cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Association between Inpatient Delirium and Hospital Readmission in Patients ≥ 65 Years of Age: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND Delirium affects more than seven million hospitalized adults in the United States annually. However, its impact on postdischarge healthcare utilization remains unclear. OBJECTIVE To determine the association between delirium and 30-day hospital readmission. DESIGN A retrospective cohort study. SETTING A general community medical and surgical hospital. PATIENTS All adults who were at least 65 years old, without a history of delirium or alcohol-related delirium, and were hospitalized from September 2010 to March 2015. MEASUREMENTS The patients deemed at risk for or displaying symptoms of delirium were screened by nurses using the Confusion Assessment Method with a followup by a staff psychiatrist for a subset of screen-positive patients. Patients with delirium confirmed by a staff psychiatrist were compared with those without delirium. The primary outcome was the 30-day readmission rate. The secondary outcomes included emergency department (ED) visits 30 days postdischarge, mortality during hospitalization and 30 days postdischarge, and discharge location. RESULTS The cohort included 718 delirious patients and 7,927 nondelirious patients. Using an unweighted multivariable logistic regression, delirium was determined to be significantly associated with the increased odds of readmission within 30 days of discharge (odds ratio (OR): 2.60; 95% CI, 1.96-3.44; P < .0001). Delirium was also significantly (P < .0001) associated with ED visits within 30 days postdischarge (OR: 2.18; 95% CI: 1.77-2.69) and discharge to a facility (OR: 2.52; 95% CI: 2.09-3.01). CONCLUSIONS Delirium is a significant predictor of hospital readmission, ED visits, and discharge to a location other than home. Delirious patients should be targeted to reduce postdischarge healthcare utilization.
Essay on Reliability Index, Probabilistic Interpretation of Safety Factor, and Convex Models of Uncertainty

This paper represents a brief review of the concepts of the reliability of structures. Some closed form solutions, as well as approximate methods are elucidated. Different attempts to describe probabilistically the so-called “safety factor” are described and some instructive counter-examples are given. High sensitivity exhibited by the reliability of the structure is documented in a model structure. The same structure is also analyzed on the basis of non-probabilistic, convex modelling. The latter is complementary to the probabilistic methods when only limited information is available on uncertain variables and functions.
A micromechanics based model to predict micro-crack coalescence in brittle materials under dynamic compression

Abstract Dynamic compressive failure of brittle materials follows a progression from micro-cracks initiating and growing at pre-existing material defects or flaws, to micro-crack coalescence, to comminution and full fragmentation. Current damage-based models are able to represent the dynamic growth of cracks, but they do not capture the effects of crack coalescence among the large populations of cracks that grow under high strain rate conditions. This paper proposes a probabilistically-based approach to incorporate micro-crack coalescence into constitutive models of dynamic brittle failure. The basic idea is to represent the full population of cracks by a set of representative cracks that evolve in both number and size, consistent with the underlying growth and coalescence of the crack population. Numerical examples show that considering coalescence has a significant effect on the predicted compressive peak stress in the material under uniaxial compression, in particular for lower strain rates and higher flaw density. The resulting constitutive model is also incorporated into a finite element model of a spherical impact test, which shows that adding coalescence to the constitutive model leads to an increased prediction of damage localization.
Multilingual Students and Language-as-a-Problem Oriented Educational Policies: A Study of Haitian-American Generation 1.5 Students’ School Language Experiences

School language policies shape the learning experiences of all students attending an educational institution, but they have a particularly strong and lasting impact on multilingual students. This q...
PTH induces bone loss via microbial-dependent expansion of intestinal TNF+ T cells and Th17 cells.

Bone loss is a frequent but not universal complication of hyperparathyroidism. Using antibiotic-treated or germ-free mice, we show that parathyroid hormone (PTH) only caused bone loss in mice whose microbiota was enriched by the Th17 cell-inducing taxa segmented filamentous bacteria (SFB). SFB+ microbiota enabled PTH to expand intestinal TNF+ T and Th17 cells and increase their S1P-receptor-1 mediated egress from the intestine and recruitment to the bone marrow (BM) that causes bone loss. CXCR3-mediated TNF+ T cell homing to the BM upregulated the Th17 chemoattractant CCL20, which recruited Th17 cells to the BM. This study reveals mechanisms for microbiota-mediated gut–bone crosstalk in mice models of hyperparathyroidism that may help predict its clinical course. Targeting the gut microbiota or T cell migration may represent therapeutic strategies for hyperparathyroidism. T cells are involved in the bone loss induced by parathyroid hormone (PTH), but their origin is unknown. Here, the authors show that the intestinal microbiota is required for PTH to induce bone loss and describes mechanisms for microbiota-mediated gut–bone crosstalk in mouse models of hyperparathyroidism.
Pattern of systemic antibiotic use among hospitalized patients in a general hospital in Saudi Arabia

