cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An evaluation of the readability, quality, and accuracy of online health information regarding the treatment of hypospadias.

Summary Background Hypospadias is one of the most common genital anomalies. Treatment of hypospadias requires surgical repair, usually in childhood. Patients are increasingly using the internet to learn more about their health or that of their children, which can often empower patients to make well-informed healthcare decisions. Objective The objective of this study was to evaluate not only the readability but also the quality and accuracy of available online health information for the treatment of hypospadias. Study design Search terms for hypospadias treatment were queried on major search engines. Each website was classified into one of four categories: institutional, commercial, charitable organization, or personal website. Content on each website discussing treatment options was analyzed for readability using three readability formulas. A validated tool, the DISCERN instrument, was used to measure the quality of online health information regarding hypospadias treatment. Accuracy was independently assessed by two pediatric urologists on a 1–5 scale, in which 1 and 5 correspond to 0% and 100% of the information in the text being accurate, respectively. Results A total of 150 search engine results were acquired, of which 46 were analyzed for readability, quality, and accuracy. The mean readability scores across all websites were 14.89 (Gunning-Fog), 11.01 Simple Measure of Goddledygook (SMOG), and 8.44 (Dale-Chall), which correspond to an 11th- to 12th-grade reading level. Most websites (65.2%) were considered of ‘good’ quality. Readability and quality scores were not statistically different between website categories. Institutional and charitable websites had the highest mean accuracy scores (3.91 and 3.50, respectively), with institutional websites proving to have significantly more accurate information regarding hypospadias treatment than commercial websites (3.91 and 3.42, respectively; P = 0.001). Discussion Pediatric urologists should know what information about hypospadias and its treatment exists on the Internet and understand if it is accurate and of good quality and, more importantly, if the material is written at a reading level comprehensible by the majority of parents. Limitations included analysis of only English-written websites regarding hypospadias treatment specifically, using search engines alone rather than other online resources, not evaluating online videos or illustrations, and not using more than two pediatric urologists for determining content accuracy. Conclusion This study demonstrates that online health materials regarding hypospadias and its treatment are written at a level far greater than the reading level of most adults. Most websites were considered of adequate quality, and websites from institutions or references had significantly more accurate information than those from commercial websites. Download : Download high-res image (153KB) Download : Download full-size image Summary Fig. .
Partisan Affect and Elite Polarization

We examine the interaction between partisan affect and elite polarization in a behavioral voting model. Voting is determined by affect rather than rational choice. Parties are office-motivated; they choose policies to win elections. We show that parties bias their policies toward their partisans if voters exhibit ingroup responsiveness, i.e., they respond more strongly to their own party’s policy deviations than to policy deviations by the other party. Our results suggest that affective polarization is a driver of the growing elite polarization in American politics. Importantly, this observation does not assume any shifts in the voters’ bliss points and is therefore orthogonal to the controversy over whether the American electorate has become more polarized in ideology.
Technological trajectories for the second dominant design: cases from global automobile industry

This paper studies on the technological trajectories for the second dominant design. Reviewing literatures on dominant design and the real option reasoning, we argue that companies may follow heter...
Efficient Classification of Supercomputer Failures Using Neuromorphic Computing

Today’s petascale supercomputers are comprised of ten’s of thousands of compute nodes. Failures on these massive machines are a growing problem as the time for a single compute node to fail is shrinking. Ideally, the job scheduler would like the capability to predict node failures ahead of time in order to minimize the impact of node failures on overall job throughput. However, due to the tight power constraints of future systems, the online modeling of real-time error data must be accomplished using as little power as possible. To this end, the IBM TrueNorth Neurosynaptic System is used to create a Spiking Neural Network (SNN) model of supercomputer failure data and the classification accuracy of this model is compared to other Machine Learning (ML) and Deep Learning (DL) techniques. It is observed that the TrueNorth failure classification model yields a training accuracy of 99.41%, validation accuracy of 98.12% and testing accuracy of 99.80% and outperforms other machine learning and deep learning approaches. Moreover, the TrueNorth SNN consumes five orders of magnitude less power than the other ML/DL approaches during the testing phase. Additionally, it is observed that all ML/DL approaches investigated as part of this study are able to produce accurate models of the supercomputer system failure data.
Endothelial senescence is induced by phosphorylation and nuclear export of telomeric repeat binding factor 2–interacting protein

The interplay among signaling events for endothelial cell (EC) senescence, apoptosis, and activation and how these pathological conditions promote atherosclerosis in the area exposed to disturbed flow (d-flow) in concert remain unclear. The aim of this study was to determine whether telomeric repeat-binding factor 2-interacting protein (TERF2IP), a member of the shelterin complex at the telomere, can regulate EC senescence, apoptosis, and activation simultaneously, and if so, by what molecular mechanisms. We found that d-flow induced p90RSK and TERF2IP interaction in a p90RSK kinase activity-dependent manner. An in vitro kinase assay revealed that p90RSK directly phosphorylated TERF2IP at the serine 205 (S205) residue, and d-flow increased TERF2IP S205 phosphorylation as well as EC senescence, apoptosis, and activation by activating p90RSK. TERF2IP phosphorylation was crucial for nuclear export of the TERF2IP-TRF2 complex, which led to EC activation by cytosolic TERF2IP-mediated NF-κB activation and also to senescence and apoptosis of ECs by depleting TRF2 from the nucleus. Lastly, using EC-specific TERF2IP-knockout (TERF2IP-KO) mice, we found that the depletion of TERF2IP inhibited d-flow-induced EC senescence, apoptosis, and activation, as well as atherosclerotic plaque formation. These findings demonstrate that TERF2IP is an important molecular switch that simultaneously accelerates EC senescence, apoptosis, and activation by S205 phosphorylation.
Building Bridges Between AI and Cognitive Psychology

