cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Cerebral aneurysm coiling: a predictive model of hospitalization cost

Background Several initiatives have been put in place to minimize healthcare expenditures. In new and evolving fields such as endovascular aneurysm treatment, there are limited data to support such measures. The objective of the present study was to develop and validate a predictive model of hospitalization cost after cerebral aneurysm coiling (CACo). Methods We performed a retrospective study involving CACo patients who were registered in the Nationwide Inpatient Sample database from 2005 to 2010. The cohort underwent 1:1 randomization to create derivation and validation subsamples. Regression techniques were used for the creation of a parsimonious predictive model. Results Of the 10 928 patients undergoing CACo, 6617 (60.5%) presented with unruptured and 4311 (39.5%) with ruptured aneurysms. Median hospitalization cost was US$35 446 (IQR $13 801–$57 091). Common drivers of cost identified in the multivariate analysis included: length of stay; number of admission diagnoses and procedures; hospital size and region; patient income; hydrocephalus; acute renal failure; and seizures. The model was validated in independent cohorts and demonstrated a final R 2 value very similar to the initial model. The predicted and observed values in the validation cohort demonstrated good correlation. Conclusions This national study identified significant drivers of hospitalization cost after CACo. The presented model can be utilized as an adjunct in the cost containment debate and the creation of data driven policies.
Paradox And Theorizing Within The Resource-Based View

By working with and through the paradoxes present in the resource-based view (RBV) of strategic management, scholars can advance understanding concerning the contradictions and tensions inherent in creating and sustaining superior firm performance. We identify and discuss various RBV paradoxes, illustrating how paradoxical thinking can enhance theorizing and open up new vistas for knowing and understanding. Finally, we discuss the utility of the paradoxical perspective in furthering RBV scholarship.
Cerebral benzodiazepine receptor binding in vivo in patients with recurrent hepatic encephalopathy

Increased activation of the central benzodiazepine receptor (BZR) appears to play an important role in hepatic encephalopathy (HE). However, there is controversy regarding whether the density or affinity of BZRs is altered. A previous positron emission tomography (PET) study using the BZR antagonist [11C]flumazenil (FMZ) found two- to threefold greater cerebral cortical tracer uptake in recurrent HE, but did not account for impaired FMZ metabolism due to liver disease or assess the relative contributions of tracer delivery versus BZR binding. We hypothesized that correcting for these factors would affect estimations of BZR binding in HE. Nine patients with recurrent HE and 13 age-comparable controls were studied with [11C]FMZ PET. After intravenous administration of [11C]FMZ, arterial blood samples were collected, and PET images were acquired over 60 minutes. FMZ transport and binding maps were calculated for each subject by using a physiological tracer kinetic model. In agreement with the previous report, we found that FMZ reached a much higher level and was retained longer in the HE cerebral cortex despite similar total blood radioactivity levels in the two groups. However, the patients showed impaired hepatic metabolism of FMZ. After physiological modeling incorporating these data, significant increases in BZR binding were found in the thalamus (13%), cerebellum (20%), and pons (23%). There were minor, statistically insignificant increases in cerebral cortical (10%), putamen (12%), and whole brain (12%) BZR binding in patients with recurrent HE. These findings are in general agreement with results of autopsy studies, confirming a lack of major increases in cortical or basal ganglial BZR binding in HE. They emphasize that physiological tracer modeling should be used and altered peripheral radioligand metabolism considered in future PET studies of HE.
One stack to run them all: reducing concurrent analysis to sequential analysis under priority scheduling

We present a reduction from a concurrent real-time program with priority preemptive scheduling to a sequential program that has the same set of behaviors. Whereas many static analyses of concurrent programs are undecidable, our reduction enables the application of any sequential program analysis to be applied to a concurrent real-time program with priority preemptive scheduling.
Spatial deployment of attention influences both saccadic and pursuit tracking.

We examined the effects of changing spatial aspects of attention during oculomotor tracking. Human subjects were instructed to make a discrimination on either the small (0.8°) central or the large (8°) peripheral part of a compound stimulus (two counter-rotating concentric rings) while the stimulus either translated across the screen or was stationary. During this period, a transient perturbation with either step or ramp movement profile occurred. For perturbations leading to a change in position larger than the small ring, saccades occurred more frequently and had much shorter latencies (by 135 ms) when attention was directed to the small ring than when attention was directed to the large ring. These latency differences were sufficiently great that from a single saccade one can identify the attentional instruction with 94% accuracy. However, with target steps as small as the small ring, saccade latencies differed less. For pursuit, ramp perturbations caused larger changes in eye velocity with little change in latency when attention was directed to the small ring. Finally, when only the motion of the non-attended ring was perturbed, most subjects showed stronger saccadic responses to perturbations of the small than the large ring, and stronger pursuit responses to perturbations of the large than the small ring. By fitting the saccade latency distributions with the Reddi and Carpenter LATER model, we found that our subjects apparently employed at least two distinct strategies for changing latency when attending large vs. small. We propose that the timing of the saccade decision process depends on both the size of the attended object and the magnitude of the perturbation.
RELATIVE PREDICTABILITY OF FIVE INDICES OF ADOPTION OF RECOMMENDED FARM PRACTICES1

