cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Advances in High-Speed Real-Time Simulation

The demands of modern applications for ever increasing performance for real-time simulations have posed considerable challenges to simulation developers which are still not fully met. An effective response to these challenges has involved an interesting combination of a return to old-style programming techniques such as multi-rate simulation and low-level program design with a focus on individual machine cycles, with new technologies (DSP, FPGA, cell architecture) and algorithms (state transition, QSS). Some of these possibilities remain to be explored and the prospects for future research are very encouraging.
Interleukin‐7 stimulates secretion of S100A4 by activating the JAK/STAT signaling pathway in human articular chondrocytes

Objective S100A4 has been shown to be increased in osteoarthritic (OA) cartilage and to stimulate chondrocytes to produce matrix metalloproteinase 13 (MMP-13) through activation of the receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE). The aim of this study was to examine the mechanism of S100A4 secretion by chondrocytes. Methods Human articular chondrocytes isolated from ankle cartilage were stimulated with 10 ng/ml of interleukin-1β (IL-1β), IL-6, IL-7, or IL-8. Cells were pretreated with either a JAK-3 inhibitor, brefeldin A, or cycloheximide. Immunoblotting with phospho-specific antibodies was used to determine the activation of signaling proteins. Secretion of S100A4 was measured in conditioned media by immunoblotting, and MMP-13 was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results Chondrocyte secretion of S100A4 was observed after treatment with IL-6 or IL-8 but was much greater in cultures treated with equal amounts of IL-7 and was not observed after treatment with IL-1β. IL-7 activated the JAK/STAT pathway, with increased phosphorylation of JAK-3 and STAT-3, leading to increased production of S100A4 and MMP-13. Overexpression of a dominant-negative RAGE construct inhibited the IL-7–mediated production of MMP-13. Pretreatment of chondrocytes with a JAK-3 inhibitor or with cycloheximide blocked the IL-7–mediated secretion of S100A4, but pretreatment with brefeldin A did not. Conclusion IL-7 stimulates chondrocyte secretion of S100A4 via activation of JAK/STAT signaling, and then S100A4 acts in an autocrine manner to stimulate MMP-13 production via RAGE. Since both IL-7 and S100A4 are up-regulated in OA cartilage and can stimulate MMP-13 production by chondrocytes, this signaling pathway could contribute to cartilage destruction during the development of OA.
Hand-assisted laparoscopic nephrectomy in living donor.

OBJECTIVE: Report the authors initial experience with hand-assisted laparoscopic nephrectomy technique in renal donors for transplantation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-seven donors submitted to hand-assisted laparoscopic nephrectomy were retrospectively analyzed from February 2001 to June 2002. Technical aspects of the donor surgery, results, and complications, are discussed, as well as recipients complications and outcomes. RESULTS: Among 27 hand-assisted laparoscopic nephrectomies, left kidney was withdrew in 18 donors (66.6%), and right kidney in 9 (33.3%). The operative time ranged from 55 to 210 minutes (mean 132.7 ± 37.6 min), and the time of hot ischemia ranged from 2 to 11 minutes (mean 4.7 ± 2.5 min), with an estimated mean blood loss during the intraoperative period of 133.3 mL. Conversion to open surgery was necessary for 1 (3.7%) patient due to vascular lesion. In graft evaluation, immediate diuresis was observed in 26 (96.3%) cases, and mean serum creatinine in PO day 7 was 1.5 ± 1.1 mg/dL. Renal vein thrombosis occurred in 1 (3.7%) patient requiring graft removal. Lymphocele was observed in 3 recipients (11.1%), and urinary leakage due to ureteral necrosis in 1 case (3.7%). CONCLUSION: Hand-assisted laparoscopic nephrectomy in living donors is a safe procedure and an effective alternative to open nephrectomy. In this series, the procedure presented low morbidity after surgery providing to the recipient a good morphological and functional quality of the graft.
The Relationships Between Need for Cognition, Boredom Proneness, Task Engagement, and Test Performance

Participants read a procedural text describing how to make a wind-up spool toy while only reading, reading and watching the experimenter do the task, or reading and doing the task themselves. After...
Resolution enhancement in PET reconstruction using collimation

