cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Leveraging hardware TM in Haskell

Transactional memory (TM) is heavily used for synchronization in the Haskell programming language, but its performance has historically been poor. We set out to improve this performance using hardware TM (HTM) on Intel processors. This task is complicated by Haskell's retry mechanism, which requires information to escape aborted transactions, and by the heavy use of indirection in the Haskell runtime, which means that even small transactions are likely to over-flow hardware buffers. It is eased by functional semantics, which preclude irreversible operations; by the static separation of transactional state, which precludes privatization; and by the error containment of strong typing, which enables so-called lazy subscription to the lock that protects the "fallback" code path. We describe a three-level hybrid TM system for the Glasgow Haskell Compiler (GHC). Our system first attempts to perform an entire transaction in hardware. Failing that, it falls back to software tracking of read and write sets combined with a commit-time hardware transaction. If necessary, it employs a global lock to serialize commits (but still not the bodies of transactions). To get good performance from hardware TM while preserving Haskell semantics, we use Bloom filters for read and write set tracking. We also implemented and extended the newly proposed mutable constructor fields language feature to significantly reduce indirection. Experimental results with complex data structures show significant improvements in throughput and scalability.
Should there be a Mandate to Consistently and Systematically Report Asthma Occurrences within Minority-Underserved Communities in the State of Mississippi?

The epidemic of asthma has become one of the most critical public health threats within the state of Mississippi. In Mississippi, the most current prevalence of adult asthma is 12.0% for lifetime asthma and 8.6% for current asthma. Among African-Americans, the adult population represents the leading rates in overall asthma burden, with the highest percent of adult lifetime asthma being 14.6% and current asthma being 11.0%. This study asserts that a mandate to systematically and consistently report newly diagnosed cases of asthma among minority-underserved communities can provide a pathway to decrease this asthma disparity, effective treatment, and healthier lives. Based upon the findings, the participants, overall, agree that asthma disproportionately occurs among minority-underserved communities; and, mandated systematic and consistent reporting should be implemented. Additionally, these actions can lead to a decrease in this asthma disparity, an implementation of targeted public policies, effective treatment and a pathway to healthier lives.
Schools as Change Agents in Reducing Bias and Discrimination: Shaping Behaviors and Attitudes

To describe the issues associated with heightened levels of discriminatory behaviors and their effects on children and youth. We then describe efforts to ameliorate discriminatory behaviors at the school level, placing emphasis on practices that can be implemented within current school initiatives. We employed a thematic review approach to examine the effects of discriminatory behaviors on children and youth, as well as on school-based practices employed to redress such behaviors. Schools can act as change agents to curb the negative experiences youth have with discrimination, hateful speech and actions, and harassment. Many schools are successfully addressing these issues through their use of positive behavioral interventions and supports, social and emotional learning programs, bullying prevention programs, and interventions, which are designed to positively influence discriminatory behaviors and biased attitudes. Schools should address issues like harassment, bullying, racism, and discrimination through the use of programs or interventions designed to reduce them, in order to provide more equitable schooling experiences and more equitable educational outcomes for all.
Consent in paediatric neurosurgery: adequacy of documentation and parental perspectives

Consenting paediatric patients for surgical procedures remains inherently unique in that it is underpinned by principles such as parental responsibility, assessment of the child’s capacity to consent, and adherence to national/legal guidelines. Quality record keeping is an important objective evidence to demonstrate the highest standards of medical care provided to our patients. The consent form is a crucial medical record encapsulating the attainment of informed consent from a parent/guardian for performing a procedure on their child. We aimed to prospectively evaluate the consenting process in our department to assess adequacy of documentation and parental perspectives. A prospective study using qualitative descriptive design was conducted with parents of 50 children requiring neurosurgical procedures over a 3-month period. All patients understood the primary diagnosis and type of surgery. Procedure-specific risks were understood by 98% and 84% could remember the mentioning of general risks of surgery. Only a minority of parents (24%) could recollect that alternative options of management including no treatment were discussed. In cases where relevant, laterality was only documented in 56% of consent forms. All patients felt that an informed decision regarding consent to surgery was made. However, 12% suggested areas where further improvement could be made in the timing of consent and the way information could be better provided. Consent is more than a signature on a form. It provides objective evidence of a shared decision-making process between the surgeon, patient, and their parent/guardian. Our initial study highlights multiple areas for improvement.
Kontsevich–Zagier integrals for automorphic Green’s functions. II

In the framework of Kontsevich–Zagier periods, we derive integral representations for weight-k automorphic Green’s functions invariant under modular transformations in $$\varGamma _0(N)$$ ( $$N\,{\in }\,\mathbb Z_{\ge 1} $$ ), provided that there are no cusp forms on the respective Hecke congruence groups with an even integer weight $$k\ge 4$$ . These Kontsevich–Zagier integral representations for automorphic Green’s functions give explicit formulae for certain Eichler–Shimura maps connecting Eichler cohomology to Maas cusp forms. We construct integral representations for weight-4 Gross–Zagier renormalized Green’s functions (automorphic self-energy) from limit scenarios of the respective Kontsevich–Zagier integrals. We reduce the weight-4 automorphic self-energy on $$ X_0(4)(\mathbb C)=\varGamma _0(4)\backslash \mathfrak H^*$$ to an explicit form, which supports an algebraicity conjecture of Gross and Zagier.
Unraveling Escherichia coli's Cloak: Identification of Phosphoethanolamine Cellulose, Its Functions, and Applications.

