cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Fractures and ligamentous injuries of the wrist.

SUMMARY Rapid diagnosis, appropriate management, and sport-specific rehabilitation are important in the management of any wrist injury in the athlete. The addition of technetium scans, CT, arthroscopy, and MRI in the evaluation of the athlete’s wrist has provided valuable and powerful diagnostic tools. The versatility and relatively low invasiveness of arthroscopic intervention and the subsequent early return to activity make this technique especially attractive in the high-performance athlete. Suspicion of potential injuries, complete knowledge of wrist mechanics and anatomy, and a careful physical examination are still the most important tools in the evaluation of wrist injury. It is important to approach each athlete in a patient-oriented manner, taking into account the fact that many of these injuries have the potential to be career ending. Treatment that will provide the best possible long-term wrist function must be the physician’s ultimate goal. In addition, the importance of appropriate and activity-specific rehabilitation cannot be overemphasized.
Platys: a framework for supporting context-aware personal agents

A context-aware personal agent (CPA) adapts to the changing contexts of its user. Platys is an agent-oriented software engineering (AOSE) framework that supports the development and execution of CPAs. Specifically, the framework (1) facilitates modeling a CPA via cognitive constructs, simplifying development, and (2) delegates the concerns of context elicitation (from end users) and acquisition (from sensors) to a middleware, enhancing reusability and user experience as a user employs multiple CPAs.
Estimation of genetic parameters among breeding soundness examination components and growth traits in yearling bulls.

Data on breeding soundness examinations (BSE) and performance traits were obtained on 549 yearling beef bulls at the San Juan Basin Research Center, Hesperus, Co from 1976 to 1984. Genetic parameters estimated for components of BSE included percent motility (PMOT), percent primary abnormalities (PPRIM), percent secondary abnormalities (PSEC), percent normal sperm (PNOR), scrotal circumference (SC) and BSE score (BSESC). Performance traits included birth weight, weaning weight, yearling weight and average daily gain. The least squares model included birth year, age of dam and breed as fixed effects, sire/breed as a random variable, and age and percent inbreeding as covariates. Paternal half-sib estimates of heritability were PMOT, .08 +/- .07; PPRIM, .31 +/- .09; PSEC, .02 +/- .05; PNOR, .07 +/- .06; BSESC, .10 +/- .06 and SC, .40 +/- .09. Phenotypic correlations among BSE components and growth traits were generally favorable. Genetic correlations involving percent secondary abnormalities were highly variable with large standard errors. Seminal traits improved as age increased and became poorer as inbreeding increased.
Addition of bupivacaine 1.25 mg to fentanyl confers no advantage over fentanyl alone for intrathecal analgesia in early labour.

a) To evaluate the effect of adding 1.25 mg of bupivacaine to intrathecal fentanyl on the duration of analgesia in an Asian population and b) to examine if the baricity of the local anesthetic at this dose has any bearing on the duration and quality of block. Forty-eight parturients in early labour received combined spinal epidural (CSE) analgesia to evaluate a) the effect of adding 1.25 mg of bupivacaine to intrathecal (IT) fentanyl 25 μg on the duration of analgesia and b) the effect of baricity of intrathecal local anesthetic on the duration and quality of the block. Patients were randomly allocated to receive: IT fentanyl 25 μg plus normal saline (Group f, n= 16), IT fentanyl 25 μg plus plain bupivacaine 1.25 mg (Group f+pb,n = 16) and IT fentanyl 25 μg plus heavy bupivacaine 1.25 mg (Group f+hb,n = 16). The two components of the IT injectate (total of 2.25 mL) were given sequentially. Group f+hb had the lowest sensory dermatomal block (T7vs T4 (Group f), T5 (Group f+pb), P < 0.01). There were no differences in the duration of analgesia and incidence of side effects among the groups. We found no advantage of adding 1.25 mg bupivacaine to fentanyl 25 μg. At this dose, the baricity of bupivacaine has no effect on the duration of analgesia.
Treatment of peripheral arteriosclerosis by methods other than direct attack.

