cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Scalable Local Algorithm for Distributed Multivariate Regression

This paper offers a local distributed algorithm for multivariate regression in large peer-to-peer environments. The algorithm can be used for distributed inferencing, data compaction, data modeling and classification tasks in many emerging peer-to-peer applications for bioinformatics, astronomy, social networking, sensor networks and web mining. Computing a global regression model from data available at the different peer-nodes using a traditional centralized algorithm for regression can be very costly and impractical because of the large number of data sources, the asynchronous nature of the peer-to-peer networks, and dynamic nature of the data-network. This paper proposes a two-step approach to deal with this problem. First, it offers an efficient local distributed algorithm that monitors the “quality” of the current regression model. If the model is outdated, it uses this algorithm as a feedback mechanism for rebuilding the model. The local nature of the monitoring algorithm guarantees low monitoring cost. Experimental results presented in this paper strongly support the theoretical claims. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Statistical Analysis and Data Mining 1: 000-000, 2008 A shorter version of this paper was published in SIAM Data Mining Conference 2008.
Reconstruction of low-light images by use of the vector Wiener filter

Photon noise imposes severe limitations on the resolution of images detected under low-light conditions. These resolution limitations are typically more severe than those imposed by diffraction. Nonlinear iterative reconstruction techniques are available that can successfully process these images. Typical iterative methods are computationally expensive, incorporate ad hoc termination criteria, and may suffer convergence problems. The scalar Wiener filter is linear, computationally inexpensive, and noniterative. However, the scalar Wiener filter cannot improve the Fourier domain signal-to-noise ratio. We extend the vector Wiener filter to account properly for photon noise to provide a reconstruction technique that better complements nonlinear iterative methods. Our analysis confirms previous research [IEEE Trans. Signal Process.42, 156 (1994)] that showed that photon noise is correlated with respect to spatial frequency. The amount of correlation depends on the product of the mean optical transfer function (OTF) and the mean object spectrum at a difference frequency. We conduct computer simulations for a class of random Gaussian objects degraded by a known OTF. These results show the extended vector Wiener filter provides dramatic improvement in normalized mean squared error performance compared with that of the scalar Wiener filter. The vector Wiener filter can also provide a superresolution capability that is due to knowledge of the object spatial frequency statistics for frequencies beyond the OTF cutoff.
Long-term outcome based on the initial surgical approach to ureterocele.

AbstractPurpose: The management of extravesical ureterocele is controversial. Heminephrectomy and recently recommended primary incision or puncture have high reoperation rates. We reviewed and compared the long-term results of these procedures with those of primary lower tract reconstruction for ureterocele.Materials and Methods: We reviewed the records of 106 children with ureterocele treated between 1979 and 1997. Followup was available in 99 patients, including 72 with extravesical and 27 with intravesical ureterocele. Patients with extravesical ureterocele were divided based on initial management into group 1-13 who underwent transurethral incision or puncture, group 2-41 who underwent an upper tract approach, including partial or complete nephrectomy with partial ureterectomy or ureteroureterostomy and group 3-18 who underwent complete reconstruction, including ureterocelectomy and ureteral reconstruction with or without upper tract surgery.Results: Overall the reoperation rate in patients with intra...
Health professionals' attitudes toward parent participation in hospitalized children's care.

This study explored the relation of personal and professional characteristics to the attitudes of health professionals toward parent participation. A random sample of members of the Association for the Care of Children's Health completed the Parent Participation Questionnaire. Attitudes were more accepting in subjects who were parents (p < .01), ever married (p < .05), educators (p < .01); older (p < .01), more experienced (p < .01), and/or had a higher level of education (p < .01). Health professionals need to develop means of creating positive attitudes that are not based solely on an individual's characteristics. These, however, can be mediated through several strategies--for example, role modeling, sharing, and education.
Cloning of a Plasmodium falciparum gene related to the human 60-kDa heat shock protein.

We have identified a gene encoding the 60 kDa heat shock protein (hsp60) from a Plasmodium falciparum blood stage cDNA library. The deduced protein sequence encodes for a polypeptide of 577 amino acids with a calculated molecular weight of 62 158 Da. The primary structure of P. falciparum hsp60 contains a putative mitochondrial targeting peptide at its amino-terminus and a GGM motif at its carboxyl-terminus. The overall structure exhibits strong conservation (∼ 50%) to the hsp60 from human and other eukaryotes, but only low homology (< 30%) to a recently reported P. falciparum chaperonin 60 gene. The P. falciparum hsp60 gene is located on chromosome 10. During heat shock, the level of hsp60 transcript in blood stage parasites increases significantly and its accumulation correlates with the duration of the induction.
Abdominal pain in patients with hyperglycemic crises

