cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Properties of whole-cell ionic currents in cultured human corneal epithelial cells.

PURPOSE. To identify and partially characterize the ionic currents contributing to the whole-cell conductance of cultured human corneal epithelial cells. METHODS. Epithelial cells were scraped from human donor corneas and cultured for use in patch-clamp experiments. Amphotericin B and the perforated-patch configuration were used to measure whole-cell currents in cells isolated from confluent monolayers. RESULTS. Cell monolayers exhibited cobblestone morphology and were immunopositive for corneal epithelium-specific cytokeratin. Single cells had a capacitance of 21 ± 2 pF and expressed similar types of ionic currents regardless of passage number. In descending order of frequency of occurrence, cells exhibited a nonselective cation current active at depolarized voltages and insensitive to Ba 2+ and Gd 3+ ; an outwardly rectifying K + current active at depolarized voltages, stimulated by flufenamic acid and inhibited by tetraethylammonium; a voltage-gated inward Na + current: an outwardly rectifying K + current active at hyperpolatized voltages, stimulated by flufenamic acid, blocked by Ba 2+ , and insensitive to diltiazem; an inwardly rectifying K + current; and a nonselective cation current inhibited by flufenamic acid. CONCLUSIONS. Our results are consistent with those in previous studies of nonculturcd epithelia from rabbit and human corneas showing an outwardly rectifying K + current active at hyperpolarized voltages and a nonselective cation current active at depolarized voltages and insensitive to Ba 2+ These data suggest cultured cells may be useful in determining the physiological role of ion channels in corneal epithelia and may aid in the development of a cell-based model for the examination of the effects of wounding and toxic agents on the human cornea.
Inpatient communication networks: leveraging secure text-messaging platforms to gain insight into inpatient communication systems

Objective This study attempts to characterize the inpatient communication network within a quaternary pediatric academic medical center by applying network analysis methods to secure text-messaging data. Methods We used network graphing and statistical software to create network models of an inpatient communication system with secure text-messaging data from physicians, nurses, and other ancillary staff in an academic medical center. Descriptive statistics about the network, users within the network, and visualizations informed the team's understanding of the network and its components. Results Analysis of messages exchanged over approximately 23 days revealed a large, scale-free network with 4,442 nodes and 59,913 edges. Quantitative description of user behavior (messages sent and received) and network metrics (i.e., importance of nodes within a network) revealed several operational and clinical roles both sending and receiving > 1,000 messages over this time period. While some of these nodes represented expected “dispatcher” roles in our inpatient system, others occupied important frontline clinical roles responsible for bedside clinical care. Conclusion Quantitative and network analysis of secure text-messaging logs revealed several key operational and clinical roles at risk for alert fatigue and information overload. This analysis also revealed a communication network highly reliant on these key roles, meaning disruption to these individuals or their workflows could lead to dysfunction of the communication network. While secure text-messaging applications play increasingly important roles in facilitating inpatient communication, little is understood about the impact these systems have on health care providers. Developing methods to understand and optimize communication between inpatient providers might help operational and clinical leaders to proactively prevent poorly understood pitfalls associated with these systems and build resilient and effective communication structures.
First-Principle Investigation of Structural, Elastic, Electronic and Thermal Properties of Dysprosium Hafnate Oxides

Systematic first-principles calculations based on density functional theory were performed on Dy2HfxO3+2x (x = 0, 1, and 2) compositions. A complete set of elastic parameters including elastic constants, Hill’s bulk moduli, Young’s moduli, shear moduli and Poisson’s ratio were calculated. Analyses of densities of states and charge densities and electron localization functions suggest that the oxide bonds are highly ionic with some degree of covalency in the Hf-O bonds. Thermal properties including the mean sound velocity, Debye temperature, and minimum thermal conductivity were obtained from the elastic constants.Copyright © 2018 by ASME
Teaching the Use of Community Services to Elderly People and Their Families

An increasing array of home care, community-based and institutional services has accompanied the increasing numbers of elderly and disabled persons in general, as well as those with posthospitalization home care needs. The extent and availability of services are limited, however, and for those who cannot pay for their own support, eligibility requirements may limit service usage. Most home and community services for the elderly are initiated through federal programs, which often contain targeting or limiting factors. Local community programs may have limits as well. The service system frequently changes due to political and economic realities, and eligibility may change due to alterations in the recipient’s needs and status. The result is a complex and confusing network that is difficult to use. In fact, elders and their families may often require considerable assistance in securing and utilizing services to which they are entitled.
Pulse sequences for detection of NH2...N hydrogen bonds in sheared G . A mismatches via remote, non-exchangeable protons.

