cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
In Vitro Research Tools in the Field of Human Immediate Drug Hypersensitivity and Their Present Use in Small Animal Veterinary Medicine

Drug hypersensitivity reactions (DHR) are immune-mediated idiosyncratic adverse drug events. Type I DHR are often referred to as "immediate" and involve B lymphocyte-secreted IgE that bind to the membrane of basophils and mast cells, inducing their degranulation. This review presents various in vitro tests that were developed in the field of human type I HS and implemented as clinical diagnostic tools in human cases of immediate DHR. The respective strengths and weaknesses of each test will be discussed in parallel of validation data such as specificity and sensitivity whenever available. Some of them have also been used as diagnostic tools in veterinary medicine, but not in cases of immediate DHR. Most of these diagnostic tools can be categorized into humoral and cellular tests. The former tests measure serum concentrations of factors, such as histamine, tryptase, and drug-specific IgE. The latter assays quantify markers of drug-induced basophil activation or drug-specific lymphocyte proliferation. Pharmacogenetic markers have also been investigated in immediate DHR, but not as extensively as in non-immediate ones. Throughout, practical aspects and limitations of the tests, as well as sensitivity and specificity parameters, will be presented. In addition, the experience of veterinary medicine with these diagnostic tools will be summarized. However, to date, none of them has ever been reported in a veterinary case of type I DHR.
These aren't the autonomous drones you're looking for: investigating privacy concerns through concept videos

Regulators and privacy advocates increasingly demand that privacy be protected through the technical design of products and services, as well as through organizational procedures and policies. Privacy research by computer scientists and engineers are producing insights and techniques that empower a new professional in the technology sector---the privacy engineer. Despite great enthusiasm for this approach, there has been little effort to explore if and how this new direction in privacy protection is influencing the design of products. Understanding how design is being used to protect privacy requires analysis of sociotechnical systems, not de-contextualized technical artifacts. We analyze how privacy concerns in public policy debates about drones are raised and addressed in two concept videos from 2013 and 2015 developed by Amazon that depict fictional scenarios involving its future automated drone package delivery service. Drawing on design and communications methods we find that the concept videos reveal increased attention over time to privacy concerns. Our findings offer some evidence that privacy concerns are influencing Amazon's product and service design. Representations about the service offered in the 2015 video shape consumer expectations about how it addresses privacy concerns. While the videos reviewed do not represent an existing product, we discuss the shifting role such concept videos might play when Amazon's drone delivery service comes to market. As consumer facing representations of product functionality, concept videos, like other public statements, if misleading could form the basis of a deceptive statements claim by the Federal Trade Commission or state consumer protection agency. Finally, reflecting on our review, we suggest that concept videos are a useful tool for engaging regulators and other stakeholders in contextually specific considerations of when and how to enlist product and system design to protect privacy.
Cold Hard E-Cash: Friends and Vendors in the Venmo Digital Payments System

For millions around the globe, digital payment apps such as Venmo are replacing cash as the preferred method of payment between friends and vendors. Apps like Venmo bring a unique blend of convenience and social interactions into financial transactions. In this paper, we study the role of social relationships in the adoption of the Venmo digital payment system. We collect records of all 91 million public transactions conducted on Venmo since its introduction, a social graph connecting most of its 10.5 million users, and analyze the interplay between social relationships and financial transactions. We find that Venmo communities are very densely connected compared to other interaction networks, and are often driven by specific niche applications. We are able to extract both user-to-user and user-to-vendor transaction communities, and show that they exhibit dramatically different structural properties.
The Clinician as Leader: Why, How, and When

Clinicians are inveterate leaders. We lead patients through the difficult maze of illness, families through the travails of ill loved ones, and physicians-in-training through the gauntlet of learning medicine. Yet, in the context of a range of leadership styles that effective leaders must be able to deploy situationally, physician leaders have traditionally defaulted to a "command and control" style that fosters the concept of physicians as "Viking warriors" or "heroic lone healers." The perverse effects of "command and control" are that this style conspires against collaboration and tends to be perpetuated as aspiring leaders emulate their predecessors. Because healthcare faces challenges of cost, access, and quality and is in the throes of change, the current landscape requires effective leadership. Though still relatively uncommon among healthcare organizations, frontrunner organizations are offering leadership development programs. The design of such programs requires clarity about requisite leadership competencies and about how and when to best to deliver such curricula. As one example, the American Thoracic Society has launched its Emerging Leaders Program (ELP), which is currently offering a leadership development curriculum to 18 selected emerging leaders. The ATS ELP curriculum focuses on awareness of self and system and incorporates highly participatory sessions on emotional intelligence, teambuilding, change management, situational leadership, appreciative inquiry, process and quality improvement, strategic planning, and organizational culture. Short-term deliverables are the development and presentation of business plans for innovations proposed by the group. Hoped for longer-term outcomes include an enhanced leadership pipeline for global respiratory health.
A mobile brain-body imaging dataset recorded during treadmill walking with a brain-computer interface

