cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Characterizing the Diagnosis and Treatment of Allergic Contact Dermatitis to 2-Octyl Cyanoacrylate Used for Skin Closure in Elective Orthopedic Surgery.

Abstract Background While studies have shown that postoperative wound complications can predispose to deep infection following orthopedic surgery, the best form of skin closure has not been elucidated. Furthermore, the unique risks and benefits of each type of wound closure have not been studied. The goal of this study is to present the diagnosis and treatment of patients with allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) from 2-octyl cyanoacrylate, a skin adhesive commonly used in wound closure. Methods Twenty-nine patients with ACD to 2-octyl cyanoacrylate (Prineo, Ethicon, NJ) following elective orthopedic surgeries from 2013 to 2016 were retrospectively reviewed; this occurred in 29 of 6088 units of Prineo used at our institution, for an estimated incidence of 0.5%. Nineteen patients (66%) had knee operations. Mean age was 55 years (range, 15-92 years). We classified patients by symptom severity and treatment requirements into mild, moderate, and severe reactions. Results Most reactions were moderate (48%) or severe (38%) reactions. Mean time from surgery to diagnosis was 11.8 days (range, 2-42 days). All patients underwent removal of the Prineo dressing and daily dressing changes with a specific protocol. Twenty patients (69%) received oral antihistamines, 16 patients (55%) required topical corticosteroids, and 5 patients (17%) required oral corticosteroids. All cases of ACD ultimately resolved at a mean of 22 days (range, 13-56 days) postoperatively. Conclusion 2-Octyl cyanoacrylate skin adhesive occurs in an estimated 0.5% of cases and can lead to severe postoperative ACD when used following orthopedic operations. However, with early recognition and appropriate treatment, patients' symptoms resolve without a significant impact on wound healing.
Spectroscopic Investigation of Carotenoids Involved in Non-Photochemical Fluorescence Quenching

This chapter will review the recent results in the field of carotenoid photophysics and relate excited-state properties of carotenoids to their potential roles in the dissipation of the singlet-excited state of chlorophyll a resulting in non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) of chlorophyll fluorescence. Investigations into the structure and dynamics of excited states of carotenoids have revealed potential mechanisms regarding the involvement of spectroscopically forbidden “dark” excited states in carotenoid relaxation pathways. The generally accepted model for deactivation of excited states of carotenoids following photo-excitation invokes three states, the ground state S0, the first excited state S1, considered “dark” because the S0→S1 transition is forbidden by symmetry, and the second excited state S2, where the S0→S2 transition is strongly allowed. In addition to these states, a number of other excited states have been proposed to be involved in carotenoid de-excitation on the basis of theoretical computations and ultrafast spectroscopy. Yet, the properties of these additional states, and even their very existence, are still being questioned. We will describe the current state of knowledge regarding energetics and dynamics of carotenoid excited states and molecular factors that control these properties, which include the π-electron conjugated chain length, various attached functional groups, configuration and conformation of the molecules, and, perhaps most importantly, carotenoid interaction with the local environment. Many of these factors tune the excited-state spectra and dynamics of carotenoids, and there is accumulating evidence that they are crucial for carotenoid function in photosynthetic systems.
Co-development of internalizing and externalizing behavior problems during early childhood among child welfare-involved children.

Abstract Using parallel-process latent growth curve modeling, we examine developmental trajectories of internalizing and externalizing behavior problems and identify early risk factors for behavior problems among 329 child welfare-involved children followed from age 2 years to 5 years. Data are drawn from the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being II. On average, internalizing behavior problems remained stable, while externalizing behavior problems decreased over time. Higher initial levels of internalizing behavior problems were associated with higher initial levels of externalizing behavior problems. Rates of change also had positive cross-domain relationships. Child neglect, exposure to intimate partner violence (IPV), insecure caregiver-child attachment, and caregiver mental health problems were associated with higher initial levels of internalizing and externalizing behavior problems. Exposure to IPV, out-of-home care, and caregiver drug use predicted rates of change in behavior problems. Our findings highlight the importance of comprehensive assessment and treatment for co-occurring internalizing and externalizing behavior problems in young children involved in the child welfare system. Results also indicate the need for identifying and addressing early risk factors to prevent early onset and continued development of behavior problems in high-risk children.
The Frequency and Nature of Communication Between School-Based Speech-Language Pathologists and Caregivers of Children With Language Impairment

Purpose The present study investigates the extent to which school-based speech-language pathologists (SLPs) communicate with the caregivers of children with language impairment and the factors that...
Random Response Spectrum Analysis of Gravity Dam Classes: Simplified, Practical, and Fast Approach:

The seismic risk of concrete dams may be assessed using various numerical techniques, ranging from simplified methods to linear and nonlinear ones. Such methods should be combined with probabilisti...
Sustaining Sustainability in Large Real Estate Investment Management Firms

