cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Management of vascular graft infections with soft tissue flap coverage: improving limb salvage rates--a veterans affairs experience.

Graft infections are one of the most challenging issues in surgery with an incidence of 0.7 to 7 per cent, with femoral site infections being the most common (13% incidence). The gold standard treatment has been graft removal, wide debridement, and extra-anatomical bypass. Routine excision of infected peripheral arterial grafts and vascular reconstruction with extraanatomic conduits are associated with mortality rates ranging from 10 to 30 per cent and amputation rates of up to 70 per cent. As a result of the high morbidity and mortality associated with this approach, selective graft preservation techniques have been developed. Newer treatment plans discuss preservation of the graft with debridement and coverage of the infected region. Better wound care, nutrition optimization, and robust flap coverage have led to significantly improved graft salvage, lower amputation rates, and improved outcomes. The objective of this study was to evaluate the Veterans Affairs (VA) experience with flap coverage for femoral vascular graft infections. A retrospective review was conducted of all VA data from 1997 to 2008 with inclusion criteria of patients with deep groin wound infections requiring flap coverage after femoral bypass surgery. Eleven such patients were identified with a mean age of 73 years and with multiple comorbidities (hypertension, malnutrition, diabetes mellitus, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, coronary artery disease, chronic renal insufficiency). Patients presented with wound drainage, exposed graft, hematoma, perigraft fluid collection, and pseudoaneurysm. Treatment protocol included: 1) aggressive debridement of the wound bed; 2) early soft tissue (flap) coverage; 3) wound vacuum assisted closure device or frequent dressing changes; and 4) skin graft once the bed was prepared. Eighty-two per cent of wounds had positive cultures with equal numbers of patients with Staphylococcus epidermidis, Pseudomonas, Escherichia coli (22%), and higher methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (33%), whereas in the literature Staphylococcus is the most common (greater than 50%). Average hospital length of stay was 94 days with average follow up at 10 months. Fifty-five per cent graft salvage (one Dacron [50%], two polytetrafluoroethylene [33%], two saphenous vein graft [100%], one cryovein [100%]) was achieved with 91 per cent limb salvage. Complications included graft blowout (two) requiring partial flap loss (one), retroperitoneal hematoma (one), limb loss (one), sepsis (one), and death (one). Infected vascular grafts remain a challenging problem requiring multidisciplinary care. Careful debridement and aggressive wound care followed by selective flap coverage appears to decrease morbidity and increase graft and limb salvage.
Support for Solitary Bee Conservation among the Public versus Beekeepers

The decline of European honey bees (Apis mellifera) has been a prominent part of supporting pollinator conservation among the public and conservation efforts, even while honey bees are not native to North America and may compete for resources with native insect pollinators. However, little is known about what distinguishes support for native insect pollinators, including solitary bees, the majority of native bees, which provides use and non‐use values distinct from honey bees even though some natives have faced even more precipitous die‐offs. Using data collected from the general public and beekeepers in Louisiana, we adopt a contingent valuation method to investigate the value of conserving solitary bees. Results suggest modest to moderate positive willingness to pay for solitary bee conservation, and possibly higher willingness to pay among honey beekeepers versus the general public. Significant heterogeneity exists between the general public and beekeepers in terms of their knowledge and attitudes of honey bees and other pollinators.
N6‐Methyladenosine Demethylase FTO Contributes to Neuropathic Pain by Stabilizing G9a Expression in Primary Sensory Neurons

Nerve injury-induced change in gene expression in primary sensory neurons of dorsal root ganglion (DRG) is critical for neuropathic pain genesis. N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modification of RNA represents an additional layer of gene regulation. Here, it is reported that peripheral nerve injury increases the expression of the m6A demethylase fat-mass and obesity-associated proteins (FTO) in the injured DRG via the activation of Runx1, a transcription factor that binds to the Fto gene promoter. Mimicking this increase erases m6A in euchromatic histone lysine methyltransferase 2 (Ehmt2) mRNA (encoding the histone methyltransferase G9a) and elevates the level of G9a in DRG and leads to neuropathic pain symptoms. Conversely, blocking this increase reverses a loss of m6A sites in Ehmt2 mRNA and destabilizes the nerve injury-induced G9a upregulation in the injured DRG and alleviates nerve injury-associated pain hypersensitivities. FTO contributes to neuropathic pain likely through stabilizing nerve injury-induced upregulation of G9a, a neuropathic pain initiator, in primary sensory neurons.
Body Image Disturbance and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Symptoms Improve After Orthognathic Surgery.

