cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Nuclear medicine PACS with an Interfile/ACR-NEMA interface and on-line medical record interface

A PACS system has been implemented at the University of Florida that has eliminated the use of film in Nuclear Medicine. Six acquisition devices, four display devices, three paper printers, and a digital archive comprise the system. Nuclear Medicine images are viewed on display workstations for diagnosis and are printed in color on paper to be placed in the patient's folder or sent to referring physicians. An interface to the medical center's on-line medical records checks the demographic information stored with the images for accurate spelling of the patient's name, valid patient identification number, and ties the study to the radiology information system order (accession) number. The database used for the on-line medical record and for the Nuclear Medicine PACS system is ORACLE. The archive consists of 4 GBytes of mirrored magnetic disk (essentially 2 GBytes of accessible disk), 8 GBytes of non-mirrored magnetic storage, and a tape jukebox with 50 GByte capacity.
Effects of dietary nickel on survival and growth of mallard ducklings.

Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) ducklings were fed nickel sulphate in their diet from day one to 90 days of age. Ducklings fed 1,200 ppm nickel began to tremor and show signs of paresis after 14 days of dosage (age) and 71% of this group died within 60 days of age. Birds fed 1,200 ppm nickel weighed significantly less (P 0.05). The weight/length ratio of the humerus (an expression of bone density) from the 800 ppm diet females was significantly lower (P<0.05) than the control fed females at 30 and 60 days and for all ducklings fed 1,200 ppm at 30 days of age. The organ-weight/body-weight ratios for heart, liver, and gizzard did not differ from controls or between any dosage group. Liver nickel residues from ducklings that died during this study ranged between 1.0 to 22.7 ppm and kidney residues ranged between 2.7 to 74.4 ppm. Liver and kidney tissues from all ducklings that survived to 90 days of age contained less than 1.0 ppm nickel.
Risk of transmission of genetic diseases by assisted reproduction.

Male factor infertility is currently difficult to diagnose and counseling patients can be challenging. After years of research into endocrine control of spermatogenesis, researchers are now investigating the genes required for male fertility. In this Viewpoint the authors discuss the major advances in the ability to diagnose genetic defects in infertile males.
Oblique radiographs of the chest in nonaccidental trauma

Purpose: Oblique radiographs of the chest were added to our skeletal survey for nonaccidental trauma to determine if these views improved our ability to diagnose rib fractures accurately. Methods: Seventy-three patients were evaluated with skeletal surveys for suspected child abuse. The chest films were reviewed independently by three radiologists as two separate sets, one with the frontal and lateral views only and one including the two oblique views. At the end of the study, consensus readings of all two- and four-view sets were reached and used as the true interpretations. Results: In 14 patients, positive rib fractures were identified by consensus. The accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity for each radiologist were greater with the four-view sets than with the two-view sets. In some children, rib fractures considered equivocal by two-view evaluation were called confidently as positive or negative with the additional views. Conclusion: The addition of oblique radiographs improves rib fracture evaluation in children suspected of having suffered nonaccidental trauma, increasing sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy as well as the radiologists' confidence.
Time-efficient computation of 3D topological functions

Abstract An important issue in 3D image processing is the identification of points (voxels) in the image which could be altered while leaving the topology unchanged — such points are referred to as simple points . We need time-efficient algorithms for identifying such points, since such computations are typically evoked over many iterations over relatively large 3D images. We report new very fast algorithms for computing functions which identify 3D simple points and related topological conditions using table-based methods which use a hierarchy of relatively small tables of pointers and some function tables. We compare time-storage tradeoffs for the new table-based methods with other table-based and propagation labeling methods for these computations.
The extension of component analysis to four-mode matrices

A model for four-mode component analysis is developed and presented. The developed model, which is an extension of Tucker's three-mode factor analytic model, allows for the simultaneous analysis of all modes of a four-mode data matrix and the consideration of relationships among the modes. An empirical example based upon viewer perceptions of repetitive advertising shows the four-mode model applicable to real data.
Nucleation of a disc-shaped hole in a low index surface and at a dislocation

Abstract The nucleation rate of a disc-shaped hole during evaporation at dislocation sites is calculated and related to the nucleation rate on a perfect low index surface.
Delayed TSH release in anorexia nervosa following injection of thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH)☆

We studied plasma concentrations of thyrotropin (TSH), prolactin and growth hormone (GH) after injection of 500 microgram of thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) in 10 patients with acute anorexia nervosa, subsequent to initial nutritional stabilization and again after weight recovery. Plasma thyroxine levels were normal throughout, whereas plasma triiodothyronine levels were low initially but rose with weight gain. The TSH secretory response to TRH was delayed and prolonged during the initial study but showed a normal overall quantitative response, except for two patients who showed no TSH rise. Following weight gain the TSH response was more rapid, and positive correlations were found between body weight and peak TSH levels and rapidity of TSH response. Six of 10 patients, however, continued to exhibit a delayed TSH peak response, the average response was markedly increased in comparison with that in normal females. The prolactin response curves were normal at both times. Rises in GH following TRH were observed in two patients prior to and in one patient after weight gain. We conclude that acute anorexia nervosa, with its concomitant profound weight loss, is accompanied by abnormalities in the hypothalamo-pituitary-thyroid axis, which are reversed only in part with improvement in the illness and weight gain, suggesting the persistence of disordered neuroendocrine function in this illness.
State of the Art Head and Neck Imaging for the Endovascular Specialist