Background: The aim of the study was to evaluate the incidence and prognosis of abdominal pain in patients with diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) and hyperglycemic hyperosmolar nonketotic state (HHS).Abdominal pain, sometimes mimicking an acute abdomen, is a frequent manifestation in patients with DKA.The prevalence and clinical significance of gastrointestinal symptoms including abdominal pain in HHS have not been prospectively evaluated. Materials and Methods: This is a prospectively collected evaluation of 200 consecutive patients with hyperglycemic crises admitted to a large inner-city teaching hospital in Atlanta, GA.We analyzed the admission clinical characteristics, laboratory studies, and hospital course of 189 consecutive episodes of DKA and 11 cases of HHS during a 13-month period starting in October 1995. Results: Abdominal pain occurred in 86 of 189 patients with DKA (46%).In 30 patients, the cause of abdominal pain was considered to be secondary to the precipitating cause of metabolic decompensation. Five of them required surgical intervention including 1 patient with Fournier’s necrotizing fasciitis, 1 with cholecystitis, 1 with acute appendicitis, and 2 patients with perineal abscess.The presence of abdominal pain was not related to the severity of hyperglycemia or dehydration; however, a strong association was observed between abdominal pain and metabolic acidosis.In DKA patients with abdominal pain, the mean serum bicarbonate (9 1 mmol/L) and blood pH (7.12 0.02) were lower than in patients without pain (15 1 mmol/L and 7.24 0.09, respectively, both P � .001). Abdominal pain was present in 86% of patients with serum bicarbonate less than 5 mmol/L, in 66% of patients with levels of 5 to less than 10 mmol/L, in 36% of patients with levels 10 to less than 15 mmol/L, and in 13% of patients with bicarbonate levels 15 to 18 mmol/L.Patients with DKA and abdominal pain had a more frequent history of alcohol (51%) and cocaine abuse (13%) than those without abdominal pain (24% and 2%, respectively, both P � .001). One patient with HHS reported nausea and vomiting on admission, but abdominal pain was not reported in any patient with HHS. Conclusions: Gastrointestinal manifestations including abdominal pain are common in patients with DKA and are associated with severe metabolic acidosis and with a history of alcohol or cocaine abuse, but not with the severity of hyperglycemia or dehydration.Our study indicates that investigation of the etiology of abdominal pain in DKA should be reserved for patients without severe metabolic acidosis or if the pain persists after the resolution of ketoacidosis.
Polysemy, overt marking, and function words

Abstract Evidence is assembled from 129 globally distributed languages showing universal tendencies in ways in which deictic functions are nomenclaturally related in languages. For example, these data indicate that roughly 62 percent of the world's languages either merge applications similar to those of English that and there under a single term (polysemy) or relate these functions through overt marking constructions. In addition, development of polysemy involving deictics is often unidirectional; for example, creation of that/there polysemy typically entails extending a term for that to there rather than vice versa. Deictic functions investigated include those pertaining to personal pronouns, the definite article, demonstratives, and temporal and spatial adverbs. Diachronic evidence from historical-comparative linguistics is presented which attests to regular directions of polysemy development inferred from synchronic cross-language data. Finally, an explanatory framework is proposed outlining similarities among deictic applications which probably facilitate their regular nomenclatural association.
A 'safe-site' for Salmonella typhimurium is within splenic cells during the early phase of infection in mice.

Abstract Salmonella typhimurium infection in mice is focused on the spleen and liver, and prolonged infection can lead to sepsis and death. After intravenous infection with a moderate dose of S. typhimurium, the few bacteria that survive in the spleen and liver grow in a ‘safe-site’ where they are protected from immune destruction. In this study, we demonstrated that the lack of killing of resident salmonella in the spleen and liver was not because the salmonella were transformed within the host and became resistant to killing, or because the infected mice lost the ability to kill salmonella. We showed that the salmonella were within an intracellular ‘safesite’ that protected them from killing. Brief treatment of salmonella-infected mice with gentamicin reduced the numbers of salmonella in the blood but had no effect on the numbers in the liver and spleen, suggesting an intracellular location of the salmonella. After dissociation of spleen cells from recently infected mice, 60% of the salmonella remained cell associated. These cell-associated salmonella, unlike cell-free salmonella, were resistant to killing by gentamicin. The cell-associated salmonella were rendered susceptible to gentamicin after sonication, providing confirmation of their previous intracellular location.
Modeling and Analysis of Congestion in the Design of Facility Layouts

Reducing manufacturing lead times and minimizing work-in-process (WIP) inventories are the cornerstones of popular manufacturing strategies such as Lean, Quick Response, and Just-in-Time Manufacturing. In this paper, we present a model that captures the relationshipbetween facility layout and congestion-related measures of performance. We use the model to introduce a formulation of the facility layout design problem where the objective is to minimize work-in-process (WIP). In contrast to some recent research, we show that layouts obtained using a WIP-based formulation can be very different from those obtained using the conventional quadratic assignment problem (QAP) formulation. For example, we show that aQAP-optimal layout can be WIP-infeasible. Similarly, we show that two QAP-optimal layouts can have vastly different WIP values. In general, we show that WIP is not monotonic in material-handling travel distances. This leads to a number of surprising results. For instance, we show that it is possible to reduce overall distances between departments but increase WIP. Furthermore, we find that the relative desirability of a layout can be affected by changes in material-handling capacity even when travel distances remain the same. We examine the effect of various system parameters on the difference in WIP between QAP- and WIP-optimal layouts. We find that although there are conditions under which the difference in WIP is significant, there are those under which both layouts are WIP-equivalent.
APPLICATION OF MASS MEASUREMENT TECHNIQUE IN CALIBRATION AND CONTROL FOR GAS CYLINDERS

