cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Imaging in Pediatric Rhinosinusitis

Sinusitis is commonly seen by both otolaryngologists and primary care physicians who treat pediatric patients. Judicious use of radiation is especially important in this population. When sinusitis is acute and uncomplicated, there is no indication for imaging. There are several clinical situations which may prompt consideration of imaging including persistent or chronic sinusitis and before a planned sinus surgery. In these situations, a non-contrasted CT is appropriate. Complicated sinusitis or concern for malignancy may prompt consideration of other imaging modalities. Caution must be used in interpreting the incidental finding of sinusitis on CT or MRI obtained for other clinical indications, as sinus changes are exceedingly common in asymptomatic patients. Here we discuss the indications for imaging and considerations for choice of imaging modality. We then highlight imaging findings in chronic and complicated sinusitis and discuss specific imaging changes found in cystic fibrosis and allergic fungal sinusitis. This chapter reviews the use of imaging in pediatric patients with sinusitis and the most common imaging findings.
Activated Current Sensing Circuit for Resistive Neuromorphic Networks

Recently, resistive-based neural networks have been adopted to build deep learning architectures, where the small area footprint RRAMs (memristors) enables unprecedentedly large neural networks. In this work, we introduce a current sensing circuit and an integrated activation function for resistive neural networks for the first time. This circuit is vital since it is replicated hundreds of times at the outputs of the neurons and thus should be low power and ultra-compact. The proposed circuit is designed using TSMC65nm. The circuit is based on the current conveyor principle and a simple inverter to create the required activation function. The obtained response is curve-fitted to hyperbolic tangent and sigmoid functions to get the accurate expression for the nonlinear function used to design the training technique of the entire neural network. Finally, the proposed circuit is tested in a four-bit neural network based ADC.
Inhibition of Post-Surgical Repair Mitral Valve Fibrosis Using Transforming Growth Factor-beta Inhibitors

Objective: The risk of native mitral valve leaflets becoming fibrotic and stiff, due to the abnormal stretch imposed by common mitral valve surgical repair techniques was recently reported. We demo...
Variants of the Nosé-Hoover oscillator

The Nose–Hoover oscillator is a well-studied chaotic system originally proposed to model a harmonic oscillator in equilibrium with a heat bath at constant temperature. Although it is a simple three-dimensional system with five terms and two quadratic nonlinearities, it displays a rich variety of unusual dynamics, but it falls considerably short of its original purpose. This review describes two simple variants of the Nose–Hoover oscillator, the first of which satisfies the original goal exactly, and the second of which exhibits a hidden global chaotic attractor that fills all of its three-dimensional state space.
Evaluation of the Effects of an Educational Module About Electronic Cigarettes on Undergraduate Health Professional Students' Knowledge and Perceptions

Background: The safety and health effects of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), or e-cigarettes, are largely unknown. Additional research continues to emerge. There are public misconceptions about ENDS, especially as compared to conventional cigarettes. To that end, healthcare providers are among the first to be trusted by patients to answer questions, provide evidence-based information and dispel myths. Students training to become health professionals should be prepared to address the current issues and trends in health behavior. The purpose of this descriptive study was to examine the effects of viewing an evidence-based e-cigarette educational module on health professional students9 knowledge, perceptions and confidence in providing information to patients about e-cigarettes. Methods: Following IRB approval, 220 students in senior health professions programs from Respiratory Therapy, Nursing, Medical Dietetics, and Health Sciences elected to participate. Students took a pre-survey, viewed a seven minute online educational video including synthesis of ENDS evidence-based research, and completed a post-survey. Data analyses included descriptive statistics and t-tests. Results: Participants indicated that they received very minimal education about ENDS in their curricular content, but also reported that they were likely to be exposed to questions both in and outside of their health profession programs. They indicated that they had received ENDS information from advertisements, peers, and social media. T-tests analyzing differences after viewing the module found that seven of the eight pre- and post-survey questions were statistically significant (P Conclusions: Students were poorly informed, yet indicated exposure to ENDS both in their professional settings as well as outside of their programs. Health professions programs are challenged to provide updated content on emerging topics such as ENDS. Brief online educational modules with an overview of evidence-based research may address this need. Overall, this pilot study supports the use of a short ENDS education module to increase students9 perceptions, confidence, and knowledge of ENDS.
Keynote Speech 1 AIOps with the Oracle Autonomous Database

Autonomous Database is one of the hottest Oracle products where we have attempted to use Machine Learning for several aspects of the service. We will cover some use cases to find anomalies in them to troubleshoot them at a scale of several petabytes a year using Log Anomaly timeline using semi-supervised machine learning techniques to reduce logs and match them in near real time. We will also cover how we detect changing workload, use Zscores to pinpoint faults, use time series analysis to find good times to do backups or maintenance, models to detect performance tuning issues and root cause analysis as well as fleet learning to apply knowledge of trends and issues across multiple symptoms affecting the fleet including rediscovery. We will cover example code where applicable and frameworks we use for this.
Dietary sphinganine is selectively assimilated by members of the gut microbiome