My goal in this article is to encourage greater integration of the fields of AI and cognitive psychology by reviewing work on shared interests. I begin with examples that link my early research related to AI with my current efforts to organize knowledge in the cognitive sciences. I then describe how cognitive psychologists have contributed to the methods explained in the book The Master Algorithm: How the Ultimate Learning Machine Will Remake Our World (Domingos, 2015), including how these methods can be combined. The final section discusses three benefits of building bridges: using computational models in AI as theoretical models in cognitive psychology, solving joint computational problems, and facilitating the interactions between people and machines.
Solitons as Particles, and the Effects of Perturbations

In my presentation, I will illustrate how one can use a perturbation theory to determine how various perturbations can effect soliton propagation. These examples which I will present are results obtained recently by Professor Newell and myself, the full details of which are to be published elsewhere. Here, I shall briefly describe the examples and simply discuss some of the important features of the results.
Bisaryl Diruthenium(III) Paddlewheel Complexes: Synthesis and Characterization

Aryls represent a class of both σ- and π-donating electron-rich axial ligands that is underexplored in the field of metal–metal multiply bonded paddlewheel species. By a decrease in the steric bulk around the diruthenium axial sites and an increase in the basicity of the bridging ligands, the first examples of bisaryl diruthenium(III) paddlewheel complexes have been isolated. Compounds of the form Ru2(DMBA)4Ar2 (DMBA = N,N′-dimethylbenzamidinate, Ar = C6H4-4-tBu (1), C6H5 (2), C6H3-3,5-(OCH3)2 (3)) were synthesized via a lithium–halogen exchange reaction between Ru2(DMBA)4Cl2 and excess LiAr and characterized using mass spectrometry, electronic absorption spectroscopy, cyclic and differential pulse voltammetry, and 1H NMR spectroscopy. The molecular structures of compounds 1–3 were established using single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis and their electronic structures (both ground and excited state) analyzed using density functional theory calculations.
A Content Analysis of Patient Advocacy Organization Policies Addressing Institutional Conflicts of Interest

Introduction: Patient advocacy organizations (PAOs) provide patient education, raise public awareness, and influence health policy for a wide range of diseases. These organizations frequently receive financial support form from drug, device, and biotechnology companies. Though PAOs often develop policies to address institutional conflicts of interest arising from industry relations, little is known about the substance of these policies. Methods: We sampled all PAOs that are members of the National Health Council. Using a standardized search strategy, all policies were obtained from each organization if publicly available. We reviewed policies for content related to restrictions on corporate partnerships, disclosure of corporate funding, and governance and monitoring of corporate partnerships. Results: We found that 24 of 47 (51%) organizations had policies that addressed institutional conflict of interest. A total of 9 of those 24 (38%) policies placed any restriction on the types of corporations that the PAO would or would not partner with. While 16 of the 24 (67%) outlined some process for disclosure of the organization's corporate donors, only 5 of 24 (21%) specified a manner for disclosing the financial value of those donations. Further, 15 of the 24 (63%) policies identified the person or persons responsible for approving corporate partnerships. However, 17 (71%) failed to address or specify the person(s) responsible for ongoing review of those partnerships. Conclusion: Nearly half of the organizations studied did not have publicly available conflict of interest policies. Among those that did, few policies had a substantial level of detail or limitations to guard against conflicts of interest.
Elisabeth Kübler-Ross: A Pioneer Thinker, Influential Teacher and Contributor to Clinical Ethics

When asked how we became experts in a field that fifty years ago did not exist, it was not that we identified the issues in bioethics and presented solutions. Rather we stood on the shoulders of so...
Correction to: Role of Alpha-2-Microglobulin in the Treatment of Osteoarthritic Knee Pain: a Brief Review of the Literature

The original publication listed author Alan Kaye as "A. Kaye," but his name should read "A.D. Kaye." The correct author name is presented in this article.
Calling All Rheumatologists

These are difficult times. First responders are putting their lives at risk to save others. But this is our profession; we chose to work in the healthcare industry, knowing we would have daily exposure to different people with diverse ailments. However, nobody chose this profession thinking they would one day be part of a pandemic, fearing for their lives and those of their loved ones by proxy.
Room-Temperature All-Liquid-Metal Batteries Based on Fusible Alloys with Regulated Interfacial Chemistry and Wetting

