cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of Trace Alignment Quality and its Application in Medical Process Mining

Trace alignment algorithms have been used in process mining for discovering the consensus treatment procedures and process deviations. Different alignment algorithms, however, may produce very different results. No widely-adopted method exists for evaluating the results of trace alignment. Existing reference-free evaluation methods cannot adequately and comprehensively assess the alignment quality. We analyzed and compared the existing evaluation methods, identifying their limitations, and introduced improvements in two reference-free evaluation methods. Our approach assesses the alignment result globally instead of locally, and therefore helps the algorithm to optimize overall alignment quality. We also introduced a novel metric to measure the alignment complexity, which can be used as a constraint on alignment algorithm optimization. We tested our evaluation methods on a trauma resuscitation dataset and provided the medical explanation of the activities and patterns identified as deviations using our proposed evaluation methods.
How to be rational about empirical success in ongoing science: The case of the quantum nose and its critics

Empirical success is a central criterion for scientific decision-making. Yet its understanding in philosophical studies of science deserves renewed attention: Should philosophers think differently about the advancement of science when they deal with the uncertainty of outcome in ongoing research in comparison with historical episodes? This paper argues that normative appeals to empirical success in the evaluation of competing scientific explanations can result in unreliable conclusions, especially when we are looking at the changeability of direction in unsettled investigations. The challenges we encounter arise from the inherent dynamics of disciplinary and experimental objectives in research practice. In this paper we discuss how these dynamics inform the evaluation of empirical success by analyzing three of its requirements: data accommodation, instrumental reliability, and predictive power. We conclude that the assessment of empirical success in developing inquiry is set against the background of a model's interactive success and prospective value in an experimental context. Our argument is exemplified by the analysis of an apparent controversy surrounding the model of a quantum nose in research on olfaction. Notably, the public narrative of this controversy rests on a distorted perspective on measures of empirical success.
Energy-Specific Optimization of Attenuation Thresholds for Low-Energy Virtual Monoenergetic Images in Renal Lesion Evaluation.

OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this study was to determine in vitro and in vivo the optimal threshold for renal lesion vascularity at low-energy (40–60 keV) virtual monoenergetic imaging. MATERIALS AND ...
South Side Blues Clubs: The Current Transformation

South Side Blues Clubs, the Current Transformation interrogates how people in these clubs mediate and interpret this growing club commodification. It presents an ethnography of an areally paradigmatic South Side blues club (Beebe’s) to appraise the on-the-ground people (club owners, club users, musicians) who negotiate the changing club. The focus is their lifeworlds, value orientations, social constructions, and actions in this club interpreting and making. At issue is a concern: we still know little about how these South Side club populations make sense of this commodifying. While many academic analyses have assumed an essentially passive response to this change, this has begun to change. This chapter shows the kinds of transformation (to the club, its users) that follow from this redevelopment and how it is negotiated and resisted and may be further resisted.
The Clash of Capitalisms?: Chinese Companies in the United States

Chinese foreign direct investment in the United States has generated intense debates. Some welcome it for the immediate benefits such as job creation; others view Chinese investments, especially those controlled by the Chinese government, as a critical threat. The debates have so far missed an important question: how do Chinese companies investing in the US react to the host country's law? Ji Li formulates a novel analytical framework to examine the adaptation of Chinese companies to general US institutions and their compliance with US laws governing tax, employment equality, and national security review of foreign investments. The level of compliance varies, and this variation is examined in relation to company ownership, including state ownership. Li's analysis is based on interviews and a unique and comprehensive dataset about Chinese companies in the United States that has never been systematically explored.
Correctional Autonomy and Authority in the Rise of Mass Incarceration

Much of the literature explaining both mass incarceration and increasingly harsh punishment policies has been dominated by a focus on factors external to prisons, such as macrolevel explanations th...
The Need to Give Voice to Local Scholars in Educational Policy

This chapter outlines the purpose of this book, Globalization, International Education Policy & Local Policy Formation: Voices from the developing world. The introduction describes the need for and historical genesis of a book that gives voice to education scholars in developing countries on how policy that is developed by international organizations and carried out by international and bilateral donors affect the development of education policy within their country – for better or for worse. In addition, the chapter provides a preliminary theoretical frame for how the editor approached the topic of international education policy and gives an overview of each chapter.
Cultural and Ethnic Diversity: Unique Challenges in Critical Care Education

The number of minority nurses in America, including those originally from other countries, is increasing rapidly. With differences in cultural and ethnic backgrounds, these nurses may also have differences in their communication styles, time orientation, and social organization. Additionally, foreign educated nurses may have differences in their educational backgrounds and language competency. To facilitate the ongoing development of nurses from diverse backgrounds, the educator must first educate him or herself to be sensitive of these cultural and ethnic differences and develop a repository of flexible and creative teaching strategies.
Aspergillosis of the Urinary Tract: Ascending Route of infection and Evolving Patterns of Disease

AbstractAspergillosis limited to the urinary tract is a rare disease, seen most often in patients with altered immunity, especially diabetics. The disease has 3 patterns, 2 of which have been described previously. We report the first case documenting the ascending route of infection. Multiple urine cultures may be required for proper identification. Histopathology and culture of sloughed tissue and fungus balls shed per urethram are the essential means of reliable diagnosis. Successful treatment of this disease localized to the urinary tract requires a high index of suspicion in certain clinical settings, prompt diagnosis, a combination of systemic and local antifungal chemotherapy, and surgical drainage when necessary.
Coronary artery bypass graft surgery complications: A review for emergency clinicians.

