cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Patterns of lactate values after congenital heart surgery and timing of cardiopulmonary support.

Background We sought to determine if postoperative serial lactate determinations follow predictable patterns that could be useful in directing management, especially the initiation of postoperative mechanical cardiopulmonary support (CPS). Methods Eight patients undergoing CPS in a 2-year period and 147 patients not requiring postoperative CPS in 6 months of that period were stratified into 6 categories based on short-term risk for mortality (1 being the lowest risk). Lactate values for the first 48 hours postoperatively were retrospectively analyzed. Results Survivors not requiring CPS in category 6 (n = 16) followed a distinct pattern different from those of categories 1 through 4 (n = 128). Review of postoperative CPS survivors (n = 4) indicated that CPS was initiated electively without cardiac arrest in all 4, and lactate values showed a downward trend within 12 hours of initiation in all cases (mean lactate, 10.12 ± 1.88 mmol/L; range, 1.4 to 16 mmol/L; mean initiation time, 16.5 hours postoperatively). Three fourths of the CPS nonsurvivors suffered cardiac arrest before CPS and showed rising lactate values despite support (mean lactate, 11.95 ± 1.37 mmol/L; range, 1.6 to 18.6 mmol/L; mean initiation time, 21.25 hours postoperatively). Indications for initiation of CPS in patients with elevated lactate values were reviewed. Two thirds of patients who died without CPS had preterminal cardiac arrest. Conclusions We have defined the normal pattern of postoperative lactate values in our institution. These data suggest that an abnormal lactate pattern may be useful in determining the timing of CPS initiation in hemodynamically stable patients with high or rising lactate values, before cardiac arrest or end organ damage.
The utility of educational action research for emancipatory change

Much has been written about the potential of action research (AR) to advance social justice and emancipatory change. However, since its original promulgation in the 1940s and despite its increasing popularity and acceptance in many academic fields, AR in general, and educational AR in particular, appear to have fallen short of significantly advancing these ends, particularly in the industrialized world. In fact, to the dismay of many of its most ardent advocates, AR has more often been used as a technical tool to facilitate the use of particular teaching techniques; increase practical professional efficacy; and implement government policies. This may in part be due to the primacy advocates give to its meeting key theoretical and practical university-based considerations. While there has been increasing discussion and advocacy for particular forms of AR as best suited to produce emancipatory consciousness and work, it is here asserted that each form has its own unique emancipatory potential and challenges....
Heavy-ion irradiation effects in the ABO{sub 4} orthosilicates: Decomposition, amorphization, and recrystallization

The effects of displacive, heavy-ion irradiation on the properties of synthetic single-crystals of ZrSiO{sub 4} (zircon), HfSiO{sub 4} (hafnon), tetragonal ThSiO{sub 4} (thorite), and monoclinic ThSiO{sub 4} (huttonite) have been investigated. All four ABO{sub 4}-type orthosilicate materials became amorphous in a process that exhibited a two-stage dependence on temperature when irradiated by 800 keV Kr{sup +} or Xe{sup +} ions in the temperature range of 20 to 1100 K. The critical amorphization temperature above which amorphization did not occur increased in the following order: huttonite, zircon, hafnon, thorite. At temperatures below 500 K, the tetragonal and monoclinic polymorphs of ThSiO{sub 4} required approximately the same ion fluence for amorphization. Monoclinic ThSiO{sub 4} is, therefore, not {open_quotes}more resistant{close_quotes} to radiation damage than the tetragonal-symmetry form, but instead, its amorphous phase recrystallizes at a lower temperature. A model that accounts for the observed two-stage behavior was developed and used to calculate the recrystallization activation energies for both stages. When irradiated with heavy ions above a certain characteristic temperature, an unexpected decomposition was observed in which all four ABO{sub 4} orthosilicates phase separated into the crystalline oxides: ZrO{sub 2}, HfO{sub 2}, or ThO{sub 2} plus amorphous SiO{sub 2}. {copyright} {ital 1999} {ital Themore » American Physical Society}« less
On Modeling the Coexistence of 802.11 and 802.15.4 Networks for Performance Tuning

The explosion in the number of 802.11 and 802.15.4 deployments is exacerbating the coexistence problem, which has been reported in the literature to cause significant performance degradation in co-located networks employing the two different wireless standards. The wireless coexistence problem has, thus far, been studied primarily using hardware, due to the lack of analytical results and good wireless coexistence simulators. This paper presents the first analytical model for coexisting 802.11 and 802.15.4 networks. We derive analytically, using Markov chains, the normalized saturation throughput under coexistence. Additionally, we propose a performance tuning method that ensures QoS and a distributed Nash-equilibrium-based method that ensures fairness. We validate our model and the tuning methods using a coexistence simulator previously developed and presented by the authors. We demonstrate that our model has a low average error smaller than 10%.
New energy theorems in Fourier transform theory

The "least squares" property of the generalized matrix inverse, when utilized with Parseval's theorem from Fourier transform theory, provides frequency domain methods for determining least energy signals having applications in communication and optimal control theory.
X-ray tube focal spot sizes: Comprehensive studies of their measurement and effect of measured size in angiography

