cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Global Analysis of Enzyme Compartmentalization to Glycosomes

In kinetoplastids, the first seven steps of glycolysis are compartmentalized into a glycosome along with parts of other metabolic pathways. This organelle shares a common ancestor with the better-understood eukaryotic peroxisome. Much of our understanding of the emergence, evolution, and maintenance of glycosomes is limited to explorations of the dixenous parasites, including the enzymatic contents of the organelle. Our objective was to determine the extent that we could leverage existing studies in model kinetoplastids to determine the composition of glycosomes in species lacking evidence of experimental localization. These include diverse monoxenous species and dixenous species with very different hosts. For many of these, genome or transcriptome sequences are available. Our approach initiated with a meta-analysis of existing studies to generate a subset of enzymes with highest evidence of glycosome localization. From this dataset we extracted the best possible glycosome signal peptide identification scheme for in silico identification of glycosomal proteins from any kinetoplastid species. Validation suggested that a high glycosome localization score from our algorithm would be indicative of a glycosomal protein. We found that while metabolic pathways were consistently represented across kinetoplastids, individual proteins within those pathways may not universally exhibit evidence of glycosome localization.
AutoTriage - An Open Source Edge Computing Raspberry Pi-based Clinical Screening System

Abstract With the recent COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare systems all over the world are struggling to manage the massive increase in emergency department (ED) visits. This has put an enormous demand on medical professionals. Increased wait times in the ED increases the risk of infection transmission. In this work we present an open-source, low cost, off-body system to assist in the automatic triage of patients in the ED based on widely available hardware. The system initially focuses on two symptoms of the infection fever and cyanosis. The use of visible and far-infrared cameras allows for rapid assessment at a 1m distance, thus reducing the load on medical staff and lowering the risk of spreading the infection within hospitals. Its utility can be extended to a general clinical setting in non-emergency times as well to reduce wait time, channel the time and effort of healthcare professionals to more critical tasks and also prioritize severe cases. Our system consists of a Raspberry Pi 4, a Google Coral USB accelerator, a Raspberry Pi Camera v2 and a FLIR Lepton 3.5 Radiometry Long-Wave Infrared Camera with an associated IO module. Algorithms running in real-time detect the presence and body parts of individual(s) in view, and segments out the forehead and lip regions using PoseNet. The temperature of the forehead-eye area is estimated from the infrared camera image and cyanosis is assessed from the image of the lips in the visible spectrum. In our preliminary experiments, an accuracy of 97% was achieved for detecting fever and 77% for the detection of cyanosis, with a sensitivity of 91% and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.91. Heart rate and respiratory effort are also estimated from the visible camera. Although preliminary results are promising, we note that the entire system needs to be optimized before use and assessed for efficacy. The use of low-cost instrumentation will not produce temperature readings and identification of cyanosis that is acceptable in many situations. For this reason, we are releasing the full code stack and system design to allow others to rapidly iterate and improve the system. This may be of particular benefit in low-resource settings, and low-to-middle income countries in particular, which are just beginning to be affected by COVID-19.
Optimal Operation of Water-Energy Microgrids; A Mixed Integer Linear Programming Formulation

Abstract Increasing energy efficiency in water distribution systems is one of the most important aspects of a sustainable water infrastructure. Additionally, providing this energy from renewable sources is an essential step towards a cleaner production in energy infrastructures. Therefore in this paper, an optimization model is developed to minimize the energy consumption of a water-energy microgrid system. A day-ahead economic dispatch model is developed to minimize the daily cost of energy in the water-energy microgrid. The energy consumption of water system is minimized using tank’s and pump’s scheduling and operation, hydraulic factors, and daily demand. Particularly, the electricity consumption of the pump is minimized by adjusting its head gain and flow rate via a variable speed. The energy unit is composed of an aggregated conventional power generation, solar photovoltaic, wind generation, and battery energy storage system. To offer a global optimum for the proposed non-linear programming formulation, bivariate piecewise linear approximation is used to linearize the pump’s power consumption and gain, and conservation of energy-mass. In addition, univariate piecewise linear approximation is used to linearize the energy consumption function of conventional power generation systems. The optimization results of the mixed integer linear programming and mixed integer non-linear programming formulations for the studied water-energy microgrid system are compared and discussed. These models are developed to concurrently minimize the electricity consumption of a micro water-energy distribution network in two scenarios of (1) standalone water distribution system operation and (2) an integrated islanded micro water-energy system with electrical loads.
From landrace to modern hybrid broccoli: the genomic and morphological domestication syndrome within a diverse B. oleracea collection.

