cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Location, length, and enhancement: systematic approach to differentiating intramedullary spinal cord lesions

Intramedullary spinal cord abnormalities are often challenging to diagnose. Spinal cord biopsy is a high-risk procedure with the potential to cause permanent neurological injury. Magnetic resonance imaging is the modality of choice for diagnosis and preoperative assessment of patients with spinal cord abnormalities. The radiologist’s ability to narrow the differential diagnosis of spinal cord abnormalities has the potential to save patients from invasive approaches for diagnosis and also guide appropriate management. This article will provide a systematic approach to the evaluation of intramedullary spinal cord lesions—with emphasis on location, length and segment distribution, and enhancement pattern—to help narrow the differential diagnosis. In doing so, we will review various spinal cord pathologies, including demyelinating and metabolic conditions, neoplasms, and vascular lesions. Although intramedullary spinal cord abnormalities can be a challenge for the radiologist, a systematic approach to the differential diagnosis with a focus on lesion location, cord length and segment involvement, as well as enhancement pattern, can greatly help narrow the differential diagnosis, if not synch the diagnosis. This strategy will potentially obviate the need for an invasive approach to diagnosis and help guide treatment. • Imaging diagnosis of intramedullary spinal cord lesions could obviate cord biopsy. • Evaluation of cord lesions should focus on location, length, and enhancement pattern. • In demyelination, the degree of cross-sectional involvement is a distinguishing feature.
Suspected gonorrhea and chlamydia: Incidence and utilization of empiric antibiotics in a health system emergency department.

Abstract Background In the ED, patients are treated empirically for suspected gonorrhea and/or chlamydia (GC). Limited studies have evaluated the treatment of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) in conjunction with predictor variables. This study will allow providers to better identify patients with potential GC to streamline antibiotic treatment. Objectives The primary objective was to determine the incidence of positive assay in patients that underwent GC screening. The secondary objectives included the proportion of patients assayed that received empiric therapy and the predictive value of risk factors to identify positive assays. Methods This retrospective cohort study included adult patients who presented to the health-system EDs and underwent GC screening. Subjects were excluded if they were victims of sexual assault, left AMA or eloped. Results A total of 490 assayed patients were included, of which 84 (17%) were found to be positive for GC assay. Of the 278 patients treated empirically, 74% had a negative assay. Of the entire sample (n = 490), risk factors found to predict a positive assay (p Conclusions Compared to previous reports, this study found a higher incidence of positive GC assays for patients with suspected infection. This is the first study to evaluate GC testing in both men and women in the ED, and risk factors not previously reported by the CDC were identified.
Deep Convolutional Neural Networks with Integrated Quadratic Correlation Filters for Automatic Target Recognition

Automatic target recognition involves detecting and recognizing potential targets automatically, which is widely used in civilian and military applications today. Quadratic correlation filters were introduced as two-class recognition classifiers for quickly detecting targets in cluttered scene environments. In this paper, we introduce two methods that integrate the discrimination capability of quadratic correlation filters with the multi-class recognition ability of multilayer neural networks. For mid-wave infrared imagery, the proposed methods are demonstrated to be multi-class target recognition classifiers with very high accuracy.
Pituitary as a Source of HCG: Residual Levels After Bilateral Testicular Tumor Removal.

Context. Challenging clinical scenario in which elevated β-human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG, subsequently termed HCG) levels suggested occult tumor metastases after removal of bilateral testicular...
DeepCompare: Visual and Interactive Comparison of Deep Learning Model Performance

Deep learning models have become the state-of-the-art for many tasks, from text sentiment analysis to facial image recognition. However, understanding why certain models perform better than others or how one model learns differently than another is often difficult yet critical for increasing their effectiveness, improving prediction accuracy, and enabling fairness. Traditional methods for comparing models’ efficacy, such as accuracy, precision, and recall provide a quantitative view of performance; however, the qualitative intricacies of why one model performs better than another are hidden. In this paper, we interview machine learning practitioners to understand their evaluation and comparison workflow. From there, we iteratively design a visual analytic approach, DeepCompare, to systematically compare the results of deep learning models, in order to provide insight into the model behavior and interactively assess tradeoffs between two such models. The tool allows users to evaluate model results, identify and compare activation patterns for misclassifications, and link the test results back to specific neurons. We conduct a preliminary evaluation through two real-world case studies to show that experts can make more informed decisions about the effectiveness of different types of models, understand in more detail the strengths and weaknesses of the models, and holistically evaluate the behavior of the models.
THE OTHER DOES NOT RESPOND: levinas’s answer to blanchot

AbstractLevinas’s idea of substitution promotes what sounds at first sight like a full-blown notion of relationality. This is reflected, for example, in his adoption of Rimbaud’s phrase “I is an ot...
Technology life cycle and data quality: Action and triangulation