Important considerations in evaluating patients with peripheral arteriosclerosis are stressed.Indications for operation are discussed and the preferred surgical technic outlined. Criteria for sympathectomy are given and also for successful results of this treatment. Principles of preoperative and postoperative care of patients who have undergone amputation are covered.
A model to measure inter-communication between segregated communities

One goal of a social network, as its name suggests, is to provide human beings with a digital platform where they can build social relationships with a spectrum of people they choose. In this paper, we build a new model that uses Facebook data to measure inter-communication between segregated communities in Lebanon, a country whose diverse yet divided social mosaic is a result of a long history of power struggles and consensus periods between different religious groups. Two case studies are conducted and results are used to validate a conceptual basis by French intellectual Dominique Wolton. Varying results confirm Wolton's ideas about technology's ability to only speed up communication but not to help people overcome social and demographic boundaries.
LA COMPLEJIDAD DEL RÉGIMEN INTERNACIONAL Y LA GOBERNANZA REGIONAL: EVIDENCIA DE LATINOAMÉRICA

The proliferation of overlapping agreements and organizations, and the resulting density in international regimes, lead to increasing attention to the consequences of growing regime complexity on the politics and the effectiveness of global governance. This paper analyzes if the increasing density of economic regimes in the region worked strengthen or undermine the effectiveness of collaboration efforts. I discuss empirical evidence suggesting the presence and relevance of some of these mechanisms in the Americas. It is observed that competitive dynamics among states and regimes with divergent visions and objectives undermines regional cohesion and solidarity.
Multi-layer Network Composition Under a Unified Dynamical Process

In this paper, we take a step towards a principled method of network composition from multi-layer data. We argue that inter-layer dynamics is a essential component of understanding the structure as a whole. Mathematically, we consider the following abstract problem: given multiple layers of network data over a shared vertex set, and additional parameters for inter-layer transitions, construct a (single) weighted network that best integrates the multi-layer dynamics. In this context, we will also study an empirical use case of the composition framework.
The Missing Empirical Studies of DBS Recipients' Views of Self

In “I Miss Being me: Phenomenological Effects of Deep Brain Stimulation,” Gilbert and colleagues (2017) have written an important empirical article, offering readers insight into the phenomenon of ...
Regional Variation in Mortality, Length of Stay, Cost, and Discharge Disposition Among Patients Admitted for Heart Failure in the United States

The objective of the study was to provide contemporary evidence on regional variation in hospitalization outcomes in patients with heart failure (HF) in the United States. Using the National Inpatient Sample, we compared hospitalization outcomes among primary HF admissions (2013 to 2014) among the 4 Census regions of the United States. Overall, an estimated 1.9 million HF hospitalizations occurred in the United States over the study period. Mortality rate was 3%, the mean length of stay was 5.3 days, the median cost of hospitalization was US$7,248, and the rate of routine home discharge was 51%. There was a significant regional variation for all end points (p
Creating a Registry for Patients with Thoracic Outlet Syndrome

The creation of any patient database requires substantial planning. In the case of thoracic outlet syndrome, which is a rare disease, the Society for Vascular Surgery has defined reporting standards to serve as an outline for the creation of a patient registry. Prior to undertaking this task, it is critical that designers understand the basics of registry planning and a priori establish plans for data collection and analysis.
Learning from Technology or Learning with Technology

“We focus on technology and ask whether its use is improving student achievement, but it is educational practices that determine how well students learn, and technology is not a process but a tool through which educational practices are mediated.”
On the time-dependent flux distribution of a fixed-full thermal nuclear reactor

An analytical method is presented for determining the flux distribution and reactivity in a bare homogeneous thermal nuclear reactor during fuel burn-up. It is shown that these two functions can, in principle, be calculated from a recursive set of differential equations. The analysis is illustrated for the case of a flat plate reactor.
Molecular Targets of General Anesthetics in the Nervous System