Thirty-two focal spot sizes of four x-ray tubes were measured by the pinhole, star pattern, slit, and root-mean-square (RMS) methods under various exposure conditions. The modulation transfer functions (MTFs) and line spread functions (LSFs) were also determined. The star pattern focal spot sizes agreed with the effective sizes calculated from the frequencies at the first minimum of the MTF within 0.04 mm for large focal spots and within 0.01 mm for small focal spots. The focal spot size determined by the slit method was approximately equal to the width of the LSF at the cutoff level of 0.15 +/- 0.06 of the peak value. The RMS method provided the best correlation between the measured focal spot sizes and the corresponding image distributions of blood vessels. The pinhole and slit methods tended to overestimate the focal spot size, but the star pattern method tended to underestimate it. For approximately 90% of the focal spots, the average of the star and slit (or pinhole) focal spot sizes agreed with the RMS focal spot size within +/- 0.1 mm.
Optical spectra of Pb implanted fused silica

Abstract The extinction coefficient over the spectral range of 1.8–6.2 eV and the infrared reflectance over the 5000 cm −1 to 75 cm −1 range were measured for a series of Pb ion-implanted high-purity silica substrates. The samples were implanted at room temperature with an energy of 320 keV for nominal doses of 1, 3 and 6 × 10 16 ions/cm 2 . A sample implanted with a nominal dose of 6 × 10 16 ions/cm 2 was annealed in air at 800°C for 1 h. The Pb ions form both elemental Pb and PbO particles in the as-implanted state. The extent of formation for each chemical state is dose-dependent. Upon annealing, the elemental Pb and PbO particles form a lead silicate phase in the implanted layer that is similar to conventionally prepared bulk lead silicate glasses.
Belief and Cognitive Architecture

Considerable debate in philosophy of psychology has recently focussed upon two central themes. One concerns the ontological status of propositional attitudes like beliefs and desires, the other on the proper computational account of cognitive architecture. In the ontological debate, the two most prominent positions are eliminativism, which claims that commonsense psychology is false because there are no such things as beliefs and desires; and versions of intentional realism, which counters that beliefs and desires actually do exist in the mind/brain. In the cognitive architecture debate, there are again two outstanding views: classical cognitivism, which holds that cognition is something closely akin to symbol manipulation; and parallel distributed processing (or connectionism), which roughly maintains that cognition is the distributed activation of several simple, non-symbolic processing units. Furthermore, in spite of their different topics, the two debates have been linked by a number of authors who suggest that where you stand in the cognitive architecture debate should help determine where you stand in the debate over prepositional attitudes. So, for example, writers like Jerry Fodor have used the plausibility of classical cognitivism to defend a realist interpretation of propositional attitudes, while writers like Steve Stich and myself have argued that certain forms of connectionism support eliminativism.
Reasons Hospitals Give for Not Offering Hepatitis B Vaccine to Low-Risk Newborns

After a temporary suspension of hepatitis B vaccination (HBV) for low-risk newborns in July 1999, some hospitals still do not offer HBV to these infants. A semi-structured telephone survey of medical directors from a national random sample of 296 hospital nurseries was completed from August 2000 to April 2001 and analyzed using qualitative techniques. Directors of 201 of 290 eligible nurseries (71%) participated. Twenty-eight nurseries have never offered HBV to low-risk newborns (“Never Offered HBV”) and 37 nurseries had offered HBV to low-risk newborns before July 1999, but discontinued this practice after the temporary suspension (“Discontinued HBV”). Common reasons for not offering HBV to low-risk newborns were difficulty with reimbursement and convenience of outpatient administration. In addition, directors of “Never Offered HBV” nurseries cited low disease incidence in their patient population, whereas directors of “Discontinued HBV” cited preference for the combination hepatitis B-Haemophilus influe...
Multiscale Recurrence Quantification Analysis of Spatial Cardiac Vectorcardiogram Signals

Myocardial infarction (MI), also known as a heart attack, is a leading cause of mortality in the world. Spatial vectorcardiogram (VCG) signals are recorded on the body surface to monitor the underlying cardiac electrical activities in three orthogonal directions of the body, namely, frontal, transverse, and sagittal planes. The 3-D VCG vector loops provide a new way to study the cardiac dynamical behaviors, as opposed to the conventional time-delay reconstructed phase space from a single ECG trace. However, few, if any, previous approaches studied the relationships between cardiac disorders and recurrence patterns in VCG signals. This paper presents the recurrence quantification analysis (RQA) of VCG signals in multiple wavelet scales for the identification of cardiac disorders. The linear classification models using multiscale RQA features were shown to detect MI with an average sensitivity of 96.5% and an average specificity of 75% in the randomized classification experiments of PhysioNet Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt database, which is comparable to the performance of human experts. This study is strongly indicative of potential automated MI classification algorithms for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes.
Stock Option Plans for Non-Executive Employees

