cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Guideline methodology of the Society for Vascular Surgery including the experience with the GRADE framework

In 2006, the Society for Vascular Surgery began development of clinical practice guidelines to assist clinicians in the process of decision making. The Society selects clinical questions of high impact and evaluates the totality of evidence by identifying and conducting rigorous systematic reviews. Multidisciplinary committees follow the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation framework (GRADE), standard consensus, and voting procedures. Factors other than evidence, including patients' values and preferences and the availability of surgical expertise, are also considered. We describe, in the context of cumulative 4-years' experience, the methods and rigor of current procedures adopted by the Society for Vascular Surgery in developing practice guidelines. We also discuss potential future efforts needed to maximize the quality, adoption, and application of the clinical recommendations.
Convectively-driven turbulent mixing in the upper ocean

Abstract Two experiments were performed to study the characteristics of turbulence in convective mixed layers in the upper Ocean. In the first, a diurnal convective mixed layer developed in the Bahamas under the influence of the cycle of daytime solar heating and nighttime evaporative cooling. The mixed layer reached as deep as 100 m each night and restratified each day. In the second, the mixed layer of a warm-core Gulf Stream ring deepened from less than 50 m to more than 150 m in a little more than a day, when subjected to rapid cooling during a cold air outbreak. Although individual profiles of ϵ, the rate of viscous dissipation of turbulent kinetic energy, had considerable spatial and temporal variability, the mean dissipation profiles were similar to those in convecting atmospheric boundary layers. The ¯ϵ is established by the surface buoyancy flux, Jb0;ϵ/Jb0 = 0.61 and 0.72 in the Bahamas and ring data, respectively, compared with 0.64 in convecting atmospheric mixed layers. The mean profiles decre...
Murine Norovirus: a Model System To Study Norovirus Biology and Pathogenesis

Human noroviruses are the major cause of nonbacterial, epidemic gastroenteritis worldwide ([19][1], [23][2], [33][3], [46][4]) and cause significant numbers of endemic cases, as well. One study from 1999 estimated that, in the United States alone, human noroviruses cause 23 million cases of
Reversed-Radial-Shearing Interferometry*

A type of shearing interferometry is presented in which the wave front under test interferes with a radially reversed replica of itself. The radial reversal of the wave front can be achieved either by an axicon–lens system or by use of a circular grating. Experimental verification is shown.
Childhood cruelty to animals, firesetting, and enuresis as correlates of competence to stand trial

Summary The present study investigated the incidence of the childhood symptoms of cruelty to animals, firesetting, and enuresis in the case reports of 1935 offenders evaluated at a court psychiatric clinic. The presence of all or part of this triad of symptoms was more common in those found competent to stand trial than in those found incompetent. However, no association was found between the presence of the triad of symptoms in those charged with violent crimes and those charged with nonviolent crimes.
Effective Tool for Enhancing Elastostatic Pavement Diagnosis

The falling weight deflectometer (FWD) test is one of the most commonly used tools for nondestructive evaluation of flexible pavements. Although the test is intrinsically dynamic, the state-of-practice backcalculation techniques used to interpret the FWD records are primarily elastostatic based, partly because of the high computational cost of dynamic multilayered solutions. It has long been known that the foregoing discrepancy may lead to systematic errors in the estimation of pavement moduli in situations of pronounced inertial and resonance phenomena due to the presence of bedrock or seasonal stiff layer. In this investigation, a simple, yet effective algorithm is proposed that allows the static backcalculation analyses to perform well even when dynamic effects are significant. The technique is based on the use of the discrete Fourier transform as a preprocessing tool to filter the dynamic effects and extract the static pavement response from transient FWD records. With the filtered (i.e., zero-frequency) force and deflection values in lieu of their peak counterparts, the static backcalculation can be further performed in a conventional manner, but free of inconsistencies associated with the neglect of dynamic effects. Results based on synthetic deflection records demonstrate a marked improvement in the elastostatic prediction of pavement moduli when the proposed modification is used. The filtering algorithm can be implemented on a personal computer as a preprocessor for the conventional FWD data interpretation, requiring only a minimal increase in the computational effort to backcalculate the pavement moduli.
Predicting Children's Creative Performance

The predictive validity of the fluency index of divergent-thinking tests was evaluated, with extracurricular creative performance in seven domains as the criteria. The unique aspects of this project were (a) that gifted and talented children were represented in the sample of 150 subjects, (b) that both performance quantity and quality scores were used as criteria, and (c) that fluency, fluency2, and an interaction of IQ X fluency were tested as predictors. Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that fluency has predictive validity; however, this is limited to certain areas of performance, e.g., writing and crafts. IQ was significantly related to other areas of performance, e.g., science and performing arts, but there was little indication of a quadratic relationship or an interaction of IQ X fluency.
Subject Access Points in the MARC Record and Archival Finding Aid: Enough or Too Many?

