cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Skull Base Tumors: Viewpoint—Surgery

Tumors of the skull base have historically posed a unique surgical challenge. The abundance of critical neurovascular structures in this region necessitates a distinct balance between the goals of maximal tumor removal and avoidance of neurological deficits. A number of these lesions do not have a set standard treatment paradigm, thus requiring a highly personalized plan of care based around the individual patient. Surgical resection of these lesions has the benefit of allowing direct decompression of the neurovascular elements, potentially leading to significant clinical improvement. Additionally, in a number of scenarios, surgery may be the only treatment option that offers a cure. On the other hand, the primary goal of stereotactic radiosurgery is tumor control, preventing further growth of an existing tumor or residual lesion. The desired therapeutic intervention should be determined based on various factors including the individual patient’s age, symptoms, comorbidities, tumor location, and extent of the involvement of surrounding neurovascular structures. This chapter discusses the surgical considerations for a variety of skull base tumors, including indications for surgery, surgical approaches, and patient outcomes. Due to the variability in location, natural history, and clinical presentation of skull base tumors, the discussion will illustrate the different surgical considerations for specific tumors, including trigeminal schwannomas, glomus jugulare tumors, chordomas, chondrosarcomas, esthesioneuroblastomas, craniopharyngiomas, and skull base meningiomas.
Cultural Capital and Prospects for Democracy in Botswana and Ethiopia

This book focuses on and examines the impact of cultural capital, political economy, social movements, and political consciousness on the potential development of substantive democracy in Botswana and Ethiopia. While explaining the challenges, obstacles, and opportunities for the development of democracy, Cultural Capital and Prospects for Democracy in Botswana and Ethiopia engages in defining democracy as a contested, open, and expanding concept through a comparative and historical examination. The book’s analysis employs interdisciplinary, multidimensional, comparative methods and critical approaches to examine the dynamic interplay among social structures, human agencies, cultural factors, and social movements. This comparative and historical study has required an examination of critical social history that looks at societal issues from the bottom up: specifically critical discourse and the particular world system approach, which deal with long-term and large-scale social changes. Cultural Capital and Prospects for Democracy in Botswana and Ethiopia will be of interest to scholars and students of African politics, political theory, and democratization.
Analyzing Air Traffic Controller Task Times and Capacity Benefits From New Automation Capabilities

This paper describes an approach for estimating benefits of new air traffic control capabilities that are intended to reduce the amount of time required for air traffic controllers to complete certain tasks, thereby increasing transit capacity. Our approach is to examine how task time savings accumulate over time and lead to transit capacity increases that in turn mitigate congestion and delay. We define transit capacity as the maximum number of aircraft that a controller can safely and efficiently manage given the separation standards, airspace, and procedures within which controllers operate. Our approach combines several modeling, analysis, and statistical techniques to estimate benefits across the National Airspace System (NAS) enabled by new automation capabilities. The components of the approach include estimating task times and task frequencies, calculating workload, and transforming workload reductions to capacity gains that can be input into NAS-wide models.
The High Coverage of Dental, Vision, and Hearing Benefits Among Medicare Advantage Enrollees:

While the traditional Medicare program does not cover dental, vision, and hearing services, Medicare Advantage (MA) plans have been given the flexibility to do so. However, it is not known how many MA enrollees are in plans that cover these services. The 2016 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey linked to MA plan benefit data is used to examine enrollment levels in plans that cover dental, vision, and/or hearing services in MA. Medicaid beneficiaries are excluded from this analysis as coverage of supplemental benefits is largely determined by the state. The highest coverage of supplemental services is vision, followed by hearing and dental (71%, 56%, and 41%, respectively). Across all supplemental services, coverage for supplemental benefits is highest among low-income beneficiaries and those who have not completed high school. Hispanic Medicare beneficiaries had the highest enrollment in plans that offered a supplemental benefit, and white Medicare beneficiaries tended to have the lowest enrollment in these plans. Unlike in traditional Medicare, MA enrollees have access to health plans that offer supplemental benefits, including dental, vision, and/or hearing services. This analysis shows that enrollment in these plans is highest among low-income MA enrollees who may not have the means to purchase stand-alone insurance for these services in traditional Medicare. More analysis is warranted to examine the generosity of the coverage of these services in MA plans. However, for federal policy makers to consider offering supplemental coverage in traditional Medicare, the MA experience suggests this type of benefit would be valuable.
Dual-compression, dual-expansion piston engine assessment and optimization:

A dual-compression, dual-expansion engine concept utilizing thermal insulation, piston compressors and expanders is presented and analyzed to determine the potential for improved efficiency and per...
Geometrically nonlinear response of a fractional-order nonlocal model of elasticity