Collimation can improve both the spatial resolution and sampling properties compared to the same scanner without collimation. Spatial resolution improves because each original crystal can be conceptually split into two (i.e., doubling the number of in-plane crystals) by masking half the crystal with a high-density attenuator (e.g., tungsten); this reduces coincidence efficiency by 4× since both crystals comprising the line of response (LOR) are masked, but yields 4t as many resolution-enhanced (RE) LORs. All the new RE LORs can be measured by scanning with the collimator in different configurations.In this simulation study, the collimator was assumed to be ideal, neither allowing gamma penetration nor truncating the field of view. Comparisons were made in 2D between an uncollimated small-animal system with 2-mm crystals that were assumed to be perfectly absorbing and the same system with collimation that narrowed the effective crystal size to 1 mm. Digital phantoms included a hot-rod and a single-hot-spot, both in a uniform background with activity ratio of 4:1. In addition to the collimated and uncollimated configurations, angular and spatial wobbling acquisitions of the 2-mm case were also simulated. Similarly, configurations with different combinations of the RE LORs were considered including (i) all LORs, (ii) only those parallel to the 2-mm LORs; and (iii) only cross pairs that are not parallel to the 2-mm LORs. Lastly, quantitative studies were conducted for collimated and uncollimated data using contrast recovery coefficient and mean-squared error (MSE) as metrics. The reconstructions show that for most noise levels there is a substantial improvement in image quality (i.e., visual quality, resolution, and a reduction in artifacts) by using collimation even when there are 4 fewer counts or-in some cases-comparing with the noiseless uncollimated reconstruction. By comparing various configurations of sampling, the results show that it is the matched combination of both improved spatial resolution of each LOR and the increase in the number of LORs that yields improved reconstructions. Further, the quantitative studies show that for low-count scans, the collimated data give better MSE for small lesions and the uncollimated data give better MSE for larger lesions; for highcount studies, the collimated data yield better quantitative values for the entire range of lesion sizes that were evaluated.
Neuroanatomical Substrates of Functional Recovery After Experimental Spinal Cord Injury: Implications of Basic Science Research for Human Spinal Cord Injury

Human spinal cord injury (SCI) is a devastating condition that results in persistent motor deficits. Considerable basic and clinical research is directed at attenuating these deficits. Many basic scientists use animal models of SCI to (1) characterize lesion development, (2) determine the role of spared axons in recovery, and (3) develop therapeutic interventions based on these findings. In this article, current research is reviewed that indicates: (1) most individuals with SCI will have some sparing of white matter at the lesion epicenter even when the lesion appears clinically complete, (2) even minimal tissue sparing has a profound impact on segmental systems and recovery of function, and (3) facilitatory intervention such as weight bearing and locomotor training after SCI may be more effective than compensatory strategies at inducing neuroplasticity and motor recovery. Body weight supported treadmill step training is discussed as an example of new facilitatory interventions based on basic science research using animal models.
Accumulation of Funds

This chapter discusses the accumulation of funds. Individuals and businesses need to put aside money for the future. An individual may want a sufficient retirement income or money for a child's college education. A business may want a new building or need to repay a large bond issue. In either case, it is desirable that any money put aside for such purposes should be used to earn interest—but not simple interest. The best interest is the compound interest. If interest earned on the original principal at the end of one time period is added to that principal, then the interest earned during the next time period will be based on a compound or combined figure. While the simple interest is earned on the principal only, the compound interest is an interest paid on both the principal and past interest. The principles of the annuity cover retirement pensions. Many employees have a retirement plan at work in which equal amounts are withheld from each paycheck and are deposited in a fund earning compound interest.
Matrix control of pancreatic cancer: New insights into fibronectin signaling

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA) is a highly metastatic disease that resists most current therapies. A defining characteristic of PDA is an intense fibrotic response that promotes tumor cell invasion and chemoresistance. Efforts to understand the complex relationship between the tumor and its extracellular network and to therapeutically perturb tumor-stroma interactions are ongoing. Fibronectin (FN), a provisional matrix protein abundant in PDA stroma but not normal tissues, supports metastatic spread and chemoresistance of this deadly disease. FN also supports angiogenesis, which is required for even hypovascular tumors such as PDA to develop and progress. Targeting components of the tumor stroma, such as FN, can effectively reduce tumor growth and spread while also enhancing delivery of chemotherapy. Here, we review the molecular mechanisms by which FN drives angiogenesis, metastasis and chemoresistance in PDA. In light of these new findings, we also discuss therapeutic strategies to inhibit FN signaling.
Stomatal Water Relations and the Control of Hydraulic Supply and Demand

Stomata have fascinated plant biologists for well over 100 years. It is difficult to think of another plant system that responds to so many factors or displays such complexity at so many levels. Indeed, when one considers the number of feedback loops involving stomatal conductance and all of the potential interactions among these feedbacks, it is really quite remarkable that stomata work at all.
Eventration of the Diaphragm

Eventration of the diaphragm constitutes an abnormal elevation of one or both hemidiaphragms and can be the result of congenital or acquired causes. Congenital eventration is less common and results from the development of a structurally intact but abnormal thin diaphragmatic muscle. The etiology of congenital eventration is unknown, though infectious causes such as rubella or cytomegalovirus have been implicated, and there is no known familial predisposition. Congenital eventration can be difficult to distinguish from a congenital diaphragmatic hernia with a sac, as both subsets of these patients present with milder pulmonary symptoms than the typical diaphragmatic hernia patient.
Modeling the interplay of people's location, interactions, and social ties

