cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Modeling of the complex between transducin and photoactivated rhodopsin, a prototypical G-protein-coupled receptor.

Obtaining a reliable 3D model for the complex formed by photoactivated rhodopsin (R*) and its G-protein, transducin (GtR‚A), would significantly benefit the entire field of structural biology of G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). In this study, we have performed extensive configurational sampling for the isolated C-terminal fragment of the R-subunit of transducin, GtR 340-350, within cavities of photoactivated rhodopsin formed by different energetically feasible conformations of the intracellular loops. Our results suggested a new 3D model of the rhodopsin-transducin complex that fully satisfied all available experimental data on site-directed mutagenesis of rhodopsin and GtR‚A as well as data from disulfide-linking experiments. Importantly, the experimental data were not used as a priori constraints in model building. We performed a thorough comparison of existing computational models of the rhodopsin- transducin complex with each other and with current experimental data. It was found that different models suggest interactions with different molecules in the rhodopsin oligomer, that providing valuable guidance in design of specific novel experimental studies of the R*-GtR‚A complex. Finally, we demonstrated that the isolated GtR 340-350 fragment does not necessarily bind rhodopsin in the same binding mode as the same segment in intact GtR.
Thin-client Web access patterns: Measurements from a cache-busting proxy

This paper describes a new technique for measuring Web client request patterns and analyzes a large client trace collected using the new method. In this approach, a modified proxy intercepts requests and serves all responses to clients marked uncacheable, effectively disabling browser caches and allowing the proxy to record requests that would otherwise result in silent browser cache hits. WebTV Networks used a 'cache-busting proxy' to collect an unusually large and detailed anonymized Web client trace in September 2000. It contains over 347 million requests for over 36 million documents by over 37,000 clients and spans 16 days. By most measures, it is two orders of magnitude larger than existing Web client traces. We compare cache-busting proxies with conventional client instrumentation and use the WebTV trace to explore browser cache performance, reference locality, and document aliasing. We present the aggregate browser cache success function (hit rate vs. cache size) of the entire client population and discuss design implications for memory- and bandwidth-constrained Web clients. For the workload studied, eliminating redundant data transfers would increase browser cache hit rates by 35-45% over their current levels. A simple and practical technique for eliminating redundant transfers is described. Document sharing across client reference streams is so strong that the hit rate of a shared proxy cache could exceed 57% even if browser caches were infinitely large.
Influence of Footing Dimensions on Early-Age Temperature Development and Cracking in Concrete Footings

AbstractThis article presents the findings of an investigation that used finite-element analysis to determine the influence of a concrete footing’s dimensions on its temperature development and cracking at early age. A three-dimensional finite-element model was used to predict temperatures in the footing and to assess cracking potential of the concrete. A parametric study consisting of 63 finite-element analyses was conducted on three different footing shapes: (1) a cubic shape, (2) a length:width:depth ratio of 4:4:1, and (3) a length:width:depth ratio of 4:2:1. Volume-to-surface area ratios (v/a) ranged from 0.33 to 4.0 m. The results showed that cracking potential does not depend on a footing’s dimensions when its v/a is 1.3 m or greater. Rectangular footings that have the same v/a but different shapes (dimensional proportions) developed a similar maximum temperature, a similar maximum temperature differential, and a similar minimum crack index under the same insulation condition. Smaller footings allo...
The Butch Woman Inside James Dean or ‘What Kind of Person Do You Think a Girl Wants?’

This article suggests that because during the Second World War, legions of women, for the first time, could legitimately be employed, this economic freedom facilitated a freedom to create a new kind of masculinity - that of the butch. These butches dated femmes, a new kind of woman. This type of coupling was apparent in urban culture, but was not presented on film. This article explores the idea that James Dean, an admitted homosexual, acted in Rebel Without a Cause, as a butch woman, cloaked in the guise of his fictional heterosexuality. This gave heterosexual men the permission to learn the new masculinity that had been created during the war - by butch women. Dean is the perfect butch for Judy (played by Natalie Wood), except he is male - or is he? Is it a coincidence that Hilary Swank's Oscar- winning role in Boys Don't Cry was frequently compared to 'a young James Dean?' What are the implications of Dean's gender bending? Was Dean - a new kind of man - or woman?
On finding the height of a binary search tree

The preorder, inorder and postorder traversals of binary trees are standard topics in Data Structures courses. A common example (or test question) which uses postorder traversal is finding the height of a randomly formed binary search tree (to verify experimentally that it is indeed O(log n)). The natural postorder implementation gives a linear algorithm, but frequently students manage, sometimes unintentionally, to add a third recursive call to the computation, resulting in an apparently drastic increase in running time. It is obvious that the worst case running time increases from linear to exponential, but the results on the average case running time are not as immediate
The End of Mandatory Juvenile Life Without Parole

The Supreme Court recently abolished mandatory life without parole (LWOP) for juveniles in Miller v. Alabama (2012). The Court’s ruling follows a series of decisions that have recognized the inhere...
Stability of tubular reactors

