cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Architecting Malleable MPI Applications for Priority-driven Adaptive Scheduling

Future supercomputers will need to support both traditional HPC applications and Big Data/High Performance Analysis applications seamlessly in a common environment. This motivates traditional job scheduling systems to support malleable jobs along with allocations that can dynamically change in size, in order to adapt the amount of resources to the actual current need of the different applications. It also calls for future innovative HPC applications to adapt to this environment, and provide some level of malleability for releasing underutilized resources to other tasks. In this paper, we present and compare two different methodologies to support such malleable MPI applications: 1)using checkpoint/restart and the SCR library, and 2) using dynamic data redistribution and the ULFM API and runtime. We examine their effects on application execution times as well as their impact on resource management.
Beyond Screening: A Stepped Care Pathway for Managing Postpartum Depression in Pediatric Settings

The negative consequences of untreated postpartum depression (PD) for both the woman and her infant are well established. The impact of maternal depression has led to recommendations on systematic perinatal depression screening. Unfortunately, large-scale initiatives on PD screening have found no benefit unless systems are in place to facilitate appropriate interventions for women who screen positive. Pediatric primary care has been a focus of efforts to support screening and management of PD because pediatric providers, unlike adult healthcare providers, have the most frequent contact with postpartum women through well-child visits. Well-child visits thus present an unparalleled opportunity to detect and intervene with PD. Literature reviews suggest that specific strategies are feasible within pediatric settings and could benefit both the woman and her child. In this article, we present a stepped care approach for screening and managing PD, integrating common elements found in existing pediatric-based models. A stepped care approach is ideal because PD is a heterogeneous condition, with a range of presentations and hence responsiveness to various interventions. This care pathway begins with systematic screening for depression symptoms, followed by a systematic risk assessment for women who screen positive and care management based on risk profiles and responsiveness. This approach allows pediatric providers to be optimally flexible and responsive in addressing the majority of women with PD within the context of the family-centered medical home to improve child well-being. Challenges to managing PD within pediatrics are discussed, including strategies for addressing them. Implications for research, policy, and practice are discussed.
Quantitative Studies of Atherosclerotic Plaque Size in Human Subjects

Considerable evidence now exists that experimental atherosclerosis can be made to regress. Results from human studies have been less clear for several reasons. Earlier work depended on clinical recognition of occlusive events and/or on examination after death. This implies advanced disease, and it is likely that early lesions exchange lipid and regress more easily. Angiography has been used traditionally for the study of symptomatic occlusive disease, but except for isolated reports, criteria for the recognition of small changes in less advanced disease had not been developed.
Resting-State Functional Connectivity Predicts Cognitive Impairment Related to Alzheimer's Disease

Resting-state functional connectivity (rs-FC) is a promising neuromarker for cognitive decline in aging population, based on its ability to reveal functional differences associated with cognitive impairment across individuals, and because rs-fMRI may be less taxing for participants than task-based fMRI or neuropsychological tests. Here, we employ an approach that uses rs-FC to predict the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale (11 items; ADAS11) scores, which measure overall cognitive functioning, in novel individuals. We applied this technique, connectome-based predictive modeling, to a heterogeneous sample of 59 subjects from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative, including normal aging, mild cognitive impairment, and AD subjects. First, we built linear regression models to predict ADAS11 scores from rs-FC measured with Pearson's r correlation. The positive network model tested with leave-one-out cross validation (LOOCV) significantly predicted individual differences in cognitive function from rs-FC. In a second analysis, we considered other functional connectivity features, accordance and discordance, which disentangle the correlation and anticorrelation components of activity timecourses between brain areas. Using partial least square regression and LOOCV, we again built models to successfully predict ADAS11 scores in novel individuals. Our study provides promising evidence that rs-FC can reveal cognitive impairment in an aging population, although more development is needed for clinical application.
Widespread Micropollutant Monitoring in the Hudson River Estuary Reveals Spatiotemporal Micropollutant Clusters and Their Sources.

The objective of this study was to identify sources of micropollutants in the Hudson River Estuary (HRE). We collected 127 grab samples at 17 sites along the HRE over 2 years and screened for up to 200 micropollutants. We quantified 168 of the micropollutants in at least one of the samples. Atrazine, gabapentin, metolachlor, and sucralose were measured in every sample. We used data-driven unsupervised methods to cluster the micropollutants on the basis of their spatiotemporal occurrence and normalized-concentration patterns. Three major clusters of micropollutants were identified: ubiquitous and mixed-use (core micropollutants), sourced from sewage treatment plant outfalls (STP micropollutants), and derived from diffuse upstream sources (diffuse micropollutants). Each of these clusters was further refined into subclusters that were linked to specific sources on the basis of relationships identified through geospatial analysis of watershed features. Evaluation of cumulative loadings of each subcluster reve...
Setting the Agenda Setter

