cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Seizure localization by chronic ambulatory electrocorticography

Abstract Aims To present two patients with medically-refractory focal epilepsy who, following non-diagnostic intracranial monitoring studies, had seizures localized by chronic ambulatory electrocorticography with an implanted neurostimulation device. Methods Case reports with clinical details and electrocorticograms showing seizures. Results Using electrodes placed at the suspected seizure onset zones, the neurostimulator recorded seizures in both patients at long intervals following implantation (49 days and 7.5 months). Conclusions Chronic ambulatory electrocorticography can provide valuable diagnostic information when there is a narrow hypothesis about seizure localization, though there are important caveats related to limited spatial sampling.
Aptamer-Based Proteomics Identifies Mortality-Associated Serum Biomarkers in Dialysis-Dependent AKI Patients.

Introduction Currently, no effective therapies exist to reduce the high mortality associated with dialysis-dependent acute kidney injury (AKI-D). Serum biomarkers may be useful in understanding the pathophysiological processes involved with AKI and the severity of injury, and point to novel therapeutic targets. Methods Study day 1 serum samples from 100 patients and day 8 samples from 107 patients enrolled in the Veteran’s Affairs/National Institutes of Health Acute Renal Failure Trial Network study were analyzed by the slow off-rate modified aptamers scan proteomic platform to profile 1305 proteins in each sample. Patients in each cohort were classified into tertiles based on baseline biomarker measurements. Cox regression analyses were performed to examine the relationships between serum levels of each biomarker and mortality. Results Changes in the serum levels of 54 proteins, 33 of which increased and 21 of which decreased, were detected when comparing samples of patients who died in the first 8 days versus patients who survived >8 days. Among the 33 proteins that increased, higher serum levels of fibroblast growth factor-23 (FGF23), tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), neutrophil collagenase (matrix metalloproteinase-8), and soluble urokinase plasminogen activator receptor, when stratified by tertiles, were associated with higher mortality. The association with mortality persisted for each of these proteins after adjusting for other potential risk factors, including age, sex, cardiovascular sequential organ failure assessment score, congestive heart failure, and presence of diabetes. Upper tertile levels of FGF23, tPA, and interleukin-6 on day 8 were associated with increased mortality; however, FGF23 barely lost significance after multivariable adjustment. Conclusions Our results underscore an emerging proteomics tool capable of identifying low-abundance serum proteins important not only in the pathogenesis of AKI-D, but which is also helpful in discriminating AKI-D patients with high mortality.
Mass recruitment to nectar sources in Paraponera clavata : A field study

Paraponera clavata foragers employ a trail pheromone and activation within the nest to obtain mass recruitment to simulated nectar sources. Foragers leaving and returning to the nest normally follow the same path. The existence of a trail pheromone was inferred from a series of experiments in which different techniques were employed to disrupt main foraging routes. Individuals baited to simulated nectar sources were observed to drag their gasters in a distinctive fashion when returning to the main trail. The return of an individual from a bait site resulted in greatly increased foraging activity from the colony. A maximum of 352 individuals were recruited within an hour following presentation of the bait. Recruited individuals were able to find the bait site in the absence of the initial forager by following the path taken by the initial forager. Even under normal, unbaited, conditions ants leave colonies in a temporal sequence that suggests social facilitation.
Data validation during diagnosis, a step beyond traditional sensor validation

A well known problem in diagnosis is the difficulty of providing correct diagnostic conclusions in light incorrect or missing data. Traditional approaches to solving this problem, as typified in the domains of various complex mechanical systems, validate data by using various kinds of redundancy in sensor hardware. While such techniques are useful, we propose that another level of redundancy exists beyond the hardware level, the redundancy provided by expectations derived during diagnosis. That is, in the process of exploring the space of possible malfunctions, initial data and intermediate conclusions set up expectations of the characteristics of the final answer. These expectations then provide a basis for judging the validity of the derived answer. We will show how such expectation-based data validation is a natural part of diagnosis as performed by hierarchical classification expert systems.
Denying White Male Nostalgia: Don DeLillo's Underworld

This chapter demonstrates that in Underworld (1997), Don DeLillo provides his most extensive literary dismantling of late-twentieth-century modes of both American de facto white supremacy and the individualism fetish embodied perhaps most fully by mainstreamed white American masculinity. By depicting the interactions of numerous male, female, and ethnoracially diverse characters, most of whom circle back in ways to the white male protagonist, DeLillo exposes the ironically relational underpinnings of Cold War, white American masculinity; the habitual personal and social denials prompted by challenges to domineering white masculinity; and the nostalgic longings commonly provoked in white men by such challenges. DeLillo also counters white masculine dominance and solipsistic nostalgia with numerous figurations of female and non-white artists, whose communally inclined art repeatedly promotes human connections.
Does Workplace Fun Buffer the Impact of Emotional Exhaustion on Job Dissatisfaction?: A Study of Health Care Workers

