cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Management of Asymptomatic HIV Infection

Patients are asymptomatic during the majority of HIV infection. The virus, however, is actively replicating, producing over 1 billion particles per day during this steady-state of the disease. Management of asymptomatic HIV infection involves initial recognition of infection and counselling to prevent its further spread. When HIV infection has been confirmed, assessment consists of a careful history, physical examination and laboratory studies. The latter include serological tests for past exposure to infectious agents such as syphilis, hepatitis viruses, cytomegalovirus and toxoplasmosis. A purified protein derivative (PPD) skin test should also be performed. The immunological and virological status of the patient is assessed by quantifying CD4+ count and plasma HIV RNA levels. With the aid of these data, a decision can be made on the use of antiretroviral therapy. Didanosine (ddI) is the only currently acceptable monotherapy. Combinations of antiretroviral drugs which have undergone evaluation include zidovudine (AZT) plus didanosine, zidovudine plus zalcitabine (ddC), zidovudine plus lamivudine (3TC), didanosine plus lamivudine, zidovudine plus didanosine plus nevirapine, zidovudine plus saquinavir, zidovudine plus zalcitabine plus saquinavir (D4T), zidovudine plus ritonavir, zidovudine plus lamivudine plus indinavir, and ritonavir plus saquinavir. The optimum combination treatment has not been defined, but many appear promising. In addition, treatment for subclinical infections and prophylaxis should be administered. These include treatment of all PPD-positive patients with isoniazid 300 mg/day orally for 1 year; prophylaxis against Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia for all patients with CD4+ counts <200/mm3 with cotrimoxazole (trimethoprim plus sulfamethoxazole) one double-strength tablet daily, dapsone or dapsone plus trimethoprim; prophylaxis against toxoplasmosis in patients with CD4+ counts <100/mm3 with cotrimoxazole or with dapsone plus pyrimethamine; prophylaxis against disseminated Mycobacterium avium complex disease in patients with CD4+ counts <75/mm3 with azithromycin 1200mg orally once weekly, clarithromycin 500mg orally twice daily, or rifabutin 300 mg/day orally; and prophylaxis against Streptococcus pneumoniae pneumonia and bacteraemia by administration of the 23-valent pneumococcal vaccine. Although cytomegalovirus disease occurs in most patients with advanced HIV disease (CD4+ <50/mm3), primary prophylaxis is not recommended because of conflicting data concerning the efficacy of oral ganciclovir. Primary prophylaxis against cryptococcosis is not recommended because of the low incidence of this infection.
The missing link in linkage analysis: the well sibling revisited.

Linkage analysis is a powerful tool for gene localization. Although the impact of genetic testing of minors has been debated, the impact of genetic sampling of minors has been ignored. Inclusion of the well sibling in linkage analysis represents a unique situation in that the sibling has not sought testing and therefore encounters genetic possibilities without the offer of genetic counseling. Thirty-five siblings of individuals with ataxiatelangiectasia (A-T), including 26 adults and 9 adolescents, drawn from the University of California, Los Angeles, The A-T Clinical Center at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and the A-T Children's Project, were interviewed; 27 reported having given blood sometime before the age of 18. They reported that sampling during their childhood or adolescence stimulated fears of the procedure itself, apprehension concerning follow-up reporting of carrier results, and confusion about the possibility of having A-T. The investigator's direct encounter with minor sibl...
The effects of desire for control and extrinsic rewards on the illusion of control and gambling

The role of individual differences in the desire to control events in an “illusion of control” situation was examined. Subjects high and low in the desire for control played several trials of a gambling game under conditions either facilitating or not facilitating the perception that the subject had control over the outcome of the game. Half of the subjects were allowed to trade their winnings in on prizes at the end of the experiment. The other half played the game without extrinsic incentives. It was found that high desire-for-control subjects were more susceptible to the illusion of control, but only when the winnings could be traded in on prizes. Desire for control level and illusion of control manipulations did not appear to affect betting behavior in the absence of extrinsic rewards.
Multiple neoplasms following craniospinal irradiation for medulloblastoma in a patient with nevoid basal cell carcinoma syndrome: Case report

✓ A 28-year-old man presented to the authors' hospital with multiple intracranial tumors. At 2 years of age, he had undergone resection of a medulloblastoma and received adjunctive craniospinal irradiation. Subsequently, he was diagnosed with nevoid basal cell carcinoma syndrome, Gorlin's syndrome. Since his first presentation, he has required surgery for multiple basal cell carcinomas, an osteochondroma of the rib, two meningiomas, a trigeminal schwannoma, and a pleomorphic liposarcoma, all of which arose within the radiation field. Despite this impressive list of benign and malignant neoplasms, the patient is relatively well and leads a normal life. The authors examine the relationships between Gorlin's syndrome and radiation therapy and the subsequent development of tumors.
Approach to the Patient with Parkinson Disease

