cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Laboratory tests in evaluation of acute febrile illness in pediatric emergency room patients.

The rising costs of health care and the movement for health care reform have focused attention on methods of cost containment. Of routine laboratory and radiologic procedures, complete blood cell count (CBC) and determination of serum electrolyte values rank as high as 2nd and 9th in overall cost. We retrospectively studied use of the clinical laboratory to aid diagnosis of an acute infectious event in a pediatric emergency department population. For 5 months, we reviewed medical records of pediatric patients younger than 15 years brought to the emergency department because of a febrile episode. Of 155 cases reviewed, electrolyte concentrations were determined in 108 patients and CBC in 155. In all patients, either culture or rapid test for streptococcal organisms was performed. In addition, 838 pediatric patients with similar symptoms but who did not undergo laboratory testing were monitored for 100 days. Measures of effectiveness including sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, and likelihood ratio were used to correlate specific laboratory findings with antibiotic therapy, serious bacterial disease, and culture positivity. Electrolyte abnormalities were found largely to be dismissed clinically, with the major clinical response consisting of parental education about hydration. The CBC profile was evaluated, with white blood cell count (WBC) indicator limits of > 10,000, > 10,000 but 15,000/mm3, and differentiated into absolute neutrophil count, neutrophil percent, and band cell percent. Temperature was evaluated as an independent variable. Insofar as serious bacterial disease and culture positivity, sensitivity was uniformly low (70%), and specificity was only marginably acceptable for WBC > 15,000 (77%). Both positive predictive values and likelihood ratio were low with respect to predicting either serious bacterial disease or culture positivity, emphasizing the limited usefulness of these clinical laboratory measurements. The best hematologic predictors of serious bacterial disease or culture positivity were obtained with automated hematologic analyzers and exceeded manual differential measurement of neutrophil percent and band cell percent. In addition, we correlated the administration of antibiotics with the various hematologic parameters and discovered that WBC > 15,000, regardless of cause, almost uniformly resulted in treatment (positive predictive value, 93.5%; likelihood ratio, 5.60). These findings support the use of automated hematology analyzer-derived measurements and question the use of manual differential counts, unless specific issues are to be addressed. Furthermore, the findings seem to support more reliance on clinical impression and less on laboratory values.
Conversion of Reductases to Dehydrogenases by Regulatory Mutations

Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+)-linked oxidoreductases catalyze reactions that are generally in favor o f NAD+ f ormation at neutral pH. However, in vivo enzymes of this kind can function as either dehydrogenases or reductases. We have a case in which an enzyme that normally acts to reduce L-lactaldehyde is converted by a series of mutations that affect gene expression to an enzyme that acts to oxidize L-l, 2-propanediol. In Escherichia coli both aerobic and anaerobic utilization of L-fucose requires the expression of an inducible trunk pathway mediated by fucose permease (1), fucose isomerase (2), fuculose kinase (3), and fuculose 1-phosphate aldolase (4). The aldolase cleaves the six carbon substrate into dihydroxy-acetone phosphate and lactaldehyde (Figure 1). Anaerobically, lactaldehyde is completely reduced to propanediol by L-l, 2-propanediol: NAD+ 1-oxidoreductase (propanediol oxidoredutase), an enzyme with a molecular weight of 76,000 consisting of two electro-phoretically indistinguishable subunits (5). For each mole of fucose fermented, one mole of propanediol is secreted into the medium (6). The sacrifice of one half of the carbon skeleton of fucose in this way permits the further metabolism of dihydroxyacetone phosphate without an exogenous hydrogen acceptor.
Developments in the Numerical Modeling of NDT Phenomena

ABSTRACT Energy/defect interactions associated with the nondestructive inspection of materials are best modeled by numerical methods because of the awkward defect shapes and the nonlinear material properties often characteristic of critical engineering components. Electromagnetic inspection techniques cover a wide range of frequencies requiring the solution of static (elliptic) quasi-static (parabolic) and wave (hyperbolic) forms of partial differential equations. This paper discusses the underlying physics which leads to these equations and shows how they are fundamental to the understanding and development of modern NDE technology. Recent developments in the application of finite element analysis to the solution of such problems are given with particular regard to the prediction of 3-D leakage field profiles in pipeline and the simulation of remote field eddy current phenomena. Concluding comments are concerned with the author's opinion on needed future research directions.
Matrix Cracking in Ceramic Matrix Composites with Creeping Fibers

High strength can be achieved in ceramic fibers by manufacturing them as fine-grained polycrystals. Unfortunately, fine-grained fibers are prone to creep, because grain boundaries provide easy paths for diffusion. The matrix in many composites, whether formed by chemical vapor infiltration or by some other route, has a much coarser grain structure. Therefore, service life of CMCs reinforced by fine-grained fibers can be limited by fiber creep at temperatures where the matrix remains elastic. This paper is concerned with how fiber creep affects the failure by matrix cracking of a CMC under monotonic loading.
Policy and assessment

As the title suggests, the author provides a description of an international effort to develop an understanding of the present depth and priority of arts policies. As arts policy is not limited to ...
Scaffolding the collection manager-instructor relationship: Partnerships for primary source instruction

Whereas the literature on incorporating primary sources into undergraduate education is large and growing, a sustained discussion of the relationship between the collection manager—be it librarian, archivist, or curator—and the course instructor is conspicuously absent. Unlike secondary source material, which can generally be accessed independent of collection managers (or any other gatekeepers), primary source material is often mediated, making it almost impossible for course instructors wishing to use these sources to bypass collection or repository personnel. The partnership between them is therefore vital.
Photo-physical properties of substituted 2,3-distyryl indoles: Spectroscopic, computational and biological insights.