We simulate the results of tournaments in which legislators vie for the role of leader, who sets the legislative agenda to their liking. We show that with multiple dimensions, when all choices for leader are paired against each other, a Condorcet winner is more likely than not. The probability of a Condorcet winner (who defeats all comers in a leadership battle) actually increases with the complexity of the structure of legislative preferences.
Research Activity and Productivity in U.S. Chemistry Departments 1985--1988

This article is a presentation of the information gathered in an evaluation of graduate chemistry departments in the United States. Rather than being a multidisciplinary report, it only addresses research activity and productivity. It attempts to decouple the performance of a chemistry department from the reputation of its institution by avoiding the use of "peer evaluations". Only numerical data is used, and these results are correlated with data obtained from the Conference Board of Associated Research Councils (CBARC).
Modeling Relational Data as Graphs for Mining

The focus of this paper is to develop algorithms and a framework for modeling transactional data stored in relational database into graphs for mining. Most of the real-world transactions (e.g., money withdrawal, travel, phone calls) are recorded as individual transactions which needs to be transformed into a graph based on structural relationships embedded in them. We present a graph representation that not only preserves all information embedded in a database, but also removes ambiguity and information redundancy. We present a suite of space- and time-efficient algorithms for modeling graphs from relational data. Extensive experimental analysis shows the scalability of our approaches. From a pragmatic viewpoint, our framework separates database-specific aspects from modeling aspects to make it applicable for all database systems. Real-world data has been used for generating graphs and mining them for various patterns.
Handling Compressed Gases

Accidents involving compressed gases can be spectacular. One classic case, which was reported in the May 1969 Chemical Section Newsletter of the National Safety Council involved a cylinder of carbon dioxide with a faulty valve. It illustrates the incredible power that is stored in a cylinder, and points out that compressed gas cylinders must be treated with respect.
Transient Analysis of Wave Propagation in Unbounded Media: Space-Time Methods and Continued-Fraction Implementations

Modeling unbounded domains under transient wave propagation continues to be a challenge to both engineers and scientists. Accurate modeling of this phenomenon is of utmost importance in several fields of engineering ranging from earthquake engineering to electromagnetics. The standard way of analyzing unbounded media is to truncate the domain of interest and apply appropriate conditions on the computational boundary. Several ways of approximating these boundary conditions have been proposed by various researchers in the last two decades (for a survey, see [Givoli, 1992]). Some are local in both space and time. Others are global in space, time, or both. Local methods have case-specific performance, but are economical, whereas, global methods are accurate but expensive.
Endoscopic submucosal dissection for early neoplastic lesions in the surgically altered stomach: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) for early gastric cancer is highly effective and well established. Performing ESD in the surgically altered stomach (SAS) is challenging. The aim of this meta-analysis is to assess the safety and efficacy of ESD for patients with early neoplastic lesions occurring in the SAS with a subgroup analysis of lesions occurring on the suture line compared to non-suture line lesions and outcomes in the remnant stomach compared to the gastric tube. We performed a literature search of the PubMed, Embase, and CINAHL electronic databases from January 2000 to November 2017 for articles reporting the safety and efficacy of ESD in the surgically altered stomach. SAS was defined as the remnant stomach following gastrectomy and gastric tube following esophagectomy. Meta-analysis was performed using Review Manager version 5.3 software. A total of 21 articles, with 903 lesions occurring in the remnant stomach or gastric tube, were included in this study. There was no significant difference between en bloc (RR 0.99, 95% CI 0.91–1.08), curative resection (RR 1.03, 95% CI 0.84–1.26), or bleeding rates (RR 1.40, 95% CI 0.18–10.72) between lesions in the remnant stomach and gastric tube. However, perforation was significantly higher in the gastric tube (RR 5.19, 95% 1.27–21.25). Suture line lesions had a significantly higher risk of perforation (RR 4.55, 95% CI 2.13–9.74). ESD for early neoplastic lesions occurring in the SAS is a safe and efficacious with similar en bloc and curative resection rates compared to the anatomically normal stomach. ESD for lesions on the suture line or in the gastric tube is associated with an increased risk of perforation which can be managed endoscopically.
Drug‐resistant epilepsy classified by a phenotyping algorithm associates with NTRK2

Objective Up to 40% of patients with epilepsy become drug resistant (DRE). Genetic factors are likely to play a role. While efforts have focused on the transporter and target hypotheses, neither of them fully explains the pan-pharmacoresistance seen in DRE. Materials and methods In this study, we developed and used a phenotyping algorithm for the identification of DRE, responders, and epilepsy-free controls that were sequenced using a gene panel developed by the Pharmacogenomics Research Network (PGRN), which includes 82 genes involved in drug response. We tested the transporter hypothesis of DRE, the association between drug resistance and variants in the ATP-binding cassette family of genes previously associated with DRE, and also investigated potential new genetic factors. Results In the analysis of DRE vs controls, NTRK2 was significantly associated with DRE (rs76950094; P = 1.19 × 10-7 and gene-based P-value = 1.67 × 10-4 ). NTRK2 encodes TrkB, which is involved in the development and maturation of the central nervous system, and increased activation of TrkB signaling is suggested to promote epilepsy. Conclusion Although the role of NTRK2 in DRE needs to be elucidated, these results support alternative mechanisms underlying DRE, complementary to the existing hypotheses, that should be evaluated.
Precipitation chemistry and deposition at a high-elevation site in the Pacific Northwest United States (1989-2015)