This paper investigates the stability of tubular reactors by both theoretical and computational techniques. Liapunov's second method using a Liapunov functional of the general norm is used to show that tubular reactors without diffusion and without temperature effects and reactors with diffusion and without temperature effects are globally, uniformly asymptotically stable. The theorem fails for reactors with temperature effects. The results of computer simulations show that the system with temperature effects is not uni formly stable.
A multilevel analysis of the relationship between teacher and collective efficacy in urban schools

Abstract Although a great deal of research has linked both teacher and collective efficacy to student achievement, one overlooked question concerns the nested association between teacher and collective efficacy. The authors apply social cognitive theory to offer a theoretical analysis of this relationship. Next, using hierarchical linear modeling, they empirically test the strength of the relationship between these two theoretically related yet conceptually distinct constructs. Analysis of data collected from 438 teachers in 47 schools in a large urban school district shows that collective efficacy predicts variation in teacher efficacy above and beyond the variance explained by a number of school contextual factors including socioeconomic status and student achievement. The implications of these findings for future research are discussed.
Seed Coat Fragments in Cotton Yarns

Five Acala cottons, two with high and three with low seed coat fragment counts, were included in a study of fiber properties to determine plausible causes of the pro pensity for certain cultivars to produce a high seed coat fragment count. Physical properties were determined and compared for each variety grown in three locations.
The Effect of Back Rake Angle on the Performance of Small-Diameter Polycrystalline Diamond Rock Bits: ANOVA Tests

The effect of back rake angle on a center vacuum bit design was investigated through factorial Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) tests for drilling in shale. Multiple performance criteria: penetration rate, specific energy and torque were used in these tests. Thrust and rotary speed were the controlled variables. Results from ANOVA tests showed that rake angle has a significant effect on penetration rate and torque but not on specific energy. Further tests of means revealed that the 20-deg bit gave the maximum penetration rate although there was no statistical difference among the 15, 20 and 25-deg angles. Tests of means also revealed that the 7-deg bit gives the minimum torque, but is statistically the same as the 15 and 25-deg bits. The results of the test will be useful for design and selection of small-diameter bits for drilling in shale and sand formations.
Ceramide Biogenesis Is Required for Radiation-Induced Apoptosis in the Germ Line of C. elegans

Ceramide engagement in apoptotic pathways has been a topic of controversy. To address this controversy, we tested loss-of-function (lf) mutants of conserved genes of sphingolipid metabolism in Caenorhabditis elegans. Although somatic (developmental) apoptosis was unaffected, ionizing radiation–induced apoptosis of germ cells was obliterated upon inactivation of ceramide synthase and restored upon microinjection of long-chain natural ceramide. Radiation-induced increase in the concentration of ceramide localized to mitochondria and was required for BH3-domain protein EGL-1–mediated displacement of CED-4 (an APAF-1–like protein) from the CED-9 (a Bcl-2 family member)/CED-4 complex, an obligate step in activation of the CED-3 caspase. These studies define CEP-1 (the worm homolog of the tumor suppressor p53)–mediated accumulation of EGL-1 and ceramide synthase–mediated generation of ceramide through parallel pathways that integrate at mitochondrial membranes to regulate stress-induced apoptosis.
Posaconazole: a broad-spectrum triazole antifungal

Summary Posaconazale is a new triazole drug being investigated in phase III clinical trials for the treatment and prevention of invasive fungal infections. In-vitro and in-vivo studies showed that posaconazole has broad-spectrum activity against most Candida species, Cryptococcus neoformans, Aspergillus species, Fusarium species, zygomycetes, and endemic fungi. Posaconazole is given orally two to four times daily. This triazole is widely distributed in the body, metabolised mainly by the liver, and is well tolerated, even in long-term courses. Adverse events are generally mild and include headache and gastrointestinal complaints. Posaconazole has shown promising clinical efficacy against life-threatening fungal infections that are often refractory to the currently available antifungal therapies—eg, invasive aspergillosis, fusariosis, and the emerging zygomycosis.
Nonstationary Covariance Functions for Gaussian Process Regression

We introduce a class of nonstationary covariance functions for Gaussian process (GP) regression. Nonstationary covariance functions allow the model to adapt to functions whose smoothness varies with the inputs. The class includes a nonstationary version of the Matern stationary co-variance, in which the differentiability of the regression function is controlled by a parameter, freeing one from fixing the differentiability in advance. In experiments, the nonstationary GP regression model performs well when the input space is two or three dimensions, outperforming a neural network model and Bayesian free-knot spline models, and competitive with a Bayesian neural network, but is outperformed in one dimension by a state-of-the-art Bayesian free-knot spline model. The model readily generalizes to non-Gaussian data. Use of computational methods for speeding GP fitting may allow for implementation of the method on larger datasets.
Use of pseudodesensitization in treatment of an experimentally produced fear.