Abstract This study presents the analytical and finite element formulation of a geometrically nonlinear and fractional-order nonlocal model of an Euler–Bernoulli beam. The finite nonlocal strains in the Euler–Bernoulli beam are obtained from a frame-invariant and dimensionally consistent fractional-order (nonlocal) continuum formulation. The finite fractional strain theory provides a positive definite formulation that results in a mathematically well-posed formulation which is consistent across loading and boundary conditions. The governing equations and the corresponding boundary conditions of the geometrically nonlinear and nonlocal Euler–Bernoulli beam are obtained using variational principles. Further, a nonlinear finite element model for the fractional-order system is developed in order to achieve the numerical solution of the integro-differential nonlinear governing equations. Following a thorough validation with benchmark problems, the fractional finite element model (f-FEM) is used to study the geometrically nonlinear response of a nonlocal beam subject to various loading and boundary conditions. Although presented in the context of a 1D beam, this nonlinear f-FEM formulation can be extended to higher dimensional fractional-order boundary value problems.
On CSI-Based Vital Sign Monitoring Using Commodity WiFi

Vital signs, such as respiration and heartbeat, are useful for health monitoring because such signals provide important clues of medical conditions. Effective solutions are needed to provide contact-free, easy deployment, low-cost, and long-term vital sign monitoring. In this article, we present PhaseBeat to exploit channel state information, in particular, phase difference data to monitor breathing and heart rates with commodity WiFi devices. We provide a rigorous analysis of channel state information phase difference with respect to its stability and periodicity. Based on the analysis, we design and implement the PhaseBeat system with off-the-shelf WiFi devices and conduct an extensive experimental study to validate its performance. Our experimental results demonstrate the superior performance of PhaseBeat over existing approaches in various indoor environments.
[Children's pertussis immunization strategy in China].

虽百日咳疫苗常年维持较高接种率，百日咳仍是儿童发病和死亡的重要原因，多国疫情回升明显，疾病负担被严重低估;青少年和成人成为儿童的主要传染源，我国现行免疫策略可能难以为儿童提供足够有效的保护，防控形势严峻。.
Design of Audit Programs

Audit programs, from a scientific perspective, natural experiments—they are empirical studies in which the activities of firms, individuals or groups are exposed to the experimental and control conditions that are determined by nature, or by other factors outside the control of the auditors. This chapter details the cost-effective planning for an audit, based on a deep understanding of natural experiments and the proper analytical tools needed to draw conclusions from them.
Discovery of a Novel Series of Potent and Selective Alkynylthiazole-Derived PI3Kγ Inhibitors

Phosphoinositide 3-kinases (PI3Ks) are a family of enzymes that control a wide variety of cellular functions such as cell growth, proliferation, differentiation, motility, survival, and intracellular trafficking. PI3Kγ plays a critical role in mediating leukocyte chemotaxis as well as mast cell degranulation, making it a potentially interesting target for autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. We previously disclosed a novel series of PI3Kγ inhibitors derived from a benzothiazole core. The truncation of the benzothiazole core led to the discovery of a structurally diverse alkynyl thiazole series which displayed high PI3Kγ potency and subtype selectivity. Further medicinal chemistry optimization of the alkynyl thiazole series led to identification of compounds such as 14 and 32, highly potent, subtype selective, and CNS penetrant PI3Kγ inhibitors. Compound 14 showed robust inhibition of PI3Kγ mediated neutrophil migration in vivo.
2D point set registration via stochastic particle flow filter

This paper presents an innovative image registration algorithm using the particle flow filter. The particle flow filter is an efficient Bayesian filter that uses particles to represent probability densities. It is not constrained to the highly restrictive unimodal, linear, and Gaussian assumptions of many other Bayesian filters. The particle flow filter algorithms were implemented in MATLAB for 2D rigid body point-set registration. Additionally, the particle filter method and iterative closest point algorithms were implemented for comparison. For the same alignment accuracy, the new particle flow filter approach was 169% faster than the particle filter for certain challenging problems. For the same alignment time, the particle flow filter reduced misalignment by as much as 25% over that of the particle filter. The particle flow filter achieved 100% alignment with enough particles, and reduced misalignment by as much as 75% over that of iterative closest point. These results demonstrate that image registration via the particle flow filter significantly outperforms the particle filter and iterative closest point algorithms in the presence of noise and a high degree of initial misalignment.
Single site versus conventional laparoscopic appendectomy: some pain for no gain?

ABSTRACT Introduction The optimal laparoscopic appendectomy approach is not clear, comparing single site laparoscopic appendectomy (SILA) to conventional 3-port appendectomy (CLA). We investigated outcomes in pediatric patients comparing SILA to CLA: length of operation, length of stay, time to resumption of regular diet, follow up, rehospitalization, and cost. Methods Data was collected from children 1 to 18 years with appendectomy at Loma Linda University from 2018 to 2020, operated by two surgeons. Analysis utilized two-sample T, chi-squared, and Fisher's exact tests. Results Of 173 patients, 77 underwent SILA and 96 had CLA. There was no gender, age, or race difference between groups. Mean WBC was 17.5 × 103/mL in SILA group, compared to 15.3 × 103/mL in CLA group (P = 0.004). Operative time was 47.0 SILA compared to 49.5 minutes CLA (P = 0.269). Of SILA cases, 55.8% were simple appendicitis, while 53.3% of the CLA cases were simple (P = 0.857). Regular diet was resumed after 1.7 days in the SILA group, 1.1 days in CLA (P = 0.018). Length of stay was 2.9 days for SILA, 2.4 days for CLA (P = 0.144). Seven children required hospital readmission, 5 SILA and 2 CLA (P = 0.244). Five of the children who returned had intra-abdominal abscesses, of whom 4 had SILA. There was no difference in cost. Conclusions The operative techniques had similar outcomes and operative times. There was a trend toward more intra-abdominal abscesses in the SILA group. Further study and longer follow up is needed to determine if there is an advantage to one laparoscopic approach over another.
Developing medical ultrasound beamforming application on GPU and FPGA using oneAPI

