cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Factors associated with crash severity on rural roadways in Wyoming

Abstract The ability to identify risk factors associated with crashes is critical to determine appropriate countermeasures for improving roadway safety. Many studies have identified risk factors for urban systems and intersections, but few have addressed crashes on rural roadways, and none have analyzed crashes on Indian Reservations. This study analyzes crash severity for rural highway systems in Wyoming. These rural systems include interstates, state highways, rural county local roads, and the roadway system on the Wind River Indian Reservation (WRIR). In alignment with the Wyoming strategic highway safety goal of reducing critical crashes (fatal and serious injury), crash severity was treated as a binary response in which crashes were classified as severe or not severe. Multiple logistic regression models were developed for each of the highway systems. Five effects were prevalent on all systems including animals, driver impairment, motorcycles, mean speed, and safety equipment use. With the exception of animal crashes, all of these effects increased the probability that a crash would be severe. Based upon these results, DOTs can pursue effective policies and targeted design decisions to reduce the severity of crashes on rural highways.
Resource geographies I: Valuing nature (or not)

The relationship between value and nature has become central to critical resource geography (and other nature-society geography). While research demonstrates the problems with efforts to extend cap...
Mechanism of exterior coating performance of acetylated wood

Coated wood exposed to an outdoor environment is susceptible to weathering due to a series of chemical, biological, and physical processes. Acetylation of wood is known to improve weathering resistance and coating performance by increasing UV resistance, dimensional stability, and durability against fungal decay. Understanding improved coating performance of acetylated wood requires an understanding of basic wood surface chemistry, weathering of uncoated wood, uncoated acetylated wood, and coated acetylated wood.
‘Unassimilable and undesirable’: News elites’ discursive construction of the American immigrant during the Ellis Island years

This research examines the historical role news elites have played in shaping public perceptions of immigrants as a distinct social group. To that end, we identify the discursive strategies used by...
Acid mucopolysaccharides of human aorta. 1. Variations with maturation.

Summary Acid mucopolysaccharide (MPS) contents in the intima and remaining outer wall of human aortas were studied to observe variations with age. Attempts were made to dissociate changes occurring with aging from those related to atherogenesis by the careful selection of vessels. MPS were isolated from 76 female aortas with and without lesions, and compared to 15 samples from Negro females, the only ones available essentially free of atherosclerotic disease. Aortas available in this population limits the study from extending into older age groups. Detailed MPS analyses were carried out on the lesion-free vessels. The total amount of MPS increases to around the third decade, with more marked changes of compounds occurring in the intima. Chondroitin sulfates C and B both increased in concentration in the intima and then decreased; chondroitin sulfate A progressively increased, while hyaluronic acid and heparitin sulfate showed a tendency to reach peak levels at an early age and then only gradually decreased. Other compounds were noted, but were not in sufficient amount to be clearly characterized. The importance of observing changes of each specific MPS compound and a careful selection of tissue to be studied are to be emphasized in these types of observations.
Identifying vulnerabilities of consumer Internet of Things (IoT) devices: A scalable approach

The Internet of Things becomes more defined year after year. Companies are looking for novel ways to implement various smart capabilities into their products that increase interaction between users and other network devices. While many smart devices offer greater convenience and value, they also present new security vulnerabilities that can have a detrimental effect on consumer privacy. Given the societal impact of IoT device vulnerabilities, this study aims to perform a large-scale vulnerability assessment of consumer IoT devices exposed on the Internet. Specifically, Shodan is used to collect a large testbed of consumer IoT devices which are then passed through Nessus to determine whether potential vulnerabilities exist. Results of this study indicate that a significant number of consumer IoT devices are vulnerable to exploits that can compromise user information and privacy.
A Superstructure-Based Framework for Simultaneous Process Synthesis, Heat Integration, and Utility Plant Design

We propose a new framework for simultaneous chemical process synthesis, heat recovery network design, and utility plant design. We generate compact surrogate unit models to describe processes based on new technologies. We also consider (1) process streams with variable heat loads and temperatures, and (2) multiple steam types of variable temperature. We illustrate the applicability of our framework using a novel process for the non-enzymatic production of sugars from lignocellulosic biomass.
Control of C–H Bond Activation by Mo-Oxo Complexes: pKa or Bond Dissociation Free Energy (BDFE)?

A density functional theory (DFT) study (BMK/6-31+G(d)) was initiated to investigate the activation of benzylic carbon–hydrogen bonds by a molybdenum-oxo complex with a potentially redox noninnocent supporting ligand—a simple mimic of the active species of the enzyme ethylbenzene dehydrogenase (EBDH)—through deprotonation (C–H bond heterolysis) or hydrogen atom abstraction (C–H bond homolysis) routes. Activation free-energy barriers for neutral and anionic Mo-oxo complexes were high, but lower for anionic complexes than neutral complexes. Interesting trends as a function of substituents were observed that indicated significant Hδ+ character in the transition states (TS), which was further supported by the preference for [2 + 2] addition over HAA for most complexes. Hence, it was hypothesized that C–H activation by these EBDH mimics is controlled more by the pKa than by the bond dissociation free energy of the C–H bond being activated. Therefore, the results suggest promising pathways for designing more ef...
Intraoperative Hemodynamic and Echocardiographic Measurements Associated With Severe Right Ventricular Failure After Left Ventricular Assist Device Implantation.