We examine determinants of non-executive employee stock options outstanding, grants, and exercises for 756 firms during 1994 to 1997. We find that firms use greater stock option compensation when facing capital requirements and financing constraints. Our results are also consistent with firms using options to attract certain types of employees, provide retention incentives, and create incentives to increase firm value. After controlling for economic determinants and stock returns, option exercises are greater (less) when the firm's stock price hits 52-week highs (lows), which confirms in a broad sample the psychological bias documented by Heath, Huddart, and Lang (1999).
Effects of Temporal Sequencing of Student Study and Teacher Presentation on Examination Performance

Whether students should read class materials prior to or after teacher presentation was investigated. One hundred twenty-eight General Psychology students were assigned to the two conditions, 64 per condition. Students in the prior-reading condition read two reprints, 10 minutes per reprint. The post-reading group was then assembled with the prior-reading group for a teacher presentation of reprint materials. Following teacher presentation, the post-reading group was retained and read the reprints. One day later both groups were given multiple-choice tests on the reprints. No difference in test performance was found for the two groups.
The imbalanced brain: from normal behavior to schizophrenia

An outstanding problem in psychiatry concerns how to link discoveries about the pharmacological, neurophysiological, and neuroanatomical substrates of mental disorders to the abnormal behaviors that they control. A related problem concerns how to understand abnormal behaviors on a continuum with normal behaviors. During the past few decades, neural models have been developed of how normal cognitive and emotional processes learn from the environment, focus attention and act upon motivationally important events, and cope with unexpected events. When arousal or volitional signals in these models are suitably altered, they give rise to symptoms that strikingly resemble negative and positive symptoms of schizophrenia, including flat affect, impoverishment of will, attentional problems, loss of a theory of mind, thought derailment, hallucinations, and delusions. This article models how emotional centers of the brain, such as the amygdala, interact with sensory and prefrontal cortices (notably ventral, or orbital, prefrontal cortex) to generate affective states, attend to motivationally salient sensory events, and elicit motivated behaviors. Closing this feedback loop between cognitive and emotional centers is predicted to generate a cognitive-emotional resonance that can support conscious awareness. When such emotional centers become depressed, negative symptoms of schizophrenia emerge in the model. Such emotional centers are modeled as opponent affective processes, such as fear and relief, whose response amplitude and sensitivity are calibrated by an arousal level and chemical transmitters that slowly inactivate, or habituate, in an activity-dependent way. These opponent processes exhibit an Inverted-U, whereby behavior becomes depressed if the arousal level is chosen too large or too small. The negative symptoms are owing to the way in which the depressed opponent process interacts with other circuits throughout the brain.
The Immunology of a Healing Response in Cutaneous Leishmaniasis Treated with Localized Heat or Systemic Antimonial Therapy

Background The effectiveness of systemic antimonial (sodium stibogluconate, Pentostam, SSG) treatment versus local heat therapy (Thermomed) for cutaneous leishmaniasis was studied previously and showed similar healing rates. We hypothesized that different curative immune responses might develop with systemic and local treatment modalities.
South Africa and the political economy of regional cooperation in Southern Africa

Post-apartheid South Africa has recast its regional relations. Nonetheless, much of the literature depicts its policy as a projection of captured interests, for instance big business as embedded in Pretoria's apparent neo-liberal turn. Instead, post-apartheid South Africa's regional relations represent a political compromise, albeit not necessarily an explicit one, that reflects the different visions of South Africa's regional role and their respective political bases. Because their policies reflect the push and pull of competing constituencies, democratic states are rarely one dimensional. Post-apartheid South Africa is no exception, as it attempts to square the political circle of competing political constituencies, such as big business and labour. South Africa's regional relations and, in particular, its policy of regional economic cooperation/integration, are best understood as a reflection of the competing interests within its domestic political economy.
Gas permeation in plasma-polymerized vinyl bromide

Abstract Vinyl bromide was polymerized and deposited onto rubber substrates in a glow discharge plasma. The plasma polymer was characterized using scanning electron microscopy and Rutherford backscattering. Permeation characteristics of the plasma polymer were investigated by measuring gas permeability coefficients in substrate films before and after deposition.
Eigenvalue correlation diagrams for effective hamiltonians: The ESR spectrum of axial Gd(III)

Correlation diagrams depicting the behavior of effective Hamiltonian eigenvalues over the ranges of its variables may reveal important properties of the models. The case in which a Hamiltonian is a sum of two terms, one going to zero in one limit and the other effectively zero in the other limit, is considered here. The electron spin resonance spectrum calculated from the spin Hamiltonian of axial gadolinium In is used here as an example. The zerofield splitting term of the spin Hamiltonian is expanded in terms of normalized irreducible tensorial matrices in order to take advantage of their transformation properties under rotations. Its eigenvalues are plotted in a correlation diagram from the zero-field to the high-field limit. A similar correlation diagram for the principal transitions is used to predict a resonance spectrum.
22q11.2 deletion syndrome as a risk factor for aortic root dilation in tetralogy of Fallot