We present a mobile brain-body imaging (MoBI) dataset acquired during treadmill walking in a brain-computer interface (BCI) task. The data were collected from eight healthy subjects, each having three identical trials. Each trial consisted of three conditions: standing, treadmill walking, and treadmill walking with a closed-loop BCI. During the BCI condition, subjects used their brain activity to control a virtual avatar on a screen to walk in real-time. Robust procedures were designed to record lower limb joint angles (bilateral hip, knee, and ankle) using goniometers synchronized with 60-channel scalp electroencephalography (EEG). Additionally, electrooculogram (EOG), EEG electrodes impedance, and digitized EEG channel locations were acquired to aid artifact removal and EEG dipole-source localization. This dataset is unique in that it is the first published MoBI dataset recorded during walking. It is useful in addressing several important open research questions, such as how EEG is coupled with gait cycle during closed-loop BCI, how BCI influences neural activity during walking, and how a BCI decoder may be optimized.
Community Resources and Facilities for the Elderly Patient with Organic Mental Disease

Evaluating the elderly patient with organic symptoms on an interdisciplinary basis will allow formulation of a treatment plan which aims at maintaining a person in the community. Inaccurate diagnosis can lead to premature institutionalization. A variety of alternatives to institutional care have been developed over recent years.
Toward a new synthesis: of the God of Edom and Yahweh

This article deals primarily with two things: 1) the history and nature of the Edomite deity Qos, as far as these can be determined from the known archaeological and textual evidence, and 2) the similarities between Qos and Yahweh, the god of Israel, particularly in regard to the theories concerning the origins of the deities. Through the article I will consider some of the recent suggestions concerning the origin of Qos and how this may relate to the origin of Yahweh. I will suggest that both deities originated in the northwestern portion of the Arabian Peninsula and, that ultimately, the mutual origin of the deities accounts for the fact that the Bible makes no reference to Qos as the god of Edom.
Autonomous and Self-Sufficient CONRO Modules for Reconfigurable Robots

The goal of the Conro project is to build deployable modular robots that can reconfigure into different shapes such as snakes or hexapods. In this paper we present an overview of the first generation of the Conro modules. The modules are designed to work in groups, as part of a larger modular robot. Still, Each module is, itself, a complete autonomous and self-contained robot with its own processor, power supply, communication system, sensors and actuators. We conclude the paper by describing some of the robots that could be built using these modules.
Identity and Material Culture in the Later Prehistory of Central Europe

Examination of the archaeological evidence for the expression of identity in later European prehistory provides a new and promising approach to understanding change in this period. New views of the role of material culture in the communication of meanings, of the nature of identity, and of agency in the past provide a useful framework for approaching the evidence. Analysis of patterns of sameness and difference in style and decoration of manufactured objects indicates how people used their material culture to structure and to communicate their identities—on the level of the individual, of groups such as families and residential communities, and of larger entities commonly referred to as ethnic groups. This approach offers insights that complement social and economic models of change in later prehistory.
Immunoglobulins and virus antibody titers: of past needs, current requirements, and future options.

Background Immunoglobulins (Igs) have been in clinical use for almost 70 years, and early on were also used in conjunction with exposure to the measles virus or polio virus. The US regulations that describe functional Ig lot release thus require the demonstration of minimum antibody titers against these two viruses, although the use of vaccines has now dramatically reduced their incidence. The lower clinical importance of these viruses raises the question of whether other virus antibodies might be more informative for patients with immunodeficiency. Study design and methods A literature survey was conducted to identify viruses of potential clinical concern for people with immunodeficiency. The viruses selected have stable seroepidemiology and associated functional antibody assays. As a result, neutralizing antibody titers to human adenovirus 5 (HAdV5), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) serotypes A and B, and human parainfluenza virus 3 (hPIV3) were determined in Ig lots produced from plasma collected in either the United States or the European Union. Results The virus antibody titers measured were high and consistent among the Ig lots tested. Use of either US- or EU-derived plasma as starting material resulted in equivalent virus antibody titers, with the exception of RSV serotype B, for which a lower titer was seen in EU plasma-derived Ig lots. Conclusion With the significant decline in measles virus and polio virus circulation, and even their potential eradication, measurement of antibody titers against other viruses in Ig products may be more informative for functional lot release testing.
Rapid-Play Games for Evaluating Future Technology.

