cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Disturbances of the Perioperative Microbiome Across Multiple Body Sites in Patients Undergoing Pancreaticoduodenectomy.

Author(s): Rogers, Matthew B; Aveson, Victoria; Firek, Brian; Yeh, Andrew; Brooks, Brandon; Brower-Sinning, Rachel; Steve, Jennifer; Banfield, Jillian F; Zureikat, Amer; Hogg, Melissa; Boone, Brian A; Zeh, Herbert J; Morowitz, Michael J | Abstract: ObjectiveThe goals of this study were to characterize bacterial communities within fecal samples, pancreatic fluid, bile, and jejunal contents from patients undergoing pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) and to identify associations between microbiome profiles and clinical variables.MethodsFluid was collected from the pancreas, common bile duct, and proximal jejunum from 50 PD patients. Postoperative fecal samples were also collected. The microbial burden within samples was quantified with droplet digital polymerase chain reaction. Bacterial 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequences were amplified, sequenced, and analyzed. Data from fecal samples were compared with publicly available data obtained from volunteers.ResultsDroplet digital polymerase chain reaction confirmed the presence of bacteria in all sample types, including pancreatic fluid. Relative to samples from the American Gut Project, fecal samples from PD patients were enriched with Klebsiella and Bacteroides and were depleted of anaerobic taxa (eg, Roseburia and Faecalibacterium). Similar patterns were observed within PD pancreas, bile, and jejunal samples. Postoperative fecal samples from patients with a pancreatic fistula contained increased abundance of Klebsiella and decreased abundance of commensal anaerobes, for example, Ruminococcus.ConclusionsThis study confirms the presence of altered bacterial populations within samples from PD patients. Future research must validate these findings and may evaluate targeted microbiome modifications to improve outcomes in PD patients.
Genotypic characteristics in populations of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum from New York State, USA

White mould, caused by the fungus Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, is one of the most destructive diseases of beans globally. In New York State, USA, white mould causes substantial losses in soybean, snap, dry and succulent baby lima beans, which are grown successively in intensive crop rotations. Management strategies for white mould in these crops are reliant upon the prophylactic use of fungicides. No complementary information on the genetic structure of the populations of S. sclerotiorum in New York State, USA is available. Twenty isolates of S. sclerotiorum were collected from symptomatic bean plants within each of 10 fields across New York State, USA in 2014. Eight microsatellite (SSR) markers were used to characterise the genotypic diversity of the hyphal-tipped isolates. Twenty-four multilocus genotypes (MLGs) were detected within the population but one MLG was most prevalent. Although STRUCTURE analysis identified two subpopulations, these subpopulations were not associated with geographic location, suggesting no spatial structure to the population. In addition, the pathogen populations were predominantly clonal, with some evidence of infrequent outcrossing. These findings may assist in understanding the durability of management strategies for white mould and support the selection of representative isolates for host resistance screening for pathogen populations in the sampling area.
Dynamics of consumer decision making of over-the-counter drugs: evaluating product comparison claims and moderating role of price consciousness

ABSTRACTPrice consciousness has been found to be an important factor in consumers’ over-the-counter (OTC) drug decision making. In response to this, major drug store chains have employed low-price strategies to attract consumers and which has contributed to the growth of private label (PL) (or store brand) OTC drug sales. However, while a comparative claim in the PL OTC drug packaging (e.g. a reference to national leading brands) is a predominant message approach, little is known about how such a message strategy interacts with consumers’ price consciousness on their packaging message evaluation and drug purchase decision making. An online experiment using a U.S. adult consumer panel was conducted to examine the moderating role of price consciousness in evaluating the PL OTC packaging comparative claims and making a purchase decision. The results showed that consumers’ varying price consciousness levels moderated the effects of comparative claims in PL OTC packaging. Furthermore, the comparative claim eff...
Domestic violence counselors and secondary traumatic stress (STS): A brief qualitative report and strategies for support

ABSTRACTMental health counselors who provide trauma counseling to domestic violence survivors are exposed to catastrophic stories of danger, physical and emotional vulnerability. As counselors try to assess and treatment plan for and with survivors, they are often deeply affected. For some practitioners, bearing witness to these frightening narratives results in a sympathetic form of trauma known as secondary traumatic stress. This article reports on the findings from a convenience sampling of domestic violence shelter counselors (N = 11). Patterns of emotional reactions emerge as a result of two focus groups. Four themes emerged: 1) hypervigilance, 2) impact on personal life, 3) a shift in worldview and 4) methods of coping.
Maternal Socioeconomic Mobility and Preterm Delivery: A Latent Class Analysis

