cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Transvaginal fast-scanning optical-resolution photoacoustic endoscopy imaging of cervical vascular morphology (Conference Presentation)

Vasculatures enable nutrient transportation, waste disposal, and immune surveillance. Due to these diverse functions, abnormal changes in vascular morphology are commonly associated with the development of various diseases, including tumor growth and metastasis, inflammatory disorders, and pulmonary hypertension. Many models linking vascular morphogenesis to the development of a particular disease have been developed for prognosis, diagnosis, or disease management. To apply these models in clinical assessment, however, a tissue biopsy of the lesion is needed. This procedure is invasive and occasionally clinically infeasible. Photoacoustic endoscopy offers in vivo label-free examination of visceral vascular morphology, but its volumetric imaging process is vulnerable to breathing movement and peristalsis, because its typical B-scan rate is ~ 10 Hz, restricted by the speed of the scanning unit and the laser pulse repetition rate. Here, we present a transvaginal fast-scanning optical-resolution photoacoustic endoscope with a 250 Hz B-scan rate over a 3 mm scanning range. After demonstrating its imaging capability and safety, we not only illustrate the morphological differences in the vasculatures of the human ectocervix, uterine body, and sublingual mucosa, but also show the longitudinal and cross-sectional differences in the cervical vasculatures of pregnant women. This technology is promising for screening the visceral pathological changes associated with angiogenesis.
New Directions in the Control of Nonlinear Mechanical Systems

The newly developed equations of motion for constrained mechanical systems are used as a means for the explicit determination of the control forces needed to cause mechanical systems to satisfy given constraints, such as motion along a given curve in phase space. Two simple examples are described utilizing this new approach to the control of nonlinear mechanical systems.
Differentiation of metastatic vs degenerative joint disease using semi-quantitative analysis with (18)F-NaF PET/CT in castrate resistant prostate cancer patients.

Fluorine 18 Sodium Fluoride (18F-NaF) (sodium fluoride) PET/CT is a highly sensitive but is a non-specific method for identifying bone metastases. Qualitative scan interpretation using low dose CT for lesion localization is often complicated by the presence of co-existing degenerative joint disease (DJD). A semi-quantitative analysis might help in accurately differentiating benign from metastatic osseous lesions. The aim of the study was to evaluate the clinical utility of 18F-NaF PET/CT in differentiating DJD from metastatic disease in the skeleton using a qualitative analysis as well as a semi-quantitative approach using the SUVmax and to determine if there is an upper limit of SUVmax value that can reliably differentiate metastases from DJD. Baseline 18F-NaF PET/CT scans were performed for 17 castrate resistant prostate cancer patients (CRPC). A qualitative as well as semi-quantitative analysis using maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) based on body weight was performed for 65 metastatic and 56 DJD sites identified on the low dose CT scan acquired as a part of whole body PET/CT scan. The SUVmax range in DJD was 2.6-49.9 (mean: 6.2). The SUVmax range for metastatic lesions was 11.2-188 (mean: 160). The SUVmax value for metastatic as well as areas of DJD showed significant variation during treatment. Bone metastases showed statistically significantly higher SUVmax than DJD using a mixed effect regression model. ROC/AUC analysis was performed based on averaging the SUVs over all lesions in each subject. The AUC was found to be fairly high at 0.964 (95% CI: 0.75-0.996). The SUVmax over 50 always represented a bone metastasis and below 12 always represented a site of DJD. The results of our preliminary data show that semi-quantitative analysis is complementary to the qualitative analysis in accurately identifying DJD from metastatic disease. The cut-off SUVmax of 50 can help in differentiating DJD from bone metastases.
Reviewing ocean governance in Asia

Oceans are the life support system for our planet and are vital to human health. It is said that half of the oxygen we breathe is generated by our oceans. However, ocean space is becoming more glob...
Challenges to model the role of heterogeneities on the shock response and spall failure of metallic materials at the mesoscales