Background Severe right ventricular failure (RVF) after left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation increases morbidity and mortality. We investigated the association between intraoperative right heart hemodynamic data, echocardiographic parameters, and severe versus nonsevere RVF. Methods A review of LVAD patients between March 2013 and March 2016 was performed. Severe RVF was defined by the need for a right ventricular mechanical support device, inotropic, and/or inhaled pulmonary vasodilator requirements for >14 days. From a chart review, the right ventricular failure risk score was calculated and right heart hemodynamic data were collected. Pulmonary artery pulsatility index (PAPi) [(pulmonary artery systolic pressure - pulmonary artery diastolic pressure)/central venous pressure (CVP)] was calculated for 2 periods: (1) 30 minutes before cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) and (2) after chest closure. Echocardiographic data were recorded pre-CPB and post-CPB by a blinded reviewer. Univariate logistic regression models were used to examine the performance of hemodynamic and echocardiographic metrics. Results A total of 110 LVAD patients were identified. Twenty-five did not meet criteria for RVF. Of the remaining 85 patients, 28 (33%) met criteria for severe RVF. Hemodynamic factors associated with severe RVF included: higher CVP values after chest closure (18 ± 9 vs 13 ± 5 mm Hg; P = .0008) in addition to lower PAPi pre-CPB (1.2 ± 0.6 vs 1.7 ± 1.0; P = .04) and after chest closure (0.9 ± 0.5 vs 1.5 ± 0.8; P = .0008). Post-CPB echocardiographic findings associated with severe RVF included: larger right atrial diameter major axis (5.4 ± 0.9 vs 4.9 ± 1.0 cm; P = .03), larger right ventricle end-systolic area (22.6 ± 8.4 vs 18.5 ± 7.9 cm; P = .03), lower fractional area of change (20.2 ± 10.8 vs 25.9 ± 12.6; P = .04), and lower tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (0.9 ± 0.2 vs 1.1 ± 0.3 cm; P = .008). Right ventricular failure risk score was not a significant predictor of severe RVF. Post-chest closure CVP and post-chest closure PAPi discriminated severe from nonsevere RVF better than other variables measured, each with an area under the curve of 0.75 (95% CI, 0.64-0.86). Conclusions Post-chest closure values of CVP and PAPi were significantly associated with severe RVF. Echocardiographic assessment of RV function post-CPB was weakly associated with severe RVF.
Education and Learning in Hiatal Hernia Repair

Hiatal hernia (HH) commonly associated with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and its incidence is approximately 5 per 1000. About 95% of these are type I hernias of sliding variety that are not commonly associated with serious complications 7 [1]. The remaining 5% can be classified as giant paraesophageal hernias (PEHs) type 3 and 4 and are associated with significant complications 7 [2]. Our understanding of hiatal hernia has evolved over the years. Initially considered an anatomical pathology, our focus has now shifted toward the physiology of the esophagus. The appreciation of the physiological link between HH, GERD, and the related problems has caused a paradigm shift toward management of hiatal hernia. Now, we attempt to restore the physiologic function of the esophagus and lower esophageal sphincter and not just a simple repair aimed at restoring the anatomy of the lower esophageal sphincter (LES). Multiple techniques and there modifications are described in literature for repair of hiatal hernia. In the last two decades, hiatal hernia repair has undergone challenges in terms of newer approaches like tension-free repair, use of prosthetic mesh or new biomaterial, laparoscopic approach and lately NOTES, single-port laparoscopic surgery, or robotic surgery.
Production of robust friction stir welds

Since its invention in 1991, friction stir welding (FSWing) has demonstrated the ability to join a wide variety of metals including dissimilar combinations. However, during these two decades of development, while the versatility and benefits of the process have been demonstrated, the selection of process parameters and tooling has been found to be an "art form" based on experience. This experience has been gained through trial and error, often without acquiring the data necessary to understand the process. Consequently, the quality of FSWs has varied, often due to minor but misunderstood changes to the processing parameters or workpiece material. Current development is putting more emphasis on methods to more precisely predict and control the process in an effort to reduce costs and produce repeatable, consistent quality FSWs. To improve FSWing to the level of a robust process, scientific rationale combined with experimental knowledge is needed. This contribution discusses the methodology required to lay the ground work for realizing robust FSWing processes.
Extension of the SD Method to Viscous Flow on Unstructured Grids

The Spectral Difference (SD) method has been developed recently by [1] for the wave equations on unstructured triangular grids and further developed by [2] for 2D Euler equations. In this paper, the SD method is extended to solve viscous flow governed by compressible Navier-Stokes equations in both 2D and 3D, for unstructured triangular and hexahedral grids, respectively. Some numerical results are presented to demonstrate its capability.
Health promotion and disease prevention in the worksite.

