cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Thyroid hormone and pancreas development: diabetes culprit or innocent bystander?

There is, perhaps, no parallel in history where massive numbers of people have rapidly become ill without an infectious agent as perpetrator. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved
Particle-grain boundary interactions: A phase field study

Abstract A detailed phase field model is used to investigate particle-grain boundary interactions. The model takes into consideration both the curvature-driven grain boundary motion and particle migration by surface diffusion. The phase field model relaxes all the restrictive assumptions usually employed in the classical and sharp-interface models of the problem. Our 2D and 3D simulations demonstrate that the model captures all possible particle-grain boundary interactions proposed in theoretical models and observed in experiments. For high enough surface mobility, the particles move along with the migrating boundary as a quasi-rigid-body (i.e., without change in shape or size), albeit hindering its migration rate as compared to the particle-free case. For less mobile particles, the migrating boundary can separate from the particles. For the case of steady-state motion of the particles with the migrating boundary, evolution equations for the grain size were derived that predict a strong dependence of the grain growth rate on the number of particles, particle size, and surface diffusivity. For the case of boundary breakaway, the separation condition was found to agree well with predictions from theoretical calculations. However, our results show that non-uniform particle distribution promotes boundary detachment. The results also demonstrate that it is easier for a migrating boundary to separate from a spherical particle than from a cylindrical particle, and hence 2D simulations underestimate boundary breakaway.
The Role of the Skin and Gut Microbiome in Psoriatic Disease

To understand the changes in the microbiome in psoriatic disease, we conducted a systematic review of studies comparing the skin and gut microbiota in psoriatic individuals and healthy controls. Our review of studies pertaining to the cutaneous microbiome showed a trend towards an increased relative abundance of Streptococcus and a decreased level of Propionibacterium in psoriasis patients compared to controls. In the gut microbiome, the ratio of Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes was perturbed in psoriatic individuals compared to healthy controls. Actinobacteria was also relatively underrepresented in psoriasis patients relative to healthy individuals. Although the field of the psoriatic microbiome is relatively new, these first studies reveal interesting differences in microbiome composition that may be associated with the development of psoriatic comorbidities and serve as novel therapeutic targets.
The Ethics of Working as a Retained Forensic Expert

Little has been published in the forensic medical literature on the ethics of being a retained expert witness. While the legal requirements are exclusively that the individual not lie under oath, t...
Staging Diagnostic Laparoscopy for Localized Pancreatic Cancer

This chapter will review the utility of staging laparoscopy in the setting of localized pancreatic cancer, including its benefits in detecting radiographic occult metastatic disease and cost-effectiveness of this diagnostic tool.
Arrhythmias in Cardiomyopathy

The morbidity and mortality of patients with cardiomyopathy are related to either pump failure or arrhythmia-induced death or decompensation. Cardiomyopathy can also be induced by arrhythmias. Adequate and prompt therapy of arrhythmias is an essential part in the multidisciplinary approach to these patients. We review the arrhythmias seen in patients with multiple types of cardiomyopathy and the therapeutic options available. The implantable cardioverter defibrillator has become the main therapy for sudden cardiac death prevention. We also review the different oral antiarrhythmics available. Ablation therapy has become an effective means of curing or controlling arrhythmias. Finally, we discuss arrhythmias in specific cardiomyopathies and patient with left ventricular assist devices.
Design of Quantizers for Decentralized Estimation Systems with Noisy Channels

Abstract We consider parameter estimation in decentralized estimation systems with noisy channels. In such systems, the observations are quantized and transmitted to the fusion center through noisy communication channels. Since the outputs of the quantizers are very sensitive to channel noises, it is important to study the effects of the channel noises on the performance of the quantizers. By assuming that the lengths of the quantization intervals become arbitrarily small, we derive the asymptotic parameter estimation error for the decentralized estimation systems. The asymptotic error includes interaction terms which depend on both the quantization errors and the channel errors. The most significant property of the interaction terms is that they can be negative. This implies that for very noisy channels, using coarser quantizers can actually decrease the parameter estimation error.
Detection and Sizing of Ti-Containing Particles in Recreational Waters Using Single Particle ICP-MS.

Single particle inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (spICP-MS) was used to detect Ti-containing particles in heavily-used bathing areas of a river (Salt River) and five swimming pools. Ti-containing particle concentrations in swimming pools ranged from 2.8 × 103 to 4.4 × 103 particles/mL and were an order of magnitude lower than those detected in the Salt River. Measurements from the Salt River showed an 80% increase in Ti-containing particle concentration over baseline concentration during peak recreational activity (at 16:00 h) in the river. Cloud point extraction followed by transmission electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray analysis confirmed presence of aggregated TiO2 particles in river samples, showing morphological similarity to particles present in an over-the-counter sunscreen product. The maximum particle mass concentration detected in a sample from the Salt River (659 ng/L) is only slightly lower than the predicted no effect concentration for TiO2 to aquatic organisms (< 1 μg/L).
Early outcomes of an enhanced recovery protocol for open repair of ventral hernia.

Enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocols are evidence-based quality improvement pathways reported to be associated with improved patient outcomes. The purpose of this study was to compare short-term outcomes for open ventral hernia repair (VHR) before and after implementation of an ERAS protocol. After obtaining IRB approval, surgical databases were searched for VHR cases for two years prior and eleven months after protocol implementation for retrospective review. Groups were compared on perioperative characteristics and clinical outcomes using chi-square, Fisher’s exact, or Mann–Whitney U test, as appropriate. One hundred and seventy-one patients underwent VHR (46 patients with ERAS protocol in place and 125 historic controls). Age, gender, ASA Class, comorbidities, and smoking status were similar between the two groups. Body mass index was lower among ERAS patients (p = .038). ERAS patients had earlier return of bowel function (median 3 vs. 4 days) (p = .003) and decreased incidence of superficial surgical site infection (SSI) (7 vs. 25%) (p = .008) than controls. An ERAS protocol for VHR demonstrated improved patient outcomes. A system-wide culture focused on enhanced recovery is needed to ensure improved patient outcomes.
Neuroendocrine Actions Of Neuropeptide Y

In the two decades since its discovery neuropeptide Y (NPY) has emerged as a major peptidergic neuromessenger in neuroendocrine regulation, affecting the secretion of every anterior and posterior pituitary hormone. Innervation of these neuroendocrine networks derives from the major NPY cell group in the hypothalamic arcuate nucleus and from noradrenergic and adrenergic cells in the lower brainstem, in which NPY serves a cotransmitter role. Regarding the magnocellular neuroendocrine system, NPY directly innervates vasopressin (VP)-secreting, and probably, oxytocin (OT)-secreting, cells, and stimulates the release of both peptides. Whether such effects are important for the release of OT or VP in response to specific physiological stimuli remains to be determined, however. Much more information is available regarding NPY effects on anterior pituitary hormone secretion. NPY, mainly deriving from arcuate neurons, inhibits the secretion of prolactin (PRL), thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) and growth hormone (GH), and stimulates the secretion of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH). For the most part, these effects are exerted by altering the neurosecretion of the cognate hypothalamic releasing and/or inhibiting hormone systems that regulate anterior pituitary secretion. In addition, an action at the anterior pituitary gland is important in the NPY inhibition of PRL secretion. In the case of PRL, TSH, and ACTH, the agouti-related peptide, which is coexpressed in arcuate NPY neurons, exerts the same effect as NPY, suggesting a postjunctional co-action of these two messengers. When considered together with the critical orexigenic effects of NPY, it is evident that the arcuate NPY system is important in integrating a variety of physiological, neuroendocrine and behavioral responses to conditions of nutritional inadequacy. Moreover, changes in circulating leptin, signaling the status of adipose tissue energy stores, appears to be a major factor in orchestrating these behavioral and neuroendocrine changes via its effects on hypothalamic NPY synthesis and release.
Mating disruption of Homalodisca vitripennis (Germar) (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) by playback of vibrational signals in vineyard trellis.

BACKGROUND Glassy-winged sharpshooter (GWSS), Homalodisca vitripennis (Germar) (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) is an important vector of the bacterium Xylella fastidiosa, the causal agent of Pierce's disease of grapevine. Area-wide insecticide applications have suppressed GWSS populations for ∼ 25 years, but reduced levels of insecticide susceptibility have been reported. Therefore, alternative methods of control are needed. Objectives of this study were to evaluate the efficacy of playback of vibrational mating communication signals for disrupting mating of GWSS in a natural vineyard setting and to evaluate spectral properties of signal transmission through vineyard trellis. RESULTS Playback reduced mating of GWSS on grapevines. A total of 28 (of 134) male-female pairs mated in the control treatment (silence) and only one (of 134) pair mated when treated with the vibrational signal playback. Playback of vibrational signals through vineyard trellis was affected by distance from the signal source, with frequency composition being the highest at the source and lowest on vines positioned away from the source. Frequency composition in canes housing test insects decreased exponentially as distance from the source increased, whereas the relative amplitude of analyzed frequencies decreased linearly. CONCLUSION Although further studies are needed prior to method implementation, data from this study continue to support integration of vibrational mating disruption with current methods to suppress GWSS populations. Published 2018. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.
How Healthy is Your Curriculum?: Dealing With Challenges of a Virtual University

(1998). How Healthy is Your Curriculum?: Dealing With Challenges of a Virtual University. SCHOLE: A Journal of Leisure Studies and Recreation Education: Vol. 13, No. 1, pp. i-i.
Assessment in Financial Therapy

This chapter overviews why assessment is important in financial therapy and reviews six research-validated financial therapy assessment instruments that have undergone the rigors of peer-review in academic journals. Each instrument is described in detail, including its psychometric properties, and can be useful for practitioners to implement into their practice with clients and scholars to utilize in research studies.
Ultrafast Relaxation Processes in Au Quantum Dots at High Pulse Repetition Frequencies