ABSTRACT In this research project, the authors set out to discover the current practice in both the archival and cataloging worlds for usage of access points in descriptive records and to learn how archival descriptive practices fit into long-established library cataloging procedures and practices. A sample of archival finding aids and MARC records at 123 Association of Research Libraries (ARL) institutions were examined to determine if finding aids and catalog records had the same or similar number of access points. The research also provided additional data regarding description of archival materials in these libraries.
Product liability and safety: Perspectives from business versus public policy makers

Abstract Product liability and the improvement of product safety are major concerns confronting business executives and public policy makers. This article reports the results of a mail survey that explored some of the major issues surrounding product liability and safety. The survey solicited the opinions of manufacturing executives, insurance executives, and state insurance commissions. Analysis of the data involved comparison of the opinions of the three groups of respondents. In general, the respondents agreed that (1) the increased emphasis on safety has caused prices to rise, but products are safer; (2) the salesforce should be used more as a source of information on the safe use of products; (3) a good safety record is a competitive edge for a manufacturing firm; (4) small businesses should not be treated more leniently than large ones in product liability cases; and (5) the CPSC's activities have generally been favorable. In contrast, manufacturing and insurance executives were more negative regarding the application and enforcement of strict liability than were insurance commission respondents.
Wide and narrow bandgap semiconductors for power electronics: A new valuation

An advantage for some wide bandgap materials that is often overlooked is that the thermal coefficient of expansion (CTE) is better matched to the ceramics in use for electronic-packaging technology. The optimal choice for unipolar devices is GaN and the associated material system of GaN/AlGaN. The future optimal choice for bipolar devices at all power levels is C (diamond). New expressions, ɛ c=1.73×105 (EG)2.5 for direct-gap and ɛ c=2.38×105 (EG)2 for indirect-gap semiconductors, relating the critical-electric field for breakdown in abrupt junctions to the material bandgap energy, and associated new expressions for specific on-resistance in power semiconductor devices is shown to further support the use of wide bandgap materials. Some low-voltage, power-electronics applications are shown to benefit by the use of Ge, C, and GaSb.
Hubble Space Telescope observations of the center of globular cluster M15

Images of the dense center of globular cluster M 15 (NGC 7078) have been obtained with the HST in the V and I filters. Accurate photometry is possible in the very densest part of the cluster center with rms errors of less than 0.3 magnitudes for stars down to the main-sequence turnoff. Evidence for radial segregation between horizontal branch, red-giant branch, and blue straggler stars is presented. We discuss the possibility of the existence of a central stellar density cusp which does not flatten into a small central core at radii less than 2 arcsec.
STUDIES IN GLYCOSURIA : SECOND PAPER: GLYCOSURIA FOLLOWING ANESTHESIA PRODUCED BY THE INTRAVENOUS INJECTION OF ETHER.

1. By introducing intravenously into dogs a solution of 5 per cent. ether in normal saline (0.9 per cent.), a satisfactory surgical anesthesia can be produced. 2. Associated with this anesthesia a glycosuria occurs in healthy adult dogs fed on a meat diet. 3. Normal saline (0.9 per cent.) introduced in exactly the same manner does not cause a glycosuria. 4. The glycosuria is, in general, associated with a hyperglycemia. 5. The glycosuria does not make its appearance until the condition of anesthesia has been produced. 6. The intravenous method of producing anesthesia employed in our studies eliminates largely the factor of asphyxia. 7. Consequently by this mode of administration ether may cause glycosuria without asphyxia. 8. The addition of ether to normal saline (0.9 per cent.) solution modifies the property of the latter to produce diuresis. 9. Associated with the intravenous administration of both the saline and the ether-saline solutions there occurs a rise of body temperature.
Colonoscopy in the very elderly: a review of 157 cases

Colonoscopy is currently the best diagnostic modality for evaluating colonic diseases but studies of its use in the very elderly are limited. A single-institution review of all patients aged 85 years or older who underwent colonoscopy from June 2003 to June 2005 was performed. Parameters evaluated included indications for colonoscopy, findings, ability to perform a complete colonoscopy, and immediate and delayed (≤21 days) complications. A total of 157 patients aged 85 years or older (median = 87, range = 85–99) underwent colonoscopy during the two-year period. The cecal intubation rate was 90%. Number of cancers detected/indications for colonoscopy include gross or occult bleeding per rectum, 3/51 (5.9%); abnormal physical exam, 1/2 (50%); abnormal abdominal computed tomography, 3/5 (60%); anemia, 1/25 (4.0%); screening, 0/14; previous history of colonic malignancy, 0/10; previous history of polyps, 0/21; change in bowel habits, 0/5; family history of colonic malignancy, 0/6; abdominal pain, 0/4; diarrhea, 0/6; fecal impaction, 0/2; unknown, 0/6. Immediate complications included hemorrhage at a polypectomy site in one patient that was controlled endoscopically, one episode of bradycardia, and one incident of atrial fibrillation. There were no delayed complications resulting from colonoscopy. Our data suggest that colonoscopy can be safely and successfully performed in the very elderly. In patients with symptoms or suggestive radiographic findings, cancer was detected in 4.0%–60% of cases. No cases of cancer were discovered in those patients who were asymptomatic.
Evaluating The Effectiveness Of Audio In Hybrid Courses

