cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Popliteal and shank arterial injury

Arterial injuries below the adductor hiatus in the lower extremity result in amputation more often than do injuries in any other site. The major deterrents to limb salvage are delay in diagnosis and revascularization and extensive adjacent bone and soft-tissue trauma. Rapid diagnosis and repair are needed for all popliteal artery injuries and for infrapopliteal injuries that compromise distal flow. The optimal management of asymptomatic injuries of single shank arteries with normal flow in uninjured parallel vessels is not defined.
Cochlear perfusion with a viscous fluid.

The flow of viscous fluid in the cochlea induces shear forces, which could provide benefit in clinical practice, for example to guide cochlear implant insertion or produce static pressure to the cochlear partition or wall. From a research standpoint, studying the effects of a viscous fluid in the cochlea provides data for better understanding cochlear fluid mechanics. However, cochlear perfusion with a viscous fluid may damage the cochlea. In this work we studied the physiological and anatomical effects of perfusing the cochlea with a viscous fluid. Gerbil cochleae were perfused at a rate of 2.4 μL/min with artificial perilymph (AP) and sodium hyaluronate (Healon, HA) in four different concentrations (0.0625%, 0.125%, 0.25%, 0.5%). The different HA concentrations were applied either sequentially in the same cochlea or individually in different cochleae. The perfusion fluid entered from the round window and was withdrawn from basal scala vestibuli, in order to perfuse the entire perilymphatic space. Compound action potentials (CAP) were measured after each perfusion. After perfusion with increasing concentrations of HA in the order of increasing viscosity, the CAP thresholds generally increased. The threshold elevation after AP and 0.0625% HA perfusion was small or almost zero, and the 0.125% HA was a borderline case, while the higher concentrations significantly elevated CAP thresholds. Histology of the cochleae perfused with the 0.0625% HA showed an intact Reissner's membrane (RM), while in cochleae perfused with 0.125% and 0.25% HA RM was torn. Thus, the CAP threshold elevation was likely due to the broken RM, likely caused by the shear stress produced by the flow of the viscous fluid. Our results and analysis indicate that the cochlea can sustain, without a significant CAP threshold shift, up to a 1.5 Pa shear stress. Beside these finding, in the 0.125% and 0.25% HA perfusion cases, a temporary CAP threshold shift was observed, perhaps due to the presence and then clearance of viscous fluid within the cochlea, or to a temporary position shift of the Organ of Corti. After 0.5% HA perfusion, a short latency positive peak (P0) appeared in the CAP waveform. This P0 might be due to a change in the cochlea's traveling-wave pattern, or distortion in the cochlear microphonic.
Nanotechnology in head and neck cancer

H and neck cancers represent 2-6% of all cancers in the United States and are aggressive neoplasms that can be resistant to current treatments. Treatment of tumors can be cosmetically and functionally disfiguring and tumors can still recur or spread to regional lymph nodes or distant organs. Novel technologies are necessary to overcome this disease. Nanotechnology represents a novel technology with the potential to revolutionalize medicine with a range of diagnostic applications and treatments. At the size range of less than 200nm, nanoparticles can demonstrate new physical properties unlike their bulk material. For instance some nanoparticles serve as ultrabright beacons over 1 million times brighter than current probes. Extensive research is currently underway to evaluate nanoparticles as diagnostic probes, drug and gene carriers, electro/magnetic/photothermal therapy agents and even as radiation enhancers. This talk will review potential medical innovations using the our lab’s work with gold nanoparticles as an example.
Selenium and viral infections

Viruses which infect a selenium-deficient host have been shown to mutate. Two very different viruses, coxsackievirus and influenza virus, repeatedly evolve the same specific stable viral mutations when Se-deficient mice are infected with these viruses. The mutations resulted in increased virulence of both viruses. In addition, in a human population with low Se status, the live attenuated vaccine strain of poliovirus had increased mutations relative to individuals with higher selenium status. Decreased Se is also associated with immune impairment, with both chemokine and cytokine levels altered. These studies demonstrated that the Se status of the host can profoundly influence the genome of viral pathogen, leading to a new viral strain. Thus, host nutritional status should be considered when studying the mechanisms underlying the evolution of emerging viruses and may assist in predicting new viral outbreaks and devising new strategies to limit the emergence and spread of these pathogenic forms.
Angles, Traction, and Time after Delivery of Fetal Head: Interobserver Variation of Novel Visual Analogs.