Background: Aortic root dilation has been observed in some patients with tetralogy of Fallot. This study examines whether 22q11.2 deletion is a risk factor for aortic root dilation in tetralogy of Fallot. Methods: Patients with tetralogy of Fallot, in the age group of 6–18 years, with defined deletion status and echocardiograms (2003–2009) were identified from research databases. The diameter at the aortic annulus, sinus, and sinotubular junction was measured and analysed as Z-scores. Variables were examined in univariate and multivariate regression analysis. Results: Of 171 patients, 66% were male, 16% had 22q11.2 deletion, 40% had an aortic arch anomaly, and 11% had both a 22q11.2 deletion and aortic arch anomaly. Echocardiograms were performed at a mean age of 12 + 3 years. More patients with 22q11.2 deletion had Z-scores >3 at the sinus diameter (45% versus 35%, p = 0.02). In the multivariate analysis, the combination of 22q11.2 deletion and aortic arch anomalies was associated with both aortic annular dilation (p = 0.006) and aortic sinus dilation (p = 0.05). In the subset with pulmonary valve atresia, similar findings were observed at the aortic annulus (Z-score of 4.6 versus 2.2, p = 0.05) and the sinuses (Z-score of 4.4 versus 2.7, p = 0.06). Male sex (p < 0.03) and pulmonary atresia (p < 0.006) were additional risk factors for dilation at the annulus and sinuses. Conclusions: Children with tetralogy of Fallot with 22q11.2 deletion and aortic arch anomalies have increased aortic annular and aortic sinus dilation. Further longitudinal study is needed to assess whether both features are associated with progressive aortic root dilation.
Using ICP-MS to Detect Inorganic Elements in Organic Materials: A New Tool to Identify Mordants or Dyes on Ancient Textiles

The feasibility of determining metallic elements used as mordants or dyes with inorganic constituents was tested using inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). For this purpose, modern, historic and archaeological samples were investigated. Mordants containing copper, iron, tin, aluminium or uranium were successfully identified as well as an organic dye with a substitutional bromine.
Collision resolutions in cloth simulation

We present a new collision resolution scheme for cloth collisions. Our main concern is to find dynamically convincing resolutions, i.e. positions and velocities of cloth elements, for any kinds of collisions occuring in cloth simulation (cloth-cloth, cloth-rigid, anti cloth-cloth-rigid). We define our cloth surface as connected faces of mass particles, where each particle is controlled by its internal energy functions. Our collision resolution method finds appropriate next positions and velocities of particles by conserving the particles' momentums as accurately as possible. Cloth-cloth collision resolution is a special case of deformable N-body collision resolution. So to solve deformable N-body collision resolutions, we propose a new collision resolution method which groups cloth particles into parts and resolves collisions between parts using the law of momentum conservation. To resolve collisions, we solve a system of linear equations derived from the collision relationships. A system of linear equations is built using a scheme adapted from the simultaneous resolution method for rigid N-body collisions. For the special case where we can,find cyclic relationships in collisions, we solve a system of linear inequalities derived from the collision relationships.
On field line resonances of hydromagnetic Alfven waves in dipole magnetic field

Using the dipole magnetic field model, we have developed the theory of field line resonances of hydromagnetic Alfven waves in general magnetic field geometries. In this model, the Alfven speed thus varies both perpendicular and parallel to the magnetic field. Specifically, it is found that field line resonances do persist in the dipole model. The corresponding singular solutions near the resonant field lines as well as the natural definition of standing shear Alfven eigenfunctions have also been systematically derived. 11 refs.
Local search and the local structure of NP-complete problems

It is shown that certain NP-complete problems (traveling salesman, min-cut graph partitioning, graph coloring, partition and a version of the satisfiability problem) satisfy a difference equation wit respect to a certain neighborhood that is similar to the wave equation of mathematical physics. Using this it is shown that any local optima with respect to these neighborhoods have a cost better than the average cost of all configuration. Also greedy local search when applied to these problems with respect to the specified neighborhoods and started from an arbitrarily poor initial configuration, will reach the average cost in at most O(nL) iterations where n is the problem size and largest cost is at most 2^L above the average cost of all configurations.
College Students, Creative Non-Violence and Social Enterprise: Community Service Changes with the Times

Numerous scholars have offered labels and characterizations of contemporary young adults and compared these characterizations to those of previous generations. In this article, the author draws on findings from a study of a student-run homeless shelter that has been in operation for the past 27 years. Through interviews with current students volunteering at the homeless shelter as well as former volunteers from the 1980’s and 1990’s, the author points to differences in the way contemporary and previous generations of the shelter’s college-aged volunteers conceptualize public service.
Patterns of Heteroduplex Formation Associated With the Initiation of Meiotic Recombination in the Yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The double-strand break repair (DSBR) model of recombination predicts that heteroduplexes will be formed in regions that flank the double-strand break (DSB) site and that the resulting intermediate is resolved to generate either crossovers or noncrossovers for flanking markers. Previous studies in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, however, failed to detect heteroduplexes on both sides of the DSB site. Recent physical studies suggest that some recombination events involve heterodupex formation by a mechanism, synthesis-dependent strand annealing (SDSA), that is inherently asymmetric with respect to the DSB site and that leads exclusively to noncrossovers of flanking markers. Below, we demonstrate that many of the recombination events initiated at the HIS4 recombination hotspot are consistent with a variant of the DSBR model in which the extent of heteroduplex on one side of the DSB site is much greater than that on the other. Events that include only one flanking marker in the heteroduplex (unidirectional events) are usually resolved as noncrossovers, whereas events that include both flanking markers (bidirectional events) are usually resolved as crossovers. The unidirectional events may represent SDSA, consistent with the conclusions of others, although other possibilities are not excluded. We also show that the level of recombination reflects the integration of events initiated at several different DSB sites, and we identify a subset of gene conversion events that may involve break-induced replication (BIR) or repair of a double-stranded DNA gap.
A common DNA-binding site for SZF1 and the BRCA1-associated zinc finger protein, ZBRK1.

