cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Assessment of perceived workload in academic health center community pharmacies before and after implementation of a central call center.

PURPOSE Results of a study to determine whether reducing pharmacy phone call workload through implementation of a pharmacy services call center (PSCC) led to decreased employee workload, improved efficiency, and increased pharmacist availability for patient care are reported. METHODS A pre-post study was conducted using the NASA Task Load Index (NASA-TLX) instrument. Pharmacists, pharmacy technicians at 7 academic health center community pharmacies, and PSCC staff provided NASA-TLX data over 5 days during 3 data collection periods before and after PSCC implementation. Perceived workload was measured as an overall workload score (OWS) and mean scores for 6 NASA-TLX workload dimensions (mental demand, physical demand, temporal demand, performance, effort, and frustration). RESULTS Relative to pre-PSCC values, mean postimplementation OWS scores significantly decreased in all 7 pharmacies (from 33.3 to 29.1 overall, p < 0.001) but especially in small pharmacies (from 31.7 to 27.6, p < 0.001). Scores for the physical demand and frustration dimensions were low in both the PSCC and in the 7 pharmacies, while scores for the performance dimension remained high (range, 6.8-8.3). In general, scores for all other measured NASA-TLX dimensions decreased after PSCC implementation, more so at smaller pharmacies. The PSCC staff mean OWS score increased over time (from 26.8 to 28.6, p < 0.0001) but remained near the overall pharmacy average of 29.1. CONCLUSION Use of the NASA TLX allowed for a direct subjective measurement of workload as perceived by pharmacy and PSCC employees before and after PSCC implementation. Long-term effects of the PSCC on workload should be assessed.
The Problem With Protests: Emotional Effects of Race-Related News Media:

It is well documented that news media’s coverage of social unrest is sensationalized; however, our knowledge is limited in understanding how the intersection of race with depictions of social unres...
Strategy Implementation Capability: The Role of Middle Manager Leadership and Coordination

Strategy implementation (SI) is a critical component of organizational performance. We propose that SI can be conceptualized as a dual-purpose capability; i.e., a capability with operational and dy...
Abstract PD5-07: Mapping the tumor and microenvironmental evolution underlying DCIS progression throughmultiplexed ion beam imaging

Ductal Carcinoma in Situ (DCIS) is a pre-invasive lesion that accounts for nearly 20% of new breast cancer diagnoses. Of these cases, about half will progress to invasive breast cancer (IBC) within ten years. However, because diagnostic criteria for delineating low risk lesions from those likely to progress to IBC have not been identified, many patients are receiving unnecessary chemotherapy and surgery that can result in therapy-related morbidity and death. With this in mind, we used Multiplexed Ion Beam Imaging by time of flight (MIBI-TOF) and RNA-seq laser-capture microdissection (SMART-3SEQ) to construct a comprehensive spatial atlas describing the structure, function, and cellular composition of DCIS. MIBI-TOF and SMART-3SEQ were used to compare lesions from patients that later developed IBC with those from age- and history matched DCIS controls without recurrence. Using a 37-marker staining panel to interrogate 137 lesions, we identified 30 distinct cell populations of the epithelial, stromal, and immune lineages that were arranged in recurrent cellular microenvironments specific for DCIS or invasive disease. We observe a coordinated shift in the immune and stromal compartments as invasive disease arises, including an expansion of immune cell diversity and transition to reactive stromal phenotypes in synchronous DCIS + IBC, which was distinct from the macrophage-dominant microenvironment of recurrent IBC. Single-cell segmentation using a deep learning model was combined with pixel-level coexpression analysis to determine how thickness, continuity, and phenotype of ductal myoepithelium changes as tumors progress from a pre-invasive state. These data were incorporated into a comprehensive model which was subsequently used to identify a subset of features that correlate with disease-free survival following DCIS tumor resection. Taken together, these features represent important prognostic metrics that can be used to separate pre-invasive from indolent DCIS tumors, and allow for tailored therapy that improves patient outcomes and quality of life in this disease. Citation Format: Tyler Risom, Belen Rivero, Candace Liu, Alex Baranski, Siri Strand, Noah Greenwald, Erin McCaffrey, Sushama Varma, Leeat Keren, Sucheta Srivastava, Chunfang Zhu, Sujay Vennam, Shelley Hwang, Graham Colditz, Sean Bendall, Robert West, Michael Angelo. Mapping the tumor and microenvironmental evolution underlying DCIS progression through multiplexed ion beam imaging [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Virtual Special Conference on Tumor Heterogeneity: From Single Cells to Clinical Impact; 2020 Sep 17-18. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(21 Suppl):Abstract nr PR05.
Comparative biomechanics of the Pan and Macaca mandibles during mastication: Finite element modelling of loading, deformation and strain regimes

The mechanical behaviour of the mandibles of Pan and Macaca during mastication was compared using finite element modelling. Muscle forces were calculated using species-specific measures of physiolo...
Updates on IoT Magazine and the Editorial Board