Abstract Emissions from fuel combustion and agricultural activities contribute significantly to the continuous atmospheric entrainment of pollutants into protected and vulnerable ecosystems where long-term monitoring is often a challenge. Here, results are presented from a 26-year study (1989–2015) of wet precipitation collected at Paradise Station (1654 m above sea level), Mount Rainier National Park, Washington, USA. Weekly samples were analyzed for pH, conductivity and major anions and cations. While precipitation concentrations for sulfate, nitrate, protons and conductivity peaked in the early 2000s, overall trends decreased by 54%, 46%, 41%, and 37%, respectively. Associated pH values increased from 5.2 to 5.6, and were largely controlled by non-sea-salt contributions of sulfate and neutralizing calcium, potassium and magnesium. Between 1999 and 2015, nitrogen (N) deposition rates from ammonium increased by a factor of 3.6, from 0.27 to 0.96 kg N ha−1 yr−1 (p = 0.02), while nitrate deposition did not change statistically (0.91–0.74 kg N ha−1 yr−1, p = 0.30). Combined, these N sources are reaching reported critical loads of 2.0 kg N ha−1 yr−1. Results indicate that emission regulations focused on stationary sources have effectively decreased apparent acid precipitation, however, increased nitrogen deposition from ammonium may lead to further fertilization and acidification of delicate soils and waters. Continued long-term monitoring is thus imperative to track continued anthropogenic inputs to vulnerable ecosystems.
Understanding the re-infiltration process to simulating streamflow in North Central Texas using the WRF-hydro modeling system

Abstract WRF-Hydro (Weather Research and Forecasting model-Hydrological modeling system), as the core engine of the United States National Water Model (NWM), has now been used in many hydrometeorological applications throughout the world. One important feature that WRF-Hydro introduced is to allow infiltration excess (“ponded water”) for subsequent lateral re-distribution and soil re-infiltration, which is a major enhancement in terms of physical realism. Nonetheless, how well WRF-Hydro models re-infiltration is largely unknown, because this process is difficult to be directly measured. To gain an in-depth understanding of re-infiltration process under different hydrometeorological/geographical conditions with model parameter settings, we start conducting a series of idealized numerical experiments using 18 watersheds in North Central Texas as a testbed. Next, the model is automatically calibrated to best quantify re-infiltration amounts during two major storms (2010 Tropical Storm Hermine and 2015 May Event), which is accomplished by coupling the dynamically dimensioned search (DDS) algorithm with WRF-Hydro to achieve optimal calibration efficiency. The results show that re-infiltration has quite substantial impacts on streamflow simulation in WRF-Hydro, especially for areas with flat terrains and soils with high clay content. Among all examined factors, precipitation, saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ksat) and runoff partition parameter (REFKDT) are found to impose relatively higher impacts on both re-infiltration ratio and runoff coefficient. It is also found that the runoff coefficient and the re-infiltration ratio are positively correlated based on results from both hypothetical and real events, indicating re-infiltration effects can become more pronounced as flood potential increases. These findings collectively show the significance of representing the re-infiltration process in flood forecasting. Models that do not incorporate this process may be over-calibrated to compensate errors originated from the missing process.
Academic Achievement of Latino/a Students Who Began College before Age 18 at a Hispanic-Serving Institution

There has been growth in Early College High Schools, and other similar programs, to improve racial/ethnic minority and first-generation students’ access to higher education. As a result, there has ...
Social class, teachers, and medicalisation lag: a qualitative investigation of teachers' discussions of ADHD with parents and the effect of neighbourhood-level social class

While medical sociologists have explored how teachers aid the medicalisation process of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), there is a paucity of work investigating the role of neighbourhood-level social class. This paper has two main aims. First, to explore how teachers discuss ADHD with parents, and second, to understand how these discussions differ based upon neighbourhood-level social class. To achieve these aims, I utilise grounded theory and interviews with thirty-four elementary school teachers. Emergent themes describe the following process: (a) reifying biological causation of ADHD, (b) evidence gathering, and (c) furtive diagnosis. Findings suggest teachers in upper-class areas skipped steps in the process or easily managed each step while discussing ADHD with parents. Teachers in lower-class areas were met with barriers that affected the likelihood of children receiving a furtive diagnosis from teachers, thus reducing the likelihood of meeting with a medical professional and receiving medical intervention. Findings explain disparities in medication use for ADHD by neighbourhood-level social class and help to explain the social reproduction of social class. By building on the literature regarding cultural capital and mental health literacy, I conceptualise 'medicalisation lag' as integral to the medicalisation process and to the social reproduction of social class.
Invertebrate functional traits and terrestrial nutrient cycling: Insights from a global meta-analysis