Executive Summary In this exploratory paper, we examine real estate managerial decisions; specifically, who is responsible in large real estate investment management for sustaining sustainability at the firm and asset operational level. These decisions are distinct from the acquisition of sustainable buildings. We employ 93 semi-structured interviews conducted with professionals at direct lenders, executive search firms, life insurance companies, owner-operators, private equity funds, publicly-traded REITs, third-party real estate service firms, and tax credit syndicators. Results indicate five unique approaches to sustaining sustainability at the asset and firm level: corporate, property manager, asset manager, and consultant driven, as well as stand-alone strategies. Further, interviewees suggest that the value proposition of sustainability initiatives can be enhanced through management collaboration to leverage unique data streams.
The interactive effect of avatar visual fidelity and behavioral fidelity in the collaborative virtual reality environment on the perception of social interaction

Collaboration is an important method for online student engagement. Currently employed communication media lack features that foster maximum perception of social interaction in e-learning. New technologies enable researchers and designers to test collaborative learning in the Collaborative Virtual Reality Environment (CVRE), an emerging tool with the potential to provide an interactive e-learning environment. The current study examined how the perception of social interaction in the CVRE is influenced by variations in how much the avatar resembles a human being in appearance and behavior. We measured the extent to which virtual representations were both perceived and treated as if they were human, via self-report questionnaire. Interactive effect for visual fidelity and behavioral fidelity of the avatar was found, suggesting that evaluating the effect of visual fidelity on social interaction without taking into consideration the behavioral fidelity of the avatar (and vice versa) can lead to misleading results.
Abstract B05: Adenosine generation limits the ability of radiation therapy to induce antitumor immunity by abrogating recruitment and activation of CD103+ DCs

Localized radiation therapy (RT) can act as a powerful adjuvant to immunotherapeutic strategies by triggering anti-tumor immune responses to poorly immunogenic tumors. Radiation of tumor cells induces a dose-dependent release of ATP, a molecule that when released in the tumor microenvironment (TME) triggers recruitment and activation of dendritic cells (DCs), including CD103+ DCs recently identified as the key DC subset responsible for cross-presentation of tumor-derived antigens to CD8+ T cells. However, rapid hydrolysis of extracellular ATP by ecto-enzymes CD39 and CD73 results in a local accumulation of immunosuppressive adenosine that inhibits DC activation and CD8+ T cell effector functions and promotes regulatory T cells (Tregs). By blocking CD73 in conjunction with local tumor RT, we tested the hypothesis that adenosine generation limits the ability of RT to trigger anti-tumor immunity. Wild type (WT) or BATF3-/- mice (CD103+ DC-deficient) were inoculated s.c. with TSA tumor cells (day 0) and assigned to treatment with: (1) control Ab; (2) anti-CD73 Ab (100 μg) (3) RT (20 Gy); (4) RT + anti-CD73 Ab. Antibodies were administered i.p. on day 11, 14, 17 and 20. RT was given locally as single 20 Gy dose on day 12. On day 18, tumors were analyzed by flow cytometry for DC and T cell infiltration. Mice were monitored for tumor progression. Bone marrow-derived DCs (BMDCs) isolated from WT mice (>90% CD103+) were labeled with CFSE and intravenously injected in BATF3-/- recipient mice. Tumors were harvested after 48h and analyzed by flow cytometry for infiltration of CFSE+ DCs. In irradiated but not mock-treated mice, anti-CD73 Ab resulted in increased infiltration of CD103+DCs (8.9±2.6% of DCs in RT+anti-CD73 v. 3.5±2.8% of DCs in RT, p Our data support the hypothesis that adenosine generated following RT plays a key role in hindering development of anti-tumor immune responses and identify, as a mechanism of this effect, an abrogated infiltration and activation of CD103+ DCs. Blockade of adenosine generation by anti-CD73 treatment constitutes a promising strategy to enhance radiation-induced anti-tumor immunity. Citation Format: Erik Wennerberg, Silvia Formenti, Sandra Demaria. Adenosine generation limits the ability of radiation therapy to induce antitumor immunity by abrogating recruitment and activation of CD103+ DCs [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy; 2017 Oct 1-4; Boston, MA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Immunol Res 2018;6(9 Suppl):Abstract nr B05.
IGF-Child-Turcotte-Pugh score as a predictor of treatment outcome in Child-Pugh A, advanced hepatocellular carcinoma patients undergoing sorafenib therapy.

223Background: Sorafenib is the first systemic therapy approved for advanced HCC treatment; with no accurate tool available to help predict survival and treatment outcome and to guide therapy decis...
An Autoethnographic Approach to a Supervisor-Supported Climate Survey

AbstractAcademic libraries typically employ a top-down approach to employee performance evaluations, which often does little to reveal an employee’s needs within the workplace and fails to provide ...
Application of High Performance FPGA to Boost Bandwidth of SiC Shunt Active Power Filter

Silicon Carbide (SiC) devices provide new possibilities for shunt active power filter (APF) to increase its compensation bandwidth. A high bandwidth SiC APF with three-phase interleaved voltage source inverter is presented in this work. The Zynq-7000 system on chip(SoC) FPGA is used as the controller platform, which achieves very low latency for multi-channel sampling and complex control algorithms implementation. System configurations including topology, switching frequency, modulation method, feedback path, and controller implementation all play important roles on the achievable bandwidth. These factors are discussed in the paper regarding their influences and selection with the focus on increasing achievable bandwidth. An example on designing PI compensator using FPGA programmable logic is presented. The example shows superiority of FPGA on reducing controller latency over a conventional microcontroller. The complete design achieves 100kHz switching frequency, 200MHz FPGA system clock and has high bandwidth to cancel up to the 50th harmonics of grid current.
Under our care.

