cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
E-001 quantification of intracranial support catheter tip stiffness

Introduction There are no resources that directly compare the properties of similar devices used in neuro endovascular procedures. Device selection for an endovascular procedure can reduce or increase the risk of a complication during the procedure. Intracranial support catheters are typically advanced through a guide catheter over a microcatheter into the intracranial circulation. A feared complication from intracranial support catheters is arterial dissection. It is hypothesized that catheter tip stiffness is a factor in the risk of tearing the arterial wall while navigating through a bend in an artery. Methods Testing apparatus was created by gluing wooden pegs into a wooden board to hold a catheter in a straight position lengthwise along the board. A small hole was cut in a rubber band which was suspended between the last two wooden pegs. The small rubber band hole was used to secure the catheter tip during bending. Two pulleys were clamped to the board to suspend a line attached to lead weights on either end. The catheter tip was secured to the line by a piece of thread (see Figure 1). The catheter was tested over paper with distance and angle measurements. The pulleys and fishing line were set to 45 degrees making it possible to measure force perpendicular to the catheter when bent to a 45 degree angle. The catheters were tested with 4 cm extending through the fixation point with the point of deflection force at 2 cm from the fixation point (a 2 cm bend 2 cm from the tip). The catheters were tested again with 3 cm extending through the fixation point and the point of deflection at 1 cm from the fixation point (a 1 cm bend 2 cm from the tip). Results The Sofia distal access catheter has the least amount of force required to bend the tip 45 degrees at a 1 cm bend and 2 cm bend, see figures. The 044 DAC, 053 Neuron, 058 Navien, and 5MAX distal delivery catheter had similar forces required to deflect 45 degrees. The DAC required the most force in the group of the intermediate sized catheters to bend 45 degrees at both 1 cm and 2 cm distances between the deflection point and fixation point. The 070 Neuron was the largest and required the most force to deflect the catheter tip, overall. It required almost twice the force to deflect 45 degrees over a 2 cm bend. Disclosures K. Shea: None. B. Jagadeesan: None.
Disparities in diabetes by education and race/ethnicity in the U.S., 1973-2012.

Introduction Diabetes mellitus incidence has more than doubled in the U.S. over the past 2 decades. Not all sectors of the population have experienced the increase proportionally. The goal of this study was to determine if disparities in diabetes by education and race/ethnicity have increased over time, and if there are differences by gender and birth cohort. Methods Repeated cross-sectional data were used from the 1973–2012 National Health Interview Survey of adults aged 25–84 years. Logistic regression models were run and predicted probabilities were calculated to determine if disparities in self-reported diabetes by education and race/ethnicity changed over time, by gender and birth cohort (birth before 1946, 1946–1970, 1971 or after). Analyses were conducted in 2014–2015. Results Relationships between education or race/ethnicity and diabetes were modified by time for people born before 1971, with stronger effect modification for women than men. Inequalities in diabetes prevalence grew over time, although the magnitude of disparities was smaller for the 1946–1970 cohort. For example, in 2005–2012, the gap in diabetes prevalence for women with the highest and lowest levels of education was 12.7% for pre-1946 versus 7.9% for 1946–1970. Similar trends were seen for differences between non-Hispanic whites and non-Hispanic blacks or Hispanics. Results were inconclusive for the youngest cohort. Conclusions Diabetes disparities are evident. Smaller differences in later cohorts may indicate that large structural changes in society (e.g., Civil Rights movement, increased educational and economic opportunities) have benefited later generations.
Book Review - Race and the Death Penalty: The Legacy of McCleskey v. Kemp

This timely and multifarious view of the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1987 McCleskey decision rejecting the legendary Baldus study’s rigorous demonstration of discrimination in the state of Georgia comprises 11 articles by 14 authors citing 42 U.S. Supreme Court decisions and nearly 400 papers, articles and studies. The 11 articles here ‒ four overviews, two studies, and five essays ‒ cover the many facets of the decision in a book as well-indexed as it is well-cited, allowing the reader to easily drill-down into areas of interest.
Cell-free expression of large collections of cDNA clones using positive-selection lambda phage vectors.

Publisher Summary Cell-free transcription and translation is frequently used to gain information about the structure and activity of proteins encoded by cDNA clones. Hitherto, it has generally been applied to specific, individual clones, identified and isolated by some other means. The analogous procedure of microinjection of translationally competent RNA transcribed from collections of recombinants has, however, been used successfully in isolating clones encoding proteins with known biological activities. A general problem in cDNA cloning is the dilution of true recombinants in libraries by nonrecombinant genome types, lacking cDNA sequences. At present, most libraries are made with a view to recovering one or a few particular clones for which specific probes—nucleic acid or antibody—are available. The chapter describes vectors and technology appropriate to the analysis of large groups of clones along with the individual clones, in terms of their protein-coding capacity. This methodology can be used not only in searches for clones encoding specific proteins, but also in the analysis of complex mRNA populations. The chapter is concerned chiefly with technical details, but some applications of the methodology are also discussed.
Literatur, Edition und Reprographie

