cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A generalized matching pursuit approach for graph-structured sparsity

Sparsity-constrained optimization is an important and challenging problem that has wide applicability in data mining, machine learning, and statistics. In this paper, we focus on sparsity-constrained optimization in cases where the cost function is a general nonlinear function and, in particular, the sparsity constraint is defined by a graph-structured sparsity model. Existing methods explore this problem in the context of sparse estimation in linear models. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first work to present an efficient approximation algorithm, namely, GRAPH-structured Matching Pursuit (GRAPH-MP), to optimize a general nonlinear function subject to graph-structured constraints. We prove that our algorithm enjoys the strong guarantees analogous to those designed for linear models in terms of convergence rate and approximation accuracy. As a case study, we specialize GRAPHMP to optimize a number of well-known graph scan statistic models for the connected subgraph detection task, and empirical evidence demonstrates that our general algorithm performs superior over state-of-the-art methods that are designed specifically for the task of connected subgraph detection.
Teaching Globalization in Sociology Courses: Improving Awareness of Multiculturalism

AbstractThis study offers emerging conceptual and pedagogical issues in teaching globalization and multiculturalism in sociology courses of university in the Midwest context. While this study delineates the overall issues of teaching globalization and multiculturalism in sociology, discussion will be focused on the multi-stage class activities for globalization (MUSCAG) and the importance of improving awareness of cultural diversity and multiculturalism as a class organization and topic in introduction to sociology course. The MUSCAG demonstrated an effectiveness in enhancing students’ awareness of globalization and multiculturalism and exhibiting practical and various ways of thinking. It is also found that the effectiveness of MUSCAG hinges on implementing the technique in such a way as to encourage students to utilize geographical and sociological imagination.
Cognitive research in zoos

Many zoos are committed to conservation efforts and answering applied questions about veterinary care and welfare. It is less common, however, for basic science to be conducted in zoos. Comparative cognitive research run in zoos is gaining momentum, with more zoos becoming involved and a greater diversity of species being studied. The majority of cognitive research in zoos is conducted with primates, bears, and elephants. There is less cognitive research run with other species, in particular birds, reptiles and insects, or with zoo visitors. Given the number and variety of animals they house, zoos offer a unique forum to expand the taxonomic focus of cognitive research, especially via multi-institutional collaborations, whilst creating an opportunity to foster public engagement with research.
A simple and cost effective method for preparing FL and LG solutions.

Abstract Purpose The purpose of this study was to develop a clinically feasible method for obtaining dye concentrations of 2% fluorescein (FL) and 1% lissamine green (LG) by soaking commercially available dye impregnated strips in saline. Methods Calibration curves were established to related known concentrations of dye to prepared FL fluorescence and LG absorbance. To determine the optimum number of dye strips and soaking times (preliminary testing), 1, 2, 3 FL or LG strips were soaked in 200 μl commercially available saline for 0.5, 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 min, using calibration curves to determine FL and LG concentrations. The best combination of number of dye strips and soaking time was soaking 3FL and 3LG strips for 5 min and these were finally tested in 2 ml centrifuge tubes, selected for ease of use in a clinical setting. Results Preliminary testing indicated that soaking 3 FL or 3 LG strips for 5 min in saline yielded an average (±standard deviation) of 2.0 ± 0.000% FL and 0.93 ± 0.010% LG. Final testing of FL in centrifuge tubes (strips soaked for 3–15 min) yielded an average of 1.99 ± 0.040% FL, with no significant difference among time periods or dye lots tested. However, LG showed more variable results with an average of 0.80 ± 0.160% LG (5–15 min), with significant differences among dye lots and times (2-way ANOVA, p Conclusions This simple, reliable and relatively inexpensive method involves soaking 3 FL or LG strips in saline solution, yielding concentrations close to the 2%FL and 1%LG recommended for clinical trials, although LG showed more variability.
Clinical and electrophysiological properties of atrial tachycardia after pediatric heart transplantation.

Background Pediatric heart transplant recipients are at an elevated risk for development of atrial tachycardia (AT); however, the underlying mechanisms and long-term outcomes are unclear. Objective We hypothesized that occurrence of AT in pediatric heart transplant recipients would be associated with a higher frequency of adverse events during follow-up. Methods A single-center retrospective review of all pediatric heart transplant recipients with suspected AT between 1997 and 2017 was performed. Unaffected controls were matched with cases for age and transplant era. Clinical characteristics and long-term outcomes were compared between groups. Results Of 294 heart transplant recipients, 13 with AT at electrophysiology study (4.4%) were identified and compared with 29 controls. The most common mechanism was focal (11), followed by atrial flutter (two), and electrical reconnection of a surgical atrial anastomosis (two). Focal AT was only observed in the right atrium or atrial septum, and was frequently found on or near the crista terminalis. Relative to controls, cases exhibited more frequent clinical evidence of rejection (9/13 vs 10/29, P = 0.037). For patients with AT, there was a higher rate of death/retransplant among cases (log-rank P = 0.022), which remained significant in multivariate analysis. Conclusion In this cohort, the most common form of AT after pediatric heart transplantation was focal, with predilection for sites near the crista terminalis. Transplant patients with AT experienced a higher rate of clinical rejection and the composite end-point of retransplantation or death relative to unaffected controls.
An accusation of murder in new orleans and the media response.