I joined the IoT Magazine Editorial Board as Editor-in-Chief at the beginning of this year. It is my great pleasure to serve along with an outstanding Editorial Board and publication staff members. IoT Magazine is relatively a young magazine, only started in September 2018, but it already has had a significant impact; there were over 38,000 IEEE Xplore downloads in 2020. Our goal is to improve the impact further to the next level. We have made significant changes this year to the publication and Editorial Board as discussed below.
Methanol Fumigation of a Light Duty Automotive Diesel Engine

An Oldsmobile diesel engine was fumigated with methanol in amounts up to 40% of the fuel energy. The primary objectives of this study were to determine the effect of methanol fumigation on fuel efficiency, smoke, nitric oxide emission, and the occurrence of severe knock. An assessment of the biological activity for samples of the raw exhaust particulate and its soluable organic extract was also made using both the Ames Salmonella typhimurium test and the Bacillus subtilis Comptest. Results are presented for a test matrix consisting of twelve steady state operating conditions chosen to reflect over-the-road operation of a diesel engine powered automobile.
Parameters affecting transcription termination by Escherichia coli RNA. II. Construction and analysis of hybrid terminators.

Abstract Rho-independent terminators are characterized by two major functional regions, one upstream from the termination site having a sequence capable of forming an RNA hairpin in the nascent transcript, the second extending, from the base of this hairpin, seven to nine nucleotides along the transcript to the actual sites of termination (3′-tail region). This latter region of the transcript is often rich in uridine residues. Both regions are postulated to play central roles in the termination process. We have constructed a series of hybrid rho-independent, transcription terminators in which sequences upstream and downstream from the RNA hairpin for the Escherichia coli trp attenuator ( trp att + ) are interchanged with sequences from trp att mutant (1419) or from the phage T7 early terminator (T7Te). Similar hybrids have been constructed for T7Te, replacing flanking sequences with trp att regions. The effects of such changes on transcription termination have been tested in vitro with purified E. coli RNA polymerase to determine the intrinsic termination efficiency (%T) of each hybrid terminator. Both the trp att + terminator and T7Te are highly efficient rho-independent terminators in vitro . However, replacement of trp att + sequences upstream and downstream from the RNA-terminator hairpin with the comparable T7Te sequences reduces %T dramatically, suggesting that the RNA-terminator hairpin does not function independently from its flanking regions. Regions downstream from the actual termination/release site are shown to be of considerable importance in determining %T for terminators bearing the T7Te or trp att1419 3′-tail region, but have little effect on terminators with the trp att + 3′-tail region. For terminators bearing the T7Te or trp att1419 3′-tail region that are inefficient, efficient termination is restored by elevated concentrations of KCl in the reaction. The results do not fit well with models for termination in which %T is determined by a two-step process in which the terminator-RNA hairpin, and a seven to 12 base-pair DNA-RNA hybrid structure rich in uridine residues, act independently to cause the polymerase to pause, and to release the transcript, respectively. DNA sequences both upstream and downstream from these regions, as well as DNA sequences downstream from the transcript termination site, can significantly affect the termination process. Conversely, terminators lacking a 3′-tail region rich in uridine residues can be highly efficient, but only when joined with appropriate sequence immediately downstream from the termination site. This suggests that the 3′-tail region acts in some manner other than the formation of an unstable DNA-RNA hybrid that facilitates termination.
“Reverse Locked-in Syndrome”: A rare presentation after endovascular recanalization of top-of-the-basilar artery occlusion (P4.302)

OBJECTIVE: To report a case of rapid recovery of consciousness and extremity motor function, but persistent oculomotor, eyelid, and pupillary deficits, after endovascular embolectomy of a top-of-the-basilar thrombus. BACKGROUND: Occlusion of the mid-basilar artery is associated with locked-in syndrome, characterized by quadriplegia but partial preservation of oculomotor and eyelid function. Although oculomotor abnormalities may be caused by midbrain tegmentum lesions, these deficits are rarely associated with top-of-the-basilar thrombus in the absence of motor dysfunction or coma. DESIGN/METHOD: Case report. RESULTS: A 61-year-old man with atrial fibrillation and prior medial medullary infarct collapsed at work. Initial neurological examination revealed coma, quadriplegia, labored breathing, and bilateral fixed, dilated pupils. Head computed tomography (CT) revealed a hyperdense basilar artery, suggesting top-of-the-basilar syndrome. Intravenous thrombolysis was contraindicated due to INR=2.1. He was transferred by helicopter to our institution, where CT angiography confirmed top-of-the-basilar artery thrombus, extending into the bilateral posterior cerebral arteries. He underwent mechanical thrombectomy with the penumbra microcatheter, with successful recanalization achieved at 4 hours and 52 minutes post-ictus. Post-procedure examination demonstrated intact arousal, awareness, and extremity motor function, but persistent bilateral ptosis, fixed mydriasis and complete ophthalmoplegia. MRI showed acute ischemic infarcts involving the bilateral medial thalami, cerebellum, left occipital lobe and paramedian midbrain tegmentum. Given the recovery of consciousness and extremity motor function but complete bilateral ptosis and opthalmoplegia, we propose the term “Reverse Locked-in Syndrome” to describe this phenomenon. CONCLUSION: Complete opthalmoplegia, bilateral ptosis, and arreactive mydriasis without appendicular motor dysfunction, a “reverse locked-in” state, is a rare presentation after ischemic stroke involving the paramedian midbrain tegmentum. This syndrome is the opposite of locked-in syndrome, which is cause by ventral pontine infarction. Timely endovascular thrombectomy, even when a patient presents in coma, may offer dramatic recovery with good functional outcome. Disclosure: Dr. Raibagkar has nothing to disclose. Dr. Kim has nothing to disclose. Dr. Kaplan has nothing to disclose. Dr. Chavali has nothing to disclose. Dr. Nitka has nothing to disclose. Dr. Chou has received research support from the National Institutes of Health, the American Heart Association, and Novartis. Dr. Edlow has nothing to disclose.
A computational framework for certificate policy operations

