cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Contemporary Outcomes of Combined Heart-Liver Transplant in Patients With Congenital Heart Disease.

BackgroundAs more patients survive into adulthood with repaired congenital heart disease (CHD), transplant centers now have patients presenting with both end-stage cardiac and hepatic failure. An understanding of the contemporary outcomes with combined heart liver transplantation (CHLT) in patients
Dual Inhibition of CDK4 and CDK2 via Targeting p27 Tyrosine Phosphorylation Induces a Potent and Durable Response in Breast Cancer Cells

Cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 (CDK4/6)-specific inhibitors, such as palbociclib, have shown clinical efficacy, but primary or secondary resistance has emerged as a problem. To develop more effective therapeutic approaches, investigation is needed into the mechanisms of resistance or adaption. Here, it is demonstrated that CDK2 compensates for loss of CDK4 activity to rescue palbociclib-arrested breast cancer cells, suggesting that inhibition of both kinases is required to achieve durable response. In addition, a novel strategy is described to inhibit tyrosine phosphorylation of p27Kip1 (CDKN1B) and simultaneously inhibit both CDK2 and CDK4. p27Kip1 is a required assembly factor for cyclin-CDK4 complexes, but it must be phosphorylated on residue Y88 to open or activate the complex. The Brk-SH3 peptide, ALT, blocks p27 Y88 phosphorylation, inhibiting CDK4. Nonphosphorylated p27 is no longer a target for ubiquitin-mediated degradation and this stabilized p27 now also inhibits CDK2 activity. Thus, ALT induction inhibits both the kinase that drives proliferation (CDK4) and the kinase that mediates resistance (CDK2), causing a potent and long-lasting cell-cycle arrest. ALT arrests growth of all breast cancer subgroups and synergizes with palbociclib to increase cellular senescence and to cause tumor regression in breast cancer xenograft models. The use of ALT demonstrates that both CDK4 and CDK2 need to be inhibited if long-term efficacy is to be achieved and represents a novel modality to inhibit breast cancer cells.Implications: Modulating tyrosine phosphorylation of p27 impacts both proliferative (CDK4) and resistance (CDK2) mechanisms in breast cancer and suggests that phospho-p27 status may serve as a biomarker for patients that are responsive to CDK4/6 inhibition. Mol Cancer Res; 16(3); 361-77. ©2018 AACR.
P16 Expression in Extramammary Paget's Disease of the Vulva and Scrotum Is Not Human Papillomavirus Related.

Introduction. Extramammary Paget disease (EMPD) of the vulva has been shown to express p16 by immunohistochemistry (IHC), however, p16 expression in the vulva and scrotum has not been extensively s...
Abstract 3582: Inclusion of a Dap10 costimulatory domain enhances anti-tumor efficacy of chimeric PD1-expressing T cells in multiple types of solid tumors

Adoptive transfer of tumor-reactive T cells is a promising anti-tumor therapy for many cancers. To enhance tumor recognition by T cells, chimeric antigen receptors (CAR) consisting of signaling domains fused to receptors that recognize tumor antigens can be created and expressed in T cells. One receptor that is a prospective target for a new chimeric antigen receptor is PD1 because the ligands for the PD1 receptor are expressed on many cancer types. Therefore, we developed a murine chimeric PD1 receptor (chPD1) consisting of the PD1 receptor extracellular domain and the activation domain of CD3 zeta. In addition, current chimeric antigen receptor therapies utilize various costimulatory domains to enhance anti-tumor efficacy. Therefore, we also compared the inclusion of CD28, Dap10, 41BB, GITR, ICOS, or OX40 costimulatory domains in our chPD1 receptor to determine which costimulatory domain induced optimal anti-tumor immunity. To determine if this novel CAR could potentially target a wide variety of tumors, the anti-tumor efficacy of chPD1 T cells against murine lymphoma, melanoma, kidney, pancreatic, liver, colon, breast, ovarian, prostate, and bladder cancer cell lines was measured. Of the eighteen cell lines tested, all expressed PD1 ligands on their cell surface, making them potential targets for chPD1 T cells. Regardless of the costimulatory domain in the CAR, all of the chPD1 T cells induced similar levels of T cell proliferation and tumor cell lysis. However, differences were observed in the cytokine secretion profiles depending on which costimulatory receptor was included in the CAR. While most of the chPD1 T cell receptor combinations secreted both pro-inflammatory (IFNγ, TNFα, IL-2, GM-CSF, IL-17, and IL-21) and anti-inflammatory cytokines (IL-10 and IL-5) as determined by ELISA and LegendPlex analysis, chPD1 T cells containing a Dap10 costimulatory domain secreted high levels of proinflammatory cytokines, but did not secrete a significant amount of anti-inflammatory cytokines. Furthermore, T cells expressing chPD1 receptors with a Dap10 domain also had the strongest anti-tumor efficacy in vivo. ChPD1 T cells did not survive for longer than 14 days in vivo, however treatment with chPD1 T cells induced long-lived protective host-anti-tumor immune responses in tumor-bearing mice. Therefore, adoptive transfer of chPD1 T cells could be a novel therapeutic strategy to treat multiple types of cancer and inclusion of the Dap10 costimulatory domain in chimeric antigen receptors may induce a preferential cytokine profile for anti-tumor therapies. Citation Format: Amorette E. Barber, Geoffrey Parriott, Shane Crean, Hailey Kintz. Inclusion of a Dap10 costimulatory domain enhances anti-tumor efficacy of chimeric PD1-expressing T cells in multiple types of solid tumors [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 3582.
The impact of reduction of testing at a Preoperative Evaluation Clinic for elective cases: Value added without adverse outcomes