Abstract Background The emergence of antimicrobial resistance of many bacteria is a significant drawback of antimicrobial use. A key measure to assess antimicrobial use is point prevalence study. Methods This was a point prevalence study of all hospitalized patients at Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare, a 350-bed hospital, and was conducted at two-points from January 2017 to January 2019. We recorded systemic antibiotic use and the indications as prophylactic, empiric, and definite therapy. Result Of the 489 hospitalized patients whom were included, 200 (40%) were on systemic antibiotics. Of the total antibiotic indications, 144 (72%) were empiric, 17 (8.5) were prophylactic antibiotics, and 39 (19.5%) were definite therapy, according to hospital guidelines. Most commonly used antibiotics were meropenem (18%), cefazolin (10%), and ceftriaxone (8%). Of included patients, 29.4% were on a single antibiotic, 10% recieved two antibiotics, and 1.4% were on three antibiotics. Of the patients receiving an antibiotic that could be given orally, only 41.4% received oral therapy. Conclusion A large percentage of patients were on empiric antimicrobial therapy and areas for further improvements in antimicrobial stewardship includes intravenous to oral switch, evaluating the need for combination therapy, restrictions, education and putting appropriate use guidelines.
Chapter 8 – IGBT Models

Models for the insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) are utilized for simulation of power circuit operation. A physics-based circuit model has been created for use with the SABER software for the symmetric blocking and asymmetric blocking IGBT structures. An electrothermal IGBT model has also been created to allow analysis of self-heating in the device during circuit operation.
Preparing Network Intrusion Detection Deep Learning Models with Minimal Data Using Adversarial Domain Adaptation

Recent work has shown that deep learning (DL) techniques are highly effective for assisting network intrusion detection systems (NIDS) in identifying malicious attacks on networks. Training DL classification models, however, requires vast amounts of labeled data which is often expensive and time-consuming to collect. Also, DL models trained using data from one type of network may not be able to identify attacks on other types of network or identify new families of attacks discovered over time. In this paper, we propose and evaluate the use of adversarial domain adaptation to address the problem of scarcity of labeled training data in a dataset by transferring knowledge gained from an existing network intrusion detection (NID) dataset. Our approach works for scenarios where the source and target datasets have same or different feature spaces. We demonstrate that our proposed approach can create highly accurate DL classification models even when the number of labeled samples in the target dataset is significantly small.
Data-Driven Corrections of Partial Lotka–Volterra Models

In many applications of interacting systems, we are only interested in the dynamic behavior of a subset of all possible active species. For example, this is true in combustion models (many transient chemical species are not of interest in a given reaction) and in epidemiological models (only certain subpopulations are consequential). Thus, it is common to use greatly reduced or partial models in which only the interactions among the species of interest are known. In this work, we explore the use of an embedded, sparse, and data-driven discrepancy operator to augment these partial interaction models. Preliminary results show that the model error caused by severe reductions—e.g., elimination of hundreds of terms—can be captured with sparse operators, built with only a small fraction of that number. The operator is embedded within the differential equations of the model, which allows the action of the operator to be interpretable. Moreover, it is constrained by available physical information and calibrated over many scenarios. These qualities of the discrepancy model—interpretability, physical consistency, and robustness to different scenarios—are intended to support reliable predictions under extrapolative conditions.
Review Trade: Everything Is Free in Incentivized Review Groups

Online reviews play a crucial role in the ecosystem of e-commerce business. To manipulate consumers’ opinions, some sellers of e-commerce platforms outsource opinion spamming with incentives (e.g., free products) in exchange for incentivized reviews. As incentives, by nature, are likely to drive more biased reviews or even fake reviews. Despite e-commerce platforms such as Amazon have taken initiatives to squash the incentivized review practice, sellers turn to various social networking platforms (e.g., Facebook) to outsource the incentivized reviews. The aggregation of sellers who request incentivized reviews and reviewers who seek incentives forms incentivized review groups. In this paper, we focus on the incentivized review groups in e-commerce platforms. We perform data collections from various social networking platforms, including Facebook, WeChat, and Douban. A measurement study of incentivized review groups is conducted with regards to group members, group activities, and products. To identify the incentivized review groups, we propose a new detection approach based on co-review graphs. Specifically, we employ the community detection method to find suspicious communities from co-review graphs. Also, we build a “gold standard” dataset from the data we collected, which contains the information of reviewers who belong to incentivized review groups. We utilize the “gold standard” dataset to evaluate the effectiveness of our detection approach.
Ito's Delight

