cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
SU-E-T-530: Knowledge-Based Treatment Planning and Its Potential Role in the Transition Between Treatment Planning Systems

Purpose: Commissioning a treatment planning system (TPS) involves many tasks, including making sure users have sufficient training and experience to create quality plans. We investigated the role that knowledge-based planning (KBP) can play in aiding a clinic’s transition to a new TPS. Methods: 60 clinically treated prostate and prostate bed IMRT plans were exported from an in-house TPS and used to create a KBP-model in a newly introduced commercial TPS (Eclipse v13.5, Varian Medical Systems). To determine the benefit that KBP may have in a TPS transition, the model was tested on two groups. Group 1 consisted of the first 10 patients treated in the commercial TPS after the transition from the in-house TPS, Group 2 consisted of 10 patients planned in the commercial TPS, but without the KBP model, after 8 months of clinical use. The KBP-generated plan for each patient was compared to the clinically-used plan in terms of quality and planning efficiency. Results: On average, the KBP-generated plans provided better target coverage for group 1 than the clinical plans,and about equivalent coverage for group 2. The average absolute difference (KBP-clinical) for D95 for the PTV was 0.48±0.49% and −0.11±0.48% for groups 1 and 2, respectively. For the OARs, the KBP-generated plans produced lower doses for every normal tissue objective except the maximum dose to 0.1cc of rectum (0.50±0.27Gy and 0.22±0.17Gy for groups 1 and 2, respectively). The time needed for KBP-generated plans ranged from 6– 15min compared to 30–150 and 15–60min for groups 1 and 2, respectively. Conclusion: Knowledge-based planning is a promising tool to aid in transitions to new TPSs. Our study indicates that high-quality treatment plans could have been generated in the new TPS more efficiently compared to not using KBP. Even after 8 months of clinical use, KBP still showed a quality and efficiency increase compared to manual planning. Partially supported by Varian Medical Systems
Aristophanes, Old Comedy, and Greek Tragedy

In a famous scene at the end of Plato's symposium, after a high-minded philosophical discussion about the nature of love at a festive dinner party had degenerated into a drunken free-for-all, only three of the guests were sober enough to continue the conversation: the philosopher Socrates, the tragic poet Agathon, and the comic poet Aristophanes. Comments Reprinted from A Companion to Tragedy, edited by Rebecca Bushnell, Blackwell Companions to Literature and Culture, number 32 (Massachusetts: Blackwell, 2005), pages 251-268. The author has asserted his right to include this material in ScholarlyCommons@Penn. This book chapter is available at ScholarlyCommons: http://repository.upenn.edu/classics_papers/26
RNA editing of the apolipoprotein B gene: A mechanism to regulate the atherogenic potential of intestinal lipoproteins?

Apolipoprotein B (apo B) circulates in two distinct isomorphic forms, each the product of a single gene. The larger form, referred to as apo B-100, is the major protein of plasma low-density lipoproteins (LDLs) and is synthesized by the human liver. The smaller form, referred to as apo B-48, is produced in the small intestine as a result of a site-specific cytidine deamination, which alters a CAA codon, encoding glutamine in the unedited (apo B-100) mRNA to UAA, which specifies an in-frame stop codon. Apo B-48 lacks the domains involved in LDL receptor interaction and in complex formation with apolipoprotein(a). DNA sequence analysis of the gene that mediates this site-specific cytidine deamination suggests that apo B mRNA editing is an evolutionary adaptation to limit the atherogenic potential of intestinal lipoproteins.
Designing Digital Computer Systems with Verilog

Using Verilog, a leading commercial hardware description language, this text describes how to specify, design, and test a complete digital system. After a brief introduction to the Verilog language, the instruction set architecture (ISA) for the simple VeSPA (Very Small Processor Architecture) processor is defined. The remainder of the book demonstrates how both behavioral and structural models can be developed and intermingled in Verilog.
Software Service Innovation Through Release Management: An Action Research Study

Fierce competition in the market is driving software vendors to rely on Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) strategies and to continuously match new software versions with customers’ needs and competitors’ moves. Although release management as a recurrent activity related to SaaS arguably shapes how a vendor services its customers, the literature is surprisingly limited on how software releases are managed to support SaaS strategies. Against this backdrop, we present a collaborative action-research study with Software Inc., a large multi-national software provider, in which we applied a service-dominant logic framework to improve the company’s release management process to support ongoing value co-creation with its customers. As a result, we report the practical results and experiences from Software Inc. and we provide new knowledge on how software vendors may manage releases to improve the value delivered to and co-created with their customers. This added knowledge is of interest to both practitioners and researchers as SaaS strategies increasingly shape the industry
Wheelchair for disabled children in Haiti