oneAPI is based on Data Parallel C++ (DPC++) and incorporates SYCL from the Khronos Group to support a cross-architecture programming environment. It delivers the freedom to choose suitable hardware for specific applications. In this paper, we developed a cross-architecture real-time medical ultrasound imaging application using oneAPI based on an open-source project SUPRA [1]. The application takes raw ultrasound data from ultrasound equipment as input and processes it to obtain B-mode images. The ultrasound processing pipeline contains four modules: Beamforming, Envelope Detection, Log-compression, and Scan-conversion. The proposed ultrasound medical beamforming algorithms are implemented with Intel’s oneAPI, which enables the algorithms to target multiple hardware architectures: GPU, FPGA, and CPU. In this paper, we show how to migrate and optimize these medical ultrasound algorithms on the GPU and FPGA in a unified programming language supported by DPC++. We also compare the GPU and FPGA performance of the algorithms. The results show that the ultrasound application achieved 140.0, 176.1 and 168.4 FPS using Intel Iris Xe integrated graphics, DG1 GPU and Arria 10 FPGA, respectively. Finally, we also evaluate the computation results correctness of our implementations with the original SUPRA application.
Liver lymphatic anatomy and role in systemic lymphatic disease

To characterize hepatic to systemic lymphatic connections in patients with systemic lymphatic disease using intra-hepatic lymphangiography and to compare outcomes after lymphatic intervention. In this retrospective study, patients with intra-hepatic lymphangiography from May 2014 – April 2019 at our institution were included. Imaging review was performed and hepatic lymphatic connections and flow patterns were characterized. Clinical data were reviewed and comparisons between patients undergoing lymphatic intervention with or without abnormal hepatic lymphatics were performed. During the study period, 105 patients underwent intra-hepatic lymphangiography. Primary clinical presentation included ascites (19/105), chylothorax (27/105), plastic bronchitis (PB) (17/105), and protein losing enteropathy (PLE) (42/105). Five categories of hepatic lymphatic connections and flow patterns were identified (%): normal (25%, 26/105), hepatoperitoneal (12%, 13/105), hepatopulmonary (10.5%, 11/105), hepatomesenteric (7.5%, 8/105), and hepatoduodenal (41%, 43/105) with four patients having more than one abnormal pattern. A comparison between clinical presentation and imaging category revealed an increased likelihood of having ascites with hepatoperitoneal (p < .0001), chylothorax/PB with hepatopulmonary (p = .01), and PLE with hepatoduodenal (p < .001) connections. Seventy-six patients had a lymphatic intervention, 24% with normal, and 76% with abnormal liver lymphatics. There was no difference in length of hospital stay or mortality between the two groups, but there was a prolonged time to symptom resolution (p = .006) and persistent symptoms after 6 months (5% vs 44%, p = .002) in the group with abnormal liver lymphatics. We identified five liver lymphatic imaging categories with a substantial correlation to presenting lymphatic disease. Abnormal imaging patterns correlated with increased morbidity. Evaluation of liver lymphatics should be considered in patients with a systemic lymphatic disease if central lymphatic imaging is normal. • We identified five liver lymphatic imaging patterns: normal, hepatoperitoneal, hepatomesenteric, hepatopulmonary, and hepatoduodenal. • Imaging patterns were correlated with disease presentation (normal – chylothorax/PB, hepatoperitoneal – ascites/chylothorax, hepatopulmonary – chylothorax/PB, hepatoduodenal – PLE). • Abnormal imaging patterns correlated with increased morbidity.
Chronic ulcerative colitis beginning in children and teenagers. A review of 43 patients.

This report reviews the illness of 43 patients who had developed symptoms of chronic ulcerative colitis during their childhood or teenage years (1953–1966). The clinical picture is similar to that observed in adults, although these patients appear more ill and disabled by their disease. When first seen, 71% of the patients had total colon involvement, and 65% had complications of the disease. At follow-up, 6 died, 2 had colectomies, 27 are under medical treatment, but only 15 remain relatively symptom-free. Nine are alive after surgery. One patient's status is unknown. In general, it is difficult to control ulcerative colitis that begins when the patient is young; it is associated with a high rate of mortality and morbidity. Earlier consideration should be given to surgical treatment when patients respond poorly or incompletely to medical treatment.
Contralateral Eye Long-term Follow-up Of Prophylactic High-fluence Collagen Cross-linking Combined With Lasik For High Myopia

Iatrogenic keratectasia is a feared complication of laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK). Prophylactic CXL performed at the time of LASIK has been proposed as a technique to prevent post-LASIK ectasia in eyes that may be at increased risk by strengthening the residual corneal stroma. This case series aims to evaluate the safety and efficacy of UVA CXL combined at the completion of LASIK in patients with high myopia.
Reductive dehalogenation of the trichloromethyl group of nitrapyrin by the ammonia-oxidizing bacterium Nitrosomonas europaea.