A review of the case of a physician accused of euthanizing four patients following Hurricane Katrina and the state attorney's unethical conduct in releasing information to the media. Virtual Mentor is a monthly bioethics journal published by the American Medical Association.
Mass distribution of fission products following photofission of uranium-238

The mass-yield distribution of fission products following photofission of /sup 238/U using bremsstrahlung energies of 22, 24, and 28 MeV were measured by radiochemically isolating the fission products belonging to 24 mass chains. The absolute activities of these nuclides were determined by BETA - and gamma counting techniques, and the cumulative fission yields were calculated relative to /sup 140/Ba. The peak-to-valley ratio was found to be effectively constant; thus, the average photon-energy-inducing fission is essentially equal for all three energies studied. The fission yields in the mass region from 130 to 140 were examined for evidence of fine structure around A = 132 or A = 133. Although there were some deviations in this region from a smooth curve,'' it did not yield conclusive evidence for fine structure. Finally, to set the slope of the heavy wing of the mass yield curves, cumulative fission yields of mass chains in the rare-earth region (in addition to others) were measured. (5 figures, 2 tables) (auth)
Report of Committee on Dynamics of Streams, 1937-38

Although the field of activity assigned to the Committee on Dynamics of Streams has been confined largely to potomology, the work: is so broad in scope that the activities of many other committees in the fields of hydraulics and geophysics border closely on those of this Committee. Much interest has developed in stream-dynamics and related fields since the time of the original formation of the Committee on Dynamics of Streams in the spring of 1932. In presenting its annual reports this Committee has followed the custom of presenting a fairly comprehensive review of the literature pertaining to stream-dynamics in alternate years, although it is not intended that this precedent should be closely adhered to. It happens that at this Convention reports are being presented of other committees whose activities largely come within the scope of or are closely related to those of the Committee on Dynamics of Streams. These include particularly the report of the Special Committee on Flood-Waves, the report of the Advisory Committee on Soil-Conservation Research, and the progress-report of the National Research Council's Interdivisional Committee on Density-Currents. These three investigational groups are confining their attention to more narrowly defined fields. They have shown evidence of considerable progress and have stimulated a great amount of interest in their respective fields.
Diagnostic yield of the SharkCore EUS-guided fine-needle biopsy.

Introduction Endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) is the standard diagnostic procedure for many intrathoracic and intra-abdominal lesions. Next-generation fine-needle biopsies (FNBs) can increase diagnostic yield by procuring tissue suitable for histological processing. We evaluate the diagnostic yield and operating characteristics of the SharkCore (SC; Medtronic Corp., Minneapolis, MN) FNB in a tertiary referral facility. Materials and methods We performed a single-center retrospective review of SC-FNB–acquired tissue between January 2014 and March 2018. Patient demographic data, endoscopic features, and pathology data were obtained from the electronic medical record. Diagnostic yield was assessed by the ability to obtain a definitive diagnosis, defined as malignant or benign interpretations. Operating characteristics were also calculated. Results A total of 179 lesions were sampled with the SC-FNB in 157 patients (mean age: 63 years, 57% male). Of these, 31 lesions were concomitantly sampled with a conventional FNA needle. Most lesions were pancreatic (49%). Diagnostic yield was 86%, which was independent of lesion location, lesion size and needle gauge. Diagnostic accuracy was highest when both histology and cytology specimens were analyzed concurrently (96.5%). In patients with a history of chronic pancreatitis, accuracy, sensitivity, and negative predictive value were reduced (71.4%, 20.0%, and 69.2%, respectively). Rapid onsite evaluation (ROSE) occurred in 64.8% of cases and was more likely to be diagnostic at the time of rapid evaluation if SC-acquired tissue was utilized versus FNA-acquired tissue (P = 0.03); however, final diagnostic yield did not differ between needles (P = 0.13). Conclusions SC-FNB shows high diagnostic yield and accuracy and provides diagnostic tissue for ROSE. SC-FNB is an effective alternative to conventional FNA.
Effects of additional feed during late gestation on reproductive performance of sows: a cooperative study.

