cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
13C and 19F NMR Spectra of substituted ethyl α-fluorocinnamates. Application of the DSP-NLR equation

Abstract 13C and 19F NMR spectra of 12 p-substituted and 9 m-substituted ethyl α-fluorocinnamates, along with that of the parent compound, have been recorded and analyzed by DSP and DSP-NLR equations. ϵ values found for the correlation of chemical shifts of both the β-carbon atom of the styrene skeleton and the F atom show near additivity of the effect of individual substituents on C4 shifts in p-disubstituted benzenes. Despite this, correlations using the DSP-NLR equation are not greatly improved over those of the DSP equation, either for sites showing excellent or poor correlations. Also, the magnitude of the ϵ values appropriate for different sites on the side chain show no significant relationship to the percentage of the sensitivity at the site attributed to resonance interaction. Consequently, the utility of the DSP-NLR method seems limited. Substituent effects at F are normal, in contrast to the expectation based on charge alternation that they would be inverse. CNDO/2 charge densities calculated for representative methyl α-fluorocinnamates reveal that π densities at both F and the β-carbon atom of the styrene skeleton accord with normal substituent effects.
A novel method for the simultaneous determination of 14 sweeteners of regulatory interest using UHPLC-MS/MS

An improved, efficient, sensitive method for the determination of 14 non-nutritive sweeteners in food products was developed using electrospray ionisation (ESI) ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) in the negative-ion mode. Fourteen sweeteners and three internal standards were separated on a reversed-phase UHPLC column using a simple gradient programme. Analyte quantitation and confirmation were performed with data collection in multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode. Limits of detection (LODs) were determined in a representative drink, candy and yogurt sample and ranged from 0.1 to 1.8 ng ml(-1) (drinks) and from 0.1 to 2.5 ng g(-1) (candy and yogurt). Repeatability at the limit of quantitation (LOQ) ranged from 1% to 13% relative standard deviation (RSD). Twenty-seven commercially available food products were tested using the optimised method showing that the majority of products contained sweetener concentrations below their assigned maximum usable dose. Recovery studies were performed and accuracy data are presented.
Magnetic resonance imaging in patients with inflammatory arthritis of the knee.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) permits visualization of anatomic structures not appreciated by conventional radiographic imaging and may quantify inflammatory disease and its progression with greater sensitivity than available techniques. We therefore compared MRIwith clinical evaluation and with radiographic examination of 17 patients with inflammatory arthritis of the knee. We sought to determine anatomic integrity of bone, cartilage, menisci, and ligaments, and to quantify joint effusion and synovial proliferation. Patients studied had rheumatoid arthritis (10patients), juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (4patients), ankylosing spondylitis (1 patient), and monoarticular arthritis (2 patients). In all patients MRI revealed clinically important abnormalities not detected by physical or conventional radiographic exams. These included proliferative synovitis (13 patients), cartilage thinning (2 patients), cartilage erosion (8 patients), bone infarction (1 patient), meniscal injury (1 patient), and synovial invagination into bone (1 patient). Also MRI indicated inflammatory disease to be quantitatively greater than had been appreciated on clinical examination or routine X-ray studies-proliferative synovitis (12 patients), erosion (7 patients), effusion (8 patients), cartilage thinning (11 patients), and ligamentous/meniscal damage (1 patient). These findings led to reassessment of anatomic staging and influenced therapeutic decision for these patients. Thus MRI provides clinically important information about joint integrity and inflammatory disease, with a sensitivity and resolution considerably beyond conventional techniques.
Protein profile of human perilymph: in search of markers for the diagnosis of perilymph fistula and other inner ear disease.

Recent developments in high-resolution two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, combined with amino acid sequencing and computer-assisted image analysis, have allowed separation of approximately 100 proteins and identification and quantitation of some 30 proteins in human perilymph. The majority of proteins were found to be present in perilymph at levels in basic agreement with the total protein gradient between perilymph and plasma (1:35). However, several striking differences were observed: (1) β2-transferrin, known to be absent from normal plasma but present in cerebrospinal fluid, was detected in perilymph at a concentration roughly equal to that in cerebrospinal fluid; and (2) two high-density lipoprotein-associated apolipoproteins—apo D (formerly PLS:33) and apo J or NA1 and NA2 (formerly PSL:29/30), the latter showing identity with 5P40/40, or cytolysis inhibitor—were found to be present at concentrations 1 to 2 orders of magnitude higher when examined in terms of total protein and to be...
Micromechanics models and innovative sensor technologies to evaluate internal-frost damage of concrete