The trustworthiness of any Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) rests upon the expectations for trust, and the degree to which those expectations are met. Policies, whether implicit as in PGP and SDSI/SPKI or explicitly required as in X.509, document expectations for trust in a PKI. The widespread use of X.509 in the context of global e-Science infrastructures, financial institutions, and the U.S. Federal government demands efficient, transparent, and reproducible policy decisions. Since current manual processes fall short of these goals, we designed, built, and tested computational tools to process the citation schemes of X.509 certificate policies defined in RFC 2527 and RFC 3647. Our PKI Policy Repository, PolicyBuilder, and PolicyReporter improve the consistency of certificate policy operations as actually practiced in compliance audits, grid accreditation, and policy mapping for bridging PKIs. Anecdotal and experimental evaluation of our tools on real-world tasks establishes their actual utility and suggests how machine-actionable policy might empower individuals to make informed trust decisions in the future.
Hyaluronan matrices in pathobiological processes

Hyaluronan matrices are ubiquitous in normal and pathological biological processes. This remarkable diversity is related to their unique mechanism of synthesis by hyaluronan synthases. These enzymes are normally activated in the plasma membrane and utilize cytosolic substrates directly to form these large polyanionic glycosaminoglycans, which are extruded directly into the extracellular space. The extracellular matrices that are formed interact with cell surface receptors, notably CD44, that often dictate the biological processes, as described in the accompanying minireviews of this series. This article focuses on the discovery in recent studies that many cell stress responses initiate the synthesis of a monocyte-adhesive hyaluronan extracellular matrix, which forms a central focus for subsequent inflammatory processes that are modulated by the dialogue between the matrix and the inflammatory cells. The mechanisms involve active hyaluronan synthases at the cell membrane when cell stresses occur at physiological levels of glucose. However, dividing cells at hyperglycemic levels of glucose initiate the synthesis of hyaluronan in intracellular compartments, which induces endoplasmic reticulum stress and autophagy, processes that probably contribute greatly to diabetic pathologies.
Ethanolamine Transport in Human Placental Brush-Border Membrane Vesicles

Pathways for transport of ethanolamine by human placental epithelia were investigated by measurement of [3H]ethanolamine uptake in brush-border membrane vesicles isolated by divalent cation precipitation. The presence of a conductive uptake pathway for ethanolamine was suggested by the marked stimulation of ethanolamine uptake to levels exceeding equilibrium induced by an inside-negative potassium diffusion potential. Evidence to suggest conductive ethanolamine uptake resulted from a mediated transport process included 1) the concentration-dependent inhibition by choline; 2) trans-stimulation of choline and ethanolamine uptake by ethanolamine; and 3) substrate-specific inhibition by chemically related analogs. Transport of both choline and ethanolamine by a common facilitated diffusion mechanism is suggested by 1) trans-stimulation of choline uptake by ethanolamine; 2) mutual inhibition of conductive choline and ethanolamine uptake by ethanolamine and choline; 3) the effect of ethanolamine on the kinetics of conductive choline uptake; and 4) the rank order inhibition of choline and ethanolamine uptake by the same panel of chemical analogs. The present study identifies the presence of a facilitated diffusion mechanism as a brush-border membrane transport pathway for choline and ethanolamine accumulation by human placenta.
Entropy rate defined by internal wave scattering in long-range propagation

The reduction of information capacity of the ocean sound channel due to scattering by internal waves is a potential problem for acoustic communication, navigation, and remote sensing over long ranges. In spite of recent progress in research on acoustic signal scattering by random internal waves and the fact that random internal waves are ubiquitous in the world oceans, there is no clear understanding of how these waves influence data communication performance. The entropy decrease resulting from scattering by internal waves is an important measure of information loss. Here a rigorous calculation of the entropy is carried out using second moment transport theory equations with random sound-speed perturbations obeying the Garrett–Munk internal-wave model. It is shown that full-wave rate of entropy is of the same order of magnitude as the Kolmogorov–Sinai entropy and Lyapunov exponents for the relevant ray trajectories. The correspondence between full-wave and ray entropies suggests a correspondence between full-wave scattering and ray chaos near statistical saturation. The relatively small level of entropy rate during propagation through the random internal-wave field shows that scattering by internal waves is likely not an essential limitation for data rate and channel capacity.
The effect of exogenous acth and pen-confinement on estrous cycle length, plasma steroid levels and ovarian function of beef heifers

