cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Simple Automated Determination of Serum or Plasma Glucose by a Hexokinase/Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase Method

A simple, fast, efficient, and accurate automated method is described for determining the quantity of glucose in 50 µl of serum or plasma. A hexokinase/glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase reaction requiring incubation at room temperature is used. The method is specific for glucose, and is not affected by increased concentrations of endogenous chemical substances in uremic sera or by several common drugs that interfere with other glucose methods. Results of parallel assays, in which glucose oxidase and o -toluidine are used, are compared.
Cost-effectiveness analysis of alternative cooling strategies following cardiac arrest

Using survival and neurologic outcome as endpoints , this study explored the incremental cost effectiveness of three mutually exclusive cooling strategies employed after resuscitated out-of-hospital cardiac arrests. Economic analysis based on retrospective data collection and Markov modeling. Modeling based on patients housed in a tertiary ICU setting. Patients >18 years following resuscitation from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Therapeutic cooling vs. conventional care. Using societal-based analytic decision modeling with a lifetime study horizon, incremental cost effectiveness ratios (ICERs) for blanket, peritoneal lavage, and V–V ECMO cooling strategies were compared with conventional care. Comprehensive cost data were obtained from available literature, national and local databases; health utility data were abstracted from previous publications and converted to quality-adjusted life years (QALYs)/person and stratified by neurologic outcome state. Future costs were discounted using a standard 3% discount rate. Cooling blankets produced better overall health outcomes at a lower cost than conventional care and V–V ECMO. Peritoneal lavage added an additional 0.67 QALYs at an ICER of $58,329/QALY. Monte-Carlo simulations incorporating uncertainty in all parameters showed that peritoneal lavage was 70% likely to be the preferred, cost-effective therapy if one were willing to pay (WTP) $100,000/QALY. This analysis suggests that blankets are the most cost effective cooling strategy for post-ROSC therapeutic hypothermia, with peritoneal lavage as an acceptable alternative at higher WTP thresholds. Though uncertainty about the optimal therapy could be reduced with additional research, these results can inform policy-makers and healthcare providers about cost effectiveness of alternative cooling modalities designed to improve neurologic outcome for this expanding patient population. This may be particularly relevant as societal-based cost effectiveness analyses become more widely incorporated into studies evaluating treatment for frequently encountered diseases.
The Minimum Requirements Technique of Estimating Exports: A Further Evaluation

The purpose of this paper is to provide further evaluation of the minimum requirements technique for estimating local export activity in economic base studies, and to present an application that seems to be free of most criticisms of the technique. The application is to estimate the sales of certain goods and services to tourists in metropolitan areas.1 The location quotient does not yield reliable estimates of exports to tourists. The argument of this paper is that minimum requirements yields better estimates of exports to tourists, but yields less reliable estimates of exports of goods than does the proper use of the location quotient. The bulk of the paper deals with the application of minimum requirements to estimating export sales to tourists.
H+ Ion Transport and Energy Transduction in Chloroplasts

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses with H+ ion transport and energy transduction in chloroplasts. Energy conversion by a series of reactions is carried out in the chloroplast, mitochondria, and bacterial membrane systems. Electron transfer agents are spatially arranged in the membrane to vectorially transfer protons, leading to a proton-motive force in the proton electrochemical potential gradient. The proton gradient is hypothesized to be dissipated through a reversible ATPase. The chapter discusses the possible ways for energy storage and exchange that may occur during changes in macromolecular polyelectrolyte conformation. Conformational changes, indicating possible approaches that may suitably worked out; provide some quantitative ways to treat energy conversion in polyelectrolyte systems. The chemical hypothesis attempts to relate electron transfer potential directly to group transfer potential via “high energy” forms of the electron carriers, particularly, the b cytochromes and cytochrome a 3 gives a clear discussion of the energetic relationship between the respiratory chain and the ATP synthesizing mechanism of the chemical hypothesis. Polymers can undergo reversible conformational changes in an amorphous or liquid state, or during a transition from the liquid to the crystalline phase. Measuring entropy changes in a complex system can be approached in two ways, one utilizing the temperature dependence of rate constants and the other from knowledge of the statistical probability of polymer configurations. Entropy changes are not the only factor involved in free-energy changes of a polyelectrolyte system interacting with its surroundings. The electrostatic free energy of a polyelectrolyte molecule changes with the degree of deformation or stretch.
Implementation of a Vital Signs Skills Programme at a US School of Pharmacy: A Mechanism to Assess Competency for First-Year Student Pharmacists

Context: Vital signs skills should be emphasized in US pharmacy curricula. However, there is no standard method for teaching these skills. Programme: A 3 - hour vital signs skills education programme for first professional year students was provided. After the programme, students completed a survey and demonstrated in an assessment manual blood pressure skills on a programmable mannequin arm. Competence in manual blood pressure assessment was evaluated with the mannequin and associations between confidence, experience, and training with performance were determined. Evaluation: Most students correctly identified the pre - programmed blood pressure on the mannequin within two attempts (102/120, 85%). Most students were confident in their ability to measure blood pressure (98/117, 83.7%). The likelihood of passing trended towards a lower probability of passing among students reporting greater confidence, training, and experience. Implementation. Develop an observed structured clinical exam as an alternative means to verify student competence in blood pressure assessment after participating in a 3 - hour skills programme.
Tropospheric and Stratospheric Precursors to the January 2013 Sudden Stratospheric Warming

