cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An Efficient, Robust, and Customizable Information Extraction and Pre-processing Pipeline for Electronic Health Records.

Electronic Health Records (EHR) containing large amounts of patient data present both opportunities and challenges to industry, policy makers, and researchers. These data, when extracted and analyzed effectively, can reveal critical factors that can improve clinical practices and decisions. However, the inherently complex, heterogeneous and rapidly evolving nature of these data make them extremely difficult to analyze effectively. In addition, Protected Health Information (PHI) containing sensitive yet valuable information for clinical research must first be anonymized. In this paper we identify current challenges with obtaining and pre-processing information from EHR. We then present a comprehensive, efficient “pipeline” for extracting, de-identifying, and standardizing EHR data. We demonstrate the use of this pipeline, based on software from EPIC Systems, in analysing chronic kidney disease, prostate cancer, and cardiovascular disease. We also address challenges associated with temporal laboratory time series data and natural text data and develop a novel approach for clustering irregular Multivariate Time Series (MTS). The pipeline organizes data into a structured, machine-readable format which can be effectively applied in clinical research studies to optimize processes, personalize care, and improve quality, and outcomes.
Detection of Trispot Darter (Percidae: Etheostoma trisella) Using Empirical Sampling and Environmental DNA (eDNA)

Etheostoma trisella (Trispot Darter), previously thought extirpated in Alabama, was recently rediscovered. Although robust sampling was conducted in the areas surrounding the newly discovered population, more sampling is needed to document previously unknown populations. We took empirical sampling and water samples for eDNA analysis at 30 sites throughout the potential range of Trispot Darter in the Coosa River drainage, AL. We conducted sampling during late winter breeding season, when adults migrate to small headwater streams to spawn, at sites chosen from known breeding sites in St. Clair County through tributaries to Weis Reservoir in Cherokee County. Positive detection occurred at 4/30 (1.3%) sites. Trispot Darter was not detected using empirical sampling.
Policing efficacy: Socioeconomic destiny or effective information analysis

Tlie efficacy of new policing techniques has called in to question a long held canon of criminologists: that vast social forces (such as poverty, racism and demographics) beyond police control are the primary determinants of criminal activity. A new approach to policing called COMSTAT (computerized analysis of crime statistics) has resulted in a significant re­ duction in criminal activity within the cities that have adopted it according to FBI Uniform Crime Report data. These results were achieved by quickly identifying and targeting minor social disorders crimes (such as graffiti, loitering, and vandalism) before they lead to major social disorders (such as robberies, rapes, and homicides). This paper discusses the informa­ tion and management theory underlying the COMSTAT approach to policing. INTRODUCTION For decades, criminologists have argued that tlie key predictors of criminal activity are vast social forces (such as poverty, racism and demographics) beyond police control (Pederson, 1996 & 1997). The crime reduction results of a new approach to policing called COMSTAT (comput­ erized analysis of crime statistics) seems to refute this basic tenet of criminologists. COMSTAT does not argue that social forces do not have the potential ti impact crime rates. Rather, COMSTAT suggests that proactive policing, based on solid information analysis and the resultant policing strategies, can reduce the impact of these societal artifacts. Advanced analytical techniques (such as pattern matching and identification) that empower management to make more informed decisions form the theoretical foundation of the COMSTAT process. The COMSTAT process seeks to reduce criminal activity and by extension to enhance a community's quality of life. An advanced computer-based decision support system to aid decision making provides the technological infrastructure of the COMSTAT approach. This technological foundation is used to facilitate more modem decision-makmg techniques based on (near) real time information within the day-to-day activities of a police organization. More specifically, the technological and deci­ sion making techniques permit constant monitoring of policing practices, which facilitates con­ tinuous improvements in police productivity. Early results indicate that the COMSTAT approach has merit.
Toward an Extremal Network Theory—Robust GDoF Gain of Transmitter Cooperation Over TIN

Significant progress has been made recently in Generalized Degrees of Freedom (GDoF) characterizations of wireless interference channels (IC) and broadcast channels (BC) under the assumption of finite precision channel state information at the transmitters (CSIT), especially for smaller or highly symmetric network settings. A critical barrier in extending these results to larger and asymmetric networks is the inherent combinatorial complexity of such networks. Motivated by other fields such as extremal combinatorics and extremal graph theory, we explore the possibility of an extremal network theory, i.e., a study of extremal networks within particular regimes of interest. As our test application, we study the GDoF benefits of transmitter cooperation in a K user IC over the simple scheme of power control and treating interference as Gaussian noise (TIN) for three regimes of interest – a TIN regime identified by Geng et al. where TIN was shown to be GDoF optimal for the K user interference channel, a CTIN regime identified by Yi and Caire where the GDoF region achievable by TIN is c onvex without time-sharing, and an SLS regime identified by Davoodi and Jafar where a simple layered superposition (SLS) scheme is shown to be optimal in the K user MISO BC, albeit only for $ {K}\leq 3$ . The SLS regime includes the CTIN regime, and the CTIN regime includes the TIN regime. As our first result, we show that under finite precision CSIT, TIN is GDoF optimal for the K user IC throughout the CTIN regime. Furthermore, under finite precision CSIT, appealing to extremal network theory we obtain the following results. In the TIN regime as well as the CTIN regime, we show that the extremal GDoF gain from transmitter cooperation over TIN is bounded regardless of the number of users. In fact, the gain is exactly a factor of 3/2 in the TIN regime, and $2-1/{K}$ in the CTIN regime, for arbitrary number of users ${K}>1$ . However, in the SLS regime, the gain is $\Theta (\log _{2}({K}))$ , i.e., it scales logarithmically with the number of users.
Graphene-incorporated plasmo-thermomechanical infrared radiation detection