Objective Growing evidence suggests that maternal socioeconomic mobility (SM) is associated with pregnancy outcomes. Our study investigated the association between maternal SM from childhood to adulthood and the risk of preterm delivery (PTD), and examined heterogeneity of associations by race/ethnicity. Methods In this study, 3019 pregnant women enrolled from 5 Michigan communities at 16–27 weeks’ gestation (1998–2004) provided their parents’ socioeconomic position (SEP) indicators (education, occupation, receipt of public assistance) and their own and child’s father’s SEP indicators (education, occupation, Medicaid status, and household income) at the time of enrollment. Latent class analysis was used to identify latent classes of childhood SEP indicators, adulthood SEP indicators, and SM from childhood to adulthood, respectively. A model-based approach to latent class analysis with distal outcome assessed relations between latent class and PTD, overall and within race/ethnicity groups. Results Three latent classes (low, middle, high) were identified for childhood SEP indicators and adulthood SEP indicators, respectively; while four latent classes (static low, upward, downward, and static high) best described SM. Women with upward SM had decreased odds of PTD (Odds ratio = 0.60, 95% confidence interval: 0.42, 0.87), compared to those with static low SEP. This SM advantage was true for all women and most pronounced in white/others women. Conclusions Maternal experiences of upward SM may be important considerations when assessing PTD risk. Our results support the argument that policies and programs aimed at improving women’s SEP could lower PTD rates.
The Local Impact of the Civilian Conservation Corps, 1933-1942

The success of Franklin Roosevelt's Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) has been well documented. The program was productive in conservation work and popular wtih the general public. For the most part, CCC camps were welcomed by nearby communities. Most scholarly work on the CCC has focused on policy developments in Washington and, in many of these accounts, the popularity of the CCC has been described in terms of agrarian values such as tree planting and healthy outdoor living. In contrast, this study focuses on the local level, looks at concrete variables directly related to camp-community relations, and concludes that acceptance of the CCC camps was governed largely by more tangible economic matters. The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a New Deal program which engaged unemployed young men in conservation work in rural areas. The brainchild of Franklin D. Roosevelt, the CCC was genuinely committed to tree planting, erosion control, and other conservation projects. The program was highly successful in these efforts. The U.S. Army was given responsibility for managing the residential work centers, or "camps," and the Forest Service, the National Park Service, and other conservationoriented offices of government managed the work projects. The CCC lasted from April of 1933 to June of 1942. Over this nine year period, approximately three million young men, ages 17 through 28, were einployed for an average period of ten months. "Roosevelt's Tree Army," as the CCC was sometimes called, was among the most highly regarded New Deal agencies. Republicans supported the program almost as enthusiastically as Democrats. Approval also was reflected in the small, rural communities near the CCC camps. Communities generally welcomed the camps. As one indication of this support, an overwhelming majority of letters from communities to the CCC director's office were positive. Most letters requested new camps or requested to keep already existing camps (Table 1). For the camps, this support was crucial--the nearby community often represented the only social and recreational opportunities available to CCC enrollees and staff. * The author has received research grant support from the U.S. Department of Labor and the Eleanor Roosevelt Institute
The Vector Parameterization of Motion

This paper presents a vector parameterization of motion thatgeneralizes the vector parameterization of rotation. The Plucker coordinates of an arbitrary material line of a rigid bodysubjected to a screw motion are shown to transform by the action of amotion tensor. The proposed vector parameterization completelydescribes an arbitrary motion by means of two vectors that constitutean eigenvector of the motion tensor associated with its positive uniteigenvalue. The first vector is conveniently selected as the vectorparameterization of rotation, and the second is related to thedisplacement of a point of the rigid body. A complete description ofmotion is presented in terms of a generic vectorparameterization. Relevant formulae for specific parameterizations ofthis class can then be easily obtained. More details are given forthree parameterizations that present desirable properties: the Euler,Cayley–Gibbs–Rodrigues, and Wiener–Milenkovic motionparameters. Applications to the dynamic analysis of a rigid body arepresented as an illustration.
Provably-Correct Compositional Synthesis of Vehicle Safety Systems

As the automobile evolves toward full autonomy, many driver convenience and safety automation systems are being introduced into production vehicles. These systems often include controllers designed for individual tasks. Designing individual controllers for interacting subsystems, and composing them in a way that preserves the guarantees that each controller provides on each subsystem, is a challenging task. This chapter presents recent results addressing this problem through the use of formal methods and correct-by-construction controller synthesis. Mechanisms for handling implementation- and model imperfections, and contract-based composition of functionality, are discussed. The ideas are demonstrated in high-fidelity simulations in CarSim, and also on a real vehicle in Mcity, the autonomous vehicle testing facility at the University of Michigan.
Nanometer Scale Coating Using Atomic Layer Deposition Technique To Enhance Performance of Bio-Medical Devices