Abstract Where a technology is its life cycle can make a difference in the data generated by or about adopting, using or implementing that technology. As a result, it is arguable that adoption, usage or implementation data generated early in a technology's life cycle is directly comparable to data generated later in the life cycle. In particular, comparisons of early and late data can result in a number of disparate results and limit replicability, because of biases in the data and non-stationary data. This paper suggests that it can be important for information systems researchers to disclose an estimate of the location in the technology's life cycle, as part of their analysis. The data life cycle discussion is then extended to the notion of “data phase triangulation,” which is contrasted with “methodology triangulation” and “data (collection) triangulation.” In addition, we discuss the importance of being able to use the findings from life cycle-based research to “push” a technology from one phase to another phase.
In Search of a Factor Model for Optionable Stocks

We propose the first factor model that explains cross-sectional variation in optionable stock returns. Our model includes new factors based on option-implied volatility minus realized volatility, the call minus put implied volatility spread, and the difference between changes in call and put implied volatilities. The model outperforms previously-proposed factor models at explaining the performance of portfolios of optionable stocks formed by sorting on other option-based predictors, as well as other well-known stock return predictors. The predictive power of the option-based factors is driven by informed trading and their exposures to aggregate volatility and financial uncertainty.
Self-Sensing and Control of Soft Electrothermal Actuator

Soft electrothermal actuators have been of particular interest to researchers in soft mechatronic/robotic systems due to their large deformation, lightweight, and low power actuation. Closed-loop control of soft actuators is critical for high-precision applications, due to the nonlinear relationship between actuation voltage and output bending motion. In this article, a resistive self-sensing approach was developed for the soft electrothermal actuator, which enables the closed-loop control of the actuator without external sensors. The self-sensing of the actuator's deformation is achieved by measuring the resistance change of the embedded microfilament heater of the soft electrothermal actuator. When the bimorph electrothermal actuator deflects under the temperature change, its deflection can be detected by the temperature-incurred resistance change of the embedded heater. A closed-loop controller was designed using the self-sensed deflection signal. To handle the different responses of the actuator in the heating and cooling stages, a switching proportional-integral-derivative control algorithm was designed. Specifically, two sets of control parameters were tuned and used for the heating and cooling stages, respectively. The performance of the designed control algorithm was evaluated for step response, tracking of complex wave signals, and disturbance rejection. Compared with the open-loop operation, the closed-loop controlled actuator demonstrated a much more rapid and accurate response (the rising time and settling time were reduced over 80%) and excellent tracking and disturbance rejection capabilities.
Loss to Follow-up in Adolescent and Young Adult Renal Transplant Recipients.

BACKGROUND Patients' loss to follow-up (LFU) has significant impacts on outcomes and is a barrier to improving care, especially in adolescent and young adult (AYA) renal transplant recipients. There is limited information regarding the relationship between transfer of care from pediatric to adult transplant centers, age, and LFU among AYA renal transplant recipients. METHODS We studied 16 386 individuals aged 10-29 years who received kidney transplants between January 1, 2005 and December 31, 2015 using the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients. The primary outcome was LFU, which was defined as >1 year without follow-up in a transplant clinic/program. Death or graft failure within a year of the last follow-up was not classified as LFU. We performed a retrospective cohort study describing LFU using Pearson's chi-square tests. Multivariable logistic regression was used to estimate the change in likelihood of LFU associated with recipient characteristics and institution transfer. RESULTS In total, 22.26% (n = 3647) of our study population met criteria for LFU. About 11.17% (n = 1830) transferred institutions during the study period. LFU occurred in 50.18% of recipients who transferred institutions. LFU peaked at the age of 20 years, with 7.4% of 20-year-olds having LFU. The odds of LFU among renal transplant recipients who transferred institutions were 3.36 times greater (95% confidence interval, 3.1-3.6) than the odds of LFU among those who did not transfer institutions. CONCLUSIONS LFU is a critical problem faced by AYA renal transplant recipients, and institution transfer is a significant risk factor for LFU. Additional studies investigating the interplay between age, institution transfer, and LFU in the AYA population are still needed.
The impact of advanced age-related macular degeneration on the National Eye Institute's Visual Function Questionnaire-25.

Purpose To assess visual function among patients diagnosed with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) by stage of disease and laterality. Methods This is a cross-sectional cohort study of 739 AMD patients and their responses to the National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire-25 (NEI VFQ-25) at time of study enrolment. Patients with AMD were categorized into Early/Intermediate AMD and three groups of advanced AMD: (i) neovascular AMD (NV), (ii) geographic atrophy (GA) and (iii) Both Advanced forms. These three advanced stages were further stratified into unilateral or bilateral advanced disease. Mean composite scores and subscale scores for 12 different areas were based on a 100-point scale with the lowest and highest possible scores set at 0 and 100, respectively. Scores for the advanced AMD groups were compared with Early/Intermediate AMD using general linear modelling. Results A total of 739 AMD patients (294 Early/Intermediate, 115 GA, 168 NVAMD and 162 Both Advanced) were included in the analysis. Mean composite scores were highest among Early/Intermediate patients (89.9), followed by patients diagnosed with unilateral disease in the Both Advanced (88.0) and NV (86.1) groups. Mean composite scores were similar for bilateral NV (82.9) and unilateral GA (81.7), and mean scores were lowest for the bilateral GA (71.3) and bilateral Both Advanced (68.5) groups. In general, this pattern persisted across the twelve subscales as well. Subscale scores ranged from a low of 35.1 for driving among bilateral Both Advanced patients to a high of 99.2 for colour vision among patients with unilateral Both Advanced. Overall, patients with unilateral advanced disease consistently had higher mean scores than their bilateral counterparts. The largest difference was 19.5 composite score points between the unilateral and bilateral Both Advanced groups, there was a difference of 10.4 points between the GA groups, and a relatively small difference of 3.2 points between the NV groups. Conclusions We found large differences in visual function as reported from the VFQ-25 across the different types of advanced stage AMD groups and number of eyes affected with advanced AMD. These findings demonstrate the importance of accounting for the type and number of eyes affected by advanced stage AMD.
Ecosystem based multi-species management using Empirical Dynamic Programming