We employed pump-probe, transient-grating and Z-scan measurements to distinguish electronic from thermal relaxation processes in metal quantum dots in a glass matrix as functions of dot size and pulse-repetition frequency. Novel observations include a negative-time probe-pump transient and an extremely long-lived relaxation which produces a thermal background above a few MHz pulse repetition frequency.
Clinical applications of a computed tomography color “marrow mapping” algorithm to increase conspicuity of nondisplaced trabecular fractures

To explore clinical applications of a novel conventional computed tomography (CT) color post-processing algorithm to increase conspicuity of nondisplaced trabecular fractures. The algorithm was created in Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Extendscript, utilizing DICOM images from conventional CT as source images. A total of six representative cases were selected and processed. No statistical analyses were performed. A total of six cases are demonstrated, five with MRI correlation demonstrating corresponding fractures and bone marrow edema, including a case of sacral insufficiency fracture, two cases of vertebral body fracture, two cases of nondisplaced hip fracture, and a knee bone marrow edema lesion (without MRI correlate). All cases were processed successfully without error. A conventional CT color post-processing algorithm may be clinically useful in increasing conspicuity of nondisplaced fractures and bone marrow edema. A potential pitfall is the presence of subchondral or marrow sclerosis, which may mimic edema. Future prospective studies will be necessary to evaluate diagnostic performance.
Muscular bases and mechanisms of variable resistance training efficacy

The use of chain or elastic band-resisted variable resistance has become popular in the training of athletes. A number of studies have investigated the utilization of variable resistance vs. tradit...
Control of oscillatory force tasks: Low-frequency oscillations in force and muscle activity.

Abstract Force variability during steady force tasks is strongly related to low-frequency oscillations ( 0.33; P 0.52; P 0.66; P
The Grind of Multimodal Work in Professional Writing Pedagogies

Abstract Writing in the face of ongoing environmental, economic, and infrastructural flux is hard work. Doing that work while contending with constraints of various modes and media is even more difficult—especially for student writers. Drawing on results from an assessment project that involved iteratively coding students’ writing produced for a nonprofit community partner, we propose a feedback model for responding to students’ multimodal work that is sensitive to contextual flux. Rather than a static rubric, content in this feedback model draws attention to changing material-discursive conditions. We hypothesize that centralizing material-discursive conditions in multimodal curricula creates opportunities for conversations about more than just design fundamentals. Complex contextual factors that require nuanced rhetorical attunements a la Thomas Rickert) and responsiveness to local contingencies present opportunities for discussing and designing in the midst of uneven distribution of resources, variations in skill, and organizational values. A feedback model that is responsive to changing material-discursive conditions may be helpful for those who practice community-engaged pedagogies.
IGF-1 and IL-6 as predictors of sarcopenia in non-metastatic colorectal cancer patients.

e15150Background: Insulin growth factor-1 (IGF1) and inflammatory biomarkers such as interleukin-6 (IL6) play a role in early carcinogenesis, predict prognosis and response to some therapies in col...
Development and Uptake of Long-Acting Reversible Contraception Services in Rwanda, 2009-2016.

Background: Long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) is highly effective at preventing pregnancy. However, in sub-Saharan Africa, LARC education for clients is relatively limited and providers a...
Joint Estimation of Operational Topology and Outages for Unbalanced Power Distribution Systems

An electric power distribution system is operated in several distinct radial topologies by opening and closing of system's sectionalizing and tie switches. The estimation of the system's current operational topology is a precursor to implementing any optimal control actions (during normal operation) or restorative actions (during outage condition). This paper presents a mathematical programming approach to estimate the operational topology of a three-phase unbalanced power distribution system under both outage and normal operating conditions. Specifically, a minimum weighted least absolute value estimator is proposed that uses the line flow measurements, historical/forecasted load data, and ping measurements and solves a mixed-integer linear program (MILP) to estimate the operational topology and any outaged sections simultaneously. We thoroughly validate the accuracy of the proposed approach using IEEE 123-bus and a 1069-bus three-phase multi-feeder test system with the help of numerous simulations. It is observed that the approach performs well even at high percentages of measurement errors.
Atlantic Multidecadal Variability and Associated Climate Impacts Initiated by Ocean Thermohaline Dynamics

AbstractThe sea surface temperature (SST) signature of Atlantic multidecadal variability (AMV) is a key driver of climate variability in surrounding regions. Low-frequency Atlantic meridional overt...
Visual Field Deficits in Patients with Headache Disorders: A 2-year Prospective Cohort Study (P1.192)