The prevalence of either completely online or hybrid courses has continued to increase over the past decade, but properly designing the delivery mode of these courses remains a challenge. Whereas fully online institutions of higher education may focus on a purely online delivery format, more traditional colleges and universities have the challenge of balancing online and traditional classroom instruction using the hybrid course format. Whereas basic hybrid courses may have relied more on visual aids of instruction, this paper focuses on the effectiveness of enhancing these hybrid courses with audio lectures. Hybrid courses were created using PowerPoint slides consisting of a mix of visual and audio instructional delivery modes, and student surveys were subsequently administered at the conclusion of the semester to determine the ultimate effectiveness of audio enhancements. This paper presents the details of this case study, the corresponding statistical analyses and interpretations, and general concluding recommendations for audio-enhanced course design. Overall, the addition of the audio component to the hybrid course structure made the hybrid course experience more effective, increased the likelihood that the students would take or recommend future hybrid courses that contained audio enhancements, and made it more likely that the students would prefer a hybrid course to a traditional classroom-only course. Continued research is necessary to provide a more active learning experience and class community during the online components, and synergistically utilize classroom time more effectively to truly capture the benefits of both online and traditional instruction using the audio-enhanced hybrid course format.
Replication and fault-tolerance in the ISIS system

The ISIS system transforms abstract type specifications into fault-tolerant distributed implementations while insulating users from the mechanisms used to achieve fault-tolerance. This paper discusses techniques for obtaining a fault-tolerant implementation from a non-distributed specification and for achieving improved performance by concurrently updating replicated data. The system itself is based on a small set of communication primitives, which are interesting because they achieve high levels of concurrency while respecting higher level ordering requirements. The performance of distributed fault-tolerant services running on this initial version of ISIS is found to be nearly as good as that of non-distributed, fault-intolerant ones.
Mobile polymorphic applications in ubiquitous computing environments

Ubiquitous computing envisions an environment where physical and digital devices are seamlessly integrated. Users can access their applications and data anywhere in the environment. Applications are not bound to any single device and can migrate with the user to different environments. Therefore, application mobility is an important aspect of ubiquitous computing. We consider the problem of migrating applications across different ubiquitous computing environments (i.e. across different rooms, buildings or even cities). Migration is a tough problem because different environments have different resources (devices or services) available. The context of the environments may be different as well. Hence, mobile applications must adapt to changing contexts and resource availabilities as they migrate from one environment to the next. We introduce the notion of polymorphic applications, where applications can change their structure in order to adapt to different environments. While the structure of polymorphic applications can change during migration, the functionality and the state of the application are preserved as far as possible. This enables users to perform the same tasks as they move from one environment to the next, seamlessly. We make use of ontologies to ensure that the initial and final structures of a migrating application are semantically similar in terms of functionality and behavior. This paper describes our framework for enabling mobile polymorphic applications.
Testosterone, HDL and cardiovascular risk in men: the jury is still out.

“Even when reductions in HDL-cholesterol are observed as a consequence of androgen therapy, the implications for cardiovascular risk modification remain highly uncertain.”
On the nearly scale-independent rank behavior of image quality metrics

Image quality metrics attempt to assess the perceived difference between an original and a distorted image. One aspect of quality assessment that is not yet well understood is the scale at which images are analyzed. This paper examines the effects that two scale-reducing operations, filtering and down-sampling, have on quality assessment. It has been shown that several popular quality metrics are equivalent to weighted measurements of mean-squared-error (MSE). Analysis is provided suggesting that the relative rankings of weighted MSE computations are not very sensitive to the scale of the input images; these predictions are verified experimentally using both weighted MSE-based and non-weighted-MSE-based assessment techniques. Featured algorithms include MSE, structural similarity index (SSIM), multi-scale SSIM (MSSIM), visual information fidelity (VIF) and visual signal-to-noise ratio (VSNR). Extensive testing on the LIVE database demonstrates that all algorithms except VSNR can be computed using images decimated by a factor of 6-8 without a substantial degradation in rank-order performance. This result illustrates that significant savings in processing are therefore possible.
English text to speech conversion with delta