This paper deals with measurement and control of the standard gas cylinder. In CMS (Center of Measurement Standard), the mass measurement technology is used to calibrate the concentration of standard gas cylinders. This measurement method is based on the mass change of gas cylinder before and after filling. By using balance and calculating air buoyancy the mass difference of gas cylinder before and after filling could be obtained. In order to understand stability of the gas cylinder, we use statistical control techniques to monitor the change of concentration of the standard gas cylinders, to take immediate measures when the concentration of the standard gas cylinders is changed.
Cytogenetics and cell surface marker analysis in chronic myelocytic leukemia. II. Implications for patient management

Abstract Chronic myelocytic leukemia (CML) is a model system for the study of many aspects of malignant disease. One aspect that correlates with decreasing therapeutic response is tumor progression. This progression is often accompanied by clonal evolution. In those cases where aggressive therapy does not prevent this evolution, the clinical response to therapy usually proves to be poor and of short duration. Investigators are concentrating their efforts in three primary, but not mutually exclusive, areas with respect to the clinical management of CML. These include: (a) an attempt to distinguish patients at risk for early transformation from those who will have a prolonged chronic phase; (b) the cryopreservation of autologous bone marrow or buffy coat early in chronic phase for subsequent use in the accelerated phase and; (c) endeavors to identify early markers for disease progression allowing intervention before an irreversible blast crisis occurs. This report deals with two types of potential prognostic markers of transformation: chromosomal and cell surface characteristics. The appearance of nonrandom abnormal chromosomal patterns has been correlated with myeloblastic transformation by many investigators. However, there has always been a subset of CML patients who do not undergo clonal evolution. Additionally, the type(s) of transformation in CML may vary depending on the cell lineages involved. Unlike myeloblastic transformants, many of our patients who do not exhibit clonal evolution as a concomitance of disease progression develop a lymphoblastic transformation. Cytofluorometric analysis can distinguish small populations of abnormal cells with lymphoblastic characteristics (HLA DR + ). Initial data suggests that patients expressing the HLA DR + in their "normal" peripheral blood cells are at risk of undergoing lymphoblastic transformation. The combined use of clinical, cytogenetic, and cytofluorometric data to predict an impending transformation and to discriminate between myeloblastic and lymphoblastic populations allows clinicians to manage their patients more effectively.
Physician care for interscholastic athletes in Michigan

Between January 1989 and March 1989 the athletic directors of the 711 high schools in the Michigan High School Athletic Association were surveyed as to what sports and levels of competition each school offered and what level of medical care was available. Fifty- seven percent of the surveyed schools returned prop erly completed forms. Sixty-one percent of the schools responding reported having a physician available for at least one team at some time during the year. This was almost universally the football team; with 59% of the schools with varsity football reporting a physician pres ent at either a practice or a contest at least once during the year. Only 13% of the schools reported having a physician available for a team other than varsity football. Seventy-four percent of all varsity teams had neither a physician nor an athletic trainer present at any time during the year.Comparison of the results of this study with similar studies performed in Michigan in 1975 and 1979, as well as studies in other sta...
CLIENT GROUP ATTITUDES TOWARD ALTERNATIVE FORMS OF INDUSTRIAL SAFETY REGULATION

A sample of local union officers was surveyed to determine the degree to which they supported the current approach to industrial safety regulation (the setting of safety standards under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970) as opposed to an alternative scheme (the imposition of an injury tax). Personal characteristics of the members of the sample were also obtained. These data were matched with the injury frequency rates of the industries in which the officers’ constituents were employed. Individuals surveyed tended to believe OSHA to have been an effective injury deterrent, although there were significant differences among groups within the sample. The establishment of safety standards was strongly supported as the “best” means to control industrial accidents.
Remarks on Particle-Nucleus Scattering

The differential cross section of elastic $p$-${\mathrm{He}}^{4}$ scattering at 1.7 BeV/c is computed, using a nuclear wave function consistent with elastic $e\ensuremath{\alpha}$ scattering data. A calculation of the elastic scattering cross section for ${\ensuremath{\pi}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$-${\mathrm{He}}^{4}$ at 8 BeV/c is also presented.
School-based identification of asthma in a low-income population