Functions of the gut microbiome have a growing number of implications for host metabolic health, with diet being one of the most significant influences on microbiome composition. Compelling links between diet and the gut microbiome suggest key roles for various macronutrients, including lipids, yet how individual classes of dietary lipids interact with the microbiome remain largely unknown. A class of lipids known as sphingolipids are bioactive components of most foods and are produced by prominent gut microbes. This makes sphingolipids intriguing candidates for shaping diet-microbiome interactions. Here, we use a click-chemistry based approach to track the incorporation of bioorthogonal dietary omega-alkynyl sphinganine (sphinganine alkyne - SAA) into the gut microbial community (Click). Identification of microbe and SAA-specific metabolic products was achieved by fluorescence-based sorting of SAA containing microbes (Sort), 16S rRNA gene sequencing to identify the sphingolipid-interacting microbes (Seq), and comparative metabolomics to identify products of SAA assimilation by the microbiome (Spec). Together this approach, Click-Sort-Seq-Spec (ClickSSS), revealed that SAA-assimilation was nearly exclusively performed by gut Bacteroides, indicating that sphingolipid-producing bacteria play a major role in processing dietary sphinganine. Comparative metabolomics of cecal microbiota from SAA-treated mice showed conversion of SAA to a suite of dihydroceramides, consistent with metabolic activity via Bacteroides and Bifidobacterium. Additionally, other sphingolipid-interacting microbes were identified with a focus on an uncharacterized ability of Bacteroides and Bifidobacterium to metabolize dietary sphingolipids. Therefore, ClickSSS provides a platform to study the flux of virtually any alkyne-labeled metabolite in diet-microbiome interactions.
A narrative review of buprenorphine in adult cancer pain.

Adult cancer pain is a disease state battled on a global scale. Proper pain management is essential to prevent health complications and promote patient well-being. Due to the opioid misuse crisis i...
Visual Analytics of Smartphone-Sensed Human Behavior and Health

Smartphone health sensing tools, which analyze passively gathered human behavior data, can provide clinicians with a longitudinal view of their patients’ ailments in natural settings. In this Visualization Viewpoints article, we postulate that interactive visual analytics (IVA) can assist data scientists during the development of such tools by facilitating the discovery and correction of wrong or missing user-provided ground-truth health annotations. IVA can also assist clinicians in making sense of their patients’ behaviors by providing additional contextual and semantic information. We review the current state-of-the-art, outline unique challenges, and illustrate our viewpoints using our work as well as those of other researchers. Finally, we articulate open challenges in this exciting and emerging field of research.
Optimal Volt-VAR and Volt-Watt Droop Settings of Smart Inverters

Voltage optimization and control becomes imperative with increased use of distributed energy resources in distribution feeders. Smart inverters (SIs) can be used effectively for voltage control and optimization especially for fast varying voltage fluctuation caused by high photovoltaic penetration. The local voltage control settings of SIs are typically obtained using rule-based or sensitivity-based methods. This paper presents an optimization framework to find the SIs' local volt-var and volt-watt settings that support certain grid level objectives. In this context, we develop an optimal power flow (OPF) model by integrating SIs' volt-var and volt-watt droop settings as optimization variables. We demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed method using the IEEE 123-node system with 10 SIs (5 in volt-var mode and 5 in volt-watt mode). The results show that it is feasible to obtain optimal droop settings of SIs for autonomous voltage and reactive power control that benefits the grid operations.
Bengston, J. (2019). Library Web Development: Beyond Tips and Tricks

Librarians can benefit from having some type of web development proficiency, be it HTML, JavaScript, PHP, or some combination of these and other languages. However, in addition to this coding exper...
Combination treatment of nitrosamiee-induced pancreatic cancers in hamsters with analogs of LH-RH and a bombesin/GRP antagonist

Analogs of luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LH-RH) and bombesin/gastrin-releasing peptide were previously shown to inhibit the growth of experimental pancreatic cancers. In the present study, in an attempt to increase the efficacy of therapy, female Syrian golden hamsters withN-nitrosobis(2-oxopropyl)amineinduced pancreatic cancers were treated for 2 mo with a combination of LH-RH agonist [D-Trp6]LH-RH or antagonist [Ac-D-Nal(2)1,D-Phe(4Cl)2,D-Pal(3)3,D-Cit6-Ala10]LH-RH (SB-75) and bombesin/GRP antagonistD-Tpi6, Leu13**(CH2NH)Leu14bombesin(6-14) (RC-3095). The results were compared to those obtained by treatment with same doses of single peptides. LH-RH analogs and bombesin antagonist given alone significantly reduced the number of tumorous animals and decreased weight of pancreata by 46-71% and weight of tumorous pancreas by 38-64%. Histology showed lower mitotic activity and a decreased number of AgNORs in tumor cells from treated animals. Enhanced apoptosis was also observed after treatment with the LH-RH analogs. Combination therapy had no superior inhibitory effect on tumors compared to single peptides, by practically all the parameters analyzed. The reasons for this lack of potentiation are not clear. The tumor inhibitory effect of bombesin antagonists appears to be mediated by interference with EGF-receptor mechanisms. In the present study, although a significant downregulation of EGF-receptors was found in tumors treated with combination, the decrease in binding capacity for EGF was maximal in the group treated with RC-3095 alone. Since intracellular signaling mechanisms are common for LH-RH and bombesin-like peptides, it is possible that second messengers were already maximally utilized by treatment with single peptides. Bombesin/GRP abolished the apoptosis enhancing effect of the LH-RH analogs, probably by interference in intracellular mechanisms. A more complete elucidation of the exact mechanisms of action of LH-RH and bombesin/GRP analogs is necessary for planning a successful combination therapy with these peptides.
Recurrent supine syncope: an unusual manifestation of the neurally mediated faint

