cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Design of a safety dashboard for patients

Abstract Background Nearly one third of hospitalized patients suffer harm from medical errors in U.S. hospitals each year. Objective Our goal was to design a patient-facing application that is intended to engage patients and their caregivers in reviewing and responding to clinical issues that may have safety implications. Patient involvement We conducted user-centered design sessions with recently hospitalized individuals and /or informal caregivers. Methods We conducted five user-centered design sessions with total of 37 individuals. Sessions began with individuals sharing personal stories of recent hospitalizations and any experienced safety events. We then solicited feedback on the current iteration of the patient-facing safety application. The design of the app was updated between sessions. Results The design of our app centers around three key findings. First, involving patients in safety promotion is novel to most patients and their caregivers: therefore the framing of the tool's purpose and appropriate use is critical to engage potential users and manage expectations, this messaging was carefully crafted with patient input. Second, since most patients do not associate specific safety issues with appropriate remedial or preventative actions, the centerpiece of the application is a table that connects safety issues with related “Questions you should ask” and “Things you can do”. Third, patients need understandable explanations of medical terms and concepts as well as explanation of changes in risk; the tool includes plain language “translations” of all medical terms used, links to curated patient education materials, and simplified graphics to visualize changes in risk. Discussion Our findings may generalize to other efforts to engage patients in their care. Practice value Designing for patient engagement requires patients' perspective both on their current role and their ideal role; framing for expectations, action-oriented design, and clarity of presented information may address that gap in patient engagement.
Utopian Conservation: Scientific Humanism, Evolution, and Island Imaginaries on the Galápagos Islands:

In 1959, the Charles Darwin Station and the Galapagos National Park were established, formally inaugurating conservation on the archipelago. In the same year, a utopian colony from the United State...
Laboratory Tests for the Diagnosis of Clostridium difficile

Clostridium (reclassified as “Clostridioides”) difficile is an anaerobic, gram-positive bacterium that causes significant disease through elaboration of two potent toxins in patients whose normal gut microbiota has been altered through antimicrobial or chemotherapeutic agents (dysbiosis). The optimum method of laboratory diagnosis is still somewhat controversial. Recent practice guidelines published by professional societies recommend a two-step approach beginning with a test for glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH), followed by a toxin test and/or a nucleic acid test. Alternatively, in institutions where established clinical algorithms guide testing, a nucleic acid test alone is acceptable. Nucleic acid tests are the methods of choice in approximately 50% of laboratories in the United States. These tests are considered as the most sensitive methods for detection of C. difficile in stool and are the least specific. Because of the lower specificity with nucleic acid tests, some clinicians believe that toxin enzyme immunoassays are better predictors of disease, despite their known poor performance in certain patient populations. This review will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the currently available test methods for the diagnosis of C. difficile with a brief mention of some novel assays that are currently in clinical trials.
Estimating the marginal hazard ratio by simultaneously using a set of propensity score models: A multiply robust approach

The inverse probability weighted Cox model is frequently used to estimate the marginal hazard ratio. Its validity requires a crucial condition that the propensity score model be correctly specified. To provide protection against misspecification of the propensity score model, we propose a weighted estimation method rooted in the empirical likelihood theory. The proposed estimator is multiply robust in that it is guaranteed to be consistent when a set of postulated propensity score models contains a correctly specified model. Our simulation studies demonstrate satisfactory finite sample performance of the proposed method in terms of consistency and efficiency. We apply the proposed method to compare the risk of postoperative hospitalization between sleeve gastrectomy and Roux-en-Y gastric bypass using data from a large medical claims and billing database. We further extend the development to multisite studies to enable each site to postulate multiple site-specific propensity score models.
Simplified Quantification of 11C-UCB-J PET Evaluated in a Large Human Cohort.

11C-UCB-J is a PET tracer for synaptic vesicle glycoprotein 2A which may be a marker of synaptic density. To simplify the scan protocol, standardized uptake value ratios (SUVR) were compared to model-based binding potential (BPND) to select the optimal time window in healthy and neuropsychiatric subjects. Methods: A total of 141 scans were acquired for 90 min. Arterial blood sampling and metabolite analysis were conducted. SUVR-1 (centrum semiovale reference region) was computed for six 30-min windows and compared with 1-tissue compartment model BPND. Simulations were performed to assess the time dependency of SUVR-1. Results: Greater correlation and less bias were observed for SUVR-1 at later time windows for all subjects. Simulations showed that the agreement between SUVR-1 and BPND is time-dependent. Conclusion: The 60-90 min period provided the best match between SUVR-1 and BPND (-1±7%), thus, a short scan is sufficient for accurate quantification of 11C-UCB-J specific binding.
Zika Virus Field Effect Transistor