Objective The objective was to ascertain interobserver variability for assessment of Angles of fetal head manipulation, Traction exerted on the fetal head, and Time interval from the emergence of the head to the feet (ATT) at vaginal delivery. Materials and Methods Singleton pregnancies of ≥36 weeks with vaginal delivery were included. Visual analogs were created to assess angles and traction, and mobile phone stopwatch was used to assess the time interval. The intraclass coefficient (ICC) was calculated to determine interobserver variability. Results Thirty-seven deliveries were analyzed. For the two observers, the median angle for downward manipulation was –5° vs –20° (interquartile range [IQR], –5 to –5 vs –30 to –10), ICC of 0.09 (poor agreement; 95% confidence interval [CI] –0.09, 0.32), and that for upward manipulation was 10° vs 20° (IQR, 10–15 vs 10–30), ICC of 0.25 (poor agreement; 95% CI –0.05, 0.52). ICC for lateral manipulation could not be calculated as it was not noted in 98% of deliveries. Mean traction was 2.5 versus 5.0, ICC of 0.36 (poor agreement; 95% CI –0.09, 0.72). The mean time intervals were 14.9 versus 14.0 seconds, ICC of 0.94 (excellent agreement, 95% CI 0.88–0.97). Conclusion With exception of time interval, interobserver agreement was poor in estimation of fetal head manipulation and traction.
Courage, Principle and Ambition: Human Rights Activism in Liberia and Policy Implications for TamingAuthoritarian Regimes

This study of human rights activism in Liberia shows how small-scale, peaceful advocacy for democracy and human rights can take place even in a resource-poor country where activists face considerable danger from repressive regimes. When repressive regimes manage to block mass campaigns, individually-led, small-scale, nonviolent resistance can take root. The study also looks at ways that policymakers can support such activism. Driven by courage, commitment to principled ideas such as human rights and democracy, and in some cases by political ambition, individual activists helped expose human rights abuses to the outside world, delegitimizing the regime and attracting international responses that eventually brought change. In Liberia, under the regimes of Samuel Doe (1980-90) and Charles Taylor (1997-2003), some journalists, lawyers, university students, academics, clergy, and others, with only minimal international support, risked personal safety to demand freedom of speech, assembly, and protection from arbitrary arrest and torture. The findings are based on some 60 in-depth interviews by the author, mostly with key activists from those periods, and on archival research.
Pulmonary Embolism Response Teams: Overview and Potential Impact of a Multidisciplinary Treatment Algorithm

Abstract Pulmonary embolism (PE), specifically submassive and massive, can be life threatening. Pulmonary embolism response teams (PERTs) are being developed across the country to facilitate rapid diagnosis and appropriate triage and provide rapid personalized treatment to reduce early cardiopulmonary decompensation and mortality. Early results are promising and demonstrate improved patient outcomes. Providers treating patients with PE should be familiar with PERT methodology to improve the diagnosis and treatment of PE.
Parametric directional coding for precomputed sound propagation

Convincing audio for games and virtual reality requires modeling directional propagation effects. The initial sound's arrival direction is particularly salient and derives from multiply-diffracted paths in complex scenes. When source and listener straddle occluders, the initial sound and multiply-scattered reverberation stream through gaps and portals, helping the listener navigate. Geometry near the source and/or listener reveals its presence through anisotropic reflections. We propose the first precomputed wave technique to capture such directional effects in general scenes comprising millions of polygons. These effects are formally represented with the 9D directional response function of 3D source and listener location, time, and direction at the listener, making memory use the major concern. We propose a novel parametric encoder that compresses this function within a budget of ~100MB for large scenes, while capturing many salient acoustic effects indoors and outdoors. The encoder is complemented with a lightweight signal processing algorithm whose filtering cost is largely insensitive to the number of sound sources, resulting in an immediately practical system.
Landscape and anthropogenic factors affecting spatial patterns of water quality trends in a large river basin, South Korea

Abstract Understanding changes in water quality over time and landscape and anthropogenic factors affecting them are of paramount importance to human and ecosystem health. We analyzed the seasonal trends of total nitrogen, total phosphorus, chemical oxygen demand, and total suspended solid (SS) in the Han River Basin (HRB) of South Korea using the Mann-Kendall test. We explored the effects of anthropogenic (land cover and population) and natural factors (topography and soil) on the trends by using Moran’s Eigenvector based spatial filtering regressions at four different spatial scales. Water quality of the HRB generally improved from the early 1990s to 2016 with decreasing summer nutrient and winter SS concentrations. Water quality trends were spatially autocorrelated with distinct spatial variations within the basin. Some stations close to the Seoul metropolitan area, however, still exhibited poor water quality conditions. Approximately 20–70 percent of spatial variation of different water quality trends were explained by some combination of current agricultural land cover, forest land cover, % area covered by water, change in those land covers and slope variations. The 100 m buffer and one-kilometer upstream scale analyses generally showed higher explanatory power than the sub-watershed scale analyses, while the effect of seasons differed for different parameters. The significant factors in each regression model typically differed among different scales but not among different seasons of the same scale. The spatial filtering approach removed the residual spatial autocorrelation and thus significantly increased the explanatory power of water quality trend models.
The social impact and burden of headache.

