cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Disease and Non-Battle Traumatic Injuries Evaluated by Emergency Physicians in a US Tertiary Combat Hospital.

Introduction Analysis of injuries during military operations has focused on those related to combat. Non-combat complaints have received less attention, despite the need for many troops to be evacuated for non-battle illnesses in Iraq. This study aims to further characterize the disease and non-battle injuries (DNBIs) seen at a tertiary combat hospital and to describe the types of procedures and medications used in the management of these cases. Methods In this observational study, patients were enrolled from a convenience sample with non-combat-related diseases and injuries who were evaluated in the emergency department (ED) of a US military tertiary hospital in Iraq from 2007-2008. The treating emergency physician (EP) used a data collection form to enroll patients that arrived to the ED whose injury or illness was unrelated to combat. Results Data were gathered on 1,745 patients with a median age of 30 years; 84% of patients were male and 85% were US military personnel. The most common diagnoses evaluated in the ED were abdominal disorders, orthopedic injuries, and headache. Many cases involved intravenous access, laboratory testing, and radiographic testing. Procedures performed included electrocardiogram, lumbar puncture, and intubation. Conclusion Disease and non-battle traumatic injuries are common in a tertiary combat hospital. Emergency providers working in austere settings should have the diagnostic and procedural skills to evaluate and treat DNBIs. Bebarta VS , Mora AG , Ng PC , Mason PE , Muck A , Maddry JK . Disease and non-battle traumatic injuries evaluated by emergency physicians in a US tertiary combat hospital. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2018;33(1):53-57.
Differentiation among prostate cancer patients with Gleason score of 7 using histopathology whole-slide image and genomic data

Prostate cancer is the most common non-skin related cancer affecting 1 in 7 men in the United States. Treatment of patients with prostate cancer still remains a difficult decision-making process that requires physicians to balance clinical benefits, life expectancy, comorbidities, and treatment-related side effects. Gleason score (a sum of the primary and secondary Gleason patterns) solely based on morphological prostate glandular architecture has shown as one of the best predictors of prostate cancer outcome. Significant progress has been made on molecular subtyping prostate cancer delineated through the increasing use of gene sequencing. Prostate cancer patients with Gleason score of 7 show heterogeneity in recurrence and survival outcomes. Therefore, we propose to assess the correlation between histopathology images and genomic data with disease recurrence in prostate tumors with a Gleason 7 score to identify prognostic markers. In the study, we identify image biomarkers within tissue WSIs by modeling the spatial relationship from automatically created patches as a sequence within WSI by adopting a recurrence network model, namely long short-term memory (LSTM). Our preliminary results demonstrate that integrating image biomarkers from CNN with LSTM and genomic pathway scores, is more strongly correlated with patients recurrence of disease compared to standard clinical markers and engineered image texture features. The study further demonstrates that prostate cancer patients with Gleason score of 4+3 have a higher risk of disease progression and recurrence compared to prostate cancer patients with Gleason score of 3+4.
Trochleoplasty: Indications and Technique

Trochlear dysplasia is a well-described risk factor for patellar instability. Trochleoplasty has emerged as a procedure within the surgical armamentarium for patellar instability, yet its role is unclear. A variety of trochleoplasty procedures have emerged. The purpose of this review is to clarify indications for trochleoplasty, outline the technical steps involved in performing common trochleoplasties and report the published outcomes and potential complications of these procedures. Patellar instability with severe trochlear dysplasia is the main indication for trochleoplasty. Three types of trochleoplasty have emerged: (1) lateral facet elevation; (2) sulcus deepening; and (3) recession wedge. Deepening and recession wedge trochleoplasties are the most commonly performed. Trochleoplasty is a surgical option for addressing patellar instability in patients with severe trochlear dysplasia. Deepening and recession wedge trochleoplasties that address Dejour B and D dysplastic trochleas are the most studied, with both short- and midterm outcomes reported. Long-term outcomes are lacking and comparative studies are needed.
Pathology, Effects, and Transmission of Black Gill in Commercial Penaeid Shrimp from the South Atlantic Bight

Severe outbreaks of black gill (BG), heavily melanized gills of crustaceans, have been reported in white (Litopenaeus setiferus) and brown shrimp (Farfantepenaeus aztecus) from coastal Georgia and South Carolina during late summer and fall since the mid-1990s. The cause of this condition is an apostome ciliate that elicits the innate immune response of the shrimp, resulting in the formation of melanized nodules in shrimp gill tissue. In the absence of a definitive identification, the causative ciliate is referred to as the shrimp black gill (sBG) ciliate. During outbreaks, necrosis of gill tissue was often seen in microscopic sections; in some cases, there appeared to be penetration of the ciliate into gill tissue. Shrimp with BG exhibited reduced physical endurance and escape responses compared with shrimp without symptomatic BG. Physical impairment due to BG may contribute to higher predation rates and increased vulnerability to environmental conditions. The infection transmission rate of the sBG ciliate appears to be atypically low for apostome ciliates, raising the question of how epidemic levels of BG reoccur annually. Asymptomatic shrimp placed in direct contact with carcasses (heads) from BG symptomatic shrimp exhibited a significant increase in the development of BG symptoms after 7 days (P = 0.028), but waterborne transmission was not detected. A preliminary survey of sympatric crustacean species, including syntopic species of grass shrimp (Palaemonetes spp.), indicated the possible presence of the sBG ciliate, suggesting that other crustacean species may serve as infection reservoirs. These studies support the conclusion that BG is negatively impacting the penaeid shrimp fishery and highlight the challenges that remain in understanding and managing the ongoing sBG epidemic in the southeastern United States.
MEMS Strain Sensors for Intelligent Structural Systems