Abstract The structural dependence of the photo-physical properties of substituted 2,3-distyryl (23DSI) indoles were studied using several spectroscopic techniques including steady-state UV-VIS spectroscopy, steady-state fluorescence spectroscopy, steady-state excitation spectroscopy, time correlated single photon counting (TCSPC) spectroscopy, and time-resolved fluorescence upconversion spectroscopy (TRFLS). Each of 23DSI derivatives investigated showed distinct fluorescence emission and UV-VIS spectra, indicating strong structural dependence of the emission and the excitation. The UV-VIS spectra of the 23DSI derivatives showed three main identical absorption bands with minor deviations in the absorbance caused by substituent groups on the distyryl rings. The time-resolved fluorescence up-conversion studies indicated that the fluorescence undergoes a mono-exponential decay whereas the calculated fluorescence lifetime showed relatively short fluorescence lifetimes of approximately 1 ns. All of the 23DSI derivatives showed two-photon absorption upon direct excitation of 1.6 W laser pulses at 800 nm. These studies suggest that the substituents, attached to distyryl core, are capable of boosting or hindering fluorescence intensities by distorting the π-conjugation of the 23DSI molecule. Our studies showed that 23DSI (p-F) has the highest fluorescence emission quantum yield. Theoretical calculations for the ground state of 23DSI derivatives confirmed differences in electron densities in 23DSI derivatives in the presence of different substituent attachments. The excellent fluorescence emission, high fluorescence quantum yield and two-photon absorption properties of these 23DSI molecules make them attractive candidates for potential applications in the fields of biological imaging, biomedicine, fluorescent probes, and photodynamic inactivation (PDI). B. subtilis samples, treated with micro molar solutions of 23DSI (p-OCH3) and 23DSI (p-CH3), showed very effective photodynamic inactivation (PDI) upon irradiation with white light.
Synchrotron X-Ray Microdiffraction Investigation of Scaling Effects on Reliability for Through-Silicon Vias for 3-D Integration

Synchrotron x-ray microdiffraction has been applied to TSV characterization in various studies for nondestructive inspection with submicron resolution due to its high beam intensity and penetration depth. In this paper, the application of this technique to TSV investigations is examined and the correlation of the plastic deformation to the microstructure and extrusion behavior along with the effect of TSV dimensional scaling is examined. It is shown that the variability of the copper microstructure and resulting TSV behavior requires a larger number of samples in order to report statistically significant observations. The role of the microstructure in creating statistical scatter is demonstrated through microdiffraction measurements of grain orientation correlated with the observed peak widening, which shows that degraded TSV reliability is largely due to the high elastic anisotropy of copper. After taking the statistical variations into account, the scaling effect was clearly observed, with larger plastic deformation in $2~\mu \text{m}$ diameter TSVs than in $5~\mu \text{m}$ diameter TSVs consistent with microstructure variations. This is confirmed by TSV extrusion measurements, which show that the magnitude and statistical spread of the via extrusion for the $2~\mu \text{m}$ diameter TSVs is higher than that of the $5~\mu \text{m}$ diameter TSVs. These results, validated by thermomechanical simulation, demonstrate first that large sample sizes are required in copper TSV investigations due to high variability, which is not improved with scaling.
College-Going Trajectories Across Early Adulthood: An Inquiry Using Sequence Analysis

ABSTRACTThough the diversification of pathways through higher education is widely recognized, little is known about longer-term patterns of undergraduate participation and attainment. I used sequen...
The Dynamical Gaussian Process Latent Variable Model in the Longitudinal Scenario.