Liquid metal batteries are regarded as potential electrochemical systems for stationary energy storage. Currently, all reported liquid metal batteries need to be operated at temperatures above 240 °C to maintain the metallic electrodes in a molten state. Here, an unprecedented room-temperature liquid metal battery employing a sodium-potassium (Na-K) alloy anode and gallium (Ga)-based alloy cathodes is demonstrated. Compared with lead (Pb)- and mercury (Hg)-based liquid metal electrodes, the nontoxic Ga alloys maintain high environmental benignity. On the basis of improved wetting and stabilized interfacial chemistry, such liquid metal batteries deliver stable cycling performance and negligible self-discharge. Different from the conventional interphase between a typical solid electrode and a liquid electrolyte, the interphase between a liquid metal and a liquid electrolyte is directly visualized via advanced 3D chemical analysis. Insights into this new type of liquid electrode/electrolyte interphase reveal its important role in regulating charge carriers and stabilizing the redox chemistry. With facile cell fabrication, simplified battery structures, high safety, and low maintenance costs, room-temperature liquid metal batteries not only show great prospects for widespread applications, but also offer a pathway toward developing innovative energy-storage devices beyond conventional solid-state batteries or high-temperature batteries.
Pineal Cyst Apoplexy in an 8-Year-Old Girl: Case Report and Literature Review.

Abstract Background Pineal cysts are common, typically asymptomatic, and are usually found incidentally in adults. In rare cases, pineal cyst apoplexy occurs as a result of an acute cystic hemorrhage. This can result in acute onset of severe headaches, acute obstructive hydrocephalus, mass effect on the midbrain, and even death. Pineal apoplexy is most common in reproductive age women, while pediatric cases continue to be less prevalent. Pineal cyst apoplexy remains a rare entity with 30+ cases presented in the literature to date. Case Description We present the youngest case in the literature, an 8-year-old girl with a pineal cyst that resulted in apoplexy, her diagnostic workup, management, and follow up. We supplement our case study with a literature review of pineal cyst apoplexy. Conclusions Pineal cyst apoplexy remains a rare clinical event in the pediatric population. Our case details the diagnosis and management of an 8-year-old girl with pineal cyst apoplexy. We also discuss our findings from our literature search for all reported cases of pineal cyst apoplexy.
Picture-naming in American Sign Language: an electrophysiological study of the effects of iconicity and structured alignment.

A picture-naming task and ERPs were used to investigate effects of iconicity and visual alignment between signs and pictures in American Sign Language (ASL). For iconic signs, half the pictures vis...
RTu1B-3 A 9-31GHz 65nm CMOS Down-Converter with >4dBm OOB B1dB

This paper presents a frequency tunable, high dynamic range 65nm bulk CMOS downconverter operating from 9-31GHz. The design implements a topology variation of a 4 phase passive mixer which allows for sinusoidal LO drive and achieves a minimum NF of 12.5dB and out of band (OOB) blocker compression (B1dB) of -6dBm for a B1dB-NF FoM of -18.5 dB while consuming only 73mW. Should higher performance be required, a B1dB of over 4 dBm, and OOB IIP3 of 21 dBm, can be achieved using 162mW of power while maintaining noise and bandwidth performance, for a FoM of -8.5dB. To the author’s knowledge this is the highest such FoM reported for a CMOS receiver in this frequency range.
Evaluation of Neighborhood Socioeconomic Characteristics and Advance Care Planning Among Older Adults.

Importance Advance care planning (ACP) is low among older adults with socioeconomic disadvantage. There is a need for tailored community-based approaches to increase ACP, but community patterns of ACP are poorly understood. Objective To examine the association between neighborhood socioeconomic status (nSES) and ACP and to identify communities with both low nSES and low rates of ACP. Design, setting, and participants This cross-sectional study examined University of California San Francisco electronic health record (EHR) data and place-based data from 9 San Francisco Bay Area counties. Participants were primary care patients aged 65 years or older and living in the San Francisco Bay Area in July 2017. Statistical analysis was performed from May to June 2020. Exposures Patients' home addresses were geocoded and assigned to US Census tracts. The primary factor, nSES, an index combining area-level measures of income, education, poverty, employment, occupation, and housing or rent values, was divided into quintiles scaled to the distribution of all US Census tracts in the Bay Area (Q1 = lowest nSES). Covariates were from the EHR and included health care use (primary care, outpatient specialty, emergency department, and inpatient encounters in the prior year). Main outcomes and measures ACP was defined as a scanned document (eg, advance directive), ACP Current Procedural Terminology code, or ACP note type in the EHR. Results There were 13 104 patients included in the cohort-mean (SD) age was 75 (8) years, with 7622 female patients (58.2%), 897 patients (6.8%) identified as Black, 913 (7.0%) as Latinx, 3788 (28.9%) as Asian/Pacific Islander, and 748 (5.7%) as other minority race/ethnicity, and 2393 (18.3%) self-reported that they preferred to speak a non-English language. Of these, 3827 patients (29.2%) had documented ACP. The cohort was distributed across all 5 quintiles of nSES (Q1: 1426 patients [10.9%]; Q2: 1792 patients [13.7%]; Q3: 2408 patients [18.4%]; Q4: 3330 patients [25.4%]; Q5: 4148 patients [31.7%]). Compared with Q5 and after adjusting for health care use, all lower nSES quintiles showed a lower odds of ACP in a graded fashion (Q1: adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 0.71 [95% CI, 0.61-0.84], Q2: aOR = 0.74 [95% CI, 0.64-0.86], Q3: aOR = 0.81 [95% CI, 0.71-0.93], Q4: aOR = 0.82 [95% CI, 0.72-0.93]. A bivariable map of ACP by nSES allowed identification of 5 neighborhoods with both low nSES and ACP. Conclusions and relevance In this study, lower nSES was associated with lower ACP documentation after adjusting for health care use. Using EHR and place-based data, communities of older adults with both low nSES and low ACP were identified. This is a first step in partnering with communities to develop targeted, community-based interventions to meaningfully increase ACP.
Aerosol generation during endonasal instrumentation in the clinic setting

