cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Classification of event location using matched filters via on-floor accelerometers

Recent years have shown prolific advancements in smart infrastructures, allowing buildings of the modern world to interact with their occupants. One of the sought-after attributes of smart buildings is the ability to provide unobtrusive, indoor localization of occupants. The ability to locate occupants indoors can provide a broad range of benefits in areas such as security, emergency response, and resource management. Recent research has shown promising results in occupant building localization, although there is still significant room for improvement. This study presents a passive, small-scale localization system using accelerometers placed around the edges of a small area in an active building environment. The area is discretized into a grid of small squares, and vibration measurements are processed using a pattern matching approach that estimates the location of the source. Vibration measurements are produced with ball-drops, hammer-strikes, and footsteps as the sources of the floor excitation. The developed approach uses matched filters based on a reference data set, and the location is classified using a nearest-neighbor search. This approach detects the appropriate location of impact-like sources i.e. the ball-drops and hammer-strikes with a 100% accuracy. However, this accuracy reduces to 56% for footsteps, with the average localization results being within 0.6 m (α = 0.05) from the true source location. While requiring a reference data set can make this method difficult to implement on a large scale, it may be used to provide accurate localization abilities in areas where training data is readily obtainable. This exploratory work seeks to examine the feasibility of the matched filter and nearest neighbor search approach for footstep and event localization in a small, instrumented area within a multi-story building.
Future Research Opportunities in Peri-Prosthetic Joint Infection Prevention.

Abstract Peri-prosthetic joint infection (PJI) is a serious complication of prosthetic joint arthroplasty. A better understanding and reversal of modifiable risk factors may lead to a reduction in the incidence of incisional (superficial and deep) and organ/space (e.g., PJI) surgical site infections (SSI). Recently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee (HICPAC) published the Guideline for Prevention of Surgical Site Infection. This targeted update applies evidence-based methodology in drafting recommendations for potential strategies to reduce the risk of SSI both across surgical procedures and specifically in prosthetic joint arthroplasty. A panel of PJI content experts identified nine PJI prevention research opportunities based on both evidence gaps identified through the guideline development process (transfusion, immunosuppressive therapy, anticoagulation, orthopedic space suit, and biofilm) and expert opinion (anesthesi...
Surgery scheduling with recovery resources

ABSTRACTSurgical services are large revenue sources that account for a large portion of hospital expenses. Thus, efficient resource allocation is crucial in this system; however, this is a challenging problem, in part due to the interaction of the different stages of the surgery delivery system and the uncertainty of surgery and recovery durations. This article focuses on single-day in-patient elective surgery scheduling considering surgeons, operating rooms (ORs), and the post-anesthesia care unit (recovery). We propose a mixed-integer programming formulation of this problem and then present a fast two-phase heuristic: phase 1 is used for determining the number of ORs to open for the day and surgeon-to-OR assignments, and phase 2 is used for surgical case sequencing. Both phases have provable worst-case performance guarantees and excellent average case performance. We evaluate schedules under uncertainty using a discrete-event simulation model based on data provided by a mid-sized hospital. We show that ...
MicroRNA-210 Targets Ten-Eleven Translocation Methylcytosine Dioxygenase 1 and Suppresses Pregnancy-Mediated Adaptation of Large Conductance Ca 2+ -Activated K + Channel Expression and Function in Ovine Uterine Arteries.

Gestational hypoxia inhibits large conductance Ca2+-activated K+ (BKCa) channel expression and function in uterine arterial adaptation to pregnancy. Given the findings that microRNA-210 (miR-210) is increased in hypoxia during gestation and preeclampsia, the present study sought to investigate the role of miR-210 in the regulation of BKCa channel adaptation in the uterine artery. Gestational hypoxia significantly increased uterine vascular resistance and blood pressure in pregnant sheep and upregulated miR-210 in uterine arteries. MiR-210 bound to ovine ten-eleven translocation methylcytosine dioxygenase 1 mRNA 3' untranslated region and decreased ten-eleven translocation methylcytosine dioxygenase 1 mRNA and protein abundance in uterine arteries of pregnant sheep, as well as abrogated steroid hormone-induced upregulation of ten-eleven translocation methylcytosine dioxygenase 1 expression in uterine arteries of nonpregnant animals. In accordance, miR-210 blocked pregnancy- and steroid hormone-induced upregulation of BKCa channel β1 subunit expression in uterine arteries. Functionally, miR-210 suppressed BKCa channel current density in uterine arterial myocytes of pregnant sheep and inhibited steroid hormone-induced increases in BKCa channel currents in uterine arteries of nonpregnant animals. Blockade of endogenous miR-210 inhibited hypoxia-induced suppression of BKCa channel activity. In addition, miR-210 decreased BKCa channel-mediated relaxations and increased pressure-dependent myogenic tone of uterine arteries. Together, the results demonstrate that miR-210 plays an important role in the downregulation of ten-eleven translocation methylcytosine dioxygenase 1 and repression of BKCa channel function in uterine arteries, revealing a novel mechanism of epigenetic regulation in the maladaptation of uterine hemodynamics in gestational hypoxia and preeclampsia.
Jane Kilby Welsh (1783–1853): Faith and Family