Delta is a computer system for developing text to speech rules for any language [1]. This paper describes a set of Delta rules for English. On the basis of the input text, the English rules build a multi-level structure that represents both the high-level linguistic constituents of the utterance (e.g., morphs, syllables, and phonemes) and the low-level synthesizer parameter patterns.
Optimum noncoherent multiuser detection for DPSK modulation in generalized diversity Rayleigh fading channels: an asymptotic minimum error probability analysis

The jointly optimum noncoherent multiuser detector for DPSK modulation in generalized diversity Rayleigh fading channels (GDRF) was presented previously (Varanasi and Brehler, 1998) and bounds on the error probability were obtained. In the numerical examples these bounds were seen to converge. This paper examines analytically the behavior of the bounds for high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) scenarios. Slowly fading channels, where the fading coefficients are essentially constant over two successive symbol intervals, and fast fading channels, where the fading coefficients can vary from one symbol interval to the next, are considered. For slow fading, the asymptotic convergence of the upper bound to the lower bound is proved. The asymptote that is reached for high values of the SNR does not depend on the interfering users' energies, establishing thereby the near-far resistance of the optimum multiuser DPSK detector. For fast fading the error floor reached for high SNRs is bounded from below and above.
ICT to Train Students towards Creative Thinking

This study examines the role played by Information Communication Technologies as cognitive tools in the classroom. We refer to the theoretical context considering creativity not only as the skill of fantasy and imagination but also as an educational process. In particular, in the exp eriences described, we highlight how creative thinking can be stimulated through the use of ICT integrated into the curricular activities. The methodology carried out during the three years of the project is based on scaffolding and leads students to incre ase their diverging thinking through increasingly complex activities of creative writing, use of multimedia systems and online resources, and finally the design and development of a hypertext.
An electrode array that minimizes blood loss for radiofrequency-assisted hepatic resection

Hepatic resection is currently the standard treatment for liver cancer. During hepatic resection part of the liver containing the tumor is surgically removed. This type of surgery is accompanied by high blood loss of ~0.6 – 1.35 L. Blood loss is associated with increased complication rates, prolonged hospital stay, and reduced patient survival, especially when transfusion is required. Other researchers have suggested using radiofrequency (RF) or microwave ablation to coagulate a tissue slice before resection to reduce blood loss, but conventional devices typically take several hours. We developed a device consisting of a linear array of blade-shaped, 1cm wide radiofrequency (RF) electrodes 1.5 cm apart. Bipolar RF power is applied between pairs of adjacent electrodes, leading to high tissue temperatures between the electrodes that promote coagulation of large vessels (>mm) in the resection plane. Rapid switching of applied power between pairs of adjacent electrodes allows simultaneous heating and coagulation of the entire resection plane within 3 – 6 min. In 7 in-vivo trials in a porcine model, resection along a plane pre-coagulated with the device resulted in little (<20 mL) to no blood loss, while coagulating all vessels (up to 4.5 mm diameter in this study). Average treatment time (from placement of the device to transection) was 6.8 ± 0.5 min when 4 electrodes were used, and 11.3 ± 1.2 min when 5–7 electrodes were used. This device may reduce blood-loss related morbidity during resection and reduce treatment time by coagulating all vessels in the resection plane.
Report on the Consensus Development Conference on “Clinical Applications of Biomaterials,” 1–3 November 1983

A report on the Consensus Development Conference on “Clinical Applications of Biomaterial” held at the NIH, 1–3 November 1983 is presented. Included is the complete text of the Conference Statement.
Promoting Reading in Children: Do Reading Practices Differ in Children With Developmental Problems?

Objective The objective of this study was to describe and compare reading practices in caregivers of children with developmental/behavioral problems (DEV) to caregivers of children without developmental problems attending a general pediatric clinic (GEN).Method Cross-sectional, convenience samples of 321 caregivers of DEV and GEN children self-report reading practices including amount of daytime and nighttime reading, TV viewing, and number of books in the house. Reading 4 or more days per week is the primary outcome. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to compare reading 4 or more days per week with specific predictors. Odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals were reported.Results Three hundred and twenty-one caregivers participated in the study (DEV 204, GEN 117). Mean number of books in home (51.1 ± 49.9), TV viewing hours per day (2.6 ± 2.0), and days or nights read per week (days, 4.9 ± 2.1; nights, 4.0 ± 2.4) did not differ by group. Caregivers reporting incomes at 200% above the fed...
A Practical Introduction to Biostatistics in the Spine Literature

The use of biostatistics is ubiquitous in the spine literature, however, many clinicians have not been trained in basic statistical principles and do not understand their application. The goal of statistics is to estimate the underlying distribution of a variable in the population based on the observations from a sample. Statistics allow investigators to determine the likelihood that specific groups of patients are different. Such comparisons are obviously important when attempting to determine the utility of a given treatment. The goal of this review is to cover the basic principles of biostatistics with a focus on spine-related examples.
Evidence-Based Standard Setting: Establishing a Validity Framework for Cut Scores