U.S. and Canadian research studies (n = 73) on health promotion/disease prevention programs in the worksite reported from 1990 through 1994 were reviewed for this chapter. In those studies, diverse intervention foci were provided and outcomes specific to the foci, as well as numerous additional outcomes, cost and cost benefit being the most common, were measured. To aid future researchers, two appendices list reports by foci of intervention and by outcomes measured. Deficiencies and inadequacies in reports and studies are described. Nearly all (68 out of 73) of the published studies obtained positive results in terms of benefiting health or reducing costs. The Johnson & Johnson LIVE FOR LIFE Program is presented as an exemplar of a comprehensive, multifaceted, worksite health promotion/disease prevention program whose effects were consistently assessed. Although health promotion and prevention of disease has always been an important component of nursing practice, few reports included nurse scientists as authors or coauthors. Potential explanations for the limited involvement by nurse scientists and recommendations regarding future research directions are presented. The worksite remains the best place to promote improved health for adults and this area of research represents an opportunity for greater involvement by nurse scientists.
Feminism and the Education of Women

This essay grew out of an attempt to discover, through a search in the archives of nine colleges and universities, whether curriculum could be found that was not male-centered and male-biased. Whil...
The learning history: A research method to advance the science and practice of organizational learning in healthcare.

Aims This paper presents a discussion of the learning history research method, including a description of how to conduct a learning history. Suggested applications of the method in research and clinical practice are also provided. Background Organizational learning has been linked to improved clinical performance and other positive outcomes in healthcare. Yet, the theoretical guidance available to researchers and clinical leaders who study and strive to foster organizational learning is sparse. Studying how organizational learning occurs in the healthcare context is a critical step toward addressing this knowledge gap. The learning history, a participatory research method, is specifically designed for studying the organizational learning process. Thus, it is precisely suited for the work of developing a theoretical foundation for organizational learning in healthcare. Design Discussion paper. Data sources This discussion paper is based on relevant literature and the authors' experiences conducting learning histories. Implications for nursing Researchers can use learning histories to develop a better understanding of and a theoretical foundation for organizational learning in healthcare. Leaders in clinical practice can use learning histories to foster learning and improvement in their organizations. Conclusion Learning histories are a promising approach to advancing the science and practice of organizational learning.
Excitation of Fluorescent Lipid Probes Accelerates Supported Lipid Bilayer Formation via Photosensitized Lipid Oxidation

Fluorescent lipid probes are commonly used to label membranes of cells and model membranes like giant vesicles, liposomes, and supported lipid bilayers (SLB). Here, we show that excitation of fluorescent lipid probes with BODIPY-like conjugates results in a significant acceleration of the rupture and SLB formation process for unsaturated phospholipid vesicles on SiO2 surfaces. The resulting SLBs also have smaller measured masses, which is indicative of a reduction in membrane thickness and/or membrane density. The excitation of fluorescent probes with NBD and Texas Red conjugates does not accelerate the SLB formation process. In the absence of fluorescent probes or light, the inclusion of oxidized phospholipids also accelerates SLB formation. The excitation-induced acceleration caused by BODIPY-like probes is eliminated when the probes are present with saturated phospholipids not susceptible to oxidation, and it is attenuated when a lipophilic antioxidant (α-tocopherol) is present. These results suggest that BODIPY-phospholipid conjugates are photosensitizers, and their excitation causes oxidation of lipid membranes, which significantly alters membrane properties.
Sensitivity and Uncertainty Analyses for Use with Chemical Fate and Transport Models

A method for evaluating sensitivity and uncertainty analyses is presented here for use with chemical environmental exposure models. Sensitivity analysis allows one to assess the relationship between a set of potentially important model input variables and the model output. Uncertainty analysis allows one to assess the set of output values obtained and estimate various statistical properties such as the mean, median, standard deviation, and range. Absence of the ability to quantify parameter value uncertainty and model output uncertainty limits the validity of predictive model use. Use of the methods presented in this paper can increase the confidence in predictive environmental chemical fate model use. The present investigation employed the Latin hypercube sampling method developed by Iman and Shortencarier at Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM. It requires that a set of input variables be identified, and the probability distribution of each be specified. The range of each input variable is divided into intervals having equal probabilities, and one value is randomly selected from each interval. Sets of model input variables are then generated which cover the range of each variable. Some model inputs may then be calculated as functions of these key input variables. The computer model is run for each set of input variables and the model output is obtained. Regression techniques can then be employed to examine the differential sensitivity of the model to the various input variables and functions thereof, for example, cross products of input variables. Since the model input values are chosen based on probabilities, the set of model outputs can also be interpreted on a probabilistic basis. The techniques discussed in this paper respond to the growing need by chemical exposure model users for better defined sensitivity analysis procedures which can aid in explaining and interpreting results. An example problem data set is presented which highlights the methodological techniques and their utility.
Rehabilitating Blind Persons with Impaired Hearing

The importance of hearing to blind persons is currently being recognized in the research projects described in the following two articles. Impaired hearing, itself an isolating factor, complicates ...
Polypharmacy, adverse outcomes, and treatment effectiveness in patients ≥75 with atrial fibrillation

Background Polypharmacy is highly prevalent in elderly people with chronic conditions, including atrial fibrillation (AF). The impact of polypharmacy on adverse outcomes and on treatment effectiven...
Intraoperative fluorescence with indocyanine green in congenital cardiac surgery: Potential applications of a novel technology.

