cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
THE INFLUENCE OF CHAIN LENGTH ON THE MYOCARDIAL UPTAKE OF 75Se-LABELED FATTY ACIDS

Abstract A series of 75 Se-labeled long-chain fatty acids have been prepared by the following general procedure ( 75 Se = *Se): *Se + Na → Na 2 *Se 2 + R-I → R 2 *Se 2 + NaBH 4 → R-*Se-Na+Br-R'COOMe → R-*Se-R′-COOMe + NaOH → R-*Se-R′-COOH. The mass spectra, proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectra, and other physical properties of the unlabeled fatty acids confirmed the proposed structures. The selenium fatty acids that have been prepared include the following: 9-selenatridecanoic acid (C 13 , 9-STDA), 9-selenaheptadecanoic (C 17 , 9-SHDA), 13-selenanonadecanoic acid (C 19 , 13-SNDA) 13-selenaheneicosonic acid (C 21 , 13-SHCA) and 9-selenapentacosonic acid (C 25 , 9-SPCA). Tissue distribution studies in rats with the 75 Se-labeled fatty acids demonstrated that myocardial uptake was markedly affected by chain length. The 75 Se-labeled fatty acids with C 13 , C 17 and C 19 chain lengths showed only moderate heart uptake after 5 minutes (0.32-0.69% injected dose). In contrast, the C 21 and C 25 75 Se-labeled acids showed pronounced heart uptake after this time (1.2-2.1%), and high heart:blood (7.3-9.9) and heart:lung ratios (2.7-4.8). Further studies with 75 Se-13-SHCA indicated that radioactivity from heart tissue lipid extracts co-chromatographed with triglycerides. Radioactivity was also rapidly excreted ( 75 Se-13-SHCA. The pronounced heart uptake, high heart:tissue ratios and rapid excretion suggest that 75 Se and 73 Selabeled fatty acids may represent an attractive new class of myocardial imaging agents.
Manufacturing Costs of Batteries for Electric Vehicles

Abstract Predicting the interrelation of lithium-ion battery performance and cost (BatPaC) is critical to understanding the origin of the manufacturing cost, pathways to lower these costs, and how low these costs may fall in the future. A freely available BatPaC model is presented that enables a direct evaluation of manufacturing cost. After the basis for the model is detailed, an in-depth discussion of the cost drivers highlights the most significant contributions to the total battery cost. Approaches to reducing battery cost are presented within the context of materials, engineering, and manufacturing.
Veto Players, Democracy, and the Diffusion of Freedom of Information Laws

Why do countries pass Freedom of Information (FOI) laws? Seventy-five countries had passed FOI laws by the end of 2008, despite the fact that these policies can restrict the ability of political actors to seek re-election and private gain. Further, the rapid diffusion of FOI laws across the globe has shown disregard for both regime type and level of development. Many developed democracies did not pass FOI laws until the 2000s, and over forty developing countries have passed them, including several non-democracies. I argue that the number of veto players is more important than the level of democracy in explaining FOI passage. Where checks and balances exist between multiple branches of government, those branches can develop conflicting preferences, and seek to obstruct each other by denying access to information. Political parties can also seek access to private information about each other in order to demonstrate wrongdoing, for purposes of electoral gain. The greater the number of veto players, the greater the incentives each one has to support a policy instrument allowing them to gain information about each other. An event history model of FOI passage covering 140 countries over the years 1983 to 2007 supports this approach, as does evidence from cross-validation trials to assess predictive power. I also find that international NGOs, along with geographic proximity and networks of shared colonial history, are important drivers of the diffusion of FOI laws.
Discussion: “Operant Sensitization” and Some Remarks on Unit Recording in Conscious Animals

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the concept of operant sensitization and presents remarks on unit recording in conscious animals. The idea of changing threshold for a stimulus rewarded with food has been developed during the instrumental conditioning of involuntary responses, and in the chapter, it is coupled with receptor tuning. It has been observed that when a tactile stimulus is rewarded with food, a hyperesthesia develops in the location of the stimulation. It may occasionally develop to such an extent that the animals ignore food for a while and continue striving to remove an imaginary object from the skin. This lowering of threshold for reflexes from a receptive field, the stimulation of which was paired with a reward, is restricted to the experimental situation and is not carried over to the home cage. It is, however, under the control of a drive, and the animal must be hungry for this phenomenon of operant sensitization, to occur reliably.
Conformable Row-Column Ultrasound Arrays for Abdominal Imaging