Publisher Summary The chapter presents the social burden of migraine and of the chronic daily headaches (CDH), emphasizing the population-based studies that used standardized diagnostic criteria. The burden of headache is determined by the frequency, severity, and duration of attacks and the symptoms associated with the attack. To some degree, burden also depends upon the etiology. The chapter elaborates on migraine because this is probably the most important primary headache disorder from the perspective of societal burden. The burden of migraine is significant both to the individual sufferer and to society. Migraine has an enormous impact on society. Studies have evaluated both the indirect costs of migraine as well as the direct costs. Direct costs are those related to the use of medical resources, including physician visits for diagnosis and/or treatment, emergency room visits, diagnostic procedures, and medication. Indirect costs are generally assessed in terms of temporary disability, reduced functionality, lost productivity, and associated costs to employers. The chapter discusses tools for screening and assessing the impact of migraine. Tools that measure comorbidities and satisfaction with treatment are also discussed.
PREDICTION METHOD FOR TURBULENT MOMENTUM AND HEAT TRANSFER IN VISCOUS NON-NEWTONIAN LIQUIDS

Abstract Differential models are proposed for μeff and Γeff for viscous non-Newtonian liquids, using the van Driest approximation near the wall; two constants, A and Prt, must be determined. Suitable values of these constants were found so that predictions of velocity and temperature profiles compare favorably with experimental data for fully developed flow in pipes. The dependency of the constants on Rew, Prw, and n are examined for dilute solutions of Carbopol. The Patankar-Spalding program was modified by including the above models so that the general boundary-layer problem of non-Newtonian liquids can now be solved. The program was used successfully to predict variable-viscosity flow in pipes and constant-property turbulent flow over flat plates. In the latter case, it was shown that if s is correlated in terms of Rew, it becomes independent of n.
Detection of Adulteration in Hydrastis canadensis (Goldenseal) Dietary Supplements via Untargeted Mass Spectrometry-Based Metabolomics

Current estimates report that approximately 25% of U.S. adults use dietary supplements for medicinal purposes. Yet, regulation and transparency within the dietary supplement industry remains a challenge, and economic incentives encourage adulteration or augmentation of botanical dietary supplement products. Undisclosed changes to the dietary supplement composition could impact safety and efficacy; thus, there is a continued need to monitor possible botanical adulteration or mis-identification. Goldenseal, Hydrastis canadensis L. (Ranunculaceae), is a well-known botanical used to combat bacterial infections and digestive problems and is widely available as a dietary supplement. The goal of this study was to evaluate potential adulteration in commercial botanical products using untargeted metabolomics, with H. canadensis supplements serving as a test case. An untargeted ultraperformance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) metabolomics analysis was performed on 35 H. canadensis commercial products. Visual inspection of the chemometric data via principal component analysis (PCA) revealed several products that were distinct from the main groupings of samples, and subsequent evaluation of contributing metabolites led to their confirmation of the outliers as originating from a non-goldenseal species or a mixture of plant materials. The obtained results demonstrate the potential for untargeted metabolomics to discriminate between multiple unknown products and predict possible adulteration.
Evaluating Clinical Benefit in I-SPY 2

There are limited methods to analyze both efficacy of a drug and toxicity to a patient in response to treatment. We have developed a metric, the clinical benefit index (CBI) which is quantitative, and a scalable way to integrate patient-reported side effects and efficacy for adaptive randomization. Instead of using efficacy as a singular attribute in decision making for agent selection, we will consider the impact on QoL since many of the newer agents will be less toxic. This will be developed in effort to standardize PRO analysis methods. The clinical benefit index provides an alternative framework for evaluation and would help us to develop a regulatory model for approval of those drugs that have less toxicity by providing a replicable model for measuring toxicity and integrating it with efficacy. Reporting of clinical data can inform the management of toxicity and the integration into a clinical benefit index will help promote regulatory evaluation and preference for less toxic drug/combinations.
Marx and Marxism

Many kinds of relativism have been attributed to Karl Marx. We discuss three broad areas of Marx’s thinking from which lessons bearing on relativism emerge: his theories of history, science, and morality. We show that Marx was was committed to a naturalistic approach, which privileged genuine science over other ways of understanding the world, and in which the only kinds of "relativism" that remain are not incompatible with objective knowledge of the world. We also show how some later Marxists have misunderstood Marx’s ideas.
The R249Q hypertrophic cardiomyopathy myosin mutation decreases contractility in Drosophila by impeding force production.