AbstractThis paper investigates the tropospheric and stratospheric precursors to a major sudden stratospheric warming (SSW) that began on 6 January 2013. Using the Climate Forecast System Reanalysis dataset, the analysis identified two distinct decelerations of the 10-hPa zonal mean zonal wind at 65°N in December in addition to the major SSW, which occurred on 6 January 2013 when the 10-hPa zonal mean zonal wind at 65°N reversed from westerly to easterly. The analysis shows that the two precursor events preconditioned the stratosphere for the SSW.Analysis of the tropospheric state in the days leading to the precursor events and the major SSW suggests that high-latitude tropospheric blocks occurred in the days prior to the two December deceleration events, but not in the days prior to the SSW. A detailed wave activity flux (WAF) analysis suggests that the tropospheric blocking prior to the two December deceleration events contributed to an anomalously positive 40-day-average 100-hPa zonal mean meridional e...
Correlation of Effects of General Anesthetics on Somatosensory Neurons in the Primate Thalamus and Cortical EEG Power

Dougherty, P. M., Y. J. Li, F. A. Lenz, L. Rowland, and S. Mittman. Correlation of effects of general anesthetics on somatosensory neurons in the primate thalamus and cortical EEG power. J. Neuroph...
On the Work to Fill a Water Tank

In a second semester calculus class, a problem arose in which one had to compute the work required to fill a cylindrical water tank from a water source below the tank through a filler pipe at the bottom of the tank (Figure 1). See [1, p. 426] for a similar problem. The typical solution (Figure 2) is to divide the water in the tank into (infinitely) thin horizontal slices and compute the work to lift each slice of water into place (as though it was a solid). In particular, the work to lift a slice of water of thickness dy to the level y units above the base of the tank is (wn R2 dy)(y + a), where w is the weight density of water. Therefore, the total work required is fh0(wrr R2(y + a)) dy. After we did the problem, a student asked essentially: "In computing the work to lift the slice of water, we said that the force was the weight of the slice of water. Isn't it true that as the tank fills up, the force at the top of the filler pipe becomes greater which means that it takes more work to fill slices of the tank as the water level rises?" I am sure that he was not the first person to have raised this question. My explanations why eorem 1, we assumed that g( )/x is bound d near 0. This assumption rules , for example, g(x) = -Jx. Th orem 1 is ctu lly a special case o the following e general theorem. The proof s similar to that given before.
Resistance of Cucurbits to Twospotted Spider Mite

Plant introduction lines of Cucumis spp. were screened in the greenhouse for resistance to Tetranychus urticae Koch by visual assessment of injury. Selected lines and cultivars were tested in the laboratory for further characterization of resistance using detached leaf culture. The high resistance found in C. africanus lines was apparently attributable to both antibiosis and nonpreference. The moderate resistance of 2 lines of C. anguria and one of C. longipes was considered to be due to nonpreference and plant tolerance. The latter form of resistance probably exists in lines of C. ficifolius , C. melo , and C. leptodermis . C. sativus ‘SMR-58’, and C. melo ‘Iroquois’ were highly susceptible to T. urticae .
Sour taste increases swallowing and prolongs hemodynamic responses in the cortical swallowing network

A sour bolus increased the frequency of swallowing to a greater degree than water and sweet stimuli. Using functional near-infrared spectroscopy, there were no differences in early hemodynamic resp...
Advertising Relevance: Categorization and a Case for Scale Development

Some advertising studies have used various conceptualizations of relevance, but no study has yet comprehensively investigated and applied a theoretical aspect of relevance to visuals in advertising. This research addresses a need for the ability to measure relevance when it occurs through pairing of visuals and products in advertising.
Race and Place: Race Relations in Detroit, 1968–1992

“All of America's major cities are on greased skids,” one urban analyst has said. “What differentiates one from another is the angle of descent. You may slow the descent but unless there's a major shift in public policy, America will lose all its major cities” (quoted in Russakoff, 1994: 9). Once the industrial heart of the nation, Detroit is a city whose angle of descent has been steep, and whose probability of loss remains great. In this chapter we review that angle of descent in light of historical national patterns of residential segregation. RACE IN DETROIT In 1990, Detroit had 777,000 African American residents, more than any other city except New York and Chicago (O'Hare and Frey, 1992). It had the highest proportion of blacks of any major American city, with Atlanta, Washington, and New Orleans lagging considerably behind. It was also one of the most residentially segregated cities in the nation (Farley and Frey, 1994) and one where residential segregation had not significantly decreased, although it was not totally immune to the national trend toward declining segregation in the workplace and public facilities. The population of Detroit peaked at approximately 2½ million residents in the mid-1950s, a decade when the auto industry boomed. By 1990, Detroit's population was less than 1 million, whereas its suburbs had swollen to 3 million people as a result of the tidal wave of whites that washed to the suburbs during the 1960s and 1970s.
Structure in the excitation functions of the /sup 12/C(/sup 12/C,/sup 10/B) and /sup 12/C(/sup 12/C,/sup 11/B) reactions