The non-detectability of NH...N hydrogen bonds in nucleic acids due to exchange broadened imino/amino protons has recently been addressed via the use of non-exchangeable protons for detecting internucleotide 2hJ(NN) couplings. In these applications, the appropriate non-exchangeable proton is separated by two bonds from the NH...N bond. In this paper, we extend the scope of this approach to protons which are separated by four bonds from the NH...N moiety. Specifically, we consider the case of the commonly occurring sheared G x A mismatch alignment, in which we use the adenine H2 proton to report on the (A)N6H6(1.2)...N3(G) hydrogen bond, in the presence of undetectable, exchange broadened N6H6(1.2) protons. Two sequences, the 'straight-through' (H6)N6N3H2 and 'out-and-back' H2N6N3 experiments, are presented for observing these correlations in H2O and D2O solution, respectively. The sequences are demonstrated on two uniformly 15N,13C labelled DNA samples: d(G1G2G3T4T5C6A7G8G9)2, containing a G3 x (C6-A7) triad involving a sheared G3 x A7 mismatch, and d(G1G2G3C4A5G6G7T8)4, containing an A5 x (G3 x G6 x G3 x G6) x A5 hexad involving a sheared G3 x A5 mismatch.
Review of univariate and multivariate general linear models: theory and applications with SAS, second edition

The general linear model (GLM) is a popular framework for modeling the relationship between independent and dependent variables in social and behavioral sciences. The most commonly used statistical...
Caddo or Cahokian? Stylistic and compositional analyses of a fine-engraved vessel from northwest Iowa

A ceramic vessel found at a Mill Creek culture (eastern Initial Middle Missouri variant) site in northwest Iowa exhibits features characteristic of both the Southern Caddo Holly Fine Engraved type ...
Suspicion about a partner’s deception and trust as roots of relational uncertainty during the post-deployment transition:

Relational uncertainty is both prominent and pivotal during the transition from deployment to reintegration. Most prior research has considered the outcomes rather than the origins of relational un...
Automatic bird sound detection in long range field recordings using Wavelets & Mel filter bank features

The topic of bio-monitoring of fauna, especially that of birds, is an ongoing research topic. Although huge datasets of bird sound recordings are available, the classification of such sounds into bird & non bird sounds has been painstaking work, sometimes requiring manual processing. The goal of the IEEE Research Challenge in 2016 has been to address this concern and to help develop automatic algorithms for the detection of bird sounds [1]. An attempt has been made to compare and understand how wavelet based features perform against the current state of the art methods in audio processing in more detail. Two statistical/deep learning approaches namely Support Vector Machines and Convolutional Neural Networks have been used to compare the results. Since most of the works in audio signal processing have employed Fourier based methods, there has been a stagnation in the development and usage of newer/other features for experiments. This is one of the points that has been addressed in this work. The Receiver Operating Characteristic curve (ROC) has been employed to test the diagnostic ability of the audio features. Wavelets have performed consistently and at a level similar to the best performing Fourier based methods highlighting the possibility of using such features as a viable alternate for future audio processing experiments.
Examining Minimum Information Requirements for Electronic Aeronautical Charts

New concepts for aeronautical charting technology are being proposed, in which pilots would brief with a fixed chart but then fly with a user-configurable aeronautical chart, which may not include ...
Abstract B17: Exosomal PD-L1 harbors active defense function to suppress T-cell activity and promote breast cancer tumor growth

Tumor cell-derived exosomes play important roles in tumor-microenvironment regulations, and PD-L1 plays a passive protective role in the tumor microenvironment for tumor growth and progression. Our research revealed that PD-L1 exists in exosomes derived from human and mouse breast cancer cells and can be transferred to other cancer cells, rendering PD-L1-negative cancer cells PD-L1 positive and escape from T-cell killing. By binding to its receptor PD-1 to inhibit T-cell antitumor function, exosomal PD-L1 from cancer cells harbors active defense function to protect and promote tumor growth of breast cancer cells. Together with both genetic approach and pharmacologic inhibitor, the results suggested that blockage of exosome-PD-L1 secretion likely contribute significantly to antitumor immunity, and the combined inhibition of exosome secretion and anti-PD-L1 therapy has the potential to improve antitumor response in the clinic. Citation Format: Yi Yang, Chia-Wei Li, Li-Chuan Chan, Yongkun Wei, Jung-Mao Hsu, Weiya Xia, Jong-Ho Cha, Junwei Hou, Jennifer L. Hsu, Linlin Sun, Mien-Chie Hung. Exosomal PD-L1 harbors active defense function to suppress T-cell activity and promote breast cancer tumor growth [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy; 2018 Nov 27-30; Miami Beach, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Immunol Res 2020;8(4 Suppl):Abstract nr B17.
Recording Neural Spikes Using Wireless Neurosensing System

A wireless neurosensing system (WiNS) adapted with a novel impedance matching network is presented and validated. This system is used in vivo to record for the first time spontaneous neural unit activity from the hippocampus of a Wistar rat. These extracellular spikes offer valuable information. However, they are challenging to observe, even more so with previously reported neurosensing systems due to impedance mismatches with the required neural probes. The notable result demonstrated here employed (a) recently proposed technique for passive impedance matching, and (b) newly explored impedance reducing electrochemical probe coating method. The proposed technology has revolutionary potential in neurological research, particularly in epilepsy studies.
"Learning Portfolios" As A Tool For Competency Development