Abstract Introduction Coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery remains a high-risk procedure, and many patients require emergency department (ED) management for complications after surgery. Objective This narrative review provides an evidence-based summary of the current data for the emergency medicine evaluation and management of post-CABG surgery complications. Discussion While there has been a recent decline in all cardiac revascularization procedures, there remains over 200,000 CABG surgeries performed in the United States annually, with up to 14% of these patients presenting to the ED within 30 days of discharge with post-operative complications. Risk factors for perioperative mortality and morbidity after CABG surgery can be divided into three categories: patient characteristics, clinician characteristics, and postoperative factors. Emergency physicians will be faced with several postoperative complications, including sternal wound infections, pneumonia, thromboembolic phenomena, graft failure, atrial fibrillation, pulmonary hypertension, pericardial effusion, strokes, renal injury, gastrointestinal insults, and hemodynamic instability. Critical patients should be evaluated in the resuscitation bay, and consultation with the primary surgical team is needed, which improves patient outcomes. This review provides several guiding principles for management of acute complications. Understanding these complications and an approach to the management of hemodynamic instability is essential to optimizing patient care. Conclusions Postoperative complications of CABG surgery can result in significant morbidity and mortality. Physicians must rapidly diagnose these conditions while evaluating for other diseases. Early surgical consultation is imperative, as is optimizing the patient's hemodynamics, including preload, heart rate, cardiac rhythm, contractility, and afterload.
Bridging Rhetorical Genre Studies and Ethics of Representation in Meeting Minutes

This essay describes a project that introduces undergraduate students in a technical and professional writing course to rhetorical genre studies, context, and ethics. In this project, students (1) study examples of meeting minutes and consider their functions within specific contexts, (2) take meeting minutes of a class session, and (3) analyze their minutes to abstract larger lessons on the rhetorical, epistemological, and ethical work of technical and professional writing. This project brings students' attention to the complex decision-making processes writers face as they seek to produce useful, ethical, recognizable professional documents.
Time-resolved x-ray crystallography capture of a slow reaction tetrahydrofolate intermediate.

Time-resolved crystallography is a powerful technique to elucidate molecular mechanisms at both spatial (angstroms) and temporal (picoseconds to seconds) resolutions. We recently discovered an unusually slow reaction at room temperature that occurs on the order of days: the in crystalline reverse oxidative decay of the chemically labile (6S)-5,6,7,8-tetrahydrofolate in complex with its producing enzyme Escherichia coli dihydrofolate reductase. Here, we report the critical analysis of a representative dataset at an intermediate reaction time point. A quinonoid-like intermediate state lying between tetrahydrofolate and dihydrofolate features a near coplanar geometry of the bicyclic pterin moiety, and a tetrahedral sp3 C6 geometry is proposed based on the apparent mFo-DFc omit electron densities of the ligand. The presence of this intermediate is strongly supported by Bayesian difference refinement. Isomorphous Fo-Fo difference map and multi-state refinement analyses suggest the presence of end-state ligand populations as well, although the putative intermediate state is likely the most populated. A similar quinonoid intermediate previously proposed to transiently exist during the oxidation of tetrahydrofolate was confirmed by polarography and UV-vis spectroscopy to be relatively stable in the oxidation of its close analog tetrahydropterin. We postulate that the constraints on the ligand imposed by the interactions with the protein environment might be the origin of the slow reaction observed by time-resolved crystallography.
Advanced Hybrid Complete Revascularization with TECAB and Impella-Assisted PCI of CTO.

Abstract An 80-year-old man was referred for multi-vessel coronary artery disease with baseline SYNTAX score of 45 after evaluation for persistent stable angina. He underwent complete hybrid revascularization combining total endoscopic coronary artery bypass utilizing bilateral internal mammary arteries (IMA) with sequential LIMA to left anterior descending artery and diagonal arteries, and RIMA to obtuse marginal after Impella-assisted chronic total occlusion percutaneous coronary intervention of the right coronary artery. This represents a successful case of advanced hybrid coronary revascularization.
Hybrid centralized/decentralized control of a network of bacteria-based bio-hybrid microrobots

