cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Use of Functional Data Analysis to Evaluate Activity in a Spontaneous Model of Degenerative Joint Disease Associated Pain in Cats.

Introduction and objectives Accelerometry is used as an objective measure of physical activity in humans and veterinary species. In cats, one important use of accelerometry is in the study of therapeutics designed to treat degenerative joint disease (DJD) associated pain, where it serves as the most widely applied objective outcome measure. These analyses have commonly used summary measures, calculating the mean activity per-minute over days and comparing between treatment periods. While this technique has been effective, information about the pattern of activity in cats is lost. In this study, functional data analysis was applied to activity data from client-owned cats with (n = 83) and without (n = 15) DJD. Functional data analysis retains information about the pattern of activity over the 24-hour day, providing insight into activity over time. We hypothesized that 1) cats without DJD would have higher activity counts and intensity of activity than cats with DJD; 2) that activity counts and intensity of activity in cats with DJD would be inversely correlated with total radiographic DJD burden and total orthopedic pain score; and 3) that activity counts and intensity would have a different pattern on weekends versus weekdays. Results and conclusions Results showed marked inter-cat variability in activity. Cats exhibited a bimodal pattern of activity with a sharp peak in the morning and broader peak in the evening. Results further showed that this pattern was different on weekends than weekdays, with the morning peak being shifted to the right (later). Cats with DJD showed different patterns of activity from cats without DJD, though activity and intensity were not always lower; instead both the peaks and troughs of activity were less extreme than those of the cats without DJD. Functional data analysis provides insight into the pattern of activity in cats, and an alternative method for analyzing accelerometry data that incorporates fluctuations in activity across the day.
Facilitators and Barriers to the Adoption of Pharmacogenetic Testing in an Inner-City Population.

OBJECTIVES To examine the knowledge, attitudes, and interest of an inner-city population toward pharmacogenetic testing, with the primary objective of identifying facilitators and barriers toward pharmacogenetic testing; and secondary objectives of determining predictors of patient interest in pharmacogenetic testing and how much patients would pay for the test. METHODS Patients were recruited from an Antithrombosis Clinic from March to April 2014. A cross-sectional 19-question survey was administered in person to determine patients' knowledge and awareness of pharmacogenetic testing and collect demographic information. After explaining pharmacogenetics, patients ranked their interest toward the test and answered open-ended questions that elicited facilitators and barriers toward pharmacogenetic testing and elucidated how much patients would pay for testing. RESULTS A total of 120 patients (mean age 55.0 ± 14.0 years, 39.2% male, 69.2% African American) were surveyed. Facilitators included providing further information about pharmacogenetic testing; elaborating on benefits of testing to predict treatment efficacy; patients' trust in their providers to make correct genotype-guided prescribing decisions; and insurance coverage and test affordability. Barriers to testing included concerns about the negative consequences associated with test results; burden of the testing process; perceived lack of utility among elderly and those whose medications were working; privacy issues; and concerns regarding insurance coverage and test affordability. Women had 4.2 times higher adjusted odds of being interested in pharmacogenetic testing. Almost half (44.4%) of the patients with high interest in the test were willing to pay $20 or more, whereas 76.2% of patients with low interest wanted testing at no cost. CONCLUSION This study identified facilitators, such as providing additional pharmacogenetic test information, and barriers, such as perceived negative impact of the results and test utility, as issues to address when engaging an urban, largely minority population in pharmacogenetic testing. Female sex was a predictor of interest toward pharmacogenetic testing. These facilitators and barriers should be taken into consideration as pharmacogenetic testing gains widespread utility among inner-city populations.
Best Practices in Civic Education: Lessons from the Journal of Political Science Education

The Journal of Political Science Education (JPSE) provides over a decade of research on political science pedagogy, featuring empirical research documenting best practices in the field. This articl...
Youth or Young Adults: Which Group Is at Highest Risk for Tobacco Use Onset?

Abstract Purpose Historically, adolescence has been regarded as the time when most tobacco use initiation occurs. This study examines the initiation of tobacco product use, including cigarettes, e-cigarettes, cigar products, and hookah, among contemporary youth and young adults, to determine whether the developmental timing (youth vs. young adulthood) of initiation has changed. Methods Three cohort studies were used to examine the onset of ever use and current (past 30 days) use of each tobacco product among never-using youth (11 to Results Young adults had significantly higher incidence rates than youth to initiate ever and current use of each/all tobacco products for all comparisons. Conclusions These findings extend prior research on the timing of the onset of tobacco use by using longitudinal analyses from three contemporary cohort studies to include not just cigarettes, but also e-cigarettes, cigar products, and hookah. Among those who were never-users of tobacco products, young adults began to ever and currently use all tobacco products more than youth in these samples, a marked departure from prior decades of research.
Using Simple Linear Regression to Assess the Success of the Montreal Protocol in Reducing Atmospheric Chlorofluorocarbons.

