cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Large Outbreak of Epidemic Keratoconjunctivitis: Problems in Controlling Nosocomial Spread

Between July 1985 and January 1986, 401 patients with adenovirus epidemic keratoconjunctivitis (EKC) were seen at the Illinois Eye and Ear Infirmary. Of the cases, 110 (27^o) were nosocomial; the other 291 patients had community acquired infection. The highest attack rates of EKC occurred in patients attending specialty clinics; the overall attack rate among clinic patients was 4.7/1,000 clinic visits. All nosocomial cases were caused by adenovirus type 8; community acquired cases were a mixture of adenovirus types 8 and 37. Adenoviruses were isolated from conjuctival cultures up to 14 d after the onset of clinical illness. Initial efforts to prevent nosocomial transmission were unsuccessful. However, when a plan to triage all patients on entry to the infirmary and to sort patients and personnel caring for infected patients into cohorts was implemented, nosocomial transmission of EKC was promptly and effectively halted, despite the continuation of the community epidemic for another 4 mo. This outbreak clearly demonstrates the efficacy of rigorous infection control in preventing nosocomial transmission of adenovirus EKC.
Efficiently integrating MapReduce-based computing into a Hurricane Loss Projection model

Homeowner insurance is a critical issue for Floridians because of the periodic threat hurricanes pose to Florida. Providing fairness into the rate-making policy process, the state of Florida has developed the Florida Public Hurricane Loss Model (FPHLM), an open, public hurricane risk model to assess the risk of wind damage to insured residential properties. For each input property portfolio, the FPHLM processes a large amount of data to provide expected losses over tens of thousand of years of simulation, for which computational efficiency is of paramount importance. This paper presents our work in integrating the atmospheric component into the FPHLM using MapReduce, which resulted in a highly efficient computing platform for generating stochastic hurricane events on a cluster of computers. The experimental results demonstrate the feasibility of utilizing MapReduce for risk modeling components.
Optimize landscape fuel treatment locations to create control opportunities for future fires.

Fuel treatment can improve the efficiency of controlling future catastrophic fires. Selecting optimal fuel treatment locations across a landscape is a challenging strategic planning problem in wild...
POWER FLOW CONTROL IN SYSTEMS WITH FACTS DEVICES

ABSTRACT The modern trend for consolidating electric power companies, even though the participants in these mergers may be not well connected electrically, suggests that technologies that permit power flow control in AC power networks may be favored for some applications. In this paper, the analysis of steady state power flow control in the presence of flexible AC transmission system devices (FACTS devices) is discussed. Objectives such as wheeling, line loading and unloading, ‘electronic fence’ methods to block power transfer, prevention of loop flows, and steady state security enhancement using FACTS are discussed. Newton-Raphson power flow studies for systems with FACTS devices are discussed. An example based on a large American power system is presented.
Revision anterior cruciate ligamentsurgery: A historical perspective

Abstract Anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction surgery has become a common operation performed on athletic patients. Despite the high success rate, a significant number require revision, which is a more difficult operation. This article reviews many of the reasons for ACL reconstruction failure and suggests that there are many options for revision that should work.
Biomolecular markers of cancer-associated thromboembolism

Abstract Venous thromboembolism (VTE; deep venous thrombosis and pulmonary embolism) is associated with a poor prognosis in most malignancies and is a major cause of death among cancer patients. Universal anticoagulation for primary thromboprophylaxis in the outpatient setting is precluded by potential bleeding complications, especially without sufficient evidence that all patients would benefit from such prophylaxis. Therefore, appropriately targeting cancer patients for thromboprophylaxis is key to reducing morbidity and perhaps mortality. Predictive biomarkers could aid in identifying patients at high risk for VTE. Possible biomarkers for VTE include C-reactive protein, platelet and leukocyte counts, D-dimer and prothrombin fragment 1 + 2, procoagulant factor VIII, tissue factor, and soluble P-selectin. Evidence is emerging to support the use of risk assessment models in selecting appropriate candidates for primary thromboprophylaxis in the cancer setting. Further studies are needed to optimize these models and determine utility in reducing morbidity and mortality from cancer-associated thromboembolism.
AIDS-Related Issues among Female Prostitutes and Female Arrestees

Literature has documented a positive relationship between prostitution and sexually transmitted diseases. There have been efforts to educate prostitutes regarding sexually transmitted diseases, including AIDS. To determine whether female prostitutes are more knowledgeable about AIDS than female non-prostitute arrestees, a comparison was made of their scores on a standard AIDS knowledge test. Results indicated that self-reported frequency of prostitution was significantly and positively related to knowledge about AIDS. Comparisons were also made between the two groups in terms of demographic characteristics, condom use, sexually transmitted disease rates and other related issues. The findings of this study highlight that continuing education is of paramount importance in the community's struggle against AIDS.
Temperature dependent kinetics of the reaction OH + CF3CH2CF3