Engineering microrobotic systems using a bio-hybrid approach that couples synthetic micro/nanoscale components with live cells is a powerful approach to address key shortcomings of micro/nanotechnology such as providing an on-board power source, communication, and decentralized control. In the last decade, a number of centralized control strategies based on native biological mechanisms have been demonstrated; however, decentralized cooperative control of a swarm of bio-hybrid microrobots has rarely been explored. In this work, we use our previously developed agent-based computational model to explore the utility of integrating synthetic biology with bio-hybrid microrobotics with the goal of developing strategies for robust decentralized control of bio-hybrid microrobotic systems. To this end, our Nanoscale Bacteria-Enabled Autonomous Delivery System (NanoBEADS), wherein each agent is comprised of an Escherichia coli bacterium conjugated with an ensemble of nanoparticles, was used as a model system. We imparted bacteria with engineered biological circuits to facilitate agent-agent communication and enable predictable and robust cooperative control of a network of NanoBEADS agents. We developed a hybrid control strategy wherein a centralized chemotaxis-based control scheme is used to direct migration, and a decentralized quorum sensing (QS)-based control scheme enables the agents to independently coordinate a cooperative behavior (fluorescent protein expression). We then computationally analyzed the role of bacterial subsystem properties and spatiotemporal changes in population organization in the emergent behavior (i.e., the activation time of the QS response) of the NanoBEADS. We show that the spatial changes in NanoBEADS agents’ distribution, in response to the centralized control input, and the mass transport boundary conditions are critical factors in determining the dynamics as well as the sensitivity and robustness of the QS response. We analyze the stark differences in feasible QS parameter domains under dissimilar chemoattractant gradients and show that the flow boundary conditions may greatly influence system function. Altogether, we show that a bacteria-based bio-hybrid system must be designed with careful consideration of growth rate, chemotaxis properties, QS properties, and the environment initial and boundary conditions in the context of its target application. This modeling framework can serve as an insightful tool for the predictive design of bio-hybrid microrobotic swarms with a tunable and robust response.
Design Daydreams: Juxtaposing Digital and Physical Inspiration

Design Daydreams is part of a suite of new computational design tools that integrate ambiguity and juxtaposition into the systems that we use to discover new ideas. Using a low-tech augmented reality system to visually overlay digital images on top of objects, the Design Daydreams augmented ?post-it note' fluidly extends the inspiration designers find online into the physically-interactive and collaborative brainstorming environment. Feedback suggested that the low-fidelity of the tool provided a natural ambiguity that left room for interpretation as designers juxtaposed digital and physical concepts together to create new ideas.
Comments on “Density, viscosity, surface tension and excess properties of 1,3-propanediamine and tetraethylene glycol at T = 293.15 K–318.15 K”

Abstract Errors were found in the published article pertaining to the partial molar volumes of the individual mixture components. The authors' numerical values were not consistent with the calculated excess molar volumes that were reported in the published paper. It was further noted that the authors' calculated partial molar volumes of neat tetraethylene glycol were not equal to the compound's molar mass divided by the compound's density. Thermodynamic expressions are provided in the commentary to help authors check calculated volumetric properties for internal thermodynamic consistency.
The microbiome of the infertile male.

Purpose of review Contrary to historic dogma, many tissues and organs in the human body contain a resident population of bacteria, fungi, and viruses collectively known as the microbiome. The microbiome plays a role in both homeostatic symbiosis and also pathogenic dysbiosis in a wide array of diseases. Our understanding of the relationship between the microbiome and male factor infertility is in its infancy but is slowly evolving. Recent findings Recent literature indicates that semen (and likely the testis) is not sterile and contains a distinct microbiome, and these changes in its composition are associated with alterations in semen quality and fertility status. Preliminary investigation indicates that manipulating the human microbiome may have implications in improving semen parameters and fertility. Summary In this review, we describe relationships between the microbiome and the genitourinary system, discuss the prior work on the relationship among bacteriospermia, leukocytospermia and male factor infertility, and summarize the current literature utilizing 16s rRNA-based next-generation sequencing on the seminal and testicular microbiome. We explore the specific microbial taxa implicated in various aspects of spermatic dysfunction and introduce preliminary evidence for therapeutic approaches to alter the microbiome and improve fertility status.
Amostras de integração Artística: transferência de estilo em imagens usando Redes Neurais

Este trabalho faz um ensaio de combinacao de duas imagens, denominadas de imagem-estilo e imagem-conteudo, atraves de um sistema computacional. Tal sistema faz a transferencia de estilo da imagem-estilo para a imagem-conteudo, transportando a experiencia visual, tais como paleta de cores, sombras e padroes de pinceladas da imagem-estilo e preservando as formas e objetos da imagem-conteudo. Tal sistema que integra arte e tecnologia utiliza Rede Neural Artificial, tecnica inspirada no modelo biologico. Para as amostras foram selecionadas fotos de locais icones nacionais como imagens-conteudo, e obras de artistas brasileiros para serem as imagens-estilo. Abstract This work makes an essay of combining two images, called image-style and image-content, through a computer system. Such a system transfers the style of the image-style to the image-content, transporting the visual experience, such as the color palette, shadows and brush strokes of the image-style and preserving the shapes and objects of the image-content. Such a system that integrates art and technology uses Artificial Neural Network, a technique inspired by the biological model. For the samples, photos of local national icons were selected as content images, and works by Brazilian artists to be the style images.
"Dignity at Work for Low Wage, Low Skill Service Workers"