Supine Syncope. Introduction: Syncope occasionally may occur in the supine patient due to severe brady- or tachyarrhythmia. However, recurrent syncope upon assumption of the supine position as a result of a neurally mediated reflex mechanism has not been reported previously. Methods and Results: Two young patients, both of whom had significant systemic illnesses, experienced recurrent episodes of presyncope and/or syncope shortly after assuming the supine position. During ambulatory ECG monitoring, symptoms were provoked only by lying down and were associated with transient bradycardia. Head-up tilt table testing was undertaken as part of the syncope evaluation and was nondiagnostic in both cases. However, both patients exhibited a transient cardioinhibitory response with reproduction of typical symptoms upon return of the table to the supine position (“reverse tilt”). During follow-up (8 and 14 months), both patients improved with pharmacologic treatment (disopyramide in one case and midodrine in the other). Conclusion: Presyncope or syncope upon lying down can he an unusual manifestation of the neurally mediated faint.
Team game programming assignment

Students in the Advanced Visual Basic Programming course must complete a group project to develop a computer game. While the topic does not fit exactly in a business programming course, for the students it is a good exercise in software development. Students enjoy the game aspect and the development, but from a learning perspective, the development process is more valuable. Most of the work and development must be completed on their own. They work as a team and become responsible, not only to themselves, but to the other members of the team as well. The students work in teams of three for the project. Student ideas for a computer game are submitted in advance. The games can range from simple card games like Solitaire and Black Jack, to parlor games like 3-D Tic-Tac-Toe and Chutes and Ladders, to games of chance like Craps and Roulette. The programs must have online help screens available, storage for winners and scores and an option to play against the computer. Each student writes a proposal and a description of the game they would like to program. Students teams are drawn randomly and the student projects are selected randomly from the proposals submitted for that group. From there, one team member writes a complete set of rules for the game. Another writes the requirements for the program and a third creates the algorithm for the program. Each then critiques the work of the other team members and they submit their plan for approval. Once approved the group develops their software. Each team member must log their share of work on the project and each team member rates the other team members. The projects are scored and the students are graded.
Estimating Forest Canopy Characteristics as Inputs for Models of Forest Carbon Exchange by High Spectral Resolution Remote Sensing

NASA’s Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) was used to derive input parameters for a model of forest ecosystem carbon (C) balance. These parameters include canopy nitrogen (N) concentration and foliar biomass predicted with multiple linear regression equations using selected spectral bands, and species composition determined by means of a supervised image classification. The model predicted total net photosynthesis for the study area, the Harvard Forest in Petersham, Massachusetts, with a spatial resolution of 20 m. The model was simulated five times using the input variables of species, foliar N concentration and foliar biomass derived from either field sampling or spectral data. Although the mean value for net photosynthesis over the 400-ha study site was similar when derived from both existing field data and remotely sensed data (656 g C m−2yr−1 and 630 g C m−2yr−1, respectively), the latter provided information on the spatial variability of photosynthesis throughout the study area that was not evident when coarse-scale field data were used.
Reduction in Venous Thromboembolism Events: Trauma Performance Improvement and Loop Closure Through Participation in a State-Wide Quality Collaborative.

Background The Michigan Trauma Quality Improvement Program (MTQIP) is a collaborative quality initiative sponsored by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network (BCBSM/BCN). The MTQIP benchmark reports identified our trauma center as a high outlier for venous thromboembolism (VTE) episodes. This study outlines the performance improvement (PI) process used to reduce the rate of VTE using MTQIP infrastructure. Study Design Trauma patients admitted for > 24 hours, with an Injury Severity Score (ISS) ≥ 5, were included in this study. We performed a preliminary analysis examining prophylaxis drug type to VTE, adjusted by patient confounders and timing of first dose, using MTQIP data abstracted for our hospital. It showed that patients receiving enoxaparin had a VTE rate that was half that of those receiving unfractionated heparin (odds ratio 0.46, 95% CI 0.25 to 0.85). Guided by these results, we produced the following plan: consolidation to single VTE prophylaxis agent and dose, focused education of providers, initiation of VTE prophylaxis for all patients—with clear exception rules—and dose withholding minimization. Results were monitored using the MTQIP platform. Results After implementation of our focused PI plan, the VTE rate decreased from 6.2% (n = 36/year) to 2.6% (n = 14/year). Our trauma center returned to average performance status within MTQIP. Conclusions Participation in MTQIP provided identification of trauma center outlier status for the outcome of VTE. Analysis of MTQIP data allowed creation of a local action plan. The MTQIP infrastructure supported execution and monitoring of the action plan consistent with loop-closure practices, as advocated by the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma, and a positive performance improvement result was achieved with VTE reduction.
Examining the CWA Agricultural Exemption

