cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Assessing left ventricular systolic function in children with a history of Kawasaki disease

The incidence of Kawasaki disease (KD) is increasing. Indeed, KD has become the most common cause of acquired heart disease in children. Previous studies have well summarized the acute phase left ventricular (LV) systolic dysfunction using speckle tracking echocardiography (STE); however, changes in LV systolic function after long-term follow-up remain unclear. One hundred children with a history of KD, but without coronary artery aneurysms, were enrolled. These children were divided into two subgroups based on the presence or absence of coronary artery dilatation (CAD). The duration of follow-up was > 7 years. The control group consisted of 51 healthy children. The LV myocardial strain were measured by two- and three-dimensional STE. Two-dimensional STE not only revealed that LV longitudinal strain decreased in part of segments in both KD groups, but also showed that global strain decreased in the KD group with CAD compared to the controls (P < 0.05). Global longitudinal strain (GLS), global circumferential strain (GCS), global radial strain (GRS), and global area strain (GAS) were obtained by 3D STE. Compared to the controls, GLS and GAS decreased in both KD groups (P < 0.05). GCS and GRS decreased in the KD group with CAD, but was unchanged in the KD group without CAD (P < 0.05). LV systolic dysfunction in children with KD and CAD was more severe than KD children without CAD compared to healthy children. This dysfunction can be assessed by LV regional and global myocardial strain using two- and three-dimensional STE.
Tinnitus and hyperacusis: Central noise, gain and variance

Tinnitus is a phantom auditory sensation in the absence of external sounds, while hyperacusis is an atypical sensitivity to external sounds that leads them to be perceived as abnormally loud or even painful. Both conditions may reflect the brain's over-compensation for reduced input from the ear. The present work differentiates between two compensation models: The additive central noise compensates for hearing loss and is likely to generate tinnitus, whereas the multiplicative central gain compensates for hidden hearing loss and is likely to generate hyperacusis. Importantly, both models predict increased variance in central representations of sounds, especially a nonlinear increase in variance by the central gain. The increased central variance limits the amount of central compensation and reduces temporal synchrony, which can explain the insufficient central gain reported in the literature. Future studies need to collect trial-by-trial firing variance data so that the present variance-based model can be falsified.
Ligand Effects on Decarbonylation of Palladium-Acyl Complexes

The influences of perturbations of supporting phosphine ligands on the dehydrative decarbonylation of (Ln)PdII(Cl)-hydrocinnamoyl complexes (L = PtBu3, n = 1; L = PPh3, n = 2; L = dppe, n = 1) to y...
Optimizing Multidisciplinary Simulation in Medical School for Larger Groups: Role Assignment by Lottery and Guided Learning

Purpose Medical school simulations are often designed for a limited number of students to maximize engagement and learning. To ensure that all first-year medical students who wished to join had an opportunity to participate, we designed a novel method for larger groups. Patients and methods We devised a low technology "Orchestra Leader's" chart approach to prominently display students' roles, chosen by lottery. During simulation, the chart was mounted on an intravenous pole and served as a group organizational tool. A course instructor prompted students using the chart to accomplish the course objectives in a logical order. Real-life cardiologists and gastroenterologists provided the students with expert subspecialty consultation. We analyzed 125 anonymous student evaluation ratings for 3 years (2017-2019) with a range of 8 to 19 students per laboratory session. Results Our 2017-2019 larger group sessions were all rated as excellent (1.26, Mean, SD ±.510) on the Likert scale where 1.0 is excellent and 5.0 is poor. There were no statistically significant differences in overall ratings among the 2017, 2018 and 2019 sessions. The subspecialists were uniformly rated as excellent. Verbatim free-text responses demonstrated resounding student appreciation for the role assignment by lottery method. Conclusion We designed a novel, "Orchestra Leader's" chart approach for accommodating larger groups in a multidisciplinary simulation laboratory using role assignment by lottery, roles depicted on an organizational chart, and expert instructor prompting. Our consistently excellent ratings suggest that our methods are useful for achieving well-rated larger group simulation laboratories.
The essential role of population health during and beyond COVID-19

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has fundamentally changed how health care systems deliver services and revealed the tenuousness of care delivery based on face-to-face office visits and fee-for-service reimbursement models. Robust population health management, fostered by value-based contract participation, integrates analytics and agile clinical programs and is adaptable to optimize outcomes and reduce risk during population-level crises. In this article, we describe how mature population health programs in a learning health system have been rapidly leveraged to address the challenges of the pandemic. Population-level data and care management have facilitated identification of demographic-based disparities and community outreach. Telemedicine and integrated behavioral health have ensured critical primary care and specialty access, and mobile health and postacute interventions have shifted site of care and optimized hospital utilization. Beyond the pandemic, population health can lead as a cornerstone of a resilient health system, better prepared to improve public health and mitigate risk in a value-based paradigm.
Design and performance simulation of a triboelectric energy harvester for total hip replacement implants