Abstract Background Achieving successful repair of congenital heart defects requires attention to detail. Careful evaluation of anastomotic site patency, reimplanted coronary arteries, location of epicardial coronaries, and myocardial perfusion may be necessary to ensure safe conduct of the operation and achieve excellent outcomes. Methods Intraoperative fluorescence angiography (IOFA) was performed using indocyanine green in patients undergoing the following procedures: coronary artery reimplantation, coronary artery unroofing, evaluation of intraoperative coronary anatomy, reoperation requiring ventriculotomy, coarctation/interrupted aortic arch repair, systemic-to-pulmonary artery shunt, Norwood procedure, thoracic duct localization, and vascular rings. Results The technique was feasible in all patients. No mortality or adverse events related to the dye were encountered. Adequate intraoperative imaging was obtained in 15 patients (20 images), which correlated well with postoperative studies. The imaging quality was superior for assessing shunt patency, myocardial perfusion, and anastomotic patency and determining the location of epicardial coronary arteries but was less so for assessing branch pulmonary arteries. Conclusions IOFA is a useful and safe technique that can provide a quick on-table assessment of a variety of congenital surgical procedures. This may help answer questions that can minimize postoperative interventions and help ensure a smooth perioperative course and excellent outcomes.
Standardized Follow-up Plan For Depression Through The Implementation Of Provider Note And Nurse Follow-up Phone Call Templates

Background: Depression is highly prevalent in primary care settings and depressed patients of all ages are seen by their Primary Care Provider (PCP) for treatment (Datto et al., 2003). In order to adequately treat depression, PCPs must follow the clinical guidelines for follow-up.Purpose: The purpose of this project was to implement a standardized follow-up plan for patients aged 12 and older with a positive screen for depression using the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) screening tool.Methods: The setting was a rural clinic in Broken Bow, Nebraska. The sample included 89 patients seen between September 1 -November 30, 2020 who met the criteria of a PHQ-9 score of 5 or greater compared with 47 patients seen between September 1 -November 30, 2019. Quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, frequency and means and compared between before and after implementation of this quality improvement project.Results: In 2019, 11.3 % of patients reported depression. That more than doubled to 25.6 % in 2020. Of the depressed patients in 2019, 36.2% had mild depression, while the number almost doubled to 60.7% in 2020. The 2020 PHQ-9 results were reviewed from most severe down to mild depression. Of the 35 patients with the highest severity, 89% had at least one measure completed representing an adequate follow-up plan. Referral rates improved from 12.8% in 2019 to 14.6% in 2020. Medication was the most common treatment in both years with 57.4% in 2019 and 27% in 2020. Completed follow-ups improved from 45.5% in 2019 to 73% in 2020; with 1 nurse phone call follow-up and one CSSR-S completed.Conclusion: It is unknow the affects from the 2020 pandemic. However, and increase in mild depression shows a need to know how to treat sub-threshold depression. The use of the template as a guide led to improvement on all measures. However, some measures were used only sparingly and use may be improved with increased acceptance of the guide.
Continuous quality improvement (CQI) Institutionalization to reach 95:95:95 HIV targets: a multicountry experience from the Global South

Scaling up continuous quality improvement (CQI) processes could be key in achieving the 95:95:95 cascade and global HIV targets. This paper describes the experiences and outcomes related to implementing CQI processes to help reach these targets, with particular focus on clinical and programmatic settings in 6 countries from the global south. The HIV program at the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) implemented an adapted CQI model in Kenya, Tanzania, Botswana, Zambia, Nigeria and Rwanda that included the following steps: (1) analysing the problem to identify goals and objectives for improvement; (2) developing individual changes or ‘change packages’, (3) developing a monitoring system to measure improvements; and (4) implementing and measuring changes through continuous ‘plan-do-study-act’ (PDSA) cycles. We describe country-level experiences related to implementing this adaptive design, a collaborative learning and scale-up/sustainability model that addresses the 95:95:95 global HIV targets via a CQI learning network, and mechanisms for fostering communication and the sharing of ideas and results; we describe trends both before and after model implementation. Our selected country-level experiences based on implementing our CQI approach resulted in an increased partner testing acceptance rate from 21.7 to 48.2 % in Rwanda, which resulted in an increase in the HIV testing yield from 2.1 to 6.3 %. In Botswana, the overall linkage to treatment improved from 63 to 94 %, while in Kenya, the viral load testing uptake among paediatric and adolescent patients improved from 65 to 96 %, and the viral load suppression improved from 53 to 88 %. Adopting CQI processes is a useful approach for accelerating progress towards the attainment of the global 95:95:95 HIV targets. This paper also highlights the value of institutionalizing CQI processes and building the capacity of Ministry of Health (MoH) personnel in sub-Saharan Africa for the effective quality improvement of HIV programs and subsequent sustainability efforts.
Graph Deep Factors for Forecasting with Applications to Cloud Resource Allocation