Internal-frost damage is one of the major problems affecting the durability of concrete in cold regions. This paper presents micromechanics models and innovative sensor technologies to study the fundamental mechanisms of frost damage in concrete. The crystallization pressure due to ice nucleation with capillary pores is the primary cause of internal-frost damage of concrete. The crystallization pressure of a cylinder pore was formulated using interface energy balance with thermodynamics equations. The obtained crystallization pressure on the pore wall was input for the fracture simulation with the developed Extended Finite Element Model (XFEM). The XFEM fracture simulation on a homogeneous beam sample with a vertical cylinder pore leads to a straight line. The XFEM simulation was also conducted on the generated digital sample. The simulation results were favorable compared with the middle-notched single edge beam bending specimen due to the open-mode fracture behavior in both cases. An innovative Time-Domain Reflectometry (TDR) sensor was developed to nondestructively monitor the freezing process. The experimental data shows that the TDR sensor signals can detect the freezing degree, an important input parameter to micromechanics models. These studies indicate that the developed micromechanics models and TDR sensor techniques can be used by the practitioners to evaluate internal-frost damage of concrete. Future work will incorporate the TDR sensor measurements into micromechanics models to real-time predict the internal-frost damage process in concrete specimens. The predicted freeze-thaw damage process will be verified with acoustic emission detection.
Extinction During Evolutionary Radiations: Reconciling the Fossil Record with Molecular Phylogenies

Recent application of time-varying birth-death models to molecular phylogenies suggests that a decreasing diversification rate can only be observed if there was a decreasing speciation rate coupled with extremely low or no extinction. However, from a paleontological perspective, zero extinction rates during evolutionary radiations seem unlikely. Here, with a more comprehensive set of computer simulations, we show that substantial extinction can occur without erasing the signal of decreasing diversification rate in a molecular phylogeny. We also find, in agreement with the previous work, that a decrease in diversification rate cannot be observed in a molecular phylogeny with an increasing extinction rate alone. Further, we find that the ability to observe decreasing diversification rates in molecular phylogenies is controlled (in part) by the ratio of the initial speciation rate (Lambda) to the extinction rate (Mu) at equilibrium (the LiMe ratio), and not by their absolute values. Here we show in principle, how estimates of initial speciation rates may be calculated using both the fossil record and the shape of lineage through time plots derived from molecular phylogenies. This is important because the fossil record provides more reliable estimates of equilibrium extinction rates than initial speciation rates.
Novel troponin T mutation in familial dilated cardiomyopathy with gender-dependant severity.

Abstract Mutations in sarcomeric proteins can lead to either hypertrophic or dilated cardiomyopathy depending on their effects on the structural and functional properties of the contractile unit of the heart. Mutations in cardiac troponin T, which binds the calcium-responsive troponin complex to α-tropomyosin, have been shown to result in cardiac hypertrophy or cardiac dilatation and heart failure, depending on the nature of the specific mutation. In this study, we report the identification of a novel cardiac troponin T mutation (A171S) leading to dilated cardiomyopathy and sudden cardiac death. In contrast to prior described mutations, the A171S mutation results in a significant gender difference in the severity of the observed phenotype with adult males (over 20 years of age) demonstrating more severe ventricular dilatation [left ventricular end diastolic dimension (LVEDD) 7.1 vs. 5.1cm; P =0.01, t test] and left ventricular dysfunction [left ventricular shortening fraction (LVSF) 21 vs. 34%; P =0.04, t test] than adult females. The described mutation substitutes a hydrophilic amino acid for a hydrophobic one in a highly conserved domain involved in the interaction between troponin T and α-tropomyosin. Interestingly, four previously described mutations within 12 amino acids of A171 lead to a hypertrophic phenotype, suggesting that further characterization of the functional consequences of the A171S mutation may lead to a better understanding of the pathophysiology of DCM and of the functional differences between HCM- and DCM-causing mutations in cardiac troponin T.
MUSICAL PREFERENCES OF OLDER PEOPLE ATTENDING NUTRITION SITES

The purpose of this study was to determine the possible relationship between a subject's musical style preference and other variables: religious preference, age, sex, marital status, health, education, previous musical experience, and residence category. One hundred four persons aged 55 and older were seen at area nutrition centers. A questionnaire and musical preference test were administered to each subject. The latter consisted of 28 pairs of musical excerpts. Eight styles of music were included, distributed equally between vocal and instrumental examples. Each style was paired with every other style. Respondents were asked to state a preference for one of the two excerpts of each pair. Educational level and past musical experience most influenced choice of style, although there was some relationship between musical preferences and the majority of the other variables under consideration.
Aflatoxin biosynthetic pathway: Elucidation by using blocked mutants of Aspergillus parasiticus