Summary RELATIVE PREDICTABILITY OF FIVE INDICES OF ADOPTION OF RECOMMENDED FARM PRACTICES: The central concern of this study was to compare five indices of adoption of recommended farm practices in terms of their capacities to predict variations in variables theoretically expected and empirically established to be related to adoption. Of the five indices of adoption, three were conventional indices widely used by rural sociologists in measuring the adoption behaviour of farmers. The first index was comparatively crude - the per cent of applicable practices adopted. The other was an improvement over the first in that the years of use of the adopted applicable practices were taken into consideration. The third index involved a categorization of farmers into five groups in terms of the degree to which each of them was relatively earlier to adopt new ideas than other members of his social system. Besides these three indices, two adoption scales were constructed with the use of trace line analysis and Guttman's scalogram analysis, respectively. The predictive utility of each of these five indices was measured by computing Gutman's coefficient of predictive utility for each of the twenty-one variables known to be related to measures of adoption. Zusammenfassung DIE BRAUCHBARKEIT VON FUNF INDIZES FUR DIE RELATIVE VORAUSSAGE DER ADOPTION EMPFOHLENER L ANDWIRTSC H AFTLIC HER Auser diesen drei Indizes wurden zwei Masstabe der Adoption festgelegt, und zwar unter Anwendung der trace line-Analyse bzw. des Guttman-Skalogramms. Die Brauchbarkeit der Voraussage jedes dieser funf Indizes wurde durch Berechnung des entsprechenden Guttman-Koeffizienten fur jede der 21 Variabelen, die fur die Be-stimmung des Adoptionsgrades bekannt sind, ermittelt.
Absence of peritumoral Crooke’s change is associated with recurrence in surgically treated Cushing’s disease

BACKGROUND Pituitary surgery is the standard treatment for Cushing's disease but is complicated by a recurrence rate that ranges from 5.9 to 27%. Whereas some recurrences may be due to technical or anatomical factors resulting in subtotal resection of adenoma, clinical relapse after total tumor resection is a well-documented occurrence. The factors leading to such recurrences are unknown. METHODS With the hypothesis that the pathology of the nontumoral adenohypophysis is important in predicting relapse, we undertook a study to determine if the absence of Crooke's change (CC), thought to be an indicator of nontumoral corticotroph inhibition, was associated with unexpected clinical recurrence. Twenty-one patients with Cushing's disease, with gross total resection of intrasellar corticotroph microadenoma, were reviewed independently by 2 neuropathologists for the presence of CC in adjacent adenohypophysis. All tumors were stained with HE 3 did not have CC in their initial resection specimen. All 3 of these patients had unexpected recurrences at 6 to 48 months post-op. Two patients with CC recurred at one year follow-up, 1 after 4 years and 1 after 5 years. All specimens from patients with long-term cure (follow-up from 9-72 months) contained CC. In this study, the absence of CC in peritumoral adenohypophysis was associated with unexpected recurrence of Cushing's disease (p = 0.0214). CONCLUSIONS We conclude that absence of CC in peritumoral adenohypophysis may be of some assistance in predicting recurrence of Cushing's disease after adequate resection of intrasellar microadenoma.
Rules for migrating from ER and EER diagrams to Object-Relationship (OR) diagrams

The entity relationship (ER) approach, initially proposed by [2], modified and extended by others, has been very successful as a tool for communication between the designer and the end user during the requirements analysis and conceptual design phases because of its ease of understanding and its convenience in representation. It still remains the premier model for conceptual database design. Since Chen's (1976) original ER model did not include the notion of inheritance, the ER model was later extended by others to include the notion of inheritance, and labeled the extended entity relationship (EER) model. The ER and EER models enhance the designer's ability to capture real data requirements accurately because they require one to focus on greater semantic detail in the data relationships. The ER and EER models lead to relational database design, which was widely used in the 1980's and 1990's. Relational databases, which only model the structural aspect of a database, are no longer adequate to model today's complex applications such as CAD, expert systems, flexible manufacturing systems, knowledge based systems, multimedia information systems, etc. A more powerful data model, the object-oriented data model, which captures the semantic-integrity constraints and semantic relationships that are important to many types of applications, a model that models both the structural (or static) and behavioral (or dynamic) aspects of real world objects, is needed to model such applications. Object-oriented data models, in comparison to other data models (e.g., flat relational model or nested relational models), offer richer constructs for building complex objects and provide reuse through inheritance. Object-oriented databases (OODB) are quickly becoming the state-of-the art database technology [3].
Relativistic description of valence energy losses in the interaction of fast electrons with clusters of dielectrics: Multiple-scattering approach

A fully relativistic description of valence energy losses suffered by fast electrons passing near finite clusters of arbitrarily disposed dielectric objects is presented using an accurate technique suited to solve Maxwell{close_quote}s equations. The method is based upon an expansion of the electromagnetic field in terms of multipoles around each of the objects of the cluster. Multiple elastic scattering of those multipole expansions is then performed until convergence is achieved. The energy loss, obtained from the induced electric field acting back on the electron, is computed in a time proportional to the square of the number of objects in the cluster, N{sup 2}. Numerical examples are presented for various clusters formed by N=1{endash}198 homogeneous spheres made of SiO{sub 2} and Al, and also for clusters of Si spheres coated with SiO{sub 2}. Both relativistic effects and the interaction between the constituents of the cluster are shown to be of primary importance in the understanding of the position and magnitude of the features exhibited by the calculated electron-energy-loss spectra. {copyright} {ital 1999} {ital The American Physical Society}
Statistical properties of open reading frames in complete genome sequences.