Louise Ito examines option-pricing data from the Wall Street Journal. She wants to make sure that she understands the basic principles behind option pricing and examines whether these prices are consistent with respect to the effects of strike price and maturity. She also computes the intrinsic and the time value for each of the options and compares their relative magnitudes with what theory suggests. This case is taught during the first day in a two-day sequence of teaching the fundamentals of option pricing (second-day case: Ito's Dilemma UVA-F-1283). The teaching note includes a teaching plan of how to effectively teach this case and includes several examples that highlight the determinants of option pricing. Excerpt UVA-F-1333 Rev. Oct. 16, 2012 ITO'S DELIGHT Louise Ito was delighted to have received a copy of Brealey and Myers's textbook, Principles of Corporate Finance, as a gift for her 70th birthday. Her favorite nephew had enclosed a card with the book reading, “Aunt Louise, I think you will find chapter 20, on valuing options, to be of particular interest.” As she read through chapter 20, Ito's excitement grew along with her understanding of option-pricing principles. “It won't be long before I am buying and selling puts and calls on a daily basis,” thought Ito. “But before I go that far, maybe I should see if I can satisfactorily answer the review questions on concepts posed by my nephew. He says that if I can handle these questions, I will be well on my way to becoming an options trader!” 1. What is a call option? A put option? . . .
Efficient Distributed Training in Heterogeneous Mobile Networks with Active Sampling

Mobile edge computing is an emerging research topic which aims at pushing the computation from the cloud to the edge devices. Most of the current machine learning (ML) algorithms, such as federated learning, are designed for homogeneous mobile networks, that is, all the devices collect the same type of data. In this paper, we address distributed training of ML algorithms in heterogeneous mobile networks where the features, rather than the samples, are distributed across multiple heterogeneous mobile devices. Training ML models in heterogeneous mobile networks incurs a large communication cost due to the necessity to deliver the local data to a central server. Inspired by active learning, which is traditionally used to reduce the labeling cost for training ML models, we propose an active sampling method to reduce the communication cost of learning in heterogeneous mobile networks. Instead of sending all the local data, the proposed active sampling method identifies and sends only informative data from each device to the central server. Extensive experiments on four real datasets, both with numerical simulation and on a networked mobile system, show that the proposed method can reduce the communication cost by up to 53% and energy consumption by up to 67% without accuracy degradation compared with the conventional approaches.
Germplasm Collection, Genetic Resources, and Gene Pools in Alfalfa

Popular for its feed quality and benefits to the environment, alfalfa (Medica sativa L.) is the most economically important forage legume crop in the world. Most agricultural crops have plant genetic resource (PGR) collections that are conserved, with their use promoted by national and international genebanks. Large alfalfa germplasm collections are held, in the form of seed, in genebanks worldwide. These same genebanks also are responsible for many other cultivated species and alfalfa crop wild relatives (CWR) in the genus Medicago. Once acquired, these taxonomically diverse collections are actively managed, requiring ideal storage to promote longevity, regeneration activities to resupply viable seed, and sample duplicates to safeguard against loss. Extensible database software platforms continue to expand capabilities for maintaining fidelity and public access to accession-associated information. As resources and policies allow, PGR are distributed to stakeholders (e.g., plant breeders) in public, non-profit, and private research sectors. Many of the PGR have been extensively characterized and evaluated for important phenotypic, agronomic, and genetic traits. As many of the alfalfa and other Medicago spp. collections are too large to evaluate at once, subsets of representative genetically distinct accessions (i.e., core collections) have been established and evaluated. Data generated in characterizations and evaluations are often linked to accessions and continue to expand, helping users identify useful germplasm. Although difficult to assess because alfalfa and many Medicago spp. accessions are often heterozygous outcrossing polypoid populations, comprehensive genetic diversity has been described for some of the larger collections. Diversity and accession numbers for CWR collection holdings are much lower, although the potential value in introgressing key traits from germplasm in these genepools has been shown. In the United States, early plant germplasm introductions played important roles in breeding modern alfalfa cultivars. Many of these traits (e.g., cold adaptation and biotic/abiotic resistance) have contributed to expanded growing areas and sustainable production. Historically, the production of alfalfa and other Medicago spp. forages has benefited from the diversity conserved in PGR collections. Continued access to these critical Medicago spp., PGR will only be secure if committed support from stakeholder communities endures.
Adhesive performance of cottonseed protein modified by catechol-containing compounds

Cottonseed protein has been shown to have promising adhesive properties as an eco-friendly and effective polymeric wood adhesive. In this work, we adopted the biomimetic concept from mussel adhesio...
PTN Clock Synchronization Technology and Its Applications