The predictive modeling of the experimentally observed behavior of metallic materials under shock loading conditions (wave structures, spall strengths) is a critical challenge toward the design of next-generation structural materials. This challenge is due to the lack of computational methods that can predict microstructural evolution at the mesoscales under dynamic loading conditions. While classical molecular dynamics simulations have been able to provide atomic-scale insights in the defect and damage nucleation/evolution mechanisms, the capability to have a direct comparison with experimental data at the same time and length scales is still a challenge. The current computational approaches require that several approximations be made either for the loading conditions or for the micromechanisms related to defect evolution and interaction at the mesoscales. This viewpoint discusses the insights obtained from molecular dynamics simulations of shock deformation and spall failure of heterogeneous metallic microstructures. An example Al–Ni microstructure is used to identify the critical atomic-scale phenomena that need to be addressed by the mesoscale methods when considering shock deformation and failure (spallation) at the mesoscales.
NOAC-Based Sual Therapy Versus Warfarin-Based Triple Therapy After Percutaneous Coronary Intervention or Acute Coronary Syndrome in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Abstract Background Several randomized clinical trials (RCTs) have compared the use of dual therapy (DT), or one of the non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOAC) with a P2Y12 agent, versus triple therapy (TT), consisting of a vitamin-K antagonist (VKA) along with dual antiplatelet therapy, in patients with concomitant atrial fibrillation after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) or acute coronary syndrome (ACS). We performed a meta-analysis and systematic review of RCTs to evaluate the safety and efficacy of NOAC-based DT in such patients. Methods The major efficacy outcome was major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (MACCE), defined as a composite of mortality, myocardial infarction, stroke, stent thrombosis (ST), and urgent revascularization. The International Society on Thrombosis and Hemostasis (ISTH) major or clinically relevant non-major bleeding (CRNM) was the major primary safety outcome. Results A total of 4 RCTs were included in the meta-analysis with 7942 total patients for analysis (DT: 4377 & TT: 3565). Compared to TT, DT resulted in similar risk of MACCE (OR: 1.12; 95% CI: 0.94–1.34; P = 0.20) and other efficacy endpoints with a trend in increased risk of ST in the DT group (1.55; 0.99–2.44; P = 0.06). DT resulted in lower risk of ISTH major or CRNM bleeding (0.56; 0.41–0.76; P Conclusion In conclusion, patients with atrial fibrillation who undergo PCI or develop ACS, NOAC-based dual therapy reduces bleeding outcomes without significantly increasing ischemic outcomes. Future trials should explore the possible differences in stent thrombosis.
Anthropogenic landscapes increase Campylobacter jejuni infections in urbanizing banded mongoose (Mungos mungo): A one health approach.

Background Campylobacter is a common, but neglected foodborne-zoonotic pathogen, identified as a growing cause of foodborne disease worldwide. Wildlife and domestic animals are considered important reservoirs, but little is known about pathogen infection dynamics in free-ranging mammalian wildlife particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. In countries like Botswana, there is significant overlap between humans and wildlife, with the human population having one of the highest HIV infection rates in the world, increasing vulnerability to infection. Methodology/Principal findings We investigated Campylobacter occurrence in archived human fecal samples (children and adults, n = 122, 2011), feces from free-ranging banded mongooses (Mungos mungo, n = 201), surface water (n = 70), and river sediment samples (n = 81) collected in 2017 from the Chobe District, northern Botswana. Campylobacter spp. was widespread in humans (23.0%, 95% CI 13.9–35.4%), with infections dominantly associated with C. jejuni (82.1%, n = 28, 95% CI 55.1–94.5%). A small number of patients presented with asymptomatic infections (n = 6). While Campylobacter spp. was rare or absent in environmental samples, over half of sampled mongooses tested positive (56%, 95% CI 45.6–65.4%). Across the urban-wilderness continuum, we found significant differences in Campylobacter spp. detection associated with the type of den used by study mongooses. Mongooses utilizing man-made structures as den sites had significantly higher levels of C. jejuni infection (p = 0.019) than mongooses using natural dens. Conversely, mongooses using natural dens had overall higher levels of detection of Campylobacter at the genus level (p = 0.001). Conclusions These results suggest that landscape features may have important influences on Campylobacter species exposure and transmission dynamics in wildlife. In particular, data suggest that human-modified landscapes may increase C. jejuni infection, a primarily human pathogen, in banded mongooses. Pathogen circulation and transmission in urbanizing wildlife reservoirs may increase human vulnerability to infection, findings that may have critical implications for both public and animal health in regions where people live in close proximity to wildlife.
Design of Database Systems with DRAM-only Heterogeneous Memory Architecture

This thesis advocates a novel DRAM-only strategy to reduce the computing system memory cost for the first time, and investigates its applications to database systems. This thesis envisions a low-cost DRAM module called block-protected DRAM, which reduces bit cost by significantly relaxing the DRAM raw reliability and meanwhile employs long error correction code (ECC) to ensure data integrity at small coding redundancy. Built upon the exactly same DRAM technology, today’s byte-accessible DRAM and envisioned block-protected DRAM strike at different trade-offs between memory bit cost and native data access granularity, and naturally form a heterogeneous DRAM-only memory system. The practical feasibility of such heterogeneous memory systems is further strengthened by the new media-agnostic and latency-oblivious CPU-memory interfaces such as IBM’s OpenCAPI/OMI and Intel’s CXL. This DRAM-only design approach perfectly leverages the existing DRAM manufacturing infrastructure and is not subject to any fundamental technology risk and uncertainty. Hence, before NVM technologies could eventually fulfill their long-awaited promises (i.e., DRAM-grade speed at flash-grade cost), this DRAM-only design framework can fill the gap to empower continuous progress and advances of computing systems. This thesis aims to develop techniques that enable relational and NoSQL databases to take full advantage of the envisioned low-cost heterogeneous DRAM system. As the first step, we studied how one could employ heterogeneous DRAM to implement a low-cost tiered caching solution for relational database, and obtained encouraging results using MySQL as a test vehicle.
The contribution of clinical subtype to survival differences among patients with de novo and recurrent metastatic breast cancer (dMBC).