Following the Guidelines for Assessment and Instruction in Statistics Education (GAISE) recommendation to use real data, an example is presented in which simple linear regression is used to evaluat...
Proceedings of the symposium on Computational Aesthetics

Welcome to Expressive 2013, the joint symposium on Computational Aesthetics, Sketch-based interfaces and modeling, and Non-photorealistic animation and rendering! These proceedings represent the third year where all three symposia have been combined into a single venue. Expressive provides a unique venue for researchers, students and practitioners interested in sketch- and pen-based techniques, art-influenced rendering, modeling, and animation techniques, and the intersections of these areas. It is a forum where attendees from the Graphics, HCI, and Art communities can meet and interact with one another, share lessons learned, show new results and discuss open issues.
Menstrual and reproductive history of mothers of galactosemic children

Objective To test the hypothesis that female carriers of the galactosemia gene (mothers of galactosemic children) experience impaired fecundability and earlier age at natural menopause. Design Retrospective cohort study comparing experiences of mothers of galactosemic children with mothers of children with phenylketonuria (PKU). Data collection consisted of a structured telephone interview with sections on menstrual, reproductive, and medical histories. Participants One hundred three galactosemia carriers and 116 PKU carriers (mean age 35.0 and 38.4 years, respectively), recruited from 38 metabolic disease clinics throughout the United States. Main Outcome Measures Time-to-pregnancy (a measure of fecundability), menstrual cycle patterns, and natural menopause. Results No difference was seen between carriers of the galactosemia and the PKU gene in history of ≥12 months of unprotected intercourse without a pregnancy, physician-diagnosed infertility, or amenorrhea lasting >6 weeks. The fecundability ratio, adjusting for age and smoking before most recent pregnancy, was 1.17 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.85 to 1.61). By age 45, 11% of galactosemia carriers who had not had a hysterectomy reported a natural menopause compared with 4% of PKU carriers (risk difference 7.2%, 95% CI – 12.7% to 27.1%). Conclusion Fecundability and other measures of fertility did not differ between mothers of galactosemic children and mothers of children with PKU. Suggestions of an earlier age at natural menopause can not be addressed definitively in this cohort because of the small number of participants who were currently age 45 years or older but may warrant additional assessment as the cohort ages.
Induction of erythropoietic colonies in a human chronic myelogenous leukemia cell line

The ability of cells derived from the K562 cell line to generate erythropoietic colonies was studied. The K562 cell line was derived from a patient with chronic myelogenous leukemia 8 yr ago by Lozzio and Lozzio. Rare benzidine-positive colonies formed when these cells were cloned in plasma clots (3 +/- 1/10(4) cells), and their number was not substantially increased by the addition of erythropoietin (9.5 +/- 1/10(4) cells). Sodium butyrate was capable of markedly enhancing the number of benzidine-positive colonies (19.5 +/- 1/10(4) cells) formed, while the combination of sodium butyrate plus erythropoietin exerted a synergistic effect on erythropoietic colony formation (57 +/- 4/10(4) cells). The K562 cell line is a long-term culture system that contains human erythropoietic stem cells. This cell line should be useful in future studies on the cellular and molecular events associated with human erythroid cell differentiation.
Sequentially paced heterotopic heart transplant in the left chest provides improved circulatory support for the failed left ventricle. A potential biologic bridge to orthotopic transplantation

Acute experimental transplantation of an allograft heart in a heterotopic position was performed in 14 sheep. The donor heart was implanted in the left side of the chest with left atrial, aortic, and pulmonary artery anastomoses. Hemodynamic studies were performed to evaluate the physiologic effects of the procedure, particularly when recipient left ventricular failure was produced by inflow and outflow obstruction. Pacing techniques were developed and tested to coordinate the rhythm of the two hearts either synchronously or sequentially with variable intervals between depolarization of the two hearts. Hemodynamic studies were performed to evaluate the rhythm that would most optimize the physiology. The cardiac index remained essentially unchanged when the dominant circulatory support was shifted from recipient left ventricle to donor left ventricle by producing recipient left ventricular failure (3.79 ± 0.6 to 3.30 ± 0.8, p = no significant difference). Consistent and reliable paced rhythms were achieved in each case. The cardiac index was significantly higher when the hearts were paced sequentially rather than synchronously (3.76 ± 0.5 versus 3.29 ± 0.5, p
Time Complexity and Parallel Speedup of Relational Queries to Solve Graph Problems