Background: The potential risk for transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) duringendoscopic endonasal instrumentation has been described in recent anecdotal reports. Additionally, recent simulations incadaveric models have demonstrated aerosol generation during power endonasal instrumentation. Endonasal proceduresare commonly performed in the outpatient clinic setting, and with a potential for aerosol generation, these procedures maypose a potential exposure risk to clinic staff. Objective: To provide a greater understanding of aerosol generation and exposure risk during endoscopic endonasalinstrumentation in the outpatient clinic setting. Methods: Using an optical particle sizer, airborne particles concentrations in particles per cubic foot (p/ft ) were measuredduring 30 nasal endoscopies in the outpatient clinic setting. Aerosol measurements were collected within an 18-inch radiusfrom the patient's head during 11 different diagnostic nasal endoscopies and 19 different nasal endoscopies with suctionand mechanical debridement. To identify any particle effect from endonasal instrumentation, airborne particles measuring0.3, 0.5, 1.0, 2.5, 5.0, and 10.0 microns (μm) in diameter were recorded at distinct time points throughout diagnostic anddebridement endoscopies. To account for the effects of native patient breathing on aerosol concentrations, all endoscopymeasurements were compared to aerosol concentrations measured prior to procedure initiation. Results: Compared to preprocedure aerosol levels, no significant increase in mean aerosol concentrations was measuredduring diagnostic nasal endoscopies. However, compared to preprocedure aerosol levels, a statistically significant increasein mean particle concentrations was measured during cold instrumentation at 2,462 p/ft (95% CI: 837-4,088;p = 0.005).The use of suction instrumentation was also associated with a statistically significant increase in mean particleconcentrations at 2,973 p/ft (95% CI: 1,419-4,529;p = 0.001). In total, greater than 99% of all measured particles wereless than 2.5 μm in diameter, with comparable particle size distributions observed during all forms of endonasalinstrumentation. Conclusion: When measured with an optical particle sizer, diagnostic nasal endoscopy with a rigid endoscope is notassociated with increased particle aerosolization in patients for which sinonasal debridement is not indicated. In patientsneeding sinonasal debridement, the use of cold and suction instrumentation was associated with increased particle aerosolization. The observed generation of airborne particles, especially sub-micrometer aerosols, during endonasaldebridement may increase exposure risk for clinic staff to SARS-CoV-2 compared to patient native breathing. Appropriatepersonal protective equipment use and patient screening should be utilized for all office-based endonasal procedures.
Biomarkers in Migraine.

Background: Disability from migraine has a profound impact on the world's economy. Research has been ongoing to identify biomarkers to aid in diagnosis and treatment. Objective: The aim of this study was to highlight the purported diagnostic and therapeutic migraine biomarkers and their role in precision medicine. Methods: A comprehensive literature search was conducted using PubMed, Google Scholar, and clinicaltrials.gov using keywords: “migraine” OR “headache” combined with “biomarkers” OR “marker.” Other keywords included “serum,” “cerebral spinal fluid,” “inflammatory,” and “neuroimaging.” Results: After a review of 88 papers, we find the literature supports numerous biomarkers in the diagnosis of migraine. Therapeutic biomarkers, while not as extensively published, highlight calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) and pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating peptide-38 (PACAP-38) as biomarkers with the most substantiated clinical relevance. Genetic markers mainly focusing on gene mutations with resultant biochemical alterations continue to be studied and show promise. Conclusion: Although there are several proposed biomarkers for migraine, continued research is needed to substantiate their role in clinical practice.
Hamiltonicity of 3-tough $(K_2 \cup 3K_1)$-free graphs

Chvatal conjectured in 1973 the existence of some constant $t$ such that all $t$-tough graphs with at least three vertices are hamiltonian. While the conjecture has been proven for some special classes of graphs, it remains open in general. We say that a graph is $(K_2 \cup 3K_1)$-free if it contains no induced subgraph isomorphic to $K_2 \cup 3K_1$, where $K_2 \cup 3K_1$ is the disjoint union of an edge and three isolated vertices. In this paper, we show that every 3-tough $(K_2 \cup 3K_1)$-free graph with at least three vertices is hamiltonian.
Simultaneous electron density and attenuation coefficient reconstruction