Fully-addressable two-dimensional (2D) array ultrasound transducers have issues such as a large number of elements, difficult to interconnect with an imaging system, high acoustic impedance of each array element which leads to a low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and high cost for medical ultrasound imaging systems, especially, for a 2D array of a size close to 300 mm by 300 mm with more than one million elements for imaging of a large area such as the abdomen of big patients and pregnant women. Despite the issues above, an array of a large size is necessary to reconstruct a large 3D volumetric image for artificial intelligent (AI) assisted medical diagnoses with minimal human interventions, which is especially desirable in countries or areas where there are few highly trained medical professionals to operate ultrasound imaging systems.To address the issues associated with large fully-addressable 2D array transducers, row-column (RC) arrays have been proposed to reduce the number of elements of the 2D arrays and reduce the acoustic impedance of each array element to increase SNR.Although a RC array can address some issues of the fully-addressable 2D arrays and simplify the imaging system greatly, the array must be rigid to avoid introducing phase aberrations due to deformation of the array. To solve the problem, in this paper, 36 sub-arrays of 25.6 mm by 25.6 mm each are proposed to form a large conformable RC array of a size of about 281.6 mm by 281.6 mm. To simplify the imaging system by further reducing the number of elements, a 25.6-mm gap filled with flexible materials between the sub-arrays is introduced. To cover the space between the sub-arrays in imaging, a 2D acoustic lens of 30o divergence is applied to each sub-array. To determine the position of each sub-array in the space for image reconstruction, 3 markers are placed on each sub-array to allow a position-reading camera to determine the position of the sub-array.Computer simulation with limited-diffraction array beam method was performed to calculate the ultrasound fields produced by a sub-array and the results show that the beam width of each sub-array of 2.5-MHz center frequency is about 2.6 mm at a depth of 70 mm and 0° steering angle. Thus, the pulse-echo beam dimension is about 2.6 mm by 2.6 mm in the plane that is perpendicular to the ultrasound wave propagation.This demonstrates that the proposed RC array is capable of 3D imaging of a large volume for AI-assisted medical diagnoses with minimal human intervention. Although, as compared to the fully-addressable 2D arrays, the RC arrays can only focus in one dimension in both transmission and reception, leading to lower image resolution and higher sidelobe (reduced image contrast), the proposed RC array is a good compromise and make it feasible for intelligent imaging of a large area such as the abdomen of big patients or pregnant women.
ACCELERATED IDIOVENTRICULAR RHYTHM IN MALIGNANT MITRAL VALVE PROLAPSE

Mitral valve prolapse (MVP) is commonly a benign disease, however a low percentage has been associated with arrhythmias and increase risk in sudden cardiac death (SCD), known as malignant mitral valve prolapse. This is a 53 yo M with a pmhx of HLD who presented to the ED with an episodes of syncope
Identifying a Kidney Transplant Recipient COVID Phenotype to Aid Test Utilization in the Setting of Limited Testing Availability-Does One Exist?

The high morbidity and mortality of COVID-19 in immunocompetent patients raises significant concern for immunosuppressed kidney transplant recipients (KTRs). This level of concern, both on the part of the KTRs and transplant professionals, is heightened by a lack of prior knowledge on how Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome 2 virus (SARS-CoV-2) may manifest differently in immunosuppressed patients. Characterizing how KTRs may present differently than the general population would allow for more targeted and timely evaluation and treatment of KTRs with COVID-19 infection. METHODS: Without prior knowledge of how this virus would affect our transplant center's delivery of care to KTRs who are SARS-CoV-2 positive or patients under investigation, and in the setting of limited testing availability, we initiated a quality assurance and improvement project (QAPI) to track KTRs followed at our transplant center through the SARS-CoV-2 testing process. RESULTS: Of the 53 symptomatic patients, 20 (38%) tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 either on presentation to the emergency department or referral to a designated outpatient testing center. In addition, 16 (80%) of the 20 patients who tested positive required inpatient treatment. Intriguingly, patients with a history of polyoma BK viremia (BKV) had a higher incidence of testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 compared to patients without a history of BKV (80% and 28%, respectively; P = .002). The Positive Predictive Value and Likelihood ratio was 80% and 6.6 for this association, respectively. Among our KTRs tested, those receiving belatacept had a lower likelihood of testing positive for SARS-CoV-2. This finding approached, but did not achieve, statistical significance (P = .06).
Housing and Transportation: The Relationship between Residential Location, Local Retail Economies, and Commutes of Low-Income Families in Mexico City:

This paper provides a new perspective on the trade-offs between housing location and transportation in Mexico City. Fieldwork provides detailed, community-level information on residents’ commutes a...
News Coverage and Drug Shortages during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Several drugs repurposed as COVID-19 treatment are in short supply. We collect data from MediaCloud and Google Health Trends about eight drugs proposed for repurposing as COVID-19 treatments and reported to be in shortage by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) from January 1, 2020 through June 30, 2020. We find that news media coverage could have contributed to shortages due to hoarding by individuals and stockpiling by institutions, and that search trends appear to accurately discriminate between individual hoarding and institutional stockpiling.
Modelling a compressible packed bed flow-through washing and deacetylation reactor for corn stover pretreatment