Abstract We have re-examined the kinetics of the reaction of OH with CF 3 CH 2 CF 3 (FC 236fa) between 281 and 337 K using highly purified reactant. After accounting for the contribution to the measured rate of all measured impurities, we derive a room temperature rate constant k = (4.15 ± 0.33) × 10 −16 cm 3 s −1 , a factor of two smaller than our earlier report [J. Geophys. Res. 98 (1993) 23, 107] and in general agreement with other recent measurements.
Strategic Trade Policy in the Presence of Consumer Learning

This paper explores the potential role for strategic trade policy in an industry that exhibits learning by consumers, over time, about the unobservable attributes of the product. In the context of automobiles, the unobservable 'quality' element may include such things as reliability of the car and service during and after the sale, and learning may be firm (or variety)-specific or may spill over to some extent. Exploring the dramatic increase in the popularity of Japanese cars in the United States during the 1970s and 1980s, a previous study found that the demand for individual Japanese cars was significantly impacted by
Backscattering enhancement of electromagnetic waves from two-dimensional perfectly conducting random rough surfaces based on Monte Carlo simulations

Backscattering enhancement of electromagnetic wave scattering from a perfectly conducting two-dimensional random rough surface (three-dimensional scattering problem) is studied with Monte Carlo simulations. The magnetic-field integral equation formulation is used with the method of moments. The solution of the matrix equation is calculated exactly with an efficient method known as the sparse-matrix flat-surface iterative approach. Numerical examples are illustrated with 32,768 surface unknowns, surface areas between 256 and 1024 square wavelengths, rms heights of 0.5 and 1 wavelength, and as many as 1000 realizations. The bistatic scattering simulations show backscattering enhancement for both copolarized and cross-polarized components. Comparisons are made with controlled laboratory experimental data for which the random rough surfaces are fabricated with prescribed properties of a rms height of 1 wavelength and a correlation length equal to 2 wavelengths. Comparisons are made between simulations and experimental data for the absolute value of the bistatic scattering coefficient. The copolarized scattering coefficient is in good agreement, and the cross-polarized scattering coefficient is in excellent agreement.
The Use of Ammonium Carbamate as a High Specific Thermal Energy Density Material for the Thermal Management of Low Grade Heat

The specific energy storage capacities of phase change materials (PCMs) increase with temperature, leading to a lack of thermal management (TM) systems capable of handling high heat fluxes in the temperature range from 20-100°C. State of the art PCMs in this temperature range are usually paraffin waxes with energy densities on the order of a few hundred kJ/kg or ice slurries with energy densities of the same magnitude. However, for applications where system weight and size are limited, it is necessary to improve this energy density by at least an order of magnitude. The compound ammonium carbamate, [NH4][H2NCOO], is a solid formed from the reaction of ammonia and carbon dioxide, which endothermically decomposes back to CO2 and NH3 in the temperature range 20-100°C with an enthalpy of decomposition of 2010 kJ/kg. Various methods to use this material for TM of low-grade, high-flux heat have been evaluated including: bare powder, thermally conductive carbon foams, thermally conductive metal foams, hydrocarbon based slurries, and a slurrysolution in ethylene glycol or propylene glycol. A slurry in glycol is a promising system medium for enhancing heat and mass transfer for TM. Small-scale system level characterizations of AC in glycol have been performed and results indicate that AC is indeed a promising material for TM of low-grade heat.
Noble gases in geochemistry and cosmochemistry edited by Donald P. Porcelli, Chris J. Ballentine, and Rainer Wieler

Book Review: Noble Gases in Geochemistry and Cosmochemistry, Donald P. Porcelli, Chris J. Ballentine, Rainer Wieler (Eds.). Mineralogical Society of America and Geochemical Society, Washington, DC, USA (2002).
Application of operant procedures in a group of institutionalized aggressive geriatric patients

This study used positive reinforcement schedules versus no reinforcement on a group of 6 highly aggressive, institutionalized elderly patients. Dependent measures included confirmed incidents of physical and verbal aggressive behavior monitored across an ABAB design with a 4-month phase-out period. Results indicated that aggressive behavior can be significantly decreased in a group setting and subsequently generalized to ward behavior. Ancillary aspects of the study included the role of tangible and back-up reinforcers and staff attitude and behavior. Implications for future research are discussed.
Heat‐stable microtubule protein MAP‐1 binds to microtubules and induces microtubule assembly

The microtubule-associated proteins, MAP-1, MAP-2 and tau, have been purified from brain tissue via a new approach using a heating step directly on the homogenate, followed by selective adsorption on calmodulin-Sepharose affinity columns and gel-filtration chromatography. Our results indicate that these MAPs share common biochemical properties, including heat stability, calmodulin binding and promotion of tubulin assembly into microtubules.
Increased isoleucine acceptance by sulfur-deficient transfer RNA from Escherichia coli