The BVA’s ‘under our care’ working group is developing recommendations for the BVA policy committee on how to respond to the RCVS review of ‘under care’ and 24/7 care, and to the preceding discussions within the RCVS standards committee relating to remote prescribing and telemedicine. The interpretation of ‘under care’, the obligation in the code for out-of- hours provision for animals under our care, and the professional and ethical obligations of the profession to provide emergency first aid more widely are all important issues that require clarity …
Implementation of a Standardized Seizure Action Plan to Improve Communication and Parental Education.

Abstract Background Quality measures have highlighted the need for efficient treatment of status epilepticus. One strategy is prevention of refractory status epilepticus through individualized seizure action plans. As a quality improvement project, we implemented a standardized seizure action plan to improve the delivery of key information to families of children with seizures. Methods We implemented our standardized seizure action plan using plan-do-study-act cycles. The plans were distributed to caregivers of children (zero to 18 years) seen for seizures in outpatient neurology clinics. Families were given questionnaires at the beginning of each visit to gauge their understanding of their child’s diagnosis, treatment, and comfort in emergency seizure management. Provider utilization rates and questionnaire responses were analyzed over time to assess the effectiveness of the action plan. Results Provider utilization rates of the standardized seizure action plan improved from 0% to 58.1%. At baseline, 31.5% caregivers indicated that they did not know their child’s epilepsy syndrome or seizure type, 29.6% did not know the emergency protocol at their child’s school, 9.2% did not know when to consider a seizure an emergency or what to do if their child’s seizure had become an emergency, and 17.5% were not comfortable administering rescue medication. Caregivers who received the action plan had improved responses at subsequent visits (P Conclusions Standardizing provision of seizure action plans in pediatric neurology clinic can improve key elements of caregiver education regarding epilepsy diagnoses and seizure emergencies.
Evaluation of Deer Damage in Mature Apple Orchards

The impact of winter deer (Odocoileus virginianus) browsing on apple production was studied in three commercial orchards in southwestern Wisconsin. Estimates of the proportion of apple buds available to deer, the percentage of available buds browsed, and the apple production were obtained for about 500 sample trees in 1975 and 1976. The accuracy and precision of estimation procedures were evaluated, and the relationship between browsing and production was analyzed. The availability of apple buds to browsing deer was primarily a function of the size and shape of the apple trees. Visual and photographic appraisal indicated that ellipsoids best described the shapes of apple tree crowns, so the proportion of buds available was calculated from equations for ellipsoid volumes for each tree. Good estimates of proportions of available buds browsed were obtained from bud and nip counts on a 2.5 percent sample of the trees, and subjective estimates of the proportion of available buds browsed were correlated with proportions calculated from the actual counts. Multiple regression analyses suggested that the degree of browsing was related to the cultivar, size, and location of the apple trees. In the orchards studied, 34 and 10 percent of the growing points were removed by deer in 1975 and 1976, respectively. Analyses indicated that deer browsing decreased apple production on size-controlled (dwarf and semidwarf) trees, but not on standard sized trees. Two methods of evaluating deer damage are proposed. The first method uses realized production figures and estimates of the percentage of the orchard browsed, whereas the second method requires only an estimate of buds browsed in the damaged areas to predict production loss.
Characteristics of Effective Self-Regulated Learning Interventions in Mathematics Classrooms: A Systematic Review

Several meta-analyses suggest that identifiable characteristics of self-regulated learning interventions result in improvement in students’ academic performance and self-regulatory competence across content areas. Nevertheless, little is known about recent interventions and about specific characteristics of interventions that may be domain-specific. In this systematic review, we targeted mathematics and reviewed 36 self-regulated learning intervention studies conducted with school-aged learners. We examined patterns of effective interventions with identified characteristics, such as theoretical guidance, type of strategies instructed, type of outcome assessments, and targeted outcomes. Findings revealed that those interventions grounded in metacognition-oriented theories and those interventions that targeted multiple strategies including cognitive, metacognitive, and motivational, tended to yield effective increases in both mathematics achievement and self-regulated learning. The review also examined patterns within interventions conducted from 1992 – 2020. Findings indicate recent interventions tend to adopt a social-cognitive SRL model and employ standardized knowledge assessments. Implications for practice and future self-regulated learning interventions in mathematics are discussed.
Recent advances in the management of gastrointestinal stromal tumor

Gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) is a rare but an important clinical entity seen in our clinical practice. It is the most common mesenchymal tumor of the gastrointestinal tract and most common malignancy of the small intestine. Although the exact prevalence of GIST is not known, the incidence of GIST has been increasing. GISTs arise from interstitial cells of Cajal. Most of the GISTs occur due to mutation in c-kit gene or platelet derived growth factor receptor alpha gene. 15% of GISTs do not have these mutations and they are called wild-type GISTs. Almost all GISTs express KIT receptor tyrosine kinase. Histologically, GISTs look like spindle cell tumors most of the time but they can be epitheloid or mixed type. The median size of GISTs varies from 2.7 cm to 8.9 cm. Clinically, patients with small GISTs remain asymptomatic but as the GIST size increases, patients present with various symptoms depending on the location of the GIST. Most of GISTs are located in the stomach or small bowel. Diagnosis is suspected on imaging and endoscopic studies, and confirmed by tissue acquisition with immunohistochemical staining. The aggressiveness of GISTs depends on the size, mitotic index and location. Surgical resection is the treatment of choice. But various endoscopic modalities of resection are increasingly being tried. Tyrosine kinase inhibitors are extremely useful in the management of large GISTs, unresectable GISTs and metastatic GISTs. Treatment options for metastatic GISTs also include radiotherapy, chemotherapy, hepatic artery embolization, chemoembolization and radiofrequency ablation.
Decentralized Multi-agent information-theoretic control for target estimation and localization: finding gas leaks:

This article presents a new decentralized multi-agent information-theoretic (DeMAIT) control algorithm for mobile sensors (agents). The algorithm leverages Bayesian estimation and information-theor...
A dynamic approach to predict travel time in real time using data driven techniques and comprehensive data sources

Abstract Having access to accurate travel time is of great importance for both highway network users and traffic engineers. The travel time which is currently reported on highways is usually estimated by employing naive methods and using limited sources of data. This could result in unreliable and inaccurate travel time prediction which causes inconvenience for travelers. Despite abundant effort on predicting travel time, the dynamic nature of travel time was neglected in many studies. Therefore, the main objective of this study is to predict the short-term travel time of highways dynamically, using multiple data sources including loop detectors, probe vehicles, weather condition, geometry, accidents, road works, special events, and sun glare. To this end, three well known machine learning methods, Artificial Neural Network, K-Nearest Neighbors and Random Forest, are employed to predict and compare short-term travel time for prediction horizons of 5 min in one hour ahead. The results confirm satisfying performance of models, especially Random Forest, in short-term travel time prediction. Our analyses also show that traffic variables, especially occupancy, are the most effective variables in predicting the travel time. Finally, we proposed an approach for a dynamic prediction of travel time for a corridor. Interestingly, the results of our dynamic approach improved the accuracy of travel time prediction over the snapshot travel time prediction.
A Rapid Electromechanical Model To Predict Reverse Remodeling Following Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy

Abstract Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) is an ef-fective therapy for patients who suffer from heart failure and ventricular dyssynchrony such as left bundle branch block (LBBB). When it works, it reverses adverse left ventricular (LV) remodeling and the progression of heart failure. How-ever, CRT response rate is currently as low as 50-65%. In theory, CRT outcome could be improved by allowing clinicians to tailor the therapy through patient-specific lead locations, timing, and/or pacing protocol. However, this also presents a dilemma: there are far too many possible strategies to test during the implantation surgery. Computational models could address this dilemma by predicting remodeling outcomes for each patient before the surgery takes place. Therefore, the goal of this study was to develop a rapid computational model to predict reverse LV remodeling following CRT. We adapted our recently developed computational model of LV remodeling to simulate the mechanics of ventricular dyssynchrony and added a rapid electrical model to predict electrical activation timing. The model was calibrated to quantitatively match changes in hemodynamics and global and local LV wall mass from a canine study of LBBB and CRT. The calibrated model was used to investigate the influence of LV lead location and ischemia on CRT remodeling outcome. Our model results suggest that remodeling outcome varies with both lead location and ischemia location, and does not always correlate with short-term improvement in QRS duration. The results and time frame required to customize and run this model suggest promise for this approach in a clinical setting.
Intelligent Line Congestion Prognosis in Active Distribution System Using Artificial Neural Network

This paper proposes an intelligent line congestion prognosis scheme based on wide-area measurements, which accurately identifies an impending congestion and the problem causing the congestion. Due to the increasing penetration of renewable energy resources and uncertainty of load/generation patterns in the Active Distribution Networks (ADNs), power line congestion is one of the issues that could happen during peak load conditions or high-power injection by renewable energy resources. Congestion would have devastating effects on both the economical and technical operation of the grid. Hence, it is crucial to accurately predict congestions to alleviate the problem in-time and command proper control actions; such as, power redispatch, incorporating ancillary services and energy storage systems, and load curtailment. We use neural network methods in this work due to their outstanding performance in predicting the nonlinear behavior of the power system. Bayesian Regularization, along with Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm, is used to train the proposed neural networks to predict an impending congestion and its cause. The proposed method is validated using the IEEE 13-bus test system. Utilizing the proposed method, extreme control actions (i.e., protection actions and load curtailment) can be avoided. This method will improve the distribution grid resiliency and ensure the continuous supply of power to the loads.
Deep brain stimulation: Challenges at the tissue-electrode interface and current solutions.

Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) is used to treat the motor symptoms of Parkinson's Disease patients by stimulating the subthalamic nucleus. However, optimization of DBS is still needed since the performance of the neural electrodes is limited by the body's response to the implant. This review discusses the issues with DBS, such as placement of electrodes, foreign body response, and electrode degradation. The current solutions to these technical issues include modifications to electrode material, coatings, and geometry. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Assessing Measurement Invariance Across Multiple Groups: When Is Fit Good Enough?:

Complex research questions often need large samples to obtain accurate estimates of parameters and adequate power. Combining extant data sets into a large, pooled data set is one way this can be ac...
Patterns and predictors of rehabilitation therapy among older patients with advanced cancer admitted to nursing homes: A SEER-Medicare analysis.

6585Background: Functional impairments affect > 40% of hospitalized patients (pts) with advanced cancer. After hospital discharge, about 20% of pts received rehabilitation (rehab) in nursing homes ...
Improvement of Nanotwinned Copper Thermal Stability for High Temperature Heterogeneous Integration

The novel nanotwinned copper material was investigated for use as an interconnect material for microelectronic packaging. It provides improved electro-migration and mechanical reliabilities versus traditional Cu interconnects. By adding low level impurities, nt-Cu can be stabilized for a thermal budget of 400 oC for 1h annealing. This technology is promising for high temperature heterogeneous integration.
BERMo: What can BERT learn from ELMo?

We propose BERMo, an architectural modification to BERT, which makes predictions based on a hierarchy of surface, syntactic and semantic language features. We use linear combination scheme proposed in Embeddings from Language Models (ELMo) to combine the scaled internal representations from different network depths. Our approach has two-fold benefits: (1) improved gradient flow for the downstream task as every layer has a direct connection to the gradients of the loss function and (2) increased representative power as the model no longer needs to copy the features learned in the shallower layer which are necessary for the downstream task. Further, our model has a negligible parameter overhead as there is a single scalar parameter associated with each layer in the network. Experiments on the probing task from SentEval dataset show that our model performs up to $4.65\%$ better in accuracy than the baseline with an average improvement of $2.67\%$ on the semantic tasks. When subject to compression techniques, we find that our model enables stable pruning for compressing small datasets like SST-2, where the BERT model commonly diverges. We observe that our approach converges $1.67\times$ and $1.15\times$ faster than the baseline on MNLI and QQP tasks from GLUE dataset. Moreover, our results show that our approach can obtain better parameter efficiency for penalty based pruning approaches on QQP task.
Photo-exfoliation of MoS2 quantum dots from nanosheets: an in situ transmission electron microscopy study

Fabrication of transition metal dichalcogenide quantum dots (QDs) is complex and requires submerging powders in binary solvents and constant tuning of wavelength and pulsed frequency of light to achieve a desired reaction. Instead of liquid state photoexfoliation, we utilize infrared laser irradiation of free-standing MoS2flakes in transmission electron microscope (TEM) to achieve solid-state multi-level photoexfoliation of QDs. By investigating the steps involved in photochemical reaction between the surface of MoS2and the laser beam, we gain insight into each step of the photoexfoliation mechanism and observe high yield production of QDs, led by an inhomogeneous crystalline size distribution. Additionally, by using a laser with a lower energy than the indirect optical transition of bulk MoS2, we conclude that the underlying phenomena behind the photoexfoliation is from multi-photon absorption achieved at high optical outputs from the laser source. These findings provide an environmentally friendly synthesis method to fabricate QDs for potential applications in biomedicine, optoelectronics, and fluorescence sensing.
Prenatal Choline Supplementation Modifies Brain Development: Improved Cognition and Neuroprotection

The known effects of alterations in dietary choline availability during early development are described in this review. A growing body of research Supports the view that mothers are vulnerable to choline deficiency during pregnancy and lactation and that supplementation with choline can have long-lasting effects on the brain and behavioral development of their offspring. Although modest effects of choline on cognitive processes have been reported when choline is administered to adult animals, we have found that the perinatal period is a critical time for cholinergic Organization of brain function. Choline supplementation during this period increases memory capacity and precision of the young adult and appears to prevent age-related memory and attentional decline. Choline supplementation also provides neuroprotection against neural assaults, both natural (e.g., aging) and pharmacologically induced. Deprivation of choline during early development leads to compromised cognitive function and increased decline with age. Several mechanisms of choline action are proposed.
THE ABNORMAL LIGNINS PRODUCED BY THE BROWN-MIDRIB MUTANTS OF MAIZE. I. THE BROWN-MIDRIB-1 MUTANT.