Functional traits are useful for characterizing variation in community and ecosystem dynamics. Most advances in trait-based ecology to date centre on plant functional traits, although there is an increasing recognition that animal traits are also key contributors to processes operating at the community or ecosystem scale. Terrestrial invertebrates are incredibly diverse and ubiquitous animals with important roles in nutrient cycling. Despite their widespread influence on ecosystem processes, we currently lack a synthetic understanding of how invertebrate functional traits affect terrestrial nutrient cycling. We present a meta-analysis of 511 paired observations from 122 papers that examined how invertebrate functional traits affected litter decomposition rates, nitrogen pools and litter C:N ratios. Based on the available data, we specifically assessed the effects of feeding mode (bioturbation, detritus shredding, detritus grazing, leaf chewing, leaf piercing, ambush predators, active hunting predators) and body size (macro- and micro-invertebrates) on nutrient cycling. The effects of invertebrates on terrestrial nutrient cycling varied according to functional trait. The inclusion of both macro- (≥2 mm) and micro-invertebrates (<2 mm) increased litter decomposition by 20% and 19%, respectively. All detritivorous feeding modes enhanced litter decomposition rates, with bioturbators, detritus shredders and detritus grazers increasing decomposition by 28%, 22% and 15%, respectively. Neither herbivore feeding mode (e.g. leaf chewers and leaf piercers) nor predator hunting mode (ambush and active hunting) affected decomposition. We also revealed that bioturbators and detritus grazers increased soil nitrogen availability by 99% and 70%, respectively, and that leaf-chewing herbivores had a weak effect on litterfall stoichiometry via reducing C:N ratios by 11%. Although functional traits might be useful predictors of ecosystem processes, our findings suggest context-dependent effects of invertebrate traits on terrestrial nutrient cycling. Detritivore functional traits (i.e. bioturbators, detritus shredders and detritus grazers) are more consistent with increased rates of nutrient cycling, whereas our currently characterized predator and herbivore traits are less predictive. Future research is needed to identify, standardize and deliberately study the impacts of invertebrate functional traits on nutrient cycling in hopes of revealing the key functional traits governing ecosystem functioning worldwide.
3D tumor model biofabrication

Animal models have been extensively used in cancer pathology studies and drug discovery. These models, however, fail to reflect the complex human tumor microenvironment and do not allow for high-throughput drug screening in more human-like physiological conditions. Three-dimensional (3D) cancer models present an alternative to automated high-throughput cancer drug discovery and oncology. In this review, we highlight recent technology innovations in building 3D tumor models that simulate the complex human tumor microenvironment and responses of patients to treatment. We discussed various biofabrication technologies, including 3D bioprinting techniques developed for characterizing tumor progression, metastasis, and response to treatment.
Spring 2020 COVID-19 community transmission behaviours around New York City medical facilities.

Background Epidemiological studies have long been used for infection transmission prevention, but exact patterns of touch behaviours and transportation choices [contributors to community spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)] were previously unknown. Aim To investigate individual risk behaviour levels with respect to local COVID-19 infection levels. Methods A longitudinal field study recorded behaviours of individuals leaving medical facilities following the New York State's PAUSE order. A subset of those data was analysed herein (4793 records, 16 facilities, 23rd March-17th May 2020). Touched objects and transportation choices were compared over time using Chi-squared tests (P<0.05 significance threshold). Findings In Week 1, 64.1% of subjects touched at least one environmental object [such as a building door handle (21.8%); traffic light, railing or parking meter (5.6%)]; shared object [such as a vehicle door handle (19.7%)]; personal object [such as a cell phone (4.2%)]; or themselves (0.4%). By Week 8, <35% of subjects touched at least one object, where the greatest reduction was in touching environmental objects. The frequency of touching increased slightly during the observation period for some personal objects such as cell phones. The use of public transportation remained steady (approximately 20%) throughout the study period; for-hire vehicle usage increased from 0% in Week 1 to 7% in Week 8, mirroring a 7% decrease in the use of personal vehicles (from 34% to 27%). Touching and transportation patterns varied significantly by facility. Conclusions While this study observed a decline in touch patterns and use of shared modes of transportation, the persistence of many risk-related behaviours suggests that more effective public health policies, including cleaning regimens for public environmental objects and the removal or relocation of frequently touched objects, could help limit the spread of COVID-19.
ShopTalk: A System for Conversational Faceted Search