The Dynamical Gaussian Process Latent Variable Models provide an elegant non-parametric framework for learning the low dimensional representations of the high-dimensional time-series. Real world observational studies, however, are often ill-conditioned: the observations can be noisy, not assuming the luxury of relatively complete and equally spaced like those in time series. Such conditions make it difficult to learn reasonable representations in the high dimensional longitudinal data set by way of Gaussian Process Latent Variable Model as well as other dimensionality reduction procedures. In this study, we approach the inference of Gaussian Process Dynamical Systems in Longitudinal scenario by augmenting the bound in the variational approximation to include systematic samples of the unseen observations. We demonstrate the usefulness of this approach on synthetic as well as the human motion capture data set.
Learning state and action space hierarchies for reinforcement learning using action-dependent partitioning

Autonomous systems are often difficult to program. Reinforcement learning (RL) is an attractive alternative, as it allows the agent to learn behavior on the basis of sparse, delayed reward signals provided only when the agent reaches desired goals. Recent attempts to address the dimensionality of RL have turned to principled ways of exploiting temporal abstraction where decisions are not required at each step but rather invoke the execution of temporally-extended activities which follow their own policies until termination. This leads naturally to hierarchical control architectures and associated learning algorithms. This dissertation reviews several approaches to temporal abstraction and hierarchical organization that machine learning researchers have recently developed and presents a new method for the autonomous construction of hierarchical action and state representations in reinforcement learning, aimed at accelerating learning and extending the scope of such systems. In this approach, the agent uses information acquired while learning one task to discover iv subgoals for similar tasks. The agent is able to transfer knowledge to subsequent tasks and to accelerate learning by creating useful new subgoals and by off-line learning of corresponding subtask policies as abstract actions (options). At the same time, the subgoal actions are used to construct a more abstract state representation using action-dependent state space partitioning. This representation forms a new level in the state space hierarchy and serves as the initial representation for new learning tasks (the decision layer). In order to ensure that tasks are learnable, value functions are built simultaneously at different levels of the hierarchy and inconsistencies are used to identify actions to be used to refine relevant portions of the abstract state space. This representation serves as a first layer of the hierarchy. In order to estimate the structure of the state space for learning future tasks, the decision layer is constructed based on an estimate of the expected time to learn a new task and the system's experience with previously learned tasks. Together, these techniques permit the agent to form more abstract action and state representations over time. Experiments in deterministic and stochastic domains show that the presented method can significantly outperform learning on a flat state space representation.
Multidimensional thermal analysis of an ultrawide bandgap AlGaN channel high electron mobility transistor

Improvements in radio frequency and power electronics can potentially be realized with ultrawide bandgap materials such as aluminum gallium nitride (AlxGa1−xN). Multidimensional thermal characterization of an Al0.30Ga0.70N channel high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) was done using Raman spectroscopy and thermoreflectance thermal imaging to experimentally determine the lateral and vertical steady-state operating temperature profiles. An electrothermal model of the Al0.30Ga0.70N channel HEMT was developed to validate the experimental results and investigate potential device-level thermal management. While the low thermal conductivity of this III-N ternary alloy system results in more device self-heating at room temperature, the temperature insensitive thermal and electrical output characteristics of AlxGa1−xN may open the door for extreme temperature applications.
ASH1L REGULATES THE STRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENT OF NEURONAL CIRCUITRY BY MODULATING BDNF/TrkB SIGNALING IN HUMAN NEURONS

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are associated with defects in neuronal connectivity and are highly heritable. Genetic findings suggest that there is an overrepresentation of chromatin regulatory genes among the genes associated with ASD. ASH1 like histone lysine methyltransferase (ASH1L) was identified as a major risk factor for autism. ASH1L methylates Histone H3 on Lysine 36, which is proposed to result primarily in transcriptional activation. However, how mutations in ASH1L lead to deficits in neuronal connectivity associated with autism pathogenesis is not known. We report that ASH1L regulates neuronal morphogenesis by counteracting the catalytic activity of Polycomb Repressive complex 2 group (PRC2) in stem cell-derived human neurons. Depletion of ASH1L decreases neurite outgrowth and decreases expression of the gene encoding the neurotrophin receptor TrkB whose signaling pathway is linked to neuronal morphogenesis. This is overcome by inhibition of PRC2 activity, indicating a balance between the Trithorax group protein ASH1L and PRC2 activity determines neuronal morphology and connectivity. Thus, ASH1L epigenetically regulates neuronal connectivity by modulating the BDNF-TrkB signaling pathway, which likely contributes to the neurodevelopmental pathogenesis associated with ASD in patients with ASH1L mutations.
SLEEP IN OLDER ADULTS: ASSESSMENT, DIAGNOSIS, AND MANAGEMENT

Abstract Sleep dysfunction is not a normal part of aging and impairs the quality of life, function and health of the older adult. Common sleep disorders affecting the older adult are insomnia, obstructive sleep apnea, and restless legs syndrome. The multidisciplinary treatment of sleep complaints in the older adult, includes pharmacological and non-pharmacological/behavioral interventions. In addition, the geriatric specialist is in a unique opportunity to offer guidance on the use of consumer sleep technologies. Engaging the older adult in shared decision making may help improve outcomes in the treatment of sleep complaints.
Reproductive identity: An emerging concept

Deciding whether or not to become a parent is a developmental milestone in the adult life course yet the specific term of reproductive identity is not commonplace. Significant demographic shifts in fertility and the social ideals of self-realization have impacted how reproduction is performed and families are structured, particularly for women and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex and Asexual (LGBTQIA) communities. Like gender and sexuality, reproduction is a healthy aspect of human expression to be openly explored, destigmatized, and self-authored. This article will review relevant identity development theories and propose a preliminary definition for the emerging concept of reproductive identity. Implications for research, education, and counseling will be considered. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).
Environmental Exposure to Crude Oil: A Potential Risk for Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) in Disadvantaged Countries

