cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Novel utility of cryoablation for ventricular arrhythmias arising from the left aortic cusp near the left main coronary artery: a case series.

Background Ablation of ventricular tachycardia and premature ventricular contraction arising at the aortic root has been described. The use of radiofrequency ablation energy has been associated with life-threatening collateral damage. The use of cryoablation as a safer alternative energy source at the aortic root has not been previously described. Objective To demonstrate that cautious cryoablation near the ostia of the left main coronary artery is technically feasible and is a safe, effective alternative energy source for ablation at the aortic root. Methods Six patients (mean age 36 years; 4 women) with refractory frequent premature ventricular contractions or ventricular tachycardia underwent electrophysiological study and ablation. Two patients had associated nonischemic cardiomyopathy. Patients' ventricular arrhythmias were localized by using 3D mapping, with arrhythmia foci being mapped to the left aortic cusp near the left main coronary artery. The proximity to the ostium of the left main coronary artery was confirmed by using intracardiac ultrasound and coronary angiogram. Focal ablation, up to 240 seconds with freeze-thaw-freeze cycles, was performed by using an 8-mm cryoablation catheter via a retrograde aortic approach. Results Termination of ventricular arrhythmia during ablation was observed in all 6 patients. All patients were followed for greater than 6-month postablation. One patient had acute ST-segment elevation during ablation below the left main ostium that resolved within 30 seconds of termination of ablation. There were no postprocedure complications and no significant arrhythmia recurrences. Conclusions Aortic root ventricular arrhythmia ablation carries an increased risk for collateral damages. This case series demonstrates that cautious cryoablation near the ostia of the left main coronary artery can be performed and is a safe, effective alternative energy source for ablation at the aortic root.
Adaptive control of a serial-in-parallel robotic rehabilitation device

Robotic rehabilitation is an effective platform for sensorimotor training after neurological injuries. In this paper, an adaptive controller is developed and implemented for the RiceWrist, a serial-in-parallel robot mechanism for upper extremity robotic rehabilitation. The model-based adaptive controller implementation requires a closed form dynamic model, valid for a restricted domain of generalized coordinates. We have used an existing method to define this domain and verify that the domain is widely within the range of admissible tasks required for the considered application (movements-based wrist and forearm rehabilitation). Simulation and experimental results that compare the performance of the adaptive controller to a proportional-derivative controller show that the trajectory tracking performance of the adaptive controller is better compared to the performance of a PD controller using the same values of feed-back gains. Further, comparable absolute error performance is obtained with the adaptive controller for feedback gains nearly one third that required for the PD controller. With the lower gains used in the adaptive controller, good tracking performance is achieved with a more compliant controller that will allow the subject to indicate their ability to independently initiate and maintain movement during a rehabilitation session.
Miocene‐Pliocene half‐graben evolution, detachment faulting and late‐stage core complex uplift from reflection seismic data in south‐east Arizona

Reflection seismic data show that the late Cenozoic Safford Basin in the Basin and Range of south-eastern Arizona, is a 4.5-km-deep, NW-trending, SW-dipping half graben composed of middle Miocene to upper Pliocene sediments, separated by a late Miocene sequence boundary into lower and upper basin-fill sequences. Extension during lower basin-fill deposition was accommodated along an E-dipping range-bounding fault comprising a secondary breakaway zone along the north-east flank of the Pinaleno Mountains core complex. This fault was a listric detachment fault, active throughout the mid-Tertiary and late Cenozoic, or a younger fault splay that cut or merged with the detachment fault. Most extension in the basin was accommodated by slip on the range-bounding fault, although episodic movement along antithetic faults temporarily created a symmetric graben. Upper-plate movement over bends in the range-bounding fault created rollover structures in the basin fill and affected deposition within the half graben. Rapid periods of subsidence relative to sedimentation during lower basin-fill deposition created thick, laterally extensive lacustrine or alluvial plain deposits, and restricted proximal alluvian-fan deposits to the basin margins. A period of rapid extension and subsidence relative to sediment influx, or steepening of the upper segment of the range-bounding fault at the start of upper basin-fill deposition resulted in a large downwarp over a major fault bend. Sedimentation was restricted to this downwarp until filled. Episodic subsidence during upper basin-fill deposition caused widespread interbedding of lacustrine and fluvial deposits. Northeastward tilting along the south-western flank of the basin and north-eastward migration of the depocentre during later periods of upper basin-fill deposition suggest decreased extension rates relative to late-stage core complex uplift.
Knowledge-guided genetic algorithm for financial forecasting

Machine learning algorithms, such as the genetic algorithm, have often been applied to financial problems, but not enough is known about how to systematically incorporate financial knowledge into these generic learning algorithms. The general hypothesis of this paper is that semantic similarity among financial concepts can be exploited in a hybrid genetic algorithm. A Knowledge-guided Genetic Algorithm for Forecasting is introduced to predict the values of financial statement variables. The mutation operation is guided by domain knowledge to make small or large changes in an organism. The algorithm makes a bigger (or smaller) change in the organism when the variables being forecast have higher (or lower) variability. The specific hypothesis is that the use of problem-specific knowledge improves the prediction accuracy. The experimental results show that the use of domain knowledge improves the performance of the algorithm. The knowledge used in this experiment would reasonably be extended in various ways to be used by a refined genetic algorithm.
Microfossils from Silurian of England: ABSTRACT