Clock synchronization is an important issue in Packet Transport Networking(PTN).Current clock synchronization technologies include synchronous Ethernet,IEEE 1588v2,and Network Time Protocol(NTP).However,challenges such as clock ring and difficulty tracing and counting nodes have arisen in Synchronous Ethernet standard Synchronization Status Message(SSM) algorithm.ZTE therefore proposes using an extended SSM algorithm.In time synchronization,the accuracy of NTP cannot meet the needs of telecommunication networks,and only using 1588v2 slows convergence time.The precision for time delay is easily affected when the network is heavily loaded.ZTE proposes a 1588v2 scheme based on synchronous Ethernet in order to effectively raise the precision of PTN time synchronization.
7 – Field orientation

Publisher Summary This chapter begins with a review of the conditions of production and control of torque in the DC motor. Principles of the field orientation in the induction motor are introduced and the direct and indirect field orientation schemes utilizing the rotor flux vector are presented in the chapter. In adjustable-speed drives with direct field orientation along the rotor flux vector, this vector is determined from direct measurements or estimations of the air-gap flux. The chapter describes stator and air-gap flux orientation systems. The chapter finally explains the control of stator current in field-oriented motors fed from current source inverters. The concept of field orientation, proposed by Hasse in 1969 and Blaschke in 1972, constitutes the most important paradigm in the theory and practice of control of induction motors. In essence, the objective of field orientation is to make the induction motor emulate the separately excited DC machine as a source of adjustable torque.
The utilization of vocational rehabilitation services in substance abuse treatment facilities in the U.S.

Unemployment and underemployment are major issues for persons with substance abuse and addiction concerns. The failure to address these issues can have substantial negative effects on the ability of such individuals to attain and maintain sobriety. Preliminary research indicates that the provision of vocational rehabilitation (VR) services can aid substance abusers not only in attaining competitive employment, but also in maintaining a substance free lifestyle. Despite this fact, early indications suggest that few substance abuse treatment facilities provide VR to clients. The present study assessed the use of VR services and the training and VR related credentials of clinical staff members in a nationally representative sample of 159 substance abuse treatment facilities. Results indicate that few of these substance abuse treatment facilities provide VR to their clients, have staff members equipped to provide such services, or actively refer clients to outside VR agencies. Given the extreme need for VR by persons with substance abuse concerns, these are issues that must be addressed by both substance abuse treatment and VR service providers.
Scamming the poor: The modern fringe economy

Abstract Because of the difficulty in securing traditional forms of credit, the poor are often driven into the fringe economy for check cashing, bill paying and short-term loans. These services involve high user fees and exorbitant interest rates that rival or even exceed those for illegal loan sharking. Fringe lending businesses function as a legal and virtually unregulated form of predatory loan-sharking. They neither offer nor promote savings-based financial products that build assets and increase household wealth. The predictable outcome is the depletion of the income and assets of low-income families and communities. Because many poor clients are vulnerable to fringe market lenders, social workers need to understand this market to better assist the poor in finding and developing alternative forms of borrowing. This article will explore the rapidly growing fringe economy and examine strategies to help curb the drain of income and assets from low-income communities.
Susceptibility of Paulownia elongata to Agrobacterium and production of transgenic calli and hairy roots by in vitro inoculation

Susceptibility of Paulownia elongata S.Y. Hu (princess tree) to Agrobacterium tumefaciens and A. rhizogenes was demonstrated by inoculating in vitro shoots. Shoots had a gall formation frequency of ≥83% when inoculated with any of three A. tumefaciens strains (542, A281, or C58). Timing of gall appearance and type of callus proliferation differed among A. tumefaciens strains. Rapidly proliferating callus was produced from explants that were inoculated with A. tumefaciens. Hairy roots were produced directly from wound sites on 33% of shoots inoculated with A. rhizogenes strain R1601. Rapidly growing detached roots were produced from explants that were inoculated with A. rhizogenes. Opine analyses demonstrated the expression of foreign genes in proliferating galls/hairy roots shortly after emergence from wound sites and in callus and roots after 12 weeks of in vitro culture. Southern analyses demonstrated the presence of tDNA in long-term callus and root cultures.
Insulin signaling and copper homeostasis are functionally linked in 3T3-L1 adipocytes (992.2)

Copper is an essential element for human growth and development. Abnormal copper metabolism is associated with severe and potentially lethal disorders. Previous studies of copper misbalance in the ...
Future of functional genomics of Histoplasma capsulatum.