Abstract Some statistical properties of open reading frames in all currently available complete genome sequences are analyzed (seventeen prokatyotic genomes, and 16 chromosome sequences from the yeast genome). The size distribution of open reading frames is characterized by various techniques, such as quantile tables, QQ-plots, rank–size plots (Zipf’s plots), and spatial densities. The issue of the influence of CG% on the size distribution is addressed. When yeast chromosomes are compared with archaeal and eubacterial genomes, they tend to have more long open reading frames. There is little or no evidence to reject the null hypothesis that open reading frames on six different reading frames and two strands distribute similarly. A topic of current interest, the base composition asymmetry in open reading frames between the two strands, is studied using regression analysis. The base composition asymmetry at three codon positions is analyzed separately. It was shown in these genome sequences that the first codon position is G- and A-rich (i.e. purine-rich); there is a co-existence of A- and T-rich branches at the second codon position; and the third codon position is weakly T-rich.
Activity of trimethoprim (TMP), sulphamethoxazole (SMX) and the combination against Bacteroides fragilis group isolates

The in-vitro efficacy of trimethoprim/sulphamethoxazole (TMP/SMX) was tested against 59 isolates belonging to the Bacteroides fragilis group of bacteria and was shown to be dependent upon the inoculum size. With an inoculum of 3 X 10(5) colony forming units (cfu), 98% of these isolates were susceptible to the combination, whereas with a higher inoculum of 10(6) cfu, 88% were susceptible. None of the isolates were susceptible to less than 2 mg/l of TMP, whereas 57 (97%) were susceptible to SMX at the lower inoculum and 21 (36%) at the higher inoculum. These data indicate that TMP/SMX has moderate activity against organisms of the Bact. fragilis group when tested at an inoculum of 10(6) cfu.
An Analysis on the Detection of Biological Contaminants Aboard Aircraft

The spread of infectious disease via commercial airliner travel is a significant and realistic threat. To shed some light on the feasibility of detecting airborne pathogens, a sensor integration study has been conducted and computational investigations of contaminant transport in an aircraft cabin have been performed. Our study took into consideration sensor sensitivity as well as the time-to-answer, size, weight and the power of best available commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) devices. We conducted computational fluid dynamics simulations to investigate three types of scenarios: (1) nominal breathing (up to 20 breaths per minute) and coughing (20 times per hour); (2) nominal breathing and sneezing (4 times per hour); and (3) nominal breathing only. Each scenario was implemented with one or seven infectious passengers expelling air and sneezes or coughs at the stated frequencies. Scenario 2 was implemented with two additional cases in which one infectious passenger expelled 20 and 50 sneezes per hour, respectively. All computations were based on 90 minutes of sampling using specifications from a COTS aerosol collector and biosensor. Only biosensors that could provide an answer in under 20 minutes without any manual preparation steps were included. The principal finding was that the steady-state bacteria concentrations in aircraft would be high enough to be detected in the case where seven infectious passengers are exhaling under scenarios 1 and 2 and where one infectious passenger is actively exhaling in scenario 2. Breathing alone failed to generate sufficient bacterial particles for detection, and none of the scenarios generated sufficient viral particles for detection to be feasible. These results suggest that more sensitive sensors than the COTS devices currently available and/or sampling of individual passengers would be needed for the detection of bacteria and viruses in aircraft.
Concurrent error correction in systolic architectures

It is shown how two features of systolic arrays in which the cells retain partial results rather than pass them on can be used to facilitate testing and fault localization with no modification of the systolic design; the monitoring is performed either by software in the host processor or by hardware following the system output. One feature is the ability to enter identical sequences of inputs into two adjacent processor elements; the other is the resemblance of the data flow to that of a scan design. In particular, a one-dimensional systolic architecture of interest is described and applied to a finite-impulse response filter. Both the error detection and correction coverages are considered in detail for the FIR filter. The concurrent error-correction technique is applicable only to operational reliability, but the concurrent error-detection technique is equally applicable to manufacturing tests, incoming tests, and periodic maintenance tests. A hardware implementation of the error-detection-and-correction technique is presented. The architecture is extended to a two-dimensional processor. >
NEOGLACIAL CLIMATIC INFERENCES FROM ROCK GLACIERS AND PROTALUS RAMPARTS, SOUTHERN LEMHI MOUNTAINS, IDAHO