Summaiy.-By creating a conditioned fear in the laboratory and using the galvanic skin resistance (GSR) to monitor this fear, it was possible to assess the effectiveness of placebo treatment for reducing a conditioned fear. 10 subjects were classically conditioned to fear a specific signal light. Five of them were treated for the fear with a pseudodesensitization treatment; the others were not. The pseudodesensitization group extinguished the conditioned fear significantly faster than the control group. Traditionally, systematic desensitization has been used therapeutically to handle phobias and other behavior patterns in which conditioned emotional responses play a prominent role. Since it is a complex procedure, research has been conducted to determine what variables facilitate the extinction of a target emotional response, e.g., conditioned fear. Some pioneers of the therapeutic use of desensitization have maintained that, in addition to such traditional learning processes as counterconditioning and extinction, certain cognitive, i.e., expectancy and/or social, variables may conuibute to the effectiveness of desensitization procedures (e.g., Wolpe & Lazarus, 1966; Lazarus, 1971). Several investigators have thus attempted to examine how such variables might operate when these procedures are used with patients. Lick and Bootzin (1975) conducted a comprehensive review of the existing studies and found that the investigation of expectancy factors in the treatment of fear has led to some contradictory results when expectancy is manipulated so that both a placebo treatment and a no-treatment control are compared with an active desensitization group. Some researchers note no difference between the placebo and control groups but find both significantly inferior to actual desensitization treatment (e.g., Davison, 1968; Krapfl & Nawas, 1969; McGlynn, Reynolds, & Linder, 1971; McReynolds & Tori, 1972). Still other studies show the placebo groups significantly more effective in reducing fear than the nontreatment groups, although the placebo groups are generally inferior to actual desensitization (e.g., Marcia, Rubin, & Efran, 1969; Hyman & Gale, 1973; Tori & Worell, 1973; Lick, 1975). The apparent discrepancies in findings may depend, in part, on differences in the test procedures themselves. First, such studies typically utilize subjects
A review of hand-reared Goeldi's monkey

Since 1977 a breeding group of Goeldi's monkey Callimico goeldii has been maintained at Brookfield Zoo. Between 1977 and 1997 there were 291 births of which 78 infants did not survive. Ninety per cent of the surviving infants have been parent-reared and hand-rearing is only carried out after maternal illness or rejection, or if injuries or other problems affect the infants. At Brookfield Zoo successful hand-rearing of Goeldi's monkey began in about 1979 and has been attempted for 66 (36.30) infants, 20 (10.10) of which survived and 46 (26.20) which did not. Changes to the hand-rearing procedures first outlined in 1982 are described and data are presented on birth mass and patterns of mass gain for successfully hand-reared infants. The circumstances relating to infants that did not survive hand-rearing are also documented.
Distributed deployment of asynchronous guards in art galleries

This paper presents deployment algorithms for multiple mobile robots with line-of-sight sensing and communication capabilities in a simple nonconvex polygonal environment. The objective of the proposed algorithms is to achieve full visibility of the environment. We solve the problem by constructing a novel data structure called the vertex-induced tree and designing schemes to deploy over the nodes of this tree by means of distributed algorithms. The agents are assumed to have access to a local memory and their operation is partially asynchronous.
Adolescents with metabolic syndrome have a history of low aerobic fitness and physical activity levels.

Metabolic syndrome (MS) is a clustering of cardiovascular disease risk factors that identifies individuals with the highest risk for heart disease. Two factors that may influence the MS are physical activity and aerobic fitness. This study determined if adolescent with the MS had low levels of aerobic fitness and physical activity as children. This longitudinal, exploratory study had 389 participants: 51% girls, 84% Caucasian, 12% African American, 1% Hispanic, and 3% other races, from the State of North Carolina. Habitual physical activity (PA survey), aerobic fitness (VO2max), body mass index (BMI), blood pressure, and lipids obtained at 7–10 y of age were compared to their results obtained 7 y later at ages 14–17 y. Eighteen adolescents (4.6%) developed 3 or more characteristics of the MS. Logistic regression, adjusting for BMI percentile, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels, found that adolescents with the MS were 6.08 (95%CI = 1.18–60.08) times more likely to have low aerobic fitness as children and 5.16 (95%CI = 1.06–49.66) times more likely to have low PA levels. Low levels of childhood physical activity and aerobic fitness are associated with the presence of the metabolic syndrome in adolescents. Thus, efforts need to begin early in childhood to increase exercise.
Exploring resource efficiency benchmarks for environmental sustainability in hotels.