Recent technologic advances including multidetector CT, dynamic CT angiography, high-field MR imaging, four-dimensional MR angiography, and physiologic studies, such as perfusion imaging, have revolutionized the imaging work-up of head, neck, and skull base lesions. These techniques not only provide accurate diagnostic information, but also help plan endovascular therapy. The future holds great promise for interventional neuroradiologists because excellent imaging tools are becoming available that are capable of providing morphologic, hemodynamic, and physiologic information. Furthermore, availability of faster, real-time guidance systems and hybrid systems improves the ability to perform procedures not only in a rapid and safe manner but also with great precision.
Theory and modelling of second harmonic ICRF coupling and heating in inhomogeneous plasmas

The combined theory of ion cyclotron wave coupling, mode conversion and absorption is developed for bounded inhomogeneous plasmas in slab geometry. The plasma response to the RF waves is described by the linearized Vlasov equation, with an equilibrium distribution function and a poloidal magnetic field profile which are selfconsistent solutions of the equilibrium Vlasov and Maxwell's equations. A general form of the wave equation, valid to arbitrary order in Larmor radius and including first order gradient terms, is derived. Expressions are also derived for the plasma intrinsic impedance. The wave equation, keeping second order terms in Larmor radius, is solved numerically for a plasma bounded by two conducting walls using the INTOR tokamak design parameters. It was found that the effect of the one-dimensional poloidal field is small. Also, a rough estimate of the error due to truncation to second order in Larmor radius was made and was found to be very small except in the high temperature regions. The effects of plasma boundedness and reflections from the mode conversion region on the coupling of waves from the RF source as a function of the plasma parameters and antenna spectra are studied. It is found that, at certain values of the plasma and antenna parameters, eigenmodes are formed, resulting in an increase in the loading impedance. It is verified that the impedance is not symmetric with respect to the spectrum in the poloidal direction, with highly peaked resonances. As the plasma temperature is increased, the resonances broaden and eventually disappear at very high temperatures. This is attributed to increased single pass absorption and decreasing reflection from the mode conversion region.
The Simulation of Vehicle Performance in Surf

Abstract : The study is part of an overall program on the interpretation of performance tests of amphibious vehicles in surf. By 'surf' is meant the zone near-shore wherein waves are actually breaking--that is, the zone where the analytical treatment of water waves is least tractable and, consequently, least satisfactory. By 'simulation' is meant the production of 'surf' in a tank facility and the operation of a model vehicle in this surf. The report is presented in two parts: Part One is a survey of available knowledge of surf, the implications for model simulation and a preliminary application to existing Davidson Laboratory facilities. Part Two is a presentation of results of initial experiments on model surf generation at the Davidson Laboratory.
Developing applied medical anthropology in Third World countries: problems and actions.

Abstract Recognition of the usefulness of ethnographic research in Third World community health projects and programs developed rapidly during the 1980s. As a result, the various agencies and organizations promoting community health programs (UNICEF, WHO, NGOs) have greatly increased their recruiting of social scientists, particularly medical anthropologists, for research and other programmatic activities in primary health care, child survival (especially diarrhea, acute respiratory infections, maternal and child nutrition, infectious disease, and AIDS). However, it has proved very difficult to identify well-trained anthropologists and/or other social scientists for these roles, particularly in Third World countries. This paper examines some of the background of this problem, and presents examples of methodological training (in both qualitative and quantitative research techniques) that seek to increase the skills of social scientists and other researchers in the arena of international community health.
Reduced Models for Rotating Component Lifing

The most common failure mode for engine rotating components is material fatigue. Low Cycle Fatigue or LCF is caused by stresses and temperatures resulting from start-stop cycles. One current common practice is to assign an LCF life of certain number of start-stop cycles based on a standard flight or mission. This is done during design through detailed calculations of stresses and temperatures for a standard flight, and the use of material property and failure models. The limitation of the design phase stress and temperature calculations is that they cannot take into account actual operating temperatures and stresses. In order to improve significantly the accuracy of the LCF lifing prediction, the component temperatures and stresses need to be computed for the actual operating conditions. However, stress and thermal models are very detailed and complex, and it could take on the order of a few hours to complete a stress and temperature simulation for a flight. The objective of this work is to develop reduced models, that would enable us to compute the stresses and temperatures at critical locations, without the detailed computationally intensive models. This paper describes the development of the reduced model and the results achieved in comparison with the original models for components of Honeywell propulsion engines. Given certain inputs such as engine speed and ambient temperature for the duration of the flight, the reduced models computes the component critical location temperature and thermal stress for the same flight in a very small fraction of time it would take the original finite element model to compute.Copyright © 2004 by ASME
Statistical Model Fitting of Remote Induction Sounding Data from Underground Coal Gasification Site---Hanna II, Phases 2 And 3