Worldwide, broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. italica) is among the most economically important, nutritionally rich, and widely-grown vegetable crops. To explore the genomic basis of the dramatic changes in broccoli morphology in the last century, we evaluated 109 broccoli or broccoli/cauliflower intermediates for 24 horticultural traits. Genotype-by-sequencing markers were used to determine four subpopulations within italica: Calabrese broccoli landraces and hybrids, sprouting broccoli, and violet cauliflower, and to evaluate between and within group relatedness and diversity. While overall horticultural quality and harvest index of improved hybrid broccoli germplasm has increased by year of cultivar release, this improvement has been accompanied by a considerable reduction in allelic diversity when compared to the larger pool of germplasm. Two landraces are the most likely founding source of modern broccoli hybrids, and within these modern hybrids, we identified 13 reduction-in-diversity genomic regions, 53 selective sweeps, and 30 (>1 Mbp) runs of homozygosity. Landrace accessions collected in southern Italy contained 4.8-fold greater unique alleles per accessions compared to modern hybrids and provide a valuable resource in subsequent improvement efforts. This work broadens the understanding of broccoli germplasm, informs conservation efforts, and enables breeding for complex quality traits and regionally adapted cultivars.
Distinct Cytokine Profiles Correlate with Disease Severity and Outcome in Longitudinal Studies of Acute Hepatitis B Virus and Hepatitis D Virus Infection in Chimpanzees.

ABSTRACT Historical studies conducted in chimpanzees gave us the opportunity to investigate the basis for the different severities of liver damage and disease outcome associated with infection with wild-type hepatitis B virus (HBV) versus a precore HBV mutant, HBV/hepatitis D virus (HDV) coinfection, and HDV superinfection. Weekly samples from 9 chimpanzees were studied for immune responses by measuring plasma levels of 29 cytokines in parallel with alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels and viral kinetics. Comparison of classic acute hepatitis B (AHB) with severe or progressive AHB and HBV/HDV coinfection or superinfection identified distinct cytokine profiles. Classic AHB (mean ALT peak, 362 IU/liter) correlated with an early and significant induction of interferon alpha-2 (IFN-α2), IFN-γ, interleukin-12 p70 (IL-12 p70), and IL-17A. In contrast, these cytokines were virtually undetectable in severe AHB (mean ALT peak, 1,335 IU/liter), characterized by significant elevations of IL-10, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), and MIP-1β. In progressive AHB (mean ALT peak, 166 IU/liter), there was a delayed and lower-magnitude induction of cytokines. The ALT peak was also delayed (mean, 23.5 weeks) compared to those of classic (13.5 weeks) and severe AHB (7.5 weeks). HBV/HDV coinfection correlated with significantly lower levels of IFN-α2, IFN-γ, and IL-17A, associated with the presence of multiple proinflammatory cytokines, including IL-1α, IL-1β, IL-2, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-10, and IL-15. Conversely, HDV superinfection induced the highest ALT peak (1,910 IU/liter) and was associated with a general suppression of cytokines. Our data demonstrate that the most severe liver damage, caused by an HBV precore mutant and HDV, correlated with restricted cytokine expression and lack of Th1 response, raising the question of whether these viruses are directly cytopathic. IMPORTANCE Studies performed in chimpanzees at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) demonstrated a significant difference in ALT levels during acute hepatitis of different viral etiologies, with a hierarchy in the extent of liver damage according to the infecting virus: the highest level was in HDV superinfection, followed by infection with a precore HBV mutant, HBV/HDV coinfection, and, lastly, wild-type HBV infection. Our study demonstrates that both the virus and host are important in disease pathogenesis and offers new insights into their roles. We found that distinct cytokine profiles were associated with disease severity and clinical outcome. In particular, resolution of classic acute hepatitis B (AHB) correlated with a predominant Th1 response, whereas HBV/HDV coinfection showed a predominant proinflammatory response. Severe AHB and HDV superinfection showed a restricted cytokine profile and no evidence of Th1 response. The lack of cytokines associated with adaptive T-cell responses toward the precore HBV mutant and HDV superinfection argues in favor of a direct cytopathic effect of these viruses.
Practice-Driven Data: Lessons from Chicago's Approach to Research, Data, and Practice in Education:

Background/ContextThere is a body of evolving research on how educators use data for improvement, with many examples in the literature about how educators learn to use a routine of data-driven cycl...
Working memory training in pediatric brain tumor survivors after recent diagnosis: Challenges and initial effects.

Research shows promise for cognitive interventions for children diagnosed with brain tumors. Interventions have been delivered approximately 5 years postdiagnosis on average, yet recent evidence sh...
Response Similarity Assessment Between Polyarticular Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis and Adult Rheumatoid Arthritis for Biologics.

Polyarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis (pJIA) is a pediatric chronic inflammatory arthritis, much like rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in adults. Drug development for pJIA can potentially be expedited by using extrapolation of efficacy from adult RA; however, the lack of understanding of the response and exposure relationship between pJIA and RA to therapeutic interventions has been a major roadblock. To address this, the objective of our analysis was to conduct a systematic response and exposure comparison between pJIA and RA trials for biologic products. Data from registration RA and pJIA clinical trials (parallel or withdrawal design) for infliximab, tocilizumab, golimumab, and adalimumab were utilized. First, exposure was compared between the pJIA trials and RA pivotal trials. Subsequently, the pJIA vs. RA response similarity was assessed by comparing similar individual subcomponents of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) scores between the two populations. The exposure comparison demonstrated that at the pJIA trial dose, exposure in pediatric patients was similar to or higher than adults for all biologics evaluated except infliximab, where lower exposure was observed in pJIA patients ≤ 35 kg. Response comparison for individual subcomponents indicated that in a majority of the cases, pJIA response was similar or higher as compared with response from RA trials. Overall, this analysis suggests response similarity between pJIA and RA across the biologic products when exposures are matched between the two populations. These analyses provide support for the use of pharmacokinetic exposure-matching for extrapolation of efficacy from adult RA to pediatric pJIA for the products with established mechanism(s) of action.
Rivaroxaban and apixaban for the treatment of suspected or confirmed heparin-induced thrombocytopenia.

WHAT IS KNOWN AND OBJECTIVE Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) is an adverse hematologic drug reaction that results in thrombocytopenia. This potentially life-threatening event is due to the administration of heparin products, such as unfractionated heparin (UFH) and low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH). The incidence of HIT occurs in <0.1%-7% of hospitalized patients treated with heparin products, with a risk of thrombosis as high as 50%. In 2018, the American Society of Hematology (ASH) recommended the utilization of direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) in clinically stable patients at average bleeding risk with HIT. The objective of this study was to evaluate the prescribing patterns of rivaroxaban and apixaban for the treatment of suspected or confirmed HIT. METHODS This was a retrospective chart review from January 2013 through October 2019 at the University of Chicago Medicine. Twelve patients were identified to have received a DOAC for suspected or confirmed HIT. RESULTS Rivaroxaban was utilized in seven (58%) patients, six of whom received argatroban prior to starting rivaroxaban. Five (71%) of these patients were started on the recommended dose of rivaroxaban for VTE. Apixaban was utilized in five (42%) patients; four patients were started on argatroban and transitioned to apixaban. One patient was started on the suggested dose of apixaban for VTE. WHAT IS NEW AND CONCLUSION After starting DOACs for suspected HIT, no patients had new thrombosis during hospitalization. Eight patients (67%) followed up at our institution within 6 months of their discharge date. No subsequent thrombi formation were identified for any of these patients. The results of this study add to the expanding literature regarding the safety and efficacy of DOAC use in HIT, and indicate DOACs are being increasingly utilized for the treatment of confirmed or suspected HIT.
Cubic interactions in the Berenstein-Maldacena-Nastase limit of AdS 3 × S 3

We study the pp limit of ${\mathrm{AdS}}_{3}\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{S}^{3}$ at the interaction level. We find the interacting Hamiltonian for the bosonic fields of $D=6$ SUGRA in the pp-wave background, and compare it to the cubic couplings of the full ${\mathrm{AdS}}_{3}\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{S}^{3}.$ We show how the pp-wave theory vertex arises in the large J limit. Our analysis also provides some insight into the origin of specific ``prefactors'' which appear in the pp-wave interaction.
Quantization error calculation of various realizations of 2-D separable-in-denominator recursive filters

This paper provides an effective method to evaluate the input quantization and multiplication roundoff errors for two-dimensional (2-D) separable-in-denominator recursive digital (SDRD) filters. This work is based on the partial fraction expansion of 2-D SDRD filters [1] and their modular implementation structures [2] proposed by the authors. Equations are derived for the calculation of roundoff errors for various implementations of 2-D SDRD filters. An example is given to demonstrate the application of the proposed method.
Markers of Trust: How Pro- and Anti-Vaccination Web Sites Make Their Case

In this paper, I will look at both pro- and anti-vaccination Web sites as examples of texts positioned within the contemporary vaccination debate. My goal is to examine and reveal various “markers” that indicate strategies each text uses to inspire credibility and trust in particular audiences. My analysis of specific sites will not focus on the science of vaccination, nor on the "truth" or "falsity" of arguments. Instead, I intend to discuss how various participants in the debate frame their positions in order to bolster their arguments - and, at times, on how other markers may detract from it.
Protection of Vaccinia from Heat Inactivation by Nucleotide Triphosphates

The presence of adenosine triphosphate, guanosine triphosphate, cytosine triphosphate, or uridine triphosphate reduced the rate of inactivation of vaccinia when heated at 50 C. The virus-associated nucleoside triphosphate phosphohydrolases (adenosine triphosphatase, guanosine triphosphatase, cytosine triphosphatase, and uridine triphosphatase) and ribonucleic acid polymerase were also protected from heat inactivation by these compounds. These obervations are best explained by postulating that ribonucleoside triphosphates bind to enzymes in the virus particle, and that these enzyme-substrate complexes are more resistant to thermal denaturation than are the enzymes without their substrates. The kinetics of heat inactivation of the vaccinia ATP phosphohydrolase activity is biphasic, suggesting that there are two proteins in the vaccinia particle that have this enzyme activity but they have different kinetics of heat inactivation. Any of the vaccinia-associated nucleotide phosphohydrolase activities are protected from heat inactivation by the presence of any one of the respective nucleoside triphosphates. This observation suggests that there is a single enzymatic site in vaccinia that is able to react with any ribonucleoside triphosphate.
Chapter 3.3.7 Analyzing neuropeptide function in Caenorhabditis elegans by reverse genetics