Successful environmental sustainability (ES) initiatives aim for simultaneous environmental and economic benefits. Benchmarking these initiatives must therefore account for environmental and economic outcomes. To this end, the authors propose to construct a cost-based resource efficiency measure for ES from reported financial data. This approach links the environmental and economic performance outcomes by extracting information from resource related expenses normalized by RevPAR (revenue per available room). Through exploratory factor analysis of an eight-year panel of 984 U.S. hotels, the authors identified two factors that drive resource efficiency in hotel operations, one of which is operations-centered and the other customer behavior–centered. This two-factor measure quantifies the weights that operations and customer behavior contribute to resource efficiency and measures the systematic variations across key hotel operating characteristics. Such resource efficiency benchmarks complement the practice-...
Airway Complications After Pulmonary Resection

Airway complications following pulmonary resection remain a challenging problem. A high degree of clinical suspicion, contrasted CT imaging, and early reoperation are crucial in preserving viable lung parenchyma following the anatomic compromise of lobar torsion. Likewise, early recognition and expeditious drainage of the pleural space in the setting of bronchial dehiscence may help prevent the aspiration pneumonia and consequent respiratory failure that is the leading cause of death in this patient population; A variety of interventions to manage stump dehiscence are possible, but successful management still remains difficult and requires an individualized approach. Attention to technical details and avoidance of extensive dissection and tension should yield acceptably low rates of postoperative stenosis following bronchoplastic resection. These common themes of precise surgical technique, vigilance in the perioperative period, and classic sound judgment in addressing problems effectively and expeditiously remain pivotal in the minimization of sequelae from morbid airway complications.
Bouncer: securing software by blocking bad input

Attackers exploit software vulnerabilities to control or crash programs. Bouncer uses existing software instrumentation techniques to detect attacks and it generates filters automatically to block exploits of the target vulnerabilities. The filters are deployed automatically by instrumenting system calls to drop exploit messages. These filters introduce low overhead and they allow programs to keep running correctly under attack. Previous work computes filters using symbolic execution along the path taken by a sample exploit, but attackers can bypass these filters by generating exploits that follow a different execution path. Bouncer introduces three techniques to generalize filters so that they are harder to bypass: a new form of program slicing that uses a combination of static and dynamic analysis to remove unnecessary conditions from the filter; symbolic summaries for common library functions that characterize their behavior succinctly as a set of conditions on the input; and generation of alternative exploits guided by symbolic execution. Bouncer filters have low overhead, they do not have false positives by design, and our results show that Bouncer can generate filters that block all exploits of some real-world vulnerabilities.
Poland's Transition in Business Education.

Prior to Poland's transition from central planning to a market system, which began in 1990, schools of business were non-existent in that country. Instead, university level instruction on economics during the socialist period was closely tied to ideological priorities, and limited to imparting skills suitable for planned economy. All universities were owned by the state, heavily politicized, and solely focused on supporting a centrally planned economy. There was no meaningful attempt to impart, or even describe, market oriented theories, leaving Poland almost wholly without the basic human capital needed to run a market economy. This backdrop makes higher education reform particularly crucial for Poland’s continued economic development and, to date, marketization has fundamentally transformed that sector. Poland’s current higher education system is now compatible with those of many Western European countries, relies on standard Western curricula, and enjoys significant academic autonomy, which exceeds that of some more developed Western countries. This sector has also seen an unprecedented growth in economics and business programs enrollments, along with the formation of private universities. Indeed, the depth and rapidity of Poland's progress in reforming higher education stands in marked contrast to that of other former centrally planned economies, and may serve as an interesting case study for potential reforms in Russia and other former Soviet republics. In this paper we describe the progress and effects of several major reforms in Poland's higher business education, examining changes in funding, potential funding sources, the structure of faculty governance, educational programs and degrees granted, the formation of new curricula, and Poland’s system of faculty promotion. Following this examination, we identify and discuss a number of continuing systemic obstacles to further progress in this area, and discuss how they might be addressed. In addition, we apply Western metrics to assess and evaluate the impact of reform on the current and future quality of Poland's business education. One consequence of Poland's transition to a market economy is its high level of governmental involvement in income redistribution policies, and a quasi-monopolistic position regarding the provision of such services as for example, health care, and quality higher education . Because these governmental policies have parallels in the experiences of European countries, those experiences provide insights into possible outcomes upon which various policy recommendations for Poland may be drawn.
Identification of neonatal haemolysis: an approach to predischarge management of neonatal hyperbilirubinemia.

Aim Relative contributions of increased production [by end-tidal carbon monoxide concentrations (ETCOc)] and decreased elimination of bilirubin to predischarge hour-specific total bilirubin (TB) levels were assessed in healthy late-preterm and term newborns. Secondly, we report predischarge ETCOc ranges to guide clinical management of hyperbilirubinemia. Methods TB and ETCOc (≤3 timepoints) determinations of newborns aged between six hours and <6 days (n = 79) were stratified by postnatal age epochs. Hyperbilirubinemia risk was assessed by plotting TB values as a function of ETCOc. Results Stratifications of ETCOc (in ppm, mean, median and interquartile ranges) by postnatal age epochs (0–24, 24–48 and 48–72) were as follows: 2.0, 1.9, 1.8–2.2 (n = 11); 1.6, 1.5, 1.1–2.0 (n = 58); and 2.0, 1.8, 1.6–2.3 (n = 9), respectively. Infants with ETCOc ≥ 2.5 were at high risk, between 1.5 and 2.5 at moderate risk and ≤1.5 were at low risk. Risk due to haemolysis alone was not independent (p 75th percentile (n = 31), 23% had ETCO ≤1.5, and 77% had ETCOc > 1.5 (p < 0.00003). Conclusion Near-simultaneous ETCOc and TB measurements in infants with TB >75th percentile accurately identify haemolytic hyperbilirubinemia.
Gonadotropin-releasing hormone-induced changes in testosterone secretion in normal women *