We present ShopTalk, a multi-turn conversational faceted search system for shopping that is designed to handle large and complex schemas that are beyond the scope of state of the art slot-filling systems. ShopTalk decouples dialog management from fulfillment, thereby allowing the dialog understanding system to be domain-agnostic and not tied to the particular shopping application. The dialog understanding system consists of a deep-learned Contextual Language Understanding module, which interprets user utterances, and a primarily rules-based Dialog-State Tracker (DST), which updates the dialog state and formulates search requests intended for the fulfillment engine. The interface between the two modules consists of a minimal set of domain-agnostic "intent operators," which instruct the DST on how to update the dialog state. ShopTalk was deployed in 2020 on the Google Assistant for Shopping searches.
Reforming Mathematics Teacher Education Through Self-Study

Abstract Mathematics teacher educators have sought to play a major role in reforming mathematics education through the preparation of new teachers entering the field; however, the impact of their efforts is often quickly lost when the powerful pedagogical practices and beliefs about constructivism as a theory of learning acquired during their pre-service programs are not shared with the established cultures they enter as beginning teachers. As a mathematics teacher educator, I have struggled with this reality since I entered the field in the mid 1990s. To attempt to imbue my teachers with the habits of mind that will sustain them in the face of resistance from their colleagues, I have structured my class around reflective writing and discussion of critical incidents they experience while completing their field experiences. At the end of the semester, my students write a final paper that describes how their personal philosophy of teaching has evolved over the course of the semester, and what has influenced that evolution. In this chapter, I will report on my self-study and analysis of my students’ final papers and summarize the themes that emerge. I discuss what I have learned about the effectiveness of these activities and about the difficulties of preparing teachers to enter their own classrooms with strong beliefs about the importance of teaching for understanding.
Integrase Class Site‐specific Recombinases

The integrase family of recombination proteins promote coordinated conservative DNA breakage–rejoining reactions at duplex DNA sites of defined sequence. They ensure accurate partition of duplicated circular prokaryotic chromosomes or insert and remove temperate phage genomes from host chromosomes through formation of a DNA–integrase phosphodiester linkage between a tyrosyl residue and a 3′-phosphoryl group. Keywords: tyrosine recombinases; mobile genetic elements; bacteriophage; covalent catalysis; topoisomerases
Monolithic 1.55 μm GaInNAsSb quantum well passively modelocked lasers

The first monolithic GaInNAsSb quantum well 1.55 µm passively modelocked lasers grown on a GaAs substrate are reported. A repetition rate of up to 13.2 GHz and an optical pulse width as small as 26 ps have been realised.
Replication of Sendai virus. I. Comparison of the viral RNA and virus-specific RNA synthesis with Newcastle disease virus.

Abstract In this study, the Harris strain of Sendai virus was compared with the L-Kansas strain of Newcastle disease virus (LK-NDV) with respect to viral RNA structure and virus-specific RNA synthesis in infected chick embryo fibroblast cultures. It was found that the RNA's from these two subgroup 2 myxoviruses are indistinguishable in sedimentation rate and overall base composition. However, annealing experiments indicated they do not share long regions of base sequence identity. The pattern of virus-specific RNA synthesis in H-Sendai virus-infected cells was shown to be similar to that in LK-NDV-infected cells. Three RNA components which are almost completely complementary in base sequence to the viral RNA were synthesized in H-Sendai virus-infected cells, and the relative rates of their synthesis and their sedimentation coefficients (18, 22, and 35 S) were like those of the RNA previously studied in LK-NDV-infected cells. In addition, synthesis of RNA with the sedimentation properties of viral RNA ( s 20, w = 57 S) was observed. A significant difference in virus-specific RNA synthesis was observed in cells infected with the two viruses. Although the amount of infectious virus produced by cultures infected with H-Sendai virus or LK-NDV was the same and the rate of synthesis of viral RNA (57 S) in infected cells and released from cells in the form of virus was the same, the rate of synthesis of the complementary RNA components was 7–10 times greater in LK-NDV-infected cells than in H-Sendai virus-infected cells. Other differences in the two viruses were the shorter latent period and more cytopathic effect of LK-NDV.
Preparation of ZrO2 nanoparticles and nanostructured coatings VIA modified emulsion precipitation

ZrO 2 nanoparticles are synthesized, well-dispersed in decane, via a modified emulsion precipitation (MEP) method. This method starts with preparing two thermally stable water-in-oil emulsions with nonylphenol tetrathyleneglycol ether (Arkopal-40) as the main surfactant, didodecyldimethylammonium bromide (DiDAB) as the co-surfactant, decane as the continuous oil phase, and a zirconium salt solution or hexamethylenetetramine (HMTA) precipitation reagent solution as the dispersed water phase. The two emulsions are mixed and the pH of the water droplets is increased by decomposition of HMTA to induce the formation of metal hydroxide inside the droplets. After water removal by azeotropic distillation, a transparent dispersion of ZrO 2 nanoparticles in the oil phase is obtained and the particles are stabilized with a polymeric stabilizer poly-octadecyl methacrylate (PODMA). Characterization by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) shows that the ZrO 2 nanoparticles are non-agglomerated, spherical, and have a uniform particle size distribution of 5 nm in diameter. A purification process is conducted to remove the precipitation reaction byproduct and excess surfactants from the nanoparticle dispersions. Nanostructured ZrO 2 coatings can be made by spin-coating or drop deposition of the purified nanoparticle dispersion on substrates, followed by drying at room temperature and 200°C. The ZrO 2 layers can then be crystallized to obtain a dense tetragonal ZrO 2 with 10 nm grains by heating at 600°C.
Development and Validation of a Prognostic Index for Risk Stratification of Patients with Early Repolarization

