cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Relation of an Echocardiographic-Based Cardiac Calcium Score to Mitral Stenosis Severity and Coronary Artery Disease in Patients with Severe Aortic Stenosis.

Patients with calcific aortic stenosis (AS) often have diffuse cardiac calcification involving the mitral valve apparatus and coronary arteries. We examined the association between global cardiac calcification quantified by a previously validated echocardiographic calcium score (eCS) with the severity of mitral stenosis (MS) and coronary artery disease (CAD) in patients with a clinical diagnosis of severe calcific AS. In this sample of 147 patients (mean age 81 ± 9 years, 50% male), 81 patients (55%) were determined by echocardiography to have some degree of MS. Higher mean eCS was observed in patients with more severe MS (r = 0.54, p
Confounding factors and tertiary-phase control by a surfactive agent on smectite sorption of atrazine

Atrazine is a widely used commercial pesticide applied to soil for the control broadleaf weeds in agriculture. Frequent detection of atrazine in surface and subsurface waters and the potential for adverse effects on toxicity to aquatic and terrestrial life have generated numerous investigations into the mechanisms governing atrazine sorption by soils. This dissertation seeks to add to that body of knowledge by elucidating basic mechanisms and processes that influence sorption of atrazine on clays in the presence and absence of surfactants commonly used in commercial formulations. Clay-sized (< 2 pm) suspensions of the reference smectite, Panther Creek (PC) bentonite, were saturated with Ca or K using a dialysis technique. During this process, sub-samples of the clay suspensions were air-dried, ground, and then resuspended to test the effect of sample handling on atrazine sorption. Sorption studies showed that air-dried (AD), resuspended K+-saturated PC (KPC) exhibited a significantly enhanced sorption affinity for atrazine over KPC that was never-dried (ND). Atrazine sorption by AD Ca2+-saturated PC (CaPC) was negligibly different from atrazine sorption on ND CaPC. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis revealed that air-drying had irreversibly collapsed the basal spacing of KPC. It was hypothesized that the atrazine sorption was enhanced in the collapsed KPC because it provided a less hydrated environment where atrazine's alkylamino sidechains could simultaneously interact with hydrophobic nanosites on both of the opposing basal surfaces. Furthermore, this work explored the potential of a nonionic surfactant, Brij 35, which is similar to the surfactant used in commercial atrazine formulations, to modify the sorption chemistry of atrazine. Experiments revealed that lower concentrations of Brij 35 inhibited atrazine sorption while higher concentrations enhanced sorption; an opposite trend from what was expected. At low Brij 35 concentrations, XRD evidence indicated that Brij 35 was intercalated and progressively filled the clay interlayer. At low concentrations, Brij 35 apparently competed with atrazine for sorption sites in the clay interlayer. At high
Using Real-Time Syndromic Surveillance to Analyze the Impact of a Cold Weather Event in New Mexico

Objective. This report describes the development of a novel syndromic cold weather syndrome for use in monitoring the impact of cold weather events on emergency department attendance. Methods. Syndromic messages from seven hospitals were analyzed for ED visits that occurred over a 12-day period. A cold weather syndrome was defined using terms in the self-reported chief complaint field as well as specific ICD-10-CM codes related to cold weather. A κ statistic was calculated to assess the overall agreement between the chief complaint field and diagnosis fields to further refine the cold weather syndrome definition. Results. Of the 3,873 ED visits that were reported, 487 were related to the cold weather event. Sixty-three percent were identified by a combination of diagnosis codes and chief complaints. Overall agreement between chief complaint and diagnosis codes was moderate ( ; 95% confidence interval = 0.48–0.52). Conclusion. Due to the near real-time reporting of syndromic surveillance data, analysis results can be acted upon. Results from this analysis will be used in the state’s emergency operations plan (EOP) for cold weather and winter storms. The EOP will provide guidance for mobilization of supplies/personnel, preparation of roadways and pedestrian walkways, and the coordination efforts of multiple state agencies.
Silicon dioxide nanoparticle exposure affects small intestine function in an in vitro model

AbstractThe use of nanomaterials to enhance properties of food and improve delivery of orally administered drugs has become common, but the potential health effects of these ingested nanomaterials remain unknown. The goal of this study is to characterize the properties of silicon dioxide (SiO2) nanoparticles (NP) that are commonly used in food and food packaging, and to investigate the effects of physiologically realistic doses of SiO2 NP on gastrointestinal (GI) health and function. In this work, an in vitro model composed of Caco-2 and HT29-MTX co-cultures, which represent absorptive and goblet cells, was used. The model was exposed to well-characterized SiO2 NP for acute (4 h) and chronic (5 d) time periods. SiO2 NP exposure significantly affected iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), glucose, and lipid nutrient absorption. Brush border membrane intestinal alkaline phosphatase (IAP) activity was increased in response to nano-SiO2. The barrier function of the intestinal epithelium, as measured by transepithelial electr...
Legacy AdvanTec and Sovereign WhiteStar: a wound temperature study.