1030Background: Patients with de novo metastatic breast cancer (dMBC) have superior median overall survival (mOS) compared to recurrent metastatic breast cancer (rMBC). Whether patient characterist...
Fermi surfaces of YBa 2 Cu 3 O 6.9 as seen by angle-resolved photoemission

We have carried out angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy on single crystals of ${\mathrm{YBa}}_{2}$${\mathrm{Cu}}_{3}$${\mathrm{O}}_{6.9}$. The crystals were cleaved in situ, under ultrahigh vacuum while the sample stage was cooled to 8 K. By observing the dispersion of the electron energy bands as they cross the Fermi energy, we have mapped the Fermi surfaces. There is reasonable agreement between the experimental results and the predictions of band-structure calculations using the local-density approximation, as well as with positron annihilation experiments. Rather than \ensuremath{\delta} holes, these results indicate that the Fermi surface of ${\mathrm{YBa}}_{2}$${\mathrm{Cu}}_{3}$${\mathrm{O}}_{6.9}$ encloses 1+\ensuremath{\delta} holes, where \ensuremath{\delta} is the doping level.
Empathy of Medical Students and Compassionate Care for Dying Patients: An Assessment of “No One Dies Alone” Program

The “No One Dies Alone” (NODA) program was initiated to provide compassionate companions to the bedside of dying patients. This study was designed to test the following hypotheses: (1) Empathy scor...
Testing stability of M-theory on an S1/Bbb Z2-orbifold

We analyse perturbatively, whether a flat background with vanishing G-flux in Horava-Witten supergravity represents a vacuum state, which is stable with respect to interactions between the ten-dimensional boundaries, mediated through the D = 11 supergravity bulk fields. For this, we consider fluctuations in the graviton, gravitino and 3 form around the flat background, which couple to the boundary E8 gauge-supermultiplet. They give rise to exchange amplitudes or forces between both boundary fixed-planes. In leading order of the D = 11 gravitational coupling constant ?, we find an expected trivial vanishing of all three amplitudes and thereby stability of the flat vacuum in the static limit, in which the centre-of-mass energy ?s of the gauge-multiplet fields is zero. For ?s > 0, however, which could be regarded a vacuum state with excitations on the boundary, the amplitudes neither vanish nor cancel each other, thus leading to an attractive force between the fixed-planes in the flat vacuum. A ground state showing stability with regard to boundary excitations, is therefore expected to exhibit a non-trivial metric. Ten-dimensional Lorentz-invariance requires a warped geometry. Finally, we extrapolate the amplitudes to the case of coinciding boundaries and compare them to the ones resulting from the weakly coupled E8 ? E8 heterotic string theory at low energies.
Speed Mentoring: An Effective & Efficient Path to Development of Mentor Relationships in a Military Obstetrics & Gynecology Residency.

Introduction With a deficit of effective military residency mentorships, a paucity of research on successful mentorship programs, and growing reports on innovative mentoring programs, we developed a "Speed Mentoring" event for the National Capital Consortium OBGYN Residency. Materials and methods The development, implementation, and follow-up responses through participant surveys were designed as an institutional review board (IRB)-approved evidence-based quality improvement project at our institution. Our event coordinated mentorship opportunities between residents and faculty from a wide range of specialties, leadership roles, and research experiences. Residents were matched with faculty that aligned with self-identified goals. Surveys were distributed prior to the event and at follow-up intervals to demonstrate the lasting impact and areas for improvement. Results Prior to our first event, every resident reported by survey that they desired more mentorship opportunities. However, only 55% could identify a specific mentor, citing limited time and difficulty establishing a relationship. Immediately following the event, 90% of residents scheduled a follow-up with at least one mentor. Forty-seven percent of residents reported inspiration to initiate a new research project. Meanwhile, faculty felt valued and gained satisfaction by "giving back" to their profession. After 1 month, half of the residents and faculty had already conducted at least one meeting. At 3 months, 76% of meetings centered on research and 23% on quality improvement projects. Fifty-seven percent of participants reported future scheduled meetings. At 6 months, 75% of residents reported meaningful mentorship relationships. Conclusions After demonstrating a need for improved mentorship opportunities, we implemented an efficient way to foster mentorship while expanding resident involvement in research, QI projects, and fellowship applications. This "Speed Mentorship" program can be easily adapted to all residency programs.
Our Webinar connection.

