospitalization, symptomatic disease, biologic, and corticosteroid use were also associated with higher risk of hospitalization. Of 521 patients hospitalized with IBD, 133 (25.5%) were readmitted within 1 year. Anxiety and pain interference were predictive of higher risk of readmission, whereas depression was associated with lower risk of readmission. In a large Internet-based cohort study, PROMs may have a modest effect on modifying risk of unplanned healthcare utilization in patients with IBD, with pain interference being most consistently associated with increased risk of hospitalization and readmission.
The In Vivo Source of Type I and Type III IFNs is Pathogen Dependent

Type I (-, {beta}) and type III (-{lambda}) interferons (IFNs) are produced in response to virus infection and upregulate a largely overlapping set of IFN stimulated genes which mediate the protective effects of these antiviral cytokines. In vitro studies have demonstrated the redundancy of these two cytokine families which activate the same transcription factor, IFN stimulated gene factor 3 (ISGF3), via distinct ligands and receptors. However, in vivo, these IFN types do have distinct functions based on receptor distribution, but also ligand availability. Using a newly generated IFN-{lambda} reporter mouse strain we have observed that both type I and type III IFNs are produced in response to respiratory tract infection by Newcastle disease virus (NDV) and influenza A virus (IAV). In the case of NDV these IFNs are synthesized by different cell types. Type I IFNs are produced primarily by alveolar macrophages, type III IFNs are made only by epithelial cells, and production of either is dependent on MAVS. While epithelial cells of the respiratory tract represent the primary target of IAV infection, we found that they did not significantly contribute to IFN-{lambda} production, and IFN-{lambda} protein levels were largely unaffected in the absence of MAVS. Instead we found that pDCs, a cell type known for robust IFN- production via TLR/MyD88 signaling, were the major producers of IFN-{lambda} during IAV infection, with pDC depletion during influenza infection resulting in significantly reduced levels of both IFN- and IFN-{lambda}. In addition, we were able to demonstrate that pDCs rely on type I IFN for optimal IFN-{lambda} production. These studies therefore demonstrate that the in vivo producers of Type III IFNs in response to respiratory virus infection are pathogen dependent, a finding which may explain the varying levels of cytokine production induced by different viral pathogens.
Pediatric Autologous Islet Transplantation.

A total pancreatectomy and islet autotransplant (TPIAT) offers substantial pain relief and improved quality of life for children who are severely affected by chronic or recurrent acute pancreatitis and for whom the usual medical and endoscopic therapies have failed. The pancreas is entirely resected, and the pancreatic islets are isolated from the pancreas and infused back into the patient’s liver. Because this is an autologous transplant, no immunosuppression is required. Over several months, the islets engraft in the liver; the patient is then slowly weaned off insulin therapy. Slightly more than 40 % of patients become and remain insulin independent, yet even among patients who remain on insulin, most have some islet function, permitting easier diabetes control. The majority of patients experience pain relief, with significant improvements in health-related quality of life. A TPIAT should be considered for children who are significantly disabled by chronic pancreatitis.
Appropriate scientific research and brain drain: A simple model

Abstract Following the appropriate products (or technology) literature, we decompose research into a high-income characteristic and a low-income characteristic; these will be called high-income type research and low-income type research, respectively. Assuming individuals act so as to maximize their expected income levels, an upward bias in the social value of high-income type research creates a loss of allocative efficiency in human resources which parallels the case of an inappropriate product. Moreover, the upward bias may also induce more scholars to remain abroad; a more serious brain drain problem is thus created. Thus, a developing country should not impart by policy an upward bias to high-income type research. An intentional upward bias, which is expected to attract more returning scholars, may turn out to make the situation worse. Not only is much of the research effort misdirected, but more scholars may in fact choose to remain abroad.
XOR based on an InP/InGaAs light amplifying optical switch (LAOS)

An optoelectronic circuit that implements the XOR logic function is presented. The light amplifying optical switch (LAOS) device is used as a building block to realize the minterms AB~ and BA~ required for the XOR function. These minterm circuits were monolithically integrated on an InP/InGaAs wafer grown by gas source molecular beam epitaxy and tested on a probe stand. The functionality of the minterm circuit is demonstrated. Load line analysis shows that transistors with unmatched gain characteristics can yield high ON/OFF contrast ratio when transistors are integrated with the lower gain transistor driving the parallel combination of a LAOS device and a higher gain transistor. >
Hale-Bopp: What Makes a Big Comet Different? Coma Dynamics: Observations and Theory