Using responses from a telephone survey of 589 low wage, low skill workers in US hospitals, the authors investigate the workplace features that influence workers’ perceptions of dignity at work. Both work organization variables and union representation are investigated as potential factors affecting workers’ perceptions of fair treatment by their employer, intrinsically satisfying work, and economic security. Work organization and union representation have little effect on dignity at work with the exception of their association with higher wages and therefore a greater degree of economic security. Results indicate that higher pay, adequate levels of staffing and resources, and access to training are the variables that are most closely associated with dignity on the job.
Trends in Endoscopic Sinonasal Debridement in the Medicare Population.

INTRODUCTION Nasal/sinus endoscopy with biopsy/polypectomy/debridement, or Current Procedure Terminology code 31237, is one of the top 10 most frequent and highest billed otolaryngology procedures among Medicare patients. We analyzed temporal and geographic trends in endoscopic debridement, and correlated them with sinus surgery and balloon sinuplasty trends. METHODS Medicare Part-B National Summary Data Files were analyzed from 2000 to 2016 for temporal trends of endoscopic debridement. Medicare Physician and Other Supplier Public Use Files detailing provider information were collected and analyzed from 2012 to 2016. Individual providers performing a reportable number of procedures were included. Linear regression was used to correlate endoscopic debridement, sinus surgery, and balloon sinuplasty procedures. RESULTS Between 2000 and 2016, the number of endoscopic debridement procedures increased from 31,579 to 79,762 (6.0% average annual growth). The annual total payments increased from $5,944,582 to $19,438,956 (8.4% average annual growth), with average allowed charge per procedure increasing from $188.24 to $243.71. The greatest and least number of debridement procedures occurred in the Southeast (12,703) and New England (1810) regions, respectively. There was a positive correlation between providers (n = 752) performing endoscopic debridement and sinus surgery (r = 0.31, p < 0.001), which was similar to providers performing endoscopic debridement and balloon sinuplasty (r = 0.29, P < 0.001). CONCLUSION Otolaryngologists continue to perform increasing numbers of endoscopic debridements and receive increasing payments. There is some geographic variation in these trends. Among individual providers, there was a positive correlation between the number of endoscopic debridement procedures and both the number of balloon sinuplasty and sinus surgery procedures.
Adolescents' Exposure to and Experiences of Weight Stigma During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Objective The COVID-19 pandemic has increased attention to the proliferation of pediatric obesity amidst significant changes in weight-related health functioning (e.g., compromised physical activity, limited food access, increased stress). The present cross-sectional study investigated adolescents' feelings about their bodies and perceived changes in weight stigma from peers, parents, and social media during the pandemic. Methods Four hundred fifty-two adolescents (11-17 years old) completed an online survey during the Fall of 2020. Measures assessed perceived changes in exposure to weight stigmatizing social media content (stress eating jokes, weight gain memes) and experiences of weight stigma (weight-based bullying, teasing, hurtful comments) by parents and peers, as well as body dissatisfaction, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Weight status and gender were examined as individual difference variables. Results The majority (53%) of adolescents reported increased exposure to at least one form of weight stigmatizing social media content during the pandemic. Additionally, pandemic-related increases in body dissatisfaction were prevalent (41%), especially among girls with higher body mass index (≥85th percentile; 67%). On average, the extent to which adolescents experienced weight-based mistreatment from parents and peers remained consistent with their pre-pandemic experiences. Conclusions Overall, these findings highlight changes in the social messages that adolescents receive about their bodies, as well as their subjective body satisfaction, during the pandemic. Results underscore the need for healthcare providers and mental health professionals to be aware of the potential rise in weight stigma during the pandemic, and encourage families and schools to engage in supportive, rather than stigmatizing, weight-related communication with youth.
P2T2: Protein Panoramic annoTation Tool for the interpretation of protein coding genetic variants.