Purpose Although body image disturbance (BID), anxiety, depression, and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) are the most common comorbid psychological conditions among patients presenting for orthognathic surgery (OS), little is known about whether psychological symptoms relate to facial deformity or how symptoms change after OS. To fill these knowledge gaps, this study investigated preoperative and postoperative psychological symptoms and preoperative baseline facial deformity in patients who underwent OS. Patients and Methods This study included 49 patients who underwent OS by a single surgeon between 2011 and 2018. The patients completed validated psychological tests to assess symptoms of anxiety (Beck Anxiety Inventory), depression (Patient Health Questionnaire-9), BID (BID Questionnaire, BIDQ), and OCD (Florida Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory). In addition, we measured severity of preoperative facial deformity with the Facial Aesthetic Index (FAI). We compared preoperative and postoperative symptoms using univariate nonparametric Wilcoxon signed rank tests. We tested associations between the 4 types of preoperative psychological symptoms and baseline Facial Aesthetic Index category using Spearman's rank correlations. Results Postoperatively, both BIDQ scores (median 2 to 1.2, P .45). Preoperative BIDQ was significantly associated with the severity of the facial deformity (ρ = 0.32, P = .025; median BIDQ: mild FAI = 1.0, severe FAI = 2.1). Conclusions Our results show that patients with more severe facial deformity have a higher BID preoperatively and that both BID and OCD improve after OS. Interestingly, anxiety and depression symptoms did not change after OS.
Assessment of the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) among UNRWA* health staff in Jordan concerning mental health programme pre-implementation: a cross-sectional study.

Mental health is a major public health priority, especially among refugees. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) started to integrate mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) into its primary healthcare services in Jordan in late 2017. In this study, we aimed to assess of the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) among UNRWA health staff (HS) in Jordan concerning mental health programme pre-implementation, and their perceived barriers about this MHPSS programme. A cross-sectional study was conducted among doctors, dentists, nurses, and midwives who work at 16 of the 25 UNRWA health centres in Jordan. The assessment was made using a validated self-administered questionnaire. Data analysis was performed using SPSS (version 22). Of the participants, 73% (161 of 220) believed that their knowledge of MHPSS programmes was insufficient, with no significant difference (p = 0·116) between different categories of staff. Furthermore, 88% (194 of 220) said that they needed more training, 67% (147 of 220) reported that the number of mental health cases is increasing, and 50% (110 of 220) that dealing with these cases is difficult. Reflecting on the past 12 months, 31% of staff (69 out of 220) reported meeting between one and ten children, and 45% (100 out of 220) reported meeting between one and ten adults suspected of having mental illnesses. The most suspected condition was depression (84%; 150 of 220), followed by epilepsy (64%; 140 of 220). The main perceived barriers to implementation included the limited availability of MHPSS policies (87%; 192 of 220), MH professionals (86%; 190 of 220), resources (86%; 189 out of 220), and lack of privacy (14%; 31 out of 220). Most health staff had positive attitudes towards MHPSS programme implementation but felt they lacked the required knowledge. There is a need for training and clear technical guidelines. Perceived barriers to MHPSS programme implementation were consistent with the previous studies and need to be tackled with a structured plan of action.
Toward a New Local: Introducing a Pandemic Framework for Everyday Care

This paper introduces a new conceptualization of local economization, one that is continuously unfolding throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Reconciling the ineffective response of the United States government to contain the virus from its introduction to the country in early 2020 with two simultaneous realities of life under lockdown - shrunken physical mobility and expanded virtual connectivity - it illustrates how Americans have grown more connected to themselves, their cities, and their communities. Viewed through the lens of human geography and psychogeography, this paper explores the impact of daily pandemic walks, increased digital access to neighbors and loved ones, and the stark inequalities of federal- and state-level economic aid on our embodied everyday experience of place and community. The result is the rise of mutual aid and other grassroots expressions of solidarity and care, the values, ethics, and efficiency of which must sustain into the post-pandemic world.
Risk for and temporal trends in cesarean surgical complications.

It is possible that in the setting of increasing patient comorbidity and obesity, risk for surgical injury and need for reoperation is increasing. It is also possible that with differential uptake ...
Pipeline embolization of proximal middle cerebral artery aneurysms: A multicenter cohort study

Background and purposeFlow diversion of aneurysms located in the M1 segment and middle cerebral artery bifurcation with Pipeline embolization device is sometimes performed, but further study is nee...
SILICON NITRIDE BEARINGS FOR TOTAL JOINT ARTHROPLASTY