A unique field-effect transistor with an active channel composed of aptamers designed to bind to the Zika virus was fabricated. To immobilize the aptamers in the device channel, we used gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), a 20–40 nm thin film of sputtered gold (Au film), and a molecular sieve material zeolite. The aptamers were functionalized with a thiol end group that enabled them to bind with gold and most other materials. In the case of aptamer/AuNP, when Zika was added to the channel it reduced the channel conductivity from $4.4\times 10 ^{2}\text{S}$ /cm to 3.7 S/cm. The gate field effect clearly showed that the aptamer/AuNP channel is p-type with a relatively large transconductance of $300~\mu \text{S}$ ( $\text{V}_{DS} =2\text{V}$ ) compared to the Zika/aptamer/AuNP channel (also p-type) but with lower transconductance of $2~\mu $ S ( $\text{V}_{DS} =2\text{V}$ ). There was large amount of charge trapping (~1015 cm2) in Zika/aptamer/AuNP channel. In other cases of aptamer/Au film and zeolite channels, there were large changes in the channel conductance when Zika was added. Aptamer/Au and aptamer/zeolite channels were both n-type and their conductivities increased when Zika was added. Combination of AuNP and zeolite biosensing FETs can be used to design complimentary bio-FET sensors. We show that the gate voltage in FET biosensors can be used to increase their sensitivity (24 times in Zika/aptamer/AuNP), selectivity and dynamic range (by $10\times $ or more).
Lymphaticovenous anastomosis of the caudal thoracic duct to an intercostal vein: A canine cadaver study.

Objective To describe a technique for anastomosis of the thoracic duct (TD) to the 11th or 12th intercostal vein (ICV) using a microvascular anastomotic coupler (MAC) in the dog. Study design Cadaveric study. Animals Eight beagles. Methods A right paracostal laparotomy and 10th intercostal thoracotomy were performed in each dog. Mesenteric contrast lymphography was used to identify the TD and its branches on fluoroscopy. The TD and adjacent 11th or 12th ICV were isolated, double ligated, and divided using a surgical microscope. The caudal TD and proximal ICV were anastomosed in an end-to-end fashion using a 1.5 mm or 2 mm MAC. Mesenteric lymphography was repeated to document patency of the anastomosis. Results The TD was identified via lymphography in all dogs; five dogs had a single duct, and three dogs had additional branches. The anastomosis was successful in all eight dogs, and flow into the azygos vein without leakage was confirmed via lymphography. Conclusion End-to-end anastomosis of the TD to an ICV using a MAC was technically feasible in the canine cadaver. Clinical significance Lymphaticovenous anastomosis combined with TD ligation may have application as a treatment for idiopathic chylothorax. By maintaining the flow of chyle from the abdominal lymphatics to the systemic circulation, this procedure may reduce the stimulus for collateral circulation and persistent flow to the cranial mediastinal lymphatics.
Numerical study on the impact of fluid distribution on a counter-current direct contact evaporator

Abstract Humidification-Dehumidification (HDH) desalination units have been extensively studied during the past decades using macro-scale modeling, which relies on empirical closure correlations. Nonetheless, the HDH process remains relatively inefficient in terms of total energy requirements when compared with other desalination technologies such as Reverse Osmosis (RO) or Multi-Stage Flash (MSF). To improve the performance of direct contact evaporation, modeling of the transport phenomena at the small local scale is required. The objective of the present paper is to accurately model the hydrodynamic as well as heat and mass transfer as it typically occurs in a HDH counter-current direct contact evaporator. The numerical model is based on the Volume-of-Fluid (VOF) method included in ANSYS Fluent v19.2, which is modified to properly model diffusion driven evaporation. The study with multiple fluid distribution patterns shows a high increase in liquid hold-up and evaporated mass with an increase in water spray density, while the gas distribution does not have a noticeable impact on the performance of the evaporator column. The insight provided by the CFD model highlights the importance of considering the water distributor in conjunction with the packed column design for improving the performance.
On the fracture response of shape memory alloys by void growth and coalescence

Abstract Although Shape Memory Alloys (SMAs) belong to a relatively brittle class of materials, that of intermetallics, their fracture surfaces are characterized by both cleavage and dimples, with the latter being indicative of ductile rupture. Two clear differentiators of SMAs from other intermetallics, which may contribute to the presence of ductile rupture are their ability to transform their crystallographic structure and the presence of precipitates in large volume fractions. In this paper, unit cell simulations are employed in an effort to quantify the relative importance of the two fracture mechanisms in the overall failure response of these materials. The numerical simulations involve a single pre-existing void, assumed to have initiated from a second phase particle, embedded in a SMA matrix material. Thus, the unit cell studies allow for an investigation of void growth and coalescence, ignoring void formation and its footprint in the subsequent microstructure evolution. The numerical studies show that void growth is rather limited before the peak stress-value in the effective stress–effective strain response of the unit cell for initial void-volume fractions representative of precipitation-hardened SMAs. Given the available experimental observations on notched round bars, which indicate that precipitation-hardened SMAs fail in a stress-controlled manner, the numerical studies suggest that void growth and coalescence should play a minor role in the formation of dimples, as compared to that of void nucleation and cleavage, and in turn into the fracture response of precipitated SMAs.
Endogenous animal models of intracranial aneurysm development: a review