Total Hip Replacement (THR) involves a conventional medical implant where many interacting factors could cause patient dissatisfaction, sometimes leading to lengthy and risky procedures based on guesses. Energy harvesting from natural human motion is being investigated to create a reliable source that will power smart implants and monitor performance simultaneously without any replacement or exchanges. A novel design of Triboelectric Energy Harvester (TEH) is proposed to retrofit a TEH to the THR implant, making it a smart implant. A custom femoral head was designed to incorporate grooves onto the THR femoral head, maximizing energy production without increasing the overall size. The TEH consists of two Titanium layers separated by a PDMS insulator. The Finite Element Analysis shows that the mechanical spring maintains the contact separation motion of the TEH. A theoretical model of a single-degree-of-freedom system with piecewise functions is proposed based on the FEA results to model the contact and release modes and voltage estimations. This study can open the door and lead to new research in load monitoring for total hip replacement.
Fetomaternal hemorrhage: evaluation of recurrence within a large integrated healthcare system.

Background Fetomaternal hemorrhage is associated with severe fetal morbidity and mortality. The recurrence risk of fetomaternal hemorrhage is unknown. Objective We sought to establish the recurrence rate of fetomaternal hemorrhage in a large integrated healthcare system over a 10-year period. Study Design In this retrospective study within the Kaiser Permanente Northern California medical system, cases of fetomaternal hemorrhage were defined by either an elevated fetal hemoglobin level as determined by flow cytometry for a concerning pregnancy outcome (preterm delivery, perinatal demise, neonatal anemia, or transfusion within the first 2 days of life) or by perinatal demise with autopsy findings suggestive of fetomaternal hemorrhage. The outcomes of subsequent pregnancies were reviewed for features of recurrence. Results Within the 2008 to 2018 birth cohort of 375,864 pregnancies, flow cytometry testing for fetal hemoglobin levels was performed in 20,582 pregnancies. We identified 340 cases of fetomaternal hemorrhage (approximately 1 in 1100 births). Within the cohort of 340 affected pregnancies, perinatal loss was recorded for 80 (23.5%) pregnancies and 50 (14.7%) pregnancies delivered neonates who required transfusion. The affected patients had 225 subsequent pregnancies of which 210 were included in the analysis. Of these, 174 (82.9%) advanced beyond the threshold of viability and were delivered within our healthcare system. There was 1 case of recurrent fetomaternal hemorrhage identified. The recurrent case involved a spontaneous preterm delivery of an infant who was noted to have an elevated reticulocyte count but was clinically well. Conclusion Within our large integrated healthcare system, approximately 1 in 1100 pregnancies was affected by fetomaternal hemorrhage within a 10-year period, which is comparable with previous studies. We identified 1 case of recurrence, yielding a recurrence rate of 0.5%. This infant did not have features of clinically important fetomaternal hemorrhage. This information can inform counseling of patients with affected pregnancies.
Vaping disparities at the intersection of gender identity and race/ethnicity in a population-based sample of adolescents.

Background Transgender adolescents use vape products (e.g., e-cigarettes) at higher rates than cisgender adolescents. Little is known about how these disparities differ from the intersectional perspective of both gender identity and race/ethnicity. Methods We examined disparities in past 30-day vaping frequency at the intersection of gender identity and race/ethnicity among adolescents participating in two pooled waves of the population-based California Healthy Kids Survey (N=953,445; 2017-19). Generalized linear mixed models included gender identity-by-race/ethnicity interactions and adjusted for potential confounders. Stratified models quantified relationships between gender identity and vaping within race/ethnicity strata and between race/ethnicity and vaping within gender identity strata. Results Transgender adolescents of color were more likely to report a higher frequency of vaping than cisgender white adolescents. In models stratified by race/ethnicity, transgender adolescents evidenced greater odds of more frequent vaping than cisgender adolescents of the same race/ethnicity; disparities were greatest between transgender and cisgender Black adolescents (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]: 6.05, 95% CI: 4.76-7.68) and smallest between transgender and cisgender white adolescents (AOR: 1.20, 95% CI: 1.06-1.35). In models stratified by gender identity, disparities were greatest between transgender Black and transgender white adolescents (AOR: 2.85, 95% CI: 2.20-3.70) and smallest between transgender multiracial and white adolescents (AOR: 1.28, 95% CI: 1.05-1.58). Similar, though less consistent, patterns emerged for adolescents of color unsure of their gender identity relative to cisgender white adolescents. Conclusion Transgender adolescents of color may be especially vulnerable to vaping disparities. Future research should identify and intervene on causal mechanisms undergirding disparities. Implications Research finds that transgender adolescents use vape products at higher rates than their cisgender peers, however, little is known about how patterns of adolescent vaping may differ by both gender identity and race/ethnicity-information needed to inform culturally-tailored prevention and control initiatives to decrease adolescent vaping disparities. Our analysis of data from a population-based adolescent health survey finds evidence of magnified disparities in vaping frequency among transgender adolescents of color.
Safe Online Planning in Unknown Nonconvex Environments with Implicit Controlled Invariant Sets

