cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Brief History of Robotics in Surgery

The second half of the twentieth century witnessed the introduction and relatively rapid expansion of industrial robots. On the other hand, robotic infiltration in healthcare has been much slower and more limited. The past decade has experienced a surge in robotic assistance in surgery, sparked by unprecedented interest in the precision and ergonomic benefits of this rapidly evolving class of technology. While robots have been introduced more broadly in surgical fields such as urology, general surgery, and gynecology, adoption in orthopedic surgery is only recently, but rapidly, expanding and likely will remain on the leading edge of the robotic revolution.
The Relationship between LVEF and Cardiovascular Outcomes Following Hospitalization for Heart failure: Insights from the RELAX-AHF-2 Trial

Background Although left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) is routinely used to categorize heart failure (HF) patients, whether this variable predicts outcomes across the full spectrum of patients with acute heart failure (AHF) is uncertain. We assessed the relationship between LVEF and cardiovascular outcomes in a large cohort of patients hospitalized with AHF. Methods 6128 AHF patients from the RELAX-AHF-2 trial who had LVEF measured during AHF hospitalization were separated into quartiles: Q1, LVEF 7-29%; Q2, LVEF >29-38%; Q3, LVEF >38-50% and Q4, LVEF >50-87% in order to determine the relationship between LVEF and a composite of cardiovascular (CV) mortality and rehospitalization for HF or renal failure (RF) through 180 days, the individual components of this composite and all-cause mortality. Results Patients in the lowest LVEF quartile had the highest risk for the composite of CV mortality and HF or RF hospitalization. When LVEF was assessed as a continuous variable, risk for the composite outcome, its components and all-cause mortality became progressively lower as EF increased (HR 0.95, 95% CI 0.93-0.98 per 5% LVEF increase for composite endpoint, P Conclusions In patients hospitalized with AHF, cardiovascular events occurred more frequently at 180 days in patients in the lowest LVEF quartile, especially in patients with an ischemic etiology and pre-existing HF.
Pseudosymblepharis and Oxystegus species (Pottiaceae) new to northwestern North America, and refutation of molecular Chionoloma

Three species of Pottiaceae (Bryophyta) of limited distribution worldwide are reported for hyperoceanic northwestern North America. The Asian Pseudosymblepharis angustata is a genus and species new to North America from Alaska. Oxystegus daldinianus, previously known from Europe and the Southern Appalachians in the U.S.A., is reported as new to Canada from British Columbia. A new species is described in Oxystegus from British Columbia. These genera continue to be recognized here instead of the broad molecular systematics concept of Chionoloma in part because of lack of resolution of molecular cladograms reported by a recent study on molecular races in the Pottiaceae.
Satellite observations for understanding the drivers of variability and trends in tropospheric ozone

Evaluation and attribution of variability and trends in tropospheric ozone requires consideration not only of the spatial distribution of ozone precursor emissions and their changes in time, but also of variations in transport at regional and global scales. Satellite measurements of tropospheric ozone are now beginning to provide the vertical resolution, length of record and density of coverage needed for disentangling the factors that influence variability and trends. A recent study by Wespes et al. [2017], utilizing an 8-year dataset from the Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Instrument (IASI) satellite instrument to perform a global-scale, spatially resolved analysis of influences of geophysical drivers on tropospheric ozone variability, represents a key step towards understanding long-term changes in the distribution of tropospheric ozone and its corresponding impacts on air quality, chemistry, and climate.
12 – Outlier Detection

Publisher Summary This chapter aims to study outlier detection techniques. The different types of outliers are defined. An overview of outlier detection methods is also presented. Assume that a given statistical process is used to generate a set of data objects. An outlier is a data object that deviates significantly from the rest of the objects, as if it were generated by a different mechanism. Types of outliers include global outliers, contextual outliers, and collective outliers. An object may be more than one type of outlier. Outlier detection (also known as anomaly detection) is the process of finding data objects with behaviors that are very different from expectation. Outlier detection is important in many applications in addition to fraud detection such as medical care, public safety and security, industry damage detection, image processing, sensor/video network surveillance, and intrusion detection. Outlier detection and clustering analysis are two highly related tasks. Clustering finds the majority patterns in a data set and organizes the data accordingly, whereas outlier detection tries to capture those exceptional cases that deviate substantially from the majority patterns. Outlier detection and clustering analysis serve different purposes. Outlier detection methods are organized here by category, are statistical, proximity-based, clustering-based, and classification-based. Mining contextual and collective outliers and outlier detection in high-dimensional data are also discussed.
Willingness to Distribute HIV Self-Testing Kits to Recent Sex Partners Among HIV-Negative Gay and Bisexual Men and an Examination of Free-Response Data from Young Men Participating in the Nationwide Cohort