Objective: This study aimed to characterize the nature of visual field deficits in patients with visual symptoms presenting to the neuro-ophthalmology clinic eventually attributed to a headache disorder. Background: Primary and secondary headache disorders are often associated with visual symptoms and patients are frequently seen in ophthalmology. Design/Methods: We performed a single-center prospective evaluation of visual complaints in the setting of a headache disorder at the Kentucky Eye Clinic between June 2012 and May 2014. Subjective visual complaints included blurred vision, visual distortions, double vision, transient visual loss and visual field loss. All underwent a detailed neuro-ophthalmology exam including visual acuity, color vision, contrast sensitivity, Humphrey visual field 24-2 SITA fast, pupil exam, anterior segment and dilated posterior segment exam and intraocular pressure. Results: Our cohort included 56 individuals, 76.8% female with a median age of 46 (range: 11–76) Visual complaints prompting consultation included visual distortions (46.4%) blurred vision (17.9%), diplopia (16.1%), visual field loss (8.9%), transient visual loss (7.1%), eye pain (5.4%) and tunnel vision (1.8%). These were attributed to a headache disorder after a thorough neuro-ophthalmology exam that was normal. Per ICHD-II criteria, their pre-existing headache disorder included: Migraine with aura (n=20), migraine without aura (n=11), chronic migraines (n=13), retinal migraines (n=1), occipital neuralgia (n=1). 10 patients had no pre-existing headache disorder. Clinical diagnoses for presenting symptoms based on ICHD-II criteria included typical aura without headache (40%), migraine with aura (21%), chronic migraine (8.8%), migraine without aura (3.5%) and retinal migraine (1.8%). Visual fields were normal in 28 patients (49.1%), unreliable in 7 (12.2%), had clover leaf pattern in 3 (5.3%-bilaterally), and had nerve fiber bundle pattern defects in 19 (33.3%–8 were bilateral). Conclusions: In our study of patients with visual symptoms attributable to a headache disorder, visual field abnormalities were not uncommon, and most often monocular. Disclosure: Dr. Odago has nothing to disclose. Dr. Smith has nothing to disclose. Dr. Kedar has nothing to disclose. Dr. Sudhakar has nothing to disclose.
Ventilatory and carotid body responses to acute hypoxia in rats exposed to chronic hypoxia during the first and second postnatal weeks

Chronic hypoxia (CH) during postnatal development causes a blunted hypoxic ventilatory response (HVR) in neonatal mammals. The magnitude of the HVR generally increases with age, so CH could blunt the HVR by delaying this process. Accordingly, we predicted that CH would have different effects on the respiratory control of neonatal rats if initiated at birth versus initiated later in postnatal development (i.e., after the HVR has had time to mature). Rats had blunted ventilatory and carotid body responses to hypoxia whether CH (12 % O2) occurred for the first postnatal week (P0 to P7) or second postnatal week (P7 to P14). However, if initiated at P0, CH also caused the HVR to retain the "biphasic" shape characteristic of newborn mammals; CH during the second postnatal week did not result in a biphasic HVR. CH from birth delayed the transition from a biphasic HVR to a sustained HVR until at least P9-11, but the HVR attained a sustained (albeit blunted) phenotype by P13-15. Since delayed maturation of the HVR did not completely explain the blunted HVR, we tested the alternative hypothesis that the blunted HVR was caused by an inflammatory response to CH. Daily administration of the anti-inflammatory drug ibuprofen (4 mg kg-1, i.p.) did not alter the effects of CH on the HVR. Collectively, these data suggest that CH blunts the HVR in neonatal rats by impairing carotid body responses to hypoxia and by delaying (but not preventing) postnatal maturation of the biphasic HVR. The mechanisms underlying this plasticity require further investigation.
From Pharmacology Research, to Pharmacology Regulation, and Back-as Inspired by the Teachings of Dr. Gavril Pasternak.

Dr. Gavril Pasternak, M.D., Ph.D. was an inspiration to many of his students, including myself. It was with great sadness that I learned about the passing of Dr. Gavril Pasternak in February 2019 after his brief battle with pancreatic cancer. I worked with Dr. Pasternak while I was an undergraduate chemistry student and as one of his technicians, collaborating with Dr. Charles Inturrisi and Dr. Eliot F. Hahn on opiate agonists and antagonists for opioid receptor subtypes. Dr. Pasternak inspired me and set me on the road to a career in pharmacology and encouraged me to pursue the fruitful paradigm of moving therapeutics from bench to bedside.
K3 metrics

We provide an explicit construction of Ricci-flat K3 metrics. It employs the technology of D-geometry, which in the case of interest is equivalent to a hyper-K\"ahler quotient. We relate it to the construction of arXiv:1810.10540, and in particular show that it contains the solution to the BPS state counting problem (that of computing the BPS index of a heterotic little string theory compactified on $T^2$) discussed therein, which is the data needed for this second construction of K3 metrics.
The Cost and Utility of Post-Reduction Radiographs After Closed Reduction of Pediatric Wrist and Forearm Fractures

HYPOTHESIS Pediatric wrist and forearm fractures account for 25-50% of pediatric fractures, many of which are managed with sedation and reduction using mini C-arm fluoroscopy. At our institution, the standard of care has been to obtain formal x-rays after fluoroscopic guided reduction, which results in additional radiation exposure, time, and cost. We seek to determine the rate of re-reduction following these radiographs, as well with their associated time and cost. METHODS …
Reconfigurable Real-Time Power Grid Emulator for Systems With High Penetration of Renewables