Nowadays parallel DBMSs compete with graph Hadoop Big Data systems to analyze large graphs. In this paper, we study the processing and optimization of relational queries to solve fundamental graph problems, giving a theoretical foundation on time complexity and parallel processing. Specifically, we consider reachability, shortest paths from a single vertex, weakly connected components, PageRank, transitive closure and all pairs shortest paths. We explain how graphs can be stored on a relational database and then we show relational queries can be used to efficiently analyze such graphs. We identify two complementary families of algorithms: iteration of matrix-vector multiplication and iteration of matrix-matrix multiplication. We show all problems can be solved with a unified algorithm with an iteration of matrix multiplications. We present intuitive theory results on cardinality estimation and time complexity considering graph size, shape and density. Finally, we characterize parallel computational complexity and speedup per iteration, focusing on joins and aggregations.
Regional lymph nodes involved by prostate cancer harbor immune suppressor cells that impair the function of tumor-reactive T cells.

e16551Background: The role regional tumor draining lymph nodes (TDLN) plays in local immunity to prostate cancer (PCa) remains unknown. We hypothesized that TDLN harbor immune suppressor cells that...
Low-Complexity Superresolution Frequency Offset Estimation for High Data Rate Acoustic OFDM Systems

This paper addresses the problem of compensating for motion-induced Doppler frequency offset in multicarrier acoustic communication systems based on orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM). In mobile acoustic systems, Doppler effect can be severe enough that the received OFDM signal experiences nonnegligible frequency offsets even after initial resampling. To target these offsets, a superresolution, yet low-complexity method based on a stochastic gradient approach is proposed. The method relies on differentially coherent detection that keeps the receiver complexity at a minimum and requires only a small pilot overhead. Differential encoding is applied across carriers, promoting the use of a large number of closely spaced carriers within a given bandwidth. This approach simultaneously supports frequency-domain coherence and efficient use of bandwidth for achieving high bit rates. While frequency synchronization capitalizes on differentially coherent detection, it can also be used as a preprocessing stage in coherent receivers without creating undue complexity. Using simulation, as well as the experimental data transmitted over a 3–7-km shallow-water channel in the 10.5–15.5-kHz acoustic band, we study the system performance in terms of data detection mean squared error and bit error rate, and show that the proposed method provides excellent performance at low computational cost. Such advantages are of paramount importance for practical implementation of high data rate acoustic OFDM systems.
How comprehensive are nuclear medicine residency websites

Our goal for this study was to evaluate the comprehensiveness of nuclear medicine (NM) residency websites from the USA and Canada. The authors searched all the existing NM residency programs as listed in the Fellowship and Residency Electronic Interactive Database and the Canadian Residency Matching Service. We analyzed each website for the presence or absence of 44 elements previously identified as important considerations for medical students applying to residency. We compared criteria prevalence between regions and program size using t-tests and analysis of variance. Our results showed that, of 47 NM residencies, 9 did not have a dedicated website, leaving a total of 38 websites available for evaluation. The individual websites in the USA had a mean of 15 of 44 elements sought; in contrast, Canadian programs had 26 of 44 elements sought. The most common elements included contact e-mail, mailing address, and comprehensive faculty listings. Information about resident hometown, academic interests, and extracurricular interests was only included in 3% of the websites. Only 3% of websites included case description and 11% included rotation schedule. Courses attended were included in 5%, educational resources in 8%, and resident education was included in 5% of the websites. In conclusion, about one in five NM residency programs do not have a publicly available website. The websites that do exist are incomprehensive, containing an average of only 32% of elements sought for the USA programs and 41% of elements sought in Canadian programs. Residency program websites are an important tool in recruiting medical students. Addressing the lack of available websites as well as the gap in content of the websites that does exist may improve recruitment of students to NM residency programs.
International Environment and Strategy

International strategic planning as a response to environmental changes and challenges, in pursuit of organizational goals, is the subject of this chapter. In general, domestic and international strategic processes are very similar, differing only in specifics. The differences are due to forces governing the international business environment. These forces include the host government, political, and legal issues; currency exchange rates; competition from local business, government-supported firms, and other multinational companies (MNCs); and cultural variations among nations. Cultural differences result in variations in the strategic planning process among MNCs. For example, similar to the American and European firms, Japanese MNCs prepare strategies to respond to changing environmental forces. They have, however, a different concept of strategy.
mGluR5 Mediates Dihydrotestosterone-Induced Nucleus Accumbens Structural Plasticity, but Not Conditioned Reward

Gonadal hormones play a vital role in driving motivated behavior. They not only modulate responses to naturally rewarding stimuli, but also influence responses to drugs of abuse. A commonality between gonadal hormones and drugs of abuse is that they both impact the neurocircuitry of reward, including the regulation of structural plasticity in the nucleus accumbens (NAc). Previous hormonal studies have focused on the mechanisms and behavioral correlates of estradiol-induced dendritic spine changes in the female NAc. Here we sought to determine the effects of androgens on medium spiny neuron (MSN) spine plasticity in the male NAc. Following treatment with the androgen receptor agonist dihydrotestosterone (DHT), MSNs in castrated male rats exhibited a significant decrease in dendritic spine density. This effect was isolated to the shell subregion of the NAc. The effect of DHT was dependent on mGluR5 activity, and local mGluR5 activation and subsequent endocannabinoid signaling produce an analogous NAc shell spine decrease. Somewhat surprisingly, DHT-induced conditioned place preference remained intact following systemic inhibition of mGluR5. These findings indicate that androgens can utilize mGluR signaling, similar to estrogens, to mediate changes in NAc dendritic structure. In addition, there are notable differences in the direction of spine changes, and site specificity of estrogen and androgen action, suggesting sex differences in the hormonal regulation of motivated behaviors.
Penile Wounding: Complications of Routine Male Circumcision in a Typical American Family Practice

