cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Structural invariants

We present structural invariants (SI), a new technique for incrementally overapproximating the verification condition of a program in static single assignment form by making a linear pass over the dominator tree of the program. The 1-level SI at a program location is the conjunction of all dominating program statements viewed as constraints. For any k, we define a k-level SI by recursively strengthening the dominating join points of the 1-level SI with the (k – 1)-level SI of the predecessors of the join point, thereby providing a tunable selector to add path-sensitivity incrementally. By ignoring program paths, the size of the SI and correspondingly the time to discharge the validity query remains small, allowing the technique to scale to large programs. We show experimentally that even with k ≤2, for a set of open-source programs totaling 570K lines and properties for which specialized analyses have been previously devised, our method provides an automatic and scalable algorithm with a low false positive rate.
Shifts in Vegetation Cover of Southern California Deserts in Response to Recent Climate Variations

In the deserts of Southern California, air temperatures have been rising and precipitation variability has been increasing over the past several decades. These recent climate shifts may have begun to threaten the survival of certain plant and animal species in these arid ecosystems. This study was designed to quantify and characterize variations in vegetation canopy density using more than 30 consecutive years of Landsat satellite image data across the western Lower Colorado (Sonoran) and southern Mojave Desert region. Mapping of the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) from Landsat images (1985 to 2017), which has been closely correlated with percent cover measurements of green vegetation canopies in a variety of arid ecosystems, was used to detect periodic upslope and downslope shifts in plant cover. The change in Landsat NDVI between 1985 and 2017 within the Santa Rosa Mountains Wilderness at four elevation zones between 500 m and 2500 m showed that vegetation green cover dropped notably in below-average precipitation periods, whereas green cover increased sharply in above-average precipitation years. This same temporal pattern of shifting in NDVI was detected along steep elevation gradients in the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park and in the Little San Bernardino Mountains of Joshua Tree National Park. Although the distribution of the dominant plant species along elevation gradients may have increased by more than 60 m over several decades (prior to 2007), we found no evidence that upslope shifts in percent plant cover have yet become a permanent pattern at these mountainous desert sites.
Consequences of Accommodation: Parental Perceptions of School Staff and Peer Bullying of Children with Food Allergies

Children with food allergies report relatively high rates of bullying compared with the general population. Scholars have raised concerns that children with food allergies may be targeted for bullying because accommodation policies can isolate the child or generate stigma among peers. Yet, few have empirically examined the extent to which accommodation policies relate to bullying victimization or considered bullying beyond that which is committed by peers. This study examines if having a 504 plan and having more serious food allergy conditions are related to bullying victimization among children with food allergies by considering bullying committed by peers and school staff. Data were collected using a web-based survey of parents of children with food allergies (N = 613). Results show that having a 504 plan is related to increased odds that children with food allergies are bullied by both peers and school staff.
Use of Postdischarge Emergency Medical Services to Reduce Hospital Readmissions: Does It Work and Is It Economically Feasible?

A new model of community health delivery has utilized emergency medical services (EMS) to manage care transitions and provide chronic care services in patients' homes. The authors performed a retro...
Applying the Chronic Care Model to Improve Patient Activation at a Nurse-Managed Student-Run Free Clinic for Medically Underserved People:

This article describes a practice change intended to improve patient activation, also described as self-care management, in a sample of uninsured and underinsured patients with one or more chronic ...
Where Do Hedge Fund Returns Come from? A Comparison of Alpha and Beta Activity

We consider two distinct styles of active portfolio management: alpha active, wherein managers’ positions are uncorrelated with particular benchmarks, and beta active, wherein managers take positions that are correlated with identifiable benchmark factors. We construct a measure of overall beta activity of fund managers, and find ample evidence that top beta active managers deliver superior out-of-sample performance compared to top alpha active managers. Furthermore, our measure of beta activity successfully captures the time varying nature of beta exposures that could be interpreted as a common factor driving the long term predictive power of both SR (systematic risk) and R-squared measures.
Pandemic Policymaking: Learning the Lower Dimensional Manifold of Congressional Responsiveness

A recent study leveraging text of pandemic-related policymaking from 1973--2020 explored whether pandemic policymaking has evolved, or whether we are witnessing a new, unique era of policymaking as it relates to large-scale crises like COVID-19. This research picks up on this approach over the same period of study and based on the same data, but excluding text. Instead, using high dimensional manifold learning, this study explores the latent structure of the pandemic policymaking space based only on bill-level characteristics. Results indicate the COVID-19 era of policymaking maps extremely closely onto prior periods of related policymaking. This suggests that there is less of an "evolutionary trend" in pandemic policymaking, where instead there is striking uniformity in Congressional policymaking related to these types of large-scale crises, despite being in a unique era of hyperpolarization, division, and ineffective governance.
Use of patient assessment skills in advanced pharmacy practice experiences