Nanofabrication is the meeting ground of engineering, biology, physics, medicine and chemistry. Most of these disciplines converge at the nanoscale, towards the same building blocks, principles, tools of investigation and fabrication. By the same token, micro- and nano-fabrication techniques are applicable in a wide range of non-traditional research areas and advance manufacturing, in particular, applications in the biomedical areas have been growing rapidly. In this work, a semiconductor microfabrication technique such as atomic layer deposition (ALD) has been applied to bio-medical stent devices as the preferred nano-scale coating method that demonstrated an enhanced in the device performance that is directly related to conformal and uniform atomic level coating. In this work, bio-medical stent devices are coated with sub-30 nm thickness of Aluminum Oxide using a plasma-enhanced ALD method. This work also describes the characterization of layer thickness using various techniques such as Ellipsometry, Scanning electron microscopy and Focused ion beam scanning electron microscopy and the results demonstrate the conformality and uniformity of the coating layer. The work also demonstrates the impact of the ALD coating on the successful adherence and coatings of other subsequent organic layer coatings on the stent device that ultimately improves the performance of the ALD coated stent devices in terms of its anti-clotting properties.
Optimal Computation Offloading in Edge-Assisted UAV Systems

The ability of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) to autonomously operate is constrained by the severe limitations of on-board resources. The limited processing speed and energy storage of these devices inevitably makes the real-time analysis of complex signals the key to autonomy challenging. In urban environments, the UAV can leverage the communication and computation resources of the surrounding city-wide Internet of Things infrastructure to enhance their capabilities. For instance, the UAVs can interconnect with edge computing resources and offload computation task to improve response time to sensor input and reduce energy consumption. However, the complexity of the urban topology and the large number of devices and data streams competing for the same network and computation resources create an extremely dynamic environment, where poor channel conditions and edge server congestion may penalize the performance of task offloading. This paper develops a framework enabling optimal offloading decisions as a function of network and computation load parameters and current state. The optimization is formulated as an optimal stopping time problem over a Markov process.
A 310-GHz Fundamental Oscillator with 0.4-mW Output Power and 3.2% dc-to-RF Efficiency in 65-nm CMOS

This paper presents a 310-GHz fundamental oscillator with a differential T-embedding network. An on-chip transformer acts part of an embedding component and produces a single-ended output. The design is implemented in 65-nm CMOS process, occupying a core area of 0.01 μm2. The oscillator generates 0.4-mW output power from two 16-μm transistor while drawing 10.39-mA current from a 1.2-V power supply, corresponding to a 3.2% dc-to-RF efficiency. To the best of the author’s knowledge, this oscillator provides the highest fundamental frequency in CMOS with high output power and dc-to-RF efficiency.
All in the mix: race, class and school choice: by Bridget Byrne and Carla De Tona, Manchester, Manchester University Press, 2019, vi + 184 pp., £80.00 (hardback), ISBN 978-0719091155

School choice has been one of the prominent ways in which educational reformers have tried to improve schooling since the late twentieth century. The idea behind the choice movement has been that s...
Compliance with statewide regulations for communication of patients’ multidrug-resistant organism and Clostridium difficile status during transitions of care

In 2014, Oregon implemented an interfacility transfer communication law requiring notification of multidrug-resistant organism status on patient transfer. Based on 2015 and 2016 statewide facility surveys, compliance was 77% and 87% for hospitals, and 67% and 68% for skilled nursing facilities. Methods for complying with the rule were heterogeneous, and fewer than half of all facilities surveyed reported use of a standardized interfacility transfer communication form to assess a patient's multidrug-resistant organism status on transfer.
Achieving Osmotic Stability in the Context of Critical Illness and Acute Kidney Injury During Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy

The concept of osmotic stability during renal replacement therapy has received limited attention thus far. We report an illustrative case of a previously healthy 22 year old male presenting after prolonged ventricular fibrillation with 75 minutes of resuscitative efforts before regaining spontaneous perfusing rhythm. Central nervous system protecting hypothermia protocol and veno-arterious (VA) extracorporeal membrane oxygenator (ECMO) therapy were initiated at hospital admission due to refractory hypoxemia. Cardiovascular imaging procedures described global hypokinesis. Due to the combination of anuria, mixed acidosis and hemodynamic instability, we started continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) in continuous veno-venous hemodiafiltration functionality with added hypertonic saline solution (HTS) protocol, calculated to stabilize his serum sodium between 148 and 150 mEq/L. Serum osmolality also ranged between 321 and 317 mOsm/kg thereafter. Course was complicated by an acute right leg ischemia distal to VA ECMO cannula placement, requiring salvage therapy with cryoamputation. Vasoactive medication requirement and hemodynamics improved after the addition of intravenous (IV) hydrocortisone. Brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) 22 days post-arrest showed signals of limited hypoxic injury. He left the hospital in stable condition with limited neurologic sequelae. Therefore, the use of HTS during CRRT is a viable way to address potential or manifest cerebral edema and reduce the degree of cerebral injury.
Control of Ankle Angles During Gait Cycle for Lower Limb Prosthesis

Mimicking ankle angles continuously and accurately during gait cycle for lower limb prosthesis is of prime importance in prosthesis control. A robust control system is thus desired to mimic natural gait cycle of a healthy human for an amputee. This research focuses on simulating a control system which mimics natural ankle angles of human ankle biomechanics. The controller mimics a reference ankle angle input as output with maximum accuracy for lower limb prosthesis developed earlier. This control system can be further advanced to mimic human ankle torque and power profiles as well.
The role of conditional factors in testimonial health messaging: re-examining the influence of self vs. relational goals

Self and relational goals influence health behaviors. This investigation examined how these distinct motivations affect response to persuasive anti-smoking testimonials. While self vs. relational m...
Tumor-derived exosomes drive immunosuppressive macrophages in a pre-metastatic niche through NF-Kβ dependent glycolytic metabolic reprogramming.