The one- and two-nucleon transfer reactions $^{12}\mathrm{C}$($^{12}\mathrm{C}$,$^{11}\mathrm{B}$)$^{13}\mathrm{N}$ and $^{12}\mathrm{C}$($^{12}\mathrm{C}$,$^{10}\mathrm{B}$)$^{14}\mathrm{N}$ have been studied in the energy range of the $^{12}\mathrm{C}$ + $^{12}\mathrm{C}$ gross structure resonances in a search for related phenomena. Resonances are observed which are correlated with those seen in $^{12}\mathrm{C}$ + $^{12}\mathrm{C}$ inelastic scattering. Using Coulomb wave functions to estimate barrier penetrabilities, it is found that the reduced partial widths of the nucleon transfer channels are comparable to those of the inelastic channels.
Neutron-Activatable Nanoparticles for Intraperitoneal Radiation Therapy

Intraperitoneal internal radiation therapy is a cancer treatment option that is employed in situations where surgical resection, systemic chemotherapy, and external beam radiotherapy are not amenable for patients. However, exposure of noncancerous tissues to radiation continues to be a hindrance to safe and effective treatment of patients. In addition, reducing prolonged radiation exposure of personnel during preparation of internal radiation therapy agents makes their manufacture complicated and hazardous. Developments in nanotechnology have provided a platform for targeted treatments that combine dual imaging and treatment capabilities all in one package, while also being robust enough to withstand the intense stresses faced during neutron activation. Here, we describe a method for synthesizing neutron activatable mesoporous silica nanoparticles for use in radiotherapy of metastatic peritoneal cancers while limiting personal exposure to radioactive materials, limiting the leakage of radioactive isotopes caused by nanoparticle degradation during neutron activation, and increasing cancer tissue specificity of radiation.
Prolegomenon for a Holonomic Brain Theory

“Before the connection of thought and brain can be explained, it must be stated in elementary form; and there are great difficulties about stating it. … Many would find relief at this point in celebrating the mystery of the unknowable and the “awe” which we should feel. … It may be constitutional infirmity, but I can take no comfort in such devices for making a luxury of intellectual defeat. … Better live on the ragged edge, better gnaw the file forever!” (James, 1950 pp. 177–179)
A seismic reflection from isotropic-fractured fluid-saturated layer

ABSTRACT Average elastic properties of a fluid‐saturated fractured rock are discussed in association with the extremely slow and dispersive Krauklis wave propagation within individual fractures. The presence of the Krauklis wave increases P‐wave velocity dispersion and attenuation with decreasing frequency. Different laws (exponential, power, fractal, and gamma laws) of distribution of the fracture length within the rock show more velocity dispersion and attenuation of the P‐wave for greater fracture density, particularly at low seismic frequencies. The results exhibit a remarkable difference in the P‐wave reflection coefficient for frequency and angular dependency from the fractured layer in comparison with the homogeneous layer. The biggest variation in behaviour of the reflection coefficient versus incident angle is observed at low seismic frequencies. The proposed approach and results of calculations allow an interpretation of abnormal velocity dispersion, high attenuation, and special behaviour of reflection coefficients versus frequency and angle of incidence as the indicators of fractures.
A Critical Study of Agglomerated Multigrid Methods for Diffusion

Agglomerated multigrid techniques used in unstructured-grid methods are studied critically for a model problem representative of laminar diffusion in the incompressible limit. The studied target-grid discretizations and discretizations used on agglomerated grids are typical of current node-centered formulations. Agglomerated multigrid convergence rates are presented using a range of two- and three-dimensional randomly perturbed unstructured grids for simple geometries with isotropic and highly stretched grids. Two agglomeration techniques are used within an overall topology-preserving agglomeration framework. The results show that multigrid with an inconsistent coarse-grid scheme using only the edge terms (also referred to in the literature as a thin-layer formulation) provides considerable speedup over single-grid methods but its convergence deteriorates on finer grids. Multigrid with a Galerkin coarse-grid discretization using piecewise-constant prolongation and a heuristic correction factor is slower and also grid-dependent. In contrast, grid-independent convergence rates are demonstrated for multigrid with consistent coarse-grid discretizations. Actual cycle results are verified using quantitative analysis methods in which parts of the cycle are replaced by their idealized counterparts.
Recognition of mixed-sequence DNA using double-stranded probes with interstrand zipper arrangements of O2'-triphenylene- and coronene-functionalized RNA monomers.