Abstract Introduction Pharmacy programs are required to teach patient assessment (PA) skills. However, pharmacist workforce survey data indicates that limited opportunities exist for students to practice PA skills in real-world settings. The study objectives were to (1) assess how often PA skills are utilized by fourth-year pharmacy (P4) students on advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPEs), (2) determine perceived competence in performing PA skills, and (3) examine relationships between grade-point average or post-graduation plans and the number of skills performed and between skill use frequency and self-reported competency. Methods P4 students completed a questionnaire assessing 13 PA skills. Respondents performing a skill indicated frequency of use and rated their competence using a 5-point scale. Descriptive and bivariate statistics were reported. Results The response rate was 81%. Measuring blood pressure (BP) (76%) and evaluating metered-dose inhaler (MDI) technique (74%) were most commonly performed. Peak-flow meter evaluation (6%) and lymph node examination (2%) were least commonly performed. Measuring BP and evaluating MDI technique had the highest competency ratings (4.6 + 0.7 for both). Lung (3.4 + 0.7) and heart (2.8 + 1) auscultation had the lowest competency ratings. Positive correlations were found between the frequency of skill use and self-reported competence for assessing MDI technique, peripheral pulses, and peripheral edema. No other findings were significant. Conclusions P4 students reported high perceived competency for PA skills performed frequently during APPEs. Preceptor education, requiring skill use, and encouraging students to proactively identify situations to use skills could increase opportunities for use of PA skills.
3139 – TRANSCRIPTIONAL, PROTEIN-LEVEL AND FUNCTIONAL PROFILING OF HUMAN FETAL LIVER-DERIVED HEMATOPOIETIC STEM CELLS AT SINGLE CELL RESOLUTION

The complex and tightly regulated process of human hematopoietic development culminates in the production of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), which subsequently undergo expansion in the fetal liver (FL). The establishment of a high-resolution molecular signature of FL-HSCs would provide insights into HSC biology with potential utility in the purification and expansion of engraftable HSCs ex vivo and the generation of HSCs from pluripotent cell sources. To profile HSCs at this developmental stage, we performed CITE-Seq, a technique that combines single cell RNA sequencing (scRNAseq) and cell surface marker interrogation using oligo-tagged antibodies. To connect expression profiles with functional engraftment, we have coupled this with transplantation assays in immunocompromised mice. In these studies, three populations of human FL cells were used: CD34- cells, CD34+ cells and CD34+ cells further enriched by expression of GPI-80, a marker tightly linked to engraftment potential, to acquire additional resolution of HSCs capable of long-term engraftment. These populations were stained with a panel of oligo-tagged antibodies, processed via the 10X platform, and sequenced (26.582 total cells). Simultaneous transplantation experiments of these three populations revealed superior engraftment potential of the CD34+GPI-80+ fraction, and thus enrichment for bona fide HSCs at the functional level. This coincided with enrichment for known HSC markers such as ITGA6 (CD49f), PROCR (EPCR), CD164, MLLT3, HLF and HMGA2 at the transcriptional level. As such, by profiling profiling >7000 GPI-80+CD34+ cells, we have achieved unprecedented resolution of the engraftable HSC compartment within the FL. Studying the transcriptional profile in combination with protein level expression of key HSC-related genes, will allow for an accurate characterization of these cells and provide insights into the biology behind their remarkable engraftment potential.
RE: Breast Cancer Risk After Salpingo-Oophorectomy in Healthy BRCA1/2 Mutation Carriers: Revisiting the Evidence for Risk Reduction

Heemskerk-Gerritsen et al. (1) questioned the protective effect of risk-reducing salpingo-oophorectomy (RRSO) on breast cancer (BC) risk in women who carry a BRCA1 or BRCA2 (BRCA1/2) mutation, as previously reported. They proposed that studies addressing this question should ensure: 1) women are eligible only if they do not have breast or ovarian cancer and have both ovaries and breasts intact before DNA testing; 2) each woman is followed from the age of DNA testing; and 3) the time at risk considers RRSO as a time-dependent variable that takes value 0 before RRSO and 1 after. Using this design, their analysis of Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer in the Netherlands (HEBON) data reported a BC hazard ratio (HR) by RRSO of 1.09 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.67 to 1.77). They hypothesized that the previously reported protective effect of RRSO on BC was because of failure to conform to one of these three design features.
Resonance modes in moiré photonic patterns for twistoptics

Twistronics has been studied for manipulating electronic properties through a twist angle in the formed moire superlattices of two dimensional layer materials. In this paper, we study twistoptics for manipulating optical properties in twisted moire photonic patterns without physical rotations. We describe a theoretic approach for the formation of single-layer twisted photonic pattern in square and triangular lattices through an interference of two sets of laser beams arranged in two cone geometries. The moire period and the size of unit super-cell of moire patterns are related to the twist angle that is calculated from the wavevector ratio of laser beams. The bright and dark regions in moire photonic pattern in triangular lattices are reversible. We simulate E-field intensities and their cavity quality factors for resonance modes in moire photonic pattern in square lattices. Due to the bandgap dislocation between the bright and dark regions, the resonance modes with very high quality-factors appears near bandgap edges for the moire photonic pattern with a twist angle of 9.5 degrees. At the low frequency range, the resonance modes can be explained as Mie resonances. The cavity quality factor decreases for resonance modes when the twist angle is increased to 22.6 degrees.
Breaking Down the Barriers: Three Ways State and Local Governments Can Improve the Lives of the Poor