An Underground Coal Gasification Site near Hanna, WY, was sounded from the surface with a wide-band induction system to determine remotely the location, shape, and size of the coal burned. An estimated 6700 tons (148 888 ft3) of coal 275 ft deep had been converted to low-Btu gas. A wide-band loop-loop system employing psuedonoise/cross-correlation techniques was employed to effectively combat noise and obtain time signatures. Wire grid approximations to induction models were employed to efficiently compute model responses. The reaction zone was simulated by buried metal boxes, cylinders and spheres in a conducting overburden. Box and cylinder responses were shown to be insignificantly different at coal seam depths and spheres proved to be unlikely candidates for fitting field data. A dual parameter Bayes minimum mean-square-error estimator was employed to estimate model dimensions from magnitude responses extracted from field data at 1 kHz. Estimates of the volumes of coal gasified compared favorable with that obtained formerly by chemical estimation. However, the burn may have deviated to the side of the gasification wells more than was predicted by chemical instrumentation. Measurements taken repeatedly over a one-year span on one traverse show aging characteristics that demonstrate a migration of the conducting anomaly toward the surface.
Utilization of Host Iron Sources by Corynebacterium diphtheriae: Multiple Hemoglobin-Binding Proteins Are Essential for the Use of Iron from the Hemoglobin-Haptoglobin Complex

The use of hemin iron by Corynebacterium diphtheriae requires the DtxR- and iron-regulated ABC hemin transporter HmuTUV and the secreted Hb-binding protein HtaA. We recently described two surface anchored proteins, ChtA and ChtC, which also bind hemin and Hb. ChtA and ChtC share structural similarities to HtaA; however, a function for ChtA and ChtC was not determined. In this study, we identified additional host iron sources that are utilized by C. diphtheriae. We show that several C. diphtheriae strains use the hemoglobin-haptoglobin (Hb-Hp) complex as an iron source. We report that an htaA deletion mutant of C. diphtheriae strain 1737 is unable to use the Hb-Hp complex as an iron source, and we further demonstrate that a chtA-chtC double mutant is also unable to use Hb-Hp iron. Single-deletion mutants of chtA or chtC use Hb-Hp iron in a manner similar to that of the wild type. These findings suggest that both HtaA and either ChtA or ChtC are essential for the use of Hb-Hp iron. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) studies show that HtaA binds the Hb-Hp complex, and the substitution of a conserved tyrosine (Y361) for alanine in HtaA results in significantly reduced binding. C. diphtheriae was also able to use human serum albumin (HSA) and myoglobin (Mb) but not hemopexin as iron sources. These studies identify a biological function for the ChtA and ChtC proteins and demonstrate that the use of the Hb-Hp complex as an iron source by C. diphtheriae requires multiple iron-regulated surface components.
Kinetics of the reaction MgO + Al2O3 → MgAl2O4 and Al-Mg interdiffusion in spinel at 1200 to 2000°C and 1.0 to 4.0 GPa

Abstract The rate of spinel (MgAl2O4) growth at the interface between MgO and Al2O3 was investigated systematically at temperatures of 1200° to ∼2000°C and pressures between 1.0 and 4.0 GPa with a solid-media, piston-cylinder apparatus. As reported in previous 1-atm studies, the thickness (ΔX) of the spinel layer increases linearly with the square root of time for experiments differing only in duration, irrespective of pressure–temperature (P-T) conditions. The reaction rate constant (k = ΔX2/2t) is log-linear in 1/T and also in pressure. The apparent activation energy of 410 kJ/mol is independent of pressure; the apparent activation volume increases systematically with increasing temperature. Electron microprobe traverses across the spinel layer reveal a significant Al excess and charge-compensating Mg deficit near the spinel/corundum interface. This nonstoichiometry is promoted by high temperatures (>1500°C), suppressed by high pressures and varies linearly across the spinel to a near-stoichiometric composition at the interface with periclase. The Al and Mg composition gradients can be used to extract interdiffusion coefficients for Al ↔ Mg exchange through the spinel, which are described by D=2.5×10−6 exp(−28200/T) m2sThese diffusivities differ substantially from the reaction rate constant k, reflecting the fact that k is a combination of the diffusivity and the reaction potential as indicated by the difference in spinel composition across the spinel layer (i.e., coexisting with corundum vs. coexisting with periclase). A simple model can be used to separate the two effects and show that the reaction potential (i.e., the MgO-Al2O3 phase diagram) is sensitive to changes in both temperature and pressure, whereas the governing diffusivity depends only on temperature.
Heat-shock induces abnormalities in the cellular distribution of amyloid precursor protein (APP) and APP fusion proteins