Suspensions of Nitrosomonas europaea catalyzed the reductive dehalogenation of the commercial nitrification inhibitor nitrapyrin (2-chloro-6-trichloromethylpyridine). The product of the reaction was identified as 2-chloro-6-dichloromethylpyridine by its mass fragmentation and nuclear magnetic resonance spectra. A small amount of 2-chloro-6-dichloromethylpyridine accumulated during the conversion of nitrapyrin to 6-chloropicolinic acid in an aerated solution in the presence of ammonia (T. Vannelli and A.B. Hooper, Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 58:2321-2325, 1992). Nearly stoichiometric conversion of nitrapyrin to 2-chloro-6-dichloromethylpyridine occurred at very low oxygen concentrations and in the presence of hydrazine as a source of electrons. Under these conditions the turnover rate was 0.37 nmol of nitrapyrin per min per mg of protein. Two specific inhibitors of ammonia oxidation, acetylene and allylthiourea, inhibited the rate of the dehalogenation reaction by 80 and 84%, respectively. In the presence of D2O, all 2-chloro-6-dichloromethylpyridine produced in the reaction was deuterated at the methyl position. In an oxygenated solution and in the presence of ammonia or hydrazine, cells did not catalyze the oxidation of exogenously added 2-chloro-6-dichloromethylpyridine to 6-chloropicolinic acid. Thus, 2-chloro-6-dichloromethylpyridine is apparently not an intermediate in the aerobic production of 6-chloropicolinic acid from nitrapyrin.
The Business of Business Schools: Restoring a Focus on Competing to Win

As business leaders worry about the decline of American competitiveness, business schools are responding by changing their curriculums. But are the topics and approaches taught in today's business schools part of the solution or part of the problem? In this paper, I explore the possibility that four trends in current MBA curriculums - theory creep, mission creep, doing well by doing good, and the quest for enlightenment - are teaching students to be uncompetitive in today's global markets. If this hypothesis is true, I argue that business school curriculums should be re-centered around the tough choices needed to compete - and to win.A comment on this paper can be found at: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2207124
MOOCs for Development: Trends, Challenges, and Opportunities

The recent rise of massive open online courses (MOOCs) has generated significant media attention for their potential to disrupt the traditional modes of education through ease of access and free or low-cost content delivery. MOOCs offer the potential to enable access to high-quality education to students, even in the most underserved regions of the world. However, much of the excitement surrounding opportunities for MOOCs in non-OECD contexts remains unproven. Challenges with regard to infrastructure, sustainability, and evaluation have disrupted early attempts to expand inclusion for those least educated. Drawing on proceedings from a recent international conference on MOOCs for Development held at the University of Pennsylvania, this report synthesizes trends, challenges, and opportunities within the growing subfield.
Genetics of psychosis in Alzheimer's disease: a review.

In and of itself, late-onset Alzheimer disease (AD) can be a devastating illness. However, a sub-group of AD patients develop psychosis as the disease progresses. These patients have an added burden of greater cognitive impairment, higher rates of institutionalization, and higher mortality than AD patients without psychosis. While the etiopathogenesis of psychosis in AD (AD+P) is not known, mounting evidence accrued over the past ten years indicates that AD+P represents a distinct phenotype with a genetic basis. Elucidating the genetic mechanism of AD+P is crucial if better pharmaceutical treatments are to be developed for these patients. The goal of this review is to summarize what is currently known regarding the genetic basis of psychosis in AD. Specific attention is given to familial aggregation and heritability, linkage to chromosomal loci, and associations of candidate genes such as APOE and the monoamine neurotransmitter system.
Effect of endogenous angiotensin II on renal nerve activity and its arterial baroreflex regulation