This study considers the ways in which government, whether through spending programs or regulations, has made it more difficult for people to find their way out of poverty. It argues that when considering new regulations or eliminating existing ones, policymakers should pay more attention to the regressive effects of government, from the way in which it prevents upward mobility to the way in which some policies and programs burden the poor more than other groups. Specifically, it explores the regressive effects of occupational licensure, zoning laws, and other restrictions on operating businesses, as well as the effects of sin taxes. The discussion of occupational licensure includes a small case study of Uber, the ride-sharing platform. If government policy is restricting upward mobility, then policymakers should look more seriously at ways to stop government from harming those seeking to escape poverty.
Limited plasticity in thermally tolerant ectotherm populations: evidence for a trade-off

Many species face extinction risks owing to climate change, and there is an urgent need to identify which species' populations will be most vulnerable. Plasticity in heat tolerance, which includes ...
Developing Production-Grade Applications with ROS 2

Developing production-grade robotic applications is a critical component of building a robotic product. However, those techniques, best practices, and patterns are often tribal knowledge, learned on the job, but infrequently documented. This chapter covers some of these topics, such as: how to compile ROS software for a non-native architecture (such as ARM), how to tune a software stack using Quality of Service (QOS) settings, how to build a robust CI system for your packages, how to maintain and release ROS 2 software packages, how to monitor ROS 2 nodes running on a fleet of robots in production? This chapter presents step-by-step tutorials, and workflows adopted by the ROS Tooling Working Group.
Understanding Near-surface and In-Cloud Turbulent Fluxes in the Coastal Stratocumulus-Topped Boundary Layers

Abstract : LONG-TERM GOAL. The long-term goal is to understand the spatial and temporal variation of the surface fluxes in relation to the variability of the sea state and the stratocumulus-topped boundary layers. OBJECTIVES. The objective of this project is to quantify the spatial and temporal variability of the turbulent fluxes in the Monterey Bay area. The analysis from this study provides the surface forcing to our collaborators (AOSN investigators) and enable us to understand these variabilities in relation to the sea states and the stratocumulus-topped marine atmospheric boundary layers (MABL) properties. The results will also be used to evaluate COAMPS for simulating the stratocumulus-topped MABL (STBL). Our work in FY03 was focused on the production of calibrated and time-synchronized high-rate wind turbulence, temperature, and specific humidity data and processed surface fluxes of momentum, sensible heat, and latent heat fluxes from the raw aircraft measurements of the Autonomous Oceanographic Sampling Network (AOSN-II) Experiment co-sponsored by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) and ONR. We also had a first indication of the spatial and temporal variability of the surface turbulent fluxes over Monterey Bay.
Enlargement of Lyt-2-positive T cells is associated with functional impairment and autoimmune hemolytic anemia in New Zealand Black mice.

We investigated the relationship between the increased cell diameter of Lyt-2+ T cells and the development of autoimmune disease in aging NZB and NZB X NZW F1 hybrid (BW) mice. Individual animals were analyzed for Lyt-2+ T cell size (by narrow-angle forward light scatter), anti-erythrocyte autoantibodies, anemia, proteinuria, and splenomegaly. The peak light scatter of the Lyt-2+ T cells correlated with the level of anti-erythrocyte autoantibodies and severity of hemolytic anemia, but not with proteinuria or splenomegaly. The cell size of this T cell subset did not increase in old BW or in NZB mice homozygous for the xid gene (NZB.xid). The in vivo administration of bacterial lipopolysaccharide to young NZB mice did not stimulate the enlargement of Lyt-2+ T cells. Ly-2+ T cells from old NZB mice could be stimulated by concanavalin A (Con A) to express interleukin 2 (IL 2) receptors and to synthesize DNA in vitro. However, in vivo administration of Con A to old NZB mice did not induce the expression of IL 2 receptors on Lyt-2+ T cells. Further, in vivo T suppressor function was impaired in old NZB mice with enlarged Lyt-2+ T cells. Thus, the enlargement of Lyt-2+ T cells in old NZB mice appears related to impaired T cell function in vivo and is associated with the development of anti-erythrocyte autoantibodies and autoimmune hemolytic anemia.
Neuro-control using temporal dynamics for robot locomotion

A neural controller for an autonomous walking machine called the Micro-Rover is presented. Dynamic properties of real neurons were incorporated within the neural model in the form of delayed excitation. The pattern generation capability of networks of biological neurons were studied in order to choose an appropriate gait controller for the Micro-Rover. A four-phasic network with recurrent inhibition was found to be suitable for generating the locomotion rhythm. Sensory modulation of the locomotion rhythm takes place within local networks that coordinate leg and frame actuation. A simple reflex circuit enables the Micro-Rover to avoid obstacles. The networks were developed and tested numerically, and work is currently underway to implement the controller on the Micro-Rover. >
The Effects of Tobacco mosaic virus Infection on Growth and Physiological Parameters in Some Pepper Varieties ( Capsicum annuum L.)