Abstract Control theory and stochastic dynamic programming have long been used to develop optimal single-species management policies. However, most species interact with others through competition and predation as parts of complex ecosystems. As a consequence, it is unclear how far from optimal the single species policies currently in use actually are. Moreover, there are as yet no scalable algorithms for optimal ecosystem management. Here, we merge recently developed tools from machine learning and nonlinear dynamics to construct and evaluate near-optimal policies in multi-species systems. Specifically, a non-parametric model for the dynamics is estimated from time series data using Gaussian process-based dynamic modeling. A policy is then derived from the inferred dynamics using a temporal difference learning algorithm. Policy performance is benchmarked against single-species policies and the ad hoc ecosystem policies that have been previously offered. We found that EDP policies are closer to the true optimal policies than single-species policies in multi-species systems with two controls and three objectives. The Pareto fronts illustrate the flexibility of EDP policies compared with single-species policies.
Artificial Intelligence in Endoscopy.

Artificial intelligence (AI) will revolutionize our daily life and will have tremendous impact on health care. Especially the influence in disciplines where imaging plays an important role seems to be substantial. Radiology, pathology and endoscopy will benefit from these developments.
Optimal Prosthesis Sizing for Radial Head Arthroplasty: A Review of Current Evidence and Guidelines.

» Radial head arthroplasty is a viable surgical option when a radial head fracture cannot be reconstructed. Radial head arthroplasty provides a load-bearing articular structure against the capitellum in unstable fractured elbows. » Studies have emphasized the importance of choosing the correct implant size to replicate the native radial head anatomy, citing various consequences of improperly sized radial head prostheses. Overstuffing of the radiocapitellar joint, or lengthening of the radius, has been extensively studied because of its detrimental effects on elbow biomechanics, but other types of improper sizing also have negative consequences. » In the setting of severe fracture-dislocation or revision surgery, anatomic landmarks that are useful for prosthesis sizing often are missing. Various methods have been described to provide guidance for the accurate sizing of a prosthetic radial head; a retrieved radial head, the proximal edge of the lesser sigmoid notch, the radiocapitellar synovial fold, and the ulnohumeral joint space all represent useful references. » Intraoperative radiographic examination is an important step while assessing implant size, including the height of the prosthetic radial head. » Since no single method is perfect on its own, the surgeon should combine as many reference measures as possible, both before and during the procedure, for accurate prosthesis sizing in order to achieve successful outcomes.
Anomaly Detection for High-Dimensional Data Using Large Deviations Principle

Most current anomaly detection methods suffer from the curse of dimensionality when dealing with high-dimensional data. We propose an anomaly detection algorithm that can scale to high-dimensional data using concepts from the theory of large deviations. The proposed Large Deviations Anomaly Detection (LAD) algorithm is shown to outperform state of art anomaly detection methods on a variety of large and high-dimensional benchmark data sets. Exploiting the ability of the algorithm to scale to high-dimensional data, we propose an online anomaly detection method to identify anomalies in a collection of multivariate time series. We demonstrate the applicability of the online algorithm in identifying counties in the United States with anomalous trends in terms of COVID-19 related cases and deaths. Several of the identified anomalous counties correlate with counties with documented poor response to the COVID pandemic.
Field Holography in General Background and Boundary Effective Action from AdS to dS