Metallic nanostructures can be used to selectively absorb a specific regime of the infrared (IR) spectrum depending on its constituent materials and geometry. In this paper, we propose and analyze a plasmo-thermomechanical detector that includes a graphene layer on top of metallic nanowires to enhance the absorption and sensitivity. The proposed device converts the free-space IR radiation to mechanical deformation of nanowires that modulates the insertion loss of the waveguide underneath the nanowires and facilitates the on-chip optical readout of the free-space radiation at room temperature. Our design takes advantage of localized surface plasmon resonances to maximize absorption at the desired IR spectrum. We provide a systematic investigation of different material combinations with and without graphene in addition to variations in detector geometry to optimize the designed IR detector. On top of the absorption enhancement, the graphene layer over the nanowires boosts thermal relaxation speed of the nanowires by 3 times due to graphene’s high thermal conductivity, in turn speeding up the response of the IR detection. Moreover, the coated graphene layer enhances the mechanical deformation by a factor of 6 and bends the suspended nanowires downward, enhancing the light–matter interaction between the nanowires and the waveguide evanescent field. Overall, incorporating graphene is beneficial for enhanced spectrum absorption, speed of the IR detection, and optical readout sensitivity.
Passive Fault-Tolerant Control of PWM Converter in a Hybrid AC/DC Microgrid

This paper aims to present a novel fault-tolerant control approach for an AC/DC pulse-width modulation (PWM) converter operating in a microgrid framework. A group of interconnected loads and renewable distributed energy resources such as wind farm, solar photovoltaic farm, and a battery energy storage are considered to form a microgrid. The control system related to the AC/DC converter aims at tolerating the fault effects due to power-loss malfunction in the solar photovoltaic system. To address this issue, a passive fault-tolerant control method based on fuzzy logic is proposed and the effectiveness of the designed scheme is demonstrated in an advanced microgrid benchmark model implemented in MATLAB/Simulink environment.
Food allergy prevention: current evidence.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW The aim of the article is to critically appraise the most relevant studies in the rapidly advancing field of food allergy prevention. RECENT FINDINGS Epidemiologic studies identified atopic dermatitis as a strong risk factor for food allergy, with mounting evidence for impaired skin barrier and cutaneous inflammation in the pathogenesis. Additional risk factors include a family history of atopy, the timing of allergenic food introduction into the infant's diet, dietary diversity, vitamin D, and environmental factors, such as dog ownership. Early introduction of allergenic foods (such as peanut) into the infant diet was shown to significantly reduce the risk of food allergy in infants with risk factors, whereas studies targeting skin barrier function have produced conflicting results. Cumulative evidence supports dietary diversity during pregnancy, breastfeeding, infancy, and early childhood. SUMMARY A variety of interventions have been evaluated for the prevention of atopic dermatitis and food allergy, often producing conflicting results. At present, official guidelines encourage breastfeeding and early allergenic food introduction for infants at risk for food allergy, with an emphasis on dietary diversity, fruits, vegetables, fish, and food sources of vitamin D during pregnancy, lactation, and early life for all infants.
Maryland’s BOOST Is Promising, but More Work Is Needed

In 2016, Maryland’s educational freedom ranking rose to 46th place—above New York, Hawaii, California, and New Jersey—from 50th in the Cato Institute’s Freedom in the 50 States index. The improvement was due to the state’s adoption of the Broadening Options and Opportunities for Students Today (BOOST) voucher program that helps pay K–12 private school expenses for low‐​income households. Since Maryland does not offer interdistrict or intradistrict school choice, the addition of vouchers has significantly improved its level of educational freedom. Private school vouchers remain controversial. Voucher supporters argue that more school choice increases the likelihood of finding a school that best accommodates children’s individual educational needs, whereas opponents suggest that vouchers redirect public school money and subsidize private school tuition for well‐​off families. Opponents further claim that students do not benefit academically. BOOST was designed to address many of those concerns. Because the voucher’s cost is less than the marginal cost of educating a student in a public school, the voucher program actually strengthens public school finances; from 2016 to 2019, BOOST netted nearly $6 million in budgetary savings. Because eligibility is dependent on the student qualifying for free or reduced‐​price meals, vouchers are only available to low‐​income families. And although more than half of voucher recipients were already attending private school, most of the funding went to transferring public school students, who qualify for much larger awards. Families’ educational preferences and children’s needs vary, and one‐​size‐​fits‐​all government institutions often fail to provide the desired education in the most appropriate setting. Empowering parents and children to choose private options over their neighborhood public schools lets them decide what they value in education. Compared to other states’ voucher programs, Maryland’s is on the lower end of student participation and budgetary savings, but it is not at the bottom. Average BOOST spending, excluding the budgetary savings from reduced public school enrollment, amounts to less than one‐​tenth of 1 percent of Maryland’s elementary‐ and secondary‐​school budget. BOOST clearly has room to grow. With three years of program experience and applying lessons learned, expanding BOOST would better serve Maryland taxpayers and children.
Why is the Surgical Leader also a Manager