Sexual minority men (SMM)—and young SMM in particular—are disproportionately affected by HIV. Secondary distribution of HIV self-testing (HIVST) kits—wherein patients deliver kits to partners—is a novel strategy to increase HIV testing access. Using quantitative data, we assessed willingness to distribute HIVST kits to recent sex partners among a U.S. national sample of HIV-negative SMM (n = 786). A thematic analysis was then conducted to identify barriers and facilitators of kit distribution to partners among young SMM (M age = 25.75 years; range: 20–29; n = 165). Overall, 93.5% of SMM (and 97.0% of young SMM) were willing to deliver HIVST kits to recent sex partners. Among young SMM, main barriers and facilitators included concerns about their partners’ reaction, availability and cost, protection beliefs for others, HIV stigma and perceived infidelity, packaging and support, communication skill needs, inability to contact partners, requests for anonymity, and dyadic self-testing with their partners. The findings highlight the need for supportive intervention strategies such as informational content for HIVST, using motivational interviewing when providing the testing kits to index clients and providing skills-based training through role-playing exercises. Secondary distribution of HIVST kits through index patients is a potentially acceptable approach that could be used to expand access to HIV testing and aid in efforts to end the HIV epidemic in the U.S.
Chronic Effects of Indirect and Direct Cannabinoid Receptor Agonists on Addiction-Related Behaviors and Dopamine Release

A major problem with current anxiolytic medications is abuse liability; thus, new pharmaceutical targets are being explored. The cannabinoid system is one potential target. The current paper examined behavioral and neurochemical changes related to abuse liability following chronic administration of the indirect cannabinoid agonist arachidonoyl serotonin (AA-5-HT) and the direct cannabinoid type 1 receptor (CB1R) agonist arachidonyl-2-chloro-ethylamide (ACEA). AA-5-HT indirectly agonizes the cannabinoid system via inhibition of the dual fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) while also inhibiting transient vanilloid type 1 (TRPV1) channels. Neither AA-5-HT nor ACEA induced conditioned place preference (CPP) or altered behaviors during open field (OF) or saccharin preference testing. AA-5-HT did not alter phasic dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens, as measured with in vivo fixed potential amperometry; however, ACEA decreased dopamine release and enhanced the dopaminergic effect of cocaine. Overall, neither AA-5-HT nor ACEA induced behavioral or neurochemical changes associated with abuse liability; however, indirect mechanisms of agonizing the cannabinoid system may be a better alternative than direct mechanisms if concerned with disrupting dopamine function.
Probing for Psycho-Physiological Correlates of Cognitive Interaction with Cybersecurity Events

Changes in psychophysiological signals of the human body are highly revealing of cognitive and emotional responses to stimuli, capturing even subtle and transient events. Based on these properties, changes in recorded psychophysiological signal could reflect changes occurring in the computing network while the human factor is a part of it. This paper outlines a methodology for exploring the psychophysiological correlates of cognitive interaction with cybersecurity events. This continues the discussion on a dissertation research project exploring what neurological and physiological signal changes might reveal in the context of digital interactions from a cybersecurity standpoint.
Improved diagnostic yield of endoscopic ultrasound-fine needle biopsy with histology specimen processing.

Improved diagnostic yield of endoscopic ultrasound-fine needle biopsy with histology specimen processing
A novel paper-based and pH-sensitive intelligent detector in meat and seafood packaging.

Abstract The annual amount of food waste or loss is about one-third of the total edible food globally produced for human consumption. Continuous and real-time monitoring by spoilage detectors can significantly reduce food waste. A novel paper-based pH-sensitive meat spoilage detector was developed. A mixture of soybean hulls (SBHs) (hydrothermally-treated in an acidic environment), bentonite, and bromocresol purple (BCP) was coated on paper to produce the detector. The resultant meat spoilage detector was evaluated as a real-time freshness and spoilage indicator of catfish fillets (Ictalurus punctatus). Freshness and spoilage of fish meat with varying weights and headspace were determined by tailoring the detector's pH. Elemental, structural, and functional analysis verified the formation of a packed SBH-bentonite matrix with enhanced gas adsorption capacity and effective BCP-immobilization. Binder nanofibrillation increased the overall visual color vibrancy and decreased the binder demand in the coating formulation. Headspace volume in the studied range (40 and 160 cm3) did not affect the activation time of the detectors. However, increasing fish weight decreased the detectors' optimum activation time and pH. The findings of this study show that the developed detectors can be tailored for a wide range of sample and packaging sizes by simply adjusting the pH of the detector.
Corporate Governance and Company Performance