Abstract Two mutant strains of Aspergillus parasiticus , both deficient in aflatoxin production, were used to elucidate the biosynthetic pathway of this mycotoxin. One of the mutants, A. parasiticus ATCC 24551, was capable of accumulating large amounts of averufin, and the other, A. parasiticus 1-11-105 wh-1, accumulated versicolorin A. The averufin producing mutant efficiently converted 14 C-labeled versiconal acetate, versicolorin A, and sterigmatocystin into aflatoxin B 1 and G 1 , indicating that averufin preceded these compounds in the aflatoxin biosynthetic pathway. In the presence of dichlorvos (dimethyl 2,2-dichlorovinyl phosphate), a known inhibitor of aflatoxin biosynthesis, the conversion of versicolorin A and sterigmatocystin was unaffected, but the conversion of versiconal acetate was markedly inhibited. The mutant accumulating versicolorin A incorporated 14 C-labeled acetate, averufin, and versiconal acetate into versicolorin A. In the presence of dichlorvos, however, the major conversion product was versiconal acetate. This strongly suggested that dichlorvos inhibited the conversion step of versiconal acetate into versicolorin A. This mutant resumed production of aflatoxin B 1 if sterigmatocystin was added to the resting cell cultures, indicating that the mutant was blocked at the enzymatic step catalyzing the conversion of versicolorin A into sterigmatocystin, and as a result was incapable of aflatoxin production. The experimental evidence is thus provided for the involvement and interrelationship of three anthraquinones (averufin, versiconal acetate, and versicolorin A) and a xanthone (sterigmatocystin) in aflatoxin biosynthesis. A pathway for the biosynthesis of aflatoxin B 1 is proposed to be: acetate →→→ averufin → versiconal acetate → versicolorin A → sterigmatocystin → aflatoxin B 1 .
Traceable clonal culture and chemodrug assay of heterogeneous prostate carcinoma PC3 cells in microfluidic single cell array chips

Cancer heterogeneity has received considerable attention for its role in tumor initiation and progression, and its implication for diagnostics and therapeutics in the clinic. To facilitate a cellular heterogeneity study in a low cost and highly efficient manner, we present a microfluidic platform that allows traceable clonal culture and characterization. The platform captures single cells into a microwell array and cultures them for clonal expansion, subsequently allowing on-chip characterization of clonal phenotype and response against drug treatments. Using a heterogeneous prostate cancer model, the PC3 cell line, we verified our prototype, identifying three different sub-phenotypes and correlating their clonal drug responsiveness to cell phenotype.
Analogs of human plasminogen that are labeled with fluorescence probes at the catalytic site of the zymogen. Preparation, characterization, and interaction with streptokinase.

Fluorescent analogs of the proteinase zymogen, plasminogen (Pg), which are specifically inactivated and labeled at the catalytic site have been prepared and characterized as probes of the mechanisms of Pg activation. The active site induced non-proteolytically in Pg by streptokinase (SK) was inactivated stoichiometrically with the thioester peptide chloromethyl ketone, Nα-[(acetylthio)acetyl]-(D-Phe)-Phe-Arg-CH2Cl; the thiol group generated subsequently on the incorporated inhibitor with NH2OH was quantitatively labeled with the fluorescence probe, 2-((4′-iodoacetamido)anilino)naphthalene-6-sulfonic acid; and the labeled Pg was separated from SK. Cleavage of labeled [Glu]Pg1 by urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) was accompanied by a fluorescence enhancement (ΔFmax/Fo) of 2.0, and formation of 1% plasmin (Pm) activity. Comparison of labeled and native [Glu]Pg1 as uPA substrates showed that activation of labeled [Glu]Pg1 generated [Glu]Pm1 as the major product, while native [Glu]Pg1 was activated at a faster rate and produced [Lys]Pm1 because of concurrent proteolysis by plasmin. When a mixture of labeled and native Pg was activated, to include plasmin-feedback reactions, the zymogens were activated at equivalent rates. The lack of potential proteolytic activity of the Pg derivatives allowed their interactions with SK to be studied under equilibrium binding conditions. SK bound to labeled [Glu]Pg1 and [Lys]Pg1 with dissociation constants of 590 ± 110 and 11 ± 7 nM, and fluorescence enhancements of 3.1 ± 0.1 and 1.6 ± 0.1, respectively. Characterization of the interaction of SK with native [Glu]Pg1 by the use of labeled [Glu]Pg1 as a probe indicated a ∼6-fold higher affinity of SK for the native Pg zymogen compared to the labeled Pg analog. Saturating levels of e-aminocaproic acid reduced the affinity of SK for labeled [Glu]Pg1 by ∼2-fold and lowered the fluorescence enhancement to 1.8 ± 0.1, whereas the affinity of SK for labeled [Lys]Pg1 was reduced by ∼98-fold with little effect on the enhancement. These results demonstrate that occupation of lysine binding sites modulates the affinity of SK for Pg and the changes in the environment of the catalytic site associated with SK-induced conformational activation. Together, these studies show that the labeled Pg derivatives behave as analogs of native Pg which report functionally significant changes in the environment of the catalytic site of the zymogen.
URBAN VEGETATION IMPACTS ON THE HYDROLOGY OF DAYTON, OHIO

Abstract Both the amount of stormwater runoff and its rate of discharge are greatly influenced by urban development. But one of the many benefits afforded by urban vegetation is its amelioration of extremes in urban runoff regimes. Using data for a 6-h, 1-year storm event on surface cover types for the city of Dayton, OH, the specific role of vegetation in lessening urban impacts on runoff is assessed. Estimates of runoff are obtained for 77 of Dayton's 79 neighborhoods for three scenarios: one for existing cover types (artificial surfaces, exposed soil, herbaceous cover, and tree canopy cover); one in which trees are hypothetically removed; and a third that places exposed soil in vegetation and increases tree canopy cover to achievably greater amounts. For this intensive storm in which the role of vegetation is less readily apparent than for gentler storms, existing tree canopies alone work to lower potential runoff by about 7%. This could be increased to nearly 12% by modestly increasing canopy coverage of the land surface. Effects on potential peak runoff rates are found throughout the city. Results suggest that when these hydrologic impacts are coupled with tree and other vegetation impacts in the city, a city can justify increasing attention to planning and managing its urban vegetation resource.
ASSESSMENT OF GESTATIONAL AGE BY EXAMINATION OF THE ANTERIOR VASCULAR CAPSULE OF THE LENS

