cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Irrotational binary neutron stars in quasiequilibrium

We report on numerical results from an independent formalism to describe the quasiequilibrium structure of nonsynchronous binary neutron stars in general relativity. This is an important independent test of controversial numerical hydrodynamic simulations which suggested that nonsynchronous neutron stars in a close binary can experience compression prior to the last stable circular orbit. We show that, for compact enough stars, the interior density increases slightly as irrotational binary neutron stars approach their last orbits. The magnitude of the effect, however, is much smaller than that reported in previous hydrodynamic simulations. {copyright} {ital 1999} {ital The American Physical Society}
Finsler Level Set Segmentation for Imagery in Oriented Domains

Presented at British Machine Vision Conference 2007, University of Warwick, UK, September 10-13, 2007.
No Baby Mama Drama: Examining Early Influences On the Choice to Avoid Pregnancy in Young Adult African American Women

The choice to be sexually active yet avoid pregnancy among young adult women is influenced by an array of personal, familial, cultural, and social factors. In this exploratory study, the authors conducted focus group sessions with sexually active African American college females who have chosen to put off childbearing while pursuing educational goals. Parents, peers and peer-modeling, healthcare workers, and the media were influential in shaping participants' sexual attitudes and practices. Ultimately, a unique identity and purpose in achieving goals lead these young women to forge their own paths.
A novel laboratory technique demonstrating the influences of RHD zygosity and the RhCcEe phenotype on erythrocyte D antigen expression

D antigen is the most immunogenic and clinically relevant antigen within the complex Rh blood group system. Variability of D antigen expression was first described decades ago but has rarely been investigated quantitatively, particularly in the context of RHD zygosity along with RhCcEe serological phenotype. With IRB approval, 107 deidentified blood samples were analyzed. Rh phenotypes were determined serologically by saline technique using monoclonal antibodies against D, C, c, E, and e antigens. RHD zygosity was determined using both PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphisms and quantitative real-time PCR techniques. A novel and robust method was developed for quantitation of erythrocyte D antigen sites using calibrated microspheres and flow cytometry, allowing correlation of D antigen density with RHD zygosity and expression of Rh CcEe antigens. Subjects homozygous for RHD expressed nearly twice the number of D antigen sites compared with RHD hemizygotes (33,560 ± 8,222 for DD versus 17,720 ± 4,471 for Dd, P < 0.0001). Expression of c or E antigens was associated with significantly increased erythrocyte D antigen expression, whereas presence of C or e antigens reduced expression. These data and this novel quantitation method will be important for future studies investigating the clinical relevance of D antigen variability. Am. J. Hematol., 2012. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Creativity as Research Practice in the Visual Arts

Creativity has a long tradition as a “doing” or “making” practice and is a continuing focus of research by arts and educational researchers, and discipline specialists. Yet the informing contexts and desired outcomes that characterize creativity as a valued human capacity remain elusive. Consequently the use of creativity in constructing and critiquing new knowledge remains obscure and mostly undervalued. To redress this misunderstanding about its individual, institutional, and cultural value, this chapter critiques creativity as a research construct and explores the contexts that inform creative practice. There are three premises on which the arguments presented here are based. First, creativity refers to the individual capacity to see and understand things in new ways that others also find important. Second, creativity is a site beyond the self whereby creativity takes place in public ‐ it is not just a habit of the mind, but is characterized by individual agency and social action. And finally, it is argued that creativity is a cultural practice that has an important role to play in advancing our critical understanding of artistic, educational, social, and technological issues of the times. The thesis being advanced is that creativity is an individually directed and culturally mediated practice upon which models of inquiry can be developed that give rise to new insights. Consequently, “creative-led” research involves practices that both create and critique new knowledge and has the capacity to transform human understanding.
Concurrent Hepsin overexpression and adenomatous polyposis coli deletion causes invasive prostate carcinoma in mice

BACKGROUND A clinical need to better categorize patients with prostate cancer exists. The Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway plays important roles in human prostate cancer progression. Deletion of the endogenous Wnt antagonist adenomatous polyposis coli (Apc) in mice causes high grade prostate intraepithelial neoplasia, widely thought to be the precursor to prostate cancer. However, no metastasis occurrs in this model. New mouse models are needed to determine molecular causes of tumorigenesis, progression, and metastasis. METHODS To determine whether the overexpression of the prostate oncogene Hepsin could cause prostate cancer progression, we crossed a prostate-specific Hepsin overexpression model to a prostate-specific Apc-deletion model and classified the observed phenotype. RESULTS When Apc was deleted and Hepsin overexpressed concurrently, mice displayed invasive carcinoma, with loss of membrane characteristics and increase of fibrosis. These tumors had both luminal and basaloid characteristics. Though no metastasis was observed, there was evidence of adenomas and lung necrosis, inflammation, and chronic hemorrhage. CONCLUSIONS This work indicates that the Wnt/β-catenin pathway and the Hepsin pathway act in concert to promote prostate cancer progression. Both of these pathways are up-regulated in human prostate cancer and could represent chemotherapeutic targets. Prostate 75:1579–1585, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Distributed motion planning for modular robots with unit-compressible modules

The ability of self-reconfigurable robots to solve a variety of robot tasks comes in part from their use of a large number of modules. Effective use of these systems requires parallel actuation and planning, both for efficiency and independence from a central controller. This paper presents the PacMan algorithm, a technique for distributed actuation and planning. This algorithm was developed for systems with unit-compressible modules, such as the crystalline robot. We also describe some analytical properties of the PacMan planning and actuation, and discuss simulation and hardware experiments.
Pathogenesis of spontaneous and pyelonephritic hypertension in the dog.