A cooperative research study involving 1,080 litters was conducted at eight stations to determine the effects of additional feed during the last 23 d of gestation on reproductive performance of sows and on preweaning performance of their pigs. Primiparous and multiparous sows were fed fortified corn- or sorghum-soybean meal diets (14% crude protein). Control sows received 1.82 kg/d from March through November and 2.27 kg/d from December through February. Treated sows were fed an additional 1.36 kg of feed/d from d 90 of gestation to farrowing. Sows were allowed to consume the same diet ad libitum during a 21-d lactation. Additional feed in late gestation resulted in greater (P less than .001) sow weight gain from d 90 to d 110 of gestation (16.8 vs 9.0 kg) and greater (P less than .001) parturition-lactation weight loss (21.3 vs 16.4 kg). Total weight gain from breeding to 21 d of lactation favored sows that received extra feed (27.5 vs 22.7 kg; P less than .001). Sows receiving extra feed had more live pigs at farrowing (10.05 vs 9.71, P = .06) and at 21 d postpartum (8.35 vs 8.06, P = .09), and the pigs were heavier at birth (1.48 vs 1.44 kg, P = .003) and at 21 d (5.37 vs 5.20 kg, P = .006). Lactation feed intake and number of days from weaning to estrus were not affected by treatment. The results indicate that additional feed in late gestation improves reproductive performance in sows. In this study, the cost of an additional 31 kg of feed/sow was more than offset by the value of the additional sow weight gain (approximately 5 kg), the additional .3 of a pig/litter at weaning and the additional 2.6 kg of total litter weaning weight.
Risk of Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease Among US Adults: Use of 1999-2014 NHANES Data

One in four deaths in the US is caused by cardiovascular disease (CVD), and early detection may be a key aspect of prevention. We assessed the probability of a first hard atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) event within 10 years in US Non-Hispanic White and African American population aged 40–79 years. With data from 16 years of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), we utilized the 2013 Pooled Cohort Equations developed by the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association to calculate risk scores for a representative sample. NHANES is a repeated, cross-sectional survey aimed at assessing the health and nutritional status of the country. Out of 17,087 eligible participants, a sample of 1876 (11%) remained for the analysis after excluding participants missing data required to compute the scores. Our results showed that 25.2% of the sample had a greater than 10% risk of contracting ASCVD within 10 years, and we also found sex-, race-, and age-based disparities. The ASCVD risk scores can thus be used to evaluate the general cardiac health of the population. Results showed that a quarter of the US adult population was at risk to contract ASCVD in the next 10 years, indicating the need for targeted preventative measures. With the aging population and rise in obesity rates, these results may also indicate trend continuation of high CVD-related morbidity and mortality.
Suppressing Gate Voltage Oscillation in Paralleled SiC MOSFETs for HEV/EV Traction Inverter Application

This paper investigates the gate voltage (V gs ) oscillation of paralleled SiC MOSFETs during fast switching transient. Based on the study, the paper proposes to add the coupled inductance and/or the additional path on Kelvin source of paralleled MOSFETs to suppress the amplitude of gate voltage oscillation. The paper considers 1-in-1 and 2-in-1 power modules, and devices with on-chip current sense, which are used in many HEV/EV (Hybrid Electric Vehicle/Electric Vehicle) traction inverters. Since the proposed methods only require the modifications on the low power signal circuit instead of the high power circuit, they are easy to be implemented with small volume and weight, low power consumption, and low cost, which are required by automotive application.
Differential Feeding Responses of Several Bee Species to Sugar Sources Containing Iridomyrmecin, an Argentine Ant Trail Pheromone Component

Pollinators such as bees need reliable access to nectar resources. However, competition for these carbohydrate rewards can be high among floral visitors. Moreover, invasive insects may further restrict pollinator access to flowers. For example, invasive Argentine ants (Linepithema humile) are known to harass and displace pollinators from flowers and reduce nectar reward acquisition. The foraging behavior of bees is strongly influenced by numerous chemical cues and signals at the flower. Thus, to avoid aggressive floral visitors, bees may use chemical cues when deciding whether or not they forage on the flower. Here, we demonstrate that Argentine ants deposit a pygidial gland chemical, iridomyrmecin, on a sugar source while feeding. Based on two-choice laboratory assays conducted with three commercially available bee species, the presence of iridomyrmecin in the sugar resource influenced the foraging decisions of Megachile rotundata and Osmia lignaria, but not those of Apis mellifera. Detailed insights into the chemical signals left by ants at floral resources and their effects on foraging decisions by pollinators can provide vital information for understanding the magnitude and mechanisms of impacts invasive ant species might have on pollinators.
Kyunghee Pyun and Aida Yuen Wong, eds, Fashion, Identity and Power in Modern Asia.

In an era of rapid social transformation, technological change and imperialism, choices of dress and consumption took on deeply political significance. The political dimensions of clothing, deploye...
A comparison of successful versus failed nonoperative treatment approaches in patients with degenerative conditions of the lumbar spine