It has been seven years since silicon nitride (Si 3 N 4 ) was first proposed as a new bearing material for total hip arthroplasty [1]. Although its introduction into this application has been hampered by regulatory and clinical hurdles, it remains a strong candidate for advancing the state of care in patients undergoing joint replacement. Si 3 N 4 has a distinctive set of properties, such as high strength and fracture toughness, inherent phase stability, low wear, scratch resistance, biocompatibility, hydrophilicity, excellent radiographic imaging, and bacterial resistance, many of which are not fully realized with other bioceramics. This combination of properties is desirable for demanding structural implants in the hip, knee and other total joints. Of foremost concern to clinicians is the wear behavior of any new or novel bearing material. Minimization of wear debris and prevention of corresponding osteolytic lesions are essential regardless of whether the artificial implant is articulating against itself, a metallic or polymeric counterpart. In this regard, Si 3 N 4 may have a unique advantage. Other bearing couples rely solely on the presence of a biologic lubricating film to minimize erosive wear. However, Si 3 N 4 forms a tribochemical film between the articulation surfaces consisting of silicon diimide Si(NH) 2 , silicic acid Si(OH) 4 , and ammonia groups NH 3 , NH 4 OH. Depending upon the bearing couple, this tribochemical film generally produces low friction. It is self-replenishing and resorbable, leading to the minimization of wear debris within the joint capsule. In this paper, we will review the essential physical, mechanical, and surface chemistry of Si 3 N 4 , and contrast these properties with other available bioceramics. Results from hip simulator testing of Si 3 N 4 femoral heads on conventional and highly cross-linked polyethylene will be presented and discussed. Data will demonstrate that various Si 3 N 4 bearing couples have wear comparable to other bioceramics. Microscopy and spectroscopic examinations of surfaces will provide a view of the surface stoichiometry and chemical stability of Si 3 N 4 in comparison to other bioceramics. Laboratory friction tests will be reported, which show that the tribochemistry of the lubricating film generated by Si 3 N 4 favors the use of highly cross-linked polyethylene as a counterface material. Overall results will demonstrate that silicon nitride is poised to become a new generation biomaterial for total joint arthroplasty.
Striped tertiary storage arrays

Data stripping is a technique for increasing the throughput and reducing the response time of large access to a storage system. In striped magnetic or optical disk arrays, a single file is striped or interleaved across several disks; in a striped tape system, files are interleaved across tape cartridges. Because a striped file can be accessed by several disk drives or tape recorders in parallel, the sustained bandwidth to the file is greater than in non-striped systems, where access to the file are restricted to a single device. It is argued that applying striping to tertiary storage systems will provide needed performance and reliability benefits. The performance benefits of striping for applications using large tertiary storage systems is discussed. It will introduce commonly available tape drives and libraries, and discuss their performance limitations, especially focusing on the long latency of tape accesses. This section will also describe an event-driven tertiary storage array simulator that is being used to understand the best ways of configuring these storage arrays. The reliability problems of magnetic tape devices are discussed, and plans for modeling the overall reliability of striped tertiary storage arrays to identify the amount of error correction required are described. Finally, work being done by other members of the Sequoia group to address latency of accesses, optimizing tertiary storage arrays that perform mostly writes, and compression is discussed.
Feasibility of Gunshot Residue Detection Via Its Organic Constituents. Part I: Analysis of Smokeless Powders by Combined Gas Chromatography-Chemical Ionization Mass Spectrometry

A quick, convenient, and reliable test for detecting gunshot residue is needed to cope with the increasing number of crimes involving handguns. Chemical color tests for nitrates [1] and for antimony, barium, and lead [2] have been used, but these methods lack the required sensitivity and specificity for forensic purposes. Two instrumental techniques, neutron activation analysis and atomic absorption, have found some acceptance by crime laboratories. Neutron activation analysis has been used to detect antimony and barium in hand samples [3], but it suffers from the drawbacks that samples must be sent out for analysis and that it is insensitive to lead. Atomic absorption has been used to detect lead by flame atomization [4], and antimony and barium have been detected with a flameless atomizer [5]. This approach has extended the availability of gunshot residue analysis. However, the costs still limit the number of laboratories with the required equipment. Perhaps a more serious limitation of any technique that is based on the bulk amounts of antimony, barium, or lead on a person's hands is the possibility of environmental or occupational sources of these elements on the hands. This limitation requires setting a threshold often higher than the amount deposited by firing. Furthermore, the amount of residue on the hand declines very rapidly with time.
Repeated estradiol benzoate treatment protects against the lordosis-inhibitory effects of restraint and prevents effects of the antiprogestin, RU486.

Abstract The following experiment was designed to test two specific questions: (1) Does the antiprogestin, RU486, reduce emergence of lordosis behavior and/or proceptivity in rats given repeated treatment with 10 μg estradiol benzoate (EB) and/or a single high dose (40 μg) of EB? (2) Does RU486 accentuate the effects of a 5 min restraint experience on sexual behaviors in rats given repeated treatment with estradiol benzoate (EB) and/or a high dose of EB? RU486 was used to determine if a high dose and/or repeated treatment with EB enhanced proceptivity and reduced the response to mild stress through an intracellular progesterone receptor-mediated process. Ovariectomized Fischer rats were injected with a single dose of 10 or 40 μg estradiol benzoate (EB) or received 4 consecutive weeks of treatment with 10 μg EB. Forty-eight hours after the last treatment with EB, rats were injected with 5 mg/kg of the antiprogestin, RU486, or the RU486 vehicle. That afternoon, rats were monitored for sexual behaviors. Sexually-receptive rats were then restrained for 5 min and again tested for sexual behaviors. A separate set of rats received 4 consecutive weeks of 10 μg EB treatment before treatment with a higher (5 mg/rat) dose of RU486. Lordosis to mount ratios, lordosis quality, proceptivity, and resistance were monitored. RU486 had no effect on the emergence of sexual behaviors but did accentuate the lordosis-inhibitory effect of restraint in rats given a single treatment with EB. Rats treated for 4 consecutive weeks with EB showed no effect of restraint and were unaffected by RU486. These findings lead to the suggestion that repeated EB initiates select behavioral effects that are not mimicked by acute EB treatment and that the intracellular progesterone receptor may not be involved.
Aspen Skiing and Trinko: Antitrust Intent and 'Sacrifice'