We study quantum fields on an arbitrary, rigid background with boundary. We derive the action for a scalar in the holographic basis that separates the boundary and bulk degrees of freedom. From this holographic action, a relation between Dirichlet and Neumann propagators valid for any background is obtained. As an application in a warped background, we derive an exact formula for the flux of bulk modes emitted from the boundary. We also derive the holographic action in the presence of two boundaries. Integrating out free bulk modes, we derive a formula for the Casimir pressure on a $(d-1)$-brane depending only on the boundary-to-bulk propagators. In AdS$_{2}$ we find that the quantum force pushes a point particle toward the AdS$_2$ boundary. In higher dimensional AdS$_{d+1}$ the quantum pressure amounts to a detuning of the brane tension, which gets renormalized for even $d$. We evaluate the one-loop boundary effective action in the presence of interactions by means of the heat kernel expansion. We integrate out a heavy scalar fluctuation with scalar interactions in AdS$_{d+1}$, obtaining the long-distance effective Lagrangian encoding loop-generated boundary-localized operators. We integrate out nonabelian vector fluctuations in AdS$_{4,5,6}$ and obtain the associated holographic Yang-Mills $\beta$ functions. Turning to the expanding patch of dS, following recent proposals, we provide a boundary effective action generating the perturbative cosmological correlators by analytically continuing from dS to EAdS. We obtain the "cosmological" heat kernel coefficients in the scalar case and work out the divergent part of the dS$_4$ effective action which renormalizes the cosmological correlators. More developments are needed to extract all one-loop information from the cosmological effective action.
The Increasingly Visible Hand of Government behind Corporate Citizenship & Conscious Capitalism

This paper examines three recent and significant policy actions by the governments in India, the United States, and the European Union that make dramatic changes in how global societies view corporate behavior in the home and host country regions where economic benefits are accrued. These interventions point to growth of sharper policy instruments to push for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) obligations in nation states. The familiar concept CSR has spun-off important notions of Corporate Citizenship, and Consciousness Capitalism. Both of these conceptualizations build on Elkington’s Triple Bottom Line (TBL)—which remains the central tenet of CSR philosophy. This paper discusses the three cases of government interventions in India, U.S. and EU. It argues that the new era of an increasingly visible hand of government has dawned to counteract market failure on the TBL, and to foster national and global sustainability values .
Anatomy and function of the eye

This text is not a generic book on the immunology of the eye, but instead is based on the theme of ocular immune privilege. In subsequent chapters it is apparent that the immunologic privilege within the eye is dependent upon novel anatomic and physiologic properties of the organ. The focus of this chapter is to provide a concise description of both the function and anatomy of the normal eye.
A patient with an uncommon etiology of intradialytic hypotension

Hemodialysis is associated with various complications, the most common being intradialytic hypotension (IDH). In the majority of cases, IDH is easily corrected and does not represent a life-threatening condition. We present a patient in whom IDH was unresponsive to various corrective strategies. A new mitral valve regurgitant lesion was diagnosed that eventually led to the patient's demise. Unusual etiologies of IDH need to be considered, particularly in instances where routine therapeutic measures are ineffective.
Identification of beck depression inventory items related to multiple sclerosis

The percentage contribution of each item on the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) to the total BDI score was compared across patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), patients diagnosed with major depressive disorder, and normal college students. We considered an item to be confounded by MS-related symptoms if its percentage contribution to the total BDI score was significantly greater in the MS group than the major depression and control groups. Items measuring work difficulty, fatigue, and concerns about health met this criterion. These items accounted for 34, 17, and 19% of the total BDI score in the MS, major depression, and control groups, respectively. Using the 18-item BDI (BDI-18) which resulted from excluding the 3 confounded items, MS patients found to be were more depressed than controls but less depressed than the major depression group. The identification of signs of depression not confounded with MS which could be substituted for confounded signs was also discussed.
Estimating Maximum Likelihood Parameters for Stochastic Context-Free Graph Grammars

Given a sample from an unknown probability distribution over strings, there exist algorithms for inferring the structure and parameters of stochastic grammatical representations of the unknown distribution, i.e. string grammars. Despite the fact that research on grammatical representations of sets of graphs has been conducted since the late 1960’s, almost no work has considered the possibility of stochastic graph grammars and no algorithms exist for inferring stochastic graph grammars from data. This paper presents PEGG, an algorithm for estimating the parameters of stochastic context-free graph grammars given a sample from an unknown probability distribution over graphs. It is established formally that for a certain class of graph grammars PEGG finds parameter estimates in polynomial time that maximize the likelihood of the data, and preliminary empirical results demonstrate that the algorithm performs well in practice.
Lobbying and the measurement of conventional welfare cost

It is widely accepted that the welfare cost of distortionary policy has two components. The first component is the conventional welfare cost of lost economic surplus due to an inefficient allocation of resources. The second component is the rent-seeking cost associated with efforts to influence policy. If the policy in question is an excise tax, the partial equilibrium measure of conventional welfare cost is the Harberger triangle of lost consumer and producer surpluses. Partial equilibrium rent-seeking costs are measured by the amount spent to influence policy. Total welfare cost is the sum of the two measurements. While how one determines (and thus, measures) the equilibrium amount of rent-seeking is the subject of much debate and modelling, the measurement of conventional welfare cost is not controversial. 1 Furthermore, conventional welfare costs are treated as independent of the manner in which rent-seeking occurs. For example, consider the welfare cost of monopoly (see Tullock, 1967; or Posner, 1975). The portion o f the total welfare cost due to underproduction is measured by the Harberger triangle of lost surplus. Whatever the method by which monopoly rights are obtained, the benefits of rent-seeking accrue entirely to the holder of the monopoly right. Any rent-seeking expenses are treated as fixed costs with no effect on the monopolist 's output decision. The form that rent-seeking takes is irrelevant to the measurement of conventional welfare cost. In other cases, the form rent-seeking takes is relevant. Consider a multi-firm industry subjected to an excise tax. If effective lobbying requires a collective lobbying effort, and if a firm's share of the industry's rent-seeking expenses vary with a firm's output, rent-seeking will affect the firm's and industry's marginal cost functions. The impact of rent-seeking on marginal cost, if overlooked, leads to mismeasurement of conventional welfare cost and thus, the total welfare cost of the policy. Moreover, the direction of measurement error
Early Response Cytokines and Innate Immunity: Essential Roles for TNF Receptor 1 and Type I IL-1 Receptor During Escherichia coli Pneumonia in Mice