Deep probabilistic forecasting techniques have recently been proposed for modeling large collections of time-series. However, these techniques explicitly assume either complete independence (local model) or complete dependence (global model) between time-series in the collection. This corresponds to the two extreme cases where every time-series is disconnected from every other time-series in the collection or likewise, that every time-series is related to every other time-series resulting in a completely connected graph. In this work, we propose a deep hybrid probabilistic graph-based forecasting framework called Graph Deep Factors (GraphDF) that goes beyond these two extremes by allowing nodes and their time-series to be connected to others in an arbitrary fashion. GraphDF is a hybrid forecasting framework that consists of a relational global and relational local model. In particular, we propose a relational global model that learns complex non-linear time-series patterns globally using the structure of the graph to improve both forecasting accuracy and computational efficiency. Similarly, instead of modeling every time-series independently, we learn a relational local model that not only considers its individual time-series but also the time-series of nodes that are connected in the graph. The experiments demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed deep hybrid graph-based forecasting model compared to the state-of-the-art methods in terms of its forecasting accuracy, runtime, and scalability. Our case study reveals that GraphDF can successfully generate cloud usage forecasts and opportunistically schedule workloads to increase cloud cluster utilization by 47.5% on average.
Bile acid transport into hepatocyte smooth endoplasmic reticulum vesicles is mediated by microsomal epoxide hydrolase, a membrane protein exhibiting two distinct topological orientations.

Abstract Bile acids, such as taurocholate, have been shown to be transported into hepatocyte smooth endoplasmic reticulum (SER) vesicles. This process is Na(+)-independent, electrogenic, inhibitable by 4,4'-diisothiocyanostilbene-2,2'-disulfonic acid and taurochenodeoxycholate, with a Km of 352 microM and a Vmax of 29.6 nmol/mg protein/min. The observed transport is mediated by the bifunctional protein, microsomal epoxide hydrolase (mEH) which can also mediate bile acid transport into hepatocytes across the sinusoidal plasma membrane (von Dippe, P., Amoui, M., Alves, C., and Levy, D. (1993) Am. J. Physiol. 264, G528-G534). mEH was isolated from SER membranes by immunoprecipitation with monoclonal antibody (mAb) 25D-1 which recognizes this protein on the surface of intact hepatocytes. The SER-derived protein exhibited an apparent molecular weight, isoelectric point, N-terminal amino acid sequence, and mEH-specific activity that were indistinguishable from the plasma membrane form of the enzyme. Proteoliposome reconstitution of the SER taurocholate transport system indicated that mEH was absolutely required for the expression of transport capacity. The interaction of mAb 25D-1 with mEH on intact right-side-out SER vesicles demonstrated that the epitope found on the surface of hepatocytes was also found on the cytoplasmic surface of these vesicles (80%) and in the lumen (20%) suggesting the presence of two forms of this protein in the SER, the latter from being sorted to the cell surface. The existence of two orientations of this protein in the SER was confirmed by the sensitivity to tryptic digestion, where 75% of the mAb epitope was accessible to the enzyme. The loss of the 25D-1 epitope correlated with loss of taurocholate transport capacity. The role of mEH in the transport process and the orientation of the transporting isoform was further established by demonstrating that mAb 25A-3, which also reacts with mEH on the hepatocyte surface, was able to directly inhibit taurocholate transport in the SER vesicle system. These and previous results thus establish that isoforms of mEH can mediate taurocholate transport at the sinusoidal plasma membrane and in SER vesicles and that this bifunctional protein can exist in two orientations in the SER membrane. The association of bile acids with the SER suggests a possible role of intracellular vesicles in the transhepatocellular movement of bile acids from the sinusoidal to the canalicular compartment.
Audio-visual isolated digit recognition for whispered speech

Whisper is used by talkers intentionally in certain circumstances to protect personal privacy. Due to the absence of periodic excitation in the production of whisper, there are considerable differences between neutral and whispered speech in the spectral structure. Therefore, performance of speech recognition systems trained with high energy voiced phonemes, degrades significantly when tested with whisper. In this study, we investigate the use of multi-streammodels in isolated digit recognition of whispered speech. A small digit corpus with one subject speaking both whisper and neutral speech is collected. The eigenlips approach is used to extract visual features describing the lips appearance. MFCCs are employed as feature set for speech. Two HMM systems are trained for each stream independently and their scores are linearly combined. The resulted word accuracy shows significant improvement (37%, absolute). The study represents one of the first advancements in whisper recognition using audiovisual features. It also supports the use of multistream HMM to improve the performance on whisper/neutral speech conditions.
Correlations between fibromyalgia symptom and function domains and patient global impression of change: a pooled analysis of three randomized, placebo-controlled trials of pregabalin.