When the Senate was hearing arguments to amend the Clean Water Act (CWA) in 1977, the American Farm Bureau Federation voiced its opposition to “the use of a permit system for the regulation of farming activities.” Because there were more than two million farms in the United States at the time, regulating day-to-day farming practices across the country was an implausible task for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Furthermore, farms were believed to have a minimal ecological impact. Ultimately, the agricultural industry prevailed. In an effort to balance competing interests, the notorious 404(f) exemption was born, allowing discharge into wetlands in the course of “normal farming activities” without requiring a permit, so long as the use of the land remains consistent.
Glacial/interglacial variations in atmospheric carbon dioxide

Twenty years ago, measurements on ice cores showed that the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere was lower during ice ages than it is today. As yet, there is no broadly accepted explanation for this difference. Current investigations focus on the ocean's 'biological pump', the sequestration of carbon in the ocean interior by the rain of organic carbon out of the surface ocean, and its effect on the burial of calcium carbonate in marine sediments. Some researchers surmise that the whole-ocean reservoir of algal nutrients was larger during glacial times, strengthening the biological pump at low latitudes, where these nutrients are currently limiting. Others propose that the biological pump was more efficient during glacial times because of more complete utilization of nutrients at high latitudes, where much of the nutrient supply currently goes unused. We present a version of the latter hypothesis that focuses on the open ocean surrounding Antarctica, involving both the biology and physics of that region.
Regulation of the human LAT gene by the Elf-1 transcription factor.

Background The LAT gene encodes an intracellular adaptor protein that links cell-surface receptor engagement to numerous downstream signalling events, and thereby plays an integral role in the function of cell types that express the gene, including T cells, mast cells, natural killer cells, and platelets. To date, the mechanisms responsible for the transcriptional regulation of this gene have not been investigated.
Long Term Bond Markets and Investor Welfare

A simple framework is developed to analyze the important role of the bond market for the welfare of a long horizon small investor when both inflation and the real interest rate are stochastic. Closed form solutions for investor utility in different settings are used to show that the welfare loss due to the absence of long term bond markets increases with the investor's horizon and risk aversion, and with the size and persistence of the shocks to the real interest rate, but decreases with the correlation between the stock return and real interest rate. Using parameter estimates derived from U.S. data, we show that the welfare costs of the lack of a bond market can be substantial.
Compiling Application-Specific Hardware

In this paper we describe ASH, an architectural framework for implementing Application-Specific Hardware. ASH is based on automatic hardware synthesis from high-level languages. The generated circuits use only localized computation structures; in consequence, we expect these circuits to be fast, to use little power and to scale well with program complexity.We present in detail CASH, a scalable compiler framework for ASH, which generates hardware from programs written in C. Our compiler exploits instruction level parallelism by using aggressive speculation and dynamic scheduling. Based on this compilation scheme, we evaluate the computational resources necessary for implementing complex integer-based programs, and we suggest architectural features that would support the ASH framework.
Considerations for Using Eye Trackers during Usability Studies

The purpose of this usability study was to see if eye trackers collect valid data, regardless of the user's method of corrected vision, eye color, or gender. The motivation to explore the idea that these human factors can distort eye trackers is based on marketing claims by several companies that say these factors should not affect results. This study found that the validity of data in usability studies that involved eye trackers in testing can produce biased results based on eyewear and eye color, and that adjustments should be made to control for these variables. The results showed no significant correlations based on gender. As a consideration into developing international signage for mass transportation systems that effectively accommodate global users, this study also explored how first language affects the way in which a user views and organizes a message and hence interprets procedural directions and related imagery. This is within the context of usability testing for a wide variety of users who may not share a first language or have the same method of vision correction.
Implementation of a parallel Jacobi algorithm on multiple DSP96002 digital signal processors

A multiprocessor architecture is presented using a number of Motorola DSP96002 digital signal processors in parallel with no required glue logic. It is shown how this configuration can be used efficiently to implement a parallel Jacobi algorithm. Processor overhead is practically negligible because of the DSP96002 dual bus structure, its independent DMA channels, and its host interfaces. The example discussed (eigenvalues decomposition) is only one of many applications that can benefit from the architecture. It is shown how the multiprocessing features of the DSP96002 can naturally lead to relatively inexpensive implementations of high-speed number crunchers, offering literally hundreds or even thousands of megaFLOPS in one low-power, compact system. >
Individual Concepts and Attitude Reports