Location: Dewberry Hall The use of the Blackboard "portfolio tool" appears to be an underutilized resource at Mason compared to other settings of higher education. When designed and used properly, this tool has been demonstrated to be a significant resource in promoting a habit of self-directed, life-long learning as it effectively promotes the development of relevant competencies. With an increasing emphasis by programs focusing on competency-based, experiential learning, the "Learning Portfolio" is a type of portfolio that has proven to be an effective tool to organize, measure, and monitor a studentâs learning. It provides an effective method to document the resources that a student has found helpful, their reflections on their learning; their instructors' feedback, and the level of their progress over time.
Considerations in the Design, Conduct, and Interpretation of Studies in Epigenetic Epidemiology

Studies in epigenetic epidemiology may identify epigenetic aberrations associated with disease, link environmental and lifestyle factors to the epigenetic profile, or unveil epigenetic mechanisms underlying statistical associations between risk factors and disease outcomes. Epidemiologic studies provide the framework for identifying epigenetic biomarkers for disease risk or early detection of disease. Appropriate design considerations for studies in epigenetic epidemiology are imperative for their success. The tissue specificity of epigenetic marks represents a challenge in epigenetic epidemiology, and identification of disease markers in easily accessible surrogate tissues are essential for large-scale population-based studies. Nested case-control studies using biospecimens collected prior to onset of disease provide appropriate data to identify epigenetic changes preceding disease. Selecting a representative study population with sufficiently large sample size and appropriate comparison group is crucial for the validity and reproducibility of the results. Challenges in epigenetic epidemiology studies include confounding and effect modification, and identifying epigenetic marks with sufficient systematic interindividual variation.
IGZ-CONTROLES OP HEPATITIS B

De Inspectie voor de Gezondheidszorg (IGZ) heeft controles in tandartspraktijken aangekondigd op het gebied van de hygiene, naleving van protocollen enmet name controle van de vaccinatiestatus vanmedewerkers voor hepatitis B. Naar aanleiding van deze ‘dreiging’ wordenme vooral vragen gesteld over het vaccinatieprotocol. Andere vragen betreffen het ‘non-responderschap’ en de verantwoordelijkheid voor de vaccinatiestatus van hulpkrachten. Tijd voor een update. door prof.dr. Luzi Abraham-Inpijn
Design and Implementation of a High Quality Video Distribution System using XTP Reliable Multicast

In this paper we present the design and implementation of a novel protocol solution for distributing high quality compressed video streams to multiple receivers across a network. Our end-to-end protocol uses the connection-oriented multicast facility in the next-generation transport, the Xpress Transfer Protocol (XTP). XTP multicast provides in-order, multipoint delivery of packet streams with user-selectable options for enabling control algorithms and managing dynamic group membership in the multicast connection. XTP multicast gives the application flexibility in determining the robustness of the communication while insulating the application from managing multipoint delivery. In our design the multicast video application coding need only handle buffering for end-to-end synchronization. We have implemented our approach and provide performance measurements of this video distribution system in an FDDI network. We evaluate the performance of our system under different compression ratios when delivering a 640-by-480 8-bit color video stream at 30 frames/sec to four receivers.
Scaling up by law? Canadian labour law, the nation-state and the case of the British Columbia Health Employees Union

This paper examines the Canadian Supreme Court’s 2007 ruling in favour of the Health Employees Union (HEU) versus the British Columbia government. Based on international labour law, this ruling recognised collective bargaining as part of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. While recent research in human and labour geography on labour law and the state have emphasised its contingent, topological and site-based nature I argue: (i) that this case reflects how Canadian unions became deeply embedded in post-war hegemonic splicings of law and space and the state’s role in the reproduction of the wage-labour relation and (ii) while the HEU’s struggles and the use of international law contest such splicings, these are still sharply inflected by existing nation-state legal systems that remain both relatively resilient and ambivalent about labour rights. The HEU case thus reveals that scaling up by law may not protect worker interests if labour is otherwise weak.
Movement of s-triazine herbicides in soils.

The movement of an organic pesticide1 placed onto or within the soil may influence both its effectiveness and its potential as a contaminant in adjacent soil, water, or air. Movement may occur while in solution or adsorbed on migrating soil particles, or by transfer as vapors. Volatilization, the latter, is discussed in another part of this volume (Jordan et al. 1970). The two general processes of non-gaseous movement, mass transfer and diffusion, will be considered within the soil profile; movement at the soil surface will be discussed separately.
Preemption of Bivens {Bivens v. Six Unknown Named Agents of Federal Bureau of Narcotics, 91 S. Ct. 1999 (1971)} Claims: How Clearly Must Congress Speak?