Creating a viable reconstruction method for Compton scatter tomography remains challenging. Accounting for scatter attenuation when the underlying attenuation map is not known is particularly difficult, and current mathematical approaches to this vary widely. This work explores a novel approach to joint scatter and attenuation image reconstruction, which leverages the underlying structural similarity between the two images and incorporates a deep learning model in an alternating iterative reconstruction scheme. A single-view CT imaging procedure for recording Compton scatter is first described. A joint reconstruction model, which iterates between algebraically reconstructing scatter images and estimating the attenuation via deep learning is then proposed. This model is tested on both a generated dataset of 2D phantom images designed to mimic human tissues as well as a realistically simulated dataset based on real CT images. Testing results yield convergence of the model and decent reconstruction quality, demonstrating the potential principled utilities of this configuration and deep learning approach. The model achieved a structural similarity index measure of at least 0.84 for scatter and 0.89 for attenuation reconstructions with the realistically simulated dataset. The iterative, deep learning approach outlined in this work shows potential for future efficient medical imaging procedures, reconstructing images with limited scatter information.
The Importance of Effective Time Management

Just as smart travelers consider in advance what will be required to ensure their successful journey, a student about to embark on their thesis or dissertation should recognize the importance of similar preparation.
Superconductivity in Nanowires: Fabrication and Quantum Transport

1 Introduction 2 Selected Theoretical Topics Relevant to Superconducting Nanowires 3 StewartMcCumber Model 4 Fabrication of Nanowires Using Molecular Templates 5 Experimental Methods 6 Resistance of Nanowires Made of Superconducting Materials 7 Golubev and Zaikin Theory of Thermally Activated Phase Slips 8 Stochastic Premature Switching and Kurkijarvi Theory 9 Macroscopic Quantum Tunneling in Thin Wires 10 SuperconductorInsulator Transition (SIT) in Thin and ShortWires 11 Bardeen Formula for the Temperature Dependence of the Critical Current Appendices A Superconductivity in MoGe Alloys B Variance and the Variance Estimator
LINGUISTIC KNOWLEDGE AND COGNITIVE INTEGRATION

Segun la Propositional Attitude View (PAV), un hablante es competente en su idioma en virtud de poseer actitudes proposicionales cuyo contenido es su gramatica interna. En este articulo desarrollo una objecion a PAV, llamada “el reto de la integracion”, originalmente propuesto por Stich (1978) y Evans (1981), y que esta constituido por dos premisas: (1) las actitudes proposicionales se caracterizan por su integracion inferencial, y (2) los estados que contienen informacion gramatical no estan inferencialmente integrados. En este articulo considero y rechazo las respuestas a este argumento formuladas por Dwyer y Pietroski (1996), Higginbotham (1987) y Knowles (2000)
Does Sunshine Reduce the Quality of Deliberation? The Case of the Federal Open Market Committee

What is the effect on a deliberative process if a verbatim record is kept and later released to the interested public? If there is an effect, is it profound and transformative, or is it minor? This paper examines the effect on deliberation in the Federal Reserve System’s Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) of the discovery of past transcripts and a decision to continue keeping and to publish them. We develop quantitative measures of the deliberative process and are able to provide a statistical test to determine the magnitude of the impact of this change on FOMC deliberation.
Dual Phase Cosmic Rays

A calculation based on flat spacetime symmetries shows how there can be two quantum phases. For one, extreme phase change determines a conventional classical trajectory and four-momentum, i.e. mass times four-velocity. The other phase occurs in an effective particle state, with the effective energy and momentum being the rate of change of the phase with respect to time and distance. A cosmic ray proton moves along a classical trajectory, but exists in an effective particle state with an effective energy that depends on the local gravitational potential. Assumptions are made so that a cosmic ray proton in an ultra-high energy state detected near the Earth was in a much less energetic state in interstellar space. A 300 EeV proton incident on the Earth was a 2 PeV proton in interstellar space. The model predicts such protons are in states with even more energy near the Sun than when near the Earth.
Advances in schizophrenia

Recent studies into the etiology of schizophrenia have yielded both promising leads and disappointing dead ends, indicating the multifactored and complex nature of the disorder. The focus has subsequently shifted back to refining the phenotype and identifying clinical and biological subtypes. Recent technological breakthroughs in genomics and proteomics hold promise for advancing our understanding of the molecular pathophysiology of schizophrenia.
On Reductive Semantics of Aggregates in Answer Set Programming

Several proposals of the semantics of aggregates are based on different extensions of the stable model semantics, which makes it difficult to compare them. In this note, building upon a reductive approach to designing aggregates, we provide reformulations of some existing semantics in terms of propositional formulas, which help us compare the semantics and understand their properties in terms of their propositional formula representations. We also present a generalization of semantics of aggregates without involving grounding, and define loop formulas for programs with aggregates guided by the reductive approach.
Adult Respiratory Distress Syndrome in an Infant