Abstract Purpose: To assess the wound temperature of the Sovereign® WhiteStar (S-WS) (AMO) and Legacy® AdvanTec® (L-ADV) (Alcon) phacoemulsification systems. Setting: John A. Moran Eye Center, Health Sciences Center, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. Methods: Phacoemulsification using 20-gauge, 30-degree straight tips with the L-ADV and S-WS systems was performed in fresh cadaver eyes. The power was set at 50%, and aspiration was 12 mL/min; the L-ADV was run at 15 pulses per second (pps) and the S-WS at WS CF (6 milliseconds on, 12 milliseconds off). Temperature was measured at 5-second intervals for 60 seconds using a microthermistor placed in the wound. The phaco tip was angled 30 degrees to increase wound-tissue contact. At 10 seconds, the flow was clamped to simulate occlusion. Five runs, sleeved and unsleeved, were averaged for the phaco tip. Results: The mean temperature was significantly higher with L-ADV than with S-WS (from 10 seconds on in the sleeved condition and from 5 seconds on in the unsleeved condition after the aspiration line was clamped). In 2 of 5 sleeved runs and 4 of 5 unsleeved runs, the L-ADV handpiece decreased power as the temperature increased. One run with the L-ADV with sleeve showed signs of wound burn. There were no signs of wound burn with the S-WS. The highest temperature recorded was 57.5°C with the L-ADV and 38.6°C with the S-WS. Power tests showed L-ADV protected the stroke length and S-WS had constant power except in air where it increased power. Conclusions: There was less increase in wound temperature over time with the S-WS than with the L-ADV system in sleeved and unsleeved simulated surgery in human eye-bank eyes. Because the ultrasound handpieces respond differently under different load scenarios, meaningful comparisons of pulsing features are difficult to create.
Comorbidity in dementia: an autopsy study.

Context There is a paucity of accurate postmortem data pertinent to comorbid medical conditions in patients with dementia, including Alzheimer disease. Objectives The purposes of this study were (a) to examine general autopsy findings in patients with a dementia syndrome and (b) to establish patterns of central nervous system comorbidity in these patients. Design Review of autopsy reports and selected case material from 202 demented patients who had "brain-only" autopsies during a 17-year period (1984-2000) and from 52 demented patients who had general autopsies during a 6-year period (1995-2000). Setting Large academic medical center performing approximately 200 autopsies per year. Results Among the 52 patients who underwent complete autopsy, the most common cause of death was bronchopneumonia, which was found in 24 cases (46.1%). Other respiratory problems included emphysema, found in 19 (36.5%) of 52 patients, and pulmonary thromboembolism, found in 9 (17.3%) of 52 patients. In 6 cases, pulmonary thromboembolism was the proximate cause of death. Twenty-one (40.3%) of the 52 patients had evidence of a myocardial infarct (varying ages) and 38 (73.1%) had atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, 27 of a moderate to severe degree. Four clinically unsuspected malignancies were found: 1 each of glioblastoma multiforme, diffusely infiltrative central nervous system lymphoma, pancreatic adenocarcinoma, and adenocarcinoma of the lung. One patient with frontotemporal dementia and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis died of severe meningoencephalitis/ventriculitis, probably secondary to seeding of the central nervous system by an infected cardiac valve. Of the 202 demented patients who underwent brain-only autopsies, the following types of dementia were found: 129 (63.8%) cases showed changes of severe Alzheimer disease, 21 (10.4%) showed combined neuropathologic abnormalities (Alzheimer disease plus another type of lesion, such as significant ischemic infarcts or diffuse Lewy body disease), 12 (5.9%) cases of relatively pure ischemic vascular dementia, 13 (6.4%) cases of diffuse Lewy body disease, and 8 (4.0%) cases of frontotemporal dementia. The remaining 19 (9.4%) patients showed miscellaneous neuropathologic diagnoses, including normal pressure hydrocephalus and progressive supranuclear palsy. Among the demented patients, 92 (45.5%) had cerebral atherosclerosis, which was moderate to severe in 65 patients (32.2%). Conclusions Some of the conditions found at autopsy, had they been known antemortem, would likely have affected clinical management of the patients. Autopsy findings may be used as a quality-of-care measure in patients who have been hospitalized in chronic care facilities for a neurodegenerative disorder.
Strong Markov Properties for Markov Random Fields

Markov properties and strong Markov properties for random fields are defined and discussed. Special attention is given to those defined by I. V. Evstigneev. The strong Markov nature of Markov random fields with respect to random domains such as [0, L], where L is a multidimensional extension of a stopping time, is explored. A special case of this extension is shown to generalize a result of Merzbach and Nualart for point processes. As an additional example, Evstigneev's Markov and strong Markov properties are considered for independent increment jump processes.
Expanding the Map: Oz in the Public Domain