Abstract Study objective Protocol changes at Vanderbilt have been adopted with the intention of reducing unnecessary preoperative testing. We sought to evaluate their success and association with clinical decisions. Design Retrospective Observational Study Setting Vanderbilt's Preoperative Evaluation Clinic Measurements We reviewed and identified a key interval of change on clinical workup protocols which led to a reduction in preoperative testing. We queried Data Warehouse for preoperative chemistry tests, complete blood counts, coagulation blood draws, electrocardiograms, and chest x-rays done before and after these intervals. Chi-square, univariate and mixed effect multivariable regressions were performed to determine the significance of testing reduction and tendency of readmission rates and length-of-stay; Welch's t-test with Freeman-Tukey transformation was conducted to identify the differences in case cancellation rates. Main results We analyzed 56,425 anesthetic cases and there was a statistically significant downward trend in all preoperative testing performed: electrocardiograms (61.90% to 31.66% [OR 0.151; 95% CI 0.144 to 0.159]), coagulation blood draws (37.57% to 29.74% [OR 0.392; 95% CI 0.370 to 0.416]), basic metabolic panels (70.64% to 51.29% [OR 0.294; 95% CI 0.280 to 0.309]), blood cell counts (71.38% to 51.42% [OR 0.264; 95% CI 0.251 to 0.277]) and chest x-rays (11.80% to 6.04% [OR 0.417; 95% CI 0.384 to 0.452], to 3.13% [OR 0.473; 95% CI 0.431 to 0.519]) after protocol changed. The changes didn't induce a significant increase in case cancellations, length-of-stay, readmission or most DOS testing; except for BMPs (0.28% to 0.66% [OR 1.307; 95% CI 1.104 to 1.549]). Conclusions A net reduction in preoperative testing was seen at our institution from 2012 to 2015 due to anesthesia protocol changes intended to limit routine ordering of labs and imaging. While there was a significant increase in DOS testing for BMPs, these increases were not enough to offset the decrease in testing observed preoperatively.
Is that 'floppy' fundoplication tight enough?

Laparoscopic fundoplication is the treatment of choice for medically refractory gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Surgeons seek to create a competent valve at the gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) but are careful to construct a ‘floppy’ fundoplication that is not too tight to minimize side effects. The endoscopic functional luminal-imaging probe (EndoFLIP®) uses impedance planimetry to assess the GEJ intraoperatively. We sought to determine if EndoFLIP variables are associated with symptomatic outcomes following fundoplication. We conducted a retrospective review of prospectively maintained data on subjects who underwent primary laparoscopic fundoplication at a single institution between 2014 and 2018. All patients met standard indications for antireflux surgery. Minimum diameter (Dmin), cross-sectional area (CSA), intra-bag pressure, and distensibility index of the GEJ were obtained at 30 mL volumes. GERD Health Related Quality of Life (GERD-HRQL) surveys were administered pre- and postoperatively. Patients were excluded if they underwent fundoplication without EndoFLIP assessment or if they did not complete a postop GERD-HRQL survey. Receiver operating characteristic curves were used to determine if EndoFLIP measurements were correlated with symptomatic outcomes. Forty-three patients met inclusion criteria. The change in Dmin and CSA measures during fundoplication were associated with daily or more frequent heartburn at 6 or more months postop. A decrease in Dmin of 0.15 mm or less (AUC = 0.718, sensitivity: 71%, specificity: 69%) and a decrease in CSA of 1.5 mm2 or less (AUC = 0.728, sensitivity: 71%, specificity: 70%) were associated with severe heartburn. GEJ opening dynamics attained by EndoFLIP appear to be associated with symptomatic outcomes. When the Dmin and CSA do not decrease by a defined threshold, heartburn is more likely to be severe at 6 or more months postoperatively. This suggests that the fundoplication may not be tight enough to prevent persistent or recurrent GERD.
Examination of Select Psychometric Characteristics of Independent Living Scales Factors

The purpose of this article was to examine select psychometrics of two factors—Performance/Information and Problem Solving—of Managing Money and Health and Safety, two subscales of the Independent Living Scales (ILS). These two factors are designed to assess different cognitive functions. We examined (1) the internal reliability of the subscales and (2) correlations of these subscales with other neuropsychological measures in two samples. One sample consisted of college students (N = 105) and the other of individuals undergoing a court-ordered competency assessment (N = 71) with a range of various developmental, psychiatric, and/or neurological disorders. For both factors on both subscales, we found that the internal reliabilities for the college sample were poor but adequate for the competency-based cases. In contrast, our findings were similar for the correlational analyses for both subscales, where the pattern of correlations was generally not significantly different between both factors and several neuropsychological measures. These tests varied across samples but were assessed a range of abilities including intelligence, attention, processing speed, set shifting, mathematics, verbal fluency, and executive functioning. Implications of these finding are discussed as are ideas for future research.
The Winning Weaning Food (WWF): The Development of a Complementary Food for Food- Insecure Infants and Young Children in Malawi