Parkinson disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease with motor, nonmotor, and behavioral findings. Imaging technology advances have allowed the characterization of the underlying pathologic changes to the brain and identification of specific lesions in dopaminergic neurons. Although certain imaging techniques allow for detection up to 20 years before the onset of motor symptoms, these advances have yet to produce meaningful treatments to halt the disease or reverse its course. Current treatments are directed at optimizing symptomatic management. Referral to a movement disorder specialist familiar with PD should be considered for providers with limited familiarity in diagnosis or treatment.
B-CELL ACTIVATION IN VITRO BY HELPER T CELLS SPECIFIC TO A PROTEIN REGION THAT IS RECOGNIZED BOTH BY T CELLS AND BY ANTIBODIES

This laboratory had previously mapped the regions of T and B cell recognition on sperm whale myoglobin (Mb). Mb has five regions (E1-E5) that are recognized by both T cells and B cells (i.e. antibodies, Abs) and an additional region (E6) that is recognized exclusively by T cells (i.e., TE6) and to which no Abs are detectable. The responses to the site are each under separate genetic control. Recently, we showed in an H-2d haplotype that TE6 cells preferentially activated Mb-primed B cells (BMb) that made Abs against sites within E3 and E4 on the same protein. In the present work, we established, from Mb-primed SJL mice, an E4-specific T cell line (TE4) by passage in vitro with synthetic peptide E4. At relatively low numbers, these T cells activated syngeneic BMb cells in vitro to produce anti-Mb Abs that recognized each of the antigenic sites within regions E1, E2, E3, E4 and E5. We confirmed the ability of TE4 to activate B cells that produce Abs against each of these regions by allowing TE4 to activate ...
Magnetism of 3d atoms on normal metal surfaces using the superconducting proximity effect

Abstract A new rf method using superconducting films allows the detection of magnetic impurities as they are deposited in ultra high vacuum. The superconducting proximity effect allows this method to be applied to any host metal. Results with Ni on substrates of Pb, Al, Au, and Cu are given as well as results of Cr on Al and Au.
Corrected transposition of the great vessels of the heart

Abstract This is a brief review of the clinical and pathologic features of corrected transposition of the great vessels of the heart. In this condition, the aorta and pulmonary artery are transposed, with the aorta lying anterior to the pulmonary artery; however, the aorta arises from the left-sided ventricle and carries oxygenated blood, while the pulmonary artery arises from the right-sided ventricle and carries venous blood. There is usually, also, localized inversion of the ventricles and the coronary arteries. Clinical manifestations result from the frequently associated cardiac anomalies, especially interventricular septal defect. Three case reports of corrected transposition are presented. These were studied both clinically and at autopsy.
New directions in neurotransmitter action: dopamine provides some important clues

Abstract New discoveries in the retina have provided a unique view of how dopamine (DA) operates as a neurotransmitter. In certain fish retinae, DA, acting through D-1 receptors linked to adenylate cyclase, serves to uncouple electrical synapses between horizontal cells. In other fish species, DA induces the physical retraction of cones and the elongation of rods by an action on D-2 receptors localized to the photoreceptor membrane. These novel actions of DA provide important clues for investigating the physiological role of DA elsewhere in the nervous system.
The hemodynamic effects of paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia in patients with the Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome.

Abstract Hemodynamic studies of three patients with the WPW syndrome and no other cardiovascular abnormality were made during episodes of paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia of the vagal sensitive type. Heart rates during tachycardia varied from 157 to 200 beats per minute, and observations were made in both the horizontal and partial upright positions in two patients and during moderate exercise in one patient. The primary circulatory effects of ectopic tachycardia comprised immediate reduction in peripheral arterial pressure with subsequent slight rise, reduction of ventricular stroke volume, occurrence of transient pulsus alternans, elevation of mean right and left atrial pressures, and development of large atrial pressure waves. Little change occurred in pulmonary arterial or right ventricular pressures, in minute cardiac output, or in total peripheral resistance. The decrease in peripheral arterial pressure was greatest in the partial upright position, with mean pressure falling to approximately half the pretachycardia level within 6 seconds after the onset of tachycardia. The pulsatile and mean atrial pressure changes observed are believed to be secondary to critical shortening of the cardiac cycle, with resultant superimposition of atrial contraction (a) and filling (v) waves, and atrial contraction during ventricular systole. More powerful atrial contraction due to increased atrial volume, neurohormonal influences or both may also be important in this regard. Systemic arterial pulsus alternans was most common in the orthostatic position, and its possible mechanism on a hemodynamic basis was discussed. The differences in stroke output during exercise tachycardia as opposed to ectopic atrial tachycardia were discussed and are believed to be primarily related to ventricular adjustments to the markedly shortened cardiac cycle during exercise. These hemodynamic observations help to explain certain symptoms induced by paroxysms of tachycardia, including awareness of the onset and termination, faintness, syncope, angina pectoris, fullness and throbbing in the neck, and polyuria.
Ankle-arm index as a marker of atherosclerosis in the Cardiovascular Health Study. Cardiovascular Heart Study (CHS) Collaborative Research Group.