This paper is one of a series dealing with world-wide correlation of Silurian beds utilizing microfossils, chiefly Foraminifera, from acid residues. Extensive collections and several publications cover many of the sequences from North America, from West Texas to the Gaspe Peninsula. To correlate these sequences with sections elsewhere, a world-wide collection of samples has been made, supported by a National Science Foundation grant. The present paper is a report on the specimens recovered from all Silurian carbonate rocks in Great Britain with which correlations are to be made from North America, Norway, Sweden, Austria, Czechoslovakia, and Australia. Preliminary examination of the specimens from the Swedish island of Gotland and Scania show that most of the species from these islands are the same as those from England. A few of the species from England, Norway, and Gotland are identical with those from the Arbuckle Mountains, Oklahoma, Kansas subsurface, and central United States, but most of them are new. Nearly all of the arenaceous Foraminifera belong to the family Saccamminidae. Most are attached forms and have brown tests with abundant iron in the cement. These forms have not been described previously. A few species of Bathysiphon, Hyperammina, and Ammodiscus are the only other genera present. More than 11,000 specimens from England and 3,000 from Gotland have been mounted, providing abundant material for morphologic, evolutionary, and taxonomic study. In many places conodonts and scolecodonts are associated with arenaceous Foraminifera. Extensive studies and publications on these forms in Europe and North America provide a basis for stratigraphic association of all the microfossils. Such knowledge can be utilized to identify and correlate beds in places where only Foraminifera are present, thus providing an additional tool and means for correlation that previously has not existed. End_of_Article - Last_Page 471------------
Optimizing performance, cost, and sensitivity in pairwise sequence search on a cluster of PlayStations

The Smith-Waterman algorithm is a dynamic programming method for determining optimal local alignments between nucleotide or protein sequences. However, it suffers from quadratic time and space complexity. As a result, many algorithmic and architectural enhancements have been proposed to solve this problem, but at the cost of reduced sensitivity in the algorithms or significant expense in hardware, respectively. This paper presents a highly efficient parallelization of the Smith-Waterman algorithm on the Cell Broadband Engine platform, a novel hybrid multicore architecture that drives the low-cost PlayStation 3 (PS3) game consoles as well as the IBM BladeCenter Q22, which currently powers the fastest supercomputer in the world, Roadrunner at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Through an innovative mapping of the optimal Smith-Waterman algorithm onto a cluster of PlayStation 3 nodes, our implementation delivers 21 to 55-fold speed-up over a high-end multicore architecture and up to 449-fold speed-up over the PowerPC processor in the PS3. Next, we evaluate the trade-offs between our Smith- Waterman implementation on the Cell with existing software and hardware implementations and show that our solution achieves the best performance-to-price ratio, when aligning realistic sequences sizes and generating the actual alignment. Finally, we show that our low-cost solution on a PS3 cluster approaches the speed of BLAST while achieving ideal sensitivity. To quantify the relationship between the two algorithms in terms of speed and sensitivity, we formally define and quantify the sensitivity of homology search methods so that trade-offs between sequence-search solutions can be evaluated in a quantitative manner.
Theoretical analysis of perfect quantum state transfer with superconducting qubits

Superconducting quantum circuits, fabricated with multiple layers, are proposed to implement perfect quantum state transfer between nodes of a hypercube network. For tunable devices such as the phase qubit, each node can transmit quantum information to any other node at a constant rate independent of the distance between qubits. The physical limits of quantum state transfer in this network are theoretically analyzed, including the effects of disorder, decoherence, and higher-order couplings.
(Salen)Co(II)/n-Bu4NX Catalysts for the Coupling of CO2 and Oxetane: Selectivity for Cyclic Carbonate Formation in the Production of Poly-(trimethylene carbonate)

The (salen)Co(II) complex ((1R,2R)-(−)-1,2-cyclohexanediamino-N,N′-bis(3,5-di-tert-butylsalicylidene)cobalt(II)) in the presence of an anion initiator, e.g. bromide, has been shown to be a very effective catalytic system for the coupling of oxetane and carbon dioxide, to provide the corresponding polycarbonate with minimal amount of ether linkages. The mechanism of the coupling of oxetane and carbon dioxide has been studied by in situ infrared spectroscopy, where the first formed product is trimethylene carbonate (TMC). TMC is formed by a backbiting mechanism following ring-opening of oxetane by the anion initiator, subsequent to CO2 insertion into the cobalt−oxygen bond. The formation of the copolymer is shown to proceed mostly by way of the anionic ring-opening polymerization of preformed trimethylene carbonate in the presence of an anion in solution. Anions that are good leaving groups, i.e., bromide and iodide, are most effective at affording copolymer via this route. In the presence of greater than 2...
Quantitative Sonographic Assessment of Scoliosis and Its Correlation with Radiographic Findings