Abstract This work extends recent results on lifted controlled invariant sets for discrete-time controllable linear systems to non-convex safe sets, consisting of a union of polytopes. First, we show how to construct a closed-form expression of an invariant set in an extended state and input space using additional binary variables. A more efficient encoding is also provided albeit with additional conservativeness. By avoiding the projection of this set onto the original state space, we use this implicit representation in the lifted space as a supervisor in an online planning context where the safe set grows as new information about the environment is sensed. An example with a double-integrator model with a LiDAR sensor is used to demonstrate the overall approach.
Direct and Indirect Effects of Sleep Hygiene on Student Athlete Mental Health

We examined the direct and indirect effects of sleep hygiene practices on restful sleep and mental health with a sample of 270 NCAA Division I student athletes. Bootstrapping mediation analysis wit...
Rapid design of inclusive wireless technologies: a participatory workshop process.

Wireless technology products and services play a significant role in our everyday lives. Great advances in design features have improved the accessibility and utility of these technologies for older adults and people with disabilities. Yet, there is still opportunity to ensure upcoming designers of wireless technologies consider how their design helps or hinders their product's potential users. In this paper, we describe the evolution of a series of half-day participatory design workshops intended to expose student designers to real-world problem-solving alongside experts in the fields of aging and disability services and end users. Workshop attendees rapidly worked through an inclusive design process identifying and defining problems, considering the design requirements to meet the needs of various individuals, and finally designing and refining concepts to solve those problems. We describe the design of the workshops, iterations intended to improve on the experience, and our recommendations for conducting similar workshops.
Ovarian Metabolism of Xenobiotics

Chemicals that cause loss of ovarian follicles are of toxicological importance because females are born with a finite number of primordial follicles. Premature loss of this follicle pool can accelerate the time to ovarian senescence or menopause in women, ultimately reducing the reproductive life span. Many, but by no means all, xenobiotics require metabolism or biotransformation to a chemically reactive intermediate to induce toxicity. This is also true for most ovarian toxicants. Even though the liver is the primary organ involved in the metabolism or biotransformation of xenobiotics, extrahepatic organs such as the ovary have the capacity to participate in metabolism. This extrahepatic metabolism, especially bioactivation, can pose a problem if the organ metabolizing xenobiotics to their reactive intermediates is also the target organ because target organ metabolism of xenobiotics could potentiate toxicity induced by hepatic metabolism. The ovary expresses enzymes involved in phase I and II metabolism, and it is capable of metabolizing xenobiotics. For example, ovarian toxicants 4-vinylcyclohexene monoepoxide (VCM) and 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA) require bioactivation to induce follicle loss. VCM-induced ovarian toxicity requires the ovarian cytochrome P450 (CYP P450) 2E1 enzyme in the absence of hepatic bioactivation. However, studies indicate that in the presence of hepatic metabolism the ovary plays a minimal role in VCM-induced toxicity. Furthermore, studies have shown that once VCM is bioactivated to the ovotoxic 4-vinylcyclohexene diepoxide (VCD), the ovotoxic metabolite formed can be detoxified by microsomal epoxide hydrolase (mEH) or glutathione conjugation in the ovary. DMBA is sequentially bioactivated to the ovotoxicant DMBA-3,4-diol-1,2-epoxide by CYP 1B1, mEH, and CYP 1A1/1B1 enzymes. Follicle loss induced by the ovotoxicant DMBA in the absence of hepatic tissue was found to involve ovarian mEH enzyme. Additionally, expression of some phase I and II metabolic enzymes is shown to be compartmentalized within the ovary, and expression and activity change as a function of ovarian cycle. As with the liver, the metabolic enzymes in the ovary are also inducible following exposure to xenobiotics, which could result in increased metabolism of these as well as endogenous compounds. The implication of ovarian metabolism of ovotoxicants in the human ovary is not well understood. Human ovary expresses metabolic enzymes and thus has the capacity to participate in the metabolism of ovarian toxicants such as components of cigarette smoke. Collectively, studies have shown that understanding ovarian toxicity induced by protoxicants is a complicated issue including metabolic contributions from not only the liver but also the ovary.
Theorizing the Foreign Affairs Constitution

This article applies international relations theory to derive estimates of the U.S. Constitution's provisions pertaining to foreign relations that Americans would have created in light of the United States' militarily weak condition at the time of founding. It then questions the value of originalism as a technique of constitutional interpretation with respect to the foreign affairs Constitution given the dramatic change in the world power status of the United States.
Cell cycle regulation of CDK2 activity by phosphorylation of Thr160 and Tyr15