We introduce the HIVELET (Human Interactive Virtual Experimentation for Low-burden Evaluation of Technology) approach that uses rapid-play digital games to collect quantitative and qualitative data on the effectiveness, acceptance, and impact of future and emerging technologies. The core principle is for the player to alternate between two modes: selecting candidate capabilities with a game theoretic limiting pressure, and executing a simulated mission using those selections in a virtual environment. Alternating between the two modes allows us to collect quantitative data on performance and preferences, improve the trustworthiness of qualitative feedback, and increase the chance of discovering novel uses. We report on preliminary results from applying the HIVELET in a military context.
TCTAP C-050 Primary PCI: Buy One and Get One Free

### Patient Initials or Identifier Number Mr. Y ### Relevant Clinical History and Physical Exam Mr. Y presented with chest pain for 4-5 hrs. he had a previous history of NSTEMI. He is a known the case of CKD and is on maintenance hemodialysis. On admission, he was hemodynamically stable and his
Factors Associated With Degree and Length of Recovery in Children With Mild and Complicated Mild Traumatic Brain Injury.

BACKGROUND A complicated mild traumatic brain injury (C-mTBI) is an mTBI with some form of intracranial abnormality identified radiographically. The lack of knowledge in recovery patterns and no clear guidelines on return to activity in children with C-mTBI provide unique challenges to physicians. OBJECTIVE To examine recovery patterns among three cohorts: mTBI, mTBI with skull fracture only (mTBI-SF), and C-mTBI via a cross-sectional survey. METHODS Caregivers of children with mTBI (from hospital database queries 2010-2013) were mailed a questionnaire on preinjury health, postinjury recovery, and activity patterns before and after injury. We examined degree (0-10 with 10 being complete recovery) and length (in months) of recovery in children with mTBI, and associations of potential risk factors to these variables. RESULTS Of the 1777 surveyed, a total of 285 complete responses were analyzed for this study. Data included 175 (61.4%) children with mTBI, 33 (11.6%) children with mTBI-SF, and 77 (27.0%) children with C-mTBI. Older age and C-mTBI (vs mTBI) were significantly associated with a lower degree and longer period of recovery (P < .05). Predicted probabilities of complete recovery for children with mTBI, those with mTBI-SF, and those with C-mTBI were 65.5%, 52.7%, and 40.0%, respectively. Predicted probabilities of not yet completely recovered after more than a year since injury for these groups were 11.3%, 24.4%, and 37.6%, respectively. CONCLUSION These results demonstrate significant differences in children with different forms of mTBI, and argue for further investigation of treatment plans individualized for each form of mTBI.
Specific egress directives enhance print and speech fire warnings

Despite its importance, research examining the effectiveness of different egress warnings in fire emergencies has been sparse. This research examines language-based warnings presented visually in Experiment 1 and spoken format in Experiment 2 on their rated suitability as fire egress warnings. Two types of phrases were manipulated: egress immediacy and egress directives. Phrase ordering was also varied. Both experiments demonstrated a minimal fire warning without egress information is perceived less acceptable than warnings with egress information. The warnings rated as most acceptable contained egress directives indicating how to evacuate safely and that it should be done quickly. Furthermore, analyses on warning length revealed longer, specific warnings were rated higher than shorter warnings. However, data in Experiment 2 suggested the longest statements were rated lower than ones that were somewhat shorter. Results are discussed in terms of application to fire emergency warnings and general warning issues in emergencies.
Interference between the atmospheric and solar oscillation amplitudes

We propose to detect the interference effect between the atmospheric-scale and solar-scale waves of neutrino oscillation, one of the key consequences of the three-generation structure of leptons. In vacuum, we show that there is a natural and general way of decomposing the oscillation amplitude into these two oscillation modes. The nature of the interference is cleanest in the ${\overline{\ensuremath{\nu}}}_{e}$ disappearance channel, since it is free from the $CP$ phase $\ensuremath{\delta}$. We find that the upcoming JUNO experiment offers an ideal setting to observe this interference with more than $4\ensuremath{\sigma}$ significance, even under conservative assumptions about the systematic uncertainties. Finally, we discuss the relationship between the mass-ordering resolution and the interference effect.
Liquid biopsies for the diagnosis and surveillance of primary pediatric central nervous system tumors: a review for practicing neurosurgeons.

Objective Primary brain tumors are the most common cause of cancer-related deaths in children and pose difficult questions for the treating physician regarding issues such as the risk/benefit of performing a biopsy, the accuracy of monitoring methods, and the availability of prognostic indicators. It has been recently shown that tumor-specific DNA and proteins can be successfully isolated in liquid biopsies, and it may be possible to exploit this potential as a particularly useful tool for the clinician in addressing these issues. Methods A review of the current literature was conducted by searching PubMed and Scopus. MeSH terms for the search included "liquid biopsy," "brain," "tumor," and "pediatrics" in all fields. Articles were reviewed to identify the type of brain tumor involved, the method of tumor DNA/protein analysis, and the potential clinical utility. All articles involving primary studies of pediatric brain tumors were included, but reviews were excluded. Results The successful isolation of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), extracellular vesicles, and tumor-specific proteins from liquid biopsies has been consistently demonstrated. This most commonly occurs through CSF analysis, but it has also been successfully demonstrated using plasma and urine samples. Tumor-related gene mutations and alterations in protein expression are identifiable and, in some cases, have been correlated to specific neoplasms. The quantity of ctDNA isolated also appears to have a direct relationship with tumor progression and response to treatment. Conclusions The use of liquid biopsies for the diagnosis and monitoring of primary pediatric brain tumors is a foreseeable possibility, as the requisite developmental steps have largely been demonstrated. Increasingly advanced molecular methods are being developed to improve the identification of tumor subtypes and tumor grades, and they may offer a method for monitoring treatment response. These minimally invasive markers will likely be used in the clinical treatment of pediatric brain tumors in the future.
Can Treadmill Slip-Perturbation Training Reduce Longer-Term Fall Risk Upon Overground Slip Exposure?