Comet Hale—Bopp was the largest comet by almost any definition, observed at least since the advent of modern observing techniques. In a more typical comet both the chemical and dynamical influences of collisional processes are limited by the short time a parcel of gas sublimated from the nucleus remains in the dense part of the coma. The resulting large size of the collisional coma in comet Hale—Bopp had important consequences on the dynamics of the coma, which in turn has important consequences on how observations are interpreted with standard models. Measured velocities of typical gas species (mostly the observed radicals) as well as dust were larger than normal comets. Conversely, velocities of superthermal atomic hydrogen were smaller than normal because of the same collisional processes. Furthermore, as a consequence, dust particles, which are dragged by the outflowing gas, were also accelerated to larger velocities. Such larger velocities are not simply an interesting curiosity in their own right, because nearly all observations of dust and gas are interpreted with models of the coma that depend directly on some measurement or assumption with regard to velocity. In this presentation both observations and theory regarding the dynamical conditions in the coma of comet Hale—Bopp are summarized.
Valuation and Management of Tropical Forests

This paper develops a framework for the valuation and management of tropical forests that reflects their ecological and economic characteristics. The analysis demonstrates the importance of modeling the feasible use patterns and the information structure in tropical forest management decisions. The model predicts that cases exist where the foresighted management of forests leads to more preservation than the traditional expected value approach. An application in Thailand provides evidence that such cases occur in relevant ranges of benefit flows. The model focuses tropical forest management on assessments of sustainability and feasible sequences in light of uncertainty and information flows.
The assessment of children's social skills through self-report: A potential screening instrument for classroom use.

The Children's Self-Report Social Skills Scale (CS4), a 21-item instrument, was developed to measure children's perspectives on their own social skills. Test—retest reliability and internal consist...
Area-Preserving Maps

Area-preserving maps provide the simplest and most accurate means to visualize and quantify the behavior of conservative systems with two degrees of freedom. Such maps can be iterated on even the smallest computers with great accuracy, and provide beautiful pictures of the mechanisms at play during the transition to chaos. The class of area-preserving maps we will study in this chapter are the so-called twist maps. When an integrable twist map is rendered nonintegrable by a small perturbation, resonance can occur and degenerate lines of fixed points in the integrable map are changed to finite chains of alternating hyperbolic and elliptic fixed points surrounded by nonlinear resonance zones. As the strength of the perturbation is increased, the resonance zones grow, and can overlap and form a chaotic sea.
Investigating the Apathy toward Applied Sociology

The number of students either majoring in or enrolling for applied sociology degrees at the undergraduate level is small. This paper investigates two questions spurred by this dilemma: what factors have led to a proportionately low number of students majoring in applied sociology? And what steps can applied sociologists take to increase student interest in applied sociology as a major? A review of literature around the problem indicates that sociology may be invisible to the general public, including many college-bound students, and what can be seen of the sociological world portrays an image that does not appeal to that student “market.” Research conducted through e-mail-based questionnaires sent to sociology students and department heads reinforces the notion that the sociological community is failing to act cohesively and reveals a few potential steps applied sociologists could take to help their recruitment efforts.
Sprouting of dopaminergic fibers from spared mesencephalic dopamine neurons in the unilateral partial lesioned rat.

A unilateral partially lesioned rat model of Parkinson's disease was developed following selective lesioning of the dopamine neurons of the substantia nigra pars compacta by stereotactic injection of the neurotoxin 6-hydroxydopamine. In this animal model the dopamine neurons of the ventral tegmental area and medial substantia nigra are spared. The neuronal loss in such partial lesioned models mimics more closely that seen in human mid-stage parkinsonism. Cografts of adrenal medullary cells and sciatic nerve to the partially lesioned striatum induced a sprouting response in grafted animals that was confirmed by immunocytochemical staining with antibodies to tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and by quantification of the high affinity dopamine uptake complex using [3H]GBR 12935 binding. Enhanced TH fiber immunostaining was evident even in the presence of poor cograft survival. The origin of the TH-like immunostained fibers in the striatum was determined using Lucifer yellow retrograde axonal transport. Following discrete tracer injections into the striatum adjacent to a cograft, neurons in the medial substantia nigra and ventral tegmental area (areas A9 and A10, respectively) were labelled with Lucifer yellow. These labelled neurons displayed a morphology characteristics of dopamine neurons and, in double-labelling experiements, also immunostained for TH. These results support the utility of unilateral partially lesioned rat models of Parkinson's disease for studies investigating a host sprouting or upregulation response and confirm that the immunostained striatal fibers originate from spared dopamine neurons in the ventromedial midbrain.
TU-B-204C-01: Breast Specific Gamma Imaging