Handicapped children in Haiti typically do not have wheelchairs suitable for their environment and cannot afford one designed for the local conditions. The country's terrain is mainly mountainous, rocky, and muddy. Haiti is currently the poorest country in the western hemisphere, with 80% of the population below the poverty line and an average income of $1-$2 per day. This project aims to design and produce a tested and refined wheelchair for the client, a Haitian child. This wheelchair will enable the client to traverse over the various terrains, be independently mobile, and engage in activities such as attending school and bathing himself. It must also be locally maintainable and affordable on an average Haitian income. The design approach for the project began with a general list of customer needs, target specifications, and functions created through interviews and conducting preliminary research. Different techniques were implemented to conduct concept generation, evaluation, and selection for each of the subsystems. SolidWorks and mathematical models were used to analyze support forces, propulsion, braking, and failure. The mathematical and computational analyses were synthesized to select the wheelchair subsystems. Subsystem prototypes were tested and refined, followed by the integration into a final prototype. The final prototype is composed of a PVC frame and recycled bicycle parts, all of which are abundant in Haiti and can be obtained locally. The team has produced a comprehensive parts list and assembly guide so that anyone in Haiti can produce the wheelchair without confusion. The wheelchair allows movement directly by the user, as well as an assisting individual. Because of the wheelchair, the client can participate in village life and become a contributing member of society.
A Review of “Hog and Hominy: Soul Food From Africa to America”

Since the publication of Doris Witt's influential book Black Hunger: Food and the Politics of U.S. Identity (Oxford University Press, 1999, and then re-released on University of Minnesota Press, 20...
Predicting Academic Success and Retention for African American Women in College.

This study examined the academic success and retention of 213 first year, female African-American college students at a historically black, private, liberal arts college in the Southeast. The women were surveyed about their preparation and readiness for college during their first weeks on campus. Responses were then compared against actual academic performance and retention during the first year of college.
A Conceptual Framework for Technical and Vocational Education and Training

In this chapter, the author contends that with the unprecedented changes occurring in the 21st century, technical and vocational education and training (TVET) professionals will need to develop, adapt or redesign strategies to address the needs of workers and society. The question of the role of TVET is posed. The author gives a possible conceptual framework for TVET, which includes the purposes and philosophies of TVET and shaping current and future directions, and which can be used as a starting point for further debate and discussion. The framework is presented as five major components: (1) curriculum; (2) instruction and delivery options; (3) student assessment; (4) clientele; and (5) programme evaluation.
Programmed Cell Death of Dendritic Cells in Immune Regulation

Programmed cell death is essential for the maintenance of lymphocyte homeostasis and immune tolerance. Dendritic cells (DCs), the most efficient antigen-presenting cells, represent a small cell population in the immune system. However, DCs play major roles in the regulation of both innate and adaptive immune responses. Programmed cell death in DCs is essential for regulating DC homeostasis and consequently, the scope of immune responses. Interestingly, different DC subsets show varied turnover rates in vivo. The conventional DCs are relatively short-lived in most lymphoid organs, while plasmacytoid DCs are long-lived cells. Mitochondrion-dependent programmed cell death plays an important role in regulating spontaneous DC turnover. Antigen-specific T cells are also capable of killing DCs, thereby providing a mechanism for negative feedback regulation of immune responses. It has been shown that a surplus of DCs due to defects in programmed cell death leads to overactivation of lymphocytes and the onset of autoimmunity. Studying programmed cell death in DCs will shed light on the roles for DC turnover in the regulation of the duration and magnitude of immune responses in vivo and in the maintenance of immune tolerance.
Shape Sensitivity of Free-Surface Interfaces Using a Level Set Methodology

In this paper we develop the continuous adjoint methodology to compute shape sensitivities in free-surface hydrodynamic design problems using the incompressible Euler equations and the level set methodology. The identication of the free-surface requires the convection of the level set variable and, in this work, this equation is introduced in the entire shape design methodology. On the other hand, an alternative continuous adjoint formulation based in the jump condition across the interface, and an internal adjoint boundary condition is also presented. It is important to highlight that this new methodology will allow the specic design of the free-surface interface, which has a great potential in problems where the target is to reduce the wave energy (ship design), or increase the size of the wave (surng wave pools). The complete continuous adjoint derivation, the description of the numerical methods (including a new high order numerical centered scheme), and numerical tests are detailed in this paper.
A quantitative analysis of ultrastructural changes induced by electrical stimulation of identified spinal cord axons in the larval lamprey.

Microelectrodes filled with horseradish peroxidase (HRP) were used to label single identified giant axons in the isolated lamprey spinal cord. Subsequent to the iontophoretic injection of HRP, the spinal cord was stimulated at repetition rates of 20–30/s and the activity in labelled axons monitored. Immediately following failure of the action potential, the spinal cord was fixed by immersion and processed for light and electron microscopy. Electron micrographs were taken of synaptic contacts made by the labelled axons. Several quantitative measures were made from each synapse using a digitizing tablet interfaced with a digital computer. These measures included vesicle number (VN), vesicle area (VA), length of differentiated membrane (DM), vesicle density (VD=VN/VA), vesicle frequency (VF = VN/DM), and a relative measure of the amount of vesicle membrane added to the axolemma during the stimulation period, the curvature ratio (CR). Measures from 106 stimulated synapses were compared with 134 synapses from injected but unstimulated giant axons. The results from these experiments suggest that measurable ultrastructural changes occur during transmitter release at identified C.N.S. synapses, which are consistent with the hypothesis of synaptic vesicle recycling.
An integrated framework for managing sensor data uncertainty using cloud computing