Motivation Genomic data are prevalent, leading to frequent encounters with uninterpreted variants or mutations with unknown mechanisms of effect. Researchers must manually aggregate data from multiple sources and across related proteins, mentally translating effects between the genome and proteome, to attempt to understand mechanisms. Materials and methods P2T2 presents diverse data and annotation types in a unified protein-centric view, facilitating the interpretation of coding variants and hypothesis generation. Information from primary sequence, domain, motif, and structural levels are presented and also organized into the first Paralog Annotation Analysis across the human proteome. Results Our tool assists research efforts to interpret genomic variation by aggregating diverse, relevant, and proteome-wide information into a unified interactive web-based interface. Additionally, we provide a REST API enabling automated data queries, or repurposing data for other studies. Conclusion The unified protein-centric interface presented in P2T2 will help researchers interpret novel variants identified through next-generation sequencing. Code and server link available at github.com/GenomicInterpretation/p2t2.
Daptomycin-resistant VRE infections: a descriptive analysis at a single academic centre

Dear Editor, Bright et al. [1] recently described the risk factors for enterococcal blood stream infections (BSIs) in a recent population-based study. The authors noted that bacteraemia secondary t...
In My Father’s Closet: Reflections of a Critic Turned Life Writer

Relatively late in my career (in my early 60s), I began to write a biographical memoir of my father, William Griffith Couser (1906–1975), based initially and primarily on documents, mostly letters, that I found after his death. In doing so, after nearly 30 years of working as a critic of life writing, I became a life writer myself. The value of this memoir will lie in the letters themselves, partly because they are well written, partly because they are sufficiently numerous to allow me to reconstruct the web of my father’s significant relationships during a formative period. And that is because they come from an era and a social set in which letter writing was a significant medium through which life was lived. In short, I have come to regard the materials not as the residue of a life but in a way as scraps of it, not an epiphenomenon thrown off by the ‘real life’ of which they are the tantalizing written remains, but the actual stuff of life itself – preserved moments. I have become convinced that in his 20s, at least, my father lived a good deal of his life in and through correspondence with friends and family. The letters I will highlight in this talk are from correspondence with an apparently gay man with whom my father had a ‘romantic friendship.’ The nature of the relationship made the correspondence it evoked especially tricky but also revealing.
Integrated Marketing Communication Strategy

Integrated marketing communications (IMC) is an organized method of thinking about a brand's overall marketing communications strategy that evolved into a way of thinking in the early 1990s. Although it has its detractors and supporters, academics have identified a number of trends that helped lead to the formulation of a general IMC concept. Additionally, there are identifiable key features, benefits, orientations, and challenges. Despite a lack of consensus on what IMC is and how it should be defined, IMC plays an important role in marketing strategy. Keywords: IMC; IMC Orientations; IMC defined; marketing communications; IMC Strategy; strategic marketing communications
Optical properties of magnetic semiconductor quantum wells

We discuss recent developments and spectroscopy of novel compound semiconductor superlattices containing magnetic elements based on the ZnSe/(Zn,Mn)Se and CdTe/(Cd,Mn)Te heterostructures. These show unusual magnetically tunable excitonic optical properties which have been investigated by luminescence spectroscopy, picosecond time-resolved techniques, and excitation in the nonlinear regime.
A finite element domain decomposition technique for the analysis of large electromagnetic problems

The quest for more efficient and accurate computational electromagnetics (CEM) techniques has been vital in the design of modern engineering. The present paper proposes a novel approach for analyzing electrically large, geometrically complicated structures that involve complex materials, by systematically exploiting local or global mirror, translational or rotational symmetries in the geometry. The method is based on a recently developed domain decomposition (DD) methodology. In this work, the DD is used in conjunction with a state-of-the-art higher-order tangential vector finite element method (TVFEM) in the frequency domain. After the computational domain has been decomposed into a set of domains, each of them is discretize independently and, finally, through the DD process, are joined back together to obtain the overall solution.
Use of a quadrupole mass filter for high energy resolution ion beam production

We have found focusing/operating conditions that allow use of a commercial quadrupole mass filter for producing ion beams that simultaneously have high mass and kinetic energy resolution, and good transmission efficiency. Under proper conditions, our design perturbs the ion beam energy distribution by only ∼50 meV, while allowing mass resolution (M/ΔM)≥100, and net transmission of ∼50%. The critical factors are injection/collection lens design, an exit aperture which rejects ions that have been strongly perturbed, and stable dc balance in the quadrupole electronics.
Chromosome changes in mycosis fungoides in an XYY male

A 32-year-old white male was diagnosed as having mycosis fungoides in 1976; bone marrow biopsy and aspiration in August 1984 revealed infiltration with neoplastic cells. Cytogenetic analysis of the cells from the bone marrow specimen showed that 48 of 50 metaphases contained an extra Y chromosome (i.e., 47,XYY). The remaining two cells were hypotetraploid and hyperpentaploid, respectively, with a common marker derived from chromosome #2. The metaphases obtained by PHA stimulation of peripheral blood cells showed a 47,XYY pattern. An interleukin 2 (IL-2) dependent T-cell line was established from the patient's blood mononuclear cells; all metaphases of this line had an extra Y chromosome. Thus, this case is one of a mycosis fungoides developing in an XYY male.
Interactive Irrigation Tool for Simulating Smart Irrigation Technologies in Lawn Turf

AbstractA simple model was developed to explore the effect of water saving technologies by simulating the soil water balance in a lawn turfgrass system based on site-specific soil characteristics, ...
Thrombin Receptors of Human Platelets: Thrombin Binding and Antithrombin Properties of Glycoprotein I