The pathogenesis and natural history of intracranial aneurysm (IA) remains poorly understood. To this end, animal models with induced cerebral vessel lesions mimicking human aneurysms have provided the ability to greatly expand our understanding. In this review, we comprehensively searched the published literature to identify studies that endogenously induced IA formation in animals. Studies that constructed aneurysms (i.e., by surgically creating a sac) were excluded. From the eligible studies, we reported information including the animal species, method for aneurysm induction, aneurysm definitions, evaluation methods, aneurysm characteristics, formation rate, rupture rate, and time course. Between 1960 and 2019, 174 articles reported endogenous animal models of IA. The majority used flow modification, hypertension, and vessel wall weakening (i.e., elastase treatment) to induce IAs, primarily in rats and mice. Most studies utilized subjective or qualitative descriptions to define experimental aneurysms and histology to study them. In general, experimental IAs resembled the pathobiology of the human disease in terms of internal elastic lamina loss, medial layer degradation, and inflammatory cell infiltration. After the early 2000s, many endogenous animal models of IA began to incorporate state-of-the-art technology, such as gene expression profiling and 9.4-T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in vivo imaging, to quantitatively analyze the biological mechanisms of IA. Future studies aimed at longitudinally assessing IA pathobiology in models that incorporate aneurysm growth will likely have the largest impact on our understanding of the disease. We believe this will be aided by high-resolution, small animal, survival imaging, in situ live-cell imaging, and next-generation omics technology.
Energy-Efficient Device Selection in Federated Edge Learning

Due to the increasing demand from mobile devices for the real-time response of cloud computing services, federated edge learning (FEL) emerges as a new computing paradigm, which utilizes edge devices to achieve efficient machine learning while protecting their data privacy. Implementing efficient FEL suffers from the challenges of devices’ limited computing and communication resources, as well as unevenly distributed datasets, which inspires several existing research focusing on device selection to optimize time consumption and data diversity. However, these studies fail to consider the energy consumption of edge devices given their limited power supply, which can seriously affect the cost-efficiency of FEL with unexpected device dropouts. To fill this gap, we propose a device selection model capturing both energy consumption and data diversity optimization, under the constraints of time consumption and training data amount. Then we solve the optimization problem by reformulating the original model and designing a novel algorithm, named E2DS, to reduce the time complexity greatly. By comparing with two classical FEL schemes, we validate the superiority of our proposed device selection mechanism for FEL with extensive experimental results.
RESTORING GLUTAMATE RECEPTOR SIGNALING IN PANCREATIC ALPHA CELLS RESCUES GLUCAGON RESPONSES IN TYPE 1 DIABETES

Glucagon secretion from pancreatic alpha cells is crucial to prevent hypoglycemia. For reasons still unknown, people with type 1 diabetes lose this glucoregulatory mechanism and are susceptible to dangerous hypoglycemia. Here we show that alpha cells in living pancreas slices from donors with type 1 diabetes failed to secrete glucagon in response to decreases in glucose concentration, thus mirroring the in vivo unresponsiveness to hypoglycemia. Glucagon content and responses to KCl depolarization were not affected, suggesting that alpha cells retained their secretory potential. By contrast, alpha cells had severely impaired signaling via glutamate receptors of the AMPA/kainate type. Under healthy conditions, activating these receptors was required to elicit full glucagon responses to decreases in glucose levels. In type 1 diabetes, reactivating residual glutamate receptor function with the positive allosteric modulators cyclothiazide and aniracetam restored glucagon secretion in response to hypoglycemia. These positive allosteric modulators are already approved to treat other conditions and could be repurposed to prevent hypoglycemia and improve management of diabetes.
Supersonic Flutter of a Cylindrical Shell

(1) SUMMARY The aerodynamic instability of traveling waves on a cylindrical shell exposed to an external supersonic air stream and containing an internal fluid is examined on the hypothesis of short wave length (compared with the radius and length of the shell). The stability criterion for an empty isotropic shell and the negative damping ratio when this criteria is not met are determined. It is shown that the negative damping ratio calculated in the absence of structural damping decreases monotonically with an increase in structural damping, but structural damping cannot prevent in­ stability and may render an otherwise stable motion weakh^ unstable. HE FOLLOWING ANALYSIS of the dynamic instability (panel flutter) of thin-walled cylindrical shells under the action of an exterior supersonic flow is pre­ sented as a sequel to an earlier formulation of the twodimensional problem.1 In that paper panel flutter was studied as a traveling wave phenomenon, following Kelvin's classical analysis of the surface waves pro­ duced by wind blowing over water. We remark at the outset that all of the essential features of this approach to panel flutter are elucidated by the two-dimensional analysis without recourse to any approximations beyond those implicit in the assumptions of small disturbances, a perfect fluid, and an infinite surface; however, further analysis and additional approximations are necessary in order to render the results applicable to practical con­ figurations.!
Establishing homology criteria for regulatory gene networks: prospects and challenges.