Performance standards are a powerful way to communicate K–12 student achievement (e.g., proficiency) and are the cornerstone of standards-based reform. As education reform shifts the focus to college and career readiness, approaches for setting performance standards need to be revised. We argue that the focus on assessing student readiness can move performance standards toward an increasingly empirical grounding, leading to more meaningful and understandable standards for student achievement and better guideposts for instructional improvement. Specifically, we describe and illustrate the processes and practices associated with evidence-based standard setting, taking as our example a specific application in the American Diploma Project Algebra II End-of-Course Exam, which was developed as an indicator of college readiness.
Visualizing vocal expression

Sound, especially speech, is ephemeral. It is a high-speed, ordered, multichannel stream that plays for a time, and leaves shadows of its presence in our memories. When we communicate, we exchange semantic, expressive, and relational messages. Most of our communicative power lies outside semantics, yet these expressive and relational exchanges are underexplored. We and others have experimented with visual representations of speech, yet little is known about the interpretability, usability, and efficacy of the visualizations; here we focus on interpretability. We provide a system for expressive vocal analysis, new voice visualizations which map vocal parameters to different designs, and a study focusing on the interpretability of the resulting voice visualizations.
Occurrence of an unusual amount of an odd-numbered fatty acid in glycosphingolipids from human cataracts.

Human cataractous glycosphingolipids were isolated and purified according to previously established procedures. Fatty acid analyses of the purified glycosphingolipid revealed the presence of a significant amount of an odd-chain fatty acid. This was confirmed by methane (CH4) chemical ionization mass spectrometry, which showed characteristic ions at m/z 397, 425, 437, and 365. These ions facilitated the determination of molecular weight and the assignment of C25.0 (n-penta-cosanoic acid) to this fatty acid in question. This may be the first time that such an unusual distribution of a single odd-chain fatty acid has been shown to occur in a glycosphingolipid from any tissue.
Applications of plastic track detectors to atomic, nuclear, particle, and cosmic ray physics

ABSTRACT The high charge resolution of plastic track detectors, their insensitivity to lightly ionizing particles, and their availability in large areas make possible important experiments in several fields of physics. A few examples of recent or planned experiments are presented.
A Bayesian Model Predicts Human Parse Preference and Reading Times in Sentence Processing

Narayanan and Jurafsky (1998) proposed that human language comprehension can be modeled by treating human comprehenders as Bayesian reasoners, and modeling the comprehension process with Bayesian decision trees. In this paper we extend the Narayanan and Jurafsky model to make further predictions about reading time given the probability of difference parses or interpretations, and test the model against reading time data from a psycholinguistic experiment.
Hybrid-priority real-time scheduling

A hybrid scheduling algorithm is proposed, which integrates features of the fixed priority (FP) and earliest deadline first (EDF) scheduling policies. It is shown that this hybrid scheduling algorithm is a generalization of both FP and EDF, and tends to retain most of the desirable properties and features of both individual policies. Two exact (i.e., necessary and sufficient) tests are derived for sporadic task systems scheduled by the hybrid scheduling algorithm.
Single-Item Measurement of Suicidal Behaviors: Validity and Consequences of Misclassification

Suicide is a leading cause of death worldwide. Although research has made strides in better defining suicidal behaviors, there has been less focus on accurate measurement. Currently, the widespread use of self-report, single-item questions to assess suicide ideation, plans and attempts may contribute to measurement problems and misclassification. We examined the validity of single-item measurement and the potential for statistical errors. Over 1,500 participants completed an online survey containing single-item questions regarding a history of suicidal behaviors, followed by questions with more precise language, multiple response options and narrative responses to examine the validity of single-item questions. We also conducted simulations to test whether common statistical tests are robust against the degree of misclassification produced by the use of single-items. We found that 11.3% of participants that endorsed a single-item suicide attempt measure engaged in behavior that would not meet the standard definition of a suicide attempt. Similarly, 8.8% of those who endorsed a single-item measure of suicide ideation endorsed thoughts that would not meet standard definitions of suicide ideation. Statistical simulations revealed that this level of misclassification substantially decreases statistical power and increases the likelihood of false conclusions from statistical tests. Providing a wider range of response options for each item reduced the misclassification rate by approximately half. Overall, the use of single-item, self-report questions to assess the presence of suicidal behaviors leads to misclassification, increasing the likelihood of statistical decision errors. Improving the measurement of suicidal behaviors is critical to increase understanding and prevention of suicide.
Derivation and Improvement of Some Existing Cuts Through Disjunctive Principles

In discussing the basic disjunctive cut principle, we indicated that it subsumes all other cut generation principles. In this chapter, we will demonstrate this to a certain extent by actually deriving some existing cutting planes as disjunctive cuts. In the process, it will be seen that the disjunctive principles may be used to actually improve upon three cuts. In fact, for the first type of cut we discuss below, we will utilize the concepts of Chapter IV to obtain an improved version of the existing cut.
Instituting a radiology residency scholarly activity program.