This paper takes a critical look at Trinko and makes a few central arguments. It contends that the Trinko Court's reading of Aspen and the law on unilateral refusals to deal is unduly narrow. While Aspen treated the defendant's sacrifice of short-run profits simply as an objective indicator of intent, Trinko came very close to endorsing a sacrifice test, which would treat profit sacrifice as a necessary, but insufficient, condition for exclusionary conduct. Trinko's approach may well be understandable from a policy perspective, given the FCC's pervasive regulation of the challenged activity. However, it would be a mistake to apply it outside of the regulatory setting in which the case arose. The sacrifice test that found approval in Trinko is fundamentally flawed because not all predation involves sacrifice, and profit sacrifice is not the only measure of consumer harm.Aspen's intent inquiry, with sacrifice being merely one factor, is preferable because intent evidence can inform and improve the functionality of an economic analysis. Empirical data and economic theory alone are seldom adequate for the determination of anticompetitive effect. Chicago models do not resemble real-world markets and often cannot be easily applied because of the lack of useful data. Post-Chicago theories, though more realistic, are nuanced and indeterminate, and their application would in fact benefit from the consideration of intent. To the extent that economic tools alone cannot distinguish between exclusionary and procompetitive conduct, this paper argues, intent evidence can help provide clues and even serve as a proxy for effect.The intent evidence in Aspen was objective; thus, the case does not address the relevance of subjective intent in non-price Section 2 cases. This paper recognizes that most courts and commentators tend to reject the use of subjective intent evidence on the basis of its unreliability and the difficulty of distinguishing between good and bad intent. It argues, however, that these objections are overstated. The paper observes that juries are routinely asked to evaluate the significance of subjective statements in a variety of cases, and there is no reason to believe that they are more vulnerable to being misled in antitrust litigation than in other cases. As long as the statements carry certain indicia of credibility and appropriate jury instructions are given, they can be helpful in explaining ambiguous business strategies and their effects. In short, this paper makes a case for considering intent, including subjective intent, and for rejecting a sacrifice test as the exclusive standard for the determination of Section 2 liability.
Topic Continuity in Discourse

The functional notion of “topic” or “topicality” has suffered, traditionally, from two distinct drawbacks. First, it has remained largely ill defined or intuitively defined. And second, quite often its definition boiled down to structure-dependent circularity. This volume represents a major departure from past practices, without rejecting both their intuitive appeal and the many good results yielded by them. First, “topic” and “topicality” are re-analyzed as a scalar property, rather than as an either/or discrete prime. Second, the graded property of “topicality” is firmly connected with sensible cognitive notions culled from gestalt psychology, such as “predictability” or “continuity”. Third, we develop and utilize precise measures and quantified methods by which the property of “topicality” of clausal arguments can be studied in connected discourse, and thus be properly hinged in its rightful context, that of topic identification, maintenance and recoverability in discourse. Fourth, we show that many grammatical phenomena which used to be studied by linguists in isolation, all partake in one functional domain of grammar, that of topic identification. Finally, we demonstrate the validity of this new approach to the study of “topic” and “topicality” by applying the same text-based quantifying method to a number of typologically-diverse languages, in studying actual texts. Languages studied here are: Written and spoken English, spoken Spanish, Biblical Hebrew, Amharic, Hausa, Japanese, Chamorro and Ute.
Organization of data in non-convex spatial domains

We present a technique for organizing data in spatial databases with non-convex domains based on an automatic characterization using the medial-axis transform (MAT). We define a tree based on the MAT and enumerate its branches to partition space and define a linear order on the partitions. This ordering clusters data in a manner that respects the complex shape of the domain. The ordering has the property that all data down any branch of the medial axis, regardless of the geometry of the sub-region, are contiguous on disk. Using this data organization technique, we build a system to provide efficient data discovery and analysis of the observational and model data sets of the Chesapeake Bay Environmental Observatory (CBEO). On typical CBEO workloads in which scientists query contiguous substructures of the Chesapeake Bay, we improve query processing performance by a factor of two when compared with orderings derived from space filling curves.
In Children and Youth with Mild and Moderate Traumatic Brain Injury, Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein Out-Performs S100β in Detecting Traumatic Intracranial Lesions on Computed Tomography

Abstract In adults, glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) has been shown to out-perform S100β in detecting intracranial lesions on computed tomography (CT) in mild traumatic brain injury (TBI). This study examined the ability of GFAP and S100β to detect intracranial lesions on CT in children and youth involved in trauma. This prospective cohort study enrolled a convenience sample of children and youth at two pediatric and one adult Level 1 trauma centers following trauma, including both those with and without head trauma. Serum samples were obtained within 6 h of injury. The primary outcome was the presence of traumatic intracranial lesions on CT scan. There were 155 pediatric trauma patients enrolled, 114 (74%) had head trauma and 41 (26%) had no head trauma. Out of the 92 patients who had a head CT, eight (9%) had intracranial lesions. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) for distinguishing head trauma from no head trauma for GFAP was 0.84 (0.77-0.91) and for S100β was 0.64 ...
The amplitude of decadal to multidecadal variability in precipitation simulated by state‐of‐the‐art climate models