In this month’s Editor’s Column, I will focus on the growth of our SNIS Webinar series and its influence on neurointerventional (NI) education and professional development in 2020. COVID-19 has certainly created challenges for our fellows and early career practitioners by reducing case volumes for several months.1 I believe that our SNIS Webinar series has helped lessen this challenge by providing education in an engaging way that can have a very positive influence now and for years to come. The SNIS Insights webinar series began in May 2018 under the direction of now President-elect Dr Michael Chen, during his tenure as SNIS Education Chair. After succeeding Dr Chen as Education Chair, I continued producing monthly webinars along with a newly formed Education Committee. The webinars continued to be an excellent resource, but the audience was limited with each webinar reaching approximately 100 individuals inclusive of on demand offerings. On April 2, 2020, we held the historic “SNIS Special Webinar: Neurointerventional Guidance for COVID-19” session which attracted a record 625 live attendees. Perhaps more impressive was that audience engagement kept it going for over 2 hours 15 min. Capitalizing on this new popularity, the Education Committee and Board endorsed increasing the webinar frequency to weekly. Given the popularity of the new medium, the editors of this journal introduced a monthly “JNIS Journal Club” that …
Socio-economic factors in the management of tropical forests for carbon

Tropical forest management response options to global warming include sustained harvest of timber, extraction of non-timber forest products, silvicultural plantations, agroforestry, managed secondary succession and forest maintenance (including both reserve protection and policy changes affecting deforestation). Socio-economic factors affect C management projects, and vice versa, and can negate C benefits and cause hardship for local populations. Forest maintenance has significant C benefits, as well as other environmental and social advantages. Prerequisites include understanding causes of deforestation.
Application of bioactive glycolipids to control Listeria monocytogenes biofilms and as post-lethality contaminants in milk and cheese

Abstract Listeria monocytogenes can form persistent biofilms on food processing surfaces, resulting in cross-contamination of food products, including milk and milk products. Natural glycolipids are a promising intervention to control undesirable microbes due to their antimicrobial activity and low toxicity. This study aimed to determine the antimicrobial activity of glycolipids to control L. monocytogenes biofilms as well as in milk and on Queso Fresco. Application of a natural glycolipid product significantly reduced biofilm-associated L. monocytogenes on both polystyrene and stainless steel at concentrations as low as 45 mg/L. When added to UHT skim milk, a concentration of 1000 mg/L inhibited L. monocytogenes growth through 7 days of storage at 7 °C, and application of 1300 and 1500 mg/L reduced counts to levels below the limit of enumeration at day 21. In contrast, 2000 mg/L were necessary to inhibit growth through 7 days in whole milk. Glycolipid solutions at concentrations ≥10% reduced L. monocytogenes counts on Queso Fresco through 7 days when applied as a dip. Overall, natural glycolipids have potential as a natural alternative for the removal of biofilms and as an antimicrobial to control L. monocytogenes in milk and milk products with short shelf lives.
Cellular Correlates of Learned Behavior

How have scientists attempted to study memory and learning at the cellular level? Anatomists have sought changes in the morphology of cell structure in relation to learned behavior with variable success. The results of their investigations are described in the next chapter. Others, primarily electrophysiologists, have attempted to establish relationships between neural activity and simple forms of learning. Fine microelectrodes have been designed that can be positioned within or just outside simple neurons to accomplish this purpose. Cell activity is then assessed in relation to some experimentally produced behavior. For example, patterns of spike discharge elicited by a CS are studied before, during, and after conditioning, or activity elicited by a US is studied during habituation.
Diffusion and Adoption of IPv6 in the Arin Region

In the near term there will be no available, unallocated IPv4 addresses. From original estimates of IPv4 exhaustion in 2037, the most widely-cited current estimates for ARIN IPv4 address depletion is now at 2013. This deadline gives a particular importance to IPv6 adoption. The goals of this work were to identify valid measures of IPv6 diffusion and use classic diffusion models to bound the uncertainty in those measures. With these measures and simple models we can bound best case, current projection and reasonably optimistic cases for the adoption of the IPv6 protocol. For these ends, the work discusses previous analysis of IPv6 routes and ASN data from ARIN to quantify the current adoption rate. We conclude that there is no reasonable case for diffusion of IPv6 before IPv4 full allocation. The second significant contribution, besides measurement and bounding uncertainty, that is provided in this paper is to what extent the now well established fundamental findings of the economics of computer security can apply to the diffusion of IPv6. The second significant but unanswered question is if the creation of a transferrable property interest in IPv4 addresses, informed by computer security economics, will hinder or galvanize IPv6 adoption. In order to address these questions the paper provides some non-trivial insights on IPv6 through presenting sketches of four scenarios: no action, IPv4 market creation, coordination government action and registrar- only management. As much as conclusions, this paper offers a set of questions that are critical to consider.
Spillover in the Academy: Marriage Stability and Faculty Evaluations.