One of the most remarkable discoveries to emerge from the field of developmental genetics is the observation that many regulatory genes and segments of their interactive networks (pathways) appear to have been conserved in several metazoan phyla. Determining whether these conserved regulatory networks are homologous, i.e. derived from an equivalent network in the most recent common ancestor, is critical to understanding comparisons between model system studies, and the evolution of metazoan body plans. To this end, I outline some of the evolutionary properties of regulatory networks, and propose both similarity and phylogenetic criteria that can be used to test the hypothesis that two regulatory networks are homologous. Furthermore, I propose that genetic networks can be treated as a distinct level of biological organization, and can be analysed together with other hierarchical levels, such as genes, embryonic origins and morphological structures, in a comparative framework. Examples from the literature, particularly the genetic regulatory networks involved in patterning arthropod and vertebrate limbs, are examined using the proposed criteria and hierarchical approach.
The theory of direct nuclear knock-out reactions with polarized beams

A previous statement of the theory of direct nuclear knockout reactions is generalized to include reactions involving the exchange of two-fermion clusters and reactions involving polarized incident beams. The formalism is developed in terms of the distorted-wave Born approximation. Spin-dependent distortions and a finite-range direct interaction are included, but kinematical considerations are neglected assuming the infinitely heavy core for the target and residual nuclei. Coulomb effects, neglected in the previous paper, are taken into account in the present treatment. For cases of the incident beam being unpolarized and polarized, explicit expressions are obtained for the angular distribution, the total cross-section, and the polarization of the emitted particles.
Questioned Documents and the Law: Handwriting Evidence in the Federal Court System

It is probably wise to define at the outset exactly what material this paper intends to discuss and, perhaps more importantly, what it will not discuss. At the very least, this practice should save the time of readers who already know (or don't care about) what is offered, and of those who search for information which is absent here. This paper does cover the origins, development, and present status of handwriting evidence in courts of the United States. What is not discussed includes the historical English precedents (except insofar as the English common law doctrines were adopted and explicated in U.S. court decisions), nor is there any discussion of developments in courts of the various states, nor is there any specific discussion of questioned document problems other than handwriting. These are all deserving topics, and let us hope they will be subjects of future research, but for now the topic will be limited strictly to the law of handwriting evidence applicable in the federal court system. Historical discussions, collections of citations, and surveys can be found in Refs 1 through 5.
Hot Electron Production by Raman Scattering in a Preformed Underdense Plasma

One of the problems facing the laser fusion community is the preheating of the target core by hot electrons generated from nonlinear processes in the laser-plasma interaction. These hot electrons originate in the corona of the target, but can penetrate and preheat the core before the intended adiabatic compression can occur, thus preventing the high density necessary for significant fusion reactions to take place.
A transition scoring system of caries increment with adjustment of reversals in longitudinal study: evaluation using primary tooth surface data

Ismail AI, Lim S, Sohn W. A transition scoring system of caries increment with adjustment of reversals in longitudinal study: evaluation using primary tooth surface data. Community Dent Oral Epidemiol 2011; 39: 61-68. � 2010 John Wiley & Sons A ⁄S Abstract - Objectives: The aim of this paper is to evaluate a new comprehensive scoring system for longitudinal studies using the International Caries Detection and Assessment System (ICDAS). Methods: A sample of 638 children were examined in 2002-2003 and again in 2007. Caries was assessed using the ICDAS criteria which assess six clinical stages of dental caries. Based on a transition matrix matching the baseline and follow-up ICDAS scores, we developed transition weights to best describe the progression, regression, or no progression nor regression of dental caries. Differential weights were assigned to transitions involved with noncavitated, cavitated, filled, crowned, or missing lesions. This method (transitional scoring system (TSS)) differentiated biologically plausible reversals from those because of examiner's misclassification. We computed and compared mean dmfs (decayed, missing, and filled tooth surfaces) increment scores including (dtmfs) or excluding the noncavitated stage (dcmfs) from TSS and another adjustment method proposed by Beck (modified Beck's method). The coefficients of variation (CV) of the two methods were also compared. Results: Mean dtmfs from TSS was slightly higher than that from modified Beck's method. There was no difference in mean dcmfs between two methods. The ratios of CV indicated that the CV of TSS was significantly smaller than those from modified Beck's method. Conclusions: There were differences in caries increment scores between the two methods when we accounted for the transition of noncavitated lesions. The evaluation of CV concluded that TSS was more efficient because it requires less sample size compared with the modified Beck's method to detect a treatment effect. Both methods can be used to compute caries increments for populations with similar distribution of the dmfs scores to the sample used in this study.
Nanoflare modeling of an X-ray bright point coronal loop