This study examined health care workers’ (N= 142) attitudes toward workplace fun and the level of fun they experienced at work as well as their emotional labor, emotional exhaustion and job satisfaction. Our results showed that the negative impact of emotional exhaustion on job satisfaction was significantly lower for health care workers’ who experienced greater levels of fun at work. In general, the health care workers in this sample expressed positive attitudes toward workplace fun. These results, their implications, and directions for future research are discussed.
Long-term care system in Taiwan: the 2017 major reform and its challenges

This paper reviews the past development of the publicly funded long-term care (LTC) system and aims to advance further discussion of LTC in Taiwan. The Ten-year Long-Term Care Plan 2.0 introduced in 2017 calls for a major reform of a publicly funded LTC system in Taiwan. The reform expands on the previous universal tax-based LTC system, allowing for more comprehensive and accessible subsidies on LTC services. This paper provides a brief overview of the political context of the reform and an introduction to the legal basis, financing and delivery mechanisms of the reform plan. To this end, as a preliminary evaluation, this paper identifies major institutional and socio-cultural tensions that could challenge the implementation of the plan. Institutional tensions include the dominant foreign worker caring model, which relies on approximately 220,000 foreign workers to provide LTC services, and the discontinuity between health and social care governance, which leads to a discontinuity between curative and LTC care. Socio-cultural tensions focus on conflicting values in the allocation of responsibility of care and in the understanding of disability between universal social citizenship in the modern state and traditional Confucian ethics. Policy implications of these tensions for the LTC system are then discussed.
Three Color Correction with Metasurface-backed Gradient-Index Lenses

In practical multi-lens systems, improved optical performance is typically achieved through the use of many individual lenses. However, the introduction of too many elements negatively affects SWaP (size, weight, and power) considerations of the optical system. At the same time, broadband performance typically requires three or more lenses to reduce frequency-dependent (i.e., chromatic) aberrations. Nevertheless, we demonstrate here that by intelligently pairing inhomogeneous lenses with phase-gradient metasurfaces one can achieve broadband chromatic performance while greatly reducing system SWaP.
Membership Portal and Service Provisioning System for an Infrastructure of Hubs

The goal of Managed e-Hub research prototype is to build a common infrastructure of hubs so that businesses can develop B2B exchanges meeting their business needs based on it. In this paper, an open and extensible framework for Managed e-Hub is presented and the hub fundamental services are discussed in detail as well. The service provisioning system of Managed e-Hub not only provides a way of integrating other services into the hub by means of service on-boarding and subscription, but also provisions these services with their required provisioning information.
Sex differences in mixed neuropathologies in community-dwelling older adults.

Abstract Alzheimer’s dementia is the leading cause of dementia in older adults and women are disproportionately burdened. It is increasingly recognized that dementia in older persons is related to the co-occurrence of mixed pathologies in the brain, but few studies have examined whether the frequency of common pathologies vary by sex. We examined the frequency of the most common mixed pathologies that underlie Alzheimer’s dementia in aging, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD) in combination with Lewy Bodies, cerebrovascular disease (CVD) pathology, or TDP-43/Hippocampal sclerosis, and determined whether the patterns differed for women and men in a combined cohort of over 1500 older community-dwelling adults. We found in separate models that women were significantly more likely to have AD and CVD pathology than men, and men were more likely to have “pure” Lewy Body disease, in models adjusted for age at death, education, race, and the APOE-e4 allele. Although AD with TDP-43/Hippocampal sclerosis pathology was greater in number in women than men, the difference was not significant after adjustments for age at death and other confounders. Together these findings suggest sex differences in mixed pathology, specifically AD with CVD in older adults from the community.
Reverse Total Shoulder Arthroplasty for Geriatric Proximal Humerus Fracture Dislocation With Concomitant Nerve Injury

Introduction:Preoperative axillary nerve palsy is a contraindication to reverse total shoulder arthroplasty (rTSA) due to the theoretical risk of higher dislocation rates and poor functional outcom...
A welfare-theoretic model consistent with the practice of cost-effectiveness analysis and its implications.

Abstract I look at three debates in the health economics literature in the context of cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA): 1) inclusion of future costs, 2) discounting, and 3) consistency with a welfare-economic perspective. These debates thus far have been studied in isolation leading to confusion and lingering questions. I look at these three debates holistically and present a welfare theoretic model that is consistent with the practice of CEA and can help inform all of these three debates. It shows rationales for the recommendations of the Second Panel and clarifies some nuanced implications for the practice of CEA when taking a societal perspective in the context of distributional CEA and multi-sectorial budgets.
Potent Reductants via Electron-Primed Photoredox Catalysis: Unlocking Aryl Chlorides for Radical Coupling

We describe a new catalytic strategy to transcend the energetic limitations of visible light by electrochemically priming a photocatalyst prior to excitation. This new catalytic system is able to p...
Chapter 10 – Steroid hormones

Steroid hormones are commonly measured in patients for the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of hormone-related diseases in men, women, and children. The methods used to measure these hormones require a large dynamic measurement range, but also in many cases need to be capable of detecting down to pg/mL concentrations. Mass spectrometry offers the capability of this measurement range and is also precise and accurate when assays are developed and calibrated correctly. However, due to the structural similarities seen between steroid hormones, it is imperative that sufficient interference testing be undertaken to ensure that no cross-reactivity exists between the different hormones in the mass spectrometry method. This chapter summarizes some key concepts that should be considered during development and validation of steroid hormone mass spectrometry assays, focusing primarily on LC-MS/MS assays.
A need for trauma informed care in sexually transmitted disease clinics.