Changes in some growth (plant leaf number and area, plant biomass, plant height, root length, and plant stem diameter) and physiological (photosynthetic pigments, relative water content (RWC) and proline content) parameters of pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) varieties were studied as they were affected by Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) infection. The greenhouse pepper cvs ‘Ergenekon F1’, ‘Kumsal F1’, and one candidate variety (‘497 F1’) were used as material to compare infected versus non-infected control plants. Infected plants showed various degrees of stunting; necrosis on stems, leaves and fruits; mosaic symptoms on leaves; deformations, defoliation of leaves, and reduction in fruit size. Besides these, TMV infection resulted in reduction of vegetative growth parameters, RWC, chlorophyll a and b, plant fresh and dry production in different parts of the plants, but increase of proline content in leaves. The level of response differed depending on varieties.
Stochastic Shop Scheduling: A Survey

In this paper a survey is made of some of the recent results in stochastic shop scheduling. The models dealt with include: (i) Open shops. (ii) Flow shops with infinite intermediate storage (permutation flow shops). (iii) Flow shops with zero intermediate storage and blocking. (iv) Job shops. Two objective functions are considered: Minimization of the expected completion time of the last job, the so-called makespan, and minimization of the sum of the expected completion times of all jobs, the so-called flow time. The decision-maker is not allowed to preempt. The shop models with two machines and exponentially distributed processing times usually turn out to have a very nice structure. Shop models with more than two machines are considerably harder.
The impact of individual variation analysis on myocardial perfusion imaging utilization within a hospitalist group

BACKGROUND Increased recognition of ionizing radiation risks has placed an emphasis on the appropriate use of myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI). Hospitalists frequently order MPI in the evaluation of chest pain and are thus at the forefront of its inpatient utilization. METHODS We collected baseline figures for a group MPI rate (March 2010–February 2011) as well as individual MPI rates for hospitalists caring for cardiac floor patients at a community teaching hospital. We performed a 2-part intervention; we presented the individual MPI rate data back to the hospitalist division and carried out longitudinal educational efforts on MPI appropriateness criteria. We then calculated the group MPI utilization rate for 3 postintervention periods (March 2011–February 2012, March 2012–February 2013, and March 2013–February 2014) and the MPI rate for the subgroup of cardiac floor patients. Finally, we calculated the percentage of inappropriately performed stress tests before and after our intervention. RESULTS Group MPI rate declined from 6.1% to 5.0% in the first year after our intervention (P = 0.009); a decrease was maintained a year later—MPI rate 4.9% (P = 0.004)—and became even more pronounced 2 years later—MPI rate 3.9% (P < 0.0001). The MPI rate for the subgroup of patients on the cardiac floor similarly decreased from 8.0% to 6.7% (P = 0.039). Finally, we report a particularly encouraging and significant trend of a 46% postintervention decrease (from 16.5% to 9%, P = 0.034) in the proportion of inappropriate stress tests ordered. CONCLUSIONS Analyzing individual ordering rates and combining them with educational efforts was an effective strategy for impacting MPI utilization in the hospitalist group studied. Journal of Hospital Medicine 2015;10:190–193. © 2014 Society of Hospital Medicine
The distributions of enhancement factors in close-packed and nonclose-packed surface-enhanced Raman substrates

A method employing photochemical hole burning, previously developed to measure the distribution of Raman enhancement factors on a nanostructured substrate for surface-enhanced Raman scattering, is used to compare the enhancement distributions of benzenethiol adsorbed on substrates optimized for 532 nm laser excitation consisting of close-packed (CP) or nonclose-packed (NCP) nanospheres. The ensemble-averaged Raman enhancement factor was 2.8 times smaller for the NCP substrate. The measured distributions revealed additional information. For instance, 92% of the molecules on the CP substrate and 93.6% of the molecules on the NCP substrate had Raman enhancements below average. The minimum enhancements on both substrates were ~104, but on the NCP substrate the maximum enhancement was 1.2 × 108, whereas on the CP substrate the maximum was 2 × 1010. The Ag-coated nanospheres form hemisphere-on-cylinder mushroom-like structures on both lattices, but on the NCP lattice, one third of the molecules are on the flat regions between the mushrooms. The flats on the NCP lattice have enhancements of ~104, showing they are part of a resonant plasmonic structure. The highest NCP enhancements of ~108 are tentatively associated with regions at the bases of the mushrooms, whereas the highest CP enhancements of 2 × 1010 are tentatively associated with gaps between nanospheres where 0.0025% of the molecules reside. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
JUVENILE OFFENDERS MEET THEIR VICTIMS

The process of allowing certain victims of crime to confront their juvenile offender in the presence of a trained mediator to both talkabout the event andnegotiate aplan for compensating the victim is developing in a growing number of communities throughout the United States. This article reports on the impact of the victim offender mediation program in Albuquerque, New Mexico. It is based on interviews with 206 victims and juvenile offenders in Albuquerque, as well as interviews with court officials andprogram stas This program represenisa strong court and community partnership. victims and offenders whoparticipated in mediation indicated high levels of satisfaction with both the processand outcomes of mediation. Wctims who were involved in mediation, particularly, were considerably more likely to indicate satisfaction with the manner in which the juvenile justice system handled their case than were those victims who were referred to mediation but did nut participate or similar victims who were never even referred to the mediation program. Offenders who negotiated their restitution obligation with the victim were far more likely to actually complete restitution, when compared to offenders whose restitution was ordered by the court with no mediation program involvement.
Transgenic mouse model with deficient mitochondrial polymerase exhibits reduced state IV respiration and enhanced cardiac fibrosis.