Molecular Breast Imaging is a new modality for diagnosing breast cancer. Screening Mammography has vastly improved over the last 30 years, but radiologists still miss 10% of breast cancers especially in women with dense breast tissue. The use of breast ultrasound and breast MRI has definitely helped radiologists to detect additional cases of breast cancer and to evaluate the extent of breast cancer. There now is a new different test that can be used to solve difficult or confusing cases. It also is an excellent test when MRI is not feasible or available. It is a nuclear medicine test that analyzes cellular activity. Since cancer cells are usually more active than normal cells, they usually will absorb more of the radioactive isotope producing a black (hot spot) on the image. This lecture will explain the underlying physics of the procedure and the technique in using the machine. Examples of real cases will be used to demonstrate how this new test fits in with the more traditional methods of breast cancer detection. Learning Objectives: 1. Understanding the physics behind Molecular Breast Imaging. 2. Understanding the clinical applications of this test. 3. Understanding how this test fits in with Mammography, Breast Ultrasound and Breast MRI.
Fruits of the tree: resources on Shaker art

Purpose – Provides students, scholars, and interested parties an introductory essay and selected bibliography of recent resources on the art and material culture of the Shakers, a communitarian religious group who lived in the United States from the 18th to 21st centuries.Design/methodology/approach – Introduces and annotates periodical articles, monographs, and exhibition catalogues examining Shaker art and material culture dating from 1987 to the present.Findings – Provides information about each source, discusses the characteristics of current scholarship on Shaker art, and describes sources that contain unique scholarly contributions and quality reproductions of well and lesser known Shaker objects.Practical implications – Provides a point of departure for an exploration of Shaker studies, focusing on the art and material culture of the Shakers, and highlights important sources within the growing body of literature on the Shakers.Originality/value – As the only recent annotated bibliography of materia...
Metal Ion Dependence of Recombinant Escherichia coli Allantoinase

Allantoinase is a suspected dinuclear metalloenzyme that catalyzes the hydrolytic cleavage of the five-member ring of allantoin (5-ureidohydantoin) to form allantoic acid. Recombinant Escherichia coli allantoinase purified from overproducing cultures amended with 2.5 mM zinc, 1 mM cobalt, or 1 mM nickel ions was found to possess ∼1.4 Zn, 0.0 Co, 0.0 Ni, and 0.4 Fe; 0.1 Zn, 1.0 Co, 0.0 Ni, and 0.2 Fe; and 0.0 Zn, 0.0 Co, 0.6 Ni, and 0.1 Fe per subunit, respectively, whereas protein obtained from nonamended cultures contains near stoichiometric levels of iron. We conclude that allantoinase is incompletely activated in the recombinant cells, perhaps due to an insufficiency of a needed accessory protein. Enzyme isolated from nonsupplemented cultures possesses very low activity (kcat = 34.7 min−1) compared to the zinc-, cobalt-, and nickel-containing forms of allantoinase (kcat values of 5,000 and 28,200 min−1 and 200 min−1, respectively). These rates and corresponding Km values (17.0, 19.5, and 80 mM, respectively) are significantly greater than those that have been reported previously. Absorbance spectroscopy of the cobalt species reveals a band centered at 570 nm consistent with five-coordinate geometry. Dithiothreitol is a competitive inhibitor of the enzyme, with significant Ki differences for the zinc and cobalt species (237 and 795 μM, respectively). Circular dichroism spectroscopy revealed that the zinc enzyme utilizes only the S isomer of allantoin, whereas the cobalt allantoinase prefers the S isomer, but also hydrolyzes the R isomer at about 1/10 the rate. This is the first report for metal content of allantoinase from any source.
Two-sided edge responses of avian communities in an urban landscape