Key points Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a genetic disease that causes thickening of the heart's ventricular walls and is a leading cause of sudden cardiac death. HCM is caused by missense mutations in muscle proteins including myosin, but how these mutations alter muscle mechanical performance in largely unknown. We investigated the disease mechanism for HCM myosin mutation R249Q by expressing it in the indirect flight muscle of Drosophila melanogaster and measuring alterations to muscle and flight performance. Muscle mechanical analysis revealed R249Q decreased muscle power production due to slower muscle kinetics and decreased force production; force production was reduced because fewer mutant myosin cross-bridges were bound simultaneously to actin. This work does not support the commonly proposed hypothesis that myosin HCM mutations increase muscle contractility, or causes a gain in function; instead, it suggests that for some myosin HCM mutations, hypertrophy is a compensation for decreased contractility. Abstract Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is an inherited disease that causes thickening of the heart's ventricular walls. A generally accepted hypothesis for this phenotype is that myosin heavy chain HCM mutations increase muscle contractility. To test this hypothesis, we expressed an HCM myosin mutation, R249Q, in Drosophila indirect flight muscle (IFM) and assessed myofibril structure, skinned fibre mechanical properties, and flight ability. Mechanics experiments were performed on fibres dissected from 2-h-old adult flies, prior to degradation of IFM myofilament structure, which started at 2 days old and increased with age. Homozygous and heterozygous R249Q fibres showed decreased maximum power generation by 67% and 44%, respectively. Decreases in force and work and slower overall muscle kinetics caused homozygous fibres to produce less power. While heterozygous fibres showed no overall slowing of muscle kinetics, active force and work production dropped by 68% and 47%, respectively, which hindered power production. The muscle apparent rate constant 2πb decreased 33% for homozygous but increased for heterozygous fibres. The apparent rate constant 2πc was greater for homozygous fibres. This indicates that R249Q myosin is slowing attachment while speeding up detachment from actin, resulting in less time bound. Decreased IFM power output caused 43% and 33% decreases in Drosophila flight ability and 19% and 6% drops in wing beat frequency for homozygous and heterozygous flies, respectively. Overall, our results do not support the increased contractility hypothesis. Instead, our results suggest the ventricular hypertrophy for human R249Q mutation is a compensatory response to decreases in heart muscle power output.
Dietary Guidelines Are Not Met by In-Home Child Care Providers in Low-Income Areas.

Abstract Objective The goals of this study were to describe (1) the dietary quality of foods and beverages served by in-home child care providers in low-income areas in Michigan and (2) the extent to which they align with the Dietary Reference Intakes and food group recommendations. Design Cross-sectional, observational. Food and beverages served were examined using direct diet observation. Setting Child care provider homes. Participants In-home child care providers (n = 116) from rural and urban Michigan counties (n = 24) were recruited from the Great Start to Quality child care database. Main Outcome Measures Dietary quality (food groups and nutrients) of food and beverages served by 116 providers to 378 children, aged 2–5 years, for 1 lunch and a snack. Analysis Average food group and nutrient scores were compared with Dietary Reference Intakes and food group thresholds using the Wilcoxon rank sum test (significance at Results Findings indicate overserving of refined grains, protein, carbohydrates, added sugars, and sodium and underserving of whole grains and vegetables. Nutrients exceeding recommendations included vitamins A, C, and D, folate, calcium, zinc, and magnesium, whereas iron and potassium were underserved. Conclusions and Implications Tailored efforts are needed to address shortcomings in meeting dietary recommendations among in-home child care providers to enhance child nutrition.
Rethinking segmentation within the psychological continuum model using Bayesian analysis

Abstract The Psychological Continuum Model (PCM) represents a theoretical framework in sport management to understand why and how consumer attitudes form and change. Prior researchers developed an algorithmic staging procedure using psychological involvement to operationalize the PCM framework within sport and recreational contexts. Although this staging procedure is pragmatically sound, it rests upon a procedure that, while intuitively sensible, lacks scientific rigor. The current research offers an alternative approach to PCM segmentation using Bayesian Latent Profile Analysis (Bayesian LPA). Comparing three analyses (the conventional PCM segmentation algorithm, K-means clustering, and Bayesian LPA), results demonstrated that Bayesian LPA provides a promising and alternative statistical approach that outperforms the conventional PCM staging algorithm in two ways: (a) it has the ability to classify individuals into the corresponding PCM segments with more distinct boundaries; and (b) it is equipped with stronger statistical power to predict conceptually related distal outcomes with larger effect size.
Explaining the size distribution of cities: Extreme economies

We criticize the theories used to explain the size distribution of cities. They take an empirical fact and work backward to obtain assumptions on primitives. The induced theoretical assumptions on consumer behavior, particularly about their inability to insure against the city-level productivity shocks in the model, are untenable. With either self insurance or insurance markets, and either an arbitrarily small cost of moving or the assumption that consumers do not perfectly observe the shocks to firms' technologies, the agents will never move. Even without these frictions, our analysis yields another equilibrium with insurance where consumers never move. Thus, insurance is a substitute for movement. We propose an alternative class of models, involving extreme risk against which consumers will not insure. Instead, they will move, generating a Frechet distribution of city sizes that is empirically competitive with other models.
A thousand words about the challenges of photodynamic therapy: Challenges of photodynamic therapy