Transgenic mouse model with deficient mitochondrial polymerase exhibits reduced state IV respiration and enhanced cardiac fibrosis
Assessing Interorganizational Networks as a Dimension of Community Capacity: Illustrations From a Community Intervention to Prevent Lead Poisoning

Network analysis is often cited as a method for assessing collaboration among organizations as an indicator of community capacity. The purpose of this study was to (1) document patterns of collaboration in organizational networks related to lead poisoning prevention in a Native American community and (2) examine measurement issues in using organizational network analysis to assess community capacity. Interviews were conducted with representatives from 22 tribes, government agencies, schools, and community-based organizations in northeastern Oklahoma. Intensity, density, and reliability were assessed for several stages of collaboration. Intensity and density were greater for similar types of organizations than for the network as a whole and decreased as stage of collaboration increased. Network data were more reliable when responses were dichotomized than when intensities were compared. Mean reliability scores across two respondents from the same organization ranged from 60% to 90%. Results from network studies may help communities learn how to strengthen organizational networks to enhance community capacity.
Apiology: Royal secrets in the queen's fat body

Royalactin, a component of royal jelly, induces queen differentiation in honeybees. Surprisingly, royalactin has a similar effect on growth in fruit flies, highlighting many unexpected features of growth regulation by the insect fat tissue.
Risk minimization under budget constraints

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to find the optimal hedging strategy when an investor has budget constraints on both the initial capital and the future cash flow.Design/methodology/approach – The paper follows the utility minimization of the total cost, using convex utility functions on both initial capital and future cash flows.Findings – Closed‐form solutions of optimal hedging strategies are found in some specific but popular cases. It is also found that this method corresponds to the local risk minimization method in quadratic hedging.Research limitations/implications – Hedging strategies are calculated for only two popular choices. One may want to calculate hedging strategies for other popular utility functions such as power utility or HARA utility.Practical implications – When a trader has some budget constraint in both initial capital and future cash flows, this paper gives a simple alternative.Originality/value – Budget constraints on both initial capital and future cash flow are new to thi...
Infarct-Derived Chondroitin Sulfate Proteoglycans Prevent Sympathetic Reinnervation after Cardiac Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury

Sympathetic nerves can regenerate after injury to reinnervate target tissues. Sympathetic regeneration is well documented after chronic cardiac ischemia, so we were surprised that the cardiac infarct remained denervated following ischemia-reperfusion (I-R). We used mice to ask if the lack of sympathetic regeneration into the scar was due to blockade by inhibitory extracellular matrix within the infarct. We found that chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans (CSPGs) were present in the infarct after I-R, but not after chronic ischemia, and that CSPGs caused inhibition of sympathetic axon outgrowth in vitro. Ventricle explants after I-R and chronic ischemia stimulated sympathetic axon outgrowth that was blocked by nerve growth factor antibodies. However, growth in I-R cocultures was asymmetrical, with axons growing toward the heart tissue consistently shorter than axons growing in other directions. Growth toward I-R explants was rescued by adding chondroitinase ABC to the cocultures, suggesting that I-R infarct-derived CSPGs prevented axon extension. Sympathetic ganglia lacking protein tyrosine phosphatase sigma (PTPRS) were not inhibited by CSPGs or I-R explants in vitro, suggesting PTPRS is the major CSPG receptor in sympathetic neurons. To test directly if infarct-derived CSPGs prevented cardiac reinnervation, we performed I-R in ptprs-/- and ptprs+/- mice. Cardiac infarcts in ptprs-/- mice were hyperinnervated, while infarcts in ptprs+/- littermates were denervated, confirming that CSPGs prevent sympathetic reinnervation of the cardiac scar after I-R. This is the first example of CSPGs preventing sympathetic reinnervation of an autonomic target following injury, and may have important consequences for cardiac function and arrhythmia susceptibility after myocardial infarction.
Repeat Monteggia fracture: an unusual occurrence.

Abstract There are many reported cases of Monteggia fracture, but a thorough review of the literature has failed to reveal a case of Monteggia fracture successfully treated with internal fixation and complete healing that recurred after a second traumatic episode.
Subacute stent thrombosis: evolving issues and current concepts.