Current concepts of the molecular and cellular mechanisms that underlie general anesthetic actions are incomplete. This is both surprising, given that leading scientists have approached this problem for more than a century, and unfortunate since this lack of knowledge limits our ability to employ these important drugs with optimal safety and efficacy. Considerable evidence now implicates agent-specific effects on discreet molecular targets and neuronal networks central to specific anesthetic end points. Major progress in understanding the molecular pharmacology of the intravenous anesthetics has been made using modern genetic approaches, but the actions of the inhaled anesthetics have been more difficult to resolve. This chapter provides an overview of the principal molecular targets implicated in mediating the effects of general anesthetics on vertebrate neuronal function.
1 H, 15 N, and 13 C resonance assignments of the intrinsically disordered SH4 and Unique domains of Hck

Hematopoietic cell kinase (Hck) is an important signaling enzyme and a potential drug target for HIV infections and Bcr/Abl-chronic myeloid leukemia. The protein shares the same SH4-Unique-SH3-SH2-kinase multi-domain architecture as the other eight members of the Src family of non-receptor tyrosine kinases. These enzymes are often found anchored to the intracellular side of the membrane via lipidation of the SH4 domain and are integral components of signaling cascades localized at the cell surface. Despite the detailed structural information available for the SH3, SH2, and kinase domains of Hck, the intrinsically disordered nature of the SH4 and Unique domains has resulted in a lack of information for this important region of the protein that is responsible for membrane association. Here, we report the 1H, 15N and 13C chemical shifts of the Hck SH4-Unique domains at pH 4.5.
Role of adjuvant therapy in resected stage IA subcentimeter (T1a/T1b) pancreatic cancer

BACKGROUND The standard of care for patients with resected stage I to stage III pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is adjuvant gemcitabine-based chemotherapy. The role of adjuvant treatment in patients with subcentimeter, stage IA PDAC is unknown. The current study evaluated the effect of adjuvant treatment on survival outcomes among patients with American Joint Committee on Cancer/International Union Against Cancer stage IA (T1N0) resected PDAC using the National Cancer Data Base (NCDB). METHODS A retrospective review of the NCDB was conducted for patients diagnosed with T1 (tumor limited to the pancreas and measuring ≤2 cm in greatest dimension), lymph node-negative (N0), resected PDAC between 2004 and 2013. Patient demographics, histology, adjuvant treatment, and survival trends were examined. Kaplan-Meier analysis and log-rank tests were performed to determine the unadjusted association between overall survival (OS), tumor size, and treatment. RESULTS A total of 876 patients met the inclusion criteria. The patients had a mean age of 66.2 years (range, 32-90 years); approximately 83.3% were white (730 patients) and 53.1% were female (465 patients). Approximately 45.9% of the patients had moderately differentiated tumor histology (402 patients); 70.0% (613 patients) had tumors measuring 1 to 2 cm (T1c) and 30.0% (263 patients) had tumors measuring <1 cm (T1a/T1b). Approximately 94.2% of patients had negative surgical margins (815 patients) and 46.9% (410 patients) received adjuvant therapy. The median OS was significantly different for patients who received adjuvant therapy compared with patients who did not (70.7 months vs 46.9 months; P = .0001). For patients with tumors measuring <1 cm, survival was not found to be significantly different between patients who received adjuvant treatment compared with those who did not (not reached vs 85.3 months; P = .54). In the multivariable analysis, none of the covariates (treatment group, Charlson-Deyo Score, age, insurance, and facility status) demonstrated significant differences for patients with tumors measuring <1 cm. CONCLUSIONS The current study is the first to demonstrate no survival benefit for adjuvant therapy in patients with resected subcentimeter PDAC.
Abstract 186: Regional Variation in Carotid Revascularization Procedures and Outcomes Among Elderly Medicare Beneficiaries

Background: Carotid endarterectomy (CEA) and carotid artery stenting (CAS) are the most frequently performed revascularization procedures to prevent stroke. Little is known about national geographi...
Ultrafast Third-Order Non-Linear Optical Processes in Polymeric Films