Novel power system control and new utility devices need to be tested before their actual deployment to the power grid. To assist with such a testing need, real-time digital emulators such as RTDS and Opal-RT can be used to connect to the physical world and form a hardware in the loop (HIL) emulation. However, due to the limitations of today’s computational resources, the accuracy and fidelity suffer from different levels of model reductions in purely digital simulations. CURENT has developed a reconfigurable electric grid hardware testbed (HTB) to overcome the limitations of digital emulators. The HTB has been used to develop measurement, control, modeling, and actuation techniques for a national grid with a high penetration of renewables. The power electronic-based system includes emulators for synchronous generators; photovoltaics with grid-interfacing inverter; wind turbines; induction motor loads, ZIP loads, power electronic loads; batteries; ac and dc transmission lines; short circuit faults and grid relay protection; and a multiterminal HVDC overlay including power electronics interfaces. The system contains real elements of power flow, measurement, communication, protection, and control that mimic what would be seen in an actual electric grid. This paper presents an overview of the HTB and several scenarios that have been run to determine control and actions needed for the future power grid.
“Toward a Cinema for Life”: The Activism of the Escuela de Cine Amazónico

The Escuela de Cine Amazonico (ECA), founded in Pucallpa, Peru in 2013, is an organization dedicated to audiovisual training, production, and dissemination of an activist cinema produced by Amazonian peoples themselves. As such, the ECA addresses the problems that affect the rainforest from a perspective situated in and fundamentally directed toward audiences from this region. Through analyzing ECA’s training, production, and circulation processes, as well as two short films produced by their members, this chapter proposes an understanding of this activist approach, both on- and off-screen, as a way of constructing micropolitical spheres for reflection and for building senses of community through film.
Value Implications of REITing and De-REITing

We explore the determinants and value implications of publicly traded real estate companies converting to real estate investment trusts (REITs), which we term REITing, and publicly-traded REITs giving up their REIT status, termed de-REITing. Non-REIT real estate firms that pay relatively high dividends and have high income tax ratios are more likely to convert to a REIT; while REITs that have lower pretax incomes, dividend adjusted operating cash flows, and higher leverage ratios are significantly more likely to de-REIT. REITing generates significant positive abnormal returns (ARs) around the REITing announcement. These positive ARs are concentrated in firms with higher income tax liabilities and firms paying larger dividends pre REIT-conversion. De-REITing announcements generate significant negative ARs, which are mitigated when the de-REITing firm has low potential tax liabilities, or when the firm is cash flow constrained with respect to its dividend payment. Based on these results, we argue that the degree to which REITing (de-REITing) decisions are value generating (destroying) depends on the magnitude of potential tax and dividend implications. We also examine the longer run valuation effects of REITing and de-REITing decisions and find no evidence of a reversion of the short-run announcement effects.
Photoacoustic Demonstration: Making Music with Light

In this paper, we present simple demonstrations aimed at explaining the fundamental principles of the photoacoustic effect. To display the audible phenomenon that occurs as laser radiation gets abs...
Accurate numerical, integral methods for computing drift-kinetic Trubnikov-Rosenbluth potentials

Abstract A novel numerical method is employed to compute the integral form of the axi-symmetric Trubnikov-Rosenbluth potentials. Two methods for quadrature in pitch-angle are described and their convergence properties are studied. Careful attention is given to quadrature over a singular Green's function. It is shown that an infinite series representation of the Green's function can be used more efficiently than its closed form involving complete elliptic integrals. Then a collocation method in speed, with its associated quadrature scheme, is laid out and its convergence properties are studied. Using the proposed scheme, accurate low-order moments of the field collision operator are obtained using relatively few velocity space degrees of freedom. The scheme is showcased by solving for the equilibrium, axi-symmetric bootstrap current in tokamaks. A C 0 Gauss-Lobatto-Legendre finite element pitch-angle basis with vertex nodes at the trapped/passing boundary is shown, in the context of the integral methods used, to be much more efficient than the more common Legendre polynomial expansion.
MO-FG-207-03: Maximizing the Utility of Integrated PET/MRI in Clinical Applications

The use of integrated PET/MRI systems in clinical applications can best benefit from understanding their technological advances and limitations. The currently available clinical PET/MRI systems have their own characteristics. Thorough analyses of existing technical data and evaluation of necessary performance metrics for quality assurances could be conducted to optimize application-specific PET/MRI protocols. This Symposium will focus on technical advances and limitations of clinical PET/MRI systems, and how this exciting imaging modality can be utilized in applications that can benefit from both PET and MRI. Learning Objectives: 1. To understand the technological advances of clinical PET/MRI systems 2. To correctly identify clinical applications that can benefit from PET/MRI 3. To understand ongoing work to further improve the current PET/MRI technology Floris Jansen is a GE Healthcare employee.
Relabeling Distantly Supervised Training Data for Temporal Knowledge Base Population

We enhance a temporal knowledge base population system to improve the quality of distantly supervised training data and identify a minimal feature set for classification. The approach uses multi-class logistic regression to eliminate individual features based on the strength of their association with a temporal label followed by semi-supervised relabeling using a subset of human annotations and lasso regression. As implemented in this work, our technique improves performance and results in notably less computational cost than a parallel system trained on the full feature set.
Deoxyribonucleic acid ligase. A steady state kinetic analysis of the reaction catalyzed by the enzyme from Escherichia coli.