How is corporate governance measured? What is the relationship between corporate governance and performance? This paper sheds light on these questions while taking into account the endogeneity of the relationships among corporate governance, corporate performance, corporate capital structure, and corporate ownership structure. We make three additional contributions to the literature: First, we find that better governance as measured by the Gompers, Ishii, and Metrick (GIM, 2003) and Bebchuk, Cohen and Ferrell (BCF, 2004) indices, stock ownership of board members, and CEO-Chair separation is significantly positively correlated with better contemporaneous and subsequent operating performance. Second, contrary to claims in GIM and BCF, none of the governance measures are correlated with future stock market performance. In several instances inferences regarding the (stock market) performance and governance relationship do depend on whether or not one takes into account the endogenous nature of the relationship between governance and (stock market) performance. Third, given poor firm performance, the probability of disciplinary management turnover is positively correlated with stock ownership of board members, and board independence. However, better governed firms as measured by the GIM and BCF indices are less likely to experience disciplinary management turnover in spite of their poor performance. Finally, our recommendations on incentive effects of board stock ownership are consistent with the implications of Hermalin and Weisbach (2007).
Biomolecular QM/MM Simulations: What Are Some of the "Burning Issues"?

QM/MM simulations have become an indispensable tool in many chemical and biochemical investigations. Considering the tremendous degree of success, including recognition by a 2013 Nobel Prize in Che...
Microtask Detection

Information systems, such as task management applications and digital assistants, can help people keep track of tasks of different types and different time durations, ranging from a few minutes to days or weeks. Helping people better manage their tasks and their time are core capabilities of assistive technologies, situated within a broader context of supporting more effective information access and use. Throughout the course of a day, there are typically many short time periods of downtime (e.g., five minutes or less) available to individuals. Microtasks are simple tasks that can be tackled in such short amounts of time. Identifying microtasks in task lists could help people utilize these periods of low activity to make progress on their task backlog. We define actionable tasks as self-contained tasks that need to be completed or acted on. However, not all to-do tasks are actionable. Many task lists are collections of miscellaneous items that can be completed at any time (e.g., books to read, movies to watch), notes (e.g., names, addresses), or the individual items are constituents in a list that is itself a task (e.g., a grocery list). In this article, we introduce the novel challenge of microtask detection, and we present machine-learned models for automatically determining which tasks are actionable and which of these actionable tasks are microtasks. Experiments show that our models can accurately identify actionable tasks, accurately detect actionable microtasks, and that we can combine these models to generate a solution that scales microtask detection to all tasks. We discuss our findings in detail, along with their limitations. These findings have implications for the design of systems to help people make the most of their time.
Variety and Complexity of Surgical Exposure, Operative Autonomy, and Program Reputation Are Important Factors for Orthopaedic Sports Medicine Fellowship Applicants.

Purpose To identify the factors considered most important by sports medicine fellowship applicants when deciding where to apply and ultimately interview. Methods An anonymous, electronic survey was distributed in 2018 via e-mail to orthopaedic surgery residents who applied to a specific orthopaedic sports medicine fellowship program in 2015 and 2016. The survey included questions regarding the number of fellowships applications per respondent and the number of interviews they were offered and accepted. Questions regarding the application process were included. Participants also were asked to rank 9 criteria from most to least important (1 being most important; 9 being least important) when deciding where to apply or accept interviews. Each criterion’s score reflects its average ranking among respondents. Results Among the 99 orthopaedic surgery residents applying to this fellowship program, 42 (42.4%) completed the survey. The factors considered most influential included variety and complexity of surgical exposure (2.16), autonomy (3.72), and reputation of faculty members (4.05). The factors considered least important were program size (7.21), job placement of past fellows (7.07), and geographic location (5.68). Conclusions Variety and complexity of surgical exposure, operative autonomy, and program reputation were valued as the most important factors for orthopaedic surgery residents applying to sports medicine fellowship programs. Clinical Relevance The information obtained in this study may provide sports medicine fellowship programs and orthopaedic residents with a better understanding of factors that are considered to be important by sports medicine fellowship applicants. This will improve training for future sports medicine specialists, thus improving the care that they provide to their patients.
Prisons and Mental Health: Violence, Organizational Support, and the Effects of Correctional Work:

Correctional workers have a high likelihood of exposure to violence in the workplace. However, empirical literature has largely neglected the mental health consequences of prison work, as well as t...
A new mathematical formula to link near equilibrium relaxation kinetics and conformational selection steps in enzymatic reactions

A new mathematical formula was derived for near equilibrium relaxation processes of enzyme reactions including the conformational selection (CS) modes. CS is one of the most accepted molecular recognition mechanisms, in which protein conformers (CS conformers) are in an equilibrium with varying degrees of ligand binding affinity so that ligands select a particular conformer among them to bind. Using computer simulation techniques, our previous study (Egawa and Callender in Math Biosci 313: 61–70, 2019) predicted that the rate constant for the near equilibrium relaxation processes (kNER) and the concentration-sum of substrate and product (CLt) of enzyme reactions uniquely related to the presence of CS steps in a manner that 1/kNER versus CLt plot transformed from linear to quadratic as the elementary rate constants of inter-conversions among the CS conformers were becoming smaller relative to the rate constants at other steps of the enzymatic reaction system. Thus our previous work could provide a potential tool to detect the presence of CS steps in an enzyme reaction simply by assays using only trace amount of enzyme samples, although logical basis to have the quadratic deformation in the 1/kNER versus CLt plot in response to the presence of CS steps could not be clarified. Employing mathematical approaches that were alternative to those in our previous study, this study succeeded in deriving a theoretical equation that fully explained why and how the CS modes caused the quadratic characters in the 1/kNER versus CLt plot.
Drugs for Treating Obesity.