The thesis of this Article is that "automatic preemption" is inconsistent with both (1) other lines of cases in which the Court ordinarily has declined to find a congressional intent to diminish protection of individual rights and liberties; and (2) the federal-state preemption doctrine that determines whether Congress has intended to displace state common law remedies. Part I of this Article demonstrates that the Court's approach to congressional remedial schemes has changed significantly since Bivens. The early cases emphasized compensating victims of constitutional violations and adopted a presumption in favor of implied remedies, whereas the later cases stressed deference to Congress and adopted a presumption against implied remedies. Part II of the Article investigates whether this change in approach is warranted by the principle that, when filling gaps in federal legislation (i.e., creating federal common law), the Court should exercise caution because it is acting in an area primarily entrusted to Congress. The Article concludes that even assuming Bivens remedies are a creature of federal common law, the Court's role in fashioning Bivens remedies cannot be analogized to the mere gap-filling role that the Court typically plays in federal common law areas that do not involve constitutional rights.
Bonding in Metals

The conditions controlling alloy phase formation have been of concern for a long time, even in the period prior to the advent of the first computer-based electronic structure calculations in the 1950s. In those days, the role of such factors as atomic size and valence were considered, and significant insight was gained, associated with names such as Hume-Rothery. In recent times, electronic structure calculations have yielded the total energies of systems, and hence the heats of formation of competing real and hypothetical phases. Doing this accurately has become of increasing importance as the groups capable of thermodynamic measurements have dwindled in number. This article concentrates on the alloys of the transition metals and considers both the old and the new. In the first part, some of the ideas concerning metallic bonding that derive from the early days are inspected. Many of these ideas are still applicable and offer insights into alloy phase behavior that are computationally cheaper, and in some cases rather different, from those obtainable from detailed computation. In the second part, the present-day total-energy calculations are presented. Comparisons between theoretical and experimental heats of formation are not made, because the spreads between experimental heats and their computed counterparts are not altogether satisfying for metallic systems. Instead, the factors controlling the accuracy of the computational methods and the precision with which they are carried out are inspected. All too often, consideration of computational costs leads to results that are less precisely defined than is needed. Keywords: bonding-antibonding; friedel's d-band energetics; crystal structure; transition metals; size effects; warnings; pitfalls; precision issues; alloy phase behavior
An evaluation of OpenMP on current and emerging multithreaded/multicore processors

Multiprocessors based on simultaneous multithreaded (SMT) or multicore (CMP) processors are continuing to gain a significant share in both high-performance and mainstream computing markets. In this paper we evaluate the performance of OpenMP applications on these two parallel architectures. We use detailed hardware metrics to identify architectural bottlenecks. We find that the high level of resource sharing in SMTs results in performance complications, should more than 1 thread be assigned on a single physical processor. CMPs, on the other hand, are an attractive alternative. Our results show that the exploitation of the multiple processor cores on each chip results in significant performance benefits. We evaluate an adaptive, run-time mechanism which provides limited performance improvements on SMTs, however the inherent bottlenecks remain difficult to overcome. We conclude that out-of-the-box OpenMP code scales better on CMPs than SMTs. To maximize the efficiency of OpenMP on SMTs, new capabilities are required by the runtime environment and/or the programming interface.
Genealogical structure among alleles regulating self-incompatibility in natural populations of flowering plants.

A method is proposed for characterizing the structure of genealogies among alleles that regulate selfincompatibility in flowering plants. Expected distributions of ratios of divergence times among alleles, scaled by functions of allele number, were generated by numerical simulation. These distributions appeared relatively insensitive to the particular parameter values assigned in the simulations over a fourfold range in effective population size and a 100-fold range in mutation rate. Generalized leastsquares estimates of the scaled indices were obtained from genealogies reconstructed from nucleotide sequences of self-incompatibility alleles from natural populations of two solanaceous species. Comparison of the observed indices to the expected distributions generated by numerical simulation indicated that the allelic genealogy of one species appeared consistent with the symmetric balancing selection generated by self-incompatibility. However, the allelic genealogy of the second species showed unusually long terminal branches, suggesting the operation of additional evolutionary processes.
Coexecutability for efficient verification of data model updates

Modern applications use back-end data stores for persistent data. Automated verification of the code that updates the data store would prevent bugs that can cause loss or corruption of data. In this paper, we focus on the most challenging part of this problem: automated verification of code that updates the data store and contains loops. Due to dependencies between loop iterations, verification of code that contains loops is a hard problem, and typically requires manual assistance in the form of loop invariants. We present a fully automated technique that improves verifiability of loops. We first define co execution, a method for modeling loop iterations that simplifies automated reasoning about loops. Then, we present a fully automated static program analysis that detects whether the behavior of a given loop can be modeled using co execution. We provide a customized verification technique for co executable loops that results in more effective verification. In our experiments we observed that, in 45% of cases, modeling loops using co execution reduces verification time between 1 and 4 orders of magnitude. In addition, the rate of inconclusive verification results in the presence of loops is reduced from 65% down to 24%, all without requiring loop invariants or any manual intervention.
A Twin‐Sibling Study of Observed Parent‐Adolescent Interactions