Background: Early repolarization (ER) is associated with increased mortality in the general population. We sought to develop and validate a prognostic index (PI) of mortality in patients with ER. Methods: We identified 852 consecutive patients (mean age 49 ± 12 years) with ER (J-point elevation ≥0.1 mV in inferior or lateral leads), from the VA electronic electrocardiogram (ECG) database. A random sample of age-matched patients with normal ECG was used as control (n = 257). The initial cohort was randomly split into a derivation and a validation cohort (2/3 and 1/3 of patients, respectively). A PI was derived from the weighed sum of the regression coefficients of each independent risk factor in the final model using Cox regression analysis. Results: During a median follow-up of 6.4 years, 170 patients died. ER was associated with increased mortality compared to control (HR 1.49, 95% CI 1.05–2.12; P = 0.03). Older age, lower body mass index, non-African American race, current use of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors/angiotensin receptor blockers or sulfonyureas, prolonged corrected QT (QTc), and higher ER amplitude independently predicted all-cause mortality. Annualized mortality rates were 1.3%, 2.2%, and 3.7% in the low, intermediate, and high-risk groups, respectively, in the derivation cohort (log rank P < 0.0001) and 0.8%, 1.9%, and 4.1% in the low, intermediate, and high-risk groups, respectively, in the validation cohort (log rank P < 0.0001). Model discrimination was very good (c-statistic = 0.85 and 0.80 for derivation and validation cohort, respectively). Conclusions: A PI derived from simple clinical and ECG characteristics predicts mortality in patients with ER and may be used clinically for risk stratification.
Basic Measures of Food Intake

This unit describes a method for measuring the consumption of a pellet diet during a 30-min testing session conducted during the late portion of the day. The procedure generates reliable and stable baseline measures of feeding, and is appropriate for assessing experimental manipulations that either enhance (e.g., injecting a peptide into the brain) or suppress feeding (e.g., systemic injections of amphetamine).
COMNET III: a network simulation laboratory environment for a course in communications networks

COMNET III is a performance analysis tool for communications networks. It is used to model networks, their control algorithms and workload. COMNET III then simulates the operation of the network and provides measures of network performance. Students in data communications and networking courses can use COMNET III to model and simulate LANs, WANs and interconnections of various networks (Internets). Network simulations add a practical flavor to the course and enable students to observe the operation of an Internet comprising dissimilar networks and protocols.
Radiolabeled Monoclonal Anti-Tumor Antibodies in Diagnosis and Therapy

Clinical work with radiolabeled anti-tumor antibodies has made remarkable progress in the past few years. Still, there is much to be done before these new reagents can have a substantial impact on the practical management of patients. In this discussion, the properties of an “ideal” radiolabeled antibody and important factors for in vivo localization in tumors are reviewed. Potential approaches to improving the localization of currently available “tumor specific” monoclonal antibodies are discussed and examples of patients examined and treated with this method are presented. Experience to date suggests that within the foreseeable future, radiolabeled antibody techniques will become a “genuinely decisive technology.”
Dissociation and separation of Xenopus laevis spermatogenic cells

Methods have been developed for the dissociation and fractionation of spermatogenic cells of the South African clawed frog, Xenopus laevis. Testis cells were dissociated with collagenase to obtain cell suspensions (1.2 × 10 8 cells/testis) highly enriched for spermatogenic cells (99.5%). The only testicular somatic cells present in the suspensions in significant numbers were Sertoli cells with mature spermatids embedded in their cytoplasm. Spermatogenic cells prepared by this method exhibited consistently high viabilities (98.7%) as measured by their ability to exclude Trypan blue dye. Subsequent to the dissociation procedure, spermatogenic cells were separated into fractions, each of which was highly enriched for a specific developmental stage, by unit gravity sedimentation and isopycnic centrifugation in Metrizamide gradients. The entire dissociation and fractionation procedure required approximately nine hours to complete and was used to separate as many as 5 × 109 cells with no apparent cytotoxic effects.
A MODEL SYSTEM FOR THE PREVENTION AND CONTROL OF CHILD ABUSE: CONCEPTUAL, ETHICAL AND PRACTICAL CONSIDERATIONS