[1] We assess the magnitude of decadal to multidecadal (D2M) variability in Climate Model Intercomparison Project 5 (CMIP5) simulations that will be used to understand, and plan for, climate change as part of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's 5th Assessment Report. Model performance on D2M timescales is evaluated using metrics designed to characterize the relative and absolute magnitude of variability at these frequencies. In observational data, we find that between 10% and 35% of the total variance occurs on D2M timescales. Regions characterized by the high end of this range include Africa, Australia, western North America, and the Amazon region of South America. In these areas D2M fluctuations are especially prominent and linked to prolonged drought. D2M fluctuations account for considerably less of the total variance (between 5% and 15%) in the CMIP5 archive of historical (1850–2005) simulations. The discrepancy between observation and model based estimates of D2M prominence reflects two features of the CMIP5 archive. First, interannual components of variability are generally too energetic. Second, decadal components are too weak in several key regions. Our findings imply that projections of the future lack sufficient decadal variability, presenting a limited view of prolonged drought and pluvial risk.
Determining gamma functions for reconstruction of unorganized point sets

In this paper, we examine a modification to our three-dimensional point cloud reconstruction method, Gamma Shapes. Gamma Shapes is an extension to Alpha Shapes with the advantage that the Gamma Shape method allows the automatic selection of local scaling factors. This presentation examines scaling methods based on simple approximations of the point set’s medial axis.
Stability tests for two-dimensional linear multivariable digital filters†

Abstract In this paper the bounded-input—bounded-output (BIBO) stability condition for a linear multivariable two-dimensional digital filter is defined and discussed Two theorems related to the stability test are presented. The first theorem involves the stability testing of a two-dimensional polynomial for each of the entries of the transfer function matrix. The second theorem involves the stability testing of a determinant, det D(z1, z2 ), which is obtained from the two-dimensional coprime factorization of the transfer function matrix H( z1, z2 ) The BIBO stability condition and the tests are also considered for multidimensional linear multivariable digital filters. An example is presented illustrating the computational procedure for the stability test. Future work on this problem is also mentioned.
Researcher as Instrument: Understanding "Shifting" Findings in Constructivist Research

Two studies investigating the meaning and articulation of multiple identities among Black college students revealed shifts in the findings from the 2001 study to the 2005 study. This theoretical review explores the role of the researcher as instrument within the constructivist research paradigm as a possible explanation for some of these apparent differences. Implications and suggestions for researchers and graduate preparation are offered.
The FC1 Rule of Identification for Confirmatory Factor Analysis A General Sufficient Condition

Establishing the identification of a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) model continues to be one of the most difficult tasks in structural equation modeling. Proving the identification of such mod...
Neural transplantation for neurodegenerative disorders

T h e f u t u r e T h e mos t effective subs tance and carrier combina t ion are be ing sought. T h e os teoconduct ive and osteoinduct ive substances available can be used alone, in combina t ion with autograft as a "graft extender" , or in combina t ion wi th other bone-graf t subst i tutes to provide a "cocktai l" of complemen ta ry substances. Prel iminary evidence indicates tha t the efficacy of subst i tutes will surpass tha t of au togenous bone grafts, w i thou t the risks and costs associated wi th the latter.
Ecological and anthropogenic influences on space use by spotted hyaenas

Due to increasing human encroachment into the remaining habitat of many large carnivore species, there is an immediate need to understand the ecological and anthropogenic factors influencing carnivore space use decisions. In particular, knowledge of changes in space use in response to disturbance, and the costs associated with these changes, will be critical in guiding conservation efforts. To investigate the ecological factors influencing carnivore space use, we intensively radiotracked members of two large social groups (clans) of spotted hyaenas Crocuta crocuta in the Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya. In addition, we studied the influence of livestock grazing by comparing space use between two study clans that differed dramatically in exposure to grazing. Logistic regression modeling indicated that space use in the absence of livestock was most influenced by the location of the clan's communal den. However, hyaenas were also found to select shrubland, areas of high prey density, and proximity to seasonal streams. Movements of hyaenas exposed to livestock grazing were most influenced by vegetation type, with a strong avoidance of open grass plains. Den location and prey density had less influence on space use decisions in the disturbed than the undisturbed clan. Livestock distribution did not directly influence hyaena movements either during daytime, when livestock were present, or at night. We suggest that direct livestock avoidance was unnecessary due to the observed increased use of vegetative cover by hyaenas exposed to grazing livestock. The greater distances from the den, and from areas of high prey density at which hyaenas were found in disturbed than undisturbed areas indicates potential energetic costs incurred by disturbed hyaenas. Our results therefore suggest that reduced vegetative cover, as is often found outside protected areas, may result in more dramatic modifications of hyaena movements in the presence of livestock.
Rangoli: space management in deduplication environments