This study investigated the pattern of testosterone (T) secretion in spontaneous (n = 14) and gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH)-treated (n = 6) menstrual cycles in normal women. In spontaneous cycles, T was found to increase progressively over the follicular phase (P less than or equal to 0.001), with the peak T value occurring on cycle day 0 (luteinizing hormone [LH] surge). The mean (+/- standard error of the mean [SEM]) T values on cycle day -14 and cycle day 0 were 35 +/- 4 and 51 +/- 4 ng/dl, respectively. GnRH was administered intravenously to six women at 1.3 to 1.7 micrograms per dose every 30 minutes in a study that assessed the ovarian effects of a rapid gonadotropin pulse frequency. In three of the women, the T levels followed a normal follicular phase pattern, whereas in the remaining three GnRH-treated women, there were marked increases in T with peak levels of 97, 123, and 81 ng/dl on day 0. The GnRH-treated subgroup with increased T levels had significantly increased follicular levels of LH, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), LH-bio and number of preovulatory ovarian follicles. This study demonstrated that increased levels of LH, FSH, and LH/FSH are capable of acutely increasing the secretion of ovarian androgens.
CRASH and burn: abatement of a specialised gang unit

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of the temporary disbandment of a gang unit on collecting gang intelligence and arresting gang members in one of the Los Angeles Police Department’s Community Policing Areas. Design/methodology/approach – An interrupted time series methodology (ARIMA) is utilised to examine 1,429 field interview cards and 1,174 arrests of gang members that occurred from 1 January 2010 to 31 December 2011 within one police division. Findings – Results indicated that the dismantling of the gang unit negatively impacted the collection of intelligence on gang members by officers, regardless of whether the officers were officially serving in the gang unit. Suppression efforts by gang unit officers also resulted in a sustained decline. Originality/value – Given that many urban centres have specialised gang units, this study demonstrates how organisational turnover or disbandment of a gang unit negatively impacts a department’s ability to deal with local gang issues. Furthermore, these finding suggest that police organisations should consider such ramifications on intelligence-based policing activities.
Depression and chronic fatigue in children. A masquerade ball.

Major depression disease is uncommon in children; it occurs mostly in children with a depressed parent or in children under major psychosocial stress such as physical or sexual abuse. Most depression in children is masked, i.e., the child presents with signs or symptoms such as headaches, abdominal pain, muscle weakness, vomiting, dizziness, hyperactivity, or school avoidance. Careful evaluation of the history is required to assist in the diagnosis. Some basic laboratory tests should be done to rule out organic disease. Psychiatric referral should be carried out after an appropriate evaluation.
The Histologic Spectrum of the Reactive inflammatory Vascular Dermatoses

The varied histopathology of the reactive inflammatory vascular dermatoses requires close cooperation between the clinician and the pathologist. This article presents an overview of the histology of this group of dermatoses, including the figurate erythemas, the pigmented purpuric eruptions, urticaria and urticarial vasculitis, Sweet’s syndrome, erythema multiforme, and erythema nodosum.
SIMULATIONS WITH RANDOM NUMBERS

This chapter discusses the designing of random number sequences to use in simulating real world situations. Many real world situations have a random or chance characteristic. Random number generators are supposed to produce sequences of numbers that have no discernible pattern or relationship. The Turbo BASIC random number generator, RND, is as good as or better than most as it produces sequences of random numbers that are close to having no discernible pattern. However, as the computer must be instructed how to generate such numbers, they must exhibit some pattern, as do all such generators. The sequences of random numbers generated by RND should be uniformly distributed between 0 and 1. It is possible to generate more complicated sequences with RND. The RANDOMIZE TIMER statement produces different sequences of random numbers each time a program is run. More and more mathematical models are being created to study complex real world situations. Decision-making in the face of uncertainty can be assisted by creating models that allow one to change various aspects of the problem to observe possible outcomes. Many of these models include a chance element that is simulated using a random number generator. However, such models must be carefully constructed and checked against real world experience. The best of these models are very complex.
Osteochondral Allograft Transfer for Treatment of Osteochondral Lesions of the Talus: A Systematic Review.