Abstract The deacetylation process is a key step in the lignocellulosic biomass pretreatment process that currently is done in batch reactors. A flow-through diffuser type reactor is a promising approach to make the process more efficient and economically favorable. A washing step before deacetylation can further reduce chemical usage and increase the process efficiency. However, the highly compacted biomass particles can cause significant pressure-drop for fluid flow through the bed, which in the worst case can cause self-enhancing pressure-drop leading to reactor blocking. Detailed understanding of the fundamentals of flow through a compressible packed bed is necessary to scale up the washing and deacetylation process. This work closely examines the classical Kozeny Carman equation and proposes modifications to accurately predict the pressure-drop at different compaction states. A compressible packed bed model is further developed based on the interaction between solid mechanics and fluid dynamics. Experimental measurements of water flow through a packed bed of corn stover show good agreement with the developed model. Corn stover washing process scale up simulations show that smaller reactor diameter, higher friction lining material, lower process throughput, and higher process temperature is favorable in stabilizing the bed from extensive compression when the bed height is fixed.
Exploring Fluency and Disfluency Features of Oral Performances in Chinese as a Second Language

This study investigates various fluency and disfluency features of oral performances by second language (L2) learners of Chinese to explore how these features differ and develop at different levels of oral proficiency in L2 Chinese. Although fluency has been extensively researched, few studies have explored oral fluency in L2 Chinese, with the available ones addressing a small number of fluency features or a restricted range of learner proficiency. The present study extends this body of research by including L2 learners at various curricular levels and by examining a more comprehensive set of fluency features. Oral responses to a narrative task were collected from thirty-eight L2 learners of Chinese at a US university. Their responses were holistically scored on four different levels and were analyzed for eleven fluency and disfluency features, including features of the amount and rate of speech, pausing, and repairs. Results showed that features of the amount and rate of speech and silent pausing not only demonstrated strong relationships with score levels but could also distinguish among the various levels with more distinctive differences observed at higher score levels than at lower ones. These findings have important implications for the teaching and assessment of speaking in L2 Chinese.
Getting Around: Cars and Land Use

This brief chapter illustrates the instrumental variables (IV) technique for causal inference, through an empirical case study of land use, as measured by population density, and vehicle ownership. It describes how the American Community Survey (ACS) can be used to study questions related to commuting and working from home. It emphasizes an intuitive understanding of the technique, and shows how a natural experiment on sibling gender and home size, first introduced in Chapter 1, can be used in an IV model.
Ethynyl-functionalized BNNT and preparation of polyarylene-BNNT nanocomposites

Abstract Boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs) were successfully functionalized with ethynyl groups using hypervalent iodine. High molecular weight polyarylene was synthesized via microwave-assisted polymerization. Polyarylene-BNNT nanocomposite materials were prepared and characterized for the first time. Thermal stability in air of the nanocomposites was excellent. The functionalization of nanotubes as described opens a new pathway to future materials in the defense, aerospace, automotive, and biomedical fields.
Chapter 11 Biochemical Pathways Regulating Transduction in Frog Photoreceptor Membranes

Publisher Summary This chapter describes biochemical-pathways-regulating transduction in frog-photoreceptor membranes. The chapter reviews the work on a number of chemical reactions that may be relevant to the transduction process in frog rod outer segments (ROSs): (1) the activation of a cyclic guanosine 3´,5´-monophosphate (cGMP) phosphodiesterase (PDE), which is sensitive to a number of regulators, including calcium ions and adenosine 5´-triphosphate (ATP), (2) a resulting rapid drop in cGMP levels, which has a stoichiometry and time course appropriate for the internal transmitter presumed to mediate between photon absorption in the disk membrane system and the permeability decrease in the plasma membrane, (3) the dephosphorylation of two small proteins whose phosphorylation is controlled by cGMP and calcium levels, (4) a slower hydrolysis of guanosine-5´-triphosphate (GTP), which may drive the efflux of calcium from the outer segment, and (5) the phosphorylation of rhodopsin, which is sensitive to cGMP and calcium levels. The vertebrate ROS is a specialized structure, obtained easily and in quantity, whose enzymatic machinery is dedicated mainly to the transduction process. The chapter explains how these reactions are related to each other in the formulation of one possible scheme for the pathways that regulate excitation and adaptation. The studies discussed in the chapter demonstrate that cyclic-nucleotide and calcium pathways are likely to interact.
Assisting end-users in understanding and programming simulations

We live in a media-rich environment. Today's technology user is accustomed to visual, interactive content but faced with challenges for authoring such content. The divide between the user and the creator grows with the greater complexity of the media. We seek to enable end-users to develop their own virtual environments through end-user programming. In particular, we are interested in helping American football coaches create digital playbooks with animated content. Such an environment requires the presentation of a large amount of information. This information can be associated with virtual agents, spatial locations, particular play formations, etc. We are currently focusing on assistive visualization techniques for both the programming and presentation of the strategy information.
Zenker's diverticulum flap.