This paper argues that de dicto reports of the form 'x believes [that ....[ DetP the [ NP ...]] . . . . . ]' are de re reports where the res is the individual concept which corresponds to '[ DetP the [ NP . . . ]'. This claim is based on the observation that definite descriptions project existence from complement clauses of attitude reports, even in those cases where the reporter and the bearer of the attitude do not have the same description "in mind."
Blood type analyses of Creole-like cattle A comparison with Longhorns and mixed controls

Creole-like cattle blood types were compared with a mixed control group and Longhorn data using hemolytic and electrophoretic techniques. Among the hemolytic tests, the crucial B system analyses indicated that 1) the Creole-like animals were more similar to Longhorns than were the controls; 2) the three groups were different from each other; 3) the three groups were not mutually exclusive. Eleven new phenogroups were postulated. The remaining blood group systems and the electrophoretic tests raised interesting biohistorical questions but were generally less useful in discriminating among the three groups of cattle.
Improved energy bound accuracy enhances the efficiency of continuous protein design

Flexibility and dynamics are important for protein function and a protein's ability to accommodate amino acid substitutions. However, when computational protein design algorithms search over protein structures, the allowed flexibility is often reduced to a relatively small set of discrete side-chain and backbone conformations. While simplifications in scoring functions and protein flexibility are currently necessary to computationally search the vast protein sequence and conformational space, a rigid representation of a protein causes the search to become brittle and miss low-energy structures. Continuous rotamers more closely represent the allowed movement of a side chain within its torsional well and have been successfully incorporated into the protein design framework to design biomedically relevant protein systems. The use of continuous rotamers in protein design enables algorithms to search a larger conformational space than previously possible, but adds additional complexity to the design search. To design large, complex systems with continuous rotamers, new algorithms are needed to increase the efficiency of the search. We present two methods, PartCR and HOT, that greatly increase the speed and efficiency of protein design with continuous rotamers. These methods specifically target the large errors in energetic terms that are used to bound pairwise energies during the design search. By tightening the energy bounds, additional pruning of the conformation space can be achieved, and the number of conformations that must be enumerated to find the global minimum energy conformation is greatly reduced. Proteins 2015; 83:1151–1164. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Postprandial changes in serum unconjugated bile acid concentrations in healthy Beagles

Objective—To investigate postprandial changes in serum concentrations of unconjugated bile acids in healthy Beagles. Animals—7 healthy Beagles. Procedure—Blood samples were obtained from dogs at regular intervals up to 8 hours after consumption of a meal. Serum concentrations of 5 unconjugated bile acids were determined at each time point, using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry with selected ion monitoring. Results—Total serum unconjugated bile acid concentration was significantly increased, relative to baseline values, at 360, 420, and 480 minutes after feeding. Unconjugated cholic acid was significantly increased at 360, 420, and 480 minutes. The proportion of total unconjugated bile acids represented by cholic acid was significantly increased at 240 to 480 minutes. Deoxycholic acid was significantly increased at 360 and 420 minutes. Chenodeoxycholic acid was significantly increased at 360 to 480 minutes. Lithocholic acid was significantly increased at 180 minutes, whereas no significant changes in ...
Visualizing the performance of SPMD and data-parallel programs

Abstract Observing the activities of a complex parallel computer system is no small feat, and relating these observations to program behavior is even harder. In this paper, we present a general measurement approach that is applicable to a large class of scalable programs and machines, specifically SPMD and data-parallel programs executing on distributed memory computer systems. The combined instrumentation and visualization paradigm, called VISTA, is based on our experiences in programming and monitoring applications running on an nCUBE 2 computer and a MasPar MP-1 computer. The key is that performance data are treated similarly to any distributed data in the context of the programming models and presented via a hierarchy of multiple views. Because of the data-parallel mapping of program onto machine, we can view the performance as it relates to each processor, processor cluster, or the processor ensemble and as it relates to the data structures of the program. We illustrate the utility of VISTA by example.
Actinomycin D Inhibition of the Zinc-induced Formation of Cytochrome c in Ustilago

As reported earlier by Grimm & Allen, the addition of zinc to the sporidia of the smut fungus, Ustilago sphaerogena, evokes the formation of large amounts of cytochrome c. This occurs under conditions where the rates of increase of dry weight, RNA, and DNA remain unaffected. Actinomycin D added with zinc specifically abolishes the formation of cytochrome c. The system behaves as if cytochrome c were formed de novo.
STUDIES ON CHLORELLA VULGARIS. X. INFLUENCE OF THE AGE OF THE CULTURE ON THE ACCUMULATION OF CHLORELLIN