Nonlinear optical processes have received international attention because of their importance in optical signal processing and computing (1). For all optical processing, one needs to utilize third-order nonlinear optical interaction which makes the refractive index intensity dependent. Compared to second order nonlinear optical interactions, our understanding of structure-property relation for third order effect is very limited. Recognizing the importance of third-order nonlinear optical effects in all opticals1gnal processing and that organics have the largest non-resonant x(3), the interest recently has shifted heavily towards the study of third-order nonlinear optical interaction in organics (1,2).
Effects of the Medicaid expansion on low-income, childless household savings: Evidence from the Affordable Care Act

Abstract This article examines the effects of the Medicaid expansion on low-income, childless household savings. I exploit the structural changes in the Medicaid program by the Affordable Care Act, which extended the coverage to childless households and eliminated the asset-test for its eligibility. Analyzing the March Current Population Survey Supplement data, I find that the Medicaid expansion increased unearned income generated from savings for childless households with income below the 100% federal poverty level. However, the Medicaid expansion had no effects on earned or total income for those households.
Numerical Study of Non-Circular Pillar Effect in 3D-NAND Flash Memory Cells

Two-dimensional (2D) Technology-Aided Computer Design (TCAD) simulation method is proposed for evaluation of program/erase/retention degradation of Three-dimensional (3D) NAND Flash memory induced by structure deformation. Incremental step-pulse program (PGM) and erase (ERS) electrical characteristics are calculated for various spike-like deformations of vertical channel etch hole, including magnitude, width and amount. Strong dependence of erase speed and negative charge retention on spike deformation is found.
Associations of Blood Pressure and Cholesterol Levels During Young Adulthood With Later Cardiovascular Events

Abstract Background Blood pressure (BP) and cholesterol are major modifiable risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD), but effects of exposures during young adulthood on later life CVD risk have not been well quantified. Objective The authors sought to evaluate the independent associations between young adult exposures to risk factors and later life CVD risk, accounting for later life exposures. Methods The authors pooled data from 6 U.S. cohorts with observations spanning the life course from young adulthood to later life, and imputed risk factor trajectories for low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterols, systolic and diastolic BP starting from age 18 years for every participant. Time-weighted average exposures to each risk factor during young (age 18 to 39 years) and later adulthood (age ≥40 years) were calculated and linked to subsequent risks of coronary heart disease (CHD), heart failure (HF), or stroke. Results A total of 36,030 participants were included. During a median follow-up of 17 years, there were 4,570 CHD, 5,119 HF, and 2,862 stroke events. When young and later adult risk factors were considered jointly in the model, young adult LDL ≥100 mg/dl (compared with Conclusions Cumulative young adult exposures to elevated systolic BP, diastolic BP and LDL were associated with increased CVD risks in later life, independent of later adult exposures.
Detecting a Fungal Pathogen in Its Natural Habitat: The Case of Valley Fever

Valley fever, a disease caused by the soilborne fungal pathogen Coccidioides spp., is on the rise in the southwestern United States and is suspected of expanding its habitat in response to climate change. Many people residing in endemic areas are unaware of the risk of contracting coccidioidomycosis by inhaling fugitive dust that may contain dormant arthroconidia of this fungus. In an effort to teach students about the ongoing epidemic of valley fever and reduce incidence of the disease through education, we developed an inquiry-based, multi-focus laboratory exercise that (1) increases awareness of valley fever incidence, disease symptoms, and ongoing efforts of disease prevention; (2) teaches about the pathogen's ecology; and (3) familiarizes students with molecular techniques targeting pathogen identification. This laboratory exercise uses polymerase chain reaction to detect Coccidioides spp. in DNA extracts from soil samples collected by students across different soil environments. Additionally, this exercise will teach students how to use publicly available data to investigate disease incidence over time and characterize soils the pathogen may inhabit.
A Pilot Study of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy to Improve Well-Being for Health Professionals Providing Chronic Disease Care.