Each of 24 pasture-reared crossbred beef heifers were herded from a large pasture on day 14 of the estrous cycle and assigned randomly to one of four treatment groups as follows: Field Control (FC), Field ACTH (FA), Pen Control (PC) and Pen ACTH (PA). Field groups were maintained in a small field, and pen groups were confined in a pen in a pole barn. ACTH groups received 200 IU of ACTH IM daily for days 17 through 21 of the cycle and control groups received only the gelatin carrier IM on the same cycle days. Average cycle lengths for FA and PA heifers were 25 and 24.3 days with an average period from plasma progesterone decline below 1 ng/ml to estrus of 5.5 days. During the ACTH injection period, follicular growth was suppressed and the proestrus plasma estrogen rise was delayed. Average cycle lengths for FC and PC heifers were 20.8 and 22.8 days respectively. All control group heifers exhibited estrus within 2 days of the plasma progesterone decline below 1 ng/ml. In addition, pen confinement heifers showed a trend for extended luteal function and consequent extended estrous cycle length.
Quantification of cardiac conduction abnormalities using segmental vector fourier analysis of radionuclide gated blood pool scans

Timing abnormalities of myocardial contractility may occur as inter- or intraventricular asynchrony. Gated blood pool scintigraphy was performed on 21 patients with a normal ejection fraction and the following electrocardiograms: six normal, six with left bundle branch block, four with right bundle branch block and five with right ventricular pacemaker rhythm. A phase and amplitude of the first harmonic of the Fourier transform was obtained for each pixel, and left and right ventricles were trisected. A mean vector phase for each region was obtained by vector summation. Regional and global values were analyzed within each group and compared with normal values. The phase differences between the entire left and right ventricles (mean ± standard deviation) were: 9 ± 3 in the normal patients, 38 ± 8 (p Interventricular phase differences were greatest in patients with left bundle branch block and absent or reversed in right bundle branch block. Intraventricular asynchrony occurred in the left ventricle in patients with left bundle branch block, right bundle branch block and pacemaker rhythm, while right intraventricular asynchrony occurred only in patients with right bundle branch block and pacemaker rhythm. Regional vector summation permits quantification of asynchrony within, as well as between, the right and left ventricles.
Lumbar manipulation and exercise for the treatment of acute low back pain in adolescents: a randomized controlled trial.

AbstractObjectives:Low back pain (LBP) is a common condition in adolescents. Although much has been written about the efficacy of lumbar manipulation for adults with LBP, little is known about its effectiveness in adolescents. This study had two primary aims: (1) to assess the efficacy of adding lumbar manipulation to an exercise program in adolescents with acute (<90 days) LBP and (2) to report and assess any adverse reactions associated with lumbar manipulation noted in this study.Methods:Patients were randomly assigned to receive lumbar manipulation or sham manipulation. All patients performed 4 weeks of physical therapy exercise. Pain, patient-specific functional scale (PSFS), and global rating of change (GROC) scores were measured at evaluation, 1 week, 4 weeks, and 6 months. Relative risk was calculated for adverse reactions noted.Results:We recruited 35 consecutive patients with acute LBP. One patient was excluded after being diagnosed with a spondylolysis, 34 patients remained for analysis. Both g...
The effect of varying the time between irradiation and cyclophosphamide on growth response of hepatoma 3924A.

Abstract Combinations of cyclophosphamide (CY) and radiation were given to ACI rats bearing hepatoma 3924A at time intervals varying from -7 to +4 days between the 2 agents. Two dose levels were examined: 150 mg/kg cyclophospbamide plus 1500 rad, and 100 mg/kg cyclophosphamide plus 1000 rad. For this experimental tumor, therapeutic advantage was obtained with the combined treatments as compared with the individual modalities, but there was no evidence for potentiation of response as determined by tumor growth delay or overall treatment efficiency.
Laser-induced stimulation of thromboxane B2 synthesis in human blood platelets : role of superoxide radicals

Abstract Exposure of platelet-rich plasma to laser radiation at 3.5 W for 30 seconds reduced the threshold concentrations of adenosine diphosphate and l-epinephrine needed from complete platelet aggregation by 20% to 60% and by 30% to 50%, respectively. The irradiation of platelet-rich plasma with laser also increased the basal level of thromboxane A 2 from 8 platelets for each second of exposure. In contrast, the exposure of gel-filtered platelets to laser produced no effect on the prostanoid formation. However, the addiion of laser-exposed platelet-free plasma to gel-filtered platelets stimulated the synthesis of thromboxane A 2 in these cells. The effect of laser was completely blocked by adding superoxide dismutase or catalase to the platelet-rich plasma, indicating that the radiation-induced stimulation of thromboxane A 2 production was mediated through the generation of superoxide radicals. Electron microscopic studies indicated that the laser-induced stimulation of thromboxane A 2 production in platelet can occur without any noticeable damage in the cellular structure.
Concept Narrowing: The Role of Context-independent Information