A technique in which the epithelium of a Zenker's diverticulum is used to close a pharyngeal defect is reported
Work in progress - assessment of graduate electrical and computer engineering degree programs at the University of Oklahoma

This work-in-progress paper describes a newly initiated assessment process for masters and doctoral degree programs in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Oklahoma. The intended outcomes are that graduate students will show evidence of advanced study, focused study, and scholarly study. Procedures for assessing these criteria have been defined and data collection began during the Fall 2004 semester
A case of crystalline nephropathy

A 27-year-old woman with osteosarcoma involving the left distal femur was treated with high-dose methotrexate (5.5 g/m2 × 1 dose). One liter of isotonic sodium bicarbonate solution was infused and maintained to achieve a urine pH greater than 7.1. Within 48 h, serum creatinine rapidly rose from 0.9 to 1.6 mg/dl, consistent with acute kidney injury (AKI), despite urine output >100 ml/h. Methotrexate level was 49 μm/l. Urinalysis: SG 1.010, pH 8.5, and glucose, protein, and leukocyte esterase were negative. Urine microscopy revealed numerous brownish/gold crystals, which were in clumps (Figure 1a) and casts (Figure 1b)—consistent with methotrexate crystalline nephropathy. Five days later, kidney function returned to baseline.
Modelagem de Objetivos no Apoio ao Desenvolvimento do Sistema de Notificação e Captação de Córnea

This article provides an introduction to modeling goals of attracting corneas environment. This modeling is to support the Tropos methodology for the preparation of diagrams Strategic Dependency and Strategic Reason. These diagrams will be used later to define functional and non-functional requirements of the system being developed to support this environment.
Papillary adenofibroma of the uterine cervix.

Abstract Three papillary tumors of the uterine cervix considered to be true fibromas of the substantia propria are described. Their clinical and histologic features are different from those of the usual endocervical mucosal polyp. The descriptive term papillary adenofibroma is used to avoid confusion with polypoid “fibroid” and fibrous polyp. There is no indication that the neoplasm has any tendency to sarcomatous change.
Mutational analysis of tobacco etch virus polyprotein processing: cis and trans proteolytic activities of polyproteins containing the 49-kilodalton proteinase.

Abstract The genome of tobacco etch virus contains a single open reading frame with the potential to encode a 346-kilodalton (kDa) polyprotein. The large polyprotein is cleaved at several positions by a tobacco etch virus genome-encoded, 49-kDa proteinase. The locations of the 49-kDa proteinase-mediated cleavage sites flanking the 71-kDa cytoplasmic pinwheel inclusion protein, 6-kDa protein, 49-kDa proteinase, and 58-kDa putative polymerase have been determined by using cell-free expression, proteolytic processing, and site-directed mutagenesis systems. Each of these sites is characterized by the conserved sequence motif Glu-Xaa-Xaa-Tyr-Xaa-Gln-Ser or Gly (in which cleavage occurs after the Gln residue). The amino acid residue (Gln) predicted to occupy the -1 position relative to the scissile bond has been substituted, by mutagenesis of cloned cDNA, at each of four cleavage sites. The altered sites were not cleaved by the 49-kDa proteinase. A series of synthetic polyproteins that contained the 49-kDa proteinase linked to adjoining proteins via defective cleavage sites were expressed, and their proteolytic activities were analyzed. As part of a polyprotein, the proteinase was found to exhibit cis (intramolecular) and trans (intermolecular) activity.
Communicating with graduate medical trainees: the Cleveland Clinic experience

Optimizing communication with graduate medical trainees is critical, as they contribute importantly to the mission of academic medical centres. Yet, communication is challenged by their complex schedules, geographic separation, and time constraints. Few studies have examined this issue to offer valuable solutions. Because traditional approaches are suboptimal, two communication tools were implemented: (1) a web-based intranet site called [graduate medical education] GME|com, and (2) an electronic newsletter, GME|com Headlines. The goals were to: (1) build a single repository of information relevant to trainees, programme directors, and coordinators, and (2) minimize their email burdens. A post-launch survey showed that >75 % of respondents indicated they visited the site and, of those, >90 % perceived value to the site. Analysis of use over the first year showed 39,377 visits (mean 108/day) and 93,785 pageviews. Sixty percent of users visited GME|com between 9 and 201 times and 18 % >201 times. A survey of programme directors from the 25 largest training programmes in the US confirmed the challenges of communicating with trainees and suboptimal results of current solutions. GME|com and Headlines represent complementary communication tools that have been well-received and frequently used. Future opportunities include assessing the association of GME|com use with increments in quality and patient safety.
The Effect of Age of the Calf on the Availability of Nutrients in Vegetable Milk-Replacer Rations