Men 18 years and older seeking medical care in a private, full-service, well-established family practice in New Mexico were offered evaluation as to circumcision status and examined with regards to documentable surgical damage from circumcision. Despite the fact that every circumcised man had visible and definable obvious and undesired surgical side-effects, ranging from minor scarring to extreme twisting and bending, only a tiny fraction of these men, including gay men, were aware of any penile abnormalities, and almost all believed their own penises were “normal”. The vast majority of the circumcisions had occurred in the newborn period and had been done for standard non-medical reasons. Contrary to assumptions by parents and physicians, most, if not all, newborn circumcisions leave the victim of the surgery in an obvious physically damaged state, which is universally ignored by the patient, his parents, and the physicians performing the surgery or caring for the male child or adult male victim of circumcision.
Strong Log-Concavity Does Not Imply Log-Submodularity.

We disprove a recent conjecture regarding discrete distributions and their generating polynomials stating that strong log-concavity implies log-submodularity.
Median and Digital Nerve In Situ Tension in the Hand

Background: Digital nerves will experience tension under normal daily activities, and understanding the amount of tension experienced in these nerves relates directly to the necessary strength in n...
Collaborating with Child Psychiatry

Pediatric consultation-liaison (CL) psychologists collaborate with other care providers in the hospital, including psychiatrists. Whether the CL team contains both a psychiatrist and a psychologist or they are separate entities, collaboration between psychiatry and psychology facilitates better patient care. When psychologists and psychiatrists work together, the two disciplines can benefit from the differences in their training. Psychologists benefit from a psychiatrist’s expertise in medication management, diagnostics (e.g., imaging, lab testing, etc.), knowledge of complex clinical presentations (e.g., catatonia, delirium, etc.), and understanding of medical terminology, while a psychiatrist can learn from a psychologist’s knowledge of psychological assessments and more in-depth training in research and psychotherapy. When working together, the psychologist’s and psychiatrist’s conceptualization and treatment of the patient improves. To facilitate effective collaboration, efforts should be made to maximize communication and clarification of roles and responsibilities between psychiatrists and psychologists. Additionally, collaboration between psychiatrists and psychologists is beneficial for trainees, as it broadens their training and facilitates future referrals.
Regulating the Common Heritage of Mankind: Challenges in Developing a Mining Code for the Area

The International Seabed Authority has a challenging dual role: to develop the mineral resources of the seabed beyond national jurisdiction, whilst also protecting and preserving the marine environment from the effects of seabed mining. Setting rules, regulations and procedures for environmental management will be a key means of discharging that responsibility. This chapter identifies where there appear to be gaps within the current system, with particular attention to environmental impact assessment procedures. The authors consider the new exploitation regulations currently under negotiation, and identify opportunities to bolster such rules better to enable the International Seabed Authority to meet its environmental protection mandate.
The Ecuador Pediatric Spine Deformity Surgery Program, a SRS-Global Outreach Program Site, 2008-2016

Study design: Retrospective case series Summary of background data: The American Academy of Pediatrics, through its members and active international programs, strives to fulfill its global mission to attain optimal physical, mental, and social health and well-being for all children around the world. However, there is a scarcity of literature from these programs in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) with no published patient outcomes for spine surgery. There is a need for reporting program development and outcomes from these sites. After several years of building local relations and infrastructure, …
A Critical Approach to Dante’s “cantica”

Review of: Zygmunt G. Baranski, Dante, Petrarch, Boccaccio. Literature, Doctrine, Reality. Cambridge (UK): Legenda, an imprint of Modern Humanities Research Association, 2020, 658 p., ISBN: 9781781888797, € 85.
Factors Associated with Symptom Reporting in U.S. Service Academy Cadets and NCAA Student Athletes without Concussion: Findings from the CARE Consortium