BACKGROUNDPeripheral arterial disease measured noninvasively by the ankle-arm index (AAI) is common in older adults, largely asymptomatic, and associated with clinically manifest cardiovascular disease (CVD). The criteria for an abnormal AAI have varied in previous studies. To determine whether there is an inverse dose-response relation between the AAI and clinical CVD, subclinical disease, and risk factors, we examined the relation of the AAI to cardiovascular risk factors, other noninvasive measures of subclinical atherosclerosis using carotid ultrasound, echocardiography and electrocardiography, and clinical CVD.METHODS AND RESULTSThe AAI was measured in 5084 participants > or = 65 years old at the baseline examination of the Cardiovascular Health Study. All subjects had detailed assessment of prevalent CVD, measures of cardiovascular risk factors, and noninvasive measures of disease. Participants were stratified by baseline clinical CVD status and AAI ( or = 0.8 to or = 0.9 to < 1.0, ...
TRPC6 in glomerular health and disease: What we know and what we believe

Mutations in TRPC6, a member of the transient repeptor potential (TRP) superfamily of non-selective cation channels, have been identified as causing a familial form of focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, a disease characterized by proteinuria and progressive renal failure. Here we review the effect of disease-associated mutations on TRPC6 function and place TRPC6 within the context of other proteins central to glomerular and podocyte function. Finally, the known roles of TRPC6 in the kidney and other organ systems are used as a framework to discuss possible signaling pathways that TRPC6 may modulate during normal glomerular function and in disease states.
The PMIRR optical system for Mars observer

The optical design of the pressure modulator infrared radiometer (PMIRR) is described. This limb and nadir scanning instrument will be used for remote sounding of the Martian atmosphere. To do this, the instrument has two pressure modulator cells and nine channels distributed over the wavelength range 0.3 to 50 microns.
A Heterodyned Programmable Gain Detector for Precision Power Control in Stimulus-Response Measurement Systems

A unique power leveling loop based on a heterodyned programmable gain detector for use in broad band, millimeter wave network analyzers and other stimulus-response measurement systems is described. The system allows precise power control over a wide range of power levels and a broad range of frequencies. Power adjustment is linear and is independent of frequency. In addition, excellent power accuracy is achieved via a simple calibration technique. The specific implementation described in this article has at least 20 dB of linear power tuning range with better than 0.1 dB resolution in the frequency range from 45 MHz to 110 GHz.
Effect of a net charge on the conformation of polyampholytes.

We investigate polyampholyte chains with random sequences of positive and negative charges using simple scaling arguments. We show that Coulomb interactions between charges of opposite signs in a single chain lead to formation of a globule. Due to a net charge the globule might be strongly elongated depending on the value of the net charge. This effect is especially pronounced for chains with long-range correlations in the sequence of charges. When the net charge is strong enough the radius of gyration may even grow as the temperature decreases.
Relationship between the soluble F11 receptor and markers of inflammation in hemodialysis patients.

Background The human F11 receptor (F11R) is an important cell adhesion molecule implicated in inflammatory thrombosis. We hypothesize that serum levels of the soluble released form of F11R (sF11R) are elevated in dialysis patients since these patients have higher cardiovascular disease burdens than the general population. In this study, we examined whether sF11R levels were elevated in hemodialysis (HD) patients and correlated with known inflammatory cytokines. Methods We used new and standard enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay techniques to measure levels of sF11R, as well as high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and interleukin-10 (IL-10), in a cross section of 52 HD patients and compared these with 15 healthy controls. Results The mean age of the patients was 56 ± 17.3 years; 60% were female, and 36% had diabetes mellitus. Serum levels of sF11R, hs-CRP, TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-10 were all significantly higher in patients than in control sera (p Conclusion We conclude that the sF11R level is elevated in HD patients and correlates with known markers of cardiovascular disease. sF11R may be a novel cardiovascular risk marker, and longitudinal studies are needed to better assess its relationship with cardiovascular disease morbidity and mortality in this population.
Dermatologic Manifestations as Indicators of Immune Status in HIV/AIDS

A 41-year-old man with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection was admitted with dyspnea on exertion and a nonproductive cough. He was successfully treated for pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia. Admission physical examination revealed stigmata of four HIV-associated infections demonstrated in the two clinical images: 1) scarring from herpes zoster in the right ophthalmic (V1) distribution of the trigeminal nerve (Panel A, hollow arrow); 2) seborrheic dermatitis in the bilateral nasal folds (Panel A, asterisk); 3) oropharyngeal candidiasis (Panel B, arrow); and 4) oral hairy leukoplakia (OHL; Panel B, arrowhead). Dermatologic manifestations are common among patients with HIV and may provide a clinical indication of underlying immune status. Herpes zoster and seborrheic dermatitis tend to occur early in HIV infection and are associated with relatively high mean CD4 cell counts (380/mm3 and 450/mm3, respectively)1. Oral candidiasis, the most common oral opportunistic infection in patients with HIV/AIDS, often presents at CD4 cell counts less than 300/mm3,2. OHL is relatively specific for HIV infection and is highly predictive of the development of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS)3. It is associated with a mean CD4 cell count of 143/mm3,4. The presence of both oral candidiasis and OHL together suggest more severe immune dysfunction; these concomitant infections are associated with a mean CD4 cell count of 89/mm3,5. In one study, the joint occurrence of any two HIV-related oral lesions had a mean CD4 cell count of 123/mm3 and a 75% positive predictive value of finding a CD4 cell count less than 200/mm3,4. Our patient had a CD4 cell count of 32/mm3.
Initiating Support Groups for Pediatric House Officers