The literature on the relationship between work and family has shown that there is a spillover effect between both domains. In particular, research that has investigated the influence of home environment on work has shown that family instability affects work satisfaction and performance. This study investigates the spillover between family and work by examining the link between marital status and work performance across the three phases of marriage, divorce, and remarriage. Specifically, this article links marital status and work performance through a longitudinal analysis of a set of university teaching evaluations. A polynomial regression model was fit to the data and a cubic curve through the three periods of marriage, divorce, and remarriage was statistically significant. Implications of the study and areas for future research are discussed.
A numerical method for simulating one‐dimensional headcut migration and overtopping breaching in cohesive and zoned embankments

[1] An erosion and force/moments equilibrium-based numerical method is proposed to simulate one-dimensional headcut migration in cohesive embankment overtopping breaches and to simulate the one-dimensional breach process of zoned embankment dams before they fully breach through. At each time step of the simulation the depths and velocities of the breach outflow are calculated by solving the one-dimensional shallow water equations, three-dimensional slope stability is checked, and the eroded soil and instable soil block are removed. The method was tested using data from a U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service cohesive embankment and the Yahekou zoned fuse plug. Test results showed that the proposed method predicts well the one-dimensional headcut shape in the cohesive dam and the breach shape in the zoned embankment dam provided that the inputs are appropriately assigned. Sensitivity studies showed that the breach processes for a weakly cohesive dam under a small overtopping depth and a highly cohesive dam are controlled by erosion only. They also showed that the breach processes for a weakly cohesive dam under a relatively large overtopping depth, a noncohesive dam, and a zoned embankment dam are all controlled by erosion and force/moments equilibrium.
Family Life, the Politics of the Family, and Social Transformation

Why do families matter? Is it simply because of their role in social reproduction, or does this ignore the personal goods, the benefits and burdens, of intimate life? Does an emphasis on the formative role of families risk treating them merely as serving the state and divert attention from the rights of persons to form families and the rights - and needs - of children to nurturing relationships? What kind of social and economic transformation would be necessary to implement a normative vision of family that supports families, is egalitarian, and respects diversity? What is the best way to rectify women's continuing disproportionate responsibility for house work and care work - enlisting the state or pressuring men? Is an egalitarian vision of family life, in which promoting sex equality within marriage a proper governmental task, consonant with basic liberal principles, or is it a transformative project that ignores human nature and basic sex difference, corrupts family life, and infringes on women's - and men's - religious freedom? This essay responds to those questions, raised by several political scientists and political theorists in a symposium about my book, The Place of Families: Fostering Capacity, Equality, and Responsibility (Harvard, 2006).
Routine antepartum roentgen pelvimetry in primigravidas.

Abstract ROENTGEN pelvimetry is currently employed to supplement clinical methods for the solution of obstetrical problems. The acceptance of this roentgen technique is based upon the results of numerous correlative clinical studies. 1, 2, 3 The advantages of roentgen pelvimetry in providing pertinent information not readily available by clinical observation or testing have been repeatedly substantiated. The question has been raised on occasion as to the value of routine roentgen pelvimetry of primigravidas during the late antepartum period. This type of examination would exclude consideration of such clinical factors as quality of forces of labor, moldability of the fetal head, status of the maternal soft parts, etc., in evaluating obstetrical prognosis. Under these conditions it has not been elarified as to whether antepartum roentgen pelvimetry contributes toward a decrease in fetal or maternal mortality, and favors greater competency in obstetrical practice. An opportunity to pursue this type of study has been available to us during the past several years. With the cooperation of several of the attending physicians of the staff of the Evangelical Deaconess Hospital in Milwaukee, Wis., we have examined primigravid patients during the seventh and eighth months of gestation. Although the choice of methods of management and the final determination of prognosis rested on clinical grounds, it was felt that this series would serve as a test of the accuracy of roentgen pelvimetry in identifying problem patients and assisting in their care. Correlation of the results of these antepartum examinations with the outcome of labor was to follow the assembling of an adequate number of primigravidas.
Macro Approach to Discrete Field Analysis

A new method for analyzing latticed structures is presented and applied to three structural systems. The method consists of finding closed form solutions to mathematical models for structural lattices in the form of summation equations (summation-integral equations in the case of discrete-continuous systems). Two of the systems analyzed, the discrete core sandwich plate and the grid-plate structure, are examples of multidimensional lattices with multidimensional elements, a class of structural lattices that were intractable by techniques previously available. A one-dimensional lattice, the cable-supported beam, is analyzed as an introductory example. All results are numerically illustrated.
A novel zinc-air battery for electric vehicles

A new type of zinc electrode is matched with new bifunctional air electrodes to produce a zinc-air battery of a novel design. The zinc electrode is a flow-thru type made from copper foam-metal. The air electrode uses corrosion resistant carbon black as a high area support for a highly dispersed spinel oxide electrocatalyst. The battery design employs flowing electrolyte, 12 M KOH saturated or supersaturated with zincate. Single cells as large as 200 cm/sup 2/ (1/5 EV design scale) having a capacity of 20 AH have been tested with C/4-C/16 constant current cycling. More extensive and realistic life cycle testing was done with 2 Ah cells, including the Simplified Federal Urban Driving Schedule (SFUDS) cycle. This testing has confirmed that these cells can provide the necessary transient power response required for urban EV applications. The cells achieved an average of 72 SFUDS repetitions (7.2 hrs) per discharge cycle, more than twice the number with a sealed lead acid EV battery in similar testing. The full scale (30 kWh) EV battery design based on these single cell tests indicate an energy density of 90-100 Wh/kg, 60-80 W/kg, and a very low materials cost ($50 per kWh). These results indicate this battery would provide at least twice the vehicle range of a lead acid battery of the same volume at a comparable or even lower materials cost. >
Stoichiometry and cluster specificity of copper binding to metallothionein: homogeneous metal clusters