This chapter discusses several Oz productions—including “The Land of Oz,” from Shirley Temple’s Story Book Hour, and Journey Back to Oz, starring Liza Minnelli—that sought to capitalize on The Wizard of Oz once the Oz books started to come into the public domain during the television broadcast years (1956–1998). We then examine how marketing and promotion set the The Wiz on its unlikely journey from flop to hit, and conclude with an analysis of the revisionist Ozes produced at the end of this era: Walter Murch’s Return to Oz (1985), Phillip Jose Farmer’s A Barnstormer in Oz, Geoff Ryman’s Was, and Gregory Maguire’s novel, Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West.
A Unified Framework for Manifold Landmarking

The success of semisupervised manifold learning is highly dependent on the quality of the labeled samples. Active manifold learning aims to select and label representative landmarks on a manifold from a given set of samples to improve semisupervised manifold learning. In this paper, we propose a novel active manifold learning method based on a unified framework of manifold landmarking. In particular, our method combines geometric manifold landmarking methods with algebraic ones. We achieve this by using the Gershgorin circle theorem to construct an upper bound on the learning error that depends on the landmarks and the manifold's alignment matrix in a way that captures both the geometric and algebraic criteria. We then attempt to select landmarks so as to minimize this bound by iteratively deleting the Gershgorin circles corresponding to the selected landmarks. We also analyze the complexity, scalability, and robustness of our method through simulations, and demonstrate its superiority compared to existing methods. Experiments in regression and classification further verify that our method performs better than its competitors.
On the banks of the Red Cedar: toward socio-ecologically robust riparian management in an iconic Michigan river

Land use is continually evolving in river watersheds and riparian zones, particularly in areas containing dense human populations requiring infrastructure development. Land use planners in south-ce...
Interactive Virtual Reality-Based Simulation Model Equipped with Collision-Preventive Feature in Automated Robotic Sites

Technological changes have made historic moves in the industry trajectory towards industry 4.0. Simulation of the work environment is one of the effective tools in an automated robotic site. It contributes to a better work environment’s awareness toward the machines’ and robots’ behavior, enhancement of the monitoring and troubleshooting of processes, and selection of the optimum adaptable design for the system. This book chapter mainly focuses on proposing an innovative interactive VR-based simulation model for automated robotics sites. Consolidating all features of an effective VR tool, a system design simulation software (SIMIO) and a robot programming simulation software (Epson RC+) results in an effective VR-based simulation for the entire manufacturing system. Such a proposed model, interacts with workforce and decision makers effectively. Decision makers will be able to test and evaluate various design scenarios and potential states in the whole response space. In this way, the optimum alternative, which optimizes the performance measures’ values, will be captured in a timely manner. Such a model, proactively recognizes the potential collisions via simulation. Utilizing such a tool will improve the scheduling process, reduce down-time and delays, enhance the system productivity and reliability, and detect maintenance time of robots and machines in a faster way, which are among the main goals of systems’ automation.
Optimization of lithium isotope analysis in geological materials by quadrupole ICP-MS

This study develops and optimizes a new protocol to measure lithium isotope ratios using a single collector quadrupole inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (Q-ICP-MS) operated under hot plasma (1550 W) conditions with a sample–standard bracketing method. Our Q-ICP-MS method reduces sample consumption to 2.5 ng of Li and achieves a high long-term precision of 1.1‰ (2SD). This Q-ICP-MS method exhibits high matrix tolerance (Na/Li < 100), suitable for ng-sized and high-matrix geological samples. We also developed a dual-column system for Li separation, with large loading capacity (29.6 meq), complete recovery (∼100%) and satisfactory purification (Na/Li m m−1 < 1), as well as a fixed elution range for Li fractions (28–60 mL). This new chromatography method has been applied to chemically diverse materials, producing consistent results. In addition, we report the Li isotope compositions of 13 geostandards, and our measurements agree well with reported data within analytical uncertainties. This study documents that Li element concentration and Li isotope composition can be routinely measured using a single collector ICP-MS, which is convenient and commercially affordable for future Li isotope research across the fields of Earth and Environmental Sciences.
Reaching for Gold: Frequent-Flyer Status Incentives and Moral Hazard

We study how frequent-flyer program members change their purchase behaviors as they progress towards achieving elite status. Using data from a leading U.S. airline, we empirically test the theoretical prediction that travelers' switching costs vary dynamically with their progress towards attaining status. We show evidence for increased switching costs as the consumer approaches the target pace of point accumulation required to attain status. These switching costs reflect changes in booking behavior with the airline: Travelers become more likely to choose the airline even when it is less appealing than its competitors, and to pay higher prices than they otherwise would. These responses are reduced when travelers accumulate points at a rate substantially ahead of the target pace. The increase in switching costs is more pronounced for consumers at a hub of the airline and for business travelers. Moreover, we document a stronger willingness-to-pay response when consumers are less likely to shoulder the ticket costs themselves because they are traveling for business. This response suggests that asymmetric incentives induced by business travel explains much of the heterogeneity between business and leisure travelers, and moral hazard may be responsible for a large part of the profi tability of frequent-flyer status incentives.
Varicella zoster encephalitis in an immunocompromised patient presented with migraine type headache: A case report.