Numerous behavioral genetic studies call attention to the strong and pervasive genetic influence on developmental characteristics. However, this research has been criticized for its use of poor environmental measures and a failure to examine the complex processes that are a hallmark of research in child development. This study addresses this criticism by examining the genetic and environmental components of parent-child interactions. Mother, father, and 2 adolescent siblings (10-18 years) from each of 675 families were observed interacting in 10-min dyadic problem-solving sessions. 6 groups of siblings that differed in genetic relatedness were examined (MZ and DZ twins, full siblings in nondivorced families; full, half, and unrelated siblings in stepfamilies). Results suggest a greater genetic component to adolescent behavior than to parent behavior. Both adolescent and parent behavior showed strong effects of nonshared environment, even after error of measurement was removed.
Molecular Medicine: Promises, Promises?

Within the past few months, Francis Crick and Maurice Wilkins, two of the three men who won a Nobel Prize for describing the structure of DNA, have died. Their obituaries revisited the famous 1953 Nature papers,1,2 recalling with relish the classic English understatement ‘It has not escaped our notice that the specific pairing we have postulated immediately suggests a possible copying mechanism for the genetic material’. In reality, Crick, at least, was less subdued, bursting in to the Eagle tavern in Cambridge with James Watson and declaiming to the doubtless bemused clientele ‘we have found the secret of life’.3,4
Control of DNA replication in a transformed lymphoid cell line: Coexistence of activator and inhibitor activities

Abstract Proliferating lymphocytes contain an intracellular factor, ADR (activator of DNA replication), which can initiate DNA synthesis in isolated quiescent nuclei. Resting lymphocytes lack ADR activity and contain an intracellular inhibitory factor that suppresses DNA synthesis in normal but not transformed nuclei. In this study we describe a MOLT-4 subline that produces both the activator and inhibitory activities which can be separated by ammonium sulfate fractionation. The inhibitor is heat stable and inhibits ADR-mediated DNA replication in a dose-dependent manner. It does not inhibit DNA polymerase α activity. The inhibitor must be present at the initiation of DNA replication to be effective, as it loses most of its effectiveness if it is added after replication has begun. The presence of inhibitory activity in proliferating MOLT-4 cells, taken with the previous observation that inhibitor derived from normal resting cells does not affect DNA synthesis by MOLT-4 nuclei, suggests that failure of a down-regulating signal may play an important role in proliferative disorder.
A multiscale, agent-based model of liver inflammation, cirrhosis, and cancer

Results: After introducing stochastic noise into an existing cardiovascular control model (Seidel and Herzel. Physica D. 1998, 115:145-162), the former is combined with a lumpedparameter model of the cardiovascular system (Heldt et al. Electrophysiol Ther J. 2010, 3:45-54) to generate realistic, coupled R-R interval and pressure waveforms. The probability density of R-peak occurrence is extrapolated as a functional form of model parameters and noise levels and successively used to quantify the density of model parameters given arbitrary pressure and R-R interval time series. For each patient, a neural control model parameter distribution is obtained, and the most probable set of parameters is determined. After subject-specific reparameterization, the combined model (Toschi et al. EMBS Proc. 2011) is used to compute the sensitivity of clinically relevant quantities (eg, heart rate, cardiac output, and stroke volume) to variations in physiologically meaningful model parameters. Conclusion: A highly refined inferential framework is set up, which allows matching and validation of a neural blood pressure control mechanism model against in vivo data collected from critically ill patients. Clustering of most probable parameters is observed within the same subject and between a different subject, suggesting the possibility of real-time determination of a univocal connection between interpretable model parameters and underlying patient state.
Adaptive device-free passive localization coping with dynamic target speed

Device-free passive localization enables locating targets (e.g., intruders or victims) that do not carry any radio devices nor do they actively participate in the wireless localization process. This is because the wireless environments will get affected when people move into the area, which result in the changes of Received Signal Strength (RSS) of the wireless links. In this paper, we first show that the localization performance degrades significantly when people are moving in dynamic speeds. This is because existing studies in device-free passive localization system have an implicit assumption that the target is moving at a constant speed, which is not always true in practical scenarios. To cope with targets moving with dynamic speeds, we propose an adaptive speed change detection framework including three components: speed change detection, determination of time-window size and adaptive localization. Two speed change detection schemes have been developed to capture the changes of moving speed and adjust the time-window size adaptively to facilitate effective localization. We demonstrate that our framework is flexible to work with any device-free localization method using signal strength. Results from the real experiments confirm that our approach has over 30% improvement on both median and max localization error, under dynamically changing speed of the target.
The rate of false-positive results with EUS-guided fine-needle aspiration.