Objective To assess the efficacy of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy delivered onsite during work hours in reducing stress and improving well-being in an interdisciplinary chronic care health care team. Study design A longitudinal, mixed methods, observational pilot study using a survey created from validated assessment tools to measure effectiveness of training. Surveys were completed before training, and 1 and 15 months after training. Twenty-four professionals in the cystic fibrosis Centers at Cincinnati Children's Hospital and the University of Cincinnati participated in 6 mindfulness-based cognitive therapy training sessions. Sessions incorporated mindfulness, cognitive therapy, and experiential exercises for processing feelings related to stress and burnout. Results The presurvey and 1-month postsurvey responses revealed statistically significant improvements for empathy, perceived stress, depersonalization, anxiety, perspective taking, resilience, and negative affect. Sustained effects were seen at 15 months for empathy, perspective taking, and depressive symptoms. The 1-month post-training surveys reported a quarter of respondents (25%) practiced skills at least 5 times in between sessions; at 15 months, 35% reported practicing at the same frequency. Participants reported using mindfulness skills for personal stressful events (74%), work-related general stress (65%), patient-related stress (30%), sleep or general relaxation (22%), and wellness (13%). Conclusions Group mindfulness-based cognitive therapy training was feasible and effective in decreasing stress for interdisciplinary cystic fibrosis care team members who elected to participate. Further investigation is needed to determine optimal dose of training, durability of perceived benefits, and generalizability to health care professionals working with other chronic disorders.
Balancing Service and Safety: Cardiovascular Medicine Divisional Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic highlights the critical need for preparation and innovation against a developing major healthcare challenge. We review our cardiology division’s response at our tertiary hospital center below, paying special emphasis to a practical operational workflow achievable by most cardiac centers across the globe.
Fingolimod reduces salivary infiltrates and increases salivary secretion in a murine Sjögren's model.

Sjogren's Syndrome (SjS) is a chronic, systemic autoimmune disease causing xerostomia, xerophthalmia, and systemic symptoms. The principal pathological finding in SjS is the accumulation of lymphocytes in exocrine glandular tissue and elsewhere, leading to secretory dysfunction and other abnormalities. A rational therapeutic approach might be to interfere with lymphocyte migration to the periphery from central lymphoid tissues. We thus examined in an animal model of SjS the effects of Fingolimod (FTY720, Gilenya™), which interferes with migration of lymphocytes to peripheral sites. Fingolimod induces sequestration of lymphocytes in lymphoid organs by altering lymphocyte expression of sphingosine-1-phosphate receptors. In the C57Bl/6. NOD.Aec1Aec2 (AEC) model of SjS, Fingolimod reduced circulating T and B cell numbers. Treatment of AEC mice with Fingolimod increased salivary output and decreased the size of salivary gland infiltrates. Oral Fingolimod thus merits further consideration in the management of SjS in humans.
Preliminary investigation of the association between COVID-19 and suicidal thoughts and behaviors in the U.S.

Evidence suggests that the negative consequences of COVID-19 may extend far beyond its considerable death toll, having a significant impact on psychological well-being. Despite work highlighting the link between previous epidemics and elevated suicide rates, there is limited research on the relationship between the COVID-19 pandemic and suicidal thoughts and behaviors. Utilizing an online survey, the current study aimed to better understand the presence, and extent, of the association between COVID-19-related experiences and past-month suicidal thoughts and behaviors among adults in the United States recruited via Amazon Mechanical Turk (n = 907). Results support an association between several COVID-19-related experiences (i.e., general distress, fear of physical harm, effects of social distancing policies) and past-month suicidal ideation and suicide attempts. Further, a significant proportion of those with recent suicidal ideation explicitly link their suicidal thoughts to COVID-19. Exploratory analyses highlight a potential additional link between COVID-19 and suicidal behavior, suggesting that a portion of individuals may be intentionally exposing themselves to the virus with intent to kill themselves. These findings underscore the need for suicide risk screening and access to mental health services during the current pandemic. Particular attention should be paid to employing public health campaigns to disseminate information on such services to reduce the enormity of distress and emotional impairment associated with COVID-19 in the United States.
How to Build a Strong Theoretical Foundation

It is our theories that shape how we see the world and the questions we ask of it. Fried argues that psychological science is plagued by weak theories, and that there is a real need for building an...
Cyanobacterial toxin biosensors for environmental monitoring and protection