In most scholarship on women science writers, Jane Kilby Welsh (1783–1853) is relegated to a footnote or a brief mention, alongside the titles of one of two of her books, and perhaps a mention that she was once a student of Amos Eaton. Reconstructing the history of this lifetime native of Massachusetts and situating her writings within the larger context of both New England geology and theology as well as the familiar format has taken concerted effort and yielded limited, if not fascinating results, many of which are described here for the first time.
Computational Modeling of Driver Lateral Control on Curved Roads With Integration of Vehicle Dynamics and Reference Trajectory Tracking

Driver’s lateral control on curved roads plays a significant role in reducing or avoiding the crashes. To understand and predict driver performance on curved roads, a computational model was developed in a cognitive architecture, the Queueing Network-Model Human Processor (QN-MHP), with the integration of vehicle dynamics principles (i.e., how to steer based on near and far angles) and the reference trajectory tracking method (i.e., how to steer on the road varying with radius of road curvature). The model was implemented with four major components: road information, vehicle dynamics, visual perception, and cognition & motor controls. The model outputs were validated with the corresponding human subject performance in the literature. The performance results of the model highly fitted the human subject data such as steering wheel angle.
Inhibition of Protein Synthesis Initiation Factors by Naturally Occurring Sulfhydryl Reactive Reagents

Publisher Summary The chapter discusses inhibition of protein synthesis initiation factors by naturally occurring sulfhydryl reactive reagents. It defines the mechanism of protein synthesis inhibition by helenalin and bishelenalinyl malonateby illustrating an experimental procedure whereby a method in which routine measurement of endogenous protein synthesis in rabbit reticulocyte lysates was assayed. The assay was modified to obtain more linear incorporation in the time course experiments. A crude initiation factor preparation and 40 S subunits were obtained from rabbit reticulocytes and used for the ternary complex and 48 S complex initiation assays. 40 S ribosomes and the crude initiation factors were prepared in 100 μM dithiothreitol. After dilution, the maximum dithiothreitol concentration during the preincubation period was 30 μM . Dithiothreitol was added during the actual assay. The chapter presents the effects of preincubation with 100 μM helenalin or bishelenalinyl malonate on ternary complex and 48 S complex formations. Helenalin and bishelenalinyl malonate clearly differed in their ability to inhibit formation of the 48 S initiation complex. The possible difference in mechanism of action of helenalin and bishelenalinyl malonate was explored further by comparing their kinetics as protein synthesis inhibitors in reticulocyte lysates. With bishelenalinyl malonate, there is a 10 minute lag before effective inhibition is observed. With helenalin, there is also a comparable lag before full inhibition is observed. However, partial inhibition is observed even at very early times. Thus, the mechanism of inhibition of protein synthesis by helenalin appears to be complex. The data suggests that helenalin might inhibit protein synthesis by two distinct mechanisms — one of which is unique to helenalin and the other is identical or very similar to the mechanism of protein synthesis inhibition by bishelenalinyl malonate.
Luteinizing hormone concentrations in serum of postpartum beef cows injected with microencapsulated luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone analog.

Twenty-five cows were divided equally into five groups to determine whether [D-Trp6]-luteinizing hormone releasing hormone (LHRH-A) microencapsulated in poly (DL-lactide co-glycolide) would increase basal serum concentrations of LH during the postpartum period. On d 5 postpartum, cows were injected i.m. with 2 ml of vehicle alone (Group 1) or vehicle containing microcapsules calculated to release .4, 1.6, 6.4 or 25.6 micrograms LHRH-A per day for approximately 30 d (Groups 2, 3, 4 and 5, respectively). Cows were bled every 15 min for 4 h immediately before and after injection and every 15 min for 4 h at weekly intervals for the next 4 wk to evaluate serum profiles of LH. Estrus was determined by twice daily observations and confirmed by serum progesterone. More cows in Groups 2, 3, 4 and 5 exhibited pulsatile patterns of LH after LHRH-A injection than in Group 1 (P less than .06). More pulses of LH were observed after LHRH-A injection in Groups 4 and 5 than in Group 1 (P less than .01). Mean concentrations of LH within treatment groups did not change during the initial injection, except in Group 5. All cows in Group 5 had a surge of LH immediately after injection. The induced surge of LH in two cows in Group 5 cows resulted in progesterone profiles similar to those during a normal luteal phase. Days to first postpartum estrus were not different among the five treatment groups. Microencapsulated LHRH-A given at a dose estimated to release 25 micrograms LHRH-A/d was effective in elevating LH concentrations following injection. However, effectiveness of this hormonal treatment in shortening postpartum anestrus was not substantiated.
Preserving Detail in a Combined Land Use Ontology

Resolving land use codes between jurisdictions has been an on-going problem due to differences in terms and the nuances of partial similarity of concepts. This paper reports on creating a land use ontology that, contrary to being limited to the highest level of codes or to the most-often used codes, retains all codes. It is also novel in that it records the more subtle relationships between codes rather than just using subclassing. The purpose of creating this comprehensive type of ontology is to provide precise answers to searches of heterogeneous land use codes across jurisdictions. Land use affects important planning decisions, and detail is critical. To query the ontology, custom Java code was written, rather than using SPARQL, to be able to traverse down or up the tree to find the closest matching code when an exact match does not occur.
Recent advances in microcatheter technology for the treatment of chronic total occlusions.