The upper limit of normotension in the trained, unanesthetized dog appears to be 145 (135-155) ± 7.5 mm. Hg mean femoral arterial pressure. The incidence of naturally occurring hypertension on the basis of this criterion was 0.9 per cent in 1000 dogs, 1 to 4 years of age. Six of the dogs had so-called spontaneous hypertension which may be similar to or the counterpart of essential hypertension in man. The other three had hypertension associated with chronic pyelonephritis. A renal, renin pathogenesis is indicated for both of these hypertensions by the antihypertensive effect produced by injections of hog renin with resulting antirenin and by passive transfer of high titre homologous antiserum containing antirenin to hog renin which also neutralizes dog renin.
Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci: Pervasive and Persistent Pathogens

Vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) have emerged rapidly as important nosocomial pathogens in the United States since 1989.1,2 VRE have been detected in hospitals in 40 states and are likely to be present in all 50 states (Tenover FC, Centers for Disease Control, Atlanta, GA, personal communication, September 1995). Although a majority of isolates initially were recovered from patients in intensive care units, VRE are now becoming increasingly prevalent among patients hospitalized on other wards.3 Patients with malignancies or chronic renal failure, those undergoing organ transplants, and others who require prolonged hospitalization have been identified as being at increased risk of acquiring VRE.2,4-13 Other risk factors that have been identified include previous antimicrobial therapy, exposure to contaminated equipment (electronic thermometers), and proximity to previously known VRE cases.5'6'8'9 Previous vancomycin therapy has been the antimicrobial exposure most frequently implemented as a risk factor, although cephalosporins and antimicrobials with activity against anaerobes also have been identified as risk factors for colonization or infection in some institutions.5,6,8,12,13
31P-Magnetization Transfer Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Measurements of In Vivo Metabolism

Magnetic resonance spectroscopy offers a broad range of noninvasive analytical methods for investigating metabolism in vivo. Of these, the magnetization-transfer (MT) techniques permit the estimation of the unidirectional fluxes associated with metabolic exchange reactions. Phosphorus (31P) MT measurements can be used to examine the bioenergetic reactions of the creatine-kinase system and the ATP synthesis/hydrolysis cycle. Observations from our group and others suggest that the inorganic phosphate (Pi) → ATP flux in skeletal muscle may be modulated by certain conditions, including aging, insulin resistance, and diabetes, and may reflect inherent alterations in mitochondrial metabolism. However, such effects on the Pi → ATP flux are not universally observed under conditions in which mitochondrial function, assessed by other techniques, is impaired, and recent articles have raised concerns about the absolute magnitude of the measured reaction rates. As the application of 31P-MT techniques becomes more widespread, this article reviews the methodology and outlines our experience with its implementation in a variety of models in vivo. Also discussed are potential limitations of the technique, complementary methods for assessing oxidative metabolism, and whether the Pi → ATP flux is a viable biomarker of metabolic function in vivo.
Review of IAU Symposium No. 59 on Stellar Instability and Evolution, Canberra, August 1973 *

Since the results of the Canberra Symposium are to be published, a complete review here would be redundant. I will therefore confine my written remarks to an enumeration of several topics which were discussed.
Simplified wavelet-domain hidden Markov models using contexts

Wavelet-domain hidden Markov models (HMMs) are a potent new tool for modeling the statistical properties of wavelet transforms. In addition to characterizing the statistics of individual wavelet coefficients, HMMs capture the salient interactions between wavelet coefficients. However, as we model an increasing number of wavelet coefficient interactions, HMM-based signal processing becomes increasingly complicated. In this paper, we propose a new approach to HMMs based on the notion of context. By modeling wavelet coefficient inter-dependencies via contexts, we retain the approximation capabilities of HMMs, yet substantially reduce their complexity. To illustrate the power of this approach, we develop new algorithms for signal estimation and for efficient synthesis of nonGaussian, long-range-dependent network traffic.
Clinical Experience with High-Viscosity Cements for Percutaneous Vertebral Body Augmentation: Occurrence, Degree, and Location of Cement Leakage Compared with Kyphoplasty