In recent years, an increasing number of data-intensive applications deal with continuously changing data objects (CCDOs), such as data streams from sensors and tracking devices. In these applications, the underlying data management system must support new types of spatiotemporal queries that refer to the spatiotemporal trajectories of the CCDOs. In contrast to traditional data objects, CCDOs have continuously changing attributes. Therefore, the spatiotemporal relation between any two CCDOs can change over time. This problem can be more complicated, since the CCDO trajectories are associated with a degree of uncertainty at every point in time. This is due to the fact that databases can only be discretely updated. The paper formally presents a comprehensive framework for managing CCDOs with insights into the spatiotemporal uncertainty problem and presents an original parallel-processing solution for efficiently managing the uncertainty using the map-reduce platform of cloud computing.
Introduction: Financial crisis and renewal? Diversity and convergence in emerging markets

The articles in this issue were conceived in a very different political and economic climate from that which pertains today. Each of the crises analyzed here was seen at the time as having signific...
E-cadherin peptide sequence recognition by anti-E-cadherin antibody.

Abstract Cadherins are calcium dependent glycoproteins involved in hemophilic cell-cell adhesion. To further elucidate the interaction between cadherins we have developed an immobilized peptide ELISA to quickly scan the extracellular domains of E-cadherin. Peptides displaying antigenic reactivity to anti-E-cadherin antibody are presumably on the surface and thus may be involved in cadherin-cadherin interaction. We have found three peptides from the EC-1 domain which are recognized by the anti-E-cadherin antibody. These peptides are in the two important regions of the EC-1 domain that was deduced from its secondary structure.
DNA damage shifts circadian clock time via Hausp-dependent Cry1 stabilization

The circadian transcriptional repressors cryptochrome 1 (Cry1) and 2 (Cry2) evolved from photolyases, bacterial light-activated DNA repair enzymes. In this study, we report that while they have lost DNA repair activity, Cry1/2 adapted to protect genomic integrity by responding to DNA damage through posttranslational modification and coordinating the downstream transcriptional response. We demonstrate that genotoxic stress stimulates Cry1 phosphorylation and its deubiquitination by Herpes virus associated ubiquitin-specific protease (Hausp, a.k.a Usp7), stabilizing Cry1 and shifting circadian clock time. DNA damage also increases Cry2 interaction with Fbxl3, destabilizing Cry2. Thus, genotoxic stress increases the Cry1/Cry2 ratio, suggesting distinct functions for Cry1 and Cry2 following DNA damage. Indeed, the transcriptional response to genotoxic stress is enhanced in Cry1-/- and blunted in Cry2-/- cells. Furthermore, Cry2-/- cells accumulate damaged DNA. These results suggest that Cry1 and Cry2, which evolved from DNA repair enzymes, protect genomic integrity via coordinated transcriptional regulation.
The Effect of Brain Atrophy on Cerebral Hypometabolism in the Visual Variant of Alzheimer Disease

Background Brain glucose metabolic rates measured by positron emission tomography can be more affected by partial volume effects in Alzheimer disease (AD) than in healthy aging because of disease-associated brain atrophy. Objective To determine whether the distinct distribution of cerebral metabolic lesions in patients with the visual variant of AD (AD + VS) represents a true index of neuronal/synaptic dysfunction or is the consequence of brain atrophy. Setting Government research hospital. Design Resting cerebral metabolic rate for glucose was measured with positron emission tomography in a cross-sectional study of AD and AD + VS groups and in healthy control subjects. Segmented magnetic resonance images were used to correct for brain atrophy. Patients Patients with AD + VS had prominent visual and visuospatial symptoms. There were 15 patients with AD, 10 with AD + VS, and 37 age-matched control subjects. Main Outcome Measure Measurement of the rate of cerebral glucose metabolism. Results Before atrophy correction, the AD + VS group, compared with the control subjects, showed hypometabolism in primary and extrastriate visual areas and in parietal and superior temporal cortical areas. Compared with the AD group, the AD + VS group showed hypometabolism in visual association areas. After atrophy correction, hypometabolism remained significantly different between patients and controls and between the 2 AD groups. Conclusions The reductions in cerebral hypometabolism represent a true loss of functional activity and are not simply an artifact caused by brain atrophy. The different patterns of hypometabolism indicate the differential development of the lesions between the AD and AD + VS groups.
Cardiac arrhythmias and implantable devices

Significant original research was reported at the American College of Cardiology 2003 National Meeting in the field of cardiac arrhythmias and implantable devices. Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) is still a topic of great interest and rapid evolution. The initial results of the Comparison
Effective Temperature in Stochastic Kinetics and Gene Networks