Growing evidence exists for the benefits of adequate infant and young children feeding (IYCF) practices at the weaning stage (≥ 6 months), including optimal growth, building the immune system, cognitive development, healthy food preferences, and reduced mortality and morbidity rates. However, these outcomes are not universally experienced. To ensure that a developing country such as Malawi, where recent studies have shown high rates of food insecurity and malnutrition benefits from adequate IYCF, five nutrient-dense complementary foods (Recipes 1 to 5) were developed. Standardized food processing techniques were used in the preparation and combination of Malawian indigenous food samples. The developed food recipes were assessed for nutrient density and cultural acceptability through sensory evaluations. Recipe 5 emerged as the winning weaning food (WWF), with an overall acceptability rate of 65% (mean score of 5.82 ± 0.87). Unlike theoretical analysis with the ESHA Food Processor, statistical analysis did not show that Recipe 5 met the Codex Alimentarius recommendations for macro- and micronutrients. However, it showed that the micronutrient recommendations for iron (p = 0.0001; 95%CI) and zinc (p = 1.00; 95%CI) were partially met, but not those for calcium and vitamins A and D. The prototype and outcome of this pilot study will be invaluable for interventions aimed at combating food insecurity and malnutrition in Malawi.
Optical coherence tomography using physical domain data compression to achieve MHz A-scan rates

The three-dimensional volumetric imaging capability of optical coherence tomography (OCT) leads to the generation of large amounts of data, which necessitates high speed acquisition followed by high dimensional image processing and visualization. This signal acquisition and processing pipeline demands high A-scan rates on the front end, which has driven researchers to push A-scan acquisition rates into the MHz regime. To this end, the optical time-stretch approach uses a mode locked laser (MLL) source, dispersion in optical fiber, and a single analog-to-digital converter (ADC) to achieve multi-MHz A-scan rates. While enabling impressive performance this Nyquist sampling approach is ultimately constrained by the sampling rate and bandwidth of the ADC. Additionally such an approach generates massive amounts of data. Here we present a compressed sensing (CS) OCT system that uses a MLL, electro-optic modulation, and optical dispersion to implement data compression in the physical domain and rapidly acquire real-time compressed measurements of the OCT signals. Compression in the analog domain prior to digitization allows for the use of lower bandwidth ADCs, which reduces cost and decreases the required data capacity of the sampling interface. By leveraging a compressive A-scan optical sampling approach and the joint sparsity of C-scan data we demonstrate 14.4-MHz to 144-MHz A-scan acquisition speeds using a sub-Nyquist 1.44 Gsample/sec ADC sampling rate. Furthermore we evaluate the impact of data compression and resulting imaging speed on image quality.
A QUALITATIVE STUDY ABOUT THE GLOBAL GENDER DIGITAL DIVIDE AND ITS IMPLICATION IN THE ADOLESCENT RESPONDENTS OF NEPAL

The 21st century digitized world entails for a necessity to digital literacy to participate for social and economic development. Digital literacy has become utmost important for the younger generations to keep up with the ongoing advancements every day. The fact is evident that there is disparity in digital literacy. Inequality in access to the technology along with the capability to use technology are generated by socio-economic and cultural factors. Gender digital divide has become one of the most common disparities. This paper argues that only accessibility to technologies is not enough in bridging the gap. The government and local agencies need to involve women and girls in decisions as well as in best practices. This paper gives synopsis of digital divide and focuses on the problems that young adolescent respondents in rural areas are facing to obtain digital literacy. It also investigates opportunities and create an avenue for future researches.
Regulation of neurofilament length and transport by a dynamic cycle of polymer severing and annealing

We used long-term multi-field time-lapse imaging to analyze the movement, severing and annealing of single neurofilaments along axons of cultured neurons. All filaments were capable of rapid movement. However, long filaments paused and reversed more often, resulting in little net movement, whereas short filaments moved persistently for long distances, pausing and reversing less often. Long filaments severed more frequently, generating shorter filaments, and short filaments annealed more frequently, generating longer filaments. Site-directed mutagenesis to mimic phosphorylation at known phosphorylation sites in the neurofilament protein L head domain increased the severing rate, generating shorter neurofilaments that moved more frequently. A dephospho-mimic mutant had the opposite effect. Treatment with activators of protein kinase A increased filament severing, and this effect was blocked by the dephospho-mimic. Thus, neurofilament length and transport are regulated by a dynamic cycle of severing and annealing. We propose that focal destabilization of intermediate filaments by N-terminal phosphorylation may be a general enzymatic mechanism for severing these cytoskeletal polymers.
Controlled spalling-based mechanical substrate exfoliation for III-V solar cells: A review

