cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Frequency of shedding of respiratory pathogens in horses recently imported to the United States.

Author(s): Smith, Fauna Leah; Watson, Johanna L; Spier, Sharon J; Kilcoyne, Isabelle; Mapes, Samantha; Sonder, Claudia; Pusterla, Nicola | Abstract: BackgroundImported horses that have undergone recent long distance transport might represent a serious risk for spreading infectious respiratory pathogens into populations of horses.ObjectiveTo investigate the frequency of shedding of respiratory pathogens in recently imported horses.AnimalsAll imported horses with signed owner consent (n = 167) entering a USDA quarantine for contagious equine metritis from October 2014 to June 2016 were enrolled in the study.MethodsProspective observational study. Enrolled horses had a physical examination performed and nasal secretions collected at the time of entry and subsequently if any horse developed signs of respiratory disease during quarantine. Samples were assayed for equine influenza virus (EIV), equine herpesvirus type-1, -2, -4, and -5 (EHV-1, -2, -4, -5), equine rhinitis virus A (ERAV), and B (ERBV) and Streptococcus equi subspecies equi (S. equi) using quantitative PCR (qPCR).ResultsEquine herpesviruses were detected by qPCR in 52% of the study horses including EHV-2 (28.7%), EHV-5 (40.7%), EHV-1 (1.2%), and EHV-4 (3.0%). Clinical signs were not correlated with being qPCR-positive for EHV-4, EHV-2, or EHV-5. None of the samples were qPCR-positive for EIV, ERAV, ERBV, and S. equi. The qPCR assay failed quality control for RNA viruses in 25% (46/167) of samples.Conclusions and clinical importanceClinical signs of respiratory disease were poorly correlated with qPCR positive status for EHV-2, -4, and -5. The importance of γ-herpesviruses (EHV-2 and 5) in respiratory disease is poorly understood. Equine herpesvirus type-1 or 4 (EHV-1 or EHV-4) were detected in 4.2% of horses, which could have serious consequences if shedding animals entered a population of susceptible horses. Biosecurity measures are important when introducing recently imported horses into resident US populations of horses.
Verbal Data, Protocol Analysis, and the Issue of Control

This chapter discusses the verbal methods and the subtle difficulties one may encounter when trying to interpret what takes place in out loud problem-solving sessions. It also presents a particular verbal study. The examples described in this study indicate that verbal data are not always what they seem and that it is dangerous to take such data at face value—even when they are gathered in experimentally clean settings where appropriate methodological care has been taken. Each methodology for gathering verbal data can be thought of as lens that may bring some aspects of behavior sharply into focus but that may also blur or distort other aspects of behavior. Great care must be taken in interpreting the data obtained from such methods. The chapter discusses an analytical framework for the macroscopic analysis of problem-solving protocols, with an emphasis on executive or control behavior. It reviews prior attempts at developing frameworks for protocol analysis and describes a first attempt at the development of a comprehensive framework for protocol analysis at the control level. It presents a complete analysis of a problem-solving protocol and descriptions, derived from the analytical framework, of a number of problem-solving sessions.
Personalizing Risk Assessments and Treatments for Complex Cardiovascular Disease

The term “cardiovascular disease” encompasses a number of different conditions that affect different aspects of the circulatory system. Family history is often very useful in predicting one’s risk for cardiovascular disease, and this chapter includes a list of several Internet websites that will analyze family and personal data and estimate one’s level of risk. The development of predictive genetic tests has been difficult for several reasons, including the likelihood that there is more than one molecular subtype present in any group of patients with the same clinical diagnosis. Most of the risk-increasing alleles that have been discovered have low penetrance; it may require hundreds of individual genetic tests to provide the critical genetic data to predict one’s risk. The list of candidate genes is growing rapidly, however. The list includes genes whose proteins are integral to the cardiac musculature, as well as genes that influence aspects of metabolism that may predispose one to cardiovascular disease, including blood lipid and sugar levels, blood pressure, cardiac ion channel function, inflammation, oxidative stress and blood homocysteine levels. The chapter includes a discussion of these low-penetrance gene variants, as well as a discussion of two examples of cardiovascular diseases for which highly penetrant risk-increasing alleles have been reported: familial hypercholesterolemia and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. The chapter also includes a discussion of the pharmacogenetic tests that can influence the choice of treatment for patients with cardiovascular disease, and a case report that illustrates both the benefits and limitations of genetic testing in a patient with type 2 diabetes and a family history of myocardial infarction.
Strong-Coupling Model for Pulsed Light Propagation and Quantum Kinetics of Electron-Hole Plasmas in Quantum Wire Arrays

A quantum-kinetic model is proposed for ultrafast carrier-scattering dynamics in quantum wires coupled to resonant scattering of ultrashort light pulses. The model includes effects from transverse, longitudinal, and applied DC fields on the wires.
Review of the Electrolarynx: The Past and Present

Purpose The purpose of this article is to provide a review of the neck-type electrolarynx, describe acoustic and perceptual characteristics of electrolaryngeal speech, and highlight the potential i...
Demographic-related variables impact subjective experiences of patient wait times and perceived attention afforded in surgical outpatient clinic encounters.