CHLORELLIN, AN antibiotic substance or complex of substances active against a number of Grampositive and Gram-negative bacteria has been extracted from cultures of Chlorella in inorganic nutrient solutions (Pratt et al., 1944) and some of its biological properties have been described (Pratt, 1942, 1943). To date, however, the yields of chlorellin have been relatively small. The present study was undertaken, therefore, to ascertain the course of accumulation of this antibiotic agent in growing cultures of Chlorella vulgaris with a view to determining the age at which the maximum quantity of the active compound may be obtained from the external solution. MATERIALS AND METHODS.-The organism used in these studies was Chlorella vulgaris. The cells were cultured as described previously (Pratt, 1943) in 500 ml. Florence flasks, each of which contained 300 ml. of nutrient solution. The initial density of population in each culture was 100 cells/cu.mm. At suitable intervals during a period of nearly two months, duplicate cultures were prepared for testing as follows:
Indentation‐Cycling Tests on Soda–Lime Glass

Repeated indentation loading produces lateral-crack-controlled chipping in brittle materials. This has been investigated in soda–lime glass for a load-cycling range Pmin 0 suppresses the failures. This is consistent with an environmental interaction. Postcycling aging can produce delayed chipping, and the response depends upon the load-cycling history.
Biology of Macrourid Fishes

bottom fishes in the world. The great majority are benthopelagic, with a few bathypelagic members. Benthopelagic species are usually endemic, and most common on continental slopes, whereas bathypelagic species are more cosmopolitan in distribution. The center of distribution for Macrourids is in the Indo-Pacific region. Little is known of their life history; eggs are thought to ascend after fertilization and develop in the midwatcr below 200 m. Although few gut content analyses of adults have been performed, fin structure and photographs indicate that they feed mostly on bottom invertebrates.
Minocycline is not effective in systemic sclerosis: Results of an open-label multicenter trial

Objective To determine if minocycline therapy improved skin thickness in early, diffuse systemic sclerosis (SSc) by ≥30%, a level of improvement unlikely to occur in the natural history of the disease as determined by recent controlled trials. Methods Subjects with diffuse SSc of ≤5 years' duration were treated with oral minocycline for 1 year. The primary outcome measure was the modified Rodnan skin thickness score (MRSS). Results Of 36 subjects initially enrolled, 31 returned for at least 1 followup visit and were included in the analysis (modified intent-to-treat analysis). The group consisted of 23 women and 8 men, with a mean age of 51.7 years (range 26–82 years) and a mean disease duration of 23.5 months (range 6–60 months). The mean MRSS at entry was 22.7 (range 12–43), and at the final visit it was 18.6 (range 2–48). There was no statistically significant difference in the change in skin scores between the minocycline-treated subjects and subjects previously reported in the D-penicillamine (D-Pen) trial. In addition, when adjusted for disease duration, a comparison of MRSS in the minocycline trial subjects (including all subjects active at each time point) and the previously reported D-Pen trial subjects showed no difference and no treatment effect. Fourteen subjects did not complete all 12 months of treatment; 10 of them withdrew due to disease progression. Disease duration was significantly shorter for the noncompleters than for the completers (P < 0.03). Conclusion The degree of change in the MRSS was similar to that expected in the natural course of this disease. Based on these data, minocycline is not an effective therapy for SSc.
Significance Tests for Regression Model Hierarchies

Abstract Methods of estimating the significance of optimal regression models selected from a model hierarchy proposed by Barnett and Hasselmann (1979) are reexamined allowing for the multiple-candidate nature of the selection criteria. It is found that the single-candidate models' significance value previously used can over- or underestimate the true multiple-candidate significance level of the selected model depending on the selection criteria used. A number of possible selection strategies to remove these problems are discussed and evaluated both theoretically and by Monte Carlo simulators.
The use of bacterial alginates to prepare biocontrol formulations

Formulations which are economical and which can deliver a viable organism are critical to developing successful biocontrol products for plant pathogens. In the present study, alginates derived from commercial kelp and produced byAzotobacter vinelandii isolates ATCC 9104 and 12 837 were compared in their ability to form stable, biodegradable granular formulations of the biocontrol fungiTalaromyces flavus andGliocladium virens. Bacteria were grown in shake flask cultures (180 rpm) at 32°C for 104 h. The cultures were monitored for pH, dissolved oxygen, glucose concentration, dry cell weight, and alginate dry weight. Aqueous solutions of the bacterial alginates, as well as the kelp-derived alginate products, gelled readily in 0.25 M calcium chloride. Mannuronate (M) and guluronate (G) compositions of the alginate samples were determined by circular dichroism. M/G ratios for cultures of isolate 12837 averaged 0.98±0.18; for isolate 9104, 1.59±0.12; and for kelp, 1.54±0.39. The viability ofT. flavus in the kelp and bacterial alginate formulations were similar over 84 days. An exploratory experiment indicated good viability ofG. virens using the same bacterial alginates. This study demonstrated a practical use for bacterial alginate as a potentially less costly substitute for kelp alginate in the preparation of biocontrol agent formulations.
Concentrated Poverty: A Critical Analysis

