cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Hepatic granulomatosis and sarcoidosis.

The etiology of hepatic granulomatosis discovered in patients with normal chest roentgenograms is controversial. Among 18 such patients studied in recent years, sarcoidosis was identified as the cause in 15 by demonstration of granulomatous inflammation in extrahepatic tissues, employing a variety of biopsy methods. Serum angiotensin levels were raised in all 10 patients tested and gallium scans were helpful in four of six cases. Prolonged fever was the most common symptom, but three patients had severe right upper quadrant pain, a manifestation of hepatic sarcoidosis not previously described. Improvement on corticosteroids was observed in the 14 treated patients, but incomplete response led to use of cytotoxic drugs in three cases. Sarcoidosis presents with normal chest roentgenograms more often than is appreciated and appears to be a common cause of unexplained persistent hepatic granulomatosis. A firm diagnosis should be established since treatment is long and frustrating. The prognosis is good but treatment for years is required in most cases.
Comparison of ground reflectance measurements, airborne video, and spot satellite data for estimating phytomass and cover on rangelands

Abstract Ground reflectance measurements, aerial video, and SPOT satellite data were compared for assessing herbaceous phytomass production and cover measurements on a south Texas rangeland area. Aerial video and ground reflectance data were acquired in April 1990 and in May and October 1991. For the October date, SPOT data was also obtained. Vegetation vigor was generally low in April 1990 due to insufficient precipitation and past drought, whereas more vigorous growing conditions prevailed in May and October 1991. The near‐infrared(NIR)/red ratio and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) were computed from the respective reflectance, video, and SPOT data. Regression analysis was used to relate the remote sensing data to phytomass and cover. Neither video or reflectance data were related to phytomass in April 1990, but they were significantly (p = 0.01) related to cover. In May and October 1991, video and reflectance data were significantly (p = 0.01) related to both phytomass and cover. SPOT dat...
d -function approach to the electromagnetic response of semiconductor heterostructures

On developpe une theorie de la reponse electromagnetique des heterostructures d'un semiconducteur en se basant sur une approche de la fonctiond de Feibelman. On teste cette theorie en etudiant la reponse d'une heterojonction du semiconducteur GaAs−Al x Ga 1−x As et en comparant les resultats aux donnees experimentales appropriees
Isolation, sequence analysis, and biological activity of atrolysin E/D, the non-RGD disintegrin domain from Crotalus atrox venom.

Abstract Crotalid snake venom metalloproteinases often have associated with them nonproteinase domains that may be processed from the mature proteinases. Nascent atrolysin E, from the western diamondback rattlesnake, Crotalus atrox, has a metalloproteinasedomain and a non-RGD disintegrin domain that is lacking in the mature metalloproteinase. In this studywe report on the isolation, sequence analysis, andbiological activity of the 7.4-kDa atrolysin E disintegrin domain (atrolysin E/D). Atrolysin E/D represents approximately 0.2% of the total protein fromthe crude venom. The protein begins with a glycinyl residue found in the latter part of the spacer region.The sequence of atrolysin E/D is identical to thatof the non-RGD disintegrin domain of atrolysin E.The structure is termed a non-RGD disintegrin sincein lieu of the characteristic RGD sequence, a Met-Val-Asp (MVD) is found instead. Nevertheless, the protein is a potent inhibitor of both collagen- and ADP-stimulated platelet aggregation with IC 50 values of 4 and 8 nM, respectively. A cyclized synthetic peptide, Ac- CRVSMVDRNDDTC -NH 2 , which represents the sequence of the atrolysin E/D non-RGD loop, was demonstrated to be an effective inhibitor of platelet aggregation. Therefore, this region of atrolysin E/D's structure, as in the disintegrins proper, is important for the biological activity of the protein. Thus, like the non-RGD disintegrin barbourin from Sistrurus miliarius barbouri, a RGD sequence in the context of the disintegrin protein backbone is not an absolute requirement for platelet aggregation inhibitory activity. These data underscore the biochemical and functional complexity of crotalid snake venoms due to differential proteolytic processing of the precursor metalloproteinases and exemplify how the processed fragments may contribute to the observed pathological effects of the venom.
An integral condition for disconjugacy

An n-th order homogeneous linear differential equation is said to be &conjugate on the interval I of the real numbers provided no nontrivial solution of the equation has more than n-l zeros (counting multiplicity) in I. In [l] the author developed a disconjugacy condition for L[y] Fe y’” +a,y” + a,y’ + a,y = 0 that involves the sup norm of a, and us on the interval [a, b]. In the present paper, we give a disconjugacy condition that involves the integrals of the coefficients a, , a, and us. This condition is
Comparison of a brain-based adaptive system and a manual adaptable system for invoking automation.