Mean slope aspect and elevation were determined for Neoglacial rock glaciers and protalus ramparts in the southern Lemhi Mountains, Idaho. The earliest or Indian Basin stade was shown to have a more severe climate than the later Audubon and Gannett Peak stades. Because of their stronger dependence on microsite conditions, protalus rampart elevations and aspects were less responsive to climatic fluctuations than were rock glaciers. Because of their greater reliance on regional climatic changes, elevation/aspect relationships for protalus ramparts were stronger in the southern rather than the northern part of the study area. [Key words: protalus ramparts, rock glaciers, Neoglacial, Lemhi Mountains, Idaho, geomorphology.]
Cycloadditions of Bifunctional Vinyl Ethers with Electrophilic Alkenes through Tetramethylene Zwitterion Intermediates

Bifunctional vinyl ethers react with electron-poor alkenes to cyclobutanes in good yields. The second CC bond reacted with neither the cyclobutane nor its zwitterion intermediate, even on heating. Cyclobutanes formed from ‘tetracyanoethylene’ (8) were transformed into tetrahydropyridines by reaction of the corresponding zwitterion with MeCN as the solvent. In contrast, cyclobutanes formed from dimethyl (dicyanomethylidene)propanedioate (9) did not react with MeCN, which is ascribed to diminished stabilization of the zwitterion intermediate, and increased steric effects. These results extend the classical studies of Huisgen and his co-workers.
High throughput automated chromatin immunoprecipitation as a platform for drug screening and antibody validation

Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) is an assay for interrogating protein–DNA interactions that is increasingly being used for drug target discovery and screening applications. Currently the complexity of the protocol and the amount of hands-on time required for this assay limits its use to low throughput applications; furthermore, variability in antibody quality poses an additional obstacle in scaling up ChIP for large scale screening purposes. To address these challenges, we report HTChIP, an automated microfluidic-based platform for performing high-throughput ChIP screening measurements of 16 different targets simultaneously, with potential for further scale-up. From chromatin to analyzable PCR results only takes one day using HTChIP, as compared to several days up to one week for conventional protocols. HTChIP can also be used to test multiple antibodies and select the best performer for downstream ChIP applications, saving time and reagent costs of unsuccessful ChIP assays as a result of poor antibody quality. We performed a series of characterization assays to demonstrate that HTChIP can rapidly and accurately evaluate the epigenetic states of a cell, and that it is sensitive enough to detect the changes in the epigenetic state induced by a cytokine stimulant over a fine temporal resolution. With these results, we believe that HTChIP can introduce large improvements in routine ChIP, antibody screening, and drug screening efficiency, and further facilitate the use of ChIP as a valuable tool for research and discovery.
Genitourinary small cell malignancies: prostate and bladder.

ABSTRACT Small cell carcinoma is an aggressive malignancy often associated with dismal prognosis due to the presence of advanced disease. Small cell malignancies, initially described in the lung (small cell carcinoma of the lung), can occur in extrapulmonary sites, such as prostate (small cell carcinoma of the prostate) and bladder (small cell carcinoma of the bladder), with similar clinicopathologic outcomes. There has been a paradigm shift in the management of small cell carcinoma of the lung from initial surgical treatment to use of chemotherapy followed by local therapies. Such treatment modalities have been applied to small cell carcinoma of the prostate and the bladder, with promise in improving patient survival. Use of platinum-based combination chemotherapy followed by surgical resection and/or radiation offers the most benefit. Further investigation at the molecular level may offer targeted therapies earlier in the course of the disease.
Using nanoprobing and SEM doping contrast techniques for failure analysis of current leakage in CMOS HV technology

The method of substrate isolation in a typical CMOS HV technology with the addition of a deep nwell (DNW) is commonly applied in order to minimize the effect of disturbance in the substrate potential. The difficulties in identifying the true leakage path are, however, increasing as the noise current flows from this complex well structure with DNW employed in CMOS HV technology. This paper describes the use of nanoprobing and scanning electron microscope (SEM) doping contrast techniques to quickly and precisely pinpoint the leakage path.
SALICYLATE INCREASES THE GAIN OF THE CENTRAL AUDITORY SYSTEM

High doses of salicylate, the anti-inflammatory component of aspirin, induce transient tinnitus and hearing loss. Systemic injection of 250 mg/kg of salicylate, a dose that reliably induces tinnitus in rats, significantly reduced the sound evoked output of the rat cochlea. Paradoxically, salicylate significantly increased the amplitude of the sound-evoked field potential from the auditory cortex (AC) of conscious rats, but not the inferior colliculus (IC). When rats were anesthetized with isoflurane, which increases GABA-mediated inhibition, the salicylate-induced AC amplitude enhancement was abolished, whereas ketamine, which blocks N-methyl-d-aspartate receptors, further increased the salicylate-induced AC amplitude enhancement. Direct application of salicylate to the cochlea, however, reduced the response amplitude of the cochlea, IC and AC, suggesting the AC amplitude enhancement induced by systemic injection of salicylate does not originate from the cochlea. To identify a behavioral correlate of the salicylate-induced AC enhancement, the acoustic startle response was measured before and after salicylate treatment. Salicylate significantly increased the amplitude of the startle response. Collectively, these results suggest that high doses of salicylate increase the gain of the central auditory system, presumably by down-regulating GABA-mediated inhibition, leading to an exaggerated acoustic startle response. The enhanced startle response may be the behavioral correlate of hyperacusis that often accompanies tinnitus and hearing loss.
The Legend of the Fourth Son of Noah