This chapter describes (i) the previous use of functional genomics in Histoplasma capsulatum, (ii) the current status of genome-sequencing projects for this organism, (iii) potential annotation of the genome by using tiling microarrays, and (iv) future uses of functional genomics to dissect H. capsulatum biology. Researcher generated a shotgun genomic DNA microarray for H. capsulatum even though very little sequence information was available for this organism at the time. Differentially expressed genes can be categorized based on the function of their BLAST homologs in other organisms. Future gene expression profiling experiments using mutants that are trapped in a particular morphology independent of temperature may distinguish morphology-regulated genes from temperature-regulated genes. Functional genomics, through the use of wholegenome microarrays and related technologies, will open up genome-wide experimental approaches for the study of many aspects of the biology of H. capsulatum. Functional genomics can also be used to identify potential virulence factors by subjecting H. capsulatum to environmental conditions that mimic those experienced during infection. Functional genomics identifies candidate genes and suggests function. To ascertain the true function of a particular gene, further examination and experimentation is necessary. A number of molecular genetic techniques are available for H. capsulatum in order to explore the role of genes identified through functional genomic screens. In addition, comparative genomic analysis of H. capsulatum and other fungi will contribute to our understanding of the diversity of the fungal kingdom.
General Theory of Optimal Hankel-Norm Approximation

In the previous chapter we have studied in some detail the AAK theorem for the special case where the given Hankel matrix Γ has finite rank. An elementary proof of the theorem under this assumption was given, and an application of the result to the problem of system reduction has also been illustrated. In this chapter, we will study the general AAK theory, see AAK [1971], where the Hankel matrix Γ is not necessarily of finite rank and may not even be compact. We will supply a proof in detail of the general theorem. In order to give an elementary exposition that requires as little knowledge of linear operator theory as possible, our presentation is rather lengthy. As will be seen in the first section below, the solvability of the problem can be easily proved because it is easy to show that any given bounded Hankel matrix Γ has a best approximation from the set of Hankel operators with any specified finite rank. We remark, however, that one of the main contributions of the AAK theory is that an explicit closed-form solution to the problem is formulated. The derivation of this formulation is much more difficult and will contribute to the major portion of this chapter.
Abstract P4-05-04: MECP2 is a frequently amplified oncogene and potential therapeutic target in TNBC

Background: To identify new oncogenes that drive cancer development, we conducted an unbiased genome-scale screen for genes that can substitute for activated RAS in oncogenic transformation. We focused attention on one of the new potential oncogenes identified in this screen, Methyl CpG Binding Protein 2 (MECP2), which has no previously described role in malignancy and is amplified across ∼20% of all human cancers, and ∼30% of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC). MECP2 is an X-linked gene known to bind methylated cytosines, and can act as a transcriptional repressor in this context. Recent studies show that it also acts as a transcriptional activator, likely through binding to another epigenetic modification of DNA, 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC). Results: MECP2 is as potent as activated RAS in conferring anchorage independent growth upon primary human mammary epithelial cells (hMECs) previously transduced with the SV40 early region and hTERT (N−RAS hMECs). MECP2 partially rescues the growth inhibition of RAS-addicted human cancer cell lines after the shRNA-mediated suppression of RAS. MECP2 expresses two spliced isoforms; experiments showed the short isoform activates the MAPK pathway, while the long isoform activates the PI3K pathway. Neither isoform alone can cause growth of N−RAS hMECs as a xenograft in nude mice; together, they can. The transformation and growth factor pathway induction activities of MECP2 absolutely require its DNA-binding activity. A number of TNBC cell lines have amplified, overexpressed MECP2, and of the first 13 TNBC patient-derived xenografts examined, 4 have MECP2 overexpression. Several TNBC cell lines that have amplified, overexpressed MECP2 show significant growth inhibition after shRNA-mediated downregulation of MECP2 (MECP2 addiction), while a breast cancer cell line without MECP2 overexpression showed no such inhibition. N−RAS hMECs transformed with MECP2 are an order of magnitude more sensitive to either of the DNA methylation inhibitors 5-azacytidine or decitabine than isogenic cells transformed by activated RAS, or isogenic cells without an additional transforming gene. Further, we find that combined treatment with the DNA methylation inhibitor 5-azacytidine and the HDAC inhibitor Trichostatin A is synergistic in our hMEC experimental system. Conclusion: MECP2 is a commonly amplified and overexpressed oncogene whose two splicing isoforms together recapitulate the major oncogenic functions of activated RAS. Because MECP2 requires DNA binding to methylated or hydroxymethylated cytosines for its tumor-promoting activities, DNA methylation inhibition with FDA-approved drugs may be therapeutic for tumors overexpressing MECP2. Citation Format: Daniel P Silver, Manish Neupane, Allison P Clark, Marc Vidal, David E Hill. MECP2 is a frequently amplified oncogene and potential therapeutic target in TNBC [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Thirty-Seventh Annual CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium: 2014 Dec 9-13; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(9 Suppl):Abstract nr P4-05-04.
Hsp70-protein complexes: Their characterization by size-exclusion HPLC