The fluctuation-dissipation theorem, one of the central theorems in thermal dynamics, breaks down in out-of-equilibrium systems. The idea of effective temperature coming from the extensions of that theorem has been recently introduced to study glasses and has proved to be a key concept for out-of-equilibrium systems. Gene networks involve stochastic chemical kinetics and are far from equilibrium. This leads us to try to use the notion of effective temperature to study them. To develop this idea, we study a simple birth-death process and a general two-species interacting process using the language of effective temperature. Furthermore, a model of a nonregulatory gene is studied as an example. The effective temperature may serves as an alternative and somewhat more fundamental language to describe the intrinsic-extrinsic noise distinction that has already provided a tool for qualifying gene networks.
A LIBERAL CONCEPTION OF MULTIPLE REALIZABILITY

While the concept of multiple realizability is widely used, it is sedom rigorously characterized. This paper defends a liberal conception of multiple realizability as sameness of type through any differences in the (lower-level) conditions that give rise to instances of that type. This kind of “sameness through difference” is contrasted with another type of asymmetric dependency relation between properties, multiple specification. This liberal conception is then defended from objections, and it is augmented by a concept of relativized multiple realizability. The last section presents a survey of the ontological, explanatory, and methodological consequences of this analysis of multiple realizability.
Do stresses modify wetting angles

Abstract The wetting angles at triple lines in solid–solid systems give rise to singularities in the elastic field. This paper presents a transparent analysis of the effect of stress on the wetting angles that describe such equilibrium three-phase junctions.
ELECTROCARDIOGRAPHY IN TURTLES.

Abstract The normal ECG of turtles is similar to that of man, but low voltage waves are the rule. The Q and S waves are uncommon. Sex differences are described. In the female the P-R interval is shorter, but the R and T waves are longer and have a lower voltage Unfed males and females show occasional arrhythmias and marked electrical differences from the normal in the voltages and durations of the ECG parameters, but the sex differences which characterize the fed turtles are slightly reduced. Several significant differences are described in the ECG in the surgical stage of anesthesia produced by ether or by sodium pentobarbital. Species differences are observable in the ECG records, but these differences may reside largely in the different pacemaker rates.
Surface modification of nanoporous poly(ε-caprolactone) membrane with poly(ethylene glycol) to prevent biofouling: Part I. Effects of plasma power and treatment time

Biofouling, a result of protein adsorption and cell adhesion on a surface, is detrimental to membrane performance. The objective of this study is to modify the polycaprolactone (PCL) membrane surface with poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) to prevent fibroblast adhesion. To achieve this goal, oxygen plasma and PEG(400)-monoacrylate were used to graft the PEG onto the membrane surface through covalent bonding. Various plasma treatment conditions were investigated to optimize the PEG-grafting quality and to achieve minimum fibroblast adhesion. After the treatment, the water contact angle decreased significantly. Attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) spectra indicated that PEG was successfully grafted onto the PCL membrane with the appearance of the PEG characteristic peaks. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) revealed that different plasma powers and treatment times changed the surface composition of membranes. To evaluate the applicability of this new strategy for the ...
Thermodynamics of static black objects in D dimensional Einstein-Gauss-Bonnet gravity with D-4 compact dimensions

We investigate the thermodynamics of static black objects such as black holes, black strings and their generalizations to D dimensions (''black branes'') in a gravitational theory containing the four-dimensional Gauss-Bonnet term in the action, with D-4 dimensions compactified torus. The entropies of black holes and black branes are compared to obtain information on the stability of these objects and to find their phase diagrams. We demonstrate the existence of a critical mass, which depends on the scale of the compactified dimensions, below which the black hole entropy dominates over the entropy of the black membrane.
Child Maltreatment and Children's Developmental Trajectories in Early to Middle Childhood

Associations between experiencing child maltreatment and adverse developmental outcomes are widely studied, yet conclusions regarding the extent to which effects are bidirectional, and whether they are likely causal, remain elusive. This study uses the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, a birth cohort of 4,898 children followed from birth through age 9. Hierarchical linear modeling and structural equation modeling are employed to estimate associations of maltreatment with cognitive and social-emotional well-being. Results suggest that effects of early childhood maltreatment emerge immediately, though developmental outcomes are also affected by newly occurring maltreatment over time. Additionally, findings indicate that children's early developmental scores predict their subsequent probability of experiencing maltreatment, though to a lesser extent than early maltreatment predicts subsequent developmental outcomes.
Chemically induced dynamic electron polarization. The isotropic hyperfine coupling and the CIDEP of radicals produced by pulse radiolysis

Abstract Time resolved electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy was used to examine the electron spin polarization in several radicals produced in pulse radiolysis of aqueous alcoholic solutions. The observation of the distribution of polarized intensities in the various hyperfine lines in an EPR spectrum provides yet another indication of the S-T 0 mixing of the electron-nuclear states in radical pairs.
Effects of getter annealing and codoping of iron and zinc in yttrium-barium cuprates