The early response cytokines, TNF and IL-1, have overlapping biologic effects that may function to propagate, amplify, and coordinate host responses to microbial challenges. To determine whether signaling from these early response cytokines is essential to orchestrating innate immune responses to intrapulmonary bacteria, the early inflammatory events induced by instillation of Escherichia coli into the lungs were compared in wild-type (WT) mice and mice deficient in both TNF receptor 1 (TNFR1) and the type I IL-1 receptor (IL1R1). Neutrophil emigration and edema accumulation induced by E. coli were significantly compromised by TNFR1/IL1R1 deficiency. Neutrophil numbers in the circulation and within alveolar septae did not differ between WT and TNFR1/IL1R1 mice, suggesting that decreased neutrophil emigration did not result from decreased sequestration or delivery of intravascular neutrophils. The nuclear translocation of NF-κB and the expression of the chemokine macrophage inflammatory protein-2 did not differ between WT and TNFR1/IL1R1 lungs. However, the concentration of the chemokine KC was significantly decreased in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluids of TNFR1/IL1R1 mice compared with that in WT mice. Thus, while many of the molecular and cellular responses to E. coli in the lungs did not require signaling by either TNFR1 or IL1R1, early response cytokine signaling was critical to KC expression in the pulmonary air spaces and neutrophil emigration from the alveolar septae.
Classic and vigorous achalasia: A comparison of manometric, radiographic, and clinical findings

Abstract Compared with classic achalasia, vigorous achalasia has been defined as achalasia with relatively high esophageal contraction amplitudes, often with minimal esophageal dilation and prominent tertiary contractions on radiographs, and with the presence of chest pain. However, no study using current manometric techniques has compared manometric, radiographic, and clinical findings in vigorous and classic achalasia or questioned the usefulness of making this distinction. Fifty-four cases involving patients with achalasia whose radiographic and manometric studies were performed within 6 months of each other were available for review. Patients with vigorous achalasia (n = 17), defined by amplitude ≥ 37 mm Hg, and patients with classic achalasia (n = 37), defined as amplitude 60 mm Hg revealed similar findings. It is concluded that use of amplitude as a criterion for classifying achalasia is arbitrary and of dubious value.
Competitive exclusion and coexistence in a Lotka–Volterra competition model with Allee effects and stocking

We propose a Lotka–Volterra competition model of two populations where one population is subject to Allee effects and is also under stocking to investigate competition outcomes. The resulting model is analysed by studying its global asymptotic dynamics. In some cases, the endangered population can drive the other population to extinction, while in other cases, the endangered population cannot survive. Coexistence of both competing populations is possible in some parameter regimes. It is concluded that considerable care must be taken before implanting the population that is subject to Allee effects.
Methods for assessing COTS reliability, maintainability, and availability

Obviously, COTS components are different from custom components with respect to one or more of the following attributes: source, development paradigm, safety, reliability, maintainability, availability, security, and other attributes. However, the important question is whether they should be treated differently when deciding to deploy them for operational use; we suggest the answer is no. We use reliability as an example to justify our answer. In order to demonstrate its reliability, a COTS component must pass the same reliability evaluations as the custom components, otherwise the COTS components will be the weakest link in the chain of components and will be the determinant of software system reliability. The challenge is that there will be less information available for evaluating COTS components than for custom components but this does not mean we should despair and do nothing. Actually, there is a lot we can do even in the absence of documentation on COTS components because the customer will have information about how COTS components are to be used in the larger system. To illustrate our approach, we will consider the reliability, maintainability, and availability (RMA) of COTS components as used in larger systems.
Acetylcholine activates a glibenclamide-sensitive K+ current in cat atrial myocytes.