Publisher Summary Size exclusion chromatography (SEC)-HPLC in combination with SDS-PAGE is a very useful technique for the determination of complex stoichiometry. This chapter discusses the application of SEC-HPLC to the determination of Stokes radii and the stoichiometry of hsp70-protein complexes. Among the most intensively studied, molecular chaperones are the heat shock proteins of 70 kDa molecular mass, hsp70. These proteins are known to bind small peptides and unfolded proteins, and they play an important role in the prevention of protein misfolding and aggregation in vivo. SEC-HPLC on silica-based columns is a fast and versatile technique for the characterization of complexes between molecular chaperones and substrate proteins. The technique provides an invaluable tool for a rapid determination of their hydrodynamic properties, and in combination with SDS-PAGE, can be used to determine the stoichiometry of such complexes. However, one limitation is the fact that SEC-HPLC can be applied only to the study of stable complexes— that is, complexes that will not dissociate significantly during the chromatographic run.
Magnetic fields in the photosphere are not force-free

Abstract Coronal magnetic fields are often inferred from the extrapolation of photospheric magnetic observations. The assumptions that the fields are potential or force-free are not correct in the photosphere. Therefore the extrapolation should be done by a method that accounts for this problem.
Perceptual organization using Bayesian networks

It is shown that the formalism of Bayesian networks provides an elegant solution, in a probabilistic framework, to the problem of integrating top-down and bottom-up visual processes as well serving as a knowledge base. The formalism is modified to handle spatial data and thus extends the applicability of Bayesian networks to visual processing. The modified form is called the perceptual inference network (PIN). The theoretical background of a PIN is presented, and its viability is demonstrated in the context of perceptual organization. The PIN imparts an active inferential and integrating nature to perceptual organization. >
Simulating care: technology-mediated learning in twenty-first century nursing education.

PROBLEM. The increased reliance on simulation classrooms has proven successful in learning skills. Questions persist concerning the ability of technology-driven robotic devices to form and cultivate caring behaviors, or sufficiently develop interactive nurse–client communication necessary in the context of nursing. METHODS. This article examines the disconnects created by use of simulation technology in nursing education, raising the question: “Can learning of caring-as-being, be facilitated in simulation classrooms?” FINDINGS. We propose that unless time is spent with human beings in the earliest stages of nursing education, transpersonal caring relationships do not have space to develop. Learning, crafting, and maturation of caring behaviors threatens to become a serendipitous event or is no longer perceived as an essential characteristic of nursing. CONCLUSIONS. Technology does not negate caring–the isolation it fosters makes transpersonal caring all the more important. We are called to create a new paradigm for nursing education that merges Nightingale's vision with technology's promise.
Polyamine profiles and growth properties of ornithine decarboxylase overexpressing MCF-7 breast cancer cells in culture

To determine the direct influence of the polyamine (PA) pathway on breast cancer phenotype, we employed a transfection approach to induce overexpression of the PA biosynthetic enzyme ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) in the hormone-responsive MCF-7 breast cancer cell line. Using a modified calcium phosphate method and an ODC cDNA coding for a truncated and more stable enzyme, we were able to achieve a moderate to marked degree of ODC overexpression (up to 150-fold) in a transient transfection system. ODC-overexpressing MCF-7 cells exhibited a selective increase in cellular putrescine content, while the levels of spermidine and spermine remained unaffected. Under defined culture conditions, overexpression of ODC resulted in a consistent but modest increase in [3H]thymidine incorporation into DNA which was similar in the presence and absence of 17-beta-estradiol, TGF-alpha, and IGF-I. In the presence of serum, the effect of ODC overexpression on basal [3H]-thymidine incorporation into DNA was inconsistent, possibly as a result of subtle differences in culture conditions. Overall, our results support the hypothesis that activation of the PA biosynthetic pathway may confer a growth advantage to breast cancer cells.
Wet Clean Induce Pattern Collapse Mechanism Study

Pattern collapse phenomenon was first time observed in BEOL application with the integration of ultra low-k film scheme. With the dimension and pitch shrinkage, the pattern collapse defects are getting worse during wet clean process. In this study, the line collapse defects can be significantly reduced by adding surfactant solution to the rinse liquid. Moreover, higher aspect ratio (>4) will also deteriorate the collapse window. In addition, the kink or bowing trench profile will induce localized stress at the interface. Accordingly, optimization of both wet clean and dry etch process are the successful keys to solve line collapse issue toward future generation and beyond.
Modifying histones and initiating meiotic recombination; new answers to an old question.