The review of adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in children by Lyrene and Truog1 summarizes their experience in 15 children ranging in age from 15 months to 14 years. We wish to emphasize that this syndrome may occur in very young infants. We have cared for a previously well 6-week-old infant who had the clinical presentation, course, and ventilatory data compatible with ARDS. The infant was found dusky and gasping in her crib and was noted at a local hospital to be tachypneic and in marked respiratory distress (Pao2 was 29 mm Hg on room air).
Culture, Learning, and Development and the Natural World: The Influences of Situative Perspectives

The study of human learning and development from situative or sociocultural perspectives has had significant impacts on a wide range of scholarship largely driven by the theoretical and methodological focus on understanding the role of activity systems in cognition and development. This article first explores how situative perspectives have advanced fundamental knowledge about how culture and race impact learning and development and works to demonstrate how these understandings have enabled new insights into folk-biological cognition. Traditional cognitive, cross-cultural, and situative perspectives with respect to folkbiology are compared and contrasted to demonstrate how situative perspectives enabled more complete understandings of the complexities of biological cognition. These complexities are conceptualized as the conceptual and epistemological ecologies of activity systems. Implications for education are considered.
Living donation: focus on public concerns

: In December 2002, a conference was held in Philadelphia to discuss public concerns about living organ transplantation with the goal of reaching a consensus about new strategies for such transplants. The conference was hosted by the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and the Center for Bioethics. A multidisciplinary group of leading experts and stakeholders was called to assess the current status of living donation and suggest productive changes to ensure safer and more ethically sound procedures for both donors and recipients. Prior to the meeting, the research team from the University of Pennsylvania, Center for Bioethics, conducted literature reviews and extensive background research on living organ transplantation. Summary briefs were prepared for all conference participants. Issues were divided into four subcategories; two or three experts led the discussion on each topic. At the conclusion of the conference, the points raised were summarized and discussed, and additional comments were offered before general agreement was reached on each subject. Transcribed minutes and summary statements were reviewed and circulated among participants to allow for additional comments and clarification. All feedback was incorporated into the statement, and a draft of the article was recirculated. Participants who have endorsed the following statements have agreed that these points represent the intent and spirit of the discussion, yet each participant reserves the right to disclaim the document in its entirety. The views represented in the consensus points are held by members of the consensus group and do not necessarily represent the views of the sponsor. A consensus was reached to propose new strategies and make improvements on existing practices and protocols. Specific attention was paid to the widely accepted needs of consistent and responsible communication with the public and press, standardization in donor assessment, a national living donor registry and new research focusing on larger sample numbers and long-term donor follow-up. These consensus points support the work carried out by other advisory transplant organizations and should assist in advocating for living organ donors, the live donor transplant process and the concerns of the public.
3'-UTR SIRF: A database for identifying clusters of short interspersed repeats in 3' untranslated regions

Short (~5 nucleotides) interspersed repeats regulate several aspects of post-transcriptional gene expression. Previously we developed an algorithm (REPFIND) that assigns P-values to all repeated motifs in a given nucleic acid sequence and reliably identifies clusters of short CAC-containing motifs required for mRNA localization in Xenopus oocytes. In order to facilitate the identification of genes possessing clusters of repeats that regulate post-transcriptional aspects of gene expression in mammalian genes, we used REPFIND to create a database of all repeated motifs in the 3' untranslated regions (UTR) of genes from the Mammalian Gene Collection (MGC). The MGC database includes seven vertebrate species: human, cow, rat, mouse and three non-mammalian vertebrate species. A web-based application was developed to search this database of repeated motifs to generate species-specific lists of genes containing specific classes of repeats in their 3'-UTRs. This computational tool is called 3'-UTR SIRF (S hort I nterspersed R epeat F inder), and it reveals that hundreds of human genes contain an abundance of short CAC-rich and CAG-rich repeats in their 3'-UTRs that are similar to those found in mRNAs localized to the neurites of neurons. We tested four candidate mRNAs for localization in rat hippocampal neurons by in situ hybridization. Our results show that two candidate CAC-rich (Syntaxin 1B and Tubulin β4) and two candidate CAG-rich (Sec61α and Syntaxin 1A) mRNAs are localized to distal neurites, whereas two control mRNAs lacking repeated motifs in their 3'-UTR remain primarily in the cell body. Computational data generated with 3'-UTR SIRF indicate that hundreds of mammalian genes have an abundance of short CA-containing motifs that may direct mRNA localization in neurons. In situ hybridization shows that four candidate mRNAs are localized to distal neurites of cultured hippocampal neurons. These data suggest that short CA-containing motifs may be part of a widely utilized genetic code that regulates mRNA localization in vertebrate cells. The use of 3'-UTR SIRF to search for new classes of motifs that regulate other aspects of gene expression should yield important information in future studies addressing cis-regulatory information located in 3'-UTRs.
Mitochondrial coenzyme Q content and aging

The main objective of this study was to determine the nature of the relationship between aging and mitochondrial coenzyme Q (CoQ) content. Mitochondria in the heart, skeletal muscle, kidney and brain of the mouse varied in both the amount of total CoQ (CoQ9 + CoQ10) content as well as in the ratio of the CoQ9 to CoQ10. CoQ content declined with age only in the skeletal muscle. Caloric restriction (CR) resulted in an increase in the amount of CoQ9 in skeletal muscle mitochondria. This effect was partially reversible upon termination of the caloric restriction regimen. Results suggest that a decrease in mitochondrial CoQ content is an integral aspect of aging in skeletal muscle.
Dust motion in Jupiter's tilted magnetic field