The preceding paper [Y. G. Wang and S. L. Lipsius, Am. J. Physiol. 268 (Heart Circ. Physiol. 37): H1313–H1321, 1995.] showed that when an atrial myocyte is treated with two consecutive exposures to...
In vitro performance analysis of a novel pulsatile diagonal pump in a simulated pediatric mechanical circulatory support system.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the pump performance of the third-generation Medos diagonal pump, the Deltastream DP3, on hemodynamic profile and pulsatility in a simulated pediatric mechanical circulatory support (MCS) system. The experimental circuit consisted of a Medos Deltastream DP3 pump head and console (MEDOS Medizintechnik AG, Stolberg, Germany), a 14-Fr Terumo TenderFlow Pediatric arterial cannula and a 20-Fr Terumo TenderFlow Pediatric venous return cannula (Terumo Corporation, Tokyo, Japan), and 3 ft of tubing with an internal diameter of in. for both arterial and venous lines. Trials were conducted at flow rates ranging from 250 mL/min to 1000 mL/min (250-mL/min increments) and rotational speeds ranging from 1000 to 4000 rpm (1000-rpm increments) using human blood (hematocrit 40%). The postcannula pressure was maintained at 60 mm Hg by a Hoffman clamp. Real-time pressure and flow data were recorded using a Labview-based acquisition system. The pump provided adequate nonpulsatile and pulsatile flow, created more hemodynamic energy under pulsatile mode, and generated higher positive and negative pressures when the inlet and outlet of the pump head, respectively, were clamped. After the conversion from nonpulsatile to pulsatile mode, the flow rates and the rotational speeds increased. In conclusion, the novel Medos Deltastream DP3 diagonal pump is able to supply the required flow rate for pediatric MCS, generate adequate quality of pulsatility, and provide surplus hemodynamic energy output in a simulated pediatric MCS system.
A molecular dynamics study of interfacial thermal transport in heterogeneous systems

Abstract Non-equilibrium molecular dynamics software was developed to study thermal transport at the nanoscale. Lennard–Jones parameters of pure argon (mass and bond strength) were systematically modified to create heterogeneous thin film systems, including layered systems and nanocomposites, to investigate the influence of interfaces on thermal conductivity. Results were analyzed using combinations of kinetic theory and a thermal resistance network model together with the acoustic mismatch model (AMM). The introduction of a second material into an argon film generally decreased its overall thermal conductivity. Moreover, the presence of a nanoparticle was less influential in reducing thermal conductivity than the addition of a thin layer.
Ag Adsorption on Various Silica Thin Films

Various defect sites on SiO2 thin films on Mo(112) have been characterized with metastable impact electron spectroscopy (MIES), and the interaction between deposited Ag and these defects sites investigated with MIES/ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS). MIES/UPS data for low- and high-defect SiO2 surfaces acquired as a function of Ag exposure are consistent with two-dimensional Ag growth at low coverage and three-dimensional growth at higher Ag coverages. With increasing defect density on the SiO2 surfaces, no significant change is observed in the behavior of the work function with respect to the Ag coverage, suggesting that the interaction between Ag and SiO2 is not influenced markedly by the presence of defects. This result is consistent with recent theoretical results that indicate a strong covalent bond between an overlayer metal and defect sites of SiO2.
Constructing transmitting interface of running parameters of small-scaled wind-power electricity generator with WSN modules

The main purpose of this paper was to explore strategies of how to design the interface with brand-new techniques for collecting running parameters of small-scaled wind-power electricity generators as well as its monitoring and controlling Graphic Interface System software. Affected by shortage of oil energy, the whole world was positively developing renewable energy such as solar, wind-power, biologic, tide etc. For Taiwan, the renewable energy policy was actively pushed by government and civic organizations, and how to encourage industrial manufacturers to invest the related technologies of renewable energy; furthermore, to research and develop advanced techniques in this field so that those techniques could create another prosperous business for Taiwan after 3C business. In this study, WSN (Wireless Sensor Network) and its related modules such as ZigBee and Bluetooth would be combined together to construct transmitting interface of running parameters of small-scaled wind-power electricity generator. The study content included building ZigBee wireless network, communication interfaces of ZigBee and Bluetooth with microprocessor, coding and decoding techniques of ZigBee and Bluetooth, and software programming of graphic interface system (GIS). This study was sponsored by Taiwan Education Ministry under Teaching Superiority Project, and the system implemented in real wind-power electricity generator system and the research outcomes has been proved to be very successful and stable.
A general equilibrium model of housing consumption and investment

This article develops an applied general equilibrium model for analyzing the effects of tax policy on housing consumption and investment. The model incorporates housing tenure choice and consumption decisions in an explicit model of household portfolio choice that recognizes that the demand for owner-occupied housing depends on the after-tax returns from housing capital and other investments. Asset returns are stochastic so that asset holdings are determined by the desired risk-return relationships of households. Owner-occupied housing has a unique position because it has both a consumption role in providing housing services and an investment role. The model is then used to evaluate the effects of tax policy on the size and composition of the housing stock. Potential tax changes include a flat rate income tax and taxation of the imputed rent from owner-occupied housing.
Single-active electron calculation of multiphoton process in krypton

We employ a method for solving the time-dependent Schrodinger equation for an atom or molecule in an intense, pulsed-laser field to study multiphoton emission processes. Single-electron effective potentials have been developed that reduce the computational effort required for multielectron systems. Illustrative results for electron and photon emission rates from krypton at 532 nm in the intensity range (1‒4) × 1013 W/cm2 are presented and compared to recent measurements.
Can Electricity Powered Vehicles Serve Traveler Needs