The increase in the prevalence, morbidity, and mortality of asthma among children over the last decade has been well documented, especially among low-income minority children. Hypotheses for the increases in morbidity and mortality include limited access to primary care services and the failure to recognize the presence and severity of asthma. The University of Miami Pediatric Mobile Clinic (Mobile Clinic) Asthma Intervention Program is designed to identify underserved asthmatic children at school and offer them culturally sensitive care. Nine elementary schools with low income, predominantly Hispanic and African-American populations regularly served by the Mobile Clinic, were chosen for study participation. All 5,800 students who were enrolled in kindergarten through third grade were given letters at the time of registration by their homeroom teachers about the asthma program. Caretakers who returned the questionnaire and reported that the student had asthma symptoms were invited to have the student undergo a medical evaluation in the Mobile Clinic. Over a 2-year period, caretakers of 423 students (7.3% of all students) expressed an interest in further evaluating their child's respiratory health. Of these, we enrolled and evaluated 154 in the Mobile Clinic's Asthma Intervention Program. The Mobile Clinic physicians identified 145 of the enrollees as having asthma. These results indicate that in elementary schools serving predominantly low-income minority populations, a large fraction of the asthmatic population (estimated prevalence, 6-10%) can be identified by a school-based letter. Further, in a subset of asthmatic students (children of interested caretakers), there is good agreement between caretaker responses and physician diagnosis of asthma. Since school attendance is mandatory, school-based methods may be an effective method for identifying low-income children with asthma.
Long-term gene expression profile dynamics following cecal ligation and puncture in the rat.

abstract Background: Despite the fact that the treatment options for septic patients have beensigniﬁcantly improved, the pathophysiologic changes caused by various septic cases havenot been well understood. One commonly observed clinical phenomenon is the onset ofa polymicrobial infection caused by bacteria that originate in the intestine but enter theperitoneum via translocation from the gut. This triggers a systemic inﬂammatory responsevia the innate immune system, which needs to be well characterized. Cecal ligation andpuncture (CLP) is considered to be the gold-standard animal model by establishing infec-tion with mixed bacterial ﬂora and necrotic tissue to induce an inﬂammatory response.The aim of this study is to analyze the long-term gene expression dynamics in the ratssubject to CLP in order to characterize the impact of sepsis upon liver function over an 8-dtime period.Methods: Rats received CLP or its control, sham CLP (SCLP), and then they were sacriﬁced at9 AM on days 0 (no treatment), 1, 2, 5, and 8 post injury to collect liver samples for micro-array analysis. Differentially expressed probe sets in CLP versus SCLP (q value <0.001 andP value <0.001) were combined to form one single matrix, which was then clustered usingthe approach of “consensus clustering” to identify subsets of transcripts with coherentexpression patterns. Finally, the gene expression patterns of the clusters were furthertransformed into principal components, which account for 65% of the total data.Results: Three major clusters were obtained. The ﬁrst cluster, which is mainly related togenes of anti-inﬂammatory response and antioxidative properties, is suppressed early inthe CLP condition and later upregulated compared to the SCLP condition. Cluster 2represents pro-inﬂammatory responses and signaling, along with amino acid metabolism.Cluster 3 is also associated with pro-inﬂammatory response. The genes of toll-like receptorsignaling and hypermetabolism were identiﬁed in this cluster as well. Clusters 2 and 3 areboth suppressed in the long-term response following CLP. Clusters 1 and 2 acting in concertreturn to the time 0 baseline in both groups, indicating resolution of both the anti-inﬂammatory and pro-inﬂammatory response; however, the SCLP response in cluster 3shows persistent downregulation.* Corresponding author. Biomedical Engineering, Rutgers University, 599 Taylor Road, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA. Tel.: þ1 732 445 4500x612; fax: þ1 732 445 3753.E-mail address: yannis@rci.rutgers.edu (I.P. Androulakis).
Reverse lateralization of visual discriminative abilities in the European starling

Previous experiments on visual feature discrimination abilities have consistently shown a right-eye system lateralization in pigeons, Columba livia, and young domestic chickens, Gallus gallus domesticus, both nonpasserine species. Recently, however, it has been shown that photoreceptor distribution in the left and right retinas are asymmetrical in the European starling, Sturnus vulgaris, a passerine species. Single cone receptors are significantly more abundant in the left retina, which suggests that starlings should perform visual discrimination tasks more proficiently with the left eye, in contrast to previous findings with nonpasserines. We tested this hypothesis using the technique of monocular occlusion. In the first experiment, starlings were tested on a simultaneous visual discrimination task in three conditions: binocular (both eyes), left monocular (left eye only) and right monocular (right eye only). Subjects in the binocular and left-monocular conditions achieved significantly higher performance scores on the discrimination task than birds in the right-monocular condition. A second experiment found similar results, with birds in the left-monocular condition learning the discrimination task more than twice as quickly as those in the right-monocular condition. Subsequent tests with the alternative eye for both groups indicated no interocular transfer. These findings suggest that visual discriminative abilities in starlings are asymmetrical, and that they are lateralized in the opposite eye system than has been reported for all other species tested to date.
Constitutively Active Forms of c-Jun NH2-terminal Kinase Are Expressed in Primary Glial Tumors