Abstract Introduction Patient satisfaction remains a key component in successful delivery of high-quality healthcare. In this study, we attempted to better understand how patient demographics might influence perception of clinic wait times and determine factors that may positively influence perception of a clinic experience. Methods A prospective study was conducted assessing patient satisfaction during outpatient surgical clinics in minimally invasive, breast, plastic/reconstructive, and orthopaedic surgery between May and September 2017. Patient demographics, subjective and objective assessments of wait time and physician encounter, and qualitative assessments of physician and patient interaction were collected. Results 150 patients were enrolled with median age between 45 and 54 years old. Patients perceived mean wait times of 22.5 min and contact with physician as 12.3 min. Objective measures of wait and physician-contact times were 30.8 min and 10.7 min. These trends persisted despite surgical specialty and new versus returning patient class. Widowed patients perceived receiving less attention by doctors (p 96%) quantifying physician eye-contact (99.3%), attention (99.8%), clarity of clinical communication (98.7%), interest in answering questions (99.2%), and reasonability (98.2%) highly. Patients described their physicians as excellent (99.4%) and were likely to refer their provider to others (99.9%). Conclusion Our findings suggest qualitative factors of patient encounters including eye contact, attention, communication, interest, and subjective perceptions of time bear more weight in the final assessment of patient satisfaction with care than quantitative factors such as actual wait time and duration of time with provider. This is irrespective of differences in perceived wait and contact times between different groups.
On Self-assessment of Proficiency of Autonomous Systems

In this paper we propose a probabilistic framework for proficiency self-assessment of autonomous systems. We define proficiency as a mathematical concept, i.e., as a metric that depends on a variety of factors. This concept allows for assessment of the degree of completion of a given task by a system. We provide the rationale behind the proposed concept and its forms for various settings. Further, we present motivating examples with details of evaluation of the proficiency. We anticipate that our definition of proficiency is a step forward toward achieving "self-awareness" of autonomous systems.
Delimiting disruption: Why Uber is disruptive, but Airbnb is not

Abstract I offer reasons why disruption theory needs a revamp, define post-adoption then point out the gap between the considerable literature in marketing on post-adoption behavior, and the dearth in its immediate corollary, namely disruption. I then criticize the current definition of disruption and offer one instead, followed by three recent examples - iPhone, Uber, and Airbnb - where the claim is that the first two are indeed disruptive innovations, while the latter is not.
Bacilli in the Biocontrol of Mycotoxins

Mycotoxigenic fungi, such as species of Aspergillus, Fusarium, and Penicillium, not only cause crop damage and economic loss to the grower but also pose a serious threat to human and livestock health due to the contamination of commodities with carcinogenic and neurotoxic secondary metabolites such as aflatoxins, fumonisins, and trichothecenes. Biocontrol presents an agronomically sustainable and environmentally safe method of containing mycotoxin contamination of food and feed crops. This review is focused on the use of Bacillus species in the control of mycotoxin contamination in maize, a very important cereal crop grown across the world. Bacilli offer several advantages, including their ability to form spores and amenability for formulation into stable products for effective field application.
Integrating Introductory Data Science into Computer and Information Literacy through Collaborative Project-based Learning

In this era of technology and science, data skills are critical for full participation in the workforce and contemporary society. Alarmingly not all graduates exit college with what are nothing less than survival skills.The goals of the course curriculum innovation are to raise the awareness of data science, promote retention, increase the interest and curiosity, and boost essential data skills for all students on campus. These goals are similar to existing efforts on the design of introductory data science courses for majors and non-majors. The distinctiveness of this course curriculum resides in hands-on learning by examples, case studies, and team-based projects within a low-stakes format, where students from different disciplines early in their college careers collaborated to ethically solve problems in the repetition of data science life cycles. The Innovative Practice Category Work in Progress paper presents our experience in integrating introductory data science into a college-wide computer and information literacy course via collaborative practices of exemplar and project-based learning. The collaborative learning with wide interdisciplinary focus enriched our pedagogues and scalability. Its effectiveness has been measured in a poster session and student perceptions on 5-point Likert scales. Furthermore, integrating introductory data science into a computer and information literacy course served to optimize existing educational resources and facilitate multiple pathways in college. The methodology and studio-like training shown in the experience report can be expanded to upper-level data science courses.
Accelerating 3D vertical resistive memories with opportunistic write latency reduction

The 3D Vertical Resistive Memory (3D-VRAM) is emerging as a promising non-volatile memory (NVM) technology to construct large capacity main memories in future computing systems. In addition to low energy-efficiency and non-volatility, ReRAM (Resistive Memory) achieves excellent density and scalability by vertically stacking multiple layers of cross-point arrays. However, 3D-VRAM arrays have enormous amount of sneaky paths, which degrade write performance and reliability dramatically. In this paper, we propose a collection of techniques to reduce write latency in 3D-VRAM arrays. We propose an in-memory data encoding scheme to reduce the worst-case number of low resistance state (LRS) cells, a data pattern estimator for assessing cell resistance distributions, and a write time reduction scheme that opportunistically reduces RESET latency with runtime data patterns. On average, our proposed design reduces write latency by 25.98×, improves overall performance by 6.92× and reduces dynamic energy consumption by 52.4% compared to a baseline design.
Becoming the Dictator’s Agents: Dominican Counterintelligence in Mexico City and the Spanish Exiles’ Sabotage of the 1949 Luperón Expedition

This article reveals how prominent Spanish exiles became agents for Dominican official Joaquin Balaguer’s counterintelligence operation in Mexico City and played a central role sabotaging the 1949 ...
A review of issues, characteristics, and management for wastewater due to hydraulic fracturing in the U.S.