Scoliosis is a common problem primarily affecting children. The purpose of this pilot study was to develop and test a technique to identify whether sonography can assess the lateral deviation and rotation occurring in scoliosis. If so, then it could become the diagnostic modality of choice for serial follow-up of these patients after the baseline x-ray, thus decreasing radiation exposure. Five subjects (7 to 30 years old) were scanned with real-time and static equipment. Lateral deviation could be mapped, but it was underestimated sonographically. A new finding was that the depth of soft tissue muscle mass on either side of the apical spinous process was essentially symmetrical, indicating virtually no vertebral rotation with respect to the skin. These results warrant further investigation. With a larger sample and refinements in technique, sonography may prove to be a potential tool in the management of scoliosis.
The Two-Step Flow of Communication: An Up-To-Date Report on an Hypothesis

The hypothesis that "ideas often flow from radio and print to opinion leaders and from these to the less active sections of the population" has been tested in several successive studies. Each study has attempted a different solution to the problem of how to take account of interpersonal relations in the traditional design of survey research. As a result, the original hypothesis is largely corroborated and considerably refined. A former staff member of the Bureau of Applied Social Research at Columbia University, the author is now on leave from his post as assistant professor of sociology at the University of Chicago and is currently guest lecturer in sociology at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. A NALYSIS OF THE PROCESS of decision-making during the course of an election campaign led the authors of The People's Choice to suggest that the flow of mass communications may be less direct than was commonly supposed. It may be, they proposed, that influences stemming from the mass media first reach "opinion leaders" who, in turn, pass on what they read and hear to those of their every-day associates for whom they are influential. This hypothesis was called "the two-step flow of communication."1 The hypothesis aroused considerable interest. The authors themselves were intrigued by its implications for democratic society. It was a healthy sign, they felt, that people were still most successfully persuaded by give-andtake with other people and that the influence of the mass media was less automatic and less potent than had been assumed. For social theory, and for the design of communications research, the hypothesis suggested that the image of modern urban society needed revision. The image of the audience as a mass of disconnected individuals hooked up to the media but not to each other could not be reconciled with the idea of a two-step flow of communication implying, as it did, networks of interconnected individuals through which mass communications are channeled.
Benard-Marangoni instability in a two-layer system with uniform heat flux

The onset of motion in two immiscible fluids heated from below by a uniform heat flux is studied analytically. The solution is based on the parallel-flow assumption. The critical Rayleigh and Marangoni numbers are determined. The superimposed cell mode in a single fluid layer is found to be possible when Ma is greater than 180. The secondary cell in the two-layer system can only appear in one of the layers, and the conditions leading to the secondary cell are specified. The influence of upper free boundary, responses in a solid-layer and a fluid-layer system, as well as the use of equivalent Rayleigh numbers are also discussed. 19 refs.
Synthesis of carbon-11-labeled tariquidar derivatives as new PET agents for imaging of breast cancer resistance protein (ABCG2).

Abstract Carbon-11-labeled tariquidar derivatives were first designed and synthesized as new PET agents for imaging of breast cancer resistance protein. The target tracers were prepared by O-[11C]methylation of their corresponding acid precursors using [11C]CH3OTf under basic conditions and isolated by a simplified solid-phase extraction (SPE) method in 50–60% radiochemical yields based on [11C]CO2 and decay corrected to end of bombardment (EOB). The overall synthesis time from EOB was 15–20 min, the radiochemical purity was >99%, and the specific activity at end of synthesis (EOS) was 111–185 GBq/μmol.
OBSERVATIONS ON THE SURVIVAL AND GERMINATION OF RESTING SPORES OF THREE CHAETOCEROS (BACILLARIOPHYCEAE) SPECIES1,2

Resting spores (hypnospores) of Chaetoceros diadema (Ehrenberg) Gran, Chaetoceros vanheurckii Gran, and Chaetoceros didymus Ehrenberg were collected from a large plastic enclosure moored in Saanich Inlet, B.C., Canada. The effects of combinations of temperature and irradiance on the germination of these resting spores were investigated. Nutrient uptake, carbon fixation, and changes in the photosynthetic capacity of the germinating spores were also examined. Resting spores germinated optimally at combinations of temperature and irradiance similar to those in the environment during sporulation. They did not germinate at irradiances 1.3 μEin m−2 s−1 or temperatures >25.3° C. Nitrate, phosphate and silicate were taken up after the resting spores had germinated and resumed vegetative growth. Chlorophyll a fluorescence in vivo, and the DCMU-induced increase in in vivo fluorescence also increased after the resting spores had germinated. Resting spores began to fix carbon as soon as they were placed in light. Spores remained viable for at least 645 d. The length of time between first exposure to light and germination did not change during this period; however, the percentage of viable resting spores decreased markedly. None of the Chaetoceros spores germinated after 737 d of storage at 2–4° C in darkness.
Carotid artery fibromuscular dysplasia

Extracranial carotid artery fibromuscular dysplasia (FMD) is a rare finding that is frequently incidental and asymptomatic. It usually occurs in middle-age women and is secondary to medial fibrodysplasia or, less commonly, intimal fibrodysplasia. The carotid artery may be elongated or kinked and associated aneurysms have been reported. Symptoms including transient ischemic attack or stroke are uncommon and are due to low flow or embolization of platelet aggregates. Digital subtraction angiography demonstrates high-grade stenosis with the characteristic "string of beads" pattern. Antiplatelet medication with sequential imaging is the accepted therapy for asymptomatic lesions. Graduated endoluminal dilation under direct vision should be reserved for patients with documented lateralizing symptoms.
Vibrational spectra of some phosphate salts amorphous to X-ray diffraction.