Background: The purpose of this manuscript is to present a newly instituted program for resident scholarly activity that includes a curriculum designed to enhance resident training with regard to research while meeting requirements established by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), the governing body responsible for regulation of post-graduate medical education and training in the United States. Methods: A scholarly activity program was designed with the following goals: (i) enhance the academic training environment for our residents; (ii) foster interests in research and academic career paths; (iii) provide basic education on research methodology and presentation skills. To guide program design, an electronic survey was created and distributed to the residents and faculty in the Department of Radiology and Radiological Sciences at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), a 750-bed public teaching hospital in the state of South Carolina in the United States. Results: Survey respondents were in strong support of a required resident scholarly activity project (70% in favor), felt non-traditional projects were valuable (84.1% of respondents), and were proponents of required scholarly activity summary presentations (58%). This program requires that residents engage in a scholarly activity project under the guidance of a mentor. Resident success is maximized through in-house education initiatives focusing on presentation and research skills, protected time to work on the project, and oversight by a radiology research committee. All residents present a summary of their work near the end of their residency training. Discussion: Changes to the radiology resident certification process create an opportunity for incorporating new policies aimed at enhancing resident education. The scholarly activity program outlined in this manuscript is one such initiative designed to meet ACGME requirements, provide an introduction to research, and establish a scholarly activity project requirement.
Abstract WP180: The Association between Neighborhood Socioeconomic Disadvantage, Fish Consumption, and Stroke Risk Factors: the Cardiovascular Health Study

Background: Fish consumption has been associated with reduced risk of stroke, and residence in low income neighborhoods has been associated with higher risk of stroke, either directly or through biologic risk factors for stroke, such as hypertension, diabetes, and subclinical disease. No studies, however, have examined the relationship between neighborhood characteristics, fish consumption, and stroke risk factors. Methods: We analyzed data from 3907 adults from the Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS), a population-based, longitudinal study of adults ages ≥65 years from 4 US counties. The outcomes were fish consumption (non-fried fish: ≥5 times/wk, 1-4 times/wk, 1-3 times/mo, Results: In adjusted analyses, residents of the most disadvantaged neighborhoods had lower consumption of non-fried fish (OR=0.55, 95% CI: 0.41-0.74) and higher consumption of fried fish (OR=1.61, 1.28-2.03). Eating non-fried fish was independently associated with a lower stroke risk score, but not with diabetes, hypertension, or sCVD. However, these relationships differed by neighborhood. Among those who consumed non-fried fish 1-4 times/wk, residents of the most disadvantaged neighborhoods had higher odds of diabetes (OR=1.78; p=0.03) and sCVD (OR=1.59; p=0.003), a trend towards higher odds of hypertension (OR=1.33; p=.054), and a higher FSRS (OR=1.09; p=.03). Eating fried fish was not associated with differences in stroke risk factors or FSRS. Conclusions: Residents of disadvantaged neighborhoods consumed less non-fried fish and more fried fish. Even with the same level of non-fried fish consumption, residents of more disadvantaged neighborhoods did not get the same benefit in stroke risk reduction as residents of higher SES neighborhoods.
Flow-activated transport events along the nephron.

Purpose of reviewIt is well recognized that an increase in glomerular filtration rate leads to an increase in fluid, Na+ and HCO3− absorption in proximal tubules; however, underlying mechanisms of this modulation have not been delineated. This review provides an update of flow-activated transport ev
Structure of long-term average frequencies for Kuramoto oscillator systems.

We study the long-term average frequency as a function of the natural frequency for Kuramoto oscillators with periodic coefficients. Unlike the case for more general periodically forced oscillators, this function is never a ``devil's staircase''; it may have plateaus at integer multiples of the forcing frequency, but we prove it is strictly increasing between these plateaus. The proof uses the fact that the flow maps for Kuramoto oscillators extend to M\"obius transformations on the complex plane, and that M\"obius transformations have particularly simple dynamics that rule out $p\ensuremath{\mathbin:}q$ mode locking except in the case of fixed points ($q=1$). We also give a criterion for the degeneration of an integer plateau to a single point and use it to explain the absence of plateaus at even multiples of the collective frequency for a Kuramoto system with a bimodal frequency distribution.
Attraction by selected organic compounds to Tyrophagus putrescentiae (Acari: Acaridae)