Abstract During percutaneous coronary revascularization, intracoronary stents are effective in the treatment of abrupt vessel closure and improvement of suboptimal angioplasty results, and compared to balloon angioplasty, they reduce stenosis recurrence. Opposing these benefits, subacute thrombosis of stents is associated with a substantial increase in periprocedural morbidity and mortality. To review factors associated with stent thrombosis and to study the impact of evolving procedural techniques on the incidence of stent thrombosis, we reviewed all English articles from MEDLINE (1988 to 1995) with key words “stent” and “thrombosis”. Stent registry data and recent abstracts from scientific meeting were also reviewed. Factors related to the clinical setting, the lesion, the stent and the procedural technique that affect the risk of stent thrombosis were identified. Sixty clinical studies were reviewed and include 7,914 patients receiving intracoronary stents. Studies were separated into those reporting stents placed emergently or electively without adjunct high-pressure balloon inflations, stents placed in saphenous vein graft conduits, and stents placed with high-pressure balloon inflations but without subsequent oral anticoagulants. Overall, subacute thrombosis was substantially higher in stents placed emergently (10.1%) compared to those placed electively (4.3%). Among contemporary trials employing high-pressure balloon inflations, the rate of stent thrombosis appears markedly lower (1.3%) despite reduced postprocedural anticoagulation. Taken together, these studies suggest factors associated with a heightened risk of stent thrombosis, many of which can be avoided with proper case selection and contemporary techniques.
The botanical effects of ultrasound: A review

Abstract Botanical subjects have proven convenient and fruitful for investigations of effects of ultrasound. In plant tissues, such as stems, leaves and roots, which contain intercellular gas-filled channels, the channels play a major role in promoting effects. Certain gas channels apparently undergo resonant pulsation under typical ultrasonic exposure conditions and the processes involving the channels are similar to the activity of ultrasonic cavitation. The pulsation of the channels generates microscopic-scale perturbations, such as acoustic microstreaming, within the plant cells, which can disrupt normal cellular organization and function. Irreversible effects appear to be limited to cell death. Other well documented changes, such as chromosome abnormalities, mitotic index reductions and growth-rate reductions in roots, all appear to be reversible in that normal behavior is regained in surviving plants within hours or days. Genetic changes and growth enhancement have been reported but remain controvertible. Most changes are observable for spatial and temporal peak intensities in the range 0.3–30 W/cm 2 for on-times in the range 0.1–1000 sec, and in the commonly-used frequency range of 0.5–10 MHz.
Staple closure of atriotomy incision.

Abstract An alternate method for closure of longitudinal right atriotomy incisions using an auto suture stapling device is described. This rapid and simple technique has been used in 23 patients ranging in age from 16 months to 56 years with very satisfactory results.
“High Five to Healthy Living”: A Health Intervention Program for Youth at an Inner City Community Center

Providing developmental programs to inner-city youth is a key component to promoting healthy lifestyles in urban communities. In this study, 46 adolescents, predominately African American youth (age 11-14), participated in the "High Five for Healthy Living" hygiene intervention program hosted at the NFL Youth Education Town of the Boys and Girls Club of Atlanta. Windshield surveys, key informant interviews and focus groups were conducted in order to identify the needs of the surrounding community and subsequently plan and implement a 5 week developmental module to meet these needs. Weekly modules were conducted focusing on oral hygiene, hand washing, physical activity, male/female personal hygiene, and nutrition/food safety. Surveys administered showed that a large percentage of students exhibited behavioral change following the completion of each module: 42% for oral hygiene, 88% for hand washing, 75% for physical activity, 88% for personal hygiene and 50% for nutrition/food safety. From these findings, it is evident that that African American adolescents can benefit from developmental programs targeted to address their specific community needs, and as a result implement personal lifestyle changes. Such interventions could potentially decrease in the prevalence of certain preventable diseases endemic to many low socioeconomic inner city communities.
Estimation in long memory time series models

A regression type estimator of the parameter d in fractionally differenced ARMA (p,q) processes is presented. The proposed estimator is shown to be mean square consistent. Its performance is compared with some of the existing estimators via a simulation study.
Photoelastic inverse problem solution for a biaxially loaded infinite plate with a hole

This paper presents an inverse problem solution for the case of photoelastic isochromatic fringes around the hole of a biaxially uniformly loaded infinite plate for two problems. Problem 1 relates to an infinite plate in which the circular hole is drilled first and then the loads are applied. Problem 2 is the residual stress problem in which the hole is drilled after the biaxial load is applied to the infinite plate. This “hole method” solution may be used for all cases of biaxial, far field uniform loading conditions.
A randomized, placebo-controlled trial of the effect of antihistamine or corticosteroid treatment in acute otitis media☆

Abstract Objectives To determine whether the adjunctive drugs antihistamine and corticosteroid improve immediate and long-term outcomes of acute otitis media (AOM). Study design Children with AOM (3 mos-6 y) were enrolled in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. All 179 children received one dose of intramuscular ceftriaxone and were assigned to receive either chlorpheniramine maleate (0.35 mg/kg/d) and/or prednisolone (2 mg/kg/day) or placebo for 5 days. Main outcome measures were rate of treatment failure during the first 2 weeks, duration of middle ear effusion, and rate of recurrences of AOM to 6 months. Results Clinical outcomes and recurrence rates did not differ significantly with treatment. Children who received antihistamine alone had significantly longer duration of middle ear effusion (median, 73 days) than subjects in other treatment groups (median, 23 to 36 days, P =.04). Temporary normalization of tympanometric findings on day 5 occurred more frequently in the corticosteroid-treated group ( P =.04). Conclusions Five-day treatment with antihistamine or corticosteroid, in addition to antibiotic, did not improve AOM outcomes. Antihistamine use during an acute episode of OM should be avoided, since the drug may prolong the duration of middle ear effusion. The efficacy of 7- to 10-day treatment of AOM with corticosteroid, in addition to antibiotic, deserves further investigation.
A comparison of photospheric, chromospheric and coronal indices for the sun