Child abuse can be seen as a phenomenon for which parental dysfunction is the cause; as an artifact of a system of child-rearing which encourages violent coercion to behavioral norms; and as a tragic expression of a culture which deprives some families of the services and goods of society. A program to prevent and control child abuse would see, measure, and act on each of these dimensions. It would comprehend their relative importance in the population and develop policies, evaluative tools and intervention methods to assure that children's and families' health and well-being would be sustained and promoted. A Governor's Commission on Child Abuse found in a review of 961 case reports and a survey of 281 practitioners the familiar bias of selection for reporting toward poor and minority children and a striking, sevenfold ratio of unreported to reported cases. Subsequently, a new program was developed for Massachusetts which attends to recent advances in theory, practice, and law and implements a data-based system of case management. Newly-passed legislation defines child abuse as a symptom of family crisis. A case registry and hotline provide a wider portal of entry into the existing service structure, and new services attend to local problem-solving methods and child-rearing traditions, as defined by citizen-based Councils for Children. The objective of the program is the improvement of families' functioning, rather than the simple physical protection of their offspring.
Solution-processed germanium nanocrystal thin films as materials for low-cost optical and electronic devices.

Solution-processed nanocrystal films have attracted significant interest as potential semiconductor materials with size-tunable optical and electronic properties that can be deposited with low-cost printing and coating techniques. Significant progress has been reported with groups II−VI and IV−VI nanocrystal films because the electrically insulating ligands that solubilize the nanocrystals can be easily exchanged or removed after film deposition. Although progress to date has been slow for group IV silicon and germanium nanocrystal films, this paper reports solution-processed germanium nanocrystal films with promising electrical conductivities. Stable germanium nanocrystal colloids are produced via nonthermal plasma synthesis and subsequent alkene surface functionalization. Electrical characterization of drop-cast germanium nanocrystal films reveals that the films are insulating as deposited but have conductivities as large as 10−6 and 5 × 10−4 S/cm after annealing at 250 and 500 °C, respectively. Mass sp...
Constituents of Helianthus ciliaris

Abstract A new diterpene, 7-α-hydroxy-4-epitrachylobanic acid, has been isolated from Helianthus ciliaris DC. No sesquiterpene lactones were found in this plant.
A Strategy for the Graphical Representation of Rasch Model Residuals

When the parameters of item response data are estimated by alatent trait model, some variation will remain unaccounted underthe model. If baseline graphical configurations of the residualvariation can be constructed, measurement irregularities may beexposed. This paper presents an analytic strategy for the graphicalrepresentation and analysis of Rasch model residuals.
Cardiovascular Disease in CKD in Children: Update on Risk Factors, Risk Assessment, and Management

In young adults with onset of chronic kidney disease in childhood, cardiovascular disease is the most common cause of death. The likely reason for increased cardiovascular disease in these patients is a high prevalence of traditional and uremia-related cardiovascular disease risk factors during childhood chronic kidney disease. Early markers of cardiomyopathy, such as left ventricular hypertrophy and left ventricular dysfunction, and early markers of atherosclerosis, such as increased carotid artery intima-media thickness, carotid arterial wall stiffness, and coronary artery calcification, frequently are found in this patient population. The purpose of this review is to provide an update of recent advances in the understanding and management of cardiovascular disease risks in this population.
TRIAMCINOLONE TO PREVENT STENOSIS IN MITROFANOFF STOMAS

After Mitrofanoff first reported in 1980 that appendix or ureter could be used as a channel from the abdominal wall to the bladder for intermittent catheterization, the so-called Mitrofanoff principle found widespread application in lower urinary tract reconstruction. Its success partially depends on the narrow conduit, which allows easy passage of catheters without kinking. However, the small caliber of Mitrofanoff conduits preferentially derived from the appendix enhances the risk of stomal stenosis. In fact, stenosis is the most frequent problem in continent catheterizable stomas, occurring in an average of 13% of patients.' Spatulation of the appendix2 with or without advancement of a V flap3 may decrease the incidence of this complication but does not completely prevent it. Patients with stenosis require dilation or surgical revision to facilitate catheterization. Furthermore, it has been our experience that stenosis recurs despite previous revision with V flaps. Our cases of stomal stenosis that developed after appendicovesicostomy have been associated with hypertrophic scar formation. We report the administration of triamcinolone injected parastomally as an adjunct to surgical revision to prevent recurrent stenosis. CASE REPORTS
Peptide-induced patterning of gold nanoparticle thin films