Sulfur-deficient tRNA, isolated from Escherichia coli HfrC, rel-, met-, cys-, lambda, after cysteine starvation, was found to have an increased acceptance of isoleucine in proportion to the deficiency of 4-thiouridine. Isoleucine acceptance was not altered in the presence of other amino acids of CTP, and the higher acceptance was observed over a wide range of magnesium, isoleucine, tRNA and enzyme concentrations. The Vmax value for sulfur-deficient tRNA was more than three times greater than observed for normal tRNA. Methylated albumin kieselguhr (MAK) chromatography revealed three isoacceptor peak for normal tRNA, while sulfur-deficient tRNA was missing tRNAile, and exhibited a larger, shifted peaks for tRNA normal tRNA, while sulfur-deficient tRNA was missing tRNAille 2, and exhibited a large shifted peak for tRNAile 3 . Treatment with crude RNA sulfurtransferase both lowered the isoleucine acceptance for sulfur-deficient tRNA to that seen for normal tRNA, and restored the missing isoacceptor on MAK. The possibility that thionucleotides may play a role in the aminoacylation of tRNAile in E. coli is discussed.
Sub-community structure in subtidal meiobenthic harpacticoida.

Nineteen subtidal sampling stations, including 9 biological stations, were established in Coki Bay, St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. Sedimentary, chemical and faunal samples were taken at the biological stations. Data from the sedimentary and chemical analyses were used to characterize the Coki Bay subtidal habitat as a medium to high energy environment with regular (i. e. relatively stable) periodicity. This characterization was confirmed by 1. the comparison of species diversity values for harpacticoid copepods from the Coki Bay samples with diversity values for other similar samples in different habitats (Coull, 1968, 1972; Drzycimski, 1969), and 2. the demonstration of statistical relationsips by correlation, dependence, and affinity analyses between both physical and faunal variables. Correlation analysis was done by standard statistical techniques. Dependence relationships for physical, chemical and faunal data were analysed by comparing the standard errors of regression for each possible variable pair with a correlation coefficient greater than 0.5. An affinity index matrix was also determined for each possible variable pair. Affinity dendrograms were then constructed for both physical data and species composition for all stations.Data from the comparison of species diversity values led to the postulation of a tentative hierarchy of influences on species diversity;i.e. that habitat energy content has more influence on species diversity than either latitudinal difference or substratum type. These results are in accordance with the predictions of the stability-time hypothesis for this type of environment.
Real-time gap ligase chain reaction: a rapid semiquantitative assay for detecting p53 mutation at low levels in surgical margins and lymph nodes from resected lung and head and neck tumors.

Purpose: We have developed a real-time semiquantitative gap ligase chain reaction for detecting p53 point mutations at low level in a background of excess of wild-type DNA. Experimental Design: This method was validated by direct comparison to a previously validated but cumbersome phage plaque hybridization assay. Forty-one surgical margins and lymph nodes from 10 cases of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma and lung carcinoma were tested for p53 mutant clones. Results: Both methods detected p53 mutants in margins from 8 of the 10 cases, whereas standard pathology detected cancer cells in only 3 cases. Positive margins included tissue samples with a tumor/normal DNA ratio of up to 1:1000. Conclusions: This novel molecular approach can be performed in
Is it Sexual Abuse? Confusion Caused by a Congenital Anomaly of the Genitalia

Because of the increasing number of reports of sexual abuse of children, pediatricians should become more familiar with the examination of the genitalia of prepubertal children and learn to recognize physical indicators of abuse. Although some physicians may not recognize abnormal findings on examination, in other cases, unusual physical findings may be reported erroneously as possible abuse. The authors report a case of an unusual genital finding in a child which was suspected initially as being caused by sexual abuse but was subsequently determined to be a congenital anomaly. An external examination using a colposcope was useful in delineating the normal appearance of the tissues in question.
Regional Assessment of Soil Water Salinity across an Intensively Irrigated River Valley

AbstractExtensive field investigations allowed depiction of soil water salinity within two large representative regions of a river valley that has been irrigated for more than 120 years. The nature and severity of the salinity problem is captured by hundreds of field surveys, encompassing tens of thousands of measurements and spanning 9 years. Soil water extract salinity, averaged over all surveys and all measured locations, is 4.1 dS m-1 in the Upstream Study Region and 6.2 dS m-1 in the Downstream Study Region. Variability over the measurements is substantial, with a coefficient of variation of approximately 0.51 Upstream and 0.39 Downstream. Relationships to soil and groundwater conditions also were explored, providing field-based insights into major contributing factors and into the value of measuring those factors as part of a salinity reconnaissance. A broad survey, like that described herein, affords a sense of the magnitude of economic loss, in terms of crop-yield reduction, that is exacted by i...
FRET between CdSe quantum dots in lipid vesicles and water- and lipid-soluble dyes

Because of the coatings needed to solubilize and passivate quantum dots for biological applications, their use in fluorescent resonance energy transfer (FRET) has been limited. However, hydrophobic particles without polymer coatings may be embedded into lipid membranes, as demonstrated here with biomimetic vesicles. FRET is seen to a lipid-soluble dye (DiD) and a water-soluble dye (Cy3.5) in which the vesicles are suspended. The degree of energy transfer to each dye suggests that most of the QDs are located deep within the lipid, as confirmed by electron microscopy of whole mounts and thin sections of vesicles. Energy transfer is also seen to a voltage-sensitive, lipid-soluble dye (di-4-ANEPPS) only when the potassium ionophore valinomycin is present in the membrane. The effect is dependent upon potassium ion concentration rather than absolute membrane potential.
Theophylline Regulates Inflammatory and Neurotrophic factor Signals in Functional Recovery after C2-Hemisection in Adult Rats