Background Exposure to environmental pollutants has been associated with the high burden of Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) in disadvantaged populations. Although biologically plausible, the evidence for kidney damage from hydrocarbon or crude oil exposure is still conflicting. Several human and animal studies from as far back as the 1950s have associated some forms of chronic glomerulonephritis or CKD, with long-term human exposure to hydrocarbons. However, other studies have produced opposite findings or dispute findings of positive studies. Methods This paper reviews in detail the mechanisms of environmental and human exposure to crude oil and the evidence for crude oil associated chronic kidney disease. Additionally, a search was conducted on PubMed and Google Scholar, revealing 152 articles, out of which, 64 articles were included for review; animal studies and case reports were excluded Results: Overall, 64% of the studies reviewed supported an association between hydrocarbon exposure and kidney disease. Eight out of the nine cohort studies reported a positive association, and the only meta-analysis reported an increased risk for renal cancer. Conversely, 50% of the mortality studies reported no increased risk of deaths due to cancer among petroleum oil workers. Existing review articles on this subject were mostly inconclusive (55%). Conclusion A significant proportion of studies have supported the increased risk for CKD in exposed individuals. The possibility that crude oil exposure may indeed cause harm underscores the need to re-open the subject matter. Well-designed epidemiological studies, particularly situated in oil producing communities of disadvantaged countries may be a step in the right direction.
Cantor Set Fractals from Solitons

Solitons are general non-linear phenomena, appearing in a myriad of nonlinear wave systems in nature. Many of these systems support self-similar solitons, where a simple scaling relation exists for their sizes and intensities that maps all the solitons onto each other. Self-similar solitons occur when the underlying equation describing the system does not have any natural scale.
Fundamentals of artificial intelligence for ophthalmologists.

Purpose of review As artificial intelligence continues to develop new applications in ophthalmic image recognition, we provide here an introduction for ophthalmologists and a primer on the mechanisms of deep learning systems. Recent findings Deep learning has lent itself to the automated interpretation of various retinal imaging modalities, including fundus photography and optical coherence tomography. Convolutional neural networks (CNN) represent the primary class of deep neural networks applied to these image analyses. These have been configured to aid in the detection of diabetes retinopathy, AMD, retinal detachment, glaucoma, and ROP, among other ocular disorders. Predictive models for retinal disease prognosis and treatment are also being validated. Summary Deep learning systems have begun to demonstrate a reliable level of diagnostic accuracy equal or better to human graders for narrow image recognition tasks. However, challenges regarding the use of deep learning systems in ophthalmology remain. These include trust of unsupervised learning systems and the limited ability to recognize broad ranges of disorders.
Fibrillar calcium silicate hydrate seeds from hydrated tricalcium silicate lower cement demand

Abstract Debates remain on the influencing factor and long-term performance of C-S-H-seeded paste. In this study, phase-pure seeds were prepared from diluted Ca3SiO5 hydration. The seed structures were determined using synchrotron-based X-ray diffraction, X-ray absorption spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. Nano-foils and similar Ca and O environments were present in seeds of different Ca/Si; nanofibers were present in high-Ca seeds only which showed lower silicate polymerization. Calorimetry and setting results showed a greater hydration acceleration with high-Ca seeds; seed shape dominated the acceleration. 0.5 wt% high-Ca seeds increased 1- and 28-days paste strength by 300% and 20%, respectively. Life-cycle assessment showed negligible (
An optimization framework for the design of reverse osmosis desalination plants under food-energy-water nexus considerations

Abstract Due to a growing population, globally depleting water supplies, as well as the effects of climate change, demands for water are ever increasing. Reverse osmosis desalination could play a key role in generating new water sources since treating saline water for reuse has become possible. An optimization based framework under food-energy-water nexus considerations is developed in this work to tackle water scarcity sustainably for arid and semi-arid regions. With the aid of a surrogate model, a single reverse osmosis stage is depicted, with which varying desalination process designs can be composed, considering different membrane modules, as well as varying input energy and saline water sources. Then, the process was modeled through a superstructure representation that resulted into a mixed-integer nonlinear optimization problem, enabling the optimization of an array of objectives for a given set of input water and energy supply, as well as output water demand restrictions. The developed framework facilitates informed decision making through the fast screening and optimization of desalination plant designs. To illustrate the elaborated framework methodology, a food-energy-water nexus approach is implemented for South-Central Texas in three distinct scenario analyses.
Cultural Diversity Stimulates Entrepreneurship: Evidence from Two Large-Scale Natural Experiments

Entrepreneurship is the engine of economic advancement and innovation. Leveraging two large-scale, pre-registered natural experiments, we provide the first causal evidence that the cultural diversi...
Bottom-up and top-down cognitive rehabilitation following mild traumatic brain injury - Occupational therapists' perspective: An online survey study