Two experiments are presented that examine alternative methods for invoking automation. In each experiment, participants were asked to perform simultaneously a monitoring task and a resource management task as well as a tracking task that changed between automatic and manual modes. The monitoring task required participants to detect failures of an automated system to correct aberrant conditions under either high or low system reliability. Performance on each task was assessed as well as situation awareness and subjective workload. In the first experiment, half of the participants worked with a brain-based system that used their EEG signals to switch the tracking task between automatic and manual modes. The remaining participants were yoked to participants from the adaptive condition and received the same schedule of mode switches, but their EEG had no effect on the automation. Within each group, half of the participants were assigned to either the low or high reliability monitoring task. In addition, within each combination of automation invocation and system reliability, participants were separated into high and low complacency potential groups. The results revealed no significant effects of automation invocation on the performance measures; however, the high complacency individuals demonstrated better situation awareness when working with the adaptive automation system. The second experiment was the same as the first with one important exception. Automation was invoked manually. Thus, half of the participants pressed a button to invoke automation for 10 s. The remaining participants were yoked to participants from the adaptable condition and received the same schedule of mode switches, but they had no control over the automation. The results showed that participants who could invoke automation performed more poorly on the resource management task and reported higher levels of subjective workload. Further, those who invoked automation more frequently performed more poorly on the tracking task and reported higher levels of subjective workload. and the adaptable condition in the second experiment revealed only one significant difference: the subjective workload was higher in the adaptable condition. Overall, the results show that a brain-based, adaptive automation system may facilitate situation awareness for those individuals who are more complacent toward automation. By contrast, requiring operators to invoke automation manually may have some detrimental impact on performance but does appear to increases subjective workload relative to an adaptive system.
On the Application of Esscher's Approximation to Computation of Generating System Reliability and Production Costing Indexes

This paper studies the performance of Esscher's larce deviation approximation scheme for the calculation of the LOLP index and the unit capacity factors in a production costing context. This approximation is found to be accurate and speedy for the purpose of LOLP corputations. The proposed large deviation algorithm also represents a viable computational procedure for determining production costing functions. It appears to be very accurate for the purpose of estimating the capacity factors of peaking units.
Neuregulin and ErbB receptor signaling pathways in the nervous system.

Abstract The neuregulins are a complex family of factors that perform many functions during neural development. Recent experiments have shown that neuregulins promote neuronal migration and differentiation, and regulate the selective expression of neurotransmitter receptors in neurons and at the neuromuscular junction. They also regulate glial commitment, proliferation, survival and differentiation. At interneuronal synapses, neuregulin ErbB receptors associate with PDZ-domain proteins at postsynaptic densities where they can modulate synaptic plasticity. How this combinatorial network — comprising many neuregulin ligands that signal through distinct combinations of dimeric ErbB receptors — elicits its multitude of biological effects is beginning to be resolved.
Histologic findings in acute HIV exanthem

We describe a patient with acute HIV exanthem with papulovesicular lesions and epidermal necrosis. We also review the literature regarding the histopathologic findings of acute HIV exanthem, which appears to be most commonly characterized by a perivascular lymphocytic infiltrate without epidermal change, but which may be associated with spongiosis, vacuolar alteration, or epidermal necrosis.
LABORATORY STUDIES OF A GREEN NOCTILUCA FROM NEW GUINEA1,2

SUMMARY A strain of Noctiluca miliaris Suriray, containing in the vacuole a motile green flagellate, was collected off the north shore of New Guinea and maintained in culture in autoclaved seawater or an enriched seawater medium. In light, this green Noctiluca survived for at least a month and divided, without added food; while in darkness the symbiotic flagellate disappeared and the Noctiluca died within a few days, unless the food organism Dunaliella tertiolecta was present. Long-continued growth in light required the presence of Dunaliella, since the symbiotic flagellate was gradually lost under all the culture conditions assayed. All green Noctiluca assayed were luminescent. The light emitted per cell varied with the nutritional state of the host, and was as bright as a Japanese strain without symbionts when the Noctiluca was feeding on Dunaliella. In the absence of Dunaliella, the light emitted per Noctiluca depended on the light intensity in which cultures were maintained. The luminescent flash followed the same time course as that of other strains of Noctiluca without symbionts. No circadian rhythm of luminescence was present. Observations on both the growth and luminescence show that the flagellate symbiont contributes to the nutrition of the green Noctiluca. The symbiosis, however, is unstable in culture.
β‐Adrenergic receptor stimulation of L‐type Ca2+ channels in rabbit portal vein myocytes involves both αs and βγ G protein subunits