The purpose was to examine and compare the longer-term generalization between 2 different practice dosages for a single-session treadmill slip-perturbation training when reexposed to an overground slip 6 months later. A total of 45 older adults were conveniently assigned to either 24 or 40 slip-like treadmill perturbation trials or a third control group. Overground slips were given immediately after initial training, and at 6 months after initial training in order to examine immediate and longer-term effects. The performance (center of mass stability and vertical limb support) and fall percentage from the laboratory-induced overground slips (at initial posttraining and at 6 mo) were measured and compared between groups. Both treadmill slip-perturbation groups showed immediate generalization at the initial posttraining test and longer-term generalization at the 6-month retest. The higher-practice-dosage group performed significantly better than the control group (P .05). A single session of treadmill slip-perturbation training showed a positive effect for reducing older adults' fall risk for laboratory-induced overground slips. A higher-practice dosage of treadmill slip perturbations could be more beneficial for further reducing fall risk.
Multi-agent Deep FBSDE Representation For Large Scale Stochastic Differential Games

In this paper we present a deep learning framework for solving large-scale multi-agent non-cooperative stochastic games using fictitious play. The Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman (HJB) PDE associated with each agent is reformulated into a set of Forward-Backward Stochastic Differential Equations (FBSDEs) and solved via forward sampling on a suitably defined neural network architecture. Decision-making in multi-agent systems suffers from the curse of dimensionality and strategy degeneration as the number of agents and time horizon increase. We propose a novel Deep FBSDE controller framework which is shown to outperform the current state-of-the-art deep fictitious play algorithm on a high dimensional inter-bank lending/borrowing problem. More importantly, our approach mitigates the curse of many agents and reduces computational and memory complexity, allowing us to scale up to 1,000 agents in simulation, a scale which, to the best of our knowledge, represents a new state of the art. Finally, we showcase the framework's applicability in robotics on a belief-space autonomous racing problem.
Remote Learning in School Bands During the COVID-19 Shutdown

The global pandemic caused by the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) in spring 2020 resulted in schools moving to remote learning (RL) models for the remainder of the academic year. The purpose of this s...
Virtual Environments for Education in Healthcare

Virtual reality can be used as an alternative simulation environment for immersive and engaging problem-based learning scenarios. In this chapter, the authors specifically discuss computer-based virtual reality (VR) simulation, though many and varied peripheral devices might be used to access the virtual environment. The chapter begins with an introduction to virtual reality as a teaching strategy for healthcare education, including a brief summary of supportive learning theory. Several advantages of VR simulation will be pointed out and some of the caveats in virtual scenario development. The chapter will conclude with a practical approach to the development of case-based learning in a virtual environment and place the approach within the broader institutional and extramural context.
Courts Creating Courts: Problems of Judicial Institutional Self-Design

With prospects for reform of the federal judiciary growing, a critical—but overlooked—issue is the extent to which judicial branch actors can and ought to be recipients of congressional grants of power to reshape the federal court system? Existing law recognizes limited discretion for judicial institutional self-design; judicial reform may introduce more substantial examples. Yet the underpinnings of the practice remain unexamined, both doctrinally and normatively. This Article fills that gap. Doctrinally, congressional delegation of power on Article III actors to create courts (and layers of judicial review) raises serious constitutional questions. First, the Constitution authorizes only Congress to create lower Article III courts and legislative courts. Second, the nondelegation doctrine may raise a separate hurdle, to extent that Congress conveys on the judiciary discretion that is not limited by an intelligible principle. Third, vesting judicial self-institutional control in Article III actors may conflict with Supreme Court precedent limiting the types of authority that Congress can delegate to the judiciary. Subconstitutionally, the statutory power and status of judicially-created tribunals are muddled: It is unclear under current law whether such tribunals have the powers to issue writs of mandamus, to issue local court rules, and to allow litigants to proceed in forma pauperis. These issues can and should be clarified by amending the relevant statutes. Beyond the doctrinal, there are several normative issues with empowering courts to create tribunals. Courts are ill-suited to make well-informed judgments about the desirability of a new tribunal. Moreover, the decision whether to create a new tribunal might involve displacing some of the jurisdiction of existing judges. It seems instead that administrative actors within the judiciary are better suited to such tasks than are courts.
Verifying Determinism in Sequential Programs