The use of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) technology to develop strain sensors (resonant and capacitive) is the main topic of this paper. Sensing technology can advance the design and integrity of structural systems in various industries by enabling monitoring of strains and stress concentrations within a mechanical structure in real-time. MEMS-based strain sensors enable performance improvements through increased resolutions, increased operation bandwidths and reduced sensitivity to noise. Therefore, the application of these devices can significantly improve the design robustness and efficiency by predicting catastrophic failures and enabling lightweight designs. MEMS strain sensors can impact the oil and gas, automotive, aerospace and buildings industries through the real-time monitoring of critical components. In addition to device performance, packaging, temperature compensation and long-term drift are important design considerations.
Performance Enhancements for HPVM in Multi-Network and Heterogeneous Hardware

The Concurrent Systems Architecture Group (CSAG) has been investigating high-performance clustering of commodity PCs with gigabit interconnects and a commodity OS (Windows NT). This paper describes several of the major enhancements in the latest release of HPVM 1.9 (High Performance Virtual Machine). The first two of these are concurrent support of multiple gigabit fabrics and shared memory transport, and a self-tuning I/O scheme that manages performance disparities of various PCI implementations. In addition to these innovations, HPVM 1.9 also delivers both lower-latency (8.8 µs) and high-bandwidth (100+ MB/s) messaging. Another major contribution of HPVM 1.9 is the design and implementation a new unified polling strategy that allows simultaneous use of several networks (either VIA or Myrinet) and a shared memory transport without resorting to complex adaptive polling schemes. The implementation of our new high-performance shared memory transport is described in detail. Finally, several system and application benchmark results are given and interpreted to assess the value of these changes.
Commentary on David J. Rothman’s “Who Speaks for the Retarded”

David Rothman emphasized a point upon which I want to elaborate further: that the mentally retarded are a heterogeneous group. I want to argue that he does not think of them as sufficiently heterogenous, and for this reason the problems may be more difficult than he portrays. Although we often speak of diminished intelligence as the core concept defining mental retardation, the case is not that simple. Intelligence is merely a construct, not an actual thing or endowment. Intelligence is a concept employed by psychologists and educators to refer to our ability to accomplish certain standardized test tasks. As such, it is a concept of sharply limited significance. Moreover, measures of intelligence have little direct relation to what we know of the brain’s anatomy, function or pathology.
Trade, Transport and Communications, Historical Geographies of

Trade, transport, and communication are central to human history and geography and are closely linked to urban development, production, and warfare. The sea-based European expansions after AD 1431, combined with the increasing strength of European and Chinese agriculture, ensured the failure of an Islam that no longer controlled the carrying trade of the Eurasian landmass. Since that time, trade, transport, and communication have also been linked to the cycle of hegemonic shifts. Few states are controlled by single polities. Polities within states have pursued different geostrategies leading to different geopolitics, based in part on transport and communication technologies. Trading polities, usually maritime, seek to control flows of capital, raw materials, and finished goods and the nodes where surplus accumulates, and they generate revenue through taxing trade. Territorial polities seek to control land for the revenue it can generate. Mackinder saw the balance swinging back from the trading to the territorial polities around 1900, but subsequent technological change, notably the development of air power and precision-guided munitions, have switched the balance back to the trading polities
Use of self-reported psychopathy assessments with older adults: An update on evaluation of their psychometrics for people over 60 years.

Background Psychometric properties of self-report psychopathy scales have generally been established in samples of people under the age of 40. Personality traits are, however, likely to persist into old age, so it is important to understand the performance of user-friendly self-report psychopathy measures among older people. Aims The aims of this study were to find out the extent to which self-reported scales developed for rating psychopathy have been used with people of 60 years or older and the extent of any evidence that the psychometric properties of the scales vary with age. Methods A systematic literature review, with searching limited to PubMed, EBSCOhost, and Google Scholar for the years 1990-2017, of studies of the psychometric properties of five prominent self-report psychopathy scales: the Self-Report Psychopathy Scale, Levenson Self-Report Psychopathy Scale, Psychopathic Personality Inventory, Triarchic Psychopathy Measure, and the Elemental Psychopathy Assessment according to age of participants. Results Fourteen studies were found for the years 1990-2017. Age ranges in these samples are wide, with a typical mean age of approximately 30 years. None of these studies focused solely on adults of 60 years or older or attempted to isolate findings by specific age group. Conclusions and implications for future research Studies of the use of self-rated psychopathy tools remain inconclusive about their psychometrics in older people. Further investigations should follow three main paths: first, deriving samples solely of older adults from the general population-to improve the generalisability of their results; second, item response theory methods should be used to detect differential item functioning between younger and older adults; finally, modifications of extant measures with and without items with potential age-bias should be tested.
A Cost Analysis of a Stepped Care Treatment Approach for Anxiety Disorders in Youth.