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Vertebroplasty is known for its high leakage rate compared with kyphoplasty. In recent preclinical studies, high-viscosity cements were shown to significantly enhance the uniformity of cement filling and decrease the incidence of leakage in cancellous bonelike substrates compared with low-viscosity cements. In this study, the incidence and pattern of cement leakage by using a new high-viscosity cement (Confidence spinal cement system) was compared with that of standard kyphoplasty. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Postoperative radiographs of patients treated with either kyphoplasty or Confidence were analyzed for cement leakage by using a stringent and thorough 4-point scale (none, minimal, moderate, or severe). When leakage was observed, the location of the cement leakage was also recorded and described as diskal, venous, paravertebral, or epidural. Sixty-two consecutive patients with 112 treated levels were included in this retrospective review. There were 46 kyphoplasty- versus 66 Confidence-treated levels, which ranged from T3 to L5. RESULTS: The average vertebral collapse reached 27.9 ± 20.7% in the Confidence group versus 25.0 ± 19.1% in the kyphoplasty group. There was no or mild leakage in 92% of Confidence and 91% of the kyphoplasty cases (mild, 39% Confidence versus 50% kyphoplasty). Severe leakage was only reported in 1 (2%) Confidence and 1 (2%) kyphoplasty case. In both cases, the severe leakage was found in the disk space. No significant leakage that required any surgical intervention was noticed. CONCLUSIONS: This finding confirms prior observations that highly viscous cements may increase the safety of vertebral augmentation techniques compared with less viscous cements. The high-viscosity Confidence cement results in a leakage rate comparable with that of kyphoplasty.
Is an HIV vaccine possible

The road to the discovery of a vaccine for HIV has been arduous and will continue to be difficult over the ensuing twenty years. Most vaccines are developed by inducing neutralizing antibodies against the target pathogen or by using attenuated strains of the particular pathogen to engender a variety of protective immune responses. Unfortunately, simple methods of generating anti-HIV antibodies have already failed in a phase III clinical trial. While attenuated SIV variants work well against homologous challenges in non-human primates, the potential for reversion to a more pathogenic virus and recombination with challenge viruses will preclude the use of attenuated HIV in the field. It has been exceedingly frustrating to vaccinate for HIV-specific neutralizing antibodies given the enormous diversity of the Envelope (Env) glycoprotein and its well-developed glycan shield. However, there are several antibodies that will neutralize many different strains of HIV and inducing these types of antibodies in vaccinees remains the goal of a vigorous effort to develop a vaccine for HIV based on neutralizing antibodies. Given the difficulty in generating broadly reactive neutralizing antibodies, the HIV vaccine field has turned its attention to inducing T cell responses against the virus using a variety of vectors. Unfortunately, the results from Merck's phase IIb STEP trial proved to be disappointing. Vaccinees received Adenovirus type 5 (Ad5) expressing Gag, Pol, and Nef of HIV. This vaccine regimen failed to either prevent infection or reduce the level of HIV replication after challenge. These results mirrored those in non-human primate testing of Ad5 using rigorous SIV challenge models. This review will focus on recent developments in HIV vaccine development. We will deal largely with attempts to develop a T cell-based vaccine using the non-human primate SIV challenge model.
Relative Errors of Difference-Based Variance Estimators in Nonparametric Regression

Difference-based estimators for the error variance are popular since they do not require the estimation of the mean function. Unlike most existing difference-based estimators, new estimators proposed by Muller et al. (2003) and Tong and Wang (2005) achieved the asymptotic optimal rate as residual-based estimators. In this article, we study the relative errors of these difference-based estimators which lead to better understanding of the differences between them and residual-based estimators. To compute the relative error of the covariate-matched U-statistic estimator proposed by Muller et al. (2003), we develop a modified version by using simpler weights. We further investigate its asymptotic property for both equidistant and random designs and show that our modified estimator is asymptotically efficient.
Acetylation of DMSO:PF solutions of cellulose

Three different techniques for esterifying solutions of cellulose dissolved in mixtures of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and paraformaldehyde (PF) were evaluated and are herein described. The evaluation and development of suitable synthetic procedures and the characteristics of the resulting acetylated cellulose are reported. Glacial acetic acid (glacial HOAc), acetyl chloride (AcCl), and acetic anhydride (Ac2O) were compared as acetylating agents for solutions of cellulose in DMSO:PF, and it was demonstrated that mixtures of pyridine (Py) and Ac2O rapidly acetylated the cellulose to yield beige to amber acetone-soluble cellulose acetates which were partially oxidized. These thermoplastic resins exhibited softening points between 80 and 110°C and thermal stabilities (in nitrogen atmospheres) similar to those of native celluloses (350 to 375°C). Degree of acetyl substitution (DS) values ranged from 0 to 2.0 as a function of acetylation time.
The effect of Zn excess on kesterite solar cells

Accuracy in composition control has been one of the top issues for fabricating high-performance kesterite (Cu2ZnSn(Se,S)4) solar cells. A detailed understanding of the effect of Zn excess on device performance has not yet been demonstrated. Thus, specific criteria for high-performance devices, in particular discriminating between the effects of Zn-rich features at the front versus the back of the absorber, are desired. In this study, we report that co-evaporated kesterite absorbers can demonstrate high device efficiency despite the presence of large quantities of ZnSe. However, the benign presence of ZnSe is found to be conditional. While large ZnSe grains on the back of the absorbers are not harmful to device performance, the ZnSe grains produced by excess Zn near the end of the deposition degrade the cell efficiency from 8% level to 6% level (without anti-reflection coatings). The other effect related to excess Zn on the front of absorber is the facilitation of breakdown in lower reverse bias. The breakdown indicated here occurs only under the illumination of blue photons, and to our best knowledge has not been reported before. The exact mechanism of the breakdown remains open, but it is demonstrated to be related to the photoconductivity of CdS, and is thus possibly a symptom of lateral defect issues in the absorber, caused by the overdose of Zn. The same type of issue contributing to the breakdown may also be responsible for part of the parasitic loses at the working voltage, and therefore warrants further research.
A case for redundant arrays of inexpensive disks (RAID)