1. Previous studies have shown that purified G protein alphas and betagamma subunits stimulate vascular L-type Ca2+ channels through protein kinase A and C (PKA and PKC), respectively. The present study tested whether activation of endogenous G proteins via beta-adrenergic receptor binding also stimulates vascular Ca2+ channels through both Galphas and Gbetagamma and the subsequent activation of PKA and PKC. 2. Peak Ba2+ current (IBa) in freshly isolated rabbit portal vein smooth muscle cells was significantly increased by bath application of 0.5 microM isoproterenol (isoprenaline; ISO) when measured using the whole-cell patch clamp method (53 +/- 3 % increase, n = 15). Stimulation of IBa by ISO was partially reversed by a PKA inhibitor, KT 5720, or a PKC inhibitor, calphostin C, and completely blocked when cells were pretreated with both KT 5720 and calphostin C. 3. Dialysis of cells with polyclonal antibody to Galphas significantly reduced but did not completely eliminate ISO-induced stimulation of IBa. The remaining stimulation was abolished by calphostin C. Dialysis of cells with a polyclonal antibody to Gbeta also significantly reduced ISO-induced stimulation and the remaining stimulation was abolished by KT 5720. Dialysis of cells with both antibodies completely prevented the stimulation of IBa by ISO. 4. ISO-induced stimulation of IBa was reversed by ICI-118,551, a specific beta2-adrenoceptor antagonist, but not by CGP 20712A, a specific beta1-adrenoceptor antagonist. In addition, the beta2-adrenoceptor agonist zinterol significantly increased peak IBa while the beta1-adrenoceptor agonist dobutamine and beta3-adrenoceptor agonist BRL 37344A had little effect on peak IBa. 5. These data suggest that beta-adrenergic receptor stimulation of vascular L-type Ca2+ channels involves both alphas and betagamma G-protein subunits, which exert their effects through PKA and PKC, respectively.
Detecting and characterizing ferroelectric domain boundaries using nonphase-matched second harmonic generation

We demonstrate that tilted planar ferroelectric domain boundaries create tilted second harmonic beams in nonphase-matched second harmonic generation, and that the tilt of the boundary can be deduced from the harmonic direction.
AN ABNORMALITY IN STEROID REDUCTIVE METABOLISM IN A HYPERTENSIVE SYNDROME

Studies in a juvenile hypertensive syndrome associated with suppressed plasma renin activity and hypokalemic alkalosis failed to reveal overproduction of aldosterone or any other known steroid. There was however an abnormal increase in the fraction of unconjugated urinary steroids. Analysis of this fraction following the administration of labeled cortisol revealed that it was largely composed of dihydro metabolites reduced either 4,5 or at C-20 and that the 4,5-dihydro fraction contained an abnormal increase in 5α- relative to 5β-metabolites. There was, however, no absolute defect in the complete reduction of ring A to form tetrahydro derivatives. These findings, together with observations by Marver and Edelman that 5αdihydrocortisol may be an effective mineralocorticoid, suggest the possibility of an etiologic relationship between the metabolic abnormality and the patient's hypertensive disorder.
Methionine metabolism in mammals: kinetic study of betaine-homocysteine methyltransferase.

Abstract We have studied the kinetic properties of betaine-homocysteine methyltransferase prepared from rat liver. The Michaelis constants for the substrates are K hetaine = 48 μm and K homocysteine = 12 μm . The reaction conforms to the Ordered Bi Bi model. Homocysteine is the first substrate to add to the enzyme and N,N -dimethylglycine is the first product released. In addition to the reaction products, l -cysteine and l -cystine also inhibit the enzyme. These effects of methionine and cyst(e)ine on the betaine-chomocysteine methyltransferase may be significant in the regulation of methionine metabolism in the intact animal.
Cascaded light-emitting devices based on a ruthenium complex

We use a transition metal complex to demonstrate a cascaded device architecture in which the same metal electrode acts as an anode for one device and a cathode for its neighbor. This architecture does not require patterning of the organic layer and allows monolithic fabrication of panels that show intrinsic fault tolerance to short circuits and are amenable to scaling to large areas.
Maximum relative entropy-based probabilistic inference in fatigue crack damage prognostics

Abstract A general probabilistic inference procedure is proposed in this paper based on the Maximum relative Entropy (MrE) approach which generalizes both Bayesian and Maximum Entropy (MaxEnt) inference methodologies. The construction of the conditional probability (likelihood function) for general model-based inference problems is discussed in detail to systematically manage uncertainties from mechanism modeling, model parameters, and measurements. Analytical and numerical examples are used to investigate the sequence effect in the probabilistic inference using point observations and moment constraints. The developed methodology is applied to the engineering fatigue crack growth problem with experimental data for demonstration and validation. Following this, a detailed comparison between the classical Bayesian inference and the MrE inference is given.
Static structure factor and electronic transport properties of liquid rubidium from a first principles pseudopotential calculation

Abstract A first principles nonlocal pseudopotential calculation is used to obtain the ion-ion potential for liquid rubidium of 45°C. This is then used in a Monte Carlo simulation to determine the liquid structure S ( q ) and transport properties. It is found that the accuracy of the S ( q ), in the low q -region, is crucial to the calculation of electronic transport properties.
Development of fragility curves of bridges retrofitted by column jacketing

This study represents results of fragility curve development for two (2) sample bridges typical in southern California, strengthened for seismic retrofit by means of steel jacketing of bridge columns. Monte Carlo simulation is performed to study nonlinear dynamic responses of the bridges before and after retrofit. Fragility curves in this study are represented by lognormal distribution functions with two parameters and developed as a function of PGA. The improvement in the fragility due to the retrofit is quantified by comparing fragility curves of the bridge before and after retrofit. In order to formulate the problem of fragility enhancement, the quantification is made by comparing the median values of the fragility curves before and after the retrofit. Under the hypothesis that this quantification also applies to empirical fragility curves developed on the basis of Northridge earthquake damage, the enhanced version of the empirical curves is developed.
Estimating Household Trip Rates for Cross-Classification Cells with No Data: Alternative Methods and Their Performance in Prediction of Travel