Summary With the completion of the genome sequencing project and the wealth of information about its nervous system, C. elegans presents one of the most attractive systems in which neuropeptide gene families can be examined. The flp neuropeptide gene family is one of the largest neuropeptide families identified to date. Why are there so many flp genes and what are the functions of the individual FaRPs? Unraveling the functions of the different FaRPs and the mechanisms whereby these neuropeptides exert their actions in C. elegans is likely to give insights into the role of neuropeptide gene families in other organisms as well.
Analysis of Distributed-Search Contraction-Based Strategies

We present a model of parallel search in theorem proving for forward-reasoning strategies, with contraction and distributed search. We extend to parallel search the bounded-search-spaces approach to the measurement of infinite search spaces, capturing both the advantages of parallelization, e.g., the subdivision of work, and its disadvantages, e.g., the cost of communication, in terms of search space. These tools are applied to compare the search space of a distributed-search contraction-based strategy with that of the corresponding sequential strategy.
Ethnic differences in neonatal jaundice: comparison of Japanese and Caucasian newborn infants.

Abstract The incidence of neonatal jaundice was compared in Japanese and Caucasian infants at The Roosevelt Hospital between January 1970, and August 1972. The Japanese group was found to have significantly higher neonatal jaundice of unknown etiology (57.39 per cent) than the Caucasian group (16 per cent). Twenty-three per cent of the Japanese group and none of the Caucasian group developed hype rbilirubinemia exceeding 15 mg. per I00 ml. of serum.
Obscenity is a Four Letter Word - or Is It? An Investigation into Community Standards of Obscenity

The legal definition of obscenity was established in Miller v. California (1973) and relies primarily on the ability of a jury to determine contemporary community standards. The definition relies primarily the assumptions that a community standard exists and that jurors are capable of determining this standard. The current study utilizes qualitative and quantitative methodology to examine these assumptions to determine if a standard exists and the capability of jurors in determining said standard. Results indicate that the there is quite a bit of variability surrounding obscenity definitions and examples, indicating a clear lack of consensus. This information combined with significant demographic differences supports the notion that a community standard may not exist. Further, results indicate that individuals demonstrate the cognitive bias pluralistic ignorance, as individual ratings of obscenity are significantly different than their perceptions of community standards, which may mean jurors are incapable of accurately determining community standards. Legal actors can utilize this information in terms of jury selection and framing of issues to the jury.
"GOVERNING NEW JERSEY: REFLECTIONS ON THE PUBLICATION OF A REVISED AND EXPANDED EDITION OF 'THE GOVERNORS OF NEW JERSEY'"

Governing New Jersey: Reflections on the publication of a revised and expanded edition of The Governors of New Jersey, edited by Michael J. Birkner, Donald Linky, and Peter Mickulas (Rutgers University Press, 2014)By Michael J. BirknerAbstractNew Jersey's chief executive enjoys more authority than any but a handful of governors in the United States. Historically speaking, however, New Jersey's governors exercised less influence than met the eye. In the colonial period few proprietary or royal governors were able to make policy in the face of combative assemblies. The Revolutionary generation's hostility to executive power contributed to a weak governor system that carried over into the 19th and 20th centuries, until the Constitution was thoroughly revised in 1947. Before that date a handful of governors, by dint of their ideas and personalities, affected the polity in meaningful ways. Derived from a lecture delivered at Rutgers University's Eagleton Institute on March 11, 2014, this essay focuses on the long history of the executive office, assessing individual governors and delineating the qualities that made them noteworthy, for good or ill.
THE RHETORICAL SITUATION OF THE SCIENTIFIC PAPER AND THE "APPEARANCE" OF OBJECTIVITY