Abstract The brown-midrib -1 ( bm 1 ) mutant of maize produces a lignin which differs in several important respects from the lignin of normal plants. First, the color of alkali lignin or lignin in situ of the bm 1 mutant is red-brown as opposed to a grey-tan for normal plants. Alkaline hydrolysis of native lignin, dioxane-hydrochloric acid lignin, pyridine lignin, or lignin in situ shows that the bm 1 lignin has considerably less p -hydroxycinnamic acid bound by ester linkages to the lignin “core.” Nitrobenzene oxidation of the bm 1 lignin “core” shows a lower recovery of phenolic monomers with a larger amount of residue resistant to nitrobenzene oxidation. The phenolic monomers, however, are obtained in approximately the same ratio from both normal and mutant alkali lignin and lignin in situ . The mutant plants have a lower lignin content throughout growth and at maturity have 86% as much lignin as normal plants. Further, the methoxyl content of alkali lignins from the stalk of normal and bm 1 strains is 14.6 and 12.3%, respectively. Tracer experiments with uniformly labeled phenylalanine-C 14 and tyrosine-C 14 show that radioactivity from these precursors is incorporated more rapidly into the alkali lignin fraction of normal plants than into the same fraction of brown-midrib plants. It is suggested that the primary action of the non-mutant ( Bm 1 ) gene at the bm 1 locus is to exert a measure of control over the manner of incorporation of the phenolic building blocks into the lignin polymer. When the mutant ( bm 1 ) gene is present, the lignin “core” has fewer sites at which p -hydroxycinnamic acid can be esterified.
Distributed probabilistic map service

Maps are a good representation of the information state of a network-centric multi-vehicle system that tracks targets. The map service uses information pushed to it by sensors to compute a probabilistic map, i.e., the conditional density of the location of targets given all the past observations. We have designed the map service to be distributed, i.e. the entities participating in the map service divide the probabilistic mapping task amongst themselves, so that it scales well to large operating environments. We present an architecture and algorithms for implementing such a distributed map service. We also put forward a definition of correctness that relates the distributed conditional density computation to a centralized computation. We then show in the context of a random walk model for the target motion that correctness can be preserved provided the time scales of communication are faster than the time scales of actor motion. Finally, we describe our prototype implementation based on the above ideas.
Changing attitudes toward homeless people

We assessed the impact of a 2-week required rotation in homeless health care on primary care residents’ attitudes toward homeless people. Attitudes were assessed before and after the course using the Attitudes Toward Homelessness Inventory (ATHI), an instrument previously validated among undergraduate students. Attitude scores on the ATHI improved from 46 to 52 (range of possible scores 11 to 66; P=.001). The ATHI subscales showed, after the course, that residents had a greater belief that homelessness had societal causes and felt more comfortable affiliating with homeless people. After the course, residents also reported an increased interest in volunteering with homeless populations on an anonymous survey.
On defining juncture pauses: a note on Boomer's "Hesitation and Grammatical Encoding.

The suggestion is made that, depending upon its duration, a pause occurring between two phonemic clauses may be interpreted as consisting of two components: a juncture pause component associated with the first clause and a hesitation pause component associated with the second clause. On that basis, Boomer's (1965) finding relating to the general locus of hesitation pauses at the beginning of phonemic clauses is further strengthened, but the position reversal which he notes is largely obliterated.
Beam position monitor systems for the SNS linac

The 402.5- and 805-MHz beam position and phase monitors for the Spallation Neutron Source linac are based on standard PC technology. The SNS beam is to be injected into a storage ring with a 1-MHz circulation frequency requiring 650-ns-long minipulses. The injection cycle takes 1 ms and the machine can run at rates up to a 60 Hz. The RF input signals are down converted to 50 MHz and sampled at 40 MHz with 14-bit ADCs to produce I and Q data streams. A custom PCI module has been designed to accept modular digital front end (DFE) and analog front end (AFE) circuit cards. This hardware is installed in a standard rack-mounted 1U computer chassis running Windows 2000, Lab VIEW and custom DLL software. The system continuously self-calibrates by generating 300-ns long RF pulses which are switched between the AFE inputs and the cables going to the BPM pickups. This provides a TDR-like calibration of the entire system. The system is designed to provide a position and phase resolution of 0.1% of the beam pipe aperture and 0.1 degrees RMS respectively over a 50 /spl mu/s period. The design of the system is described as well as the initial performance measuring beam during the commissioning of the SNS MEBT.
Origins and Directions of Human Cytogenetics

Cytogenetics is the study of the structure, function, and evolution of chromosomes, the vehicles of inheritance that reside in the cell nucleus. Cytogenetics deals with chromosome behavior during the divisions of the somatic and early germline cells that produce identical daughter cells with two sets of chromosomes (mitosis) or the final two germline cell divisions that produce germ cells with a single set of chromosomes (meiosis). Human cytogenetics is particularly concerned with how these processes may go wrong and how structural changes arise, because changes in the number or structure of chromosomes are major causes of mental retardation, multiple malformations, cancer, infertility, and spontaneous abortions.
An Overview of Spent Fuel Storage at Commercial Reactors in the United States