To determine the effects of physiological alterations in endogenous angiotensin II (ANG II) activity on basal renal sympathetic nerve activity and its arterial baroreflex regulation, the effect of ANG II receptor (AT1) blockade with losartan was examined in conscious rats consuming low, normal, or high sodium diet that were instrumented for the simultaneous measurement of arterial pressure and renal sympathetic nerve activity. Intravenous losartan decreased arterial pressure in low (-27 +/- 4 mmHg) and normal (-15 +/- 2 mmHg) but not in high sodium diet rats (-5 +/- 2 mmHg). When arterial pressure had been restored to the prelosartan value with methoxamine infusion, renal sympathetic nerve activity was decreased in low (-27 +/- 4%) and normal (-20 +/- 3%) but not in high sodium diet rats (-5 +/- 2%). Arterial baroreflex regulation of renal sympathetic nerve activity was shifted to a lower pressure (arterial pressure at midrange) in low (-8 +/- 2 mmHg) and normal (-7 +/- 2 mmHg) but not in high sodium diet rats (0 +/- 2 mmHg). Intracerebroventricular losartan did not significantly decrease arterial pressure but decreased renal sympathetic nerve activity in low (-28 +/- 5%) and normal (-20 +/- 4%) but not in high sodium diet rats (-2 +/- 2%). Arterial baroreflex regulation of renal sympathetic nerve activity was shifted to a lower pressure (arterial pressure at midrange) in low (-7 +/- 2 mmHg) and normal (-5 +/- 1 mmHg) but not in high sodium diet rats (0 +/- 2 mmHg). These results indicate that physiological alterations in endogenous ANG II activity tonically influence basal levels of renal sympathetic nerve activity and its arterial baroreflex regulation.
Neuromyelitis optica: clinical syndrome and the NMO-IgG autoantibody marker.

Neuromyelitis optica (NMO) is a severe demyelinating disease of the CNS that preferentially affects the optic nerves and spinal cord, tends to relapse, and results in early permanent disability for most affected patients. A new autoantibody marker called neuromyelitis optica immunoglobulin G (NMO-IgG), which targets the water channel protein aquaporin-4, is highly specific for NMO. The marker has demonstrated that the NMO spectrum of disorders is wider than previously known and includes some patients with single-episode or recurrent longitudinally extensive myelitis, recurrent isolated optic neuritis, Asian optic-spinal multiple sclerosis, and patients with co-existing systemic autoimmune diseases such as lupus erythematosus or Sjogren's syndrome. We review the place of NMO within the nosology of CNS demyelinating diseases, the discovery of NMO-IgG and its impact on the definition of NMO and its spectrum, implications for understanding NMO pathogenesis, and informing treatment decisions.
Laboratory simulations of the pyrolytic release experiments - An interim report

During its operation on Mars the pyrolytic release experiment (PR) detected the fixation of small amounts of CO2 and/or CO. Laboratory simulations of the experimental conditions were made in an attempt to substantiate the previous conclusion that these reactions were chemical rather than biological. The selection of model substrata for these tests was based on the known properties of the Martian surface material. After pretreatment and incubation under various conditions, pyrolytic analysis was used to indicate the extent of surface catalyzed conversion of14CO2 or14CO to14C-organic compounds. This abiotic synthesis was detected in experiments with three iron oxides, viz. hematite, magnetite and maghemite. When the incubation atmosphere was supplemented with water vapor, the levels of synthesis were in a range comparable to that detected in the Viking PR tests. An abiotic synthesis was also detected in experiments with a mixture of clays and minerals (Mars analog soil) or with montmorillonite artifically enriched in iron. With either substratum the reaction appeared to be the result of a photocatalytic synthesis of14C-organics from14CO and surface hydroxyl groups. This process was not dependent on the presence of water vapor in the incubation atmosphere. Although a duplication of the Viking data has not been achieved, these findings support the abiotic interpretation of the PR results.
Young referred boys with DICA-P manic symptoms vs. two comparison groups.

Abstract A total of 23 boys met DICA-P manic symptom and clustering criteria in a diagnostic investigation of 233 outpatient boys between ages 6 and 10. In this manic-symptom group, the most frequently endorsed of an average of five manic symptoms were extreme mood changes, difficulty concentrating, feeling too `up' to sit still, and racing thoughts. Comparison groups were 23 non-manic boys seen next in the investigation and 23 non-manic boys matched to the manic-symptom boys on symptoms of three comorbid disruptive disorders (ADHD, ODD and CD). Manic-symptom boys differed significantly from next-seen boys, but not from matched comorbid boys, in number of oppositional symptoms and pervasiveness of problems. Manic-symptom boys differed significantly from next-seen boys on six of eight mother-rated RCBCL factors. In contrast, manic-symptom and matched comorbid boys did not differ on any of eight RCBCL factors, which suggests that the RCBCL differences can be attributed to shared ADHD, ODD and/or CD. However, manic-symptom and matched comorbid boys tended to differ on RCBCL Anxiety/Depression. On the teacher-rated TRF, manic-symptom boys were rated higher than next-seen boys on four internalizing factors, and higher than matched comorbid boys on two of those factors, including Anxiety/Depression. Thus, manic symptomatology also predicted substantial emotionality, which was not a controlled comorbidity. The findings of this and other studies suggest that there is a mania dimension or syndrome, which may be an indicator of true bipolar disorder—or simply a marker for disruptive comorbidity, behavioral and emotional multimorbidity, or general severity of psychopathology.
Functional Complementation of a Model Target to Study Vpu Sensitivity