The heat shock or stress response may play a role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease. We conducted experiments to visualize microscopically the distribution of wild type amyloid precursor protein (APP) and the behavior of an APP deletion mutant under stress. This was achieved by heat-shock treatment of cells expressing fusion recombinant APP proteins tagged with secreted placental alkaline phosphatase (SEAP). The fusion proteins were cleaved and secreted in a manner similar to wild type APP in unstressed control cells. SEAP activity was detected by cytochemical methods within the cytoplasm in less than 10% of transfected unstressed cells. Heat shocked cells showed a striking difference from the control cells in that over 90% of the stressed cells displayed strong intracytoplasmic SEAP activity occurring with Golgi-like pattern and/or membranous distribution. The effects of heat shock were not due to a peculiar behavior of the clones and depended on the APP portion of the constructs. This study shows miscompartmentalization of APP under stress. Such cellular changes may bear important implications in the processing of APP.
Variants in the Signaling Protein TSAd are Associated with Susceptibility to Ovarian Cancer in BRCA1/2 Negative High Risk Families

A substantial fraction of familial ovarian cancer cases cannot be attributed to specific genetic factors. The discovery of additional susceptibility genes will permit a more accurate assessment of hereditary cancer risk and allow for monitoring of predisposed women in order to intervene at the earliest possible stage. We focused on a population with elevated familial breast and ovarian cancer risk. In this study, we identified a SNP rs926103 whose minor allele is associated with predisposition to ovarian but not breast cancer in a Caucasian high-risk population without BRCA1/BRCA2 mutations. We have found that the allelic variation of rs926103, which alters amino acid 52 of the encoded protein SH2D2A/TSAd, results in differences in the activity of this protein involved in multiple signal transduction pathways, including regulation of immune response, tumor vascularization, cell growth, and differentiation. Our observation provides a novel candidate genetic biomarker of elevated ovarian cancer risk in members of high-risk families without BRCA1/2 mutations, as well as a potential therapeutic target, TSAd.
I. Minireview: Neurochemical applications of liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection

Abstract Liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection (LCEC) has been shown to have unique advantages for the determination of many substances of neurochemical interest. The technique is rapid, sensitive, and relatively inexpensive. In addition, it avoids the need for radiolabelled substances, the formation of volatile derivatives, or reactions which generate fluorescent products. LCEC is widely used for the measurement of the catecholamines and their metabolites and has recently gained acceptance for determination of the neurochemically important tryptophan metabolites. The method is also capable of assessing the activity of a number of neurologically important enzymes. The review which follows is intended to provide a brief overview of the LCEC technique and a guide to recent literature exemplifying its neurochemical applications.
Molecular dynamics simulations of PIP2 and PIP3 in lipid bilayers: determination of ring orientation, and the effects of surface roughness on a Poisson-Boltzmann description.

Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of phosphatidylinositol (4,5)-bisphosphate (PIP2) and phosphatidylinositol (3,4,5)-trisphosphate (PIP3) in 1-palmitoyl 2-oleoyl phosphatidylcholine (POPC) bilayers indicate that the inositol rings are tilted ∼40° with respect to the bilayer surface, as compared with 17° for the P-N vector of POPC. Multiple minima were obtained for the ring twist (analogous to roll for an airplane). The phosphates at position 1 of PIP2 and PIP3 are within an Angstrom of the plane formed by the phosphates of POPC; lipids in the surrounding shell are depressed by 0.5–0.8 A, but otherwise the phosphoinositides do not substantially perturb the bilayer. Finite size artifacts for ion distributions are apparent for systems of ∼26 waters/lipid, but, based on simulations with a fourfold increase of the aqueous phase, the phosphoinositide positions and orientations do not show significant size effects. Electrostatic potentials evaluated from Poisson-Boltzmann (PB) calculations show a strong dependence of potential height and ring orientation, with the maxima on the −25 mV surfaces (17.1 ± 0.1 A for PIP2 and 19.4 ± 0.3 A for PIP3) occurring near the most populated orientations from MD. These surfaces are well above the background height of 10 A estimated for negatively charged cell membranes, as would be expected for lipids involved in cellular signaling. PB calculations on microscopically flat bilayers yield similar maxima as the MD-based (microscopically rough) systems, but show less fine structure and do not clearly indicate the most probable regions. Electrostatic free energies of interaction with pentalysine are also similar for the rough and flat systems. These results support the utility of a rigid/flat bilayer model for PB-based studies of PIP2 and PIP3 as long as the orientations are judiciously chosen.
Nuclear Physicists in a New World. The Émigrés of the 1930s in America