Introduction: Use of a microcatheter is essential for chronic total occlusion (CTO) percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Several microcatheters have recently been introduced in clinical practi...
Teaching Communication Skills

Technological advances have transformed our approach to caring for patients with serious medical conditions in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine (PCCM). Despite life-saving innovations, PCCM clinicians must inevitably counsel patients and their families through serious medical decision-making. PCCM clinicians are charged with leading clinically complex discussions with empathic, patient- and family-centered communication skills that may have tremendous impact on the course of care. While it is recognized that formal instruction, intentional practice, and structured feedback using a familiar framework enriched with key empathic phrases improve the ability of clinicians to align with patients and families through these conversations, this approach is still underdeveloped and underutilized in PCCM training. We review the evidence behind existing frameworks applied to PCCM settings, and discuss practical considerations in implementing interpersonal communication skills (ICS) training for PCCM trainees and faculty members. A lifelong commitment to ICS development is vital to provide high-quality, empathic care, to develop and retain master PCCM clinicians, and to expand scholarly work in this area.
Comparing the influence of visualization type in an electrochemistry laboratory on the student discourse: who do they talk to and what do they say?

A laboratory is a large investment of time and money for departments of chemistry yet discussions continue about its purpose in the educational process. Helping students navigate the three levels of representation; macroscopic, particulate and symbolic is a potential use of this time. This study looked at two different types of visualization for an electrochemistry laboratory in second semester general chemistry and the impact that the visualization type had on the student discourse. Macroscopic visualization (MV) was accomplished through a traditional hands-on laboratory and particulate visualization (PV) was achieved using a computer simulation featuring animated electrons and ions. The type of visualization impacted how much the students talked, who they talked to, and what they talked about. The MV students engaged in less peer-to-peer discussion than the PV students. The MV students expressed more excitement about their observations and were more focused on getting the data quickly. The MV spent most of their time physically doing the laboratory work while spending little time discussing the concepts. The PV students spent more time talking about concepts with their peers especially at the particulate level even answering macroscopic questions with particulate explanations. The type of visualization influenced all aspects of the student discourse.
Comparative Effectiveness of SBRT

Recently there has been significant research comparing the effectiveness of stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) to alternative treatment modalities. Comparative effectiveness studies within SBRT come from a variety of different data sources including prospective and retrospective series, large database analyses, and cost-effectiveness studies. Studies have largely centered on evaluating stereotactic treatment to the brain, prostate, lung, and liver. As the use of SBRT increases, and as long-term follow-up of patients after SBRT treatment grows, there will continue to be advances in this emerging area of research.
Non-neoplastic Diseases of Anus

Non-neoplastic diseases of the anus encompass a variety of lesions which include inflammatory processes such as anorectal infections and involvement by inflammatory bowel disease. The most common causes of anorectal infections are sexually transmitted infections with pathogens such as herpes simplex virus and Treponema pallidum (syphilis). An increase in proportion of these infections has been observed in recent years. This chapter highlights the pathognomonic features of these infections which will be useful to the pathologist for accurate diagnosis and hence early treatment and prevention of further transmission. Anal canal is involved in a significant proportion of patients with Crohn’s disease. In a small subset of patients, anal canal is the only site involved at presentation. Various chronic and debilitating manifestations of Crohn’s disease are discussed which include anal fissures, strictures, and fistulas. Pathological features of other benign lesions such as fibroepithelial polyps, inflammatory cloacogenic polyp, hemorrhoids, and anal abscesses are also discussed.
Toward optimum efficiency in a quantum receiver for coded ppm

Communications systems builders continue to search for signal formats and receiver architectures that can provide the most efficient utilization of their subsystems, which include power amplifiers as well as transmit and receive apertures. Receivers requiring very small amounts of received power are of particular interest in communications links where transmission distances are very long and losses are large, such as from Deep Space. Helstrom and others ([1],[2],[3]) initiated the study of optimum signal reception using quantum mechanical signal models. They derived the mathematical description and predicted performance of receivers that optimize certain criteria, such as Minimum Probability of Error (MPE). Unfortunately, practical implementation of their proposed receivers has still not been achieved. In parallel, technology has advanced to where noiseless photon counters can be used to achieve quite good performance ([4]). We show here that, when an end-to-end error correction code is added, in fact such a system can out-perform the “optimum” MPE system at low signal powers. In this report, we derive the formulation of a quantum receiver that is shown to be uniformly better than either the MPE or photon-counting receiver.
Understanding learning transfer of veterans in baccalaureate nursing programs: Their experience as student nurses.