This study explores issues connected with the complex structural and electronic behavior of partly substituted YBa[sub 2](Cu[sup 1[minus]x[minus]z]Fe[sub x]Zn[sub z])[sub 3]O[sub y] when given special redox sequencing over varying times. For z = 0 and x = 0.03 conventional oxygenated slow cooling preparations (OP) yield tetragonal materials with [Tc][sub mid] = 59K. Getter annealing procedures using Gd to control the extent of reduction to y = 6.1 at 1000K for 4 days followed by reoxidation at 700K for 1 hour yield orthorhombic materials with [Tc][sub mid] = 68K and improved superconducting volume fractions. The results are in line with expectations for the presence of ordered atomic size Fe clusters with these reducing preparations (RP). This redox sequence also reduces the paramagnetic Curie temperature from [Theta][sub P] = [minus]35K to [Theta][sub P] = [minus]51K for z = 0, hinting at higher cluster Neel temperatures. When the getter annealed specimen is air annealed for prolonged times (50h) at 673K, a broader [Tc] transition develops and a slight decrease in the orthorhombic splitting is observed. This demonstrates that small rearrangements from properties of RP to OP are possible even at these low temperatures. Codoping to x = 0.03, z = 0.01 results inmore » drastic reductions to [Tc][sub mid] = 31K for OP, beyond the one expected from individual contributions, while structural parameters do not change noticeably. This synergistic effects is also reflected in [Theta][sub P] and may have to do with a large proportion of Fe occupying the Cu(2) site. Results are discussed within models of inhomogeneous M distributions and oxygen chain order.« less
Transcriptional Regulation of the Human PAX6 Gene Promoter

PAX6, a member of the highly conserved paired-type homeobox gene family, is expressed in a spatially and temporally restricted pattern during early embryogenesis, and its mutation is responsible for human aniridia. Here we examined the transcriptional regulation of the PAX6 gene by transient transfection assays and identified multiple cis-regulatory elements that function differently in different cell lines. The transcriptional initiation site was identified by RNase protection and primer extension assay. Examination of the genomic DNA sequence indicated that the PAX6 promoter has a TATA like-box (ATATTTT) at −26 base pairs (bp), and two CCAAT boxes are positioned at −70 and −100 bp. A 38-bp poly(CA) sequence was located 992 bp upstream from the initiation site. Transient transfection assays in glioblastoma cells and leukemia cells indicate that a 92-bp region was required for basal level PAX6 promoter activity. A negative transcriptional element, silencer (bases −1518 to −1268), functioned differently in different cell lines. The activation of the promoter is positively correlated with the expression of PAX6 transcripts in all cells tested. These results indicate that a cis-regulatory element or elements is responsible for selective activation of the PAX6 promoter in cells that can express PAX6 mRNA.
The role of sodium ion in the transport of amino acids by the intestine

Abstract 1. 1. Decreasing the incubation medium Na+ concentration below physiologic levels resulted in decreased transport of Na+ and water in the isolated rabbit jejunum as well as diminution of amino acid transport. 2. 2. Ouabain inhibited the transport of Na+ and amino acids in everted jejunal sacs. 3. 3. Reduction of medium Na+ was associated with decreased tissue Na+ and K+ content while ouabain produced elevated tissue Na+ and reduced tissue K+ concentrations. 4. 4. Kinetic analysis of amino acid-uptake data showed that ouabain and reduction of medium Na+ caused a slowing of both influx and, to a lesser degree, efflux coefficients. 5. 5. The Na+ ion was shown to affect energy-independent (diffusion) as well as energy-dependent (active) transport of amino acids.
Breaking It Down: Engineering Student STEM Confidence at the Intersection of Race/Ethnicity and Gender.

It is generally accepted that engineering requires a strong aptitude for mathematics and science; therefore, students’ judgments regarding their competence in these areas as well as engineering likely influence their confidence in engineering. Little is known about how self-confidence in science, mathematics, and engineering courses (STEM confidence) varies at the intersection of race/ethnicity and gender. To fill this gap, this study examined the STEM confidence of multiple groups in undergraduate engineering programs. Results indicated that although some underrepresented groups may have lower STEM confidence overall, this finding no longer applies to all groups after controlling for personal, environmental, and behavioral factors. Specifically, African-American and Hispanic men report higher average STEM confidence than White men after controlling for these associated measures. In addition, White women continue to report lower average STEM confidence than White men after controlling for these measures, while other groups do not differ from White men. Further, many elements of student perception, including student views of professors, comparisons to peers, perceptions of the field as rewarding, and desirability of chosen major are positively associated with student STEM confidence. The changing patterns of significance for race/ethnicity and gender groups between the two models indicate that personal, environmental, and behavioral factors have different relationships with STEM confidence levels for different groups. This study contributes an understanding that gender differences in STEM confidence are not indifferent to racial and ethnic context. Social-cognitive theory provides a valuable framework for studying student academic confidence and would improve future self-confidence research.
Filtering partially observable diffusions up to the exit time from a domain

University of Minnesota Ph.D. dissertation. July 2012. Major: Mathematics. Advisor: N.V. Krylov. 1 computer file (PDF); iii, 60 pages.
Fatal early onset infection in an extremely low birth weight infant due to Morganella morganii.