Symptom resolution is a key marker in determining fitness for return to activity following concussion, but in some cases, distinguishing persistent symptoms due to concussion versus symptoms related to other factors can be challenging. To determine base rates of postconcussional syndrome (PCS) diagnostic categorization in healthy cadets and student athletes with no recent concussion. 13,009 cadets and 21,006 student athletes completed baseline preseason testing. After inclusion/exclusion criteria were applied, the final sample included 12,039 cadets [9123 men (75.8%); 2916 women (24.2%)] and 18,548 student athletes [10,192 men (54.9%); 8356 women (45.1%)]. Participants completed the Sport Concussion Assessment Tool–3rd Edition (SCAT3) symptom evaluation as part of baseline preseason testing. The PCS diagnostic categorization was classified by the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision (ICD-10) symptom criteria for PCS. In the absence of recent concussion, subgroups of cadets (17.8% of men; 27.6% of women) and student athletes (11.4% of men; 20.0% of women) reported a cluster of symptoms that would meet the ICD-10 symptom criteria for PCS. Participants with insufficient sleep and/or preexisting conditions (e.g., mental health problems), freshmen cadets, and cadets at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy and at the U.S. Air Force Academy (freshmen were tested during basic cadet training) were more likely to report a cluster of symptoms that would meet the ICD-10 symptom criteria for PCS. The ICD-10 symptom criteria for PCS can be mimicked by preexisting conditions, insufficient sleep, and/or stress. Findings support person-specific assessment and management of symptoms following concussion.
Serving Veterans in their Communities: Evaluation of an Online Resource for Behavioral Health Care Providers.

Many veterans receive behavioral health care services from providers in their communities. The Community Provider Toolkit (the Toolkit) is a website developed by the National Center for PTSD and the Department of Veterans Affairs intended to provide community mental health care providers with key veteran-focused educational resources. This mixed-methods study examined the potential impact of the Toolkit on provider knowledge and behaviors. Sixty-four clinicians in the community who currently or plan to provide services to veterans were surveyed. The majority of providers found the website useful and easy to navigate. After visiting the site, many providers found additional online and educational resources that they would add to a hypothetical treatment plan. Forty-five providers completed a 1-month follow-up survey focused on use of the Toolkit. Results indicate that the Toolkit may be a valuable tool for increasing provider knowledge about veteran-specific resources.
The first family formation among young Americans: the role of family process

The percentage of young American adults living with their parents is said to have increased steadily over the last few decades. However, limited research has examined the role of parent–adolescent interaction in the first family formation of young adults. This study examines the association between adolescents’ family process and their first union formation (marriage and cohabitation) from the ages of 16 to 35. This study also tests whether the influence of the family process varies significantly by age. Using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997, an event history analysis was conducted to address how the mechanisms of social learning by family affect the timing and types of first union formation. The results indicate that individuals with a positive family process have a lower risk of cohabitating during adolescence and a higher chance of transitioning to marriage than cohabitation in their first union formation. The findings also show that a positive family process is associated with higher chances of marriage in the mid-twenties and later. The study further shows that fathers may have a substantial role to play in affecting the timing and types of first union formation of their children compared to mothers. The findings of this study suggest that family processes are important in determining the timing and type of first union formation among young people in the United States.
Utilization of genetic algorithms to optimize Eucalyptus globulus pulp yield models based on NIR spectra

An optimization problem was developed by using a genetic algorithm to select wavelengths for establishing multivariate calibration models based on partial least squares (PLS) regression. Two near infrared (NIR) data sets represented by untreated and second derivative spectra were used to predict Eucalyptus globulus pulp yield. The optimization process was run with the number of variables (i.e., wavelengths) varied from 10 to 100 to determine the optimum wavelengths and number of latent variables for PLS regression model. A linear function of R-squares for calibration and prediction sets was utilized as the objective function of the optimization problem. The optimum wavelengths selected by genetic algorithm helped to considerably improve the performance of the PLS regression model, not only for the calibration sets but also for the prediction sets. The optimum number of latent variables varied over a wide range, from the maximum allowed (20) to a lower limit of six. Representative wavelengths for each data set were also statistically determined and assigned to corresponding wood components through a band assignment process, which showed strong agreement.
Cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the Musculoskeletal Tumor Society (MSTS) scoring system and Toronto Extremity Salvage Score (TESS) for musculoskeletal sarcoma patients in Greece.

To perform translation, cross-cultural adaptation, and validation of the Toronto Extremity Salvage Score (TESS) and Musculoskeletal Tumor Society (MSTS) scoring system in Greek patients with lower extremity sarcoma. The Greek version of the MSTS for the lower extremity and TESS questionnaires was developed using previously reported methods. Included were 100 patients with musculoskeletal sarcoma who underwent limb salvage surgery. The test–retest reliability [interclass correlation coefficient (ICC) between 2 different time points], internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha), construct validity (Kaiser’s criteria, Eigenvalue > 1 rule), and external validity (Short form-36, Spearman’s Rho) were assessed. The test–retest reliability (ICC was 0.99 for MSTS-LE and 1 for TESS) and internal consistency were high (Cronbach’s alpha was 0.763 for MSTS-LE and 0.924 for TESS) for both questionnaires. Based on the Scree plot, the number of factors retained was 1 for MSTS-LE and 2 for TESS. The TESS showed a strong correlation with SF-36 (Spearman’s rho = 0.714, p < 0.001), but the correlation between MSTS for lower extremity and SF-36 was weak (Spearman’s Rho = 0.313, p = 0.002). The Greek version of both the MSTS for lower extremity and TESS questionnaire showed sufficient reliability, internal consistency and good performance using the loading factor analysis when used postoperatively in Greek patients who underwent surgical resection of lower extremity sarcoma. However, only the TESS showed strong correlation with the SF-36, indicating that MSTS for lower extremity was not as powerful for the evaluation of the global health status of these patients.
The Roles of IT Strategies and Security Investments in Reducing Organizational Security Breaches