One hundred infants between 27 and 34 weeks gestational age assessed by maternal dates and Dubowitz Scoring were studied with the direct ophthalmoscope following dilation of the pupil. The disappearance of the anterior vascular capsule of the lens was arbitrarily divided into four grades. Grade four was assigned when the anterior vascular capsule was complete with progressive decrease in grade as the vascular capsule atrophied. Before the 27th week, the cornea was too opaque to allow good visualization of this vascular system. After the 34th week, these vessels had generally atrophied completely. There were 24 infants scored grade 4, 22 infants scored grade 3, 20 infants scored grade 2 and 28 infants scored grade 1. Six infants had no significant anterior vascular capsule. There was a significant negative correlation between gestational age and grade of anterior vascular capsule (r = -0.877, t = 18.1, p < 0.001). Of the twelve preterm infants in the study estimated to be small for gestational age, one was grade 4, five were grade 2 and six were grade 1. There was significant negative correlation (r = -0.93, t = 7.08, p < 0.001). It is recommended that this simple technique be added to the initial newborn physical examination as an adjunct to gestational aging.
Pointing, acquisition, and tracking architecture tools for deep-space optical communications

Deep-Space Optical Communications is a key emerging technology that is being pursued for high data-rate communications, which may enable rates up to ten times more than current Ka-band technology. Increasing the frequency of communication, from Ka-band to optical, allows for a higher data rate transfers. However, as the frequency of communication increases, the beam divergence decreases. Less beam divergence requires more accurate and precise pointing to make contact with the receiver. This would require a three-order-of-magnitude improvement from Ka-Band (~ 1 mrad) to optical (~ 1 urad) in the required pointing. Finding an architecture that can provide the necessary pointing capability is driven by many factors, such as allocated signal loss due to pointing, range to Earth, spacecraft disturbance profile, spacecraft base pointing capability, isolation scheme, and detector characteristics. We have developed a suite of tools to 1) flow down a set of pointing requirements (Error Budget Tool), 2) determine a set of architectures capable of meeting the requirements (Pointing Architecture Tool), and 3) assess the performance of possible architecture over the mission trajectory (Systems Engineering Tool). This paper describes the three tools and details their use through the case study of the Asteroid Retrieval Mission. Finally, this paper details which aspects of the pointing, acquisition, and tracking subsystem still require technology infusion, and the future steps needed to implement these pointing architectures.
Sensitivities of numerical model forecasts of extreme cyclone events

A global forecast model is used to examine various sensitivities of numerical predictions of three extreme winter storms that occurred near the eastern continental margin of North America: the Ohio Valley blizzard of January 1978, the New England blizzard of February 1978, and the Mid-Atlantic cyclone of February 1979. While medium-resolution simulations capture much of the intensification, the forecasts of the precise timing and intensity levels suffer from various degrees of error. The coastal cyclones show a 5-10 hPa dependence on the western North Atlantic sea surface temperature, which is varied within a range (± 2.5°C ) compatible with interannual fluctuations. The associated vertical velocities and precipitation rates show proportionately stronger dependences on the ocean temperature perturbations. The Ohio Valley blizzard, which intensified along a track 700-800 km from the coast, shows little sensitivity to ocean temperature. The effect of a shift of ∼ 10° latitude in the position of the snow boundary is negligible in each case. The forecasts depend strongly on the model resolution, and the coarse-resolution forecasts are consistently inferior to the medium-resolution forecasts. Studies of the corresponding sensitivities of extreme cyclonic events over eastern Asia are encouraged in order to identify characteristics that are common to numerical forecasts for the two regions.
Successive magnetic phase transitions and multiferroicity in the spin-one triangular-lattice antiferromagnet Ba3NiNb2O9.

We report the magnetic and electric properties of ${\mathrm{Ba}}_{3}{\mathrm{NiNb}}_{2}{\mathrm{O}}_{9}$, which is a quasi-two-dimensional spin-one triangular-lattice antiferromagnet with trigonal structure. At low $T$ and with increasing magnetic field, the system evolves from a 120 degree magnetic ordering phase ($A$ phase) to an up-up-down ($uud$) phase ($B$ phase) with a change of slope at $1/3$ of the saturation magnetization, and then to an ``oblique'' phase ($C$ phase). Accordingly, the ferroelectricity switches on at each phase boundary with appearance of spontaneous polarization. Therefore, ${\mathrm{Ba}}_{3}{\mathrm{NiNb}}_{2}{\mathrm{O}}_{9}$ is a unique triangular-lattice antiferromagnet exhibiting both $uud$ phase and multiferroicity.
Ethanol self-administration by alcohol-nonpreferring (NP) rats in a continuous access situation