Fatal Early Onset Infection in an Extremely Low Birth Weight Infant due to Morganella morganii
Weight loss in exclusively breastfed infants delivered by cesarean birth

Background: Rates of exclusive breastfeeding during the postpartum hospital stay are a key measure of quality maternity care. Often, however, concern for excessive in-hospital weight loss leads to formula supplementation of breastfed infants. The American Academy of Pediatrics defines 7% weight loss as acceptable for breastfed newborns regardless of mode of delivery. Typical weight loss in exclusively breastfed infants delivered by cesarean birth has not been studied nor have possible correlates of greater weight loss in this population.Objectives: To determine average weight loss in a cohort of exclusively breastfed infants delivered by cesarean birth and to identify correlates of greater than expected weight loss.Methods: We performed a retrospective chart review of exclusively breastfed infants delivered via cesarean birth at a Baby-Friendly hospital between 2005 and 2007. Average weight loss was calculated, and multivariate regression analysis was performed.Results: Average weight loss during the hosp...
Comparison of SCEM and STEM-HAADF Imaging in Thick Specimens

The Scanning Confocal Electron Microscope has been shown to have significant advantages during imaging of thick specimens in both Materials and Biological applications. Since the electron optical configuration of STEM is a subset of the more general SCEM configuration, it is of interest to compare the performance of these two imaging modes. In the limit of infinitely thin specimens SCEM and STEM performance should be essentially be identical, this is born out by the '3D STEM' imaging of the ORNL group. In this work we compare imaging at the other extreme.
Multi-j supersymmetric Hamiltonian in the Pt region

A new supersymmetric scheme has been tested against two previously proposed schemes using data of six platinum isotopes. This new scheme is at least an order of magnitude better, in the least squares sense, than the previous schemes. In this new model, the lack of fit is due almost entirely to the lack of fit for the even isotopes. The fitted parameters show a smooth variation over the platinum isotopes studied.
Preliminary findings in quantification of changes in septal motion during follow-up of type B aortic dissections

Objective To quantify longitudinal changes in intra-arterial septum (IS) motion with two-dimensional (2D) phase-contrast magnetic resonance imaging (2D pcMRI) in type B aortic dissections (AD) to improve the understanding of AD and its midterm development. Methods From a database of 42 patients who underwent a dynamic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examination at the Acute Aortic Treatment Center of The Methodist DeBakey Heart & Vascular Center, 2D pcMRI image data was available from 10 patients with type B AD for both short-term (mean, 6.6 days; range, 1-10 days; n=7) and midterm follow-up (mean, 155 days; range, 60-324; n=5). IS motion was quantified as motion of IS boundary points averaged over the cardiac cycle. Relative change in IS motion was expressed as percent change compared with initial presentation. Maximum IS extension (true lumen [TL] expansion) and contraction (TL compression), IS fraction in phase with aortic flow and correlation of IS motion with aortic flow (IS compliance) were quantified. Results IS motion at initial presentation was 0.68 ± 0.2 mm and was reduced at short-term (0.48 ± 0.3 mm; P = .07) and midterm (0.5 ± 0.2 mm; P = .1) follow-up. Trend in relative change of IS motion was variable during short-term follow-up: reduced in three subjects (−75% ± 6%) and elevated in four subjects (48% ± 23%). During midterm follow-up, relative change in IS motion was reduced in four subjects (28% ± 19%) and slightly elevated in one (6.2%). IS contraction decreased with follow-up while IS extension slightly increased. Fraction of IS moving in phase with aortic flow increased but IS compliance decreased, suggesting increasing IS stiffness. Conclusions Reduction of IS motion in AD is seen with short-term and midterm follow-up. Intersubject variability of this trend is high at short-term follow-up but low at midterm follow-up. Detailed analysis of IS motion parameters indicate reduction of IS contraction and IS compliance with time. This has potential implications for endovascular management of type B aortic dissections, as expansion of aortic stent grafts can be limited by a stiff IS.
Mortality among infants with birth defects: Joint effects of size at birth, gestational age, and maternal race/ethnicity.

BACKGROUND We examined the separate and joint effects of gestational age, size at birth and maternal race/ethnicity on early childhood survival among 48,391 singleton infants with major birth defects. METHODS Texas Birth Defects Registry data were linked to death records and the National Death Index to ascertain deaths. Gestational age categories were preterm or term birth; size at birth included small for gestational age (SGA), appropriate for gestational age (AGA), and large for gestational age (LGA). Kaplan-Meier survival estimates were calculated, and Cox-proportional hazards models were used to calculate hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) to determine risk of death after adjusting for covariates. RESULTS Overall, relative to non-Hispanic (NH) -whites, NH-blacks, and Hispanics had a 51 and 10% greater risk of death during early childhood, respectively. Compared to NH-whites born term and AGA (survival = 97%), Hispanic children born SGA and preterm had the greatest risk of death (HRa = 6.1; 95% CI, 5.2, 7.2) and the lowest early childhood survival (76%), followed by SGA preterm NH-blacks (HRa = 4.8; 95% CI, 3.6, 6.5; survival = 81%) and SGA preterm NH-whites (HRa = 4.5; 95% CI, 3.7, 5.6; survival = 83%). Children born LGA at term had no increased risk of mortality regardless of maternal race/ethnicity. CONCLUSIONS The joint effect of gestational age and size at birth had greatest impact on childhood mortality. Additional population based studies are needed to better understand causes of racial/ethnic disparities in mortality among children with birth defects. Birth Defects Research (Part A), 2010. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Optimizing feature-access time through dynamic updates to application menu layout