Summary Four male calves were assigned to a 4 × 4 Latin square metabolism experiment to determine the apparent digestibility of two milk replacers, evaporated milk, and raw whole milk at 10, 18, 26, and 34 days of age. Fecal collections were made by utilizing a simplified bag technique. Nitrogen, calcium, and phosphorus balances were also determined. The mean coefficients of apparent digestion of raw whole milk were: dry matter, 94.8; crude protein, 90.1; ether extract, 97.8; and nitrogen-free extract, 97.1. The dry matter of evaporated milk was 76.8% digested by a 10- to 14-day-old calf and an average of 90.0% by 19- to 38-day-old calves. The average apparent dry matter digestibility of the milk replacers increased from 25.0% for 10- to 14-day-old calves to an average of 75.4% for 26- to 38-day-old calves. The most digestible fraction was the nitrogen-free extract and the least digestible, the crude protein. The crude protein of the raw whole milk was slightly less digestible by the 10- to 14-day-old calf than in subsequent periods; the maximum value for evaporated milk was not reached until the calf was 19 to 22 days of age. The crude protein of the milk replacers was markedly less digestible than that of either of the milks during the first, collection period and did not reach the maximum value until the calf was 26 to 30 days of age. The amount of nitrogen, calcium, and phosphorus retained was greater for calves fed raw whole milk than for those fed the evaporated or milk-replacer rations. Nitrogen and phosphorus balances were low or negative in 10- to 22-day-old calves fed the milk-replacer rations, but the older calves had positive balances.
Exploring numerical proportions in a unique context: The group support systems meeting environment

This paper reports the results of a study examining issues of group gender composition in a meeting setting employing group support systems (GSS). Research examining the effects of numerical proportions on group behavior has traditionally been conducted in settings where use of technology by groups is minimal. This research, however, examines the impact of varying group gender composition on brainstorming, social interaction patterns, and attitudes when technology is employed to facilitate and structure group process. In this setting, we find no gender-related differences in computer-based brainstorming. In the accompanying oral discussions, however, males display a higher proportion of task-related answers than females and uniform groups express more maintenance behavior than groups consisting of mixed genders. Our findings also show that uniform gender groups perceive greater participation in the decision process than skewed groups. Despite these gender-related differences, we found relatively little support for Kanter's Numerical Proportions Model in a GSS setting, given the range of measures explored in this study.
Testing the discriminant validity of a four‐dimensional occupational commitment measure

Building on prior work by Blau (2001a, 2001b, 2003), the results of this study provided some support for a 4-dimensional measure of occupational commitment - that is, affective, normative and 2 dimensions of continuance commitment, accumulated costs and limited alternatives. Overall, affective commitment showed a stronger relationship to professional withdrawal intentions and to a lesser extent, professional development activities. Accumulated costs interacted with normative commitment such that there was a significant negative relationship of normative commitment to subsequent withdrawal intentions for low accumulated costs. Limited alternatives interacted with normative commitment in a similar way, such that there was a significant negative relationship of normative commitment to subsequent withdrawal intentions for low limited alternatives. However, the similarity of such interactive results, combined with the generally equivalent correlational results of accumulated costs and limited alternatives to other study variables, leads to the alternative speculation that a 1-factor measure for continuance occupational commitment may be sufficient.
Facilitated diffusion of oxygen and carbon monoxide in the large affinity regime

Wyman's equation for facilitated diffusion of a ligand through a solution slab containing a carrier is recast and solved by means of a regular perturbation expansion in the parameter representing the driving force for facilitation. This new solution is complementary to the previously exploited singular perturbation solution due to Murray and represents facilitation in the low facilitation parameter regime. The most significant physical realization of this regime occurs when there is a large affinity between ligand and carrier, as in the carbon monoxide-hemoglobin system.
Parameter Estimates of a Left Ventricular Model During Ejection

A network model of ventricular function consisting of a source of pressure with a series internal resistance that is coupled to a load resistance is presented. It is used as an analog of left ventricular (LV) function during the ejection phase of the cardiac cycle in order to quantitate the interaction of ventricle and load.
Static and dynamic strain monitoring of GFRP composites using carbon nanotube thin films

Fiber-reinforced polymers (FRP) composites are widely used in aerospace and civil structures due to its unique material properties. However, damage can still occur and typically manifests itself from within the composite material that is invisible to the naked eye. So as to be able to monitor the performance of FRPs, numerous sensing systems have been proposed for embedment within FRP composites. One such methodology involves the embedment of carbon nanotube-based thin films within FRP laminates for strain monitoring and potentially even damage detection. Unlike other sensors, these piezoresistive thin films possess small form factors (and thus do not serve as stress concentration or damage initiation points) and can be easily integrated during composite manufacturing. In this study, a series of laboratory tests have been conducted to characterize the static and dynamic strain sensing performance of these nanocomposites for monitoring glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) components. Specifically, monotonic uniaxial, cyclic, and fatigue tests have been conducted, while both time- and frequency-domain measurements have also been obtained. The characterization results obtained from this study indicates bi-functional strain sensitivity to monotonic loading until failure, which is found to be reproducible in cyclic dynamic loadings to amplitudes in both functional ranges.
Redefining papillorenal syndrome: an underdiagnosed cause of ocular and renal morbidity.