Abstract It is well documented that the formation of the DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) that initiate meiotic recombination is influenced by chromatin and larger scale chromosome organization, but the molecular nature of this influence has remained elusive. Several recent studies, including Reddy and Villeneuve (2004)(this issue of Cell ), shed light on this issue by revealing roles for posttranslational histone modifications in promoting DSB formation.
Anorexia nervosa and body dysmorphic disorder: A comparison of body image concerns and explicit and implicit attractiveness beliefs

Although body image is central to the etiological models of anorexia nervosa and body dysmorphic disorder, studies comparing body image and beliefs about attractiveness between the disorders are rare. Sixty-nine individuals (anorexia nervosa: n=24, body dysmorphic disorder: n=23, healthy controls: n=22) completed self-report measures (body image and general psychopathology), diagnostic interviews, and Go/No-Go Association tasks measuring implicit associations. Compared to controls, both clinical groups exhibited greater negative body image, a more negative attitude toward their physical selves, and more dysfunctional coping strategies (ps<.001). Also, both clinical groups shared greater explicit beliefs about the importance of attractiveness (ps<.001). In addition to supporting previous research with regard to comparable body image disturbance, this study also showed that beliefs regarding the importance of appearance (e.g., "one must be attractive to be successful") might be a fruitful target for therapy across both disorders.
The use of solution adaptive grids in solving partial differential equations

The grid point distribution used in solving a partial differential equation using a numerical method has a substantial influence on the quality of the solution. An adaptive grid which adjusts as the solution changes provides the best results when the number of grid points available for use during the calculation is fixed. Basic concepts used in generating and applying adaptive grids are reviewed in this paper, and examples illustrating applications of these concepts are presented.
Verbal estimation, production, and reproduction of time intervals by type A individuals.

Summary.-The purpose of the study was to determine by means of the classical time-estimation procedures if Type A persons estimate the passage of time differently than Type B persons. 42 male undergraduates were classified Type A or Type B on the basis of the student's version of the Jenkins Activity Survey. Subjects were asked to estimate verbally, produce, and reproduce 8 and 17 sec. as well as estimate verbally 6.5 min. There were no significant differences between the two groups on the time estimations; compared to the standards the two groups performed similarly.
Inhalation Anesthetics, Carbon Dioxide and Glucose Transport Across Red Cell Membranes

SUMMARY The increase in permeability of human erythrocytes to glucose produced by carbon dioxide was confirmed. The effect of certain membrane inhibitors was studied. It was found that while mercuric chloride inhibited the effect of carbon dioxide, ouabain and butanol did not. Inhalation anesthetics in therapeutic concentrations were found to inhibit the stimulatory effect of carbon dioxide. It was concluded that while the means by which carbon dioxide stimulates glucose entry into red cells remains undefined, the inhibitory effect of anesthetics is not related to their ability to “stabilize” membranes, to their effects on energy-linked metabolic processes, or to their interactions with sulfhydryl or amino groups in cell membranes. The inhibitory effect of anesthetics on carbon dioxide-stimulated glucose entry is compatible with the hypothesis that they act as competitive penetrating inhibitors of glucose transport mechanisms in human red cell membranes. The depressant effect of anesthetics on carbon dioxide-induced increases in respiration resemble their depressant effects on carbon dioxide-induced increases in glucose transport. This raises the possibility that anesthetics have as a common property inhibition of normal responses to carbon dioxide, including responses other than those involving pulmonary ventilation.
High-temperature characterization of SiCN ceramics for wireless passive sensing applications up to 500°C

A novel technique is presented in this paper to precisely characterize silicon carbonitride (SiCN) ceramic materials at high temperatures for wireless passive sensing applications. This technique is based on a high quality (Q) factor resonator method, which allows accurate characterization of both dielectric constant and loss tangent. SiCN ceramic materials are measured from 50°C up to 500°C. It is observed that the dielectric constant of SiCN increases from 3.71 to 3.87, corresponding to a temperature range between 50 and 500°C. This temperature-dependent dielectric constant behavior provides the basis for the development of wireless passive temperature sensors in high-temperature applications.
Pivotal role of animal models in the development of new therapies for cytomegalovirus infections

Since human cytomegalovirus (CMV) is extremely species specific and does not replicate in experimental animal tissues, animal models for the evaluation of antiviral agents for these infections have utilized surrogate animal viruses including murine CMV, rat CMV and guinea pig CMV. Murine CMV and rat CMV infections in normal and immunocompromised animals provide models of disseminated infection and are ideal for screening of new agents. While guinea pig CMV infection in immunocompromised animals also provides a model for disseminated disease, the model for congenital CMV is unique among all the experimental models. While these models have played a major role in the development of ganciclovir, foscarnet and cidofovir, they do not provide information directly related to human CMV, nor are they useful for evaluation of agents that are active only against human CMV. The SCID-hu mouse models in which human tissue is infected with human CMV has been very useful in the development of new antiviral agents such as maribavir and cyclopropavir. Collectively these experimental CMV infections provide a variety of models representing various aspects of CMV infection in humans that are highly predictive for antiviral efficacy in humans.
Cardiac failure and patency of the ductus arteriosus in early infancy