Die grose Umschrift dessen, was man einst Schwarz auf Weis nach Hause tragen konnte, hat begonnen. Photochemische und magnetische Speicher treten an die Seite der alten Schreibtechniken und ersetzen sie zum Teil. An der Schwelle zu dieser neuen Zeit des Schreibens zeigt sich, das die Wunsche, die sich auf die Texte und Geschichten richten, die Gestalten wechseln je nach dem Medium, in dem sie sich artikulieren.
Entrepreneurship Platforms: A Two-Sided Network View of Entrepreneurial Ecosystems

In this research, we develop the concept of entrepreneurship platforms, a new perspective on entrepreneurial ecosystems. We trace the development of these platforms across evolutionary stages from ...
The Effect of Caffeine on Protein Synthesis Rates in Rat Gastrocnemius Muscle Tissue

BackgroundFew studies have observed caffeine’s effects on resistance exercise (RE). Some studies have shown caffeine may affect several key protein synthesis pathways. Since RE is commonly performe...
Anger, Disgust, and Contempt and Their Relationship to Hostility and Aggression

Anger, disgust, and contempt are distinct fundamental emotions. They can be differentiated at the expressive level, as evidenced by Table 1–1. As shown in the table, many different cultures show relatively high agreement in differentiating the facial expressions of these three emotions. There are also differences at the experiential level: One may feel irritable in anger, strong distaste in disgust, and cool and distant in contempt. In day-to-day experiences, however, anger, disgust, and contempt often seem to go together. Situations that elicit one of these emotions often elicit one or both of the others. In the first section of this chapter, anger, disgust, and contempt will be considered separately as discrete fundamental emotions. In later sections these emotions will be considered in relation to hostility and aggression.
Notes on Floated Quantifiers

Traditionally, the occurrence of each in (327a), was thought to be derived transformationally, ‘floated’ rightward, from a position preceding the subject NP as in (327b) a. The frogs each leapt off a lily pad.. b. Each of the frogs leapt off a lily pad.
Educational Technology in Resource-Constrained Environments: A Nigerian Case Study

Resource-constrained educational environments are unable to attain optimal pedagogical benefits due to impeding social, economic and cultural factors. This paper is an exploration of learning in these environments, employing Nigeria as the geographical context. The focus is on reported case studies of technological interventions and the associated learning outcomes. Findings reveal a limited number of studies, a sole preference for the quantitative research methodology and software-based educational technology. However, the reviewed studies are unanimous in their verdict of the impact of educational technology on the learning. Accounts of improved confidence, engagement, performance/achievement, retention, participation collaboration were documented.
The South Pacific Meridional Mode and Its Role in Tropical Pacific Climate Variability

AbstractThe Pacific meridional mode, a thermodynamically coupled mode of variability, links extratropical Pacific oceanic and atmospheric anomalies to the tropical Pacific and may give rise to El N...
Recent advances in the metabolomic study of bladder cancer.

ABSTRACTIntroduction: Metabolomics is a chemical process, involving the characterization of metabolites and cellular metabolism. Recent studies indicate that numerous metabolic pathways are altered...
Spermatogonial Stem Cell Transplantation: Insights and Outlook for Domestic Animals

The demand for food will increase to an unprecedented level over the next 30 years owing to human population expansion, thus necessitating an evolution that improves the efficiency of livestock production. Genetic gain to improve production traits of domestic animal populations is most effectively achieved via selective use of gametes from animals deemed to be elite, and this principle has been the basis of selective breeding strategies employed by humans for thousands of years. In modern-day animal agriculture, artificial insemination (AI) has been the staple of selective breeding programs, but it has inherent limitations for applications in beef cattle and pig production systems. In this review, we discuss the potential and current state of development for a concept termed Surrogate Sires as a next-generation breeding tool in livestock production. The scheme capitalizes on the capacity of spermatogonial stem cells to regenerate sperm production after isolation from donor testicular tissue and transfer into the testes of a recipient male that lacks endogenous germline, thereby allowing the surrogate male to produce offspring with the donor haplotype via natural mating. This concept provides an effective selective breeding tool to achieve genetic gain that is conducive for livestock production systems in which AI is difficult to implement.
Holistic clash detection improvement using a component dependent network in BIM projects