Objective. The objective of the study was to conduct an analysis of pooled data from pregabalin fibromyalgia clinical trials to determine which fibromyalgia symptom and function domains drive patient perception of improvement. Design. Data from three double-blind, placebo-controlled trials of pregabalin in fibromyalgia patients were pooled for this analysis. Changes in independent variables, including the Medical Outcomes Study 36-item Short-Form Health Survey, Medical Outcomes Study–Sleep Scale, sleep quality score from the daily sleep diary, pain score from the daily pain diary, Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire, and Multidimensional Assessment of Fatigue were analyzed as predictors of outcome on the dependent variable, Patient Global Impression of Change (PGIC). Correlation analysis assessed relationships between the independent variables and PGIC. Cluster analysis identified dependencies among variables, and a shrinkage and selection method and stepwise logistic regression determined rank order of variables. Results. Improvement in PGIC at endpoint showed highest correlation with pain improvement, fatigue, sleep, and work and physical function (0.4 < r < 0.6). Cluster analysis identified three main clusters of symptoms at endpoint: mood (anxiety and depression), pain and sleep, and function and fatigue. Pain was ranked as the most important outcome explaining variability in PGIC, followed by fatigue and sleep. Conclusions. Pain, fatigue, and sleep associate most strongly with improvement in PGIC. Physical- and work-related function also correlated with patients' overall assessment of improvement. These domains and their respective outcome measures can be used to improve assessment of patients' response to treatment.
The Dissipation Subrange of Wind Wave Spectra

In Kitaigorodskii (1983), it was suggested that due to the breaking of wind waves in deep water, the dissipation of wave energy is restricted to a range of wavenumbers much higher than the wavenumbers typical for the so-called equilibrium range, or much higher than the peak wavenumber kp and peak frequency ωp. This prediction, similar to the prediction of the existence of dissipation subrange of Komogoroff’s three dimensional turbulence, was never before properly verified for obvious reasons: difficulties related to the measurements and interpretation of the random wave field properties at very high frequencies (or wavenumbers). In this paper an attempt is made to summarize the results of recent field experiments (Leykin and Rosenberg 1989; Tang and Shemdin, 1983; Birch and Ewing, 1986; Hansen et al., 1990; Banner et al., 1989; Banner, 1990; and some others) with the purpose of demonstrating that the rapid spectral fall oif needed for determination of the boundaries of dissipation subrange in the wavenumber frequency domain, seems to be an intrinsic property of rather well-developed seas.
Information Retrieval and Digital Libraries

The field of information retrieval (IR) is generally concerned with the indexing and retrieval of knowledge-based information. Although the name implies the retrieval of any type of information, the field has traditionally focused on retrieval of text-based documents, reflecting the type of information that was initially available by this early application of computer use. However, with the growth of multimedia content, including images, video, and other types of information, IR has broadened considerably. The proliferation of IR systems and on-line content has also changed the notion of libraries, which have traditionally been viewed as buildings or organizations. However, the developments of the Internet and new models for publishing have challenged this notion as well, and new digital libraries have emerged.
A conjectured combinatorial interpretation of the normalized irreducible character values of the symmetric group

In math.CO/0109093 the author obtained a formula for the value of an irreducible symmetric group character indexed by a partition of rectangular shape. In the present paper this formula is (conjecturally) generalized to arbitrary shapes.
Enhanced excretion of free amino acids by hyperthyroid patients.

Greater than normal amounts of one or more amino acids were found in the urines of 20 of 24 thyrotoxic patients. The amino acids most commonly increased were tyrosine (in nine of the 24 patients), β-aminoisobutyric acid (11/24), and cystathionine (12/24); seven patients had concurrent increases in the latter two amino acids. Hyperaminoacidemia, accompanied by generalized hyperaminoaciduria, was seen in the three nonfasting patients whose urine was examined. Sera from patients fasted overnight contained normal concentrations of free amino acids. Urinary calcium exceeded 250 mg/24 h in 10 of the 24 patients; urinary phosphorus exceeded 1.2g/day in four. These variables correlated poorly with each other, with the diagnostic impression of severity, and with the results of thyroid-function tests.
A critical quantity for noise attenuation in feedback systems.