Male rats, from the alcohol nonpreferring (NP) line, were studied in operant chambers in which food pellets, water, and 10% ethanol (v/v) were available continuously for 23 h/d. The NP rats consumed less ethanol per day following 7 weeks under these conditions than did either alcohol-preferring (P) rats or Long-Evans (LE) studied previously under the same conditions for 4 weeks. The NP rats consumed 0.2 g/kg per day during the first week of the experiment, 0.72 g/kg per day during the fourth week, and 1.03 g/kg per day during the seventh week compared to 2.2 g/kg per day for LE rats and 4.8 g/kg per day for P rats following 4 weeks. These data indicate that NP rats will slowly initiate ethanol self-administration under continuous access conditions, but to a lesser extent and at a slower rate than other lines of rats studied previously.
Lysine: Ideal protein in turkeys.

Abstract This paper will review current and previous research related to our work on ideal proteins for turkeys. The concept of ideal protein is not new, but has not been researched in turkeys to any extent. Ideal proteins may be defined as the exact balance of amino acids needed for maximal growth. Ideal proteins are based on digestible amino acids. Several pieces of information need to be in place before one can actually run an experiment on the digestible amino acid requirements and ideal protein. The first of these is data on digestible amino acid content of feedstuffs for turkeys. The second necessity is a low protein diet that can be used to titrate the amino acids on a digestible basis. These requirements led us to formulate a very low protein starter diet (approximately 18% intact crude protein + amino acids) with corn and soybean meal that would support maximal growth. To formulate a diet at this crude protein level, it was necessary to use the ideal protein research from other species and previous research with turkeys. We now have an estimate of the ideal protein for turkeys. The future of this work and amino acid nutrition of turkeys will be reviewed.
Postoperative hypothermia and blood loss after the neonatal arterial switch procedure.

Background Numerous studies have demonstrated that mild hypothermia helps reduce hypoxic/ischemic brain injury that may occur during neonatal cardiac procedures. However, traditional intensive care practices emphasize aggressive rewarming, and the risk of excessive bleeding that may be related to hypothermia. Methods An analysis was conducted of prospectively collected temperature and blood loss data on 47 neonates (30 boys, 17 girls) with transposition of the great arteries who underwent an arterial switch operation at median age 6 days (range, 2 to 23 days) and a mean weight of 3.6 ± 0.6 kg. Blood loss was compared between 26 patients with mean temperatures below 35.5°C for first 6 hours after operation (mild hypothermia group) and 21 patients at 35.5°C or higher (normothermia group). Repeated-measures analysis of variance and regression modeling were used to evaluate the association between temperature and blood loss and to detect outliers. Results Total postoperative blood loss was 31 ± 28 mL in the first 6 hours and 61 ± 37 mL at 24 hours (range, 15 to 238 mL). Postoperative blood loss between two groups at 6 or 24 hours did not differ significantly. After two outliers were removed, no significant relationship remained between body temperature at 6 hours and cumulative blood loss at 24 hours. Conclusions Mild postoperative hypothermia does not increase blood loss in neonates after the arterial switch operation. Lack of a difference between the two groups is not likely due to the study being underpowered. We recommend avoidance of aggressive rewarming, which might exacerbate potential neurologic injury.
Revised enzyme synthesis rate expression in cybernetic models of bacterial growth.

A revised enzyme synthesis rate expression for cybernetic models of bacterial growth is presented. The rate expression, which is comprised of inducible and constitutive contributions, provides for a basal enzyme level that is necessary to predict certain types of commonly observed continuous culture transients. The response of a continuous culture to a step change in feed stream composition is simulated using both the old and new formulations, and the ramifications for the “matching-law” formulation are discussed.
Duty hour requirements: time for a new approach?

tual skills. They are pushing for thoughtful integration of the MOCprogram into their busyprofessional lives, so that the expense and time commitment are reasonable. An optimistic assessment is that medicine in the United States is actuallymoving in that direction—away from relying ongrueling testsonceperdecade, towardcreatingsystemsthat givephysicians feedbackonhowtheyareperformingandhow they can improve based on the actual care they deliver. The transition to this type of data-driven assessment is difficult, andwill remain challenginguntil information technology improves, along with the way physicians work with that technology and with their clinical colleagues. Professional societies and physicians have a duty to criticize the problems with MOC, but also to participate actively in improving it. They must guard against the temptation to “dumbdown”measures toappeaseangrycolleagues, and thus run the riskof endingupwithanMOCsystemthat simplydoes not accomplish the task at hand, a commitment to lifelong learning.They should recognize thedifficultyof creatingwhat physicianswant—a systemthat evaluates thembasedonwhat they do, but does not disrupt them as it does so. Insum,physiciansshouldworkconstructively tohelpMOC improve,muchasphysicians shouldwork continuously to improve how they collaborate with colleagues and with patients. In addition, physiciansmustmake the commitment to lifelong, meaningful learning to ensure that their knowledge and skills remain current and relevant. Patientswould be disappointedbyanything less. Themedical professionmaynever fullyunderstandtheeffectofMOC,but thatdoesnotmeanthat physicians should giveupor stop trying tomake it better. The MOC program is a work in progress, as are all good physicians.
Cleanroom software engineering-plan your work and work your plan in small increments