The surgeon acts as a manager in the operating room, ward, classroom, and in daily life to control time. Skills cross all boundaries of medicine with specific needs in each area. Without leadership skills the nonmedical aspect of practice becomes more difficult and can make the physician less successful. Learning to manage, therefore, becomes critical.
Dynamically Consistent Approximate Rational Solutions to the Thomas-Fermi Equation

We construct two rational approximate solutions to the Thomas-Fermi (TF) nonlinear differential equation. These expressions follow from an application of the principle of dynamic consistency. In addition to examining differences in the predicted numerical values of the two approximate solutions, we compare these values with an accurate numerical solution obtained using a fourth-order Runge-Kutta method. We also present several new integral relations satisfied by the bounded solutions of the TF equation
ViperProbe: Rethinking Microservice Observability with eBPF

Recent shifts to microservice-based architectures and the supporting servicemesh radically disrupt the landscape of performance-oriented management tasks. While the adoption of frameworks like Istio and Kubernetes ease the management and organization of such systems, they do not themselves provide strong observability. Microservice observability requires diverse, highly specialized, and often adaptive, metrics and algorithms to monitor both the health of individual services and the larger application. However, modern metrics collection frameworks are relatively static and rigid. We introduce ViperProbe, an eBPF-based microservices collection framework that provides (1) dynamic sampling and (2) collection of deep, diverse, and precise system metrics. Viper-Probe builds on the observation that the adoption of a common set of design patterns, e.g., servicemesh, enables offline analysis. By examining the performance profile of these patterns before deploying on production, ViperProbe can effectively reduce the set of collected metrics, thereby improving the efficiency and effectiveness of those metrics. To the best of our knowledge, ViperProbe is the first scalable eBPF-based dynamic and adaptive microservices metrics collection framework. Our results show ViperProbe has limited overhead, while significantly more effective for traditional management tasks, e.g., horizontal autoscaling.
Bridging the gap between pharmacy student and professional with a student developed pocket reference.

Abstract Introduction The challenging transition from learner to practicing pharmacist is frequently cited in the literature. This difficulty is due in part to a prodigious shift from utilizing class notes to assessing national guidelines. Students who create and use a pocket reference that combines their lecture material with current guidelines may become more proficient at navigating guidelines and adhering to treatment algorithms when on rotations, in residency, and as a professional. Therefore, it is important to address this identified gap of transitioning from pharmacy student to professional. Commentary Many practicing pharmacists create and use pocket references to hone their ability of extracting information and familiarize themselves with the content of each individual guideline. Students would benefit from the experience of developing their own pocket reference in regard to content development, clinical research, and guideline application. Implications Schools of pharmacy should implement a structured program for creating a personalized pocket reference that would facilitate the transition of their students to practicing professionals. Creating a customized and self-developed, tangible clinical resource will also strengthen vital skills related to clinical research, resource development, and guideline application. These skills will better prepare the student to emerge from the classroom ready to apply their knowledge.
Earth, wind, water, fire and man: How disasters impact firm births in the USA

Most studies on organizational formation are based on trying to understand the role that attitudinal and macroeconomic factors play in the births and deaths of firms. This study sought to understand the role that extreme events or disasters play in this process, particularly, the creation of new firm establishments. We used decade-long panel data on disasters, as well as selected macroeconomic and demographic variables to determine the critical factors driving firm births and deaths. Data were collected from the period 2005 to 2014 and across 366 metropolitan statistical areas in the USA. Firm births and deaths were proxied using establishment entry and exit to better reflect geographical spread of firm activity. Several fixed effect regression models were estimated using different disaster classification schemes. We find very little evidence suggesting a role for disasters in the creation of new firm establishments. We also find that the unemployment rates, recession, and poverty rates all negatively impact the creation of new establishments. We find that a high Asian population, as well as having a high proportion of individuals between the age of 40 and 59 years, was associated with higher establishment entry.
Accelerating Epidemiological Investigation Analysis by Using NLP and Knowledge Reasoning: A Case Study on COVID-19