To address the high demand for youth anxiety treatment, researchers have begun to evaluate stepped care approaches to use limited resources efficiently. Quantifying cost savings can inform policy d...
Time-series modelling and forecasting of hand, foot and mouth disease cases in China from 2008 to 2018

Seasonal autoregressive-integrated moving average (SARIMA) has been widely used to model and forecast incidence of infectious diseases in time-series analysis. This study aimed to model and forecast monthly cases of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) in China. Monthly incidence HFMD cases in China from May 2008 to August 2018 were analysed with the SARIMA model. A seasonal variation of HFMD incidence was found from May 2008 to August 2018 in China, with a predominant peak from April to July and a trough from January to March. In addition, the annual peak occurred periodically with a large annual peak followed by a relatively small annual peak. A SARIMA model of SARIMA (1, 1, 2) (0, 1, 1)12 was identified, and the mean error rate and determination coefficient were 16.86% and 94.27%, respectively. There was an annual periodicity and seasonal variation of HFMD incidence in China, which could be predicted well by a SARIMA (1, 1, 2) (0, 1, 1)12 model.
Power deposition on a tungsten leading edge in a DIII-D He plasma

Abstract The 2016 DIII-D DiMES tungsten (W) leading edge experiment in support of ITER studied heat loads in helium (He) plasmas with ELMs and compound ELMs (C-ELMs). The regime was close to the threshold for L-mode to H-mode transitions. In shots with ECH, C-ELMs produced in H-L back-transitions dominated the transient particle exhaust. Their duration (10–20 ms) was much longer than regular ELMs, and their heat loads higher by 2–3 times. The C-ELMS reduced the plasma density significantly, and some triggered (automated) gas puffing. This regime, with high particle and heat exhaust, may have relevance for He plasmas in ITER's start-up phase. Regular ELMs occurred during neutral beam (NB) powered shots. This paper describes new analyses on heat loads during and between C-ELMs in ECH-powered shot 166843. The results are generally consistent with a geometric solution for the parallel heat load at the plasma edge striking the leading edge. The power in the C-ELMs is sufficient to cause a temperature rise of ∼
Essential oil composition of ‘WW-B.Dahl’ old world bluestem (Bothriochloa bladhii) grown in the Texas High Plains

Abstract Bothriochloa spp. include aromatic grasses that produce essential oils. Some of these grasses are reported to repel economically important insects. Leaves, stems, and seedheads of ‘WW-B.Dahl’ old world bluestem [Bothriochloa bladhii (Retz) S.T. Blake] were sampled during 3 years. Quantitative analysis by GC and GC–MS methods revealed a total of 172 compounds from methylation method, and 105 compounds from steam distillation method. Acorenone-B [spiro[4.5]dec-6-en-8-one, 1,7-dimethyl-4-(1-methylethyl)-] was in greatest concentration in both methods; however, this compound was detected on only one date (12 August) out of three collection dates extracted by steam distillation. Twenty-two compounds were detected by simple solvent extraction, in which acorenone-B was in greatest concentration in seedheads and least in stems. Diethylhexyl adipate was in highest concentration in stems and least in seedheads among the oils extracted by simple solvent. Camphene and limonene were present in the samples that contained seedheads. Naphthalene, a known insect deterrent, was detected in oils extracted from all methods and in all plant parts. Old world bluestem grass contained measurable amounts of essential oils that may be associated with previously observed repellency of red imported fire ants (Solenopsis invicta Buren).
General Public Education of Food Myths and Urban Legends: Hormones, Antibiotics and GMOs