Abstract With the continued growth of the numbers of veterans in nursing programs, faculty need to be aware of how to best facilitate their learning and build on their diverse experiences and expertise. Understanding how veterans transfer learning from the military context to an academic context is crucial for nursing education. The findings of this qualitative descriptive study support that veterans transfer learning from their military experience to their nursing education. Eleven veterans comprised the sample. The themes were: Embracing and living core professional values, Learning from a team-based framework to achieve a common goal, Learning how and when to communicate with faculty and healthcare members, and Incorporating learned behaviors into everyday professional practice. One recommendation for faculty included gaining basic knowledge of military culture and how that influences veterans once they transition to civilian life. The study findings can help faculty to build on previously acquired knowledge and enrich the learning experience for students and faculty. Ultimately, this may help to recruit and retain veterans in nursing programs; thus, impacting the global workforce.
Preoperative noninvasive artery flow volume and maturation of arteriovenous fistulae: A single surgeon's experience from 403 cases.

Background:Preoperative Doppler ultrasound evaluation of arteriovenous fistula inflow artery includes measurements of arterial diameter and flow volume. The purpose of this study was to evaluate th...
Palliative Care for Dementia: 2020 Update

Dementia management is complicated by neuropsychiatric symptoms such that the longitudinal care of a psychiatrist or other mental health provider is often an essential part of patient care and a major source of family support. Given the importance of end-of-life continuity of care, the involvement of psychiatry in palliative and hospice services affords an important opportunity for growth. Common challenges involve sharing prognostic information with patients and families to aid in advance planning, and management of persistent pain and nutritional issues. Future research will yield important new insights and guidelines for care.
A pilot study of a directed self-placement exam and a workshop designed to improve student learning outcomes in a junior level circuits and signals course

In this work, which is intended to be a Work in Progress Paper in the Research Category, a pilot study of a directed self-placement exam and a workshop designed to lower the DFW rate (% of students who earn a D, F, or W) is presented. Linear regression models that included the directed self-placement exam score, differential equations grade, introduction to circuit analysis grade, and prior GPA were created, and the four-factor model, best three-factor model, best two-factor model, and the individual factor models are presented. The most cost-effective model in terms of significance (less than 0.001) and R2 (0.48) values was a two-factor model that included the introduction to circuit analysis grade, and prior GPA. This suggests that the directed self-placement exam is not needed to predict student success in the author’s circuits and systems course.
Housewives and maids: The labor of household recycling in urban India:

Sorting waste at-source (or household recycling) helps optimize the efficiency of waste management systems and safeguard the health of waste handlers. Recently, segregation of waste has become an u...
Resilient UAV Traffic Congestion Control Using Fluid Queuing Models

In this paper, we address the issue of congestion in future Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAVs) traffic system in uncertain weather. We treat the traffic of UAVs as fluid queues, and introduce models for traffic dynamics at three basic traffic components: single link, tandem link, and merge link. The impact of weather uncertainty is captured as fluctuation of the saturation rate of fluid queue discharge (capacity). The uncertainty is assumed to follow a continuous-time Markov process. We define the resilience of the UAV traffic system as the long-run stability of the traffic queues and the optimal throughput strategy under uncertainties. We derive the necessary and sufficient conditions for the stabilities of the traffic queues in the three basic traffic components. Both conditions can be easily verified in practice. The optimal throughput can be calculated via the stability conditions. Our results offer strong insight and tool for designing flows in the UAV traffic system that is resilient against weather uncertainty.
A cultural exploration of the national institutes of health neuropsychological cognition battery assessments in India

Cross-cultural exploration and adaptation of psychological tests and assessments is critical to ensure accurate and reliable results. This research study conducted a qualitative cultural exploration of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Toolbox Cognition Battery assessments in India as an initial step towards the cultural adaptation and validation of the instruments. As the assessments were developed in the United States, they required cultural exploration before they were used in India. Using interpretive phenomenological analysis, the study included a sample of 30 participants across Mumbai, Surat, and Derod. Five themes emerged from the data analysis: contentedness, lack of relatability, recommendations for change, the rural Indian lifestyle, and the variable of education. The most common code was “satisfied.” While this research does indicate that participants comprehend the assessments, recommendations were made to change images and storylines to reflect the Indian culture. They focused on Indian food, Indian clothing, Indian festivals, family, and religion in India. The findings from this study can be used to inform future adaptation and validation of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Toolbox Cognition Battery assessments in India.
Integrating patient-reported outcomes and quantitative timed tasks to identify relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis patient subgroups: a latent profile analysis.