Abstract The large-scale extraction of unconventional resources from shale reservoirs utilizing horizontal hydraulic fracturing has significantly improved economic development in U.S. However, the increased well production has been accompanied by rising concerns about potential impact resulting from excessive freshwater usage and wastewater generation. Currently, water issues have become increasingly challenging with the development of shale reservoirs. In this paper, technical, economic, and environmental challenges encountered during energy production are reviewed with a focus on water issues due to hydraulic fracturing in the U.S. Moreover, the detailed discussion of characteristics and contaminant sources of wastewater indicates the wastewater composition is complicated and varies over time and location. Understanding these factors contributed to high contaminant levels of wastewaters is important to grow awareness of the impacts of hydraulic fracturing on water quality for both operators and the public. Furthermore, pertinent wastewater management strategies for different purposes are highlighted. Although there is no one-size-fits-all solution, understanding the advantages and limitations of different treatment methods is critical for decision-makers to develop appropriate management system. The aim behind this review is to provide a reference for selecting better and practical solutions for current wastewater issues and identifying key issues for future research.
“Two schools within a school”: Elitism, divisiveness, and intra-racial gentrification in a dual language strand

With most elementary dual language bilingual education (DLBE) programs being implemented as strands within schools, tensions related to inequities, unequal distribution of resources, and academic q...
Enhanced slow inactivation contributes to dysfunction of a recurrent SCN2A mutation associated with developmental and epileptic encephalopathy

Key points The recurrent SCN2A mutation R853Q is associated with developmental and epileptic encephalopathy with typical onset after the first months of life. Heterologously expressed R853Q channels exhibit an overall loss-of-function due to multiple defects in time and voltage dependent channel properties. A previously unrecognized enhancement of slow inactivation is conferred by the R853Q mutation and is a major driver of loss-of-function. Enhanced slow inactivation is potentiated in the canonical splice isoform of the channel and this may explain the later onset of symptoms associated with R853Q. Abstract Mutations in voltage gated sodium (NaV ) channel genes, including SCN2A (encoding NaV 1.2), are associated with diverse neurodevelopmental disorders with or without epilepsy that present clinically with varying severity, age-of-onset, and pharmacoresponsiveness. We examined the functional properties of the most recurrent SCN2A mutation (R853Q) to determine if developmentally-regulated alternative splicing impacts dysfunction severity and to investigate effects of the mutation on slow inactivation. We engineered the R853Q mutation into neonatal and adult NaV 1.2 splice isoforms. Channel constructs were heterologously co-expressed in HEK293T cells with human β1 and β2 subunits. Whole-cell patch clamp recording was used to compare time and voltage-dependent properties of mutant and wildtype (WT) channels. The R853Q mutation exhibits an overall loss-of-function attributed to multiple functional defects including a previously undiscovered enhancement of slow inactivation. The mutation exhibited altered voltage dependence of activation and inactivation, slower recovery from inactivation and decreased channel availability during high frequency depolarizations. More notable were effects on slow inactivation, including a 10-fold slower rate of recovery from slow inactivation exhibited by mutant channels. The impairments in fast inactivation properties were more severe in the neonatal splice isoform, while slow inactivation was more pronounced in the splice isoform of the channel expressed predominantly in later childhood. Enhanced later-onset slow inactivation may be a primary driver of the later onset of neurological features associated with this mutation. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor and Biomarkers of Insulin Resistance in Women with BD

Background Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) protein has been implicated in the pathophysiology of mood disorders, with early data suggesting that blood levels may vary by severity of mood symptoms. BDNF polymorphism, val66met, has also been implicated in mood disorders. Methods Euthymic women with bipolar disorder (BD) (n=47) and healthy control women (n=26), ages 18-45, were clinically rated using the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) and sampled for plasma BDNF concentration, with a subset undergoing genetic analysis for the val66met. Results BD and control groups did not differ on any demographic variables, nor in plasma BDNF levels or val66met polymorphism. Plasma BDNF concentration did not differ by val66met or BD subtype, nor was it correlated with age or illness duration. Within women with BD, lower plasma BDNF concentrations were significantly associated with higher MADRS scores, even after controlling for psychotropic medication use and illness duration. Limitations The sample was relatively small and exclusive to women, with further research needed to investigate the links between BDNF markers and mood symptom severity in both men and women. Conclusions The study provides a gender-specific investigation of plasma BDNF levels and mood, and the results add further evidence of a significant interplay between BDNF markers and psychiatric symptomatology. Further, this association did not appear to be confounded by use of psychotropic medication. Studies with larger samples of both genders are needed to further delineate this relationship.
Signals in the silence: models of implicit feedback in a recommendation system for crowdsourcing