Abstract We outline an analytical method for studying the motion of charged dust particles that orbit an oblate planet having a tilted, offset, dipolar magnetic field. Our computed trajectories closely mimic previous numerical results; equilibrium dust potentials must be less then 10 volts or the Jovian ring would be thicker than observed. We identify several Lorentz resonances , where the periods of components of the Lorentz force, as seen by a reference particle moving in the equatorial plane, match the particle's orbital period; several seem to be near observed features of the Jovian ring system.
Molecular biology and pathology of scrapie and the prion diseases of humans.

Scrapie and bovine spongiform encephalopathy of animals and Creutzfeldt-Jakob and Gerstmann-Straussler-Scheinker diseases of humans are transmissible and genetic neurodegenerative diseases caused by prions. Infectious prion particles are composed largely, if not entirely, of an abnormal isoform of the prion protein which is encoded by a chromosomal gene. An as yet unidentified post-translational process converts the cellular prion protein into an abnormal isoform. Scrapie neuropathology, incubation times, and prion synthesis in transgenic mice are controlled by the prion protein gene. Point mutations in the prion protein genes of animals and humans are genetically linked to development of neurodegeneration. Transgenic mice expressing mutant prion proteins spontaneously develop neurologic dysfunction and spongiform neuropathology. Studies of prion diseases may advance investigations of other neurodegenerative disorders and of how neurons differentiate, function for decades and grow senescent.
The Effects of Temptation and Information about a Stranger on Helping

In previous research on helping the responses of subjects who received no information about a stranger's opinions and who received information confirming the other's similarity, expressed equally positive sentiment toward the stranger and helped equally often (and more than a third group who expressed negative sentiment after learning that the stranger held dis similar opinions). The present study, stimttlated by this anomaly, found that although the two groups expressed equally positive sentiment toward the other, they helped equally as often only when there was little temptation to do otherwise. With greater temptation the difference in the frequency of helping was comparatively large. This was interpreted as suggesting that information about another can both create and destroy promotive social bonds.
Decomposability in fixed point computation with applications and acceleration techniques

Abstract In the past decade, several complementary pivot algorithms have been developed to search for fixed points of certain functions and point to set maps on unbounded regions. This paper develops a structure (called decomposability), which, when present, enables one to work in a lower dimensional space when solving these problems. Several examples of where this structure arises in applications are presented. It is shown that under suitable circumstances, the general constrained optimization problem (that of optimizing an objective function subject to both equality and inequality constraints) may be formulated as a decomposeble fixed point problem. At the same time, an approximation technique is developed to potentially improve the efficiency of the complementary pivot algorithms.
Flood of the Red River Basin in 2009 and Effectiveness of Rapid Mitigation Efforts

2009, the city government ordered a mandatory evacuation of the residents living in certain areas of the city, and public schools, including three universities in the region, were closed for up to two weeks. The Red River originates at the Bois de Sioux and Otter Tail rivers in the northern United States and flows through Fargo and Grand Forks, North Dakota, toward Winnipeg, Canada. The river is 885 km long, including 635 km in the United States and 255 km in Canada Minnesota Department of Natural Resources 2009. Given that the U.S. Midwest is geographically flat, the Red River Basin may be the critical floodplain. Thus, moderate floods of the Red River Basin have regularly occurred during the past 110 years. The peak was the 1897 flood that recorded a crest of 12.2 m Flood Information Center FIC 2009. Fargo is the largest city in North Dakota with a population of approximately 100,000 U.S. Census Bureau 2010. The Red River flows along the east side of the city, as shown in Fig. 1. This forum discusses the 2009 flood of the Red River Basin in the city of Fargo and the effectiveness of the rapid efforts to minimize the flood damage. Of particular interest are the forensic investigations into the extreme event, which attributed the flood to four major sources: the sudden change of temperature, snow melting, topography, and soil properties. Postflood activities are briefly discussed.
Molecular, multiresonant coherent four-wave mixing spectroscopy

Abstract Recent research has expanded the capabilities of four-wave mixing by providing it with component selectivity, site selectivity, and mode selectivity. The selectivity is achieved by taking advantage of the three resonance enhancements that occur in a four-wave mixing process. New spectral scanning strategies allow one to scan a single resonance while maintaining the other two resonances at constant values. The constant resonances can be used to select a specific component, a specific site within an inhomogeneously broadened envelope of a component, and/or a specific vibrational or vibronic mode of that site. The scanned resonance will then contain enhanced features corresponding to the particular component, site, and/or mode that was chosen by the constant resonances. These component and site selective capabilities of the four-wave mixing complement the single vibronic level fluorescence methods. The relative transition intensities from a specific component or site reflect the mode coupling betwee...
Effect of antihypertensive therapy on calcium transport by cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum of SHRs