Abstract Background: The aims of this study were to determine the rate of false-positive diagnosis with EUS-guided fine-needle aspiration and to identify factors contributing to this type of error. Methods: The records of 577 patients undergoing EUS-guided fine-needle aspiration were reviewed and a subset of 188 patients with malignant cytology who underwent surgery was identified. Operative histopathology was compared with EUS-guided fine-needle aspiration cytopathology and false-positive cases were identified. An experienced cytopathologist, who was not involved with the original interpretation of the specimens, reviewed these cases to identify any factor(s) contributing to the errors. Results: Three cases of false-positive diagnosis were identified (1.6%; 95% CI [0.3%, 4.6%]). By aspiration site, the false-positive rates were as follows: pancreas 2/39 (5.1%), 95% CI [0.6%, 17.3%]; lymph nodes 1/136 (0.7%), 95% CI [0.02%, 4.0%]; and other sites 0/13, 95% CI [0.0%, 24.7%]. In both instances of a false-positive diagnosis for a pancreatic aspiration cytologic specimen, interpretative errors were identified. The false-positive interpretation of cytologic material aspirated from a lymph node occurred in a patient without any evidence for malignancy at surgery. In 111 patients with confirmed esophageal, gastric, or rectal malignancy undergoing EUS-guided fine-needle aspiration of nonperitumoral lymph nodes, there was no false-positive diagnosis, suggesting that specimen contamination by luminal tumor is rare. Conclusion: The overall rate of false-positive diagnosis for EUS-guided fine-needle aspiration is similar to that reported for other modalities. Most false-positive diagnoses are caused by interpretation errors. (Gastrointest Endosc 2002;56:868-72.)
Exercise Echocardiography for the Prognostic Stratification of Patients with Low Pretest Probability of Coronary Artery Disease

Abstract PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to determine whether exercise echocardiography provides incremental data for risk stratification of patients with a low pretest probability of coronary artery disease. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The study included patients referred for exercise echocardiography whose probability of coronary artery disease was 25% or less. We calculated an exercise wall motion score index (on a 1–5 scale), an indicator of the extent and severity of exercise-induced abnormalities. The primary outcomes of the study were subsequent cardiac events (cardiac death and nonfatal myocardial infarction). RESULTS: We studied 571 men and 1047 women; their mean (± SD) age was 55 ± 13 years. During a median follow-up of 3 years, there were 19 cardiac events (6 cardiac deaths and 13 nonfatal myocardial infarctions); an additional 37 patients underwent coronary revascularization. In a multivariate analysis of clinical, exercise electrocardiographic, and echocardiographic parameters, exercise wall motion score index (hazard ratio [HR] = 2.1 per 0.5 units; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.3 to 3.4), and age (HR = 2.0 per decade; 95% CI: 1.2–2.8) were independently associated with the risk of cardiac events. Although exercise echocardiographic variables contributed significantly ( P = 0.01) to a model of the risk of adverse events, only 9 (47%) of the 19 patients with cardiac events were identified by an abnormal exercise echocardiogram. CONCLUSION: Among patients with low pretest probability of coronary artery disease by clinical criteria, exercise echocardiography identifies some, but not all, patients at risk of future events. Because of the low event rate, routine application of exercise echocardiography in a patient with a low pretest probability does not appear to be cost-effective and therefore cannot be recommended.
A data-driven model for a subset of logic programming

There is a direct correspondence between semantic networks and a subset of logic programs, restricted only to binary predicates. The advantage of the latter is that it can describe not only the nodes and arcs comprising a semantic net, but also the data-retrieval operations applied to such nets. The main objective of this paper is to present a data-driven model of computation that permits this subset of logic programs to be executed on a highly parallel computer architecture. We demonstrate how logic programs may be converted into collections of data-flow graphs in which resolution is viewed as a process of finding matches between certain graph templates and portions of the data-flow graphs. This graph fitting process is carried out by messages propagating asynchronously through the data-flow graph; thus computation is entirely data driven, without the need for any centralized control and centralized memory. This permits a potentially large number of independent processing elements to cooperate in solving a given query.
Humanizing the Student-Cadaver Encounter

In a recently accredited medical school, the curriculum, which emphasizes the psychologic and social aspects of disease, includes innovative features aimed toward training students to provide humanistic health care in underserved areas. As part of this curriculum, an educational experiment was designed to explore issues concerning the medical student's first exposure to a cadaver. The authors describe the experiment as it evolved over a three-year period, and they discuss its value based on student evaluation and faculty opinion.
Wage Dispersion: Why Are Similar Workers Paid Differently?

The article reviews the book “Wage Dispersion: Why Are Similar Workers Paid Differently?,” by Dale T. Mortensen.
Vagus nerve stimulation in humans: neurophysiological studies and electrophysiological monitoring.