Experiments were done to define the stoichiometry of binding of Cu(I) to metallothionein (MT) and to determine its sites of binding in mixed-metal species. Spectrophotometric titrations of rabbit liver Cd7-MT 2, apoMT, and Cd4-alpha-domain with Cu(I) revealed endpoints of 3-4, 4 and 8, and 4 and 6-7 added Cu(I)/mol of MT for the three species respectively. Observed endpoints depended on conditions of the titration and the wavelength chosen for absorbance measurement. Nevertheless, from metal and sulphydryl analyses of titrated proteins that were pretreated with Chelex-100 to remove metal ions from solution, almost all of the cadmium was displaced from Cd7-MT by the addition of 7 Cu(I)/mol of MT. Similarly, 4 Cu(I)/mol of Cd4-alpha-domain completely displaced bound cadmium. The Cu4-alpha-domain was converted into a Cu6-alpha species upon addition of two equivalents of Cu(I)/mol of alpha-domain. Reaction of Cd7-MT with 7, 12 and 20 Cu/mol of MT, followed by reaction with Chelex resin, generated protein samples in each case with about 7 Cu/mol of MT. 111Cd-NMR analysis of the reaction of 111Cd7-MT with Cu(I) showed that nearly co-operative one-for-one replacement of 111Cd occurred and that the beta-domain cluster reacted before the alpha-domain cluster. Two mixed-metal MTs with Cu to Zn ratios approximating 3 to 4 and 6 to 4 were isolated from calf liver. After substitution of Zn with 111Cd, NMR spectra of each protein showed that 111Cd was confined almost completely to the alpha-domain. By inference, about 3 or 6 Cu were bound in the beta-domain of these proteins. Supporting this segregation of metal ions into domains, reaction of Cu6, Zn4-MT with nitrilotriacetate removed zinc exclusively, whereas reaction of Cu6,Cd4-MT with 4,7-phenylsulphonyl-2,9-dimethyl-1,10-phenanthroline extracted only Cu(I). Proteolytic digestion of both products followed by gel filtration demonstrated that Cu(I) and Cd were bound to fragments of the intact protein. Finally, reaction of rabbit liver 111Cd7-MT 2 with Cu10-MT 2 resulted in interprotein metal exchange in which 111Cd-moved from the beta- to the alpha-domain according to NMR analysis. In contrast with the prevalent view that six Cu(I) bind to each domain of MT, the present results show that Cu(I) binds to MT with a minimum stoichiometry of about 7 Cu(I)/mol of MT and can bind to the alpha-domain with stoichiometries of 4 or 6 Cu(I)/mol of MT. Although MTs interacting with 12 or 20 Cu(I)/mol of MT are less stable than that binding about 7 Cu(I)/mol, it appears that MT can bind Cu(I) in multiple stoichiometries.
A data-driven investigation and estimation of optimal topologies under variable loading configurations

Topology optimisation problems involving structural mechanics are highly dependent on the design constraints and boundary conditions. Thus, even small alterations in such parameters require a new application of the optimisation routine. To address this problem, we examine the use of known solutions for predicting optimal topologies under a new set of design constraints. In this context, we explore the feasibility and performance of a data-driven approach to structural topology optimisation problems. Our approach takes as input a set of images representing optimal 2D topologies, each resulting from a random loading configuration applied to a common boundary support condition. These images represented in a high dimensional feature space are projected into a lower dimensional space using component analysis. Using the resulting components, a mapping between the loading configurations and the optimal topologies is learned. From this mapping, we estimate the optimal topologies for novel loading configurations. ...
Diabetic Foot Ulceration and Management

Despite the advancements in medical and surgical care during the past few decades, foot problems in patients with diabetes remain a major public health issue and are the commonest reason for hospitalization of patients with diabetes. The prevalence of foot ulcers in these patients is as high as 25%. Superimposed infection is a frequent (40–80%) and costly complication of these ulcers. The pathophysiologic mechanisms underlying diabetic foot disease are multifactorial and include neuropathy, infection, ischemia, and abnormal foot structure and biomechanics. It is, therefore, not surprising that the management of the diabetic foot is a complex clinical problem requiring a multidisciplinary approach to achieve limb salvage. The fundamentals of good clinical care include adequate off-loading, frequent debridement, moist wound care, treatment of infection, and revascularization of ischemic limbs. Even when properly managed some of the foot ulcers do not heal and arrest in a state of chronic inflammation. These wound can frequently benefit from various adjuvant therapies, such as recombinant platelet derived growth factor and other growth factors. While these, increasingly expensive, therapies have shown promising results in clinical trials, the results have yet to be translated into widespread clinical practice leaving a huge scope for further research in this field.
PEG-enhanced, electric field-induced fusion of tonoplast and plasmalemma of grape protoplasts