As soon as a product or application is installed, users want to start using it with zero usability roadblocks. However, there is always a time quantity associated with a user's series of actions that must be performed while traversing application menu items to reach a specific (desired) menu option. This time factor plays a critical role in influencing user experience and engagement; the more the number of clicks, the greater the time taken in reaching the desired menu item. This time lag may leave the user frustrated. The time and distance traversed increases further if the menu structure comprises multiple nested menus within the parent menu.This paper proposes an improvised dynamic menu layout based on usage statistics. This work also demonstrates results of a statistical experiment that compares the time taken in reaching specific menu items with the proposed new layout vs. the traditional menu layout. Experimental data (under defined assumptions) is found to be significantly in favor of the proposed approach. The work also presents data samples, assumptions, limitations, and benefits of the proposed approach.
An Improvement of an Inequality of Fiedler Leading to a New Conjecture on Nonnegative Matrices

Suppose that A is an n × n nonnegative matrix whose eigenvalues are λ = ϱ (A), λ2, ..., λn. Fiedler and others have shown that \det(λ I -A) ≤ λn - ϱn, for all λ > ϱ with equality for any such λ if and only if A is the simple cycle matrix. Let ai be the signed sum of the determinants of the principal submatrices of A of order i × i, i=1, ..., n - 1. We use similar techniques to Fiedler to show that Fiedler's inequality can be strengthened to: \(\det (\lambda I - A) + \sum\limits_{i = 1}^{n - 1} {\varrho ^{n - 2i} |a_i |(\lambda - \varrho )^i \leqslant \lambda ^n - \varrho ^n } \) for all λ ≥ ϱ. We use this inequality to derive the inequality that: \(\prod\limits_2^n {(\varrho - \lambda _i ) \leqslant \varrho ^{n - 2} \sum\limits_{i = 2}^n {(\varrho - \lambda _i )} } \). In the spirit of a celebrated conjecture due to Boyle-Handelman, this inequality inspires us to conjecture the following inequality on the nonzero eigenvalues of A: If λ1 = ϱ (A), λ2,...,λkare (all) the nonzero eigenvalues of A, then\(\prod\limits_2^k {(\varrho - \lambda _i ) \leqslant \varrho ^{k - 2} \sum\limits_{i = 2}^k {(\varrho - \lambda _i )} } \). We prove this conjecture for the case when the spectrum of A is real.
A Chaotic Blue Sky Catastrophe of Butterfly Valves Driven by Solenoid Actuators

Chilled water systems used in the industry and on board ships are critical for safe and reliable operation. It is hence important to understand the fundamental physics of these systems. This paper focuses in particular on a critical part of the automation system, namely, actuators and valves that are used in so-called “smart valve” systems. The system is strongly nonlinear, and necessitates a nonlinear dynamic analysis to be able to predict all critical phenomena that affect effective operation and efficient design. The derived mathematical model includes electromagnetics, fluid mechanics, and mechanical dynamics. Nondimensionalization has been carried out in order to reduce the large number of parameters to a few critical independent sets to help carry out a broad parametric analysis. The system stability analysis is then carried out by the aid of the tools from nonlinear dynamic analysis. This reveals that the system is unstable in a certain region of the parameter space. The system is also shown to exhibit crisis and chaotic responses; this is characterized using Lyapunov exponents and power spectra. Knowledge and avoidance of these dangerous regimes is necessary for successful and safe operation.Copyright © 2011 by ASME
Perfluorinated Surfactant Chain-Length Effects on Sonochemical Kinetics

The sonochemical degradation kinetics of the aqueous perfluorochemicals (PFCs) perfluorobutanoate (PFBA), perfluorobutanesulfonate (PFBS), perfluorohexanoate (PFHA), and perfluorohexanesulfonate (PFHS) have been investigated. Surface tension measurements were used to evaluate chain-length effects on equilibrium air−water interface partitioning. The PFC air−water interface partitioning coefficients, KeqPF, and maximum surface concentrations, ΓmaxPF, were determined from the surface pressure equation of state for PFBA, PFBS, PFHA, and PFHS. Relative KeqPF values were dependent upon chain length KeqPFHS ≅ 2.1KeqPFHA ≅ 3.9KeqPFBS ≅ 5.0KeqPFBA, whereas relative ΓmaxPF values had minimal chain length dependence ΓmaxPFHS ≅ ΓmaxPFHA ≅ ΓmaxPFBS ≅ 2.2ΓmaxPFBA. The rates of sonolytic degradation were determined over a range of frequencies from 202 to 1060 kHz at dilute (<1 μM) initial PFC concentrations and are compared to previously reported results for their C8 analogs: perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS) and perfluor...
Parallel synthesis of a library of bidentate protein tyrosine phosphatase inhibitors based on the α-ketoacid motif ☆