More than 220 Kruppel-associated box-zinc finger protein (KRAB-ZFP) genes are encoded in the human genome. KRAB-ZFPs function as transcriptionalrepressors by binding DNA through their tandem zinc finger motifs.Gene silencing is mediated by the highly conserved KRAB domain, which recruits histone deacetylase complexes, histone methylases, and heterochromatin proteins. However, little is known of the biological programs regulated by KRAB-ZFPs, in large part because of the difficulty in identifying DNA-binding sites recognized by long arrays of zinc fingers. In an attempt to identify the natural target genes for a KRAB-ZFP, we chose SZF1, a hematopoietic progenitor-restricted, KRAB-ZFP that contains only four C2H2 zinc finger motifs. Using recombinant SZF1 protein and a PCR-based binding site selection strategy, we identified a 15-bp consensus DNA sequence recognized by SZF1. Remarkably, this sequence is similar to the core DNA-binding site described recently for ZBRK1, a KRAB-ZFP that binds to BRCA1 and is involved in coordinating the cellular DNA damage response. The SZF1 and ZBRK1 proteins bind to both the experimentally derived SZF1 site and the canonical ZBRK1 site. The KRAB domain from SZF1 bound directly to the KAP-1 corepressor and displayed intrinsic silencing activity. Moreover, full-length SZF1 repressed a promoter containing ZBRK1 recognition sequences. Thus, SZF1 and ZBRK1 may regulate a common set of target genes in vivo.
Hiring Decisions for Disabled Workers: Looking at the Cause

This study experimentally explored hiring recommendations involving disabled job applicants. One hundred eight supervisors and mid-level managers reviewed the cover letter and resume of an applicant and the job description for a simulated position. The applicant's type of disability and cause of disability were systematically manipulated in the resume and cover letter. The results demonstrated that subjects made different recommendations for hiring the applicant as a function of the type as well as the cause of the disability. Implications for employers' bias are discussed and suggestions for future research are presented.
Thermal Environment of the Nest During Development of Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) Chicks

Abstract We continuously recorded temperatures of the nest cup (Tn) and air (Ta) just outside the nest box throughout development of Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) chicks in east-central Minnesota. Brood size was manipulated (three or six chicks per nest) to study the effect of number of chicks in the nest on its thermal environment. From day 0 to day 4, Tn paralleled Ta, approximately 2–7°C higher, with nocturnal Tn maintained at 24°C and daytime Tn maintained at 26°C. From day 6 to day 12, Tn was relatively constant throughout the day, maintained at 32°C (day) and 29°C (night). The Tn became increasingly independent of Ta, as determined by regression analysis of Tn versus Ta with age. Nocturnal Tn of larger clutches (six chicks) was ∼2°C warmer than smaller clutches (three chicks), and Tn of larger clutches exhibited greater independence from Ta at day 10 than in smaller clutches. The occurrence of nest homeothermy at day 10 in six-chick nests correlates with near-maximal body mass of chicks and com...
Using a genetic-based algorithm to solve the scheduling optimization problem for long-range molecular communications in nanonetworks

Inspired by nature, nanonetworks can expand the capabilities of nanomachines with regards to execution of more complex tasks, extension of workspace and coverage. Various communication techniques such as acoustic, nanomechanical, electromagnetic and molecular communications are proposed for nanonetworks but molecular communication is the most promising method. Molecular communication has three categories in terms of distance between nanomachines: short range, medium range, and long range. In this paper, axon-based molecular communication as one of wired long range molecular communication options in nanonetwork is studied. Since axon-based molecular communication uses neural network (body area network (BAN)) as an underlying structure to connect nanomachines, neuron and neural network are described. This paper uses a neural time division multiple access (NTDMA) scheduling to allow nanomachines to send their information through a shared neural network to the destination nanomachine (sink) without any collision and interference. In a NTDMA protocol, nanomachines activate neurons, one after the other, in their own time slots. Since determination of these time slots is a multi-objective optimization problem, thus a genetic-based algorithm (GBA) is proposed to solve it. Simulation results verify that GBA obtains the best feasible solutions and outperforms some existing methods.
Using the Qualitative Interview in the Classroom to Help Students Make Connections Among Course Content, Social Capital, and Careers

This article introduces an exercise that helps students make connections among course content, social capital, and career aspirations. It puts the student in the role of a qualitative researcher pl...
Pigment migration in the eye of Myndus crudus (Homoptera: Cixiidae) and its relationship to day and night activity.