Complete infrared and Raman spectral data are presented for a number of phosphate salts amorphous to X-ray and electron diffraction and spherical in morphology under the electron microscope. These were amorphous calcium, magnesium and copper (II) orthophosphate; amorphous calcium carbonate orthophosphate; and amorphous calcium pyrophosphate. The average coordination (bond arrangement) in these materials was non-isotropic, i.e., perturbed relative to that in a completely symmetric milieu. The data suggest that these bond arrangements do not correspond to phosphate crystal lattices. Two spatial configurations are possible for these amorphous salts: 1) a random packing of unit coordination structures having constant composition and fixed bonding relationships; or 2) a random network of coordination complexes whose exact composition and structure can vary from site to site. Cationic constituents strongly influenced bonding and water molecules appeared to contribute to coordination structure. In amorphous carbonate phosphates, regions rich in either calciumphosphate or calcium-carbonate bonding appeared to be contiguous with areas exhibiting mixed ion coordination.
DNA-programmable nanoparticle crystallization

It was first shown more than ten years ago that DNA oligonucleotides can be attached to gold nanoparticles rationally to direct the formation of larger assemblies. Since then, oligonucleotide-functionalized nanoparticles have been developed into powerful diagnostic tools for nucleic acids and proteins, and into intracellular probes and gene regulators. In contrast, the conceptually simple yet powerful idea that functionalized nanoparticles might serve as basic building blocks that can be rationally assembled through programmable base-pairing interactions into highly ordered macroscopic materials remains poorly developed. So far, the approach has mainly resulted in polymerization, with modest control over the placement of, the periodicity in, and the distance between particles within the assembled material. That is, most of the materials obtained thus far are best classified as amorphous polymers, although a few examples of colloidal crystal formation exist. Here, we demonstrate that DNA can be used to control the crystallization of nanoparticle-oligonucleotide conjugates to the extent that different DNA sequences guide the assembly of the same type of inorganic nanoparticle into different crystalline states. We show that the choice of DNA sequences attached to the nanoparticle building blocks, the DNA linking molecules and the absence or presence of a non-bonding single-base flexor can be adjusted so that gold nanoparticles assemble into micrometre-sized face-centred-cubic or body-centred-cubic crystal structures. Our findings thus clearly demonstrate that synthetically programmable colloidal crystallization is possible, and that a single-component system can be directed to form different structures.
Morphological manipulation of bolaamphiphilic polydiacetylene assemblies by controlled lipid doping.

Abstract Morphological transformations of bolaamphiphilic polydiacetylene (L-Glu-Bis-3) lipid assemblies from helical ribbons to vesicles and flat sheets through controlled doping are described, and the role of specific lipid dopants in these processes is discussed. Upon doping with cell surface receptor GM1 ganglioside, fluid vesicular structures start to emerge, coexisting with the micro-crystalline helical ribbons. The vesicle formation is further facilitated and stabilized by the introduction of cholesterol into the system, presumably through surface curvature variation induced by inhomogeneous distribution and dynamic clustering of GM1 and cholesterol within the doped assemblies. Extended helical ribbons are ‘truncated’ into patches of flat sheets when a sufficient amount of Bis-1, a structurally compatible symmetric bolaamphiphilic diacetylene lipid, is doped. The results reaffirm the important roles of packing geometry and headgroup chirality in the formation of extended helical ribbon structures. The doped assemblies of bolaamphiphiles allow for capture of intermediate structures of morphological transformation using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). A vesicle-to-ribbon transformation mechanism via lateral reorganization within relatively fluid vesicular microstructures has been suggested. Understanding of the doping-induced transformation process provides useful information for the design of advanced materials where the microscopic morphology of material is crucial to its function.
Conformational studies of anthrax polypeptide, subtilis polypeptide, and synthetic poly-γ-Lglutamic acid†

Poly-γ-L-glutamic acid has been synthesized by the activated pentachlorophenyl ester polymerization method and the molecule weight of the polymer was found to be 16,000. Comparative conformational studies on the synthetic and on the native polyglutamic acid mbtained from B. anthracis and B. subtilis were carried out using optical rotatory dispersion, circular dichroism, peptide absorption spectrum, and titration data. These results show that poly-γ-glutamic acid does not exhibit any conformational order under the conditions of investigation. At low degrees of ionization, restriction of conformational freedom via random “hypercoiling” of the chain appears likely.
Generation and mapping of Mus spretus strain-specific markers for rapid genomic scanning.