HIV-1 forms infectious particles with Murine Leukemia virus (MLV) Env, but not with the closely related Gibbon ape Leukemia Virus (GaLV) Env. We have determined that the incompatibility between HIV-1 and GaLV Env is primarily caused by the HIV-1 accessory protein Vpu, which prevents GaLV Env from being incorporated into particles. We have characterized the ‘Vpu sensitivity sequence’ in the cytoplasmic tail domain (CTD) of GaLV Env using a chimeric MLV Env with the GaLV Env CTD (MLV/GaLV Env). Vpu sensitivity is dependent on an alpha helix with a positively charged face containing at least one Lysine. In the present study, we utilized functional complementation to address whether all the three helices in the CTD of an Env trimer have to contain the Vpu sensitivity motif for the trimer to be modulated by Vpu. Taking advantage of the functional complementation of the binding defective (D84K) and fusion defective (L493V) MLV and MLV/GaLV Env mutants, we were able to assay the activity of mixed trimers containing both MLV and GaLV CTDs. Mixed trimers containing both MLV and GaLV CTDs were functionally active and remained sensitive to Vpu. However, trimers containing an Env with the GaLV CTD and an Env with no CTD remained functional but were resistant to Vpu. Together these data suggest that the presence of at least one GaLV CTD is sufficient to make an Env trimer sensitive to Vpu, but only if it is part of a trimeric CTD complex.
Process capability analysis using fuzzy sets theory

If tolerances are defined by crisp numerical values, several vehicles based on probabilities and classical statistics exist to conduct a process capability analysis. If data are categorical, however, and if they are obtained from subjective evaluations, the existing methods are inappropriate. Furthermore, if specifications are set in lexical terms or are loosely defined, current approaches are impossible to implement. This paper applies fuzzy logic theory to study process capability in the presence of uncertainty and categorical data. Examples are discussed using TIG welding experimental data.© (1993) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Beta blocker use in the treatment of community hospital patients discharged after myocardial infarction

Objective: To explore the reasons for underutilization of beta blocker treatment after acute myocardial infarction. Design: A retrospective chart review. Setting: Two large community hospitals in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Patients/participants: All subjects (n=694) discharged alive from July 1, 1990, to June 30, 1991, who had a diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction were eligible. Of these, 250 had missing data, resulting in a final sample of 444. Results: Twenty-nine percent of the 444 patients were prescribed beta blocker therapy on discharge. Characteristics of the patients and their treatment associated with receipt of beta blocker therapy were identified with a logistic regression model. The adjusted odds ratios were 0.52 for female gender, 0.34 for no health insurance, 0.21 for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, 0.46 for congestive heart failure, 0.28 for atrioventricular block, 1.86 for hypertension, 1.93 for chest pain during acute myocardial infarction, and 4.65 for prehospital beta blocker use. Prescription of beta blocker therapy was also influenced by receipt of other treatment modalities. The adjusted odds ratios were 0.23 for receipt of beta blocker therapy associated with myocardial revascularization, 0.18 for prescription on discharge of calcium channel blockers, and 0.22 for receipt of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors. Conclusion: A minority of patients discharged after acute myocardial infarction receive beta blocker therapy, and women are only half as likely as men to receive it, after controlling for other factors. Though there are no data relating to whether calcium channel blockers or angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors lessen the protective effect of beta blocker therapy post—acute myocardial infarction, it would appear that these agents are frequently being used in lieu of beta blocker therapy for post—acute myocardial infarction patients.
RNP template of vesicular stomatitis virus regulates transcription and replication functions.

Abstract Small leader RNAs, copied from the extreme 3′ ends of the minus and plus strands of the vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) genome, are thought to play a central role in the regulation of viral transcription and replication. We describe here a novel class of VSV mutants, denoted pol R, in which termination at leader sites in vitro is. specifically suppressed. We have assayed for the presence of leader RNAs and readthrough transcripts in reaction products from standard virion templates (plus leader) and defective interfering particle templates (minus leader). In both cases, mutant virions gave rise to a much higher proportion of readthrough transcripts than wild type (>80% vs ∼10%). Reconstitution experiments with separated ribonucleoprotein (RNP) templates and polymerase protein fractions revealed, surprisingly, that the N protein moiety of the RNP template was responsible for readthrough. This conclusion was further supported by protein analyses that showed a similar charge change in the N protein of two independently isolated pol R VSV mutants. These results lead us to propose that modification of the N protein may regulate termination at leader RNA sites.
Genetic Variation and Population Structure of Arabidopsis lyrata ssp. lyrata (Brassicaceae) along the Eastern Seaboard of North America

Abstract Arabidopsis lyrata ssp. lyrata is widespread but edaphically restricted, which suggests that the dispersal ability and level of genetic exchange among populations might be limited. We assessed levels of genetic diversity and population differentiation within and among six A. lyrata ssp. lyrata populations from along the eastern seaboard of the United States by examining variation at nine microsatellite loci among 233 individuals. These data were also evaluated to assess any relationship between geographic and genetic distance and correlation of genetic diversity with population size. Measures of genetic diversity across all 9 microsatellite loci were high in most populations. Genetic diversity, as measured by number of alleles, was generally higher in the Maryland and New York populations, as compared with the southern most sampled populations in Virginia. Genetic differentiation among regions was highly significant and large (FST = 0.47). This was supported by several analyses, suggesting that...
Circulation analysis of an engineering monograph approval plan