When the compound eye of the adult of the planthopper, Myndus crudus, is light-adapted, pigments are condensed in a zone proximal to the crystalline cones. Viewed externally, the eye is straw-colored. When dark-adapted, pigments migrate distally into the region of the crystalline cones and thus are closer to the cuticle. Viewed externally, the dark-adapted eye is maroon-colored. The eyes of most adult M. crudus observed during daylight hours were light-adapted. Eyes of males and females changed from the light to the dark-adapted condition between sunset and ½hr after sunset. When planthoppers with light-adapted eyes were placed abruptly into darkness at a temperature of 25–27°C, the eyes became dark-adapted within 15–30 min. When planthoppers with dark-adapted eyes were placed abruptly into light, the eyes became light-adapted within 30–60 min. At 8°C the planthoppers were immobile, and light-adapted eyes had not changed to the dark-adapted condition within 45 min. Eyes of M. crudus nymphs, which live in the root zones of grasses, are dark red and do not change color in response to changes in light. Field samples showed that adult M. crudus were active in coconut palms during the day and night, but higher numbers were caught during the day (P < 0.01).
A Social-Spatial Lens to Examine Poverty, Violence, and Addiction

Although the associations among interpersonal- and community-level violence and substance use have been well-studied, the mechanisms of change that underlie each have not garnered the same level of attention. We offer an analysis that views both violence and addiction as the inevitable by-products of inequitably constructed social spaces, where poverty is a powerful structural force that erodes relational stability and undermines community health. Principles from the substance abuse recovery self-help and mutual aid group movements can be used to increase collective efficacy and strengthen social capital that enhances recovery commitment and decreases interpersonal and community violence.
Amniotic fluid index in the uncomplicated term pregnancy: Prediction of outcome

OBJECTIVE: To establish whether an association between oligohydramnios and pregnancy outcome is present in the uncomplicated term pregnancy. STUDY DESIGN: Pregnancies with a singleton fetus in cephalic presentation at term (≥ 37 weeks), a reactive non-stress test and an antepartum amniotic fluid index performed within four days of delivery between January 1994 and September 1998 were identified. Excluded were those with any maternal or fetal complication or unavailable outcome information. The primary outcome measure was rate of operative vaginal or abdominal delivery for a nonreassuring fetal heart rate tracing. Statistical analysis included Fisher's exact test and one-way analysis of variance, with a two-tailed P 5 cm vs. ≤5 cm (39 [21%] vs. 5 [11%], P >.05). In addition, there were no differences between the two groups in rates of neonatal intensive care unit admissions or five-minute Apgar scores < 7. Patients with a normal amniotic fluid index had a significantly lower labor induction rate (96 [51%] vs. 42 [98%], P <.001) and higher rate of meconium-stained amniotic fluid (65 [35%] vs. 7 [16%], P =.01) than those with a low amniotic fluid index. CONCLUSION: In the uncomplicated pregnancy at term, an amniotic fluid index ≤ 5 cm increases the incidence of labor induction but does not appear to affect the rate of operative delivery for abnormal fetal heart rate tracings.
Measuring sleep habits without using a diary: the sleep timing questionnaire.

STUDY OBJECTIVES: To develop a single-administration instrument yielding equivalent measures of sleep to those obtained from a formal (2-week) sleep diary. DESIGN & SETTING: A single-administration Sleep riming Questionnaire (STQ) is described (and reproduced in the Appendix). Test-retest reliability was examined in 40 subjects who were given the STQ on two occasions separated by less than 1 year. Convergent validity was measured both by comparing STO-derived measures with objective measures derived from wrist actigraphy (n=23) and by comparing STQ-derived measures with other subjective measures derived from a detailed 2-week sleep diary in two nonoverlapping samples (n=101, 93). Correlations of STQ measures with age and momingness-eveningness (chronotype) were also examined. SUBJECTS: The analyses used sample sizes of 40, 23, 101, and 93 (both genders, overall age range 20y-89y). Most subjects were healthy volunteers; some Study 4 subjects were patients (enrolled in research protocols). RESULTS: Test-retest reliability for the STQ was demonstrated for estimates of bedtime (r = 0.705, p < 0.001) and waketime (r = 0.826, p < 0.001). Convergent validity using wrist actigraphy was demonstrated by correlations of 0.592 (p < 0.005) for bedtime, and of 0.769 (p < 0.001) for waketime. Diary studies indicated STQ bedtime and waketime data to be highly correlated (at about 0.8) with those obtained from a formal 2-week sleep diary. The STQ also provided data on estimated sleep latency and wake after sleep onset (WASO), which correlated reliably (at about 0.7) with average nightly ratings of these variables from a 2-week sleep diary. Mean estimated values of sleep latency and WASO from the two instruments were within 1 minute of each other. ST-derived bedtimes and waketimes correlated with both age and chronotype in the expected direction (older subjects earlier, morning types earlier). CONCLUSION: The STQ may be a reliable valid measure of sleep timing that could provide a time-efficient alternative to traditional sleep diaries.
Abstract PL01-02: Influence of the microbiota on cellular proliferation and survival