Abstract Purpose To report ocular and renal findings specific to the inheritable entity called papillorenal (also known as renal-coloboma) syndrome and relate these to a common cause. Design Observational case series and genetic study. Participants Two unrelated probands presenting with absent central retinal vessels and 11 available family members. Testing Doppler ultrasonographic imaging of the optic nerves and kidneys, fluorescein angiography, and genetic testing for PAX2 mutations were performed. In selected cases, indocyanine green angiography, scanning laser ophthalmoscope perimetry, Retinal Thickness Analyzer measurements, visual evoked potentials, and magnetic resonance imaging were also performed. Main outcome measures Better defined characteristics of the papillorenal syndrome. Results Numerous cilioretinal vessels were present with rudimentary or absent central retinal vessels. Superonasal visual field defects, typical for papillorenal syndrome, corresponded to inferotemporal areas of anomalous retinal and choroidal perfusion and hypoplastic retina. Renal hypoplasia was discovered in two affected members of one family (with previously unsuspected renal failure in one case), and recurrent pyelonephritis was discovered in four affected members of the other family. No PAX2 mutations were detected. Conclusions In the papillorenal syndrome, the hereditary absence of central retinal vessels may be missed, leading to confusion with isolated coloboma, low-tension glaucoma, and morning glory anomaly. Greater awareness of this syndrome will avoid unneeded glaucoma therapy, allow earlier recognition of renal diseases, and allow genetic counseling. We propose that the papillorenal syndrome is a primary dysgenesis that causes vascular abnormalities predominantly affecting the eye, kidney, and urinary tract, leading to hypoplasia of these structures. The absence of defects in the PAX2 gene in these families suggests that mutations in other genes may also be responsible for this syndrome.
Terrorist attacks against children: Vulnerabilities, management principles and capability gaps

Events such as the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing and the 2004 terrorist attack on the schoolin Beslan, Russia demonstrate that terrorists are willing and able to attack large numbers of chil-dren. Moreover, pediatric casualties are likely when terrorist incidents occur in urban areas evenif children are not the primary target. Very little research has been conducted on the managementand outcomes of children during and after disasters. This paper discusses the known risks thatterrorism brings to children, vulnerabilities in this population, basic principles of pediatric disasterresponse and current gaps in response capabilities.KEYWORDS: pediatric disaster preparedness, terrorism, children
Ozonolysis Fragment Quenching by Nitrate Formation: The Pressure Dependence of Prompt OH Radical Formation

The gas-phase reaction of ozone with alkenes is known to be a significant source of OH radicals in the troposphere. The pressure dependence of the OH yield in ozone−alkene reactions is both important and controversial; the poor understanding of the pressure-dependent OH yield for different ozone−alkene reactions is a major obstacle to developing an accurate simulation of tropospheric chemistry. Using a high-pressure flow reactor, we have investigated the ozonolysis of a series of alkenes in the presence of NO2. The four alkenes studied were 2,3-dimethyl-2-butene (TME), trans-5-decene, cyclohexene, and α-pinene, which provide significant differences in size (C6 vs C10) and structure (linear vs cyclic) to elucidate the influence of these competing effects on OH formation. OH yields from TME and trans-5-decene ozonolysis decrease with increasing pressure, but OH yields from cyclohexene (0.64 ± 0.20) and α-pinene (0.89 ± 0.20) are pressure-independent and consistent with the literature. Acetone production inc...
The N.2 System

The N.2 System is described. N.2 is a simulation based design environment which is built upon the N.mPc System [1]. Major enhancements are presented, as well as a system overview. Areas covered include a hierarchical description facility, expanded port interconnection primitives, fault insertion/detection, a PLA description language, and increased use of graphics.
Constructive epistemic modeling of groundwater flow with geological structure and boundary condition uncertainty under the Bayesian paradigm

Summary Constructive epistemic modeling is the idea that our understanding of a natural system through a scientific model is a mental construct that continually develops through learning about and from the model. Using hierarchical Bayesian model averaging (BMA), this study shows that segregating different uncertain model components through a BMA tree of posterior model probability, model prediction, within-model variance, between-model variance and total model variance serves as a learning tool. First, the BMA tree of posterior model probabilities permits the comparative evaluation of the candidate propositions of each uncertain model component. Second, systemic model dissection is imperative for understanding the individual contribution of each uncertain model component to the model prediction and variance. Third, the hierarchical representation of the between-model variance facilitates the prioritization of the contribution of each uncertain model component to the overall model uncertainty. We illustrate these concepts using the groundwater flow model of a siliciclastic aquifer-fault system. We consider four uncertain model components. With respect to geological structure uncertainty, we consider three methods for reconstructing the hydrofacies architecture of the aquifer-fault system, and two formation dips. We consider two uncertain boundary conditions, each having two candidate propositions. Through combinatorial design, these four uncertain model components with their candidate propositions result in 24 base models. The study shows that hierarchical BMA analysis helps in advancing knowledge about the model rather than forcing the model to fit a particularly understanding or merely averaging several candidate models.
Sterile penicillinase from phage-lysed staphylococci.