Older medications approved for chronic weight management (orlistat, naltrexone/bupropion, liraglutide 3 mg and, in the USA, phentermine/topiramate) have not been widely adopted by health care providers. Those medications produce only modest additional weight loss when used to augment lifestyle intervention. However, semaglutide 2.4 mg weekly has recently emerged and produces much more weight loss - on average 15% weight loss at 1 year. Semaglutide's enhanced efficacy and that its class (GLP-1 receptor analogs) is well-known may result in more clinicians adopting pharmacotherapy. Furthermore, the first dedicated cardiovascular outcome trial powered for superiority testing an anti-obesity medication (SELECT) is underway with semaglutide 2.4 mg. A positive outcome will further promote the concept that weight management should be a primary target for cardiometabolic disease control. In phase 3, tirzepatide and cagrilintide/semaglutide combination are showing promise for even greater weight loss efficacy. Another recently approved medication takes a personalized medicine approach; setmelanotide is approved as a therapy for those with some of the ultra-rare genetic diseases characterized by severe, early onset obesity. This chapter reviews the currently available and anticipated medications for chronic weight management as well as those approved for the genetic and syndromic obesities.
Integration of prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMP) in pharmacy practice: Improving clinical decision-making and supporting a pharmacist's professional judgment

Abstract Background Pharmacists have shared responsibility to investigate the validity of controlled substance prescriptions (CSPs) that raise concerns, or red flags, and subsequently exercise their right to refuse to dispense a CSP if its validity cannot be verified. Improving access to clinical practice tools, such as prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs), may increase availability of a patient's drug history, which is critical to making informed clinical decisions about dispensing CSPs. Objectives The purpose of this study was to examine how integration and consistent use of a PDMP in pharmacy practice impacts pharmacists' dispensing practices related to CSPs. Methods A cross-sectional study examined pharmacists' knowledge and use of Indiana's (US State) PDMP (INSPECT) and dispensing practices of CSPs. Three outcome measures were analyzed using multiple logistic regression so as to examine the relationship between PDMP use and pharmacists' controlled substance dispensing behaviors. Results Pharmacists were 6.4 times more likely to change their dispensing practice to dispense fewer CSPs if they reported that INSPECT provides increased access to patient information. Pharmacists who always use INSPECT refused an average of 25 CSPs annually compared to an average of 7 refusals for pharmacists not using INSPECT. Pharmacists using INSEPCT consistently (at every visit) were 3.3 times more likely to refuse to dispense more CSPs than pharmacists who report never using INSPECT. Conclusions Integration of PDMPs in pharmacy practice may improve a pharmacist's ability to make informed clinical decisions and exercise sound professional judgment. Providing clinical practice tools to both prescribers and pharmacists is important to preventing drug diversion and prescription drug abuse. Future research should focus on understanding the barriers and challenges to successful integration of PDMPs in pharmacy practice.
The development of joints.

The classification of joints into three main types—fibrous, eartilaginous, and synovial—as adopted by the internationalNomina anatomica of 1955, is simpler and clearer than the cumbersome Greek system previous in use.
A New Analysis of the Effect of Dividend Tax Policy on the Relationship between Dividend and Treasury Yields

We investigate the relationship between relationship between U.S. Treasury bill yields and the dividend yield of the S&P 500 in the period before and after the passage of the Jobs Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act (JGTRRA) in 2003. The results suggest that there is an upward pressure on the Treasury yields when capital gains are tax-favored over dividends. An increase in the portion of stock returns attributable to capital gains makes an equity portfolio more tax-efficient, placing upward pressure on competing Treasury bill yields. Our results are robust to a battery of additional tests, including the level of stock prices. These analyses provide new insights into the complex relationship between investment returns and tax rates on interest, dividends and capital gains, and suggest a public policy favoring dividend tax cuts may have the inadvertent effect of increasing the cost of debt.
Void growth during spall fracture of aluminum monocrystals