Abstract Controlled spalling is a fast process that can mechanically exfoliate III-V semiconductor layers from their host wafer substrates and has the potential to produce high power-density, flexible, III-V solar cells at large scale. The controlled spalling system is typically composed of three parts: a brittle substrate with or without epitaxial growth layers, a tough stressor layer deposited on top, and a handle layer. Controlled spalling is achieved by tuning the stress and thickness of the stressor layer and the peeling force applied by the handle layer to overcome the cohesive energy of the substrate, resulting in propagation of a crack parallel to the surface of the substrate. Proof-of-principle device demonstrations, at wafer scale and in multiple configurations, show no loss of performance compared to conventionally processed devices while preserving the wafer for reuse, reclaim, or recycling for cost and material savings. This review summarizes advances in controlled spalling as it relates specifically to III-V solar cells, covering advances in spalling-related methods development, process modeling and control, fracture surface morphology, and device processing and performance. Opportunities for controlled spalling of III-V materials and remaining challenges for achieving reliable process integration are also discussed.
Alpelisib-induced hyperglycemia in older patients with breast Cancer: Qualitative findings

Abstract Background The PIK3 kinase inhibitor, alpelisib, is a new breast cancer drug that can cause hyperglycemia, which can be especially severe in older patients. Yet, to our knowledge, no prior studies have sought to understand what older patients experience with alpelisib-induced hyperglycemia. Methods The medical records of patients who were 65 years of age or older at the initiation of alpelisib and who developed hyperglycemia were reviewed in detail; direct verbiage on hyperglycemia were extracted and reviewed with rigorous qualitative methods. Results Thirty-four women with a median age of 72 (range: 65, 85) are the subject of this report; twelve had been started on insulin, four had been hospitalized for hyperglycemia, and eleven appeared to stop alpelisib because of hyperglycemia. Qualitative analyses revealed two themes. The first was patient burden, which emanated from patients' having to self-monitor glucose levels (“Monitors blood glucose (BG) 4 times daily”); taking extra medications (“Taking Jardiance 10 mg daily and Pioglitazone 15 mg daily”); frequent changes in insulin dosing (“Her insulin… was then increased….”); and frequent changes in dosing of alpelisib to help control the hyperglycemia (“Instructed to hold Piqray ….”), and which also emanated from greater engagement with the healthcare system (“She was hospitalized for hyperglycemia”). The second theme focused on symptomatology and how patients suffered from hyperglycemia (“She presents to the emergency department with pre-syncope and vertigo”). Conclusion Oncologists should assess older patients for the requisite abilities and resources for managing alpelisib-induced hyperglycemia in the event it occurs.
Highly portable quantitative screening test for prostate-specific antigen at point of care

Abstract Prostate cancer (PCa) is the second most diagnosed cancer among men. PCa screening decreases the PCa-specific mortality. Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is the most reliable and widely accepted tumor biomarker for screening and monitoring PCa status. However, in most settings, quantification of serum PSA still requires access to centralized laboratories. In this study, we describe a proof-of-concept rapid test combined with a highly portable CubeTM reader for quantification of total PSA from a drop of serum within 20 minutes. We demonstrated the application of gold nanoshells as a label for lateral flow assay with significant increase in the measured colorimetric signal intensity to achieve five times lower detection limit when compared to the traditionally used 40 nm gold nanosphere labels, without a need for any additional signal amplification steps. We first optimized and evaluated the performance of the assay with commercially available total PSA calibrators. For initial validation with commercially available ACCESS Hybritech PSA calibrator, a detection range of 0.5 to 150 ng/mL was achieved. We compared the performance of our total PSA test with IMMULITE analyzer for quantification of total PSA in archived human serum samples. On preliminary testing with archived serums samples and comparison with IMMULITE total PSA assay, a correlation of.0.95 (p
Equilibrium, Trade, and Growth: Selected Papers of Lionel W. McKenzie

Influential neoclassical economist Lionel McKenzie has made major contributions to postwar economic thought in the fields of equilibrium, trade, and capital accumulation. This selection of his papers traces the development of his thinking in these three crucial areas.McKenzie's early academic life took him to Duke, Princeton, Oxford, the University of Chicago, and the Cowles Commission. In 1957, he went to the University of Rochester to head the economics department there, and he remains at Rochester, now Wilson Professor Emeritus of Economics. McKenzie's most significant research was undertaken during a period that saw the development of the major themes of neoclassical economics and the use of fundamental mathematical methods to do so. McKenzie contributed to both aspects of this research program. He helped shape the direction of the field and, at Rochester, influenced generations of future scholars. In 2002, The MIT Press published McKenzie's Classical General Equilibrium Theory, a detailed summary of the model and methodology. This book, collecting his most important papers in the form in which they were originally published, can be seen as a companion to that one. The many state-of-the-art results achieved in McKenzie's original papers present sophisticated theoretical work that will continue to be important to future developments in the discipline.
Non-Discriminatory Pricing: What is Different (and What is Not) about IP Licensing in Standard Setting