Abstract The DNA-joining reaction catalyzed by the Escherichia coli DNA ligase is markedly enhanced by low concentrations of monovalent cations, NH4+ being most effective. The Km for NH4+ is about 1 mm, and at saturating concentrations it increases the true Vmax by 20-fold. Under these conditions the Km for diphosphopyridine nucleotide is 7 µm, the Km for single strand breaks is 0.03 to 0.06 µm, and the turnover number is 25 sealing events per min. The DNA-joining reaction obeys ping-pong kinetics, thus providing kinetic evidence for the participation of a covalent intermediate, presumably ligase-adenylate. The rate of the ligase-catalyzed diphosphopyridine nucleotide-nicotinamide mononucleotide exchange reaction is unaffected by NH4+, indicating that the activation occurs at a step subsequent to the formation of ligase-adenylate; furthermore, the exchange reaction is faster than the rate of DNA-joining, demonstrating that ligase-adenylate can be formed at a rate sufficient to be an intermediate in the over-all reaction. The rate of release of adenosine 5'-monophosphate from synthetic DNA-adenylate in the absence of NH4+ is greater than the rate of DNA-joining, as expected for a kinetically significant intermediate. However, in the presence of NH4+, the rate of adenosine 5'-monophosphate release is less than that of the over-all reaction. Since NH4+ markedly increases the apparent rate of dissociation of ligase-adenylate from DNA, the result may reflect reversal of the reaction to form ligaseadenylate from ligase and DNA-adenylate and dissociation of this form of the enzyme from the DNA.
Libraries, telecentres and cybercafes. An international study of public access information venues

– This paper aims to offer early insight into ongoing research comparing public access venues such as libraries, cybercafes and telecentres in 25 countries around the world., – The authors studied information needs and uses of information and communication technologies (ICT) in these public access venues, with a particular focus on underserved populations., – Understanding trends, differences and similarities across venues and across countries offers an emerging map that will help researchers and policymakers conduct future research and make better decisions to strengthen public access to information through ICT., – The research was done in partnership with local research teams in 25 countries around the world, and studied public libraries, telecentres and cybercafes side by side, while most studies in the past have looked at them independently of one another.
p p Interactions at 303-GeV/c: Inclusive Studies of Gamma, K0(S), and lambda 0 Production.

From analysis of ${V}^{0}$ events observed in an exposure of the National Accelerator Laboratory 30-in. bubble chamber to $303\ensuremath{-}\frac{\mathrm{GeV}}{c}$ protons, we obtain these results: (1) $〈{n}_{\ensuremath{\pi}0}〉$ rises approximately linearly with $n$-, implying strong coupling of neutral and charged pions, while $〈n_{K_{S}^{}{}_{}{}^{0}}^{}{}_{}{}^{}〉$ is less coupled to $n$; (2) $\ensuremath{\gamma}$, $K_{S}^{}{}_{}{}^{0}$, and ${\ensuremath{\Lambda}}^{0}$ production cross sections are approaching a scaling limit by 303 $\frac{\mathrm{GeV}}{c}$; (3) within the limited statistics, $\frac{d\ensuremath{\sigma}}{\mathrm{dy}}$ is flat in the central region for $K_{S}^{}{}_{}{}^{0}$ and low-multiplicity $\ensuremath{\gamma}$ events.
Historic range of variability in geomorphic processes as a context for restoration: Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado, USA

Evaluation of historic range of variability (HRV) is an effective tool for determining baseline conditions and providing context to researchers and land managers seeking to understand and enhance ecological function. Incorporating HRV into restoration planning acknowledges the dynamic quality of landscapes by allowing variability and disturbance at reasonable levels and permitting riverine landscapes to adapt to the physical processes of their watersheds. HRV analysis therefore represents a practical (though under-utilized) method for quantifying process-based restoration goals. We investigated HRV of aggradational processes in the subalpine Lulu City wetland in Rocky Mountain National Park to understand the impacts of two centuries of altered land use and to guide restoration planning following a human-caused debris flow in 2003 that deposited up to 1 m of sand and gravel in the wetland. Historic aerial photograph interpretation, ground penetrating radar surveys, and trenching, coring, and radiocarbon dating of valley-bottom sediments were used to map sediment deposits, quantify aggradation rates, and identify processes (in-channel and overbank fluvial deposition, direct hillslope input, beaver pond filling, peat accumulation) creating alluvial fill within the wetland. Results indicate (i) the Lulu City wetland has been aggrading for several millennia, (ii) the aggradation rate of the past one to two centuries is approximately six times higher than long-term pre-settlement averages, (iii) during geomorphically active periods, short-term aggradation rates during the pre-settlement period were probably much higher than the long-term average rate, and (iv) the processes of aggradation during the last two centuries are the same as historic processes of aggradation. Understanding the HRV of aggradation rates and processes can constrain management and restoration scenarios by quantifying the range of disturbance from which a landscape can recover without active restoration. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Predictive relay control in constrained minimum-time delivery of therapeutic dose