Purpose The purpose of this study is to present a systematic review of the literature regarding the use of fresh bulk osteochondral allograft transfer for treatment of large osteochondral lesions of the talus (OCLT) in an effort to characterize the functional outcomes, complications, and reoperation rates. Methods A search of the PubMed, CINAHL, Embase, and Cochrane Databases was performed between January 1, 1990, and March 1, 2016, and included all articles related to outcomes after fresh talar allograft transplantation for OCLT. Inclusion criteria were series (1) published in the English language, (2) using fresh talar allograft, and (3) reporting at least one outcome measure of interest including American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) score, pain visual analog scale (VAS) score, reoperation rate, and rate of allograft collapse. Weighted averages of outcome data were used. Results Five studies involving 91 OCLT met the inclusion criteria. The mean age of the cohort was 39 years (range, 15 to 74), and 53% were male. Fresh talar allograft was transplanted into 71 medial, 18 lateral, and 2 central OCLT. At a mean follow-up of 45 ± 3.3 (range, 6 to 91) months, AOFAS scores improved from 48 preoperatively to 80 postoperatively. Pain VAS scores improved from 7.1 preoperatively to 2.7 postoperatively. Twenty-three of the 91 (25%) patients required at least one reoperation, for a total of 28 operations. The most common indications for reoperation were development of moderate to severe osteoarthritis (14%), pain due to hardware (9%), extensive graft collapse (3%), and delayed or nonunion of osteotomy site (1%). Ultimately 12 (13.2%) of the cases were considered failures, with 8 (8.8%) resulting in tibiotalar arthrodesis or ankle replacement. Conclusions Fresh bulk allograft transplantation can substantially improve functional status as well as effectively prevent or delay the eventual need for ankle arthrodesis or replacement. However, patients must be carefully selected and counseled on the morbidity of the procedure as well as the high incidence of clinical failure (13%) and need for reoperation (25%) and revision surgery (8.8%). Level of Evidence Level IV, systematic review of Level IV studies.
Backbone Modification of a Parathyroid Hormone Receptor-1 Antagonist/Inverse Agonist.

A backbone-modified peptide derived from parathyroid hormone (PTH) is shown to function as an inhibitor and inverse agonist of parathyroid hormone receptor-1 (PTHR1) signaling. This receptor acts to regulate calcium and phosphate homeostasis, as well as bone turnover and development. PTH is a natural agonist of PTHR1, and PTH(1–34) displays full activity relative to the natural 84-residue hormone. PTH(1–34) is used clinically to treat osteoporosis. N-terminally truncated derivatives of PTH(1–34), such as PTH(7–34), are known to bind to PTHR1 without initiating intracellular signaling and can thus act as competitive antagonists of PTH-induced signaling at PTHR1. In some cases, N-terminally truncated PTH derivatives also act as inverse agonists of PTHR1 variants that display pathologically high levels of signaling in the absence of PTH. Many analogues of PTH, however, are rapidly degraded by proteases, which may limit biomedical application. We show that backbone modification via periodic replacement of α-a...
Synthesis and spectroscopic studies of highly fluorescent, solvatochromic diastereomers with differentially stacked bithiophene-substituted quinoxaline rings

Abstract Diastereomeric C-shaped molecules containing closely stacked bithiophene-substituted quinoxaline rings were synthesized and characterized by NMR, UV–vis absorption, and fluorescence spectroscopy. The unique geometry of each diastereomer resulted in different degrees of π-overlap between the bithiophene-substituted quinoxaline ring chromophores, modulating their spectroscopic properties. The donor-acceptor nature of this chromophore gave rise to its positive solvatochromism. 1H NMR and UV–vis absorption spectroscopy confirmed the existence of π-π interactions in the ground state between the quinoxaline rings in both molecules but between the bithiophene rings only in the syn isomer. They exhibited significant emission maxima bathochromic shifts, a strong, positive solvatochromism, increased band broadening, and larger Stokes shifts when compared to a compound with an unstacked chromophore. Additionally, the syn isomer consistently showed λmax,em value red-shifts and larger band broadening and Stokes shifts compared to the anti isomer due to the greater π-overlap in the syn isomer.
Advertiser elevator: A fault tolerant routing algorithm for partially connected 3D Network-on-Chips

In this paper, we propose an adaptive routing algorithm for vertically partially connected 3D NoCs to (1) overcome failures in vertical links, and (2) find the nearest available vertical link for rerouting of packets. To track the position of each vertical link and distance to the other nodes, the proposed routing algorithm, named Advertiser Elevator, indexes each vertical link and implements a mechanism for announcing and sharing these indexes with the other nodes of the network. Packets are routed toward the nearest vertical link based on received indexes. The routing algorithm tolerates vertical link failures by interpreting the absence of index messages from a vertical link node as a link failure at the node. Packets are rerouted around failed links based on collected messages. The performance of the Advertiser Elevator routing algorithm is evaluated using the Access Noxim NoC simulator under different network congestion levels and fault rates. The results show that the proposed routing algorithm (1) is able to deliver packets as long as there are at least four live vertical links in the network (e.g., corner links) and (2) improves the average network latency by 15% over the well-known Elevator-First routing algorithm.
Late-summer Disease Symptoms in Western Washington Red Raspberry Fields Associated with Co-Occurrence of Phytophthora rubi, Verticillium dahliae, and Pratylenchus penetrans, but not Raspberry bushy dwarf virus