Kernphysiker in einer neuen Welt: Die Emigranten der dreisiger Jahre in Amerika. - Unter der grosen Anzahl derjenigen, die durch Nationalsozialismus zur Emigration gezwungen wurden und zwischen 1933 und 1941 in die Vereinigten Staaten von Amerika einwanderten, befanden sich auch mehr als hundert Physiker, und unter ihnen einige der genialsten Kernphysiker der Welt. Die Physik in Amerika hatte damals den Status einer voll ausgereiften Wissenschaft erreicht, und so kam es zu einem bedeutsamen und facettenreichen Zusammenwirken zwischen den emigrierten und den einheimischen Kernphysikern, zumal sie die verschiedenen Forschungsgebiete vertraten, die sich durch die Entdeckungen und Erfindungen des Jahres 1932 (Neutron, Deuterium, Positron, Cockcroft-Walton-Beschleuniger, Zyklotron) aufgetan hatten. Von besonderer Bedeutung Fur die Konsolidierung und Entwicklung der gesamten Kernphysik war dabei die Veroffentlichung von drei Artikeln in den Reviews of Modern Physics von 1936 und 1937, bekannt als die „Bethe-Bibel”. Nach der Entdeckung der Kernspaltung von 1938 und dem Ausbruch des Krieges 1939 in Europa wirkte die Befurchtung, das Hitler eine Atomwaffe erhalten konnte, als machtige, Emigranten und Nicht-Emigranten gleichermasen erfassende einigende Kraft unter den Atomphysikern in Amerika, und die meisten von ihnen stellten ihre Fahigkeiten in den Dienst der US-Regierung und arbeiteten am Manhatten-Projekt und an anderen militarischen Forschungsvorhaben mit. Bei Kriegsende waren die in den dreisiger Jahren emigrierten Kernphysiker wie so viele Fluchtlinge vor ihnen Amerikaner geworden, und keiner von ihnen kehrte in sein Geburtsland zuruck. Among the large number of refugees from Nazism and Fascism entering the United States between 1933 and 1941 were more than 100 physicists, including some of the most gifted nuclear physicists in the world. By that time physics in America had come of age, and a remarkable and multifaceted symbiosis occurred between the emigre and native-born nuclear physicists as they pursued the many avenues of research opened up by the discoveries and inventions of 1932 (neutron, deuterium, positron, Cockcroft-Walton accelerator, cyclotron). Of particular importance for the consolidation and development of the entire field of nuclear physics was the publication in 1936–37 of the three articles in the Revieus of Modern Physics known as the „Bethe Bible”. With the discovery of nuclear fission in 1938 and the outbreak of war in Europe in 1939, the fear that a nuclear weapon might fall into Hitler's hands served as a powerful unifying force among nuclear physicists in Amerika, emigres and non-emigres alike, and most placed their talents in the service of the United States Government working on the Manhattan Project and other wartime research. By the end of the war, like so many refugees before them, the emigre nuclear physicists of the 1930s had become Americans, and not one of them returned to the country of his birth.
Use of cone-beam computerized tomography for evaluation of bisphosphonate-associated osteonecrosis of the jaws.

Background and objective Bisphosphonate-associated osteonecrosis of the jaws (BONJ) is characterized by exposed nonvital maxillary or mandibular bone. Cone-beam computerized tomography (CBCT) is an attractive modality for 3-dimensional imaging of the jaws. The purpose of this study was to compare the clinical and radiographic features of a series of 7 subjects with BONJ who were evaluated by both CBCT and digital panoramic radiography. Study design Seven subjects with BONJ were evaluated by clinical examination, CBCT, and digital panoramic radiography. Results Radiographic findings included sclerosis, cortical irregularity, lucency, mottling, fragmentation/sequestra formation, sinus communication, and persistent sockets. There was high correlation between the anatomic location of clinical and radiographic findings. In nearly all cases, CBCT demonstrated a greater extent and quality of changes compared with panoramic radiography. Conclusions Cone-beam CT is superior to panoramic radiography in its ability to characterize the nature and extent of radiographic changes in BONJ. Use of CBCT should be strongly considered when radiographic evaluations are included in prospective research investigations of BONJ. However, in the majority of cases of BONJ the clinical significance of improved imaging remains unclear, and therefore specific guidelines for routine clinical care cannot be recommended at this time.
Hybrid plasmonic resonance for enhanced refractive index sensing

Presented is a subwavelength surface plasmon polariton assisted resonant structure which supports a hybrid surface plasmon polariton Fabry-Perot (SPP-FP)-like wave. The hybrid resonator combines both plasmonic and optical resonance, resulting in a refractive index sensitivity enhancement of approximately 168%. The existence of hybrid SPP-FP modes with highly enhanced surface sensitivity is experimentally demonstrated.
Community-based, family-centred postnatal care: The midwife's role

Midwives are, and have always been, the backbone of maternity services care. By virtue of this position, midwives should take the lead in restructuring maternity care, with special focus on provision of women-centred postnatal care. Postnatal care is one of the most important maternal healthcare services, not only for prevention of mortality but also for the reduction of impairment and disabilities associated with childbirth. The postnatal period is described as a critical period for both the mother and the baby, and numerous research studies have shown that maternal mortality is higher during the postnatal period than during antenatal and intrapartum periods. In South African as in many other settings, significant breastfeeding challenges have also been cited particularly in HIV positive women. Utilization of postnatal care by women influences their own and their children's lives, in terms of reducing repeat pregnancies and increasing effective contraceptive use. Midwives have a vital role to recognize t...
Want Buy-In? Let Your Students Do the Buying! A Case Study of Course-Integrated Collection Development