The resident prokaryotic microbiota of the mammalian intestine influences diverse homeostatic functions of the gut, including maintenance of barrier function, modulation of immune responses, as well as energy and nutrient extraction. Additionally, through studies of germ free mice, it has become apparent that commensal prokaryotic organisms are involved in the regulation of growth and survival in the intestinal epithelia, and thus may play fundamental roles in the pathogenesis of colon cancers. However, the molecular mechanisms of growth control by prokaryotes in the gut are largely unknown. It is increasingly recognized that physiologically generated reactive oxygen species (ROS) function as signaling secondary messengers that influence cellular proliferation and differentiation in a variety of biological systems. We have shown that commensal bacteria, particularly members of the genus Lactobacillus, can activate NADPH oxidase 1 (Nox1)-dependent ROS generation and modulate multiple cellular pathways, including NF-kB, ERK-MAPK and focal adhesion kinase, that are involved in control of epithelial cellular survival, proliferation, and migration. ROS inducing commensal bacteria can rapidly stimulate consequent cellular proliferation in intestinal stem cells upon initial ingestion into the murine or Drosophila intestine, illustrating the highly conserved nature of this host microbe interaction. Additionally, a well-studied and evolutionarily highly conserved system for transducing exogenous stimuli into eukaryotic host tissues is Nrf2 signaling. Nrf2 pathway activation upregulates a regulon of genes including those involved in xenobiotic and ROS detoxification, as well as pro-restitutive function. This pathway has attracted considerable attention because small molecule inducers of Nrf2 have cytoprotective and growth modulatory effects. We show cellular ROS generated in response to contact with lactobacilli have cytoprotective effects in the intestinal epithelium through the activation of Nrf2 responsive cytoprotective genes. These data suggest that the Nrf2 pathway, and perhaps other highly conserved pathways that respond to environmental alterations, have been adapted as signaling conduits between eukaryotic host and prokaryotic symbiont, and highlight the role the microbiota plays in eukaryotic cytoprotective pathways. Characterization of these pathways may have significant implications in the delineation of a eubiotic microbiota, and in the identification of probiotic microbes with potential to influence epithelial growth and survival. Citation Format: Andrew Scott Neish. Influence of the microbiota on cellular proliferation and survival. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Thirteenth Annual AACR International Conference on Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research; 2014 Sep 27-Oct 1; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Can Prev Res 2015;8(10 Suppl): Abstract nr PL01-02.
Do bugs foreshadow vulnerabilities? An in-depth study of the chromium project

As developers face an ever-increasing pressure to engineer secure software, researchers are building an understanding of security-sensitive bugs (i.e. vulnerabilities). Research into mining software repositories has greatly increased our understanding of software quality via empirical study of bugs. Conceptually, however, vulnerabilities differ from bugs: they represent an abuse of functionality as opposed to insufficient functionality commonly associated with traditional, non-security bugs. We performed an in-depth analysis of the Chromium project to empirically examine the relationship between bugs and vulnerabilities. We mined 374,686 bugs and 703 post-release vulnerabilities over five Chromium releases that span six years of development. We used logistic regression analysis, ranking analysis, bug type classifications, developer experience, and vulnerability severity metrics to examine the overarching question: are bugs and vulnerabilities in the same files? While we found statistically significant correlations between pre-release bugs and post-release vulnerabilities, we found the association to be weak. Number of features, source lines of code, and pre-release security bugs are, in general, more closely associated with post-release vulnerabilities than any of our non-security bug categories. In further analysis, we examined sub-types of bugs, such as stability-related bugs, and the associations did not improve. Even the files with the most severe vulnerabilities (by measure of CVSS or bounty payouts) did not show strong correlations with number of bugs. These results indicate that bugs and vulnerabilities are empirically dissimilar groups, motivating the need for security engineering research to target vulnerabilities specifically.
Advances in the field of proprotein convertase subtilisin kexin type 9 inhibitors.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW Proprotein convertase subtilisin kexin type 9 (PCSK9) inhibitors are promising therapies that inhibit the degradation of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) receptors in the hepatocyte and thus increase LDL cholesterol (LDL-C) uptake from the blood. This review summarizes main findings in the field of PCSK9 inhibitors, from basic mechanism to clinical studies, and aims to provide a contemporary and practical overview of the clinical implication and future directions with PCSK9 inhibitors. RECENT FINDINGS Monoclonal antibodies that inhibit PCSK9 reduce LDL-C levels by 40-70% across a wide range of patients with various LDL-C levels, and with different lipid-lowering regimens. These agents significantly reduce apolipoprotein B and lipoprotein (a), may have a potential role in plaque stabilization in acute coronary syndromes, and are safe and tolerable, even among statin-intolerant patients. Preliminary data with evolocumab and alirocumab demonstrate the potential reduction of cardiovascular (CV) events. These PCSK9 inhibitors were recently approved for clinical use, and recommended in the 2016 American College of Cardiology expert consensus document for nonstatin therapy for LDL-C lowering. SUMMARY PCSK9 inhibitors are novel promising therapies to reduce LDL-C. Ongoing phase 3 clinical trials with more than 70 000 high-risk patients will examine their safety and efficacy in reducing cardiovascular disease.
Glycosaminoglycan Sequence Influence on Iduronate Ring Puckering