To many observers, it may be almost reflexive to believe that neighborhoods with high levels of poverty naturally breed more poverty. To Herbert Gans, long a poverty specialist, this is a dangerous myth. Moreover, he says, it is one the Obama administration apparently accepts. The result leads to policies to break up neighborhoods rather than getting to the root causes of extreme poverty—not the least of which is the unavailability of jobs.
When do firms learn from their acquisition experience? Evidence from 1990 to 1995

I use an organizational learning perspective to examine how the nature, performance and timing of a firm's acquisition experience helps it to learn how to select the right acquisition. I predict the performance of 214 acquisitions made by 120 firms in 6 industries between 1990 and 1995. Results show that a firm's focal acquisition performance positively relates to prior acquisitions that are a) not highly similar or dissimilar to the focal acquisition, b) associated with small losses and c) not too temporally close to or distant from the focal acquisition. Taken together, these results identify the broad conditions in which firms generate adaptive and timely inferences from acquisition experience. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Molecular cloning and characterization of SPAP1, an inhibitory receptor.

We have cloned a novel cell-surface protein designated SPAP1a for SH2 domain-containing phosphatase anchor protein 1a. SPAP1a belongs to the group of type I transmembrane proteins. Its extracellular domain contains a single immunoglobulin-like domain, and its intracellular segment has two immunoreceptor tyrosine-based inhibition motifs (ITIMs). We also identified two alternatively spliced products that were named SPAP1b and SPAP1c. SPAP1b contains a short intracellular part without ITIMs, while SPAP1c lacks the transmembrane segment and represents a potential soluble protein. Sequence alignment with the genomic database revealed that the SPAP1 gene contains seven exons and is localized at chromosome 1q21. PCR analyses demonstrated that SPAP1a mRNA is specifically expressed in human hematopoietic tissues including spleen, peripheral blood, and bone marrow, and it may be restricted to expression in B cells. Recombinant SPAP1a is tyrosine phosphorylated in cells upon pervanadate stimulation and tyrosine-phosphorylated SPAP1a recruits the SH2 domain containing phosphatase SHP-1, but not SHP-2. As a specific anchor protein of SHP-1, SPAP1a may have an important role in hematopoietic cell signaling.
Globally fair radio resource allocation for wireless mesh networks

Network flows running on a wireless mesh network (WMN) may suffer from partial failures in the form of serious throughput degradation, sometimes to the extent of starvation, because of weaknesses in the underlying MAC protocol, dissimilar physical transmission rates or different degrees of local congestion. Most existing WMN transport protocols fail to take these factors into account. This paper describes the design, implementation and evaluation of a coordinated congestion control (C3L) algorithm that guarantees fair resource allocation under adverse scenarios and thus provides end-to-end max-min fairness among competing flows. The C3L algorithm features an advanced topology discovery mechanism that detects the inhibition of wireless communication links, and a general collision domain capacity re-estimation mechanism that effectively addresses such inhibition. A comprehensive ns-2-based simulation study as well as empirical measurements taken from an IEEE 802.11a-based multi-hop wireless testbed demonstrate that the C3L algorithm greatly improves inter-flow fairness, eliminates the starvation problem, and at the same time maintains high radio resource utilization efficiency.
Cultural rationales guiding medication adherence among African American with HIV/AIDS.

Abstract To date, only modest gains have been achieved in explaining adherence to medical regimens, limiting effective interventions. This is a particularly important issue for African Americans who are disproportionately affected by the HIV epidemic. Few studies have focused on intragroup variation among African Americans in adherence to ART. The aim of this study was to identify and describe the cultural rationales guiding African American patients' formulation and evaluation of adherence. Rationales are key features of purposeful human action. In-depth interviews with 80 seropositive African Americans were tape recorded, transcribed, and analyzed. Participant CD4, viral load and medical histories were collected at each data point. Analysis of four waves of panel data identified three types of adherence rationales: Authoritative Knowledge Rationale (AKR; n=29, 36.3%), Following Doctors' Orders Rationale (DOR; n=24, 30.0%) and Individualized Adherence Rationale (IAR; n=27, 33.8%). Differences in mean rep...
Evaluation of oxygen saturation monitoring by pulse oximetry in neonates in the delivery system.

The pulse oximeter was evaluated for use in neonates in the delivery room. One hundred neonates, delivered vaginally or by Caesarean section with general or epidural anaesthesia, were studied. After delivery, pulse oximetry probes were placed simultaneously on the ulnar side of the right hand and on the right Achilles tendon to determine whether there was a difference in arterial oxygenation (SpO2)-Measurements of SpO2 were taken at 1,5,10 min, and 24 hr after delivery. At one and five minutes, SpO2 recorded from the right hand was higher than that recorded from the lower extremities (71.9% ± 6.5% vs 63.4% ± 4.3% and 83.3% ± 4.2% vs 76% ± 4.1%, mean ± SD, respectively). At ten minutes these differences diminished, and had almost completely disappeared after 24 hr. These results can be explained by the presence of R-L shunting at the ductus arteriosus level, producing reduced SaO2 in the lower extremities. Oxygen saturation did not differ between neonates delivered vaginally or by Caesarean section, regardless of the presence or type of anaesthesia. We concluded that neonates remain relatively desaturated in the immediate postpartum period and that the SpO2 obtained from the right hand is a better index of neonatal oxygenation than that obtained from the heel.
The nature and biological significance of linear potato spindle tuber viroid molecules.