Mention the words rhetoric and science together, and many people see an intrinsic contradiction. After all, two hallmarks of modern science are objectivity and empirical method, whereas rhetoric bears the marks of a long and sometimes sordid history of sophistic oratory and biased argumentation. Gerald Holton describes this distinction: Rhetoric is often perceived as the art of persuasion, while science is generally seen as the art of demonstration (173). This idea implies, to use a figure of speech, that rhetoric and science should not be seen together in public. The distinction between the two, however, is probably more fabricated than genuine. Scholars, especially during the last several decades, have argued that scientific practice and discourse do have rhetorical and persuasive elements. Published scientific papers bridge the gap between a scientist’s work and the public’s knowledge of that work. Research that goes unpublished, to use an image from Robert Day, is like a tree falling in a forest when no one is around––there is no “sound” without an audience (1). In order for this knowledge to be received and accepted by the intended audience, generally the scientific community, the research or experimental report must follow certain conventions, not the least of which are methodological validity and pertinence to the existing body of scientific knowledge. The authors of scientific papers must demonstrate the validity and objectivity of their findings and make them seem interesting and relevant to already-established conclusions. In effect, this is a rhetorical situation: a speaker (the author) communicates knowledge about a particular subject to an audience via the scientific paper, intending, on some level, to persuade that audience. What is most interesting about the rhetorical situation of the scientific paper is that the writer persuades his or her audience largely through the appearance of objectivity. Many people, as Charles Bazerman points out, think that writing based on scientific premises is not really writing at all (14), that it is an unbiased vessel for transmitting truth. But in this essay, I analyze Renske Wassenberg, Jeffrey E. Max, Scott D. Lindgren, and Amy Schatz’s article, “Sustained Attention in Children and Adolescents after Traumatic Brain Injury: Relation to Severity of Injury, Adaptive Functioning, ADHD and Social Background” (herein referred to as “Sustained Attention in Children and Adolescents”), recently published in Brain Injury, to illustrate that the writer of an experimental report in effect creates an exigence and then addresses it through rhetorical strategies that contribute to the appearance of objectivity.
New evidence on the structure of production: Real and Austrian business cycle theory and the financial instability hypothesis

Abstract This article develops the relationships among real business cycle (RBC) theory, Austrian business cycle (ABC) theory, and Minsky's financial instability hypothesis (FIH). In RBC models, recessions are caused on the supply side by random technology shocks which are independent of monetary policy. However, in ABC models, credit expansion results in negative productivity shocks, as the marginal return on investment is lowered and the production structure is extended by commitment to more capital-intensive activities. Thus, ABC theory helps resolve several problems with RBC theory. The FIH describes a process of endogenous overleveraging which unsustainably overvalues assets and exposes the financial sector to greater risk. This paper argues that the overleveraging described by the FIH is compatible with the unsustainable expansion of production described in ABC theory, and further argues that credit expansion would both provide additional funds to finance overleveraging, as well as encourage the process by making it cheaper with lower interest rates.
Spontaneous emergence of a persistent spin helix from homogeneous spin polarization

We demonstrate that a homogeneous spin polarization in one-dimensional structures of finite length in the presence of Bychkov-Rashba spin-orbit coupling decays spontaneously toward a persistent spin helix. Such a strikingly different and simple method enables us to generate robust spin structures whose properties can be tuned by the strength of the spin-orbit interaction and/or the structure's length. We generalize our results for the two-dimensional case predicting the formation of a persistent spin helix in two-dimensional channels from homogeneous spin polarization. An analysis of the formation of a spin helical state is presented within an approach based on a mapping of spin drift-diffusion equations into a heat equation for a complex field.
Effect of Desferrioxamine B-Methane Sulfonate (DFOM) on Removal of Plutonium in vitro and in vivo.∗

SummaryAn ultrafiltration screening technique was used to determine the effectiveness of desferrioxamine B-methane sulfonate (DFOM), a therapeutic agent that forms complexes with ferrous and ferric iron, in binding plutonium under physiological conditions. Although DFOM increased the fraction of plutonium ultrafilterable from blood plasma, the only effects when given intra-peritoneally to plutonium-poisoned mice were the prevention of further uptake of plutonium in the bone after initiation of therapy and a small rise in urinary plutonium.
Optimal survey design using focused resistivity arrays

The first problem which needs to be solved when planning any geoelectrical survey is a choice of a particular electrode configuration that can give the maximal response from a target inhomogeneity. The authors formulate a problem of maximizing the response as an optimization problem for an applied current intensity distribution on the surface. The solution of this problem is the optimal intensity distribution of the current, which maximizes the response from the inclusion. This problem is solved numerically with singular value decomposition of an impedance matrix. The optimal current array is modeled as a current of varying optimal intensity injected at different electrodes. The problem does not need any information about the inclusion but its measured impedance matrix. Thus an optimal current array can be designed for every particular resistivity distribution. The optimal current patterns are found for a number of models of a conductive inclusion, and responses due to the optimal current are compared with responses due to conventional arrays. This method can be applied to any background and inclusion resistivity distribution.
Neighborhood and Individual Factors in Marijuana and Other Illicit Drug Use in a Sample of Low-income Women