Iduronate (IdoA) is a major monosaccharide constituent of the linear polysaccharides, called glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), that form covalent conjugates with core proteins to make proteoglycans (PGs). PGs are known as important structural components of extracellular matrix, and are increasingly recognized for their roles in cell signaling. Toward advancing understanding of the atomic-resolution structural biology of PGs, we have performed all-atom explicit-solvent molecular dynamics (MD) simulations on IdoA as a monosaccharide and in the context of oligosaccharides corresponding to fragments of the GAG dermatan sulfate (DS). The stereochemistry of the carbon atoms in the pyranose ring of IdoA and the resulting spatial distribution of functional groups attached to the ring result in a delicate thermodynamic balance between preferred ring puckering conformation for IdoA. Therefore, Cremer-Pople ring pucker analysis was applied to understand the sequence influence on IdoA in the context of DS oligosaccharide vs. IdoA monosaccharide. These results are compared with analogous simulations for glucuronate (GlcA), which is a single-site epimer (at C6) of IdoA, and makes up the related GAG chondroitin sulfate (CS).
The Effect of Payer Type, Disposition, and Day of Surgery on Resource Consumption following Hip Fracture Care

As we shift from a fee-for-service to value-based reimbursement system, it is critical that orthopaedic surgeons assess all characteristics of the patient prior to surgical intervention. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship of payer type and disposition on direct and indirect measures of resource consumption (length-of-stay [LOS], hospital cost, and 30-day readmission). Patients equal to or more than 55 years of age with radiographic evidence of hip fracture necessitating surgical intervention were included. Initially, baseline characteristics, including age, body mass index (BMI), American Society of Anesthesiologist (ASA) score, fracture type, and instrumentation, were reported by payer type (private versus Medicare) and disposition (skilled nursing facility [SNF], home, and home health). In the second phase, the independent effects of payer type and disposition on resource consumption were evaluated. Lastly, the impact of payer type and day of admission on disposition were assessed. A total of 478 patients met the inclusion criteria. Evaluation of baseline characteristics demonstrated that age and ASA scores were significantly higher within the Medicare and SNF cohorts, when compared with private payers and home/home health, respectively. Medicare as a payer type resulted in an increased LOS (5.6 versus 4.5 days) and greater hospital cost (12.1%) than private payers. Moreover, payer type was not predictive of 30-day readmission. Disposition following operative fixation resulted in an average LOS of 5.8, 4.4, and 4 days for patients discharged to SNF, home, and home health, respectively. No significant difference in hospital stay was noted between home and home health patients. Compared with patients discharged home, in-hospital cost was 33.9 and 12.3% greater for the SNF and home heath cohorts, respectively. Finally, 21.6% of patients discharged to a SNF were readmitted within 30 days. Our results indicate Medicare patients and those discharged to a SNF are more likely to have longer LOS and incur greater costs. Additionally, 30-day readmission is significantly higher in patients discharged to SNF. Thus, patients with hip fracture should be rigorously optimized within the preoperative setting to enhance clinical outcomes. Moreover, additional resources should be allocated to the higher risk patients.
Wet chemical synthesis of apatite-based waste forms – A novel room temperature method for the immobilization of radioactive iodine

Iodine isotopes make up ∼0.69% of the fission products of 235U slow neutron fission, i.e. ∼360 g iodine per metric ton of 235U. The currently proposed technology for the removal of iodine from reprocessing plant off-gas is to pass it through a caustic scrubber (using ∼1–2 M NaOH) to form NaI, NaIO3 and possibly NaOI, or to pass it through Ag-containing solid sorbents to form chemisorbed AgI. Since iodine is not amenable to conventional vitrification routes because of its poor incorporation into borosilicate glass chemistry and high volatilization at temperatures >500 °C, considerable effort is being made to develop alternative waste forms for the immobilization of iodine at low temperatures (<100 °C). In this paper, a novel wet chemical synthesis method has been described for immobilizing radioactive iodine obtained from caustic scrubber solutions and silver solid sorbents into the apatite, Pb10(VO4)6I2, at room temperature. The uptake of iodine for the synthesized waste form has been shown to be 94.6%. In addition, investigation into the formation of solid solutions in the systems, Pb(10−x)Cax(VO4)6I2 and Pb10(VO4)(6−y)(PO4)yI2, by the proposed method has been discussed. The study provides an easy pathway to design novel waste forms for the immobilization of large volumes of radioactive iodine at room temperature and a methodology to potentially synthesize new compositions of iodide-containing apatites.
Volatility forecasting: combinations of realized volatility measures and forecasting models

This article examines financial time series volatility forecasting performance. Different from other studies which either focus on combining individual realized measures or combining forecasting mo...