The exact nature of Ham's crime against the drunken Noah has long fascinated exegetes, who have been left dissatisfied by the simple voyeurism described in the biblical text. One particularly interesting explanation, namely, that Ham actually castrated his father, first emerges in a Talmudic account of a debate about Gen 9:24 between Rav and Samuel, two renowned third-century Babylonian rabbis
Gamma-ray Bursts and the First Stars

Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) triggered by the death of the first stars promise to provide a powerful probe into the state of the high-redshift universe. I will review the basic physics of how the first stars formed, evaluating whether they are suitable GRB progenitors. After providing estimates of the high-redshift GRB number density, I will discuss the utility of such bursts in probing the ionization state, and the degree of metal enrichment, of the early intergalactic medium. The prospects for these studies are bright, provided that we can fly a dedicated mission that combines a gamma-ray detector with on-board near-infrared capabilities.
Hereditary dystonia musculorum deformans

Two kindreds are reported with autosomal dominant dystonia musculorum deformam. In each kindred there was one instance of non-pcnetrance (tero expressivity) of the trait. The results of linkage studies with blood groups have been summarized.
Vasopressor use as a surrogate for post-intubation hemodynamic instability is associated with in-hospital and 90-day mortality: a retrospective cohort study

Background Evidence is lacking for what defines post-intubation hypotension in the intensive care unit (ICU). If a valid definition could be used, the potential exists to evaluate possible risk factors and thereby improve post-intubation. Thus, our objectives were to arrive at the best surrogate for post-intubation hypotension that accurately predicts both in-hospital and 90-day mortality in a population of ICU patients and to report mortality rates between the exposed and unexposed cohorts.
An Acoustic Study of the Relationships among Neurologic Disease, Dysarthria Type, and Severity of Dysarthria.

Purpose This study examined acoustic predictors of speech intelligibility in speakers with several types of dysarthria secondary to different diseases and conducted classification analysis solely by acoustic measures according to 3 variables (disease, speech severity, and dysarthria type). Method Speech recordings from 107 speakers with dysarthria due to Parkinson’s disease, stroke, traumatic brain injury, and multiple system atrophy were used for acoustic analysis and for perceptual judgment of speech intelligibility. Acoustic analysis included 8 segmental/suprasegmental features: 2nd formant frequency slope, articulation rate, voiceless interval duration, 1st moment analysis for fricatives, vowel space, F0, intensity range, and Pairwise Variability Index. Results The results showed that (a) acoustic predictors of speech intelligibility differed slightly across diseases and (b) classification accuracy by dysarthria type was typically worse than by disease type or severity. Conclusions These findings were...
Neural Field Dynamics on the Folded Three-Dimensional Cortical Sheet and Its Forward EEG and MEG

Dynamic systems defined on the scale of neural ensembles are well-suited to model the spatiotemporal dynamics of electroencephalographic (EEG) and magnetoencephalographic (MEG) data. We develop a methodological framework, which defines the activity of neural ensembles, the neural field, on a sphere in three dimensions. Using Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) we map the neural field dynamics from the sphere onto the folded cortical surface of a hemisphere. The neural field represents the current flow perpendicular to the cortex and thus allows the calculation of the electric potentials on the surface of the skull and the magnetic fields outside the skull to be measured by EEG and MEG, respectively. For demonstration of the dynamics, we present the propagation of activation at a single cortical site resulting from a transient input. Non-trivial mappings between the multiple levels of observation are obtained which would not be predicted by inverse solution techniques. Considering recent results mapping large-scale brain dynamics (EEG, MEG) onto behavioral motor patterns, this paper provides a discussion of the causal chain starting from local neural ensemble dynamics through encephalographic data to behavior.
Relationships between carbon turnover and bioavailable energy fluxes in two temperate forest soils

Recent research has shown that the broad empirical relationships used in many ecosystem models to predict carbon turnover and stabilization in soils can fail to capture differences across vegetation types or climates. Theoretically, because energy flow is fundamental to the function of decomposer organisms and ecosystems, energetics could provide complimentary fundamental constraints on soil C dynamics. Often, however, C is considered as a surrogate for energy in studies of detrital decay and C turnover in soil. Bomb calorimetry has long been used to measure stored energy in organic matter, but in detritus not all of the energy is bioavailable. Here I outline an approach to quantify the flux of bioavailable energy dissipated by resident heterotrophic communities in soil organic horizons in situ. I used the principle of energy balance together with a biogeochemical process model parameterized through calorimetric analysis of field samples. I also tested relationships between C and energy across samples of forest detritus (foliar and fine root litter, well-decayed Oea material, and woody debris), across decay stages, and between a deciduous and coniferous forest at the Harvard Forest, MA, USA. As a first approximation, energy and C concentrations were closely related (within ca. 10%), as were ratios of heterotrophic energy dissipation to C mineralization across types of detritus (within 16%). Differences in energy content and energy : C ratios were measurable in forest detritus (particularly woody vs nonwoody), but did not vary reliably enough between forest types or through detrital stages to indicate that soil C models could be improved by including energetics. Model results indicated that there are strong similarities in energy flows and storage in the O horizons of the contrasting forest types studied at this location. Future research could focus on broader patterns across climates or biomes.
Inhibition of bone marrow myelopoiesis and erythropoiesis in vitro by anti-retroviral nucleoside derivatives.