Bacterial biofilms are complex, multicellular communities made up of bacteria enmeshed in a self-produced extracellular matrix (ECM) that protects against environmental stress. The ECM often compri...
Early diagnosis and intervention in cystic fibrosis: Imagining the unimaginable

Cystic fibrosis is the most common life-shortening genetic disease affecting Caucasians, clinically manifested by fat malabsorption, poor growth and nutrition, and recurrent sinopulmonary infections. Newborn screening programs for cystic fibrosis are now implemented throughout the United States and in many nations worldwide. Early diagnosis and interventions have led to improved clinical outcomes for people with cystic fibrosis. Newer cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator potentiators and correctors with mutation-specific effects have increasingly been used in children, and these agents are revolutionizing care. Indeed, it is possible that highly effective modulator therapy used early in life could profoundly affect the trajectory of cystic fibrosis lung disease, and primary prevention may be achievable.
Energy loss and jerk on the loop-the-loop

10.1119/10.0003877.1In its usual form, the loop-the-loop (LtL) problem involves a uniform solid sphere rolling from rest down a linear ramp that transitions into a circular loop. The task is to find the minimum height from which the ball must be released in order to roll completely around the loop without breaking contact. The answer, found using the conservation of mechanical energy and Newton's second law, is invariably less than the actual measured height. The difference, attributed to non-conservative forces, is consistently larger than the experimental uncertainty. To get a more detailed understanding of the effects of dissipative forces on the loop-the-loop, we made high speed video recordings of balls moving on the commercial LtL apparatus and used video analysis to study their motion in detail. We present our results along with a simple model to predict the motion of the ball on an LtL track taking energy losses into account. Calculations based on the model are in excellent agreement with our measurements.
TRANSMISSION SPECTRA OF TRANSITING PLANET ATMOSPHERES: MODEL VALIDATION AND SIMULATIONS OF THE HOT NEPTUNE GJ 436b FOR THE JAMES WEBB SPACE TELESCOPE

We explore the transmission spectrum of the Neptune-class exoplanet GJ 436b, including the possibility that its atmospheric opacity is dominated by a variety of nonequilibrium chemical products. We also validate our transmission code by demonstrating close agreement with analytic models that use only Rayleigh scattering or water vapor opacity. We find broad disagreement with radius variations predicted by another published model. For GJ 436b, the relative coolness of the planet's atmosphere, along with its implied high metallicity, may make it dissimilar in character compared to 'hot Jupiters'. Some recent observational and modeling efforts suggest low relative abundances of H{sub 2}O and CH{sub 4} present in GJ 436b's atmosphere, compared to calculations from equilibrium chemistry. We include these characteristics in our models and examine the effects of absorption from methane-derived higher-order hydrocarbons. To our knowledge, the effects of these nonequilibrium chemical products on the spectra of close-in giant planets have not previously been investigated. Significant absorption from HCN and C{sub 2}H{sub 2} is found throughout the infrared, while C{sub 2}H{sub 4} and C{sub 2}H{sub 6} are less easily seen. We perform detailed simulations of James Webb Space Telescope observations, including all likely noise sources, and find that we will be ablemore » to constrain chemical abundance regimes from this planet's transmission spectrum. For instance, the width of the features at 1.5, 3.3, and 7 {mu}m indicates the amount of HCN versus C{sub 2}H{sub 2} present. The NIRSpec prism mode will be useful due to its large spectral range and the relatively large number of photo-electrons recorded per spectral resolution element. However, extremely bright host stars like GJ 436 may be better observed with a higher spectroscopic resolution mode in order to avoid detector saturation. We find that observations with the MIRI low-resolution spectrograph should also have high signal-to-noise in the 5-10 {mu}m range due to the brightness of the star and the relatively low spectral resolution (R {approx} 100) of this mode.« less
EFFECT OF METALLIC INTERCONNECT THICKNESS ON ITS LONG-TERM PERFORMANCE IN SOFCS

At the operating environment of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs), oxide scale will grow on the ferritic interconnect (IC) surface unavoidably and furfures induce growth stress in oxide scale and along the interface of the oxide scale and IC substrate. A combination of growth stress with thermal stresses may lead to scale delamination/buckling and eventual spallation during SOFC stack cooling, even leading to serious degradation of cell performance. In this paper, the effect of the ferritic IC thickness on the delamination/spallation of the oxide scale was investigated numerically. The predicted results show that the interfacial shear stresses increase with the growth of the oxide scale and also with the thickness of the ferritic substrate; i.e., the thick ferritic substrate can easily lead to scale delamination and spallation.
Monolithic fabrication of NPN and PNP AlInAs/GaInAs HBTs