Summary form only given. In this paper, the therapeutic dose delivery problem is formally stated as the problem of controlling nonlinear integrators with saturation constraints on actuation and the state constraints to prevent damage to the normal tissue. We analyze and discuss unique features of the dose control problem, and establish the necessary condition for the time optimality of the control for nonlinear integrating systems is also derived. The result states that the time-optimal policy is achieved when the controller operates at the actuation or the state constraints. The availability of the general optimality result allows us to eliminate the need for solving the optimization program in real time. The role of the predictive controller in the proposed approach is to calculate control inputs leading to the treatment progression at one of the imposed constraints. The feedback of the predictive controller is used to update the predictive model. The main dose controller is the switching controller, which selects the actuation corresponding to the boundary of the allowable set in the space of states and inputs.
MULTISCALE PATTERNS OF FLOCKING AND ACTIVITIES OF BROWN-HEADED NUTHATCHES

Brown-headed Nuthatches (Sitta pusilla) were examined at two sites in Georgia, United States, during winter to assess spatial variation in mixed-species flock participation and in activity patterns (mainly bark traversing, cone foraging, and seed hammering). Spatial variation was examined at four scales: between sites, between habitat-patch types (pine vs. mixed woodland) within a site, between tree species, and among microhabitats within trees. Intersite variation existed for the proportions of nuthatches that were heterospecifically flocked, and that were performing different activities. These variables also varied spatially within the Whitehall site, as evident both from chi-square tests comparing flocking and activity patterns between pine and mixed-habitat patches, and from maps depicting locations of observations. Additionally, nuthatches at Whitehall differed in their choice of pine species when flocked vs. nonflocked. No evidence was found for variation in microhabitat use between sites, or betwee...
Adolescent Fathers: A Group Potentially at Risk for Parenting Failure

Recent attention has focused on the role of father-child interaction and relationships in child development. Usually neglected in such discussions, however, is the special group of fathers who are adolescent. For various reasons, children of adolescent fathers may receive less adequate parenting than children of adult fathers. Men who begin parenthood during adolescence frequently obtain less formal education, achieve less vocational success, and have higher divorce rates than peers who delay parenthood. Because of situational factors and, possibly, developmental factors, many young fathers may be faced with excessive amounts of stress with which they may have difficulty coping. These factors serve to interfere not only with father-chiid interaction, but also with mother-father relationships. Both relationships have an important influence on child development. Within the last decade, researchers have paid increasing attention to the influences that fathers have on their children's development. As a result, there has emerged an appreciation that children develop in the context of a family system in which each parent affects the child's development directly as well as via hisher influence on the other parent's relationship with the child.'-3 In a recent contribution to this journal, Lamb reviewed the available evidence concerning the ways in which fathers affect the socioemotional and cognitive development of their infant^.^ Several conclusions emerged from this literature review. First, as in the case of mothers, the security of the father- infant relationship appears to depend on the degree to which the adult is sensitively responsive to the infant's signals and needs .* Secure attachment relationships have positive long-term consequences, whereas insecurely- attached infants are later less persistent in task situations, less sociable with adults, and less socially competent with peer^.^-'^ The security of both infant- mother and infant-father attachments have independent influence on the
Raytheon's integrated systems for UPLOW. A cable burial system

Raytheon was engaged as a major subcontractor to General Dynamics, Aadvance Technology systems in the development of the UPLOW, a sophisticated cable burial system. Raytheon's role included design & development of five major elements: control and monitor system, power control system, integrated towing umbilical, launch & recovery system, towing system. Raytheon performed system engineering studies that included trades, design and analyses in order to establish the system architecture. Subsequently Raytheon prepared technical specifications and subcontracted the major detail design and manufacture of the integrated towing umbilical to the Vector Cable Company, a division of Schlumberger Technology Corporation, the power control & power van to Duren Controls and the towing system and docking head to Dynacon, Inc.
Nongranulomatous Ulcerative Jejunoileitis with Hypogammaglobulinemia: Clinical remission after treatment with γ-globulin

A patient with nongranulomatous ulcerative jejunoileitis with hypogammaglobulinemia was studied. Severe hypogammaglobulinemia was noted to persist despite clinical remission and disappearance of any evidence of protein-losing enteropathy. Despite clinical improvement, the small bowel biopsy continued to demonstrate nonspecific abnormalities. A review of the literature reveals the existence of hypogammaglobulinemia in 4 of 5 cases previously so studied. The persistence of low levels of immunoglobulins raises the possibility that hypogammaglobulinemia may be implicated in the pathogenesis of nongranulomatous ulcerative jejunoileitis.
The atlas power-flow system - A status report