Cultured grape cells accumulate anthocyanins in vacuoles rather than secreting them into the nutrient medium. Therefore, grape cells that contain tonoplast segments in their plasmalemma should be capable of excreting anthocyanins rather than sequestering them in their vacuoles. In initial attempts to construct such ‘novel’ cells, small vacuoles were fused with the plasmalemma of cultured plant cells. Protoplasts were isolated from grape calluses that produce and accumulate anthocyanins. Small vacuoles were formed by gently rupturing vacuoles isolated from grape protoplasts. Although small vacuoles and protoplasts became aligned in an AC field, the tonoplast and plasmalemma did not readily fuse when subjected to 3 DC pulses of 1200 V cm−1 for 50 μs each. Changes in the intensity, number and/or duration of the DC pulses had no effect on the fusion process. When 1.0% polyethylene glycol was added to the electrofusion buffer, however, small vacuoles and protoplasts fused within a few minutes after the DC pulses were applied. These ‘novel’ grape cells remained viable for several hours.
A training programme to improve human physical capability for manual handling jobs.

The primary objectives of this study were to test whether the muscular endurance, muscular strength, cardiovascular endurance, and workload perception of individuals engaged in combined manual handling tasks could be improved through a short and intensive physical training programme. Two separate experiments were conducted to achieve the objectives of this study. The independent variables studied in each experiment were group type (training and control) and training session. Twenty male subjects participated in these experiments. The task performed in the first experiment was a combined lifting, lowering, pushing, pulling, and carrying activity. The second experiment featured an upper extremity manual handling task. Results indicated that, for both experiments, endurance time increased and heart rate decreased significantly during the course of training. For experiment 1, there were no significant changes in either static or dynamic strength with training. On the other hand, significant increases in stati...
Individual differences in speed of phonemic analysis, visual analysis, and reading.

Abstract College student subjects (Ss) classified phrases as making sense or not according to sound in one condition, according to visual appearance in another, and in abasic task in which either strategy would yield right answers. Ss who were relatively fast in the visual condition were faster at the basic task than Ss who were relatively fast in the sound condition. Other results suggested that the former Ss used a visual strategy in the basic task while the latter used a phonemic strategy.
Paper 11: Diffuser Performance with Distorted Inflow

A series of conical and annular diffuser geometries was tested in the National Research Council's 10 ft ×20 ft propulsion tunnel, under conditions of non-uniform inlet velocity distribution, generated by the operation of a short entry pipe in cross flow.The results suggest a wide applicability of the simple distortion factor, defined by the ratio of maximum to mean velocity in the inlet cross-section, to the prediction of pressure recovery in diffusers and diffuser exit settling pipes.A marked effect of inflow distortion on optimum diffuser geometry was indicated. The correlation of Sovran and Klomp was corroborated for the range of inlet distortion factor pertaining to the original data.
Sexual assault history in a community mental health center clinical population

One hundred and twenty-two adult outpatients, 81 women and 41 men, in a community mental health center responded to a survey of history of sexual assault and abuse. Overall, 48% reported they had been sexually assaulted or abused, 59% of women and 24% of men. Forty-two percent of women and 17% of men reported they had been raped, 27% of women and 7% of men reported attempted rape, and 31% of women and 10% of men reported molestation. Characteristics of assaults and assailants were examined. Implications for training clinicians in the treatment of victims of sexual assault and abuse are discussed.
Encoding Shape and Spatial Relations: The Role of -Receptive Field Size in Coordinating Complementary Representations

An effective functional architecture facilitates interactions among subsystems that are often used together. Computer simulations showed that differences in receptive field sizes can promote such organization. When input was filtered through relatively small nonoverlapping receptive fields, artificial neural net-works learned to categorize shapes relatively quickly; in contrast, when input was filtered through relatively large overlapping receptive fields, networks learned to encode specific shape exemplars or metric spatial relations relatively quickly. Moreover, when the receptive field sizes were allowed to adapt during learning, networks developed smaller receptive fields when they were trained to categorize shapes or spatial relations, and developed larger receptive fields when they were trained to encode specific exemplars or metric distances. In addition, when pairs of networks were constrained to use input from the same type of receptive fields, networks learned a task faster when they were paired with networks that were trained to perform a compatible type of task. Finally, using a novel modular architecture, networks were not preassigned a task, but rather competed to perform the different tasks. Networks with small nonover-lapping receptive fields tended to win the competition for categorical tasks whereas networks with large overlapping receptive fields tended to win the competition for exemplar/metric tasks.
Shape optimization of non-linear swept ceiling fan blades through RANS simulations and Response Surface Methods