Space management is the activity of monitoring and ensuring adequate free space on all volumes in a clustered storage system. Volumes that exceed used space limits are typically relieved by migrating a part of their data to other under utilized volumes. Without deduplication, space reclamation is simple as one has to just migrate as much data as the desired space reclamation. However, in deduped volumes there is no direct relation between the logical size of the file and the physical space occupied by it. Therefore, optimal space reclamation is hard as: a)migrating few files may produce little or zero bytes of free space, but still incur significant network costs. b)migrating a heavily shared file destroys the disk sharing relationships in that volume and increases the physical space consumption of that dataset.In this work, we have designed and built a fast and efficient tool Rangoli, that identifies the optimal set of files for space reclamation in a deduped environment. It can scale to millions of files and terabytes of data, running in tens of minutes. We show by experimenting on real world datasets, that alternate strategies such as those based on finding unique files or using MinHash, impact physical space consumption by a wide margin (up to 35 times) as compared to Rangoli.
TREATMENT OF CHLAMYDIA TRACHOMATIS (Ct) DURING PREGNANCY IDENTIFIED BY CHLAMYDIAZYME (CZ): IMPACT ON INCIDENCE OF CHLAMYDIA-LIKE ILLNESS IN INFANCY

TREATMENT OF CHLAMYDIA TRACHOMATIS (Ct) DURING PREGNANCY IDENTIFIED BY CHLAMYDIAZYME (CZ): IMPACT ON INCIDENCE OF CHLAMYDIA-LIKE ILLNESS IN INFANCY
Planar FRET detection from biomolecules on an optofluidic chip

Fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) is one of the powerful tools used to study the dynamics of biomolecules. By monitoring the energy transferred from a donor fluorophore to an acceptor fluorophore, one can determine the spatial proximity between the fluorophores on the nanometer scale and thus extract information regarding interactions between biomolecules. Here we demonstrate a novel way of measuring FRET from oligonucleotides using an integrated optofluidic chip containing a planar liquid-core waveguide that can guide liquid and light simultaneously. FRET experiments were carried out using fluorescein and Cy3 labeled oligonucleotides FRET pairs. An excitation laser was fiber-coupled to a solid-core waveguide perpendicular to the chip's liquid-core channel. A FRET efficiency of 50% was measured in good agreement with bulk microscopy experiments. By photobleaching the acceptors and manipulating the fluidic flow, we also demonstrated controllable FRET events: an increase in donor signal, a decrease in acceptor signal and the recovery of FRET due to the influx of new FRET pairs. The flexibility of our chip design also allows for improvements such as separate donor and acceptor detection at either chip end using integrated filters.
An investigation of lexical ambiguity in Broca's aphasics using an auditory lexical priming technique.

Abstract Broca's aphasics and normal control subjects performed and auditory lexical decision task with stimulus pairs containing ambiguous (semantically-related) or unambiguous (unrelated) words as primes. Broca's aphasics, though having considerably longer latencies, produced a pattern of results similar to normal subjects; namely, faster reaction times for target words preceded by semantically related than unrelated words (i.e., semantic priming). These results do not support the hypothesis of B lumstein and colleagues [2,9] that Broca's aphasics show a selective impairment in automatic processing associated with lexical access.
Immunotoxicity of tributyltin oxide in rats exposed as adults or pre-weanlings.

Abstract A comparison was made between adult and pre-weanling rats of the immunotoxic effects of subacute dosing with bis(tri- n -butyltin) oxide (TBTO). Adult (9 weeks old) male Fischer rats were dosed by oral gavage with TBTO for 10 consecutive days at 1.25–10 mg/kg per dose or 3 times/week for a total of 10 doses at 5–20 mg/kg per dose. Adults rats similarly dosed by oral gavage with 6 mg/kg per dose cyclophosphamide (CY) served as positive controls. Pre-weanling rats (3–24 days old) were dosed 3 times/week for a total of 10 doses at 2.5, 5 or 10 mg/kg per dose. At various times after dosing rats were evaluated for alterations in body and lymphoid organ weights, mitogen and mixed lymphocyte reaction (MLR) lymphoproliferative (LP) responses, natural killer (NK) cell activity, cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) responses and primary antibody plaque-forming cell (PFC) responses. In adult rats given 10 daily doses of TBTO, thymic involution was observed at a dosage of 2.5 mg/ kg and mitogen responses to Con A and PHA were suppressed at 5 mg/kg. The PFC response was enhanced in adult rats dosed daily at 2.5 mg/kg. A dosage of 5 mg/kg given intermittently (3 times/week) to adults or pre-weanlings resulted in thymic involution. Reductions in mitogen responses were observed in adults dosed intermittently at 10 and 20 mg/kg and in pre-weanlings at 5 and 10 mg/kg. The MLR response was suppressed in adult rats dosed intermittently at 20 mg/kg and in pre-weanling rats at 10 mg/kg. NK cell activity was suppressed only in pups dosed intermittently at 10 mg/ kg. CTL responses were not affected in either age group. Within 3 weeks following the last exposure of adult rats to TBTO all parameters returned to normal. On the other hand, LP responses to mitogens were suppressed in 10-week-old rats that were dosed with 10 mg/kg TBTO as pre-weanlings. However, this exposure regimen resulted in reductions in body weight that persisted for up to 13 weeks of age, which suggests that TBTO may be a developmental toxicant. These data indicate that while exposure of young rats to TBTO resulted in immune alterations at doses lower than those required to suppress responses in adults, the observed effects may also be influenced by the developmental toxicity of this compound.
Analysis of parathyroid hormone's principal receptor-binding region by site-directed mutagenesis and analog design