Impacts of habitat edges on wildlife populations have received considerable attention, yet few researchers have quantified changes in animal community structure on both sides of an interface between distinct habitats. To gain a better understanding of the ways in which species-specific responses scale up to produce community patterns across habitat boundaries, we examined the response of avian communities to forest-suburb edges in northeastern Illinois, USA. We surveyed bird assemblages using replicated point-transects (n = 21) that crossed boundaries between remnant forest patches and suburban residential areas in order to compare differences in community composition, species distributions, and densities. Forest and suburban bird communities were distinct, and community composition changed with distance-from-edge in forests but not suburbs. Abundances of many species that were common in the forest increased with distance-from-edge in the forest, whereas numbers of common species in the suburbs were largely unaffected by distance-from-edge. Using a new metric that we termed “tolerance,” we found many forest species avoided the edge and suburbs, and suburban species were present near the edge but did not venture far into forest. Overall, distance to the forest-suburb boundary was more influential in structuring avian communities in the forest. Some species of conservation concern crossed edges into the suburbs, suggesting that management activities may improve suburban biodiversity. Many other imperiled forest species, however, will only be retained in urban environments through the protection of forest interior habitat.
Elevated α-2-serum proteins as a possible genetic marker in spontaneous hereditary diabetes mellitus of the chinese hamster (cricetulus griseus)

Bei chinesischen Hamstern aus Inzuchten mit erblicher Zuckerkrankheit wurden erhohte Serum-α-2-Eiweisswerte konstatiert. Die Erhohung erfolgt vor Auftreten der Hyperglykamie oder Blutgefass- und anderen sekundaren pathologischen Veranderungen. Es wird gefolgert, dass die Eiweisserhohung gen-bedingt ist und wahrscheinlich chemisch abnormales Eiweiss betrifft.
Bolstering an Illusory Majority: The Effects of the Media's Portrayal of Death Penalty Support

Objective. Researchers have found a distinct difference between expressed supportfor the death penalty (which garners a majority of Americans) and expressed preference for the death penalty over other sentences (which attracts only a minority). Despite the strength of this finding in academic circles, the media tend to cover the death penalty as if it were indisputably favored by a majority of Americans. This article tests the effect of this disparity in coverage. Methods. Using an experimental design, respondents were placed in three groups: Condition 1 read a typical media portrayal depicting widespread support for the death penalty, Condition 2 read a realistic portrayal of the mix of preferences for the death penalty and an alternative sentence, and Condition 3 (the control group) read an article unrelated to the death penalty. Results. Compared to the control group and Condition 1, those who read a more realistic account of public opinion on the death penalty (Condition 2) were less supportive of capital punishment, more likely to think death penalty opponents would talk comfortably about their position, and believed the death penalty would become less prevalent in the future. Conclusions. These findings suggest that the unrealistic media portrayal of public opinion on the death penalty is bolstering a sense of inevitability about the issue.
Effects of neonatal (+)-methamphetamine on path integration and spatial learning in rats: Effects of dose and rearing conditions

Abstract Postnatal day (P)11–20 (+)-methamphetamine (MA) treatment impairs spatial learning and reference memory in the Morris water maze, but has marginal effects on learning in a labyrinthine maze. A subsequent experiment showed that MA treatment on P11–15, but not P16–20, is sufficient to induce Morris maze deficits. Here we tested the effects of P11–15 MA treatment under two different rearing conditions on Morris maze performance and path integration learning in the Cincinnati water maze in which distal cues were unavailable by using infrared illumination. Littermates were treated with 0, 10, 15, 20, or 25 mg/kg MA × 4/day (2 h intervals). Half the litters were reared under standard housing conditions and half under partial enrichment by adding stainless steel enclosures. All MA groups showed impaired Cincinnati water maze performance with no significant effects of rearing condition. In the Morris maze, the MA-25 group showed impaired spatial acquisition, reversal, and small platform learning. Enrichment significantly improved Morris maze acquisition in all groups but did not interact with treatment. The male MA-25 group was also impaired on probe trial performance after acquisition and on small platform trials. A narrow window of MA treatment (P11–15) induces impaired path integration learning irrespective of dose within the range tested but impairments in spatial learning are dependent on dose. The results demonstrate that a narrower exposure window (5 days) changes the long-term effects of MA treatment compared to longer exposures (10 days).
Climatic warming and the degradation of warm permafrost