Abstract Indices of photospheric activity as reconstructed sunspot blocking (essentially sunspot areas) are compared with the White and Livingston 1A Ca II K index and a polarization-brightness index of the corona that is proportional to mean hemispheric coronal electron density. The photospheric, chromospheric and coronal manifestations of magnetic activity associated with the solar cycle show quite similar behavior. The modulation properties of each index are remarkably similar both in terms of cycle signal-to-noise and the morphology of scatter variations with respect to cycle phase. The coronal electron density shows a more rapid rise from solar minimum to maximum than the activity indicators from lower atmospheric levels — suggesting a difference in growth rates for the large scale structures influencing the corona with respect to the smaller scale photospheric features.
Geologic and Hydrologic Factors Controlling Radon‐222 in Ground Water in Maine

High Radon-222 (222Rn) concentrations exist in ground water from most granitic rocks in Maine. Some values exceed the suggested limit of 500 pCi/1 (E.P.A., 1976) by more than 100 times. Although high values (x= 22,100 pCi/1) are conclusively linked with the granites, high values are also present in ground water in metasedimentary rocks from sillimanite- (x= 13,630 pCi/1) and sillimanite-orthoclase zone metamorphic terrains. Metamorphic (anatectic) pegmatites with hydrothermally introduced uranium are thought to be the source of radon in high grade terrain. At lower grade (chlorite to staurolite), no relationship exists between 222Rn content and metamorphic grade, although each rock formation has a somewhat characteristic 222Rn range from ground water, ranges which overlap. Considerable local 222Rn variations exist within the same rock body, reflecting local geologic and hydrologic conditions. Data on well depth, type of well, well yield, overburden type and thickness, and water chemistry show that 222Rn may increase slightly with well depth up to 50 to 75 m and is essentially constant thereafter. Low yield wells, generally associated with areas of thin overburden, tend to have higher 222Rn values than high yield wells, normally associated with thick sand and gravel overburdens. 222Rn concentrations decrease with increasing sodium concentrations, suggesting that low 222Rn wells are closely linked with surface waters. No other chemical parameter (Na, K, Ca, Mg, Fe, Mn, Zn, and Cu) correlates with 222Rn content within a single rock unit.
Structural alterations in the long terminal repeat of an acquired mouse mammary tumor virus provirus in a T-cell leukemia of DBA/2 mice.

Abstract ML, a transplantable T-cell leukemia of DBA/2 mice, expresses the gag and env gene products of the murine mammary tumor virus (MuMTV). Analysis of the genomic DNA of ML cells using the restriction enzyme Hin dIII and hybridization with MuMTV-specific probes revealed that the ML cells contained two or more newly integrated MuMTV proviruses (ML-MuMTV). Further analysis of these proviruses with a combination of Msp l and Pst l enzymes showed that the long terminal repeat (LTR) (ML-MuMTV LTR) of the ML-MuMTV provirus(es) was structurally different from the LTRs of both exogenous and endogenous MuMTV proviruses of DBA/2 mice. In order to characterize the nature of the structural alterations in the ML-MuMTV LTR, we cloned a 4.0-kb Hin dIII fragment containing the 3′ half of an acquired provirus. Sequence analysis of the ML-MuMTV LTR of this acquired provirus revealed a deletion of a 387-bp segment that maps between the 5′ nucleotide 616 and the 3′ nucleotide 1003 of the normal MuMTV LTR and duplication of a 102-bp fragment that mapped between 514 and 616. In addition to two point mutations in the direct repeat, the proviral ML-MuMTV LTR has also acquired 9- and 7-bp segments at the 5′ and 3′ sites of the duplicated 102-bp segment, respectively. Since direct repeats in the U3 regions of a number of LTRs have been found to be associated with enhancer function, we examined the enhancer function of the U3 region sequences of the ML-MuMTV LTR using enhancer-dependent transient expression assay of chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) gene in NIH 3T3 cells. Our studies have shown that the U3 region sequences of the rearranged ML-MuMTV LTR have the ability to enhance the expression of the CAT gene 12- to 15-fold more than the U3 region sequences from the normal MuMTV LTR. The presence of a direct repeat in the ML-MuMTV LTR and its ability to enhance the transcription of adjacent genes is analogous to the LTRs of certain murine leukemia viruses.
Effect of 5-hydroxytryptamine on vagal C-fiber subtypes in guinea pig lungs