High-purity monocrystalline aluminum disks of three crystallographic orientations were subjected to carefully controlled planar impact producing low levels of spall damage. This damage was observed to consist of voids of essentially octahedral form having {111} planes as faces. To describe the growth of these voids we propose a kinematical model based on the motion of edge dislocations. Dynamical equations describing the rate of growth of an individual void are obtained by applying established concepts of dislocation mechanics to the kinematical model.
IMPACT OF SYMBOLIC GESTURING ON EARLY LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effect on verbal language development of purposefully encouraging hearing infants to use simple gestures as symbols for objects, requests, and conditions. To this end, 103, 11- month-old infants were divided into three groups, all of whom were seen in the laboratory for a variety of assessments, including standardized language tests at 15, 19, 24, 30, and 36 months. Parents of those in the Sign Training group modeled symbolic gestures and encouraged their infants to use them. Parents of infants in the Non-intervention Control group knew nothing about symbolic gestures or our spe- cial interest in language development. As a control for "training effects" (i.e., effects attributable to families being engaged in a language intervention program), parents of a second control group of infants (the Verbal Training group) were asked to make special efforts to model verbal labels. After comparisons of the two control groups minimized concerns about training effects, comparisons between the Sign Training and the Non-intervention Control group indicated an advantage for the Sign Train- ing group on the vast majority of language acquisition measures. These results pro- vide strong evidence that symbolic gesturing does not hamper verbal development and may even facilitate it. A variety of possible explanations for such an effect are discussed.
Home and allergic characteristics of children with asthma in seven U.S. urban communities and design of an environmental intervention: the Inner-City Asthma Study.

Most published environmental remediation interventions have been directed at single allergens and have employed demanding strategies; few have been performed in the homes of inner-city children disproportionately burdened by asthma. Our objective was a) to describe the allergen sensitivities, environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) exposure, and home environmental characteristics of a national sample of inner-city children with moderate to severe asthma and b) to develop and implement a multifaceted, home-based comprehensive intervention to reduce home allergens and ETS, tailored to the specific sensitization and exposure profiles of those children. Allergen skin testing and a home evaluation were performed to determine the presence of ETS and factors known to be associated with increased indoor allergen levels. Based on published remediation techniques, a home environmental intervention, organized into modules, each addressing one of five specific allergen groups or ETS, was designed. Of 994 allergic children from seven U.S. urban communities, 937 successfully completed baseline interviews and home allergen surveys and were enrolled. More than 50% of children had positive skin tests to three or more allergen groups. Cockroaches were reported in 58% of homes, wall-to-wall carpeting in the child's bedroom in 55%, a smoker in 48%, mice or rats in 40%, and furry pets in 28%. More than 60% of enrolled families received four or more modules, and between 94% and 98% of all modules were completed. We conclude that most inner-city children with moderate to severe asthma are sensitized to multiple indoor allergens and that environmental factors known to be associated with asthma severity are commonly present in their homes. The intervention developed for the Inner-City Asthma Study employs accepted methods to address an array of allergens and ETS exposure while ensuring that the intervention is tailored to the specific sensitization profiles and home characteristics of these children.
Expanded Dempster-Shafer reasoning technique for image feature integration and object recognition

Integration of information from multiple sources has been one of the key steps to the success of general vision systems. It is also an essential problem to the development of color image understanding algorithms that make full use of the multichannel color data for object recognition. This paper presents a feature integration system characterized by a hybrid combination of a statistic-based reasoning technique and a symbolic logic-based inference method. A competitive evidence enhancement scheme is used in the process to fuse information from multiple sources. The scheme expands the Dempster-Shafer's function of combination and improves the reliability of the object recognition. When applied to integrate the object features extracted from the multiple spectra of the color images, the system alleviates the drawback of traditional Baysian classification system.© (1992) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Measures of information in generalized constraints

The concept of a generalized constraint is introduced and as means of representing different kinds of information. The measurement of the amount of information contained in these constraints is then considered. First we consider possibilistic constraints, those in which the associated variable can take on only one value and show that the measure of specificity provides the appropriate measure. We then provide a measure of information in a fuzzy graph. We next turn to veristic constraints, those in which the associated variable can assume multiple values, and show that the associated measure of information is the negation of the measure of fuzziness. Finally we discuss the idea that their can exist some uncertainty associated with the variable in a generalized constraint and provide some measure of the information about the variable.
Galileo spin rate control

This paper presents the analysis and design of the spin rate control flight algorithm for the dual-spin Galileo spacecraft. Because of thruster plume contamination constraints, only one poorly located thruster is available for spin rate correction in each spin direction. Hence, firing of any of the spin thrusters has a deleterious effect on spacecraft pointing. A control strategy was developed for achieving the desired spin rate correction while keeping disturbances at acceptable levels. This involved symmetrically distributed multiple thruster burns. Results of extensive tests of the adopted scheme on a computer simulation of the spacecraft are also presented.
Direct coronary artery perfusion from the left ventricle.