Permafrost—a widespread constituent of the terrestrial environment—by definition is dependent upon the ambient temperature for its existence and properties. Thus, it is very sensitive to climatic changes. Simple relations based upon conductive heat transfer, with thawing and geothermal heat flow, are presented to predict the transient effects of surface temperature increases on the thermal state of permafrost. The results indicate that, based on the usual global warming scenarios, relatively small amounts of permafrost will disappear within 50–100 years. This is specifically shown for the most thermally sensitive cases, that is, warm or relict permafrost. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
DETERMINATION OF MOLECULAR ORIENTATION OF MONOLAYER ADSORBATES BY OPTICAL SECOND-HARMONIC GENERATION

Optical second-harmonic generation has been used to deduce the average arrangement and orientation of $p$-nitrobenzoic acid molecules adsorbed at air-silica and ethanol-silica interfaces. An adsorption isotherm for the liquid-solid interface has also been obtained.
Development of square nozzles for supersonic low-disturbance wind tunnels

Two Mach 2.4 nozzles with square test sections have been designed and analyzed, as part of an effort to develop low-disturbance facilities for laminar-flow control for high-speed civil transport. The mean flows have been simulated using a finite volume, central-differencing scheme to solve the thin-layer NavierStokes equations. Substantial crossflow exists in the boundary layers of both nozzles. The crossflow changes direction about halfway between the throat and exit, because of a change in the sign of the crossflow pressure gradient. S-shaped crossflow profiles are present in this region, just as on a swept wing. Both the standard crossflow Reynolds number and the new Reed and Haynes transition estimator predict transition to occur in the throat as well as near the exit. An analysis of the crossflow pressure gradients in the transonic throat region indicates that streamwise curvature has only a weak effect on the crossflow pressure gradient. Further research on crossflow-induced transition will have to be carried out before these nozzles will be suitable for low Mach number quiet-tunnel designs.
Magnetic-Field Dependence of Radio-Frequency Flux Penetration in Type-II Superconductors

The magnetic-field dependence of the penetration of radio-frequency fields has been measured in type-II superconductors. We discuss information obtained concerning the mixed state, the superconducting surface sheath, and superconducting cylindrical thin films. Some of the results, such as structure near ${H}_{c2}$, are interpreted in terms of vortex motion and effects of the sheath. Results pertaining to the sheath are compared with the calculations of Fink and Kessinger and of Maki. Other results in the mixed state are related to surface impedance calculations of Maki and of Caroli and Maki, based on the microscopic theory. Penetration depth measurements in the films agree better with a naive model than with Pincus's theory.
An overview and general results of the Lopez island OBS experiment

The purpose of the experiment was to determine the effects of coupling and bottom currents on ocean bottom seismometers. Twelve operational OBSs, three specially designed three-component systems, and a hydrophone were compared with each other. Unlike seismometers placed on hard rock at land stations, ocean bottom seismometers can be affected by soft sediments (which act as lossy mechanical springs) and by buoyancy. Coupling through soft sediments can modify the response to ground motion much as a low pass filter does, and high buoyancy tends to counteract this effect. These effects are observed in the Lopez data, which consist of signals from mechanical transient tests, cap shots, airgun pulses, and general background noise. The modification of response is pronounced for some instruments and barely noticeable in others. Instruments that stand high in the water relative to their base width tend to be susceptible to rocking motion that shows up as a mechanical cross coupling between horizontal and vertical motion. Correlation of Lopez results with coupling theory suggests that it is possible to design ocean bottom seismometers that will couple well to any sediment. Current levels at the Lopez site (<5 cm s-1) were too small to produce noticeable effect on any of the instruments; however, the same design criteria that will minimize coupling problems will also lessen problems caused by ocean currents.
Driving patterns and medical conditions in older women