This paper investigates a number of alternative methods for addressing the empty-cell problem of traditional cross-classification analysis. Data used in the study were collected in the Toronto region in 1986, 1996, 2001, and 2006. Alternative models, developed on each year’s data, were assessed for how well they predicted travel at the disaggregate household level and at the aggregate traffic analysis zone level in the respective years. In addition, the alternative models estimated on the 1986 data set were assessed for their ability to replicate travel in 1996 and 2006. The results show that a method proposed by Mandel and a model developed in this research, which estimates the household trip rate for an empty cell through a linear combination of the predictions yielded by row and column models, overall give the best forecast performance of travel. They perform better than multiple classification analysis, which is the current industry standard for addressing this shortcoming of traditional cross-classification analysis. The combined categories model also performed very well, particularly in predicting travel at the aggregate level of planning interest.
Sodium channel inactivation defects are associated with acetazolamide-exacerbated hypokalemic periodic paralysis

A novel mutation in a family with hypokalemic periodic paralysis is described. The mutation R672S is located in the voltage sensor segment S4 of domain II in the SCN4A gene encoding the human skeletal muscle voltage-gated sodium channel. Functional expression of the R672S channels in human embryonic kidney 293 cells revealed a small but significant hyperpolarizing shift in the steady-state fast inactivation, and a dramatic enhancement in channel slow inactivation. These two defects are mainly due to a slow recovery of the mutant channels from fast and/or slow inactivation. Our data may help explain the mechanism underlying hypokalemic periodic paralysis and the patient's worsening from acetazolamide.
The impact of Internet-based electronic resources on formal scholarly communication in the area of library and information science

The Internet-based electronic resources e-sources are growing dramatically; however, there have not been empirical studies evaluating the impact of e-sources, as a whole, on formal scholarly communication. This study tries to investigate how much e-sources have been used in formal scholarly communication, using a case study in the area of library and information science LIS during the period 1994 to 1996. Four citation-based indicators are proposed and used in this study for the impact measurement. Compared with the impact of print sources, the impact of e-sources on formal scholarly communication in LIS is small, as measured by e-sources cited, and does not increase significantly by year even though there is observable growth of the impact across the years. It is found that journal format is related to the rate of citing e-sources, i.e. electronic journal e-journal articles are more likely to cite e-sources than are print journal p-journal articles. However, once authors cite e-sources, there is no significant difference in the number of e-references per article by journal format or by year. This finding suggests that, at this stage, citing e-sources may depend on authors rather than the journal format in which the authors choose to publish.
Abstract 3355: Evaluation of the efficiency of tumor and tissue delivery of carrier mediated agents (CMA) and small molecule (SM) agents in mice using a novel pharmacokinetic (PK) metric relative distribution index over time (RDI-OT).

Background: The PK of CMA are dependent upon the carrier system. As a result, CMA PK differ greatly from the PK of SM drugs. Advantages of CMA included prolonged circulation time in plasma, increased delivery to tumors which results in increased antitumor response and decreased toxicity. In theory, the prolonged circulation time of CMA in plasma is thought to result in greater tumor delivery compared with SM. We conducted a meta-analysis evaluating the plasma, tumor, liver, and spleen PK of CMA and SM using standard PK parameters and a novel PK metric RDI-OT which measures efficiency of delivery. Methods: A literature search identified PK studies of CMA (n=17) and comparative SM (n=15) in plasma, tumor, liver and spleen of mice bearing synergistic and xenograft subcutaneous tumors. The area under the concentration versus time curves (AUC) were calculated. This data was also used to calculate a novel PK metric, RDI-OT. RDI-OT is defined as [Drug] tissue /[Drug] plasma at each time point. RDI-OT versus time plots were generated and the area under the curve (RDI-OT AUC) was calculated from 0 h to 24 h and last time point. Results: The table below summarizes the mean + SD and range of standard PK parameters and RDI-OT for CMA and SM. Conclusions: RDI-OT is a novel metric for assessing the efficiency of drug distribution into tumors and tissues. Our results indicate that in mice bearing flank tumor xenografts SM distribute into tumor more efficiently than CMA. The lower efficiency of delivery seen in CMA compared with SM suggests there may be a limit to CMA entry into flank tumors in mice. Further research in additional tumor models that may more closely resemble tumors seen in patients is needed to determine if our results are consistent in different model systems. Citation Format: Andrew J. Madden, Sumit Rawal, Kevin Chu, Katie Sandison, Ryan Schell, Lan Feng, Ping Ma, Russell Mumper, Joseph DeSimone, William C. Zamboni. Evaluation of the efficiency of tumor and tissue delivery of carrier mediated agents (CMA) and small molecule (SM) agents in mice using a novel pharmacokinetic (PK) metric relative distribution index over time (RDI-OT). [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 3355. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-3355
Ufd1 exhibits dual ubiquitin binding modes.