We exploit the absence of signals as informative observations in the context of providing task recommendations in crowd-sourcing. Workers on crowdsourcing platforms do not provide explicit ratings about tasks.We present methods that enable a system to leverage implicit signals about task preferences. These signals include types of tasks that have been available and have been displayed, and the number of tasks workers select and complete. In contrast to previous work, we present a general model that can represent both positive and negative implicit signals. We introduce algorithms that can learn these models without exceeding the computational complexity of existing approaches. Finally, using data from a high-throughput crowdsourcing platform, we show that reasoning about both positive and negative implicit feedback can improve the quality of task recommendations.
Communication & Global Power Shifts| A Tale of Two Obits: Reading the Cold War Through the Obituaries of W.E.B. Dubois and Chairman Mao Tse-tung

This article analyzes the obituaries of two influential men—W. E. B. Du Bois and Mao Tse-tung—as historically structured artifacts of the Cold War era that reflect the limits of acceptable political activism in the racialized discursive space of that period.
Regulation of 2,3-Dihydroxybenzoylserine Synthetase by Iron

Abstract An enzyme has been obtained from extracts of a methionine-vitamin B12 auxotroph of Escherichia coli K-12 which catalyzes the synthesis of 2,3-dihydroxybenzoylserine from 2,3-dihydroxybenzoic acid and l-serine in the presence of ATP. This enzymatic activity appeared only during the later stages of growth and could not be detected when the organism was grown in a glucose-methionine-salts medium containing 2.0 µm FeSO4. The appearance of enzymatic activity from these iron grown cells, when incubated again in fresh medium, was dependent upon the presence of a chelating agent and synthesis de novo of protein. It is suggested that iron may be acting as a corepressor of the synthesis of this enzyme.
Competing Risks in Basketball … Competing Risks in Basketball … Competing Risks in Basketball …

My husband has always encouraged me to use my “super powers of statistics” for the greater good—analyzing sports data, that is. Therefore, it was not surprising that I found myself watching the 201...
Patterns of cellular controls operating in bacteriophage reproduction. I. Effect of 5-fluorouracil in the multiplication of several coliphages.

Abstract The effects of 5-fluorouracil on bacteriophage production in E. coli , strain B, have been studied. In the presence of the fluoropyrimidine the phage yields are less than 0.5% of the control in T2r infection, whereas as much as 8% of the control yield is obtained in T3 infection. The addition of uracil does not affect the inhibition of T2r multiplication, but restores T3 formation to 40–50% of normal. Supplementation with thymidine has little effect on T3, but raises the yield of T2r to more than one fifth of the control. Essentially complete restoration of phage reproduction is observed when both uracil and thymidine are present together with fluorouracil. Orienting experiments with phages TI and T4r are also described.
Using decision tree models and diversity measures in the selection of ensemble classification models

This paper describes a contingency-based approach to ensemble classification. Motivated by a business marketing problem, we explore the use of decision tree models, along with diversity measures and other elements of the task domain, to identify highly-performing ensemble classification models. Working from generated data sets, we found that 1) decision tree models can significantly improve the identification of highly-performing ensembles, and 2) the input parameters for a decision tree are dependent on the characteristics and demands of the decision problem, as well as the objectives of the decision maker.
Protein tyrosine phosphorylation associated with activation of the interleukin 2 receptor

The addition of interleukin 2 (IL2) to the IL2-dependent murine cytotoxic T cell line CTTL-2 induced increased tyrosine phosphorylation of a protein with a molecular weight of 80,000 and, to a lesser extent, proteins with molecular weights of 130,000, 100,000, and 69,000. To correlate the stimulation of tyrosine phosphorylation with increased tyrosine kinase activity, cell-free phosphorylation assays were performed. Phosphotyrosine-containing proteins were purified from detergent-solubilized cell lysates by immunoprecipitation with anti-phosphotyrosine antibodies. The level of tyrosine kinase activity was determined by incorporation of [gamma-32P]ATP into the exogenous substrate histone H2B. IL2 treatment of cells increased H2B phosphorylation 10-fold when compared with nonstimulated cells. Phosphorylation was first detected after 2.5 min of incubation with physiologically relevant (100 pM) IL2 doses. To examine if tyrosine kinase activity was resident within the IL2 receptor complex, cell-free phosphorylation assays were performed with ligand-receptor complexes following cross-linking with IL2 and purification by immunoabsorption with an anti-IL2 antibody. Tyrosine kinase activity was found specifically associated with the IL2 receptor complex. These results indicate that the IL2 receptor complex contains a tyrosine kinase activity that is induced by IL2 binding and suggest that components of the complex may be a substrate of this activity.
Singular Value Decomposition and High Dimensional Data