Abstract In this work, the use of patterned proteins and peptides for the deposition of gold nanoparticles on several substrates with different surface chemistries is presented. The patterned biomolecule on the surface acts as a catalyst to precipitate gold nanoparticles from a precursor solution of HAuCl4 onto the substrate. The peptide patterning on the surfaces was accomplished by physical adsorption or covalent attachment. It was shown that by using covalent attachment with a linker molecule, the influence of the surface properties from the different substrates on the biomolecule adsorption and subsequent nanoparticle deposition could be avoided. By adjusting the reaction conditions such as pH or HAuCl4 concentration, the sizes and morphologies of deposited gold nanoparticle agglomerates could be controlled. Two biomolecules were used for this experiment, 3XFLAG peptide and bovine serum albumin (BSA). A micro-transfer molding technique was used to pattern the peptides on the substrates, in which a pre-patterned poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) mold was used to deposit a lift-off pattern of polypropylmethacrylate (PPMA) on the various substrates. The proteins were either physically adsorbed or covalently attached to the substrates, and an aqueous HAuCl4 solution was applied on the substrates with the protein micropatterns, causing the precipitation of gold nanoparticles onto the patterns. SEM, AFM, and Electron Beam Induced Current (EBIC) were used for characterization.
Simulation of microstructure development in injection molding of engineering plastics

Mathematical models were developed to predict the various microstructural properties, including birefringece, residual stress, and density distributions, in the freely quenched compression molded samples as well as in the injection molded samples. To model the birefringence distribution in the injection molded samples, the BKZ type integral constitutive equation was employed to account for the nonisothermal stress relaxation, which takes place during the cooling stage of the molding cycle. The predicted birefringence agreed well with the experimental data near the mold walls. The residual stress distribution was modeled by the existing thermoelastic theory. The residual thermal stress distribution in the freely quenched samples was predicted very well by the model. However, the predicted residual thermal stresses in the injection molded samples were much larger than the measured ones. A phenomenological model to predict the density distribution in injection molded sample is proposed by including the effects of both cooling rate and the pressure on the density development. The predicted results agreed well with the experimental data.
Ribonucleic acid of foot-and-mouth disease virus: Its preparation, stability, and plating efficiency on bovine-kidney cultures

Abstract Infectious ribonucleic acid (RNA) from foot-and-mouth disease virus, type A, was examined as to its method of preparation, stability, and plating efficiency on calf-kidney cultures. The best yields of RNA were obtained with cold phenol at low ionic strength in the presence of EDTA and sodium dodecylsulfate. One extraction with phenol was sufficient to destroy all ribonuclease (RNAase)-resistant virus particles and gave the maximum yields of RNA. The isolated RNA was completely stable to storage at −196°C but not at 4°, −12° and −50°C. It was more stable than the virus itself to acid and alkaline conditions from pH 3.0 to 11.5. When acidified to pH 4.1 in the absence of RNAase, the virus did not appear to split off infectious RNA. There was a linear relationship between plaque counts in tissue culture and the dilution of RNA applied, and replicate platings produced a Poissonian distribution of plaque counts. The plating of RNA was considerably more efficient when small-sized (i.e., 0.1 ml) inocula were used than when the same amount of RNA was applied in larger volumes. Under such conditions the infection of culture cells appeared to be rapid, i.e., as many plaques were formed when the agar overlay was applied 1 minute after plating RNA as when applied at later times.
Dimension-Independent Estimates for Heat Operators and Harmonic Functions

We establish dimension-independent estimates related to heat operators e tL on manifolds. We first develop a very general contractivity result for Markov kernels which can be applied to diffusion semigroups. Second, we develop estimates on the norm behavior of harmonic and non-negative subharmonic functions. We apply these results to two examples of interest: when L is the Laplace–Beltrami operator on a Riemannian manifold with Ricci curvature bounded from below, and when L is an invariant subelliptic operator of Hormander type on a Lie group. In the former example, we also obtain pointwise bounds on harmonic and subharmonic functions, while in the latter example, we obtain pointwise bounds on harmonic functions when a generalized curvature-dimension inequality is satisfied.
Immunization with a portion of rickettsial outer membrane protein A stimulates protective immunity against spotted fever rickettsiosis.

Two approaches for presentation of a part of the rickettsial outer membrane protein A (OmpA) of Rickettsia rickettsii, namely (1) recombinant Mycobacterium vaccae (rMV) or (2) recombinant DNA vaccine, stimulated protective immunity against a lethal challenge with the closely related bacterium, R. conorii, in mice. After primary immunization with rMV and booster immunization with homologous recombinant protein, 67 and 55% of mice were protected against challenge in two experiments. DNA vaccination with booster recombinant protein immunization protected six out of eight animals from a lethal challenge. Production of IFN-γ by antigen-exposed T-lymphocytes of DNA vaccine recipients indicated that cellular immunity had been stimulated.
Far-infrared and submillimeter observations of the planets

Broadband observations in several passbands between 30 and 500 microns of Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, and Uranus are presented. The best agreement between the data and various thermal models of Mars, Jupiter, and Uranus is obtained with a slightly cooler absolute temperature scale than that previously adopted by Armstrong et al. (1972). The effective temperature of Uranus is 58 + or - 2 K, which is in agreement with its solar equilibrium temperature. The existence of an internal energy source for Saturn has been reconfirmed; its output must lie within the range of 0.9 to 3.2 times the absorbed solar flux. A depression exists in the spectra of Jupiter, Saturn, and Uranus between 80 and 300 microns, which may be a result of NH3 opacity.