This research examines the joint effects of information technology (IT) strategies and security investments on organizational security breaches. We focus on two forms of IT strategies: digitalizati...
Heterogeneity and scaling land-atmospheric water and energy fluxes in climate systems

The effects of small-scale heterogeneity in land surface characteristics on the large-scale fluxes of water and energy in land-atmosphere system has become a central focus of many of the climatology research experiments. The acquisition of high resolution land surface data through remote sensing and intensive land-climatology field experiments (like HAPEX and FIFE) has provided data to investigate the interactions between microscale land-atmosphere interactions and macroscale models. One essential research question is how to account for the small scale heterogeneities and whether 'effective' parameters can be used in the macroscale models. To address this question of scaling, three modeling experiments were performed and are reviewed in the paper. The first is concerned with the aggregation of parameters and inputs for a terrestrial water and energy balance model. The second experiment analyzed the scaling behavior of hydrologic responses during rain events and between rain events. The third experiment compared the hydrologic responses from distributed models with a lumped model that uses spatially constant inputs and parameters. The results show that the patterns of small scale variations can be represented statistically if the scale is larger than a representative elementary area scale, which appears to be about 2 - 3 times the correlation length of the process. For natural catchments this appears to be about 1 - 2 sq km. The results concerning distributed versus lumped representations are more complicated. For conditions when the processes are nonlinear, then lumping results in biases; otherwise a one-dimensional model based on 'equivalent' parameters provides quite good results. Further research is needed to fully understand these conditions.
Frequency of Patient Contact with Health Care Personnel and Visitors: Implications for Infection Prevention

Article-at-a-Glance Background Contact with health care workers may be an important means of infection transmission between patients, yet little is known about patterns of patient contact with staff and visitors in hospitals. In a cross-sectional study, the frequency, type, and duration of contacts made by health care workers, other hospital staff, and visitors to patients in acute care settings were documented. Methods Patients were observed in seven units of three academic hospitals, with recording of each occurrence of someone's entry into the patient's room. The health care worker's role, the duration of the visit, and the highest level of patient contact made were noted. Staff were also surveyed to determine their perception of how many patients per hour they come into contact with, how long they spend with patients, and the level of patient contact that occurs. Findings Hourly room entries ranged from 0 to 28 per patient (median, 5.5), and patients received visits from 0 to 18 different persons per hour (median, 3.5). Nurses made the most visits (45%), followed by personal visitors (23%), medical staff (17%), nonclinical staff (7%), and other clinical staff (4%). Visits lasted 1 to 124minutes (median, 3minutes for all groups). Persons entering patients' rooms touched nothing inside the room, only the environment, the patient's intact skin, or the patient's blood/body fluids 22%, 33%, 27%, and 18% of the time, respectively. Medical staff estimated visiting an average of 2.8 different patients per hour (range, 0.5–7.0), and nursing staff estimated visiting an average of 4.5 different patients per hour (range, 0.5–18.0). Conclusions Examining patterns of patient contact may improve understanding of transmission dynamics in hospitals. New transmission models should consider the roles of health care workers beyond patients' assigned nurses and physicians.
Properties and Performance of Anode-Supported Proton-Conducting BaCe0.48Zr0.4Yb0.1Co0.02O3-δ Solid Oxide Fuel Cells

The anode-supported BaCe 0.48 Zr 0.4 Yb 0.1 Co 0.02 O 3―δ (BCZYC2)-based proton-conducting solid oxide fuel cells (H + -SOFCs) were fabricated using dual layer tape casting technique. BCZYC2 is a phase pure cubic perovskite and is stable in both humidified H 2 and CO 2 at 973 K. The total dc conductivity of BCZYC2 measured in humidified H 2 was 2.1 × 10 ―3 S/cm at 873 K. The cell performance was measured with humidified H 2 fuel and methanol/water fuel [with varying molar steam:carbon (S:C) ratios] at 873 K. The maximum open-circuit potential (OCP) of 1.04 V was achieved at 873 K in 3% humidified H 2 fuel with an accompanying peak power density of 89 mW/cm 2 . The total cell polarization resistance was 0.83 Ω cm 2 . Impedance measurements showed decreasing polarization and ohmic resistance with increasing current density. The cell operation via internal steam reforming of methanol was demonstrated using a methanol/water feed with 3:1 and 2:1 S:C ratios; however, the OCP was reduced to 0.97 and 0.95 V and the peak power density decreased to 65 and 58 mW/cm 2 , respectively. This was primarily attributed to a lower H 2 concentration in the feed stream.
Theoretical Approaches to Nanoparticles

Nanoparticles can be viewed as wave resonators. Involved waves are, for example, carrier waves, plasmon waves, polariton waves, etc. A few examples of successful theoretical treatments that follow this approach are given. In one, an effective medium theory of a nanoparticle composite is presented. In another, plasmon polaritonic solutions allow to extend concepts of radio technology, such as an antenna and a coaxial transmission line, to the visible frequency range.
Free expansion of a pure electron plasma column.