ObjectivesApproximately 1% of the American population produces food and fiber for the remaining U.S. population. Most Americans are currently 3 or more generations removed from the farm and no longer have firsthand knowledge of how food and fiber are produced. Additionally, food production has developed into several different breeding and growing methods, all of which compete for market share. This has led to confusion as to the nutrition, health and safety of many food products. The Alabama Cooperative Extension System initiated a Food Myths program in 2014. In 2014, it was geared toward education of how meat is produced in the U.S. for extension agents. In 2015, the program was expanded to explain GMO plants used in food production. The target audience changed as well to all consumers of food and fiber. The objective of these meetings is to educate consumers on how food is produced and help them decipher all of the choices they face when purchasing food.Materials and MethodsCurrently, the Food Myths program is 2 h in length and explains the various ways food and fiber are produced in the U.S. Participants are encouraged to ask questions throughout the program to make the best food and fiber choices for their families. All information presented is research based and presented by extension educators with firsthand knowledge of breeding and growing methods used in plant- and animal-based U.S. agriculture.ResultsThrough program surveys, 82% of participants indicate their knowledge has increased as a result of attending the Food Myth meetings. Interestingly, though, 70% or more of participants indicated that they would not change their consumption of various types of food after attending the meetings. A total of 47% of participants did indicate that they would read packaging and labels more closely as a result of these trainings.ConclusionFood production is a highly debated topic among consumers and science-based information is often not part of the conversation. Through these series of meetings, consumers from all sides of the food debate were able to learn the truth about how food is produced and what years of research have proven about different production methods. While the major of these consumers indicated that they learned at these meetings, relatively few indicated that they would change their behavior as a result, showing that these beliefs are deeply rooted and not easily changed.
Systems of Systems Architecting and Integration; Visualizing Dynamic Behavior and Qualities

A major responsibility of architecting and integration is ensuring that desired dynamic behavior and desired qualities emerge from the interaction of components within the systems, between systems, and between the users and environment of the systems. A challenge is that organizational attention tends to be on the parts structure, which is determining organization, logistics, manufacturing, and servicing. At the same time, many developers lack the competence to capture dynamic behavior and the way qualities emerge. This paper explores the role of Systems of Systems (SoS) architecting in relation to the impact on integration and looks at alternative ways to visualize dynamic behavior. Three different Systems of Systems, both Directed and Acknowledged SoS, are studied. The visualizations in this paper aid in conceptualizing the system of interest to a larger stakeholder community. Visualizing dynamic behavior allows us to think and reason about potential changes and improvements of Systems of Systems. We encourage use of visualizing dynamic behavior from early conceptual phase and recommend that the developed visualizations are maintained and in active use throughout the SoS life cycle.
Miro: A molecular switch at the center of mitochondrial regulation

The orchestration of mitochondria within the cell represents a critical aspect of cell biology. At the center of this process is the outer mitochondrial membrane protein, Miro. Miro coordinates diverse cellular processes by regulating connections between organelles and the cytoskeleton that range from mediating contacts between the endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria to the regulation of both actin and microtubule motor proteins. Recently, a number of cell biological, biochemical, and protein structure studies have helped to characterize the myriad roles played by Miro. In addition to answering questions regarding Miro's function, these studies have opened the door to new avenues in the study of Miro in the cell. This review will focus on summarizing recent findings for Miro's structure, function, and activity while highlighting key questions that remain unanswered.
Weak intra-guild predation facilitates consumer coexistence but does not guarantee higher consumer density

Abstract In plant communities, resource partitioning has been shown to facilitate species coexistence and, in turn, enhance community density. Such positive effects of resource partitioning in higher trophic levels are not as obvious possibly due to the occurrence of intra-guild predation (IGP). We thus built a model to explore the joint effects of IGP and resource partitioning on consumer coexistence and their collective density as rarely have studies investigated this joint effect. The model consists of two prey resources that do not directly compete with each other and two consumers that are engaged in IGP and can partition their use of the two prey resources. This model shows that the effects of IGP on consumer coexistence depend on which consumer requires the lower resource density to persist. When the IG predator is the inferior competitor, weak IGP enhances coexistence by lowering the minimum degree of partitioning that is required for coexistence; otherwise, IGP always constrains coexistence. In addition, the effects of IGP on total consumer density (Ztot) depends on which consumer has the lower maximum growth potential, defined as the difference between their maximum growth rate and mortality. Weak IGP increases Ztot when the IG predator has lower maximum growth potential; otherwise, IGP always decreases Ztot. Last, the criterion for IGP to have positive effects on consumer coexistence and Ztot are different. Our results show that weak to intermediate strengths of intra-guild predation can facilitate consumer coexistence and total community density, but consumer coexistence does not guarantee higher consumer density.
Prevalence of the number of pre-gestational diagnoses and trends in the United States in 2006 and 2016.

Introduction: There is a trend in reproductive-aged women to live with more chronic conditions, likely resulting in pregnancies complicated by one or more pre-gestational diagnoses. The objective o...
A Pivot to a Services Trade Agenda Can HelEconomic Growth

The coronavirus pandemic has restricted peopleâ€™s physical movement but not the exchange of information, knowledge, and other digitally delivered services The p
Disparities between provider assessment and documentation of care needs in the care of adolescent and young adult patients with sarcoma.

218Background: Given the occurrence of cancer during a complex developmental time, adolescent and young adult (AYA) patients have unique psychosocial needs, necessitating supportive care guidelines...
Offshore oil and gas records circa 2020

Hydrocarbons are produced offshore in more than 50 countries and contributed about a quarter of world production c.2020, slightly more for crude oil and slightly less for natural gas. All oil and g...
Gene Fusion Identification Using Anchor-Based Multiplex PCR and Next-Generation Sequencing.