Increasing performance of CPUs and memories will be squandered if not matched by a similar performance increase in I/O. While the capacity of Single Large Expensive Disks (SLED) has grown rapidly, the performance improvement of SLED has been modest. Redundant Arrays of Inexpensive Disks (RAID), based on the magnetic disk technology developed for personal computers, offers an attractive alternative to SLED, promising improvements of an order of magnitude in performance, reliability, power consumption, and scalability. This paper introduces five levels of RAIDs, giving their relative cost/performance, and compares RAID to an IBM 3380 and a Fujitsu Super Eagle.
Synthetic aperture gaussian beam measurement system for wideband characterization of RF materials and metamaterials

We described a novel wideband material characterization method to accurately measure dielectric permittivities, and transmission characteristics of periodic metamaterials. The measurement system is based on a virtual transmitting aperture synthesized to produce a spot-focused Gaussian beam on the sample under test. This minimizes edge diffractions from the sample and allows for much more accurate characterization of the transmission coefficients using finite size samples. Unlike the fixed FSMM, there is no need to redesign the lenses for each frequency band. For our case the presence of the lens is virtually synthesized to reproduce the Gaussian beam.
Abnormal DNA double strand break repair in human oral cancer cells: implication of p53 in the efficacy of DNA end-joining

Proc Amer Assoc Cancer Res, Volume 46, 2005 4436 In human cells, double-strand DNA breaks (DSBs) are repaired primarily by non-homologous DNA end-joining (NHEJ). This is a potentially error-prone process which can cause abnormal DNA end-joining (EJ) and lead to an accumulation of chromosomal mutations and/or aneuploidy. Since cancer cells are genetically unstable, we compared the DNA EJ activities of normal, immortalized but non-tumorigenic and malignant human oral epithelial cells to investigate whether abnormal DNA EJ is at the basis of carcinogenesis. We found a significant diminution of precise DNA EJ activities in HPV-16 infected non-malignant immortalized human oral keratinocytes (HOK-16B) and in human oral squamous cell carcinoma (HOSCC) cells compared with that in normal human oral keratinocytes (NHOK). Moreover, abnormal DNA EJ activities were detected exclusively in HOK-16B and HOSCC cells due to microhomology-mediated and nonmicrohomology-mediated end-joining activities. Also since all the analyzed transformed cells were defective in p53, the contribution of p53 in DNA EJ was investigated. For this latter purpose, we investigated the perturbation of DNA EJ activity with small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) targeted against p53 mRNA in RKO diploid colorectal carcinoma cells, which express normal p53 activity. The p53 siRNAs specifically inhibited expression of p53 and significantly impaired the efficiency and fidelity of DNA EJ activity. Elevated cellular exonuclease activity was observed in p53 knockdown RKO cells and cellular extract of the p53 knockdown RKO cells appeared to be defective in protecting the termini of a DNA substrate against nuclease digestion. These results suggested that p53 directly inhibited cellular exonuclease activity. Thus, p53 inhibition of exonuclease activity by DNA end protection played a critical role in the efficacy and fidelity of DNA EJ to precisely repair DSBs and prevent oncogenesis by maintaining genetic integrity.
EUV resists: What's next?

The need to print smaller features and tighter pitches drives the development of new photolithography technologies. Extreme Ultraviolet Lithography (EUVL) at 13.5 nm wavelength is expected to provide considerable resolution gain over the current technology based on 193 nm wavelength. In this paper we assess the current status of EUV photoresists and their readiness for EUVL insertion into High Volume Manufacturing (HVM). In addition, we discuss the requirements that EUV photoresists will need to satisfy in the near and long term future.
Seasonal Abundance and Parasitism of House Fly (Diptera: Muscidae) Pupae in Enclosed, Shallow-pit Poultry Houses in Indiana

Two enclosed, shallow-pit, egg-layer poultry houses in north-central Indiana were sampled to determine densities and parasitism of house fly (HF), Musca domestica L., pupae during 1982 and 1983. Seven parasitoid species emerged from sampled pupae: Spalangia cameroni Perkins, Spalangia nigroaenea Curtis, Spalangia endius Walker, Spalangia nigra Latreille, Muscidifurax raptor Girault & Sanders, Nasonia vitripennis (Walker) (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae), and Aphaereta pallipes Say (Hymenoptera: Braconidae). S. cameroni was the most abundant species, emerging from 78.8% of all parasitized pupae collected, and also was the only species collected during winter. Although HF pupae were relatively abundant during winter, active parasitism was not observed during late winter and spring months. A positive relationship between parasitism and nonviability of parasitized pupae suggested that host feeding by parasitoid adults may substantially contribute to HF mortality. Possible strategies to suppress densities of HF pupae by periodically releasing parasitoids are discussed.
Body Fluid Composition