Few studies have systematically evaluated whether contextual variables differ in their ability to explain the use of different drugs in the same sample. Our objective was to examine correlates of use for different illicit drugs at the individual and neighborhood level in a tri-ethnic sample of low-income women, an underrepresented sample in drug research. Women 18–31 were recruited from a low-cost family planning clinic in southeast Texas from December 2001 to May 2003. Neighborhood level indicators of disadvantage, family structure, and nativity status from U.S. Census 2000 were linked with individual survey data. Multilevel logistic regression was used to examine the effect of individual and neighborhood level measures on lifetime use of marijuana only and of other illicit drugs in 594 women. Only individual level variables (younger age, non-Hispanic White ethnicity, not being married, greater peer acceptance of substance use) increased odds of exclusive marijuana use, controlling for neighborhood level factors. However, both neighborhood and individual level variables significantly predicted other illicit drug use. Residence in less disadvantaged neighborhoods, non-Hispanic White ethnicity, higher levels of education, greater acceptance of substance use by peers, and a larger number of perceived neighborhood problems increased odds of illicit drug use. Use of other illicit drugs with or without marijuana may be more closely tied to area level factors whereas factors driving exclusive marijuana use may not rely on localized structures to the same extent. Thus, community-level interventions may need to customize their approaches according to the type of drug use targeted. The implication of using neighborhood level variables in substance use research is also discussed.
The length of active labor in normal pregnancies

Objective: To measure the length of active labor (first and second stages) in a low-risk population of non-Hispanic white, Hispanic, and American Indian women, and to identify any differences among these ethnic groups. Methods: Descriptive statistics are presented for 1473 low-risk women at term who delivered at the University of New Mexico Hospital. Data examined by ethnicity included demographics, intrapartum care and complications, and duration of the active-phase first stage (4 cm to complete cervical dilatation) and second stage (complete cervical dilatation to delivery) of labor. Results: Compared with Friedman's criteria, 20% of these low-risk women had a prolonged active phase of the first stage, and 4% had a prolonged second stage, without excess maternal or infant morbidity. The mean length of active-phase, first-stage labor was 7.7 hours for nulliparas and 5.7 hours for multiparas (statistical limits 19.4 and 13.7 hours, respectively), with no differences according to ethnic group. The mean length of second stage was 53 minutes for nulliparas and 17 minutes for multiparas (statistical limits 147 and 57 minutes, respectively). American Indian nulliparas had significantly shorter second stages than non-Hispanic white women ( P Conclusion: Active labor in healthy women lasted longer than is widely appreciated. Upward revision of clinical expectations for the length of active labor is warranted.
Reorientation of Tetradecylmethyl Viologen on Gold upon Coadsorption of Decanethiol and Its Mediation of Electron Transfer to Nitrate Reductase

Decanethiol was coadsorbed with tetradecylmethyl viologen (C14MV; 1-Methyl-1‘-tetradecyl-4,4‘-bipyridinium chloride) on gold electrodes to improve stability of C14MV as an electrochemical mediator for coupling to nitrate reductase enzymes. Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) and in situ spectroscopic ellipsometry were used to monitor the structural properties of surface-confined C14MV during its redox conversion. The potential range investigated was limited to that of the first electron transfer to give V•+, as the subsequent reduction to the neutral species is irreversible and could not be used for electron-transfer mediation to redox enzymes. When C14MV was adsorbed by itself, in the absence of C14MV solution species, the in situ optical studies showed the loss of initial electroactivity was due to the bipyridinium rings being oriented parallel to the electrode plane. This configuration is thought to be unfavorable for the anion (Cl-) transport in and out of the film, which is essential for the r...
Paradigm Shift in the Management of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease

Objective To compare the short-term results of the radiofrequency treatment of the gastroesophageal junction known as the Stretta procedure versus laparoscopic fundoplication (LF) in patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Background Data The Stretta procedure has been shown to be safe, well tolerated, and highly effective in the treatment of GERD. Methods All patients presenting to Vanderbilt University Medical Center for surgical evaluation of GERD between August 2000 and March 2002 were prospectively evaluated under an IRB-approved protocol. All patients underwent esophageal motility testing and endoscopy that documented GERD preoperatively, either by a positive 24-hour pH study or biopsy-proven esophagitis. Patients were offered the Stretta procedure if they had documented GERD and did not have a hiatal hernia larger than 2 cm, LES pressure less than 8 mmHg, or Barrett's esophagus. Patients with larger hiatal hernias, LES pressure less than 8 mmHg, or Barrett's were offered LF. All patients were studied pre- and postoperatively with validated GERD-specific quality-of-life questionnaires (QOLRAD) and short-form health surveys (SF-12). Current medication use and satisfaction with the procedure was also obtained. Results Results are reported as mean ± SEM. Seventy-five patients (age 49 ± 14 years, 44% male, 56% female) underwent LF and 65 patients (age 46 ± 12 years, 42%, 58% female) underwent the Stretta procedure. Preoperative esophageal acid exposure time was higher in the LF group. Preoperative LES pressure was higher in the Stretta group. In the LF group, 41% had large hiatal hernias (>2 cm), 8 patients required Collis gastroplasty, 6 had Barrett's esophagus, and 10 had undergone previous fundoplication. At 6 months, the QOLRAD and SF-12 scores were significantly improved within both groups. There was an equal magnitude of improvement between pre- and postoperative QOLRAD and SF-12 scores between Stretta and LF patients. Fifty-eight percent of Stretta patients were off proton pump inhibitors, and an additional 31% had reduced their dose significantly; 97% of LF patients were off PPIs. Twenty-two Stretta patients returned for 24-hour pH testing at a mean of 7.2 ± 0.5 months, and there was a significant reduction in esophageal acid exposure time. Both groups were highly satisfied with their procedure. Conclusions The addition of a less invasive, endoscopic treatment for GERD to the surgical algorithm has allowed the authors to stratify the management of GERD patients to treatment with either Stretta or LF according to size of hiatal hernia, LES pressure, Barrett's esophagus, and significant pulmonary symptoms. Patients undergoing Stretta are highly satisfied and have improved GERD symptoms and quality of life comparable to LF. The Stretta procedure is an effective alternative to LF in well-selected patients.
Value of noncontrast CT immediately after transarterial chemoembolization of hepatocellular carcinoma with drug-eluting beads.