Abstract Building information modeling (BIM) has been increasingly used for design coordination, and clash detection is one important application. However, some studies argued that BIM-enabled clash detection contains many irrelevant clashes. This paper proposes to use network analysis to improve clash detection from a holistic view because a building is an inseparable whole and the dependency relations between building components influence the impacts of clashes. A building component network centered on clash objects is built to represent component dependency. To build the network, this paper determines three kinds of spatial dependent: clash, impact, and connection. For clash relations, the paper further distinguishes four types: intersection, penetration, penetration through, and containment based on the intersection curves of clash objects. To improve generality, Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) models are used to query geometric information and bounding volume hierarchy (BVH) structures are used to eliminate irrelevant comparison for expediting the query process. The paper tests the network method on a real project for improving clash detection and confirms that the method helps to identify irrelevant clashes in four scenarios and reduces 17% of irrelevant clashes. In addition, the paper uses the network to automatically group relevant clashes, thereby decreasing >50% of the clashes initially reported. The paper also shows the function of the component dependent network to analyze the surrounding environment of clashes and identify central components for supporting clash correction.
Prevalence and correlates of non-suicidal self-injury among lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract The current review presents a meta-analysis of the existing empirical literature on the prevalence of non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) among lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals, as well as on correlates of NSSI within sexual and gender minority populations. Eligible publications (n = 51) were identified through a systematic search of PsycINFO, MEDLINE, and Embase, supplemented by a search of references of prior reviews on this topic. NSSI prevalence rates were quite elevated among sexual (29.68% lifetime) and gender (46.65% lifetime) minority individuals compared to heterosexual and/or cisgender peers (14.57% lifetime), with transgender (46.65% lifetime) and bisexual (41.47% lifetime) individuals being at greatest risk. Even among these group findings, sexual minority youth emerged as an especially vulnerable population. Moreover, current evidence suggests these rates and differences between LGBT and heterosexual and/or cisgender peers have not declined over time. These findings may in some measure be due to the existence of LGBT-specific risk correlates combined with general risk correlates being more severe among sexual and gender minority populations. Additional research, particularly employing a longitudinal design, is needed in this area to advance efforts to reduce risk for NSSI among sexual and gender minority individuals.
A novel social attribution paradigm: The Dynamic Interacting Shape Clips (DISC).

Abstract The Dynamic Interacting Shape Clips (DISC) is a novel stimulus set designed to examine mentalizing, specifically social attribution, suitable for use with diverse methodologies including fMRI. The DISC offer some advantages compared to other social attribution stimuli including a large number of stimuli, subsets of stimuli depicting different kinds of social interactions (i.e., friendly approach, aggression, and avoidance), and two control tasks–one that contrasts interpretations of socially contingent movement versus random, inanimate movement, and the other that examines the impact of attentional shifts on mentalizing using the same visual stimuli with a different cue. This study describes both behavioral and fMRI findings from a sample of 22 typically developing adults (mage = 21.7 years, SD = 1.72). Behavioral data supports participants anthropomorphized the stimuli and the social intent of the clips were perceived as intended. Neuroimaging findings demonstrate that brain areas associated with processing animacy and mental state attribution were activated when participants were shown clips featuring social interactions compared to random movement, and when attention was cued to social versus physical aspects of the same stimuli. Results lend empirical support for the use of the DISC in future studies of social cognition.
Loss of KLF6 Recapitulates Molecular and Functional Changes Associated with Aging in Human Hematopoietic Stem and Progenitor Cells

With aging there is a gradual decline in normal HSC function, which is accompanied by an increased risk for the development of hematological malignancies. While a lot of work has been done in mice to understand this functional decline, less is known about human HSC biology with aging. We recently reported that KLF6, a Krupper-like transcription factor, is one of the top genes downregulated with aging in human Lin-CD34+CD38- cells, and that this downregulation correlates with loss of H3K27ac at several KLF6 upstream putative enhancer regions. Therefore, we hypothesized that age-acquired epigenetic deregulation at the KLF6 locus resulting in loss of expression may be implicated in age-related HSC dysfunction and increased risk of malignant transformation. In order to test this, we isolated CD34+ hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) from healthy individuals and performed CRISPR-Cas9-based genome editing and transcriptional activation of the KLF6 locus. KLF6-deficient cells were evaluated in terms of their function by colony-forming potential, in vitro differentiation, and hematopoietic reconstitution in immunocompromised mice. Myeloid and erythroid in vitro differentiation assays in liquid culture revealed that KLF6 knock-out (KO) in healthy, young HSPC results in persistent CD34+ expression (n=5, p 75% downregulation of the KLF6 transcript, recapitulated the differentiation block and colony-forming phenotypes. Next, in order to define if KLF6 genomic inactivation results in an expression profile similar to that observed in healthy aged donors, we performed RNA-seq analysis. This confirmed that in young CD34+ cells both targeting KLF6 and its putative enhancer, results in gene expression signature enriched not only for our previously reported human aging HSC signature (GSEA NES=1.25 & FDR In summary, our findings demonstrate that KLF6 is essential for normal in vitro and in vivo hematopoietic function, and that loss of this transcription factor recapitulates both the expression profile of aged HSC as well as several of the functional characteristics of aged hematopoiesis. These observations were further validated by the reactivation of KLF6 in aged HSPCs, which resulted in an attenuation of the aging HSPC phenotype in vitro. Finally, changes in gene expression in KLF6 KO cells indicate that it may be essential for regulation of gene expression programs involved in malignant transformation, such that age-related loss of this transcription factor may contribute to predisposition to myeloid malignancies. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Queering Disability: Exploring the Resilience of Sexual and Gender Minority Persons Living With Disabilities:

This study examined the resilience experiences of 13 sexual and gender minority persons living with disabilities, using phenomenological qualitative methodology. Researchers used in-depth, semi-str...
Eye Color Change

In recent years there have been many modalities to change and enhance the color of the eye. Many studies have been reported on anthropological and evolutionary significance of the eye color. There is a significant market in cosmetic industry for eye color change as exist with skin whitening, Hair color products and nail polishes. At present, the eye color change options have become available by introduction of colored contact lenses, laser intervention and surgical implants, also other small molecules and topical applications are in the process of investigation by research and commercial institutions. Here, each option has been discussed and their benefits and disadvantages were reviewed. The benefits and side effects as are summarized in relevant tables.
The GI Simulated Clinic: A Clinical Reasoning Exercise Supporting Medical Students' Basic and Clinical Science Integration.