Sixty percent of the $109 million processed red raspberry industry of the United States occurs in northern Washington State. In 2012, late-summer symptoms of vascular wilt and root disease were observed in many raspberry plantings. These symptoms were initially attributed to Verticillium dahliae. However, diagnostic tests for the pathogen were often contradictory and other soilborne pathogens (Phytophthora rubi and Pratylenchus penetrans) or Raspberry bushy dwarf virus (RBDV) might also have been involved. Therefore, a survey was conducted in 2013 and 2014 to (i) establish the incidence and soil population levels of V. dahliae in red raspberry production fields, (ii) compare among diagnostic methods and laboratories for detecting and quantifying V. dahliae from raspberry field soil, and (iii) assess which pathogens are associated with late-summer disease symptoms of raspberry. Plant and soil samples were collected from 51 disease sites and 20 healthy sites located in 24 production fields. Samples were analyzed for the presence and quantity of each pathogen using traditional plating and extraction methods (V. dahliae, P. rubi, and P. penetrans), quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) (V. dahliae and P. rubi), and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (RBDV). Results showed that V. dahliae was present in 88% of the production fields and that detection of the pathogen differed by method and by laboratory: qPCR detected V. dahliae in the soil from approximately three times as many sites (51 of 71 total sites) as by plating on NP10 semi-selective medium (15 of 71 total sites). Soil populations of V. dahliae were slightly greater at disease sites, but the pathogen was detected with similar frequency from healthy sites and it was rarely isolated from diseased plants (4%). P. rubi, P. penetrans, and RBDV were also common in production fields (79, 91, and 53% of fields, respectively). Both P. rubi (soil and root samples) and P. penetrans (root populations only), but not RBDV, were more frequently found at disease sites than healthy sites, and the amount of P. rubi detected by qPCR was greater from disease sites than healthy sites. In addition, P. rubi was isolated from 27% of the symptomatic plants located at disease sites. Regardless of detection method, V. dahliae, P. rubi, and P. penetrans, either with or without RBDV, were more likely to co-occur at disease sites (73%) than healthy sites (35%), suggesting that a soilborne disease complex is present in raspberry production fields. Results indicate that P. rubi is the primary pathogen most strongly associated with late-summer symptoms of disease, but root populations of P. penetrans and higher soil populations of V. dahliae may also be of concern. Therefore, disease control methods should focus on all three soilborne pathogens.
An optimization approach to identify processing pathways for achieving tailored thin film morphologies

Abstract It is well-known that the performance of thin film organic electronic devices critically depends on the active layer microstructure. Since processing conditions heavily influence the microstructure, identifying optimal fabrication conditions is a crucial step towards the development of high-performance devices. Current state-of-the-art approaches remain predominantly trial-and-error, which are time and resource intensive. In this work, we integrate a morphology evolution framework (based on a phase-field model) with a heuristic optimization scheme to systematically identify promising processing conditions. We show how annealing time and substrate patterning can be simultaneously tuned to achieve a variety of tailored microstructures. The appropriate choice of cost functional is critical to achieving meaningful results. The methodology presented here provides a scalable and extensible approach towards the rational design of tailored microstructures with enhanced functionalities.
Viability of university service learning to support movement integration in elementary classrooms: Perspectives of teachers, university students, and course instructors

Abstract This study examined the views of elementary classroom teachers (CTs), preservice CTs (PCTs), and course instructors who were involved with a university course that drew upon principles of constructivism and SL to prepare preservice CTs to use MI. Focus groups were thematically analyzed using constant comparison techniques to identify perceived successes and challenges of the course. Findings centered on three major themes, including real-world context, learning embedded in a social context, and scaffolding. This study adds to the emerging research base on school-university partnerships to support both preservice and inservice educational initiatives to generate and sustain physically active school communities.
Psychophysiological Assessment of Dissociative Disorders

The study of dissociative disorders by experimental methods such as those used in psychophysiological experiments presents special challenges not encountered in most other forms of psychopathology. In most disorders, patients are considered relatively stable for some period of time, lasting for days to years, and data gathered at any time is assumed to be representative of data gathered at any other time. In the typical study, a group of patients is tested (usually when symptomatic with the disorder) and compared with groups of patients with other disorders and/or normal controls. In the few instances where repeated testing in different symptomatic states is done at all, it is done for some extended period of time such as weeks or months. In major psychoses, for example, the periods of interest would be essentially when ill and in remission; or to take another example, manic, depressed, and euthymic could be the periods of interest. Likewise, the effects of a specific type of treatment such as behavior therapy or pharmacotherapy are investigated.
INTERACTION OF DEXTRAN-TRIGGERED MURINE SPLENIC CELL SUPERNATANTS AND ALLOGENEIC EFFECT FACTOR

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the interaction of dextran-triggered murine splenic cell supernatants and allogeneic effect factor. In a study described in the chapter, the Marbrook method was used to immunize splenic cells in vitro. Balb/c splenic cells were cultured in Eagle's Minimal Essential Medium supplemented according to Mishell and Dutton with and without sheep red blood cells (SRBC). SRBC-specific plaque-forming cells of the IgM and IgG varieties were assayed on day 5 of immunization by the method of Cunningham and Szenberg. The detection of IgM and IgG PFCs was done according to Silver and Winn. B cells were separated from whole splenic cell populations on nylon-wool columns and the adherent subset was further treated with mouse anti-θ serum and guinea pig complement to eliminate T cells prior to their use for in vitro immunizations. Supernatants of splenic cells from saline-injected and dextran-injected mice were added to both splenic cell and B cell cultures 48 h after antigen. It was found that supernatants from splenic cells of dextran-injected mice caused a small but consistent increase in the number of IgM PFC. The number of IgG PFC was not significantly different from the control values.
Quantitative analytical mass spectrometry of endogenous neuropeptides in human pituitaries.