Several research studies document the stress of residency training and suggest that support groups may provide house officers with opportunities to release tension, and to attend to their feelings about their experiences. In planning such groups, consideration should be given to the need for this kind of program, its organization, and the means by which it can be evaluated.
GIGANTEA and spindly genes linked to the clock pathway that controls circadian characteristics of transpiration in Arabidopsis

Several "clock" genes that regulate the circadian system in Arabidopsis thaliana have been identified. The GIGANTEA (GI) gene has been shown to participate in the circadian system that is linked to overt rhythms in gene expression, leaf movements, hypocotyl elongation, and photoperiodic control of flowering in Arabidopsis. During continuous light (LL), circadian expression patterns in gi-2 mutants show reduced amplitudes and altered period lengths when compared with controls. Rhythms in stomatal function, such as transpiration, have been shown to be endogenous and persist in constant lighting conditions. In order to test for a physiologic variable that might be affected by the circadian clock via the GI gene, we compared circadian characteristics of transpiration between three Arabidopsis mutants (gi-2, spy-4, spy-4/gi-2) and wild-type (WT) controls in synchronized (LD for 2.5d) and free-running (LL for 3d) conditions. Each genotype showed a significant circadian rhythm in LD at p < 0.001, with acrophases located near the middle of the daily 14h L-span, with average amplitudes for WT: 18.9%, gi-2: 16.1%, spy-4: 7.7%, and spy-4/gi-2: 5.3%. On the first day in LL, the circadian amplitude was dramatically reduced to 3.1% for gi-2 compared with WT (11.9%), while amplitudes for spy-4 (6.9%) and spy-4/gi-2 (5.7%) were not significantly changed from LD. The amplitude for gi-2 remained low during days 2 (4.2%) and 3 (2.1%) in LL, while it slowly dampened for the WT (8.6 and 6.6%). The amplitudes for spy-4 (6.6%) and spy-4/gi-2 (5.6%) on day 2 in LL were indistinguishable from the LD span, but finally dampened on day 3 in LL (1.9 and 2.3%, respectively). These data suggest that transpiration is a physiologic variable controlled by a circadian system that involves both the GI and SPY proteins.
Signal representation by generalized nonorthogonal Gaussian wavelet groups using lattice networks

The authors describe a general method for signal representation using nonorthogonal basis functions that are composed of Gaussians. The Gaussians can be combined into groups with predetermined configuration that can approximate any desired basis function. The same configuration at different scales forms a set of self-similar wavelets. The general scheme is demonstrated by representing a natural signal using an arbitrary basis function. The basic methodology is demonstrated by two novel schemes for efficient representation of 1-D and 2-D signals using Gaussian basis functions (BFs). Special methods are required here since the Gaussian functions are nonorthogonal. The first method uses a paradigm of maximum energy reduction interlaced with the A* heuristic search. The second method uses an adaptive lattice system to find the minimum-squared error of the BFs onto the signal, and a lateral-vertical suppression network to select the most efficient representation in terms of data compression. >
Conformational flexibility and binding interactions of the G protein βγ heterodimer

Previous NMR experiments on unbound G protein βγ heterodimer suggested that particular residues in the binding interface are mobile on the nanosecond timescale. In this work we performed nanosecond-timescale molecular dynamics simulations to investigate conformational changes and dynamics of Gβγ in the presence of several binding partners: a high-affinity peptide (SIGK), phosducin, and the GDP-bound α subunit. In these simulations, the high mobility of GβW99 was reduced by SIGK, and it appeared that a tyrosine might stabilize GβW99 by hydrophobic or aromatic stacking interactions in addition to hydrogen bonds. Simulations of the phosducin-Gβγ complex showed that the mobility of GβW99 was restricted, consistent with inferences from NMR. However, large-scale conformational changes of Gβγ due to binding, which were hypothesized in the NMR study, were not observed in the simulations, most likely due to their short (nanosecond) duration. A pocket consisting of hydrophobic amino acids on Gα appears to restrict GβW99 mobility in the crystal structure of the Gαβγ? heterotrimer. The simulation trajectories are consistent with this idea. However, local conformational changes of residues GβW63, GβW211, GβW297, GβW332, and GβW339 were detected during the MD simulations. As expected, the magnitude of atomic fluctuations observed in simulations was greater for α than for the βγ subunits, suggesting that α has greater flexibility. These observations support the notion that to maintain the high mobility of GβW99 observed by solution NMR requires that the Gβ-α interface must open up on time scale longer than can be observed in nanosecond scale simulations.
Effects of nitrogen fertilization on the fluxes of N2O, CH4, and CO2 from soils in a Florida slash pine plantation