We describe here a set of genetic markers, based on IRS-PCR amplification difference, that are specifically designed for efficient, high throughput genetic mapping in [(M. domesticus × wild-derived) F1 × M. domesticus] interspecific backcrosses. 146 new genetic loci have been mapped, and strain distribution for these markers has been determined in 96 mouse strains. 103 (81%) of 127 tested markers are present only in one or more wild-derived strains, but absent in 76 other commonly used strains, demonstrating their utility in a variety of mouse pair combinations. Because of the ease of genotyping with this marker set, rapid genome scans for complex genetic trait loci involving crosses between wild-derived strains and other commonly used strains can now be carried out efficiently with large numbers of animals.
Fate of [14C]daminozide and [14C]maleic hydrazide in American elm (Ulmus americana L.)

Radiolabelled daminozide and maleic hydrazide (MH) were injected into American elm seedlings, kept in nutrient solution, to determine their translocation pattern and metabolic fate. Both compounds were rapidly translocated to all parts of the plant. After 21 days, 13% of the applied 14C was exuded into the nutrient solution from the roots of the plants treated with MH. Using gel-filtration and thin-layer chromatographic techniques, it was determined that daminozide did not form any metabolite, and that MH was converted into a MH-sugar complex. A significant amount of 14C was unextractable from the plant tissue.
The rheological characterization of a series of thermotropic liquid crystalline polymers

Dynamic rheological experiments were performed on a series of two copolymers and a homopolymer based on units of terephthaloyl chloride and isophthaloyl chloride at 90/10 and 75/25 mole ratios combined with 1,10-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)-decane. Optical microscopy and wide angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD) confirmed that all of the polyesters in the present series formed nematic liquid crystals with nematic-to-isotropic temperatures in the range of 270 to 320°C with increasing terephthaloyl unit content. Broad nematic-to-isotropic transitions observed by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) were indicative of biphasic regions where the nematic and isotropic phases coexist. The rheological behavior of each polymer was more complex in the nematic phase than in the isotropic phase with shear thinning occurring in the former but Newtonian behavior in the latter. There were also some indications that nematic flow behavior could be induced in these polymers by dynamic oscillatory shear flow above the nematic-to-isotropic transition, Ti. A form of hysteresis was observed with the homopolymer in that measurements of the dynamic viscosity, η*, taken with ascending frequency sweeps were higher than those taken with descending frequency sweeps.
Systemic morphine and local opioid effects on neuronal activity in the medial prefrontal cortex.

Abstract Behavioral studies support the importance of the medial prefrontal cortex in the circuitry of drug-reinforced behavior, yet the neurophysiological correlates of this phenomenon remain unclear. The present study evaluates opioid neuropharmacology in the medial prefrontal cortex of the anesthetized rat. The effects of both systemic and local application of mu agonists on individual neurons in the medial prefrontal cortex were examined. Systemic morphine was found to inhibit (63%), excite (4%) or have no effect on (33%) spontaneous firing. The inhibitory response was reversed by systemic naloxone in 77% of the cases. Electrophoretic application of a mu-selective agonist, ] d -Ala 2 , N -Me-Phe 4 ,Gly-ol 5 ]enkephalin, had mixed effects on cell activity. While most cells exhibited no change in firing rate (53%), 38% showed inhibition of spontaneous activity. The ] d -Ala 2 ,N-Me-Phe 4 ,Gly-ol 5 ]enkephalin-evoked inhibitory responses were antagonized by electrophoresis of naloxone (86%). These results indicate that the medial prefrontal cortex might directly mediate some portion of the overall response to opiates in reinforcement or self-administration paradigms. The naloxone-reversible inhibition of firing seen following both systemic and local application of predominantly mu-selective agonists argues for a direct involvement of medial prefrontal cortical neurons in opiate-induced effects. However, the smaller percentage of cells inhibited by local versus systemic application of mu agonists also supports an influence of other brain circuitry in this response.
Role of glutamate-126 and arginine-144 in the lactose permease of Escherichia coli.

Several previous studies have suggested that glutamate-126 and arginine-144 in the lactose permease of Escherichia coli form an ion pair that is essential for sugar binding. To further investigate the role of these residues, E126Q, R144Q, and R144S mutants were made. The R144Q and R144S strains, which had negligible levels of transport, were used as parental strains to isolate suppressor mutations that partially restored sugar transport. The R144Q parent only yielded first-site revertants, but the R144S strain produced three types of second-site replacements: E126Q, V229A, and L330R. In downhill transport assays, the E126Q strain was able to transport lactose at low levels, with an apparent K m 3-fold higher than the wild-type strain but a severely depressed apparent V m a x . A triple mutant, E126Q/R144S/V229A, showed a relatively robust V m a x value for downhill transport and could actively accumulate lactose against a concentration gradient. Taken together, these results indicate that Glu-126 and Arg-144 are not essential for sugar binding. An alternative explanation for their role in maintaining secondary structure is discussed.
Chronic exposure to elevated levels of manganese and nickel is not harmful to a cosmopolitan detritivore, Megaselia scalaris (Diptera: Phoridae).