Purpose – The purpose of this article is to describe the quantitative evaluation of an engineering monograph approval plan using circulation analysis.Design/methodology/approach – The circulation frequency of titles purchased under the approval plan was analyzed, and compared with the circulation frequency of all engineering books during the same time period, purchased both individually and through the plan.Findings – It was found that 23 percent of the approval plan books circulated, compared with 6 percent of engineering books as a whole. There was considerable variation in circulation frequency between engineering disciplines, but approval plan books circulated much more frequently in all subject areas.Research limitations/implications – This study assesses circulation only during the most recent complete year, which means that the approval plan books are all new books. However, more than half of the books in the engineering collection are less than ten years old, so age is unlikely to be the only reas...
Evaluation of bond integrity of TiO2-Y2O3 sensor using thermal wave imaging technique

Abstract Ceramic sensors based on TiO 2 -Y 2 O 3 systems with different amounts of tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) were thermally cycled in the temperature range of either 39–742 °C or 39–749 °C for 10, 50 and 100 cycles. The thermal wave imaging (TWI) technique, a nondestructive evaluation method, was used to characterize the bonding of sensor films with the substrate. Based on the thermal wave signal amplitudes, an assessment of bond strength was made. The results indicate that samples between 2 to 5% TEOS show the best bonding characteristics.
Modeling and Free Vibration of Flex Circuits in Hard Disk Drives

A flex circuit connects the stationary electronic components in a hard disk drive to the rotating arm that carries the read/write heads and positions them above data tracks on the disk. Flex circuits are conventionally formed as a laminate of polyimide substrate, adhesive, and copper conductors. Deformation of a flex circuit is discussed in the context of the following stages: the initial unstressed shape, configurations in which stresses set and relax in response to elevated temperature, equilibrium, and small amplitude vibration. The model involves displacements of the flex circuit in the directions tangent and normal to the local equilibrium shape, and those motions couple with the arm’s dynamics. Nonlinearity associated with finite curvature, partial elastic springback, and the arm’s geometry and inertia properties are incorporated within the vibration model to predict system-level natural frequencies, mode shapes, and coupling factors between the circuit and the arm. Laboratory measurements using noncontact laser interferometry validate the model with respect to the circuit’s shape, stiffness, restoring moment, and natural frequencies. The primary degrees of freedom for optimizing flex circuit design are the thicknesses of the individual layers within the circuit, free length, and the locations and slopes of the circuit’s attachment points to the arm and electronics block. The model’s predictions and trends developed from a case study in free length are discussed with a view toward reducing coupling between the circuit and arm in certain vibration modes.Copyright © 2003 by ASME
Strategies to Evaluate Synchronous Carcinomas of the Colon and Rectum in Patients That Present for Emergent Surgery

It is not always possible to evaluate patients that present acutely with carcinoma of the colon and rectum for synchronous lesions. Patients that require emergent surgery necessitate urgent and efficient operation. Patients with lower gastrointestinal bleeding, perforation, or obstruction represent a challenging subset of patients with colorectal cancer. An organized approach to these patients in the effort not to overlook a synchronous carcinoma is important. The present paper provides an evidenced-based approach to this special situation.
The Effect Of Tax Credits For Nongroup Insurance On Health Spending By The Uninsured

We compare out-of-pocket spending for health care by lower-income uninsured people with their net spending on insurance and health care if they took up each of three hypothetical tax credits. Because of nongroup policies' high cost and low benefits, nearly all would spend more, often much more, under a tax credit similar to that proposed by the Bush administration. When viewed in the context of other research on low-income people's demand for health insurance, the results suggest that sizable reductions in the number of uninsured will require more generous tax credits than those in current proposals.
Combining discriminative SVM models for the improved recognition of investigator names in medical articles

Investigators are people who are listed as members of corporate organizations but not entered as authors in an article. Beginning with journals published in 2008, investigator names are required to be included in a new bibliographic field in MEDLINE citations. Automatic extraction of investigator names is necessary due to the increase in collaborative biomedical research and consequently the large number of such names. We implemented two discriminative SVM models, i.e., SVM and structural SVM, to identify named entities such as the first and last names of investigators from online medical journal articles. Both approaches achieve good performance at the word and name chunk levels. We further conducted an error analysis and found that SVM and structural SVM can offer complementary information about the patterns to be classified. Hence, we combined the two independently trained classifiers where the SVM is chosen as a base learner with its outputs enhanced by the predictions from the structural SVM. The overall performance especially the recall rate of investigator name retrieval exceeds that of the standalone SVM model.
Covalency in transition-metal oxides within all-electron dynamical mean-field theory