BACKGROUND Methods for identifying gene fusion events, such as fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), immunohistochemistry (IHC), and transcriptome analysis, are either single gene approaches or require bioinformatics expertise not generally available in clinical laboratories. We analytically validated a customized next-generation sequencing (NGS) panel targeting fusion events in 34 genes involving soft-tissue sarcomas. METHODS Specimens included 87 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissues with known gene fusion status. Isolated total nucleic acid was used to identify fusion events at the RNA level. The potential fusions were targeted by gene-specific primers, followed by primer extension and nested PCR to enrich for fusion candidates with subsequent bioinformatics analysis. RESULTS The study generated results using the following quality metrics for fusion detection: (a) ≥100 ng total nucleic acid, (b) RNA average unique start sites per gene-specific primer control ≥10, (c) quantitative PCR assessing input RNA quality had a crossing point <30, (d) total RNA percentage ≥30%, and (e) total sequencing fragments ≥500 000. CONCLUSIONS The test validation study demonstrated analytical sensitivity of 98.7% and analytical specificity of 90.0%. The NGS-based panel generated highly concordant results compared to alternative testing methods.
Life as a Private Lecturer

The right to teach did not provide permanent employment and Haas continued his career while relying on his own private means of support. He was also trying to build a social network toward permanent employment as a faculty member at one of the Austrian universities. Growing anti-Jewish sentiment in academia prevented success despite several initially promising opportunities. The death of his father and the lingering sickness of his mother made his personal situation more difficult.
Uptake and timing of bilateral and contralateral risk-reducing mastectomy in women with Li–Fraumeni syndrome

Women with Li–Fraumeni Syndrome (LFS) often consider risk-reducing mastectomy (RRM) due to extremely high risk of breast cancer at early ages. Data on uptake of RRM in LFS are scarce, and are inferred from experience in women with pathogenic variants (PVs) in BRCA1/2, despite differences in cancer risks. This study evaluated RRM uptake in a cohort of women with LFS. Women (n = 205) with LFS enrolled in NCI’s LFS study reported lifetime cancer diagnoses and mastectomies and completed questionnaires regarding reproductive history, cancer worry and risk perceptions. A subset of women participating in an annual cancer screening study received counseling regarding RRM. 65% (n = 71) of women diagnosed with presumed unilateral breast cancer (n = 109) underwent contralateral RRM over their lifetime. Nearly half (49%, n = 25) of the women who did not complete contralateral RRM within one year of their breast cancer diagnosis (n = 51) developed contralateral breast cancer (median interval = 6 years). Only 18.5% (n = 15) of women without breast cancer history (n = 81) underwent bilateral RRM. Median age at bilateral RRM of 39 years was sub-optimal for breast cancer risk reduction. Contralateral RRM was associated with early genetic diagnosis, participation in the screening study, and fewer prior cancers. Bilateral RRM uptake was associated with having had children, having breastfed, and high cancer worry. Uptake of contralateral RRM is high in women with LFS. The frequency of contralateral breast cancer necessitates active discussion of benefits of contralateral RRM and counseling regarding bilateral RRM should be tailored to the early age at risk of breast cancer onset in LFS. There is a need for research into the survival and long-term benefits of RRM in LFS.
Treating hypothyroidism is not always easy: When to treat subclinical hypothyroidism, TSH goals in the elderly, and alternatives to levothyroxine monotherapy.

The majority of patients with hypothyroidism feel better when levothyroxine treatment restores thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) concentrations to normal. Increasingly, a significant minority of patients remain symptomatic and are dissatisfied with their treatment. Overzealous treatment of symptomatic patients with subclinical hypothyroidism may contribute to dissatisfaction among hypothyroidism patients, as potential hypothyroid symptoms in patients with minimal hypothyroidism rarely respond to treatment. Thyroid hormone prescriptions have increased by 30% in the United States in the last decade. The diagnosis of subclinical hypothyroidism should be confirmed by repeat thyroid function tests ideally obtained at least 2 months later, as 62% of elevated TSH levels may revert to normal spontaneously. Generally, treatment is not necessary unless the TSH exceeds 7.0-10 mIU/L. In double-blinded randomized controlled trials, treatment does not improve symptoms or cognitive function if the TSH is less than 10 mIU/L. While cardiovascular events may be reduced in patients under age 65 with subclinical hypothyroidism who are treated with levothyroxine, treatment may be harmful in elderly patients with subclinical hypothyroidism. TSH goals are age dependent, with a 97.5 percentile (upper limit of normal) of 3.6 mIU/L for patients under age 40, and 7.5 mIU/L for patients over age 80. In some hypothyroid patients who are dissatisfied with treatment, especially those with a polymorphism in type 2 deiodinase, combined treatment with levothyroxine and liothyronine may be preferred.
Control of ion energy distributions using phase shifting in multi-frequency capacitively coupled plasmas