Abstract Varicella zoster virus (VZV) has been increasingly linked with encephalitis and atypical presentations in immunosuppressed patients. We present a patient with history of immunosuppressant intake for polymyositis who initially presented with throbbing frontal headache that raised the suspicion of migraine. She did not respond to anti-migraine medication and later developed stimulus induced myoclonus. She then had significant neurological decline and eventually became encephalopathic. Her initial imaging of brain was unremarkable which warranted further investigations. She was then diagnosed to be VZV positive in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) sample that confirmed VZV encephalitis. She responded well to IV Acyclovir treatment and her neurological function improved significantly. In this case, there was delay in diagnosis of VZV in the setting of immunosuppression and non-specific clinical presentation. Therefore, we encourage to strongly consider early VZV diagnostic work up and treatment in immunocompromised patients who can present with non-specific symptoms without a typical cutaneous rash.
Correlating Oxidation State and Surface Area to Activity from Operando Studies of Copper CO Electroreduction Catalysts in a Gas-Fed Device

The rational design of high-performance electrocatalysts requires a detailed understanding of dynamic changes in catalyst properties, including oxidation states, surface area, and morphology under ...
Conformal Geometry and Multimaterial Additive Manufacturing through Freeform Transformation of Building Layers

3D printing, formally known as additive manufacturing, creates complex geometries via layer-by-layer addition of materials. While 3D printing has been historically perceived as the static addition of build layers, 3D printing is now considered as a dynamic assembly process. In this context, here a new 3D printing process is reported that executes full degree-of-freedom (DOF) transformation (translating, rotating, and scaling) of each individual building layer while utilizing continuous fabrication techniques. Transforming individual building layers within the sequential layered manufacturing process enables dynamic transformation of the 3D printed parts on-the-fly, eliminating the time-consuming redesign steps. Preserving the locality of the transformation to each layer further enables the discrete conformal transformation, allowing objects such as vascular scaffolds to be optimally fabricated to properly fit within specific patient anatomy obtained from the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) measurements. Finally, exploiting the freedom to control the orientation of each individual building layer, multimaterials, multiaxis 3D printing capability are further established for integrating functional modules made of dissimilar materials in 3D printed devices. This final capability is demonstrated through 3D printing a soft pneumatic gripper via heterogenous integration of rigid base and soft actuating limbs.
AI for Social Justice: New Methodological Horizons in Technical Communication

This Methodologies and Approaches piece argues artificially intelligent machine learning systems can be used to effectively advance justice-oriented research in technical and professional communica...
Misusing the Presumption Against Extraterritoriality in Climate Change Litigation

Among the most promising climate changes cases brought in U.S. courts are state-law tort claims filed by cities against major oil companies. Two of these cases are currently on appeal before the Second and Ninth Circuits. This essay expands upon the arguments in two amicus briefs filed in those cases on behalf of conflict of laws and foreign relations law scholars. First, the essay argues that the district courts erred in applying the federal presumption against extraterritoriality to state-law claims. The federal presumption against extraterritoriality does not apply to common law claims or to state statutory claims. Second, the essay argues that the district courts erred in applying the principle of “judicial caution” articulated by the Supreme Court in ATS cases. The climate change cases are not human rights suits implicating the conduct of foreign governments, and they involve the application of existing state laws not the creation of an implied right of action under a federal statute.
An Investigation of Online and Face-to-Face Communication in General Chemistry

This exploratory study investigated an online office hour and a face-to-face recitation for similarities and differences. The online office hour and face-to-face recitation were a part of genera l chemistry courses taught at different universities. The courses covered the same material at the same level. The results of the investigation revealed that in the online environment students must articulate their ideas clearly to convey them in a text-only medium. The written text seemed to help the instructor to identify misinterpretations made by the students. The instructor-dominated hierarchy between instructor and student is present in both environments. When comparing the percentage of total student and instructor events (the sum of que stions and statements) in the online environment, students’ events were significantly greater than instructor’s events. This finding is an indication that the online environment shows promise for improving student participation.
Simulation study of RF linearity in 50 nm DG and SOI MOSFETs

The influence of different physical mechanisms on linearity using 2D device simulation is analyzed. RF linearity of SOI and DG-MOSFETs at 50 nm gate length is investigated. ISE TCAD is employed to simulate terminal characteristics of generic bulk, SOI and DG-MOSFET structures. Impact ionization of channel carriers and SHE (self-heating effects) are also accounted for in the thin-body devices. DC transfer characteristics (I/sub D/-V/sub G/ curves) are used to obtain transconductance g/sub m/ and AC simulation is employed to capture bias dependence of output conductance g/sub d/.
A Traffic Generator for Testing Communication Systems: Presentation,Implementation and Performance