Abstract We study the spatial structure and temporal evolution of an X-ray bright point loop in order to understand the role of magnetic energy dissipation. We use a time-dependent hydrodynamic model to simulate the corona and transition region in the x-ray bright point's coronal loop. For this work we model a bright point observed by TRACE and SOHO on June 17, 1998, where the magnetic field geometry is derived from an extrapolation of magnetograms. We study the effects of temporal distributions of heat deposition within the loop, as a series of long and short duration “nanoflares”. The quantity of energy deposited and the location of the energy release is constrained by a model equilibrium magnetic field.
Abolishing LLC Veil Piercing

Courts are now routinely applying the corporate law doctrine of veil piercing to limited liability companies. This extension of a seriously flawed doctrine into a new arena is not required by statute and is unsupportable as a matter of policy. The standards by which veil piercing is effected are vague, leaving judges great discretion. The result has been uncertainty and lack of predictability, increasing transaction costs for small businesses. At the same time, however, there is no evidence that veil piercing has been rigorously applied to affect socially beneficial policy outcomes. Judges typically seem to be concerned more with the facts and equities of the specific case at bar than with the implications of personal shareholder liability for society at large. A standard academic move treats veil piercing as a safety valve allowing courts to address cases in which the externalities associated with limited liability seem excessive. In doing so, veil piercing is called upon to achieve such lofty goals as leading LLC members to optimally internalize risk, while not deterring capital formation and economic growth, while promoting populist notions of economic democracy. The task is untenable. Veil piercing is rare, unprincipled, and arbitrary. Abolishing veil piercing would refocus judicial analysis on the appropriate question - did the defendant - LLC member do anything for which he or she should be held directly liable?
Trifunctional Reagents for Derivatizing Sulfhydryl Groups

Abstract The syntheses of four trifunctional reagents for alkylating sulfhydryl groups in proteins are described: N-γ-maleimidobutyrylbiocytinyl-tyramine (compound I) and its sulfone, N-γ-maleimidobutyrylbiocytinyltyrosine (compound II), and N-α-4-maleimidobutyrylbiocytinamido-2 ′-[p-(hydroxyphenyl)-propionamido] ethane (compound III). Each reagent contains a maleimide function capable of reacting with SH groups, a p-hydroxyphenyl group that can be iodinated, and a "biotin handle" to facilitate purification of the derivatized proteins or peptides derived from them by biotin-avidin affinity chromatography. Detailed conditions for obtaining the pure di-iododerivatives of the compounds have been developed. The biotin is attached to all the reagents via the ϵ-amino group of lysine (biocytin) to provide sufficient space for optimum binding to avidin. The half-times (t 1 2 ) for dissociation of compound I from succinoyl avidin (36.7 days), its monoiodo (26.1 days) and di-iodo derivatives (21.4 days), and compound I sulfone (29.8 days), demonstrate that iodination does not significantly interfere with binding of the biotin residue to succinoyl avidin and that these reagents can be used effectively as affinity ligands. Remarkably, all the reagents can be iodinated without loss of their sulfhydryl alkylating capacity. Alkylation of highly purified human placental insulin receptor with the di-iodo derivatives of the reagents resulted in significant incorporation of 125I into the β-subunit of the receptor and the alkylation was prevented by prior exposure of the receptor to NEM. The advantages of these reagents over those previously available are that the parent molecules (1) are inexpensive to prepare, (2) are solids that can be stored indefiniteIy without degradation, (3) and can be radiolabeled to specific activity levels over seventy times higher with 125I than the specific activity available for 3H derivatives.
Effects of hexachlorocyclohexane isomers on concanavalin A 'capping' in bovine lymphocytes.

Abstract The effects of α, β, γ, and δ isomers of hexachlorocyclohexane on cconcanavalin A ‘capping’ in bovine lymphocytes were evaluated, γ and δ were hexochlorocyclohexane inhibited ‘capping’ whereas the α and β isomers were without effect. In addition, γ-hexachlorocyclohexane has been shown to antagonize the maintenance of preformed ‘caps’ and cause the rapid dispersal of the concanavalin A-receptor complexes over the surface of cells by a temperature-dependent mechanism. The possible role of a γ-hexachlorocyclohexane-sensitive process in the organization of microflow patterns in the lectin-activated lymphocyte membrane is discussed.
Patients' Prenatal Medical Record Pr'is

A prenatal assessment form for ambulatory prenatal patients was designed to provide information required for effective patient care during unscheduled visits or for visits with health-care providers ulrfamiliar with a patient's history. The abbreviated record enables healthare providers to manage problems before obtaining complete medical records from centralized sources. In two years of use, these abbreviated records have improved both the efficiency and quality of care for unscheduled and scheduled visits.
John Mayow and oxygen

The exact date and place of John Mayow’s birth are uncertain. He was born sometime between 1640 and 1645, either in London or Cornwall [1,2]. He entered Wadham College, Oxford in 1658. It was an active time for science at Oxford. Robert Boyle, Christopher Wren, Richard Lower and Robert Hooke were all at the university during this period. Mayow studied law, earning a doctorate of civil law in 1670. There is no record that he ever received a medical degree [1,2]. Nevertheless, his scientific studies at Oxford, together with his degree in civil law rendered him capable of practicing medicine, which he did in both London and in the spa town of Bath.
Target Detection from MPEG Video Based on Low-Rank Filtering in the Compressed Domain