COVID-19 is threatening the health of the entire human population. In order to control the spread of the disease, epidemiological investigations should be conducted, to trace the infection source of each confirmed patient and isolate their close contacts. However, the analysis on a mass of case reports in epidemiological investigation is extremely time-consuming and labor-intensive. This paper presents an end-to-end framework for automatic epidemiological case report analysis and inference, in which a Tuple-based Multi-Task Neural Network (TMT-NN) is designed and implemented for jointly recognizing epidemiological entities and relations from case reports, and an epidemiological knowledge graph and its corresponding inference engine are built to uncover the infection modes, sources and pathways. Preliminary experiments demonstrate the promising results, and we published a real data set of COVID-19 epidemiological investigation corpora at Github, as well as contributing our COVID-19 epidemiological knowledge graph to the open community OpenKG.cn.
The Success of Research Methods at the Department Level

Given the outlay of subfields found in many political science departments, department assessment is a useful activity that highlights the importance of research methodology to the political science curriculum, but also especially underscores the shared pedagogies among department colleagues. Although many view a department’s research methodology course(s) as the responsibility of one or a few faculty members, the research methods course is best thought of as a shared responsibility among all department faculty. Research methods is a strong, connective bond among faculty, tying all courses together in any political science curriculum program. This chapter explores how this connective bond is important for the effectiveness of curriculum and faculty development.
Deleuzian Fabulation and the Scars of History

Acknowledgements Introduction 1. The Concept of Fabulation 2. Becoming-Prophet: Zakes Mda's The Heart of Redness 3. Becoming-Child, Becoming-Untouchable: Arundhati Roy's The God of Small Things 4. Becoming-Memory: Roberto Bolano's Amulet 5. Becoming-Woman, Becoming-Girl: Assia Djebar's So Vast the Prison 6. Becoming-Fish: Richard Flanagan's Gould's Book of Fish Conclusion Bibliography Index.
Improved modal noise calculations for multimode fiber links using short-wavelength lasers

Summary form only given. Modal noise in laser-based multimode fiber links has been investigated and modeled. This paper will show that when the laser and link are properly modelled, it is possible to simulate and accurately predict the effects of modal noise and show that robust link designs can be achieved with minor penalties included for modal noise.
Unifying weighting and case reduction methods based on rough sets to improve retrieval

Case-Based Reasoning systems usually retrieve cases using a similarity function based on K-NN or some derivatives. These functions are sensitive to irrelevant or noisy features. Weighting methods are used to extract the most important information present in the knowledge and determine the importance of each feature. However, this knowledge, can also be incorrect, redundant and inconsistent. In order to solve this problem there exist a great number of case reduction techniques in the literature. This paper analyses and justifies the relationship between weighting and case reduction methods, and also analyses their behaviour using different similarity metrics.We have focused this relation on Rough Sets approaches. Several experiments, using different domains from the UCI and our own repository, show that this integration maintain and even improve the performance over a simple CBR system and over case reduction techniques. However, the combined approach produces CBR system decrease if the weighting method declines its performance.
LARGE SUPERCONDUCTING BASEBALL MAGNET.

A principal objective of controlled, thermonuclear fusion research has been the stable confinement of a hydrogen plasma. Material containers are not suitable, but magnetic fields are known to exert strong forces on the electrically charged particles of a plasma. A cusped field, increasing in all directions away from the plasma (creating a magnetic well), has been found to be most favorable for confinement, as was experimentally demonstrated by Ioffe [1] in 1961 with a mirror-pair and a superimposed hexapole.
Identifying the Effects of Chinese Treasury Purchases Using High-Frequency Data

I use a new measure of surprise foreign official Treasury purchases, high-frequency data, and identification by heteroskedasticity to estimate the effect of Chinese official purchases of US Treasury securities on Treasury yields. Over the past decade, foreign official institutions have purchased Treasuries at an unprecedented rate. While existing studies suggest these purchases should depress yields, much of the empirical literature suffers from endogeneity bias. Applying a new identification technique, I overcome this bias and accordingly estimate larger impacts of purchases on yields. My results indicate that Chinese official interventions lowered Treasury yields in the mid-2000s by perhaps 100 basis points.
The core particle of the nucleosome

Publisher Summary A nucleosome is the fundamental repeating structural unit of chromatin; it is composed of two molecules of the core histones H2A, H2B, H3, H4, approximately two superhelical turns of double-stranded DNA, and the linker histone H1 (H5). The existence of the nucleosome was established in electron micrographs, and the name “nucleosome” was coined to incorporate the concept of the spherical nu bodies. Micrococcal nuclease limit digestion of chromatin established the nucleosome core particle (NCP) as the portion of the nucleosome containing only the core histones surrounded by ∼1.75 superhelical turns of double-stranded DNA. Once it became apparent that NCP could be isolated, a major goal was to determine the crystal structure of this fundamental component of chromatin. This chapter discusses the first report of NCP crystals that is attributed to researchers in Russia.
Film formation on silver-based switching contacts