1. Amrish Jain, MD 1. Division of Nephrology and Hypertension, The Carman and Ann Adams Department of Pediatrics, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Children’s Hospital of Michigan, Detroit, MI. * Abbreviations: ADH: : antidiuretic hormone AVP: : arginine vasopressin BUN: : blood urea nitrogen DI: : diabetes insipidus ECF: : extracellular fluid FWD: : free water deficit GFR: : glomerular filtration rate ICF: : intracellular fluid SIADH: : syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone Sosm: : serum osmolality TBW: : total body water Body fluid composition is maintained in a normal physiologic range by regulatory mechanisms that control sodium and water metabolism. A detailed knowledge of the homeostatic mechanisms will help in understanding the pathogenesis and management of disorders of sodium and water balance. After completing this article, readers should be able to: 1. Understand the distribution of fluid and solute in different body compartments. 2. Demonstrate the homeostatic mechanisms involved in maintaining sodium and water metabolism. 3. Calculate osmolality and recognize the clinical importance of maintaining osmotic equilibrium. 4. Recognize common disorders of hypernatremia or hyperosmolality and evaluate and understand the role of calculating free water deficit in the treatment of these disorders. 5. Recognize common disorders of hyponatremia or hypo-osmolality, appreciate the role of urine sodium and urine osmolality in evaluation, and understand the importance of slow correction of these disorders. A 6-month-old infant presents to the emergency department with vomiting for 3 days. He is lethargic and has a weak cry. His vital signs reveal an elevated heart rate (140 beats per minute), and physical examination findings are remarkable for dry mucous membranes. His capillary refill is more than 2 seconds. His initial laboratory values are as follows: serum sodium, 122 mEq/L (122 mmol/L); blood urea nitrogen (BUN), 28 mg/dL (10 mmol/L); serum creatinine, 0.4 mg/dL (35 μmol/L); serum glucose, 90 mg/dL (5.0 mmol/L); and serum osmolality (Sosm), 260 mOsm/kg (260 mmol/kg). Urinalysis reveals a specific gravity of 1.030, pH 6.5, and negative results for blood, protein, leukocyte esterase, or nitrite. Additional urine studies reveal a urine osmolality of 900 mOsm/kg (900 mmol/kg) and a urine sodium level of 6 mEq/L (6 mmol/L). A detailed history also …
Developing a Sustainable Faculty Mentoring Program

Objectives. To develop a sustainable formal faculty mentoring program to support professional development of new faculty members at the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. Methods. Program components included a mentorship subcommittee, faculty mentoring guidelines, protege/mentor pairs, an orientation, seminars/workshops, and meetings between mentor/proteges pairs. Preparticipation and postparticipation questionnaires about the faculty mentoring program were used to assess changes in perceived level of abilities of proteges and mentors in areas of teaching, service, and scholarship. Results. After 5 years, 93 proteges and 73 mentors have participated in the faculty mentoring program. Program evaluations were largely positive. Self-perceived abilities of proteges increased in all areas addressed, program self-study, faculty recruitment, grant application preparation, program development, and promotion process. Perceived abilities of mentors also showed some increases following the facult...
Supplemental Security Income for Children With Mental Disabilities.

* Abbreviations: SSA — : Supplemental Security Administration SSI — : Supplemental Security Income Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is the state-administered, federal benefit program that provides income support for low income families of children with disabilities in the United States. To qualify for benefits, children must have chronic impairments and their families must meet income requirements. More than 75% of children qualifying for SSI come from families below 150% of the federal poverty level. SSI provides critical income support to the impoverished families of these children, many of whom have had to curtail work hours to care for their children, and it provides access to other programs, such as Medicaid. Although there is considerable state-to-state variation among recipients, SSI provides support for slightly <2% of all US children (1.3 million) of whom half are eligible because of disability due to mental disorders. The number of child SSI recipients increased significantly over the past decade, as did the number of recipients eligible because of disability due to mental disorders (Fig 1). FIGURE 1 Trend in number of child recipients (2004–2013). Reprinted with permission from Institute of Medicine. Mental Disorders and Disability Among Children. 2015:3-3. In a time of political debate over entitlement programs, both of these last facts raised concern in the lay … Address correspondence to Kelly J. Kelleher, MD, MPH, Center for Innovation in Pediatric Practice, The Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, 700 Children’s Dr, JW4985, Columbus, OH 43205. E-mail: kelly.kelleher{at}nationwidechildrens.org
Analysis on screening of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis,Changzhou city,2012-2014

Objective To explore the epidemiological features of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis(MDR-TB)in Changzhou city,so as to provide the reference for its control and prevention. Methods The smear positive TB cases were collected for screening from TB special reporting system in Changzhou city from January 2012 to December 2014,then the incidence and the epidemiological features were analyzed. Results Of 1 368 patients with suspected MDR-TB who were positive for smear,62 were confirmed with MDR-TB,the multidrug-resistant rate was 4.53%.the incidence rate of MDRTB in male patients was higher than that in female patients(P 0.05).the incidence rate of MDR-TB in age 20-,40-group was higher than those in age 0-,60-group(P 0.05).The incidence rate of MDR-TB was 33.87% in primary treatment patients and 66.13%in the retreatment(P 0.05).Among the patients with 7types of positive smears,the incidence rate of MDR-TB was the highest(66.67%)in the patients who failed the retreatment. Conclusion The incidence rate of MDR-TB in Changzhou city is lower than that in the national average,and related with gender,age,and therapeutic category.
Influence of Hg2+ on the excited states of DNA: photochemical consequences