Summary: Evidence from studies of experimental animals indicates that electrical stimulation of the vagus nerve alters behavioral and electrographic seizure activity. We report on effects of electrical stimulation of the vagus nerve in five patients with medically intractable seizures as part of a clinical trial of chronic vagal stimulation for control of epilepsy. The mechanism of action of the vagal antiepileptic effect is unknown, and it is hoped that analysis of electrophysiological effects of vagal nerve stimulation will help elucidate which brain areas are affected. Stimulation of the left vagus nerve in the neck was accomplished with a programmable implanted stimulator. Effects of stimulus amplitude, duration, and rate were studied. Noncephalic reference recording of the vagus-nerve-evoked potential showed some unusual properties: a scalp negative component occurred with latency of 12 ms, very high amplitude (up to 60 μV), and widespread scalp distribution. Field distribution studies indicate that this potential is generated in the neck, in the region of the stimulating electrodes. Muscle paralysis confirms this observation. Stimulation at various frequencies had no noticeable effect on electroencephalographic (EEG) activity regardless of whether the patient was under general anesthesia, awake, or asleep.
ATP-dependent regulation of actin monomer-filament equilibrium by cyclase-associated protein and ADF/cofilin

CAP (cyclase-associated protein) is a conserved regulator of actin filament dynamics. In the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, CAS-1 is an isoform of CAP that is expressed in striated muscle and regulates sarcomeric actin assembly. In the present study, we report that CAS-2, a second CAP isoform in C. elegans, attenuates the actin-monomer-sequestering effect of ADF (actin depolymerizing factor)/cofilin to increase the steady-state levels of actin filaments in an ATP-dependent manner. CAS-2 binds to actin monomers without a strong preference for either ATP- or ADP-actin. CAS-2 strongly enhances the exchange of actin-bound nucleotides even in the presence of UNC-60A, a C. elegans ADF/cofilin that inhibits nucleotide exchange. UNC-60A induces the depolymerization of actin filaments and sequesters actin monomers, whereas CAS-2 reverses the monomer-sequestering effect of UNC-60A in the presence of ATP, but not in the presence of only ADP or the absence of ATP or ADP. A 1:100 molar ratio of CAS-2 to UNC-60A is sufficient to increase actin filaments. CAS-2 has two independent actin-binding sites in its N- and C-terminal halves, and the C-terminal half is necessary and sufficient for the observed activities of the full-length CAS-2. These results suggest that CAS-2 (CAP) and UNC-60A (ADF/cofilin) are important in the ATP-dependent regulation of the actin monomer-filament equilibrium.
Progress and promise in spatial human dimensions research for ecosystem-based ocean planning

Human activities in ocean environments have resulted in significant impacts to ocean health and diminishing returns to society from these ecosystems. In response, there have been increasing calls for implementing ecosystem-based approaches to ocean planning and management. Such approaches require consideration of the complexity of human relationships with ecosystems including their social, cultural, political, and economic dimensions in order to develop and implement management viable strategies. This article reviews progress in spatial research on human activities and social dimensions of ocean environments and explores the promise this research has for enhancing ecosystem-based ocean planning. A global review reveals growth in the number and sophistication of research on social dimensions of oceans, with an increasing focus on new tools and technologies that involve stakeholders in the production, maintenance, and use of data in planning processes. Notably, most research is undertaken in the developed rather than the developing world, pointing to possible discrepancies in the capacity and resources required to engage this research. There is promising, albeit limited, evidence for the successful use of social data and applied research approaches in ecosystem-based ocean planning initiatives. This review shows that spatial research on the human dimensions of the ocean environments has much potential to engender a more comprehensive understanding of these complex seascapes, and to aid in planning processes aimed at achieving sustainable social and ecological outcomes.
Sociological consciousness as a component of linguistic variation

While practice theory has provided a valuable framework for establishing connections between individual-level sociolinguistic variation and social structures, Bourdieu's (1977) formulation of practice theory has been argued to inadequately address subjectivity. The sociologist C. Wright Mills' (1959) concept of the sociological imagination - consciousness of links among personal experiences, social structures, and historical processes - is posited as a partial solution, as it offers a framework for modeling one aspect of subjectivity. Use of the sociological imagination concept is demonstrated through a quantitative acoustic analysis of /o/ fronting in Worthington, Ohio, a Columbus suburb confronting acute urban sprawl. The distribution of /o/ fronting across 21 speakers largely resists traditional sociolinguistic explanations. A close analysis of four speakers' mental representations of the local tensions surrounding urban sprawl reveals significant differences which are argued to account for their variable use of fronted /o/.
An electron contribution to the thermal conduction across a metal-solid dielectric interface☆

Abstract Measurements of the thermal resistance from 0.4 to 4°K at interfaces between indium and sapphire and between lead and sapphire are given with the metal both superconducting and normal. This resistance is significantly less when the metal is normal indicating that the electrons are contributing to the thermal conduction across the interface.
The cargo of CRPPR-conjugated liposomes crosses the intact murine cardiac endothelium