Location plays an essential role in our lives, bridging our online and offline worlds. This paper explores the interplay of people's location, interactions, and social ties within a large real-world dataset. We present and evaluate Flap, a system that solves two intimately related tasks: link and location prediction in online social networks. For link prediction, Flap infers social ties by considering patterns in friendship formation, the content of people's messages, and user location. We show that while each component is a weak predictor of friendship alone, combining them results in a strong model--accurately identifying the majority of friendships. For location prediction, Flap implements a scalable probabilistic model of human mobility, where we treat users with known GPS positions as noisy sensors of the location of their friends. We explore supervised and unsupervised learning scenarios, and focus on the efficiency of both learning and inference. We evaluate Flap on a large sample of highly active users from two distinct geographical areas and show that it (1) reconstructs the entire friendship graph with high accuracy even when no edges are given; and (2) infers people's fine-grained location, even when they keep their data private and we can only access the location of their friends. Our models significantly outperform current approaches to either task.
Investigation of nanostructure in room temperature ionic liquids using electronic excitation transfer.

Donor-donor electronic excitation transfer among 9-phenylanthracene (9PA) chromophores was measured in the room temperature ionic liquid (RTIL) 1-methyl-3-octylimidazolium chloride using time dependent fluorescence depolarization. 9PA, which is uncharged and nonpolar, will partition into the organic regions of the RTIL. The excitation transfer rate, which is sensitive to the distribution of chromophores in the RTIL, is modeled using different spatial configurations of 9PA molecules in the RTIL solution. The models are an isotropic distribution (random distribution) and a clustered sphere model to represent hydrophobic regions of a nanostructured environment. Model calculations were performed to demonstrate the sensitivity of excitation transfer to different distributions of chromophores. When compared to the experiment, the isotropic model can adequately match the data. From a Bayesian analysis of the sensitivity of the excitation transfer to the models for the spatial distribution of chromophores, an upper limit of 6 A radius is placed on the size of hydrophobic domains in the RTIL.
Comparison of Dose Distributions With TG-43 and Collapsed Cone Convolution Algorithms Applied to Accelerated Partial Breast Irradiation Patient Plans

Purpose To compare the treatment plans for accelerated partial breast irradiation calculated by the new commercially available collapsed cone convolution (CCC) and current standard TG-43–based algorithms for 50 patients treated at our institution with either a Strut-Adjusted Volume Implant (SAVI) or Contura device. Methods and Materials We recalculated target coverage, volume of highly dosed normal tissue, and dose to organs at risk (ribs, skin, and lung) with each algorithm. For 1 case an artificial air pocket was added to simulate 10% nonconformance. We performed a Wilcoxon signed rank test to determine the median differences in the clinical indices V90, V95, V100, V150, V200, and highest-dosed 0.1 cm 3 and 1.0 cm 3 of rib, skin, and lung between the two algorithms. Results The CCC algorithm calculated lower values on average for all dose-volume histogram parameters. Across the entire patient cohort, the median difference in the clinical indices calculated by the 2 algorithms was 3 for dose to normal breast tissue (V150 and V200). No discernable difference was seen in the nonconformance case. Conclusions We found that on average over our patient population CCC calculated (
In Situ Formation of Wilkinson-Type Hydroformylation Catalysts: Insights into the Structure, Stability, and Kinetics of Triphenylphosphine- and Xantphos-Modified Rh/SiO2

An investigation has been carried out to identify the effects of catalyst preparation on the activity, selectivity, and stability of phosphine-modified rhodium/silica catalysts (Rh/SiO2) for propene hydroformylation. High selectivity to aldehydes was achieved, without the formation of propane or butanol. Catalyst activity and selectivity was found to depend strongly on the nature and concentration of the phosphine ligands and the amount of rhodium dispersed on the silica support. Screening of different ligands showed that a bidentate xantphos (X) ligand was ∼2-fold more active than the monodentate phosphine ligand (PPh3) screened at a ligand-to-rhodium ratio of 15:1. Investigation of the effects of reaction temperature, reactant partial pressures, and phosphine-to-rhodium ratio indicates that the kinetics of propene hydroformylation over X-promoted Rh/SiO2 is nearly identical to those for sulfoxantphos-modified rhodium-containing supported ionic liquid phase (SX-Rh SILP) catalysts. In-situ FTIR and solid-...
Visual Outcomes after Endoscopic Endonasal Approach for Craniopharyngioma: The Pittsburgh Experience

This series of patients has been published in the neurosurgical literature earlier this year, detailing multiple aspects of both the surgical technique and postoperative outcomes. Our aim in this series is not to revisit all the aspects of this publication, but rather to analyze more specifically the benefits of this procedure as it pertains to the preservation of neurological structures of vision-specifically the optic chiasm-and provide a more detailed analysis of visual outcomes in these patients.
Treatment Alternatives to Street Crime: An Evaluation of Five Programs