This paper presents a multi-application traffic generator (MTG), aimed at the generation of packets over a LAN. The generated traffic simulates the one produced by a number of both isochronous and anisochronous applications, thus allowing the measurement of a number of parameters relevant to the communication network. From a test point of view, data generated by the MTG system is equivalent to data generated by real applications spread over a LAN. The MTG system is presented, its implementation is described, some figures relevant to the MTG performance are shown, and the statistical analysis which can be performed on the recorded data is briefly introduced. The user manual of the MTG system is referenced in (Celandroni, Ferro, and Potorti 1995).
Comprehensive Review of Medicinal Marijuana, Cannabinoids, and Therapeutic Implications in Medicine and Headache: What a Long Strange Trip It's Been …

Background The use of cannabis, or marijuana, for medicinal purposes is deeply rooted though history, dating back to ancient times. It once held a prominent position in the history of medicine, recommended by many eminent physicians for numerous diseases, particularly headache and migraine. Through the decades, this plant has taken a fascinating journey from a legal and frequently prescribed status to illegal, driven by political and social factors rather than by science. However, with an abundance of growing support for its multitude of medicinal uses, the misguided stigma of cannabis is fading, and there has been a dramatic push for legalizing medicinal cannabis and research. Almost half of the United States has now legalized medicinal cannabis, several states have legalized recreational use, and others have legalized cannabidiol-only use, which is one of many therapeutic cannabinoids extracted from cannabis. Physicians need to be educated on the history, pharmacology, clinical indications, and proper clinical use of cannabis, as patients will inevitably inquire about it for many diseases, including chronic pain and headache disorders for which there is some intriguing supportive evidence. Objective To review the history of medicinal cannabis use, discuss the pharmacology and physiology of the endocannabinoid system and cannabis-derived cannabinoids, perform a comprehensive literature review of the clinical uses of medicinal cannabis and cannabinoids with a focus on migraine and other headache disorders, and outline general clinical practice guidelines. Conclusion The literature suggests that the medicinal use of cannabis may have a therapeutic role for a multitude of diseases, particularly chronic pain disorders including headache. Supporting literature suggests a role for medicinal cannabis and cannabinoids in several types of headache disorders including migraine and cluster headache, although it is primarily limited to case based, anecdotal, or laboratory-based scientific research. Cannabis contains an extensive number of pharmacological and biochemical compounds, of which only a minority are understood, so many potential therapeutic uses likely remain undiscovered. Cannabinoids appear to modulate and interact at many pathways inherent to migraine, triptan mechanisms ofaction, and opiate pathways, suggesting potential synergistic or similar benefits. Modulation of the endocannabinoid system through agonism or antagonism of its receptors, targeting its metabolic pathways, or combining cannabinoids with other analgesics for synergistic effects, may provide the foundation for many new classes of medications. Despite the limited evidence and research suggesting a role for cannabis and cannabinoids in some headache disorders, randomized clinical trials are lacking and necessary for confirmation and further evaluation.
Phase I Study of Eniluracil, Oral 5-Fluororacil and Gemcitabine in Patients with Advanced Malignancy

Purpose: The objectives of this trial wereto assess the maximal tolerated dose andtoxicity of the combination of oraleniluracil and 5-fluorouracil andintravenous gemcitabine.
Mechanics in bone growth and development

Summary form only. Skeletal structure reflects the mechanical loads experienced. The skeletal adaptive response to mechanical forces is well described qualitatively but needs to be understood quantitatively and mechanistically, particularly for diseases such as osteoporosis. This minisymposium presents our understanding of skeletal integrity across different levels of consideration. First, the whole bone response to altered loading and contributing factors is discussed. Then the tissue level response is examined with mechanically-based simulations of bone adaptation which incorporate physiological parameters. Finally, cellular mechanotransduction mechanisms are investigated. These different approaches are combined to help better understanding of osteogenic stimuli, signal transduction pathways and response processes and enable us to quantitatively predict bone adaptation. Using experimental models of altered loading and animals with genetic alterations, we can examine potential contributing factors. By unloading and overloading the short ear mouse, deficient for bone morphogenetic protein-5 (BMP-5), we examined whether BMP-5 plays a role in load-based adaptation. Our findings suggest that BMP-5 is a component of the response pathway to increased, but not decreased, mechanical loads. These experiments show great promise for understanding skeletal functional adaptation.
Structural requirements for recognition of Escherichia coli initiator and non-initiator transfer ribonucleic acids by bacterial T factor.