Ubiquitin recognition proteins orchestrate the delivery of ubiquitylated substrates to the proteasome for their degradation. Park et al. (2005), in this issue of Structure, provide the first glimpses of how Ufd1 begins this process in endoplasmic reticulum-associated degradation.
Occurrence of a new hematoside in the kidney of guinea pig

We have isolated a new hematoside from guinea pig kidney. Like the usual hematoside (II3NeuAc LacCer), isolated from human erythrocytes, this new hematoside contained glucose, galactose, and N-acetylneuraminic acid in an equimolar proportion. By thin-layer chromatography (TLC), however, it migrated faster than the usual hematoside. After mild alkaline hydrolysis the TLC mobility of this ganglioside became identical to that of the usual hematoside. The sialic acid in this ganglioside was susceptible to Clostridial neuraminidase. Based on TLC mobility and the results of periodate oxidation, the sialic acid of the new hematoside was identified as 9-O-acetyl-N-acetylneuraminic acid. Therefore, the structure of this new hematoside is 9-O-Ac-NeuAc alpha 2 leads to 3Gal beta 1 leads to 4GLc beta 1 leads to 1'Cer.
Simplified models for perturbed parameter Markov equations with application to ARMA systems

A general Markov vector equation y(n+l) = Φ(ξ(n), y(n), n), in which ξ(n) is a stochastic parameter vector, is well approximated by a model of form y(n+l) = ϕ([ytilde](n), n), where ϕ(y(n), n) ≜E[Φ(ξ(n), y(n), n)|y(n), n], if the perturbation effects of the process ξ(n) are small, and if the approximation operator satisfies a Lipschitz Condition ‖ϕ(y′(n), n) − ϕ(y″(n), n)‖ < K ‖y″(n) − y″(n)‖. A bound on the error for such an approximation is developed, and it is shown that the condition K<1 is sufficient for the error to converge asymptotically. The results are applied to the perturbed parameter auto regressive-moving average (ARMA) model as an example, and the Lipschitz constant is seen to have an interesting interpretation in this case.
Youth Violence across Multiple Dimensions: A Study of Violence, Absenteeism, and Suspensions among Middle School Children

OBJECTIVE: To determine how multidimensional measures of violence correlate with school absenteeism and suspensions among middle school youth. STUDY DESIGN: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in 2004 with 28 882 sixth graders from an urban school district. Data were collected on role (witness, victim, perpetrator) and mode (verbal, physical, weapons) of past-year violence exposures, and absences and suspensions over 1 academic year. Associations between violence and absenteeism and suspension were estimated using generalized linear models. RESULTS: ORs for suspension increased from witnessing to victimization to perpetration and then victimization-perpetration. Among those exposed to weapons, victims (OR(boys) = 1.45; OR(girls) = 1.38) had similar or slightly higher ORs for absenteeism than perpetrators (OR(boys) = 1.39; OR(girls) = 1.17). Boy victims and witnesses of physical violence had similar absenteeism patterns as those unexposed to physical violence. Of all exposed girls, victim-perpetrators had the highest ORs for absenteeism (OR = 1.76). CONCLUSION: Exposure to violence correlated with absenteeism and suspension. The strength of these relationships depended on mode and role in exposure. Our cross-sectional data limits our ability to establish causality. Findings have implications for prevention. Language: en
Status report on the SIGCSE committee on the implementation of a discrete mathematics course

This session is a progress report from the first committee created under the SIGCSE Committee Initiative. The Committee on Implementation of a Discrete Mathematics Course is charged with developing implementation models and materials for the one-semester discrete math course proposed in Computing Curriculum 2001. At the time of the session, the Committee will have completed about three-fourths of its task. In this session the committee will present a number of course models which, for each, will include a syllabus/course outline and a list of possible applications which connect the mathematics to fundamental ideas in computer science. Comments and additional input from the SIGCSE community will be solicited. Presentation will by Bill Marion, one of the two committee co-facilitators and two other committee members.
Median fin function in bluegill sunfish Lepomis macrochirus: streamwise vortex structure during steady swimming.

probably linking up with the caudal fin vortices. These dorsal and anal fin vortices do not differ significantly in circulation from the two caudal fin tip vortices. Because the circulations are equal and the length of the trailing edge of the caudal fin is approximately equal to the combined trailing edge length of the dorsal and anal fins, I argue that the two anterior median fins produce a total force that is comparable to that of the caudal fin. To provide additional detail on how different positions contribute to total force along the posterior body, the change in vortex circulation as flow passes down the body is also analyzed. The posterior half of the caudal fin and the dorsal and anal fins add vortex circulation to the flow, but circulation appears to decrease around the peduncle and anterior caudal fin. Kinematic measurements indicate that the tail is angled correctly to enhance thrust through this interaction. Finally, the degree to which the caudal fin acts like a idealized two-dimensional plate is examined: approximately 25% of the flow near the tail is accelerated up and down, rather than laterally, producing wasted momentum, a loss not present in ideal two-dimensional theories.
Employment and income losses among cancer survivors: Estimates from a national longitudinal survey of American families.