The present study aims to investigate the extent to which the process of lexical interpretation is context dependent. It has been uncontroversially agreed in psycholinguistics that interpretation is always affected by sentential context. The major debate in lexical processing research has revolved around the question of whether initial semantic activation is context sensitive or rather exhaustive, that is, whether the effect of context occurs before or only after the information associated to a concept has been accessed from the mental lexicon. However, within post-lexical access processes, the question of whether the selection of a word's meaning components is guided exclusively by contextual relevance, or whether certain meaning components might be selected context independently, has not been such an important focus of research. I have investigated this question in the two experiments reported in this paper and, moreover, have analysed the role that context-independent information in concepts might play in word interpretation. This analysis differs from previous studies on lexical processing in that it places experimental work in the context of a theoretical model of lexical pragmatics.
Range image segmentation via edges and critical points

A novel method for range image segmentation is presented in this paper, It is based on an integration of edge and region information. The algorithm consists of three steps: edge and critical point detection, triangulation, and region information. The edge detection method presented in this paper is based on morphological operations. In general, segmentation may not be effective when only edge operators are applied on range images especially on noisy images. Further processing is important for final segmentations when the edge operators are not sufficient. In this paper, critical points are extracted from planar edge curves. These edge curves and critical points constitute an initial set of segments. The constrained Delaunay triangulation is employed on the initial set to obtain triangle-like connection graphs. By projecting the critical points and their connectivity relationships in parallel onto 3D surface, a 3D surface structure graph (SSG) is obtained. Hence, segmentation is completed by grouping these triangle-like facets. The grouping scheme is presented in this paper according to the normals of adjacent facets. Because edge curves are not usually straight lines but rather a set of curve segments, we introduce extensive triangulation for building 3D triangle-like surface structure graphs (SSG's). This method significantly reduces the computation complexity compared to polyhedral approximations using the original Delaunay triangulation. Experimental results show that the method is efficient for range image segmentation especially for polyhedra.© (1995) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Critical magnetic field of cylindrical Josephson junctions

Abstract The cylindrical Josephson junction can entirely suppress the interference effects which produce the usual variation of dc Josephson current with magnetic field. This allows the determination of the intrinsic dependence of the Josephson current density upon axial field. For Nb wire-oxide-Sn film junctions we find I J =I J (0) [1−( B B S ) 2 ] .
Acute Effect of an Inhaled Glucocorticosteroid on Albuterol-Induced Bronchodilation in Patients With Moderately Severe Asthma

BACKGROUND: We have previously shown that in patients with asthma a single dose of an inhaled glucocorticosteroid (ICS) acutely potentiates inhaled albuterol-induced airway vascular smooth muscle relaxation through a nongenomic action. An effect on airway smooth muscle was not seen, presumably because the patients had normal lung function. The purpose of the present study was to conduct a similar study in patients with asthma with airflow obstruction to determine if an ICS could acutely also potentiate albuterol-induced airway smooth muscle relaxation in them. METHODS: In 15 adult patients with asthma (mean ± SE baseline FEV1, 62% ± 3%), the response to inhaled albuterol (180 μg) was assessed by determining the change in FEV1(ΔFEV1) for airway smooth muscle and in airway blood flow (ΔQaw) for airway vascular smooth muscle measured 15 min after drug inhalation. Using a double-blind design, the patients inhaled a single dose of the ICS mometasone (400 μg) or placebo simultaneously with or 30 min before albuterol inhalation. RESULTS: After simultaneous drug administration, mean ΔFEV1was 0.20 ± 0.05 L (10%) after placebo and 0.32 ± 0.04 L (19%) after mometasone (P< .05); mean ΔQaw was −2% after placebo and 30% after mometasone (P< .005). When mometasone or placebo was administered 30 min before albuterol, there was a lesser and insignificant difference in ΔFEV1between the two treatments, whereas the difference in ΔQaw remained significant. CONCLUSIONS: This pilot study showed that in adult patients with asthma with airflow obstruction, a single standard dose of an ICS can acutely increase the FEV1response to a standard dose of inhaled albuterol administered simultaneously. The associated potentiation of albuterol-induced vasodilation in the airway was of greater magnitude and retained when the ICS was administered 30 min before albuterol. The clinical significance of this observation will have to be established by a study involving a larger patient cohort. TRIAL REGISTRY: ClinicalTrials.gov; No.: NCT01210170; URL: www.clinicaltrials.gov
Spatial Pattern Discovering by Learning the Isomorphic Subgraph from Multiple Attributed Relational Graphs