Abstract “Naturally occurring” linear potato spindle tuber viroid (PSTV L ) was shown to be as infectious as circular PSTV (PSTV c ). The occurrence of PSTV L was shown not to be (a) an artifact of the extraction procedure per se; (b) due to the presence of metal ions in extraction buffers; or (c) related to the host species used for propagation, to a particular PSTV strain, or to the duration of infection. From labeling and blot-hybridization experiments, it was concluded that in infected tissue PSTV c appears first followed by PSTV L , which is produced as the result of cleavage of PSTV c at specific sites. One of the sites of cleavage of PSTV c was delineated by 5′-end labeling PSTV L , digesting it with RNase T 1 , separating the fragments by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, and sequencing the major RNase T 1 -resistant fragments. The major site of in vitro labeling was shown to be variable, but was confined to the right-hand loop of PSTV c , i.e., between nucleotides 177 and 182. Furthermore, the right-hand end stem and loop of PSTV c contains sequences which are similar to a rDNA gene promoter sequence, and thus we suggest that DNA-dependent RNA polymerase I may be involved in viroid biosynthesis. Other cleavage sites in PSTV were determined by primer extension cDNA synthesis and by dideoxynucleotide chain termination, and were shown to correspond to nucleotides 113–114 and 80–81 and to sequences in the region of 334–340, 300–312, and 271–275. The significance of these cleavage sites is discussed.
ICV β-hydroxybutyrate: Effects on Food Intake, Body Composition, and Body Weight in Rats

This study examined the effect of long-term intracerebroventricular (ICV) infusion of beta-hydroxybutyrate (beta HB) on food intake, diet selection, body weight, and body composition in rats. Female rats were divided into 2 groups and implanted with a 28-day osmotic pump connected to a lateral cerebroventricular cannula. One group was infused with artificial cerebrospinal fluid (aCSF) and the other with beta HB for 28 days. The rats had free access to both a high-fat/low-carbohydrate and a low-fat/high-carbohydrate diet (isocaloric) for the 28-day infusion period. The group infused with beta HB had a significantly lower body weight gain during the infusion period. Cumulative food intake increased in the same manner in both groups. Fat pad weights and carcass lipid content were significantly higher in beta HB rats, despite the equivalent caloric intake in both groups and the decreased body weight. Our observations are in accord with earlier studies indicating that beta HB infused ICV reduces body weight, but not necessarily food intake. Increased adiposity in association with decreased body weight change in beta HB-infused rats strongly suggests that energy is being partitioned to fat deposition at the expense of lean tissue growth when ketone bodies are infused into the cerebroventricles.
Homochiral, helical metal–organic framework structures organized by strong, non-covalent π–π stacking interactions

A new trifunctional ligand, Lala, containing a carboxylate donor group, a homochiral center derived from L-alanine and a strong π–π stacking, 1,8-naphthalimide synthon, has been used to prepare the copper(II) complex [Cu(Lala)2(4,4′-bipy)(H2O)2]·4.25H2O that has a homochiral, helical, supramolecular metal–organic framework 3-D structure, organized in one dimension solely by strong non-covalent forces.
Sensing intruders using entanglement: a photonic quantum fence

We describe the use of quantum-mechanically entangled photons for sensing intrusions across a physical perimeter. Our approach to intrusion detection uses the no-cloning principle of quantum information science as protection against an intruder's ability to spoof a sensor receiver using a 'classical' intercept-resend attack. Moreover, we employ the correlated measurement outcomes from polarization-entangled photons to protect against 'quantum' intercept-resend attacks, i.e., attacks using quantum teleportation. We explore the bounds on detection using quantum detection and estimation theory, and we experimentally demonstrate the underlying principle of entanglement-based detection using the visibility derived from polarization-correlation measurements.
A twitter recruitment intelligent system: association rule mining for smoking cessation

Digital recruitment is increasingly becoming a popular avenue for identifying human subjects for various studies. The process starts with an online ad that describes the task and explains expectations. As social media has exploded in popularity, efforts are being made to use social media advertisement for various recruitment purposes. There are, however, many unanswered questions about how best to do that. In this paper, we present an innovative Twitter recruitment system for a smoking cessation nicotine patch study. The goals of the paper are to: (1) present the approach we have taken to solve the problem of digital recruitment; (2) provide the system specification and design of a rule-based system; (3) present the algorithms and data mining approaches (classification and association analysis) using Twitter data; and (4) present the promising outcome of the initial version of the system and summarize the results. This is the first effort to introduce a practical solution for digital recruitment campaigns that is large-scale, inexpensive, efficient and reaches out to individuals in near real-time as their needs are expressed. A continuous update on how our system is performing, in real-time, can be viewed at https://twitter.com/TobaccoQuit .