We have studied the in vitro effects of nucleoside inhibitors of reverse transcriptase on bone marrow myeloid and erythroid progenitor development. Both 3′-azido-3′-deoxythymidine (AZT) and 2′,3′-dideoxycytidine (DDC) potently inhibited in vitro haematopoiesis, while 2′,3′-di-deoxyadenosine (DDA) was less inhibitory in this culture system. Studies of candidate antiretroviral agents in bone marrow culture may predict clinical toxicity as well as lead to strategies for combination therapy which minimize impairment of haematopoiesis.
Detection of Fenoxaprop-Resistant Smooth Crabgrass (Digitaria ischaemum) in Turf

Greenhouse studies verified that smooth crabgrass from a golf course tee in southern New Jersey was resistant to fenoxaprop-P, although smooth crabgrass from a nearby untreated rough was susceptible to this herbicide. Fenoxaprop-P-resistant plants were injured, however, when fenoxaprop-P was applied at levels above the maximum use rate for turf. Fenoxaprop-P applied postemergence at 0.76 kg ai/ha, four times the maximum rate, reduced shoot weight of the resistant biotype by 35%, whereas application of 1.52 kg/ha, eight times the maximum rate, reduced shoot weight by 64%. Large crabgrass and the susceptible biotype of smooth crabgrass were controlled by fenoxaprop-P applied at 0.1 kg/ha. Fenoxaprop-susceptible and -resistant biotypes of smooth crabgrass had a similar response to MSMA, dithiopyr, and quinclorac applied postemergence. The fenoxaprop-P–resistant smooth crabgrass biotype was controlled by the cyclohexanedione herbicides sethoxydim and clethodim, but the aryloxyphenoxypropionate herbicides flua...
Influence of Community-Based Dental Education on Dental Students’ Preparation and Intent to Treat Underserved Populations

This study examined the influence of community-based dental education (CBDE) on dental students' perceived ability to treat underserved patients and their selection of community dental clinics as a first career path. In a 2009 survey, fourth-year dental students at the University of Michigan recorded their attitudes, skill level, and confidence in treating underserved patients before and after CBDE rotations and estimated what percentage of their practice they planned to devote to Medicaid-eligible patients. The first career choices of graduates from 2005 to 2010 were also correlated with the number of weeks the students spent in CBDE rotations. The results showed an improvement in student skill and confidence in treating low-income patients after the rotations. The examination of first career choices showed that, after three to five weeks of CBDE rotations, 5.6 percent of the students planned to practice in a community-based dental clinic. However, in 2009 when rotations were increased to eight weeks and included multiple clinic types, 11.8 percent of the students in 2009 and 16.5 percent in 2010 selected a community-based dental clinic as their preferred practice location. These findings suggest that CBDE improves dental students' skill and confidence level in treating underserved patients and that more time spent in CBDE rotations, specifically more than five weeks in multiple clinic types, may increase the number of graduates who select practice in community-based clinics as a first career choice.
Colorectal delivery and retention of PEG-Amprenavir-Bac7 nanoconjugates—proof of concept for HIV mucosal pre-exposure prophylaxis

Local delivery of anti-HIV drugs to the colorectal mucosa, a major site of HIV replication, and their retention within mucosal tissue would allow for a reduction in dose administered, reduced dosing frequency and minimal systemic exposure. The current report describes a mucosal pre-exposure prophylaxis (mPrEP) strategy that utilizes nanocarrier conjugates (NC) consisting of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG), amprenavir (APV), and a cell-penetrating peptide (CPP; namely Bac7, a fragment derived from bactenecin 7). APV-PEG NCs with linear PEGs (2, 5, 10, and 30 kDa) exhibited reduced (52-21%) anti-HIV-1 protease (PR) activity as compared to free APV in an enzyme-based FRET assay. In MT-2 T cells, APV-PEG3.4 kDa-FITC (APF) anti-HIV-1 activity was significantly reduced (160-fold, IC50 = 8064 nM) due to poor cell uptake, whereas it was restored (IC50 = 78.29 nM) and similar to APV (IC50 = 50.29 nM) with the addition of Bac7 to the NC (i.e., APV-PEG3.4 kDa-Bac7, APB). Flow cytometry and confocal microscopy demonstrated Bac7-PEG3.4 kDa-FITC (BPF) uptake was two- and fourfold higher than APF in MT-2 T cells and Caco-2 intestinal epithelial cells, respectively. There was no detectable punctate fluorescence in either cell line suggesting that BPF directly enters the cytosol thus avoiding endosomal entrapment. After colorectal administration in mice, BPF mucosal concentrations were 21-fold higher than APF concentrations. BPF concentrations also remained constant for the 5 days of the study suggesting that (1) the NC's structural characteristics (i.e., the size of the PEG carrier and the presence of a CPP) significantly influenced tissue persistence, and (2) the NCs were probably lodged in the lamina propria since the average rodent colon mucosal cell turnover time is 2-3 days. These encouraging results suggest that Bac7 functionalized NCs delivered locally to the colorectal mucosa may form drug delivery depots that are capable of sustaining colorectal drug concentrations. Although the exact mechanisms for tissue persistence are unclear and will require further study, these results provide proof-of-concept feasibility for mPrEP.
Viewing the body in the Abrahamic faith traditions: what radiologists need to know.