Feedback modules, which appear ubiquitously in biological regulations, are often subject to disturbances from the input, leading to fluctuations in the output. Thus, the question becomes how a feedback system can produce a faithful response with a noisy input. We employed multiple time scale analysis, Fluctuation Dissipation Theorem, linear stability, and numerical simulations to investigate a module with one positive feedback loop driven by an external stimulus, and we obtained a critical quantity in noise attenuation, termed as “signed activation time”. We then studied the signed activation time for a system of two positive feedback loops, a system of one positive feedback loop and one negative feedback loop, and six other existing biological models consisting of multiple components along with positive and negative feedback loops. An inverse relationship is found between the noise amplification rate and the signed activation time, defined as the difference between the deactivation and activation time scales of the noise-free system, normalized by the frequency of noises presented in the input. Thus, the combination of fast activation and slow deactivation provides the best noise attenuation, and it can be attained in a single positive feedback loop system. An additional positive feedback loop often leads to a marked decrease in activation time, decrease or slight increase of deactivation time and allows larger kinetic rate variations for slow deactivation and fast activation. On the other hand, a negative feedback loop may increase the activation and deactivation times. The negative relationship between the noise amplification rate and the signed activation time also holds for the six other biological models with multiple components and feedback loops. This principle may be applicable to other feedback systems.
The Arc of Institutional Reform in Post-Maastricht Treaty Change

Abstract Though best known for its coverage of key policy areas, the Maastricht Treaty also introduced important institutional reforms. Building on the Single European Act, these pertained mainly to strengthening the legislative role of the European Parliament and extending the scope of qualified majority voting to more policy areas. Treaty-based institutional reform continued in the post-Maastricht period. Due to the twin challenges facing the EU in the aftermath of Maastricht — Central and Eastern European enlargement, and the gaping ‘democratic deficit’ — the focus of such reform shifted to the modalities of qualified majority voting and the size and composition of the Commission. The highly contentious nature of these issues thwarted effective institutional reform in the 1990s, overshadowed the work of the 2002–2003 Constitutional Convention, and dominated the intergovernmental conferences preceding the failed Constitutional Treaty and the subsequent Lisbon Treaty.
Umbilical Cord Blood Stem Cell Mediated Downregulation of Fas Improves Functional Recovery of Rats after Spinal Cord Injury

Human umbilical cord blood stem cells (hUCB), due to their primitive nature and ability to develop into nonhematopoietic cells of various tissue lineages, represent a potentially useful source for cell-based therapies after spinal cord injury (SCI). To evaluate their therapeutic potential, hUCB were stereotactically transplanted into the injury epicenter, one week after SCI in rats. Our results show the presence of a substantial number of surviving hUCB in the injured spinal cord up to five weeks after transplantation. Three weeks after SCI, apoptotic cells were found especially in the dorsal white matter and gray matter, which are positive for both neuron and oligodendrocyte markers. Expression of Fas on both neurons and oligodendrocytes was efficiently downregulated by hUCB. This ultimately resulted in downregulation of caspase-3 extrinsic pathway proteins involving increased expression of FLIP, XIAP and inhibition of PARP cleavage. In hUCB-treated rats, the PI3K/Akt pathway was also involved in antiapoptotic actions. Further, structural integrity of the cytoskeletal proteins α-tubulin, MAP2A&2B and NF-200 has been preserved in hUCB treatments. The behavioral scores of hind limbs of hUCB-treated rats improved significantly than those of the injured group, showing functional recovery. Taken together, our results indicate that hUCB-mediated downregulation of Fas and caspases leads to functional recovery of hind limbs of rats after SCI.
Unexpected spontaneous formation of CO clusters on the Au(1 1 1) surface

Abstract Using the scanning tunneling microscope (STM) at 5 K, we have observed spontaneous formation of clusters between CO molecules adsorbed on the Au(1 1 1) surface. In all the (CO) n clusters ( n = 2–5), the CO molecules are bonded to the nearest-neighbor gold atoms in characteristic arrangements. The CO dimer was found to exhibit an unusual tip-induced motion, where one molecule orbits around its neighbor. The clusters could be translated and manipulated without decomposition using the STM tip. These results demonstrate that the interaction between CO molecules bonded in particular cluster geometries to the nearest-neighbor Au atoms is attractive rather than repulsive as commonly assumed.
First-stage palliation of complex univentricular cardiac anomalies in older infants.

Abstract Background . Poor outcomes have been reported for children older than 30 days of age with cardiac anomalies treated with first-stage palliation. Methods . Our institution has offered first-stage palliation for all such patients regardless of age. The results of this policy were reviewed. Results . Nine patients older than 30 days (median age 67 days, range 36 to 108 days) with diagnoses of hypoplastic left heart syndrome (n = 5), double-outlet right ventricle with hypoplastic aortic arch (n = 2), unbalanced atrioventricular septal defect (n = 1), or single left ventricle with subaortic stenosis (n = 1) underwent surgical palliation. Patients underwent a Norwood (n = 7) or Damus-Kaye-Stancel (n = 2) procedure with a 4- or 5-mm modified Blalock-Taussig shunt; all patients survived the operation. Eight patients underwent a subsequent bidirectional Glenn (2 perioperative deaths, both due to pneumonia; 6 survivors). Two of the 6 surviving patients have undergone Fontan reconstruction and 4 are awaiting Fontan. Conclusions . Surgical palliation for complex univentricular cardiac malformations can be performed in older infants with results comparable to those in neonates. The use of a larger shunt may contribute to these improved outcomes.
One-component to two-component transitions of fractional quantum Hall states in a wide quantum well