Abstract Identifying an optimal composition of nonoperative therapies to trial in patients suffering from degenerative lumbar spine conditions prior to surgical management remains challenging. Contrasting successful versus failed nonoperative treatment approaches may provide clinicians with valuable insight. The purpose of this study was to compare the nonoperative therapy regimens in degenerative lumbar spine disorder patients successfully managed conservatively versus patients who failed primary treatment and opted for lumbar fusion surgery. Clinical records from patients diagnosed with lumbar stenosis or spondylolisthesis from 2007 to 2017 were gathered from a comprehensive insurance database. Patients were separated into two cohorts: patients managed successfully with nonoperative therapies and patients who failed conservative therapy and underwent lumbar fusion surgery. Nonoperative therapy utilization by the two cohorts were collected across a 2-year surveillance window. A total of 531,980 adult patients with lumbar stenosis or spondylolisthesis comprised the base population. There were 523,031 patients (98.3%) successfully treated with conservative management alone, while 8,949 patients (1.7%) ultimately failed nonoperative management and opted for lumbar fusion. Conservative therapy failure rates were especially high in patients with a smoking history (2.1%) and those utilizing lumbar epidural steroid injections (LESIs) (3.7%). A greater percentage of patients who failed conservative management utilized opioid medications (p
The utility of climatic water balance for ecological inference depends on vegetation physiology assumptions

BACKGROUND: In explaining and predicting spatial vegetation patterns, ecologists have increasingly favoured the use of climatic water balance variables, including actual evapotranspiration (AET) and climatic water deficit (CWD), for representing the hydrologic and energetic environment experienced by plants. Much of the interest in these variables lies in their hypothesized potential to characterize biologically relevant environmental variation more directly than simple climate variables, such as precipitation and temperature. Practically, obtaining AET and CWD values across space requires hydrologic process models that involve assumptions, including assumptions about vegetation transpiration rates. However, transpiration parameter values are rarely known with precision and can vary several‐fold within and among vegetation types. APPROACH: We evaluate the extent to which assumptions about vegetation physiology in water balance models affect (a) relative spatial variation in modelled water balance values and (b) ecological inferences that are derived from analyses using water balance variables. We demonstrate an approach for identifying inferences that are robust to these assumptions. RESULTS: Assumptions about vegetation physiology can substantially affect relative spatial variation in modelled water balance values. More importantly, such assumptions can also substantially affect the inferences (e.g., expected vegetation distributions) drawn from ecological analyses that use water balance variables as predictors. Water balance variables are less sensitive to assumptions in environmental settings with abundant water supply, where AET variation is driven primarily by available energy (e.g., temperature and insolation), but they can be highly sensitive to assumptions in drier environments. CONCLUSION: Because of their sensitivity to assumptions, water balance variables are not unambiguously superior to simpler climatic and topographic variables, such as precipitation and temperature. However, they retain some advantages, primarily related to their mechanistic incorporation of interactions between water and energy, which may support their use in applications where sensitivity to hydrologic modelling assumptions is low or of minor concern.
Choroidal malignant melanoma masquerading as orbital cellulitis

A 65-year-old male presented with worsening periorbital pain, edema, and erythema refractory to outpatient oral antibiotics. Ophthalmologic evaluation revealed right-sided no light perception visua...
Activity settings, content, and pedagogical strategies in preschool classrooms: Do these influence the interactions we observe?

Abstract In light of weaker than expected associations between individual early childhood education (ECE) classroom quality measures and children's learning observed in the literature, we evaluate the associations between two different perspectives on assessing preschool classroom processes: quality ratings and counts of activity groupings, learning content, and pedagogical approaches experienced by children in the classroom. The study poses that it is feasible that teachers’ planning of programming and timing in classroom activities, content, and teaching and learning strategies may define the context in which higher or lower quality interactions then develop. Using two observational measures of process quality, the Classroom Assessment Scoring System - CLASS (ratings) and the EduSnap Classroom Observation (counts), this paper explores patterns that emerge across ratings and counts in a large, predominantly low-income sample that includes classrooms in New Jersey and Philadelphia. We find more time in choice, literacy, and math and less time in whole group and transitions are associated with higher quality ratings in classrooms. The counts measure also revealed a consistent absence of metacognitive practices across all classrooms regardless of quality ratings. These results suggest that process quality may be dependent on teachers’ decisions on how to structure the day and which content areas to focus on. To this extent, the results suggest that the ECE field should explore measures of quality and classroom process that account for the content and frequency of classroom activities. Supporting teacher practice may involve working not only on supporting their interactions with children, but also on how they plan the day and decide on content and the types of strategies that support children's learning. The results also indicate that rating protocols on classroom interactions may need to better account for how activities and content may delimit differences in quality observed.
Time is domain: factors affecting primary fascial closure after trauma and non-trauma damage control laparotomy (data from the EAST SLEEP-TIME multicenter registry).

Damage control laparotomy (DCL) is used for both traumatic and non-traumatic indications. Failure to achieve primary fascial closure (PFC) in a timely fashion has been associated with complications including sepsis, fistula, and mortality. We sought to identify factors associated with time to PFC in a multicenter retrospective cohort. We reviewed retrospective data from 15 centers in the EAST SLEEP-TIME registry, including age, comorbidities (Charlson Comorbidity Index [CCI]), small and large bowel resection, bowel discontinuity, vascular procedures, retained packs, number of re-laparotomies, net fluid balance after 24 h, trauma, and time to first takeback in 12-h increments to identify key factors associated with time to PFC. In total, 368 patients (71.2% trauma, of which 50.6% were penetrating, median ISS 25 [16, 34], with median Apache II score 15 [11, 22] in non-trauma) were in the cohort. Of these, 92.9% of patients achieved PFC at 60.8 ± 72.0 h after 1.6 ± 1.2 re-laparotomies. Each additional re-laparotomy reduced the odds of PFC by 91.5% (95%CI 88.2–93.9%, p 48 h. Trauma patients had increased likelihood of PFC in two separate analyses (p = 0.022 and 0.002). Time to re-laparotomy ≤ 24 h and minimizing number of re-laparotomies are highly predictive of rapid achievement of PFC in patients after trauma- and non-trauma DCL. 2B.
Three-Port Multilevel Converter for Hourly Dispatching Solar PV Power with Battery Energy Storage System