Introduction Cognitive integration is required to perform clinical decision-making tasks, even in the preclinical curriculum of medical school. Simulation supports students' cognitive integration b...
Assessment of Maternal and Neonatal SARS-CoV-2 Viral Load, Transplacental Antibody Transfer, and Placental Pathology in Pregnancies During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Importance Biological data are lacking with respect to risk of vertical transmission and mechanisms of fetoplacental protection in maternal severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. Objective To quantify SARS-CoV-2 viral load in maternal and neonatal biofluids, transplacental passage of anti–SARS-CoV-2 antibody, and incidence of fetoplacental infection. Design, Setting, and Participants This cohort study was conducted among pregnant women presenting for care at 3 tertiary care centers in Boston, Massachusetts. Women with reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) results positive for SARS-CoV-2 were recruited from April 2 to June 13, 2020, and follow-up occurred through July 10, 2020. Contemporaneous participants without SARS-CoV-2 infection were enrolled as a convenience sample from pregnant women with RT-PCR results negative for SARS-CoV-2. Exposures SARS-CoV-2 infection in pregnancy, defined by nasopharyngeal swab RT-PCR. Main Outcomes and Measures The main outcomes were SARS-CoV-2 viral load in maternal plasma or respiratory fluids and umbilical cord plasma, quantification of anti–SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in maternal and cord plasma, and presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in the placenta. Results Among 127 pregnant women enrolled, 64 with RT-PCR results positive for SARS-CoV-2 (mean [SD] age, 31.6 [5.6] years) and 63 with RT-PCR results negative for SARS-CoV-2 (mean [SD] age, 33.9 [5.4] years) provided samples for analysis. Of women with SARS-CoV-2 infection, 23 (36%) were asymptomatic, 22 (34%) had mild disease, 7 (11%) had moderate disease, 10 (16%) had severe disease, and 2 (3%) had critical disease. In viral load analyses among 107 women, there was no detectable viremia in maternal or cord blood and no evidence of vertical transmission. Among 77 neonates tested in whom SARS-CoV-2 antibodies were quantified in cord blood, 1 had detectable immunoglobuilin M to nucleocapsid. Among 88 placentas tested, SARS-CoV-2 RNA was not detected in any. In antibody analyses among 37 women with SARS-CoV-2 infection, anti–receptor binding domain immunoglobin G was detected in 24 women (65%) and anti-nucleocapsid was detected in 26 women (70%). Mother-to-neonate transfer of anti–SARS-CoV-2 antibodies was significantly lower than transfer of anti-influenza hemagglutinin A antibodies (mean [SD] cord-to-maternal ratio: anti–receptor binding domain immunoglobin G, 0.72 [0.57]; anti-nucleocapsid, 0.74 [0.44]; anti-influenza, 1.44 [0.80];P Conclusions and Relevance In this cohort study, there was no evidence of placental infection or definitive vertical transmission of SARS-CoV-2. Transplacental transfer of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies was inefficient. Lack of viremia and reduced coexpression and colocalization of placental angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 and transmembrane serine protease 2 may serve as protective mechanisms against vertical transmission.
Estimating determinants of healthcare establishment locations with restricted federal administrative data

We model the locational determinants of nine categories of healthcare services in the contiguous United States using restricted access federal establishment data. These data enable close examination of rural health services, which are subject to suppression in publicly published data sources. After reviewing differences in public and unsuppressed restricted data and testing underlying data generation processes for each healthcare industry, including the Poisson, negative binomial, and their zero-inflated counterparts, we estimate marginal effects for four categories of independent variables: place-based factors, financial access, characteristics of population, and industry interdependencies. Findings show establishments are less likely to be found with high concentrations of Medicare and Medicaid recipients, while agglomerations are associated with more establishments. Nonemployer establishments serve a broader spectrum of people, but the rural poor still experience less access to health care.
Adaptive learning is structure learning in time.

Abstract People use information flexibly. They often combine multiple sources of relevant information over time in order to inform decisions with little or no interference from intervening irrelevant sources. They adjust the degree to which they use new information over time rationally in accordance with environmental statistics and their own uncertainty. They can even use information gained in one situation to solve a problem in a very different one. Learning flexibly rests on the ability to infer the context at a given time, and therefore knowing which pieces of information to combine and which to separate. We review the psychological and neural mechanisms behind adaptive learning and structure learning to outline how people pool together relevant information, demarcate contexts, prevent interference between information collected in different contexts, and transfer information from one context to another. By examining all of these processes through the lens of optimal inference we bridge concepts from multiple fields to provide a unified multi-system view of how the brain exploits structure in time to optimize learning.
Characteristics of Resilient Hospice Workers From Their Administrators’ Perspectives: A Qualitative Study:

This study explores hospice administrators’ perceptions of the characteristics of resilient hospice workers. This qualitative phenomenological study included ten participants from five hospice orga...
What Helps Us Decide to Adopt an Intervention: Efficacy, Costs, or Both?