The singular value decomposition and related principal components analysis are foundational multivariate methods used for dimension reduction and exploratory analysis of high-dimensional data. Studying this decomposition using random matrix theory, however, reveals troubling behavior when the number of variables is larger than the number of samples. This article surveys random matrix theory results related to the singular value decomposition and high-dimensional data as well as recent developments such as sparse principal components analysis. Software on the random matrix theory distributions related to the singular value decomposition can be found elsewhere; several software packages implementing methods for sparse principal components analysis are also available. Keywords: singular value decomposition; dimension reduction; random matrix theory; principal components analysis
Nucleoporation of dendritic cells: efficient gene transfer by electroporation into human monocyte-derived dendritic cells1

Dendritic cells (DCs) are ideal accessory cells in the developing field of gene therapy. Although viral transfection of DCs has become widespread, non-viral transfection of DCs has shown disappointing results. Recently, a new technique for transfecting primary cells has become available -- the Amaxa Nucleofector. Here, we describe the use of this device in the successful non-viral transfection of human monocyte-derived DCs. Using enhanced green fluorescent protein as a reporter gene DCs were transfectable with efficiencies approaching 60%, remaining responsive to lipopolysaccharide-stimulated cytokine production in short-term experiments (though long-term functional assays were hampered by loss of viability). Although these data demonstrate the ease and efficiency with which human monocyte-derived DCs can now be non-virally transfected, they also suggest the limitations of this technology due to the gradual loss of cell viability. The potential use of this system in the development of DC-based cell and gene therapies will be hampered until cell viability can be maintained.
En bloc hemisacrectomy and internal hemipelvectomy via the posterior approach.

Object Traditionally, hemisacrectomy and internal hemipelvectomy procedures have required both an anterior and a posterior approach. A posterior-only approach has the potential to complete an en bloc tumor resection and spinopelvic reconstruction while reducing surgical morbidity. Methods The authors describe 3 cases in which en bloc resection of the hemisacrum and ilium and subsequent lumbopelvic and pelvic ring reconstruction were performed from a posterior-only approach. Two more traditional anterior and posterior staged procedures are also included for comparison. Results In all 3 cases, an oncologically appropriate surgery and spinopelvic reconstruction were performed through a posterior-only approach. Conclusions The advantage of a midline posterior approach is the ability to perform a lumbosacral reconstruction, necessary in cases in which the S-1 body is iatrogenically disrupted during tumor resection.
Ultrathin Nanotube/Nanowire Electrodes by Spin–Spray Layer-by-Layer Assembly: A Concept for Transparent Energy Storage

Fully integrated transparent devices require versatile architectures for energy storage, yet typical battery electrodes are thick (20-100 μm) and composed of optically absorbent materials. Reducing the length scale of active materials, assembling them with a controllable method and minimizing electrode thickness should bring transparent batteries closer to reality. In this work, the rapid and controllable spin-spray layer-by-layer (SSLbL) method is used to generate high quality networks of 1D nanomaterials: single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNT) and vanadium pentoxide (V2O5) nanowires for anode and cathode electrodes, respectively. These ultrathin films, deposited with ∼2 nm/bilayer precision are transparent when deposited on a transparent substrate (>87% transmittance) and electrochemically active in Li-ion cells. SSLbL-assembled ultrathin SWNT anodes and V2O5 cathodes exhibit reversible lithiation capacities of 23 and 7 μAh/cm(2), respectively at a current density of 5 μA/cm(2). When these electrodes are combined in a full cell, they retain ∼5 μAh/cm(2) capacity over 100 cycles, equivalent to the prelithiation capacity of the limiting V2O5 cathode. The SSLbL technique employed here to generate functional thin films is uniquely suited to the generation of transparent electrodes and offers a compelling path to realize the potential of fully integrated transparent devices.
Heparin modulates human intestinal smooth muscle cell proliferation, protein synthesis, and lattice contraction

The effect of heparin on human intestinal smooth muscle cell proliferation, collagen and noncollagen protein synthesis, and collagen lattice contraction was studied in vitro. Proliferation of serum-stimulated cells was inhibited in a concentration-related fashion by continuous exposure to heparin. The inhibition of proliferation was reversible when heparin was removed from the culture medium. Collagen synthesis was inhibited by 24-h exposure to heparin, but only during that phase of culture (8-12 days) when collagen synthesis was maximal. Noncollagen protein synthesis was down-regulated by 24-h exposure to heparin at all phases of culture tested (5-21 days). Heparin also abolished the contraction of collagen lattices populated by human intestinal smooth muscle cells. These studies demonstrate that heparin plays a significant role in the modulation of human intestinal smooth muscle cell behavior in vitro and suggest that a similar role is played by heparinlike components of the extracellular matrix in vivo.
The pharmacy computer system at The Ohio State University hospitals