Recovery of respiratory activity in an upper cervical hemisection model (C2H) of spinal cord injury (SCI) can be induced by systemic theophylline administration 24-48 h after injury. The objectives in the present study are (1) to identify pro-inflammatory and neurotrophic factors expressed after C2H and (2) molecular signals involved in functional recovery. Four groups of adult female rats classified as (i) sham (SH) controls, (ii) subjected to a left C2 hemisection (C2H) only, (iii) C2H rats administered theophylline for 3 consecutive days 2 days after C2H (C2H-T day 5) and (iv) C2H rats treated with theophylline for 3 consecutive days 2 days after C2H and then weaned for 12 days (C2H-T day 17) prior to assessment of respiratory function and molecular analysis were employed. Corresponding sham controls, C2H untreated (vehicle only controls) and C2H treated (theophylline) rats were sacrificed, C3-C6 spinal cord segments quickly dissected and left (ipsilateral) hemi spinal cord and right (contralateral) hemi spinal cord were separately harvested 2 days post surgery. Sham operated and C2H untreated-controls corresponding to C2H-T day 5 and C2H-T day 17 rats, respectively, were prepared similarly. Messenger RNA levels for pro-inflammatory genes (TXNIP, IL-1β, TNF-α and iNOS) and neurotrophic and survival factors (BDNF, GDNF, and Bcl2) were analyzed by real time quantitative PCR. Gene expression pattern was unaltered in SH rats. TXNIP, iNOS, BDNF, GDNF and Bcl2 mRNA levels were significantly increased in the ipsilateral hemi spinal cord in C2H rats. BDNF, GDNF and Bcl2 levels remained elevated in the ipsilateral hemi spinal cord in C2H-T day 5 rats. In this same group, there was further enhancement in TXNIP and IL-1β while iNOS returned to basal levels. Theophylline increased DNA binding activity of transcription factors - cyclic AMP responsive element (CRE) binding protein (CREB) and pro-inflammatory NF-κB. Messenger RNA levels for all genes returned to basal levels in C2H-T day 17 rats. However, BDNF mRNA levels remained significantly elevated after weaning from the drug. Our results suggest that enhanced resolution of early inflammatory processes and expression of pro-survival factors may underlie theophylline-induced respiratory recovery. The results identify potential targets for gene and drug therapies.
Marker passing as a weak method for text inferencing

The problem of deciding what is implied by a written text, of “reading between the lines” is the problem of text inference. To extract proper inferences from a text requires a great deal of general knowledge on the part of the reader. Past approaches have often used a “strong method” tuned to process a particular kind of knowledge structure (such as a script, or a plan). The alternative is a “weak method” which is applicable to a variety of knowledge structures. Just such a method is proposed here, one which recognizes six very general classes of inference. These classes are not dependent on individual knowledge structures, but instead rely on patterns of connectivity between concepts. Patterns are discovered, and inferences are suggested, by a process of marker passing between concepts.
Service use and treatment barriers among inhalant users

Inhalant use is a serious global problem with consequences equal to or surpassing those of other drugs. Regrettably, few prior studies have examined inhalant users' patterns of service and treatment utilization. The purpose of this study is to identify factors associated with service use and barriers to treatment among a nationally representative sample of inhalant users. Data from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC) reveal that among inhalant users problem severity and substance use disorder comorbidity were associated with substance abuse treatment barriers and service usage. These findings can help improve the service delivery system to provide effective treatments and reduce the risk of emergency department usage, which is among the most expensive and least effective ways to deal with substance abuse.
Formation of a Multiple Protein Complex on the Adenovirus Packaging Sequence by the IVa2 Protein

During adenovirus virion assembly, the packaging sequence mediates the encapsidation of the viral genome. This sequence is composed of seven functional units, termed A repeats. Recent evidence suggests that the adenovirus IVa2 protein binds the packaging sequence and is involved in packaging of the genome. Study of the IVa2-packaging sequence interaction has been hindered by difficulty in purifying the protein produced in virus-infected cells or by recombinant techniques. We report the first purification of a recombinant untagged version of the adenovirus IVa2 protein and characterize its binding to the packaging sequence in vitro. Our data indicate that there is more than one IVa2 binding site within the packaging sequence and that IVa2 binding to DNA requires the A-repeat consensus, 5′-TTTG-(N8)-CG-3′. Furthermore, we present evidence that IVa2 forms a multimeric complex on the packaging sequence. These data support a model in which adenovirus DNA packaging occurs via the formation of a IVa2 multiprotein complex on the packaging sequence.
Pathophysiology and Treatment of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