OBJECTIVES: To describe driving patterns (e.g., driving frequency) in older women drivers and to evaluate the impact of medical conditions and comorbidity on driving patterns. DESIGN: Cross-sectional examination of the association between medical conditions and driving patterns. SETTING: Population-based cohort from the Pittsburgh Center of the Study of Osteoporotic Fractures (SOF). PARTICIPANTS: A total of 1768 women aged 71 years or older. MAIN MEASUREMENTS: Driving information was obtained through a driving questionnaire, including driving status, weekly mileage, longest trip in the past year, etc. Data for demographics, lifestyle behavior, and medical conditions were collected through the SOF study. RESULTS: Among the participants, 1103 (62.3%) were current drivers, 337 (19.1%) had stopped driving, and 329 (18.6%) had never driven in their lifetime. The proportion reporting driving cessation and decline in driving amount increased with age. The prevalence of most medical conditions was higher among former drivers than in current or never drivers. Even after controlling for age and other demographic variables, fractures, heart disease, diabetes, self-reported poor vision or hearing, as well as comorbidity were found to be associated independently with decreased driving amount, including driving cessation, decline in mileage, and avoiding long trips. CONCLUSION: Both individual medical conditions and comorbidity influence driving patterns in older drivers. Because it is common for older people to have several medical conditions simultaneously, comorbidity might be a more comprehensive measure of medical impact on driving.
The effect of the brain-type natriuretic peptide single-nucleotide polymorphism rs198389 on test characteristics of common assays.

OBJECTIVE: To assess in a US general adult population the ef- fect of the functional single-nucleotide polymorphism rs198389 in the promoter region of the gene of brain-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) on 3 commonly used BNP assays, clinical phenotype, dis- ease prevalence, overall survival, and diagnostic test characteris- tics of BNP as a biomarker. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We genotyped for rs198389 in a random sample of the general population (aged ≥45 years; n=1970; en- rolled between June 1, 1997, and September 30, 2000) from Olm- sted County, Minnesota. Patients were characterized biochemical- ly, clinically, echocardiographically, and regarding BNP molecular forms (2 assays for BNP and 1 assay for amino-terminal proBNP). Median follow-up was 9 years. RESULTS: Genotype frequencies were in Hardy-Weinberg equilib- rium (P=.98): TT genotype, n=645 (32.7%); TC genotype, n=983 (49.9%); and CC genotype, n=342 (17.4%). The C allele indepen- dently predicted higher BNP forms (P<.001 for all assays). Geno- types did not differ with regard to clinical and echocardiographic phenotype or overall survival. When previously reported genotype- unadjusted cut points for the detection of left ventricular ejection fraction less than or equal to 40% (n=37 (1.9%)) and less than or equal to 50% (n=116 (6.0%)) were used, sensitivity generally increased with the number of C alleles, whereas specificity de- creased, both on average by more than 10% for the TT vs CC genotype. CONCLUSION: The C allele of rs198389 is common in the general US population and is associated with higher concentrations of BNP molecular forms but not with cardiovascular phenotype or survival. The C allele confounds the test characteristics of com- monly used assays.
Retrieving documents by plausible inference: a priliminary study

Choosing an appropriate document representation and search strategy for document retrieval has been largely guided by achieving good average performance instead of optimizing the results for each individual query. A model of retrieval based on plausible inference gives us a different perspective and suggests that techniques should be found for combining multiple sources of evidence (or search strategies) into an overall assessment of a document's relevance, rather than attempting to pick a single strategy. In this paper, we explain our approach to plausible inference for retrieval and describe some preliminary experiments designed to test this approach. The experiments use a spreading activation search to implement the plausible inference process. The results show that significant effectiveness improvements are possible using this approach.
Ordering Traces Logically to Identify Lateness in Message Passing Programs

Event traces are valuable for understanding the behavior of parallel programs. However, automatically analyzing a large parallel trace is difficult, especially without a specific objective. We aid this endeavor by extracting a trace’s logical structure , an ordering of trace events derived from happened-before relationships, while taking into account developer intent. Using this structure, we can calculate an operation’s delay relative to its peers on other processes. The logical structure also serves as a platform for comparing and clustering processes as well as highlighting communication patterns in a trace visualization. We present an algorithm for determining this idealized logical structure from traces of message passing programs, and we develop metrics to quantify delays and differences among processes. We implement our techniques in Ravel, a parallel trace visualization tool that displays both logical and physical timelines. Rather than showing the duration of each operation, we display where delays begin and end, and how they propagate. We apply our approach to the traces of several message passing applications, demonstrating the accuracy of our extracted structure and its utility in analyzing these codes.
Computational modeling of the plastic-damage behavior of porous MAX phase with aligned ellipsoid-like pores under uniaxial compression