In the semiconductor industry, silicon chips are built in contaminant-free environments called cleanrooms. This helps prevent the injection of defects during the production process. Similarly, defect prevention is the primary concern of software-developers using cleanroom software engineering. The motivation is the same in both cases: defect prevention is much less expensive than defect removal. The traditional software development pattern relies heavily on testing and debugging after development to find and repair errors. With cleanroom, the goal is to construct software with no defects during development. Given high quality code, testers on a cleanroom project can focus on determining the reliability of the code. They can then improve it, if necessary, rather than spend time finding and fixing an indeterminate number of defects keeping fingers crossed that reliability will be satisfactory in production. These may sound like unattainable goals, however, numerous cleanroom teams have used cleanroom successfully. They have built a total of nearly two million lines of extremely high quality software during the past decade, while maintaining high productivity rates. Cleanroom software engineering is a managerial and technical process for developing ultra-high quality software with certified reliability. Cleanroom provides a complete disciplined structure within which software development teams can plan, specify, design, verify, code, test, and certify software.
Topographical assessment of symptom resolution following open carpal tunnel release.

Purpose Patients with carpal tunnel syndrome commonly present with paresthesias and pain extending into the small finger and proximal to the hand. This study was conducted to assess the ability of carpal tunnel release to relieve symptoms outside of the median nerve distribution. Methods We enrolled 34 consecutive surgical patients (40 wrists) diagnosed exclusively with carpal tunnel syndrome based on the history, physical examination, and electrodiagnostic studies. Preoperative symptoms were categorized as pain, numbness, tingling, or "burning and electrical shocks." The presence or absence of each symptom type was recorded in 5 topographical areas (zone I, palmar thumb/index/long; zone II, small finger; zone III, volar forearm; zone IV, volar arm; and zone V, dorsal hand/forearm/arm). Patients were contacted at 4 to 6 weeks postoperatively to assess resolution of each symptom type by topographic zone. Results Preoperatively, the cohort reported symptoms in all zones: zone I, 120 reports; zone II, 47 reports; zone III, 33 reports; zone IV, 7 reports; and zone V, 23 reports. Numbness (n = 40) and tingling (n = 38) were the most common symptoms, followed by pain (n = 29) and "burning/shocks" (n = 16). Postoperatively, the total number of reports within the 5 zones decreased from 230 to 20. The probability that surgery would eliminate patient symptoms was 88% (104 of 120) in zone I, 96% (45 of 47) in zone II, 97% (32 of 33) in zone III, 86% (6 of 7) in zone 4, and 100% (23 of 23) in zone V. Across zones, the overall probability of symptom resolution was as follows: pain > 80%, numbness/tingling > 85%, and "burning/shocks" > 90%. Conclusions Symptoms experienced outside of the median nerve distribution had a high likelihood of resolution after carpal tunnel release. Over 85% of symptoms in each of the anatomic zones studied resolved. Feelings of burning or shock-like sensations were most reliably relieved at early follow-up. Type of study/level of evidence Therapeutic IV.
Storage Water Activity Effect on Oxidation and Sensory Properties of High-Oleic Peanuts

Peanuts were stored under different water activities and maintained using saturated salt solutions, for 14 wks. Peroxide values, percent moisture, and sensory attributes were determined at 2 wk intervals. Peroxide values increased over time for an treatments. The highest oxidation values were observed in the peanuts held under 0.67 water activity, followed by 0.12, 0.52, 0.44 and 0.33, respectively. Moisture increased over time for all samples and correlated with the water activity of storage. Roast peanut flavor decreased with time and the decrease was greater at higher a w of storage.
Suicide by Do-Not-Resuscitate Order:

Historically, medicine has been warned, "first, do no harm." In contemporary practice, however, the emergency response has generally been to err on the side of action with resuscitation efforts. Typically, it is only later on when medical therapy is considered futile that treatment is withdrawn. In such circumstances, a do-not-resuscitate (DNR) order is typically enacted as a part of an advance directive. However, when such patients attempt suicide, the approach to their care becomes complicated. Is the DNR order valid in a suicidal patient? What is the role of patient autonomy? How should an ethics consultant advise? This case details the method by which such issues should be approached in the emergent care of patients who have DNR order and attempt suicide.
Dictionary Definitions based Homograph Identification using a Generative Hierarchical Model

A solution to the problem of homograph (words with multiple distinct meanings) identification is proposed and evaluated in this paper. It is demonstrated that a mixture model based framework is better suited for this task than the standard classification algorithms - relative improvement of 7% in F1 measure and 14% in Cohen's kappa score is observed.
Migrant remittances and family ties: a case study in China