BACKGROUND Cancer presents a substantial hardship for patients and their families in multiple domains beyond health and survival. Relatively little is known about the economic impact of cancer. The authors present estimates of the aggregate effects of a cancer diagnosis on employment and income in a prospective, nationally representative sample of US adults. METHODS The authors used data from the 1990 through 2009 waves of the Panel Study of Income Dynamics, a nationally representative, prospective, population-based observational study with high-quality individual and family-level economic information. Age-adjusted, sex-stratified, individual fixed-effects regression models were used to derive estimates of the impact of cancer on employment, hours worked, individual income, and total family income. RESULTS Significant effects of cancer on all 4 outcomes were observed. The probability of a cancer patient being employed dropped by almost 10 percentage points, and hours worked declined by up to 200 hours in the first year after diagnosis. Annual labor-market earnings dropped almost 40% within 2 years after diagnosis and remained low, whereas total family income declined by 20%, although it recovered within 4 years after the diagnosis. These economic impacts on survivors were driven by effects among men; the effects among women largely were not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS A cancer diagnosis has substantial effects on the economic well-being of affected adults and their families. With the increasing number of cancer survivors in the US population, there is a growing need for examining the long-term implications for economic well-being and ways to mitigate the economic hardship associated with cancer. Cancer 2015;121:4425–32. © 2015 American Cancer Society.
Delayed closure of ventral abdominal hernias after severe trauma.

Background: Primary closure after trauma celiotomies is not always accomplished. We reviewed our experience with delayed closure in trauma patients. Methods: Prospective data were collected on patients who had damage-control celiotomy and were discharged with open abdomens. The time to closure, repair methods, and complication data also were compiled. Results: In the 6-year period, 84 patients underwent damage-control celiotomy. Thirty-one patients died and 33 patients had early closure. Twenty patients had closure during a subsequent hospitalization (mean time to delayed closure, 193 days): 8 patients (40%) had component separation, 3 (15%) had component separation with mesh, 4 (20%) had mesh alone, and primary closure occurred in 5 (25%). Nine patients (45%) had complications such as wound and mesh infections, hernias, and fistulas. Repair before or after 6 months showed no statistically significant difference for the presence of complications or enterotomies (P .64 and .5743, respectively). Conclusions: Open-abdomen reconstruction presents significant challenges. Closure within 6 months is possible; the presence of complications is not affected by early repair. © 2006 Excerpta Medica Inc. All rights reserved.
Role of Hypermutability in the Evolution of the Genus Oenococcus

Oenococcus oeni is an alcohol-tolerant, acidophilic lactic acid bacterium primarily responsible for malolactic fermentation in wine. A recent comparative genomic analysis of O. oeni PSU-1 with other sequenced lactic acid bacteria indicates that PSU-1 lacks the mismatch repair (MMR) genes mutS and mutL. Consistent with the lack of MMR, mutation rates for O. oeni PSU-1 and a second oenococcal species, O. kitaharae, were higher than those observed for neighboring taxa, Pediococcus pentosaceus and Leuconostoc mesenteroides. Sequence analysis of the rpoB mutations in rifampin-resistant strains from both oenococcal species revealed a high percentage of transition mutations, a result indicative of the lack of MMR. An analysis of common alleles in the two sequenced O. oeni strains, PSU-1 and BAA-1163, also revealed a significantly higher level of transition substitutions than were observed in other Lactobacillales species. These results suggest that the genus Oenococcus is hypermutable due to the loss of mutS and mutL, which occurred with the divergence away from the neighboring Leuconostoc branch. The hypermutable status of the genus Oenococcus explains the observed high level of allelic polymorphism among known O. oeni isolates and likely contributed to the unique adaptation of this genus to acidic and alcoholic environments.
A Statistical Characterization of School Bus Drive Cycles Collected via Onboard Logging Systems

In an effort to characterize the dynamics typical of school bus operation, National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) researchers set out to gather in-use duty cycle data from school bus fleets operating across the country. Employing a combination of Isaac Instruments GPS/CAN data loggers in conjunction with existing onboard telemetric systems resulted in the capture of operating information for more than 200 individual vehicles in three geographically unique domestic locations. In total, over 1,500 individual operational route shifts from Washington, New York, and Colorado were collected. Upon completing the collection of in-use field data using either NREL-installed data acquisition devices or existing onboard telemetry systems, large-scale duty-cycle statistical analyses were performed to examine underlying vehicle dynamics trends within the data and to explore vehicle operation variations between fleet locations. Based on the results of these analyses, high, low, and average vehicle dynamics requirements were determined, resulting in the selection of representative standard chassis dynamometer test cycles for each condition. In this paper, the methodology and accompanying results of the large-scale duty-cycle statistical analysis are presented, including graphical and tabular representations of a number of relationships between key duty-cycle metrics observed within the larger data set. In addition to presenting the results of this analysis, conclusions are drawn and presented regarding potential applications of advanced vehicle technology as it relates specifically to school buses.
Speed adaptation in a powered transtibial prosthesis controlled with a neuromuscular model.