Metal ions have been widely used as probes in excited-state studies of nucleic acids. One of the first demonstrations of triplet energy transfer in poly(A) and DNA was made by Bersohn and Eisenberg (1964), using Mn2+ as a triplet state quencher. These observations were extended by Eisinger and Shulman (1966) to include Co2+, Ni2+, and Cu2+ all of which were shown to quench long-range triplet transfer in poly(A) without quenching the fluorescence. Helene and co-workers (see Helene, 1973) showed that similar quenching mechanisms operated in adenosine aggregates but that, in addition, Cu+2 quenched the adenosine fluorescence by singlet transfer to an adenosine-Cu2+ complex. Energy transfer methods, employing europium ions as energy traps have also been used to study fluorescence lifetimes and intersystem crossing yields of nucleic acid monomers at 25°C (Lamola and Eisinger, 1971).
The Influence of Hydrologic Residence Time on Lake Carbon Cycling Dynamics Following Extreme Precipitation Events

The frequency and magnitude of extreme events are expected to increase in the future, yet little is known about effects of such events on ecosystem structure and function. We examined how extreme precipitation events affect exports of terrestrial dissolved organic carbon (t-DOC) from watersheds to lakes as well as in-lake heterotrophy in three north-temperate lakes. Extreme precipitation events induced large influxes of t-DOC to our lakes, accounting for 45–58% of the seasonal t-DOC load. These large influxes of t-DOC influenced lake metabolism, resulting in lake net heterotrophy following 67% of the extreme precipitation events across all lakes. Hydrologic residence time (HRT) was negatively related to t-DOC load and heterotrophy; lakes with short HRT had higher t-DOC loads and greater net heterotrophy. The fraction of t-DOC mineralized within each lake following extreme precipitation events generally exhibited a positive relationship with lake HRT, similar to the previous studies of fractions mineralized at annual and supra-annual time scales. Event-associated turnover rate of t-DOC was higher than what is typically reported from laboratory studies and modeling exercises and was also negatively related to lake HRT. This study demonstrates that extreme precipitation events are ‘hot moments’ of carbon load, export, and turnover in lakes and that lake-specific characteristics (for example, HRT) interact with climatic patterns to set rates of important lake carbon fluxes.
Citizenship in the Information Age

This chapter gives an overview of the important themes of the book. The chapter examines how citizenship may need to be reframed in the information age. Next, the relevant skills and dispositions needed for citizenship in the information age are examined. The chapter concludes with an examination of the research base and assessment used in the book. The ultimate purpose of the book is to allow teachers and students an avenue to create ideas for democracy through their assignments and discussions.
Abnormal Platelet Function Is Common in Pediatric Congenital Cardiac Surgery Patients.

Background: Hemostasis in cardiac surgery patients requires functional platelets. Acquired platelet function defects are well recognized in high shear aortic lesions in adults and have been described in some congenital cardiac patients with ventricular septal defects (VSDs) and with pulmonary hypertension. Abnormal shear flow is characteristic of many congenital cardiac defects. We hypothesized that platelet function abnormalities might be common in this patient group. The Platelet Function Analyzer -100 (PFA-100) is commonly used to test for platelet function defects. Pediatric reference ranges are the same as adult. Prolongation of closure times to collagen/epinephrine are common in patients on aspirin and related antiplatelet agents, with prolongation to collagen/ADP being characteristic of many clinically significant platelet disorders (congenital and acquired vonWillebrand’s disease, other platelet function defects). Methods: We used the PFA-100 to preoperatively screen pediatric patients aged 2 mos-18 years coming to surgical repair of cardiac lesions at our institution. All aortic valve surgery patients were screened as of July 2004, and all cardiac surgery cases as of Jan 2005. For analysis only patients with platelet counts of > 100 and hematocrits of > 28 were included. If PFA-100 closure times to collagen/epi were normal, collagen/ADP testing was not performed. For study purposes PFA-100 results were counted as abnormal only when closure times for collagen/ADP were prolonged beyond the 95% confidence intervals for normal controls. No special hematological interventions were ordered preoperatively on the basis of an abnormal PFA-100 alone. Results: PFA-100 results were available on 38 patients. 28 of 38 (74%) were abnormal, with underlying cardiac pathology strongly correlated with abnormal PFA-100 values (see table). 6 patients were on aspirin, discontinued preoperatively, and none on other antiplatelet agents. 3 of these 6 had normal PFAs to collagen/epi when tested. Although patient groups were not homogeneous, patients with abnormal PFA-100 results had higher overall intraoperative and postoperative red cell and platelet transfusion requirements on a cc/kg basis (55.3 vs 17.6 for RBCs p=.008 and 12.8 vs 6.5 for platelets p=.038). 24 hour post-operative chest tube drainage (cc/kg) did not differ between groups (23.2 vs 22.7 p=0.95). There were 2 reexplorations for hemorrage, both in patients with abnormal PFAs. Conclusions: Prevalence of platelet function abnormalities appears high in pediatric congential cardiac surgery patients. The etiology of these abnormalities is unclear and there may possibly be a correlation with aortic valve pathology and other high shear lesions. Patients with abnormal platelet function also had increased transfusion requirements. However it is unclear is this finding is related to the platelet function defect or to differences in patient age and complexity of surgery. Larger studies that better define the population at-risk for bleeding and the significance of abnormal platelet function are needed.
Experimental soft-matter science