Abstract Purpose To retrospectively evaluate the presence and distribution patterns of contrast agent retention in the liver on noncontrast computed tomography (CT) immediately following chemoembolization with drug-eluting beads (DEBs). Materials and Methods From 2008 to 2010, 95 patients with 224 liver lesions had chemoembolization performed with DEBs and a noncontrast CT examination of the liver performed immediately after embolization. Of these, 85 patients with 193 lesions were included. The postembolization CT scan was reviewed by a diagnostic radiologist, and the presence of contrast agent retention within the lesion was assessed. Varying patterns of contrast agent retention were defined. Results Of the 193 lesions included, 146 (76%) retained contrast medium. Aside from some contrast medium in vessels, very little if any contrast medium was seen in the surrounding liver. Various patterns of contrast agent retention were noted within lesions. In a single case, repeat imaging was obtained 6 hours later, which demonstrated washout of contrast agent in a lesion that had retained contrast agent on the postprocedure CT scan. Of significance, 13 additional foci of contrast agent retention were identified on postchemoembolization CT scans that, on retrospective review of preprocedure imaging, represented enhancing lesions not previously identified. Conclusions Noncontrast CT after chemoembolization with DEBs demonstrates contrast agent retention in 76% of cases, without significant contrast medium seen in the adjacent liver parenchyma. The presence or absence of contrast agent retention may prove to be useful in evaluating accurate targeting of a lesion.
Social perception of male and female computer synthesized speech

The present study addressed the issue of whether social perception of human speech and computerized text-to-speech (TTS) is affected by gender of voice and gender of listener. Listeners were presented with a persuasive argument in either male or female human or synthetic voice and were assessed on attitude change and their ratings of various speech qualities. The results indicated that female human speech was rated as preferable to female synthetic speech, and that male synthetic speech was rated as preferable to female synthetic speech. Degree of persuasion did not differ across human and synthetic speech, however, female listeners were persuaded more by the argument than male listeners were. Patterns of ratings across male and female listeners were fairly similar across human and synthetic speech, suggesting that gender stereotyping for human voices and computerized voices may occur in a similar fashion.
Resource- versus enemy-mediated interactions between cereal aphids (Homoptera : Aphididae) on a common host plant

we examined the impact of the bird cherry-oat aphid, Rhopalosiphum padi (L.), on the per capita rate of increase of the Russian wheat aphid, Diuraphis noxia (Mordvilko), both in the presence and absence of a shared predator. In greenhouse and field experiments, we manipulated the initial density and composition of aphids on crested wheatgrass, Agropyron desertorum (Fischer ex Link) Schultes, and later introduced the common green lacewing, Chrysoperla plorabunda (Fitch), to half of the plants per treatment. A direct, competitive effect of R. padi on D. noxia was observed only at extraordinarily high aphid densities (>2,000 individuals per greenhouse seedling). Lacewing predators significantly reduced the rate of increase of D. noxia in each experiment, but they were sometimes less effective on plants that received a mixture of both aphid species than they were on plants that received an equivalent number of D. noxia alone. The presence of R. padi may have reduced predation on D. noxia because the former species is more accessible to lacewing predators or because its faster growth rate caused it to outnumber D. noxia on plants that initially received an equal ratio of both species. Our results suggest that lacewing predators can suppress or even eliminate D. noxia populations on range grasses, but their effectiveness may be hampered by the presence of other cereal aphids, at least over short time scales.
Expression of two temporally distinct microglia‐related gene clusters after spinal cord injury