Environmental contamination with metals such as manganese (Mn) and nickel (Ni) often results in elevated concentrations of these metals in plant tissues. At high concentrations, these metals are known to have detrimental effects on certain insect herbivores. Using laboratory bioassays and artificial diet, we investigated the development and survival of a cosmopolitan insect detritivore, Megaselia scalaris (Diptera: Phoridae), exposed to concentrations of Mn and Ni reaching 2 600 mg Mn/kg and 5 200 mg Ni/kg dry mass (dm) in artificial diet. Surprisingly, Ni and Mn at the concentrations tested did not harm this fly. Treatment groups from diets with 260-2 600 mg Mn/kg dm and 1 300-5 200 mg Ni/kg dm had significantly shorter larval development times, overall times to adult emergence, and both pupariation and pupal eclosion times compared to a control group. Wing length of females, a correlate of adult fitness, was also greater in metal treatment groups. Other measures including rate of egg hatch, percentage of emerging flies that were female, and wing length of male flies, were not significantly different in metal treatment groups. We conclude that Megaselia scalaris is tolerant of exceptionally high levels of Mn and Ni.
Onboard Tagging for Real-Time Quality Assessment of Photoplethysmograms Acquired by a Wireless Reflectance Pulse Oximeter

Onboard assessment of photoplethysmogram (PPG) quality could reduce unnecessary data transmission on battery-powered wireless pulse oximeters and improve the viability of the electronic patient records to which these data are stored. These algorithms show promise to increase the intelligence level of former “dumb” medical devices: devices that acquire and forward data but leave data interpretation to the clinician or host system. To this end, the authors have developed a unique onboard feature detection algorithm to assess the quality of PPGs acquired with a custom reflectance mode, wireless pulse oximeter. The algorithm uses a Bayesian hypothesis testing method to analyze four features extracted from raw and decimated PPG data in order to determine whether the original data comprise valid PPG waveforms or whether they are corrupted by motion or other environmental influences. Based on these results, the algorithm further calculates heart rate and blood oxygen saturation from a “compact representation” structure. PPG data were collected from 47 subjects to train the feature detection algorithm and to gauge their performance. A MATLAB interface was also developed to visualize the features extracted, the algorithm flow, and the decision results, where all algorithm-related parameters and decisions were ascertained on the wireless unit prior to transmission. For the data sets acquired here, the algorithm was 99% effective in identifying clean, usable PPGs versus nonsaturated data that did not demonstrate meaningful pulsatile waveshapes, PPGs corrupted by motion artifact, and data affected by signal saturation.
Affirmative Action Policies and Workplace Discrimination Perceived Effects on the Careers of Mexican Americans in Municipal Administration

This study examines the personal perceptions of Mexican American professionals about affirmative action policies and workplace discrimination Data were gathered through interviews and self-administered questionnaires circulated to Hispanic, African American, and Anglo-American managers in three categones executives, professionals, and supervisors Americans of Mexican descent are the focus of the study, and thus were separated from all other Hispamcs This methodology found that Mexican Americans, as a specific ethnic subculture, perceive that they are helped "somewhat" by affirmative action, while they contemporaneously report low levels of workplace discrimination
Network modeling to demonstrate efficacy of improved water quality monitoring

Water quality is a prime concern in the US and the world. In particular, the disinfection and security of water have become important for everyday health and terrorist risk reduction. To mitigate the effects of compromised water quality it is apparent that the quality and frequency of water quality data collection are of primary importance. In order to demonstrate the need for improved water quality data collection, a network solver (EPANET) has been used to model the response of the system to an inappropriate addition of chlorine at the water treatment plant. Simulations have been performed on a real municipal water distribution system (Baraga, MI) of approximately 100 nodes and a population of 9,000 and contaminant plume behavior simulated at select network locations. Concentration levels at selected nodes around the network were examined for time of exposure to unacceptable chlorine levels. It was found that having improved monitoring could reduce response time and human exposure to contamination by approximately 95%.
Study Abroad as Innovation: Applying the Diffusion Model to International Education.

This paper uses diffusion of innovation theory as a framework for studying why United States college students who attend study abroad information sessions fail to take advantage of such educational opportunities. Surveys were administered to two groups of undergraduate students – those who studied abroad and those who did not. Students ranked their decision based on five attributes of diffusion theory, relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, trialability, and observability. The results indicated relative advantage and trialability were the most important factors in deciding to study abroad, while those choosing not to study abroad ranked complexity and compatibility as the primary reasons. Recommendations include targeting the role of study abroad adviser as a change agent to influence student study abroad decisions and educating faculty about the benefits of studying abroad.
Responding to clinicians who fail to follow patient safety practices: perceptions of physicians, nurses, trainees, and patients.