A combination of dynamical mean field theory and density functional theory, as implemented in Phys. Rev. B 81, 195107 (2010), is applied to both the early and late transition metal oxides. For fixed value of the local Coulomb repulsion, without fine tuning, we obtain the main features of these series, such as the metallic character of SrVO$_3$ and the the insulating gaps of LaVO$_3$, LaTiO$_3$ and La$_2$CO$_4$ which are in good agreement with experiment. The study highlights the importance of local physics and high energy hybridization in the screening of the Hubbard interaction and how different low energy behaviors can emerge from the a unified treatment of the transition metal series.
Structural determination of hexagonal and orthorhombic EuKRu(CN)6·4H2O

Abstract Crystallographic structural refinements of hexagonal and orthorhombic EuKRu(CN)6·4H2O have been carried out by means of three-dimensional single-crystal X-ray diffractometry. The hexagonal form crystallizes in the space group P63/m (Z = 2) and the orthorhombic form crystallizes in the Cmcm space group (Z=4). The respective lattice constants are a = 7.364(1), c = 13.779(3) A and a = 7.481(1), b = 12.858(3) and c = 14.357(1) A . A full-matrix least-squares refinement program yielded final reliability (R) factors of 0.053 and 0.032 based on 496 and 876 unique reflections, respectively. In both structures, the RuC6 groups are octahedrally oriented. In the hexagonal form, Eu atoms are nine-coordinate, EuN6(H2O)3, and in the orthorhombic form, Eu atoms are eight-coordinate, EuN6(H2O)2. Cyanide bridging links these Eu groups to the RuC6 groups in both compounds building an infinite polymeric array with cavities within the structures. The cavities are occupied by K ions and uncoordinated zeolitic-type water molecules. Important bond distances and angles are tabulated.
The Participation of States and Citizens in Global Governance

The pursuit of global democratic governance cannot be confined to global institutions; national state institutions and nation-based citizens need to be part of this project. In this lecture, I want to map a variety of mechanisms and dynamics that can be seen as part of an architecture for democratic participation by state institutions and citizens in global governance. Crucial to my analysis is the notion that the global is multi-scalar: it does not take place only at the selfevident global scale, but also at the national and sub-national scales. I identify two partly interrelated domains for exploring this topic. One domain is the ways in which the state actually participates in governing the global economy, notwithstanding expanded deregulation and privatization, and notwithstanding the growing authority of non-state actors. The question becomes one of detecting the specific type of authority/power this participation might entail for the state vis-a-vis global actors and processes. Further, if the state indeed has such authority, or could in principle have it, the question is whether that authority can be a bridge to a politics of the global for citizens—who are, after all, still largely confined to the national domain for the full exercise of their powers. If national state participation in setting up the legal and institutional infrastructure for globalization does indeed contain a set of channels for citizens to demand participation in global politics, including the right to demand accountability from global actors, then the formal and informal capabilities of citizens to do so, as well as their disposition to do so, become crucial. This is the subject of the second domain. The organizing question is: to what extent citizenship, even though highly formalized, might actually be less finished as an
Photosensitive temporal lobe epilepsy

Photic-induced seizures are usually generalized. There are several cases of focal seizures reported, and all have been shown to arise from the visual cortex. We report an unusual case of temporal lobe epilepsy, supported by electroclinical data and confirmed by a successful temporal lobectomy, with seizures induced by photic stimulation.
Biological Interpretation of Model-Reference Adaptive Control in a Mass Action Kinetics Metabolic Pathway Model

The usefulness of control theory to model robustness in metabolic pathways is limited because controller properties and their implications on pathway regulation are unclear. Using sphingolipid biosynthesis in response to single-gene over expression as a case study, we apply model-reference adaptive control (MRAC) to model regulation in a mass action kinetics pathway model and report on its properties. Tracking error between treated cells (plant) and wild type (reference) is reduced in 9 of 10 system variables compared to using mass action kinetics only. This result is robust when system parameters are perturbed. Furthermore, we interpret control dynamics to infer potential regulatory interactions. Some observations are consistent with independent studies on the effects of the same experimental treatment, while others represent novel hypotheses that may be tested to yield additional biological insight. The usefulness and interpretation of MRAC to model metabolic pathway regulation is shown where plant dynamics approach the reference.
The development of a second circulation center within Tropical Storm Isabel (1985)

Abstract Observations in the boundary layer by the NOAA AOC WP-3D aircraft from 8 to 10 October 1985 document the development of a second vortex, which evolves into the circulation center for Tropical Storm Isabel. The new circulation develops just outside the radius of maximum winds and is associated with intensifying convection 90 km from the original center. The original center loses its identity as convection dissipates around it. Low surface pressure, warm, dry air, and low equivalent potential temperature are found in the new center near its formation time. The new center is found beneath the downwind anvil of the intense convection in the rainband and appears to form over a period of 3–6 h, although significant changes in the storm-scale airflow north of the original center are occurring over the proceeding 24 h. The new center moves with a speed and direction similar to that of the original center. The observations of Isabel are compared to beat bursts, subsidence, and midlevel mesovortices that h...