When a program is nondeterministic, it is difficult to test and debug. Nondeterminism occurs even in sequential programs: e.g., by iterating over the elements of a hash table. We have created a type system that expresses determinism specifications in a program. The key ideas in the type system are type qualifiers for nondeterminism, order-nondeterminism, and determinism; type well-formedness rules to restrict collection types; and enhancements to polymorphism that improve precision when analyzing collection operations. While state of-the-art nondeterminism detection tools rely on observing output from specific runs, our approach soundly verifies determinism at compile time. We implemented our type system for Java. Our type checker, the Determinism Checker, warns if a program is nondeterministic or verifies that the program is deterministic. In case studies of 90097 lines of code, the Determinism Checker found 87 previously-unknown nondeterminism errors, even in programs that had been heavily vetted by developers who were greatly concerned about nondeterminism errors. In experiments, the Determinism Checker found all of the non-concurrency-related nondeterminism that was found by state-of-the-art dynamic approaches for detecting flaky tests.
Continuous moderate intensity versus discontinuous high intensity treadmill running on anterior cruciate ligament laxity and hamstrings flexibility in eumenorrheic women.

Objective To differentiate running intensity and menstrual phase effects on knee stability before and after exercise. Methods Ten eumenorrheic aerobically trained females were recruited to determine effects of a randomized crossover design of exercise intensity (85%HRR vs 42.5%HRR) on anterior cruciate ligament laxity (APLAX) and hamstrings flexibility (HF). A KT-2000 arthrometer measured APLAX and a 90-90 supine knee extension (MKE) and sit-and-reach test (SRD) measured HF in follicular (FP) and luteal (LP) menstrual cycle phases. Results Significant difference pre-exercise was observed for both 90N and 120N APLAX in LP compared to FP. Exercise increased APLAX at 90N and 120N in both FP and LP with LP exhibiting larger changes than FP. MKE and SRD increased significantly following exercise but were not different across menstrual phases or between exercise intensities. Conclusion APLAX taken together with increased HF post-exercise demonstrates a less stable knee joint in the LP before and following exercise.
The Behavioral Toxicity of Insect Growth Disruptors on Apis mellifera Queen Care

As social insects, honey bees (Apis mellifera) rely on the coordinated performance of various behaviors to ensure that the needs of the colony are met. One of the most critical of these behaviors is the feeding and care of egg laying honey bee queens by non-fecund female worker attendants. These behaviors are crucial to honey bee reproduction and are known to be elicited by the queen’s pheromone blend. The degree to which workers respond to this blend can vary depending on their physiological status, but little is known regarding the impacts of developmental exposure to agrochemicals on this behavior. This work investigated how exposing workers during larval development to chronic sublethal doses of insect growth disruptors affected their development time, weight, longevity, and queen pheromone responsiveness as adult worker honey bees. Exposure to the juvenile hormone analogue pyriproxyfen consistently shortened the duration of pupation, and pyriproxyfen and diflubenzuron inconsistently reduced the survivorship of adult bees. Finally, pyriproxyfen and methoxyfenozide treated bees were found to be less responsive to queen pheromone relative to other treatment groups. Here, we describe these results and discuss their possible physiological underpinnings as well as their potential impacts on honey bee reproduction and colony performance.
HEMODOSE: A Biodosimetry Tool Based on Multi-type Blood Cell Counts.

Peripheral blood cell counts are important biomarkers of radiation exposure. In this work, a simplified compartmental modeling approach is applied to simulate the perturbation of the hematopoiesis system in humans after radiation exposure, and HemoDose software is reported to estimate individuals’ absorbed doses based on multi-type blood cell counts. Testing with patient data in some historical accidents indicates that either single or serial granulocyte, lymphocyte, leukocyte, and platelet counts after exposure can be robust indicators of the absorbed doses. In addition, such correlation exists not only in the early time window (1 or 2 d) but also in the late phase (up to 4 wk) after exposure, when the four types of cell counts are combined for analysis. These demonstrate the capability of HemoDose as a rapid point-of-care diagnostic or centralized high-throughput assay system for personnel exposed to unintended high doses of radiation, especially in large-scale nuclear/radiological disaster scenarios involving mass casualties.
Helicobacter pylori as a pathogenetic Factor in Peptic Ulcer — the Argument Against

Helicobacter (H.) pylori burst upon the scene (as Campylobacter pyloridis, later pylori) in 1983 and has already become the most rapidly moving area in the field of peptic ulcer disease. Most investigators now accept that H. pylori is the cause of chronic (type B) gastritis, even though a satisfactory animal model is not yet available. Where controversy remains, however, is whether H. pylori gastritis can produce gastrointestinal symptoms (i. e., nonulcer dyspepsia) or whether H. pylori gastritis is an important prerequisite to the development of peptic ulcers. If it were, then the approach to ulcer therapy would be drastically altered. Indeed, it is my perception that many investigators and clinicians, especially outside the United States, have accepted this role for H. pylori and are already treating ulcer patients with antimicrobial therapy. It is my contention that the available evidence to support the role of H. pylori as a pathogenetic factor in peptic ulcer is inadequate to justify the use of antimicrobials.
Escherichia coli heat-stable toxin receptors in human colonic tumors.