Carbon monoxide poisoning is the leading cause of poisoning deaths in the US, and published reports of carbon monoxide related morbidity and mortality can vary widely. Common morbidity involves myocardial and/or neurologic injury including delayed neurologic sequelae. The pathophysiology of this entity is complex, involving hypoxic stress on the basis of interference with oxygen transport to the cells and possibly impairing electron transport. Carbon monoxide can also affect leukocytes, platelets and the endothelium, inducing a cascade of effects resulting in oxidative injury. Carboxyhemoglobin levels are valuable for confirming carbon monoxide exposure but cannot be used to stratify severity of poisoning, predict prognosis, or indicate a specific treatment plan. Oxygen therapy is the key treatment of carbon monoxide intoxication, and hyperbaric oxygen has been shown to interdict and improve clinical outcome in some patients. Immediate treatment with a high fraction of inspired oxygen and careful clinical evaluation are mandatory. Timely referral for hyperbaric oxygen is indicated for patients with any history of unconsciousness, cardiovascular instability or ischemia, and persistent mental and/or neurologic deficits. Hyperbaric oxygen should also be considered in certain other patient subsets.
Performance of Reliable Mesa-Etched InP-based Geiger-Mode Avalanche Photodiodes and Arrays

The fabrication of reliable InP-based Geiger- mode avalanche photodiodes are described. Devices passivated with polyimide coated with silicon nitride have not degraded even while aging under more strenuous conditions than those used in fielded systems.
Improving ILP with instruction-reuse cache hierarchy

Instruction reuse is an interesting strategy for improving processor performance. Several techniques at fine and coarse granularities have been proposed to extend instruction reuse. Among them block and trace reuse are the most promising. This work studies the benefits of combining block and trace reuse with instruction reuse to form an instruction reuse cache hierarchy. A simple reuse hierarchy is implemented and tested with select SPEC95 benchmarks. Both instruction reuse and ILP show modest performance improvements when compared to the base schemes. Within the scope of the selected benchmarks, the proposed reuse policy reuses as much as 60% of possible reusable instructions and shows an average ILP gain of 13.83%. This paper introduces the proposed reuse model and its simulation. The simulation results are presented and analyzed. Finally, future research directions in this area have been discussed.
Remodeling of Yeast Genome Expression in Response to Environmental Changes

We used genome-wide expression analysis to explore how gene expression in Saccharomyces cerevisiae is remodeled in response to various changes in extracellular environment, including changes in temperature, oxidation, nutrients, pH, and osmolarity. The results demonstrate that more than half of the genome is involved in various responses to environmental change and identify the global set of genes induced and repressed by each condition. These data implicate a substantial number of previously uncharacterized genes in these responses and reveal a signature common to environmental responses that involves approximately 10% of yeast genes. The results of expression analysis with MSN2/MSN4 mutants support the model that the Msn2/Msn4 activators induce the common response to environmental change. These results provide a global description of the transcriptional response to environmental change and extend our understanding of the role of activators in effecting this response.
A class of rank order smoothers

Smoothers or nonlinear filters that make estimates purely on the basis of rank and temporal order determinations among members of the input data are inherently robust and compatible with VLSI implementations. The classic example is the moving median smoother, but it is possible to define others which have significantly different attributes both in relation to the statistical estimation problem and in relation to hardware implications. Attributes offered in the latter category, which are especially desirable in systolic VLSI, include essentially recursive operation and elimination of the interactions between rank and temporal ordering requirements which are a feature of median smoothers. Experimental results indicate significantly improved response to noisy steps for these smoothers, in comparison to median smoothers of comparable rectangular pulse detection capabilities.
Reconstructing an International Organization: A Paradigm Shift in the World Trade Organization

This article argues that the old paradigm on international organizations (IOs) (Gesellschaft) characterized by realist political bargain cannot fully capture new social realities around contemporary IOs in which ideational factors, such as ideas, values, culture and norms, have become more salient and influential not only in explaining but also in prescribing state behaviors. In an attempt to address the old paradigm’s blind spots, the article offers a new paradigm informed by constructivism that highlights a reflective, intersubjective communication among IO members and consequent norm-building process. Under this new paradigm, one can understand an IO as a “community” (Gemeinschaft), not a mere contractual instrument of its contracting parties. The article applies the new paradigm to the WTO as it describes the WTO’s institutional evolution from a power-oriented, tariff-reducing contract to a norm-oriented world trading community. Critically, this article does not attempt to replace the old paradigm (realism) with the new one (constructivism) proposed here. Instead, the article endeavors to highlight the old paradigms’ structural weaknesses and offers a complimentary, rather than alternative, paradigm. Thus, an IO’s reality embraced jointly by these two paradigms may feature a “double helix” structure under which any single paradigm might not claim its disciplinary monopoly.
Hypoplastic left heart syndrome with intact or highly restrictive atrial septum: surgical experience from a single center.