The authors demonstrated the feasibility of a new technique for the monolithic fabrication of complementary heterostructure bipolar transistors (HBTs). The process led to coplanar npn and pnp HBTs, the first in the AlInAs/GaInAs material system, which were comparable with the state of the art in HBTs. These devices exhibited unity current gain cutoff frequencies (f/sub T/) up to 99 GHz and 14 GHz for the npn and pnp transistors, respectively. The fabrication scheme allows each of these device types to have individually designed epitaxial structures that are grown in a single molecular beam epitaxy run. Results show that the devices will be capable of tight packing densities for IC applications. >
Vascular patterning and permeability in prostate cancer models with differing osteogenic properties

Bone metastasis is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in prostate cancer. However, the lack of clinically relevant models hinders our understanding of the disease as well as development of effective therapies and imaging approaches. We used noninvasive MRI, histology and micro CT to further characterize the newly established prostate cancer bone metastases-derived model MDA-PCa-118b, and to compare it to the well-established PC-3MM2 model with regard to bone structure and vascular patterning. The PC-3MM2 model is highly osteolytic whereas the MDA-PCa-118b model shows a robust osteoblastic reaction, as often seen in clinical cases. Macromolecular contrast enhanced MRI revealed differences in vascular permeability patterns, which appeared peripheral for PC-3MM2 and nodular for MDA-PCa-118b, matching the microscopic cellular composition of each model: PC-3MM2 exclusively recruits endothelial cells to form thin tumor-core blood vessels and enlarged, leaky peripheral vessels, whereas MDA-PCa-118b also recruits bone-forming cells and pericytes such that small tumor nests are encircled with leaky vessels and embedded in bone-like tissue dotted with pericyte-covered vessels. Despite these structural differences, vascular permeability was reduced in both tumor models by either imatinib or SU10944 treatment. This study highlights the importance of clinically relevant osteogenic models of human prostate cancer and the value of such models not only in enhancing our understanding of tumorigenesis, metastasis and response to therapy, but also for development of appropriate methods for noninvasive imaging of these processes. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Creep behavior of glass/ceramic sealant and its effect on long-term performance of solid oxide fuel cells

The creep behavior of glass or glass–ceramic sealant materials used in solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) becomes relevant under SOFC operating temperatures. In this paper, the creep of glass–ceramic sealants was experimentally examined, and a standard linear solid model was applied to capture the creep behavior of glass–ceramic sealant materials developed for planar SOFCs at high temperatures. The parameters of this model were determined based on the creep test results. Furthermore, the creep model was incorporated into finite-element software programs SOFC-MP and Mentat-FC developed at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory for multiphysics simulation of SOFCs. The effect of creep of glass–ceramic sealant materials on the long-term performance of SOFC stacks was investigated by studying the stability of the flow channels and the stress redistribution in the glass seal and on the various interfaces of the glass seal with other layers. Finite-element analyses were performed to quantify the stresses in various parts. The stresses in glass seals were released because of creep behavior during operations.
Evidence of sympathetic cooling of Na + ions by a Na magneto-optical trap in a hybrid trap

A hybrid ion-neutral trap provides an ideal system to study collisional dynamics between ions and neutral atoms. This system provides a general cooling method that can be applied to species that do not have optically accessible transitions and can also potentially cool internal degrees of freedom. The long-range polarization potentials ($V\ensuremath{\propto}\ensuremath{-}\ensuremath{\alpha}/{r}^{4}$) between ions and neutrals result in large scattering cross sections at cold temperatures, making the hybrid trap a favorable system for efficient sympathetic cooling of ions by collisions with neutral atoms. We present experimental evidence of sympathetic cooling of trapped Na${}^{+}$ ions, which are closed shell and therefore do not have a laser-induced atomic transition from the ground state, by equal-mass cold Na atoms in a magneto-optical trap.
The Correlation Effect for a Histidine Locus of Neurospora Crassa