The reactions of atmospheric pollutants with silver-based switching contact materials produce corrosion products which can adversely affect the contact's electrical behavior. In the present study, three silver-based contact materials-Ag/Cu/Ni, Ag/Ni, and Ag/MgO/NiO-were exposed to an accelerated corrosion environment containing SO/sub 2/, H/sub 2/S, NO/sub 2/, and Cl/sub 2/. An elevated temperature and high humidity were also maintained. Both electrical degradation and corrosion film growth characteristics were studied as functions of exposure time. It was found that contact resistance increases rapidly with the initial corrosion film formation, silver chlorides and silver sulfides are the major corrosion products formed in the accelerated aging environment, and corrosion film thickness and uniformity have strong effects on contact resistance. >
Development. Mendel's legacy to genetics.

IN 1900, Gregor Mendel's ([1866][1]) paper was rediscovered and restored to the scientific community. His work was discussed, criticized, and tested, and within the decade the new discipline of genetics had been launched, on the basis of the principles embodied in that paper. William Castle clearly
Influence of atmospheric humidity on abrasive wear — II. 2-body abrasion

Abstract Specimens of glass, steel, copper and an aluminium alloy were abraded on silicon carbide abrasive papers under controlled levels of atmospheric humidity. Under the testing conditions used, all materials show an increase in wear rate between 0 and 65% r.h. At higher humidity levels the softer materials show a decreasing wear rate, while the harder materials show a continuing increase. Atmospheric moisture decreases the fracture strength of the SiC abrasives. This results in improved cutting efficiency at low humidity and in grit deterioration at high humidity. The magnitude of the effect on wear rates is strongly dependent on experimental conditions, in particular load per abrasive, distance of contact with the specimen surface and supply of fresh abrasives.
Complementary and alternative medicine use in Gilles de la Tourette syndrome

The aim of this study was to describe the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in patients with Tourette syndrome (TS) and explore associations with CAM use. In recent years CAM use has increased, but rates of CAM use in TS patients are not reported. Consecutive TS patients or their parent(s), seen in an academic movement disorder center, completed a questionnaire regarding their use of CAM. One hundred TS patients or parents completed the questionnaire, mean age 21.5 +/- 13.5, 76 males, 87 Caucasians. Sixty four patients had used at least one CAM modality. CAM treatments used were prayer (28), vitamins (21), massage (19), dietary supplements (15), chiropractic manipulations (12), meditation (10), diet alterations (nine), yoga (nine), acupuncture (eight), hypnosis (seven), homeopathy (six), and EEG biofeedback (six). Fifty six percent of patients using CAM reported some improvement. Users paid out of pocket for 47% of treatments pursued, and 19% of these payers received partial reimbursement by third party payer. Users and non-users did not differ in age, gender, race, income, educational level, general health, tic severity, medication use for TS, current satisfaction from medications or experience of side effects from medications. CAM use was associated with the presence of affective disorder (P = 0.004), but not with either ADHD or OCD. Among CAM users, 80% initiated CAM without informing their doctor. CAM is commonly used in children and adults with TS, and often without the neurologist's knowledge. Physicians should inquire about CAM to understand the spectrum of interventions that patients with TS use.
ANTIMICROBIAL AND ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITIES OF CORN GLUTEN MEAL SUBSTANCES IN AN EMULSIFIED MEAT MODEL SYSTEM

Corn gluten meal (CGM) and pH adjusted (6.6)/particle size-reduced (∼7μm-MC7; ∼38μm-MC38) CGM increased oxidative and microbiological shelf-life of a model emulsified meat system. After 14 days, TBARS were significantly lower for samples containing MC7 and MC38 when compared to controls, and samples containing soy protein isolate (SPI) or native CGM. Based on aerobic plate counts, MC38 and CGM increased product shelf-life by ∼7days compared to SPI- and MC7-containing products and controls. These results suggest that the use of corn gluten meal substances in an emulsified meat product could create a more shelf stable product. These functional characteristics may make the incorporation of corn gluten meal into foods more feasible.
A 19F NMR Study of Rhodopsin Analogs: Use of Vinylfluororetinal Chromophores

19F NMR spectra of 11-cis and 9-cis isomers of six fluorinated rhodopsin analogs with the label(s) located at the vinylic positions of the polyene chain (8-F, 10-F, 12-F, 14-F, 8,12-F2, 10,14-F2) are reported along with their UV−vis and CD spectra. The regiospecific F chemical shift data are analyzed in terms of chromophore changes and local perturbation resulting from specific interactions with protein. Two analogs (11-cis-12-F and 11-cis-8-F) and also 9,11-di-cis-12-F possess FOS (fluorine opsin shift) values uniquely different from others. Ab initio F NMR chemical shielding calculations of model structures provide support that a strong protein perturbation to the 12-F position prevails in the binding cavity and that F-8 shift is sensitive to variation of the nearby dihedral angle(s). Possible causes for the broad line width of the F signals of these membrane proteins are discussed.
Effect of Exercise on Blood Pressure in Type 2 Diabetes: A Randomized Controlled Trial