Background The presence of an intact or highly restrictive atrial septum (I/HRAS) has long been recognized as a predictor of poor outcome among patients with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS), although the rarity of this condition has precluded conclusive study. The purpose of this review is to summarize recent surgical outcomes for these patients at our center and to identify predictors. Methods We retrospectively identified all neonates with a diagnosis of HLHS and I/HRAS who underwent stage I palliation at Children's Hospital Boston between January 2001 and December 2006. Chart review enabled analysis of patient and procedural variables. Results All 32 patients underwent left atrial decompression in utero or postnatally before surgery. Fourteen patients (44%) underwent fetal intervention, either atrial septoplasty (n = 9) or aortic valvuloplasty (n = 5). Twenty-nine of the 32 patients had postnatal left atrial hypertension and underwent transcatheter atrial septoplasty as neonates before surgery; 3 did not require postnatal atrial septoplasty after successful fetal atrial septoplasty. After stage I, hospital survival was 69% (22 of 32). Need for shunt revision (p = 0.02) and for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation use (p Conclusions Surgical outcome for patients with HLHS and I/HRAS continues to improve. Prenatal decompression of the left atrium may be associated with greater hospital survival. Proposed effects of fetal intervention on lung pathology and longer-term survival are subjects for future study in this unique group of patients.
Xylose catabolism in the experimental rat blind loop syndrome: Studies, including use of a newly developed d-[14C]xylose breath test

Abstract Intraluminal bacterial catabolism of xylose in an experimental rat blind loop model has been evaluated by means of a newly developed d -[ 14 C]xylose breath test. The system employed affords frequent determination of total CO 2 and 14 CO 2 and the opportunity for post-therapy evaluation. Rats with jejunal self-filling blind loops expired 40% of an orogastric dose of d -[ 14 C]xylose as 14 CO 2 over 6 hr, as compared to 9% in nonoperated control rats and 17% in surgical controls with self-emptying blind loops. 14 CO 2 production decreased significantly with neomycin treatment of rats with self-filling blind loops, and was correlated with a significant decrease of gram-negative coliforms in jejunal contents. Small intestinal bacteria could be implicated in the production of up to 76% of the 14 CO 2 production by blind loop rats, with colon bacterial catabolism of unabsorbed xylose a smaller additive factor.Intravenous administration of d -[ 14 C]xylose demonstrated that 14 CO 2 production by cellular metabolism of xylose was an insignificant part of the breath 14 CO 2 output. Urinary xylose excretion was significantly decreased in rats with self-filling blind loops by an amount correlating with the demonstrated intraluminal bacterial catabolism of xylose. Thus, intraluminal catabolism of xylose by small intestine bacteria appears to be the major determinant of the decreased urinary xylose excretion of the experimental blind loop syndrome, with colon bacterial catabolism of malabsorbed xylose a probable minor additional factor.
Lichen chimeras: DNA analysis suggests that one fungus forms two morphotypes

In most lichens, the symbiosis between one fungus (mycobiont) and one photosynthetic partner (photobiont) results in a uniform thallus whose morphology is distinctive for each combination of symbionts. In some lichens, two morphologically different thalli, one containing a green alga, the other a cyanobacterium, are joined together in a chimera called photosymbiodeme. The question whether the same or two different mycobionts are involved in the formation of the different chimera components (morphotypes) is relevant to lichen morphogenesis, physiology, and taxonomy, but has not been answered conclusively to date. We have developed nucleic acid extraction procedures suitable for lichens. Using Southern hybridization and the polymerase chain reaction we demonstrate the genetic near-identity of the mycobionts forming paired morphotypes in two different photosymbiodemes.
The transparency of crystalline polymers

Much past confusion has originated from attempts to describe the complete optical properties of a plastic in terms of a few ill-defined parameters. Simple light-scattering theory and studies of morphology have been combined in this article to suggest the causes of polymer opacity; methods cited for the improvement of transparency and properties of reflectance have been re-examined in this light. It is concluded that the optical properties displayed by a polymer which is allowed to crystallize without external stress depend on fundamental molecular and morphological parameters. The extent to which these inherent characteristics can be modified depends on such widely different factors as the Tg of the polymer and the physical form of the desired article.
On traffic matrix completion in the internet

The ability of an ISP to infer traffic volumes that are not directly measurable can be useful for research, engineering, and business intelligence. Previous work has shown that traffic matrix completion is possible, but there is as yet no clear understanding of which ASes are likely to be able to perform TM completion, and which traffic flows can be inferred. In this paper we investigate the relationship between the AS-level topology of the Internet and the ability of an individual AS to perform traffic matrix completion. We take a three-stage approach, starting from abstract analysis on idealized topologies, and then adding realistic routing and topologies, and finally incorporating realistic traffic on which we perform actual TM completion. Our first set of results identifies which ASes are best-positioned to perform TM completion. We show, surprisingly, that for TM completion it does not help for an AS to have many peering links. Rather, the most important factor enabling an AS to perform TM completion is the number of direct customers it has. Our second set of results focuses on which flows can be inferred. We show that topologically close flows are easier to infer, and that flows passing through customers are particularly well suited for inference.
When Race Matters and When It Doesn't: Racial Group Differences in Response to Racial Cues