The formation of a pre-metastatic niche is a fundamental requirement for primary tumor metastasis. One of the defining characteristics of a pre-metastatic niche is infiltration of immunosuppressive macrophages. However, how these macrophages acquire their immunosuppressive phenotype remains largely unexplored. Here, we demonstrate that tumor-derived exosomes (TDE) polarize macrophages towards an immunosuppressive phenotype characterized by increased PD-L1 expression through NF-kB-dependent metabolic reprogramming in mice and humans. While NF-κB has previously been shown to act as a direct transcription factor for PD-L1, we report a novel mechanism where TDE-induced NF-κB activation drives PD-L1 expression by augmenting the glycolytic capacity of macrophages through two separate pathways. First, NF-κB increases glucose uptake into macrophages via a HIF-1α/GLUT-1-dependent mechanism. Secondly, elevated NOS2-dependent nitric oxide inhibits mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation resulting in an increased conversion of pyruvate to lactate. Lactate then feeds back on NF-κB further increasing PD-L1 expression. Analysis of metastasis negative draining lymph nodes of non-small cell lung cancer patients revealed that macrophage PD-L1 expression positively correlates with expression levels of GLUT-1 and exosomal release genes YKT6 and TSG101 from primary tumors. Collectively, our study provides a novel mechanism by which macrophages within a pre-metastatic niche acquire their immunosuppressive phenotype and identifies an important link between exosomes, metabolism, and metastasis.
Testing for risk aversion in first-price sealed-bid auctions

Abstract We consider testing for risk aversion in first-price sealed-bid auctions with symmetric bidders and independent private values. We impose several restrictions on the parameter space, which are all implied by Guerre et al. (2009)’s exclusion restriction, and we articulate what restrictions are needed for our test to control the limiting size and to be pointwise consistent. Critical values can be obtained from the standard normal distribution. We also analyze local-power properties and show that our test detects local alternative at the parametric rate.
Algal-driven priming of cellulose decomposition along a phosphorus gradient in stream mesocosms

AbstractPrimary producer-based and detrital-based energy pathways in streams are intertwined. Interactions between algae and heterotrophic microorganisms may accelerate or inhibit recalcitrant orga...
Risk Factors for Veteran Food Insecurity: Findings from a National US Department of Veterans Affairs Food Insecurity Screener.

OBJECTIVE Food insecurity is associated with numerous adverse health outcomes. The US Veterans Health Administration (VHA) began universal food insecurity screening in 2017. This study examined prevalence and correlates of food insecurity among Veterans screened. DESIGN Retrospective cross-sectional study using VHA administrative data. Multivariable logistic regression models were estimated to identify sociodemographic and medical characteristics associated with a positive food insecurity screen. SETTING All US VA medical centers (n=161). PARTICIPANTS All Veterans screened for food insecurity since screening initiation (July 2017-December 2018). RESULTS Of 3,304,702 Veterans screened for food insecurity, 44,298 were positive on their initial screen (1.3% of men; 2.0% of women). Food insecurity was associated with identifying as non-Hispanic Black or Hispanic. Veterans who were non-married/partnered, low-income Veterans without VA disability-related compensation, and those with housing instability had higher odds of food insecurity, as did Veterans with a BMI<18.5, diabetes, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Prior military sexual trauma was associated with food insecurity among both men and women. Women screening positive, however, were eight times more likely than men to have experienced military sexual trauma (48.9% vs 5.9%). CONCLUSIONS Food insecurity was associated with medical and trauma-related comorbidities as well as unmet social needs including housing instability. Additionally, Veterans of color and women were at higher risk for food insecurity. Findings can inform development of tailored interventions to address food insecurity such as more frequent screening among high-risk populations, onsite support applying for federal food assistance programs, and formal partnerships with community-based resources.
Stem and progenitor cells: advancing bone tissue engineering