This study investigates a dispatching scheme of megawatt-scale solar PV power for a one-hour dispatching period for an entire day utilizing an isolated multiport converter configuration and battery energy storage system. A multilevel triple active bridge (TAB) dc-dc converter has been proposed where a neutral-point-clamped (NPC) H-bridge is employed in the high-voltage side, and the conventional two-level full-bridge is configured in the low-voltage side across the high-frequency transformer. The power losses between the proposed TAB-NPC converter and conventional TAB converter are compared to identify the superior multiport converter topology for this application. The converter loss analysis is conducted using the parameter values of the switching devices in the MATLAB/SIMULINK environment, and the proposed TAB-NPC converter is found to exhibit better performance than the conventional TAB for megawatt-scale grid-connected PV arrays. Furthermore, the curve fitting and Particle Swarm Optimization techniques are implemented to seek the optimum value of depth of discharge for the battery energy storage system taking into account both the cycling and calendar expenses. A fuzzy inference system as a function of the battery state of charge is also developed to accurately estimate the grid reference power for each one-hour dispatching period, which helps to develop a cost-effective energy storage system for hourly dispatching PV power scheme.
Document Ontology Discovery Tool

Concept taxonomy is an integral part of a classification system, however, it is not sufficient for instantiating a knowledge base to train an automated classifier. The complete knowledge base requires an ontology, a set of instances, and functions that instantiate concepts and relations. Accordingly, the document classifier, a system for classifying concepts (topics) contained in text documents, may be trained from a properly organized collection of topic descriptions. Given a repository of diverse documents, the problem is how to translate human objectives into an organized set of exemplars. In this paper, we describe a document ontology discovery tool for constructing knowledge bases. The user interacts with a repository indexed by latent semantic indexing and models the ontology presented as a hierarchy of topics. Automatically generated concept taxonomies produce results not only comparable with other clustering techniques but in addition, provide meaningful topic descriptions necessary for human-computer interaction in ontology modeling.
Improving efficiency of electronic health records: longitudinal dashboard design for post-kidney transplant pediatric patients

The purpose of EHR systems is to attain greater universal access to patient medical information, enhance communication, and improve documentation efficiency. The main motivation for this project was to engage in a high-risk, high-reward initiative to enhance the use of the EHR system within the pediatric clinics at the University of Virginia Medical Center. The specific initiative of this project was to create a single-screen longitudinal dashboard that supported clinical decisionmaking using both textual and graphical information for post-kidney transplant patients in the Pediatric Nephrology Clinic. This dashboard and process of development could be used as a proof-of-concept for other clinics with long-term patients. Observations and interviews were conducted with nine clinicians and two EHR builders. User requirements were categorized by development effort and priority. Many high priority requirements were not met by the existing EHR system. Due to limitations of the EHR system, a single-screen solution was deemed infeasible. Elements of the planned longitudinal dashboard had to be divided into two parts: qualitative and quantitative. Testing was conducted to evaluate changes in usability and efficiency by comparing the existing version of the EHR to the new release of the EHR, which included a two-screen dashboard solution. The results showed high standard deviations in task completion. Given the infeasibility of implementing the single-screen dashboard, multiple mockups of an ideal single-screen solution were also created and evaluated with stakeholders. The stakeholders were in agreement that further iterations and implementation of this ideal dashboard would be the next steps for the project.
Lower bounds on the minimum pseudoweight of linear codes

This paper discusses the two techniques for obtaining lower bounds on the (AWGN channel) pseudo-weight of binary linear codes. Whereas the first bound is based on the largest and second-largest eigenvalues of a matrix associated with the parity-check matrix of a code, the second bound is given by the solution to a linear program.
Benchmarking and Competitor Analysis

This article reviews the purposes and processes for HR benchmarking. It answers the why, what, and how of Benchmarking. Keywords: benchmarking; human resources; competitor analysis; productivty
In vivo generation of an adenylylcyclase isoform with a half-molecule motif.