Abstract Escherichia coli formylmethionine tRNA is unable to form a ternary complex with bacterial T factor and GTP, as measured by Sephadex G-50 gel filtration. Treatment of tRNAfMet with sodium bisulfite produces cytidine to uridine base changes in the tRNA structure and greatly enhances its binding affinity for T factor. The ternary complex formed with the bisulfite-modified initiator tRNA has properties analogous to those of EF-Tu·GTP·AA-tRNA complexes formed with non-initiator tRNAs. Enzymatic formylation of modified Met-tRNAfMet completely eliminates its ability to bind to EF-Tu. Unmodified tRNAfMet is unique among the tRNAs sequenced to date in having a non-hydrogen-bonded base at the 5' terminus. Bisulfite-catalyzed conversion of this unpaired cytidine to uridine results in formation of a normal uridine-adenosine base pair at the end of the acceptor stem. In order to determine whether this modification affects T factor recognition, partially modified Met-tRNAfMet was labeled with 32P at the 5' terminus and the fraction capable of forming an EF-Tu·GTP·Met-tRNAfMet complex was separated from unbound Met-tRNAfMet by Sephadex G-100 gel filtration. Terminal nucleotide analysis of the tRNA bound in the complex showed that it was greatly enriched in [5'-32P]uridylate compared to the starting tRNA. Removal of the 5'-phosphate from several normal AA-tRNAs was found to drastically reduce the ability of these tRNAs to form stable ternary complexes with EF-Tu. The requirement for base pairing at the end of the acceptor stem therefore appears to result from a requirement for a specific spatial orientation of the 5'-terminal phosphate for T factor binding. Bisulfite modification of the 3'-terminal CpCpA-OH sequence of Met-tRNAfMet reduces its binding affinity for EF-Tu, indicating that this region of the molecule is also involved in formation of a stable ternary complex. Met-tRNAfMet containing a fully base-paired acceptor stem and normal CpCpA-OH sequence can be completely bound as EF-Tu·GTP·Met-tRNAfMet in the presence of excess T factor, however this ternary complex is less stable than the complexes formed with Met-tRNAmMet, Phe-tRNAPhe, or Gln-tRNAGln, suggesting that other structural features outside of the 3'- and 5'-terminal regions may be involved in T factor recognition of AA-tRNAs.
The effects of hypoxia on the respiration of newborn infants.

The effects of administering atmospheres containing 10 and 12% oxygen to healthy newborn infants of different ages have been studied. Infants under 24 hours of age tended to hypoventilate throughout the period of hypoxia. Infants six to 11 days of age hyperventilated for the first two or three minutes and then showed a decrease, although not so marked as observed in the infants under 24 hours of age. Infants 16 to 48 days of age showed the most marked increase in ventilation, but even in these infants it was poorly maintained as compared to responses seen in adults. Hypoxia produced a slowing of the respiratory rate in all infants except the very oldest. Tidal air was increased at first and then decreased. The increases in tidal air accounted for most of the increase in minute volume seen in the older infants. Hypoxia increased the incidence of periodic breathing in the two older groups of infants, but had very little effect on infants under 24 hours of age. Respiratory patterns did not appear to be altered by the hypoxic conditions employed in this study. It has been postulated that the comparatively weak response to hypoxia made by infants immediately after birth possibly is dependent on relatively poor chemoreceptor reflexes and that the latter increase in strength during the first weeks of postnatal life. It has also been suggested that the relative inability to induce periodic breathing in infants under 24 hours of age as compared to those several weeks old is further evidence indicating that metabolism of the medullary respiratory centers is to a larger extent anerobic than at the later periods of postnatal life.
Ruffians, Yakuza, nationalists: the violent politics of modern Japan, 1860–1960

In Ruffians, Yakuza, Nationalists, Eiko Maruko Siniawer sets out to explore the relationship between violence and democracy (defined very generally as ‘a participatory form of government with a rep...
Impact of institutional and socioeconomic changes on marital relationship: The case of Taiwan

Based on the GARCH model, the divorce rate in Taiwan is found to be negatively affected by the fertility rate and male earnings and positively influenced by the male unemployment rate, female earnings, female education, and institutional changes providing married women more protection in child custody, child support and alimony and property rights in divorce. The conventional OLS regression method yields poor statistical outcomes.
Clinical and visual outcomes of patients with uveitis in the mid-Atlantic United States