Abstract Inexact graph matching has been widely investigated to relate a set of object/scene primitives extracted from an image to a set of counterparts representing a model or reference. However, little has been done to address how to build such a model or reference. This paper develops the theory for automatic contextual pattern modelling to automatically learn a parametric pattern ARG model from multiple sample ARGs. The learned pattern ARG characterizes the sample ARGs, which represent a pattern observed under different conditions. The maximum-likelihood parameters of the pattern ARG model are estimated via the Expectation-Maximization algorithm. Particularly, for Gaussian attributed and relational density distribution assumptions, analytical expressions are derived to estimate the density parameters of the pattern ARG model. The pattern ARG model with Gaussian distribution assumptions is therefore called the Contextual Gaussian Mixture model. The theory and methodology is applied to the problems of unsupervised spatial pattern extraction from multiple images. The extracted spatial pattern can be used for data summarization, graph matching, and pattern detection. One immediate application of this newly developed theory will be information summarization and retrieval in digital image and video libraries.
Synthesis and characterization of HY zeolite-supported rhodium carbonyl hydride complexes

Abstract FTIR and EXAFS measurements, as well as results of isotope labeling experiments were used to characterize the species formed after grafting a Rh(CO) 2 (acac) precursor on a highly dealuminated HY zeolite and during subsequent ligand exchange reactions. The Rh(CO) 2 species initially formed rapidly react with C 2 H 4 to form Rh(CO)(C 2 H 4 ) complexes. Exposure of the latter to H 2 selectively yields Rh(CO)(H) x complexes, characterized by a set of well-defined ν CO and ν RhH bands in their FTIR spectra. The hydride ligands in these complexes can be displaced by CO and N 2 to form Rh(CO) 2 and Rh(CO)(N 2 ) complexes, respectively. In contrast, C 2 H 4 reacts with the hydrides, yielding C 2 H 6 and an unstable Rh(CO) intermediate. The latter rapidly reacts with additional gas-phase C 2 H 4 to reform the original Rh(CO)(C 2 H 4 ) complex. The Rh(CO)(H) x species were stable at room temperature under H 2 or He for an extended period of time, but the hydride ligands can be removed at elevated temperatures.
Poor Families Striving to Save in Matched Children's Savings Accounts: Findings from a Randomized Experimental Design in Uganda.

AbstractThis study examines participants’ savings in children’s savings accounts (CSAs) set up for AIDS-orphaned children ages 10–15 in Uganda. Using a cluster-randomized experimental design, we examine the extent to which families participating in a CSA program report more savings than their counterparts not participating in the program, explore the extent to which families who participate in the CSA program report using formal financial institutions compared with families who do not have a CSA, and consider whether families participating in the CSA program bring new money into the CSA or whether they reshuffle existing household assets. We find that participating in a CSA increased families’ likelihood to report having saved money. However, our results show no intervention effect either on the amount of self-reported savings or on the likelihood of using formal financial institutions. Further research is needed to understand whether use of a CSA helps families generate new wealth.
Phase Transitions and Surface Characterization of Poly (Butylene Terephthalate) Fibers by Photoacoustic and Diffuse Reflectance Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy

Diffuse reflectance and photoacoustic (PAS) IR techniques are used for spectral measurements of poly(butylene terephthalate) (PBT) fibers. The spectral observations on the fibers are similar to those observed in films. The stress-induced phase transformation is reversible with annealing of the drawn fibers. The annealing process also increases the amount of crystallinity in the fiber. With the use of recently developed PAS methodology to study orientation of the surface species, the orientation of surface aromatic and carbonyl groups is analyzed. In the alpha phase, the surface aromatic rings are preferentially perpendicular on the surface whereas carbonyl groups are preferentially parallel. A similar orientation is observed in the drawn fibers. Annealing of the drawn fibers changes the orientation of the aromatic rings. Upon annealing, the phenyl rings are preferentially parallel to the surface. The depth of penetration at 3000 cm−1 in PBT fibers is found to be approximately 4 μ.
Proline in fascioliasis—IV induction of bile duct hyperplasia

Abstract 1. 1. Rats were implanted with cannulae in the abdominal cavity and infused with one of the following solutions: saline; 20.0 mM proline in saline, or saline containing alanine, valine, methionine, leucine, tyrosine, phenylalanine and histidine each at 2.0 mM. 2. 2. Comparison of the lumenal perimeters in the bile ducts of the infused animals revealed that a significant hyperplasia was induced by proline; none of the other amino acids tested was effective. 3. 3. Histologically, the proline-induced hyperplasia resembles that observed in bile ducts from rats infected with Fasciola hepatica.
“The Tattlers' Tattle”: Fake News, Linguistic National Intimacy, and New Media in Romania

This article analyzes the successful Romanian weekly satire show Cronica Cârcotasilor (The Tattlers' Tattle) in the context of the televisual landscape of postsocialist Romania. I argue that given the widespread skepticism toward the unfulfilled promises of the post-socialist transition and the European Union (EU) accession, the show's ability to curb Romanians' disaffection from politics is remarkable. Positioning Romanians as active television viewers and gatekeepers against practices of manipulation and incorrect uses of the Romanian language, the show fosters discursive contestation and activates a desire for political engagement. My discussion introduces the notion of “national linguistic intimacy” to evoke how the show strives to naturalize the affective ties with the national community by reusing the flavor of Romanian comedic and satirical literature and encouraging language play.
Inventing Sacagawea: Public Women and the Transformative Potential of Epideictic Rhetoric