Abstract Objectives: Trends in coronary bypass surgery require less invasive techniques and more conduits. We investigated the ability of direct coronary perfusion from the left ventricle to support regional and global cardiac function. Methods: A conduit was established between the left ventricle and left anterior descending coronary artery (n = 6) with an interposed Starling resistor that allowed for graded regulation of backward flow. Changes of coronary flow, regional function in the territory of the left anterior descending coronary artery, and reactive hyperemia were studied. In 3 separate dogs, functional tolerance to increased heart rate was tested. In another 3 dogs, left ventricle–left anterior descending and left ventricle–left circumflex coronary artery conduits were established simultaneously (double conduit), and global function was tested. Results: Without flow regulation, flow through the left ventricle–left anterior descending conduit exhibited high peaking (102 ± 35 mL/min), midsystolic forward flow, and large pandiastolic backward flow (peaking at –47 ± 22 mL/min). Mean coronary flow and regional function were maintained at 46.0% ± 7.1% (35.8%-54.2%) and 45.3% ± 29.1% (–1.8%-74.2%) of their respective normal values. When the Starling resistor was used to regulate backward flow, these values increased to 70.8% ± 12.5% (56.8%-90.4%) and 70.2% ± 27.8% (23.6%-107.7%), respectively. Coronary and functional reserve with a left ventricle–left anterior descending conduit were not observed. With the double conduit, global ventricular contractility indexed by end-systolic pressure-volume relation averaged 46% ± 35% of its normal value. Conclusions: A left ventricle–coronary artery conduit supplied approximately 45% of normal blood flow and regional function, and both were improved by regulation of backward flow. Therefore, a conduit from the left ventricle to an epicardial vessel could serve as a rapidly deployable means of revascularizing totally occluded coronary vessels for which suitable natural conduits are not available. (J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2001;121:307-15)
An Unexpected Functional Link between Lysosomal Thiol Reductase and Mitochondrial Manganese Superoxide Dismutase

Gamma interferon-inducible thiol reductase (GILT) is an enzyme involved in the initial steps of antigen processing and presentation. Recently we have shown that GILT is also expressed in mouse T cells, where it exerts an inhibitory role on T cell activation. In this study, we identified mitochondrial manganese superoxide dismutase (SOD2) as one of the key intermediaries affected by GILT expression in fibroblasts. Expression and activity of SOD2 is reduced in the absence of GILT because of reduced SOD2 protein stability. The forced increase in SOD2 expression in the absence of GILT restores fibroblast proliferation to wild-type levels. Thus, GILT appears to have a fundamental role in cellular proliferation mediated through its influence on SOD2 protein activity and expression.
Distribution of genome rearrangement distance under double cut and join

Using the double-cut-and-join (DCJ) model for genome rearrangement we use combinatorial techniques to analyze the distribution of genomes under DCJ distance. We present an exponential generating function for the number of genomes that are maximally distant from a given genome and provide a formula for the number of genomes that are any given distance from an arbitrary starting genome. Many mathematical models have been developed to aid biologists and bioinformaticians in their study of the genome rearrangement problem, whose goal is to find the optimal sequence of mutations for the transformation of one genome into another. Using the double-cut-and-join (DCJ) model, Bergeron, Mixtacki, and Stoye [Bergeron et al. 2006] found that the distance between two genomes is completely determined by a bipartite graph created from the genomes. We utilize their data structure to find the distribution of genomes that are distance d from a given genome under DCJ. In Section 2, we introduce genome rearrangement, DCJ, and an important result of the same authors. In Section 3, we present a generating function for the number of maximally distant genomes from a given genome, and in Section 4, we obtain the distribution of all genomes by distance from a given genome.
Cloud-Resolving Simulations of Mesoscale Vortex Intensification and Its Effect on a Serial Mesoscale Convective System

Abstract The authors performed numerical simulations of the 27–28 May 1998 mesoscale convective vortex (MCV) and mesoscale convective system (MCS) to understand how the MCV modulated the convection, and how the convection intensified the vortex. The fifth-generation Pennsylvania State University–National Center for Atmospheric Research (PSU/NCAR) Mesoscale Model (MM5) was used, initialized with the analysis from the Rapid Update Cycle version 2 (RUC-2) and nested to achieve 1.5-km grid spacing covering the MCS. The model successfully simulated a north–south convective band that formed near the center of the MCV in the early evening. The simulation then correctly reoriented the convection along a roughly east–west line in response to northward transport of warm, conditionally unstable air within the nocturnal low-level jet. Balanced vertical motion was found to contribute substantially to mesoscale lifting and thermodynamic destabilization, which localized the convection. Horizontal transport of moist, uns...
A partial genetic linkage map of slash pine ( Pinus elliottii Engelm. var. elliottii ) based on random amplified polymorphic DNAs