Background: Mild traumatic brain injuries (mTBIs) can result in long-lasting cognitive deficits. Comprehensive rehabilitation efforts need to integrate varied training approaches to address cognitive challenges and subsequently improve long-term functional outcomes. Objectives: The goal of this pilot study was to learn about occupational therapists' interpretation and practice of bottom-up and top-down cognitive rehabilitation activities for adults with mTBI. Study Design: An online survey study was conducted. Methods: A TBI expert team developed a case study with 30 functionally based treatment activities that closely align with the current rehabilitation practice. Of the 30 activities, the team identified 15 as bottom-up and 15 as top-down based on the definitions in the literature and clinical experience. The case study was sent in an online survey format to Occupational Therapists (OTs) across the country. Results: Out of 67 participants who agreed to participate, 30 completed the survey. The majority of the participants (87.5%) indicated that they were familiar with bottom-up and top-down treatment activities. Descriptive analyses found that the agreement between the authors and participants on bottom-up activities was 47.5% and on top-down activities was 77.56%; significant Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (0.939, 95% confidence interval [0.903, 0.966], P
Targeting the translational machinery in gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) - a new therapeutic vulnerability

Although KIT-mutant GISTs can be effectively treated with tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), many patients develop resistance to imatinib mesylate (IM) as well as the FDA-approved later-line agents sunitinib, regorafenib and ripretinib. Resistance mechanisms mainly involve secondary mutations in the KIT receptor tyrosine kinase gene indicating continued dependency on the KIT signaling pathway. The fact that the type of secondary mutation confers either sensitivity or resistance towards TKIs and the notion that secondary mutations exhibit intra- and intertumoral heterogeneity complicates the optimal choice of treatment in the imatinib-resistant setting. Therefore, new strategies that target KIT independently of its underlying mutations are urgently needed. Homoharringtonine (HHT) is a first-in-class inhibitor of protein biosynthesis and is FDA-approved for chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) that is resistant to at least two TKIs. HHT has also shown activity in KIT-mutant mastocytosis models, which are intrinsically resistant to imatinib and most other TKIs. We hypothesized that HHT could be effective in GIST through downregulation of KIT expression and subsequent decrease of KIT activation and downstream signaling. Testing several GIST cell line models, HHT led to a significant reduction in nascent protein synthesis and was highly effective in the nanomolar range in IM-sensitive and IM-resistant GIST cell lines. HHT treatment resulted in a rapid and complete abolishment of KIT expression and activation, while KIT mRNA levels were minimally affected. The response to HHT involved induction of apoptosis as well as cell cycle arrest. The antitumor activity of HHT was confirmed in a GIST xenograft model. Taken together, inhibition of protein biosynthesis is a promising strategy to overcome TKI resistance in GIST.
CHAPTER 17 – Hypothalamus

This chapter focuses on the functional organization of the hypothalamus. The functions of the hypothalamus are so basic that its plan and organizational patterns have been, to a great degree, conserved throughout the mammalian spectrum. As a result, even when data in humans or monkeys are still sketchy, it is useful to view in a functional context that is derived in large part from other sources. The functional knowledge about the hypothalamus has relied on morphological approaches because of the extraordinarily small size and functional complexity of this region. The hypothalamus contains the integrative systems that support life, including such activities as fluid and electrolyte balance, food ingestion and energy metabolism, thermoregulation and immune response, and, of course, emotional expression and reproduction. Furthermore, the chapter reviews the overall plan of the cytoarchitecture and the major fiber pathways of the hypothalamus. This is followed by the functional organization of the hypothalamus.
IMMUNOLOGIC AND BIOCHEMICAL STUDIES IN INFANTS AND CHILDREN, WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO RHEUMATIC FEVER IV. Occurrence of Agglutinins in Normal and Abnormal Conditions

Agglutinative antibodies for three different strains Str. hemolyticus, beta, group A, were studied in 497 sera from 372 children. A high titer was found in approximately 9% of well children. There was no significant difference between rheumatic and non-rheumatic subjects in the incidence of high agglutinin titers for Str. hemolyticus. Following infections, presumably streptococcal in origin, approximately 46% of the children examined had high agglutinin titers for Str. hemolyticus. In active rheumatic fever, agglutinins were present in high titers in nine out of 11 patients who had experienced an antecedent illness, presumably streptococcal in origin. Of 23 patients with no history of such an infection, only three had streptococcal agglutinins.
Financial Integration and Cyclicality of Monetary Policy in Small Open Economies