Abstract Background Multiple sclerosis (MS) patients experience wide-ranging symptoms with varied severity, and approaches that integrate patient-reported outcomes and objective quantitative measures will present opportunities for advancing clinical profiling. The primary objective of the current study was to conduct exploratory data analysis using latent variable modeling to empirically identify clusters of relapsing remitting (RR) MS patients with shared impairment patterns across three patient-reported outcomes and two timed task measures. Methods Latent profile analyses and impairment data for 2,012 RRMS patients identified distinct patient clusters using timed task measures of upper and lower limb performance, and patient-reported outcomes measuring quality of life, depression symptom severity, and perceived global disability. Multinomial logistic regression models were used to characterize associations between socio-demographic attributes and assignment to the patient clusters. Results There were 6 distinct clusters of RRMS patients that differed by symptom patterns, and by their socio-demographic attributes. Most notable were were no differences in age, sex, or disease duration between the least and most impaired classes, representing 14% and 4% of patients, respectively. Patients in the most impaired class were much more likely to be Black American, have a history of smoking, have a higher body mass index, and be of lower socioeconomic status than the least impaired class. There were positive relationships between age and classification to clusters of increasing moderately severe impairment but not the most severe clusters. Conclusion We present a framework for discerning phenotypic impairment clusters in RRMS. The results demonstrate opportunities for advancing clinical profiling, which is necessary for optimizing personalized MS care models and clinical research.
Constructing Reliable Network Of Biomarker Covariance By Joint Data Harmonization And Graph Learning

Networks of biomarker covariance based on neuropathological events or neuro-degeneration degree is important to understand genetic influence and trophic reinforcement in the brain development/aging process. It is a common to quantiry the covariance of inter-subject biomarker profiles by linear correlation metrics such as Pearson’s correlation. Due to the heterogeneity and noise in the observed neurobiological data, however, it is difficult to construct a reliable covariance network using gross statistical measurement. To this, we propose a graph learning approach to infer the brain connectivity based on the harmonized inter-subject biomarker profiles. Specifically, we progressively estimate brain network until region-to-region connectivities reach the largest consensus of biomarker covariance across individuals. A better understanding of the network topology allows us to harmonize the neurobiological data effectively which eventually facilitates the graph inference. Since the network of biomarker covariance represents the region-wise associations in the entire population, we further promote diversity by adaptively penalizing the predominant influence from a group of biomarker profiles exhibiting statistically correlated patterns. We applied our method to the cortical thickness from MRI and amyloid-beta burden from PET images, which are biomarkers in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Enhanced statistical power and replicability have been achieved by our approach in identifying network alterations between cognitive normal (CN) and AD cohorts.
After the Life of LGBTQ Spaces: Learning from Atlanta and Istanbul

Many gay villages (or “gayborhoods”) arose in the wake of the gay liberation movement attracted a good deal of academic research within the last 40 years. Unfortunately, this hyper focus on certain spaces often populated by white gay men has frequently eclipsed research on other types of LGBTQ areas as well as other geographies beyond the global north. This chapter aims to address this gap, taking an ordinary cities perspective (Robinson, 2006) and asking how we can develop models that are conceptually useful for understanding the life of a more diverse array of LGBTQ spaces across the globe. To answer this question we avoid linear models of change by developing a new model based on a conceptual framework derived from physics: centripetal and centrifugal forces. The advantage of this model is its explicit recognition of the ways that social, economic, and political forces and their manifestations influence queer spaces. We use two cases from relatively under-studied regions; Atlanta and Istanbul to illustrate the utility of this framework. The “in-betweenness” of these cities, linking south and north as well as west and east, makes them a haven for queers and others fleeing the conservative surroundings in the search for more attractive and welcoming places for marginalized LGBTQ individuals. This chapter draws on the authors’ lived experiences, prior research, and additional interviews to conduct a relational reading of queer spaces with emphasis on the ways that LGBTQ people circulate and congregate in a wider range of urban areas. This comparative strategy and relational reading of queer spaces expands the narrow focus from normalized narratives of gayborhoods to a broader “analysis of the heterogeneity and multiplicity of metropolitan modernities” (Roy 2009, p. 821) of queer spaces.
RB1 Circulating Tumor DNA in the Blood of Patients with Unilateral Retinoblastoma: Before and after Intra-arterial Chemotherapy