A set of 420 random, 10-base, oligonucleotide primers was screened for random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) fragments within a sample of eight megagametophyte DNAs of a single slash pine (Pinus elliottii Engelm. var. elliottii) tree. The apparently repeatable RAPD fragments were further characterized within a sample of 68 megagametophytes from the same tree. Fragments segregating in a 1∶1, present-to-absent, ratio were classified and mapped using multi-point linkage analysis. The analysis revealed 13 linkage groups of at least three loci, ranging in size from 28 to 68 cM, and nine linked pairs of loci. The 22 groups and pairs included 73 RAPD markers and covered a genetic map distance of approximately 782 cM. Genome size estimates, based on linkage data, ranged from 2880 to 3360 cM. Using a 30-cM map scale and including the 24 unlinked markers and the ends of the 13 linkage groups and nine linked pairs, the set of RAPD markers accounts for approximately 2160 cM or 64–75% of the genome. This extent of genomic coverage should allow for the efficient mapping of genes responsible for a reaction to the causal agent of fusiform rust disease, Cronartium quercuum (Berk.) Miyabe ex Shirai f. sp. fusiforme.
Vascular and cellular development in fetal adipose tissue: Lectin binding studies and immunocytochemistry for laminin and type IV collagen

A cytochemical study of vascular and cellular development in fetal adipose tissue was conducted utilizing 10 plant lectins (fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-labeled), antibodies against laminin, types II and IV collagen, and a probe for actin. Throughout fetal development (50-110 days) blood vessels were stained by galactose binding lectins and stained for actin, type IV collagen, and laminin. Adipocyte reactivity for laminin was strong throughout development, whereas adipocyte staining for type IV collagen and several lectins increased from weak to moderate between 70 and 110 days of fetal life. In general, staining intensity for lectins was greater for blood vessels than for adipocytes at every age, and staining for lectins and type IV collagen was detected much earlier on blood vessels than on adipocytes. However, the ontogeny and intensity of laminin staining were similar for developing adipocytes and vasculature. Adipocyte staining by several lectins was dependent on location within the tissue, whereas blood vessel lectin staining was not location-dependent. Neuraminidase pretreatment abolished the variation in cellular lectin staining due to location (within the tissue) but did not alter age-related changes in cellular staining. This study indicates that the differentiation of the extracellular matrix of blood vessels and adipocytes is clearly distinct in regard to glycoconjugate composition and temporal pattern of glycoconjugate and type IV collagen deposition.
Amelioration of the macrothrombocytopenia associated with the murine Bernard-Soulier syndrome

An absent platelet glycoprotein (GP) Ib-IX receptor results in the Bernard-Soulier syndrome and is characterized by severe bleeding and the laboratory presentation of macrothrombocytopenia. Although the macrothrombocytopenic phenotype is directly linked to an absent GP Ib-IX complex, the disrupted molecular mechanisms that produce the macrothrombocytopenia are unknown. We have utilized a mouse model of the Bernard-Soulier syndrome to engineer platelets expressing an α-subunit of GP Ib (GP Ibα) in which most of the extracytoplasmic sequence has been replaced by an isolated domain of the α-subunit of the human interleukin-4 receptor (IL-4Rα). The IL-4Rα/GP Ibα fusion is membrane expressed in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells, and its expression is facilitated by the presence of human GP IX and the β-subunit of GP Ib. Transgenic animals expressing a chimeric receptor were generated and bred into the murine Bernard-Soulier syndrome–producing animals devoid of mouse GP Ibα but expressing the IL-4Rα/GP Ibα fusion sequence. The characterization of these mice revealed a 2-fold increase in circulating platelet count and a 50% reduction in platelet size when compared with platelets from the mouse model of the Bernard-Soulier syndrome. Immunoprecipitation confirmed that the IL-4Rα/GP Ibα subunit interacts with filamin-1 and 14-3-3ζ, known binding proteins to the GP Ibα cytoplasmic tail. Mice expressing the chimeric receptor retain a severe bleeding phenotype, confirming a critical role for the GP Ibα extracytoplasmic domain in hemostasis. These results provide in vivo insights into the structural elements of the GP Ibα subunit that contribute to normal megakaryocyte maturation and thrombopoiesis.
An energy and power-aware approach to high-level synthesis of asynchronous systems

In this paper we explore the problem of scheduling and allocation for asynchronous systems under latency, area, energy, and power constraints, and present exact methods for minimizing an implementation for either latency, area, or energy. This approach utilizes the the branch-and-bound strategy developed in [1], but targets a much more robust solution space by incorporating many-to-many mappings of operations to function units and energy and power considerations into the search space. Unlike many recent solutions that adapt synchronous methods to the asynchronous realm, our approach specifically targets the asynchronous domain. As a result, our solver's complexity and performance are independent of the discretization of time. We illustrate the effectiveness of this approach by running 36 different test cases on small and large input specifications; results are produced in 60 seconds or less for each example.
Cooperative dimeric and tetrameric clam haemoglobins are novel assemblages of myoglobin folds.