Unlike many other postnatal tissues, bone can regenerate and repair itself; nevertheless, this capacity can be overcome. Traditionally, surgical reconstructive strategies have implemented autologous, allogeneic, and prosthetic materials. Autologous bone--the best option--is limited in supply and also mandates an additional surgical procedure. In regenerative tissue engineering, there are myriad issues to consider in the creation of a functional, implantable replacement tissue. Importantly, there must exist an easily accessible, abundant cell source with the capacity to express the phenotype of the desired tissue, and a biocompatible scaffold to deliver the cells to the damaged region. A literature review was performed using PubMed; peer-reviewed publications were screened for relevance in order to identify key advances in stem and progenitor cell contribution to the field of bone tissue engineering. In this review, we briefly introduce various adult stem cells implemented in bone tissue engineering such as mesenchymal stem cells (including bone marrow- and adipose-derived stem cells), endothelial progenitor cells, and induced pluripotent stem cells. We then discuss numerous advances associated with their application and subsequently focus on technological advances in the field, before addressing key regenerative strategies currently used in clinical practice. Stem and progenitor cell implementation in bone tissue engineering strategies have the ability to make a major impact on regenerative medicine and reduce patient morbidity. As the field of regenerative medicine endeavors to harness the body's own cells for treatment, scientific innovation has led to great advances in stem cell-based therapies in the past decade.
Total Pancreatectomy and Islet Autotransplantation

Chronic pancreatitis (CP) is long-standing inflammation of the pancreas, which can present as episodes of acute inflammation in a previously injured pancreas or as chronic damage with persistent pain and/or malabsorption. Recurrent pancreatitis events often leads to CP, which in turn may result in malabsorption from exocrine deficiency; diabetes from endocrine deficiency (observed in 26–80 % of patients, and classified by the American Diabetes Association as Type 3c—etiology due to diseases of the exocrine pancreas); increased risk of malignant transformation from chronic inflammation; or a state of chronic pain that significantly impacts quality of life, with a continual need for pain medications (Rickels et al. 2013). Causes of CP include hereditary (genetic) disease (Whitcomb 2013), alcohol abuse, pancreatic duct obstruction, other systemic diseases, and autoimmune conditions. With improved genetic diagnostics, what was previously labeled as idiopathic disease is now increasingly being accurately attributed to well-defined hereditary diseases.
Resistivity, adhesive strength, and residual stress measurements of thin film metallizations on single crystal quartz

A study of resistivity, adhesive strength, and residual stress measurements which were made on 450 AA Cr/1800 AA Au and 450 AA Mo/1800 AA Au thin films deposited on optically polished, z-plate single crystal quartz surfaces is discussed. The films were analyzed after deposition and following annealing at 380 degrees C or 450 degrees C for 30 min in either air or vacuum. The resistivity of the Cr/Au film increased by 1090% and 1780% after vacuum annealing at 390 degrees C and 450 degrees C, respectively. These increases were reduced when 1000 AA of Ni or Mo were introduced as barrier layers between the Cr and Au to prevent interdiffusion of the two layers. The resistivity of the Mo/Au films remained unchanged after all annealing exposures. The Cr/Au, Cr/Mo/Au, and Cr/Ni/Au films had adhesion strengths of 41 to 70 MPa in both the as-deposited and annealed conditions. The adhesive strength of the Mo/Au metallization was 23 to 31 MPa except after the 450 degrees C air anneal, where the value dropped to zero. The residual stress of the as-deposited Cr/Au films was 170 MPa (tensile) but became compressive at -120 to -250 MPa after annealing. The Mo/Au metallization was deposited with a zero stress value that also became compressive at -140 to -180 MPa. >
Deep-sea piezophilic bacteria

Publisher Summary The chapter discusses deep-sea piezophillic bacteria. Hyperpiezopsychrophiles are psychrophilic microorganisms having a maximum growth rate at a pressure greater than 50 MPa and grow poorly, if at all, at atmospheric pressure. They are the most pressure adapted bacteria known. Their cultivation is possible starting with unwarmed, decompressed samples even of the greatest ocean depths (beyond 10 500 m) if the enrichment cultures are compressed within an hour or so of the sample's arrival on board ship. Hyperpiezopsychrophiles from a 6000 m depth survive in water samples kept on ice at atmospheric pressure for two weeks. High-pressure laboratory methods are indispensable for pure-culture deep-sea microbiology. Enrichment cultures incubated at the pressure and temperature of that depth yield true inhabitants of that depth. The laboratory methods described in this chapter are useful for the enrichment, isolation, and pure culture study of some of the microbial inhabitants of deep-sea and subsurface habitats. The methods are accessible to anyone wishing to make a modest investment in high-pressure equipment.
Toward building a robust and intelligent video surveillance system: a case study

With the proliferation of inexpensive cameras, availability of large-capacity disk storage, and the ubiquitous presence of high-speed, broad-band communication networks, it is now economically and technically feasible to construct and deploy multi-camera video surveillance systems. In line with this is the need of intelligent, robust, (semi-)automated video analysis paradigms to assist the operators in scene analysis and event classification. In this paper, we summarize our current research work toward realizing such a multi-camera video surveillance system. Interested readers can visit our web sites http://www.ece.ucsb.edu/~echang and http://www.cs.ucsb.edu/ ~yfwang for more information
Timing of fracture fixation in blunt trauma patients with severe head injuries