Atlas is a high-energy, pulsed-power facility under development to study materials properties and hydrodynamics under extreme conditions. Atlas will implode heavy liner loads (m /spl sim/ 45 gm) with a peak current of 27-32 MA delivered in 4 /spl mu/s, and it is energized by 96, 240-kV Marx generators storing a total of 23 MJ. The power-flow system transports current from the Marx generators to the load. It includes a load protection switch to protect the load in case of a prefire; 24 oil-insulated, vertically oriented, radially converging, triplate transmission lines; a transition region that couples the transmission lines to the power-flow channel; and a radially converging, dielectric-insulated, horizontal and conical, power-flow channel. Proposed experiments, the design of the power-flow system, test results, and status are presented.
Limits of detection sensitivity due to electron beam radiation damage

Abstract This paper summarizes the problem of radiation damage as it affects our ability to perform high-spatial-resolution analysis using electron beams. A half dozen methods are briefly reviewed which under certain circumstances have been shown to either reduce the sample radiation sensitivity or increase the efficiency at which we collect information.
Confidentiality preserving integer programming for global routing

Cloud computing for EDA requires a client to send problem instances containing confidential design information to an untrusted distributed network. To preserve the design information in such a framework, this work focuses on obfuscating the global routing problem modeled as an Integer Linear Program (ILP) for large industry benchmarks. Multiple transformations are introduced in a proposed framework in which the client masks the ILP instance before it is sent to the cloud. The cloud solves the masked instance and the client unmasks the generated solution. No approximations are involved in this process. The masked instance is shown to be substantially more immune to various introduced attacks. Otherwise layout statistics and even detailed connectivity information can easily be deciphered. When applying the transformation, the increase in immunity can be traded off with the induced runtime overhead.
Synthesis and cytotoxicity of a salicylihalamide A analogue.

The synthesis of a simple analogue of salicylihalamide A with a truncated lactone ring (±2) was achieved in 10 steps. Its cytotoxicity profile in the NCI 60-cell-line human tumor assay differed significantly from that of salicylihalamide A in both level and specificity.
Physician participation in lethal injection executions.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW Lethal injection has come under fire as less than the peaceful, painless death it appears. Reevaluation of the process has sparked examination of the role of doctors in state-sponsored executions. RECENT FINDINGS Physicians helped design the lethal injection protocol. Seventeen death penalty states require physician involvement and all practicing jurisdictions employ medical personnel. Doctors have signed death warrants, rendered inmates competent, provided intravenous access, monitored vital signs, administered lethal injections and declared death. Remarkably, lethal injections are administered remotely and neither physicians nor other execution personnel assess depth of anesthesia prior to injection of the painful lethal drugs. Recently physicians have helped precipitate an unprecedented public and judicial review of lethal injection through expert testimony in litigation and by publishing evidence of potential awareness in execution. In response, judges have ordered protocol modifications to extend further the tools and expertise of medicine into the execution chamber in order to ensure anesthesia. SUMMARY Physician involvement created and perpetuates the seriously flawed protocol of lethal injection. Physicians and particularly anesthesiologists now have the opportunity to redress the mistakes of the past, and inform the growing debate over whether and potentially how medicine should be used to kill.
Real-time fluorescence detection of protein transduction into live cells.

We describe a protein probe with multiple fluorescence signals that can unambiguously detect protein translocation into live cells. When combined with fluorescence microscopy, this unique probe design allows for the first time the investigator to visualize and distinguish intact and degraded proteins with high spatial and temporal resolution. Thus, by using this approach, one can now compare the mechanisms and measure the efficiency of different delivery vectors, a prerequisite for the rational design of protein transduction systems with superior properties.
Prolonged infusions of estradiol dilate the ovine fetal pulmonary circulation.

Factors mediating both the rapid and sustained fall in pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) at birth are incompletely understood. Acute or prolonged estrogen treatment causes vasodilation of several vascular beds in adults. Although fetal estrogen levels rise in late gestation, their effects in the fetal pulmonary circulation have not been studied. To determine whether estrogens can cause pulmonary vasodilation in the fetus, we infused 17β-estradiol (E2) into the left pulmonary artery (LPA) of chronically catheterized fetal lambs, measured pulmonary artery pressure and LPA blood flow, and calculated PVR. Brief E2 administration (1-, 10-, and 100-μg doses) did not change baseline pulmonary hemodynamics and failed to enhance endothelium-dependent vasodilation as assessed by the dilator response to acetylcholine. However, prolonged E2 infusion (2–8 d) caused a 2.6-fold increase in pulmonary blood flow (73 ± 6 versus 188 ± 44 mL/min, baseline versus E2 treatment, p < 0.05), and the response was sustained for at least several hours. Treatment with the nitric oxide synthase inhibitor nitro-L-arginine (L-NA) reversed the E2-induced fall in PVR (0.15 ± 0.05 versus 0.51 ± 0.15 mm Hg/mL/min; before versus after L-NA, p < 0.05). Endothelial nitric oxide synthase expression and endothelin-1 content were not different in E2-responders and controls, suggesting that altered expression of these mediators did not account for the increased flow. We conclude that prolonged E2 infusion causes an unusual pattern of vasodilation in the ovine fetal lung. On the basis of these observations of exogenous E2 treatment, we speculate that endogenous E2 enhances pulmonary vasodilation at birth.