The 1905 commemoration of Sacagawea at the Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition in Portland, Oregon was a form of epideictic rhetoric that promoted identification with an alternative vision of community. Through epideictic in praise of the “invented great” Sacagawea, disfranchised women reinforced some public precepts but challenged others in order to expand the number and type of people considered members of the community. This analysis of the 1905 commemoration illustrates the capacity of epideictic to engage speakers and audiences in the process of imagining and actualizing alternative public norms.
Structure and possible function(s) of charasomes; complex plasmalemma-cell wall elaborations present in some characean species

Charasomes, complex membrane structures, were found along the longitudinal walls of internodal and lateral branch cells ofChara corallina andC. braunii, but not along their transverse walls or in other cell types. Charasome-complexes were larger and more numerous in the lateral branch cells than in internodal cells. InC. corallina, a dioecious species, especially large elaboration of charasome material occurs in the lateral branch cells of the female plant, sometimes reaching a cross-sectional width which is as great as that of the adjacent cell wall. Chara internodes transport hydroxyl (OH−) out of the cell and bicarbonate (HCO3 −) into the cell. Spatial distribution of charasomes along the cell was examined with respect to these transport phenomena, which occur at specific identifiable regions along the cell. Charasome-complexes were always found in regions in which HCO3 − transport occurs but were often fewer, reduced in size or absent in areas of OH− efflux.Nitella flexilis exhibited similar patterns of OH− and HCO3 − transport along the cell; however, there was a complete absence of charasomes. Ultrastructural examinations onNitella translucens indicated that charasomes were also absent in this species. The observation that charasomes are present in both transport regions ofChara but are totally lacking in the twoNitella spp. indicates that the charasome-complex is not involved in transport of either substance. Other possible functions for the charasomes, including a role in osmoregulation, are discussed. Charasome substructure is the same in bothChara species, consisting of a mass of short (50 nm average length) anastomosing tubules (30 nm average diameter) derived from the plasmalemma. The interior of the tubules is open to the cytoplasm while the area surrounding the tubules is ultimately open to the wall and thus can be considered to be wall space. Charasomes are quite variable in size and shape, but are roughly globular, with the bulk of the structure projecting into the cell cytoplasm. Tubular components of the charasome were sometimes seen to extend into the microfibrillar wall matrix. A three dimensional model of the charasome-complex presented details the great complexity of this membrane system.
Continuous tuning of a continuous-wave periodically poled lithium niobate optical parametric oscillator by use of a fan-out grating design

We report on a new periodically poled lithium niobate grating design with a continuous grating-period change (fan-out). We observed 350cm(-1) (80 nm at 1.5microm) of complete spectral coverage at a constant temperature in a cw optical parametric oscillator. Complete spectral coverage is demonstrated by measurement of an absorption band of CO(2) .
Electronic health records and patient safety

Examining the effects of electronic health records on the safety of patients in medical facilities.
Early feeding of fortified breast milk and in-hospital-growth in very premature infants: a retrospective cohort analysis.

Background: Fortified human milk may not meet all nutritional needs of very preterm infants. Early transition from complementary parenteral nutrition to full enteral feeds might further impair in-hospital growth. We aimed to investigate the impact of the cumulative intake of fortified human milk on early postnatal growth in a cohort of very low birth weight infants after early transition to full enteral feeds. Methods: Retrospective single-centre observational study. Data are presented as median (interquartile range). Results: N = 206 very preterm infants were analysed (gestational age at birth 27.6 (25.6-29.6) weeks, birth weight 915 (668-1170) g). Full enteral feeds were established at postnatal day 8 (6-10) and adequate postnatal growth was achieved (difference in standard deviation score for weight from birth to discharge -0.105(-0.603 - -0.323)). Standard deviation score for weight from birth to day 28 decreased more in infants with a cumulative human milk intake >75% of all enteral feeds (-0.64(-1.08 - -0.34)) compared to those with <25% human milk intake (-0.41(-0.7 - -0.17); p = 0.017). At discharge, a trend towards poorer weight gain with higher proportions of human milk intake persisted. In contrast, we observed no significant difference for head circumference growth. Conclusions: Our current standardized fortification of human milk may not adequately support early postnatal growth.
Spin dynamics of the triplet Cr4+ in the vicinity of energy level anti-crossing

Abstract EPR spectra of the triplet Cr 4+ in Y 2 SiO 5 were investigated. Rhombic symmetry of zero-field splitting leads to three electron spin terms T X , T Y , and T Z in the absence of the external magnetic field. We have observed the magnetically induced anti-crossing of the terms. In the vicinity of energy level anti-crossing the linewidths and positions of the resonance lines depend on temperature, which is explained by the dynamic Jahn–Teller effect. The temperature dependence of spin relaxation rates is described by the direct spin–lattice relaxation process limited to electron–phonon interactions, where the phonon frequencies are close to the applied microwave frequency.
Type of Anchor at the Proximal Fusion Level Has a Significant Effect on the Incidence of Proximal Junctional Kyphosis and Outcome in Adults After Long Posterior Spinal Fusion