A truncated form of adenylylcyclase (type V-alpha) has been cloned from a cardiac cDNA library. It constitutes a half-molecule of type V adenylylcyclase diverging at the end of the first cytoplasmic loop. Northern blotting study has revealed the presence of such a mRNA species (approximately 3.5 kilobases in size) in the heart. Genomic sequence analysis has revealed that type V-alpha is generated via usage of a polyadenylation signal located within an intronic sequence of type V adenylylcyclase gene. When type V-alpha is co-expressed with an artificially generated half-molecule constituting the latter half of type V adenylylcyclase, the catalytic activity in transfected cell membranes is significantly higher than that of controls. However, when either alone is overexpressed, no significant increase in catalytic activity results. These results indicate that a half-molecule of adenylylcyclase, i.e. a protein containing six-transmembrane spans followed by a single cytoplasmic domain, can be generated in vivo, but catalytic activity is lacking unless heterodimerization can occur. This finding identifies another potential mechanism for generating diversity within this enzyme family.
Infections with Organisms Producing Extended-Spectrum β-Lactamase

Extended-spectrum Β-lactamases (ESBL) are enzymes produced by a variety of Gram-negative bacilli, which confer reduced susceptibility to third-generation cephalosporins and aztreonam. Resistance to other antibiotic classes (such as aminoglycosides or fluoroquinolones) is also frequently observed in ESBL-producing organisms. Outbreaks of hospital-acquired infection with ESBL-producing organisms were recognized more than 20 years ago. Acquisition in nursing homes and other health care facilities was also noted. In more recent times, community-onset infections, sometimes in patients without health care contact, have been widely observed. The origins of community-acquired infection with ESBL-producing organisms is an area deserving much future study.
DASlab: The Data Systems Laboratory at Harvard SEAS

DASlab is a new laboratory at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS). The lab was formed in January 2014 when Stratos Idreos joined Harvard SEAS. DASlab curently consists of 3 PhD students, 1 postdoctoral researcher and 9 undergraduate researchers while it is set to double its graduate student population in the next one to two years. The lab is part of a growing community of systems and computer science researchers at Harvard; computer science faculty is scheduled to grow by 50% in the next few year.The main focus of DASlab is on designing data systems that (a) make it easy to extract knowledge out of increasingly diverse and growing data sets and (b) can stand the test of time.
Cytogenetics and Breeding of Forage Crops

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the cytogenetics and breeding forage plants, bluegrasses, timothy, orchardgrass, brome grasses, ryegrasses and fescues, southern grasses, prairie grasses, sudan grass, alfalfa, red clover, white clover, sweet clover, and miscellaneous legumes. The recent research in cytogenetics of forage species has advanced, particularly in the fields of polyploidy, apomixis, and sterility. Many of the results have been translated directly into breeding operations, so that as the limits of improvement through simple selection are reached the techniques probably will be available for many specialized breeding procedures. Basic knowledge is still needed in many lines; however, since the forage crops, as a group, present an array of complex problems unequalled in most other crops.
Using dynamic contrast‐enhanced MRI to quantitatively characterize maternal vascular organization in the primate placenta

Purpose The maternal microvasculature of the primate placenta is organized into 10–20 perfusion domains that are functionally optimized to facilitate nutrient exchange to support fetal growth. This study describes a dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging method for identifying vascular domains and quantifying maternal blood flow in them. Methods A rhesus macaque on the 133rd day of pregnancy (G133, term = 165 days) underwent Doppler ultrasound procedures, dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging and Cesarean-section delivery. Serial T1-weighted images acquired throughout intravenous injection of a contrast reagent bolus were analyzed to obtain contrast reagent arrival time maps of the placenta. Results Watershed segmentation of the arrival time map identified 16 perfusion domains. The number and location of these domains corresponded to anatomical cotyledonary units observed following delivery. Analysis of the contrast reagent wave front through each perfusion domain enabled determination of volumetric flow, which ranged from 9.03 to 44.9 mL/s (25.2 ± 10.3 mL/s). These estimates are supported by Doppler ultrasound results. Conclusions The dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging analysis described here provides quantitative estimates of the number of maternal perfusion domains in a primate placenta and estimates flow within each domain. Anticipated extensions of this technique are to the study placental function in non-human primate models of obstetric complications. Magn Reson Med 73:1570–1578, 2015. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The effect of substitutional nitrogen incorporation on electron emission from CVD diamond

Nitrogen-doped CVD diamond films with varying substitutional nitrogen content were prepared. Relatively large amounts of substitutional nitrogen were successfully incorporated into the growing diamond without degrading the quality of the diamond when melamine (C/sub 3/H/sub 6/N/sub 6/) was used as a dopant precursor. It was found that substitutional nitrogen doping has a negligible effect on the electron emission properties of the CVD diamond films. Field emission characteristics from diamond powder coated emitters were also investigated. The effect of substitutional nitrogen incorporation on field emission from diamond is discussed.
The modeling of hematite reduction with hydrogen plus carbon monoxide mixtures: Part I. The behavior of single pellets

On the assumption of shrinking core behavior, a mathematical model was developed for representing the reduction of hematite disks with a mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide. In the model, experimentally measured values were used for the porosity, and the effective pore diffusivities were calculated from pseudo binary formulas. Literature data were used for the activation energies of the reactions, while the preexponential factors were obtained by data fitting. The model was found to provide a good means for representing experimental measurements of Szekely and El-Tawil (1976), both with regards to the effect of temperature and gas composition.
Human lactoferrin proteolytic activity: analysis of the cleaved region in the IgA protease of Haemophilus influenzae.