Washed human platelets were solubilized and the proteins were separated by preparative gel electrophoresis in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulphate. The gel was cut into slices and the effect of the eluted proteins on the clotting of fibrinogen by thrombin was evaluated. The isolate from only one gel slice strongly inhibited the clotting of fibrinogen. The prolongation of the clotting time was dependent on the concentration of the protein and reached a plateau around 5 microgram. Gel electrophoresis of this isolate showed a prominent glycoprotein with an apparent Mr=150 000. Gel filtration studies with [125I]thrombin showed that the protein isolate bound a significant amount of thrombin which could be displaced with unlabelled thrombin. Another preparation from the same gel or purified gamma-globulin did not bind thrombin or prolong the clotting time of fibrinogen. Glycoprotein I was isolated from human platelets by affinity chromatography on lectin-Sepharose columns. The isolated glycoprotein prolonged the clotting of fibrinogen and bound [125I]thrombin which could be displaced by unlabelled thrombin. It is proposed that the high affinity receptor of thrombin on human platelets is glycoprotein I. In addition, the antithrombin activity of intact platelets is due to binding of thrombin to this glycoprotein.
The hydrolysis of α,α'‐dimethoxydihydrofurans

A series of α,α -dimethoxydihydrofurans have been prepared and subjected to various acidic and neutral hydrolysis conditions in attempts to prepare conjugated enediones in a stereospecific manner. Isomerization of the 3-hexene-2,5-diones and rearrangements of other enediones to β,γ-unsaturated-γ-lactones have been uncovered. Methods of assignment of stereochemical configuration to the enediones are evaluated; reaction with hydrazine hydrate in the absence of acid is proposed as a useful criterion.
Clinical instrument for spectral diagnosis of cutaneous malignancy

We present a novel probe-based portable clinical system for early detection and margin demarcation of melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancers. The system collects both white light reflectance and fluorescence from tissue in real time. We use gated detection to eliminate effects of room lights and make the system clinically compatible. Instrument control and spectral calibration is automated using a personal computer. The total acquisition time for data collection is less than a second. We use a spectrally-constrained inverse model for our probe geometry to fit the diffuse reflectance and extract hemoglobin content, oxygen saturation, tissue micro-architecture and melanin content. We demonstrate system performance and present results from tissue simulating phantoms. The mean rms errors in estimating scattering and absorption coefficients in tissue phantoms over a physiologically relevant range were 9.8% and 11.8% respectively. Using a photon migration model and least-squares regression we were able to extract the intrinsic fluorescence line shapes and estimate fluorophore concentrations from measured fluorescence spectra with an rms error of less than 10%.
Excited-state atomic-beam studies of submonolayer adsorption on a fine mesh.

A surface dipole layer due to adsorbates on a fine mesh can produce localized electric fields capable of ionizing highly excited atoms. This effect is observed when an atomic beam containing high-Rydberg states of Li is incident on a degassed Au mesh having square openings 6 \ensuremath{\mu}m across. During the formation of an adlayer on the surface, the adsorbate field is analyzed through measurements of the excited-state atomic-beam flux transmitted through the mesh. The beam-transmission experiments confirm that the excited-state survival probability is surface-layer dependent. Two distinct dips are observed in the transmission as a function of time, during submonolayer adsorption of ${\mathrm{H}}_{2}$O and Li on the mesh surface. A cusp between the dips is interpreted as evidence for a change in the sign of the net surface dipole-moment density. These results are compatible with a Langmuir-type model for the survival probability of excited atoms subject to electric-field ionization as they pass through the mesh. Demonstrating that high-Rydberg atoms may be useful as probes for localized electric fields, the experiments serve as feasibility studies for a method of analysis which can readily determine surface dipole orientations and which may have the ability to detect changes in adsorbate coverage at the level of ${10}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}4}$--${10}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}5}$ monolayer.
p53 and regulation of DNA damage recognition during nucleotide excision repair

In response to a variety of types of DNA damage, the p53 tumor suppressor gene product is activated and regulates a number of downstream cellular processes such as cell cycle arrest, apoptosis and DNA repair. Recent discoveries concerning the regulation of DNA repair processes by p53, such as nucleotide excision repair (NER) and base excision repair (BER) have paved the way for studies to understand the mechanisms governing p53-dependent DNA repair. Although several theories have been proposed, accumulating evidence points to a transcriptional regulatory role for p53 in NER, mediating expression of the global genomic repair (GGR)-specific damage recognition genes, DDB2 and XPC. In BER, a more direct role for p53 has been proposed, potentially acting through protein-protein interactions with BER specific factors. These advances have greatly enhanced our understanding of the role of p53 in DNA repair and this review comprehensively summarizes current opinions on the mechanisms of p53-dependent DNA repair.
Maternal fatigue in breastfeeding primiparae during the first nine weeks postpartum.