Abstract Background: Early fracture fixation in blunt trauma patients is suggested to decrease postoperative morbidity by allowing early mobilization and reducing the release of harmful inflammatory mediators. Some studies have challenged this concept in the presence of severe associated injuries, and especially head trauma. Methods: The records of 47 consecutive blunt trauma patients with severe head injuries, as defined by a Glasgow Coma Score (GCS) ≤8 and a head Abbreviated Injury Score (AIS) ≥3, and long bone fractures requiring surgical fixation were reviewed. The study population was divided into the early fixation (EF) group, consisting of 22 patients who underwent fracture fixation within 24 hours of admission (mean time 17 ± 8.5 hours); and the late fixation (LF) group, consisting of 25 patients, who had orthopedic repair at a later time (mean 143 ± 178 hours). Results: The two groups were similar in terms of overall injury severity, neurologic injuries, hemodynamic and neurologic status on admission, and operations received. Patients in the EF group had a higher injury severity of extremity fractures (extremity AIS: 2.9 ± 0.2 versus 2.4 ± 0.5, P = 0.0002) and a higher incidence of open fractures (72% versus 36%, P = 0.02). There was no difference in intraoperative and postoperative hypoxic and hypotensive episodes. Neurologic, orthopedic, and general complications were the same between the two groups. The mean GCS on discharge was 12 ± 3 for both groups with equal distribution among patients. Although there was a trend toward longer hospital stay (25 ± 17 versus 17 ± 10 days, P = 0.057) among LF patients, mechanical ventilation days, length of stay, and mortality were not different. Conclusions: Timing of fracture fixation in this group of blunt trauma patients with severe head injuries did not influence morbidity, mortality, or neurologic outcome.
Managing personal and group collections of information

The internet revolution has dramatically increased the amount of information available to users. Various tools such as search engines have been developed to help users find the information they need from this vast repository. Users often also need tools to help manipulate the growing amount of useful information they have discovered. Current tools available for this purpose are typically local components of web browsers designed to manage URL bookmarks. They provide limited functionalities to handle high information complexities. To tackle this have created DIAMS, an agent-based tool to help users or groups manage their information collections and share their collections with other. the main features of DIAMS are described here.
An Analysis of Sports Agent Regulation in Intercollegiate Athletics: A Call for Cooperation

The purpose of this article is to review the current environment associated with agents, student-athletes and the other parties involved with the organization and management of intercollegiate sport and to discuss how these groups can better work together at Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) institutions. Within, a total of 29 (23.2%) of the 125 Division-1 FBS universities responded to our request to provide institutional literature on their agent policies and Agent Days. Results from this request and analysis of documents show some effort to educate student-athletes about sport agents and to create an ethical environment but more could be done. Next, this work sought to review the realities/outcomes of unethical agent and student-athlete relationships and explain the policies and practices of the NCAA as well as federal and state laws regarding agent and student-athlete interaction. Finally, this work offers a variety of suggestions/recommendations to better protect student-athletes and institut...
Laser-induced multiple ionization of molecular ion beams: N 2 + , CO + , NO + , and O 2 +

We have simultaneously measured the kinetic energy release and the angular distributions for the multiply charged fragmentation of diatomic molecular ions, ${{\text{N}}_{2}}^{+}$, ${\text{CO}}^{+}$, ${\text{NO}}^{+}$, and ${{\text{O}}_{2}}^{+}$, in intense ultrashort laser pulses. Using a coincidence three-dimensional momentum imaging method we unambiguously separate all fragmentation channels, including dissociation, since we measure both neutral and ionic products. Based on the experimental results, we conclude that the fragmentation mechanism that explains the multielectron dissociative ionization of these molecular ions entails a stairstep process. This mechanism, which involves stretching the molecules prior to each sequential ionization step, is similar to that proposed in some earlier studies that use neutral molecules as targets. We find that structure in the breakup of the molecules to lower charge states is molecule specific, while, for breakup to higher charge states, all species tend to follow a universal trend.
Naturally Occurring Antisense Transcripts Are Present in Chick Embryo Chondrocytes Simultaneously with the Down-regulation of the α1(I) Collagen Gene

It has previously been shown that very low steady state levels of α1(I) collagen mRNA are present in chick embryo sternal chondrocytes (Askew, G. R., Wang, S., and Lukens, L. N.(1991) J. Biol. Chem. 266, 16834-16841), yet nuclear run-on experiments with double-stranded cDNA probes indicated a high transcription rate at this locus. These findings were investigated in this study using single-stranded probes, where nuclear run-on experiments showed that antisense transcription of the α1(I) collagen gene was occurring in chondrocytes, while sense strand transcription was down-regulated. Treatment of these chondrocytes with 5-bromo-2′-deoxyuridine (BrdU), which causes the cells to resemble their mesenchymal precursors, resulted in an antiparallel situation, where antisense transcription was lost, and instead, sense strand transcription was acquired, suggesting that the reverse switch from sense to antisense transcription occurs during chondrogenesis. Very large (>10 kilobases) and heterogeneous antisense transcripts of moderate stability were shown to span both ends of the gene in chondrocytes, while their absence was shown in BrdU-treated chondrocytes, chick embryo fibroblasts, and a variety of other tissues. The function of these antisense transcripts is so far unknown, but their unusual chondrocyte-specific appearance, concurrent with little or no sense strand transcription, suggests a possible functional role in the down-regulation of the α1(I) collagen gene.
Designing geo-spatial interfaces to scale process models: the GeoWEPP approach