Abstract Protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTPases) regulate intracellular signal transduction pathways by controlling the level of tyrosine phosphorylation in cells. These enzymes play an important role in a variety of diseases including type II diabetes and infection by the bacterium Yersinia pestis , which is the causative agent of bubonic plague. This report describes the synthesis, using parallel solution-phase methods, of a library of 104 potential inhibitors of PTPases. The library members are based on the bis(aryl α-ketocarboxylic acid) motif that incorporates a carboxylic acid on the central benzene linker. This carboxylic acid was coupled with a variety of different aromatic amines through an amide linkage. The aromatic component of the resulting amides is designed to make contacts with residues that surround the active site of the PTPase. The library was screened against the Yersinia PTPase and PTP1B. Based upon the screening results, four members of the library were selected for further study. These four compounds were evaluated against the Yersinia PTPase, PTP1B, TCPTP, CD45, and LAR. Compound 14 has an IC 50 value of 590 nM against PTP1B and is a reversible competitive inhibitor. This affinity represents a greater than 120-fold increase in potency over compound 2 , the parent structure upon which the library was based. A second inhibitor, compound 12 , has an IC 50 value of 240 nM against the Yersinia PTPase. In general, the selectivity of the inhibitors for PTP1B was good compared to LAR, but modest when compared to TCPTP and CD45.
A Procedure for the Purification of Sirenin

SIRENIN (I am indebted to Dr. A. Vegis for suggesting, what seems to me, this aptly descriptive name) is the name, used here for the first time, for the chemotactic sexual hormone from the water-mould Allomyces which attracts the male gametes and is produced by the female gametes1. This hormone has now been produced and purified.
Specific antibody synthesis in vitro. II. Age-associated thymosin enhancement of antitetanus antibody synthesis

A decline in T cell function accounts for many of the observed age-related deficient immune responses. Specific antibody response to many antigens requires T cell cooperation, and deficient antibody response to such antigens has been demonstrated with aging. In an effort to assess the potential reconstitutive capacity of Thymosin Fraction 5, in vitro antitetanus antibody production was measured in tetanus toxoid booster-immunized young and old volunteers. 22 young and 12 old volunteers were immunized with tetanus toxoid and plasma antitetanus antibody and in vitro lymphocyte production of antitetanus antibody was measured. Plasma antitetanus antibody response was significantly greater in the young. In vitro antitetanus antibody synthesis was negligible prior to immunization and peaked in cultures established 1 week after immunization from both young and old. When Thymosin Fraction 5 was added to the cultures, however, there was a dose-related enhancement of antibody synthesis in 7 of 10 from the group of elderly volunteers, but only 3 of 12 from the younger group. Our data indicate that specific antibody response is deficient in the elderly, but can be enhanced in vitro by thymosin. A future clinical trial of thymosin as an adjuvant to active immunization for the elderly is warranted.
Individual and Collective Moral Responsibility for Systemic Military Atrocity

THERE are two kinds of killing in war: intended and unintended. Soldiers intend to, and may under the laws of war, kill those who pose a threat to them. Soldiers may not intentionally kill innocents. Indeed, soldiers ought to try, as much as they can, to avoid even accidentally killing non-combatants. Thus, perhaps as much as soldiers are trained to kill they are taught to avoid unnecessary killing of innocents. Limited, unintended killing of non-combatants (collateral damage) may be excused in the just war tradition and by the laws of armed combat if those deaths were the result of “necessary” military operations and efforts were taken to avoid unnecessary killing. Intentionally killing non-combatants is considered an atrocity for which actors are morally responsible and legally culpable. When an atrocity is planned it is genocide, ethnic cleansing or terror bombing. Moral responsibility here belongs with individual perpetrators and commanders. Sometimes atrocities are isolated and limited, the act of an individual or a small group of soldiers who “lose it.” In the early morning of 19 November 2005 a twenty-year-old marine, Lance Corporal Miguel Terrazas, was killed by a roadside bomb in Haditha, Iraq. In response, US marines killed 24 Iraqi civilians, including children aged 14, 10, 5, 4, 3 and 1 over several hours as members of a thirteen-man unit, the 1st Squad of Marine Company K, Third Battalion Marines attacked and killed people in three houses and a taxi carrying four college students. Here, moral responsibility clearly belongs to individual perpetrators. “Only a man with a gun to his head is not responsible.”
Informative feedback in jet-pilot control-stick motion

In many closed-loop systems in which a human operator forms a link, the operator adds a special component to the error signal in continuously monitoring the system transfer function. Such a signal component, known in cybernetics as informative feedback, was found to be characteristically present in the control-stick motion of jet-airplane pilots. It was found, furthermore, that the amplitude of this feedback signal is subject to a learning process and that the over-all phenomenon, which falls within the scope of both control engineering and psychology, is amenable to quantitative analysis.