PENICILLINASE is more difficult to prepare from Staphylococci than from Bacillus cereus because staphylococcal penicillinase diffuses little, if at all, from the bacterial cells into the medium in which they are grown, whereas that produced from B. cereus diffuses freely. In fact, some authors state that they could not detect ‘extracellular’ staphylococcal penicillinase1–5, although others claim that they could detect it in supernatant fluids6,7 or filtrates8,9 or by its diffusion into agar10. Some of the preparations used as staphylococcal penicillinase consisted of whole culture or cells3,11, acetone and ether extracts12, or cells disrupted by sonic vibration13 or in a Nossal tissue disintegration5. The possibility of using phagelysed Staphylococci as a source of penicillinase was suggested by Wallmark, G. (personal communication), while he was working in this laboratory. The following method was evolved.
Primary care providers' perspectives on psychoactive medication disorders in older adults.

Background Compared with younger adults, older adults consume a disproportionate percentage of pain and sleep medications. Some studies have reported that psychoactive medication misuse and abuse in older populations is a significant problem. Objectives The aim of this study was to understand the perspective of primary care providers (PCPs) regarding the extent and clinical presentations of misuse and abuse of psychoactive medications in older patients and to explore PCPs' perceived barriers to identifying affected individuals. Methods Seventeen physicians and 5 nurse practitioners from 2 ambulatory care practices serving older adults in New York City participated in this study. Six focus group discussions were audiotaped and transcribed. Two raters coded transcripts to identify recurring themes. Qualitative analysis software was employed for data coding and sorting purposes. Results Although PCPs indicated that only a small percentage of older patients were actively misusing or abusing their psychoactive medications (average estimate given by providers, 8%), they felt that these patients placed significant time burdens on them. Perceived risk factors included psychiatric disorders, previous substance abuse history, and cognitive impairment, but many PCPs found it impossible to predict which patients were at increased risk. PCPs identified multiple barriers to identifying affected patients, including lack of communication (between provider and patient, provider and patients' caregivers, and between different providers), nonspecific symptoms, and the lack of a clear definition of misuse and abuse. Conclusions The lack of a clear definition, absence of well-defined risk factors, and ambiguous clinical manifestations of psychoactive medication misuse and abuse present substantial barriers to diagnosis. A standard, age-appropriate definition could help PCPs establish a diagnosis, clarify what constitutes appropriate psychoactive medication use, define the extent of the problem, and pave the way for the development of effective screening and diagnostic tools.
PSA markers in prostate cancer detection

The PSA revolution that has occurred over the previous 2 decades has positively impacted the detection and treatment of men with prostate cancer. Although methods to improve specificity have shown promise (eg, PSAD, age-specific PSA, and PSA velocity), meaningful interpretation has yet to be uniformly accepted within clinical practice. The identification of other molecular forms of PSA within serum has led to a new era in PSA markers. Initial application employing %fPSA has provided improved discrimination between benign and malignant prostatic disease; however, questions remain regarding the ultimate threshold value. The discovery of various free forms of PSA--such as proPSA, BPSA, and iPSA--also have introduced the potential for improved specificity in detection. Although early results are encouraging, further evaluation is anticipated. The development of improved methods to detect and measure cPSA has demonstrated provocative results, and exhibits the potential to replace PSA as a standard diagnostic test in cancer screening.
Identification of a New Member of Transforming Growth Factor-Beta Superfamily inDrosophila:The First Invertebrate Activin Gene

Abstract Activins, a subgroup of the transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) superfamily, have been extensively studied in vertebrates for their roles in growth and development. However, activins are not thought to be expressed in invertebrates. The identification of the first invertebrate activin gene is reported here. A genomic clone representing 102 F region of the Drosophila chromosome 4 is found to encode a putative activin β. The predicted protein sequence has a multibasic protease site that would generate a mature C-terminal peptide containing 113 amino acids showing >60% similarity to the vertebrate activin β B (inhibin β B ) sequences. A TGF-β family signature as well as all 9 cysteine residues conserved in the vertebrate activins are also present in this mature peptide sequence. Northern blot and RT-PCR analyses indicated that the activin β gene is expressed in embryo, larva and adult stages of Drosophila.
Sensor-based Controller Tuning of Robot Manipulators by Real-time Optimization