To date, the majority of the debate surrounding a RAND licensing promise (for reasonable and non-discriminatory licensing) made in the context of standard setting has focused on what the "R" means; far less attention has been given to what is implied by the "ND". Not surprisingly, then, some important questions still remain. The primary goal of this paper is to offer courts and competition agencies guidance on evaluating whether a license offer made within a standard setting context is indeed discriminatory. To that end, the paper reviews the existing literatures on price discrimination in traditional markets for goods and services and on licensing intellectual property (IP) outside of standard setting in order to identify lessons that can be applied to licensing within standards. There are a number of important and relevant teachings: price discrimination is not necessarily harmful, and in some cases can even increase consumer welfare; most IP licensing is characterized by "discrimination" in that rates and terms tend to differ across licensees; proof of market power must remain the first step in any inquiry on allegations of anticompetitive IP licensing discrimination; and as of yet, no widely applicable benchmarks or rules for distinguishing harmful from beneficial or non-harmful licensing discrimination have emerged, meaning that a careful, quantitative effects-based analysis remains the best approach.
Punctuated Equilibrium Theory and the Diffusion of Innovations

This article builds on punctuated equilibrium theory to evaluate the diffusion of public policy innovations in the United States. The article argues that punctuated equilibrium theory provides a unifying framework for understating three mechanisms leading to the diffusion of innovations: gradual policy diffusion driven by incremental policy emulation, rapid state-to-state diffusion driven by policy imitation and mimicking, and nearly immediate policy diffusion driven by state-level responses to a common exogenous shock. Drawing upon the Bass mixed influence diffusion model, this research generates measures of the coefficients of external and internal influences for diffusion for 81 public policy innovations that have spread across the United States. The article then evaluates how the policy image and direct participation of the federal government contribute to distinct patterns of diffusion over time.
External Interventions and the Duration of Civil Wars

Previous studies have argued that longer civil wars have been caused by ethnically polarized societies, since rebel cohesion is easier and more lasting with polarization. This study shows that external interventions tend to reduce the cost of coordinating a rebellion (or of fighting a rebellion), thereby lengthening the duration of civil wars even in societies that are not ethnically polarized. Elbadawi and Sambanis combine an empirical model of external intervention with a theoretical model of civil war duration. Their empirical model of intervention allows them to analyze civil war duration using expected rather than actual external intervention as an explanatory variable in the duration model. Unlike previous studies, they find that external intervention is positively associated with the duration of civil war. They distinguish partial third-party interventions that extend the length of war from multilateral peace operations, which have a mandate to restore peace without taking sides - and which typically take place at war's end, or at least when both sides have agreed to a cease-fire. In a future paper the authors will examine whether partial third-party interventions - whatever their effect on a war's duration - increase the risk of war's recurrence. If that proves true, then even if interventions reduce the length of civil war they may do so at the cost of further destabilizing the political system and sowing the seeds of future rebellion. This paper - a product of Public Economics, Development Research Group - is part of a larger effort in the group to study the economics of civil wars, crime, and violence. The study was funded by the Bank's Research Support Budget under the research project The Economics of Political and Criminal Violence (RPO 682-99). Ibrahim Elbadawi may be contacted at ielbadawi@worldbank.org.
Impaired folic acid absorption in inflammatory bowel disease: effects of salicylazosulfapyridine (Azulfidine).

Review of patients hospitalized for inflammatory bowel disease at the University of Chicago (Billings) Hospital revealed a high prevalence of folate deficiency as evidenced by low serum folates (63%) and macrocytosis (10%). Absorption studies utilizing tritiated folic acid in patients with ulcerative colitis and granulomatous colitis revealed impaired absorption of monoglutamic folate. Analysis of absorption studies performed sequentially on and off Azulfidine indicated further reduction in folate absorption associated with administration of this drug. Oral folic acid tolerance tests confirmed the observation that Azulfidine impaired intestinal folate absorption. In vitro experiments with isolated rat intestine have shown that the inhibitory effect is specific for salicylazosulfapyridine and not seen with its primary cleavage products sulfapyridine and 5-aminosalicylic acid. The malabsorption of folic acid is presented as another facet of jejunal dysfunction seen in inflammatory bowel disease. Surveillance of folate status and correction of subclinical folic acid deficiency may be important in the treatment of these patients.
Performance of the 4-way range of motion test for radiographic injuries after blunt elbow trauma.

Abstract Objectives Acute elbow injuries are common in the acute care setting. A previous study observed that limited active range of motion (ROM) was highly sensitive for radiographic injuries after blunt trauma. Our aim was to validate these findings in patients ≥ 5 years old with an acute ( Methods This prospective study included a convenience sample of patients undergoing plain radiographs of an injured elbow in 3 emergency departments. Before imaging, treating clinicians completed a standardized data collection sheet including mechanism of injury and 4-way ROM findings (full extension, flexion to 90°, full pronation and supination). Radiographic interpretation by a staff radiologist was used to ascertain the presence of fracture or joint effusion. Results The median age of the 251 patients was 24 years. Ninety-two patients (36.7%) had active 4-way ROM, and 159 patients (63.3%) demonstrated limited ROM. Negative radiographs were present in 152 patients (60.6%), whereas 99 patients (39.4%) had abnormal radiographs: 75 with explicit fractures and 24 with only joint effusions. The 4-way ROM elbow test had a sensitivity of 0.99 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.94-1.00), specificity of 0.60 (95% CI, 0.52-0.68), positive predictive value of 0.62 (95% CI, 0.54-0.69), and negative predictive value of 0.99 (95% CI, 0.94-1.00). Conclusions Active 4-way ROM test is 99% sensitive for all radiographic injures following blunt elbow trauma and 100% sensitive for injuries requiring surgical intervention. Caution should be used in relying on this test in the pediatric population until it is validated in a larger cohort.
Influence of papaverine on bethanechol or OP-CCK stimulation of feline colonic muscle