Control schemes for powered ankle–foot prostheses would benefit greatly from a means to make them inherently adaptive to different walking speeds. Towards this goal, one may attempt to emulate the intact human ankle, as it is capable of seamless adaptation. Human locomotion is governed by the interplay among legged dynamics, morphology and neural control including spinal reflexes. It has been suggested that reflexes contribute to the changes in ankle joint dynamics that correspond to walking at different speeds. Here, we use a data-driven muscle–tendon model that produces estimates of the activation, force, length and velocity of the major muscles spanning the ankle to derive local feedback loops that may be critical in the control of those muscles during walking. This purely reflexive approach ignores sources of non-reflexive neural drive and does not necessarily reflect the biological control scheme, yet can still closely reproduce the muscle dynamics estimated from biological data. The resulting neuromuscular model was applied to control a powered ankle–foot prosthesis and tested by an amputee walking at three speeds. The controller produced speed-adaptive behaviour; net ankle work increased with walking speed, highlighting the benefits of applying neuromuscular principles in the control of adaptive prosthetic limbs.
Biomedical Imaging Graduate Curricula and Courses: Report from the 2005 Whitaker Biomedical Engineering Educational Summit

We present an overview of graduate programs in biomedical imaging that are currently available in the US. Special attention is given to the emerging technologies of molecular imaging and biophotonics. Discussions from the workshop on Graduate Imaging at the 2005 Whitaker Educational Summit meeting are summarized.
Design of wind farm layout for maximum wind energy capture

Wind is one of the most promising sources of alternative energy. The construction of wind farms is destined to grow in the U.S., possibly twenty-fold by the year 2030. To maximize the wind energy capture, this paper presents a model for wind turbine placement based on the wind distribution. The model considers wake loss, which can be calculated based on wind turbine locations, and wind direction. Since the turbine layout design is a constrained optimization problem, for ease of solving it, the constraints are transformed into a second objective function. Then a multi-objective evolutionary strategy algorithm is developed to solve the transformed bi-criteria optimization problem, which maximizes the expected energy output, as well as minimizes the constraint violations. The presented model is illustrated with examples as well as an industrial application.
Challenging homophobia in schools: policies and programs for safe school climates

In the United States there has been growing public and scientific attention to homophobia in schools. A well-established body of research docu ments persistent and pervasive bullying, harassment and lack of safety at schools towards lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) students. This work makes clear that contemporary school and youth cultures are characterized by rigid gender and sexuality norms (including homophobia and expectations regarding masculinity, femininity, and heterosexuality); the well-being of students who do not conform to or who challenge these norms is often undermined. In recent years there has been a shift from consideration of the plight of individual students to the acknowledgement that the school context or climate must be better understood in order to prevent bias-motivated bullying and promote school safety and student well-being. During the last decade a number of studies have identified specific education policies, programs, and practices that promote safe school climates. In this article I review what is known about policies and programs that promote safety for LGBT as well as heterosexual students in schools. A growing body of work indicates that the following strategies are associated with safer school climates for LGBT students: enumerated school nondiscrimination and anti-bullying policies; teacher intervention when harassment takes place; availability of information and support about
Incidence of Hemolysin, Gelatinase, and Aggregation Substance among Enterococci Isolated from Patients with Endocarditis and Other Infections and from Feces of Hospitalized and Community-Based Persons

The presence of hemolysin, gelatinase, and aggregation substance (by use of a probe known to hybridize to most pheromone-responsive plasmids) was determined in 192 isolates of Enterococcus faecalis from patients with endocarditis or other infections and fecal isolates from hospitalized patients or healthy volunteers, and in 86 non-E. faecalis isolates. Hemolysin was more common in nonendocarditis clinical isolates and in hospital fecal isolates (37% and 31%, respectively) than among endocarditis and community fecal isolates (16% and 20%, respectively). Gelatinase and aggregation substance, respectively, were found in 54% and 52% of isolates from endocarditis, in 58% and 72% of isolates from other infections, in 62% and 56% of hospital fecal isolates, and in 27% and 30% of fecal isolates from healthy volunteers. All 86 non-E. faecalis enterococcal isolates were negative for these traits. The absence of hemolysin, gelatinase, or the aggregation substance gene in > 45% of endocarditis E. faecalis isolates suggests that while these traits may play a role in virulence, other properties are also important.
A Monte Carlo solution for rapidly shearing granular flows based on the kinetic theory of dense gases

A Monte Carlo simulation is developed for the study of rapidly deforming, steady, simple shear flows of inelastic disks or spheres. The simulation is based on the theoretical framework of the kinetic theory of dense gases. In the simulation, space is discarded in an explicit sense and replaced by an isotropic, homogeneous, and uncorrelated space based on the assumption of a state of simple shear, a uniform concentration field, and molecular chaos. The simulation generates a distribution of particle velocities which corresponds to the parameters of the flow. The velocity distribution is a numerical solution to the Boltzmann equation under these conditions. The Monte Carlo simulation defines the limits to the accuracy of analytical granular flow theories based on the kinetic theory and the assumption of molecular chaos.
Computational modeling of material aging effects