The pharmacy computer system designed, developed, and implemented at The Ohio State University Hospitals is described. The computer system was developed to make more efficient use of hospital facilities and professional staff time. The pharmacy system operates on the mainframe hospital system using computer terminals with light-pen and keyboard access. Current online applications include order entry, patient profiles, pharmacokinetic calculations, and preparation of unit dose cart fill lists. Batch processing functions include drug-use review, drug-drug interactions, and financial management reports. Approximately 95% of unit dose orders and 20% of i.v. orders are conditionally entered by pharmacy technicians for subsequent verification by pharmacists. The system saves considerable staff time in the i.v. admixture and billing areas and has relieved pharmacists from performing many clerical and repetitive tasks. Disadvantages of the system include (1) its dependence on another department for patient admission, transfer, and discharge information and (2) delays in obtaining approval for program modifications and new applications. The advantages of the pharmacy computer system lie in its ability to access information from other computerized databases in the hospital. Future modifications and enhancements to the system are discussed.
Enhanced Interfacial Adhesion and Osteogenesis for Rapid "bone-like" Biomineralization by PECVD-Based Silicon Oxynitride Overlays

Structurally unstable fracture sites require metal fixative devices, which have long healing times due to their lack of osteoinductivity. Bioactive glass coatings lack in interfacial bonding, delaminate, and have reduced bioactivity due to the high temperatures used for their fabrication. Here, we test the hypothesis that low-temperature PECVD amorphous silica can enhance adhesion to the underlying metal surface and that N incorporation enhances osteogenesis and rapid biomineralization. A model Ti/TiO2–SiOx interface was formed by first depositing Ti onto Si wafers, followed by surface patterning, thermal annealing to form TiO2, and depositing SiOx/Si(ON)x overlays. TEM micrographs showed conformal SiOx layers on Ti/TiO2 overlays while XPS data revealed the formation of an elemental Ti–O–Si interface. Nanoscratch testing verified strong SiOx bonding with the underlying TiO2 layers. In vitro studies showed that the surface properties changed significantly to reveal the formation of hydroxycarbonate apatite...
Passive cable properties of dendritic spines and spiny neurons

A cable model of the linear properties of dendritic spines was generated using the Laplace transform technique. Analytical solutions for the voltages generated in the spine by a current impulse at the spine head were used in a numerical procedure for simulating the effect of a synaptic conductance change. The synaptic current produced by the conductance change was used as an input for evaluation of the postsynaptic potential and current injected into the dendrite at the base of the spine. The primary effect of the dendritic spine was to attenuate synaptic current. This effect was produced by the high input impedance at axospinous synapses, which resulted in giant spike-like excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs) that approached the reversal potential of the synapse and thus reduced the potential gradient driving the synaptic current. Although virtually all of the synaptic current was transferred to the dendrite, it produced much smaller EPSPs there due to the low dendritic input impedance. Very small conductance changes produced near maximal synaptic currents in dendritic spines. The current attenuating effect of the spine was accentuated with brief synaptic transients and reduced with prolonged synaptic conductance changes. The size and shape of the spine head, and the diameter and boundary conditions of the dendrite had little or no effect on current attenuation for spines in the naturally occurring size range. The diameter and length of the spine stalk and the size and location of the spine apparatus were the key morphological factors determining the synaptic currents generated by axospinous synapses. Naturally occurring size and shape differences among dendritic spines produced large differences in synaptic potency when compared in a model spiny neuron based on the neostriatal spiny projection neuron. These differences were comparable to those produced by differences in synaptic-location on the same neuron.
Application of the Hoch-Arpshofen model to ternary, quaternary and larger systems

Abstract The Hoch-Arpshofen model is derived for ternary, quaternary and larger systems. The advantages of the model are the effect of a binary system in a ternary which is included in the basic derivation of the model, and that no special interpolation formulas are needed. Also, the maximum number of constants needed to describe a binary system is four: two for H m , the enthalpy of mixing, and two for S m ex , the excess entropy of mixing.
Will 9/11 and the War on Terror Revitalize American Civic Democracy?

Observers of American life have seen a silver lining in the dark clouds that billowed from the Twin Towers and the Pentagon on September 11, 2001. Along with the horror wrought by the terrorist attacks came an outpouring of solidarity and patriotism—a sudden change of heart for many Americans who, prior to that fateful day, had seemed to be drifting inexorably toward individualism, self-absorption, and cynical disinterest in public affairs. As Stanley Greenberg (2001) aptly puts it, suddenly the “we” mattered more than the “me.” People reached out to family members, neighbors, and friends, while proudly declaring their membership in the American national community.
Differential Roles of Estrogen Receptors Alpha and Beta in the Nongenomic Activation of Endothelial Nitric Oxide Synthase by Estradiol

Differential Roles of Estrogen Receptors Alpha and Beta in the Nongenomic Activation of Endothelial Nitric Oxide Synthase by Estradiol
In vitro production of viable bacteriophage in carbon dioxide and argon laser plumes

Both CO2 and argon laser ablation of an agar substrate containing high titres of bacteriophage phi X174 create plumes which disperse viable phage particles. Irradiances at the beam impact site ranged from 73 to 215 W/cm2 for the CO2 laser and from 40 to 227 W/cm2 for the argon laser. To increase the absorption of argon laser radiation, oxidized hemoglobin was added to the target material. Plume-borne viable phage were observed to be associated with particles large enough to settle out from the plume within 100 mm of the beam impact site. The ratio of the number of dispersed viable phage to the number of viable phage potentially dispersible by a single, 1-second laser exposure was on the order of 10(-6) to 10(-5).
A phase II trial of mitomycin, vincristine, bleomycin, and cisplatin (MOBP) as neoadjuvant therapy in high-risk cervical carcinoma