This pilot study documented maternal fatigue levels and patterns among breastfeeding primiparae; relationships between maternal fatigue and select physiological, psychological, situational, and performance factors; and fatigue interference with activities of daily living. A convenience sample of 41 mothers completed self-report instruments measuring breastfeeding experiences, fatigue, sleep characteristics, perceived stress, depression, and infant temperament at 3 days, 3, 6, and 9 weeks postpartum. Positive moderate relationships were detected at all four times for: breastfeeding problem severity (r = .38-.66, p < .05), depression (r = .45-.71, p < .01), and perceived stress (r = .36-.70, p < .05). Maternal sleep disturbance (r = .40-.54, p < .05) and/or effectiveness (r = -.33-.45, p < .05) correlated with fatigue at each time period. Infant difficulty was positively and mildly related to fatigue at 6 and 9 weeks (r = .32-.43, p < .05). Maternal age correlated positively and moderately to fatigue (r = .31-.50, p < .05). Finally, the impact of fatigue on activities of daily living and maternal role activities was low and nonsignificant. Results suggest fatigue is moderately significant to breastfeeding primiparae in the early to late postpartum period.
Effect of irrigation fluid temperature on core temperature and hemodynamic changes in transurethral resection of prostate under spinal anesthesia.

Background: Hypothermia is a frequent observation in elderly males undergoing transurethral resection of prostate (TURP) under spinal anesthesia. The use of irrigating fluids at room temperature results in a decrease body temperature. Warmed irrigating solutions have shown to reduce heat loss and the resultant shivering. Such investigation was not much tried in low resource settings. Aim: To compare the resultant change in core temperature and hemodynamic changes among patients undergoing TURP surgery under spinal anesthesia using warm and room temperature irrigation fluids. Settings and Design: Randomized prospective study at a tertiary care center. Methods: This study was conducted on 40 male patients aged 50-85 years undergoing TURP under spinal anesthesia. Of which, 20 patients received irrigation fluid at room temperature 21°C and 20 patients received irrigation fluid at 37°C after random allocation. Core temperatures and hemodynamic parameters were assessed in all patients at preoperative, intra-operative, and postoperative periods. Intra-operative shivering was also noted in both groups. Statistical Analysis: Unpaired and Paired Student's t-test. Results: For patients who underwent irrigation with fluid at room temperature Core temperature drop from 36.97°C in preoperative to 34.54°C in postoperative period with an effective difference of 2.38°C. Among patients who received warmed irrigation fluid at 37°C had core temperature drop from 36.97°C to 36.17°C and the effect of fall was 0.8°C. This difference was statistically significant (P Conclusion: Use of warm irrigation fluid during TURP reduces the risk of perioperative hypothermia and shivering.
High temperature plastic anisotropy in MoSi2 single crystals

The temperature dependence of the 0.2% yield stress in MoSi2 single crystals has been determined from 900 to 1600°C for three specimen orientations, [001], [021] and [771]. Four different slip systems have been identified: 013〈100〉, 011〈100〉, {1¯10}1/2 and {1¯10}1/2 ; the critical resolved shear stresses (CRSS) of these systems differ significantly from one another. MoSi2 is especially strong in the [001] orientation at temperatures above I100°C, because decomposition of l/2 dislocations forces slip on a fifth system, either {123¯}1/2 or {11¯1}1/2 . The CRSS of each slip system is discussed in terms of the influence of the dislocation core structure on the Peierls stress.
Special functions and characterizations of probability distributions by zero regression properties

Abstract Characterizations of the binomial, negative binomial, gamma, Poisson, and normal distributions are obtained by the property of zero regression of certain polynomial statistics of arbitrary degree, on the mean. In each case, the equations which express zero regression are derived from the recurrence relations of a set of special functions. The differential recurrence relations of these special functions are used in the proofs of the characterization theorems.
Intersections of spectral power distributions of lights that match

Spectral power distributions (SPDs) of computed lights that match to the 1964 CIE Standard Observer, and spectral reflectance distributions (SRDs) of objects that can reflect those lights, are studied. Their intersection behavior shows three well-defined and invariant wavelength regions (modal wavelengths) at which they intersect. Intersections preferentially occur near the modal wavelengths even when metamerism of a pair of lights is exceedingly weak. The minimum number (=3N) of intersections of SRDs that match under N illuminants is verified for N = 1 to 4, and 3N invariant wavelength regions of intersection are identified. Support is given for Wright's suggestion that the three modal wavelengths fall near “the three maxima of visual sensitivity.” © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Sodium channel SCN8A (Nav1.6): properties and de novo mutations in epileptic encephalopathy and intellectual disability