T he best radiologists and radiology personnel aspire to care for patients as whole human beings and not just injured or diseased organs. To do so, it is important to understand the basic tenets of major faith traditions. Health professionals unacquainted with this dimension of life are liable to make avoidable blunders. By contrast, religiously informed and sensitive radiology department personnel can provide more comprehensive and compassionate care to patients and also exhibit greater understanding in their working relationships with colleagues of faith. This article focuses on key features of the three Abrahamic faith traditions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. It also touches on their views regarding the patient-physician relationship, including their attitude toward revealing normally hidden features of the human form.
A Varied and Diverse Diet Can Lead to Increasing BMI for Poor Children.

* Abbreviations: BMIz — : BMI z score DD — : diverse diet DGA — : Dietary Guidelines for Americans In this month’s issue of Pediatrics , Fernandez et al1 invite us to consider that a diverse diet (DD) and varied diet should not be advocated to prevent obesity. They studied children and their primary caregivers who were enrolled in Head Start in southeastern Michigan to provide a window on US low-income, preschool-aged children of mixed race/ethnicity. They applied the Harvard Service Food Frequency Questionnaire to assess usual frequency of food consumed in low-income mothers and preschool-aged children and the Berry Index to develop a DD. The authors found that the mean BMI for the primary caregiver was 32.4. Girls and older children ate a more diverse diet. Whites had a lower mean DD and food-insecure households had a higher mean Moderation Foods Variety score. Moderation foods (fried, salty, high-fat, and sweets) are foods that should be decreased in the diet. Healthy foods (grains, fruits, vegetables, dairy, and protein) are foods that should be increased. What … Address correspondence to Susan S. Baker, MD, PhD, Digestive Diseases and Nutrition Center, 219 Bryant St, Buffalo, NY. E-mail: sbaker{at}upa.chob.edu
Electrical Conductivity of KH 2 AsO 4 and KD 2 AsO 4

Measurements of the electrical conductivity of K${\mathrm{H}}_{2}$As${\mathrm{O}}_{4}$ and its deuterated isomorph have been performed from room temperatures to the temperature of their respective ferroelectric transitions. Activation energies of 0.66 and 0.64 eV have been found to characterize the temperature dependence of the conductivity for K${\mathrm{H}}_{2}$As${\mathrm{O}}_{4}$ and K${\mathrm{D}}_{2}$As${\mathrm{O}}_{4}$, respectively. Further evidence that these materials display anomalously long polarization relaxation times near the temperature of their ferroelectric transition is presented and discussed. The nature of this behavior remains unexplained.
Transnational Voyage of the Vagina Monologues

Borrowing Edward Said's idea of "travelling theory",and Mikhial Bahktin's "carnival theory",this article examines the transnational voyage of the America-born feminist play Vagina Monologues and its localization in Chinese context.Through this study,I intend to investigate the ways in which the Third World women's movement makes a dialogue with the western feminist theories and practices,and how a reverse flow of knowledge from the margin to the center is possible.
Analysis of quality monitoring data for urban and rural centralized water supply in Wenling

Objective:To investigate the quality of urban and rural centralized water supply in Wenling and ensure drinking water safty for residents.Methods: 1 water source sample,1 treated water sample and 3 peripheral water samples were collected in the high flow period and in the low flow period from 10 water plants that supply centralized water.Samples were tested and evaluated according to GB/T 5750-2006,GB 5749-2006 standards.Results: 300 water samples were collected in 3 years and it was found that microbiological indicators,free chlorine residual,turbidity,pH value did not meet the requirements.The water quality between large and small water plants was statistically different.Conclusion: Drinking water in urban and rural areas is primarily influenced by microbial contamination rather than geographical and industrial pollution,chemical factors;water hygiene monitoring should be targeted to small-scale centralized water supply enterprises.
Dragon pulse information management system (DPIMS): A unique model-based approach to implementing domain agnostic system of systems and behaviors

The Global Information Network Architecture is an information technology based on Vector Relational Data Modeling, a unique computational paradigm, DoD network certified by USARMY as the Dragon Pulse Informa- tion Management System. This network available modeling environment for modeling models, where models are configured using domain relevant semantics and use network available systems, sensors, databases and services as loosely coupled component objects and are executable applications. Solutions are based on mission tactics, techniques, and procedures and subject matter input. Three recent ARMY use cases are discussed a) ISR SoS. b) Modeling and simulation behavior validation. c) Networked digital library with behaviors.
Photochemical Cleavage of Benzylic C–N Bond To Release Amines

The 3-(diethylamino)benzyl (DEABn) group has been studied for releasing primary, secondary, and tertiary amines by direct photochemical breaking of the benzylic C–N bond. While photochemical release of primary and secondary amines provides high yields in methanol, release of tertiary amines in MeCN/water can improve yields and reduce the undesired dealkylation side reaction.
Efficient n-gram analysis in R with cmscu.