BACKGROUND Increased blood pressure (BP) in type 2 diabetes (T2DM) markedly increases cardiovascular disease morbidity and mortality risk compared to having increased BP alone.
Interaction of E. coli Ffh/4.5S ribonucleoprotein and FtsY mimics that of mammalian signal recognition particle and its receptor

The mechanism of protein translocation across the endoplasmic reticulum membrane of eukaryotic cells and the plasma membrane of prokaryotic cells are thought to be evolutionarily related. Protein targeting to the eukaryotic translocation apparatus is mediated by the signal recognition particle (SRP), a cytosolic ribonucleoprotein, and the SRP receptor, an endoplasmic reticulum membrane protein. During targeting, the 54K SRP subunit (M(r) 54,000; SRP54), a GTP-binding protein, binds to signal sequences and then interacts with the alpha-subunit of the SRP receptor (SR alpha), another GTP-binding protein. Two proteins from Escherichia coli, Ffh and FTsY, structurally resemble SRP54 and SR alpha. Like SRP54, Ffh is a subunit of a cytosolic ribonucleoprotein that also contains the E. coli 4.5S RNA. Although there is genetic and biochemical evidence that the E. coli Ffh/4.5S ribonucleoprotein has an SRP-like function, there is no evidence for an SR alpha-like role for FtsY. Here we show that the Ffh/4.5S ribonucleoprotein binds tightly to FtsY in a GTP-dependent manner. This interaction results in the stimulation of GTP hydrolysis which can be inhibited by synthetic signal peptides. These properties mimic those of mammalian SRP and its receptor, suggesting that the E. coli Ffh/4.5S ribonucleoprotein and FtsY have functions in protein targeting that are similar to those of their mammalian counterparts.
Simplified laparoscopic radical cystectomy with orthotopic ileal neobladder creation in a porcine model.

Background and Purpose: Laparoscopic radical cystectomy with orthotopic ileal neobladder creation is a technically challenging and lengthy surgical procedure. We present our experience with a simplified technique for laparoscopic cystectomy and neobladder creation in the porcine model. Materials and Methods: Ten female minipigs underwent a purely laparoscopic radical cystectomy with orthotopic ileal neobladder creation. Nine ureterointestinal anastomoses were performed using a simplified "dunk" technique, where the ureter was prolapsed 5 mm into the afferent limb and the periureteral tissue was secured to the bowel serosa with three superficial sutures. Six ureters were not stented, and three had indwelling stents inserted. In 11 ureters, the anastomosis was performed using a running mucosa-to-mucosa technique (three with stents, eight without stents). The Lapra-Ty suture clip (Ethicon Endosurgery, Cincinnati, OH) was used to secure the running sutures on the urethra, ureters, and neobladder. Animals were...
Morphine differentially alters synthesis and turnover of dopamine in central neuronal systems.

On the basis of biochemical indices of dopamine (DA) nerve activity (decline of DA after inhibition of tyrosine hydroxylase, accumulation of DOPA after inhibition of DOPA decarboxylase) it was revealed that morphine increases the activity of nigrostriatal and mesolimbic DA nerves which terminate in the striatum, nucleus accumbens and olfactory tubercle, but reduce the activity of tuberoinfundibular DA nerves which terminate in the median eminence. Morphine had no effect on tuberohypophyseal DA nerves which project to the posterior pituitary. Naloxone was without effectper se, but blocked the effects of morphine on DOPA accumulation. Thus, morphine differentially alters the diverse DA neuronal systems in the rat brain.
Interactions between DNA Polymerase β and the Major Covalent Adduct of the Carcinogen (+)-anti-Benzo[a]pyrene Diol Epoxide with DNA at a Primer−Template Junction†

A molecular dynamics simulation has been carried out with DNA polymerase β (β pol) complexed with a DNA primer−template. The templating guanine at the polymerase active site was covalently modified by the carcinogenic metabolite of benzo[a]pyrene, (+)-anti-benzo[a]pyrene diol epoxide, to form the major (+)-trans-anti-benzo[a]pyrene diol epoxide covalent adduct. Thus, the benzo[a]pyrenyl moiety (BP) is situated in the single-stranded template at the junction between double- and single-stranded DNA. The starting structure was based on the X-ray crystal structure of the rat β pol primer−template and ddCTP complex [Pelletier, H., Sawaya, M. R., Kumar, A., Wilson, S. H., and Kraut, J. (1994) Science 264, 1891−1903]. During the simulation, the BP and its attached templating guanine rearrange to form a structure in which the BP is closer to parallel with the adjacent base pair. In addition, the templating attached guanine is displaced toward the major groove side and access to its Watson−Crick edge is partly obs...
Large symmetric Pi transformations for Hadamard transforms.