Patent ductus arteriosus in infants under 1 year of age can lead to cardiac failure in the presence or in the absence of a high pulmonary vascular resistance, as exemplified by the findings in 2 infants 8 weeks and 5 months of age. Possible reasons for the development of pulmonary hypertension in one of these infants are discussed. It is suggested that chronic anoxia, resulting from postmaturity with associated placental dysfunction, might be an important etiologic factor in producing alterations of the pulmonary vessels.
The effect of mass loading on the temperature of a flowing plasma

How the addition of ions at rest (mass loading) affects the temperature of a flowing plasma in a MHD approximation is investigated, using analytic theory and time dependent, three-dimensional MHD simulations of plasma flow past Io. The MHD equations show that the temperature can increase or decrease relative to the background, depending on the local sonic Mach number M(S), of the flow. For flows with M(S) of greater than sq rt 9/5 (when gamma = 5/3), mass loading increases the plasma temperature. However, the simulations show a nonlinear response to the addition of mass. If the mass loading rate is large enough, the temperature increase may be smaller than expected, or the temperature may actually decrease, because a large mass loading rate slows the flow and decreases the thermal energy of the newly created plasma.
Optical computation using residue arithmetic

Using residue arithmetic it is possible to perform additions, subtractions, multiplications, and polynomial evaluation without the necessity for carry operations. Calculations can, therefore, be performed in a fully parallel manner. Several different optical methods for performing residue arithmetic operations are described. A possible combination of such methods to form a matrix vector multiplier is considered. The potential advantages of optics in performing these kinds of operations are discussed.
The Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire--form E: experimental norms for mentally retarded adults.

Form E of the Sixteen Personality Factors Questionnaire (16 PF—E) was administered to 286 adults (168 men, 118 women) who resided in public facilities for the mentally retarded. Based on each subje...
Reaction ClO + ClO → products: Modeling and parameterization for use in atmospheric models

The interaction of two ClO radicals is important in the Antarctic stratosphere. Current models assume a single ClOOCl product and use the parameters suggested in the NASA/JPL or IUPAC compilations to describe the rate constant as a function of temperature and pressure (in air). It has been noted that these parameters suggest an inordinately high energy transfer efficiency and perhaps a somewhat high negative temperature dependence at the high pressure limit. Recent potential energy surface calculations reveal the possibility of the formation of ClOClO. In this study RRKM/master equation modeling of this surface was performed. Rational input parameters confirm that the formation of ClOClO in 10–15% yields may be important, but they do not conform with the shape and temperature dependence of the data. The simplest best representation of the extant data remains the single channel NASA/JPL format with parameters k0 (cm6 molecules−2 s−1) = 1.6 × 10−32 (T/300)−4.5 and k (cm3 molecules−1 s−1) = 2.0 × 10−12 (T/300)−2.4. However, the data can be represented as the sum of the two pathways as well. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 35: 206–211, 2003
Performance of high resolution decoding with Multi-Anode Microchannel Array detectors

The multi-anode microchannel array (MAMA) is a microchannel plate based photon counting detector with applications in ground-based and space-based astronomy. The detector electronics decode the position of each photon event, and the decoding algorithm that associates a given event with the appropriate pixel is determined by the geometry of the anode array. The standard MAMA detector has a spatial resolution set by the anode array of 25 microns, but the MCP pore resolution exceeds this. The performance of a new algorithm that halves the pixel spacing and improves the pixel spatial resolution is described. The new algorithm does not degrade the pulse-pair resolution of the detector and does not require any modifications to the detector tube. Measurements of the detector's response demonstrate that high resolution decoding yields a 60% enhancement in spatial resolution. Measurements of the performance of the high resolution algorithm with a 14 micron MAMA detector are also described. The parameters that control high resolution performance are discussed. Results of the application of high resolution decoding to speckle interferometry are presented.© (1993) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Intrapartum management of multifetal pregnancies

Over the past several decades advances in assisted-reproductive technologies have resulted in a dramatic increase in the number of multifetal gestations. Concomitant with this increase there has been a gradual rise in the overall preterm birth rate, as well as other pregnancy complications related to these pregnancies. Twin, triplet, and other high-order multifetal gestation pregnancies pose a number of important issues related to antepartum and intrapartum management. Antepartum issues include ultrasound determination of zygosity, management and prevention of preterm labor, maternal/fetal surveillance for complications, and specific interventions focused on prevention of adverse maternal and/or fetal outcomes. Intrapartum issues include those related to timing of delivery, labor management, anesthesia options, and determination of an optimal delivery modality. Clearly, these issues related to the management of multifetal pregnancies are of paramount importance to optimize pregnancy outcome. As many of the issues related to antepartum care for women with multifetal gestations have been reviewed elsewhere, we have restricted the focus of this article to intrapartum management. Thus, this article reviews salient issues related to the intrapartum management of multifetal gestations, including twins, triplets, and other high-order pregnancies.