Objective This review examines trauma from violence as a risk factor for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) among women attending STD clinics. The review also aims to suggest trauma informed care (TIC) integrated into STD clinics might more effectively address traumatic effects of violence linked to sexual risk behaviors among this population. Design and sample A systematic literature review was conducted to identify empirical studies examining the relationship between multiple forms of violence and sexual risk behaviors among women attending STD clinics. Results All studies found high rates of violence including childhood sexual abuse, intimate partner violence, and/or community violence associated with high rates of sexual risk behaviors among women attending these settings. Researchers recommend screening for multiple forms of violence, interdisciplinary STD clinic services, and more trauma informed sexual risk reduction interventions to address multiple forms of violence found prevalent among this population. Conclusion Women attending STD clinics very often experience multiple forms of violence during their lifetime. TIC to address traumatic effects of violence might reduce sexual risk behaviors and sexually transmitted disease rates for improved health outcomes among this population.
The CLASI, a validated tool for the evaluation of skin disease in lupus erythematosus: a narrative review

Cutaneous lupus erythematosus (CLE) can present with or without features of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), with estimates of the incidence of isolated skin disease almost equaling the incidence of those with systemic disease. However, despite the impact CLE has on a patient's quality of life (QoL), there has been no US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved treatment for the disease in the past 50 years. In addition, patients with skin predominant LE are often excluded from clinical SLE trials. In the rare trials that include patients with skin predominant LE, disease activity and progression in the skin are often difficult to evaluate using multi-organ outcome measures. The need for new therapies for CLE and the lack of focus on skin outcomes has led to the development of the Cutaneous Lupus Disease Area and Severity Index (CLASI), a validated organ-specific outcome measure that is not only responsive to change in disease activity and damage but also correlated to changes in a patient's QoL. This paper will emphasize the extensive validation studies performed in developing the CLASI, as well as the importance of clinical trials using the CLASI to address the need for improved therapies for patients with lupus skin manifestations.
Evaluation of solvate and co-crystal screening methods for CL-20 containing energetic materials

The difficulty synthesizing new co-crystals has made the development of efficient methods for screening co-formers a high priority. Co-crystals have been realized as a new generation of materials w...
Reddit entity linking dataset

Abstract We introduce and make publicly available an entity linking dataset from Reddit that contains 17,316 linked entities, each annotated by three human annotators and then grouped into Gold, Silver, and Bronze to indicate inter-annotator agreement. We analyze the different errors and disagreements made by annotators and suggest three types of corrections to the raw data. Finally, we tested existing entity linking models that are trained and tuned on text from non-social media datasets. We find that, although these existing entity linking models perform very well on their original datasets, they perform poorly on this social media dataset. We also show that the majority of these errors can be attributed to poor performance on the mention detection subtask. These results indicate the need for better entity linking models that can be applied to the enormous amount of social media text.
Short-term reoperation risk after surgical and nonsurgical management of isolated greater tuberosity fractures.

Background The outcomes and complication rates of patients with isolated greater tuberosity fractures are not well documented. The present study aimed to evaluate the reoperation rates, types of reoperations, and complications for patients undergoing open reduction internal fixation and those undergoing initial nonoperative treatment of isolated greater tuberosity fractures. Methods An administrative claims database was queried from 2010 to 2018 for adult patients treated with open reduction internal fixation or initial nonoperative treatment within 6 weeks of sustaining a closed isolated greater tuberosity fracture. Reoperation rates, types of reoperations, local/surgical complications, and systemic complications for two cohorts were collected, and statistical analysis was performed using R statistical software for patients initially treated operatively and nonoperatively. Complication rates were compared using multivariate logistic regression, while demographic data were compared using chi-square analysis. Results Of the 8509 patients who were documented to have sustained a closed isolated greater tuberosity fracture, 333 patients underwent operative treatment and 8176 patients received initial nonoperative treatment within the first 6 weeks of diagnosis. The operative cohort had a reoperation rate of 2.7% at 90 days, 5.7% at 6 months, and 7.8% at 1 year, with the majority of reoperations being rotator cuff repair (40.6%). Within the initial nonoperative cohort, 7.3% had an operation within a year, with the majority of operations being open reduction internal fixation (41.3%). The subsequent reoperation rate for those patients was 3.5% at 2 years with the majority of reoperations being rotator cuff repair (32.4%). In the operative cohort, the 90-day infection rate was 3.0%. Nonunion was demonstrated in the operative cohort at a rate of 1.8% at 6 months and 2.7% at 1 year. Conclusion When surgical care was provided to patients sustaining isolated greater tuberosity fractures in the first 6 weeks, there was a 7.8% rate of reoperation within the first year. Patients initially treated nonoperatively had a future operation rate of 7.3% within the first year and a 3.5% reoperation rate within the second year. The most common reoperation regardless of initial treatment was rotator cuff repair. With an elevated rate of subsequent operations, education is paramount to provide patients with expectations for the sequelae of this injury especially when presenting with concomitant injuries.
Influence and Information in Team Decisions: Evidence from Medical Residency