Abstract Papaverine relaxes smooth muscle from various organ systems throughout the body. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of papaverine on colonic smooth muscle from the transverse colon of the cat. Myoelectrical activity was recorded with monopolar glass pore electrodes. Papaverine was administered alone and simultaneously with bethanechol or the octapeptide of cholecystokinin. Higher concentrations of papaverine (10 −4 M, 10 −5 M) abolished both slow-wave activity and migrating spike bursts. Lower concentrations of papaverine (10 −6 M) had no effect on slow waves or the migrating spike burst. Bethanechol (10 −6 M) or OP-CCK (4 × 10 −9 M, 4 × 10 −10 M) stimulated spike activity (p −6 M) completely inhibited the increase in colonic spike activity that was stimulated by bethanechol. Papaverine (10 −6 M) had a minimal effect on the increase in spike activity that occurred after octapeptide of cholecystokinin in a concentration of 4 × 10 −10 M (p > 0.05). Papaverine had no effect on the stimulation of the colonic smooth muscle by 4 × 10 −9 M octapeptide of cholecystokinin. These studies show that (a) papaverine can inhibit smooth muscle myoelectrical activity, (b) papaverine is a potent inhibitor of cholinergic stimulation of colonic smooth muscle, but (c) papaverine has a minimal effect on octapeptide of cholecystokinin stimulation of the isolated colonic smooth muscle.
A performance comparison of three software video codecs for IBM RISC System/6000 workstations

Abstract We have implemented three different video codecs in software for IBM's RISC System/6000 family of UNIX workstations. The codecs are Motion JPEG (M-JPEG), Intel's Indeo 3.1 codec, and IBM's Ultimotion Matinee codec. We implemented the codecs entirely in high-level languages. Here, we discuss and compare the performance of the three codecs. We consider both the characteristics of the encode/decode algorithms, and the speed of our decoder implementations on various models in the RISC System/6000 family. We especially wanted to examine each decoder's frame rate performance, using a common video sequence, across a range of different processors. Our tests showed that Motion JPEG provides the best image quality for a given bit-rate, while Ultimotion Matinee provides the fastest decode frame rate of the three decoders. For each decoder, the displayed frame rate tracks CPU performance. In general, software video decoders yield acceptable frame rates for most video sequences.
Empirical assessment of UML class diagram layouts based on architectural importance

The paper presents a family of experiments that investigate the effectiveness of different layout techniques for class diagrams in the Unified Modeling Language (UML). Three different layout schemes are examined based on architectural importance of class stereotypes. The premise is that layout techniques for UML class diagrams significantly impact comprehension. Both traditional questionnaire-based studies as well as eye-tracking studies are done to quantitatively measure the performance of subjects solving specific software maintenance tasks. The main contribution is the detailed empirical validation of a set of layout techniques with respect to a variety of software maintenance tasks. Results indicate that layout plays a significant role in the comprehension of UML class diagrams. In particular, there is a significant improvement in accuracy, time, and visual effort for one particular layout scheme, namely multi-cluster. The end goal is to determine effective ways to adjust the layout of existing UML class diagrams to support program comprehension during maintenance.
Internal tide scattering at seamounts, ridges, and islands

[1] The scattering of mode-1 internal tides from idealized Gaussian topography in a nonrotating ocean with constant and realistic stratifications is examined with a primitive equation numerical model. Incident mode-1 energy fluxes of 20 and 2000 W m−1 are used to examine the linear regime and a more realistic situation. Simulations using two-dimensional or infinite ridges compare well with ray tracing methods and illustrate how the size and shape of the topography influence wave scattering. The height affects energy transmission and reflection, while the slope and width determine the conversion of low-mode internal tides into beams or higher modes. Three-dimensional topographic scattering is considered for seamounts, finite-width ridges, and islands. Scattering from finite ridges focuses wave energy directly downstream, while scattering from seamounts produces azimuthal energy dispersion. Scattering to higher wave modes occurs in the lee of near-critical and supercritical seamounts and ridges. Nonlinear interactions transfer energy into the mode-1 M4 internal tide. The Mellor-Yamada level-2.5 submodel parameterizes turbulent mixing. For the near-critical and supercritical ridges with realistic stratification, elevated mixing is found over the leading edge of the topography and along a tidal beam up to the first surface bounce. A transition from a beam structure near the topography to a low-mode structure farther away occurs due to an increased contribution from the mode-1 internal tide as it refracts around the topography and not due to turbulent dissipation. Internal tide scattering at topography leads to a loss of energy to mixing and to a redistribution of energy flux in space, frequency, and mode number.
Metabolism of [14C]leucine and [14C]acetate in sensorimotor cortex, thalamus, caudate nucleus and cerebellum of the cat.