Should countries follow counter-cyclical or pro-cyclical monetary policies? This paper documents that in contrast to developed economies, developing countries tend to follow pro-cyclical monetary policies. The paper then constructs a New-Keynesian small open economy model with wage rigidity and solves for the optimal monetary policy under di??erent levels of integration in the international financial markets. The model suggests that as economies gain access to the international financial markets the optimal monetary policy shifts from pro-cyclical to counter-cyclical. Also, when economies are denied access to financial markets the optimal policy partially o??set exchange rate movements which may be perceived as “fear of floating”. Results are robust to a wide range of parameter values and utility specifications.
Purification and some properties of cytochrome c oxidase from the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Abstract A method is described for the purification of cytochrome c oxidase (EC 1.9.3.1) from a particulate fraction of Red Star yeast. The enzyme as isolated contains up to 7.2 nmoles of heme a per mg of protein and is free from contamination by hemes other than heme a. The spectrum of the reduced enzyme equilibrated with carbon monoxide is apparently dependent on the aggregation state of the enzyme. The fact that the enzyme is capable of assuming both a monomeric and a dimeric state of aggregation is demonstrated by sucrose density gradient centrifugation and susceptibility to dithionite reduction. After dissociation at 100° in sodium dodecyl sulfate-urea-mercaptoethanol, the enzyme shows four major polypeptide components when subjected to electrophoresis on polyacrylamide gels in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate and 6 m urea.
Liknon Feature Selection for Microarrays

Many real-world classification problems involve very sparse and high-dimensional data. The successes of LIKNON - linear programming support vector machine (LPSVM) for feature selection, motivates a more thorough analysis of the method when applied to sparse, multivariate data. Due to the sparseness, the selection of a classification model is greatly influenced by the characteristics of that particular dataset. Robust feature/model selection methods are desirable. LIKNON is claimed to have such robustness properties. Its feature selection operates by selecting the groups of features with large differences between the resultants of the two classes. The degree of desired difference is controlled by the regularization parameter. We study the practical value of LIKNON-based feature/model selection for microarray data. Our findings support the claims about the robustness of the method.
Ultrahigh Resolution Saturated Absorption Spectroscopy

In this paper we report our progress in the search for super narrow lines, our present state of the art in the line shrinking business and what looks like the way towards still higher resolution based on our current knowledge of the broadening mechanisms.
A resistively heated CeB6 emissive probe

The plasma potential, V(p), is a key quantity in experimental plasma physics. Its spatial gradients directly yield the electrostatic field present. Emissive probes operating under space-charge limited emission conditions float close to V(p) even under time-varying conditions. Throughout their long history in plasma physics, they have mostly been constructed with resistively heated tungsten wire filaments. In high density plasmas (>10(12) cm(-3)), hexaboride emitters are required because tungsten filaments cannot be heated to sufficient emission without component failure. A resistively heated emissive probe with a cerium hexaboride, CeB6, emitter has been developed to work in plasma densities up to 10(13) cm(-3). To show functionality, three spatial profiles of V(p) are compared using the emissive probe, a cold floating probe, and a swept probe inside a plasma containing regions with and without current. The swept probe and emissive probe agree well across the profile while the floating cold probe fails in the current carrying region.
Free flap monitoring using an implantable anastomotic venous flow coupler: Analysis of 119 consecutive abdominal-based free flaps for breast reconstruction.

Purpose The purpose of this study is to evaluate the use of the venous anastomotic Flow Coupler in monitoring free flaps used for breast reconstruction in a consecutive series of patients. Methods Retrospective data were collected on patients undergoing free flap breast reconstruction from May 2012 to March 2014. The venous anastomotic Flow Coupler was used in the first 85 flaps and a non-flow Coupler with clinical and external Doppler monitoring alone in the subsequent 34 flaps. Data collected included patient age, BMI, prior radiation, flap type, intra- and postoperative Flow Coupler events, along with rates of flap take back, salvage, and failure. Proportion data were compiled and statistically analyzed. Results One hundred nineteen consecutive abdominal based breast reconstruction free flaps were performed. The overall flap failure rate was 4.2% (4.7% Flow Coupler; 2.9% in non-flow Coupler; P = 1.0). The Flow Coupler demonstrated 100% sensitivity in the intra- and postoperative settings. A positive predictive value of 36% was noted intraoperatively which was significantly higher compared to the non-flow Coupler group (P = 0.015). Vessel thrombosis occurred in 17.6% of Flow Coupler flaps, which was significantly higher when compared to the non-flow Coupler (2.9%; P = 0.038). Conclusions The Flow Coupler is a sensitive method to confirm patency of a microsurgical anastomosis. However, there is a high false positive rate in both the intraoperative and postoperative settings resulting in frequent intraoperative maneuvers to amend the cause of signal loss. Additionally, the Flow Coupler resulted in significantly more vascular thrombotic events when compared to the non-flow Coupler. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microsurgery 35:337–344, 2015.
Utility measurement: Signal, noise, and bias