We have examined the role of phosphorylation in the regulation of human cyclin-dependent kinase-2 (CDK2), a protein closely related to the cell cycle regulatory kinase CDC2. We find that CDK2 from HeLa cells contains three major tryptic phosphopeptides. Analysis of site-directed mutant proteins, expressed by transient transfection of COS cells, demonstrates that the two major phosphorylation sites are Tyr15 (Y15) and Thr160 (T160). Additional phosphorylation probably occurs on Thr14 (T14). Replacement of T160 with alanine abolishes the kinase activity of CDK2, indicating that phosphorylation at this site (as in CDC2) is required for kinase activity. Mutation of Y15 and T14 stimulates kinase activity, demonstrating that phosphorylation at these sites (as in CDC2) is inhibitory. Similarly, CDK2 is activated in vitro by dephosphorylation of Y15 and T14 by the phosphatase CDC25. Analysis of HeLa cells synchronized at various cell cycle stages indicates that CDK2 phosphorylation on T160 increases during S phase and G2, when CDK2 is most active. Phosphorylation on the inhibitory sites T14 and Y15 is also maximal during S phase and G2. Thus, the activity of a subpopulation of CDK2 molecules is inhibited at a time in the cell cycle when overall CDK2 activity is increased.
Low power CMOS clock buffer

Modern high speed CMOS processors using on-chip phase-locked-loops often require a clock buffer with stringent specifications on the signal's rise time and fall time rather than on the buffer's delay time. For these applications, we propose a low power CMOS clock buffer that momentarily tri-states its output to minimize its power dissipation and its area requirement below those that are achievable by the traditional tapered CMOS buffers. >
Epidemiology of Autism Spectrum Disorders

Epidemiologic data gathered over the last 40 years report that the conservative estimate of autistic spectrum disorder prevalence is 27.5 per 10,000 individuals; however, the prevalence estimate based on newer surveys is 60 per 10,000 individuals. Several factors are considered in various epidemiologic surveys of autism, especially the evolution of the concept of autism and changing criteria for diagnosis. This article reviews the incidence, prevalence, and risk factors for autism.
Aligning studies of information seeking and use with domain analysis

Two different conceptions of domain analysis exist in LIS; one emphasizes theories of knowledge, and the other is grounded in the study of literatures. While studies of information seeking and use have been more widely associated with information retrieval, they can make an important contribution to domain analysis, and perhaps help integrate the two approaches. Because of the mutable and overlapping nature of discourse communities and the knowledge they produce, the most operative user studies will demarcate user groups based on the conceptual requirements of the information problem under investigation, rather than by domain. As our understanding of information use develops, models can then be constructed that represent the dimensions of use for specific domains and that take into account relationships between domains.
Serum levels of several molecules that are associated with B cell activation and inflammation are elevated in AIDS-associated non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (AIDS-NHL) and predict response to treatment

Author(s): Epeldegui, Marta; Widney, Daniel P; Martinez, Anna C; Regidor, Deborah; Magpantay, Larry; Mitsuyasu, Ronald; Sparano, Joseph A; Lee, Jeannette Y; Ambinder, Richard F; Martinez-Maza, Otoniel
Gender and Stalking: Current Intersections and Future Directions

Within this concluding commentary, three important gender-stalking intersections that emerge across the papers included in this special issue are explicated. First, we consider the degree to which existing measures and definitions of stalking are gender sensitive toward both men and women. Second, gender roles and gender socialization scripts are shown to impact our understanding of, perceptions about, and the impacts associated with stalking-like behaviors for both genders. Third, the intersection of gender and developing theories of stalking is considered. Finally, it is argued that future stalking researchers will need to be sensitive to changing cultural norms about gender, relationships, technology, and privacy as these are likely to alter the prevalence, perceptions, and prosecution of stalking within the United States and across the world.
Impact of seed-protecting insecticides on sorghum and corn seed feeding by red imported fire ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae).

The red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta (Buren), damages corn and sorghum seeds and seedlings, and seed treatments have traditionally been used to prevent damage. Recently, granular chlorpyrifos (Lorsban 15 G) has been registered for fire ant suppression. A series of tests was conducted to demonstrate the effectiveness of seedprotecting insecticides. Results demonstrate that seed protectants do not repel ants but rather offer seed protection by preventing recruitment of additional ants to the treated material. Granular chlorpyrifos applied as a T-band (banded over an open furrow) effectively prevents seed damage and suppresses foraging activity, provided that soil is moist when ants are foraging. Under dry foraging conditions in the laboratory, the seed treatment provided better protection than the T band application of granular chlorpyrifos.
The Experience of Un-or Underemployment and Home Foreclosure for Mature Adults: A Phenomenological Approach

Mature workers, identified as 40 years of age or older, have been significantly affected by recent increases in unemployment. The purpose of this study was to give voice to the experience of mature workers facing job loss and foreclosure and identify the policy, employment, and economic implications. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with five participants and two key informants. The sample was drawn from a lower-Michigan non-profit organization where participants were seeking foreclosure prevention assistance. Psychological phenomenology focused on the participants’ description and shared meaning of their experience. Creswell’s (2007) integrated approach was also utilized. A codebook, audit trail, and reflexive statements ensured intercoder reliability and trustworthiness. Participants voiced the importance of sharing their story. Five themes were identified: changing norms, experience of mature workers, age as a barrier, technology as a barrier, and housing. Implications for policy, research, and education are discussed.
Ultrasound-guided percutaneous insertion of 2.7 Fr tunnelled Broviac lines in neonates and small infants