When George W. Bush went public in 2005 to convince Americans that his administration had the right plan for Social Security reform, he played what the NAACP called “the race card”: he appealed to Blacks’ racial group interest in Social Security reform. The President called the current system “inherently unfair” to African Americans because of their lower life expectancies, implying that his plan would fix the resultant racial discrepancy in benefits.1 This attempt to generate support for an ostensibly nonracial policy among Black Americans through appeals to racial group interest, while not an uncommon political strategy, is not the sort of “race card” that scholars have attempted to study systematically. Rather, the focus has been on how the media and political elites can racialize ostensibly nonracial political issues by priming White Americans’ racial attitudes, most effectively through the use of “implicit” racial cues, such as images of racial minorities or racial “code words” (Mendelberg 1997; 2001; Gilliam and Iyengar 2000; Valentino, Hutchings and White 2002), and how such racialization of political issues can result in significant reductions in White Americans’ support for these policies (Gilens 1999; Bobo and Kluguel 1997).
Coalescence of a bubble at a fluid-fluid interface: comparison of theory and experiment.

Coalescence times for air bubbles rising through hexadecane to an air-hexadecane interface are measured and compared with an analysis based upon our previous extension of continuum mechanics to the nanoscale [J.C. Slattery, E.-S. Oh, K. Fu, Chem. Eng. Sci. 59 (2004) 4621-4635] with the assumption of retarded dispersion forces. The relation between the retarded and non-retarded Hamaker constants proposed by Gorner and Pich [J. Aerosol Sci. 20 (7) (1989) 735-747] is tested for the first time.
Ocular Complications Associated with Local Anesthesia Administration in Dentistry

The most widely used method for controlling pain during dental procedures is the intraoral administration of local anesthetics in close proximity to a specific nerve or fiber to obtund nerve conduction. The most commonly anesthetized nerves in dentistry are branches or nerve trunks associated with the maxillary and mandibular divisions of the trigeminal nerve (cranial nerve V). However, other nerves may be inadvertently affected by intraoral local anesthesia injections, resulting in anesthetic complications of structures far from the oral cavity. Practitioners should be aware of potential ocular complications following intraoral injections in dentistry. These complications include oculomotor paralysis and vision loss. The knowledge of these conditions and their potential cause should alert the dentist to the importance of appropriate injection techniques and an understanding of management protocol.
Fractures of the supracondylar process of the humerus. Report of two cases.

Two cases of a fracture of a normal anatomic variant, the supracondylar process of the humerus, are reported. Projection of the osseous spur anteriorly into the muscles of the arm may lead to local myositis ossificans and a suspicious mass after local trauma. Roentgenographic recognition of the minute fracture of the process, together with the reparative nature of the reactive bone formation in the muscle about it, should guide one to conservative management.
S-nitrosoglutathione reversibly inhibits GAPDH by S-nitrosylation

Nitric oxide (NO), produced by vascular endothelial cells, mediates both physiological and pathological responses. Although the molecular targets responsible for NO-mediated endothelial cell injury are not known, one candidate is the glycolytic enzyme, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH). In this study, we investigated the mechanism involved in NO-mediated GAPDH inhibition and found that S-nitrosoglutathione (GSNO) inhibited GAPDH activity in both purified enzyme preparations and endothelial cells. Furthermore, GSNO-mediated GAPDH inhibition occurred by modification of the active site cysteine residue in GAPDH, since increasing concentrations of the substrate, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate, which interacts with the active site cysteine residue, protected GAPDH from inhibition by GSNO. Although under certain conditions both GSNO and the NO donor, sodium nitroprusside (SNP), led to the covalent NAD(+)-dependent modification of GAPDH, this putative ADP ribosylation was unlikely to be the primary mechanism for inhibition, since the stoichiometry was extremely low, and, in the case of GSNO, inhibition was completely reversed by thiol reagents. Furthermore, GSNO effectively S-nitrosylated GAPDH, and the extent of nitrosylation was linearly correlated with the degree of inhibition such that addition of 1 mole of NO per mole of GAPDH monomer was necessary to inhibit the enzyme. Consistent with this finding, GSNO-mediated GAPDH inhibition was reversible with low-molecular-weight thiols, and the reversal of inhibition correlated with the "denitrosylation" of GAPDH. These results suggest that endothelial GAPDH is a target for NO and that inhibition occurs principally by the reversible S-nitrosylation of the active site cysteine residue in GAPDH.
It Is Not Only About Grievances: Emotional Dynamics in Social Media During the Brazilian Protests

In the summer of 2013, Brazil experienced a period of conflict triggered by a series of protests. While the popular press covered the events, little empirical work has investigated how first-hand reporting of the protests occurred and evolved over social media and how such exposure in turn impacted the demonstrations themselves. In this study we examine over 42 million tweets shared during the three months of conflict in order to uncover patterns in online and offline protest-related activity as well as to explore relationships between language-use in tweets and the emotions and underlying motivations of protesters. Our findings show that peaks in Twitter activity coincide with days in which heavy protesting took place, that the words in tweets reflect emotional characteristics of protest-related events, and less expectedly, that these emotions convey both positive as well as negative sentiment.
Stochastic Risk Networks: Modeling, Analysis and Efficient Monte Carlo