Abstract Twenty patients with locally advanced or metastatic cervical carcinoma were treated with mitomycin, vincristine, bleomycin, and cisplatin (MOBP), prior to radiotherapy (RT) of curative intent. Five patients had stage I disease, 2 stage II, 10 stage III, and 3 stage IV. All but one patient with stage I and II disease had nodal metastases. Patients received two courses of MOBP prior to and cisplatin q 3 weeks during RT. Response rates after completion of MOBP and prior to RT were as follows: 318 (16.6%) patients had a complete response (CR), 1018 (55.5%) had a partial response (PR), 318 (16.6%) had improvement, and 218 (11.1%) had no response (NR). Five patients developed radiation complications. Of 7 patients with stage I and II disease, 6 (86%) currently have no evidence of disease (NED) (median 27 months). Of 13 patients with advanced disease, 3 (23%) are NED (median 17 months), 8 (61.5%) have expired, and 2 (15.4%) are alive with disease. MOBP is associated with significant response rates in the untreated patient but has not improved survival in patients with advanced disease. Patients with early disease and positive nodes may benefit from this regimen.
Reflections on 30 Years of Advocacy, Thinking, and Writing About Elderly Latinos

SUMMARY The author reflects on over 30 years of thinking, writing, and advocating on behalf of elderly Latinos. Personal, cultural, and familial experiences are intertwined with implications for policy and practice. The impact of Latinos' generational socialization into American society is examined in relation to familial obligations to elderly relatives.
Lytic immune synapse function requires filamentous actin deconstruction by Coronin 1A

Lytic immune effector function depends upon directed secretion of cytolytic granules at the immunological synapse (IS) and requires dynamic rearrangement of filamentous (F)-actin. Coronin 1A (Coro1A) is the hematopoietic-specific member of the Coronin family of actin regulators that promote F-actin disassembly. Here, we show that Coro1A is required for natural killer (NK) cell cytotoxic function in two human NK cell lines and ex vivo cells from a Coro1A-deficient patient. Using superresolution nanoscopy to probe the IS, we demonstrate that Coro1A promotes the deconstruction of F-actin density that facilitates effective delivery of lytic granules to the IS. Thus, we show, for the first time to our knowledge, a critical role for F-actin deconstruction in cytotoxic function and immunological secretion and identify Coro1A as its mediator.
Spectral mineralogy of terrestrial planets - Scanning their surfaces remotely

Information on the surface mineralogy, chemical composition, and lithology of terrestrial planets, as well as on their atmospheres, that can be obtained by earth-based from visible and NIR spectra of light reflected from planetary surfaces is discussed. Such reflectance spectra may have absorption bands in the 1- and 2-micron wavelength regions which originate from crystal field transitions within Fe(2+) ions. Since pyroxenes with Fe(2+) in M2 positions usually dominate the spectra, the resulting 1-micron vs 2-micron spectral determinative curves can be used to identify compositions and structural types of pyroxenes on the surface of a planet or an asteroid. Future spececraft missions to solar system objects will concentrate on remote-sensing experiments using visible and NIR reflectance spectra. These include the Galileo mission to Jupiter; the Mars Orbiter mission to Phoebus; the Comet Rendezvous Asteroid Flyby mission; the Cassini mission to Saturn; the Lunar Geoscience Observer; and the Mars Rover/Sample Return mission.
Linewidth enhancement factor and near-field pattern in tunnel injection In0.4Ga0.6As self-assembled quantum dot lasers

Measurements of ultra-low linewidth enhancement factor in ridge-waveguide tunnel injection In0.4Ga0.6As/GaAs self-assembled quantum dot lasers have been made and the results compared with similar quantum well lasers. Values of α∼3.8 were measured in the quantum well lasers, and α was ≤0.7 in the quantum dot lasers. The consequent suppression of filamentation in the quantum dot devices has also been observed.
On the asymptotic properties of solutions of differential equations with multiple equilibria

Differential equations defined on Riemannian manifolds are considered and sufficient conditions of a Liapunov type are given for each trajectory to converge to one of the equilibrium points. The arguments use, in addition to the usual assumptions of Liapunov theory, an assumption on the periods of a closed one-form. In a certain context, this topological condition is actually suggested by energy considerations similar to those which motivate much of Liapunov theory. These methods are used to investigate a class of feedback systems defined on flat Riemannian spaces.
PHOTOSYNTHETIC RESPONSE OF NATURAL ASSEMBLAGES OF MARINE BENTHIC MICROALGAE TO SHORT‐AND LONG‐TERM VARIATIONS OF INCIDENT IRRADIANCE IN BAFFIN BAY, TEXAS1