In response to the increasing numbers of criminal offenders involved with drugs, the criminal justice system has sought more effective means of intervening with these offenders. One intervention approach is Treatment Alternatives to Street Crime (TASC), an offender management model that has been implemented in various forms since the early 1970s. TASC facilitates treatment for drug-using offenders as part of an overall strategy to control drug use and associated criminal behaviors. This article reviews the evolution of TASC and reports findings from an evaluation of five TASC programs. The evaluation, experimental at two sites and quasi-experimental at three, found favorable effects of TASC programs on service delivery and offenders' drug use. Findings on criminal recidivism were mixed and difficult to interpret. This article concludes with specific recommendations for improving TASC and similar programs within the criminal justice system.
Atazanavir: a new protease inhibitor to treat HIV infection.

PURPOSE: The pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, and clinical trials of and drug interactions and formulary considerations associated with atazanavir, the newest protease inhibitor (PI) to treat human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, are evaluated. SUMMARY: Clinical and pharmacokinetic trials were identified through a MEDLINE search. In addition, all available literature citations and meeting abstracts were obtained from the drug's manufacturer. All articles identified from the data sources were evaluated, and all information deemed relevant was included in this review. Data on atazanavir for the treatment of HIV infection are limited to several phase II and III trials, one of which is still ongoing. Atazanavir has shown efficacy comparable with other PIs and the nonnucleoside reverse-transcriptase inhibitor efavirenz in reducing HIV RNA levels, increasing CD4+ lymphocyte counts, and increasing the percentage of patients achieving clinically undetectable HIV RNA levels when given as the sole PI in treatment-naive patients, in combination with saquinavir in treatment-experienced patients, and with ritonavir-boosting regimens in highly treatment-experienced patients. Treatment-naive patients receiving atazanavir commonly develop a protease enzyme mutation on codon 50, which decreases HIV's susceptibility to atazanavir but may increase the susceptibility of the virus to other PIs. When atazanavir is given to patients with preexisting PI-related mutations, the virus's susceptibility to atazanavir is greatly reduced. The occurrence of lipid abnormalities, which has been a major concern with previous PIs, has not been shown to be troublesome in patients receiving atazanavir. CONCLUSION: Atazanavir may be used alone as a first-line PI, with saquinavir in treatment-experienced patients, or in combination with a ritonavir-boosting regimen in highly treatment-experienced patients as part of a salvage regimen.
Getting comfortable with death & near death experiences. How doctors die: a model for everyone?

Reprinted with permission. This article was originally published at Zocalo Public Square. (link to www.zocalopublicsquare.org on digital edition)
Background to Polymers and Composites

In view of their manufacturing process, such as drawing and extrusion for glass fibers and the sheet-like atomic structure of carbon and graphite fibers, these reinforcements are essentially transversely anisotropic about their longitudinal orientation (Hull 1981), in which direction they possess high stiffness and strength. In view of their small diameter, typically 8 μm, it has been possible to determine their longitudinal modulus only, while no direct data are available about their in-plane stiffnesses.
Advertising Appeal for Blacks: All-White, All-Black, or Integrated Ads?

In the past, advertising was designed and directed toward white consumers under the assumption that blacks would be reached effectively at the same time. This assumption, if valid, will simplify advertising decisions and will reduce advertising costs as well. But the wisdom of this assumption is debatable because it contrdicts the basic premise of market segmentation. Some scholars believe that all-white ads are all-purpose tools because they appeal to whites while attracting blacks, especially upper-income blacks and those who are identified more with whites. On the contrary, others believe that all-black ads are more meaningful to black customers or that at least integrated versions (i.e., white and black models being used together in the same ads) should be employed. Several studies have been conducted over the years to shed some light on the issue, unfortunately with varying results and contradictory conclusions. The different techniques, research designs, and stimuli of these studies make it difficult to integrate results in any meaningful manner. The purpose of this paper then is to take a critical look at these past studies. Problems associated with such studies are pointed out, and managerial and research implications are offered.
Art and interaction

Ideas of the aesthetic figure largely in two crucial areas of debate in the philosophy of art. On the one hand, the aesthetic often plays a definitive role in characterizations of our responses to or interactions with artworks. That is, what is thought to be distinctive about our commerce with artworks is that these encounters are marked by aesthetic experiences, aesthetic judgments, aesthetic perceptions, and so forth. Furthermore, the use of aesthetic terminology in such accounts of our interactions with artworks is, most essentially, “experiential” or “perceptual” where those terms are generally understood by contrast to responses mediated by the application of concepts or reasoning. Second, notions of the aesthetic are also mobilized in theories of the nature of art objects; the artwork, it is claimed, is an artifact designed to bring about aesthetic experiences and aesthetic perceptions, or to engender aesthetic attitudes, or to engage aesthetic faculties, et cetera. Thus, these two claims – that aesthetic responses distinguish our responses to art, and that art objects can be defined in terms of the aesthetic – though ostensibly independent, can, nevertheless, be connected by means of a neat, commonsensical approach that holds that what an object is can be captured through an account of its function. The art object is something designed to provoke a certain form of response, a certain type of interaction. The canonical interaction with art involves the aesthetic (however that is to be characterized). So the artwork is an object designed with the function of engendering aesthetic experiences, perceptions, attitudes, and so forth.
Concluding Remarks: Tourism Design and the Future of Tourism