We propose a dynamic insurance network model that allows to deal with reinsurance default contagion risks with a particular aim of capturing cascading effects at the time of defaults. We capture these effects by finding an equilibrium allocation of settlements which can be found as the unique optimal solution of an optimization problem. This equilibrium allocation recognizes the correlation among the risk factors, the contractual obligations, which are assumed to follow popular contracts in the insurance industry (such as stop-loss), and the interconnections of the insurance-reinsurance network. We are able to obtain an asymptotic description of the most likely ways in which the default of a specific group of insurers can occur, by means of solving a multidimensional Knapsack integer programming problem. Finally, we propose a class of strongly efficient estimators (in a precise large deviations sense) for computing the expected loss of the network conditioning on the failure of a specific set of companies.
Time-Resolved Spectroscopy in Time-Dependent Density Functional Theory: An Exact Condition

A fundamental property of a quantum system driven by an external field is that when the field is turned off the positions of its response frequencies are independent of the time at which the field is turned off. We show that this leads to an exact condition for the exchange-correlation potential of time-dependent density functional theory. The Kohn-Sham potential typically continues to evolve after the field is turned off, which leads to time dependence in the response frequencies of the Kohn-Sham response function. The exchange-correlation kernel must cancel out this time dependence. The condition is typically violated by approximations currently in use, as we demonstrate by several examples, which has severe consequences for their predictions of time-resolved spectroscopy.
Cable Footprint History: Spatio-Temporal Technique for Instrument Detection in Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Procedures

We propose a new fast spatio-temporal technique that detects an operation scene---a video segment corresponding to a single purpose diagnosis action or a single purpose therapeutic action. The technique utilizes (1) color contrast of the cable region and the background, (2) the new area-based coordinate system to compute spatial features, and (3) the history of locations of detected cables of the instrument in a video to discard false regions. The proposed technique and software are useful for (1) automatic documentation of diagnostic or therapeutic operations at the end of the procedure, (2) a second review for causes of complications due to these operations, and (3) a building block for an effective content-based retrieval system to facilitate endoscopic research and education. On 38 fulllength colonoscopy and upper endoscopy video files with different cable colors and four different insertion directions of the instruments, the average percentage of false positive duration is small at 2.23%. The average percentage of true positive duration is high at 92.9%. The average analysis time per image is 13 milliseconds on an inexpensive off-the-shelf PC.
Model-based downscatter compensation for simultaneous Tc-99m/In-111 dual-isotope SPECT imaging

606 Objectives: Simultaneous Tc-99m/In-111 dual-isotope SPECT imaging has many potential applications. For example, imaging of In-111 labeled stem cells and a Tc99m labeled perfusion agent has been used for cardiac studies; In-111 and Tc-99m labeled leukocytes have been used for imaging of infection and inflammation. However, there is significant downscatter from In-111 into Tc-99m energy window that severely degrades the quality of Tc-99m images. In this work, we have developed a model-based method to compensate for the downscatter. Methods: To estimate the downscatter contamination, scatter in the object is modeled using the effective source scatter estimate technique, including contributions from both In-111 photo peaks. Photon interactions inside collimator-detector system, including the penetration and scatter components, is estimated using pre-computed tables calculated from Monte Carlo simulations. The estimated downscatter is then compensated for during iterative reconstruction of the Tc-99m images by adding the downscatter estimate to the computed projections. We evaluated the model-based method using Monte Carlo simulated projection data modeling simultaneous acquisition. Results: Monte Carlo simulation indicated that around 98% of the downscatter from In-111 to the Tc-99m window was from the photons that scattered inside object. There were very good agreement between the model-based estimates and the MC simulated results. After compensation, the downscatter in the simultaneously acquired Tc-99m images was effectively removed. Conclusions: We have developed a model-based method that can estimate and compensate for the downscatter in simultaneous Tc-99m/In-111 dual-isotope imaging. The method provided accurate downscatter estimates and, Tc-99m images compensated using these estimates were comparable to those from separate acquisitions.
Outlines of Research: General Analysis

(1925). Outlines of Research: General Analysis. The American Mathematical Monthly: Vol. 32, No. 7, pp. 344-354.
Efficient Flight Control System Assembly for Parameter Optimization Design Schemes

Computer aided design packages used for aircraft flight control system analysis model the control laws as a set of filters and non linear modeling elements. Because the underlying assembly algorithm permits the elements to be connected arbitrarily, the control structure is open. This work shows that when starting from the common CAD GUI form of the control system, the PCS assembly process is not trivial from a computational standpoint. In fact, for practical aircraft system models, PCS assembly can be more computationally intensive than computing eigenvalues and time simulation of the system. The paper proposes an efficient assembly procedure to be used in conjunction with embedded parameter optimization PCS design schemes.