— —In the head of the caudate nucleus, the relative specific activity of glutamine (glutamic acid specific activity = 1) was less than 1 with intravenous [14C]leucine as the tracer metabolite. This is in contrast to observations made in other brain areas (cortex, hippocampus, thalamus, pons, and medulla) where the relative specific activity of glutamine was greater than 1. This is also in contrast to findings when [l-14C]acetate was utilized as the tracer; under these conditions, in all brain areas, including the head of the caudate nucleus, the relative specific activity of glutamine was greater than 1. It is inferred that the differences in metabolism of [14C]leucine and [14C]acetate in the head of the caudate from that in other brain areas reflect differences in compartmentation of the glutamate-glutamine system.
Characterization of surface changes at atmospheric pressures using optical reflectance

Abstract The feasibility of using visible optical reflectance to examine changes in a Pt surface produced by exposures to various reacting and non-reacting gases at atmospheric pressure is explored. Effects of heating a Pt ribbon to various temperatures alternately in O2 and in NH3, CO, or H2 are examined, and the NH3 and CO oxidation reactions are investigated. At room temperature typical changes of 1% can be detected with a precision greater than ± 0.01%. With NH3-air the reflectivity increases upon heating in NH3 and reaches a maximum at ∼600 K. Exposing the NH3-covered surface to air produces a uniform decrease upon heating. In H2 or CO, a large increase in reflectivity occurs at room temperature, and exposure to air produces a monotonic decrease upon heating. Dependences on wavelength, angle of incidence, and polarization were examined in detail for the NH3-air system. The sensitivity was found to be greatest for p-polarization at short wavelengths. These results are generally consistent with changes in reflectivity expected for chemisorbed oxygen and other species on the Pt surface. In NH3 and CO oxidation reactions, the precision was considerably reduced because of catalytic etching and ribbon bending at high temperatures. The former was reduced by switching between a pair of compositions on either side of the stoichiometric ratio which gave equal adiabatic temperatures, but catalytic etching produced continuous linear variations in light reflected, particularly in excess oxygen where volatile oxides promote catalytic etching.
Anisotropic paleosecular variation models: implications for geomagnetic field observables

Abstract We present a family of statistical models for paleosecular variation (PSV) of the geomagnetic field that are compatible with paleodirectional and paleointensity variations in lava flows sampling the last 5 Ma, and explore what paleomagnetic observables might be used to discriminate among the various family members. We distinguish statistical models with axial anisotropy, which provide a suitable description for an earth with homogeneous boundary conditions at the core–mantle interface from those with more general anisotropy corresponding to geographically heterogeneous boundary conditions. The models revise and extend earlier ones, which are themselves descendants of CP88, devised by Constable and Parker [Constable, C.G., Parker, R.L., 1988. Statistics of the geomagnetic secular variation for the past 5 m.y. J. Geophys. Res. 93, 11569–11581]. In CP88, secular variation is described by statistical variability of each Gauss coefficient in a spherical harmonic description of the geomagnetic field, with each coefficient treated as a normally distributed random variable: the Gauss coefficients of the non-dipole part of the field exhibit isotropic variability, and the variances are derived from the present field spatial power spectrum. The dipole terms have a special status in CP88, with a non-zero mean for the axial-dipole, and lower variance than predicted from the spatial power spectrum. All non-dipole terms have zero mean except the axial-quadrupole. CP88 is untenable for two reasons: it fails to predict the observed geographic dependence of directional variability in the magnetic field, and it grossly underpredicts the variance in paleointensity data. The new models incorporate large variance in the axial-dipole, and in the non-axial-quadrupole Gauss coefficients, g21 and h21. The resulting variance in paleomagnetic observables depends only on latitude (zonal models), unless the variance in h21 is different from that in g21 (non-zonal models). Non-zonal (longitudinal) variations in PSV, such as the flux lobes seen in the historical magnetic field, are simulated using the non-zonal models. Both the zonal and non-zonal models fit summary statistics of the present dataset. We investigate the influence of persistent non-zonal influences in PSV on various paleomagnetic observables. It is shown that virtual geomagnetic pole (VGP) dispersion is rather insensitive to longitudinal variations in structure of PSV, and that inclination dispersion has the potential to be more informative given the right site distribution. There is also the possibility of using paleointensity and geographic variations in the frequency of occurrence of excursional directions to identify appropriate PSV models.
ADAPTIVE SAMPLING ENHANCEMENTS FOR SHEWHART CONTROL CHARTS

Adaptive sampling is an enhancement to a classical statistical process control scheme in which the time between samples from the process is varied based on the available information. Unlike the classical Shewhart control schemes, the performance of an adaptive sampling scheme for detecting a process which is off-target before the First observation is selected can differ from the steady-state performance, which is the performance of the scheme for detecting a process shift after the control scheme has been operating for some time. Often steady-state performance is the more important criterion for evaluating statistical process control schemes. Previous work has considered initial performance and steady-state performance, but the charts examined were optimized for initial performance. The development of charts optimized for steady-state performance and a comparison to previously developed schemes are the topics of this paper. Tables providing performance information on adaptive schemes are included.
A review of the statistical foundation of a class of probabilistic planning models