The sodium channel Nav1.6, encoded by the gene SCN8A, is one of the major voltage-gated channels in human brain. The sequences of sodium channels have been highly conserved during evolution, and minor changes in biophysical properties can have a major impact in vivo. Insight into the role of Nav1.6 has come from analysis of spontaneous and induced mutations of mouse Scn8a during the past 18 years. Only within the past year has the role of SCN8A in human disease become apparent from whole exome and genome sequences of patients with sporadic disease. Unique features of Nav1.6 include its contribution to persistent current, resurgent current, repetitive neuronal firing, and subcellular localization at the axon initial segment and nodes of Ranvier. Loss of Nav1.6 activity results in reduced neuronal excitability, while gain-of-function mutations can increase neuronal excitability. Mouse Scn8a (med) mutants exhibit movement disorders including ataxia, tremor and dystonia. Thus far, more than ten human de novo mutations have been identified in patients with two types of disorders, epileptic encephalopathy and intellectual disability. We review these human mutations as well as the unique features of Nav1.6 that contribute to its role in determining neuronal excitability in vivo. A supplemental figure illustrating the positions of amino acid residues within the 4 domains and 24 transmembrane segments of Nav1.6 is provided to facilitate the location of novel mutations within the channel protein.
A Microwave System for Measurements of AM and FM Noise Spectra

This paper describes a noise measuring system with a high degree of flexibility in regard to video frequency coverage as well as radio frequency coverage. Noise systems for S, X, and Ku-bands were constructed to obtain high sensitivity at spectral frequencies from several Hz to 30 MHz off the carrier. The measured limiting sensitivities of the X-band set over the video range 20 Hz to 325 kHz with an input power of 10 mW are --145 dB for AM noise and 0.02 Hz rms for FM noise in a 100-Hz measuring bandwidth.
Attenuation of epileptiform bursting by baclofen: Reduced potency in elevated potassium

Baclofen is an analog of the inhibitory neurotransmitter, GABA, which is used clinically to control spasticity. Recent evidence has accumulated showing this compound to have profound inhibitory effects upon hippocampal neural activity at both the cellular and circuit levels, and to attenuate epileptiform bursting in the hippocampal slice. However, it does not appear as an anticonvulsant on most traditional drug screens. Baclofen can produce inhibition by increasing potassium conductance, and therefore may fail to appear efficacious in typical anticonvulsant screens due to techniques that cause rapid and massive increases in interstitial potassium. We tested the hypothesis that baclofen is less effective at attenuating epileptiform bursting in the hippocampal slice under conditions of elevated extracellular potassium. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were decapitated and hippocampal slices were prepared. Epileptiform bursting was induced by bathing the slices in an artificial cerebrospinal fluid solution which contained either 7.0 mM K+ or 30 microM bicuculline methiodide, or by stimulus train-induced bursting. In each of these media, baclofen was applied in a random presentation of concentration format. Baclofen attenuated epileptiform bursting in both bicuculline and elevated K+, although considerably higher concentrations were necessary to attenuate bursting in high K+ than in bicuculline or after stimulus train-induced bursting. These results further support the antiepileptic actions of baclofen and provide evidence that this drug may be of value for attenuating epileptiform activity when there is not a tonic elevation of interstitial brain potassium.
Progression of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm: Effect of Lagrangian Transport and Hemodynamic Parameters

Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a permanent, localized enlargement of the abdominal aorta that accompanies disturbed blood flow, which is thought to perpetuate aneurysm progression. AAA rupture is a leading cause of death in the elderly and an exact intervention decision for this disease has always been associated with uncertainty. There is currently no medicinal treatment of AAA, however lower extremity exercise has been a proposed therapy. Specifically, elevated flow rates in the abdominal aorta, reduced retrograde flow, higher mean wall shear stress, and lower oscillatory shear index resulting from exercise have been hypothesized as beneficial in preventing or slowing AAA. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) has recently been used to model flow conditions inside AAA with an aim to better understand the biomechanical underpinnings of this disease. Recent studies have used patient-specific computational models, however few studies have looked in detail to AAA transport topology or correlated their results with aneurysm progression data. This study aims to (1) compare the flow topology between rest and exercise conditions in patients with small AAA to understand specifically how blood transport changes from rest to exercise, and (2) compare flow parameters obtained by CFD to the aneurysm progression.Copyright © 2013 by ASME
Waterbird predation on fish in western Lake Erie: a bioenergetics model application

To better understand the role of piscivorous waterbirds in the food web of western Lake Erie, we applied a bioenergetics model to determine their total fish consumption. The important nesting species included the Herring Gull (Larus argentatus), Ringbilled Gull (L. delawarensis), Double-crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax-auritus), Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias), Black-crowned Night-Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax), and Great Egret (Casmerodius albus). The impact of migrant waterbirds, including the Red-breasted Merganser (Mergus serrator), on western Lake Erie fish biomass was also considered in the analysis. According to the modeling results, during the early 1990s, piscivorous waterbirds consumed 13,368 tonnes of fish from western Lake Erie each year. This tonnage was equivalent to 15.2% of the prey fish biomass needed to support the walleye (Stizostedion vitreum) population in western Lake Erie during a single growing season. The model application was useful in quantifying energy flow between birds and fish in a large lake ecosystem