There are advantages of using the motion vector obtained from the MPEG video coding to perform target of interest identification in the field. In practice, however, environment noise, time-varying, and uncertainty factors affect their performance reliably and accurately detecting targets of interest. In this paper, we proposed a novel low rank filtering based on L 1 norm in order to straighten up single rogue or outliers that might show up fairly often. Finally, a simple average smoothing filter was applied to reduce vector quantization noise. By using the low rank filtering based on L 1 norm, the dominant motion vectors from the MPEG video coding can be extracted appropriately with respect to target operational responses and can be used for robust identification of moving target. The performance of the proposed approach was evaluated based on a set of experimental camera motion. The motions, including pan, tilt, and zoom, was computed from the motion vectors, and the residual vectors which are not described by the camera motion are regarded as generated by moving blobs. Events, as a result, can be detected from these moving blobs. It is demonstrated that the approach yields very promising results where motion vectors obtained from the MPEG video coding can be used efficiently to detect and identify moving target in the field.
Meta-analysis of variables that affect accuracy of threshold estimation via measurement of the auditory steady-state response (ASSR)

Reported are the results of meta-analyses of data derived collectively from a sample of 56 published research studies on electric response audiometry (ERA) using auditory steady-state responses (ASSRs). Several specific methodological issues were examined and hypotheses were posited to rigorously test common conclusions drawn from the ASSR literature on the accuracy of ASSR-ERA. Explanatory variables for analyses were type of population (normally hearing and hearing-impaired), type of modulation, number of sweeps acquired during response analysis, electrode montage, and modulation rate (80 vs. 40 Hz). No explanatory variables were found to be significantly related to the degree of disparity between thresholds obtained by ASSR-ERA versus behavioral audiometry in the normally hearing population. Conversely, all but one explanatory variable (i.e. electrode montage) was found to be significantly related to mean threshold differences in the hearing-impaired and combined populations. Results both substantiate s...
Effects of electronic delocalization on intramolecular proton transfer

Abstract The effects of molecular size, conjugation length, and competition with excimer formation on excited state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) in conjugated polymers, in which the intramolecularly hydrogen-bonded moieties reside in the main chain, were examined. A large extent of π-electron delocalization is found to inhibit the ESIPT process. Excimer formation is found to be competitive with ESIPT in the polymers studied, whereas molecular size does not inhibit ESIPT.
A disulfide-bonded trimer of myoglobin-like chains is the principal subunit of the extracellular hemoglobin of Lumbricus terrestris.

Abstract The extracellular hemoglobin of Lumbricus terrestris (39000 kDa) consists of at least six different polypeptide chains: I through IV (16–19 kDa), V (31 kDA) and VI (37 kDA) (Vinogradov, S.N., Shlom, J.M., Hall, B.C., Kapp, O.H. and Mizukami, H. (1977) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 492, 136–155). SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of the unreduced hemoglobin shows that chains II, III and IV form a disulfide-bonded 50 kDa subunit. This subunit was isolated by gel filtration of the hemoglobin on Sephacryl S-200 (a) at neutral pH in 0.1% SDS and (b) in 0.1 M sodium acetate buffer (pH 4.0); in the latter case it retains heme. The 50 kDa subunit obtained by method (b) was reduced and subjected to chromatofocusing on a PBE 94 column: the elution pattern obtained with Polybuffer 74 (pH 4.5) and monitored at 280 nm, consisted of three peaks A, B and C; peaks A and B but not C, had absorbance at 410 nm. SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis showed that peaks A, B and C corresponded to chains II, IV and III, respectively. Amino acid analyses and N-terminal sequence determinations identified chain II as the chain whose primary structure had been determined (Garlick R. and Riggs, A. (1982) J. Biol. Chem. 257, 9005–9015). Carbohydrate analysis of the native hemoglobin shows it to contain 2.0 ± 0.5% carbohydrate consisting of mannose and N -acetylglucosamine in a mole ratio of about 9:1. The carbohydrate content of the 50 kDa subunit is 1.8 ± 0.5%; it consists of mannose and N -acetylglucosamine in the same ratio and it appears to be associated with chain IV. Rabbit polyclonal antisera to the 50 kDa subunit, prepared by method (a), and to the native hemoglobin were shown to cross-react with the hemoglobin and the 50 kDa subunit, respectively, by immunodiffusion. One of eight mouse monoclonal antibodies directed against the native hemoglobin reacted strongly with the 50 kDa subunit prepared by methods (a) and (b) in an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Another monoclonal antibody reacted strongly with the 50 kDa subunit obtained by method (b). Neither of the two hybridomas exhibited a strong reaction with any of the three constituent chains of the 50 kDa subunit. These results suggest that the unusual disulfide-bonded 50 kDa subunit, consisting of three myoglobin-like polypeptide chains of which only two have heme, is an integral part of the native Lumbricus hemoglobin molecule.
Obesity and Kidney Transplant Candidates: How Big Is Too Big for Transplantation?