Soft condensed matter refers to materials where the constituent building blocks are larger than atoms but smaller than the system itself. The large size of the constituent particles makes these soft materials distinctive from hard condensed matter systems. Soft matter is easily deformable, dissipative, disordered, nonlinear, far from equilibrium, thermal and entropic, slow, observable, susceptible to external fields, patterned, nonlocal, interfacial elastic, memory retaining, and active. This article surveys soft-matter science and discusses different classes of systems including colloids; emulsions; foams; glassy, granular, and jammed matter; liquid crystals; polymers; adaptive mechanical metamaterials; and active matter.
Economics : notes on high growth performance: the experience of dynamic developing economies

A summary of a report presented to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) by Dr Louis Emmerij, advisor to the President of the Inter-American Development Bank, Washington DC.
Pulmonary artery to aorta ratio is associated with cardiac structure and functional changes in mild-to-moderate COPD.

BACKGROUND The ratio of the diameter of the pulmonary artery (PA) to the diameter of the aorta (PA:A) on computed tomography (CT) imaging is associated with both COPD exacerbation and pulmonary hypertension. The mechanisms of PA enlargement in COPD are poorly understood. METHODS In this retrospective, single center study we evaluated pulmonary function, CT scans, right heart catheterizations, and echocardiography in 88 subjects with mild-to-moderately severe COPD. A sensitivity analysis was performed in 43 subjects in whom CT scan and echocardiogram were performed within 50 days of each other. To evaluate the association between PA:A ratio and echocardiographic parameters and hemodynamics, we performed simple correlations and multivariable linear regression analysis adjusting for lung function, age, sex, race, and diastolic function. RESULTS All subjects had preserved left ventricular (LV) systolic function (LV ejection fraction 62.7%±5.5%). Among them, 56.8% had evidence of diastolic dysfunction. There was no association between PA:A ratio and the presence of diastolic dysfunction. In a multivariable model, PA:A ratio was associated with right ventricular (RV) chamber size (β=0.015; P<0.003), RV wall thickness (β=0.56; P<0.002), and RV function (-0.49; P=0.05). In the subgroup of subjects with testing within 50 days, the association with RV chamber size persisted (β=0.017; P=0.04), as did the lack of association with diastolic function. PA:A ratio was also associated with elevated PA systolic pressures (r=0.62; P=0.006) and pulmonary vascular resistance (r=0.46; P=0.05), but not pulmonary arterial wedge pressure (r=0.17; P=0.5) in a subset of patients undergoing right heart catheterization. CONCLUSION In patients with mild-to-moderately severe COPD and preserved LV function, increased PA:A ratio occurs independent of LV diastolic dysfunction. Furthermore, the PA:A ratio is associated with right heart structure and function changes, as well as pulmonary hemodynamics. These findings indicate that PA:A ratio is a marker of intrinsic pulmonary vascular changes rather than impaired LV filling.
Race, Gender, and the Status-Quo: Asian and African American Relations in a Hollywood Film

Hollywood films play a significant role in constructing and reinforcing inter-ethnic tensions through negative representations of Asian Americans and African Americans. While white males are most often depicted as smart and romantically desirable, thereby reinforcing an ideology of white male dominance, Asian Americans and Blacks are typically diminished to demeaning and secondary status. Thi[this] article explores these racist steretotypes [stereotypes] in director Michael Cimino9s 19985[1985] film Year of the Dragon (as well as a number of other Hollywood films), arguing that such race and gender-specific imagery is functional; for while it promotes race/gender stereotypes, it also serves to rationalize white dominance as necessary to sustain the status-quo.
A 9-GS/s 1.125-GHz BW Oversampling Continuous-Time Pipeline ADC Achieving −164-dBFS/Hz NSD

An oversampled continuous-time (CT) pipeline ADC clocked at 9 GHz achieving 1.125-GHz bandwidth and −164 dBFS/Hz average small-signal noise density is presented. In contrast to traditional discrete-time (DT) pipeline ADCs, the system processes the signals in CT form throughout all the pipeline stages and thus sampling-induced artifacts such as aliasing and high-peak ADC driving current are mitigated. Despite the oversampled nature of the ADC, its digitization bandwidth is on par with that of traditional non-interleaved DT pipeline ADCs since CT signal processing is not constrained by settling time requirements. The ADC was fabricated in a 28-nm CMOS process technology and consumes 2.3 W.
Introduction to Focused Issue on mHealth Infrastructure: issues and solutions that challenge optimal deployment of mHealth products and services