Electric vehicles (EV), Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEV) or Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEV) are believed to be a promising substitute for current gas-propelled vehicles. Previous research studied the attributes of different types of EVs and confirmed their advantages. The feasibility of EVs has also been explored using simulation, retrospective survey data, or a limited size of field travel data. In this study, naturalistic driving data collected from more than 100 drivers during one year are used to explore naturalistic driver travel patterns. Typical travel distance and time and qualified dwell times (i.e., the typical required EV battery recharging time between travels as based on most literature findings) are investigated in this study. The viability of electric cars is discussed from a pragmatic perspective. The results of this research show that 90 percent of single trips are less than 25 miles; approximately 70 percent of the average annual daily travel is less than 60 miles. On average there are 3.62 trips made between four-hour dwell times as aggregated to 60 minutes and 50 miles of travel. Therefore, majority of trips are within the travel range provided by most of the currently available EVs. A well-organized schedule of recharging will be capable of covering even more daily travels.
Roquinimex-induced graft-versus-host reaction after autologous bone marrow transplantation.

Abstract Background: Roquinimex is being used for posttransplantation immunotherapy of autologous bone marrow transplantation for acute and chronic myelogenous leukemia. This immunotherapeutic agent is a cytokine inducer and may induce an autologous graft-versus-host (GVH) and graft-versus-tumor reaction. Objective: Our purpose was to examine patients undergoing this immunotherapy for clinical signs and symptoms of acute GVH reactions and to correlate these symptoms with their clinical outcome. Methods: We studied eight patients receiving roquinimex therapy. Results: We found autologous GVH reactions in three of eight patients (38%) treated with this immunotherapy. Their disease was manifested by localized or widespread violaceous papules that on histologic evaluation were compatible with a grade II GVH reaction. The acute cutaneous GVH reaction was associated with eccrine sweat gland necrosis, a dermatologic toxicity usually associated with chemotherapy. Conclusion: Long-term studies of larger numbers of patients treated with this immunotherapy will determine whether these GVH reactions confer significant, sustained, antitumor effects.
An Oxidized Abasic Lesion as an Intramolecular Source of DNA Adducts

5′-(2-Phosphoryl-1,4-dioxobutane) (DOB) is a lesion produced in DNA via a variety of damaging agents. The DOB lesion spontaneously generates cis- and trans-but-2-en-1,4-dial (1) via β-elimination. Cis- and trans-but-2-en-1,4-dial forms exocyclic adducts with nucleosides. We used chemically synthesized DNA containing tritiated DOB incorporated at defined sites to examine the reactivity of cis- and trans-but-2-en-1,4-dial. Although the local DNA sequence does not appear to influence the distribution of nucleoside adducts, we find that DOB generates relatively high yields of cis- and trans-but-2-en-1,4-dial nucleoside adducts that likely are promutagenic.
Measurements of Wavelengths and Attenuation in Dielectric Waveguides for Lower Modes

The wavelength of a wave guided by a dielectric rod has been measured for the TEon, TMon, HEln, and EHln, modes for n = 1 and 2. The measurements were made on polystyrene, lucite, textolite, and paraffin rods, as well as on plastic tubes filled with Nujol and dioxane. The measurements agree very well with the solutions of the characteristic equation. The solution of the characteristic equation corresponding to the second radial mode and the angular mode of order one has two branches, both of which are found experimentally. Measurements are made of the attenuation in a dielectric rod due to losses in the dielectric and due to bending of the dielectric guide.
A Novel PET Marker for In Vivo Quantification of Myelination

C-11-labeled N-methyl-4,4'-diaminostilbene ([(11)C]MeDAS) was synthesized and evaluated as a novel radiotracer for in vivo microPET imaging of myelination. [(11)C]MeDAS exhibits optimal lipophilicity for brain uptake with a logP(oct) value of 2.25. Both in vitro and ex vivo staining exhibited MeDAS accumulation in myelinated regions such as corpus callosum and striatum. The corpus callosum region visualized by MeDAS is much larger in the hypermyelinated Plp-Akt-DD mouse brain than in the wild-type mouse brain, a pattern that was also consistently observed in Black-Gold or MBP antibody staining. Ex vivo autoradiography demonstrated that [(11)C]MeDAS readily entered the mouse brain and selectively labeled myelinated regions with high specificity. Biodistribution studies showed abundant initial brain uptake of [(11)C]MeDAS with 2.56% injected dose/whole brain at 5 min post injection and prolonged retention in the brain with 1.37% injected dose/whole brain at 60 min post injection. An in vivo pharmacokinetic profile of [(11)C]MeDAS was quantitatively analyzed through a microPET study in an Plp-Akt-DD hypermyelinated mouse model. MicroPET studies showed that [(11)C]MeDAS exhibited a pharmacokinetic profile that readily correlates the radioactivity concentration to the level of myelination in the brain. These studies suggest that MeDAS is a sensitive myelin probe that provides a direct means to detect myelin changes in the brain. Thus, it can be used as a myelin-imaging marker to monitor myelin pathology in vivo.
Aging impacts microvascular oxygen pressures during recovery from contractions in rat skeletal muscle