Insertion of permanent central venous access (Broviac line) can be a challenge in neonates especially when sites for peripherally inserted central catheters (PICC) have been exhausted. The landmark technique (LT) has been well described for the percutaneous insertion of central lines in neonates but can be associated with significant complications including death. The use of the ultrasound-guided approach for temporary central line access has been reported but as yet there are no reports of the adaptation of the technique for Broviac line insertion in neonates. A prospective database records all procedures carried out by the vascular access team and any complications which occur; this database was reviewed from November 2004 to January 2008. A consecutive series of 34 neonates underwent insertion of 36 Broviac lines using the ultrasound-guided percutaneous technique with a 2.7 Fr silastic line and a 3 Fr peel-apart sheath. Median gestational age was 34 weeks (range 24–40), chronological age was 102 days (14–209 days), weight 2.9 kg (0.63–4.1). Successful cannulation occurred in 100% of patients. There were no cases of arterial puncture or perioperative complications due to surgery. The ultrasound-guided percutaneous approach for insertion of tunnelled permanent vascular access is safe in neonates with no surgical complications in our series. However, it is a technically demanding procedure to do in neonates and should not be attempted without significant prior experience.
Reflections on the Field of Photoimmunology

Photoimmunology evolved from experiments carried out in the 1970s on the immunology of cancer. In studying the antigenic properties of skin cancers induced in mice by UV radiation, I found that most of these tumors failed to grow when transplanted into normal, syngeneic mice but grew progressively in immunosuppressed mice. Thus, these UV-induced skin cancers were highly antigenic. The critical question was, how can these antigenic skin cancers escape immune rejection in their primary host? The answer was that exposing their skin to UV radiation prevented mice from triggering an immune response against their tumors. The failure to reject these tumors was owing to the development of UV tumor–specific regulatory T cells during the course of irradiation. In unraveling the mechanisms of this effect of UV, much has been learned about the immunology of the skin, including the function of Langerhans cells, the migration of immune cells in skin, the role of antigen-presenting cells in directing the immune response, and the role of keratinocytes as producers of immunological mediators. Thus, photoimmunology helped demonstrate that skin is an important immunological organ, and that the immune system can be influenced by the external environment via the skin.
Making Social Science Matter: Why Social Inquiry Fails and How It Can Succeed Again. By Bent Flyvbjerg. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2001. 201p. $54.95 cloth, $19.95 paper.

The 2001 American Political Science Association meeting was alive with the Perestroika controversy. It has been more than a quarter-century since the profession last saw such ferment. If one compares the two episodes, there is strong similarity in the level of organizational activity; but when it comes to methodological issues, the differences are pronounced. The earlier period was characterized by a rich discussion; today there is comparatively little. And this relative silence has been the norm for a good number of years.
Adsorption and Specific-Heat Studies of Monolayer and Submonolayer Films of He3 and He4

A study has been made of the adsorption of He3 and He4 at 4°K on a substrate consisting of a monolayer of argon adsorbed on a sintered copper sponge. The isotherms display distinct steps indicating the completion of first and second adsorbed layers. Comparisons among the adsorption isotherms of helium and of Ar and N2 at 77.4°K yield a self-consistent set of molecular areas. Measurements have been made of the specific heat of five submonolayer coverages of He3 and He4 on Ar-plated Cu sponge. The heat capacities of nearly complete monolayers vary as T2 from 0.3 to 4°K, yielding two-dimensional Debye temperatures Theta (He4)=28±1°K, and Theta (He3)=31±1°K. At lower coverages the molar heat capacities increase and develop contributions linear in T below 1°K. At an intermediate coverage, the heat capacity of He4 exhibits a broad and pronounced maximum near 3°K. Possible mechanisms for the linear terms and the maximum are discussed briefly. Evidence for considerable mobility of He atoms along the surface is adduced from the temperature and coverage dependence of the heat capacity. The T2 behavior for the complete monolayers yields an upper limit of ~10^-11 sec for the lifetime of a He atom in any individual adsorption site, consistent with a theoretical estimate.
Consistent resolution of some relativistic quantum paradoxes