Abstract Recent research has documented various violations of procedural invariance, ranging from preference reversals to discrepancies among theoretically equivalent utility encoding methods. This paper explores multiple causes for such discrepancies, focusing on the effects and possible interactions of (1) random noise, (2) insufficient adjustment due to anchoring, and (3) refraining. The case of certainty-equivalence (CE) versus probability-equivalence (PE) judgments is used to model and study the above effects. First, a random noise model is developed. Second, anchoring and insufficient adjustment are formalized, including the notion of variable anchors. Third, our earlier PE-reframing hypothesis (Hershey and Schoemaker, 1985) is examined for the mixed as well as the gain and loss domains. Finally, the effects are combined to yield aggregate predictions for different domains and response sequences. The second part of the paper reports an experiment aimed at testing the component and composite predictions. Some evidence is found for each main effect, although none of the three alone can explain the results. Our data suggest that multiple effects are operative, specifically PE reframing and random noise. We briefly discuss the challenges this poses for both utility encoding and psychological theories concerning violations of procedural invariance.
Pragmatic text mining: minimizing human effort to quantify many issues in call logs

We discuss our experiences in analyzing customer-support issues from the unstructured free-text fields of technical-support call logs. The identification of frequent issues and their accurate quantification is essential in order to track aggregate costs broken down by issue type, to appropriately target engineering resources, and to provide the best diagnosis, support and documentation for most common issues. We present a new set of techniques for doing this efficiently on an industrial scale, without requiring manual coding of calls in the call center. Our approach involves (1) a new text clustering method to identify common and emerging issues; (2) a method to rapidly train large numbers of categorizers in a practical, interactive manner; and (3) a method to accurately quantify categories, even in the face of inaccurate classifications and training sets that necessarily cannot match the class distribution of each new month's data. We present our methodology and a tool we developed and deployed that uses these methods for tracking ongoing support issues and discovering emerging issues at HP.
Topological Spatial Chaos and Homoclinic Points of Z^d -Actions in Lattice Dynamical Systems

We study aZ d -action on a finite-dimensional subset of a Banach space. This subset represents a set of equilibrium solutions of a lattice dynamical system, i.e. a system with discrete spatial variables. Such a system can appear as a discrete version of a partial differential equation or an infinite lattice of dissipatively coupled oscillators, etc. Stochastic behavior of theZ d -action corresponds to the existence of spatial chaos; in other words, the existence of an infinite number of stable structures which are randomly situated along spatial coordinates. We generalize the notion of homoclinic points into the case of theZ d -action and prove that the existence of a homoclinic point of theZ d -action implies spatial chaos in a system under consideration.
Mechanisms and uses of hydrogen exchange

Recent work has largely completed our understanding of the hydrogen-exchange chemistry of unstructured proteins and nucleic acids. Some of the high-energy structural fluctuations that determine the hydrogen-exchange behavior of native macromolecules have been explained; others remain elusive. A growing number of applications are exploiting hydrogen-exchange behavior to study difficult molecular systems and elicit otherwise inaccessible information on protein structure, dynamics and energetics.
Local myocardial overexpression of growth hormone attenuates postinfarction remodeling and preserves cardiac function

Abstract Background Ventricular remodeling with chamber dilation and wall thinning is seen in postinfarction heart failure. Growth hormone induces myocardial hypertrophy when oversecreted. We hypothesized that localized myocardial hypertrophy induced by gene transfer of growth hormone could inhibit remodeling and preserve cardiac function after myocardial infarction. Methods Rats underwent direct intramyocardial injection of adenovirus encoding either human growth hormone (n = 9) or empty null vector as control (n = 9) 3 weeks after ligation of the left anterior descending coronary artery. Analysis of the following was performed 3 weeks after delivery: hemodynamics, ventricular geometry, cardiomyocyte fiber size, and serum growth hormone levels. Results The growth hormone group had significantly better systolic cardiac function as measured by maximum left ventricular pressure (73.6 ± 6.9 mm Hg versus control 63.7 ± 7.8 mm Hg, p p p p p p Conclusions Local myocardial overexpression of growth hormone after myocardial infarction resulted in cardiomyocyte hypertrophy, attenuated ventricular remodeling, and improved systolic and diastolic cardiac function. The induction of localized myocardial hypertrophy presents a novel therapeutic approach for the treatment of ischemic heart failure.
Fluctuating asymmetry as an ecological indicator of heavy metal stress in Lythrum salicaria

Abstract Fluctuating asymmetry (FA), a measure of random deviation of organismal traits from perfect bilateral symmetry, can be induced by environmental and/or genetic stress. We have conducted a replicated experiment to test the effect of a locally abundant heavy metal pollutant, lead, on the FA of a common wetland invasive species, Lythrum salicaria (purple loosestrife). The exposure to lead significantly reduced the shoot length, number and length of leaves as well as the biomass, but increased FA of L. salicaria leaves. The investigation suggests that FA in L. salicaria may be used as an ecological indicator to identify environmental stress caused by certain heavy metal pollutants. However, more studies are needed for the use of FA in L. salicaria as a comprehensive tool for biomonitoring of a wider array of environmental pollutants.
Segregation of form, color, movement, and depth: anatomy, physiology, and perception