I study team decisions among physician trainees. Exploiting a discontinuity in team roles across trainee tenure, I find evidence that teams alter decision-making, concentrating influence in the hands of senior trainees. I also demonstrate little convergence in variation of trainee effects despite intensive training. This general pattern of trainee effects on team decision-making exists in all types of decisions and settings that I examine. In analyses evaluating mechanisms behind this pattern, I find support for the idea that significant experiential learning occurs during training and that teams place more weight on judgments of senior trainees in order to aggregate information.
D-Dimer-Driven Anticoagulation Reduces Mortality in Intubated COVID-19 Patients: A Cohort Study With a Propensity-Matched Analysis

Objective: Examine the possible beneficial effects of early, D-dimer driven anticoagulation in preventing thrombotic complications and improving the overall outcomes of COVID-19 intubated patients. Methods: To address COVID-19 hypercoagulability, we developed a clinical protocol to escalate anticoagulation based on serum D-dimer levels. We retrospectively reviewed all our first 240 intubated patients with COVID-19. Of the 240, 195 were stratified into patients treated based on this protocol (ON-protocol, n = 91) and the control group, patients who received standard thromboprophylaxis (OFF-protocol, n = 104). All patients were admitted to the Stony Brook University Hospital intensive care units (ICUs) between February 7th, 2020 and May 17, 2020 and were otherwise treated in the same manner for all aspects of COVID-19 disease. Results: We found that the overall mortality was significantly lower ON-protocol compared to OFF-protocol (27.47 vs. 58.66%, P < 0.001). Average maximum D-dimer levels were significantly lower in the ON-protocol group (7,553 vs. 12,343 ng/mL), as was serum creatinine (2.2 vs. 2.8 mg/dL). Patients with poorly controlled D-dimer levels had higher rates of kidney dysfunction and mortality. Transfusion requirements and serious bleeding events were similar between groups. To address any possible between-group differences, we performed a propensity-matched analysis of 124 of the subjects (62 matched pairs, ON-protocol and OFF-protocol), which showed similar findings (31 vs. 57% overall mortality in the ON-protocol and OFF-protocol group, respectively). Conclusions: D-dimer-driven anticoagulation appears to be safe in patients with COVID-19 infection and is associated with improved survival. What This Paper Adds: It has been shown that hypercoagulability in patients with severe COVID-19 infection leads to thromboembolic complications and organ dysfunction. Anticoagulation has been variably administered to these patients, but it is unknown whether routine or escalated thromboprophylaxis provides a survival benefit. Our data shows that escalated D-dimer driven anticoagulation is associated with improved organ function and overall survival in intubated COVID-19 ICU patients at our institution. Importantly, we found that timely escalation of this anticoagulation is critical in preventing organ dysfunction and mortality in patients with severe COVID-19 infection.
High-throughput screening identifies a novel natural product-inspired scaffold capable of inhibiting Clostridioides difficile in vitro.

Clostridioides difficile is an enteric pathogen responsible for causing debilitating diarrhea, mostly in hospitalized patients. The bacterium exploits on microbial dysbiosis induced by the use of antibiotics to establish infection that ranges from mild watery diarrhea to pseudomembranous colitis. The increased prevalence of the disease accompanied by exacerbated comorbidity and the paucity of anticlostridial drugs that can tackle recurrence entails novel therapeutic options. Here, we report new lead molecules with potent anticlostridial activity from the AnalytiCon NATx library featuring natural product-inspired or natural product-derived small molecules. A high-throughput whole-cell-based screening of 5000 synthetic compounds from the AnalytiCon NATx library helped us identify 10 compounds capable of inhibiting the pathogen. Out of these 10 hits, we found 3 compounds with potent activity against C. difficile (MIC = 0.5–2 μg/ml). Interestingly, these compounds had minimal to no effect on the indigenous intestinal microbial species tested, unlike the standard-of-care antibiotics vancomycin and fidaxomicin. Further in vitro investigation revealed that the compounds were nontoxic to Caco-2 cell line. Given their potent anticlostridial activity, natural product-inspired scaffolds may suggest potential avenues that can address the unmet needs in preventing C. difficile mediated disease.
Higher Carbohydrate Amount and Lower Glycemic Index Increase Hunger, Diet Satisfaction, and Heartburn in Overweight and Obese Adults in the OmniCarb Randomized Clinical Trial