Cardiac hypertrophy develops during the course of blood pressure elevation in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) and is associated with defective calcium transport by cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR). At 20 weeks of age, calcium uptake is reduced in SHRs (42 ± 1.3 vs 64 ± 1.6 nmol·mg−1·min−1 in age-matched normotensive Wistar-Kyoto rats, P<0.01), while Ca2+ ATPase activity is enhanced (44 ± 1.1 vs 35 ± 0.7 nmol·mg−1·min−1 in WKYs, P = 0.02); this results in low stoichiometry between calcium uptake and ATP hydrolysis in SHRs. The steady-state levels of the phosphoprotein intermediate [EP] of the transport ATPase are higher in normotensive rats (0.97 ± 0.1 vs 0.67 ± 0.08 nmol·mg−1 in SHRs, P <.0.01) but the Ca2+- and ATP-dependency are similar in the two groups. In order to study the relative roles of hypertension and cardiac hypertrophy in the depression of SHR function, 20-week old SHRs and normotensive rats were treated for 10 weeks with either hydralazine (100 mg·litre−1) or α-methyldopa (8 g·litre−1). Both therapeutic regimens resulted in near normalisation of blood pressure of SHRs (hydralazine: 18.1 ± 0.5 kPa [136 ± 4 mmHg]; α-methyldopa 17.6 ± 0.4 kPa [132 ± 3 mmHg]). Regression of cardiac hypertrophy, however, was seen only in the α-methyldopa-treated group, as judged by changes in left ventricular weight, RNA/DNA ratio, and hydroxyproline content. Furthermore, improvement in calcium transport capacity by the SHR, as reflected in higher calcium uptake and stoichiometric ratio between uptake and ATP hydrolysis, was found after a-methyldopa, but not hydralazine, treatment. These results indicate that reversal of cardiac hypertrophy is required for improvement in calcium transport by cardiac SR after antihypertensive therapy of SHRs.
STATE-TO-STATE COLLISIONAL DYNAMICS BY COHERENT LASER PULSE PHASE, SHAPE, AND FREQUENCY MODIFICATION

Conventional coherent pulse sequences such as photon echoes measure only highly averaged relaxation rates in complex multilevel systems, such as molecules undergoing state-changing collisions. Pulse frequency, phase, and shape control lets us generate sequences which give a more detailed understanding of the dynamics. Results of dual frequency, crafted shape sequences on I2 are presented which show that the "coherence dephasing" time T2 is primarily due to population redistribution (energy changing collisions) in the electronically excited state, and that the electronic ground state has a much smaller cross section for such collisions. Quantitative analysis is only possible with modified laser pulse shapes which excite a single velocity component, and requires pulse sequences which correct for the hyperfine dependence of predissociation. Since this correction is rarely made in previously reported coherent transient measurements, literature values of T2 and T1 may not be reliable in the zero pressure limit.
Minimal alpha 1- and alpha 2-adrenoceptor-mediated coronary vasoconstriction in the anaesthetized swine.

α-Adrenoceptor-mediated coronary vasoconstriction contributes to the initiation and aggravation of experimental and clinical myocardial ischaemia. However, the extent of α1- and α2-adrenoceptor-mediated constriction has not been characterized in the porcine coronary circulation despite the frequent use of this experimental model. Fifteen swine were anaesthetized with either α-chloralose, enflurane or isoflurane to determine the amount of α-adrenoceptor-mediated coronary constriction elicited by either the selective α1-adrenoceptor agonist methoxamine or the selective α2-adrenoceptor agonist azepexole. The left anterior descending coronary artery was cannulated and perfused by an external pump delivering constant blood flow from the carotid artery. Following bilateral cervical vagotomy and s-adrenoceptor blockade with propranolol (2 mg kg−1), graded dosages of either one of the α-adrenoceptor agonists (9–45 μg kg−1 min−1) were infused into the coronary perfusion line while coronary arterial pressure (CAP) was measured through a distal side arm of the cannula to detect changes in coronary vascular resistance. Infusion of the α-adrenoceptor agonists was terminated when systemic arterial pressure increased. Sonomicrometers were used to measure anterior left ventricular wall thickening for the assessment of regional contractile function. During methoxamine infusion, no increase in vascular resistance was observed during α-chloralose, enflurane or isoflurane anaesthesia, whereas the infusion of azepexole increased CAP from 103 ± 31 mmHg to 120 ± 35 mmHg (α-chloralose), from 101 ± 16 mmHg to 122 ± 11 mmHg (enflurane) and from 84 ± 20 mmHg to 94 ± 19 mmHg (isoflurane), respectively. In four additional swine anaesthetized with enflurane, the intracoronary infusion of the full catecholamine agonist noradrenaline in the presence of propranolol (6 mg kg−1) increased CAP from 98 ± 10 to 105 ± 10 mmHg prior to an increase in regional left ventricular function or systemic arterial pressure. These results indicate that there are no α1- and relatively little α2-adrenoceptor-mediated coronary constrictive effects in swine. Furthermore, neither α-adrenoceptor agonist produced any detectable change in regional myocardial contractile function, regardless of the anaesthesia used.