The publication of Vacationscape by Clare Gunn revolutionized the way we saw tourism planning and design. This chapter summarizes the work by Dr. Gunn, discusses the linkages of this work to the emerging Design Science paradigm and concludes that this new framework provides the foundation guiding both research and planning in tourism.
EMIC waves and associated relativistic electron precipitation on 25–26 January 2013

Using measurements from the Van Allen Probes and the Balloon Array for RBSP Relativistic Electron Losses (BARREL), we perform a case study of electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves and associated relativistic electron precipitation (REP) observed on 25 – 26 January 2013. Among all the EMIC wave and REP events from the two missions, the pair of the events is the closest both in space and time. The Van Allen Probe-B detected significant EMIC waves at L = 2.1 – 3.9 and MLT = 21.0 – 23.4 for 53.5 minutes from 2353:00 UT, 25 January 2013. Meanwhile, BARREL-1 T observed clear precipitation of relativistic electrons at L = 4.2 – 4.3 and MLT = 20.7 – 20.8 for 10.0 minutes from 2358 UT, 25 January 2013. Local plasma and field conditions for the excitation of the EMIC waves, wave properties, electron minimum resonant energy Emin, and electron pitch angle diffusion coefficient Dαα of a sample EMIC wave packet are examined along with solar wind plasma and interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) parameters, geomagnetic activity, and results from the spectral analysis of the BARREL balloon observations to investigate the two types of events. The events occurred in the early main phase of a moderate storm (min. Dst* = -51.0 nT). The EMIC wave event consists of two parts. Unlike the first part, the second part of the EMIC wave event was locally generated and still in its source region. It is found that the REP event is likely associated with the EMIC wave event.
Identification of Bacteria Isolated from Fresh and Temperature Abused Variety Meats1

The microflora associated with fresh and temperature abused beef livers, kidneys, hearts, tongues and pork livers was identified. Variety meats were obtained from a packing plant and allocated to three packaging treatments, i.e., vacuum packaging, polyvinyl chloride film wrapping and no wrapping (unwrapped). Isolates were characterized from fresh variety meats following frozen storage for three weeks at -29 ± 2 C; and following simulated temperature abuse. Classification of 1555 isolates obtained from aerobic plate counts at 35, 20 and 7 C is provided. Fresh variety meats were found to be contaminated with a variety of bacteria commonly associated with fresh red meats immediately post-mortem, with Micrococcus sp. being the most frequently isolated gram-positive bacterium and Escherichia coli the predominating gram-negative isolate. Frozen variety meats before simulated temperature abuse reflected a higher proportion of gram-positive organisms and fewer Enterobacteriaceae than fresh variety meats. Abused variety meats yielded predominately Pseudomonas strains, except where vacuum packaging was used, in which case isolates were predominately Lactobacillus sp. and Micrococcus .
Zfx Is an Essential and Specific Regulator of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Self-Renewal.

Abstract Mammalian hematopoiesis is based on the activity of multipotent hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) that undergo continuous self-renewal throughout the adult life. The self-renewal represents a unique property of adult HSC, and appears distinct from the proliferation of hematopoietic progenitors or from the initial specification and expansion of embryonic HSC. Despite recent progress, little is known about the molecular mechanisms governing HSC self-renewal. Zfx is a broadly expressed zinc finger-containing transcriptional activator that is highly conserved in vertebrates. Using conditional gene targeting in mice, we demonstrate that Zfx is an essential and specific regulator of HSC self-renewal. The expression of Zfx was elevated in HSC compared to progenitors and differentiated cells. An inducible deletion of Zfx from the adult bone marrow (BM) resulted in the specific loss of the HSC population. The short-term proliferation and lodging of Zfx-deficient HSC in the BM were normal, suggesting a specific defect of long-term self-renewal. The deletion of Zfx in pre-established BM chimeras completely abrogated HSC maintenance as reflected by the rapid loss of HSC contribution to hematopoiesis. Furthermore, a constitutive pan-hematopoietic deletion of Zfx spared embryonic HSC in the fetal liver, yet resulted in the loss of adult BM HSC. In contrast, adult erythromyeloid progenitors or differentiated cells were not affected by the absence of Zfx. Genome-wide expression analysis identified candidate target genes of Zfx, some of which were controlled by Zfx in HSC but not in their differentiated progeny. Finally, several immediate-early and/or stress-inducible genes were upregulated specifically in Zfx-deficient HSC, suggesting that the latter undergo increased stress-related signaling. Thus, functional and gene expression analysis establishes Zfx as a novel specific regulator of adult HSC self-renewal. Further studies of the target genes and pathways controlled by Zfx should provide novel insights into the molecular basis of HSC function.
Refinements and Application of Urea Modeling