Abstract The mechanical properties of porous MAX phase, namely porous Ti 2 AlC with aligned ellipsoid-like pores is studied in this study. Micromechanics based representative element volume (RVE) and finite element (FE) method are adopted in modeling porous Ti 2 AlC. A damage-plasticity coupled constitutive model considering different tensile and compressive behaviors is used in modeling the inelastic behavior of porous Ti 2 AlC under uniaxial compression. The effects of porosity volume fraction and pore size on elastic moduli and compressive behavior of the porous Ti 2 AlC systems are investigated. Numerical results show that unlike typical porous ceramic, porous Ti 2 AlC behaves like a quasi-brittle material under uniaxial compression, and the damage of porous Ti 2 AlC is mainly driven by localized tensile failure.
Quantitative driving rain exposure on a vertical wall at various Canadian cities

Abstract The quantitative driving rain exposure for 15 important Canadian cities is derived by making use of the climatological data recorded at local meteorological stations. The driving rain parameters, namely, precipitation, intensity, impact frequency and impact duration, provide both long term and short term characteristics of local driving rain exposure on a vertical surface. These driving rain parameters are useful to designers in designing tight building envelopes against rain penetration. A realistic driving rain exposure test environment can be simulated by making use of these quantitative results for evaluating the performance of the building envelope.
Factors influencing the preparation of mullite coatings from metal chloride mixtures in CO2 and H2

Abstract The preparation of mullite coatings through chemical vapor deposition (CVD) from mixtures of silicon tetrachloride, aluminum trichloride, carbon dioxide, and hydrogen is addressed in this study. The results of past experimental studies on the kinetics of this deposition system and the predictions of a mathematical model that involves detailed homogeneous and heterogeneous chemistry mechanisms for the codeposition process are used to identify operating conditions where deposition of coatings consisting of mullite or alumina-rich mullite is possible. Deposition experiments are carried out in a hot-wall reactor using as substrates both small thin plates and refractory wires traversing the centerline of the reactor. Results are presented on the dependence of the film composition in silica and alumina on temperature, pressure, and residence time of the reactive mixture in the reactor. The results showed that the alumina content of the deposits increased towards the entrance of the reactor, exceeding in many cases the value that corresponds to stoichiometric mullite. The microstructure and surface morphology of the deposit depended strongly on the operating conditions. In general, the deposition of material having the composition of mullite (2SiO 2 ·3Al 2 O 3 ) or alumina-rich mullite was found to be favored by low operating pressures, high Si : Al feed ratios, and low residence times in the CVD reactor.
Minimally invasive insertion of syringosubarachnoid shunt for posttraumatic syringomyelia: technical case report.

OBJECTIVE: Symptomatic posttraumatic syringomyelia affects up to 10% of patients with spinal cord injuries and manifests in a delayed manner as progressive sensorimotor changes below the level of the syrinx. Syrinx shunting, and in particular syringosubarachnoid shunting (SSAS), provides neurological improvement or stabilization in at least 50% of these patients. Given the debilitated condition of many of these patients, a minimally invasive approach to the insertion of these devices is desirable. We provide the first report of an SSAS inserted in a minimally invasive fashion through a tubular retractor. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A 27-year-old woman presented 4 years after C6 to C7 fracture dislocation and incomplete spinal cord injury with increasing pain and spasticity below the midthoracic region. Magnetic resonance imaging scan revealed a midthoracic syrinx that had enlarged on serial imaging. SSAS was inserted using a minimally invasive technique via the X-Tube retractor (Medtronic Sofamor Danek, Memphis, TN). Through a 2.5-cm incision, hemilaminotomy was performed, and a midline durotomy and myelotomy were opened for SSAS insertion under microscopic visualization. RESULTS: Intraoperative ultrasonography revealed successful syrinx decompression after SSAS insertion. The operative time was 150 minutes and estimated blood loss was less than 100 mL. The patient was mobilized on post-operative Day 1 and was discharged 38.5 hours after surgery with resolution of her preoperative symptoms. Postoperative magnetic resonance imaging scan revealed excellent decompression of the syrinx, and through 1 year of follow-up, the patient has had no recurrence of her syrinx-related symptoms. CONCLUSION: This is the first report of minimal-access insertion of an SSAS. The minimally invasive technique appears to be a safe and effective means of implanting an SSAS. This approach allows for diminished blood loss and early mobilization and transfer to rehabilitation units for these patients.
A population of sexual Daphnia pulex resists invasion by asexual clones