This paper describes how library instruction sessions (both one-shots and credit-bearing information literacy courses) can be used as collection development opportunities. Students were assigned the project of selecting materials for the library's collection as a way to demonstrate understanding of research tools. The titles selected by the students were purchased by the library. The author discusses the creation of this assignment and how it served to increase course enrollment and build a more useful library collection. This model integrates outreach efforts with collection building and information literacy.
“Don't give up”: Employment experiences of individuals with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis who use augmentative and alternative communication

A focus group discussion was conducted on the Internet to investigate the employment experiences of five individuals with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) who required augmentative and alternati...
An Emergency Department-initiated, Web-based, Multidisciplinary Approach to Decreasing Emergency Department Visits by the Top Frequent Visitors Using Patient Care Plans

Abstract Background Many patients present to the Emergency Department (ED) for multiple visits. Whatever the cause, assuring the highest quality of care is difficult in the ED. Objectives We sought to implement a web-based, ED-initiated, multidisciplinary program to improve patient care and reduce frequent visits to the ED. Methods The top 50 ED frequent visitors were identified and care plans were constructed. Care plans consist primarily of a summary of the patient's pertinent history and any psychosocial issues that can contribute to frequent use of the ED, and recommend treatment plans for these patients. Results During the study period, ED visits by the top 50 chronic frequent visitors ranged from 88 to 98 visits/month and 28 to 31 admissions/month. As of January 2007, the top 50 frequent visitors had 94 ED visits/month (1,129 visits/year) for 2.2% of the total census, and 31 admissions/month (372 admissions per year) for approximately 3.3% of the total admissions. Each frequent visitor has approximately 22.6 visits/year (range from 11 to 41) and 7.3 admissions/year (range from 0 to 20). By May 2008, the top 50 frequent visitors had a decrease to 88 visits/month (1,059 visits/year) and 28 admissions/month (340 admissions/year), with each frequent visitor having 21.2 visits/year and 6.8 admissions/year. Social determinants included psychiatric disease (36%), substance abuse (22%), malingering (20%), medication noncompliance (16%), and unstable housing (10%). Conclusions There was a trend toward a decrease of monthly ED visits by the top 50 ED frequent visitors, but no effect on the rate of admissions. Based on these preliminary data and the relative ease of integration into the system, this project shows the potential to begin to address the problem of chronic ED use with patient care plans.
Measurement of dynamic young’s modulus for molybdenum disilicide/pentatitanium trisilicide

The PUCOT (piezoelectric ultrasonic composite oscillator technique) has been used to measure the temperature dependence of dynamic Young’s modulus of molybdenum disilicide (M0S12) reinforced with 10, 30, and 50% volume fraction of pentatitanium trisilicide (Ti5Si3). The temperature ranges were room temperature to 600 °C for the 30 and 50 % specimens, and room temperature to 880 °C for the 10 % specimens. In all cases, the values of Young’s modulus decreased linearly with increasing temperature, although at different rates. A graph of Young’s modulus versus composition was used to estimate the value of Young’s modulus for MoSi2. The value obtained (385 GPa) was in excellent agreement with the value of 388 GPa quoted in the literature.
Fatty acid elongase-5 (Elovl5) regulates hepatic triglyceride catabolism in obese C57BL/6J mice

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is a major public health concern in the obese and type 2 diabetic populations. The high-fat lard diet induces obesity and fatty liver in C57BL/6J mice and suppresses expression of the PPAR-target gene, FA elongase 5 (Elovl5). Elovl5 plays a key role in MUFA and PUFA synthesis. Increasing hepatic Elovl5 activity in obese mice lowered hepatic TGs and endoplasmic reticulum stress markers (X-box binding protein 1 and cAMP-dependent transcription factor 6α) and increased TG catabolism and fatty acyl carnitines. Increased hepatic Elovl5 activity did not increase hepatic capacity for β-oxidation. Elovl5 effects on hepatic TG catabolism were linked to increased protein levels of adipocyte TG lipase (ATGL) and comparative gene identification 58 (CGI58). Elevated hepatic Elovl5 activity also induced the expression of some (pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 4 and fibroblast growth factor 21), but not other cytochrome P450 4A10 (CYP4A10), PPAR-target genes. FA products of Elovl5 activity increased ATGL, but not CGI58, mRNA through PPARβ-dependent mechanisms in human HepG2 cells. Treatment of mouse AML12 hepatocytes with the PPARβ agonist (GW0742) decreased 14C-18:2,n-6 in TGs but did not affect β-oxidation. These studies establish that Elovl5 activity regulates hepatic levels of FAs controlling PPARβ activity, ATGL expression, and TG catabolism, but not FA oxidation.
Filtering and smoothing in an H/sup infinity / setting