* Abbreviations: CPAP — : continuous positive airway pressure nHF — : nasal high-flow therapy RCT — : randomized controlled trial In this issue of Pediatrics, Huang et al1 conduct an economic evaluation analyzing data from the High-Flow Use in Non-Tertiary Centers for Early Respiratory Distress (HUNTER) trial2 comparing the cost-effectiveness of “bubble” continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) with nasal high-flow therapy (nHF) in infants ≥31 weeks’ gestation and ≥1200 g receiving care in Australian nontertiary special care nurseries (comparable to level II nurseries in the United States). Using a health care sector perspective, which only includes costs of hospitalization and transport to another facility (as opposed to a societal perspective, which would include costs to all stakeholders, including family), they assessed the outcomes of need for endotracheal intubation and transfer to a tertiary-level NICU when using CPAP versus nHF under 2 scenarios: one with rescue CPAP available if treatment failure occurred with nHF and the other without the option of rescue CPAP. In the study, Huang et al1 were able to manage infants from birth to 12 months of age and assess inpatient medical costs as well as interhospital transfers. The authors concluded that CPAP was more effective and cheaper when there was no back-up CPAP available for infants on nHF. In scenarios in which rescue CPAP was available, however, there was no difference in costs or effectiveness outcomes between the primary use of CPAP versus nHF.1 In a recent systematic review, researchers found that <2% of neonatal randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published in the last 3 decades have included economic evaluations.3 Therefore, we applaud the authors for their economic study, with which they provide a guide for resource allocation decisions in nontertiary NICUs. … Address correspondence to Leah Yieh, MD, MPH, Fetal and Neonatal Institute, Division of Neonatal Medicine, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, 4650 Sunset Blvd, MS 31, Los Angeles, CA 90027. E-mail: lyieh{at}chla.usc.edu
Postpartum hemorrhage: Moving from response to prevention for Alaska Native mothers.

OBJECTIVE To identify risk factors for postpartum hemorrhage in a population of Alaska Native women. METHODS A case-control study of 384 women (128 cases, 256 controls) delivering between August 1, 2018, and July 31, 2019, was conducted at a Level III maternal referral center for Alaska Native women in Alaska. Risk factors were assessed via retrospective chart review, and bivariate and conditional regression analyses were conducted to determine odds ratios (ORs) between women with and without postpartum hemorrhage. RESULTS Body mass index ≥40 (OR 2.6, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.4-4.5), antepartum bleeding (OR 6.3, 95% CI 1.2-31.6), previous postpartum hemorrhage (OR 5, 95% CI 2.6-9.8), suspected macrosomia (OR 2.7, 95% CI 1.4-5.3), macrosomia with birthweight ≥4000 g (OR 3.1, 95% CI 1.8-5.3), pre-eclampsia with magnesium sulfate (OR 4.0, 95% CI 2.0-8.0), length of third stage of labor >20 min (OR 2.2, 95% CI 1.1-4.4), oxytocin use >12 h (OR 5.4, 95% CI 2.0-14.6), residence in a rural community (OR 2.2, 95% CI 1.4-3.6), and vitamin D supplementation (OR 1.7, 95% CI 1.1-2.6) were associated with greater risk of postpartum hemorrhage. CONCLUSION Analysis of clinical and geographic risk factors for postpartum hemorrhage in Alaska Native women identified important targets for prevention.
Trends in Heart Failure Hospitalizations in the US from 2008 to 2018.

ABSTRACT Background Heart failure (HF) is a major driver of health care costs in the United States and is increasing in prevalence. There is a paucity of contemporary data examining trends among hospitalizations for HF that specifically compare HF with reduced or preserved ejection fraction (HFrEF or HFpEF, respectively). Methods and Results Using the National Inpatient Sample, we identified 11,692,995 hospitalizations due to HF. Hospitalizations increased from 1,060,540 in 2008 to 1,270,360 in 2018. Over time, the median age of patients hospitalized because of HF decreased from 76.0 to 73.0 years (P Conclusions The volume of patients hospitalized due to HF has increased over time and across subgroups of ejection fraction. The demographics of HF, HFrEF and HFpEF have become more diverse over time, and hospital inpatient costs have decreased, regardless of HF type. Inpatient mortality rates improved for overall HF and HFpEF admissions but remained stable for HFrEF admissions.
Comparison of Antibacterial and Antioxidant Properties of Red (cv. Negramaro) and White (cv. Fiano) Skin Pomace Extracts.