Obesity impacts many inter-related, and sometimes conflicting, considerations for transplant practice. In this article, we describe an approach for applying available data on the importance of body composition to the kidney transplant population that separates implications for candidate selection, risk stratification among selected candidates, and interventions to optimize health of the individual. Transplant recipients with obesity defined by elevated body mass index (BMI) have been shown in many (but not all) studies to experience an array of adverse outcomes more commonly than normal-weight transplant recipients, including wound infections, delayed graft function, graft failure, cardiac disease, and increased costs. However, current studies have not defined limits of body composition that preclude clinical benefit from transplantation compared with long-term dialysis in patients who have passed a transplant evaluation. Formal cost-effectiveness studies are needed to determine if payers and society should be compensating centers for clinical and financial risks of transplanting obese end-stage renal disease patients. Recent studies also demonstrate the limitations of BMI alone as a measure of adiposity, and further research should be pursued to define practical measures of body composition that refine accuracy for outcomes prediction. Regarding individual management, observational registry studies have not found beneficial associations of pretransplant weight loss with patient or graft survival. However, association studies cannot distinguish purposeful from unintentional weight loss as a result of illness and comorbidity. Prospective evaluations of the impact of targeted risk modification efforts in this population including dietary changes, monitored exercise programs, and bariatric surgery are urgently needed.
DNA metabolism gene CDC7 from yeast encodes a serine (threonine) protein kinase.

Abstract The yeast Cdc7 protein is indispensable to initiation of nuclear DNA replication, based on the phenotype of the conditional, temperature-sensitive (ts) cdc7 mutants at the restrictive temperature. This protein has likewise been implicated in commitment to meiotic DNA recombination and induced mutagenesis, which may result from error-prone DNA repair. Our previous work revealed sequence similarity between the Cdc7 protein and known protein kinases. To determine whether it possesses kinase activity, we have immunoprecipitated the protein from Cdc7-overproducing yeast cells by using polyclonal antibodies raised against a nondenatured beta-galactosidase-Cdc7 fusion protein. In this report, we demonstrate that Cdc7 immune complexes are capable of phosphorylating mammalian histone H1 on serine and/or threonine residues. Immune complexes derived from cells harboring the cdc7-2 ts mutant gene on a high copy number plasmid possess a thermolabile kinase activity. Thus, we postulate that Cdc7 may regulate the various DNA metabolic pathways by phosphorylating one or more target substrates. Because Cdc7 kinase acts downstream of Cdc28/cdc2 kinase function at "start," the transition from G1 to S phase in the cell cycle may be the result of a cascade of protein phosphorylation.
Temporary Transvenous Cardiac Pacing in Patients With Acute Myocardial Infarction Predicts Increased Mortality.

Background: Temporary pacemakers (TP) are used in emergency situations for severe bradyarrhythmias secondary to acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and to non-AMI related cardiac disorders. TP have been studied previously in AMI patients treated with thrombolytic therapy; limited information is available on current outcomes in AMI patients treated with percutaneous coronary intervention. Methods: We reviewed the indications, complications, and mortality associated with TP insertion over a four year period (2003 - 2007) at a university hospital. Results: Seventy-three temporary pacemakers were inserted (47 men, 26 women) during this period. The mean age was 65.2 years. TP were used in 29 AMI patients (39.7 % of total) and 44 non-AMI patients (60.3% of total). The duration of TP use was 2.6 ± 0.4 days in the whole cohort, 2.46 % of all AMI patients (29/1180) admitted during this period required a TP. Six of these patients requiring a TP required a permanent pacemaker. Eight patients with AMI and a TP died (27.6%). In contrast 8.9 % of AMI patients not requiring a TP died (P < 0.01). There were no statistically significant differences between the AMI and non-AMI groups in the duration of temporary pacing (2.4 ± 0.6 days vs. 2.8 ± 0.4 days), in complications (27.6% vs. 29.5%), or in mortality (27.6% vs. 15.9%). The need for a permanent pacemaker (PPM) differed significantly between the AMI and non-AMI patients (20.7% vs. 54.5%; P < 0.05). Conclusion: Our results indicate that AMI patients infrequently require a TP and that approximately 20% of these patients require a PPM. These results suggest that early revascularization of the conduction system with current interventional techniques has decreased the need for TP in AMI patients. However, this group requires more intensive monitoring as the mortality rate in this group of patients is significantly higher than the other AMI patients not requiring TP. Cardiol Res. 2012;3(1):1-7 doi: https://doi.org/10.4021/cr111w
On the use of the table method in constrained optimization