PURPOSE: To report the clinical outcomes of uveitis patients at the University of Virginia. METHODS: Retrospective, observational study of uveitis patients seen at the University of Virginia from 1984 to 2014. Parametric and nonparametric methods were used to analyze the change in best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) in relation to demographics, diagnoses, management, and complications. RESULTS: The study included 644 eyes of 491 patients. Patients with mild visual loss (logMAR 1.0) (P=0.002). Females were more likely to have mild visual loss as compared to males (P=0.025). Median overall BCVA was logMAR 0.18 at initial and final presentation (P=1.00). Vision loss at diagnosis was a predictor for moderate visual loss (MVL, logMAR 0.4 to <1.0) to SVL at last follow-up (P<0.001). Eyes with ocular hypertension were positively associated with MVL and SVL as compared to normotensive eyes (1.89 times at baseline, 2.62 times at last follow-up). Median BCVA was 0.18 logMAR for the anterior uveitis (AU) and 0.48 logMAR for the non-AU patients (P<0.001). AU patients were less likely to have SVL than non-AU group (P<0.001). AU group received local corticosteroids more frequently and systemic corticosteroids less commonly than non-AU patients (P<0.001). AU patients with MVL to SVL were more likely to have ophthalmic surgery (cataract, glaucoma or pars plana vitrectomy [PPV]) than those without MVL or SVL (P<0.001). Non-AU patients with MVL to SVL were more likely to have PPV than those without MVL or SVL (P=0.001). CONCLUSION: Mean overall BCVA remained stable. Favorable visual results were associated with younger age, female gender, and AU. Poor visual prognosis was concomitant with SVL at presentation and ocular hypertension. Ocular surgery (cataract extraction and glaucoma filtration) was more frequently performed for AU patients with MVL to SVL than those AU patients who did not experience moderate to SVL. PPV was commonly performed for both AU and non-AU patients with MVL to SVL.
Procedural and Moral Influences on Fairness Judgments and Group Rejection

The four component model of procedural fairness (Blader & Tyler, 2003) posits that people's fairness reasoning and connections to a group are shaped by two motivational considerations: decision control and social identity maintenance. Procedures high in decision making and treatment quality address these respective needs, and therefore influence people's subsequent perceptions of fairness and continued attachment to the group. What happens to people's attachment to the group, however, when procedures high in decision making and treatment quality yield an outcome perceived to be immoral? Two studies investigated this question in the context of a university's decision to use student fees to fund abortions at a student health clinic. Results indicated that only the decision outcome, and not decision making or treatment quality, affected students' attachment to the university when students had a morally mandated position about abortion.
Acetylcholine-ATP binding by direct membrane electrode measurement

Abstract Controversy concerning acetylcholine-ATP interaction and the possible role of such binding for acetylcholine storage in synaptic vesicles has been resolved by direct binding measurements using an acetylcholine selective membrane electrode. At pH 7.4, acetylcholine was found to bind ATP−4 with a 1:1 stoichiometry and a thermodynamic formation constant of 175M−1. The interaction of acetylcholine with HATP−3 and MgATP−2 was found to be much weaker with formation constants of approximately 20M−1 and 25M−1, respectively. The data indicate that ATP binding could not account for more than 20% of acetylcholine storage under the conditions known to exist in synaptic vesicles.
Comparison of Axisymmetric and Planar Fracture Mechanics Models for Fiber-Reinforced Composites

Abstract Many fracture mechanics models based on either 3D-axisymmetric or 2D-planar models are used to predict mechanical parameters of composites, such as their fracture toughness, matrix crack initiation stress and stiffness. In this study, fracture mechanics models for a composite geometry with a matrix crack under uniform crack pressure are developed using both 3D-axisymmetric and 2D-planar assumptions. Three critical parameters, namely the stress intensity factor at the crack tips, the maximum crack-opening displacements and the stress ratios at the interface, which are used to quantify the above mechanical parameters of a composite, are compared for the two models. The results for the stress ratios at the interface, which are used to predict the path of crack propagation near a fiber-matrix interface, are close to each other. However, the results for the stress intensity factor and the crack-opening displacements, which are used to quantify matrix crack initiation stress and damaged composite longitudinal stiffness, differ considerably.
Engineering Success: The Role of Faculty Relationships With African American Undergraduates

Previous research has found that faculty–student relationships are a contributing factor to the retention of students at four-year institutions. In this study, the experiences of twelve African American engineers are explored through the lens of Fiske’s (Structures of Social Life: The Four Elementary Forms of Human Relations, Free Press, New York, 1991) social-relational models theory. The overall findings of this study suggest that faculty play an important role in encouraging or dissuading the African American engineers in this study to persist in their respective majors. Additionally, the involvement in faculty research laboratories and the referral by faculty to other opportunities and internships relevant to careers in engineering gave participants a much-needed practical application of their coursework. However, faculty can also have an equally paralyzing impact on students’ academic and subsequent career goals through a hierarchical authoritarian disposition. The African American engineers in this study cited examples of both faculty members who were inspiring and those who were barriers to participants’ academic and career goals. Three themes emerged in analyzing participants’ relationships with faculty members: lone wolf supportive faculty, low expectations of faculty, and a lack of same-race faculty role models.
Current approaches for efficient genetic editing in human pluripotent stem cells

Human pluripotent stem cells have been much anticipated as a powerful system to study developmental events, model genetic disorders, and serve as a source of autologous cells for cell therapy in genetic disorders. Precise genetic manipulation is crucial to all these applications, and many recent advances have been made in site specific nuclease systems like zinc finger nucleases, TALENs, and CRISPR/Cas. In this review, we address the importance of site-specific genome modification and how this technology can be applied to manipulate human pluripotent stem cells.
Oral norfloxacin versus parenteral treatment of nosocomial urinary tract infection