Purpose Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) is released by many tumors into the plasma. Its analysis has minimal procedural risk and, in many cancers, has the potential for clinical applications. In retinoblastoma, the clinical correlations of ctDNA in eyes treated without enucleation have not been studied. This purpose of this study was to determine how the ctDNA RB1 variant allele frequency (VAF) changes in patients with unilateral retinoblastoma after intra-arterial chemotherapy (IAC) treatment. Variant allele frequency is a proxy for tumor fraction. Design Case series from a single tertiary cancer referral center. Participants Five patients with retinoblastoma with at least 1 measurable ctDNA plasma specimen both at the time of active intraocular retinoblastoma before IAC and after at least 1 IAC cycle. Methods Circulating tumor DNA RB1 was detected and VAF was measured before and after IAC treatment. Clinical correlations were made using clinical examination, fundus photography, ultrasound, and OCT. Main Outcome Measures Comparison of ctDNA RB1 VAF before and after IAC treatment for retinoblastoma and concordance of ctDNA RB1 detectability with activity of intraocular disease. Results Twenty-three ctDNA specimens were included from 5 patients. The 5 baseline RB1 VAFs ranged from 0.27% to 4.23%. In all patients, the subsequent post–intra-arterial RB1 VAF was lower than baseline (0.0%–0.17%). At 4 months (2 months after IAC completion), the ctDNA consistently was negative in the patients who demonstrated clinically inactive intraocular disease. Conclusions In this small cohort, a decremental decrease in ctDNA RB1 VAF was found after IAC, suggesting that relative VAF changes could be a biomarker of treatment response.
Relating Concepts: Teaching Language through Movement

(1981). Relating Concepts: Teaching Language through Movement. Journal of Physical Education and Recreation: Vol. 52, No. 2, pp. 24-25.
The Inositol Lipids of Plants

Some years ago, we devised a procedure for preparing an inositol lipid fraction from seed phosphatide mixtures1. Some-what to our surprise, this fraction contained, in addition to the previously recognized phosphatidyl inositol, a long-chain base-containing glycolipid. The base (designated as phytosphingosine) was shown 2 to have the following structure.
The Emotional Basis of Early Personality Development: Implications for the Emergent Self-Concept

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on the emotional basis of early personality development. In recent years, personality psychologists have made a great deal of progress toward the structure of personality. Personality development occurs in five basic steps in which the child progresses by: (1) learning organized patterns of behavior, (2) nonverbal conceptions of emotional states, (3) verbal conceptions of emotional states, (4) verbal conceptions of dispositions, and (5) a metatheory of self similar to what is held by older children and adults. Early individual differences influence the parent's personality on the developing child, the parent's perceptions of the child, the child's own behavior, and characteristics or temperament and the attachment between the child and the parent. It is clear that it is difficult to disentangle the independent effects of each of these influences. Focusing on the emotional basis of personality should allow for a better correspondence between research on child and adult personality, eventually leading to a better understanding of the course of personality development. A great deal of research has been devoted to understand individual differences in personality among preschool and kindergarten children, but the research primarily relied on the reports of other persons and/or behavioral observations.
Pour-Plate Method for the Detection of Coagulase Production by Staphylococcus aureus

A pour-plate method is described for the detection of coagulase production by Staphylococcus aureus. Either Brain Heart Infusion agar or yeast extract-Trypticase soy agar containing swine plasma was the best medium for the detection of coagulase by this method. The advantages of this method and its potential utilization in the clinical laboratory, in food microbiology, and in specialized studies with S. aureus are discussed.
Computing information rates of magnetic recording channels in the presence of medium noise

An information-theoretic method is presented for computing information rates of magnetic recording channels with medium noise, assuming 0.5-Bernoulli as well as optimized Markov input processes. The method is based on the well-known conjectured Shamai-Laroia bound. The compound behavior of the magnetic recording channel is modelled by combining the Lorentzian read-back pulse, the microtrack channel model, and additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN). Numerical results are provided that show that from an information theoretic viewpoint in certain cases medium noise is preferable to AWGN.
Modeling carbon dynamics in vegetation and soil under the impact of soil erosion and deposition

[1] Soil erosion and deposition may play important roles in balancing the global atmospheric carbon budget through their impacts on the net exchange of carbon between terrestrial ecosystems and the atmosphere. Few models and studies have been designed to assess these impacts. In this study, we developed a general ecosystem model, Erosion-Deposition-Carbon-Model (EDCM), to dynamically simulate the influences of rainfall-induced soil erosion and deposition on soil organic carbon (SOC) dynamics in soil profiles. EDCM was applied to several landscape positions in the Nelson Farm watershed in Mississippi, including ridge top (without erosion or deposition), eroding hillslopes, and depositional sites that had been converted from native forests to croplands in 1870. Erosion reduced the SOC storage at the eroding sites and deposition increased the SOC storage at the depositional areas compared with the site without erosion or deposition. Results indicated that soils were consistently carbon sources to the atmosphere at all landscape positions from 1870 to 1950, with lowest source strength at the eroding sites (13 to 24 gC m−2 yr−1), intermediate at the ridge top (34 gC m−2 yr−1), and highest at the depositional sites (42 to 49 gC m−2 yr−1). During this period, erosion reduced carbon emissions via dynamically replacing surface soil with subsurface soil that had lower SOC contents (quantity change) and higher passive SOC fractions (quality change). Soils at all landscape positions became carbon sinks from 1950 to 1997 due to changes in management practices (e.g., intensification of fertilization and crop genetic improvement). The sink strengths were highest at the eroding sites (42 to 44 gC m−2 yr−1), intermediate at the ridge top (35 gC m−2 yr−1), and lowest at the depositional sites (26 to 29 gC m−2 yr−1). During this period, erosion enhanced carbon uptake at the eroding sites by continuously taking away a fraction of SOC that can be replenished with enhanced plant residue input. Overall, soil erosion and deposition reduced CO2 emissions from the soil into the atmosphere by exposing low carbon-bearing soil at eroding sites and by burying SOC at depositional sites. The results suggest that failing to account for the impact of soil erosion and deposition may potentially contribute to an overestimation of both the total historical carbon released from soils owing to land use change and the contemporary carbon sequestration rates at the eroding sites.
Efeito da adubação fosfatada na qualidade fisiológica de sementes de arroz cultivadas em terras altas = Effect of phosphorus fertilization on physiological quality of rice seeds cultivated in upland