The dual role of microglia in cytotoxicity and neuroprotection is believed to depend on the specific, temporal expression of microglial-related genes. To better clarify this issue, we used high-density oligonucleotide microarrays to examine microglial gene expression after spinal cord injury (SCI) in rats. We compared expression changes at the lesion site, as well as in rostral and caudal regions after mild, moderate, or severe SCI. Using microglial-associated anchor genes, we identified two clusters with different temporal profiles. The first, induced by 4 h postinjury to peak between 4 and 24 h, included interleukin-1β, interleukin-6, osteopontin, and calgranulin, among others. The second was induced 24 h after SCI, and peaked between 72 h and 7 days; it included C1qB, Galectin-3, and p22phox. These two clusters showed similar expression profiles regardless of injury severity, albeit with slight decreases in expression in mild or severe injury vs. moderate injury. Expression was also decreased rostral and caudal to the lesion site. We validated the expression of selected cluster members at the mRNA and protein levels. In addition, we demonstrated that stimulation of purified microglia in culture induces expression of C1qB, Galectin-3, and p22phox. Finally, inhibition of p22phox activity within microglial cultures significantly suppressed proliferation in response to stimulation, confirming that this gene is involved in microglial activation. Because microglial-related factors have been implicated both in secondary injury and recovery, identification of temporally distinct clusters of genes related to microglial activation may suggest distinct roles for these groups of factors. © 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Correlation of abdominal leak point pressure with objective incontinence severity in men with post-radical prostatectomy stress incontinence.

Aims To determine if the abdominal leak point pressure (ALPP) correlates with objective incontinence severity in patients suffering from post-prostatectomy stress incontinence. Methods Twenty-nine men were evaluated for urinary incontinence after radical prostatectomy with videourodynamics and a 24-hr pad test. ALPP was determined with and without a 7-French urodynamics catheter and the lowest value was accepted. Six patients with urgency incontinence associated with detrusor overactivity or decreased bladder compliance were excluded leaving 23 patients for analysis. The relationship between the variables of ALPP, 24-hr pad weight, age and time from prostatectomy were examined with Pearson correlation. Results The mean age was 66.4 years (SD ± 7.9, range: 45–81) and the median time from radical prostatectomy was 23 months (IQR = 14–64, range: 9–204). The mean ALPP was 92.8 cmH2O (SD ± 42.4 cmH2O) and the mean pad weight was 279.1 g (SD ± 238.3 g). There was only a weak inverse correlation between ALPP and 24-hr pad weight which was not statistically significant (r = − 0.191, P = 0.38). Age and time from prostatectomy did not significantly correlate with ALPP (r = − 0.122, P = 0.58 and r = − 0.23, P = 0.29, respectively). Conclusions ALPP did not correlate significantly with the 24-hr pad test in patients with post-prostatectomy stress incontinence. This suggests that in this patient subset, the ALPP is a relatively poor predictor of incontinence severity and, therefore, has limited clinical value in the urodynamic evaluation of post-prostatectomy incontinence. The urodynamic assessment of these patients should focus on the presence or absence of stress incontinence and on the presence of associated bladder dysfunction. © 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
A two-fiber, bench-scale test of ultrafiltration (UF) for investigation of fouling rate and characteristics

Experimental results are presented for a two-fiber, bench-scale test that was designed to evaluate the effect of setpoint flux, backwash frequency, and backwash time on long-term fouling rate of low-pressure membrane systems. An ultrafiltration (UF) membrane was used to treat granular-media filtered, secondary wastewater effluent. The fouling rate was measured by the decline in specific flux over many backwash cycles. The long-term fouling rate was decreased substantially by a modest lowering of setpoint flux from 65 to 50 L/(m 2 h) and by an increase in backwash frequency from 15 to 10 min. Increasing the backwash time from 30 s to 1 min did not decrease the fouling rate substantially. Microscopic observation and chemical analysis suggest that the extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) play an important role in fouling resistance for UF membranes treating secondary wastewater effluent. Both adsorption inside membrane pores and deposition on the membrane surface may occur. The comparison of bench-scale and pilot-scale test also shows that the two-fiber, bench-scale test is a very useful, first-cut approach for acquiring process design information for pilot-scale and full-scale operation. © 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Scalable influence maximization for prevalent viral marketing in large-scale social networks

Influence maximization, defined by Kempe, Kleinberg, and Tardos (2003), is the problem of finding a small set of seed nodes in a social network that maximizes the spread of influence under certain influence cascade models. The scalability of influence maximization is a key factor for enabling prevalent viral marketing in large-scale online social networks. Prior solutions, such as the greedy algorithm of Kempe et al. (2003) and its improvements are slow and not scalable, while other heuristic algorithms do not provide consistently good performance on influence spreads. In this paper, we design a new heuristic algorithm that is easily scalable to millions of nodes and edges in our experiments. Our algorithm has a simple tunable parameter for users to control the balance between the running time and the influence spread of the algorithm. Our results from extensive simulations on several real-world and synthetic networks demonstrate that our algorithm is currently the best scalable solution to the influence maximization problem: (a) our algorithm scales beyond million-sized graphs where the greedy algorithm becomes infeasible, and (b) in all size ranges, our algorithm performs consistently well in influence spread --- it is always among the best algorithms, and in most cases it significantly outperforms all other scalable heuristics to as much as 100%--260% increase in influence spread.