Previous deletion studies established that the 25-34 region of PTH is important for receptor binding. We used oligonucleotide-directed mutagenesis to generate 47 different mutations in this region of human (h) PTH-(1-84) and evaluated cAMP-stimulating activity in ROS 17/2.8 cells. The hydrophobic residues Leu24 and Leu28 stood out as mutationally intolerant sites, while neighboring polar residues were comparatively tolerant. A series of synthetic PTH analogs was designed to test these residues further. The affinity of [Tyr34]hPTH-(1-34)NH2 for ROS 17/2.8 cells [dissociation constant (Kd), approximately 5 nM)] was dramatically reduced by the substitution of either Leu24 or Leu28 with Glu (Kd, approximately 20,000 and 8,000 nM, respectively). The Val31-->Glu substitution also sharply reduced affinity (Kd, approximately 200 nM). In contrast, the nearby charge-reversing change of Asp30-->Lys had no effect on binding affinity (Kd, approximately 5 nM). Similar effects were observed in the opposum kidney cell li...
Steganography and Visual Cryptography in Computer Forensics

Abstract— Recently, numerous novel algorithms have been proposed in the fields of steganography and visual cryptography with the goals of improving security, reliability, and efficiency. This paper discusses and compares the two methodologies. Some similarities and differences are presented, in addition to discussing some of the best known algorithms for each. Lastly, an idea for a possible algorithm which combines the use of both steganography and visual cryptography is suggested. There are several ways of hiding data in files of different formats, leaving various signs of hidden data. Can data hidden in an original image be detected after it undergoes visual cryptography? Would that be a scenario which computer forensic investigators and forensic software developers have to account for?
Gender in Amharic: a morphosyntactic approach to natural and grammatical gender

Abstract Gender features can be divided into two types: natural gender (also called biological gender or sex) and grammatical gender (the arbitrary gender often associated with inanimates). Morphosyntactic analyses that address both aspects of gender are relatively rare, and they often play down or eliminate the role of natural gender in the morphosyntax. In this paper, I will argue for a new analysis of the relationship between grammatical gender and natural gender, using evidence from the language Amharic (Ethiosemitic). I show how conventional analyses of gender struggle with Amharic, and develop an alternative analysis that crucially relies on natural gender and grammatical gender both being features on n (cf. Lecarme, 2002 , Ferrari, 2005 , inter alia; I assume lexical categories are decomposed into a category-defining head and a category-neutral root). Further evidence for the analysis is provided by the unusual interaction of gender and number in Amharic, as well as the morphosyntax of Amharic nominalizations. The paper concludes with some discussion of the diachrony of gender in Amharic and the cross-linguistic implications of the analysis.
Liver transplantation for hepatopulmonary syndrome due to noncirrhotic portal hypertension

Abstract Background Hepatopulmomary syndrome is defined by the triad of chronic liver disease, increased alveolar-arterial gradient, and evidence of intrapulmonary vasodilation. It is commonly seen in association with cirrhosis (90%). Four percent to 8% of the hepatopulmomary syndrome cases are reported in noncirrhotic portal hypertension. The management of patients with hepatopulmomary syndrome due to noncirrhotic portal hypertension is not well described. Methods We report a case of a 26-year-old woman who underwent liver transplantation for hepatopulmomary syndrome due to noncirrhotic portal hypertension. The patient presented with dyspnea and platypnea, requiring home oxygen therapy. She had orthodexia, severe hypoxemia, and positive bubble echocardiography consistent with hepatopulmomary syndrome. Her Model for End-stage Liver Disease score was 10. Liver biopsy revealed diffuse nodular regenerative hyperplasia. Results The patient underwent liver transplantation with Model for End-stage Liver Disease exception points. Her oxygen requirements gradually improved during the postoperative period. The patient's symptoms and hypoxemia resolved at 15-month follow-up posttransplantation. Conclusion We suggest hepatopulmonary syndrome in this setting is an indication for liver transplantation despite the absence of cirrhosis.
Passion, Intimacy, and Time: Passionate Love as a Function of Change in Intimacy