Abstract Cyanobacterial toxins are primarily monitored using a variety of commercially available techniques, such as enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC-MS). Indeed, official protocols created and utilized by regulatory bodies have these methodologies ingrained into the technical documentation. However, biosensor technology has been advancing for decades and are positioned to replace many existing methods. The requirements of biosensors include, but are not limited to, real time diagnostics, ease of use (reducing requirements for trained personnel), lower costs, high sensitivity, robust platforms, and good reproducibility. In contrast, laboratory techniques like ELISA require immobile equipment and the use of certified standards for toxin quantification. The use of biosensors may reduce the overall burden of materials and associated costs of production. Given the regulatory limits for toxins in drinking water and recreation, a wide array of biosensor platforms (graphene-based, optical, immunological, etc.) reported in the literature have sufficient sensitivity to comply with these guidelines, however, currently no biosensor has been approved for use in the same manner or accepted as a suitable alternative. In many cases, biosensors have been compared in a limited capacity to established technologies such as the previously mentioned ELISA, LC-MS, and HPLC (High Performance Liquid Chromatography) and would serve as good tools to be used as proxy screening methods. Biosensors examined in this review are evaluated on four criterion: (1) feasibility for point-of-care (POC) use, (2) assay time (time from sample collection to receipt of data), (3) variation between measurements (reported coefficient of variation values), and (4) dynamic range and/or limit of detection (LOD) to obtain a measure of a given technique’s suitability to be used for toxin quantification and detection.
Race Matters: Addressing Racism as a Health Issue.

BACKGROUND Racial health disparities in Wisconsin are profound. Racism occurring within the health care field contributes to disparities. Anti-racist education was identified as a need at 2 family medicine residency programs in urban Milwaukee, Wisconsin. METHODS A 3-hour program was developed and performed 3 times over 3 years, engaging around 100 participants at 2 residency programs. RESULTS Thirty-five post-program surveys were completed. Respondents indicated improvement in knowledge, attitude, and awareness of anti-racist health concepts. DISCUSSION The program established a baseline from which to develop anti-racist health care providers. Presenters reflect on the importance of addressing racism as a health issue, getting to know the community served, supporting team members of Color to thrive, and for health care institutions to address racism in an intentional manner.
Complementary Electrolyte Design for Li Metal Batteries in Electric Vehicle Applications

A complementary electrolyte system with 0.8 M lithium bis(fluorosulfonylimide) (LiFSI) salt and 2 wt % lithium perchlorate (LiClO4) additive in fluoroethylene carbonate (FEC)/ethyl methyl carbonate (EMC) solution enables not only stable cycling of lithium metal batteries (LMBs) with practical loading ( 4 mAh/cm2) but also outstanding degradation stability toward the end of cycle life when compared to the conventional electrolyte. Although the use of LiFSI salt can increase the electrolyte conductivity and lengthen the cycle life of LMBs, the aged lithium anode morphology formed by the sacrificial decomposition of LiFSI is highly porous, leading to an abrupt cell capacity drop toward the end of cycling. Moreover, the inability to stop aluminum corrosion by the LiFSI-based electrolyte also causes cracking of the cathode tab during prolonged cycling. It is observed that a highly porous aged lithium consumed electrolyte at a higher rate, leading to the dry-out of electrolyte solvents. On the contrary, dense aged lithium anode morphology increased the localized current applied on the lithium, causing the formation of lithium dendrite. Thus, porosity control is the key to enhance battery performance. In this complementary system, LiClO4 was introduced as an advanced additive to not only improve the capacity retention rate but also mitigate the abrupt capacity drop toward the end of cycle life because LiClO4 acted as a pore astringent reducing the porosity of the aged lithium metal anode to the desired level. Moreover, the addition of LiClO4 can also suppress the Al corrosion, allowing stable high-voltage cycling of LMBs. The synergistic effect of combining LiFSI salt and a LiClO4 additive leads to an electrolyte system that can facilitate the application of high-energy LMBs with practical electrode loading.
The Origin of Protein