A relativistic version of the (consistent or decoherent) histories approach to quantum theory is developed on the basis of earlier work by Hartle, and used to discuss relativistic forms of the paradoxes of spherical wave packet collapse, Bohm's formulation of the Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen paradox, and Hardy's paradox. It is argued that wave function collapse is not needed for introducing probabilities into relativistic quantum mechanics, and in any case should never be thought of as a physical process. Alternative approaches to stochastic time dependence can be used to construct a physical picture of the measurement process that is less misleading than collapse models. In particular, one can employ a coarse-grained but fully quantum-mechanical description in which particles move along trajectories, with behavior under Lorentz transformations the same as in classical relativistic physics, and detectors are triggered by particles reaching them along such trajectories. States entangled between spacelike separate regions are also legitimate quantum descriptions, and can be consistently handled by the formalism presented here. The paradoxes in question arise because of using modes of reasoning which, while correct for classical physics, are inconsistent with the mathematical structure of quantum theory, and are resolved (or tamed) by using a proper quantum analysis. Inmore » particular, there is no need to invoke, nor any evidence for, mysterious long-range superluminal influences, and thus no incompatibility, at least from this source, between relativity theory and quantum mechanics.« less
Transport of coarse particulate organic matter in an Idaho river, USA

I investigated organic matter transport in the Henry's Fork of the Snake River, Idaho, USA, from August 1987 to November 1988. Mean discharge during the study was 15 m3 s−1. Screens were used to sample very coarse (> 6 mm) transported aquatic macrophyte material (VCTMM). Drift nets were used to sample coarse (1–6 mm) and fine (0.25–1 mm) transported particulate organic matter (CTOM and FTOM). Mean monthly concentration of VCTMM was 0.064 mg AFDWl−1 and was significantly higher than CTOM (0.024 mg AFDW l−1) and FTOM (0.036 mg AFDW l−1). VCTMM concentration was highest in December (0.163 mg AFDW l−1) and lowest in May (0.018 mg AFDW l−1). The sample position along a transect across the channel had a significant effect on the amount of transported organic matter collected in many months. The concentration of debris from individual species tracked the standing stock of that species during the growing season. In Fall, a dramatic increase in VCTMM corresponded to a decrease in macrophyte standing stock. FTOM and CTOM concentrations were highest in January (CTOM: 0.048; FTOM: 0.111 mg AFDW l−1), lowest in November 1988 (<0.006 mg AFDW l−1), were not correlated with discharge, and were inversely correlated with the standing stocks of macrophytes upstream, probably because macrophyte beds influenced the retentiveness of the channel. Standing stock of aquatic macrophytes was highest in September–October (5.2 kg wet weight m −2) and lowest in February (1.7 kg wet weight m−2). Annual movement of particulate organic matter past the sampling point was about 45 000 kg AFDW, of which 21 000 kg was VCTMM, 8 000 kg was CPOM, and 16 000 kg was FPOM.
Electronic Gaging of Glass Products

The introduction of glass gaging has come about due to the rigid requirements of close dimension for television picture tubes. Prior to the advent of television tubes to the glass industry, the requirement for sophisticated gaging was nonexistent. Television glass, on the other hand, has several very close requirements. The inside surface of the face panel requires a generally spherical shape to be within 0.015 in of true contour, while the periphery of the skirt or edges of the panel must be held to ±0.040, and flatness of the mating surface called ``seal land'' must be within 0.015 in. Add to all of this the fact that glass scratches easily and chips or breaks readily and so upon the stage enters automatic gaging.
Effect of equation of state on prediction of trickle bed reactor model performance

Trickle bed reactors are widely employed in hydrotreating pocesses that operate at conditions where a significant portion of the liquid phase will flash. This partial vaporization of the feed affects the reactor performance. In order to determine the extent of liquid flashing and its effect on reactor performance, an equation of state is needed. In this study we used seven cubic equations of state to determine their effect in predicting reactor performance as well as parameter estimation Two important variables that are calculated from the equation of state are the vapor liquid equilibrium and the molar density of the liquid phase. It was observed that although the distribution coefficients calculated by each equation of state are significantly different from each other, they do not affect the reactor model appreciably. However, molar density determination has a large effect both on modelling of reactor performance and the parameter estimation.
Two Distinct Pathways for O-Fucosylation of Epidermal Growth Factor-like or Thrombospondin Type 1 Repeats

Epidermal growth factor-like (EGF) repeats and thrombospondin type 1 repeats (TSRs) are both small cysteine-knot motifs known to be O-fucosylated. The enzyme responsible for the addition of O-fucose to EGF repeats, protein O-fucosyltransferase 1 (POFUT1), has been identified and shown to be essential in Notch signaling. Fringe, an O-fucose β1,3-N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase, elongates O-fucose on specific EGF repeats from Notch to form a disaccharide that can be further elongated to a tetrasaccharide. TSRs are found in many extracellular matrix proteins and are involved in protein-protein interactions. The O-fucose moiety on TSRs can be further elongated with glucose to form a disaccharide. The discovery of O-fucose on TSRs raised the question of whether POFUT1, or a different enzyme, adds O-fucose to TSRs. Here we demonstrate the existence of a TSR-specific O-fucosyltransferase distinct from POFUT1. Similar to POFUT1, the novel TSR-specific O-fucosyltransferase is a soluble enzyme that requires a properly folded TSR as an acceptor substrate. In addition, we found that a previously identified fucose-specific β1,3-glucosyltransferase adds glucose to O-fucose on TSRs, but it does not modify O-fucose on an EGF repeat. Similarly, Lunatic fringe, Manic fringe, and Radical fringe are all capable of modifying O-fucose on an EGF repeat, but not on a TSR. Taken together, these results suggest that two distinct O-fucosylation pathways exist in cells, one specific for EGF repeat and the other for TSRs.
Adding localization information in a fingerprint binary feature vector representation