The collective free expansion of a magnetized pure electron plasma column along the confining axial magnetic field is experimentally and theoretically investigated. A new hydrodynamic theory for nonlinear plasma wave evolution in a bounded cylinder is described which predicts the experimental results. The plasma free expansion is initially characterized by a self-similar plasma flow resulting in a perturbed density and velocity with no characteristic length scale.
Design and Performance Comparison of Distributed Detection Networks

Optimization of a distributed detection network using theminimum global cost criterion results in local processors thatindividually form the likelihood ratio when the input observationvectors are statistically independent. In addition, the localthresholds and the network performance can be expressed as afunction of the receiver operating characteristics (ROCs) of the localprocessors. The performance of rive distributed networks arecompared numerically using local ROCs from the conic ROCfamily.
Alizarin Red S as a Flotation Modifying Agent in Calcite-Apatite Systems

Fu, E. and Somasundaran, P., 1986. Alizarin red S as a flotation modifying agent in calcite-apatite systems. Int. J. Miner. Process., 18: 287-296. Alizarin red 8, a dye that stains calcite, was tested for its preferential adsorption and selective flotation effects in calcite and apatite mineral systems. Interestingly, alizarin red 8 was found to adsorb more on apatite than on calcite, and to depress its flotation with oleate more than that of calcite. Reagent dosage and conditioning time had major effects, and when these variables were optimized, selective depression of apatite could be obtained from mixtures with calcite. Extended premixing of calcite and apatite reduced selectivity. However, selectivity was restored when an acid wash stage was introduced prior to conditioning with alizarin red 8. Tests conducted with reagents related in structure with alizarin red 8, suggest adsorption to be controlled more by the -OH groups rather than the -803 group of the molecule.
Significant fetal-maternal hemorrhage after termination of pregnancy: Implications for development of fetal cell microchimerism

Abstract Objective: Recent reports that an association exists between fetal cell microchimerism and autoimmune disease has increased interest in the postpartum persistence of fetal cells. The purpose of this study was to determine, by means of quantitative polymerase chain reaction amplification, whether a significant fetalmaternal hemorrhage occurs after elective termination of pregnancy. Study Design: Blood samples were obtained from 23 women who underwent termination of pregnancy immediately before venipuncture; these samples were subjected to analysis by quantitative polymerase chain reaction amplification with the use of Y-chromosome primers. There were 21 male and 2 female fetuses. Results were equilibrated to 16 mL and analyzed by a weighted linear regression analysis to evaluate the correlation between detected fetal nucleated cell equivalents and gestational weeks. Results: Among the 21 known male fetuses, the median number of detected fetal nucleated cell equivalents was 1552 (range, 50-37,618). The female fetuses had no fetal nucleated cell equivalents detected. A positive dependence of male fetal nucleated cell equivalents on gestational age was shown ( P Conclusion: Analysis by quantitative polymerase chain reaction amplification demonstrated a large fetal-maternal transfusion after elective abortion. Consideration of the biologic consequences of pregnancy and the potential for future development of fetal cell microchimerism must now extend to a larger population of women. (Am J Obstet Gynecol 2001;184:703-6.)
Growth and uptake of mineral by embryos of the direct-developing frog Eleutherodactylus coqui

Abstract Embryos of the direct-developing frog Eleutherodactylus coqui take up small quantities of yolk and yolk mineral early in incubation but increase their uptake of yolk reserves at later stages of development. Growth and accumulation of calcium and magnesium by embryos also occur slowly at first and at a higher rate later. Accumulation of calcium and magnesium by embryos is largely a function of variation in size of embryos, but uptake of phosphorus is unrelated to size. Althrough patterns of growth and uptake of mineral by embryonic coquis resemble those for embryos of oviparous amniotes, embryonic coquis do not deplete the yolk of its nutrients to the same degree. Thus, residual yolk of coqui hatchlings contains a high percentage of the nutrient reserves originally present in the egg. This difference between embryonic coquis and embryos of oviparous amniotes may indicate that transfer of nutrients from yolk to embryo becomes limiting during the grwoth phase. Alternatively, some aspects of the neurologic system are so poorly developed at hatching that coqui may not be able to find prey effectively. A large nutrient reserve could sustain hatchling while the neurologic system continues to mature.
A class II phosphoinositide 3-kinase plays an indispensable role in hepatitis C virus replication