The migration of China's population, especially rural-to-urban migration, has attracted considerable attention from both researchers and policy-makers. However, few studies have considered the issue of remittances sent home by migrants. This subject is of importance for three reasons: first, remittances have become a striking feature of Chinese internal migration; second, remittances are a unique form of transfers which tell something about intra-familial relationships; and, third, the study of remittances is relatively absent in the the China migration literature to date. Guided by the theories of family adaptive strategy, altruism, and self-interest, this study explores how temporary vs. permanent migration status influences migrants' propensity to remitting and the amount remitted. It also considers how family ties, both emotional and economical, affect migrants' remitting behaviour. The data are drawn from the Hubei Survey of Fertility, Migration and Social Change and we show that family ties are the most important and distinct factors in affecting migrants' remittances. Temporary migration status, being male and wage also have positive and statistically significant effects. Education, surprisingly, has little influence on either the decision to remit or the amount to remit. In conclusion, we consider the policy implications of these findings. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Constrained Text Coclustering with Supervised and Unsupervised Constraints

In this paper, we propose a novel constrained coclustering method to achieve two goals. First, we combine information-theoretic coclustering and constrained clustering to improve clustering performance. Second, we adopt both supervised and unsupervised constraints to demonstrate the effectiveness of our algorithm. The unsupervised constraints are automatically derived from existing knowledge sources, thus saving the effort and cost of using manually labeled constraints. To achieve our first goal, we develop a two-sided hidden Markov random field (HMRF) model to represent both document and word constraints. We then use an alternating expectation maximization (EM) algorithm to optimize the model. We also propose two novel methods to automatically construct and incorporate document and word constraints to support unsupervised constrained clustering: 1) automatically construct document constraints based on overlapping named entities (NE) extracted by an NE extractor; 2) automatically construct word constraints based on their semantic distance inferred from WordNet. The results of our evaluation over two benchmark data sets demonstrate the superiority of our approaches against a number of existing approaches.
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN HYDROLOGY AND ZONATION OF FRESHWATER SWALE WETLANDS ON LOWER HATTERAS ISLAND, NORTH CAROLINA, USA

Abstract Only a few relatively wide barrier islands support shallow freshwater aquifers. Rare, swale wetlands occur on islands where fresh water inundates, at least seasonally, low-lying troughs between interior dunes. Swale wetlands are dominated by emergent vegetation and submerged aquatic vegetation in the deepest areas and by woody shrubs in more shallow areas. On southern Hatteras Island, wetland shrubs have progressively invaded open water areas over the past 40 years, suggesting a change in hydrologic regime. To determine the relationship between vegetation cover type and length of saturation, water-level fluctuations over time were analyzed to tie boundaries of six wetland cover types to the duration of soil saturation at 20-cm depth. We found that areas dominated by herbaceous vegetation had significantly longer flooding regimes than areas dominated by shrubs (85–95% vs. 12–69% of the growing season, respectively). Only 22–25 cm elevation differences were found to separate emergent marsh from the...
Maintaining Support in People With Paralysis: What Works?

Social support is a protective factor for well-being in the risk-and-resilience framework, yet people with paralysis report lower levels of support compared to people without paralysis. Rather than examine deficits, in this study, the authors conducted in-depth interviews with individuals who report high levels of social support to examine what sustains this protective factor. Because relationship equity affects social support, the authors also examined this. They selected participants who reported high levels of support from a survey sample of 299 U.S. adults experiencing some form of paralysis. Seventeen participants completed the in-depth interview. The importance of reciprocity, maintaining autonomy, and a positive outlook for sustaining support were themes identified in the content analysis. In their responses, people with high support emphasized that they do all they can to affect their environment positively, so that ideally, the only assistance that they cannot provide themselves is successfully obtained from others.
Cortical Responses to Rotation I. Responses Recorded after Cessation of Rotation

Averaged cortical responses to labyrinthine stimulation induced by sudden cessation of single rotations were studied using a Mnemotron Computer of Average Transients. Following rotation there appeared in cats with the eyelids closed diffuse, slow, sometimes multiphasic responses. They were probably due to excitation of the diffuse thalamic system. In human subjects similar responses could be obtained either diffusely or prevalent or exclusively from the preoccipital and/or parastriate area. The responses observed in posterior parts of the cerebral hemisphere following cessation of rotation appeared also, if the animals were flaxedilized, or the second somatic sensory area was ablated in both hemispheres. Bilateral labyrinthectomy abolished these responses. While the observation of the ocular reactions to labyrinthine stimulation permits one to ascertain the excitability of the vestibulo-ocular reflex arc only, the recording of the cortical responses to rotation may perhaps be developed into a clinical too...
Controlling from within: neurophysiological plasticity of parasympathetic airway neurons.

airway smooth muscle tone, mucus gland secretion, and blood flow are controlled predominantly by neurotransmitters released from sensory, sympathetic, and parasympathetic neurons with axons that supply the airways ([1][1]). The release of neurotransmitters from nerve endings depends on action
Impact of Serum Nutritional Status on Physical Function in African American and Caucasian Stroke Survivors