Many multiplexing instruments utilize the fast Hadamard transform (FHT) to demultiplex the signal. In the past, the FHT includes the π1 and π2 transformations to reorder vectors before and after a Sylvester-type Hadamard transform. Although the computational effort involved in the π1 and the Sylvester-type Hadamard transform scales as n log2n, calculating the π2 transformation (which only has to be done once) scales as n2. Recently Gunson (1980) has suggested a method by which the π transformations are symmetric, that is π2 = π1. We have calculated a complete set of symmetric π transformations for FHT of sizes 23 to 230. Special emphasis has been placed on the phase of the π transformation so as to have the correct phase in the demultiplexed signal.
Pharmacokinetics of ibuprofen in man. I. Free and total area/dose relationships

Ibuprofen kinetics were studied in 15 subjects after four oral doses. Plasma levels of both total and free ibuprofen were measured for 12 hr, and urine was collected for 48 hr after the doses. All subjects showed a nonlinear relationship between dose and total ibuprofen plasma AUC. Free ibuprofen plasma AUC, however, was linearly related to the dose, suggesting that oral clearance based on free drug was dose independent. Urinary recovery data indicated that efficiency of absorption was dose independent.
Interactions between endotoxic lipopolysaccharides and the complement system in the sera of lower vertebrates.

SummaryEndotoxic lipopolysaccharides (LPS) have potent ability to consume complement (C) components and generate biologically active peptides from the C system in normal mammalian serum. The present investigation shows that LPS derived from Escherichia coli has potent ability to consume hemolytic C in all vertebrate species in which C activity is detectable, including species as low phylogenetically as representative Chon-drichthyes (horned shark, nurse shark), Os-teichthyes (paddlensh, carp), Amphibia (bull frog, marine frog), and Reptilia (cobra, turtle). Hence, the consumption of C components in response to this ubiquitous bacterial product is a characteristic of vertebrate serum virtually throughout vertebrate evolution.
Desaturation of eicosa-11,14-dienoic acid in human testes

The metabolism of [1-14C]eicosa-11,14-dienoic acid was investigated in human testes using whole tissue minces and microsomal preparations. Both types of preparations catalyzed the desaturation of the labeled diene to eicosa-8,11,14-trienoic as well as eicosa-5,11,14-trienoic acid. The reported results, therefore, indicate that human testicular tissue, as well as rat testicular tissue (reported previously), is capable of utilizing eicosa-11,14-dienoic acid as a precursor of arachidonic acid. Since it is known that there is no Δ8 desaturase activity in rat liver and brain, these studies support the concept that there is a tissue variation in this enzymatic pathway.
Surface reactions of vapor phase titanium atoms with halogen and nitrogen containing polymers studied using in situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy

Abstract The surface reactions of vapor phase Ti with polytetrafluorethylene (PTFE), polyvinylchloride (PVC) and nitrogen-modified polyethylene (PE) have been studied using in situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and ex situ atomic force microscopy (AFM). Titanium reactions with PTFE and PVC surfaces lead to the simultaneous formation of a titanium halide salt and TiC. Titanium reactions with both PTFE and PVC also produced significant morphological changes at the polymer surface. During Ti metallization of PTFE, defluorination did not produce any CF or CF 3 species normally observed during defluorination reactions of metal atoms with PTFE. The amount of titanium fluoride present at the metal–polymer interface was enhanced by post-metallization X-ray irradiation. Results on the Ti surface reactions are also compared and contrasted with Fe and Cu reactivity with PTFE and PVC. The reactions of Ti with nitrogen-modified PE lead to the simultaneous formation of TiN and TiC. Experimental evidence, however, suggests that the different nitrogen containing functional groups present in the nitrogen-modified PE were not equally reactive towards Ti metallization.
The absolute magnetization of 3He at zero pressure

Abstract We have measured the absolute magnetization of liquid 3He at saturated vapor pressure over the temperature range 0.3–500 mK. The technique compares the magnetization of the liquid to that of vacuum by passing the liquid–vacuum interface through a SQUID coil. We find that, contrary to expectations, the electronic diamagnetism of the normal liquid is approximately 6% less than the calculated atomic value. This appears to be the first measurement of the diamagnetic susceptibility of any noble gas in a condensed state.
Digitization of photographic collections

Almost every major institution is contemplating some kind of digital-imaging project, but sources of information and experience are few. Technical aspects of digital imaging present libraries and archives with very difficult and complex choices. There are as yet no codified technical standards for image capture, display, and output, all of which affect the image quality, the cost, and, ultimately, the success or failure of the entire undertaking. Even if a vendor will provide a finished 'turnkey' system, an institution must understand the nature of the digital- imaging product they are buying. They must know how much image quality and functionality can be expected from it, both now and in the future. New tools must be provided for collection managers to make that possible. Beyond these purely technical issues, institutions must be able to relate the digital-image database system to the fundamental collection activities of access and preservation. Despite all the possibilities for manipulating digital images, image quality choices made when files are first created have the same 'finality' that they have in conventional photography. They will have a profound effect on project cost and the value of the final project to the users. Image quality requirements therefore have to be established carefully before a digitization project starts.© (1997) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Dynamic Simulation of Shipping Package Subjected to Torque Load and Sequential Impacts