Asexual reproduction avoids the costs associated with sex, predicting that invading asexual clones can quickly replace sexual populations. Daphnia pulex populations in the Great Lakes area are predominately asexual, but the elimination of sexual populations by invading clones is poorly understood. Asexual clones were detected at low frequency in one rare sexual population in 1995, with some increase in frequency during 2003 and 2004. However, these clones remained at low frequency during further yearly sampling (2005–2013) with no evidence that the resident sexual population was in danger of elimination. There was evidence for hybridization between rare males produced by asexual clones and sexual females with the potential to produce new asexual genotypes and spread the genetic factors for asexuality. In a short-term laboratory competition experiment, the two most common asexual clones did not increase in frequency relative to a genetically diverse sexual population due in part to a greater investment in diapausing eggs that trades-off current population growth for increased contribution to the egg bank. Our results suggest that a successful invasion can be prolonged, requiring a combination of clonal genotypes with high fitness, persistence of clones in the egg bank and negative factors affecting the sexual population such as inbreeding depression resulting from population bottlenecks.
Predicting the structure of protein complexes: a step in the right direction

In a blind test of protein-docking algorithms, six groups used different methods to predict the structure of a protein complex. All six predicted structures were close enough to the experimental complex to be useful; nevertheless, several important details of the experimental complex were missed or only partially predicted.
Image feature selection by a genetic algorithm: application to classification of mass and normal breast tissue.

We investigated a new approach to feature selection, and demonstrated its application in the task of differentiating regions of interest (ROIs) on mammograms as either mass or normal tissue. The classifier included a genetic algorithm (GA) for image feature selection, and a linear discriminant classifier or a backpropagation neural network (BPN) for formulation of the classifier outputs. The GA‐based feature selection was guided by higher probabilities of survival for fitter combinations of features, where the fitness measure was the area A z under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. We studied the effect of different GA parameters on classification accuracy, and compared the results to those obtained with stepwise feature selection. The data set used in this study consisted of 168 ROIs containing biopsy‐proven masses and 504 ROIs containing normal tissue. From each ROI, a total of 587 features were extracted, of which 572 were texture features and 15 were morphological features. The GA was trained and tested with several different partitionings of the ROIs into training and testing sets. With the best combination of the GA parameters, the average test A z value using a linear discriminant classifier reached 0.90, as compared to 0.89 for stepwise feature selection. Test A z values with a BPN classifier and a more limited feature pool were 0.90 with GA‐based feature selection, and 0.89 for stepwise feature selection. The use of a GA in tailoring classifiers with specific design characteristics was also discussed. This study indicates that a GA can provide versatility in the design of linear or nonlinear classifiers without a trade‐off in the effectiveness of the selected features.
THE HELPING PROCESS IN GROUP THERAPY: A REVIEW AND DISCUSSION

The essential activity of group therapy consists of members taking an interest in each other by asking questions, showing concern, and conveying understanding. When members have not done this it has often been taken as a sign of “resistance.” A review of the research on helping suggests that there are four social factors that affect assistance giving in groups: 1) ambiguity-often people fail to give help because they are uncertain about who should give it, what should be done, and how it should be done; 2) often help is not given because of the way in which problems are presented; 3) the social comparisons that individuals make affect help-giving; and 4) there are costs associated with providing assistance. This discussion suggests that leaders can facilitate interaction among group members as teachers who clarify and as indirect helpers who redirect concerns back to group members.
R-Domination in Graphs

The problem of finding a minimum k-basis of graph G is that of selecting as small a set B of vertices as possible such that every vertex of G is at distance k or less from some vertex in B. Cockayne, Goodman, and Hedetniemi previously developed a linear algorithm to find a minimum 1-basis (a minimum dominating set) when G is a tree. In this paper the k-basis problem is placed in a more general setting, and a linear algorithm is presented that solves the problem for any forest.