Various chemicals commonly found in food (17 amino acids, 9 saturated and 11 unsaturated fatty acids, 7 triglycerides, 12 monosaccharides, 9 sugar alcohols, and 23 vitamins) were tested in different concentrations for their ability to attract and sustain feeding by the mold mite, Tyrophagus putrescentiae (Schrank). Within a given biochemical class, similarity in chemical structure did not appear to be related to feeding response. Feeding response of the mold mite to alcohol derivatives of a given sugar was different than its feeding response to the parent sugar. All feeding responses to vitamins occurred within narrow ranges of concentrations and these responses were often contradictory at various concentrations. Absence of repellent substances and, to a lesser extent, presence of attractive compounds is postulated to be the main mechanism in the process of selection and acceptance of food in this polyphagous mite species.
Hydrothermal synthesis of amphiboles along the tremolite-pargasite join and in the ternary system tremolite-pargasite-cummingtonite

We report here an investigation of amphibole synthesis within the ternary system Ca 2Mg5Si8O22(OH)2NaCa2Mg4Al3Si6O22(OH)2-Mg7Si8O22(OH)2 (= TR-PG-MC) to define better the limits of solid solution for amphiboles formed along and near the join tremolite-pargasite. Hydrothermal syntheses were conducted in the range of 750‐1000 °C and 1‐6 kbar. Syntheses at 10 mol% compositional intervals along the TR-PG join produced incomplete yields of amphibole, and the resultant amphiboles were found to be associated with varying amounts of accessory clinopyroxene, plagioclase, and gehlenite. Syntheses of end-member pargasite with progressively greater amounts of the MC component produced a very good amphibole yield for a pargasite composition containing 2.5 mol% MC. The persistence of clinopyroxene or gehlenite and the improved yield of pargasitic amphibole with minor addition of the MC component indicate a shift toward MC enrichment for amphiboles made from bulk compositions directly on the TR-PG join. Syntheses within the TR-PG-MC ternary system suggest that the Ca-rich limit of solid solution is a slightly curved field in the TR-PG-MC field. Amphiboles made along this join showed a very systematic change in the (151) and (3 ‐ 31) peak spacing with mol% PG, providing a simple technique for deducing the composition of amphiboles made near the tremolite-pargasite join. Electron microprobe analysis confirms that the amphiboles for the most part conform to the “pargasite” substitution. The one exception being amphiboles formed near 80‐90 mol% PG compositions, which proved both difficult to synthesize (~75 wt% amphibole yield) and displayed a small, but significant, excess of Na in their structure. High yields of amphibole could be formed from this same bulk composition with the use of a dilute NaOH solution instead of pure water, suggesting that there was insufficient Na in the starting mixture to allow complete amphibole formation. Structural refinements using X-ray diffraction (XRD) Rietveld refinement confirmed the high Na content for this sample and also revealed a non-linear trend in the unit-cell volume with composition, with a maximum at the 80 mol% PG bulk composition. The difficulty in synthesizing amphiboles near this bulk composition and its unusually high volume suggest that immiscibility in natural hornblendes may initiate with increasing pressure for pargasite-rich bulk compositions.
Bacteriophage T4 Capsid Packaging and Unpackaging of DNA and Proteins

Bacteriophage T4 has proven itself readily amenable to phage-based DNA and protein packaging, expression, and display systems due to its physical resiliency and genomic flexibility. As a large dsDNA phage with dispensable internal proteins and dispensable outer capsid proteins it can be adapted to package both DNA and proteins of interest within the capsid and to display peptides and proteins externally on the capsid. A single 170 kb linear DNA, or single or multiple copies of shorter linear DNAs, of any sequence can be packaged by the large terminase subunit in vitro into protein-containing proheads and give full or partially full capsids. The prohead receptacles for DNA packaging can also display peptides or full-length proteins from capsid display proteins HOC and SOC. Our laboratory has also developed a protein expression, packaging, and processing (PEPP) system which we have found to have advantages over mammalian and bacterial cell systems, including high yield, increased stability, and simplified downstream processing. Proteins that we have produced by the phage PEPP platform include human HIV-1 protease, micrococcal endonuclease from Staphylococcus aureus, restriction endonuclease EcoRI, luciferase, human granulocyte colony stimulating factor (GCSF), green fluorescent protein (GFP), and the 99 amino acid C-terminus of amyloid precursor protein (APP). Difficult to produce proteins that are toxic in mammalian protein expression systems are easily produced, packaged, and processed with the PEPP platform. APP is one example of such a highly refractory protein that has been produced successfully. The methods below describe the procedures for in vitro packaging of proheads with DNA and for producing recombinant T4 phage that carry a gene of interest in the phage genome and produce and internally package the corresponding protein of interest.
The state of the science of whole blood: lessons learned at Mayo Clinic