Background The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet, a high-carbohydrate diet, is highly recommended based on its cardiovascular risk benefits, yet adherence remains persistently low. How subjective impressions of this diet contribute to adherence has not been thoroughly explored. The OmniCarb trial, which compared DASH-style diets varying in glycemic index (GI) and carbohydrate amount, surveyed subjective impressions of such diets. Objectives We examined the effects of GI and carbohydrate amount on qualitative aspects of diet acceptability through secondary outcomes in the OmniCarb trial. Methods OmniCarb was a randomized, crossover trial of 4 DASH-style diets varying by GI (≥65 compared with ≤45) and carbohydrate amount (40% compared with 58% kcal) in overweight or obese (BMI ≥25 kg/m2) adults (n = 163). Participants consumed each diet in random order over 5-wk periods, separated by 2-wk washouts. At baseline and the end of each feeding period, participants rated hunger, diet satisfaction, and gastrointestinal symptoms (diarrhea/loose stools, constipation, bloating, nausea, and heartburn). Results Participant mean age was 52 y, with 52% women, 51% non-Hispanic black, and 56% obese (BMI ≥30). Compared with baseline, all intervention diets decreased heartburn, increased diarrhea/loose stools, and increased bloating, but did not significantly affect constipation or nausea. Compared with lower carbohydrate diets, higher carbohydrate diets increased hunger (RR: 1.16; 95% CI: 1.04, 1.30), increased diet satisfaction (RR: 1.10; 95% CI: 1.01, 1.20), and increased heartburn (RR: 1.49; 95% CI: 1.09, 2.04). Compared with lower GI diets, higher GI diets did not affect hunger (RR: 0.92; 95% CI: 0.83, 1.02), decreased diet satisfaction (RR: 0.83; 95% CI: 0.75, 0.92), and did not affect heartburn (RR: 0.89; 95% CI: 0.70, 1.13). There were no between-diet differences for diarrhea/loose stools, constipation, bloating, and nausea. Conclusions Although a higher carbohydrate amount in DASH-style diets can increase diet satisfaction, it can also decrease satiety and increase heartburn in adults with overweight or obesity.This trial is registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT00608049.
Inclusion of Pregnant and Lactating Persons in COVID-19 Vaccination Efforts.

This commentary discusses the interplay of pregnancy and SARS-CoV-2 infection. The authors explain why COVID-19 vaccination efforts should not exclude pregnant women.
Child Welfare Practice in a Systems of Care Framework

A systems of care (SOC) framework is an approach to service delivery that works cooperatively across systems to create an integrated process for meeting the many needs of families. Based on the principles of interagency collaboration, community-based services, strength-based practices, cultural competence, and full participation of families and youth, a SOC framework requires that multiple systems serving children and families come together to create and offer coordinated programs and services. This is particularly crucial for child welfare, as families often have multiple, complex needs that are better served by agencies and organizations typically seen as “outside” the child welfare system (e.g., substance abuse programs and domestic violence counseling).
A Survey on Spaces of Homomorphisms to Lie Groups

The purpose of this article is to give an exposition of topological properties of spaces of homomorphisms from certain finitely generated discrete groups to Lie groups G, and to describe their connections to classical representation theory, as well as other structures. Various properties are given when G is replaced by a small category, or the discrete group is given by a right-angled Artin group.
Surface Properties of Water Substance

In clouds the liquid and solid phases of water are highly dispersed, with a large surface-to-volume ratio. As might be expected, this necessitates going beyond the bulk phase descriptions of the previous chapter, even for the most rudimentary understanding of the formation and growth of cloud particles. Therefore, in this chapter we shall consider briefly the essential distinctive surface properties of ice and water, and explore some of their more immediate consequences.
Dynamic load balancing in distributed systems

Load balancing algorithms for LANs vary in their complexity. D.L. Eager et al. (1986) claim that the optimal level of complexity falls in the simple dynamic range, but they do not explain why more complex algorithms fail to achieve improved performance. Even a perfect balancing algorithm does not show increased performance, due to a delayed information problem that increasingly affects the more complex algorithms. These results were obtained by constructing a simulation of a perfect balancing algorithm in which each node had immediate and free access to the states of all other nodes in the system. Even though each node could find the least-loaded node in the system immediately, the model performed no better than less complex models. The most significant parameter of the system was the cost of transferring a job from one node to another. This cost limits the dynamic algorithms because each node does not know how many jobs are on the way and therefore cannot send out precise information about its future state. Complex algorithms rely on this information, which is the reason why they fail. >
Patient reported outcomes for diabetic peripheral neuropathy.