Wine pomace has attracted the attention of the food industry, due to its high content in bioactive compounds, and its multiple healthy activities. In this work, whole and separated skin pomaces from fermented (red) and un-fermented (white) grape by-products were characterized for their antioxidant and antimicrobial activities in order to exploit them as functional food ingredient. Antioxidant activity, measured by both ORAC and TEAC assays, was higher in whole than in skin pomace extracts. The characterization of phenolic composition in whole and skin pomace extracts confirmed the peculiarity of some compounds such as anthocyanins (107.84 + 10.3 mg/g TP) in red skin pomace and a great amount of flavanols (80.73 + 4.04 mg/g TP) in white skin pomace. Whole and skin pomace extracts displayed the same antibacterial activity at 250 µg gallic acid equivalents (GAE)/mL. Red and white skin pomace extracts showed a Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) of 31.25–62.5 GAE/mL against Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococcus faecalis. Pseudomonas spp. were more sensitive to red skin pomace extracts rather than white skin pomace extracts. Given these results, both red and white pomace extracts could be exploited for future application in food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industry.
Teaching Research Methods in the Social Sciences, by Garner, M., Wagner, C., & Kawulich, B. (Eds.)

The purpose of Teaching Research Methods in the Social Sciences is to share knowledge about various approaches and perspectives related to teaching research methods. The authors' objective is to pr...
Rewrite Semantics for Production Rule Systems: Theory and Applications

Production rules are a fundamental computational paradigm in artificial intelligence, perhaps being best known as the basis for expert systems. However, to this point there has been little formal study of their properties as a method of deduction. In this paper we initiate such a study by presenting a rewrite semantics for production rule systems. Such a formalization is both interesting per se as a paradigm for deduction and also useful in providing a formal framework for analyzing properties of production rule systems. We show how to represent production rules as rewrite rules operating on collections of atoms, thereby allowing us to import techniques from equational reasoning (confluence checking and completion, critical pair criteria, termination orderings, etc.). An interesting feature of this representation is the use of symbolic constraints to represent the negation-as-failure interpretation of negative conditions in production rules. Practical applications of this theory provide for the development of a comprehensive environment for verifying and validating the correctness of production rule systems, as well as the development of convergent production rule systems for special applications such as parallel evaluation and real-time control.
Learning about speech sounds: The NEXUS Project

Abstract Pattern recognition systems of necessity incorporate an approximate-matching process to determine the degree of similarity between an unknown input and all stored references. The matching process serves as an automatic generalization mechanism that permits each reference pattern to act as a set of specific instances. Learning mechanisms do not need to operate by manipulating hypotheses in an abstraction hierarchy, but instead can “seed” instances into the concept space, leaving generalization to the matching algorithm. This strategy represents an attractive alternative to data-driven generalization and discrimination techniques when the abstraction space is very large. NEXUS, a computer speech recognition system, incorporates learning heuristics based on this method that permit the system to identify a set of primitive acoustic concepts from experience with words. The efficacy of the resulting concepts is demonstrated by comparative recognition tests where the recognition error rate is only one-seventh that of traditional architectures.
Theoretical framework for compositional sequential hardware equivalence verification in presence of design constraints

We are interested in sequential hardware equivalence (or alignability equivalence) verification of synchronous sequential circuits as stated in C. Pixley (1992). To cope with large industrial designs, the circuits must be divided into smaller subcircuits and verified separately. Furthermore, in order to succeed in verifying the subcircuits, design constraints must be added to the subcircuits. These constraints mimic "essential" behavior of the subcircuit environment. In this work, we extend the classical alignability theory in the presence of design constraints, and prove a compositionality result allowing inferring alignability of the circuits from alignability of the subcircuits. As a result, we build a divide and conquer framework for alignability verification. This framework is successfully used on Intel designs.
A high performance lateral bipolar transistor from a SOI CMOS process

A new bipolar device structure fabricated using a SOI CMOS process has been studied. The new base contact scheme is scalable with channel width, thus giving higher performance compared with the side base contact scheme.
Bilingualism in the USA: The case of the Chicano-Latino community

This text provides an overview of bi- and multilingualism as a worldwide phenomenon. It features comprehensive discussions of many of the linguistic, social, political, and educational issues found in an increasingly multilingual nation and world. To this end, the book takes the Chicano-Latino community of Southern California, where Spanish-English bilingualism has over a century and a half of history, and presents a detailed case study, thereby situating the community in a much broader social context. Spanish is the second most-widely spoken language in the U.S. after English, yet, for the most part, its speakers form a language minority that essentially lacks the social, political, and educational support necessary to derive the many cognitive, socioeconomic, and educational benefits that proficient bilingualism can provide. The issues facing Spanish-English bilinguals in the Los Angeles area are relevant to nearly every bi- and multilingual community irrespective of nation, language, and/or ethnicity.
Gotzmann regularity for globally generated coherent sheaves

Abstract In this paper, Gotzmann's Regularity Theorem is established for globally generated coherent sheaves on projective space. This is used to extend Gotzmann's explicit construction to the Quot scheme. The Gotzmann representation is applied to bound the second Chern class of a rank 2 globally generated coherent sheaf in terms of the first Chern class.
Angular distribution of radiant intensity from sources of different degrees of spatial coherence