Progress is being made in our efforts to develop computational models for predicting material property changes in weapon components due to aging. The first version of a two-dimensional lattice code for modeling thermomechanical fatigue, such as has been observed in solder joints on electronic components removed from the stockpile, has been written and tested. The code does a good qualitative job of presenting intergranular and/or transgranular cracking in a polycrystalline material when under thermomechanical deformation. The current progress is an encouraging start for our long term effort to develop multi-level simulation capabilities, with the technology of high performance computing, for predicting age-related effects on the reliability of weapons.
EXPERIMENTAL EPIDEMIOLOGY OF TUBERCULOSIS : HEREDITARY RESISTANCE TO ATTACK BY TUBERCULOSIS AND TO THE ENSUING DISEASE AND THE EFFECT OF THE CONCENTRATION OF TUBERCLE BACILLI UPON THESE TWO PHASES OF RESISTANCE.

1. Hereditary resistance to attack by air-borne tubercle bacilli is distinct from the resistance to the ensuing disease. 2. One inbred rabbit family has little resistance to attack: by the microorganism but has considerable resistance against the ensuing disease. 3. Another inbred family has considerable resistance against attack by the tubercle bacillus but has little resistance against the ensuing disease. 4. Increasing concentrations of tubercle bacilli in the environment of the family of high genetic resistance to the disease increase the incidence of infection, accelerate the onset of the disease, and affect its essential character in proportion to the concentration of the microorganism. 5. Up to a certain concentration of tubercle bacilli in the environment of the families of low genetic resistance to the disease, increasing concentrations of the infectious agent also increase the incidence of the disease and accelerate its onset, although its anatomical character is always of a uniform rapidly progressive type. Beyond this concentration further increment of the infectious agent exercises no effect.
The cost of foraging by a marine predator, the Weddell seal Leptonychotes weddellii: pricing by the stroke

Foraging by mammals is a complex suite of behaviors that can entail high energetic costs associated with supporting basal metabolism, locomotion and the digestion of prey. To determine the contribution of these various costs in a free-ranging marine mammal, we measured the post-dive oxygen consumption of adult Weddell seals ( N =9) performing foraging and non-foraging dives from an isolated ice hole in McMurdo Sound, Antarctica. Dives were classified according to behavior as monitored by an attached video-data logging system (recording activity, time, depth, velocity and stroking). We found that recovery oxygen consumption showed a biphasic relationship with dive duration that corresponded to the onset of plasma lactate accumulation at approximately 23 min. Locomotor costs for diving Weddell seals increased linearly with the number of strokes taken according to the relationship: locomotor cost =– 3.78+0.04 × stroke number ( r 2=0.74, N =90 dives), where locomotor cost is in ml O2 kg–1. Foraging dives in which seals ingested Pleuragramma antarcticum resulted in a 44.7% increase in recovery oxygen consumption compared to non-foraging dives, which we attributed to the digestion and warming of prey. The results show that the energy expended in digestion for a free-ranging marine mammal are additive to locomotor and basal costs. By accounting for each of these costs and monitoring stroking mechanics, it is possible to estimate the aerobic cost of diving in free-ranging seals where cryptic behavior and remote locations prevent direct energetic measurements.
Appendectomy to Remember

A 29‐year‐old Somali women presented with acute right lower quadrant abdominal pain, nausea, and fever. She had migrated as a refugee from Kenya to Minnesota 14 months before presentation. On physical examination, she had periumbilical and right lower quadrant tenderness with signs of peritoneal irritation such as rebound tenderness. Her laboratory investigations revealed leukocytosis (total white blood count 19.3 cells/μL) with a neutrophil predominance (83% neutrophils, 14% lymphocytes, and 3% eosinophils) and an elevated C‐reactive protein. She received the clinical diagnosis of appendicitis and subsequently underwent appendectomy. Pathology study of the surgical specimen is shown in Figures1–3. Figure 1 Histopathology of appendix. The mucosa is ulcerated; the lumen contains red blood cells and inflammatory cells. The submucosa is thickened and displays Schistosoma eggs in various stages of degeneration and calcification (hematoxylin and eosin stain, magnification ×40). Figure 2 Schistosoma eggs are oval, embedded in the submucosa and surrounded by mononuclear and polymorphonuclear inflammatory cells. The internal structure of the eggs reveals miracidia …
Experimental analyses of the mechanical reliability of advanced BEOL/fBEOL stacks regarding CPI loading

The introduction of fragile ultralow-k materials as interlayer dielectrics in backend-of-line interconnect stacks asks for a thorough analysis of potential risks due to chip-package interaction. This paper shows how the application of several ex-situ and in-situ experimental approaches can be effectively used to assess such risks on the wafer level already at early stages of the development phase. The respective analytical techniques try to mimic chip-package interaction loading conditions. Most of the tests transfer loads to interconnect stacks via individual copper pillars. The investigations take place on the scale of about 100μm down to 1μm.