The objective of this chapter is to describe mass spectrometric (MS) methodology for the qualitative and quantitative analysis of neuropeptides in human pituitary tissue. Those analytical data are required for a variety of different studies, including the elucidation of the basic molecular mechanisms involved in tumor formation (1). Most of the concepts underlying the instrumentation and analytical methods used for quantitative analytical MS and MS/MS have been discussed in previous publications (2–6). Recent developments in analyzing several different neuropeptide systems in the human pituitary are described in this chapter (7–13).
Clinical comparison of ocular and systemic findings in diagnosed cases of abusive and non-abusive head trauma

Purpose Child abuse is a leading cause of death in infants, which is often associated with abusive head trauma (AHT). The purpose of this retrospective analysis was to identify ocular and systemic findings in confirmed cases of AHT and compare them to a group of non-abusive head trauma (NAHT) patients. Patients and methods A retrospective chart review of 165 patients with accidental and non-accidental trauma admitted between 2013 and 2015 to Children's Hospital and Medical Center in Omaha, NE, USA, was performed. Diagnosis of AHT was made after the analysis of ocular and systemic findings by various subspecialists. The NAHT group consisted of accidental trauma, abusive trauma without significant apparent head involvement on initial evaluation and unconfirmed AHT cases. Results Of the 165 presenting cases, 30 patients were diagnosed with AHT and 127 were diagnosed with NAHT. Ocular findings in AHT patients were significant for retinal hemorrhages (63%) and vitreous hemorrhages (37%), while NAHT patients had no ocular findings (p<0.001). Neuroimaging revealed subdural hemorrhages (SDHs) in 29 out of 30 AHT patients (97%) and in 27 out of 127 NAHT patients (21%). Seizures were present in 43% of AHT patients (n=13) and only in 8% of NAHT patients (n=10). Conclusion AHT has statistically significant findings of retinal and vitreous hemorrhages. The absence of diffuse retinal hemorrhages, however, does not preclude the AHT diagnosis as more than one-third of AHT patients lacked retinal hemorrhages. SDHs, loss of consciousness and history of seizures also have high correlation with a diagnosis of AHT.
Incidence, Epidemiology, and Outcomes of Pediatric Tracheostomy in the United States from 2000 to 2012.

ObjectivesTo investigate national and regional variations in pediatric tracheostomy rates, epidemiology, and outcomes from 2000 to 2012.Study DesignRetrospective cohort analysis.SettingPrevious res...
Fast greedy for linear matroids

A fundamental algorithmic result for matroids is that the maximum weight base can be computed using the greedy algorithm. For explicitly represented matroids an important question is the time complexity of computing such a base. It is known that one can compute it in time almost linear in the number of non-zero entries of the linear representation plus rω, where r is the rank of the matroid and ω is the matrix multiplication exponent. In this work, we give an alternative algorithm for the same task.
Healthcare curriculum influences on stigma towards mental illness: Core psychiatry course impact on pharmacy, nursing and social work student attitudes.

Abstract Background and purpose Attitudes towards disclosure of a psychiatric diagnosis and directed at persons with mental illness have represented negativity and stigma. The purpose of this study was to identify stigma towards mental illness among health profession students in pharmacy, nursing, and social work programs, and identify if primary psychiatric coursework in each curriculum has an impact on students’ perceptions. Educational activity and setting Pharmacy, nursing and social work students were surveyed pre- and post-primary didactic psychiatry coursework (pre-course = 154 total; 95 pharmacy, 47 nursing, 12 social work; post-course = 128 total; 79 pharmacy, 38 nursing, and 11 social work) using the Opening Minds Scale for Health Care Providers (OMS-HC). The OMS-HC contains 12-questions evaluated on a five-point Likert scale ranging from 12 to 60 points, with lower scores indicating less stigma towards mental illness. Student results were compared to the large sample of healthcare student and provider responses used in validating the OMS-HC survey tool. Findings Students’ pre-course mean score on the OMS-HC was 30.6 ± 5.47 (pharmacy = 30.9, nursing = 31, social work = 26.3) and post-course mean score was 31.05 ± 6.82 (pharmacy = 32.24, nursing = 29.89, social work = 26.55). These scores illustrate negative stigma among students and also are similar to existing research identifying a disparity among the healthcare professions. Coursework did not appear to improve stigma toward mental illness. Summary The current education of healthcare providers does not appear to change students’ stigma, suggesting educational gaps requiring attention.