Abstract For indirect-drive robot manipulators, it is necessary to experimentally tune the controller parameters to compensate for the uncertainties in the actual system and to obtain the desired performance. Since manual tuning of controllers is very time-consuming, much effort has been invested in developing systematic tuning methods. Also, in standard industrial applications of robot manipulators, the performance is evaluated based on load-side information, while the feedback control loop is closed on the motor side. Therefore, the load-side information needs to be considered during controller tuning process. Iterative controller tuning is a method that tunes controllers in a repetitive process using data collected in experiments. In this paper, a model-free method that automatically optimizes an arbitrary multi-variable cost function is used. In the proposed method, the variables are updated while the gradient of the cost function is continuously estimated by a perturbation in real-time. The effectiveness of the controller tuning method is demonstrated by experimental results.
Image Reconstruction From Highly Undersampled $( {\bf k}, {t})$ -Space Data With Joint Partial Separability and Sparsity Constraints

Partial separability (PS) and sparsity have been previously used to enable reconstruction of dynamic images from undersampled ( k,t)-space data. This paper presents a new method to use PS and sparsity constraints jointly for enhanced performance in this context. The proposed method combines the complementary advantages of PS and sparsity constraints using a unified formulation, achieving significantly better reconstruction performance than using either of these constraints individually. A globally convergent computational algorithm is described to efficiently solve the underlying optimization problem. Reconstruction results from simulated and in vivo cardiac MRI data are also shown to illustrate the performance of the proposed method.
A survey of game-theoretic approaches in wireless sensor networks

Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) comprising of tiny, power-constrained nodes are gaining popularity due to their potential for use in a wide variety of environments like monitoring of environmental attributes, intrusion detection, and various military and civilian applications. While the sensing objectives of these environments are unique and application-dependent, a common performance criteria for wireless sensor networks is prolonging network lifetime while satisfying coverage and connectivity in the deployment region. Security is another important performance parameter in wireless sensor networks, where adverse and remote environments pose various kinds of threats to reliable network operation. In this paper, we look at the problems of security and energy efficiency and different formulations of these problems based on the approach of game theory. The potential applicability of WSNs to intruder detection environments also lends itself to game-theoretic formulation of these environments, where pursuit-evasion games provide a relevant framework to model detection, tracking and surveillance applications. The suitability of using game theory to study security and energy efficiency problems and pursuit-evasion scenarios using WSNs stems from the nature of strategic interactions between nodes. Approaches from game theory can be used to optimize node-level as well as network-wide performance by exploiting the distributed decision-making capabilities of WSNs. The use of game theory has proliferated, with a wide range of applications in wireless sensor networking. In the wake of this proliferation, we survey the use of game-theoretic approaches to formulate problems related to security and energy efficiency in wireless sensor networks.
Visual Analytics Framework for Cloud Infrastructure Data

`Anywhere, Anytime and Any Device' is often used to characterize the next generation Internet. Achieving the above in light of the increasing use of the Internet worldwide, especially fueled by mobile Internet usage, and the exponential growth in the number of connected devices is non-trivial. In particular, the three As require development of infrastructure which is highly available, performant and scalable. Additionally, from a corporate standpoint, high efficiency is of utmost importance. To facilitate high availability, deep observability of physical, system and application metrics and analytics support, say for systematic capacity planning, is needed. Although there exist many commercial services to assist observability in the data center, public/private cloud, they lack analytics support. To this end, we developed a framework at Twitter, called Chiffchaff, to drive capacity planning in light of a growing user base. Specifically, the framework provides support for automatic mining of application metrics and subsequent visualization of trends (for example, Week-over-Week (WoW), Month-overMonth (MoM)), data distribution etcetera. Further, the framework enables deep diving into traffic patterns, which can be used to guide load balancing in shared systems. We illustrate the use of Chiffchaff with production traffic.
An integrated geometrical and stochastic approach for accurate infant brain extraction

This paper presents a novel approach for extracting the brain from 3D T1-weighted MR images. The proposed approach combines a stochastic two-level Markov-Gibbs random field (MGRF) image model with a geometric model that parcels the brain into a set of nested iso-surfaces using a fast marching level setmethod. The classification of each brain voxel found on the iso-surfaces is performed based on the first-order (a linear combination of discrete gaussian (LCDG) model) and second-order (an MGRF model with analytically estimated parameters) visual appearance features of the brain structures. Our approach is tested on 280 infant 3D MR brain scans and evaluated on 9 data sets using the Dice coefficient, the 95-percentile modified Hausdorff distance, and absolute brain volume difference. Experimental results showed that the fusion of the stochastic and geometric models of brain MRI data has led to more accurate brain extraction, when compared with other widely-used brain extraction tools, such as BET, BET2, and brain surface extractor (BSE).