Abstract Human lactoferrin proteolytically cleaves and inactivates two colonization factors of non-typable Haemophilus influenzae , the IgA protease precursor protein (Iga), and Hap, the non-pilus adhesin by which microoganisms adhere to host epithelial cells and form microcolonies. Iga and Hap are homologous proteins that are members of the autotransporter family of secreted proteins expressed by gram-negative bacteria. Studies of Iga cleaved by lactoferrin, reported here, show that proteolysis occurred within the helper region of Iga (Iga β ) domain which anchors the autotransporter within the Haemophilus outer membrane. The amino-terminus of the extracted Iga protein was not modified. The location of the proteolytic active site in human lactoferrin is under study. Lactoferrin proteolysis may attenuate pathogenicity of H. influenzae , an important cause of otitis media.
Theophylline neurotoxicity resulting in significant unilateral brain-damage.

SUMMARY A case of theophylline neurotoxicity in a three-month-old infant is reported. Prolonged focal seizures with secondary generalization resulted in hemiparesis and developmental retardation, and CT demonstrated cerebral hemiatrophy. Later the infant developed recurrent focal and atonic convulsions, which were refractory to multiple anticonvulsants. Possible etiological factors. especially the pharmacological mechanisms by which theophylline can produce focal convulsions and result in brain damage, are discussed. RESUME Neurotoxicite de la theophylline responsahle d' une lesion cerebrale unilaterale significative L'article rapporte un cas de neurotoxicite de la theophylline chez un nourrisson de trois mois. Des crises comitiales focales prolongees, secondairement genealisees provoquerent une hemiparesie et un retard de developpement; le scanner demontra l' existence d'une hemiatrophie cerebrale. Plus tard, le nourrisson presenta des crises convulsives recidivantes focales et atoniques, resistant a de multiples anticomitiaux. Les facteurs etiologiques possibles, particulierement les mecanismes pharmacologiques par lesquels la theophylline peut produire des convulsions focales et entrainer une lesion cerebrale sont discutes. ZUSAMMENFASSUNG Theophyllin Neurotoxizitat als Ursache fur einen signifikanten einseitigen Hirnschaden Es wird uber einen drei Monate alten Saugling mit einer Theophyllin Neurotoxizitat berichtet. Anhaltende fokale Krampfanfalle mit sekundarer Generalisation fuhrten zu einer Hemiparese und Entwicklungsverzogerung und das CT zeigte eine cerebrale Hemiatrophie. Spater entwickelte das Kind recurrente fokale und atonische Krampfe, die durch die verschiedensten Antikonvulsiva nicht zu beeinflussen waren. Die moglichen aetiologischen Faktoren und besonders die pharmakologischen Mechanismen, aufgrund derer Theophyllin fokale Krampfanfalle hervorrufen und einen Hirnschaden verursachen kann, werden diskutiert. RESUMEN Neurotoxicidad teofilinica con el resultado de una lesion cerebral unilateral significativa Se describe un caso de neurotoxicidad teofilinica en un lactante de tres meses de edad. Unas convulsiones focales prolongadas con generalizacion secundaria, dieron lugar a una hemiparesia y a un retraso en el desarrollo, y la TAC demostro una hemiatrofia cerebral. Mas tarde el nino desarrollo convulsiones recurrentes focales y atonicas, refractarias a multiples anticomiciales. Se discuten 10s posibles factores etiologicos. especialmente 10s mecanismos farmacologicos por 10s que la teofilina puede producir convulsiones focales y dar lugar a una lesion cerebral
COHORT CHANGE, DIFFUSION, AND SUPPORT FOR ENVIRONMENTAL SPENDING IN THE UNITED STATES.

Long-standing debates over the effect of socioeconomic status (SES) on environmental concern contrast postmaterialist and affluence arguments, suggesting a positive relationship in high-income nations, with counterarguments for a negative or near zero relationship. A diffusion-of-innovations approach adapts parts of both arguments and predicts initial adoption of proenvironmental views by high-SES groups; however, environmentalism diffuses over time to other SES groups, weakening the association. This argument is tested with General Social Survey data (1973–2008) across 83 cohorts, whose attitudes before, during, and after the emergence of environmentalism identify long-term changes in environmental concern. Multilevel age, period, and cohort models support diffusion arguments by demonstrating that the effects across cohorts of education, income, and occupational prestige first strengthen, then weaken. This finding suggests that diffusion of environmental concern first produces positive relationships cons...
Delirium Associated With Baclofen Withdrawal: A Review of Common Presentations and Management Strategies