OR different organisms rare wild type segregants have been observed in crosses F involving independently isolated mutants which all show the same phenotypic effect. In all cases in which markers on one or both sides of these mutational sites were present the segregants which are wild type with respect to the isolocaP markers are associated with outside marker combinations which in the crossing over theory would be assigned to 1, 2, and even 3 crossovers between and outside the isolocal markers. The correlation between these “recombinations” is so high that the occurrence of wild type segregants cannot be explained by statistically independent crossovers. The first report of this kind was given by DEMEREC (1928) who described the phenomenon as reverse mutation associated with crossing over in heterozygotes of Drosophila virilis. That neither statistically independent crossovers nor clusters of (reciprocal) crossovers can explain the results has most clearly been shown for Neurospora crassa by M. B. MITCHELL (1955 a,b), who found that of four asci containing a wild type segregant for the isolocal markers none contained the reciprocal double mutant. Further results have been published for Neurospora by GILES (1955), ST. LAWRENCE (1956), and DE SERRES (1956), for Aspergillus nidulans by PRITCHARD (1955) and for phages by STREISINGER and FRANKLIN (1956). Irregular asci have also been found in yeast by LINDEGREN (1955) and ROMAN (1956). In this situation several points of view can be or have been suggested. Agreement among all workers in the field seems now to exist for the statement that there occur regions of “intimate” (or “effective”) pairing statistically distributed along the chromosome. In these regions events take place which result in the irregular segregation for the isolocal markers and the correlated appearance of the described 1, 2 and 3 fold “recombinants”. Concerning the events within sucli a region of intimate pairing two different attitudes to the problem can be stated.
p-adic string N-point function.

The N-point functions for the p-adic version of the bosonic open-string theory are derived and discussed. The cases N=5 and 6 are explicitly calculated, and lead to simple (factorizable) formulas from which the general N case can be formulated.
Quantitative aspects of inferferon-induced plaque reduction: Kinetics of interferon action

Abstract The effects of Interferon concentration and duration of exposure on the cellular resistance developed to vesicular stomatitis virus has been studied for chick and mouse interferons by the plaque reduction method. It was found that the slope of the dose-response is independent of the duration of exposure to Interferon in cells of the same age. In addition, the rate of development of resistance with time was shown to be independent of the concentration of Interferon to which the cells were exposed. A quantitative relationship between concentration, duration of exposure, and antiviral resistance is described for the period of developing resistance. The implications of these findings for the mechanism of action of interferon and for practical aspects of the plaque reduction assay are discussed.
The impact of competitive flow on distal coronary flow and on graft flow during coronary artery bypass surgery

To determine the impact of left anterior descending-competitive flow (LAD-CF) on distal coronary flow (LAD-DF) and on left internal mammary artery-graft flow (LIMA-GF), we performed a quantitative blood-flow analysis in a swine model of a LIMA-to-LAD coronary artery bypass graft (CABG). In six swine, a LIMA-to-LAD CABG was performed. LAD blood-flow was measured bilaterally to the LIMA-to-LAD anastomosis, in the LIMA and in the pulmonary artery (cardiac output, CO) along with the LIMA pulsatility index (LIMA-PI) and the left ventricular pressure (LVP). PreCABG measurements were followed by postCABG measurements at five levels of LAD-CF: 100%, 75%, 50%, 25% and 0% after gradually snaring down a snare placed proximally of the LAD-CF flow-probe. PreCABG CO and LVP remained unchanged postCABG. LAD-DF was reduced significantly postCABG (-33%, P<0.0001). Reduction of the LAD-CF (at 75%, 50%, 25% and 0%) resulted in significant increase of LIMA-GF (+38%, +63%, +113%, +225%, P<0.036 at all LAD-CF levels), reduced PI (6.8, 5.7, 4.1, 3.1, 2.5) with simultaneous increase of LAD-DF (+8%, P=NS, +8%, P=NS, +17%, P=NS, +50%, P=0.0044). Decreased LAD-CF resulted in increased LAD-DF, increased LIMA-GF and decreased LIMA-PI. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study where blood-flow was directly and simultaneously measured in all the components of the LIMA-to-LAD anastomosis.
EXPERIENCE EARLY IN LIFE AFFECTS VOLUNTARY INTAKE OF BLACKBRUSH BY GOATS

Low nutritional quality and high levels of condensed tannins adversely affect voluntary intake of blackbrush (Coleogyne ramosissima Torr.) by goats. We studied: (1) how consumption of blackbrush or alfalfa pellets by young goats affected their consumption of those foods later in life, and (2) whether previous ingestion of blackbrush or alfalfa pellets affected the excretion of condensed tannins and total phenols from blackbrush in urine and feces, production of proline-rich proteins in saliva, excretion of nitrogen in feces, and mass of the liver, kidneys, parotid glands, and reticuloramen in goats. From 6 to 26 weeks of age, experienced goats were exposed to blackbrush, while inexperienced goats ate alfalfa pellets. Following exposure, both groups were offered older-growth blackbrush twigs (OG) or a choice between OG and current season's blackbrush twigs (CSG). A similar feeding trial was repeated nine months after exposure, and, in addition, both groups were offered a choice between OG ad libitum and alfalfa pellets at six levels of availability. Immediately after exposure, experienced goats ingested 95% more (P < 0.01) OG per unit of body weight than inexperienced goats, but both groups rejected CSG. Nine months after exposure, experienced goats ingested 27% more (P < 0.01) OG than inexperienced goats. Experienced goats ingested 30% more OG than inexperienced goats at every level of alfalfa pellet availability. The fate of condensed tannins and total phenols was similar for both groups, but experienced goats excreted 63% more (P < 0.05) uronic acids per unit of body weight. Neither experienced nor inexperienced goats produced proline-rich proteins in saliva. Experienced goats excreted 32% more (P < 0.01) nitrogen in feces per unit of nitrogen ingested than did inexperienced goats. The mass of the reticulorumen was 30% greater (P < 0.05) for experienced than for inexperienced goats one month after exposure, but did not differ 10 months after exposure. The mass of the liver, kidneys, and parotid glands did not differ between treatments. The results show that experience early in life can have profound and persistent effects on consumption of diets high in chemical defenses and low nutrional quality. The results also suggest that several physiological and morphological factors are involved.
Hope language in patients undergoing epilepsy surgery