Development of hybridization-based probes that enable recognition of specific mixed-sequence double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) regions is of considerable interest due to their potential applications in molecular biology, biotechnology, and medicine. We have recently demonstrated that nucleic acid duplexes with +1 interstrand zipper arrangements of intercalator-functionalized nucleotides such as 2′-O-(pyren-1-yl)methyl RNA monomers are inherently activated for recognition of mixed-sequence dsDNA targets, including chromosomal DNA. In the present work, we follow up on our previous structure–activity relationship studies and explore if the dsDNA-recognition efficiency of these so-called Invader probes can be improved by using larger intercalators than pyrene. Oligodeoxyribonucleotides modified with 2′-O-(triphenylen-2-yl)methyl-uridine monomer X and 2′-O-(coronen-1-yl)methyl-uridine monomer Z form extraordinarily stabilized duplexes with complementary DNA (ΔTm's per modification of up to 13 °C and 20 °C, respectively). Invader probes based on X- and Z-monomers are shown to recognize model dsDNA targets with exceptional binding specificity, but are less efficient than reference probes modified with 2′-O-(pyren-1-yl)methyl-uridine monomer Y. The insight from this study will inform further optimization of Invader probes.
A Noninvasive Optical Probe for Detecting Electrical Signals in Silicon IC’s

We report using a 1.3µm(silicon-sub-bandgap) optical probing system to detect electrical signals in silicon integrated circuits. Free carriers within integrated active devices perturb the index of refraction of the material, and we have used a Nomarski interferometer to sense this perturbation. Typical charge-density modulation in active devices produces a substantial index perturbation, and because of this, we have used an InGaAsP semiconductor laser to experimentally observe real-time 0.8V digital signals applied to a bipolar transistor. These signals were detected with a signal-to-noise ratio of 20dB in a system detection bandwidth of over 200MHz.
Massive nodular melanoma: A case report

Melanoma is the sixth most common cancer in the United States, and its incidence rates are currently increasing faster than for any other cancer. Nodular melanoma often carries a poor prognosis because of local invasion and early distant metastasis. Herein, we report a case of the largest primary melanoma in the current literature, along with the management strategy of a primary tumor of this magnitude.
A introduction to explanation-based learning

Publisher Summary This chapter presents an introduction to explanation-based learning (EBL). EBL is best viewed as a kind of learning from observation. It allows a system to acquire general knowledge through an analysis of a few specific episodes. Background knowledge plays a crucial role in the analysis process. In large part, the background knowledge substitutes for the massive training sets needed in traditional machine learning. It is convenient, though not necessary, to view EBL in the context of problem solving or, more precisely, learning about problem solving. The chapter presents an intuitive appreciation for EBL. It presents the comparison between EBL and similarity-based learning. The chapter discusses the various types of EBL generalization and presents several formalisms that have been advanced to handle some small fraction of them. It presents a historical account of EBL development and a discussion of a few of the important outstanding research issues.
RBD in adults under 50 years old

RBD occurring in adults younger than age 50 is called “early-onset” RBD. Early-onset RBD occurs more equally in men and women and is less frequently secondary to neurodegenerative diseases, compared to typical RBD. Rather, early-onset RBD occurs in relatively greater association with antidepressant medications, narcolepsy, and parasomnia overlap disorder. Rare causes of early-onset secondary RBD, including autoimmune causes, are reviewed. Recommendations for clinical evaluation and management specific to early-onset RBD are also discussed.
Happiness, Meaning in Life, and PTSD Symptoms Among National Guard Personnel: A Multilevel Analysis

Protective factors associated with reductions in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have received much less empirical attention than risk factors for PTSD. Happiness and meaning in life are two protective factors that are inversely correlated with PTSD symptom severity, but research to date has primarily considered associations at the participant level, ignoring group-level effects. As a result, little is known about how various characteristics of military units may impact military personnel exposed to traumatic and/or stressful life experiences. In a sample of 997 National Guard personnel assigned to 40 units, we examined associations among happiness, meaning in life, and PTSD symptoms at both the participant and unit level using multilevel modeling. Higher levels of happiness at both the participant and unit level significantly moderated the effect of lifetime trauma exposure with PTSD symptom severity. Meaning in life at both the participant and the unit levels were inversely correlated with PTSD symptom severity. Results suggest that service members tend to report less severe PTSD symptoms if they experience positive emotions more frequently, have a stronger sense of purpose, and are assigned to units with higher levels of happiness and meaning in life. This protective effect may be due to the “transfer” of positive cognitive–affective states from one unit member to another.
Strategies to minimize the influence of instrumental bias in neutron scattering

Abstract The influence of instrumental bias on neutron scattering measurements that involve a change between two experimental states is studied analytically and computationally. Different sources of bias were applied to an unperturbed (perfect) data stream. The influence of bias on the measurement was quantified and means to mitigate it is demonstrated. We find frequent changes of state are better than fewer, and evenly alternating between changes of state is often unwise.
Parent of origin differences in psychosocial burden and approach to BRCA risk management

We conducted a mixed-method study to examine coping response in BRCA+ women based on parent of origin (maternally vs paternally inherited BRCA mutation). Quantitative findings (n = 408) revealed paternally inherited cases had genetic testing later and were more likely to have a cancer diagnosis. Having a maternally inherited mutation was the strongest predictor of proactive risk management response. Qualitative interviews (n = 56) identified proactive responses among maternally inherited cases compared to reactive responses in paternally inherited cases. Findings underscore the importance of unbiased pedigree analysis to determine cancer risk. Women with paternally inherited BRCA mutations may benefit from additional psychosocial support.
Impulsive pile driving noise elicits alarm responses in squid (Doryteuthis pealeii).