Abstract Background/Aims: Escherichia coli heat-stable enterotoxins (ST) are small peptides of 18 or 19 amino acids that bind to specific cell surface receptors located on the intestinal brush border and activate guanylate cyclase, resulting in an increase in the intracellular cyclic guanosine 3′,5′-monophosphate content of the cell. The present study examined whether receptors for ST are expressed by primary and metastatic human colonic tumors in vivo. Methods: Plasma membranes prepared from surgical tissue samples from normal colon, liver and lung, primary colonic adenocarcinomas, and colon carcinomas metastatic to lung and liver were analyzed for the structural and functional characteristics of constituent ST receptors. Results: All primary and metastatic colonic tumors examined bound ST, showing receptors of high (pmol/L) and low (nmol/L) affinity with densities that were similar to those in normal colon. Also, affinity cross-linking of labeled ST to membranes showed similar binding proteins in primary and metastatic tumors and normal colon. ST binding and affinity-labeled proteins were not detected in normal extraintestinal tissues. Guanylate cyclase was activated by ST in membranes from all colonic tumors studied, with efficacies and potencies that were similar to those in normal colon. ST did not activate this enzyme in normal extraintestinal tissues. Conclusions: Receptors for ST are expressed by primary and metastatic human colonic tumors in vivo, with structural and functional characteristics that are similar to those in normal human colon.
Design and complete definition of a systems programming language for data communications

execution of an INTERCOM program by the inter­ preter will consist cf transformations on the information structure represented by STATE. Hence, the state components require more formal definition which will now be given in VDL notation. Program names, identifiers, and labels will be associ­ ated with cell names (addresses) by the NAMES component. At any given time these components specify indices i, j, and k of the next unique names to be generated. The cell names are merely integers. Formally the syntax is IS-NAKES= ( , , )
The Post-Modern Foundation of Cognitive Linguistics

In most academic circles telling a colleague you think their work can be categorized as, “post-modern” would not elicit the most positive reaction. If asked to give a definition of what postmodernism is, the typical response is that the word is meaningless. Often characterized as being caught up in an irreverent whirlwind of obtuse logic and purposefully opaque language, public sentiment, at least among academics, is in no way flattering. I believe this stems from a fundamental misunderstanding of the potential post-modern thought has to help improve upon the ways we understand the very science people think it disregards. Through a brief history of thought I will show the progression of the main ideological tenets that lead to the discipline we have today named cognitive science. In this history I will show how the philosophy of science and the scientific method therein has helped formulate ever better theories of cognition progressing from structuralism to post-structuralism to post-modernism. Then through historical analysis of the failures in not taking into account some simply post-modern tendencies scientists have failed to identify an accurate portrayal of reality in favor of unknown and unacknowledged cognitive biases.
Quartz Crystal Microbalance Determination of Laser Photochemical Deposition Rates: Mechanism of Laser Photochemical Deposition From the Group 6 Hexacarbonyls

A quartz crystal microbalance has been used to measure the rates of focused uv laser-induced deposition from the Group 6 hexacarbonyls in real time. The experimental configuration employs acwuv laser beam focused onto the microbalance crystal surface at normal incidence to deposit material by decomposition of a metal complex vapor. Simple equations are given for determining absolute deposition rates in terms of the total mass deposited per unit time. Kinetic data obtained with this system have been used to study the mechanism of laser photodeposition from Cr(CO)e, Mo(CO)6, and W(CO)e induced by a frequency-doubled argon ion laser. The rate-determining deposition step involves condensation of products formed upon single-photon dissociation of the metal carbonyls in the gas phase. Additional observations indicate that the adsorbed photoproducts undergo further photo-initiated dissociation on the substrate surface.
On the Use of XML for Port Communications

Abstract In this paper we analyze and compare EDI and XML based communication between shipping lines, terminal operators, government agencies, trucking companies, rail operators and other agents at the example of the Los Angeles and Long Beach ports. We investigate the suitability of (1) XML/EDI, (2) EDIINT (Web EDI), (3) Collaboration EDI and (4) Web Services for use as communication platforms at the ports. Currently at the Los Angeles and Long Beach ports information is mostly shared in a bilateral manner. As a result we describe and recommend an approach where terminals share data with shipping lines/carriers, rail operators, trucking companies, truckers and government agencies using XML based Web Services. This approach allows agents to either make information accessible through a web browser or through direct computer system to computer system communication. In the latter approach the terminals computer system will function as an automated information clearing house that can provide up-to-date, real-time information to all interested and authorized parties. Web Services furthermore allow securing and authenticating this information, protecting its dissemination. We believe that this approach can lead to increased throughput at the ports and an increase in capacity.
Laser induced mass spectrometry: Ion formation processes and recent developments