Background. The purpose of this study is to compare serum nutritional profiles in chronic stroke survivors to a representative sample of US Adults (NHANESIII) and determine whether these serum markers differed by race and impact physical function in stroke. Methods. Fasting serum samples were collected for analysis of lipids, uric acid, and albumin in 145 African American (AA) and 111 Caucasian (C) stroke survivors (age: 60 ± 1 years [mean ± SEM]). A six-minute walk was performed in a subset of stroke survivors (N = 134). Results. Triglycerides were higher and HDL-cholesterol and albumin lower in C than AA women stroke survivors (Ps < 0.05). Uric acid was lower in C than AA stroke survivors (P < 0.05). Compared to NHANESIII, HDL-cholesterol, albumin, and hemoglobin generally were lower (Ps < 0.05) and lipids were more favorable in stroke (Ps < 0.01). Uric acid was related to six-minute walk performance among a subset of stroke survivors (P < 0.05). Conclusion. In stroke, racial differences exist with regard to serum nutritional risk, but these differences are similar to that observed in the general population. Regardless of race, nutritional risk appears elevated above that of the general population with regard to many of the serum markers. As a modifiable biomarker, uric acid should be monitored closely as it may provide insight into the functional risk of stroke survivors.
The Affinity-Enhancing Roles of Flexible Linkers in Two-Domain DNA-Binding Proteins †

Recently many attempts have been made to design high-affinity DNA-binding proteins by linking two domains. Here a theory for guiding these designs is presented. Flexible linkers may play three types of roles: (a) linking domains which by themselves are unfolded and bind to DNA only as a folded dimer (as in a designed single-chain Arc repressor), (b) connecting domains which can separately bind to DNA (as in the Oct-1 POU domain), and (c) linking a DNA-binding domain with a dimerization domain (as in the I repressor). In (a), the linker keeps the protein as a folded dimer so that it is always DNA-binding-competent. In (b), the linker is predicted to enhance DNA-binding affinity over those of the individual domains (with dissociation constants KA and KB )b yp(d0)/KB or p(d0)/KA, where p(d0) ) (3/4﷿lpbL) 3/2 exp(-3d0 2 /4lpbL)(1 - 5lp/4bL + ...) is the probability density for the end-to-end vector of the linker with L residues to have a distance d0. In (c), the linker is predicted to enhance the binding affinity by Kd C /p(d0), where Kd C is the dimer dissociation constant for the dimerization domain. The predicted affinity enhancements are found to be actually reached by the Oct-1 POU domain and I repressor. However, there is room for improvement in many of the recently designed proteins. The theoretical limits presented should provide a useful guide for current efforts of designing DNA-binding proteins. 1 Abbreviations: POUS and POUH, POU-specific and POU homeo domains in the Oct-1 POU domain; DD, dimerization domain; DBD, DNA-binding domain. K d /K s ) p(d 0 )
The Beginnings of “Big Business” in American Industry*

The growth of big business in America in the last two decades of the nineteenth century was primarily a response to the rise of urban markets — a result, in turn, of the spreading railroad network. Then, as a new century began to unfold, the dominant influence upon big business development came to be technological. Discernible patterns of integration, combination, diversification, and administration influenced and were influenced by the rise of huge companies and oligopolistic industries. Price competition yielded to other weapons, and the economy adjusted to make room for the young giants in its midst.
Differentiated Gabbro Intrusives

The extrusion of large volumes of tholeiite basalt on the continents discussed in Chap. 5 has been an important phenomenon throughout most of geologic time. Remnants of Precambrian basalt plateaus still exist in scattered locations on the Precambrian shields of the major continents (e.g. the Coppermine River basalt, Northwest Territories, Canada). However, the basalt flows have been eroded in most cases, leaving only swarms of feeder dikes or large differentiated gabbroic intrusives which formed in the magma reservoirs that supported the volcanic activity at the surface. The Skaergaard Intrusion of East Greenland (Sect. 5.4.6), the Freetown Complex of Liberia (Sect. 5.9.4), and the Dufek Intrusion of Antarctica (Sect. 5.12.5) have already been mentioned. The differentiated gabbroic intrusives to be considered in this chapter range in age from Archean to Cenozoic and will be examined to detect evidence of crustal contamination of the magmas, to draw attention to mineral deposits associated with these kinds of rocks, and to understand the origin and evolution of the magmas in large crustal magma chambers.
A Study of Performance of Corrosion Prevention Compounds on AA2024-T3 with Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy

Abstract The performance of corrosion prevention compounds (CPC) on AA2024-T3 was assessed with electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The good correlation between the protection performance of CPC and both the interfacial impedance and double layer capacitance allowed two assessment criteria to be defined; as found for AA7075-T6, excellent protection was exhibited by CPC-coated surfaces with interfacial impedances above 0.1 MΩ cm 2 or double layer capacitances below 7.6 × 10 −8 F/cm 2 . A correlation between double layer capacitance ( C dl ) and corroded area was also obtained. This latter correlation offers an alternative to evaluation of CPC performance via the corroded area calculated from C dl . In addition, a prediction method was demonstrated based on impedance parameters that showed the feasibility of using data from 30 days to predict the performance of CPC after 180 days exposure. It was found that the CPC failure can be greatly accelerated without changing the relative ranking among the CPC used by introducing intentional scratches on CPC-coated specimens. In particular, the minimum time needed to rank various CPC was reduced to 8 days for scratched specimens from several months for unscratched ones.