Abstract Pile driving occurs during construction of marine platforms, including offshore windfarms, producing intense sounds that can adversely affect marine animals. We quantified how a commercially and economically important squid (Doryteuthis pealeii: Lesueur 1821) responded to pile driving sounds recorded from a windfarm installation within this species' habitat. Fifteen-minute portions of these sounds were played to 16 individual squid. A subset of animals (n = 11) received a second exposure after a 24-h rest period. Body pattern changes, inking, jetting, and startle responses were observed and nearly all squid exhibited at least one response. These responses occurred primarily during the first 8 impulses and diminished quickly, indicating potential rapid, short-term habituation. Similar response rates were seen 24-h later, suggesting squid re-sensitized to the noise. Increased tolerance of anti-predatory alarm responses may alter squids' ability to deter and evade predators. Noise exposure may also disrupt normal intraspecific communication and ecologically relevant responses to sound.
A Smartphone App to Manage Cirrhotic Ascites Among Outpatients: Feasibility Study

Background: Ascites is a common, painful, and serious complication of cirrhosis. Body weight is a reliable proxy for ascites volume; therefore, daily weight monitoring is recommended to optimize ascites management. Objective: This study aims to evaluate the feasibility of a smartphone app in facilitating outpatient ascites management. Methods: In this feasibility study, patients with cirrhotic ascites requiring active management were identified in both inpatient and outpatient settings. Patients were provided with a Bluetooth-connected scale, which transmitted weight data to a smartphone app and then via the internet to an electronic medical record (EMR). Weights were monitored every weekday. In the event of a weight change of ≥5 lbs in 1 week, patients were called and administered a short symptom questionnaire, and providers received an email alert. The primary outcomes of this study were the percentage of enrolled days during which weight data were successfully transmitted to an EMR and the percentage of weight alerts that prompted responses by the provider. Results: In this study, 25 patients were enrolled: 12 (48%) were male, and the mean age was 58 (SD 13; range 35-81) years. A total of 18 (72%) inpatients were enrolled. Weight data were successfully transmitted to an EMR during 71.2% (697/979) of the study enrollment days, with technology issues reported on 16.5% (162/979) of the days. Of a total of 79 weight change alerts fired, 41 (52%) were triggered by weight loss and 38 (48%) were by weight gain. Providers responded in some fashion to 66 (84%) of the weight alerts and intervened in response to 45 (57%) of the alerts, for example, by contacting the patient, scheduling clinic or paracentesis appointments, modifying the diuretic dose, or requesting a laboratory workup. Providers responded equally to weight increase and decrease alerts (P=.87). The staff called patients a mean of 3.7 (SD 3.5) times per patient, and the number of phone calls correlated with technology issues (r=0.60; P=.002). A total of 60% (15/25) of the patients chose to extend their participation beyond 30 days. A total of 17 patient readmissions occurred during the study period, with only 4 (24%) related to ascites. Conclusions: We demonstrated the feasibility of a smartphone app to facilitate the management of ascites and reported excellent rates of patient and provider engagement. This innovation could enable early therapeutic intervention, thereby decreasing the burden of morbidity and mortality among patients with cirrhosis.
Understanding the Fundamentals of the Texture and Tribofilm Evolution

Abstract Several manufacturing processes experience the interaction between and among mating surfaces under the boundary lubrication (BL) regime. Textures evolve as a result of these multi-parametric interactions where physical and chemical parameters play a significant role. This research studies texture as a dynamic process with an emphasis on physical and chemical textures during process progression. The evolution of textures under the presence of lubricating tribofilm is presented. Tribological tests were conducted using a pin-on-disc setup while laser microscopy, SEM, Raman, and FIB/TEM techniques were used for characterization. Results show that the re-organization of surface asperities dictates the formation and stabilization of surface-protective tribofilm in three distinct texture evolution regions driven by physical and chemical events.
Clinical Applications of Cold Atmospheric Plasma

The aim of this review chapter is to give a concise overview of clinical applications of plasma energy and future prospects for this promising modality.
Accelerated Development of Colloidal Nanomaterials Enabled by Modular Microfluidic Reactors: Toward Autonomous Robotic Experimentation

In recent years, microfluidic technologies have emerged as a powerful approach for the advanced synthesis and rapid optimization of various solution-processed nanomaterials, including semiconductor quantum dots and nanoplatelets, and metal plasmonic and reticular framework nanoparticles. These fluidic systems offer access to previously unattainable measurements and synthesis conditions at unparalleled efficiencies and sampling rates. Despite these advantages, microfluidic systems have yet to be extensively adopted by the colloidal nanomaterial community. To help bridge the gap, this progress report details the basic principles of microfluidic reactor design and performance, as well as the current state of online diagnostics and autonomous robotic experimentation strategies, toward the size, shape, and composition-controlled synthesis of various colloidal nanomaterials. By discussing the application of fluidic platforms in recent high-priority colloidal nanomaterial studies and their potential for integration with rapidly emerging artificial intelligence-based decision-making strategies, this report seeks to encourage interdisciplinary collaborations between microfluidic reactor engineers and colloidal nanomaterial chemists. Full convergence of these two research efforts offers significantly expedited and enhanced nanomaterial discovery, optimization, and manufacturing.
Silent word-reading fluency is strongly associated with orthotactic sensitivity among elementary school children.