Practical decision making in spatially distributed environmental assessment and management is increasingly based on environmental process models linked to geographical information systems. Powerful personal computers and Internet-accessible assessment tools are providing much greater public access to, and use of, environmental models and geo-spatial data. However traditional process models, such as the water erosion prediction project (WEPP), were not typically developed with a flexible graphical user interface (GUI) for applications across a wide range of spatial and temporal scales, utilizing readily available geo-spatial data of highly variable precision and accuracy, and communicating with a diverse spectrum of users with different levels of expertise. As the development of the geo-spatial interface for WEPP (GeoWEPP) demonstrates, the GUI plays a key role in facilitating effective communication between the tool developer and user about data and model scales. The GeoWEPP approach illustrates that it is critical to develop a scientific and functional framework for the design, implementation, and use of such geo-spatial model assessment tools. The way that GeoWEPP was developed and implemented suggests a framework and scaling theory leading to a practical approach for developing geo-spatial interfaces for process models. GeoWEPP accounts for fundamental water erosion processes, model, and users needs, but most important it also matches realistic data availability and environmental settings by enabling even non-GIS-literate users to assemble the available geo-spatial data quickly to start soil and water conservation planning. In general, it is potential users' spatial and temporal scales of interest, and scales of readily available data, that should drive model design or selection, as opposed to using or designing the most sophisticated process model as the starting point and then determining data needs and result scales.
The visibility effects of Amex listing

Abstract This study examines whether visibility changes for companies moving from Nasdaq to the Amex. A control sample of companies that did not leave the Nasdaq Stock Market serves as a basis for comparing changes in visibility. Four proxies are used to measure visibility: (1) the number of analysts estimating the company’s next fiscal year’s earnings (NOA), (2) the number of institutional shareholders (NOI), (3) the number of shares held by institutions (NOS), and (4) the number of citations in The Wall Street Journal (NOC). The initial evidence supports a relationship between Amex listing and visibility gains when measured by NOI, NOS, and NOC. Small companies show significant visibility gains in NOA. The findings contain evidence that companies seeking Amex listing are generally neglected by analysts and institutions. Regression analysis provides additional evidence that Amex listing, not earnings growth, helps to explain visibility gains in NOI, NOS, and NOC.
Atomic-Scale Precision Motion Control Stage (The Angstrom Stage)

Abstract This paper describes a magnetically-suspended six-degree-of-freedom precision motion control stage with sub-nanometer positioning stability inside a 100 μm cube of travel. This stage utilizes multiple electromagnetic actuators and capacitance probes to provide control forces and position feedback. respectively. The suspended platen (3 kg mass) is floated in oil to enhance the performance of the magnetic bearings. The stage has been designed for use as a sample positioning stage for scanning-tunneling microscopy. We present images obtained by scanning-tunneling microscopy which show that the positioning noise of the stage is below 0.2 nm peak-to-peak over 5 seconds. These data demonstrate the utility of this stage as a new concept for precision motion control.
Palmar purpuric lichen nitidus—clinicopathological and dermoscopic findings

Abstract Lichen nitidus (LN) is an uncommon dermatosis of unknown etiology. LN confined to the palms is an unusual presentation and only a few cases have been reported. The clinical features may mimic pompholyx, pitted keratosis, and porokeratotic eccrine ostial and dermal duct nevus. We herein report a rare case of palmar purpuric LN with characteristic dermoscopic findings.
Particle production near marine clouds: Sulfuric acid and predictions from classical binary nucleation

Recent experiments demonstrate that cloud processes in the free troposphere, and at times in the marine boundary layer (MBL), can result in the production of new aerosol particles linked to sulfuric acid production that is photochemically driven. Here we provide observational evidence from the tropics and mid-latitudes indicating that this nucleation is often in accord with predictions of classical binary nucleation theory when it is applied to the high humidity environment near evaporating clouds edges located above the MBL, Coupled with suitable models for the relevant chemical species and conditions, these observations suggest a means for modeling natural particle production in these regions.
Perceptual independence of the hemifields in children and adults

Abstract Second graders, fifth graders, and college students were shown words and letters under conditions designed to assess the extent to which stimuli presented to one hemifield and consequently one hemisphere are affected by stimuli projected to the other hemifield. Hemifield, and by implication, hemispheric independence was more likely to occur for letters and among the children, and in each case hemifield asymmetries in performance were also less pronounced. These results were discussed in terms of developmental models of perceptual asymmetry and hemispheric interaction.
Brief report: Replicability of factors in children's report of parent behavior (CRPBI) among orthopedically disabled and nondisabled adolescents