The outbreak of interest in photodynamic therapy (PDT) at the end of last century to treat cancer and other diseases was based on the promise of localised treatment, cheaper therapy and fast ablation of the treated organ. One of the most attractive features of PDT is that it can evade cancer’s resistance to photosensitisers. PDT for cancer therapy depends on the absorption of a photosensitiser within the malignant tissue. The photosensitising drug is then activated by light (usually from a laser) and the active drug destroys the targeted tissue. However, one must consider that this is a complex mechanism involving many factors such as the diverse light and oxygen distribution in the treated organs, which has mitigated application of this technique in clinical practice. PDT is not a simple treatment that can be done by eyeballing; it requires precise planning that can be done with the help of complex computer programs. Computer simulation of PDT to optimise treatment depends heavily on intense calculations in all steps of the procedure, and desktop computers are only now sufficiently powerful to assist physicians during therapy in real-time. In this mini-review, the challenges of photodynamic therapy are described, and possible to solutions to overcome these are presented.
Detection of Malicious HTTP Requests Using Header and URL Features

Cyber attackers leverage the openness of internet traffic to send specially crafted HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP) requests and launch sophisticated attacks for a myriad of purposes including disruption of service, illegal financial gain, and alteration or destruction of confidential medical or personal data. Detection of malicious HTTP requests is therefore essential to counter and prevent web attacks. In this work, we collected web traffic data and used HTTP request header features with supervised machine learning techniques to predict whether a message is likely to be malicious or benign. Our analysis was based on two real world datasets: one collected over a period of 42 days from a low interaction honeypot deployed on a Comcast business class network, and the other collected from a university web server for a similar duration. In our analysis, we observed that: (1) benign and malicious requests differ with respect to their header usage, (2) three specific HTTP headers (i.e., accept-encoding, accept-language, and content-type) can be used to efficiently classify a request as benign or malicious with 93.6% accuracy, (3) HTTP request line lengths of benign and malicious requests differ, (4) HTTP request line length can be used to efficiently classify a request as benign or malicious with 96.9% accuracy. This implies we can use a relatively simple predictive model with a fast classification time to efficiently and accurately filter out malicious web traffic.
Incorporating Deliberate Practice in the Process of Continual Therapeutic Skill Development

Abstract Efforts to advance dissemination and implementation of evidentiary treatments in applied environments are closely tied to clinical training methods. In particular, strategies to train skills that focus on narrowly defined, concrete, pragmatic activities without connection to a specific manualized approach may be more generally acceptable to practitioners. This paper presents examples of training/practice exercises meeting this description, which were developed following the overarching findings of expertise development and deliberate practice research. The rationale for constructing these activities is presented in connection to relevant theory, as is a basic model to enable the end user to do the same. Tools to stimulate routine consideration of interminable efforts to improve clinical skills are also provided, including an emphasis on self-review, collaboration with a practice group, and inflection point training.
Nonuniformities in miscible two-layer two-component thin liquid films

Depositing and obtaining liquid films of uniform thickness is a problem integral to numerous applications that require multilayer films where each layer has distinct properties. Through a lubrication-theory-based model, this work studies the mechanisms that may initiate dewetting in miscible two-layer two-component films. Numerical solutions reveal that disparities in initial solute concentration between the film layers couple with circulatory flows to produce significant film-height nonuniformities. Several scaling relationships are developed to shed light on the underlying physical mechanisms.
APOE moderates the effect of hippocampal blood flow on memory pattern separation in clinically normal older adults

Pattern separation, the ability to differentiate new information from previously experienced similar information, is highly sensitive to hippocampal structure and function and declines with age. Functional MRI studies have demonstrated hippocampal hyperactivation in older adults compared to young, with greater task-related activation associated with worse pattern separation performance. The current study was designed to determine whether pattern separation was sensitive to differences in task-free hippocampal cerebral blood flow (CBF) in 130 functionally intact older adults. Given prior evidence that apolipoprotein E e4 (APOE e4) status moderates the relationship between CBF and episodic memory, we predicted a stronger negative relationship between hippocampal CBF and pattern separation in APOE e4 carriers. An interaction between APOE group and right hippocampal CBF was present, such that greater right hippocampal CBF was related to better lure discrimination in noncarriers, whereas the effect reversed directionality in e4 carriers. These findings suggest that neurovascular changes in the medial temporal lobe may underlie memory deficits in cognitively normal older adults who are APOE e4 carriers.
The role of sex chromosomes and sex hormones in vocal learning systems.

Abstract Vocal learning is the ability to imitate and modify sounds through auditory experience, a rare trait found in only a few lineages of mammals and birds. It is a critical component of human spoken language, allowing us to verbally transmit speech repertoires and knowledge across generations. In many vocal learning species, the vocal learning trait is sexually dimorphic, where it is either limited to males or present in both sexes to different degrees. In humans, recent findings have revealed subtle sexual dimorphism in vocal learning/spoken language brain regions and some associated disorders. For songbirds, where the neural mechanisms of vocal learning have been well studied, vocal learning appears to have been present in both sexes at the origin of the lineage and was then independently lost in females of some subsequent lineages. This loss is associated with an interplay between sex chromosomes and sex steroid hormones. Even in species with little dimorphism, like humans, sex chromosomes and hormones still have some influence on learned vocalizations. Here we present a brief synthesis of these studies, in the context of sex determination broadly, and identify areas of needed investigation to further understand how sex chromosomes and sex steroid hormones help establish sexually dimorphic neural structures for vocal learning.
Naturally Derived Organic Dyes for LED Lightings of High Color Rendering and Fidelity Index

Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are a lighting technology with a huge and ascending market. Typically, LED backlights are often paired with inorganic phosphors made from rare-earth elements (REEs) to tune the emission lineshapes for different applications. However, REE production is a resource-intensive process with many negative environmental impacts. Herein we develop organic hybrid LEDs using organic dyes synthesized from an abundant and non-toxic natural product (theobromine) to replace REE phosphors. The resulting hybrid LED generates continuous emission from 400 – 740 nm, resulting in high color rendering index (the current industry standard) of 90 and color fidelity index (the most advanced and comprehensive standard) of 92, challenging commercial LEDs based on REE phosphors. In addition, the light-converting composite is made from 99 wt% SBS, an inexpensive industrial polymer, and 1wt% theobromine dyes, reducing the cost of the light converter to ¢1.30 for a 1 W LED, compared to approximately ¢ 19.2 of commercial products. The light converting efficiency of the dye-SBS composite is 82%. Excited state kinetics experiments were also conducted to provide guidance to further increase the light-converting efficiency of the theobromine dyes while maintaining excellent color rendering and fidelity.
The Resilience of the Captive Girl Child in 2 Kings 5

2 Kings 5 contains a brief reference to an unnamed Israelite girl, a war captive in the household of leprosy-afflicted Naaman, the commander of the Syrian army. She instigates her master’s healing ...
Lower bounds for the number of subrings in Zn

Abstract Let f n ( k ) be the number of subrings of index k in Z n . We show that results of Brakenhoff imply a lower bound for the asymptotic growth of subrings in Z n , improving upon lower bounds given by Kaplan, Marcinek, and Takloo-Bighash. Further, we prove two new lower bounds for f n ( p e ) when e ≥ n − 1 . Using these bounds, we study the divergence of the subring zeta function of Z n and its local factors. Lastly, we apply these results to the problem of counting orders in a number field.
Do Hospitals Need to Extend Telehealth Services? An Experimental Study of Different Telehealth Modalities during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Background The COVID-19 pandemic has changed health care systems and clinical workflows in many countries, including the United States. This public health crisis has accelerated the transformation of health care delivery through the use of telehealth. Due to the coronavirus' severity and pathogenicity, telehealth services are considered the best platforms to meet suddenly increased patient care demands, reduce the transformation of the virus, and protect patients and health care workers. However, many hospitals, clinicians, and patients are not ready to switch to virtual care completely. Objectives We designed six experiments to examine how people (as an actual beneficiary of telehealth) evaluate five telehealth encounters versus face-to-face visits. Methods We used an online survey to collect data from 751 individuals (patients) in the United States. Results Findings demonstrate that significant factors for evaluating five types of telehealth encounters are perceived convenience expected from telehealth encounters, perceived psychological risks associated with telehealth programs, and perceived attentive care services delivered by telehealth platforms. However, significant elements for comparing telehealth services with traditional face-to-face clinic visits are perceived cost-saving, perceived time-saving, perceived hygienic services, perceived technical errors, perceived information completeness, perceived communication barriers, perceived trust in medical care platforms' competency, and perceived privacy concerns. Conclusion Although the in-person visit was reported as the most preferred care practice, there was no significant difference between people's willingness to use face-to-face visits versus virtual care. Nevertheless, before the widespread rollout of telehealth platforms, health care systems need to determine and address the challenges of implementing virtual care to improve patient engagement in telehealth services. This study also provides practical implications for health care providers to deploy telehealth effectively during the pandemic and postpandemic phases.
Isomorphisms of countable factors

The purpose of this section is to show (following Hanf, as simplified, orally, by Dana Scott) that there exist countable Boolean algebras A and B such that A =A × B × B but A ≠ A × B. The method of attack is topological; in fact, we shall construct Boolean spaces X and Y, each with a countable base, so that X = X + Y + Y but X ≠ X + Y. (The equal sign denotes homeomorphism here.)
Threonine and homoserine in extracts of a methionineless mutant of Neurospora.

Previous work (1, 2) with methionineless and threonineless mutants of Neurospora crasaa has indicated the following relationships between the biosyntheses of threonine and methionine in this organism.
Characterization of Monoclonal Antibodies to the 44-Kilodalton Major Outer Membrane Protein of the Human Granulocytic Ehrlichiosis Agent