Every contemporary protein or a mature protein having a splendid structure and function is produced through genetic expression under the present genetic system. On the other hand, the ideas, such as the amino acid sequence hypothesis (Crick, FH, Symp Soc Exp Biol 12:138–163, 1958; Dill KA, Biochemistry 29:7133–7155, 1990), the protein structure hypothesis (Dill KA, Biochemistry 29:7133–7155, 1990), the short peptide (or motif) hypothesis (Dayhoff MO, J Theor Biol 8:97–112, 1965; Romero K, Amada F, Yoshida S et al., Nucl Acids Res 24:4249–4255, 2016) and so on, have been proposed to explain the origin of protein. However, any hypothesis could not explain well the creation process of the first primitive protein, probably because those three hypotheses are too strongly affected by formation process and structure of modern proteins. Then, how did modern proteins originate from what structure of a primitive protein? As a matter of course, the most primitive protein must be created through random process. On the other hand, it would be certain that it is impossible to produce any mature protein in the absence of gene or through a random process, because of the high wall of the extraordinary large diversity of amino acid sequences composed of 100 amino acids; 20100 = ~10130 (Dill 1990). However, not a mature protein but an immature protein with some flexibility could be produced by random joining of [GADV]-amino acids in a specific amino acid composition or protein 0th-order structure, as I have proposed. That is, the mature protein had been created as a result of maturation from an immature protein to a mature protein with a higher function than before step by step, as enhancing a function of the immature protein with memorizing ability of amino acid replacements of double-stranded (ds) RNA. Note that the ds-RNA never play a leading role in creation of the mature protein during the maturation process, because the random base substitutions of the ds-RNA cannot determine the evolutionary process of the immature protein. Instead, the evolutionary pathway of the protein is actually determined by improvement of the function of the evolving protein itself. Therefore, the ds-RNA only had played a subsidiary role during the maturation from an immature to a mature protein. I will discuss in this Chapter, how such a splendid mature protein could be produced from an immature protein, dividing into two parts, or before and after creation of the first ds-(GNC)n RNA gene.
Write this way: examining teachers’ supportive strategies to facilitate children’s early writing in preschool

Writing is essential for communication in literate societies, and its successful acquisition and development is central to academic achievement. Beginning in early childhood, preschool-age children gradually develop componential skills within the domains of handwriting, spelling, and composing that ultimately enable them to translate thoughts and ideas into printed words to convey a message. Previous research has largely focused on teachers’ practices in the general classroom context. In this study, we applied a fine-grained approach to examine preschool teachers’ instructional practices for supporting children’s early writing skills in a dyadic (i.e., one-on-one) context. The key aims were: (1) to describe teachers’ supportive strategies for handwriting, spelling, and composing within a dyadic writing task; and (2) to determine whether teachers’ supportive strategies varied according to the domain of writing they addressed. We asked thirty teacher–child dyads to complete a picture description writing task, and used a researcher-developed coding scheme to document teachers’ supportive strategies. Descriptive analyses revealed that teachers frequently used directives, modeling, and closed-ended requests, and that there was wide variation in teachers’ supportive strategies for writing, Moreover, teachers’ instruction primarily focused on spelling and composing, and less so on handwriting. Accordingly, our findings help to complement and extend the extant literature regarding teachers’ writing practices by providing a detailed description of teachers’ strategies to facilitate children’s writing and demonstrating the ways in which these strategies vary within a dyadic context.
Wyszecki, Gunter 1925–1985

Gunter Wyszecki was a German–Canadian mathematician/physicist who made important contributions to the fields of colorimetry, color discrimination, color order, and color vision (Robertson in Necrology of G. Wyszecki AIC Newslett. 3:18–20, 1986). He was born in Tilsit, East Prussia, Germany (today Sovetsk, Russia), in 1925. He attended the Technische Universitat Berlin where he obtained a Dr.-Ing. degree, with a dissertation on normal and anomalous trichromacy (Wyszecki in Valenzmetrische Untersuchung des Zusammenhanges zwischen normaler und anomaler Trichromasie Farbe 2:39–45, 1953).
Ovotesticular Disorder Mimicking Acute Spermatic Cord Torsion.