Control of ion energy distributions (IEDs) onto the surface of wafers is an ongoing challenge in microelectronics fabrication. The use of capacitively coupled plasmas (CCPs) using multiple radio frequency (rf) power sources provides many opportunities to customize IEDs. In dual-frequency CCPs using a fundamental frequency and its second harmonic, varying the relative voltages, powers, and phases between the fundamental and second harmonic biases have demonstrated potential as control mechanisms for the shape of the IEDs. In this paper, we report on computational and experimental investigations of IED control in dual-frequency and triple-frequency CCPs where the phase between the fundamental and second harmonic frequency voltage waveform is used as a control variable. The operating conditions were 5–40 mTorr (0.67–5.33 Pa) in Ar and Ar/CF4/O2 gas mixtures. By changing the phase between the applied rf frequency and its second harmonic, the Electrical Asymmetric Effects was significant and not only shifted the dc self-bias but also affected plasma uniformity. When changing phases of higher harmonics, the energies and widths of the IEDs could be controlled. With the addition of a 3rd high-frequency source, the plasma density increased and uniformity improved. Computed results for IEDs were compared with experimental results using an ion energy analyzer in systems using rf phase locked power supplies.
Fabricating Microporous Nano Silver Bacterial Cellulose Scaffolds Using a Laser-cutting Instrument for Bone Tissue Regeneration

Advanced biomaterials that mimic the properties of native tissue, possess antibacterial properties, and permit stem cells to adhere and differentiate are of paramount importance in the development ...
Effects of Physical Aging on the Stress-Strain and Creep Behaviors of Lead Free Solders

Solder materials demonstrate evolving properties that change significantly with environmental exposures such as isothermal aging and thermal cycling. Such physical aging effects are exacerbated at higher temperatures typical of thermal cycling qualification tests for harsh environment electronic packaging. In this work, measurements of thermal aging induced material behavior evolution have been performed for tin-lead and lead free solders. Extreme care has been taken so that the fabricated solder uniaxial test specimens accurately reflect the solder materials present in actual lead free solder joints. A novel specimen preparation procedure has been developed where the solder uniaxial test specimens are formed in high precision rectangular cross-section glass tubes using a vacuum suction process. The tubes are then re-melted in an SMT reflow oven to subject them to a specified/desired temperature profile. Using the developed specimen preparation procedure, isothermal aging effects and viscoplastic material behavior evolution have been characterized for standard 63Sn-37Pb eutectic solder and 95.5Sn-4.0Ag-0.5Cu (SAC405) lead free solder, which is commonly used as the solder ball alloy in lead free BGA components. Samples have been solidified with both reflowed and water quenching temperature profiles, and isothermal aging has been performed at room temperature (20C) and elevated temperatures (+125C and +150C). Stress-strain and creep tests have been performed on non-aged and aged samples, and the changes in mechanical behavior have been recorded for various durations of isothermal exposure. Microstructural changes during aging have also been recorded, and correlated with the observed mechanical behavior changes
Genetic and pathological taste variation: what can we learn from animal models and human disease?

The study of patients with taste disorders (i.e. 'experiments of nature') suggests that the old tongue maps (e.g. sweet on the tip, bitter on the back) that often appear in textbooks are wrong. If they were correct, severing the taste nerves that innervate the front of the tongue would result in a loss of the ability to taste sweet, etc. This does not occur. Severing these nerves has little effect on everyday taste experience because taste nerves inhibit one another. Damaging one nerve abolishes its ability to inhibit others and the release-of-inhibition compensates for the damage. There is sometimes a clinical cost for this redundancy; release-of-inhibition can produce taste phantoms. Genetic variation in taste ability occurs across and within species. For example, about 25% of humans are relatively unresponsive to a variety of sweet and bitter compounds (non-tasters) while another 25% are unusually responsive (supertasters). Supertasters have about four times as many taste buds as non-tasters and have smaller and more densely packed fungiform papillae. Since there are pain fibres associated with taste buds, supertasters are unusually responsive to the oral burn of spices.
Abstract 15453: CaMKII Plays a Critical Role in Pressure Overload-Induced Left Ventricular Hypertrophy by Modulating Foxp1 Expression

Introduction: The necessity of IL-6 signaling in pressure overload-induced left ventricular hypertrophy remains controversial. Whether Calcium/calmodulin-dependent kinase II (CaMKII) participates in IL-6-induced and pressure overload-induced hypertrophic signaling remains unknown. Hypothesis: CaMKII acts as a nodal point for integrating IL-6 signaling in pressure overload induced hypertrophic molecular pathways. Methods and Results: In vitro, exposure to IL-6 for 24 h induced hypertrophy in H9c2 cells. This hypertrophic response was associated with robust increase in phospho-CaMKII levels in IL-6-treated cells, and accompanied by increase in myocyte hypertrophy markers. Interestingly, Mef2a levels also increased, and this was associated with reduced Foxp1 expression, which has Mef2a specific binding site at CTAAAAATAG (-401 ~ -391) in Foxp1 promoter sequence. These effects were inhibited by selective CaMKII inhibitor KN-62. Next, we performed transverse aortic constriction (TAC) in IL-6-/- mice and wild-t...
The international market for corporate control