We measured fluxes of N2O, CH4 and CO2 from control and urea-nitrogen fertilized soils of a mature slash pine (Pinuselliottii var. elliottii Englem.) plantation in Alachua County, Florida. The fert...
Photochemical and thermal transformations of carboxylic dithiocarbamic anhydrides and related compounds

Abstract The thermal decomposition of benzoic-piperidine dithiocarbamic anhydride A gives the amide, benzoyl piperidide B, and CS2. Photolysis of A under nitrogen gives amide B (74%), benzoic acid (9%), and the unusual benzoyl cyclopentamethylene thiocarbamyl disulfide G (34%). Photolysis of A in the presence of oxygen yields about 6% of the cyclopentamethylene thiuram disulfide E and 33% of benzoic acid. The most reasonable pathway for this photolysis involves formation of the radicals and . Compound G is photolyzed slowly to the amide B. Thermal decomposition of G in refluxing cyclohexane yields amide B and cyclopentamethylene thiuram hexasulfide H as the only isolable products. Thermal decomposition of G can initiate free-radical copolymerization.
Observing cycling of a few cross-bridges during isometric contraction of skeletal muscle.

During muscle contraction a myosin cross-bridge imparts periodic force impulses to actin. It is possible to visualize those impulses by observing a few molecules of actin or myosin. We have followed the time course of orientation change of a few actin molecules during isometric contraction by measuring parallel polarized intensity of its fluorescence. The orientation of actin reflects local bending of a thin filament and is different when a cross-bridge binds to, or is detached from, F-actin. The changes in orientation were characterized by periods of activity during which myosin cross-bridges interacted normally with actin, interspersed with periods of inactivity during which actin and myosin were unable to interact. The periods of activity lasted on average 1.2 ± 0.4 s and were separated on average by 2.3 ± 1.0 s. During active period, actin orientation oscillated between the two extreme values with the ON and OFF times of 0.4 ± 0.2 and 0.7 ± 0.4 s, respectively. When the contraction was induced by a low concentration of ATP both active and inactive times were longer and approximately equal. These results imply that cross-bridges interact with actin in bursts and suggest that during active period, on average 36% of cross-bridges are involved in force generation. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Real-Time UWB-OFDM Radar-Based Navigation in Unknown Terrain

We present a signal processing algorithm and simulation study for aerial navigation with an ultrawideband orthogonal frequency division multiplexed (UWB-OFDM) radar in Global Positioning System (GPS)-denied environments. Stationary scatterers are detected and tracked using an M/N detector and modified global nearest neighbor (GNN) tracker. The radar measurements to the scatterers are combined with inertial navigation system (INS) measurements in an extended Kalman filter (EKF) to compute the aircraft position. The estimation error of the proposed algorithm is analyzed through computer-based simulations with/without radar measurements from the scatterers and with varying signal-to-noise ratio (SNR).
NEMOx: scalable network MIMO for wireless networks

Network MIMO (netMIMO) has potential for significantly enhancing the capacity of wireless networks with tight coordination of access points (APs) to serve multiple users concurrently. Existing schemes realize netMIMO by integrating distributed APs into one ``giant'' MIMO but do not scale well owing to their global synchronization requirement and overhead in sharing data between APs. To remedy this limitation, we propose a novel system, NEMOx, that realizes netMIMO downlink transmission for large-scale wireless networks. NEMOx organizes a network into practical-size clusters, each containing multiple distributed APs (dAPs) that opportunistically synchronize with each other for netMIMO downlink transmission. Inter-cluster interference is managed with a decentralized channel-access algorithm, which is designed to balance between the dAPs' cooperation gain and spatial reuse---a unique tradeoff in netMIMO. Within each cluster, NEMOx optimizes the power budgeting among dAPs and the set of users to serve, ensuring fairness and effective cancellation of cross-talk interference. We have implemented and evaluated a prototype of NEMOx in a software radio testbed, demonstrating its throughput scalability and multiple folds of performance gain over current wireless LAN architecture and alternative netMIMO schemes.
From perception to action: An economic model of brain processes☆

Abstract We build on research from neurobiology to model the process through which the brain maps outside evidence into decisions. The sensory system encodes information through cell-firing. Cell-firing is measured against a threshold, and an action is triggered depending on whether the threshold is surpassed. The decision system modulates the threshold. We show that the (constrained) optimal threshold is set in a way that existing beliefs are likely to be confirmed. We then derive behavioral implications. Our mechanism can explain in a unified framework a number of ‘anomalies’ noted in psychology and economics: (i) belief anchoring (the order in which evidence is received affects beliefs and choices); (ii) polarization (individuals with opposite priors may polarize their opinions after receiving identical evidence); (iii) payoff-dependence of beliefs and (iv) belief disagreement (individuals with identical priors who receive the same evidence may end up with different posterior beliefs).
Photonically Implemented RF-UWB Waveform Generation and Filtering