Candidates for epilepsy surgery often use the word "hope" to express their attitudes and beliefs about surgery. However, studies suggest that hope has a multiplicity of meanings that are not well understood. The goal of this analysis was to evaluate whether Candidates for epilepsy surgery use hope language to express a traditional, expected optimism during presurgery interviews. We examined patients' uses of the word "hope" and its derivatives (hoping, hopeful, hopefully) through a secondary analysis of 37 interviews of adult patients prior to epilepsy surgery. Approximately 1/3 of all hope statements were coded as expressions of optimism, while 1/3 were not optimistic, and 1/3 had unclear meanings. In addition to traditionally optimistic uses of the term, other themes surrounding use of this word included ideas of dread, worry, uncertainty, and temporizing language. This information may help clinicians communicate more effectively with patients, enhancing the informed consent process for epilepsy surgery.
Search for Ghost Images: a Statistical Test

For Lemaitre type universes, the fraction of radio sources with two diametrically opposite images included in a survey to a given flux limit is calculated to be small, because of the recent origin of the sources and the inhomogeneous distribution of matter in the universe.
A Rare Case of Two Different Types of Cardiac Tumors in a Patient

This report presents a 68-year-old woman in whom two different types of benign cardiac tumors were found. This patient, with multiple comorbidities, presented with weight loss. An initial computed tomography scan showed a left atrial mass. This was followed by a transthoracic echocardiogram, which revealed two masses, one in each atria, with different echo characteristics. The patient underwent excision of the mass lesions.
Distributed Compressive Detection with Perfect Secrecy

This paper considers the problem of distributed compressive detection under a perfect secrecy constraint. More specifically, we consider the problem where the distributed inference network operates in the presence of an eavesdropper who wants to discover the state of the nature being monitored by the system. It is shown that perfect secrecy can be achieved by using cooperating trustworthy nodes that assist the Fusion Center (FC) by providing falsified data to the eavesdroppers. We also consider the problem of determining optimal system parameters which maximize the detection performance at the FC, while ensuring perfect secrecy at the eavesdropper.
Solution to the Boltzmann equation for a model polyvalent metal and resistivity calculations

An approximate solution to the coupled electron and phonon Boltzmann equations for an idealized model of Al, In, and other metals whose Fermi surface intersects the Brillouin-zone boundary has been found. Using an expansion in Legendre polynomials for the nonequilibrium distribution function and a spherical Fermi surface, the umklapp part of the scattering term is expanded in powers of $\frac{T}{{\ensuremath{\Theta}}_{D}}$ (where ${\ensuremath{\Theta}}_{D}$ is the Debye temperature). The solution to this equation is found which exhibits an unusual reduction in the nonequilibrium distribution function at the region of intersection of the Fermi surface with the zone boundary, as first anticipated by Klemens and Jackson. The resistivity calculated using this distribution function shows good agreement with experimental results for Al except in the very-low-temperature low-impurity region. A subsequent modification to the solution which attempts to roughly approximate the distortion of the Fermi surface near the Brillouin-zone boundary results in good agreement with experimental results even in this region.
Factors affecting unprescribed remedy use among people with self-reported arthritis.

Objective. The purpose of the study is to determine the frequency and consequences of use of unprescribed remedies by people with self-reported osteoarthritis, and to find methodsfor predicting such use. Methods. A random digit telephone survey was used to contact respondents. A 90-item questionnaire evaluated demographic characteristics, type of disorder, area affected, severity of problem, and symptoms encountered. Results. Among 1,811 contacts, 21% had musculoskeletal complaints. Of those withself-reported musculoskeletal disorders, 84% had used at least one unprescribed remedyduring the past 6 months. People with self-reported rheumatoid arthritis used more such remedies than those with self-reported osteoarthritis, and those with a greater degree of disability used more unprescribed remedies than those who were less affected. Unprescribed remedies were rated as effective as prescribed remedies. Conclusions. Unprescribed remedies are used frequently, particularly by those with painful and disabling arthritis. These remedies may be effective. Harmful and expensive remedies are used rarely.
DNA-mediated gene transfer in Chinese hamster ovary cells: clonal variation in transfer efficiency.