The major outer membrane proteins (OMPs) of the human granulocytic ehrlichiosis (HGE) agent, with molecular sizes of 44 to 47 kDa, are immunodominant antigens in human infection. Monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) to the OMPs were made by immunizing BALB/c mice with the purified HGE agent and then by fusing spleen cells with myeloma cells. The immunologic specificities of three MAbs (3E65, 5C11, and 5D13) were examined with five human HGE agent isolates and one tick isolate. By Western blot analysis, all three MAbs recognized the HGE agent but not Ehrlichia chaffeensis, Ehrlichia sennetsu, Ehrlichia canis, or their host cells. MAb 3E65 reacted with a 44-kDa protein in the homologous human isolate but not in the remaining five isolates. The two remaining MAbs recognized proteins with molecular sizes of 44 to 47 kDa in all six isolates. Western blot results with the OMP fraction of the six isolates were consistent with results with the whole HGE agent. Immunofluorescent-antibody staining and immunogold labeling with these MAbs showed that these antigens were primarily present on the membrane of the HGE agent. MAbs 5C11 and 5D13 recognized the recombinant 44-kDa protein by Western immunoblot analysis, but MAb 3E65 did not. Passive immunization with MAb 3E65 was more effective in protecting mice from HGE agent infection than with MAbs 5C11 and 5D13. These MAbs would be useful for analyzing the role of the major OMP antigens in HGE agent infection and for serodiagnosis.
Adapt or Perish? Zoos Must Choose

A Different Nature The Paradoxical World of Zoos and Their Uncertain Future. David Hancocks. University of California Press, Berkeley, 2001. 302 pp. $35, £19.95. ISBN 0-520-21879-5. Through his discussion of the origins and evolution of zoos, Hancocks considers their successes and failures at meeting diverse goals of recreation, education, research, and conservation. He calls for a reinvention of zoos to better deal with the current biodiversity crisis.
Large Body Impacts Through Geologic Time

The present collision rate between the Earth and asteroids ≥lkm diameter is estimated to be ~6 x 10-6yr-1; if intermediate albedo bodies predominate among the Earth-crossing asteroids, however, the collision rate might be as low as ~3 x 10-6yr-1. Asteroids ≥10 km diameter collide with the Earth with,an estimated frequency of ~2 x 10-8yr-l. The collision rate of comets is lower than that of asteroids; it is poorly known owing to uncertainties in our knowledge of the size of comet nuclei. The supply of 1 km diameter Earth-crossing asteroids derived from the fragmentation of main belt asteroids is steady within 25%. On the other hand, a surge in the collision of 10 km asteroids, involving perhaps as many as half a dozen bodies in ~5 x 107yr, may have occurred during the Phanerozoic. The flux of Earth-crossing comets probably varies about 1096 as the sun passes into and out of the spiral arms of the galaxy. Brief but intense comet storms probably have recurred about once every 108yr, as a consequence of close passages of stars near the sun. A long-term increase in the average number of extinct comets among the Earth-crossing asteroids could have resulted from slow recovery of the Oort comet cloud after encounter of the sun with a giant molecular cloud.
Reoperation After Repair of Atrioventricular Canal Defects

Late events requiring reoperation after atrioventricular canal defect are most commonly related to failure of the repair of the mitral component of the common atrioventricular valve. The need for reoperation also occurs with new developments in the left ventricular outflow tract in the form of subaortic stenosis, particularly in patients with partial atrioventricular canal. Reoperations for other reasons in the population of operated patients with atrioventricular canal defects are rare events.
Data warehousing and decision making in higher education in the united states

Problem. Compared to the business world, higher education has a lower level of acceptance and a lower rate of adoption of data warehousing for decision making. Studies into the way data warehouses are used in higher education and the extent to which they are used are hard to find. Accordingly, this research examines the use of data warehousing in higher education and its role in decision making. Method. Internet survey research method was used in this study. I asked college and university presidents to provide me with contact details of senior decision makers and technology managers from their institutions. A web-based survey was developed which was then emailed to the 1,438 potential respondents obtained from the presidents. From this sample, 290 completed the survey. Most of the analysis is performed using descriptive statistics. Results. The mean value from 202 responses for extent of use of data warehousing across all levels of management and all subject areas of interest in higher education was 3.02 on a scale of 1 to 5 (1 is low use, 5 is high use). Operational use (3.15) scored higher than tactical (3.05) or strategic use (2.86). Areas of interest making the greatest use of data warehousing were Enrollment (3.64), Student Information (3.50), and Financial Budgeting (3.49). Data warehousing is considered to be important to decision making. Data quality and resourcing were identified as implementation challenges. Better, faster, fact-driven decision making featured in questions about benefits and project objectives. Two thirds of data warehousing projects have completion dates (actual or planned) post 2001. Conclusions. Data warehousing is not used extensively in higher education, although it is regarded as important to decision making. In many institutions, it is still in the emerging or developing stage. Data warehousing is used more for day-to-day operational purposes than for tactical or strategic purposes, except in the financial area where the difference between management levels is not significant.
Use of robotic technology to study the biomechanics of ligaments and their replacements

A robotic universal force-moment sensor (UFS) testing system has been developed in our research center to study joint kinematics as well as the in situ forces in ligaments and their replacements by using cadaveric knee and shoulder joints. In vitro data on the major ligaments of the intact, injured, and reconstructed joints have been obtained in response to various external loading conditions as well as simulated muscle loads. Furthermore, data provided by the testing system could also be used to validate computational models of these diarthrodial joints.
Zero-bias states and the mechanism of the surface d → d + i s transition