We describe experiments in which photonics is used for generation and processing of ultrawideband radio frequency waveforms for wireless applications beyond electrical technology limits.
Management of the Throwing Shoulder: Cuff, Labrum and Internal Impingement

Repetitive throwing or other overhead activity places great stress on the shoulder. As a result, the shoulder is a common site of injury in athletes. Addressing throwing-related injuries requires an understanding of throwing biomechanics and pathology. Nonoperative treatment is directed at restoring strength, flexibility, and neuromuscular control to the entire kinetic chain. Surgery is indicated when nonoperative treatment fails, and is directed at correcting labral, capsular, and rotator cuff pathology.
BDD-based circuit restructuring for reducing dynamic power

As advances in process technology continue to scale down transistors, low power design is becoming more critical. Clock gating is a dynamic power saving technique that can freeze some flip-flops and prevent portion of the circuit from unneeded switching. In this paper, we consider fine-grained clock gating through pipelining, in which control signals from one pipeline stage are used to freeze some logic in the next pipeline stage. We present a novel BDD-based decomposition algorithm to restructure the circuit and expose possible control signals that would maximize power saving. We then use ILP formulation to select the optimal set of control signals for the circuit. We show that the constraint matrix is totally unimodular, and solve this selection problem optimally using linear programming. Comparing to a previous work [7], we get similar and 9% better dynamic power saving for small and medium circuits, respectively. For the largest MCNC circuits, which the previous technique cannot handle, we get an average of 19% dynamic power saving with 9.3% area overhead comparing to the original, non-restructured circuits.
Voxel-coding for tiling complex volumetric objects

This paper discusses voxel-coding for tiling complex volumetric objects with triangular meshes: first choosing cross-sections followed by extracting contours, and then triangulating them according to a given error threshold. The intervals between adjacent cross-sections and for sampling contour points for the tiling operation are determined by the difference in area between contour projections, enabling a relatively small number of triangles to reconstruct the object. Branching problems are solved by introducing a simplified skeleton extracted from the difference region and then finding matched segments of the skeleton for each contour i.e., converting multiple contour connections into a single pair connection. For all major problems involved in reconstruction, voxel-coding provides new and robust solutions. These problems include contour extraction, region filling with arbitrarily complex boundaries for difference region searches, simplified skeleton extraction, contour-skeleton matching, and mapping of curve pairs for contour tiling. The voxel-coding proposed can reconstruct surfaces from complex volumetric objects or contours themselves. The input data may have multiple branches or holes, and is processed in a fully automatic and systematic way. The algorithm is easy to implement, fast to compute and insensitive to abject complexity. This technique is of special importance for bridging discrete volumetric and continuous objects.
Feasibility and optimization of aortic valve planimetry with MDCT.

OBJECTIVE. The aortic valve can be assessed using MDCT; however, measurements of the aortic opening area vary with the cardiac cycle. In this study, we sought to assess the optimal timing for measuring the area of the aortic opening with MDCT.MATERIALS AND METHODS. Retrospectively gated MDCT was performed in 57 patients with the following parameters: gantry rotation time, 420 milliseconds; tube voltage, 120 kV; tube current, 550 mAs with tube current modulation; and slice collimation, 16 × 0.75 mm. From 72 to 100 mL of contrast agent (320 g/mL3) was injected IV at 4-5 mL/s. High-resolution data sets were obtained for planimetry at phase starts of 0, 50, 100, 150, and 200 milliseconds after the R wave peak and were assessed for aortic opening area and the presence of artifacts.RESULTS. In 41% of patients, the cardiac phase with the largest aortic opening area was at 50 milliseconds after the R wave peak. The area of the aortic opening measured at 0 milliseconds after the R peak was 2.7 ± 0.8 cm2 (mean ± SD...
The Situational and Personal Correlates of Happiness: A Cross-National Comparison

In this chapter, we shall compare a group of high school students from the US and from Italy, when answering the following questions bearing on the issue of happiness. First, does happiness have the same phenomenological meaning in the two cultures? Second, are external conditions—the kind of activities pursued, the type of companions present—related in the same way to moment-by-moment fluctuations of happiness in the two groups? Third, does the perception of the ratio of challenges and skills have the same effect on happiness in the two groups? Fourth, are there differences between happy and less happy individuals in the choice of situations (i.e. types of activities and companions) and in subjective interpretations of experience (i.e. degree of perceived choice, and perception of the challenges and personal skills in daily activities)?
Initial clinical experience with a frameless and maskless stereotactic radiosurgery treatment.