Abstract In a multiclinic, randomized trial, oral norfloxacin, a fluoroquinolone antibacterial, was compared with several standard parenteral regimens for the treatment of nonbacteremic, hospital-acquired urinary tract infections. Parenteral antibiotic agents included aminoglycosides alone; aminoglycosides in combination with either broad-spectrum penicillins or first-generation cephalosporins; or cefotaxime alone. Ninety-two percent of bacterial isolates were multiresistant gram-negative rods including Pseudomonas aeruginosa (31 percent), Escherichia coil (17 percent), Klebsiella/Enterobacter species (14 percent), and Serratia species (11 percent). In the first evaluable 94 patients, norfloxacin was comparable to the parenteral agents in eliminating infecting bacteria from the urine. Similarly, combined bacterial eradication and clinical cure or improvement occurred in 96 percent (76 percent with cures, 20 percent with improvement) of those treated with norfloxacin and 88 percent (67 percent with cures, 21 percent with improvement) of those treated with parenteral agents. A negative outcome (i.e., failure, superinfection, or reinfection) occurred in two (4 percent) norfloxacin-treated patients versus six (12 percent) parenterally treated patients. Adverse effects were few, infrequently drug related, and rarely serious (one with norfloxacin versus two with parenteral agents). Additionally, drug, preparation, and administration costs were substantially less with oral norfloxacin compared with the parenteral agents. The data suggest, therefore, that oral norfloxacin can be substituted for commonly used parenteral antibiotic regimens, without any compromise in efficacy, in the treatment of nonbacteremic patients with multiresistant, nosocomial urinary tract infections.
DISLOCATION MOTION AT LOW TEMPERATURES

Presentation d'experiences montrant la presence de relaxation bimodale des contraintes dans des cristaux deformes plastiquement. Ces modes sont lies a des processus de frottement et de barriere. Analyse des resultats de maniere phenomenologique
Platelet Function in Dogs Treated for Lymphoma and Hemangiosarcoma and Supplemented with Dietary n‐3 Fatty Acids

A prospective randomized, double-blind clinical trial was performed to test the hypothesis that dogs with malignancies that are supplemented with n-3 fatty acids do not have clinical or laboratory evidence of coagulation disorders or altered platelet function when compared with unsupplemented dogs with similar malignancies. Thirteen dogs with hemangiosarcoma and 66 dogs with lymphoma were evaluated. Coagulation status of the dogs with lymphoma and hemangiosarcoma was evaluated with prothrombin time, partial thromboplastin time, platelet count, and in vitro platelet aggregometry using the whole-blood method. These tests were performed at 5 time points: before beginning the diet (week 0), at weeks 3, 15, and 21, and at 1 year or when progressive disease was evident. Alterations in platelet function in dogs receiving a diet supplemented with dietary n-3 fatty acids were not identified when compared to dogs fed a control diet. Dietary n-3 fatty acid supplementation using this dosage and ratio in dogs with lymphoma or hemangiosarcoma did not induce clinically significant hemorrhage in these animals. Therefore, supplementation with n-3 fatty acids did not result in clinical or laboratory evidence relating to uncontrolled hemorrhage in these dogs.
First record of an arthropod from the Passaic Formation (Late Triassic), near Milford, New Jersey

Mudstones of the Triassic Passaic Formation, near Milford, New Jersey, have yielded the first evidence of an arthropod impression in that formation. Associated trace fossils include Helminthoidichnites, Lockeia, Scoyenia, Spongeliomorpha, and the reptile footprint Rhynchosauroides, representing the Scoyenia ichnofacies. Associated sedimentary structures include desiccation cracks and raindrop impressions. The Passaic sediments were deposited under shallow water lacustrine shoreline conditions subject to periodic subaerial exposure.
Effect of cross-linker length on the thermal and volumetric properties of cross-linked epoxy networks: A molecular simulation study

Volumetric and thermal properties of cross-linked epoxy systems consisting of diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA) and poly(oxypropylene) (POP) diamines of four different lengths ranging from 3 to 68 units were investigated by molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The cross-linked structures were built by using the simulated annealing polymerization approach. The density, coefficients of volume thermal expansion and glass transition temperature (Tg) of each of the four cross-linked epoxy systems were obtained from their volume–temperature behavior. The density obtained in the simulations agreed well with the experimental value, whereas the coefficients of volume thermal expansion were at least 30% lower than their corresponding experimental results. The predicted Tg values were higher than the experimental values due to the considerably faster cooling rates that are used in the simulations. It was observed that an increase in the chain length of the cross-linker POP-diamines led to a larger difference between the predicted and experimental values of Tg. Three different approaches were used to estimate the expected shift in the experimental Tg to higher values had these measurements been made at cooling rates comparable to those used in MD simulations. It is shown that, in general, the Tg values obtained in MD simulations are consistent with such shifted Tg values that account for the difference in the cooling rates, although no one particular shift approach worked well for all four epoxy systems studied.