Phosphoinositides function as fundamental signaling molecules and play roles in diverse cellular processes. Certain types of viruses may employ host cell phosphoinositide signaling systems to facilitate their replication cycles. Here we demonstrate that the β isoform of class II PI3K (PI3K-C2β) plays an indispensable role in hepatitis C virus (HCV) propagation in human hepatocellular carcinoma cells. Knockdown of PI3K-C2β abrogated HCV propagation in the cell. Using an HCV replicon system, we found that knockdown of PI3K-C2β substantially repressed the full-genome replication, while showing relatively small reductions in sub-genome replication, in which structural proteins including core protein were deleted. We also found that HCV core protein showed the binding activity towards D4-phosphorylated phosphoinositides and overlapped localization with phosphatidylinositol 3,4-bisphosphate in the cell. These results suggest that the phosphoinositide generated by PI3K-C2β plays an indispensable role in the HCV replication cycle through the binding to HCV core protein.
The Chronic Kidney Disease Patient in the Acute Hospital Environment

CKD is common, affecting more than 10% of the adult US population. Hospital admissions are common among these patients and present challenges for their caregivers. In the acute hospital setting, there is often a lack of awareness of the CKD patient and the best practices developed to help this population. This can place the CKD patient at risk for medication errors such as incorrect dosage or administration of a potentially harmful or unhelpful medication. CKD patients may need procedures during a hospital stay that increase their risk of adverse events. Also, common admission practices such as placing intravenous access needs to be thoughtfully considered in this population.
Glutathione and vitamin C in the crystalline lens.

ESTIMATIONS of the ascorbic acid (vitamin C) content of the crystalline lens, by the indophenol titration method of Tilman, indicate that the crystalline lens contains about 0.26–0.46 milligrams ascorbic acid per gram of lens. Von Euler and Martius1, Birch and Dann2, and Muller3 are of opinion that a considerable amount of the iodine-reducing substances in the crystalline lens, hitherto considered to be glutathione, is actually ascorbic acid.
Small Circular Plasmids of the Eukaryote Dictyostelium purpureum Define Two Novel Plasmid Families

Two novel groups of circular, nuclear plasmids were discovered in the simple eukaryote Dictyostelium purpureum. They define two new Dictyostelium plasmid families each containing three members: Dpp1A, Dpp1B, and Dpp2 in the Dpp1 family, and Dpp3, Dpp4, and Dpp5 in the Dpp3 family. These plasmids are among the smallest known, ranging in size from 1309 bp (Dpp1A and Dpp1B) to 1961 bp (Dpp4). Family members are very similar. The most distantly related members of the Dpp1 family (Dpp1A and Dpp2) are 89% identical, while the most distantly related members of the Dpp3 family (Dpp3 and Dpp4) are 91% identical. No sequence similarity is found between these plasmid families, or to any other known plasmid or chromosomal DNA sequence. A 72-bp inverted repeat present in one copy in Dpp1A and Dpp1B is tandemly repeated in Dpp2. The Dpp3 family contains a region of 102-160 nucleotides rich in short, overlapping direct sequence repeats. This region is present once in Dpp3 and Dpp5 and is tandemly repeated in Dpp4. The repeat structures in the Dpp1 and Dpp3 families are relatively rich in GC base pairs (29-41%) in comparison to the unique sequence regions of the plasmids (16-22%). The longest open reading frame (ORF) beginning with an AUG codon in these plasmids is 168 bp in the Dpp3 family, although longer ORFs without AUG start codons (up to 201 bp) also exist. Northern blot analysis did not detect any plasmid-specific transcripts in total RNA prepared from vegetative cells carrying Dpp1A or Dpp3.
Microparticles as autoantigens: making immune complexes big.

The paper by Nielsen et al in this issue of A&R makes a simple but important point: immune complexes can represent very big structures whose dimensions dwarf the small size expected for the usual pairings of antibody and antigen in solution (1). Indeed, as these studies show, immune complexes in the plasma of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) include sub-cellular structures called microparticles (MPs) whose surface is studded with IgG, IgM and C1q, the hallmarks of antibody deposition and complement activation. Furthermore, these studies demonstrated that the number of MPs bearing IgG as well as the density of IgG on particles are increased in lupus even though the total number of MPs is not elevated. By focusing on the structural components of immune complexes in lupus, this study provides a new perspective for understanding the mechanisms driving autoantibody production in SLE and the role of immune complexes in immunopathogenesis.
Demo: tracking user browsing on a demo floor

Our demo tracks physical browsing by users in indoor spaces. Analogous to online browsing, where users choose to go to certain webpages, dwell on a subset of pages of interest to them, and click on links of interest while ignoring others, we can draw parallels in the physical setting, where a user might walk purposefully to a section of interest, dwell there for a while, and gaze at specific items that they wish to know more about.