Ligand-conjugated liposomes and other nano-sized constructs are attractive drug carriers due to their extended plasma circulation; however, limited data are available as to whether their cargo can traverse the endothelium of solid organs. To determine whether the cargo of endothelially targeted liposomes is internalized by endothelial cells and transported into tissue, and to evaluate whether such liposomes can accumulate in models of cardiovascular disease, we tracked the fate of the cargo (a hydrophilic fluorescent dye) and shell (conjugated with a radioisotope) of a heart-homing liposome (CRPPR-conjugated). The ex vivo heart was imaged with confocal microscopy and the in vivo heart with positron emission tomography in sham-treated mice and models of ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) and myocardial infarction (MI). Within 30 min of injection of 20mg/kg CRPPR liposomes, fluorescence increased by 47 fold in the tissue surrounding the vascular lumen, as compared with non-targeted liposomes. Both the accumulation on the endothelium and the interstitial fluorescence saturated at an injected dose of 20mg/kg. In both I/R and MI models, CRPPR liposomes accumulated in diseased sites, although less than in surrounding healthy tissue. The accumulation in the diseased sites increased with time post-injury: the ratio of accumulated radioactivity in the diseased and healthy cardiac tissue increased from 0.20±0.04, to 0.58±0.12 and 0.61±0.19 for 1, 7, and 99 days post-MI, indicating the potential for adequate delivery and therapeutic efficacy if the targeted particles are injected at 7 or more days post-MI. In summary, CRPPR- liposomes accumulated in normal and diseased hearts, and the cargo accumulated in the tissue within minutes and remained detectable after 24 h.
Light Patch: Preliminary Report of a Novel Form of Blue Light Delivery for the Treatment of Actinic Keratosis

Objective To evaluate a novel light patch formulated for blue light delivery and topical activation of γ-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) during photodynamic therapy for the treatment of actinic keratosis (AK). Materials and Methods Ten volunteers with past unsuccessful treatment of AK were enrolled. Areas with AK lesions were treated with 20% ALA (Levulan) for an incubation period of 1 hour. Half of the area was treated with blue light patches (the patch emits 431 to 515 nm wavelength, 55.6 mJ/cm2 over 20 minutes), and the other half was left uncovered (control). The percentage of visible AK lesions cleared at the 3-month follow-up determined therapeutic efficacy. Results The mean lesion count for all treatment areas was decreased from 7.60 to 2.40 (p < .01). The subjects had slight burning or itching and mild to moderate erythema. One subject developed a blister at the treatment site. Controls had clearance of 30%, 17%, and 20% for the face, scalp, and hands, respectively. Patients were satisfied with the results and noticed an improvement in skin texture. Conclusion Preliminary results show that the blue light patch is a potentially safe, effective, and alternative method for light delivery and topical ALA activation during photodynamic therapy of AK. BRIAN ZELICKSON, MD, HAS A FINANCIAL INTEREST IN THE NOVEL LIGHT PATCH DEVICE. DUSA PHARMACEUTICALS SUPPLIED THE PRODUCT FOR THIS STUDY.
Invited tutorial: MEMS: Driving advances in electronic devices

The goal of the course is to give you a brief overview of MEMS technologies by covering packaging, reliability, simulation, and testing. We will venture into recent developments like Sensor Fusion, Integrated CMOS-MEMS, and BioMEMS. You will gain an in-depth knowledge of challenges and opportunities associated with bringing MEMS-based products to market through the course's focus on two key topics: (1) MEMS Packaging - You will learn packaging concepts for MEMS devices while reviewing assembly and packaging procedures such as structural release, cleaning, encapsulation, and testing. The tutorial will also cover various challenges associated with packaging and testing MEMS. (2) MEMS Reliability - This tutorial will review MEMS reliability issues and associated analysis/simulation techniques. MEMS reliability requires a broad understanding of physics, material science, and mechanics in order to handle the challenges during research, development, and productization.
Liana diversity, abundance, and mortality in a tropical wet forest in Costa Rica

Abstract Lianas can have a large impact on the diversity, structure, and dynamics of tropical forests, yet they remain essentially unknown even in some of the most intensely studied tropical forests, such as La Selva Biological Station in Costa Rica. We quantified the diversity, abundance, and mortality of lianas in primary and selectively logged forest at La Selva for over 3 years, from January 1999 until July 2002. We measured, identified, permanently marked, and mapped all lianas ≥1.3 m in length and 2 mm in diameter, whether climbing or free-standing, in nine, 24 m ×36 m (864 m2) plots. There were no significant differences in density, diversity, or mortality between primary forest and areas that were selectively logged approximately 50 years prior to our study. We found a mean density of 1493 lianas ha−1 and a mean species richness of 23 species per 864 m2 plot. Annual mortality was 9.4% over all size-classes, but was the highest for the smallest individuals (