Abstract Objective Multiple patient-reported outcomes (PROs) have been used to assess symptoms among patients with Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy (DPN). However, there is little consistent application of measures in clinical or research settings. Our goal was to identify and compare patient reported outcome measures (PROs) specifically evaluated in neuropathy populations. Methods Literature search, summary, and qualitative comparison of PROs validated in neuropathy populations. Results We identified 12 studies of PROs evaluated in neuropathy populations that included DPN patients. Two assessed sleep quality, 5 assessed painful symptoms, and 5 assessed quality of life. The number of items per measure ranged from one to 97, and the number of domains ranged from one to 18. All had adequate internal consistency (Chronbach’s Alpha > 0.70). There was mild to moderate standardization of domains across measures and only a few instruments used common comparators. The spectrum of DPN symptoms addressed included: sensory symptoms, autonomic symptoms, and function, beliefs, role participation, sleep quality, and perceptions of illness. Conclusions There remains a need for a gold standard for DPN symptom assessment. Few existing instruments are adequately validated and the domains assessed are inconsistent. Current instrument selection should depend on the clinical and social context of the assessment.
Low intensity laser therapy speeds wound healing in hemophilia by enhancing platelet procoagulant activity.

Our group has previously shown that cutaneous wound healing is delayed and histologically abnormal in a mouse model of hemophilia. Hemostasis is not only required to stop bleeding at the time of wounding, but also produces bioactive substances that promote appropriate inflammatory and proliferative responses during healing. Low intensity laser therapy (LILT) has been reported to enhance impaired wound healing in a variety of animal and human studies. The current studies were conducted to test the hypothesis that LILT can improve healing in a hemophilia B mouse model. Three daily treatments with 12 J/sq cm of 650 nm laser illumination reduced the time to closure of a 3-mm cutaneous punch biopsy wound in the hemophilic mice. All wounds were closed at 13 days in the sham-treated hemophilic mice, compared with 10 days in the LILT-treated hemophilic mice, and 9 days in wild-type mice. While LILT can speed healing by enhancing proliferation of cutaneous cells, we found that an additional mechanism likely contributes to the efficacy of LILT in the hemophilic mice. LILT enhanced the mechanical rigidity and platelet activity of clots formed from human platelet-rich plasma. Illumination of isolated platelets increased the mitochondrial membrane potential and enhanced binding of coagulation factors to the surface of activated platelets. Thus, while LILT can directly promote proliferative responses during healing, it also appears to enhance hemostasis in an animal model with impaired coagulation. These data suggest that trials of LILT as an adjunct to the usual hemostatic therapies in hemophilia are warranted.
Speciated Engine-Out Organic Gas Emissions from a PFI-SI Engine Operating on Ethanol/Gasoline Mixtures

Engine-out HC emissions from a PFI spark ignition engine were measured using a gas chromatograph and a flame ionization detector (FID). Two port fuel injectors were used respectively for ethanol and gasoline so that the delivered fuel was comprised of 0, 25, 50, 75 and 100% (by volume) of ethanol. Tests were run at 1.5, 3.8 and 7.5 bar NIMEP and two speeds (1500 and 2500 rpm).The main species identified with pure gasoline were partial reaction products (e.g. methane and ethyne) and aromatics, whereas with ethanol/gasoline mixtures, substantial amounts of ethanol and acetaldehyde were detected. Indeed, using pure ethanol, 74% of total HC moles were oxygenates. In addition, the amount (as mole fraction of total HC moles) of exhaust aromatics decreased linearly with increasing ethanol in the fuel, while oxygenate species correspondingly increased. These results suggest that ethanol and aromatics detected were from unburned fuel trapped in crevices. It was also found that the oxygenate fraction of total hydrocarbons (as ppmC1) depended mostly on the ethanol fuel content, not on engine speed and load. Therefore, a simple FID response correction equation was developed and validated. A FID reading can now be corrected to 90% accuracy when a PFI-SI engine is fuelled with gasohols.
Multi-resonant AgNW/PDMS patch antenna for biaxial strain sensing

A silver nanowire (AgNW) conductor embedded in a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) elastomeric substrate forms a microstrip patch antenna that can sense an applied biaxial strain. The flexible conductor and substrate allow the antenna to be repeatedly deformed by applied force. The two resonant modes of the antenna respond differently to strain applied in orthogonal directions and can be used to uniquely identify the biaxial strain state. The trends expected from the cavity model enable mapping of the change in the resonant frequencies to an applied strain state. Measured S 11 data under biaxial strain verify the simulations.
Differential aging of the human striatum: longitudinal evidence.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Information about age-related changes in the striatum comes almost exclusively from cross-sectional studies. We examined age-related differences and longitudinal changes in the volume of the striatal nuclei, compared longitudinal measures of changes with their cross-sectional estimates, and addressed the question of differential aging of the basal ganglia. METHODS: We measured the volumes of the caudate nucleus (head), the putamen, and the globus pallidus on MR images of 53 healthy adults whose ages at baseline ranged between 20 and 77 years. The measurements were conducted twice, 5 years apart. RESULTS: On both measurement occasions, the volume of the neostriatal nuclei (caudate and putamen) but not of the globus pallidus correlated negatively with age. However, longitudinal comparison revealed significant declines in the neostriatal volumes and smaller (but statistically significant) shrinkage of the paleostriatum. In 5 years, the striatal components (caudate, putamen, and globus pallidus) shrunk by 1.21, 0.85, and 0.55 standard deviation units, respectively. The average annual shrinkage rate was 0.83% in the caudate nucleus, 0.73% in the putamen, and 0.51% in the globus pallidus. CONCLUSION: Although cross-sectional estimates suggested preservation of some striatal nuclei, longitudinal shrinkage of the whole striatum was evident even in a selected group of healthy adults. Moreover, the magnitude of observed longitudinal change was greater than predicted from cross-sectional studies.
Role of a Deoxyribonuclease in Bacterial Transformation