Abstract The relationship that exists between the state of coherence of a source and the angular distribution of the radiant intensity is investigated. It is found that the radiant intensity from a large, planar, statistically homogeneous source is related in a simple way to the Fourier transform of its degree of spatial coherence. This result is illustrated by curves that show the angular distribution of radiant intensity for gaussian correlated sources. The curves demonstrate in a striking way how spatial coherence of the source affects the directionality of a light beam that the source generates.
Ligand substitution in 1,2-Os3(CO)10(MeCN)2 by the diphosphine (PhO)2PN(Me)N(Me)P(OPh)2: X-ray diffraction structure of 1,2-Os3(CO)10[(PhO)2PN(Me)N(Me)P(OPh)2] and DFT investigation of the isomeric Os3(CO)10[(PhO)2PN(Me)N(Me)P(OPh)2] clusters

Abstract The diphosphine 1,2-bis(diphenoxyphosphino)-1,2-dimethylhydrazine, (PhO)2PN(Me)N(Me)P(OPh)2, reacts with 1,2-Os3(CO)10(MeCN)2 (1) to afford the corresponding ligand-bridged cluster 1,2-Os3(CO)10[(PhO)2PN(Me)N(Me)P(OPh)2] (2b) in high yield. The product cluster has been characterized in solution by IR and NMR spectroscopy, and the solid-state structure determined by X-ray crystallography. Cluster 2b is thermally robust, and shows no evidence for formation of the corresponding chelated isomer 1,1-Os3(CO)10[(PhO)2PN(Me)N(Me)P(OPh)2] (2c) in refluxing toluene. The energetics for the bridged and chelated clusters have been evaluated by electronic structure calculations, and the thermodynamic preference for the ligand-bridged isomer has been confirmed. DFT calculations on the known bridged and chelated diphosphine isomers of Os3(CO)10(dppe) clusters have also been performed, and these data are contrasted with clusters 2b and 2c.
3β-hydrpxy-24-norchol-5-en-23-oic acid—A new inhibitor of the Δ24-sterol reductase enzyme system(S) in the tobacco hornworm, Manduca Sexta (Johannson)

Abstract A commercial sample of β-sitosterol contained impurities that inhibited the conversion of β-sitosterol to cholesterol at the terminal step—the conversion of desmosterol to cholesterol—in the tobacco hornworm. The compounds responsible for this biological activity were isolated and shown to be 3β-hydroxy-24-norchol-5-en-23-oic acid and 3β-hydroxy-23,24-dinorchol-5-en-22-oic acid. The 23-carbon acid is the most active component, being several times more active than the 22-carbon acid as an inhibitor of Δ24-sterol reductase in vivo . The synthesis of 3β-hydroxy-24-norchol-5-en-23-oic acid is described.
A simple analysis for normetanephrine and metanephrine in urine.

Abstract A simple method is described tor tlu' determination of the total metanephrine and normetanephrine in urine. The urinary metabolites are adsorbed on Amberlite CG 50, eluted and converted to vanillin which is assayed spectrophotometrically. The daily excretion of the metanephrines in normal urine is less than 1 mg/day. In 8 urines from patients with pheochromocytoma the excretion was 3–113 mg/day. The method should afford a simple procedure for the diagnosis of pheochromocytoma.
THE EFFECT OF PROLONGED INTRAVENOUS THERAPY ON COPPER METABOLISM IN TRICHOPOLIODYSTROPHY

Recognition of trichopoliodystrophy (TPD, Menkes Disease, Kinky Hair Syndrome) in two patients (3days, 2½mos) permitted the study of the kinetics of Cu metabolism in this disease. I.V. administration of cupric salts in a dosage of 150 mg/kg daily for five days was necessary to achieve normal serum levels. These values were maintained for 5 to 8 days after cessation of therapy. Hepatic Cu levels increased from 14 to 38 ug/g dry wt. and 7 to 45 ug/g dry wt. in the two patients when higher serum levels were obtained. In both patients, the hepatic Cu content remained in the same range with continued therapy. Defective absorption from the gastrointestinal tract was demonstrated by a progressive fall in serum Cu levels from normal values when the older patient received oral Cu acetate 3 mg. per day. Before adequate therapy mitochondria isolated from muscle showed low levels of C14O2 production from C14 pyruvate. After serum values Increased to normal levels, improved oxidation was demonstrated by muscle homogenate. CSF Cu levels were within normal range and increased 2 to 3 fold after I.V. Cu administration. At 7 months of age the younger infant functions at a 5 month level; the older infant has not improved after therapy for 8 months. Our data suggest that neurologic and biochemical dysfunctions of TPD can be altered by early I.V. administration of cupric salts.
Approximation and estimation bounds for artificial neural networks