Abstract Some written languages (the so-called “deep orthographies” such as English) have often unpredictable links to word sounds, making some written words difficult to associate with their spoken forms (i.e., to decode), thereby impeding comprehension. To read these languages efficiently for comprehension, readers require visual cues such as predictable spelling patterns (orthotactic conventions). Sensitivity to English orthotactic conventions (e.g., which letters are sometimes doubled, where configurations such as wh can typically be found in a word) was assessed in a cross-sectional sample of children (N = 271, ages 5–11 years) in kindergarten through Grade 5 using a word-likeness task. Orthotactic sensitivity was strongly correlated with silent word-reading fluency, an important reading skill used frequently in daily life to obtain information, and was modestly correlated with lexical spelling recognition. Among fluent decoders of predictable letter–sound relations, orthotactic sensitivity began to emerge prior to formal reading instruction and developed rapidly from kindergarten to Grade 2. About two thirds of dysfluent decoders (a proxy for dyslexia) demonstrated above-chance orthotactic sensitivity; however, their performance lagged behind that of fluent decoders through Grade 5. Orthotactic acquisition, possible reasons for impairment, and classroom implications are discussed.
Les Oeuvres complètes de Champlain: Edited by ÉRIC THIERRY. Québec, Septentrion Press. 2019. 2 vols., vol. 1, 584 pp., vol. 2, 702 pp., Maps, illustrations, bibliography and index. $49.95 (PB). ISBN 978-2-89791-039-6.

The past few years have seen a remarkable revival in studies of Samuel de Champlain, founder of French Canada. In the United States, Professor Hackett Fisher published Champlain’s Dream (2008), rev...
When We Became Americans (1946–1973)

This chapter explores the singularities of the United States world hegemony by contrasting it with the previous British one. The synergy between military might, economic power, and the American dream is explained and exemplified.
Rotary Motor ATPases

The preceding chapters offered an introduction to a selection of biophysical tools most commonly used in the elucidation of the structure and mechanism of biological macromolecules. The following chapter describes how some of these tools were applied—and new ones developed—to gain an understanding of the catalytic mechanism of a particular class of membrane-bound transport proteins, the rotary motor ATPases. Rotary motor ATPases are highly efficient molecular machines that function to interconvert chemical energy (in form of ATP) into the potential energy of transmembrane ion motive force, and vice versa. Energy conversion in the rotary ATPases involves rotation of a central subdomain (the rotor) relative to a static portion called the stator. Most rotary motor ATPases can function in both directions, which means that the enzyme can either pump ions across lipid membranes at the expense of ATP hydrolysis or synthesize ATP driven by ion flow along a concentration gradient through the membrane-bound part of the complex. Catalysis involving subunit rotation was proposed before detailed structural information was available; however, proving the existence of a rotary mechanism turned out to be a biophysical challenge, and, along the way, novel single molecule observation techniques had to be developed to be able to confirm the rotary motor hypothesis. Rotary motor ATPases can be found in all domains of life including bacteria, archaea, and eukarya. The enzyme found in the inner membrane of mitochondria, the plasma membrane of bacteria, and the thylakoid membrane of chloroplasts is called F1Fo-ATP synthase or F-ATPase. The enzyme found in archaea is called A-ATP synthase (or A1Ao-ATP synthase or A-ATPase) and the enzyme found in the endomembrane system (and sometimes plasma membrane) of eukaryotic organisms is called vacuolar ATPase (or V1Vo-ATPase or V-ATPase). The family of the rotary ATPases is characterized by a similar overall topology, a cytoplasmic ATPase connected to a membrane-bound ion channel, with differences in subunit composition and structure that have evolved to accommodate different functional needs and mechanisms of enzyme regulation.
SU-E-T-748: Theoretical Investigation On Using High Energy Proton Beam for Total-Body-Irradiation