To build on existing theories about love, we propose that passion is a function of change in intimacy (i.e., the first derivative of intimacy overtime). Hence, passion will be low when intimacy is stable (either high or low), but rising intimacy will create a strong sense of passion. This view is able to account for a broad range of evidence, including frequency of sex in long-term relationships, intimate and sexual behavior of extraverts, gender differences in intimate behavior, gain and loss effects of communicated attraction, the biologically atypical human preference for face-to-face coitus, and patterns of distress in romantic breakups. Although this view may provide a good fit to available evidence, the totality of evidence is not yet adequate for a definitive conclusion, and suggestions for further research are offered.
Alturas: A Multi-Purpose, Russet Potato Cultivar with High Yield and Tuber Specific Gravity

‘Alturas’, a late-maturing, high-yielding, russet potato cultivar with high tuber specific gravity, was released in 2002 by the USDA-ARS and the Agricultural Experiment Stations of Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. Originally selected for dehydration processing, its cold-sweetening resistance also makes it suitable for processing out of storage into french fries and other frozen potato products. Culinary quality is high, with larger tubers suitable for fresh market if heavily russeted skin is not essential. Alturas consistently produced greater total and U.S. No. 1 yields than ‘Russet Burbank’ and ‘Ranger Russet’ in southern Idaho trials. Across other western trial sites, total yields of Alturas have on average been 29% and 14% greater than Russet Burbank and Ranger Russet, respectively. Alturas is resistant to Verticillium wilt (Verticillium dahliae) and early blight (Alternaria solani). Compared with Russet Burbank and Ranger Russet, Alturas is less susceptible to corky ringspot and foliar and tuber infection by late blight (Phytophthora infestans). It also is less susceptible to tuber net necrosis and Fusarium dry rot than Russet Burbank, and is more resistant to common scab (Streptomyces scabies) than Ranger Russet. However, Alturas is more susceptible to infection by PVY and PVX than Ranger Russet. Total nitrogen application recommendations for Alturas are approximately 40% less than those for Russet Burbank. Alturas requires 15% to 20% more water during the growing season than does Russet Bur-bank.
Dynamics of endemic infectious diseases of animal and human importance on three dairy herds in the northeastern United States

Endemic infectious diseases in dairy cattle are of significant concern to the industry as well as for public health because of their potential impact on animal and human health, milk and meat production, food safety, and economics. We sought to provide insight into the dynamics of important endemic infectious diseases in 3 northeastern US dairy herds. Fecal samples from individual cows and various environmental samples from these farms were tested for the presence of major zoonotic pathogens (i.e., Salmonella, Campylobacter, and Listeria) as well as commensal bacteria Escherichia coli and enterococci. Additionally, the presence of Mycobacterium avium ssp. paratuberculosis was tested in fecal and serum samples from individual cows. Test results and health and reproductive records were maintained in a database, and fecal, plasma, DNA, and tissue samples were kept in a biobank. All bacteria of interest were detected on these farms and their presence was variable both within and between farms. The prevalence of Listeria spp. and L. monocytogenes in individual fecal samples within farm A ranged from 0 to 68.2% and 0 to 25.5%, respectively, over a period of 3 yr. Within farm B, continuous fecal shedding of Salmonella spp. was observed with a prevalence ranging from 8 to 88%; Salmonella Cerro was the predominant serotype. Farm C appeared less contaminated with Salmonella and Listeria, although in the summer of 2005, 50 and 19.2% of fecal samples were positive for Listeria and L. monocytogenes, respectively. The high prevalence of E. coli (89 to 100%), Enterococcus (75 to 100%), and Campylobacter (0 to 81%) in feces suggested they were ubiquitous throughout the farm environment. Fecal culture and ELISA results indicated a low prevalence of Mycobacterium avium ssp. paratuberculosis infection in these farms (0 to 13.6% and 0 to 4.9% for culture-positive and ELISA-positive, respectively), although the occasional presence of high shedders was observed. Results have major implications for food safety and epidemiology by providing a better understanding of infectious disease dynamics on dairy farms. Comprehensive understanding of these infections may lead to better farm management practices and pathogen reduction programs to control and reduce the on-farm contamination of these pathogens and to prevent their further entry into the food-chain.
Role of cell type and animal species in tumor metastasis

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is now a reasonably well-known therapeutic option and is approved as a first line treatment of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a non-oncologic condition. For most cancer applications PDT is approved mainly as a palliative or adjunctive treatment often when all other options have failed. As the modality evolves toward becoming a first-line or curative option, long-term effects of processes involved will need to be studied. Cellular and tissue responses to PDT are more complex than responses to the more conventional therapies, perhaps because PDT is inherently a binary (or ternary) therapy. In addition to the nature and localization of the photosensitizer (PS), the timing of illumination after administration, the mode of administration and the PS and light doses, the efficacy and selectivity of responses are also determined by the physiology and geometry of tumors, the inherent survivability of tumor cells (in circulation and other anatomic sites) and cellular and molecular responses to PDT. The overall outcome of photodynamic treatment in the long term is determined by a combination, in varying degrees, of all of the above factors. In order to enhance and broaden the application of PDT to complex anatomical sites, an understanding of these factors would be useful. In the laboratory, the outcome is also dependent on the specific animal models being studied. This manuscript discusses preliminary studies along these lines using a variety of tools and implications, if any, of the results obtained.