We present a new R package, cmscu, which implements a Count-Min-Sketch with conservative updating (Cormode and Muthukrishnan Journal of Algorithms, 55(1), 58–75, 2005), and its application to n-gram analyses (Goyal et al. 2012). By writing the core implementation in C++ and exposing it to R via Rcpp, we are able to provide a memory-efficient, high-throughput, and easy-to-use library. As a proof of concept, we implemented the computationally challenging (Heafield et al. 2013) modified Kneser–Ney n-gram smoothing algorithm using cmscu as the querying engine. We then explore information density measures (Jaeger Cognitive Psychology, 61(1), 23–62, 2010) from n-gram frequencies (for n=2,3) derived from a corpus of over 2.2 million reviews provided by a Yelp, Inc. dataset. We demonstrate that these text data are at a scale beyond the reach of other more common, more general-purpose libraries available through CRAN. Using the cmscu library and the smoothing implementation, we find a positive relationship between review information density and reader review ratings. We end by highlighting the important use of new efficient tools to explore behavioral phenomena in large, relatively noisy data sets.
Long-term effect of periodic fire on nutrient pools and soil chemistry in loblolly-shortleaf pine stands managed with single-tree selection

Abstract Prescribed fire can be an important tool for managing loblolly ( Pinus taeda L.) and shortleaf pine ( Pinus enchinata Mill.) stands in the southern United States but few studies have reported the impact of repeated prescribed fires in stands that are routinely thinned or partially harvested. We compared nutrient pools and soil chemistry in portions of three uneven-aged loblolly-shortleaf pine stands that had received dormant-season prescribed fires every one to four years (high frequency fire) during a 20 year period to portions of these same stands in which fire was excluded (control). The stands had been managed using single-tree selection and harvested on a 5-year cycle since the establishment of the prescribed fire treatments. Sixteen months following the last prescribed fire, forest floor nutrient pools were 42–49% less in the high frequency fire than control treatment. Understory vegetation recovered rapidly and approximately 34 months following the last fire, understory biomass and nutrient pools were similar within the two treatments. However, the repeated use of prescribed fire effectively reduced the density of saplings which resulted in a 78–85% reduction in sapling biomass and nutrient pools in the high frequency fire compared to the control treatment. Chemistry of the surface (15 cm) mineral soil was similar in the two treatments indicating that the prescribed fires had little impact on the mineral soil. Periodic harvesting may have ameliorated changes in mineral soil P, Ca, or Mg availability that have been reported to occur with long-term, repeated application of prescribed fires in southern pine forests. Reductions in forest floor and sapling nutrient pools associated with the prescribed fire likely had little impact on tree productivity or soil sustainability since foliar nutrient concentrations of the overstory trees in the two treatments did not differ and the potential losses were small compared to surface soil pools.
Measurements of young's modulus of viscoelastic medium using a laser-induced microbubble under acoustic radiation force

An approach to assess the mechanical properties of a viscoelastic medium using laser-induced microbubbles is presented. A 532 nm wavelength nanosecond pulsed laser beam was focused into a phantom to create a microbubble at the desired location. A 3.5 MHz ultrasound transducer was used to generate acoustic radiation force to excite the laser-induced microbubble. Motion of the microbubble was tracked using a 25 MHz imaging transducer. An agreement between a theoretical model of bubble motion in viscoelastic medium and experimental measurements was demonstrated. Young's moduli reconstructed using the laser-induced microbubble approach were compared with those of direct measurements. Thus, the proposed approach can be used to assess the mechanical properties of viscoelastic medium such as soft tissue.
Laparoscopic Treatment of Biliary Atresia

Biliary atresia (BA) is a rare disease of infancy that is presently the most common indication for liver transplant during infancy. Surgical technique to address drainage of the biliary system has undergone significant refinement during the twentieth century, with long-term survival greatly improved following the introduction of the hepatic portoenterostomy (PE) and advances in liver transplantation. Within the past two decades, attempts to employ minimal access surgical techniques in the management of biliary atresia have shown some promise, particularly with respect to laparoscopic cholangiography. Outcomes following laparoscopic PE have not consistently been favorably comparable to open surgery, but interest and investigation regarding this approach are ongoing.
One-Dimensional Heat Conduction Equation

In Chapter 2, we considered situations that could be treated only by use of Fourier’s Law of heat conduction. In this chapter, we combine Fourier’s Law with the principle of conservation of energy to obtain the heat conduction equation. We then apply the equation to situations involving sources and sinks of energy.
Land-Cover Change and the ‘‘Dust Bowl’’ Drought in the U.S. Great Plains

AbstractThe North American Dust Bowl drought during the 1930s had devastating environmental and societal impacts. Comprehending the causes of the drought has been an ongoing effort in order to bett...