The c-Jun NH(2)-terminal kinases (JNKs) have a role both in promoting apoptosis and tumorigenesis. The JNKs are encoded by three separate genes (JNK1, 2, and 3), which are spliced alternatively to create 10 JNK isoforms that are either M(r) 55,000 or 46,000 in size. However, the functional significance and distinct role for each splice variant remains unclear. We have noted previously that 86% of primary human glial tumors show activation of almost exclusively the M(r) 55,000 isoforms of JNK. To further study which isoforms are involved, we constructed glutathione S-transferase fusion proteins for all 10 JNK isoforms and examined kinase activity with or without the activating upstream kinase. Surprisingly, five JNK isoforms demonstrate autophosphorylation activity, and in addition, all four JNK2 isoforms (either M(r) 55,000 or 46,000) show a high basal level of substrate kinase activity in the absence of the upstream kinase, especially a M(r) 55,000 JNK2 isoform. Examination revealed autophosphorylation activity at the T-P-Y motif, which is critical for JNK activation, because a mutant lacking the dual phosphorylation sites did not show autophosphorylation or basal kinase activity. Using green fluorescence protein-JNK expression vectors, transient transfection into U87MG cells demonstrates that although the JNK1 isoforms localize predominantly to the cytoplasm, the JNK2 isoforms localize to the nucleus and are phosphorylated, confirming the constitutive activation seen in vitro. We then examined which JNK isoforms are active in glial tumors by performing two-dimensional electrophoresis. This revealed that the M(r) 55,000 isoforms of JNK2 are the principal active JNK isoforms present in tumors. Collectively, these results suggest that these constitutively active JNK isoforms play a significant role in glial tumors. Aside from epidermal growth factor receptor vIII, this is the only other kinase that has been shown to be basally active in glioma. The presence of constitutively active JNK isoforms may have implications for the design of inhibitors of the JNK pathway.
Properties of internal pilots with the univariate approach to repeated measures

Uncertainty surrounding the error covariance matrix often presents the biggest barrier to achieving accurate power analysis in the 'univariate' approach to repeated measures analysis of variance (UNIREP). A poor choice gives either an overpowered study which wastes resources, or an underpowered study with little chance of success. Internal pilot designs were introduced to resolve such uncertainty about error variance for t-tests. In earlier papers, we extended the use of internal pilots to any univariate linear model with fixed predictors and independent Gaussian errors. Here we further extend our exact and approximate results to UNIREP analysis. For a fixed treatment effect, the inaccuracy in a power calculation depends only on the ratio of the true variance to the value used for planning. The greater complexity of repeated measures requires generalizing misspecification of error variance to the misspecification of the eigenvalues of the error covariance. We recommend approximating the misspecification in terms of the first and second moments of the eigenvalues, for both fixed sample and internal pilot designs. We also describe an unadjusted approach for internal pilots with repeated measures. Simulations illustrate the fact that both positive and negative properties in the univariate setting extend to repeated measures analysis. In particular, internal pilots allow maintaining power or reducing expected sample size when the covariance matrix used for planning differs from the true value. However, an unadjusted approach can inflate test size, at least with small to moderate sample sizes. Hence new, adjusted methods must be developed for small samples. At this time, we caution against using an internal pilot design with repeated measures without first conducting simulations to document the amount of test size inflation possible for the conditions of interest.
New constraints on the timing of Early Proterozoic tectonism in the Black Hills (South Dakota), with implications for docking of the Wyoming province with Laurentia

A question regarding the 1900–1600 Ma assembly of Laurentia is whether the Wyoming province (west-central United States) was part of the Hearne province (west-central Canada) prior to the Early Proterozoic Trans-Hudson orogeny, or a separate entity welded later to a Hearne-Superior continent (central Canada). New 40 Ar/ 39 Ar mica dates help to address this question by extending a Middle Proterozoic geochronologic front, long established along the southern Wyoming province, into the Black Hills of South Dakota. This suggests that previously unexplained, north-directed fold nappes (F 1 ) in the Black Hills resulted from island-arc accretion to the south ca. 1780 Ma. North-northwest–trending upright F 2 folds, which formed during east-west collision of the Wyoming and Superior provinces, must therefore be younger. New 40 Ar/ 39 Ar hornblende dates, recently published age data, and crustal heat-flow considerations further suggest that this collision began at or before ca. 1770 Ma and culminated with posttectonic magmatism beginning ca. 1715 Ma (the Harney Peak granite). This tectonic-magmatic interval is ∼50–60 m.y. younger than that reported for the Hearne-Superior collision (Trans-Hudson orogeny in Canada). Comparably young metamorphic dates (1810–1710 Ma) also typify the eastern and northern Wyoming province periphery (western Dakotas and southwestern Montana). Collectively, these data suggest that the Hearne and Wyoming provinces were once separate continents that were ultimately welded to the Superior province (and to each other) during distinct Early Proterozoic orogenies. Regional relationships further suggest that final docking of the eastern Wyoming province with Laurentia began during the ca. 1780–1740 Ma interval of island-arc accretion along the southern margin of the growing craton.
Dedicated Orthopedic Operating Room Unit Improves Operating Room Efficiency