Purpose: The broad-slow-rising entrance dose region proximal to the Bragg peak made by a mono-energetic proton beam could potentially be used for total body irradiation (TBI). Due to the quasi-uniform dose deposition, customized thickness compensation may not be required to deliver a uniform dose to patients with varied thickness. We investigated the possibility, efficacy, and hardware requirement to use such proton beam for TBI. Methods: A wedge shaped water phantom with thickness varying from 2 cm to 40 cm was designed to mimic a patient. Geant4 based Monte Carlo code was used to simulate broad mono-energetic proton beams with energy ranging from 250 MeV to 300 MeV radiating the phantom. A 6 MV photon with 1 cm water equivalent build-up used for conventional TBI was also calculated. A paired-opposing beam arrangement with no thickness compensation was used to generate TBI plans for all beam energies. Dose from all particles were scored on a grid size of 2 mm3. Dose uniformity across the phantom was calculated to evaluate the plan. The field size limit and the dose uniformity of Mevion S250 proton system was examined by using radiochromic films placed at extended treatment distance with the open large applicator and 90° gantry angle. Results: To achieve a maximum ± 7.5% dose variation, the largest patient thickness variation allowed for 250 MeV, 275 MeV, and 300 MeV proton beams were 27.0 cm, 34.9 cm and 36.7 cm. The value for 6 MV photon beam was only 8.0 cm to achieve the same dose variation. With open gantry, Mevion S250 system allows 5 m source-to-surface distance producing an expected 70 cm2 field size. Conclusion: Energetic proton beam can potentially be used to deliver TBI. Treatment planning and delivery would be much simple since no thickness compensation is required to achieve a uniform dose distribution.
Stroke Outcomes and Usage of IV Alteplase during Pregnancy in the Nationwide Inpatient Sample 2005-2010 (P3.100)

Background Although alarmingly increasing trends of stroke in pregnancy has been reported in the US, few studies have investigated clinical outcomes, including outcomes of IV alteplase (tPA) treatment among pregnant women. Methods Data was abstracted from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample, an all-payer inpatient care database. We identified pregnancy-related hospitalizations from 2005-2010 by ICD-9-CM diagnostic codes. We extracted diagnoses of acute ischemic stroke (AIS), intracerebral (ICH) and subarachnoid (SAH) hemorrhage, transient ischemic attack, cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT), unspecified, and other pregnancy-related complications. We also identified pregnant women with AIS who received IV tPA. Clinical outcomes included length of stay (LOS), discharge disposition, and in-hospital mortality. Results An estimated 18,392 pregnant women were diagnosed with stroke from 2005-2010. CVT (26.8%) and hemorrhagic (ICH and SAH) stroke (22.8%) were the most common types of stroke, with about 20% of all stroke reported as unspecified in 2010. Mean LOS ranged from 6.5-7.2 days; linear regression did not reveal significant trends in LOS over time. The most common pregnancy-related stroke risk factors included hypertension (30.2%) and pre-eclampsia (13.4%). Decreasing trend of discharge home (from 78.3 to 72.6%, p=0.09) and increasing mortality rate (from 1.8% to 4.0% p for linear trend=0.02) were observed from 2005 to 2010. Of the estimated 70 pregnant AIS patients treated with IV tPA, LOS ranged 4-28 days; 78.6% were discharged home, 14.3% to skilled nursing facility, and 7.1% died. Conclusions Stroke remains a serious complication in pregnancy, and mortality is increasing. Usage of tPA for AIS during pregnancy is minimal, with increased mortality compared to all strokes in pregnancy. Research efforts are needed to improve stroke outcomes during pregnancy. Disclosure: Dr. Ouyang has nothing to disclose. Dr. Knopf has nothing to disclose. Dr. Conners has nothing to disclose. Dr. Cutting has received personal compensation for activities with F1000. Dr. Lee has nothing to disclose. Dr. Smit has nothing to disclose. Dr. Kuklina has nothing to disclose.
Dynamics of Biomineralization and Biodemineralization

In order to understand the fundamental processes leading to biomineralization, this chapter focuses on the earliest events of homo/heterogeneous nucleation from an initial supersaturated solution phase and subsequent growth involving various possible precursor phases (amorphous or crystalline) to the final mineral phase by specific template and other influences. We also discuss how the combination of macroscopic constant composition and microscopic atomic force microscopy provides insights into the physical mechanisms of crystal growth and phase stability and the influences of proteins, peptides or other small molecules.Biodemineralization reactions of tooth enamel and bone may be inhibited or even suppressed when particle sizes fall into certain critical nanoscale levels. This phenomenon actually involves particle-size-dependent critical conditions of energetic control at the molecular level. Clearly, this dissolution termination is a kinetic phenomenon and cannot be attributed to reaction retardation as a result of surface modification by additives. Almost all biomineralized structures are highly hierarchical at many different length scales. At the lowest level they often consist of tiny crystals, typically tens to hundreds of nanometers. This size is not arbitrary; rather, it seems to give biominerals such as bone and tooth remarkable physical characteristics.
Esophageal Muscular Ring and the VACTERL Association: A Case Report

A 2-year-old girl with persistent vomiting of solid foods was evaluated; the diagnosis was esophageal muscular ring. This rare congenital anomaly and its differentiation from esophageal stricture are discussed. This case represents a variation of the esophageal malformation associated with the VACTERL association.
Magnetic flare model of γ -ray bursts