Abstract Purpose To evaluate the initial clinical experience with a frameless and maskless technique for stereotactic radiosurgery using minimal patient immobilization and real-time patient motion monitoring during treatment. We focus on the evaluation of the patient treatment process. Methods and Materials The study considered the first 23 patients treated with this technique. Head positioning was achieved with a patient-specific head mold made out of expandable foam that conforms to the patient's head. The face of the patient is left open for maximal comfort and so that motion of a region of interest consisting of the forehead, nose, eyes, and temporal bones can be monitored during treatment using a video surface imaging system (VisionRT Inc, London, UK). Initial setup of the patient was performed with the surface imaging system using the surface of the patient obtained from the treatment planning computed tomographic (CT) scan. The initial setup was confirmed and finalized with cone-beam CT (CBCT) prior to treatment. The shifts for final setup based on the CBCT and the duration of all the steps in the treatment process were recorded. Patients were monitored during treatment with surface imaging, and a beam hold-off was initiated when the patient's motion exceeded a prespecified tolerance. Results The average total setup time including surface imaging and CBCT was 26 minutes, while the portion corresponding to surface imaging was 14 minutes. The average treatment time from when the patient was placed on the treatment table until the last treatment beam was 40 minutes. Eight (35%) patients needed repositioning during the treatment. The average shifts identified from CBCT after initial setup with surface imaging were 1.85 mm in the anterior-posterior direction, and less than 1.0 mm in the lateral and superior-inferior directions. The longest treatment times (including beam hold-offs) happened for patients who fell asleep on the treatment table and were moving involuntarily. Conclusions The frameless and maskless treatment using minimal immobilization and surface imaging has proven to be reasonably fast for routine clinical use. We observed that patient compliance is important. An additional degree of semi-rigid immobilization would be helpful for patients who fall asleep and involuntarily move during the procedure.
Fair Value Accounting, Auditor Specialization, and Earnings Management: Evidence from the Banking Industry

In this study, we examine whether the extent to which banks use the loan loss provision (LLP) and realized gains and losses on sales of investments to manage reported earnings is associated with the extent to which they hold assets that are recorded using fair value accounting. We argue and find that banks with a greater extent (or proportion) of assets reported using fair value accounting substitute LLP-based earnings management with transaction-based earnings management (i.e., earnings management achieved by timing the realization of gains/losses) to a greater extent. In addition, we find that banks engaging industry specialist auditors use less LLP-based and transaction-based earnings management. Our findings suggest that banks with a greater extent of assets reported using fair value accounting have a different and potentially less visible set of earnings management tools with which to achieve desired earnings outcomes. Our results should be informative to regulators, members of the banking industry, and academics interested in the association the use of fair value accounting and bank earnings management behavior.
Managing in the Trenches of Consumer Care: The Challenges of Understanding and Initiating the Advance Care Planning Process

To better understand how community-based long-term care providers define advance care planning and their role in the process, we conducted 8 focus groups with 62 care managers (social workers and registered nurses) providing care for Ohio's Medicaid waiver program. Care managers shared that most consumers had little understanding of advance care planning. The care managers defined it broadly, including legal documentation, social aspects, medical considerations, ongoing communication, and consumer education. Care managers saw their roles as information providers, healthcare team members, and educators/coaches. Better education, resources, and coordination are needed to ensure that consumer preferences are realized.
Planar liquid-like arrangement of photopigment molecules in frog retinal receptor disk membranes

Abstract Low-angle X-ray diffraction arising from 40 to 50 A particles within wet frog retinal receptor disk membranes at 26 °C was not consistent with a planar crystalline lattice of the particles within the disk membranes. The nature of the diffraction suggested the possibility of a planar liquid-like arrangement of the particles. Such an arrangement is supported by the observation that the planar ordering of the particles is easily altered by their interaction with globular protein molecules non-specifically adsorbed to the disk membranes. In view of the above, we obtained diffraction patterns from our wet disk membrane preparations at several temperatures between 4.5 and 42.5 °C, and applied a Fourier analysis to the diffracted intensities appropriate for a planar liquid-like arrangement of the 40 to 50 A particles. The analysis gave the planar radial distribution function description of the supposed planar liquid-like arrangement of the particles. These radial distribution functions, derived from the diffracted intensities, were examined in terms of their shape and variation with temperature, and compared with the known predictions from statistical mechanics for a liquidlike arrangement of particles whose pair potential contains both attractive and repulsive terms. This comparison for the derived radial distribution functions demonstrated that the observed diffraction data from the 40 to 50 A particles were indeed consistent with a planar liquid-like arrangement of these particles within the disk membrane. Our radial distribution function analysis allowed model scattering factors for the particles to be tested. It was found that only hard sphere cross-sectional electron densities for the particle with diameters of 40 to 44 A or reasonably hard, soft-sphere cross-sectional electron densities, with a core of uniform electron density 38 to 40 A in diameter and a total diameter of 44 to 46 A, gave good agreement. A similar analysis was applied to the diffracted intensities arising from the antirhodopsin molecules adsorbed to the wet disk membranes which had been treated with our antirhodopsin serum and is discussed relative to the preceding paper (Blasie, Worthington & Dewey, 1969). A comparison of the radial distribution functions for the antirhodopsin molecules adsorbed to the antirhodopsin serum treated disk membranes and the 40 to 50 A particles of the untreated disk membranes at identical temperatures showed the particles to be the photopigment molecules. The mathematical derivation of the planar radial distribution function and a critical evaluation of the errors involved are presented in the Appendices.
Periodontal Disease at the Biofilm–Gingival Interface