A legacy of the growth in the use of nuclear power in the USA over 1960–2005 has been the accumulation of large quantities of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) at the reactor sites, a situation initially caused by an embargo on fuel reprocessing and later exacerbated by delays in the opening of a national repository. The nation’s inventory of SNF stands at ~54,000 metric tons of heavy metal (MTHM) in late 2005, and grows at an annual rate of ~1,750 MTHM. Storage pools are becoming full as a result, despite the use of high-density fuel racks. To alleviate the problem older SNF assemblies are being dry stored in casks placed on concrete pads in independent spent fuel storage installations (ISFSIs). There are now 30 ISFSIs in the USA and their number is growing. Experience with both wet and dry storage has been very reassuring. Wetstored SNF derives its stability from an adherent oxide layer on its Zircaloy cladding which resists further corrosion, even in water of poor quality. The destructive examination of SNF that had been vacuum-dried and stored in Hefilled casks for nearly 15 years revealed no increase in the internal fission-gas pressure or increase in the cladding creep of its fuel rods. The terrorist attacks of September 2001 focused attention on the security of reactors and their associated SNF storage. Analysis suggests that dry storage at an ISFSI may be more secure than wet storage at a reactor. However, offloading SNF to dry storage and a return to the use of open-frame racking are measures that could improve security at spent fuel pools.
The effects of gonadectomy on age- and sex-typical patterns of ethanol consumption in Sprague-Dawley rats.

Background Ethanol intake levels characteristic of adult males and females emerge post-pubertally. The present set of experiments examined the consequences of pre-pubertal and adult gonadectomies to explore whether the presence of gonadal hormones at puberty exerts organizational influences and/or plays an activational role in age- and sex-typical patterns of ethanol consumption.
Upgrade and Operation of the DØ Central Track Trigger (CTT)

The DOslash experiment at the Fermilab Tevatron collider (Batavia, IL, USA) has undergone significant upgrades in anticipation of high luminosity running conditions. As part of the upgrade, the capabilities of the Central Track Trigger (CTT) to make trigger decisions based on hit patterns in the Central Fiber Tracker (CFT) have been much improved. We report on the implementation, commissioning and operation of the upgraded CTT system.
Long-term lack of compensation of energy intake for meal replacements at lunch.

The substitution of liquid meal replacements for a regular meal has been demonstrated to be remarkably effective in reducing daily energy intake resulting in a loss in body weight. The effect is partly due to controlling portion size, a powerful variable determining meal intake of humans. Studies of meal replacements use mostly expensive, nutrient concentrated liquid meals that are substituted for most of their meals. The present study examined the effect of a daily substitution of a commercial, small portioned meals, such as cans of pasta, soups, cereals, etc. in place of a buffet lunch (∼ 200 kcal) on ad libitum energy consumption for a 2 week period in young adults. All foods consumed from Monday to Friday were prepared, eaten and weighed in the Metabolic Unit. The within subject designed compared the effect of eating lunch provided from a buffet to selecting one food from an array of different small portioned commercial foods on total ad lib energy consumed throughout the 2 week period. Subjects failed to increase their energy intake at subsequent meals throughout the 2 week test period to compensate for the reduced energy consumed at lunch. The results suggest that, for most people, replacing lunch with a small energy controlled lunch will result in a significant weight loss.
The pH of buffers based on 2-amino-2-hydroxymethyl-1,3-propanediol (‘tris’) in synthetic sea water

E.m.f. measurements were made over the temperature range 273.15–318.15 K, and at five salinities from 20 to 40, using the cell Pt(s)H2(g,p°)BH+andBinsyntheticseawaterAgCl(s)Ag(s)Pt(s) where p°=101.325 kPa, and BH+ and B are the conjugate acid–base pair of 2-amino-2hydroxymethyl-1,3-propanediol (‘tris’) – each present at a concentration of 0.04 mol kg-1. The results were used to assign pH values based on the ‘total’ hydrogen ion scale to such buffer solutions based on this acid–base pair. Additional measurements were made over a range of buffer concentrations at a salinity of 35; these were used to calculate the stoichiometric (ionic medium) dissociation constant for ‘tris–H+’ in synthetic sea water.
Endothelial NO and O2− production rates differentially regulate oxidative, nitroxidative, and nitrosative stress in the microcirculation

Abstract Endothelial dysfunction causes an imbalance in endothelial NO and O 2 − production rates and increased peroxynitrite formation. Peroxynitrite and its decomposition products cause multiple deleterious effects including tyrosine nitration of proteins, superoxide dismutase (SOD) inactivation, and tissue damage. Studies have shown that peroxynitrite formation during endothelial dysfunction is strongly dependent on the NO and O 2 − production rates. Previous experimental and modeling studies examining the role of NO and O 2 − production imbalance on peroxynitrite formation showed different results in biological and synthetic systems. However, there is a lack of quantitative information about the formation and biological relevance of peroxynitrite under oxidative, nitroxidative, and nitrosative stress conditions in the microcirculation. We developed a computational biotransport model to examine the role of endothelial NO and O 2 − production on the complex biochemical NO and O 2 − interactions in the microcirculation. We also modeled the effect of variability in SOD expression and activity during oxidative stress. The results showed that peroxynitrite concentration increased with increase in either O 2 − to NO or NO to O 2 − production rate ratio ( Q O2 − / Q NO or Q NO / Q O2 − , respectively). The peroxynitrite concentrations were similar for both production rate ratios, indicating that peroxynitrite-related nitroxidative and nitrosative stresses may be similar in endothelial dysfunction or inducible NO synthase (iNOS)-induced NO production. The endothelial peroxynitrite concentration increased with increase in both Q O2 − / Q NO and Q NO / Q O2 − ratios at SOD concentrations of 0.1–100 μM. The absence of SOD may not mitigate the extent of peroxynitrite-mediated toxicity, as we predicted an insignificant increase in peroxynitrite levels beyond Q O2 − / Q NO and Q NO / Q O2 − ratios of 1. The results support the experimental observations of biological systems and show that peroxynitrite formation increases with increase in either NO or O 2 − production, and excess NO production from iNOS or from NO donors during oxidative stress conditions does not reduce the extent of peroxynitrite mediated toxicity.
Structure, odd lines and topological entropy of disorder of amorphous silicon