Nonprotein nitrogenous compounds (NPN) are the major excretory constituents of urine, so serum levels are a measure of renal function or clearance. The most abundant NPN compound in both serum and urine is urea. Urea constitutes approximately 50% of serum NPN in people with normal renal function and a higher percentage in those with renal failure (1). Traditionally, clinical laboratories report the serum urea concentration as urea nitrogen in milligrams per deciliter. This unusual practice of expressing urea concentration as urea nitrogen instead of whole urea is better understood after reviewing the history behind blood testing of renal function. Specific tests for urea have replaced the older clinical tests for nonprotein nitrogen. These older assays for total nitrogen in deproteinized serum measure a variety of nitrogenous compounds, including creatine, creatinine, uric acid, and amino acids, so the sum of their concentrations had to be expressed in terms of their common element, nitrogen. Specific urea assays replaced the more tedious NPN test, but the results continued to be reported as milligrams of nitrogen per deciliter, a more familiar term to the clinicians of old. The two nitrogen atoms in each urea molecule make up nearly half (28/60) of its molecular weight, so urea nitrogen concentrations are slightly less than half the value of total urea concentrations. Today, the assays for blood urea are more specific than they were in the past, but the results are often expressed in the same units as the older tests for nitrogen.
Cystoisospora belli and Sarcocystis spp.

Cystoisospora and Sarcocystis are coccidian parasites that can be acquired through food or waterborne transmission. Cystoisospora is more frequently found in immunocompromised patients in developing countries causing gastrointestinal illness. Sarcocystis infections can have two presentations linked with either muscular or intestinal infections: Sarcocystis nesbitti has been confirmed in muscles of human and non-human primates, while intestinal sarcocystosis, also from human and non-human primates are caused by S. hominis and S. suishominis. Human sarcocystosis although infrequent, has been described worldwide. Recent outbreaks of muscular sarcocystosis involved travelers returning from Southeast Asia, particularly from the Tioman Islands, Malaysia.
Ultra low-cost, portable smartphone optosensors for mobile point-of-care diagnostics

Smartphone optosensors with integrated optical components make mobile point-of-care (MPoC) diagnostics be done near patients’ side. It’ll especially have a significant impact on healthcare delivery in rural or remote areas. Current FDA-approved PoC devices achieving clinical level are still at high cost and not affordable in rural hospitals. We present a series of ultra low-cost smartphone optical sensing devices for mobile point-of-care diagnosis. Aiming different targeting analytes and sensing mechanisms, we developed custom required optical components for each smartphone optosensros. These optical devices include spectrum readers, colorimetric readers for microplate, lateral flow device readers, and chemiluminescence readers. By integrating our unique designed optical components into smartphone optosening platform, the anlaytes can be precisely detected. Clinical testing results show the clinical usability of our smartphone optosensors. Ultra low-cost portable smartphone optosensors are affordable for rural/remote doctors.
Personal Health Records as a Tool for Transparency in Health Care (Draft)

This chapter explores the benefits and limitations of personal health records (PHRs) as a tool to promote transparency in health care. A PHR can be defined as “an electronic application through which individuals can access, manage and share their health information... in a private, secure, and confidential environment.” PHRs can enhance efficiency, communication, data accuracy, and health outcomes. At the same time, they can disrupt the physician-patient relationship and raise liability concerns. For example, PHRs may induce patients and physicians to rely on electronic communication when office visits would be far more appropriate. The chapter analyzes the impact of PHRs on health care and develops recommendations designed to maximize their benefits and minimize their risks. The author provides guidance as to how health care providers can implement thoughtful electronic messaging and data release policies, enhance the accuracy of medical records, and offer educational programs to help patients navigate the technology.
Dual Career Couples in R&D Labs