BACKGROUND The field of patient safety grapples with the tension between a “no-blame” systems approach and the need to hold providers accountable for substandard performance. Attitudes of clinicians and patients regarding methods of promoting adherence to safety practices have not been described. METHODS We surveyed attending and resident physicians in the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) Department of Medicine, nurses and inpatients at the UCSF Medical Center, and UCSF medical students regarding attitudes toward violations of 3 safety protocols: hand hygiene, fall risk assessment, and preoperative time-out. RESULTS Responses to protocol lapses were grouped into 3 categories: feedback (universally endorsed and thus excluded from the analysis), public reporting, and penalty (fines, suspension, firing). We examined group differences regarding whether public reporting and penalties were ever appropriate and the number of transgressions at which public reporting and penalties were favored. Respondents favored both public reporting and penalties more frequently for not conducting a preoperative time-out or fall risk assessment than for hand-hygiene lapses (public reporting: time-out, odds ratio [OR]: 2.82 [95% confidence interval {CI}: 2.03-3.91]; fall, OR: 1.47 [95% CI: 1.09-1.98]. Penalty: time-out, OR: 4.29 [95% CI: 2.97-6.20]; fall, OR: 1.74 [95% CI: 1.27-2.37]). Penalties were endorsed more frequently than public reporting for all groups and scenarios. Attending physicians and patients expressed similar attitudes regarding public reporting and penalties, but patients favored penalties after significantly fewer transgressions (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION After a decade emphasizing no-blame responses to patient safety hazards, both healthcare providers and patients now believe clinicians should be held accountable for following basic safety protocols. Journal of Hospital Medicine 2014;9:99–105. © 2013 Society of Hospital Medicine
Conserved and nonconserved epitopes among Haemophilus influenzae type b pili.

We investigated the binding of antibodies raised against four different Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) plus antigen preparations to the native pili and denatured pilins of 21 Hib isolates. Antibodies against live piliated Hib M43p+, adsorbed with a nonpiliated variant to remove nonpilus antibodies, bound to 18 of the 21 piliated Hib isolates in immunodot assays but failed to recognize the denatured pilins from any of the strains in Western immunoblot assays. Similarly, antibodies against purified native pili of strain E1ap+ bound to 11 of 21 piliated strains in immunodot assays but to only 2 of 21 piliated strains in Western blot assays. The native pili of all 21 strains were recognized by one or both of the antisera. These observations suggest that the immunodominant epitopes of native Hib pili are dependent on conformation and are moderately conserved. In contrast, antibodies against denatured M43p+ pilin or against a peptide derived from amino acids 5 through 17 of M43p+ pilin failed to bind to native pili from any of the 21 piliated isolates on immunodot assay. However, both sera recognized the denatured pilins from all the piliated strains on Western blot assay. These data indicate that the immunodominant epitopes of denatured pilins are highly conserved among different strains of Hib but are unavailable on intact pili for antibody binding. Images
Oxidized dietary fat, alkaline phosphatase concentrations and performance in racing greyhounds

Racing dogs are often fed raw meat. Raw meat may become oxidized because it contains no preservatives but few studies have examined the effect of feeding oxidized food to dogs. This study was originally designed to determine the effect of different concentrations of dietary fat on greyhound performance. After the experiment had been completed, however, it was discovered that the peroxide values (PV) of both diets were elevated indicating that fat oxidation had been present. This study was considered to have value, therefore, because it compared performance and blood parameters in eight trained Greyhounds fed either a high fat moderately oxidized (HFMO) diet (43%ME fat with PV of 44 mEq/kg) or a medium fat highly oxidized (MFHO) diet (31%ME fat with PV of 211 mEq/kg) for 8 weeks per diet in a randomized cross-over design. Dogs were raced over 500 m twice weekly. Race times over the last 4 weeks of each diet period and blood parameters before racing during the last week of each diet period were compared. Dogs fed the MFHO food ran 0.04 m/s slower (p = 0.06) and serum alkaline phosphatase concentrations were higher (149 vs. 56 U/L; p < 0.0001) than in dogs fed the HFMO diet. Further evaluation is needed to determine whether lower dietary fat or increased oxidation was responsible for the altered performance but oxidation of the food should be considered as one possible explanation for an increase in serum alkaline phosphatase during a diet trial.
Medicare, Medicaid, And The Social Cost Of Smoking

Not all medical expenses are paid through insurance. A significant share is provided by government, most of which in turn is provided through Medicare, which primarily finances medical care for social security recipients. Government also provides medical care for the indigent under Medicaid. In both of these cases the medical care is financed by taxpayers, with the beneficiaries being the recipients of the care. It might seem as though governmentally provided medical care offers a means for smokers to impose costs on nonsmokers. A commonly expressed sentiment is that everyone has an interest in smoking because such programs as Medicaid and Medicare cover a significant part of the medical bills for smokers. This sentiment was illustrated by the claim in the 11 May 1982 issue of the Wall Street Journal that “Uncle Sam has a budgetary interest in the cigarette toll [on health] because Medicaid and Medicare pick up a significant part of the medical bills for afflicted smokers.” If smoking damages health, increased claims under Medicare and Medicaid seem a distinct possibility. Indeed, this possible positive relationship between smoking and resulting claims under Medicare and Medicaid has been used to advocate the earmarking of tobacco tax revenues for the support of Medicare.
A rule-based language for programming software updates

We describe the design of a rule-based language for expressing changes to Haskell programs in a systematic and reliable way. The update language essentially offers update commands for all constructs of the object language (a subset of Haskell). The update language can be translated into a core calculus consisting of a small set of basic updates and update combinators. The key construct of the core calculus is a scope update mechanism that allows (and enforces) update specifications for the definition of a symbol together with all of its uses.The type of an update program is given by the possible type changes it can cause for an object programs. We have developed a type-change inference system to automatically infer type changes for up-dates. Updates for which a type change can be successfully inferred and that satisfy an additional structural condition can be shown to preserve type correctness of object programs.In this paper we define the Haskell Update Language HULA and give a translation into the core update calculus. We illustrate HULA and its translation into the core calculus by several examples.
The Antimicrobial Effect of Biopure MTAD on Eight Strains of Enterococcus faecalis: An In Vitro Investigation