A numerical technique has been developed to simulate the structural responses of radioactive material packaging components requiring closure-tightening torque to the scenarios of the hypothetical accident conditions (HAC) defined in the Code of Federal Regulations Title 10 part 71 (10CFR 71). A rigorous solution to this type of problem poses a considerable mathematical challenge. Conventional methods for evaluating the residue stresses due to the torque load are either inaccurate or not applicable to dynamic analyses. In addition, the HAC events occur sequentially and the cumulative damage to the package needs to be evaluated. Commonly, individual HAC events are analyzed separately and the cumulative damage is not addressed. As a result, strict compliance of the package with the requirements specified in 10CFR 71 is usually demonstrated by physical testing. The proposed technique utilizes the combination of kinematic constraints, rigid-body motions and structural deformations to overcome some of the difficulties encountered in modeling the effect of cumulative damage in numerical solutions. The analyses demonstrating use of this technique were performed to determine the cumulative damage of torque preload, a 30-foot drop, a 30-foot dynamic crush and a 40-inch free fall onto a mild steel pipe.
Use of shoulder flexors to achieve isometric elbow extension in C6 tetraplegic patients during weight shift

Use of shoulder flexors to achieve isometric elbow extension in C6 tetraplegic patients during weight shift
Hawaiian glacial ages

Four glacial drifts that are interstratified with lava flows and tephra layers on the upper slopes of Mauna Kea demonstrate that an ice cap formed repeatedly at the summit of the volcano during the middle and late Pleistocene. The oldest drift (Pohakuloa Formation) probably was deposited shortly after eruption of a lava flow having a KAr age of 278,500 ± 68,500 yr. Drift of the Waihu Formation, marked by a belt of subdued end moraines, is correlated with hyaloclastite cones and associated lava flows that were erupted beneath an ice cap about 170,000–175,000 yr ago. One of four younger subglacially erupted lavas at the crest of the volcano has a KAr age of 41,300 ± 8300 yr. Tephra layers that antedate the last glaciation are about 29,700 to 37,200 14C yr old and underlie dune sand that is believed to correlate with drift of the Makanaka Formation deposited during the last ice advance. The late Makanaka ice cap, which covered an area of about 70 km2 and was as much as 100 m thick, is reconstructed from end moraines and limits of erratic stones that encircle the summit region. The ice cap disappeared from the summit before about 9080 yr ago. Postglacial lavas and tephra overlie the youngest drift on the upper south flank of the mountain and buried a widespread post-Makanaka soil on the lower south rift zone about 4500 14C yr ago. The island of Hawaii is subsiding isostatically due to crustal loading by Quaternary volcanic rocks, with subsidence near the midpoint of Mauna Kea estimated as about 2.5 ± 0.5 mm/yr. A curve depicting an inferred long-term subsidence rate has been used to adjust equilibrium-line altitudes (ELAs) of former ice caps that are calculated on the basis of reconstructed glacier topography and an assumed accumulation-area ratio of 0.6 ± 0.05. The results indicate that ELA depression was greatest during Waihu glaciation, least during Pohakuloa glaciation, and that the ELA during late Makanaka glaciation was somewhat lower than that of the early Makanaka advance. Available radiometric dates show that late Makanaka glaciation correlates with stage 2 of the marine oxygen-isotope record, and suggest that early Makanaka, Waihu, and Pohakuloa glaciations correlate, respectively, with isotope stages 4, 6, and 8. Because ice caps could have formed on Mauna Kea only after the snowline was lowered many hundreds of meters below its inferred present level, episodes of Hawaiian glaciation probably were restricted to times of maximum ice volume on the continents. The asymmetry of the late Makanaka ice cap and the southeast-descending gradient of its equilibrium line are consistent with a southeast (tradewinds) source of precipitation during the last glaciation. Although departures of glacial-age temperature and precipitation from present values are difficult to assess quantitatively, growth of former ice caps on Mauna Kea most likely was due to enhanced winter snowfall and to reduced ablation rates brought about by lower air temperature and increased cloudiness.
Ronald Reagan in Hollywood: Movies and Politics

Preface Part I. The Making of a Star: 1. Dixon 2. Learning to Communicate 3. From Rags to Riches 4. Reform 5. Stereotypes and Taboos 6. The Inertia Projector 7. Lessons from the Past 8. Warmongering 9. Flying a Desk for the Army Air Corps Part II. The Making of an Anti-Communist: 10. A False Start 11. Labor and the Rise to Power 12. The 'Un-Americans' 13. Eclipse of Liberalism 14. Black Dignity 15. Selling Hollywood 16. 'To Capture the Minds of Men' 17. Loyalty 18. A Troubled Time: Movies and Divorce 19. 'A Fork in the River' Abbreviations Notes References Index Photographs.