Ceiling fans are the most used resource for providing indoor thermal comfort in hot climates because of factors like low cost, easy availability and less electric consumption compared to air conditioning units. The fan industry of Pakistan is well-renowned on the national scale. In this paper, the features of the flow field generated by the ceiling fans under different geometric shapes are discussed. Specifically, the effect of forward elliptic sweep angle is studied on the performance of ceiling fans. Other geometric variables considered are tip width, root and tip angle of attack. The response variable considered for parametric analysis as well as optimization studies is the rated air delivery. The benchmark design is the reference blade being sold in market. By applying Design of Experiment (DOE), sixteen experiments are designed for new blades. These new blade designs are simulated through Reynolds-Averaged-Navier-Stokes (RANS) commercial flow solver. The computational model is developed around the same experimental facility and validated with experimental data. Subsequently, statistical tools are used to study the effect of individual parameters as well as their interactions. Finally, Response Surface Methodology (RSM) is used to find the optimal solution in the design space.
Recent Advances in Primary Immunodeficiencies: Identification of Novel Genetic Defects and Unanticipated Phenotypes

Primary immunodeficiencies (PIDs) have traditionally been defined according to their immunologic phenotype. Far from being concluded, the search for human genes that, when mutated, cause PID is actively being pursued. During the last year, four novel genetic defects that cause severe combined immunodeficiency and severe congenital neutropenia have been identified. At the same time, the immunologic definition of primary immunodeficiencies has been expanded by the recognition that genetic defects affecting innate immunity may result in selective predisposition to certain infections, such as mycobacterial disease, herpes simplex encephalitis, and invasive pneumococcal infections. Studies of genetically determined susceptibility to infections have recently shown that immunologic defects may also account for novel infectious phenotypes, such as malaria or leprosy. Finally, a growing body of evidence indicates that primary immunodeficiencies may present with a noninfectious clinical phenotype that may be restricted to single organs, as in the case of atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome or pulmonary alveolar proteinosis. Overall, these achievements highlight the importance of human models, which often differ from the corresponding animal models.
The effect of methylnitrosourea intoxication on the fatty acid pattern of myelin lipids

The effect of intravenous administration of methylnitrosourea (MNU), 60 mg/kg body weight to adult BD IX rats for 6 consecutive days, on the fatty acid composition of myelin lipids has been examined. The results of our investigations show that the fatty acid spectrum of all myelin lipid components was significantly altered after MNU treatment. The comparison of the fatty acid composition of the myelin phospholipids and the cholesterol esters formed MNU intoxication did not speak in favour of the hypothesis that enhanced lipolysis and thus the fatty acids liberated mainly from phospholipids are responsible for the increased esterification of cholesterol observed in toxic myelinopathies. It rather confirms the thesis that enhanced esterification of cholesterol is one of the early, independent events occurring in the lipid layer of the myelin sheath in the course of demyelination. The observed changes in the fatty acyl spectrum of various myelin lipids may weaken the stability of the myelin lipid layer, and thus constitute another factor in the pathomechanism of toxic myelinopathies.
Impaired insulin secretion in the neonatal rhesus monkey after chronic hyperinsulinemia in utero.

AbstractThe secretion of insulin by the pancreas of the newborn rhesus monkey that had been made experimentally hyperinsulinemic in utero was studied in 18 animals. Chronic in utero hyperinsulinemia was produced by the continuous subcutaneous delivery of 4.75 units of insulin per day for 18 ± 1 days. After delivery, the insulin-containing pump was removed to allow neonatal insulin levels to drop to normal levels. By 6.5 ± 1.0 hr after pump removal, plasma glucose, insulin, and C-peptide immunoreactivity (CPIR) were comparable in the control and experimental animals. At that point 300 μg of glucagon/kg body weight was given iv to stimulate insulin secretion. After 30 min a significant elevation (expressed as the percentage of basal levels) in plasma glucose by 250%, insulin by 200%, and CPIR by 200% was observed in the control animals. In contrast, no changes in plasma insulin or CPIR concentrations occurred, with an attenuated glucose response that was only one-fifth of the control response, in the experi...
Collision avoidance during group evasive manoeuvres: a comparison of real versus simulated swarms with manipulated vision and surface wave detectors

Coordinated group motion has been studied extensively both in real systems (flocks, swarms and schools) and in simulations (self-propelled particle (SPP) models using attraction and repulsion rules). Rarely are attraction and repulsion rules manipulated, and the resulting emergent behaviours of real and simulation systems are compared. We compare swarms of sensory-deprived whirligig beetles with matching simulation models. Whirligigs live at the water's surface and coordinate their grouping using their eyes and antennae. We filmed groups of beetles in which antennae or eyes had been unilaterally obstructed and measured individual and group behaviours. We then developed and compared eight SPP simulation models. Eye-less beetles formed larger diameter resting groups than antenna-less or control groups. Antenna-less groups collided more often with each other during evasive group movements than did eye-less or control groups. Simulations of antenna-less individuals produced no difference from a control (or a slight decrease) in group diameter. Simulations of eye-less individuals produced an increase in group diameter. Our study is important in (i) differentiating between group attraction and repulsion rules, (ii) directly comparing emergent properties of real and simulated groups, and (iii) exploring a new sensory modality (surface wave detection) to coordinate group movement.