The purpose of this investigation was to determine the antimicrobial effect of MTAD as a final irrigant on eight strains of Enterococcus faecalis (E. faecalis) and to measure the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and the minimum lethal concentration (MLC) of MTAD. The roots of 240 extracted human teeth were instrumented using 1.3% NaOCl and 17% EDTA. The roots were divided into eight groups and contaminated with one of eight strains of E. faecalis. After irrigating with 1.3% NaOCl, the root canal and the external surfaces were exposed to MTAD for 5 minutes. Roots or dentin shavings were cultured to determine the growth of E. faecalis. The results showed that this treatment regimen was effective in completely eliminating growth in seven of eight strains of E. faecalis. The MIC/MLC tests showed that MTAD inhibited most strains of E. faecalis growth when diluted 1:8192 times and killed most strains of E. faecalis when diluted 1:512 times.
Brain tissue energy dependence of CaM kinase IV cascade activation during hypoxia in the cerebral cortex of newborn piglets

The present study aims to investigate the dependence of CaM kinase IV cascade activation during hypoxia and tests the hypothesis that hypoxia-induced tyrosine phosphorylation of CaM and CaM kinase IV, activation of CaM kinase IV and phosphorylation of CREB protein during hypoxia increases as a function of increase in cerebral tissue hypoxia as measured by decrease in tissue ATP and phosphocreatine (PCr). 3-5 days old newborn piglets were divided into normoxic (Nx, FiO₂ of 0.21 for 1h) and hypoxic (Hx, FiO₂ of 0.07 for 1h) groups. Cerebral tissue hypoxia was documented by determining the levels of high energy phosphates ATP and phosphocreatine (PCr). Cerebral cortical neuronal nuclei were isolated and purified, and tyrosine phosphorylation of calmodulin (Tyr⁹⁹), the activator of CaM kinase IV, and CaM kinase IV determined by Western blot using anti-phospho-(pTyr⁹⁹)-calmodulin, anti-pTyrosine and anti-CaM kinase IV antibodies. The activity of CaM kinase IV and its consequence the phosphorylation of CREB protein at Ser¹³³ were determined. The levels of ATP (μmole/g brain) ranged from 3.48 to 5.28 in Nx, and 0.41 to 2.26 in Hx. The levels of PCr (μmole/g brain) ranged from 2.46 to 3.91 in Nx and 0.72 to 1.20 in Hx. The pTyr⁹⁹ calmodulin (OD x mm²) ranged from 20.35 to 54.47.60 in Nx, and 84.52 to 181.42 in Hx (r²=0.5309 vs ATP and r²=0.6899 vs PCr). Expression of tyrosine phosphorylated CaM kinase IV ranged from 32.86 to 82.46 in Nx and 96.70 to 131.62 in Hx (r²=0.5132 vs ATP and r²=0.4335 vs PCr). The activity of CaM kinase IV (pmole/mg protein/min) ranged from 1263 to 3448 in Nx and 3767 to 6633 in Hx (r²=0.7113 vs ATP and r²=0.6182 vs PCr). The expression of p-CREB at Ser¹³³ ranged from 44.26 to 70.28 in Nx and 82.70 to 182.86 in Hx (r²=0.6621 vs ATP and r²=0.5485 vs PCr). The data show that hypoxia results in increased tyrosine phosphorylation of calmodulin (Tyr⁹⁹), increased tyrosine phosphorylation of CaM kinase IV, increased activity of CaM kinase IV and increased phosphorylation of CREB at Ser¹³³ as an inverse function of cerebral concentration of high energy phosphates, ATP and PCr. We conclude that the hypoxia-induced increased activation of CaM kinase IV cascade increases with the increase in the degree of cerebral tissue hypoxia as measured by cerebral tissue high energy phosphates in a curvilinear manner. The tyrosine kinases (Src kinase and EGFR kinase) mediated activation of CaM kinase IV cascade potentially results in increased CREB phosphorylation that triggers transcription of proapoptotic proteins during hypoxia.
Solubility and fractionation of polyvinylpyrrolidone

Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) can be conveniently fractionated from water by successive precipitation with acetone, from chloroform with ether, or from ethanol with benzene. The major part (60–70%) of the common PVP has the intrinsic viscosity of 0.12–0.30. The fractions can be liberated from the low molecular components by extraction of the solid polymer with acetone. Precipitability with ammonium sulfate is a very convenient means of characterizing the fractions. The amount of ammonium sulfate needed to produce turbidity decreases with increasing mean molecular weight of the fractions, with the increasing concentration of the polymer, and with increasing temperature. The molar concentration of ammonium sulfate that produces turbidity is a linear function of the logarithm of the mean molecular weight of the fractions. The amount of ammonium sulfate which produces turbidity decreases linearly with increasing temperature.