We investigated the effectiveness of dedicated orthopedic operating rooms (OR) on minimizing time spent on perioperative processes to increase OR throughput in total knee and hip arthroplasty procedures. The use of a dedicated orthopedic unit that included 6 ORs with staff allocated only for those ORs was compared to the use of a traditional staffing model. After matching to simulate randomization, each group consisted of 422 procedures. The dedicated orthopedic unit improved average anesthesia controlled time by 4 minutes (P<.001), operative time by 7 minutes (P=.004) and turnover time by 8 minutes (P<.001). An overall improvement of 19 minutes per procedure using the dedicated unit was observed. Utilizing a dedicated orthopedic unit can save time without increasing adverse events.
β-Galactosidase detection as an indicator of endogenous PTHrP in cartilage

Genetically altered mice are an important tool for biomedical research. Several transgenic mice have been created in which activation of the transgene results in production of beta-galactosidase that can be detected by histological means. While preservation and subsequent visualization of enzyme activity in soft tissues can be complicated, it is particularly difficult in bone specimens, especially those that have been decalcified. For these studies, we examined the bones of parathyroid hormone-related peptide (PTHrP) knock-in mice in which expression of PTHrP resulted in beta-galactosidase production. During the past decade, several studies have demonstrated the importance of PTHrP in bone. Thus, it is important to preserve and detect beta-galactosidase enzymatic activity in bone for these studies. We demonstrate here that beta-galactosidase was visualized better in slides with bone sections taken from PTHrP knock-in mice when bones were frozen and sectioned compared to bones that were embedded in plastic and sectioned using a microtome. Importantly, we were able to visualize beta-galactosidase in plastic embedded bones when specimens were fixed, stained (X-gal), embedded in plastic, and then sectioned rather than being fixed, embedded in plastic, sectioned, then stained.
Database extensions for complex domains

Future versions of the Oracle Server will provide an open and extensible framework for supporting complex data domains including, but not limited to, text, image, spatial, video, and OLAP. This framework encompasses features for defining, storing, updating, indexing, and retrieving complex forms of data with full transaction semantics. The underpinning for these features is an extended Oracle Server that is an object-relational database management system (ORDBMS).
UPM-APSB AISA Airborne Hyperspectral Technology for Managing Mangrove Forest in Malaysia

Mangrove forests are one of the most productive and bio-diverse wetlands environments on earth. In Malaysia, Forestry Department of Peninsular Malaysia (FDPM) has always been fully committed to the implementation of the sustainable forest management practices and in line with current concerns such as climate change, conservation of biodiversity and Tsunami, have brought about a heightened expectation on the political, socio-economic, ecological and environmental well-being of the country. Thus, managing mangrove forests is very challenging to the department and a precise geospatial database is urgently required. The objectives of this paper are to assess the capability of UPM-APSB’s AISA airborne hyperspectral imaging sensor for developing a geospatial database through an individual mangrove species mapping and to determine the wavelength regions that define the inherent spectral characteristics amongst mangrove species. A total of nine groups of mangrove species spectral separability were identified in Port Klang, Selangor namely Lumnitzera littorea, Rhizophora mucronata, R. stylosa, Sonneratia alba, Avicennia officials, R. apiculata, Bruguiera parviflora, B. gymnorhiza, B. cylindrical and S. caseolaris. The species were easily identified and separated in the NIR range (700 nm to 900 nm) with the following spectral values namely (a) 1,750-6,000:B. cylindrical, (b) 2,000-7,750: B. gymnorhiza, (c) 1,875-8,250: B. parviflora, (d) 1,875-5,500 :A. officials, (e) 1,625-6,250 :S. caseolaris, (f) 1,875-5,250: S. alba, (g) 1,750-7,500: R. apiculata, (h) 2,000-8,000: R. stylosa, (i) 2,200-7,000: R. mucronata. Results of this study indicated that the mangrove species could only be identified at the near infrared (NIR) wavelength (700 nm to 900 nm) and not in the visible (VIS) spectrum. With such a capability, the sensor should be in a position to provide a geospatial database of the Malaysian mangroves for Tsunami management and other purposes of interests. Future management of mangrove forests in P.Malaysia should then adopt an integrated approach by further refining the current management and incorporating latest findings and updated latest geospatial information through more vigorous airborne hyperspectral data acquisition on mangrove forest. With the future geospatial database developed from the sensor, the National Forestry Policy and other policies related to mangrove forests management can be revised from time to time to match latest prevailing conditions and requirement. The future success in developing a mangrove geospatial database using UPM-APSB’s AISA data by FDPM will in fact contribute to the sustainability of the wetlands in Malaysia which is crucial to the survival and future health of our Mother Earth.
Implementation of a fully 3D iterative reconstruction of combined parallel- and cone-beam collimator SPELT