The thermal synchrotron (TS) interpretation of gamma-ray burst continuum spectra requires an emission region which is hot, optically thin, and possessed of a super-Eddington flux of 10 to the 30 ergs/sq cm per sec for a 10-km neutron star. In order to maintain a pair population close to the Maxwellian, the collision excitation rate into higher Landau levels must exceed the cyclotron decay rates. Even if collective processes whose rates are close to the electron plasma frequency, or scattering by heavy ions, are invoked, a particle density of 10 to the 25th/cu cm is still needed. Both hypotheses point in the direction of a dense but thin emitting sheet, to whose structure attention is presently given together with the generation, propagation and coupling of the electromagnetic energy fluxes. A flare-like model can account for most of gamma ray bursts' general features.
Poster abstract: Energy management in wireless healthcare systems

We implemented and analyzed the battery lifetime optimization problem for wireless healthcare systems and showed that task assignment can play a major role in energy management. In the static case, where system parameters are fixed (e.g. processing and communication latency), the assignment of tasks to heterogeneous nodes in the system significantly affects performance and the level of available energy. Since task binding and scheduling problems are NP hard [1], heuristic algorithms are needed for practical solutions. Furthermore, the overall system characteristics are dynamically changing - the availability of the wireless network and its throughput, battery capacity of various nodes in the system, the user's needs, etc. To address the dynamic aspects of the system and the resource constrained nature of the mobile nodes, we will implement a heuristic algorithm to achieve a longer battery lifetime of the system. We plan to evaluate the performance of the heuristic and compare it against the optimal solutions produced by the ILP.
Rev activates expression of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 vif and vpr gene products.

Abstract The proteins encoded by human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) can be divided into two temporally regulated classes. Early gene products are encoded by multiply spliced mRNA species and are expressed constitutively. In contrast, late proteins are encoded by a class of unspliced or singly spliced viral transcripts whose cytoplasmic expression is induced by the viral Rev trans activator. Here, we demonstrate that the viral Vif and Vpr proteins are encoded by singly spliced viral mRNAs whose expression is activated by Rev. This activation is shown to result from the reduced utilization of splice sites adjacent to or within the vif and vpr coding sequences. Vif and Vpr therefore belong to the class of late HIV-1 gene products.
Ego Control Patterns and Attribution of Hostility to Self, Parents, and others

This study evaluated the attribution of hostility to self, parents, father of the child, and peers in four MMPI-based ego control patterns—repressors, expressors, sensitizers, and expressor-sensitizers. Ss were administered the MMPI and ICL during the ninth month of pregnancy. Of the four groups, the expressor-sensitizers attributed most hostility to themselves, while the expressor group attributed most hostility to the mothers. Group differences in attribution of hostility to fathers and fathers of the children were generally unreliable. Mutual group endorsement of hostility items for other control groups was related to self-attribution of hostility. Further validation for the repressor end of the repression-sensitization scale was also derived.
General-relativistic radiation hydrodynamics and neutrino transport in polar-sliced space-time

Extending the work of Schinder, Bludman, and Piran, I derive the equations of radiation hydrodynamics in polar-sliced space-time. The additional terms which describe the effects of neutrino stress energy on the gas dynamics are added to the equations of hydrodynamics. The neutrino Boltzmann equation and its lowest angular and energy moments are derived in comoving coordinates with neutrino energies and directions determined in comoving frames. It is shown that the Boltzmann equation gives the correct results when neutrinos are strongly trapped, and the neutrinos become just another component of a perfect gas. Techniques which I plan to use to numerically solve the neutrino transport equations are discussed.
Context-based prefetch – an optimization for implementing objects on relations

When implementing persistent objects on a relational database, a major performance issue is prefetching data to minimize the number of round-trips to the database. This is especially hard with navigational applications, since future accesses are unpredictable. We propose the use of the context in which an object is loaded as a predictor of future accesses, where a context can be a stored collection of relationships, a query result, or a complex object. When an object O's state is loaded, similar state for other objects in O's context is prefetched. We present a design for maintaining context and for using it to guide prefetch. We give performance measurements of its implementation in Microsoft Repository, showing up to a 70% reduction in running time. We describe several variations of the optimization: selectively applying the technique based on application and database characteristics, using application-supplied performance hints, using concurrent database queries to support asynchronous prefetch, prefetching across relationship paths, and delayed prefetch to save database round-trips.
Phase slips in superconducting films with constrictions

A system of two coplanar superconducting films seamlessly connected by a bridge is studied. We observe two distinct resistive transitions as the temperature is reduced. The first one, occurring in the films, shows some properties of the Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless (BKT) transition. The second apparent transition (which is in fact a crossover) is related to freezing out of thermally activated phase slips (TAPS) localized on the bridge. We also propose a powerful indirect experimental method allowing an extraction of the sample's zero-bias resistance from high-current-bias measurements. Using direct and indirect measurements, we have determined the resistance $R(T)$ of the bridges within a range of eleven orders of magnitude. Over such broad range the resistance follows a simple relation $R(T)={R}_{N}\phantom{\rule{0.2em}{0ex}}\mathrm{exp}[\ensuremath{-}(c∕t){(1\ensuremath{-}t)}^{3∕2}]$, where $c=\ensuremath{\Delta}F(0)∕k{T}_{c}$ is the normalized free energy of a phase slip at zero temperature, $t=T∕{T}_{c}$ is normalized temperature, and ${R}_{N}$ is the normal resistance of the bridge.