Thymidine kinase-deficient Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells were genetically transformed with the BamHI restriction fragment encoding the thymidine kinase gene of herpes simplex virus (HSV-tk). We have observed considerable clonal variation among independent CHO sublines with respect to transformation competence for the DNA-mediated gene transfer of HSV-tk. Transformation frequencies ≥3×10-4 were observed consistently in one subline, with a transformation efficiency of approximately 1 transformant per ng viral gene. The frequency and efficiency of transformation we observed in this system are at least 10-fold greater than those previously reported for DNA-mediated transformation of CHO cells by HSV-tk. All of the CHO HSV-tk+ transformants examined were stable for the transferred genotype in the absence of selection, and all showed evidence of co-transformation by unselected plasmid pBR322 sequences.
Non-clinical work counts: facilitating patient outflow in an emergency department

We conducted an observational study in an emergency department ED to acquire an in-depth understanding of the activities and processes involved in the ED patient outflow and the challenges encountered in the outflow coordination with heterogeneous and autonomous stakeholders within and across organisations. We identified that inefficient patient outflow not only led to overcrowding in the ED because patients could not be admitted to the ED, but it also affected the operation of other inpatient units and that of external organisations. Moreover, the overcrowding issue was found to be contingent on how efficiently the multiple, concurrent, and intertwined patient outflow work was coordinated. The patient outflow coordination work was primarily non-clinical, and invisible in the current information system. Therefore, we propose to make the non-clinical coordination outflow work visible and be supported in the information system as efficient outflow is crucial to the efficiency of the overall patient flow.
High-precision measurement of lifetimes and collisional decay parameters in Ca 1D states using the two-photon Hanle effect.

We report high-precision measurements of the lifetimes and collisional decay parameters of the (4${p}^{2}$) ${\mathrm{}}^{1}$D and (4s5d) ${\mathrm{}}^{1}$D states of atomic calcium using the two-photon Hanle effect. Modification of the excited-state decay rates due to saturation of the two-photon transition is clearly observed. Spontaneous-emission rates of the possible dipole transitions from these states are deduced through branching-ratio measurements and compared with theory. The (4s4d${)\mathrm{}}^{1}$D lifetime is determined through observation of its exponential decay.
Why is chemical synthesis and property optimization easier than expected

Identifying optimal conditions for chemical and material synthesis as well as optimizing the properties of the products is often much easier than simple reasoning would predict. The potential search space is infinite in principle and enormous in practice, yet optimal molecules, materials, and synthesis conditions for many objectives can often be found by performing a reasonable number of distinct experiments. Considering the goal of chemical synthesis or property identification as optimal control problems provides insight into this good fortune. Both of these goals may be described by a fitness function J that depends on a suitable set of variables (e.g., reactant concentrations, components of a material, processing conditions, etc.). The relationship between J and the variables specifies the fitness landscape for the target objective. Upon making simple physical assumptions, this work demonstrates that the fitness landscape for chemical optimization contains no local sub-optimal maxima that may hinder attainment of the absolute best value of J. This feature provides a basis to explain the many reported efficient optimizations of synthesis conditions and molecular or material properties. We refer to this development as OptiChem theory. The predicted characteristics of chemical fitness landscapes are assessed through a broad examination of the recent literature, which shows ample evidence of trap-free landscapes for many objectives. The fundamental and practical implications of OptiChem theory for chemistry are discussed.
THE INFLUENCE OF SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS ON THE PREDICTABILITY OF COLLEGE PERFORMANCE

Although numerous studies have examined the validity of scholastic aptitude measures as predictors of college performance for black and white students, few studies have investigated the validity of these predictors for different socioeconomic levels within a racially homogeneous population. To study the influence of socioeconomic status (SES) on the predictability of college performance, a sample of 1,631 white freshmen attending a large urban university was divided into homogeneous subgroups on each of three measures: (a) family income, (b) father's occupation, and (c) mother's education. Verbal and Quantitative Scholastic Aptitude Test scores and high school class rank were used to predict freshman grade-point average within each subgroup. For all three socioeconomic measures, lower cross-validated multiple correlations were associated with lower levels of SES. Possible explanations for these results are discussed and implications for research are presented.
Conserving and promoting evenness: organic farming and fire-based wildland management as case studies

Healthy ecosystems include many species (high richness) with similar abundances (high evenness). Thus, both aspects of biodiversity are worthy of conservation. Simultaneously conserving richness and evenness might be difficult, however, if, for example, the restoration of previously absent species to low densities brings a cost in reduced evenness. Using meta-analysis, we searched for benefits to biodiversity following adoption of two common land-management schemes: the implementation of organic practices by farmers and of controlled burning by natural-land managers. We used rarefaction to eliminate sampling bias in all of our estimates of richness and evenness. Both conservation practices significantly increased evenness and overall abundance across taxonomic classifications (arthropods, birds, non-bird vertebrates, plants, soil organisms). Evenness and richness varied independently, leading to no richness–evenness correlation and no significant overall change in richness. Demonstrating the importance of rarefaction, analyses of raw data that did not receive rarefaction indicated misleadingly strong benefits of organic agriculture and burning for richness while underestimating true gains in evenness. Both organic farming and burning favored species that were not numerically dominant, re-balancing communities as uncommon species gained individuals. Our results support the assertion that richness and evenness capture separate facets of biodiversity, each needing individual attention during conservation.
X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis of mercury sorbent surface chemistry