A continuous random network model of amorphous silicon, subject to periodic boundary conditions, is partitioned into cells bounded by irreducible rings. An algorithm has been developed to find the cells and the rings that bound them. A thread can be imagined to pass through odd rings (rings containing an odd number of atoms) without passing through even rings. Such a thread is an algorithmic realization of an odd line, which is the only topological defect in glass or amorphous condensed matter. The topological entropy of disorder associated with these odd lines is found to be approximately 80% of the value for an ideal tetrahedrally bonded random network of atoms for which the rings that bound the cells are statistically independent.
Significance of inducible nitric oxide synthase in acute myocarditis caused by Trypanosoma cruzi (Tulahuen strain).

Chagas’ disease, caused by Trypanosoma cruzi, is associated with myocarditis and expression of myocardial cytokines and inducible nitric oxide synthase (NOS2). To assess the functional significance of NOS2 in murine Chagas’ disease, we infected NOS2 knockout (NOS2−/−) and C57BL/6×129sv (wild type) mice with the Tulahuen strain of T. cruzi. Serial transthoracic echocardiography was performed to assess the progression of left and right ventricular dysfunction in infected mice. Uninfected wild type and NOS2−/− mice served as controls. At day 10 post-infection (p.i.), infected wild type mice had larger left ventricular end-diastolic diameter (2.52±0.14-vs-2.11±0.06 mm, P<0.02) and right ventricle (0.6±0.2-vs-0 visual grade, P<0.02) as compared with uninfected wild type mice. At day 19 p.i., compared with uninfected controls, infected wild type mice had larger left ventricular end-diastolic diameter (3.30±0.29-vs-2.11±0.07 mm), left ventricular end-systolic diameter (1.86±0.29-vs-0.88±0.05 mm), right ventricle (1.6±0.2-vs-0 visual grade), lower heart rate (413±27-vs-557±25 beats per min), left ventricular relative wall thickness (0.44±0.05-vs-0.64±0.03) and fractional shortening (45±4-vs-57±2%) [P<0.05 for all]. In contrast, no differences in left ventricular end-diastolic diameter or fractional shortening were noted among infected and uninfected NOS2−/− mice at day 19 p.i. Compared with uninfected controls, infected NOS2−/− mice had significantly lower heart rate (272±23-vs-512±31 beats per min, P<0.01) and larger right ventricle (0.6±0.2-vs-0, P<0.05 visual grade). The magnitude of right ventricular dilation in NOS2−/− mice was less than that observed in infected wild type mice. At necropsy, the heart weight was greater (129±16-vs-109±7 mg, P=0.02) and myocardial inflammation more severe in infected wild type compared with infected NOS2−/− mice. Myocardial interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, tumour necrosis factor-α, and interferon-γ were induced in all infected mice. These data indicate that nitric oxide derived from NOS2 plays an important role in the development and progression of ventricular dilation and systolic dysfunction in acute murine chagasic myocarditis caused by infection with the Tulahuen strain.
Sudden Death in Infant Primates From Induced Laryngeal Occlusion

• Thirteen infant and juvenile monkeys and baboons were studied in procedures designed to assess the functional characteristics of the upper airway, with special attention to the consequences of laryngeal nerve stimulation. In young animals, stimulation of the recurrent laryngeal nerve produced closure of the airway in sufficient degree and duration to cause death. Older juvenile monkeys were resistant to fatal laryngospasm induced by nerve stimulation. A variety of patterns of general autonomic response accompanied the airway changes. These results are consistent with (1) a laryngospasm hypothesis to account for certain terminal events in sudden infant death syndrome, and (2) prior observations of age-related general autonomic stability. (Arch Otolaryngol102:291-296, 1976)
Spontaneous Symmetry Breaking in Single and Molecular Quantum Dots

Classes of spontaneous symmetry breaking at zero and low magnetic fields in single quantum dots (QD{close_quote}s) and quantum dot molecules (QDM{close_quote}s) are discussed in relation to the ratio R{sub W} between the interelectron Coulomb repulsion and the harmonic confinement, using spin-and-space unrestricted Hartree-Fock calculations. These include Wigner crystallization for R{sub W}{gt}1 , and formation of noncrystallized electron puddles localized on the individual dots in QDM{close_quote}s, as well as spin-density waves in single QD{close_quote}s, for R{sub W}{lt}1 . {copyright} {ital 1999} {ital The American Physical Society}