Abstract There exists a large group of probabilistic managerial planning models whose statistical problem consists of deriving the stochastic characteristics of a performance criterion defined as a function of several other random variables. This paper provides a unified statistical framework for such models by blending together various concepts and techniques in distribution theory and random-variate generation.
Self-assembly of block copolymer thin films

Block copolymers self-assemble on nanometer length scales, making them ideal for emerging nanotechnologies. Many applications (e.g., templating, membranes) require the use of block copolymers in thin film geometries (∼100 nm thickness), where self-assembly is strongly influenced by surface energetics. In this review, we discuss the roles of surface and interfacial effects on self-assembly, with a specific focus on confinement, substrate surface modification, and thermal and solvent annealing conditions. Finally, we comment on novel techniques for manipulating and characterizing thin films, motivating the use of gradient and high-throughput methods for gaining a comprehensive picture of self-assembly to enable advanced nanotechnologies.
The j-subunit of human translation initiation factor eIF3 is required for the stable binding of eIF3 and its subcomplexes to 40 S ribosomal subunits in vitro

Eukaryotic initiation factor 3 (eIF3) is a 12-subunit protein complex that plays a central role in binding of initiator methionyl-tRNA and mRNA to the 40 S ribosomal subunit to form the 40 S initiation complex. The molecular mechanisms by which eIF3 exerts these functions are poorly understood. To learn more about the structure and function of eIF3 we have expressed and purified individual human eIF3 subunits or complexes of eIF3 subunits using baculovirus-infected Sf9 cells. The results indicate that the subunits of human eIF3 that have homologs in Saccharomyces cerevisiae form subcomplexes that reflect the subunit interactions seen in the yeast eIF3 core complex. In addition, we have used an in vitro 40 S ribosomal subunit binding assay to investigate subunit requirements for efficient association of the eIF3 subcomplexes to the 40 S ribosomal subunit. eIF3j alone binds to the 40 S ribosomal subunit, and its presence is required for stable 40 S binding of an eIF3bgi subcomplex. Furthermore, purified eIF3 lacking eIF3j binds 40 S ribosomal subunits weakly, but binds tightly when eIF3j is added. Cleavage of a 16-residue C-terminal peptide from eIF3j by caspase-3 significantly reduces the affinity of eIF3j for the 40 S ribosomal subunit, and the cleaved form provides substantially less stabilization of purified eIF3–40S complexes. These results indicate that eIF3j, and especially its C terminus, play an important role in the recruitment of eIF3 to the 40 S ribosomal subunit.
Some bivariate beta distributions

We introduce three new bivariate beta distributions based on a characterizing property, involving products of beta random variables. We derive various representations for their joint densities, product moments, conditional densities and conditional moments. Some of these representations involve special functions such as the incomplete beta and Gauss hypergeometric functions. We also discuss ways to construct multivariate generalizations.
Binocular interaction in the perigeniculate nucleus of the cat

We have recorded from single cells in the perigeniculate nucleus (PGN) of the cat to determine their response properties. Quantitative tests have been conducted with sinusoidal gratings. Using optimal stimulus parameters, determined monocularly, we explored binocular interaction by varying the relative phase between dichoptically presented gratings. Monocularly, cells exhibit varying degrees of response specificities with respect to stimulus orientation and spatial frequency. Binocularly, we have identified six types of response. The most prominent, type 1, found for half the cells, is phase-specific binocular interaction at the fundamental frequency component of the drifting grating. For these cells, mean response rate is independent of interocular phase. The remaining types of binocular responses involve varying degrees of interaction at different harmonic components. For a quarter of the sample, no binocular interaction was observed. To investigate the role of cortical input to PGN, visual cortex was removed from some cats. Subsequent study of PGN cells indicated that response properties were generally similar to those found in intact animals. We conclude that PGN response properties are determined primarily by subcortical inputs.
Characterization of oxaliplatin-DNA adduct formation in DNA and differentiation of cancer cell drug sensitivity at microdose concentrations

(trans-R,R)-1,2-Diaminocyclohexaneoxalatoplatinum(II) (oxaliplatin) is a recently approved platinum analogue for use in the chemotherapy of metastatic colorectal cancer. Like many cytotoxic drugs, oxaliplatin exerts its antitumor effects by covalent modification of DNA. We report an accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) assay to measure the kinetics of oxaliplatin-induced DNA damage and repair. We determined the apparent rate of oxaliplatin adduction to salmon sperm DNA. The oxaliplatin−DNA adduct distribution was further investigated at the nucleoside level by HPLC-AMS. Cultured platinum-sensitive testicular (833K) and platinum-resistant breast and bladder (MDA-MB-231 and T24, respectively) cancer cells were incubated with a subpharmacological concentration of oxaliplatin (0.2 µM). Both cellular and DNA radiocarbon contents in the drug-sensitive testicular cells had approximately twice the area under the curve as compared to the more platinum-resistant cell lines, implying that differential accumulation of...