Aging-induced alterations in peripheral circulatory control during contractions reduce the microvascular partial pressure of O(2) (P(O)(2)mv; which reflects the dynamic balance in the O(2) delivery-to-O(2) uptake ratio), resulting in exaggerated intramuscular metabolic disturbances and premature fatigue. However, the extent to which this altered P(O)(2)mv during contractions is associated with prolongated muscle metabolic recovery is not known. We tested the hypothesis that the aging-induced speeding of the P(O)(2)mv on-kinetics would presage slowed P(O)(2)mv off-kinetics. The spinotrapezius muscle was exposed in six young (6-8 months) and seven old (26-28 months) male Fischer 344xBrown Norway F1-hybrid rats. The P(O)(2)mv kinetic profile was measured via phosphorescence quenching at rest, during electrically stimulated contractions (1Hz, 7-9V, 2ms pulse duration, 180s), and throughout recovery (180s). Aged rats which evidenced faster P(O)(2)mv on-kinetics (reduced mean response time (MRTon), young: 27.3+/-3.6s, old: 19.2+/-1.6s; P<0.05) exhibited markedly slowed P(O)(2)mv off-kinetics (increased MRToff, young: 46.5+/-5.9s, old: 84.8+/-7.9s; P<0.05). Accordingly, a greater degree of P(O)(2)mv on-off asymmetry (MRToff-MRTon) in the aged muscle was observed (young: 19.1+/-4.5s, old: 65.6+/-8.6s; P<0.01). We conclude that aging-induced speeding of the P(O)(2)mv on-kinetics does indeed presage a slowed P(O)(2)mv off-kinetics, which likely compromises muscle metabolic recovery and may reduce subsequent contractile performance. Moreover, the greater degree of P(O)(2)mv on-off asymmetry in the aged muscle suggests a mechanistic link between impaired microvascular oxygenation and altered muscle metabolic responses during exercise transitions.
A Genome-Wide Association Study of Central Corneal Thickness in Latinos

PURPOSE. Central corneal thickness (CCT) is a clinically important risk factor for primary openangle glaucoma and keratoconus. Genetic factors controlling CCT in Latinos, the most populous minority population in the United States, are unclear. Here we describe the first genome-wide association study (GWAS) report of CCT in Latinos. METHODS. We performed a GWAS for CCT on 1768 Latinos recruited in the Los Angeles Latino Eye Study (LALES) using Illumina’s HumanOmniExpress BeadChip (~730K markers). To discover additional associated single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), we imputed SNPs based on the 1000 Genomes Project reference panels. All subjects were 40 years of age and older. We used linear regression with adjustment for age, sex, and principal components of genetic ancestry. RESULTS. We replicated the involvement of several previously reported loci, such as RXRACOL5A1, FOXO1, and ZNF469, for CCT in Latinos (P < 0.002). Moreover, we discovered novel SNPs, rs3118515, rs943423, rs3118594, and rs3132307, that reached GWAS significance (P < 5 3 10 � 8 ) in the uncharacterized LOC100506532 (gene type: miscRNA) for CCT in Latinos. By conditional analysis, we demonstrate that rs3118515 in this gene is responsible for the GWAS signal in the chromosome 9 RXRA-COL5A1 region in Latinos. Moreover, multiple sources of ENCODE evidence suggest that rs3118515 is in a regulatory region. Reverse-transcription PCR products indicated that transcripts of LOC100506532 surrounding rs3118515 were expressed in human corneas. CONCLUSIONS. We discovered novel SNPs for CCT in Latinos and provided the first reported evidence of the corneal expression of LOC100506532. These results help to further increase our understanding of the genetic architecture of CCT.
MEASUREMENTS OF DOUBLE-LAYER REPULSION FOR SLIGHTLY OVERLAPPING COUNTERION CLOUDS

Abstract Total internal reflection microscopy (TIRM) has recently been developed as a new technique to measure directly the mean potential energy of interaction between a single colloidal particle and a flat plate. TIRM provides instantaneous measurements of the relative separation between the particle and the plate, which are derived from the intensity of light scattered by the particle from the evanescent wave established upon total internal reflection at the plate/liquid interface. Using Boltzmann's equation, potential energy profiles are then obtained from histograms or relative separation distance. We have used TIRM to obtain (noninvasively) intensity distributions for a single 10 μm polystyrene sphere located near a flat glass plate in a series of electrolyte solutions. Potential energy diagrams derived from the scattering histograms compare very well with those expected based on simple models of double-layer and gravity forces which involve no adjustable parameters. These potential energy profiles have confirmed the exponential decay of double-layer repulsion with the Debye length as the decay length. The experimental methods have been refined to permit smaller background ionic strengths and longer sampling times. The spatial resolution of TIRM is shown to be on the order of nanometers.