To improve contrast-to-noise ratio in a small volume of interest, a combination of parallel- and cone-beam collimator SPECT acquisition and fully 3D iterative reconstruction with a volumetric system model has been developed. The Monte Carlo package SimSET along with a numerical chest phantom with half-ring defect were used to simulate static cardiac SPECT scans. Parallel-beam only, cone-beam only, Jaszczak approach, and our proposed parallel-cone approach were applied in reconstruction. The visual quality of the Jaszczak method and the proposed parallel-cone reconstruction is much better than cone-only reconstruction, and is free of truncation artifacts. Contrast- to-noise ratio, noise, and bias in a small volume-of-interest encompassing the heart have been improved in the proposed parallel- and cone-beam approach, as compared to the other three methods.
The evolution of federal employment

The first federal employees (other than Founding Fathers) were clerks. As federal employment grew in the 1820s, its ranks came to be dominated by patronage workers. After the Civil War, bureaucrats slowly displaced patronage workers at the federal level. Now, federal employments are being privatized and the bureaucracy shrunk. I explain this evolution of federal employment with one simple model of politics in a changing environment. Politicians combine into political firms to promise benefits to subsets of voters in return for election. If elected, politicians provide the benefits as efficiently as possible. Thus, politicians choose the form and size of their political firms to maximize expected political profits. Environmental changes affect the choices. The breach of the Appalachians in the 1810s, defeat of the South in the Civil War and the simultaneous rise of big and transcontinental industry, and contemporary worldwide economic inte-gration (globalization) are three environmental changes that changed the efficient organization of federal political firms.
Drug arrest statistics: a proposal for their use.

The extent to which drug use has increased, decreased, or leveled in the recent past is still subject to debate. This inconclusiveness is at least partly the result of the researchers’ inability to monitor drug use in a constant and ongoing fashion. Instead, cross-sectional studies of different populations taken at different points in time are most often used to examine “trends.” This paper suggests that arrest data, easily obtainable and immediately analyzable, may be used with caution to observe change in drug use.
A general probabilistic framework for worst case timing analysis

The traditional approach to worst-case static-timing analysis is becoming unacceptably conservative due to an ever-increasing number of circuit and process effects. We propose a fundamentally different framework that aims to significantly improve the accuracy of timing predictions through fully probabilistic analysis of gate and path delays. We describe a bottom-up approach for the construction of joint probability density function of path delays, and present novel analytical and algorithmic methods for finding the full distribution of the maximum of a random path delay space with arbitrary path correlations.
`I do' Again: The Relational Dialectics of Renewing Marriage Vows

This study provides descriptive insight into the dialectical themes of one public relationship ritual in modern US society, the renewal of marital vows between spouses. Interpretive analyses of in-depth interview data revealed that this ritual allows spouses to manage three underlying dialectical contra- dictions: private-public, stability-change and conventionality-uniqueness.
3D resolution measure for multifocal plane microscopy

The distance separating two biomolecules in close proximity is an important determinant of the nature of their interaction. While much focus has been given to resolving distances in 2D, the 3D cell in which biological interactions occur necessitates the evaluation of resolution in 3D. Recently, we introduced an information-theoretic 3D resolution measure which predicts that the resolution of an optical microscope is unlimited, and that it improves as more photons are detected from the imaged molecules. Here, we investigate the 3D resolution measure for a multifocal plane microscope. Used for the simultaneous imaging of distinct focal planes within a specimen, multifocal plane microscopy has important applications in the tracking of microscopic objects in 3D. By comparing their 3D resolution measures, we determine the circumstances under which a two-plane microscope setup offers better re- solvability than a comparable conventional microscope.
Encouraging Teens to Use Norplant Is Bad Advice

An American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) news release trumpeted misinformation to the world from the seriously flawed conclusions of an article in the February 1996 issue of Pediatrics. This press release and seemingly scientific article conclude that "Health care workers must work to remove barriers . . . so young patients who wish to avoid pregnancy will view Norplant as a contraceptive alternative." This is just plain bad advice. Why "work" for an objective that causes more problems? Although Norplant may protect a teen from pregnancy, it certainly does not protect a teen from acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), which is 100% fatal, or any other sexually transmitted disease (SID).
Guidelines for the interpretation of the exercise radionuclide ventriculogram for diagnosing coronary artery disease

Abstract In 622 patients with known coronary artery anatomy, heart rate (HR) · blood pressure (BP) product and left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction (EF) at maximal supine exercise measured by radionuclide ventriculography were used to estimate, by logistic regression analysis, the probabilities of absence of significant coronary artery disease (CAD), presence of significant CAD, presence of multivessel CAD and presence of 3-vessel CAD. Thus, for example, estimated probabilities of each of the aforementioned 4 categories of CAD are 0.39, 0.61, 0.32 and 0.12, respectively, for HR · BP product of 26,000 beats · mm Hg/min and LVEF of 0.6 at maximal exercise and 0.08, 0.92, 0.77 and 0.48, respectively, for HR · BP of 15,000 and LVEF of 0.4. The graphic presentations of these estimated probabilities form useful guidelines for interpreting the results of exercise radionuclide ventriculography. In addition, specific cutoff values at maximal exercise defined 2 groups: (HR · BP product ≥ 21,000 beats · mm Hg/min and LVEF ⩾ 0.55) with a high (70%) likelihood of absence of significant CAD or 1-vessel CAD and a low (7%) likelihood of 3-vessel CAD, and (HR · BP product
An innovative underfill process for high-speed SMT CSP BGA flip chip assembly