During coal combustion, mercury completely volatilizes and can remain in the vapor phase throughout the combustion and environmental control system. Mercury is partitioned into elemental, oxidized and particulate phases in the flue gas stream. Air pollution control devices such as wet scrubbers can remove the oxidized and particulate-bound mercury. Elemental mercury cannot be effectively removed by current control technologies. One proposed new technology involves injecting a powdered carbon-based sorbent upstream of the air pollution control device to capture mercury. Previous work has identified lignite-derived activated carbon as a possible sorption material for mercury in flue gas atmospheres. This study is focused on determining the chemical changes taking place on the surface of two activated carbons that may influence mercury sorption and desorption. The carbons tested included the Norit FGD lignite activated carbon and an activated carbon derived from high-sodium lignite. The sorbents were tested for their ability to sorb and retain elemental mercury in a simulated baseline flue gas containing relatively high concentrations of SO2, NO2 and HCl, representative of bituminous coal firing. The breakthrough of mercury was determined for each sorbent under different flue gas compositions. The effect of SO2, NO2, HCl and H2O on the carbon's ability to sorb mercury was evaluated for both activated carbons.
Separation of partially methylated mannitols by liquid chromatography

Abstract To facilitate the methylation linkage analysis of complex carbohydrates containing radioactively labeled mannose residues, an HPLC micromethylation technique has been developed which effectively resolves all of the partially methylated mannitol standards prepared using an undermethylation protocol. The method was applied to the linkage analysis of the nine mannose residues of the dolichol-derived oligosaccharide Glc3Man9GlcNAc2 isolated from BHK-21 fibroblasts. This technique should prove widely applicable to the methylation linkage analysis of radiolabeled complex carbohydrates.
Alpha-human atrial natriuretic peptide is a coronary vasodilator in the Langendorff-perfused guinea pig heart.

The circulating form of atrial natriuretic peptide is now believed to be composed of 28 amino acids (1). Therefore, we studied the coronary vasoactivity of the 28 amino acid, alpha-human atrial natriuretic peptide (α-hANP) in five isolated guinea pig hearts Langendorff-perfused at constant pressure (46 mmHg) with Krebs-Henseleit solution. The reactivity of the coronary bed was assured in each heart with bolus injections of norepinephrine, adenosine, and the vasoconstrictor atrial natriuretic peptide, atriopeptin II (APII). APII was a coronary constrictor in each of these five hearts. Nineteen boluses of α-hANP were administered to the five hearts, spanning the range 1.6 to 64 nmol/g wet heart weight. α-hANP was vasodilator in all five hearts. The equation for the regression of y = flow, % increase, on x = dose, nmol/g, is y = 17.98 logx −4.11. The correlation coefficient, r, is 0.83, and the coefficient of determination, r2, is 0.69. Analysis of variance of the regression of y and x yields an F statistic of 36.9, P<0.00001. These results indicate that coronary vasodilation is correlated with dose of α-hANP over much of the range 1.6 – 64 nmol/g.
Acid pH activation of the PmrA/PmrB two-component regulatory system of Salmonella enterica

Acid pH often triggers changes in gene expression. However, little is known about the identity of the gene products that sense fluctuations in extracytoplasmic pH. The Gram-negative pathogen Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium experiences a number of acidic environments both inside and outside animal hosts. Growth in mild acid (pH 5.8) promotes transcription of genes activated by the response regulator PmrA, but the signalling pathway(s) that mediates this response has thus far remained unexplored. Here we report that this activation requires both PmrA's cognate sensor kinase PmrB, which had been previously shown to respond to Fe(3+) and Al(3+), and PmrA's post-translational activator PmrD. Substitution of a conserved histidine or of either one of four conserved glutamic acid residues in the periplasmic domain of PmrB severely decreased or abolished the mild acid-promoted transcription of PmrA-activated genes. The PmrA/PmrB system controls lipopolysaccharide modifications mediating resistance to the antibiotic polymyxin B. Wild-type Salmonella grown at pH 5.8 were > 100 000-fold more resistant to polymyxin B than organisms grown at pH 7.7. Our results suggest that protonation of the PmrB periplasmic histidine and/or of the glutamic acid residues activate the PmrA protein, and that mild acid promotes cellular changes resulting in polymyxin B resistance.
A transitional anterior fixed prosthesis using composite resin