The problems of filtering and smoothing are considered for linear systems in an H/sup infinity / setting, i.e. the plant and measurement noises have bounded energies (are in L/sub 2/), but are otherwise arbitrary. Two distinct situations for the initial condition of the system are considered; the initial condition is assumed known in one case, while in the other the initial condition is not known but the initial condition, the plant, and measurement noise are in some weighted ball of R/sup n/XL/sub 2/. Finite-horizon and infinite-horizon cases are considered. Necessary and sufficient conditions are presented for the existence of estimators (both filters and smoothers) that achieve a prescribed performance bound, and algorithms that result in performance within the bounds are developed. In case of smoothers, the optimal smoother is also presented. The approach uses basic quadratic optimization theory in a time-domain setting, as a consequence of which both linear time-varying and time-invariant systems can be considered with equal ease. (In the smoothing problem, for linear time-varying systems, one considers only the finite-horizon case). >
Pulmonary Hypertension in the Setting of Acquired Systemic Arteriovenous Fistulas

We describe 2 patients who presented with symptoms and clinical evidence of pulmonary hypertension. The first patient, who had severe pulmonary hypertension, underwent correction of an acquired arteriovenous (AV) fistula, which led to improvement according to clinical and noninvasive hemodynamic criteria. The second patient had severely symptomatic pulmonary hypertension associated with a large, previously unrecognized, superior mesenteric AV fistula after intra-abdominal surgery. Surgical correction of the fistula resulted in normalization of pulmonary hemodynamics assessed by right heart catheterization. Truly reversible substrates of pulmonary hypertension are rare. Acquired systemic AV fistulas are a less recognized cause of secondary pulmonary hypertension. It is unknown whether high blood flow peripheral AV shunts ultimately lead to endothelial proliferation, vascular smooth muscle hypertrophy, plexiform lesions, and other histopathologic changes that are seen in patients with left-to-right shunts due to atrial septal defects, ventricular septal defects, and patent ductus arteriosus.
Tethered Cord Syndrome: The Low-lying and Normally Positioned Conus

We have previously proposed the existence of the tethered cord syndrome in the presence of a conus medullaris in the normal position. Our 12-year series of 73 patients with the tethered cord syndrome included 13 patients in whom the spinal cord terminated at or above the L1-L2 disc space. We compare the characteristics of these 13 with those of the 60 patients whose spinal cord terminated below the L1-L2 disc space. The parameters for comparison included neurological status at presentation and follow-up, the presence of cutaneous stigmata of occult spinal dysraphism, vertebral anomalies, and others. The frequency of occurrence of each parameter in the normally positioned group was essentially the same as its occurrence in the low-lying group.
Resident B cells regulate thymic expression of myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein

Thymic B cells represent a numerically minor cell population located primarily at the cortico-medullary junction. Their biological role is unclear. B cell-deficient μMT mice exhibited reduced medullary thymic epithelial cell (mTEC) numbers and reduced MOG and insulin mRNA expression. Lymphotoxin produced by B cells was critical for normal tissue restricted antigen (TRA) expression, suggesting that B cells regulate self-antigens through their production of LT. These results reveal an unexpected role of B cells in mTEC maintenance and expression of TRAs through their production of LT.
Quantum optical mouse to detect Coriolis force

We describe an opto-mechanical effect that introduces an additional phase into a coherent light field. This effect is accomplished via the motion of a cavity which contains an ultradispersive medium. We have theoretically shown that this change of the phase, due to the enhanced Fizeau effect, can be used to measure displacements as small as . This technique can be used to detect the Coriolis Force.
Robust method for extracting the pulmonary vascular trees from 3D MDCT images

Segmentation of pulmonary blood vessels from three-dimensional (3D) multi-detector CT (MDCT) images is important for pulmonary applications. This work presents a method for extracting the vascular trees of the pulmonary arteries and veins, applicable to both contrast-enhanced and unenhanced 3D MDCT image data. The method finds 2D elliptical cross-sections and evaluates agreement of these cross-sections in consecutive slices to find likely cross-sections. It next employs morphological multiscale analysis to separate vessels from adjoining airway walls. The method then tracks the center of the likely cross-sections to connect them to the pulmonary vessels in the mediastinum and forms connected vascular trees spanning both lungs. A ground-truth study indicates that the method was able to detect on the order of 98% of the vessel branches having diameter ≥ 3.0 mm. The extracted vascular trees can be utilized for the guidance of safe bronchoscopic biopsy.
Polymer dynamics of DOC networks and gel formation in seawater