Abstract Study Design Retrospective review. Objectives To compare the incidence of proximal junctional kyphosis (PJK) and the clinical, radiographic, and functional outcomes in adults undergoing long posterior spinal fusion with transverse process hooks versus pedicle screws at the uppermost instrumented vertebrae. Summary of Background Data Proximal junctional kyphosis often occurs after instrumented long spinal fusion. Although there have been numerous studies of PJK development in adolescents with idiopathic scoliosis, few studies have focused on adults. Methods This study reviewed data on 47 consecutive adult patients who underwent long spinal fusion (five or more levels) with hooks or screws at the uppermost instrumented vertebrae, from 2004 through 2009, and had 2-year radiographic and clinical follow-up. The hook group (20 patients) and screw group (27 patients) were similar in terms of age, gender, and levels fused. Proximal junctional kyphosis was defined as a sagittal Cobb angle of at least 10° between the lower end plate of the uppermost instrumented vertebrae and the upper end plate of the 2 immediately superior vertebrae, and at least 10° of progression from the previous measurement. The groups' radiographs, complications, and functional outcomes (Scoliosis Research Society–22 Patient Questionnaire and the Oswestry Disability Index) were compared using Hotelling's t 2 test (significance, p Results Comparing immediate postoperative and final follow-ups, none of the 20 patients in the hook group versus 8 of 27 patients in the screw group (29.6%) developed PJK (p = .01). There were no statistical differences between groups in major or minor complications rates. At final follow-up, patients with hooks had significantly higher functional scores than those with screws (p Conclusions Transverse process hooks were associated with a lower incidence of PJK and higher functional scores than pedicle screws.
Increases in cyclic GMP levels may not mediate relaxant effects of sodium nitroprusside, verapamil and hydralazine in rat vas deferens

IT has been suggested that increases in cyclic GMP levels may be responsible for the promotion of contractions in a variety of smooth muscles1–6. This suggestion was based on observations that agents known to be capable of contracting smooth muscles produced marked increases in cyclic GMP levels in the respective muscles1–8. However, recent reports have concluded that, although increases in cyclic GMP levels do occur during contractions in some types of smooth muscle, the increases in cyclic GMP levels are not responsible for the initiation or promotion of the contractions9–12. Part of the evidence for this conclusion was the observation that marked increases in cyclic GMP levels occurred during relaxation of smooth muscles by drugs such as nitroglycerol10,12. Schultz et al.13 have shown that other smooth muscle relaxants including sodium nitroprusside, hydralazine, and D-600 (a methoxy derivative of verapamil) are all capable of increasing cyclic GMP levels in isolated segments of rat vas deferens. These authors also noted that the 8-bromo derivative of cyclic GMP was itself capable of relaxing the rat vas deferens in certain conditions13. It was concluded that, not only was cyclic GMP not a mediator of smooth muscle contraction, but it might in fact be responsible for the smooth muscle relaxant effects of the above drugs. We describe here studies performed in rat vas deferens. Our results are not consistent with the hypothesis that increases in cyclic GMP levels are responsible for drug-induced smooth muscle relaxation.
Familial Endocrine Syndromes

Endocrine tumors may present as sporadic events or as part of familial endocrine syndromes. Familial endocrine syndromes (or inherited tumor/neoplasm syndromes) are characterized by multiple tumors in multiple organs. Some morphologic findings in endocrine tumor histopathology may prompt the possibility of familial endocrine syndromes, and these recognized histologic features may lead to further molecular genetic evaluation of the patient and family members. Subsequent evaluation for these syndromes in asymptomatic patients and family members may then be performed by genetic screening.
Interplay between phononic bandgaps and piezoelectric microstructures for energy harvesting

The paper introduces a multifunctional structural design combining superior mechanical wave filtering properties and energy harvesting capabilities. The proposed concept is based on the ability of most periodic structures to forbid elastic waves from propagating within specific frequency ranges known as phononic bandgaps. The bandgap density and the resulting filtering effect are dramatically enhanced through the introduction of a microstructure consisting of stiff inclusions which resonate at specific frequencies and produce significant strain and energy localization. Energy harvesting is achieved as a result of the conversion of the localized kinetic energy into electrical energy through the piezoelectric effect featured by the material in the microstructure. The idea is illustrated through the application to hexagonal truss-core honeycombs featuring periodically distributed stiff cantilever beams provided with piezoelectric electrodes. The multifunctional capability results from the localized oscillatory phenomena exhibited by the cantilevers for excitations falling in the neighborhood of the bending fundamental frequencies of the beams. This application is of particular interest for advanced aerospace and mechanical engineering applications where distinct capabilities are simultaneously pursued and weight containment represents a critical design constraint. The scalability of the analysis suggests the possibility to miniaturize the design to the microscale for microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) applications such as self-powered microsystems and wireless sensors.