We report measurements of the quasi-particle excitation gaps for different fractional quantum Hall (FQH) states of a low-disorder, symmetric eIectron system in a 770 A wide GaAs quantum well as a function of density, N s . At filling factor v=1/2, the electron system undergoes phase transitions from a compressible (metallic) state to an incompressible (FQH) state and then to an insulating phase as N s is increased. The v=1/2 FQH state, observed in the range 1.0X10 11 ≤N s ≤1.4X10 11 cm -2 , is remarkably strong and its excitation gap reaches ≃0.9 K at N s =1.16X10 11 cm 2 . Our data suggest that this 1/2 FQH state has a two-component origin. We also observe a dramatic transition from a one-component to a two-component FQH state at v=2/3 as N s is increased
Factor analysis of the pervasive developmental disorders rating scale with teacher ratings of students with autistic disorder

The Pervasive Developmental Disorders Rating Scale (PDDRS; Eaves, 2003) is a rating scale that is used in the screening process for pervasive developmental disorders (PDD). The PDDRS contains three scales: Arousal, Affect, and Cognition. In this study, the construct validity of the PDDRS was examined with teacher ratings from a sample of 168 children with autistic disorder through exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. In the exploratory factor analysis, a three-factor structure was examined. Confirmatory factor analysis was employed to evaluate the model-fit of the data for the hypothesized second-order factor structure. The results supported the averred factor structure of the PDDRS with teacher ratings for students with autistic disorder. Limitations of the data and areas for future research are discussed. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Psychol Schs 42: 207–216, 2005.
Preliminary structural design of a lunar transfer vehicle aerobrake

An aerobrake concept for a Lunar transfer vehicle was weight optimized through the use of the Taguchi design method, structural finite element analyses and structural sizing routines. Six design parameters were chosen to represent the aerobrake structural configuration. The design parameters included honeycomb core thickness, diameter to depth ratio, shape, material, number of concentric ring frames, and number of radial frames. Each parameter was assigned three levels. The minimum weight aerobrake configuration resulting from the study was approx. half the weight of the average of all twenty seven experimental configurations. The parameters having the most significant impact on the aerobrake structural weight were identified.
Persistent Depolarizing Action of GABA in Rat Cajal-Retzius Cells

First described over a century ago (Ramon y Cajal, 1891), Cajal-Retzius (CR) cells have recently reawakened a sharp interest with the discovery that they synthesize and secrete a protein, Reelin, which controls neuronal migration and final position during neocortical lamination (D'Arcangelo et al. 1995; Ogawa et al. 1995; Rakic & Caviness, 1995). Notwithstanding this pivotal role, little information is available on the basic physiological and pharmacological properties of CR cells (Kim et al. 1995; Hestrin & Armstrong, 1996; Zhou & Hablitz, 1996; Mienville & Barker, 1997; Schwartz et al. 1998). Specifically, nothing is known about potential stimuli or factors that may regulate Reelin secretion. This particular information would be very useful to better understand regulatory processes operative in neocorticogenesis, and the potential role that abnormalities of neuronal migration may play in the aetiology of neuropsychiatric disorders (Kalus et al. 1997). Another still unexplained feature of CR cells is their disappearance from cortical Layer I, which in the rat occurs after the second week postnatal. To explain this disappearance, it is still unclear whether CR cells undergo morphological changes, become diluted in a rapidly expanding cortex, or simply die (see Marin-Padilla, 1998, for review). Recently, the hypothesis of cellular death has received strong experimental support (Derer & Derer, 1992; Del Rio et al. 1996). It is well established, in many neuronal populations, that during early stages of development GABA, acting on GABAA receptors, depolarizes the plasma membrane due to a Cl− equilibrium potential that is more positive than the resting potential. This phenomenon has been particularly well described for rat hippocampal cells in which, after the first week postnatal, the effect of GABA switches from depolarizing to hyperpolarizing, apparently owing to a more efficient Cl− extrusion (Ben-Ari et al. 1997). This switch, together with the differentiation of glutamatergic transmission, eventually allows for functional maturation of hippocampal circuits. The present results provide the first electrophysiological characterization of GABA responses in embryonic and postnatal CR cells. Moreover, they indicate that in late postnatal cortex, CR cells fail to promote the switch to a hyperpolarizing GABA effect, which may entail important consequences for the physiology and fate of these cells.
An algorithm for computing nonparametric estimators of change‐points

An efficient FORTRAN subroutine for computing three nonparametric point estimators of change-points is offered. Estimates computed from the subroutine are obtained for two classical data sets
Pattern formation and optical limiting in counterpropagating beams in photorefractive-photogalvanic crystals

We have derived adequate system of equations for description of pattern formation and optical limiting effects due to dynamic reflection gratings, formed by the counter propagating beams in the photorefractive-photogalvanic crystals. Approximative solutions related to pattern formation and optical limiting are analyzed.© (2001) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.