This study was designed to understand the high variability characterizing primary production rates of microphytobenthos. The photosynthetic efficiency (αB) and photosynthetic capacity (PBmax) of the microphytobenthos were measured at different times of the day on two different dates (8 May and 7 July 1990). In July, unusually low light conditions were caused by the development of a brown tide (chrysophytes). Both light-limited and light-saturated photosynthesis changed at hourly and monthly scales. There was a linear relationship between αB and PBmax, suggesting a common response to environmental factors [αB= 0.0075(±0.00063)·PBmax+ 0.00097(±0.0071), R2= 0.94]. Incident irradiance at the sediment-water interface was the primary physical factor that explained variability of both αB (84%) and PBmax (92%). Temperature had a negative but minor effect that explained an extra 8% and 2% of the variance, respectively. There was no diel rhythm of αB and PBmax and incident irradiance was regulated by wind-induced currents. Therefore, microphytobenthos photosynthesis seemed to be primarily controlled by wind events in Baffin Bay.
An empirical NaKCa geothermometer for natural waters

Abstract An empirical method of estimating the last temperature of water-rock interaction has been devised. It is based upon molar Na, K and Ca concentrations in natural waters from temperature environments ranging from 4 to 340°C. The data for most geothermal waters cluster near a straight line when plotted as the function log ( Na K ) + β log [ √ (Ca) Na ] vs reciprocal of absolute temperature, where β is either 1 3 or 4 3 depending upon whether the water equilibrated above or below 100°C. For most waters tested, the method gives better results than the Na K methods suggested by other workers. The ratio Na K should not be used to estimate temperature if √ ( M Ca ) M Na is greater than 1. The Na K values of such waters generally yield calculated temperatures much higher than the actual temperature at which water interacted with the rock. A comparison of the composition of boiling hot-spring water with that obtained from a nearby well (170°C) in Yellowstone Park shows that continued water-rock reactions may occur during ascent of water even though that ascent is so rapid that little or no heat is lost to the country rock, i.e. the water cools adiabatically. As a result of such continued reaction, waters which dissolve additional Ca as they ascend from the aquifer to the surface will yield estimated aquifer temperatures that are too low. On the other hand, waters initially having enough Ca to deposit calcium carbonate during ascent may yield estimated aquifer temperatures that are too high if aqueous Na and K are prevented from further reaction with country rock owing to armoring by calcite or silica minerals. The Na-K-Ca geothermometer is of particular interest to those prospecting for geothermal energy. The method also may be of use in interpreting compositions of fluid inclusions.
Fluorogen Activating Peptides for Single Molecule Localization-Based Superresolution and Single Particle Tracking of FcɛRI Subunits

Fluorogen activating peptides (FAPs) are genetically expressible tags that increase the fluorescence excitation cross-section of dye binding partners by up to four orders of magnitude. The binding of FAPs with corresponding fluorogens is characterized by nanomolar affinity, corresponding to bound lifetimes of up to ten seconds. FAPs exhibit resistance to photobleaching, with single peptides repeatedly binding and activating new dye molecules. The resulting long observation lifetimes for single peptides make the FAP system a convenient, expressible probe for single particle tracking on live cells. The intermittency due to the equilibrium of dye binding and unbinding can be used for localization-based superresolution.We apply this technology to study the localization and dynamics of the high affinity IgE receptor, FcɛRI, the primary multi-subunit receptor on mast cells and basophils. Circulating, allergen-specific IgE molecules bind to FcɛRI receptors via the α-subunit. Receptor crosslinking by cognate multivalent allergen initiates the immune response by activation of the immunoreceptor tyrosine-based activation motifs on the β- and γ-subunits. We have previously characterized the dynamics of the FcɛRI by tracking of quantum dot (QD)-labeled IgE bound to FcɛRIα. To compare the behavior of the α- and γ-subunits, we have generated an FAP-tagged FcɛRI γ-subunit that is expressed on the cell surface of rat basophilic leukemia cells and binds an exogenous fluorogen based on the malachite green dye. We use this probe to determine dynamics of the γ-subunit during resting and activated states and to generate superresolution images of FcɛRIγ distribution. We use QD-IgE, in conjunction with the FAP-FcɛRIγ, for two-color single particle tracking to observe the relative spatial and temporal dynamics of the α- and γ-subunits.
Density functional theory study of the capacitance of single file ions in a narrow cylinder.

Abstract The differential capacitance of a model organic electrolyte in a cylindrical pore that is so narrow that the ions can form only a single file is studied by means of density functional theory (DFT). Kornyshev (2013), has studied this system and found the differential capacitance to have only a double hump shape (the so-called camel shape) whereas other geometries show this behavior only at low ionic concentrations that are typical for aqueous electrolytes. However, his calculation is rather approximate. In this DFT study we find that the double hump shape occurs only at low ionic concentrations. At high concentrations, the capacitance has only a single hump. Kornyshev considers a metallic cylinder and approximately includes the contributions of electrostatic images. Electrostatic images are not easily incorporated into DFT. As a result, images are not considered in this study and the question of whether Kornyshev’s result is due to his approximations or images cannot be answered. Simulations to answer this question are planned.