5-Hydroxytryptamine (5-HT, serotonin) evokes pulmonary reflexes partially by activating vagal bronchopulmonary C-fibers. In the guinea pig, vagal bronchopulmonary C-fibers arise from cell bodies situated in the nodose and the jugular ganglia. The nodose and the jugular C-fibers differ both pharmacologically and neurochemically, and may subserve different functions. In this study, we compared the effect of 5-HT on the nodose and jugular C-fibers with receptive fields within the guinea pig lungs. The nerve terminals of the vagal bronchopulmonary C-fibers were studied in an ex vivo isolated perfused lung nerve preparation using the extracellular recordings. All nodose C-fibers responded to transient administration of 5-HT (10 microM) and to the selective 5-HT3 receptor agonist, 2-methyl-5-HT (10 microM), with the action potential discharge. The selective 5-HT3 receptor antagonist ondansetron (10 microM) inhibited (by approximately 90%) the activation of the nodose C-fibers evoked by 5-HT (10 microM). In contrast to the nodose C-fibers, the jugular C-fibers were unresponsive or poorly responsive to 5-HT (n=9) and unresponsive to 2-methyl-5-HT (n=11). A direct action of 5-HT on the C-fiber neurons was supported using the whole cell patch clamp recordings from the isolated vagal sensory neurons retrogradely labeled from the lungs. Consistently with the studies on the nerve terminals, 5-HT (10 microM) induced inward current in nodose lung-specific capsaicin-sensitive neurons. Conversely, 5-HT was inefficient to stimulate the lung-specific jugular neurons. We conclude that in the guinea pig lungs, 5-HT selectively stimulates vagal nodose, but not jugular C-fibers via the 5-HT3 receptors in the neuronal membrane.
Comparison of the Bowen ratio-energy balance and the water balance methods for the measurement of evapotranspiration

Abstract An experiment was conducted in a 36 ha alfalfa field in Logan, Utah, USA, during three growth-harvest cycles of alfalfa in April–July 1992. A Campbell Scientific (CS) Bowen Ratio System was used to measure continuously 20 min means of micrometeorological elements such as air and dew point temperatures at 1 and 2 m, solar and net radiation, wind speed and direction at 2 m, soil heat fluxes at 8 cm (two locations), and soil temperatures at 2 and 6 cm during the three consecutive growing cycles. The gravimetric method (for 0–10 cm) and the Campbell Pacific Nuclear (CPN) Hydroprobe (for 20–150cm) were used to measure soil moisture daily at 09:00 h. The 24 h evapotranspiration (LE, using the Bowen ratio-energy balance method) was computed by adding the 20 min mean LE values from 09:00 h until 09:00 h of the next day for comparison with the water balance method. Evapotranspiration measured by the water balance method was 98% of that measured by the Bowen ratio-energy balance method during the experimental period (r = 0.987).
Exposure to altered gravity affects all stages of endochondral cartilage differentiation.

Abstract Chondrogenesis has a number of well-defined steps: (1) condensation, which involves cell aggregation, adhesion and communication; (2) activation of cartilage genes, which is accompanied by rounding up of the cells and intracellular differentiation; and (3) production and secretion of cartilage specific matrix molecules. Our studies show that each of these steps is affected by exposure to gravitational changes. Clinorotation and centrifugation affected initial aggregation and condensation. In the CELLS experiment, where cells were exposed to microgravity after some condensation occurred perflight, intracellular differentiation and matrix production were delayed relative to controls. Once cartilage has developed, in rats, further differentiation (hypertrophy, matrix production) was also affected by spaceflight and hind limb suspension. For the process of chondrogenesis to proceed as we know it, loading and other factors present at lg are required at each step of the process. This requirement means that not only will skeletal development and bone healing, processes involving chondrogenesis, be altered by long term exposure to microgravity, but that continuous intervention will be necessary to correct any defects produced by altered gravity environments.
Molecular size and feedback-regulation characteristics of bacterial aspartate transcarbamylases

Crude extracts containing aspartate transcarbamylase (EC 2.1.3.2.) or purified preparations of aspartate transcarbamylase (ATCase) from ten bacteria have been analyzed by the gel filtration technique for molecular size (Andrews, 1964). Three size groups have been found which elute from Sephadex G-200 with Kd values of 0.13, 0.24, and 0.45. Pure Escherichia coli ATCase, whose molecular weight is 310,000 (Gerhart and Schachman, 1965), has a Kd of 0.25. Earlier studies on the feedback inhibition characteristics of bacterial ATCases by Neumann and Jones (1964) had predicted three types of bacterial ATCases. From the data available it is reasonable to assign each of the three size groups found here to one of the three kinetic groups found by Neumann and Jones (1964). The largest ATCases (Kd = 0.13, called A in this paper) are inhibited by pyrimidine nucleotides. The nucleotide inhibition is competitive toward the substrate carbamyl phosphate and noncompetitive toward aspartate. The substrate saturation curves for the Class A enzymes are hyperbolic in the absence of nucleotide. Upon the addition of a pyrimidine nucleotide, however, the carbamyl phosphate curve becomes sigmoidal. The small amount of kinetic data available on the ATCases which are of intermediate size (Kd = 0.24; called Class B in this paper) indicates that their activity is changed by pyrimidine nucleotide additions. However, with the exception of E. coli ATCase (Gerhart and Pardee, 1962 and 1964), their kinetic characteristics have not received much attention. The smallest ATCases (Kd = 0.45; called Class C in this paper) are not inhibited by pyrimidine nucleotides and have hyperbolic substrate curves. Crude extracts of two bacteria had both class B and a class C ATCases.The importance of these findings for bacterial taxonomy and for a more complete understanding of the regulation of pyrimidine biosynthesis as it occurs in bacteria, fungi, plants, and animals is briefly considered.