Cooperative functioning of many protein systems depends on communication between different subunits of those systems. Perhaps the best understood cooperative protein system is the vertebrate haemoglobin tetramer, in which the subunits share a similar tertiary structure (the myoglobin fold) with each other and with myoglobins and haemoglobins from at least four different animal phyla and leguminous plants. Blood clams have cooperative tetrameric haemoglobin and, in addition, a cooperative homodimeric haemoglobin 1–6. In view of previous reports7,8 concerning the role of dimers in the vertebrate tetramer, the clam haemoglobins represent a very interesting model system. We report here the low-resolution three-dimensional crystal structures of the dimeric and turmeric cooperative hemoglobins from the blood clam Scapharca inaequivalvis. We find that clam haemoglobins are made of myoglobin-like subunits but their assembly to form dimers and tetramers is quite different from that of vertebrate haemoglobin. The arrangement of the subunits provides a simple structural explanation for haem-haem interaction in the dimer and tetramer.
Research under pressure

What ethical justification do you have for extracting tax money from people for purposes that do not yield them some greater benefit? You have to be able to say that the extra dollar spent on research will produce more than a dollar’s worth of benefit to the person from whom the dollar was taken. That is a hard proposition to establish in the case of science.
Suppression of Coke Formation in the Steam Cracking of Alkanes: Ethane and Propane

The effects of a H2PtCl6 additive on the rate of formation of coke deposits on quartz and Incoloy surfaces were investigated in the steam cracking of ethane and propane in a continuous-flow thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA). The TGA operating conditions were 1 atm pressure, 820−845 °C temperature range, about 1.5 s reaction time, and steam to hydrocarbon molar ratio of about 2. Specific coke formation rates consistently decreased in the presence of the additive for both ethane and propane pyrolysis. For example, in ethane pyrolysis the specific coke formation rate on the quartz surface at 830 °C decreased from 0.34 μg/cm2·min in the absence of the additive to 0.089 μg/cm2·min in the presence of the additive, representing an improvement by a factor of about 4 in coking rates. On the Incoloy surface, coke formation decreased from 0.98 to 0.38 μg/cm2·min. For the case of propane pyrolysis at 830 °C, the coke formation rate decreased from 0.51 to 0.33 μg/cm2·min on the quartz surface and from 1.9 to 1.0 μg/cm2...
Lack of site-specificity of spinach chloroplast coupling factor 1

Abstract The irreversible inhibition of chloroplast phosphorylation by either sulfate anions, or N-ethylmaleimide, is energy dependent. Chloroplasts must first be illuminated in the presence of the inhibitors and a mediator of electron flow, for the subsequent phosphorylation to show any inhibition. Both inhibitors affect the chloroplast coupling factor 1. Electron transport only through Photosystem I can be used to activate either of these inhibitions. The subsequent inhibition in a second light reaction is the same whether ATP synthesis is supported by Photosystem I, or by Photosystem II electron transport. The reverse experiment, activating inhibition by electron transport only through Photosystem II, is possible in the case of sulfate. Again, the inhibition is expressed whether Photosystem II or Photosystem I electron flow supports ATP synthesis. We conclude that the two electron transport regions probably generate the same high energy state which is able to activate all members of a functionally uniform coupling factor population. These enzyme molecules must catalyze phosphorylation coupled to electron transport through either region of the chain. The results tend to discredit models requiring a separate group of coupling factor molecules unique to each part of the chain.
Staphylococcal enterotoxin A is encoded by phage

The gene for staphylococcal enterotoxin A (entA), in two wild-type strains, is carried by related temperate bacteriophages. Hybridization analysis of DNA from entA-converting phage PS42-D and its bacterial host suggests that this phage integrates into the bacterial chromosome by circularization and reciprocal crossover (the Campbell model) and that the entA gene is located near the phage attachment site. DNA from three of eight staphylococcal strains that did not produce enterotoxin A and seven wild-type enterotoxin A-producing (EntA+) strains had extensive homology to the entA-converting phage PS42-D DNA, although there was a high degree of restriction-fragment length polymorphisms. At least one EntA+ strain did not produce detectable viable phage after induction. These data indicate that a polymorphic family of Staphylococcus aureus phages (some of which may be defective) can carry the entA gene.
Voice assimilation in Dutch: Some refinements

Abstract 0. The analysis of Dutch voice assimilation presented in Hubers and Kooij (1973; hereafter, H&K) represents a considerable improvement over previous generative accounts. 1 Especially the suggestion that two distinctive features, [± Vce] (voicing) and [± Tns] (tenseness), rather than just one, [± Vce], should be used in the analysis has enabled the authors to achieve a much more detailed phonetic description of this phenomenon than had previously been possible. However, in spite of these improvements, certain facts have remained unaccounted for in their presentation. In this paper I will show that, by altering slightly the underlying forms assumed and the phonological rules required, it is possible to account naturally for these other facts while retaining all of the basic advantages of H&K's approach. 2