Fluxing underfill materials are widely used in electronics manufacturing to improve reliability performance. The prevailing process of applying fluxing underfill is by dispensing the desired volume onto the printed circuit board with optimized patterns. The underfill cure is accomplished concurrently with solder joint formation in the reflow process. Even though the processing time of applying underfill material by this method is much shorter than that of the conventional capillary flow underfill process, the processing time of underfill dispensing is much longer than other process steps (e.g., printing, chip placement, reflow, etc). The current underfill dispensing process is a bottleneck in the high-speed electronic assembly manufacturing. Besides the long processing time, the underfill dispensing process requires complicated and expensive dispensing machines, which increase the manufacturing cost. In this research, an innovative dispenseless fluxing underfill process and the associated module have been developed to achieve high-speed SMT compatible underfill processing. The underfill application and chip placement are integrated into one process step that is accomplished by one placement machine. The prototyping of flip chip on board assemblies utilizing this innovative process shows dramatically reduced processing time. It also improves the reliability of electronic assembly systems. This invention enables remarkable cost savings from shortening processing time and eliminating the capital cost associated with underfill dispensing machines. The proposed process and module are fully compatible with the current SMT electronic manufacturing infrastructure. The dispenseless underfill process provides a high-speed and cost-effective solution for flip chip, CSP, and BGA electronic packaging assembly.
A Note on the Purification of Alcian Blue

Alcian blue 8GX is a copper phthalocyanin dye that shows a high degree of specificity for polyanionic substances such as hyaluronic acid, sialic acid and the chondroitin sulfates. This dye has proved useful for both histochemical and electrophoretic staining of these substances. The Biological Stain Commission has recently begun to certify Alcian blue (Schenk 1981). Commercially available lots contain approximately 50% dye. The remaining constituents have been identified as primarily boric acid, as well as sulfates and dextrins (Scott 1972, Horobin and Goldstein 1972). Horobin and Goldstein (1972) have pointed out that these contaminants may adversely affect staining in the critical electrolyte concentration procedure. Scott (1972), while not ascribing any adverse effects to the presence of boric acid, recommends its removal by differential precipitation with acetone. In this procedure one part of a 2-5% aqueous solution of the dye is added to 5-10 parts of acetone. The precipitated dye is approximately 8...
Effect of Asparagine Substitutions in the YXN Loop of a Class C β-Lactamase of Acinetobacter baumannii on Substrate and Inhibitor Kinetics

ABSTRACT Class C cephalosporinases are a growing threat, and inhibitors of these enzymes are currently unavailable. Studies exploring the YXN loop asparagine in the Escherichia coli AmpC, P99, and CMY-2 enzymes have suggested that interactions between C6′ or C7′ substituents on penicillins or cephalosporins and this Asn are important in determining substrate specificity and enzymatic stability. We sought to characterize the YXN loop asparagine in the clinically important ADC-7 class C β-lactamase of Acinetobacter baumannii. Mutagenesis at the N148 position in ADC-7 yields functional mutants (N152G, -S, -T, -Q, -A, and -C) that retain cephalosporinase activity. Using standard assays, we show that N148G, -S, and -T variants possess good catalytic activity toward cefoxitin and ceftaroline but that cefepime is a poor substrate. Because N152 variants of CMY-2, another class C β-lactamase, are more readily inhibited by tazobactam due to higher rates of inactivation, we also tested if the N148 substitutions in ADC-7 would affect inactivation by sulfone inhibitors, sulbactam and tazobactam, class A β-lactamase, and A. baumannii penicillin-binding protein (PBP) inhibitors with in vitro activity against ADC-7. The 50% inhibitory concentrations (IC 50 s) for tazobactam and sulbactam were improved, with 7-fold and 2-fold reductions, respectively, for the N148S variant. A homology model of the N148S ADC-7 enzyme in a Michaelis-Menten complex with tazobactam showed a loss of interaction between N148 and the sulfone moiety of the inhibitor. We postulate that this may result in more-rapid secondary ring opening of the inhibitor, as the unbound sulfone is an excellent leaving group, leading to more-rapid formation of the stable linearized inhibitor.
Suicide on Death Row

Summary.—For the period 1976–2011, the suicide rate on death rows in the United States was only weakly (and non-significantly) associated with the marriage, birth, divorce, and unemployment rates in the general population. Possible explanations for why social indicators in the larger society might be associated with the behavior of prisoners on death row were discussed.