A method has been described to temporarily restore an anterior edentulous space in a single appointment. The technique uses a composite resin to retain a resin denture tooth (pontic) supported by edgewise orthodontic wire. This approach is suggested as a transitional treatment for patients who are not amenable to either a definitive fixed or removable prosthesis.
Beliefs About Social Integration From the Perspectives of Persons With Mental Retardation, Job Coaches, and Employers

Abstract Beliefs of multiple stakeholders who were all part of the same “transition community” (including persons with mental retardation, job coaches, and employers) about social integration outco...
K+ channels in O2 sensing and postnatal development of carotid body glomus cell response to hypoxia

The sensitivity of carotid body chemoreceptors to hypoxia is low just after birth and increases over the first few weeks of the postnatal period. At present, it is believed that the hypoxia-induced excitation of carotid body glomus cells begins with the inhibition of the outward K+ current via one or more O2 sensors. Although the nature of the O2 sensors and their signals that inhibit the K+ current are not well defined, studies suggest that the postnatal maturation of the glomus cell response to hypoxia is largely due to the increased sensitivity of K+ channels to hypoxia. As KV, BK and TASK channels that are O2-sensitive contribute to the K+ current, it is important to identify the O2 sensor and the signaling molecule for each of these K+ channels. Various O2 sensors (mitochondrial hemeprotein, hemeoxygenase-2, NADPH oxidase) and associated signals have been proposed to mediate the inhibition of K+ channels by hypoxia. Studies suggest that a mitochondrial hemeprotein is likely to serve as an O2 sensor for K+ channels, particularly for TASK, and that multiple signals may be involved. Thus, changes in the sensitivity of the mitochondrial O2 sensor to hypoxia, the sensitivity of K+ channels to signals generated by mitochondria, and/or the expression levels of K+ channels are likely to account for the postnatal maturation of O2 sensing by glomus cells.
Biotransformation of the fungicide pentachloronitrobenzene by Tetrahymena thermophila

The protozoan, Tetrahymena thermophila, metabolizes pentachloronitrobenzene to several products, including nitrite, pentachlorothioanisole and pentachloroaniline. The latter two metabolites were identified by gas chromatographymass spectrometry. Pentachlorothioanisole may be produced via a glutathione-dependent pathway, and two key enzymes of this pathway, glutathione transferase and thiol S-methyltransferase, have been detected in crude extracts of this microorganism.
TU‐G‐BRB‐07: Improve PTV Dose Distribution by Using Spatial Information in IMRT Optimization

Purpose: The spatial distribution of radiation dose within the PTV does have clinical significance. For instance, if hot/cold spots in the PTV cannot be avoided, high doses are preferred to be located in the center, and low doses at the peripheries. However, traditional plan optimization models for IMRT usually treat equally voxels inside the same structure, failing to incorporate those location preferences. We present a re‐optimization model that, while preserving the quality of an initial treatment plan represented by DVH curves, incorporates spatial information for voxels inside the PTV into the optimization to generate a more desirable dose distribution. Methods: Our re‐optimization model incorporates a convex function that penalizes the deviation of the dose received by each voxel from an individual reference value. For PTV, the reference values per voxel match the ideal redistribution of the initial PTV dose, where voxels close to the boundary receive the low doses, while voxels in the center receive the high doses. For OAR, the reference value per voxel corresponds to its dose from the initial plan. In addition to the structure‐based weighting factors in traditional planning approaches, we incorporated individual penalty weights for PTV voxels. Structure‐based factors are calibrated according to the difference from the reference DVH curves, while voxel‐based, according to the difference to reference value. Results: We tested our model in four gynecologic cancer cases. For each case, we compare the resulting dose distribution within the PTV to that from the initial plan. It is observed that without sacrificing the plan quality represented by DVH curves, our re‐optimization model generates more desirable PTV dose distributions. Conclusions: We have presented a re‐optimization model that, by incorporating spatial location information for PTV voxels, yields to more clinically favorable dose distributions with similar DVH curves. This work is supported by Varian Medical Systems through a Master Research Agreement.
Clinical Features of Severe Influenza A (H1N1) Virus Infection

To highlight the clinical presentations of influenza A (H1N1) infection, for early diagnosis and recognition by the pediatricians. In this retrospective study, the medical records of inpatients with influenza A (H1N1) infection between November 1, 2009 and May 31, 2011were reviewed. Eighty pediatric in-patients with median age 41.9 mo were studied. ARDS (11/80), pneumothorax (8/80), pleural effusion (7/80) and encephalopathy (7/80) were the most frequent complications. Six of 11 ARDS patients died;all of them were under 5 y. The median days of viral shedding was 11.4 d. Slight increase of Il-6, Il-10 and TNF-γ were revealed in some cases. During late stage of pandemic wave, the majority of patients were young children. Children with severe Influenza A (H1N1) are prone to develop complications, and die from ARDS. If influenza-like illness is accompanied by neurologic signs, influenza A (H1N1) virus infection should be considered. The viral shedding in children is longer than in adults.