Background: A molecular epidemiologic study provided the opportunity to characterize the biology of the biofilm–gingival interface (BGI) in 6,768 community-dwelling subjects.Methods: Disease classifications and multivariable models were developed using clinical, microbial, inflammatory, and host-response data. The purpose was to identify new clinical categories that represented distinct biologic phenotypes based upon DNA checkerboard analyses of eight plaque bacteria, serum immunoglobulin G (IgG) titers to 17 bacteria, and the gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) levels of 16 inflammatory mediators. Five BGI clinical conditions were defined using probing depths (PDs) and bleeding on probing (BOP) scores. Subjects with all PDs ≤3 mm were grouped as BGI-healthy (14.3% of sample) or BGI-gingivitis (BGI-G, 15.1%). Subjects with one or more PDs ≥4 mm [deep lesion (DL)] were divided into low BOP (18.0%), moderate BOP (BGI-DL/MB, 39.7%), and severe BOP (BGI-DL/SB, 12.9%).Results: Subjects with BGI-G had increased lev...
Baldwin of the Times: Hanson W. Baldwin, A Military Journalist’s Life, 1903–1991 by Robert B. Davies

Robert Davies's book is a traditional biography by a traditional historian about a traditional newspaper journalist, Hanson Weightman Baldwin, first and last military affairs editor of the New York...
A Polysaccharide-Protein Complex from Haemophilus influenzae Type b. II. Human Antibodies to Its Somatic Components

A polysaccharide-protein complex prepared from Haemophilus influenzae type b strain Eagan was used as test antigen in an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for human serum antibodies. With washing buffer that did not contain detergent, the assay detected antibody to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and to non-LPS somatic antigens as well as to polyribosylribitolphosphate (PRP. With buffer that did contain detergent, antibodies to LPS were not detected, whereas detection of antibodies to the non-LPS somatic components and to PRP wa unimpeded. Similarly, purified LPS could be used as test antigen with the former buffer only. IgG, IgA, and IgM antibodies to non-LPS somatic antigens were prevalent in healthy adults and children, and levels increased in 14 of 15 patients recovering from meningitis due to H. influenzae type b; IgG was the predominant class. Antibodies to LPS were prevalent but at lower concentrations, and IgM was the predominant class; levels increased in 12 of the 15 patients.
Preconditioners and Electron Density Optimization in Orbital-Free Density Functional Theory

Orbital-free density functional theory (OFDFT) is a quantum mechanical method in which the energy of a material depends only on the electron density and ionic positions. We examine some popular algorithms for optimizing the electron density distribution in OFDFT, explaining their suitability, benchmarking their performance, and suggesting some improvements. We start by describing the constrained optimization problem that encompasses electron density optimization. Next, we discuss the line search (including Wolfe conditions) and the nonlinear conjugate gradient and truncated Newton algorithms, as implemented in our open source OFDFT code. We finally focus on preconditioners derived from OFDFT energy functionals. Newly-derived preconditioners are successful for simulation cells of all sizes without regions of low electron-density and for small simulation cells with such regions.
Robust Fabry–Perot interference in dual-gated Bi2Se3 devices

We study Fabry–Perot interference in hybrid devices, each consisting of a mesoscopic superconducting disk deposited on the surface of a three-dimensional topological insulator. Such structures are hypothesized to contain protected zero modes known as Majorana fermions bound to vortices. The interference manifests as periodic conductance oscillations of magnitude ∼0.1 e2/h. These oscillations show no strong dependence on bulk carrier density or sample thickness, suggesting that they result from phase coherent transport in surface states. However, the Fabry–Perot interference can be tuned by both top and back gates, implying strong electrostatic coupling between the top and bottom surfaces of topological insulator.
Syntagmatic, Paradigmatic, and Automatic N-Gram Approaches to Assessing Essay Quality

Computational indices related to n-gram production were developed in order to assess the potential for n-gram indices to predict human scores of essay quality. A regression analyses was conducted on a corpus of 313 argumentative essays. The analyses demonstrated that a variety of n-gram indices were highly correlated to essay quality, but were also highly correlated to the number of words in the text (although many of the n-gram indices were stronger predictors of writing quality than the number of words in a text). A second regression analysis was conducted on a corpus of 88 argumentative essays that were controlled for text length differences. This analysis demonstrated that n-gram indices were still strong predictors of essay quality when text length was not a factor.
The Crucifixion Scene as the Climax of Lukan Inclusivity

Many interpreters have noted that Luke’s gospel emphasizes the inclusive parameters of Jesus’ ministry, as figures from a wide range of social locations are characterized positively as the surprising recipients of divine favour and models of a faithful perspective toward Jesus. The present article considers Luke’s passion narrative in light of this prominent Lukan theme, finding that Luke’s special interest in the universality of Jesus’ ministry reaches its climax at the cross. The article outlines the inclusive parameters of Jesus’ ministry throughout Luke’s gospel and then shows how this theme is developed through the characterization of a series of figures within the passion narrative.