Abstract The ocean plays a major role in global biogeochemical carbon cycling; it holds an important reservoir of reduced organic carbon, mostly in the form of dissolved organic carbon (DOC), and processes about one-half of the total primary production of the planet. Dissolved molecules present between living and assimilable size extremes (∼1000 nm -1 nm), constitute the most abundant form of remnant biochemicals in the ocean, outweighing the total living biomass by a factor of roughly 200. Because DOC is the fundamental substrate for marine microorganisms, and is primarily composed by small refractory biopolymers, this prompted the idea that the ocean might function as a huge repository of recalcitrant carbon. The missing link that elucidates this paradox and explains how the rich and vast stock of DOC becomes available to bacteria was the discovery that DOC throughout the water column remains in reversible assembly/dispersion equilibrium forming porous microscopic gels (Chin et al., Nature 391, 568-572, 1998). This abiotic DOC-POM shunt yields a microgel pool containing ∼70 gigatons of carbon forming discrete patches of high nutrient concentration that can be readily colonized by microorganisms. The presence of this huge gel mass in seawater extending far into the dark ocean has ramifications that might well scale nonlinearly through the microbial loop to the World Ocean and global climate system and it is fundamentally changing how oceanographers think about processes linking the microbial loop and biological pump to the rest of the biosphere and the geosphere. Even if a small fraction of DOC remains self-assembled, marine scientists will have to revise the rationale of established aquatic paradigms ranging from trace metal chelation, size–reactivity relationships, the microbial loop, the biological pump, colloid pumping, and humification. A ubiquitous, reversible DOC assembly/dispersion process implies a dynamic “patchiness” spanning from the molecular to the micron scale, where the assignment of static bulk features including dimension, concentration, functionalities and vertical fluxes can be open to question. This brief revision illustrates two case studies that show how simple methods and principles of polymer networks theory can be used to advance the understanding of one of the most intriguing and significant processes taking place in the ocean. Namely, the kinetics and thermodynamics of: (a) Ca-driven DOC self-assembly, and (b) hydrophobic bond-driven self assembly of DOC by amphiphilic exopolymers released by marine bacteria.
Synthesis and structural characterization of new organotin derivatives of polyoxotungstates via transmetallation and coupling reactions

Abstract Organotin-substituted polyoxometalates [WM(RSn)2(MW9O34)2]10−; (M = Co, Zn; R = CH3, C2H5, n-C4H9) have been prepared through exchange reaction of [WM3(H2O)2(MW9O34)2]12− and the appropriate organotin trichloride in aqueous solution. The complexes have been characterized in solution by 183W and 119Sn NMR spectroscopy of the diamagnetic anions, and by single crystal structure determinations of salts of the methyl, ethyl and n-butyl derivatives of the tungstozincates and of the methyl derivative of a CoZn2 analog. Cyclic voltammetry demonstrates for the first time for this class of polyoxometalates that the tetrahedral cobalt(II) centers are reversibly oxidizable to yield high-spin cobalt(III) analogs. Displacement of the kinetically metastable [W5O18]6− anion from [Ce(W5O18)2]10−, by reaction with CH3SnCl3, leads to modest yields of [CH3SnW5O18]3−. Bis(trichlorostannyl)alkanes such as Cl3Sn(CH2)4SnCl3 can be used as covalent linkers of polyoxometalate anions to form the “dumbbell” complex [SiW11O39Sn(CH2)4SnSiW11O39]10− and linear oligomers {[(Sn(CH2)4Sn)(WZn(ZnW9O34)2)]10−}x.
Electrochemical and Surface Properties of Solid-Supported, Mobile Phospholipid Bilayers on a Polyion/Alkylthiol Layer Pair Used for Detection of Antimicrobial Peptide Insertion

Successive layer properties and peptide insertion in an assembly of supported mobile phospholipid bilayers on polyion/alkylthiol layer pairs were investigated in a combined optical, electrochemical, and surface topography study using surface plasmon resonance (SPR), cyclic voltammetry (CV), and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The use of a long-chain alkylthiol in this assembly was too insulating, and thus, a short-chain alkylthiol was used to probe membrane electrochemical properties. Using AFM, we found that the insulating properties of long-chain and short-chain alkylthiol layers are associated with a continuous layer and domain formation, respectively. Increased insulating properties of the supported bilayers were observed when mixtures of negatively charged and zwitterionic/neutral lipids were used. By attempting to obtain high-resolution images and make depressions in the surface using AFM, we found that this bilayer was more mobile than a bilayer composed completely of negatively charged lipid. A por...
Activation of p53 signaling initiates apoptotic death in a cellular model of Parkinson’s disease

Mitochondrial dysfunction caused by oxidative stress and genetic defects have been implicated in the loss of dopaminergic neurons in Parkinson’s disease. However, the key molecular events that provoke neurodegeneration still remain poorly understood. We recently showed that shortly after exposure to oxidative stress, only those cells showing phosphorylation of p53 at Ser-15 subsequently undergo active cell death. To investigate the role of this early p53 signaling response in cell death, 6-hydroxydopamine was used to induce oxidative stress in dopaminergic neurons generated from embryonic stem cells and PC12-D2R cells. Exposure to toxic concentrations of 6-hydroxydopamine induced phosphorylation of p53 at Ser-15 even before cells show mitochondrial permeabilization and apoptosis. We found that 6-hydroxydopamine induced phosphorylation of ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM) kinase an event integral to p53 activation and caffeine (ATM kinase inhibitor) inhibited Ser-15 phosphorylation. Phosphorylation of Ser-15 was correlated with enhanced induction and functional activation of p53 manifest as transcription of the pro-apoptotic p53 target Puma. Moreover, inhibition of the p53 abrogated the induction of Puma and promotion of apoptosis due to 6-hydroxydopamine treatments. Thus, these data suggest that activation of p53 signaling immediately after neurotoxin exposure acts as an initiating factor to mediate apoptosis in dopaminergic cells.