Com o objetivo de avaliar os efeitos da adubacao fosfatada na qualidade fisiologica de sementes de arroz cultivado em terras altas, conduziu-se esta pesquisa no laboratorio de analise de sementes da Universidade Federal do Tocantins, Campus de Gurupi. As cultivares BRS Caiapo, BRSMG Conai, BRS Bonanca, BRS Sertaneja, BRS Primavera e BRSMG Curinga foram submetidas a dois ambientes, um simulando condicao de estresse de fosforo (20 kg ha-1) e outro simulando condicoes ideais (120 kg ha-1), na forma de P2O5. O delineamento estatistico adotado foi blocos ao acaso, com quatro repeticoes, em esquema fatorial 6x2, onde avaliou-se seis cultivares e duas condicoes de cultivo. A qualidade fisiologica das sementes dos cultivares de arroz de terras altas e influenciada pela dormencia e a fertilizacao fosfatada. A cultivar BRS Caiapo se destacou em relacao as demais em condicao de estresse e ideal de fosforo quanto a qualidade fisiologica.
Effect of variance reduction techniques on Monte Carlo simulated energy spectra

Variance reduction techniques are applied to a Monte Carlo program in order to reduce the time required to compute a given number of gamma events in the detector. Energy spectra are generated and compared using brute force and two forced detection variance reduction techniques. The spectra demonstrate that the variance reduction does not significantly bias the character of the emerging gamma ray energy spectra. The mean error between the three simulated energy spectra is less than 5%. The agreement between the three spectra allows a level of confidence in the faster Monte Carlo variance reduction calculations that could not be achieved by merely comparing images calculated at the camera surface. >
A distributed activation energy model of thermodynamically inhibited nucleation and growth reactions and its application to the β-δ phase transition of HMX

Detailed and global models are presented for thermodynamically inhibited nucleation-growth reactions and applied to the β−δ phase transition of HMX (nitramine octahydro-1,3,5,7-tetranitro-1,3,5,7-t...
Affordable K-12 robotics programs

This paper describes the history of GEAR, BEST Robotics and FIRST Robotics in West Texas and analyzes the relative benefits of these programs. We feel that the best case scenario includes both types of programs so that widespread involvement can be achieved cost-effectively through GEAR and BEST and that a more sophisticated level of involvement is available to those with the interest and aptitude through FIRST.
Thalassia testudinum banks ex könig seedling success in a coral reef microcosm

Abstract Thalassia seedlings collected in the Bahama Islands were transplanted into the lagoon of a coral reef microcosm where their survival and growth was monitored. Only 25% of the original number planted survived after eight months. The leaves grew a minimum of 2 cm per month. Seedling growth in the microcosm exceeded that reported from field studies. The microcosm system could be used for maintaining seedlings for use in the restoration of disturbed Thalassia beds.
A new version of the multireference averaged coupled‐pair functional (MR‐ACPF‐2)

The averaged coupled-pair functional (ACPF), as found in R. J. Gdanitz and R. Ahlrichs, Chem. Phys. Lett.143 (1988), is probably the most successful method to approximate full configuration interaction (CI) on the multireference (MR) level of theory. However, ACPF has a tendency to slightly overestimate the effect of higher than double substitutions, which, when the zeroth-order wavefunction is of poor quality, may deteriorate the accuracy or even create instabilities. Since the properties of the ACPF and similar methods have apparently not always been correctly described in the literature, we repeat the derivation of this method in some detail. We analyze the connection between the (original) ACPF and the similar averaged quadratic coupled cluster (AQCC) method (which may be regarded as a damped ACPF), on one hand, and the different versions (0–3) of the coupled electron-pair approximation (CEPA), on the other hand. We find that ACPF and AQCC may be regarded as CEPA-1, respectively, CEPA-3, where the shifts of the Hamiltonian are substituted by a single averaged shift. As CEPA-3 considerably underestimates correlation effects, AQCC shows the same behavior. However, when the zeroth-order wavefunction is of poor quality, AQCC may be more stable and thus more accurate than ACPF. By analyzing the role of the single substitutions, we find that ACPF may especially overestimate their contribution to unlinked clusters like . We therefore propose a new version, called ACPF-2, where (in contrast to AQCC) only the renormalization factor, g, that corresponds to the singles, is damped; i.e., we have (4/N)[1−1/(2N−2)]. In the limit of a large number of electrons, N, this factor becomes two times as large as in the (original) ACPF, where 2/N is used. In order to test the new ACPF-2 method, we perform numerous comparisons with full CI, as well as calculations including terms that are linear in the interelectronic distances, rij. We find that in difficult cases, ACPF-2 is of similar stability as is AQCC and is thus considerably more accurate than the original ACPF. In contrast to AQCC, however, ACPF-2 achieves this stability without sacrificing the high accuracy which is obtained by ACPF in well-behaved cases. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2001
Isotopic composition of cellulose from aquatic organisms