In 2013, when we began researching mHealth as a disruptive innovation in healthcare (1), we traced the origin of the term back more than two decades to a data communications professor, Dr. Robert Istepanian, now a visiting professor at the Imperial College, London, Institute of Global Health Innovation. Our conclusion at that time, and which currently holds, is that mHealth has yet to achieve industry-wide deployment of functional, sustainable products and services that consistently meet financial, quality, and patient satisfaction benchmarks. Although some impressive clinical and financial outcomes have been achieved, and many individuals have benefitted from access to healthcare made possible by mHealth applications, the scope of deployment across the industry and globally has not reached a ‘tipping point’ where mHealth is a ubiquitous component of the overall healthcare delivery system. We recognize that many factors contribute to this current state of unrealized potential, and many highly intelligent and skilled researchers, clinicians, innovators, and other professional groups continue their work to advance mHealth adoption.
Burmese amber: evidence of Gondwanan origin and Cretaceous dispersion

Burmese amber is an extremely important source of mid-Cretaceous plant and animal remains with over 870 species of organisms, ranging from protozoa to vertebrates, described from this source. The a...
Conversation Within a Facebook Smoking Cessation Intervention Trial For Young Adults (Tobacco Status Project): Qualitative Analysis

Background Smoking cessation interventions delivered through social media have the potential to engage young people in behavior change. Objective The aim of this study was to describe participant-posted messages in a Facebook smoking cessation intervention for young adults to discern support for behavior change. Methods We qualitatively analyzed data from the treatment arm of a randomized trial testing the efficacy of the Tobacco Status Project Facebook intervention. Young adults (N=138) aged 18-25 years (female: 81/138, 58.7%; white: 101/138, 73.2%; mean age 21 years) were recruited using Facebook and placed into one of the 15 secret Facebook groups based on readiness-to-quit smoking. Messages posted to groups for 90 consecutive days were tailored to readiness-to-quit: Not Ready (46/138, 33.3%), Thinking (66/138, 47.8%), and Getting Ready (26/138, 18.8%). Groups were randomized to receive up to US $90 for posting or no incentive. Two independent coders conducted open coding of user posts. We considered content by readiness-to-quit group and incentive condition. Results There were 4 dominant themes across all groups: coping skills, friends and family, motivation to quit, and benefits of quitting. The dominant themes in Not Ready groups were friends and family (incentive) and motivation to quit (no incentive), whereas coping skills was the dominant theme in Thinking and Getting Ready groups. The expression of themes varied by readiness-to-quit group but not by incentive condition. Conclusions Intervention messages tailored to readiness-to-quit appear useful in eliciting the desired responses from young adult smokers, with limited influence by monetary incentive. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02207036; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02207036 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/722XAEAAz).
Geometric Optimization of an Impinging Cold-Plate with a Trapezoidal Groove Used for Warm Water Cooling

Due to their lower pressure drop, impinging cold-plates are preferred over parallel flow cold-plates when there is no strict space limitation (i.e. when flow can enter perpendicular to the electronic board). Splitting the flow into two branches cuts the flow rate and path in half, which leads to lower pressure drop through the channels. A groove is used to direct the flow exiting the diffuser into the channels. The number of the geometric design parameters of the cold-plate will vary depending on the shape of the groove. In this research, the response surface method (RSM) was used to optimization the fin geometry of an impinging cold-plate with a trapezoidal cross section groove. The cold plate is used for warm water cooling of electronics. Three fin parameters (thickness, height, and gap) and three groove parameters were optimized to reach minimum values for hydraulic and thermal resistances at fixed values of coolant inlet temperature, coolant flow rate, and electronic chip power.
Dipeptidyl peptidase-4 promotes T cell migration

Dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP4) is well known as a post-prandial blood glucose regulating protein by inactivation of incretin hormones. DPP4 also regulates T cell activation by interacting with adenosine deaminase. We investigated the role of hematopoietic DPP4 in T cell-mediated vascular inflammation and atherosclerosis. DPP4 highly expressed on the plasma membrane of T cells especially CD4 + T cells. DPP4 expression increased on circulating T cells in atherosclerotic patients (% DPP4 + CD4 + T cells: 27.46 ± 2.67 vs. 48.06 ± 1.96 for healthy control vs. atherosclerotic patients, p Ldlr −/− mice from high fat diet-induced atherosclerosis progression and reduced T cell infiltration in aortic plaque. Aorta from Ldlr −/− mice with Dpp4 −/− bone marrows showed a much less DPP4 expression, suggesting bone marrow derived cells are the major sources of DPP4 within the aorta. Transwell® migration assay showed T cells with high migratory activity had higher levels of DPP4 expression. Both in vitro and in vivo migration assays suggest T cells deficient for DPP4 displayed a reduced migratory ability. Futher investigation suggests both enzymatic and non-enzymatic actions of DPP4 are involved in the regulation of T cell migration. Taken together, DPP4 increased on T cells in atherosclerosis and is important for T cell migratory activity, which promotes T cell-mediated vascular inflammation and atherosclerotic progression. Our results suggest an essential role for DPP4 in regulating T cell migration.