Abstract A summary of the ion formation processes in laser mass spectrometry is presented. Particular emphasis is placed on the process of solid state chemical ionization. Recent results on the direct analysis of materials using LMS are also presented.
Earliest events in protein folding: Submicrosecond secondary structure formation in reduced cytochrome c

Protein folding is uniquely characterized as a dynamic process by the tremendous conformational heterogeneity of the unfolded state. This conformational heterogeneity implies the possibility of significant kinetic heterogeneity in the folding dynamics, yet many folding reactions appear to proceed homogeneously, i.e., from unfolded conformations that are in equilibrium with each other and a transition state. At what point in time on the way to the folded state the kinetic heterogeneity of the unfolded state is lost to conformational equilibration has been an open question. We present evidence in this regard obtained from nanosecond far-UV optical rotatory dispersion spectroscopy of the fastest folding process observed in photoreduced cytochrome c, a secondary structure formation process proceeding on a submicrosecond time scale at high denaturant concentration (observed as a "burst" phase in millisecond stopped-flow circular dichroism studies). The kinetics of this fast folding process imply that it proceeds from a conformational ensemble that is not in equilibrium with the bulk of protein conformers during the time required to completely reduce the sample, ∼100 μs. We thus determine a lower limit on the time required for conformational equilibration of ∼10 - 4 s, in agreement with the previous estimate from time-resolved magnetic circular dichroism measurements on photolyzed cytochrome c-CO (Goldbeck, R. A.; Thomas, Y. G.; Chen, E.; Esquerra, R. M.; Kliger, D. S. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 1999, 96, 2782-2787). Combined with an upper limit from stopped-flow measurements (Lyubovitsky, J. G.; Gray, H. B.; Winkler, J. R. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2002, 124, 5481-5485), this allows us to bracket the conformational diffusion time, i.e., the time interval over which the kinetic heterogeneity of this protein's unfolded state is lost through conformational equilibration, within the range ∼10 - 4 -10 - 3 s. This estimate of the conformational diffusion time implies that the earliest folding events, helix formation and possibly the collapse of extended conformations, proceed under an energy landscape regime wherein conformational diffusion is slow, whereas the final (milliseconds) folding phase proceeds along a classical kinetic pathway.
A spectrophotometric method for the determination of nickel

Abstract A photometric method for the determination of nickel using versene is described. Up to 20 mg of nickel can be determined with a maximum deviation of ± 0.10 mg. The effect of interfering elements, concentrations, accuracy and limitations of the method are discussed.
Managing Diversity: One Firm's Perspective

The efforts undertaken by Parsons Brinckerhoff in the area of diversity are summarized. Special attention is given to the pioneering work done by the Women’s Focus Group, which led to the formation of the Diversity Oversight Committee. The responsibility imposed on management to ensure that all employees have equal opportunities for advancement is discussed. In surveying the progress made, the importance of networking groups, mentoring, outreach efforts, training, and accountability is stressed.
Creation of a novel recuperative pain medicine service to optimize postoperative analgesia and enhance patient satisfaction.

Many patients have difficulty with pain control after transition from patient-controlled analgesia modalities to oral analgesics. The creation of a Recuperative Pain Medicine (RPM) service was intended to bridge this gap in pain management at the Hospital for Special Surgery. Specific goals were to improve patient and staff satisfaction with management of postoperative oral analgesics by improving clinical care, administrative policies, and patient and staff education. Primary outcome measures for improved satisfaction were Press Ganey surveys and staff surveys. From inception in Aug 2007 to Dec 2008, RPM has seen 6,305 patients for discharge planning and education and 997 patients for pain management consultation. Administrative and educational accomplishments have included creation of a patient “Helpline” for emergent phone questions regarding postdischarge home pain medications, a policy for prescribing pain medications for home discharge, patient education booklets, a pain management webpage on the Hospital for Special Surgery website, and direct education of staff. Press Ganey measurements of patient satisfaction increased from 87th percentile up to the 99th percentile among peer institutions since the implementation of RPM. Staff satisfaction was 92% positive regarding the RPM service’s function and patient management. An RPM appears to be an effective means to optimize postoperative pain management after transition off patient-controlled analgesia devices. Further research is needed to ascertain the exact cost–benefit and potential impact on postoperative quality-of-life measurements.
Nicotinic receptor binding sites in rat primary neuronal cells in culture: characterization and their regulation by chronic nicotine.