OVERVIEW: Location can affect a firm's ability to recruit and retain professional employees. Location also influences the characteristics of the local labor market from which the firm draws its employees. Location preferences differ among household groups, with dual career couples particularly constrained and attracted to large metropolitan centers. The findings of this study suggest that it is beneficial not only for employees but for employers of professionals to locate in metropolitan areas. Companies that fail to consider the dual career couple as a unique employee group may not recognize the counterproductive nature of their personnel policies and procedures and, as a result, may lose top professionals. Women are going, to work in increasing numbers and now consist of 45.3 percent of the labor force in the United States (1). The increase of women, particularly married women, has resulted in a nay phenomenon--the dual career couple in which both members are engaged in continual professional employment. In 1988, dual career couples accounted for 20.6 percent of all professional households (2). During the past decade, organizations have begun to report increased resistance to relocation from men and women whose spouses have careers of their own (3,4). As dual career couples become more the norm than the exception, they are likely to have an increasing impact on the mobility of the professional labor force and, thus, an corporate personnel policies. This article reports on the impact of dual career couples on the personnel policies of RD laboratories. The study is based on a survey of Z3 U.S. RD rather the careers of both spouses are mutually interdependent (11). Each spouse's decision about location is affected by the other spouse. Thus, dual career couples seek the best joint solution: the location that will offer both members the best career opportunities. This raises two significant questions: which locations will provide dual career couples with the best career opportunities, and does the firm's present location hinder or improve the likelihood of attracting dual career couples? STUDY METHODOLOGY To answer these questions, a nationwide survey was conducted in 1988 of corporate R&D facilities and their professional labor force. The purpose of the study was to determine the impact of dual career couples on corporate R&D recruitment and personnel development policies. R&D facilities were identified and selected from the Cattell Press (1987) Directory of American Research and Technology. Questionnaires were sent to the vice president for R&D, the laboratory manager, or a similar executive at 100 R&D facilities located throughout the U.S. One corporate questionnaire and typically 25-to-125 employee questionnaires were distributed to each firm, depending on the size of its professional labor force and the number of employees to whom the firm was willing to distribute questionnaires. …
The effect of temperature on the 1-0-alkyl content of the glycerophospholipids in Tetrahymena

Abstract The effect of temperature on the O-alkyl-linked side chain in the sn -C-1 position was examined in the glycerophospholipids of Tetrahymena thermophila . The glyceryl ether content of T. thermophila cells increased markedly with elevation of growth temperature throughout the range employed (15–39.5°C). A notable increase (12 mol %) was observed in the quantity of lipid phosphonic acid derivatives between the temperature extremes of 15–39.5°C; however, the elevation of the glyceryl ether content was larger (20 mol %), which indicates that other glycerophospholipids are involved in the temperature accommodation. It can be concluded that in T. thermophila , one of the temperature-sensitive responses involves the ether content of the sn -C-l position of the glyceryl group. This alteration in the glycerophospholipid hydrocarbon chains appears to represent a novel variation that has not been observed previously. When this effect is taken into account, the response of the cells to an increase in growth temperature is a larger decrease in the ratio of unsaturated to saturated fatty acids than previously reported.
Changes in soil microbial community structure in relation to plant succession and soil properties during 4000 years of pedogenesis

Abstract Soil bacterial and fungal community compositions have a significant influence on plant community structure and diversity because of their key role in nutrient cycles in the soil. Studies conducted on microbial diversity in relation to soil development could provide insight on how changes in microbial community structure influence ecosystem functions. Soil chronosequences are excellent systems for evaluating soil genesis, nutrient availability and biologically significant elements and their implications for ecosystem functioning. This study was conducted to assess the changes in soil bacterial and fungal communities associated with the dynamics of soil physico-chemical and vegetative characteristics along a sand chronosequence by using phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) profiling. Soil samples were collected and analyzed from different successional stages in a soil chronosequence with ages ranging from 105 years to 4010 years. The results showed that soil microbial PLFAs changed significantly with increasing soil age. Bacterial PLFAs were higher in younger soils while the old soils had higher fungal PLFAs. Correlation analysis showed that plant community composition had the strongest correlation with soil microbial community structure, followed by soil pH. This could be attributed to a shift in nutrient concentration and quality of the litter inputs along the chronosequence. The results showed that there was a close relationship between plant succession and pH in shaping the soil microbial communities along the soil development gradient.
Graphene characterization using time-domain terahertz spectroscopy for plasmonic antenna design

Graphene's ability to support surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) is of particular interest in the design of nanoscale plasmonic antennas. Since a dielectric-conductor interface is required to excite and sustain SPPs, a negative dielectric function becomes a defining property for graphene. We use terahertz time-domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS) to determine the complex dielectric function of graphene based on the extracted complex conductivity. These optical properties help us ascertain if a graphene sample is capable of supporting plasmons, and the appropriate dimensions to define a resonant cavity that would act as an antenna in the THz range.
Pressure Ulcer Prevention System: Validation in a Clinical Setting

The incidence of pressure ulcer problems continue to increase substantially. The proposed system would prevent pressure ulcers by alerting the patient or caregiver to a potentially harmful level of pressure that could lead to irreversible tissue damage. Analysis from two different animal models are presented. Measurement results show that rate of sampling of contact pressure with real time measurement and communication can eventually alert a caregiver to a condition requiring intervention.
Variations on a Theme by Liu, Cuff, and Verdú: The Power of Posterior Sampling

The Liu-Cuff-Verdu lemma states that in estimating a source $X$ from an observation $Y$, making a random guess $X'$ from the posterior $p(x|y)$ can go wrong at most twice as often as the optimal answer. Several variations of this fundamental, yet rather arcane, result are explored for detection, decoding, and estimation problems.
Falling from grace: HPRT is not suitable as an endogenous control for cancer-related studies.