AABB Standards specify that ABO group-specific whole blood is the only acceptable choice for whole blood transfusions. Although universal donor group O stored whole blood (SWB) was used extensively by the military during the wars of the mid-twentieth century, its use has fallen out of favor and has never been used to great extent in the civilian trauma population. Interest in the use of whole blood has been renewed, particularly in light of its potential value in far-forward military and other austere environments. Evidence of preserved platelet function in SWB has heightened enthusiasm for a "one stop shop" resuscitation product providing volume, oxygen carrying capacity, and hemostatic effects. Experience with universal donor group O SWB is required to ascertain whether its use will be an advance in trauma care. Described here is the process of establishing a universal donor group O SWB at a civilian trauma center in the United States.
Physical Principles and Technical Considerations for Equine Computed Tomography and Magnetic Resonance Imaging

This article discusses how cross-sectional imaging methods such as computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging can provide unique and diagnostically important information in situations where radiography or diagnostic ultrasound have been unrewarding.
Direct Imaging of Long-Range Exciton Transport in Quantum Dot Superlattices by Ultrafast Microscopy.

Long-range charge and exciton transport in quantum dot (QD) solids is a crucial challenge in utilizing QDs for optoelectronic applications. Here, we present a direct visualization of exciton diffusion in highly ordered CdSe QDs superlattices by mapping exciton population using ultrafast transient absorption microscopy. A temporal resolution of ∼200 fs and a spatial precision of ∼50 nm of this technique provide a direct assessment of the upper limit for exciton transport in QD solids. An exciton diffusion length of ∼125 nm has been visualized in the 3 ns experimental time window and an exciton diffusion coefficient of (2.5 ± 0.2) × 10–2 cm2 s–1 has been measured for superlattices constructed from 3.6 nm CdSe QDs with center-to-center distance of 6.7 nm. The measured exciton diffusion constant is in good agreement with Forster resonance energy transfer theory. We have found that exciton diffusion is greatly enhanced in the superlattices over the disordered films with an order of magnitude higher diffusion c...
Study of Boiling Regimes and Transient Signal Measurements in Microchannels

Two-phase microchannel heat exchangers can achieve very large heat removal rate due to the phase change of the coolant. However, the design of two-phase microchannel heat exchangers has not yet considered the change of boiling regimes in microchannels under 150 µm, while the boiling regime has significant impact on convective heat transfer coefficient. This paper presents our study of boiling regimes in these microchannels as well as the transient pressure fluctuation caused by nucleation. These results will provide quantitative information to others designing small-diameter parallel channel heat exchangers.
Coxiella burnetii avirulent Nine Mile phase II induces caspase-1 dependent pyroptosis in murine peritoneal B1a B cells

Our recent study demonstrated that virulent Coxiella burnetii Nine Mile phase I (NMI) is capable of infecting and replicating within peritoneal B1a cells and that B1a cells play an important role in host defense against C. burnetii infection in mice. However, it remains unknown if avirulent Nine Mile phase II (NMII) can infect and replicate in B1a cells and whether NMI and NMII can differentially interact with B1a cells. In this study, we examined if NMI and NMII can differentially modulate host cell apoptotic signaling in B1a cells. The results showed that NMII induced dose-dependent cell death in murine peritoneal B1a cells but NMI did not, suggesting that NMI and NMII may differentially activate host cell apoptotic signaling in B1a cells. Western blotting indicated that NMII-induced B1a cell death was not dependent on either caspase-3 or PARP-1 cleavage, but cleavage of caspase-1 was detected in NMII-infected B1a cells. In addition, inhibition or deficiency of caspase-1 activity blocked NMII-induced B1a cell death. These results suggest that NMII induces a caspase-1-dependent pyroptosis in murine peritoneal B1a cells. We also found that heat-killed NMII and type 4 secretion system (T4SS) mutant NMII were unable to induce B1a cell death and that NMII infection did not induce cell death in peritoneal B1a cells from Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR-2)- or NLRP3 inflammasome-deficient mice. These data suggest that NMII-induced caspase-1-dependent pyroptosis may require its T4SS and activation of the TLR-2 and NLRP3 signaling pathways.
31P, 1H NMR Relaxation and Molecular Mobility in Layered α-Zirconium Phosphate: Variable-Temperature NMR Experiments

Internal rotations in HPO4– groups and proton transfer between them have been characterized in static α-zirconium phosphate by variable-temperature measurements of 31P T1 and 1H T1ρ times. The 1H T1ρ times have been obtained by the kinetic of phosphorus–proton cross-polarization treated with the I-I*-S model. The calculations of the temperature T1 relaxation dependences have resulted in the rotational activation energy of 2.6 kcal/mol (or 3.9 kcal/mol in account for the τC distribution) and the proton transfer activation energy of 5.5 kcal/mol. Thus, two types of motions have been found in α-zirconium phosphate: the low-frequency proton transfer with the correlation time τc of 1.5 × 10–5 s at 295 K and the high-frequency rotation in P–OH groups with the correlation time τc of 2.2 × 10–8 s at 295 K.