At BTAS'10, a new framework to transform a fingerprint minutiae template into a binary feature vector of fixed length is described. A fingerprint is characterized by its similarity with a fixed number set of representative local minutiae vicinities. This approach by representative leads to a fixed length binary representation, and, as the approach is local, it enables to deal with local distortions that may occur between two acquisitions. We extend this construction to incorporate additional information in the binary vector, in particular on localization of the vicinities. We explore the use of position and orientation information. The performance improvement is promising for utilization into fast identification algorithms or into privacy protection algorithms.
On how correlations between excitatory and inhibitory synaptic inputs maximize the information rate of neuronal firing.

Cortical neurons receive barrages of excitatory and inhibitory inputs which are not independent, as network structure and synaptic kinetics impose statistical correlations. Experiments in vitro and in vivo have demonstrated correlations between inhibitory and excitatory synaptic inputs in which inhibition lags behind excitation in cortical neurons. This delay arises in feed-forward inhibition circuits and ensures that coincident excitation and inhibition do not preclude neuronal firing. Conversely, inhibition that is too delayed broadens neuronal integration times, thereby diminishing spike-time precision and increasing the firing frequency. This led us to hypothesize that the correlation between excitatory and inhibitory synaptic inputs modulates the encoding of information of neural spike trains. We tested this hypothesis by investigating the effect of such correlations on the information rate (IR) of spike trains using the Hodgkin-Huxley model in which both synaptic and membrane conductances are stochastic. We investigated two different synaptic input regimes: balanced synaptic conductances and balanced currents. Our results show that correlations arising from the synaptic kinetics, tau, and millisecond lags, delta, of inhibition relative to excitation strongly affect the IR of spike trains. In the regime of balanced synaptic currents, for short time lags (delta ~ 1 ms) there is an optimal tau that maximizes the IR of the postsynaptic spike train. Given the short time scales for monosynaptic inhibitory lags and synaptic decay kinetics reported in cortical neurons under physiological contexts, we propose that feed-forward inhibition in cortical circuits is poised to maximize the rate of information transfer between cortical neurons. Our results also provide a possible explanation for how certain drugs and genetic mutations affecting the synaptic kinetics can deteriorate information processing in the brain.
The longitudinal drift velocity of a sheared dilute suspension of spheres

Abstract We present the calculation of the particle drift velocity for a dilute, neutrally buoyant suspension of spheres under the action of shear when inertia and Brownian effects are negligible, resulting from the effect of an imposed concentration gradient. Using a renormalization technique employed previously, we found that the particle drift velocity 〈 U 〉 is proportional to the concentration gradient ∇ φ through the relation 〈 U 〉= βa 2 E · ∇ φ + O ( φ ∇ φ ), where a is the radius of the spheres and E is the fluid rate of strain, while β is an O (1) constant that depends on the angular velocity of the fluid flow. In particular, β =2.40 for simple shear flow, and β =3.12 for pure straining flow. Finally, combining the expression of the drift velocity with that of the self-diffusivity, we determined the shear-induced particle volumetric flux and cross gradient diffusivity for the case of simple shear flow.
Comparison of frequency of left ventricular thrombi in patients with anterior wall versus non–anterior wall acute myocardial infarction treated with antithrombotic and antiplatelet therapy with or without coronary revascularization

Of 200 patients with ST-segment elevation acute myocardial infarction (AMI), all received antiplatelet and antithrombotic therapy, and 186 patients (93%) underwent coronary revascularization. Left ventricular thrombi were diagnosed by 2-dimensional echocardiography </=1 week after AMI in 19 of 114 patients (17%) with anterior wall AMI and in 3 of 86 patients (3%) with non-anterior wall AMI (p <0.001).
P03.01. Acupuncture's Effectiveness at Treating Subclinical Hypothyroid Disease via the HPA/HPT Axis: A Multiple Case Series:

Focus Area: Integrative Approaches to Care Purpose: Subclinical hypothyroid disease (SHypo) is defined as having serum thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) concentration above the normal reference range while serum free thyroxine (FT4) and free triiodothyronine (FT3) are within reference range. It is estimated that 4% to 10% of the general population has subclinical hypothyroidism, increasing to 20% in women over 60 years of age. The current treatment recommendation for SHypo with TSH levels between 3 MIU/L and 5 mIU/L is to monitor levels every 6 to 12 months. Studies have shown that levothyroxine is not effective for this TSH group. Based on Hans Selye's general adaption theory (GAS), it is known that acute and chronic stress can affect thyroid function via the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) and the hypothalamus-pituitary-thyroid (HPT) axes. Acupuncture can reduce the body's stress response and therefore should improve thyroid function. This research was conducted to determine if acupuncture is a viable treatment option for SHypo. Methods: Two cases were studied for replication. The female patients, aged 34 and 44 years, received 12 Japanese Meridian acupuncture constitutional treatments and moxibustion once per week. Serum TSH, FT4, FT3, salivary cortisol, Perceived Stress Scale–10 (PSS-10) were measured at pretreatment, mid-treatment, and posttreatment. Number of hypothyroid symptoms present (Zulewski index) were assessed prior to each treatment. All measurements were analyzed for changes over time and cross-case comparison. Results: Both patients had decreases in TSH and number of hypothyroid symptoms present and increases in total cortisol load and morning diurnal cortisol rhythm. Both patients reported improvements in bowel movements and menstruation. Conclusion: From this study, it can be theorized that acupuncture is a viable treatment option for SHypo; however, more rigorous larger-scale research studies need to be conducted to validate and extend these findings.
Scattering of 25-87 Mev Photons by Protons

Scattering of 67-Mev bremsstrahlung by liquid hydrogen has been measured with a lead converter-telescope arrangement at angles from 70 to 150 degrees. The weighting function of the cross-section peaks at 60 Mev, has a full width of 55 Mev, and is approximately symmetrical. In this angular range contributions from processes other than elastic scattering from protons are believed to be small. The observed cross sections are somewhat smaller and flatter in angular distribution than those given by Powell's formula for scattering by a point proton with the static anomalous moment. (auth)
Modeling the anomalous coordination chemistry of Cr(III) biscyclam.

A computational modeling of the formation of bis-Cr(III) biscyclam shows that the thermodynamically favored isomer is that with a trans,trans‘ geometry. Experimentally, only the kinetically favored...
Environmental movement of indicator bacteria from soil amended with undigested sewage sludge

Abstract The relationship between the quantity of undigested sewage sludge applied to agricultural land and the number of coliform and faecal streptococcal organisms transported from the sludge into the subsoil, ground water or to various parts of selected crops was investigated. Bacterial numbers transported to 15 cm depth in the plot that received the highest amount of sludge showed some correlation with the amount of sludge applied. Bacterial numbers in other plots, in the leachate and on the crops have also been discussed.
Representing educational content in digital library resources

A rubric for representing the educational content of digital resources was developed and tested in an experiment with preservice teachers. The ADMIRE (Analyzing Digital Materials In Resources for Education) rubric codes 11 types of digital content organized into five major categories; codes and categories are drawn from learning science and instructional research. The ADMIRE rubric was used to analyze the types of content present in digital resources that preservice teachers accepted or rejected for classroom use during instructional planning. Results show that the ADMIRE rubric provides a useful method to understand teachers' success in online search and the types of educational content that they value during instructional planning.
Office-based management of obesity.

Appropriate recognition and management of obesity is imperative given the fact that one-third of Americans are clinically obese. Up to 25% of patients with a body mass index ≥ 30 are not appropriately identified by primary care physicians as being obese. An even smaller portion of recognized patients is offered any form of weight-loss treatment. This may be the result of approximately 40% of physicians possessing negative attitudes toward such patients given the challenges in managing this population. In the near future, physicians will be empowered with further knowledge regarding metabolic and neurologic adaptations that make weight loss so difficult. Along with this new information will come novel treatment options. It is predicted that many of the barriers preventing appropriate management of obesity will diminish as further knowledge and treatment options become available. Mt Sinai J Med 77:466–471,2010. © 2010 Mount Sinai School of Medicine
Personal and social responsibility for health

Everyone wants to be healthy, but many of us decline to act in healthy ways. What bearing, if any, should these choices have on the ethics of clinical practice and health policy? Should risk-takers have the same claim on scarce resources, such as organs for transplant, as those whose plight is due to no choices of their own? And is there any reason not to impose fees and taxes on risk-takers, be they smokers or mountain climbers, to defray the added expense of the care they may need? In health resource allocation aimed at reducing the burden of disease, should we regard certain burdens as individual responsibilities: for example, dealing with stigma, or caretaking for family members? Socioeconomic status (SES) and health expectancy are strongly linked. To the extent that this results from risk-taking by the poor, is reduction of SES-linked health inequalities a morally important social goal? International public health aims at improving health on a population level. The World Health Organization has been criticized for failing to distinguish genuine health risks from personal lifestyle choices, as when it speaks of a tobacco-related “epidemic” as if cigarette use were a contagious disease like malaria. Should personal responsibility for health be taken into account in setting the agenda for global public health, and in measuring progress by countries in improving health. This paper addresses applications of the notions of personal and social responsibility for health. It also looks at the vulnerability of the notion of personal responsibility for health to intentional manipulation by self-interested parties in health policy debates.