For a common class of artificial neural networks, the mean integrated squared error between the estimated network and a target function f is shown to be bounded by O \left ( {{C^2_f}\over n}\right ) + O\left ({nd\over N}{\rm log}\ N\right), where n is the number of nodes, d is the input dimension of the function, N is the number of training observations, and Cf is the first absolute moment of the Fourier magnitude distribution of f. The two contributions to this total risk are the approximation error and the estimation error. Approximation error refers to the distance between the target function and the closest neural network function of a given architecture and estimation error refers to the distance between this ideal network function and an estimated network function. With n ˜ Cf(N/(dlog N))1/2 nodes, the order of the bound on the mean integrated squared error is optimized to be O(Cf((d/N)log N)1/2). The bound demonstrates surprisingly favorable properties of network estimation compared to traditional series and nonparametric curve estimation techniques in the case that d is moderately large. Similar bounds are obtained when the number of nodes n is not preselected as a function of Cf (which is generally not known a priori), but rather the number of nodes is optimized from the observed data by the use of a complexity regularization or minimum description length criterion. The analysis involves Fourier techniques for the approximation error, metric entropy considerations for the estimation error, and a calculation of the index of resolvability of minimum complexity estimation of the family of networks.
Computational Determination of the Elastic Properties of the α-Phenazine Crystal

Harmonic lattice dynamical calculations in the rigid-body approximation are employed to probe elastic and dynamic properties of the α-phenazine molecular crystal. The intermolecular interaction for an optimized lattice structure is defined by the Buckingham potential. The velocities of the acoustic phonons obtained from dispersion curves of normal modes in the region of the Brillouin zone center allow evaluation of the full set of elastic constants. Modeling of the homogeneous deformation of the crystal lattice is used to obtain frequency changes of the optic modes, which yield estimates for the anisotropic mode Gruneisen parameters. Relaxation of the internal strains is employed for a realistic modeling of the crystal response to the external strains and stresses. The anharmonicity and anisotropy of the intermolecular interactions are assessed from the derived parameters.
The proposed origin of double minutes from Homogeneously Staining Region (HSR)-marker chromosomes in human neuroblastoma hybrid cell lines

Abstract Double minute chromosomes have been reported in a number of human and animal tumors although their origin and function in the cell remain unclear. The fusion of two cell lines without double minutes—a human neuroblastoma line containing another chromosomal abnormality, the homogeneously staining region (HSR), and a mouse fibroblast line—resulted in hybrid clones containing varying numbers of double minutes. The appearance of double minutes occurred coincident with the disappearance of the HSR. We propose that double minutes can originate from the breakdown of an HSR. The possible functional significance of these two chromosome abnormalities is discussed.
Relative Rate Constants of Contaminant Candidate List Pesticides with Hydroxyl Radicals

The objective of this study was to establish the relative rate constants for the reactions of selected pesticides (linuron, diuron, prometon, terbacil, diazinon, dyfonate, terbufos, and disulfoton) listed on the U.S. EPA Contaminant Candidate List with UV and hydroxyl radicals (·OH). Batch experiments were conducted in phosphate buffered solution at pH 7. All pesticides were found to be very reactive toward ·OH as indicated by rate constant values above 109 M-1 s-1. Using molinate as a reference compound, kOH ranged from 2.7 × 109 to 12.0 × 109 M-1 s-1 for the contaminants while slightly higher values from 2.9 × 109 to 14.3 × 109 M-1 s-1 were obtained using nitrobenzene as a reference compound. A method was established that accounts for direct photolysis when calculating kOH using UV/H2O2 process for compounds which degrade significantly by a direct photolysis mechanism.
Birds, including extinct species, encountered by the Malaspina Expedition on Vava'u, Tonga, in 1793

Abstract Four drawings and a short manuscript reference from the Spanish Malaspina Expedition provide certain records of five species of birds on the island of Vava'u, Kingdom of Tonga, in 1793. Three of these are extant species known historically on Vava'u: Purple Swamphen (Porphyrio porphyrio), Purple-capped Fruit-Dove (Ptilinopus porphyraceus), and Blue-crowned Lorikeet (Vini australis). Also depicted is what is believed to be an extinct rail, probably flightless, of the genus Gallirallus, with possible relatives known from bones on ‘Eua, Tongatapu Group, and from an historical account on Tahiti. Another drawing appears to represent a male of the extinct parrot Eclectus infectus, recently described from bones from ‘Eua and from Lifuka and ‘Uiha in the Ha'apai Group. Thus, this parrot and an extinct rail appear to have survived on Vava'u as late as the end of the eighteenth century.
Collaboration and the quality of economics research

Abstract This paper examines the widely held, but untested, belief that researchers who collaborate produce higher quality research than those who are sole-authors. All the articles published in 1990 from eight top economics journals are examined. The empirical results show that, controlling for article length, journal and author quality, and subject area, collaboration does not result in significantly higher quality research (as measured by the number of citations an article receives) in economics. This finding remains unchanged even when an allowance is made for the possibility that the quality of an author may depreciate over time.
Reduced- and low-fat cheese technology: A review

During the past 15 years, the demand for reduced- and low-fat cheeses has increased dramatically. Unfortunately, fat plays a key role in the flavor, body and texture of cheese. Many commercial reduced- and low-fat cheeses as a result exhibit poor flavor and texture. Intense research in the area of reduced- and low-fat cheese technology has produced three basic strategies to combat problems associated with fat reduction.