HPRT is a housekeeping enzyme involved in recycling guanine and inosine in the purine salvage pathway. As a housekeeping gene, HPRT has been widely used as an endogenous control for molecular studi...
Drivers of Spatial Structure in Social Microbial Communities

Microbes are social organisms, interacting primarily through secreted biomolecules. Many traits have evolved based solely on their effects upon other community members, yet even individually beneficial traits often create social side effects that are mediated by spatial population structure. Predicting the evolution of many microbial traits thus requires a comprehensive understanding of their social consequences. In this review, we examine the critical role of population spatial structure in microbial social evolution. We briefly review key mechanisms structuring microbial communities, focusing primarily on the universal roles of cellular death and reproduction. Finally, we explain how spatial assortment can be efficiently calculated in two-dimensional, surface-attached populations.
Atmospheric aerosol and molecular backscatter imaging effects on direct detection LADAR

Backscatter from atmospheric aerosols and molecular nitrogen and oxygen causes “clutter” noise in direct detection ladar applications operating within the atmosphere. The backscatter clutter is more pronounced in multiple pulse, high PRF ladars where pulse-averaging is used to increase operating range. As more and more pulses are added to the wavetrain the backscatter increases. We analyze the imaging of a transmitted Gaussian laser-mode multi-pulse wave-train scatteried off of aerosols and molecules at the focal plane including angular-slew rate resulting from optical tracking, angular lead-angle, and bistatic-optics spatial separation. The defocused backscatter images, from those pulses closest to the receiver, are analyzed using a simple geometrical optics approximation. Methods for estimating the aerosol number density versus altitude and the volume backscatter coefficient of the aerosols are also discussed.
A Compact 275 GHz Harmonic VCO with -2.6 dBm Output Power in a 130 nm SiGe Process

This paper presents a new method for harmonic VCO design. A capacitive degeneration is employed to shape the output conductance $(G_{out})$ of the cross coupled structure to increase the possible oscillation frequency in addition to output power. An inductive feedback is utilized to provide large voltage swing at the input of the transistors to boost harmonic generation. Finally, the passive components at the collector improves the delivery of generated harmonic current to the load in addition to setting the oscillation frequency. Using this method, a 275 GHz harmonic VCO is designed and implemented in a 130 nm SiGe process. The measurement results show -2.6 dBm peak output power, 1.1% dc-to-RF efficiency, 3.3 % tuning range (270.3 GHz to 279.3 GHz). The chip area excluding the pads is $0.022 mm^{2}$ which results in $25 {mW/mm}^{2}$ power per area and 50 %/mm2, efficiency per area which is highest among reported SiGe/CMOS oscillators working above $0.75 f_{max}$.
A REVIEW OF BREAST DEVELOPMENT IN CISGENDER WOMEN AND IMPLICATIONS FOR TRANSGENDER WOMEN.

ABSTRACT Objective: The objective of this article is to describe the hormonal pathways required for breast development in cisgender women and to review the current available literature describing breast growth and breast cancer risk in transgender women. Methods: Literature review and discussion. Results: Early mammary tissue development occurs prenatally. This process is hormone-independent and occurs similarly in males and females. Breast tissue is quiescent until puberty, at which time surging estrogen levels in cisgender girls mediate breast development and growth. Adult breast tissue composition further evolves in cisgender women during pregnancy, lactation, and menopause, revealing the ever-changing interplay between breast structure and hormonal environment. Conclusion: Breast growth is a significant physical endpoint in the hormonal treatment of transgender women. Transgender hormone regimens, which typically pair an estrogen with an anti-androgen, can help achieve this goal.
External fixators: looking beyond the hardware maze

External fixation has a wide variety of orthopedic applications. Although external fixator frames may have a complex appearance, these constructs are formed from several basic components and can be broadly categorized into unilateral, circular, or hybrid designs. The introduction of computer-aided circular external fixation devices (hexapod frames) has simplified the treatment of multiaxial and especially rotational deformities. Serial radiography plays a central role in the evaluation of callus formation (at the level of treated fracture or nonunion as well as the regenerate and docking site with distraction osteogenesis), tailoring the rate and rhythm of distraction during distraction osteogenesis, evaluation of frame complications, and determination of the timing of frame removal. The goals of this article are to review: the components, types, and relevant terminology of external fixator constructs with special emphasis on the Taylor spatial frame, the principles and techniques of distraction osteogenesis, and complications of external fixation.
Evaluation competencies and challenges faced by early career extension professionals: developing a competency model through consensus building

To examine the evaluation competencies extension professionals need to develop and the challenges faced by early career extension professionals when they evaluate their extension education programs...