In this paper, we take advantage of the availability of higher-order derivatives through the table method (see Ref. 1) and suggest a simple variant of the Lagrangian method for constrained optimization. Our method, and the software that we currently have can be used to minimize functions with many variables subject to an arbitrary number of constraints.
Employee versus supervisor ratings of performance in the retail customer service sector: Differences in predictive validity for customer outcomes

Abstract Based on data from Maxham and Netemeyer [Maxham, J. G. and R. G. Netemeyer (2003). “Firms Reap What They Sow: The Effects of Employee Shared Values and Perceived Organizational Justice on Customer Evaluations of Complaint Handling,” Journal of Marketing , 67, 46–62], the authors present two field samples to examine predictive validity differences of service employee ratings of their performance versus supervisor ratings of employee performance with respect to customer satisfaction and customer likelihood of spreading positive word-of-mouth (WOM) after a service recovery attempt. The results generally show that supervisor ratings are more strongly positively related to customer satisfaction and WOM than are employee ratings of their own performances. The results also show that both supervisor ratings and employee ratings are related to customer satisfaction and WOM in a curvilinear fashion (as well as linear fashion). Employee extra-role performances (toward customers and the firm) show increasing returns at the higher levels of performance, and employee in-role customer performance generally shows a decreasing return at the higher level of customer in-role performance. These results suggest two managerial implications. First, supervisor ratings of customer service employee performances may be the preferred form of measurement for predicting customer outcomes. Second, maximizing in-role performance inputs may have decreasing returns for customer evaluations in the service recovery context; but maximizing extra-role performance inputs may actually “delight” customers, i.e., increasing returns for customer evaluations.
Hypothermia as a Clinical Neuroprotectant

Applying therapeutic hypothermia (TH) for the purposes of neuroprotection, originally termed "hibernation," started nearly 100 years ago. Because TH cooling systems have improved to the point where it is practical and safe for general application, interest in providing such treatment in conditions such as spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, stroke, and cardiac arrest has increased. This article reviews the mechanisms by which TH mitigates secondary neurologic injury, the clinical scenarios where TH is being applied, and reviews selected published studies using TH for central nervous system neuroprotection.
Fetal feminization and female gender identity in the testicular feminizing syndrome of androgen insensitivity.

Interview data on aspects of sex and eroticism from a sample of 10 chromosomally male (XY) patients with the complete testicular feminization (androgen insensitivity) syndrome and from a sample of 23 patients with the late-treated adrenogenital syndrome showed marked differences. Homosexual experiences and/or dreams were lacking in the androgen-insensitive group as compared with the adrenogenital group (p[Symbol: see text]0.01).The androgen-insensitive group reported lower frequency of sexual arousal from visual stimuli than did the adrenogenital group (p[Symbol: see text]0.05).Findings on different aspects of sexual behavior suggest a tendency for the androgen-insensitive patients as a group to have a lower sex drive, to be less keenly aware of their sex drive, to be less assertive in heterosexual relations, and to be less versatile in coitus than the adrenogenital patients. No case of exclusive lesbianism, transsexualism, or transvestism was reported from either patient group. Although the two groups differed in sexual and erotic behavior, both were within the range of what in our culture is accepted as feminine. Nonetheless, the androgen-insensitive patients conformed more closely to the conventional feminine stereotype. Regarding explicit satisfaction with female sex role and with cosmetic and clothing interests, the androgen-insensitive group was characteristically feminine. Findings on the Draw-a-Person Test and the Guilford-Zimmerman Temperament Survey are compatible with the results of normal females, but are in sharp contrast with those of normal males. Interview and psychometric data thus concur in showing the androgen-insensitive patients to be unmistakably feminine in behavior and outlook. Their femininity is best conceived of as a product of hormonal nonandrogenization, prenatally and later, in combination with the social experiences of rearing and development, after initial assignment as a girl.
Superantigen implicated in dependence of HIV-1 replication in T cells on TCR V β expression

In the pathogenesis of AIDS it is not yet understood whether the small fraction of CD4+ T cells (approximately 1%) infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are randomly targeted or not. Here we present evidence that human CD4 T-cell lines expressing selected T-cell antigen receptor V beta gene products can all be infected in vitro with HIV-1, but give markedly different titres of HIV-1 virion production. For example, V beta 12 T-cell lines from several unrelated donors reproducibly yielded up to 100-fold more gag gene product (p24gag antigen) than V beta 6.7a lines. This is consistent with a superantigen effect, because the V beta selectivity was observed with several divergent HIV-1 isolates, was dependent on antigen-presenting cells and on major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II but was not MHC class II-restricted. The in vivo significance of these findings is supported by the preferential stimulation of V beta 12+ T cells by freshly obtained irradiated antigen-presenting cells from some HIV-1-seropositive but not HIV-1-negative donors. Moreover, cells from patients positive for viral antigen (gp120) were enriched in the V beta 12 subpopulation. V beta 12+ T cells were not deleted in AIDS patients, however, raising the possibility that a variety of mechanisms contribute to T-cell depletion. Our results indicate that a superantigen targets a subpopulation of CD4+ cells for viral replication.