In the genetic transformation of Diplococcus pneumoniae, donor DNA is converted to single strands either during or just after its uptake by the cell (Lacks, 1962). This conversion may be regarded as the first step in preparation of the DNA for recombination, since a single-strand segment of donor DNA is ultimately inserted into recipient cell DNA (Fox and Allen, 1964). In addition to its role in the recombination process, this step may be an essential part of the mechanism for DNA entry.
High efficiency inverted polymer solar cells with the sol–gel derived vanadium oxide interlayer

Abstract A solution-processable vanadium oxide film was prepared by sol–gel reaction on a bulk-heterojunction and adopted as the hole collection interlayer of inverted polymer solar cells that were based on a blend of commercial low bandgap polymer and [6,6]-phenyl C 61 butyric acid methyl ester as the photoactive layer. The developed cell shows an efficiency of 6.29% compare to 6.24% efficiency from the normal devices, the thus-prepared inverted devices demonstrated the feasibility of this alternative approach for developing an ease all-solution route for fabricating air-stable device using low-temperature processes in air ambient.
The Relative Frequency of the Hurler and Hunter Syndromes

DURING the past academic year, in connection with their course in genetics, our medical students were provided with a study guide consisting mainly of questions and problems, together with answers,...
Inflammasomes and Metabolic Disorders: Old Genes in Modern Diseases

Modern medical and hygienic practices have greatly improved human health and longevity; however, increased human life span occurs concomitantly with the emergence of metabolic and age-related diseases. Studies over the past decade have strongly linked host inflammatory responses to the etiology of several metabolic diseases including atherosclerosis, type 2 diabetes (T2D), obesity, and gout. A common immunological factor to these diseases is the activation of the inflammasome and release of proinflammatory cytokines that promote disease progression. Here we review the molecular mechanism(s) of inflammasome activation in response to metabolic damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) and discuss potential targets for therapeutic intervention.
Noninterference for free

The dependency core calculus (DCC) is a framework for studying a variety of dependency analyses (e.g., secure information flow). The key property provided by DCC is noninterference, which guarantees that a low-level observer (attacker) cannot distinguish high-level (protected) computations. The proof of noninterference for DCC suggests a connection to parametricity in System F, which suggests that it should be possible to implement dependency analyses in languages with parametric polymorphism. We present a translation from DCC into Fω and prove that the translation preserves noninterference. To express noninterference in Fω, we define a notion of observer-sensitive equivalence that makes essential use of both first-order and higher-order polymorphism. Our translation provides insights into DCC's type system and shows how DCC can be implemented in a polymorphic language without loss of the noninterference (security) guarantees available in DCC. Our contributions include proof techniques that should be valuable when proving other secure compilation or full abstraction results.
Active cooling heat protection.

Active cooling systems are of special interest for use in severe thermal and shear stress environments. The active systems of interest include transpiration cooling, distributed film cooling, partial film cooling, and film cooling that utilizes various coolants such as N2, He, H2O, and others for special applications. The performance and feasibility of each system has been obtained in ground facilities including those that have relatively severe thermal environments. It is believed that the distributed film cooling and partial film cooling systems show special advantage and warrant further consideration.
Direct and high yield syntheses of Re2(CO)10 and Re(CO)5Cl by sodium reduction of K2ReCl6 under CO

Abstract A convenient procedure for the synthesis of the rhenium carbonyls Re 2 (CO) 10 and Re(CO) 5 Cl is reported. Sodium reduction of the easily available K 2 ReCl 6 , under CO pressure (2400 psi, 280°C (external temperature), THF as solvent) affords Re 2 (CO) 10 and Re(CO) 5 Cl in 81% and 86% isolated yield, respectively. Depending on the hexachlororhenate:Na ratio, either carbonyl derivative can be obtained almost exclusively.
An Index of Community Structure Sensitive to Water Pollution

ABSTRACT To quantify pollutional stress utilizing macroinvertebrate community composition, we use an average chi-square test with considerable success, and we present the method for further testing. Average chi-square is determined in the following fashion: where Ei is the mean of the individuals in a taxon in the two communities being compared; 0i is the number of individuals in one community; and N is the total number of individuals in both communities. The result is a dimensionless distance that is linear and independent of sample size.
Correlation between the occurrence of lupus nephritis, anti‐erythrocyte autoantibodies and Vx haplotype in NZB × 129/J and NZB × SM/J recombinant inbred murine strains