The stable isotopic ratios of oxygen, carbon and the non-exchangeable carbon-bound hydrogen of cellulose from marine plants (algae and higher vascular forms) and animals (tunicates) collected in their natural habitats and from freshwater vascular plants grown in the laboratory under controlled conditions were determined. The δ^(18)O values of cellulose from all the plants and animals were 27 ±3% more positive than the δ^(18)O values of the waters in which the organisms grew. Temperature had little or no influence on this relationship for three species of freshwater vascular plants that were analyzed. The relationship between the δ^(18)O values of cellulose and the water used in its synthesis is probably established by the isotopic fractionation that occurs during the hydration of carbonyl groups of the intermediates involved in cellulose synthesis. The δD values of the non-exchangeable hydrogen of cellulose (determined by analyzing cellulose nitrate) from different organisms that grew in the same environment differed by large amounts. This difference ranged up to 200‰ for different species of algae collected at a single site: the corresponding difference for different species of tunicates and vascular plants was 60 and 20‰ respectively. The δD values of cellulose nitrate from different species of freshwater vascular plants grown in water of constant temperature and isotopic composition differed by as much as 60‰ The relationship between the δD values of the carbon-bound hydrogen of cellulose and the water used in its synthesis displayed a significant temperature dependence for four species of freshwater vascular plants that were analyzed. The δD values of cellulose nitrate prepared from different parts of one of the plants grown under constant conditions differed by 40‰ Hydrogen isotopic fractionation during cellulose synthesis appears to be more variable among different species and displays a larger temperature dependence than was suggested by previous studies.
Stress and Vascular Disease at the Cellular and Molecular Levels

The role of nitric oxide in mediating smooth muscle relaxation is well established. Less is known about the downstream signaling events inside the smooth muscle cell that produce relaxation of the contractile machinery. One possible effector molecule is the small heat shock protein HSP20. Increased phosphorylation of HSP20 is associated with vasorelaxation. HSP20 is associated with elements of the contractile machinery such as another small heat shock protein (HSP27), actin, and myosin. Thus HSP20 may mediate vasorelaxation by directly modulating cytoskeletal or contractile elements in muscle cells.
A prospective evaluation of using IVUS during percutaneous superficial femoral artery interventions.

Background The outcomes of endovascular interventions of the superficial femoral artery (SFA) are variable. Completion angiography is typically performed to confirm satisfactory outcomes after SFA angioplasty and/or stenting. However, two-dimensional angiography may not accurately reflect the extent of residual stenosis. We sought to determine whether intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) can help with residual disease assessment and procedure outcome. Methods Patients with anticipated SFA disease were prospectively recruited to the study. Patients with primary SFA disease on diagnostic angiography were included. After SFA endovascular intervention with angioplasty and/or stenting, a completion angiogram was performed to confirm satisfactory results before IVUS evaluation. IVUS-detected maximal residual stenosis, maximal residual lesion volume, and number of nonconsecutive posttreatment SFA segments with >50% residual stenosis were evaluated. Periprocedural ankle-brachial indexes (ABIs), Short Form 36 (SF-36) surveys, and Walking Impairment Questionnaires were also collected. Results Fifty-nine patients were prospectively enrolled. Thirty-three received angioplasty only, and 26 received angioplasty and stenting. All patients were men, mean age was 67 years, and major comorbidities included coronary artery disease (53%), active smoking (56%), hypertension (88%), and diabetes (68%). The angioplasty-only cohort had more nonconsecutive areas of >50% residual stenosis ( P = 0.004), greater residual stenosis ( P = 0.03), and smaller minimal lumen diameters after treatment ( P = 0.01) than the angioplasty and stenting cohort. However, there was no significant difference in ABI between the 2 groups and no difference in ABI improvement after intervention. Sixty-four percent of all patients demonstrated a >0.2 increase in postintervention ABI. Improvement in ABI at 1 month after procedure significantly correlated with postintervention SF-36 survey physical scores ( r = 0.435, P = 0.007). Conclusions IVUS evaluation provides more-accurate intraprocedural insight on the extent of residual stenosis after SFA interventions. Future studies are warranted to determine whether IVUS-guided postangioplasty and/or stenting can impact long-term interventional outcome.