We have characterized high affinity neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors labeled by []cytisine in primary neuronal cell cultures from fetal rat brains. After 15 days in culture, the highest density of []cytisine binding sites (Bmax≈57 fmol/mg protein) was found in cells from the brainstem, which includes the following subcortical brain areas: the septum, thalamus, hypothalamus, midbrain, pons and medulla. A lower density of sites was found in cells from the cerebral cortex, hippocampus, and caudate nucleus. []Cytisine binds to receptors in primary cells from the brainstem and cerebral cortex with a Kd of ≈0.5 nM, and the binding is inhibited by the agonists nicotine, acetylcholine, and epibatidine with IC50 values of 1 to 20 nM, and by carbachol and the antagonist dihydro-β-erythroidine with IC50 values of 0.5 to 1.5 μM. Chronic treatment of neuronal cultures with nicotine for 7 days differentially affected the number of nicotinic receptors in cells from different brain areas; it significantly increased the number of nicotinic binding sites in cells from the cerebral cortex, hippocampus, and caudate, but not in cells from the brainstem. The nicotine-induced increase of receptors in cerebral cortical cultures was not blocked by either mecamylamine or dihydro-β-erythroidine. These results indicate that primary cultures of rat neuronal cells provide a good model system in which to study and compare the properties and regulation of native neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors.
Tfb6, a previously unidentified subunit of the general transcription factor TFIIH, facilitates dissociation of Ssl2 helicase after transcription initiation

General transcription factor TFIIH, previously described as a 10-subunit complex, is essential for transcription and DNA repair. An eleventh subunit now identified, termed Tfb6, exhibits 45% sequence similarity to human nuclear mRNA export factor 5. Tfb6 dissociates from TFIIH as a heterodimer with the Ssl2 subunit, a DNA helicase that drives promoter melting for the initiation of transcription. Tfb6 does not, however, dissociate Ssl2 from TFIIH in the context of a fully assembled transcription preinitiation complex. Our findings suggest a dynamic state of Ssl2, allowing its engagement in multiple cellular processes.
Communication apprehension and the basic public speaking course: A national survey of in‐class treatment techniques

For many instructors of the basic public speaking course deciding when and how to treat students with communication apprehension (CA) is a problem they must deal with each semester. A national survey was conducted to determine what methods instructors of the basic public speaking course are using to treat CA. The results indicated that instructors are treating apprehensive students during their regular class time by concentrating on a skills training approach to teach the necessary speaking skills, by creating a supportive and positive classroom environment, by recognizing students' CA as normal, and by teaching techniques that help students handle feelings of apprehension.
Chloride channel blockade relaxes airway smooth muscle and potentiates relaxation by β-agonists.

Severe bronchospasm refractory to β-agonists continues to cause significant morbidity and mortality in asthmatic patients. We questioned whether chloride channels/transporters are novel targets for...
Early season remote sensing of wheat nitrogen status using a green scanning laser

Abstract In-season, spatially variable nitrogen (N) fertilizer applications in agricultural systems can help to maximize crop N use efficiency and minimize N losses via hydrological leaching, runoff, and atmospheric volatilization. N fertilizer management often relies upon measurements of crop spectral reflectance using ground-based optical on-the-go sensors or hand-held chlorophyll meters. However, soil background reflectance can confound on-the-go sensing, especially during early crop growth stages, and hand-held chlorophyll meters are impractical for spatially explicit mapping at the field scale. Scanning laser technology is available that measures the intensity of the reflected laser light plus height information within a mm-scale ground instantaneous field of view at a very high sampling rate (up to 50,000 points s −1 in this study). We examined the ability to quantify foliar N status of spring wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.) using a green (532 nm) terrestrial laser scanner during an early stem extension growth stage (Zadoks growth stage 3.2). Laser data were processed by (1) removing soil background returns based on laser-determined height information, (2) standardizing green laser intensity based on white-reference panel readings, and (3) filtering noisy laser returns from leaf edges based on a laser return intensity threshold value. The return intensity of the reflected green laser light more accurately ( r 2 = 0.68, RMSE = 0.30 μg g −1 ) predicted foliar N concentration than conventional chlorophyll meter readings ( r 2 = 0.36, RMSE = 0.41 μg g −1 ) and spectral indices measured by a ground optical on-the-go sensor ( r 2 0.39 μg g −1 ). The results indicate that laser scanners are useful for measuring the N status of wheat during early growth stages, and provide justification for incorporating laser scanner based measurements into developing spatially-explicit estimates of foliar N during this critical growth period. Further research is needed to evaluate the operational practicality of a green scanning laser from a moving platform.
Changes in the Electronic Properties of Si Nanocrystals as a Function of Particle Size

X-ray absorption and photoemission spectra have been used to measure the band edges of silicon nanocrystals with average diameters ranging from 1 to 5nm. We compare the experimentally measured band edges to recent electronic structure calculations and find that the experimentally measured band gap is smaller than that predicted by theory. {copyright} {ital 1998} {ital The American Physical Society}