The NZB mouse is genetically predisposed to the development of autoimmune disease that resembles the human autoimmune systemic lupus erythematosus and autoimmune hemolytic anemia, with increased titers of anti-DNA, and Coombs' autoantibodies. The various autoimmune traits are controlled separately by a limited number of genes. Genetic studies have shown that several immune loci are involved in autoimmunity: T cell abnormalities, H-2 complex and immunoglobulin genes have been implicated. In this report, we present evidence for a significant correlation of NZB V kappa 1 haplotype defined by restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis with anti-erythrocyte autoantibodies in NZB x 129/J and NZB x SM/J recombinant inbred lines.
A technique for growing helium crystals in preferred orientations

Abstract An apparatus has been developed in which hcp He 4 single crystals of high quality are grown with a 0.3 probability of obtaining c-axis orientations of 0 or 90° with respect to the direction of growth. Methods of influencing the relative distribution of crystals between these two angles have been observed and are believed to depend on the anisotropy in the thermal conductivity of hcp He 4 . A simple computer simulation of the nucleation process supports our identification of the orientation angles and our explanation of the observed orientation preferences. Some possible applications of similar techniques have been surveyed.
CITES and Rural Livelihoods: The Role of CITES in Making Wildlife Conservation and Poverty Reduction Mutually Supportive

In 2005 alone, the value of legal international wildlife trade was estimated to sit at almost USD 300 billion, close to twice what it had been in 2001. 2 With financial rewards of this magnitude on...
Hempies and Squeaks, Truckers and Cruisers -- A Participant observer Study in a City High School.

What is it like to be a high school student? The author of this article spent four months as a participant observer in an urban, integrated and innovative high school in order to explore the social world and the social realities of its students.
Tyrosine kinases regulate intracellular calcium during α2-adrenergic contraction in rat aorta

We have demonstrated enhanced contractile sensitivity to the α2-adrenoreceptor (α2-AR) agonist UK-14304 in arteries from rats made hypertensive with chronic nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibition (...
Free Fatty Acid Composition In A Silkworm (Bombyx Mori) Blood

Abstract The constituents of the extract from the blood of silkworm, Bombyx mori (5 th instar 2 days, 6 days and 9 days) have been studied with respect to their fatty acid contents. Twelve compounds were characterized from the extracts of silkworm. Characteristic components of free fatty acid in all days were the hexanoic acid and octanoic acid as the main component. Total free unsaturated fatty acids (cis-6, cis-9, cis-12-octadecatrienoic acid, cis-9, cis-12-octadecadienoic acid and cis-9-octadecenoic acid) were included 38.93% in 5th instar 2 days, 43.79% in 6 days, and 31.22% in 9 days, respectively. the relationship between the free fatty acid component and the viscosity of blood are also discussed.
Low-cost uncooled IR sensor for battlefield surveillance

Operation Desert Storm has identified the need for improved battlefield surveillance sensors to see and assess enemy threats under all battlefield conditions, including darkness. Current imaging sensors usually employ visible light cameras, Low Light Level (L3), Image Intensified (I2), or conventional Infrared (IR) cameras to detect and observe hostile forces. However, these sensors have serious deficiencies. The visible TV camera requires well lighted areas and cannot image in darkness. The L3 TV cameras have a difficult time operating in bright sunlight or in total darkness. Image intensifiers require some ambient light and cannot penetrate camouflage or battlefield obscurants. Conventional FLIRS are costly, require an initial cool down period, and need additional power for cooling pump or periodic gas replenishment for long-term operation. Uncooled Focal Plane Array (FPA) LWIR sensors offer advantages over other imaging sensors. Uncooled IR sensors operating from 8 to 12 microns can easily operate in bright sunlight, or total darkness. They use the naturally radiated IR scene energy to create high resolution images and are not dependent on artificial light sources. Their long wave-length of operation also provides better weather penetration. Enemy vehicles and soldiers can easily camouflage themselves in the visible, but cannot hide their thermal emissions from the IR sensor.
Effective Intercalation and Exfoliation of Nanoplatelets in Epoxy via Creation of Porous Pathways

A new surface modification approach for improving intercalation and exfoliation efficiency of layered nanoplatelets is introduced on the basis of α-zirconium phosphate (α-ZrP) nanoplatelets. The intercalation of α-ZrP nanoplatelets was carried out using a number of different organic surface modifiers and their combinations. It is found that porous pathways, which can be created by incorporating a combination of a linear long-chain amine and a bulky, short-chain amine as intercalating agents, can lead to speedier and more effective intercalation. Consequently, fully exfoliated polymer nanocomposites can be more easily prepared. The intercalation/exfoliation mechanisms accounting for the observed effectiveness are discussed.
WHOLE‐TO‐PART READING DIAGNOSIS

(1993). WHOLE‐TO‐PART READING DIAGNOSIS. Reading & Writing Quarterly: Vol. 9, No. 1, pp. 31-49.