Abstract Japanese mergers and acquisitions in the U.S. create statistically significant wealth gains for both Japanese bidders and U.S. targets. Consistent with the literature on foreign direct investment and the market for corporate control, bidder-specific characteristics and exchange-rate movements are useful in explaining the cross-sectional variation in bidder returns: returns to Japanese bidders and to the portfolio of Japanese bidders and U.S. targets increase with the bidder's leverage, the bidder's ties to financial institutions through borrowings, and the depreciation of the dollar in relation to the Japanese yen.
Systemic changes during the menstrual cycle.

The article reviews the systemic changes which have been observed during the menstrual cycle. The findings of studies from the medical literature of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries of physiological changes in the vital signs pulse and blood pressure respiration weight hematological functions vitamins endocrine functions breasts mucus cytological conditions skeletal form skin conditions gastrointestinal tract autonomic nervous system central nervous system mental and physical efficiency behavior and emotions premenstrual tension and systemic disease are reported and contrasted. It is concluded that further documentation and reevaluation of some of the studies presented by modern techniques is needed.
Combinatorial Characterizations of Authentication Codes

In this paper, we prove two new combinatorial characterizations of authentication codes. Authentication codes without secrecy are characterized in terms of orthogonal arrays; and general authentication codes are characterized in terms of balanced incomplete block designs.
Mutational analysis of the human DNA polymerase alpha. The most conserved region in alpha-like DNA polymerases is involved in metal-specific catalysis

Five site-directed mutations were introduced at the most conserved amino acids in region I (YGDTDS) of the human DNA polymerase alpha catalytic subunit. Mutant proteins were expressed in the baculovirus system by an improved method and purified by a rapid one-step purification in high yield and high specific activity. The Asp1004 to Asn mutation produced a protein with no detectable polymerase activity while other mutations gave activities from 1 to 20% of the wild type polymerase activity. Steady state kinetic analysis of the active mutants indicates that none of the mutations caused a change in Km(dNTP) or KD(DNA), but all active mutants showed a decrease in kcat. Thus, the effect of these conserved mutations is manifest in altered rates of catalysis. Two mutations, Asp1002 to Asn and Thr1003 to Ser, caused the enzyme to utilize Mn2+ more effectively in catalysis than Mg2+, suggesting that these amino acids are involved in metal binding. Rates of catalysis by the D1002N and T1003S mutants, as well as Y1000F mutant were improved 80-, 30-, and 70-fold, respectively, on homopolymer templates when Mn2+ replaced Mg2+ as the activator metal. The results from these mutational studies suggest that this highly conserved region binds the metal which is essential for catalysis. The Asp1002 may participate directly in chelating the metal. Results from the T1003S mutant suggest that the beta-methyl group of the threonine side chain might be locked in a hydrophobic pocket preventing free rotation around the C alpha-C beta bond, thus positioning the Thr1003 hydroxyl group to form a crucial bond with the metal ion. In addition, D1002N and T1003S displayed a 20-fold resistance to aphidicolin compared to the wild type polymerase alpha, and all of the active mutants displayed altered sensitivity to butylphenyl-dGTP. Models of the involvement of region I in catalysis and aphidicolin interaction are proposed. The mutational studies presented in this report will serve as a prototype for the functional role of region I in catalysis for all alpha-like DNA polymerases.
An overview of Virtual Machine (VM) technology and its implementation in I.T. student labs at Utah Valley State College

Businesses and industry are rapidly integrating Virtual Machine (VM) technology into their IT infrastructure to lower power, cooling, and space requirements in the data center. Properly configured VMs increase both uptime and security. VMs are also implemented on workstations for software testing and application isolation. Utilizing VMs in educational environments provides an inexpensive and easily replicated environment for student lab assignments and experimentation. This paper describes both desktop and server VMs, describes how they function, and compares some of the VMs available in the marketplace. It concludes with examples of how desktop VMs are utilized in student IT labs at Utah Valley State College to enhance learning experiences in courses teaching Operating Systems, Data Communications theory, Information Security, and Computer Forensics.
The Historical Roots of a Frontier Alcohol Culture: Alaska and Northern Canada