We study the physical mechanism of the surface $\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{d}d+is$ transition. We base our argument on first-order perturbation theory and show that the zero-bias states drive the transition. We support the argument by various estimates and consistency checks.
Evidence from a dual action of converting enzyme inhibitor on blood pressure in normal man

We studied the effect of a converting enzyme inhibitor (CEI), Captopril SQ 14,225 50 mg p.o. in eight supine normal subjects under a high sodium (150 meq/d) and low sodium (25 mEq/d) diet. On high sodium, plasma renin (PRA) and aldosterone were basal and Saralasin did not lower mean blood pressure. However, CEI induced an 11.4±3.2 mm fall in blood pressure (p 0.5). In contrast, on a low salt diet where renin was increased, CEI induced a drop in blood pressure which was not significantly altered by PI (12.8±1.1 vs. 10.0±3.1 mm Hg, p>0.5). CEI increased plasma renin on both diets (1.7±0.5 to 3.5±0.8 and 2.8±0.6 to 12.5±3.1 ng/ml/hr respectively both p<0.05). Aldosterone did not change (high Na+) or fell (low Na+). Inhibition of prostaglandin synthesis did not significantly block the renin rise from CEI suggesting that the direct angiotensin II negative feedback is relatively independent of acute prostaglandin release. Our studies suggest that CEI has a dual hypotensive action. In a low renin state, the hypotensive action appears to be mediated through vascular prostaglandins.
Symmetry boundary conditions

A simple approach to energy conserving boundary conditions using exact symmetries is described which is especially useful for numerical simulations using the finite difference method. Each field in the simulation is normally either symmetric (even) or antisymmetric (odd) with respect to the simulation boundary. Another possible boundary condition is an antisymmetric perturbation about a nonzero value. One of the most powerful aspects of this approach is that it can be easily implemented in curvilinear coordinates by making the scale factors of the coordinate transformation symmetric about the boundaries. The method is demonstrated for magnetohydrodynamics (MHD), reduced MHD, and a hybrid code with particle ions and fluid electrons. These boundary conditions yield exact energy conservation in the limit of infinite time and space resolution. Also discussed is the interpretation that the particle charge reverses sign at a conducting boundary with boundary normal perpendicular to the background magnetic field.
Crystallographic Identification and Functional Characterization of Phospholipids as Ligands for the Orphan Nuclear Receptor Steroidogenic Factor-1

The orphan nuclear receptor steroidogenic factor 1 (SF-1) regulates the differentiation and function of endocrine glands. Although SF-1 is constitutively active in cell-based assays, it is not known whether this transcriptional activity is modulated by ligands. Here, we describe the 1.5 angstroms crystal structure of the SF-1 ligand binding domain in complex with an LXXLL motif from a coregulator protein. The structure reveals the presence of a phospholipid ligand in a surprisingly large pocket (approximately 1600 angstroms3), with the receptor adopting the canonical active conformation. The bound phospholipid is readily exchanged and modulates SF-1 interactions with coactivators. Mutations designed to reduce the size of the SF-1 pocket or to disrupt hydrogen bonds with the phospholipid abolish SF-1/coactivator interactions and significantly reduce SF-1 transcriptional activity. These findings provide evidence that SF-1 is regulated by endogenous ligands and suggest an unexpected relationship between phospholipids and endocrine development and function.
Engineering better cytokines.

Designing enzymes with protective shells that are cleaved once they arrive at inflammatory sites can be used to enhance immune therapy.
Low-fidelity DNA synthesis by the L979F mutator derivative of Saccharomyces cerevisiae DNA polymerase ζ

To probe Pol zeta functions in vivo via its error signature, here we report the properties of Saccharomyces cerevisiae Pol zeta in which phenyalanine was substituted for the conserved Leu-979 in the catalytic (Rev3) subunit. We show that purified L979F Pol zeta is 30% as active as wild-type Pol zeta when replicating undamaged DNA. L979F Pol zeta shares with wild-type Pol zeta the ability to perform moderately processive DNA synthesis. When copying undamaged DNA, L979F Pol zeta is error-prone compared to wild-type Pol zeta, providing a biochemical rationale for the observed mutator phenotype of rev3-L979F yeast strains. Errors generated by L979F Pol zeta in vitro include single-base insertions, deletions and substitutions, with the highest error rates involving stable misincorporation of dAMP and dGMP. L979F Pol zeta also generates multiple errors in close proximity to each other. The frequency of these events far exceeds that expected for independent single changes, indicating that the first error increases the probability of additional errors within 10 nucleotides. Thus L979F Pol zeta, and perhaps wild-type Pol zeta, which also generates clustered mutations at a lower but significant rate, performs short patches of processive, error-prone DNA synthesis. This may explain the origin of some multiple clustered mutations observed in vivo.