The authors reviewed 23 published cases of psychiatric symptoms in association with baclofen withdrawal. Delirium, and not other functional psychiatric conditions, arose secondarily from abrupt baclofen cessation. Vulnerability to baclofen-withdrawal delirium appeared to be greater in individuals who received chronic baclofen therapy. Baclofen-withdrawal delirium can be difficult to distinguish from delirium of other etiologies, and unrecognized and inadequately treated baclofen-withdrawal delirium is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Complete resolution of delirium symptoms was possible with reinstatement of baclofen. The clinical management of patients experiencing baclofen-withdrawal delirium includes supportive interventions to reduce complications of delirium until symptoms resolve.
The effect of pressure on the dissociation of boric acid and sodium borate ion pairs at 25°C

A high pressure UV-visible spectrophotometer was used to determine the dissociation constant of boric acid using an indicator technique. The measurements were made at 25°C and at ionic strengths of 0.1 and 1.0m over a pressure range of 1 to 2000 atm. Extrapolation to I=0 gave a thermodynamic dissociation constant of 5.16×10−10 at 1 atm. The pressure dependence yielded a partial molal volume change of −28.9 and −31.8 cm3-mol−1 and a compressibility change of −3.1 and −4.8×10−3 cm3-mol−1-atm−1 for the dissociation at I=0.1 and 1.0m, respectively. The association constant for the formation of the sodium borate ion pair was determined by comparing the acid constants in tetramethylammonium chloride to those in sodium chloride solutions. Extrapolation to I=0 yielded a KA for [NaB(OH)4] of 0.64 at 1 atm. The pressure dependence of KA gave $$\Delta \overline V ^o = 8.39 {\text{cm}}^{\text{3}} {\text{ - mol}}^{{\text{ - 1}}} $$ and $$\Delta \overline K ^o = 1.6 \times 10^{ - 3} {\text{cm}}^{\text{3}} {\text{ - mol}}^{{\text{ - 1}}} - atm^{ - 1} $$ for the formation of the ion pair.
The effects of using fear in public aids education on the behaviour of homosexually active men

AIDS Education is a wide ranging term which can embrace a number of different strategies to promote sexual behaviour change. This paper compares the behaviour of male homosexually active volunteers in two countries; one group being exposed to a fear based public education campaign (the Australian Grim Reaper Public AlDS Campaign, n = 771, the other group being either exposed to a variety of gay sensitive, sexually positive material or allocated to a control group (in New Zealand, n = 159). At base-line, approximately 75% of both samples reporting engaging exclusively in safer sex behaviour. At follow-up, while the percentage of those practicing safer sex behaviour significantly increased to 83% in those exposed to the gay sensitive material and control, The prevalence of safer sex among those who experienced the fear based program, decreased dramatically to 47%. These findings, supported by previous research on the effects of fear, highlight the dangers of using fear based programs on the behaviour of tho...
Pancreatic islets in older patients with cystic fibrosis with and without diabetes mellitus: morphometric and immunocytologic studies.

Forty patients with cystic fibrosis (CF), including 34 who died above age 10 years without having developed clinical diabetes mellitus and 6 who died with both cystic fibrosis and diabetes mellitus, were studied. The mean age of the female patients with CF but not diabetes was 15.8± 5.6 years; of males without diabetes, 17.2± 6.4 years; of female patients with CF and diabetes mellitus, 20.2± 6.9 years; and of males with CF and diabetes, 21.3± 6.6 years. The mean number of pancreatic islets in microscopic sections for patients with cystic fibrosis but not diabetes was 4.18± 2.76/mm2, and the value for patients with both cystic fibrosis and diabetes mellitus was 2.61± 2.07/mm2. The lowest density of pancreatic islets (1.69± 0.48/mm2) for cystic fibrosis was found in patients with the latest-stage pathologic lesion. Nesidioblastosis (presence of ductuloinsular complexes) was identified in 14 of 38 cystic fibrosis patients, both with and without diabetes mellitus. The pancreatic islets of both diabetic and no...
The role of financial intermediaries in transitional economies

Abstract Financial intermediaries are being asked to perform a variety of tasks in Transitional Economies (TEs). After beginning from similar initial conditions, TE financial systems are diverging. Although market forces are evincing themselves, much of the sector generally remains in the hands of the state and the process of disengagement will not be straightforward. Increasing reliance on market forces in financial and nonfinancial sectors in tandem is argued to be the most sustainable strategy. This process will also depend on the basic regulatory approach adopted; greater reliance on incentives facing owners of financial institutions, and less on supervision, is urged.
The Impact of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Systems on the Effectiveness of Internal Controls over Financial Reporting

ABSTRACT: Software vendors that market enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems have taken advantage of the increased focus on internal controls that grew out of the Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) legislation by emphasizing that a key feature of ERP systems is the use of “built-in” controls that mirror a firm’s infrastructure. They argue that these built-in controls and other features will help firms improve their internal control over financial reporting as required by SOX. This study tests that assertion by examining SOX Section 404 compliance data for a sample of firms that implemented ERP systems between 1994 and 2003. The results suggest that ERP-implementing firms are less likely to report internal control weaknesses (ICW) than a matched control sample of non-ERP-implementing firms. It also finds that this difference exists for both general (entity-wide), and individual (account-level) controls.