Comparaison entre des adolescents avec ou sans handicaps orthopediques, dans le but de montrer la generalisabilite de la structure factorielle du CRPBI
Effect of the velocity-field peak on I–V characteristics of GaAs FET's

Abstract We have extended the standard theoretical model for junction field-effect tarnsistors to include a peak in the velocity-field curve, such as occurs for GaAs and InP. It is shown that the I–V characteristics are quite different in the two cases for low gate-bias voltages. Also, changes in the channel thickness, and in the fields, at various points in the channel, are discussed.
Are habitual overgeneral recollection and prospection maladaptive

Abstract Background and objectives Individuals with depression exhibit difficulty retrieving specific memories and imagining specific future events when instructed to do so relative to non-clinical comparison groups. Instead of specific events, depressed individuals frequently retrieve or imagine “overgeneral” memories that span a long period of time or that denote a category of similar events. Recently, Raes, Hermans, Williams, and Eelen (2007) developed a sentence completion procedure (SCEPT) to assess the tendency to recall overgeneral autobiographical memories. They found that specificity on this measure was associated with depression and rumination. We aimed to replicate these findings and to examine the tendency to imagine overgeneral future events. Methods We had 170 subjects complete past (SCEPT) and future-oriented (SCEFT) sentence completion tasks and measures of depression severity, PTSD severity, hopelessness, and repetitive negative thought. Results Although specificities of past and future events were correlated, neither SCEPT nor SCEFT specificity was negatively associated with depression severity, posttraumatic stress symptoms, repetitive negative thought (RNT), or hopelessness. Limitations Our data are cross-sectional, preventing any determination of causality and limiting our assessment of whether specificity is associated with psychological distress following a stressful life event. In addition, we observed poor internal consistency for both the SCEPT and SCEFT. Conclusions These findings fail to support the hypothesis that overgeneral memory and prospection on these tasks are associated with psychological distress.
Long-term spatial memory in four seed-caching corvid species

Abstract Clark's nutcrackers,Nucifraga columbianapinyon jays,Gymnorhinus cyanocephalusscrub-jays,Aphelocoma coerulescensand Mexican jays,A. ultramarinadiffer in their dependence on cached seeds in their natural environments. The hypothesis that these species differ in their long-term ability to remember the locations of caches was tested in the laboratory. Birds recovered caches 10, 60, 150 and 250 days after making them. All species performed at levels better than chance overall, but scrub-jays and Mexican jays performed with modest accuracy at all time intervals. Nutcrackers and pinyon jays performed very accurately with 10- and 60-day intervals but not after longer intervals. These results corroborate the species differences in spatial memory that have been observed in previous studies. The performance of scrub- and Mexican jays can, however, be interpreted either as the rapid forgetting of most information or as the long-term retention of a small amount of information. Therefore it cannot be concluded that these four species differ in their long-term spatial memory abilities.
Theory of semiclassical expansions for many-particle systems.

We present a functional-integral method that is suitable for obtaining nonperturbative solutions to the partition function of fermion systems. The density matrix is cast as an expansion about the classical path contributions, and the quantum corrections can be calculated systematically by using retarded propagators in the space holomorphic functions. It is shown that the semiclassical expansion amounts to a high-temperature expansion, where the first nonvanishing quantum correction is of O(${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\beta}}}^{2}$). Each term of the semiclassical expansion may contain the coupling parameter in all orders of perturbation theory. The method can also be extended to boson systems.
Input decimated ensembles

Using an ensemble of classifiers instead of a single classifier has been shown to improve generalization performance in many pattern recognition problems. However, the extent of such improvement depends greatly on the amount of correlation among the errors of the base classifiers. Therefore, reducing those correlations while keeping the classifiers' performance levels high is an important area of research. In this article, we explore input decimation (ID), a method which selects feature subsets for their ability to discriminate among the classes and uses them to decouple the base classifiers. We provide a summary of the theoretical benefits of correlation reduction, along with results of our method on two underwater sonar data sets, three benchmarks from the Probenl/UCI repositories, and two synthetic data sets. The results indicate that input decimated ensembles (IDEs) outperform ensembles whose base classifiers use all the input features; randomly selected subsets of features; and features created using principal components analysis, on a wide range of domains.
The assessment of mood and affect in developmentally disabled children and adolescents: The Emotional Disorders Rating Scale

Abstract There is an unmet need for a reliable method of evaluating disorders of mood and affect in developmentally disabled children and adolescents. Such a measure is required for both accurate diagnosis and treatment monitoring in this population. An extensive review of existing assessment techniques confirms that: (a) current techniques for the evaluation of emotional disorders in cognitively normal individuals are inappropriate for most children with developmental disabilities; and (b) current instruments designed for the assessment of developmentally disabled children pay inadequate attention to affective symptoms. In this paper, the preliminary version of a new instrument, the “Emotional Disorders Rating Scale for Developmental Disabilities” (EDRS-DD), designed to evaluate mood and affect in children and adolescents with developmental disabilities, is presented. A pilot study indicates that interrater agreement is good.