Anatomical and physiological observations in monkeys indicate that the primate visual system consists of several separate and independent subdivisions that analyze different aspects of the same retinal image: cells in cortical visual areas 1 and 2 and higher visual areas are segregated into three interdigitating subdivisions that differ in their selectivity for color, stereopsis, movement, and orientation. The pathways selective for form and color seem to be derived mainly from the parvocellular geniculate subdivisions, the depth- and movement-selective components from the magnocellular. At lower levels, in the retina and in the geniculate, cells in these two subdivisions differ in their color selectivity, contrast sensitivity, temporal properties, and spatial resolution. These major differences in the properties of cells at lower levels in each of the subdivisions led to the prediction that different visual functions, such as color, depth, movement, and form perception, should exhibit corresponding differences. Human perceptual experiments are remarkably consistent with these predictions. Moreover, perceptual experiments can be designed to ask which subdivisions of the system are responsible for particular visual abilities, such as figure/ground discrimination or perception of depth from perspective or relative movement--functions that might be difficult to deduce from single-cell response properties.
Screening for asymptomatic carotid artery stenosis: caveat emptor.

In this issue, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends against screening for asymptomatic CAS. However, such screenings are offered throughout the United States. The editorialist discuss...
Reduced-Loss Ink-Jet Printed Flexible CPW With Copper Coating

Electroplating copper onto ink-jet printed silver coplanar waveguide (CPW) significantly reduces the insertion loss and can improve return loss. The structures are fabricated on flexible polyimide substrates using ink-jet printing and low-temperature curing. Copper-coated silver CPW exhibits good adhesion and flexibility and the RF and microwave performance is minimally affected by bending.
Quantification Of Tissue Effects Due To A Pulsed Er:Yag Laser At 2.9 μm With Beam Delivery In A Wet Field Via Zirconium Fluoride Fibers

Prototype Er:YAG lasers were used to generate 70-170 usec long pulses of 2.9 urn containing a series of lusec relaxation oscillation spikes which were coupled into prototype zirconium fluoride glass optical fibers of 180-250 urn diameter. Pulse energy densities in excess of 2400 mJ/mm2 were transmitted through these fibers without damage. Systematic studies of tissue damage by the Er:YAG laser pulses delivered to the surface of the tissue in a wet field via the ZrF4 fibers demonstrated effective ablative thresholds of 5 mJ/mm2 and slope ablative efficiency of 0.5 mm3/J for soft tissue such as human cadaver coronary artery. For heavily calcified tissues such as hard human calcified atherosclerotic plaque or rib bone ablative thresholds were increased 3 fold and the slope efficiency was slighlty decreased. Tissue thermal damage zone was confined to a region of 3-5 urn from the edge of the ablated zone for suprathreshold pulses. These studies demonstrate the feasibility of an Er:YAG laser - zirconium fluoride fiber microsurgical system for laser angioplasty and other forms of remote human ablative microsurgery.
Synergy of Electronic Excitations and Elastic Collision Spikes in Sputtering of Heavy Metal Oxides

The emission of secondary ions and neutrals from uranium oxide has been measured for impact of highly charged, heavy ions. Total ablation rates and secondary ion yields increase strongly with projectile charge. The dependencies on projectile charge $(16lql70)$, impact energy $(10\mathrm{keV}l{E}_{\mathrm{kin}}l1\mathrm{MeV})$, and projectile mass of secondary ion yields demonstrate the presence of an interaction regime where electronic excitation by charge neutralization and elastic collision spikes combine synergistically.
Time-lapse seismic monitoring in reservoir management

Reservoir management studies are important when choices must be made. The choices can range from “business as usual” to major changes in investment strategy. By studying a range of operating scenarios, management can decide how to allocate finite resources to optimize the economic recovery of hydrocarbons from a prudently operated field. Reservoir flow modeling is the most sophisticated reservoir engineering methodology available for conducting a reservoir management study.
Comparison of the development of isometric contractile properties of embryonic avian normal and dystrophic skeletal muscle

Abstract Embryonic posterior latissimus dorsi (PLD) muscles were isolated at 24-h intervals between days 14 and 20 in ovo from a line of normal chickens (412) and a line afflicted with hereditary muscular dystrophy (413), and their isometric contractile properties were compared. The results demonstrated differences in the isometric contractile responses between normal and dystrophic embryonic PLD muscles. The normalized twitch and tetanic tensions were significantly less for the dystrophic muscle immediately before hatching. Some kinetics of the isometric responses were also different between normal and dystrophic muscles. At embryonic day 16 the times to one-half peak twitch tension, to peak twitch tension, and to one-half peak tetanic tension were significantly longer for the dystrophic muscles. The maximum rate of tetanic force development at days 14, 16, and 18 was lower in the dystrophic muscles. At embryonic day 18 the twitch relaxation of the dystrophic muscle was significantly slower. The results indicated that as early as the final week in ovo , the dystrophic PLD produced less tension and, in some respects, was slower than the normal muscle. Moreover, the differences in the kinetics of the responses were transient, i.e., differences in the kinetics that were observed at day 16 in ovo were not seen closer to hatching.