Alcohol arrived in Alaska and northern Canada at various times beginning in the eighteenth century, by way of abusers of alcohol including traders, military personnel, whalers, miners, and finally construction workers as late as the mid-twentieth century. Likely influenced by newcomers, and perhaps owing to the tradition of feasting during times of plenty, Natives apparently adopted a binge or spree style of drinking soon after exposure. Colonial authorities and later national governments regulated trade in alcohol with Indigenous peoples, but these prohibitions were unevenly applied and widely flouted. In the frontier context, where outside authority was generally resented, drinking heavily and getting away with drinking affirmed courage, virility, and vigour, all valued personal attributes. Between the 1950s and 1970s, alcohol abuse and related harms, which had been limited and/or intermittent, became pervasive, owing to regular access to alcohol that coincided with economic development, settlement, and government provision of social services and transfer payments. In the early twenty-first century, both Indigenous and non-Indigenous northerners abuse alcohol at higher rates than their southern counterparts; however Indigenous Alaskans and Canadians experience strikingly higher levels of alcohol-related pathology, stemming from relatively high alcohol consumption rates, coupled with a binge or spree style of drinking. As northern communities face myriad alcohol-related problems, including high accidental death rates, sexual assaults, child abuse and neglect, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder and extremely high suicide rates, an enduring frontier ethos fosters complacency and breeds resistance to alcohol regulations that would limit individual choices in order to reduce harms.
Apical sorting of influenza hemagglutinin by transcytosis in retinal pigment epithelium

The retinal pigment epithelium is endowed with a unique distribution of certain plasma membrane proteins. Na+,K+-ATPase, for instance, is polarized to the apical surface of RPE, rather than to the basolateral surface as in most other epithelia. To study the sorting pathways of RPE cells, we used temperature sensitive mutants of influenza and vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) to synchronize the transport of hemagglutinin (HA) and VSV G protein (VSV G) along the biosynthetic pathway of the RPE cell line RPE-J. After HA and VSV G accumulated in the trans-Golgi network of RPE-J cells kept at 20 degrees C, transfer to the permissive temperature (32 degrees C) resulted in the transport of both HA and VSV G to the basolateral plasma membrane. Later, while VSV G remained basolateral, HA progressively reversed its polarity, eventually becoming apical. Further analysis demonstrated that the reversal of HA polarity was due to transcytosis of HA from the basolateral to the apical surface of RPE-J cells. To determine whether HA followed a transcytotic route in RPE in vivo, influenza and VSV were injected into the subretinal space of rat eyes. Again, both HA and VSV G were initially observed at the basolateral surface of RPE cells. However, whereas VSV G remained there, HA progressively redistributed to the apical surface. These findings demonstrated that RPE cells use a transcytotic pathway for the targeting of at least some apical proteins to their destination.
Reconstitution of flock house provirions : a model system for studying structure and assembly

Assembly of Flock House virus in infected Drosophila cells proceeds through an intermediate, the provirion, which lacks infectivity until the coat precursor protein, alpha, undergoes a spontaneous "maturation" cleavage (A. Schneemann, W. Zhong, T. M. Gallagher, and R. R. Rueckert, J. Virol 6:6728, 1992). We describe here methods for purifying provirions in a state which permitted dissociation and reassembly. Dissociation, to monomeric alpha protein and free RNA, was accomplished by freezing at pH 9.0 in the presence of 0.5 M salt and 0.1 M urea. When dialyzed at low ionic strength and pH 6.5, the dissociation products reassembled spontaneously to form homogeneous provirions with a normal complement of RNA as judged by cosedimentation with authentic virions and by ability to undergo maturation cleavage with acquisition of substantial, though subnormal, infectivity. Reconstitution experiments, i.e., remixing components after separating RNA from capsid protein, generated abnormal particles, suggesting the presence in the unfractionated dissociation products of an unidentified "nucleating" component.
A cluster-based active router architecture supporting video/audio stream transcoding service

Active routers allow computation to be performed within the network by processing packets when they pass through the routers. We design and implement a cluster-based active router system that provides multimedia stream transcoding service. The performance of the system is evaluated with three different load balancing schemes. We evaluate the out-of-order phenomenon and analyze the tradeoff between this phenomenon and the processing speed. We present a stream-based round robin algorithm for the transcoding service offered in the router and demonstrate its superiority over the conventional round-robin scheme. The main design criteria are to minimize the total transcoding time and maintain the order of media units for each outgoing stream.
The Carboxy-Terminal Tail Domain of Vinculin Contains a Cryptic Binding Site for Acidic Phospholipids

Abstract Using a gel filtration assay, we have characterized the binding of acidic phospholipids to vinculin. Vinculin binds phosphatidyinositol (K d ∼ 5 μM) in a reversible, saturable manner in low ionic strength buffers. This interaction is inhibited substantially at 100 mM NaCl and therefore may not be of physiological interest. In contrast, the carboxy-terminal 30-kDa fragment of vinculin, produced by S. aureus V8 protease cleavage, binds acidic phospholipids more tightly than the intact protein, and in a manner insensitive to 100 mM NaCl. Re-addition of the 95-kDa head fragment to the tail restores salt-sensitivity to the tail-lipid interaction. These data indicate that under physiologic ionic conditions, the intramolecular head-tail interaction in vinculin masks a high affinity acidic phospholipid binding site present in the tail domain.