Abstract Ovotesticular disorder is a rare form of sexual development in which a patient may have one ovary and one testis, or more commonly a gonad or gonads containing both ovarian and testicular tissue. Patients with this condition typically present in infancy with ambiguous genitalia. Delayed presentations of clinically symptomatic, older patients with normal external genitalia are extremely rare. We present a case of a 14-year-old male with normal external genitalia who presented with symptoms and signs consistent with spermatic cord torsion but found to have ovotesticular disorder on evaluation.
Impaired CD4+ T-cell proliferation and effector function correlates with repressive histone methylation events in a mouse model of severe sepsis

Immunosuppression following severe sepsis remains a significant human health concern, as long-term morbidity and mortality rates of patients who have recovered from life-threatening septic shock remain poor. Mouse models of severe sepsis indicate this immunosuppression may be partly due to alterations in myeloid cell function; however, the effect of severe sepsis on subsequent CD4+ T cell responses remains unclear. In the present study, CD4+ T cells from mice subjected to an experimental model of severe sepsis (cecal ligation and puncture, CLP) were analyzed in vitro. CD4+ CD62L+ T cells from CLP mice exhibited reduced proliferative capacity and altered gene expression. Additionally, CD4+ CD62L+ T cells from CLP mice exhibit dysregulated cytokine production after in vitro skewing with exogenous cytokines, indicating a decreased capability of these cells to commit to either the TH1 or TH2 lineage. Repressive histone methylation marks were also evident at promoter regions for the TH1 cytokine interferon-γ (IFN-γ) and the TH2 transcription factor GATA-3 in naive CD4+ T cells from CLP mice. These results provide evidence that CD4+ T cell subsets from postseptic mice exhibit defects in activation and effector function, possibly due to chromatin remodeling proximal to genes involved in cytokine production or gene transcription.
Role of Thrombelastography (TEG) in Risk Assessment and Guidance of Antithrombotic Therapy in Patients with Coronary Artery Disease

Clinical Development Phases I-III Regulatory, Quality, Manufacturing Thrombelastography (TEG) is a viscoelastic assay method used to assess whole blood and plasma coagulation kinetics. Specialized platelet mapping assays have been developed for the TEG platform to quantify the extent of platelet inhibition derived from P2Y12 receptor inhibitors, glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors, and aspirin. In this review, we describe the current evidence and summarize the data supporting the use of TEG in patients with cardiovascular disease. High thrombin- or adenosine diphosphate (ADP)-induced whole blood maximal clot strength (MA) has been associated with increased risk of ischemic events after percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) and coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). We discuss the data linking an increased clot strength phenotype with changes in metabolic and inflammatory markers. In addition, the data supporting the role of TEG in identifying subjects at risk for hemorrhagic complications while treated with dual antiplatelet therapy or while undergoing cardiac surgery is reviewed. In summary, TEG may provide additional information combining coagulation and platelet measurements within one assay, as compared with traditional coagulation or platelet assays. Further research is warranted to establish the role of TEG in personalized medicine treatment protocols.
Automatic Construction of Special Purpose Programs

Abstract : According to the usual formulation of the automatic programming task, one starts with a specification of a programming problem, and seeks to automatically construct a program satisfying that specification. This paper concerns a different style of automatic programming. Rather than defining the class of programming problems to be dealt with by the language in which those problems are formulated, we instead consider classes of problems defined in ordinary mathematical terms. Also, our aims are different from the traditional aims of automatic programming in that we are interested primarily in increasing the efficiency of computations, rather than in transferring the burden of programming from human to computer. Let alpha(p, x, y) be a ternary predicate. Suppose that in the course of some large computation we are obliged to repeatedly compute values of y with alpha(p, x, y) from given values of p and x. Suppose further that in the sequence of p's and x's to be treated, p changes slowly and x rapidly. Then we seek to automatically synthesize a fast special purpose program A sub p for each p; A sub p is expected to compute a y with alpha(p, x, y) when given x as input. We present one example of special purpose automatic programming in detail, namely, a method for synthesizing special purpose programs for eliminating the hidden surfaces from displays of three dimensional scenes. (Hidden surface elimination is one of the central problems in three dimensional computer graphics). In a test of the method, a synthetic program specialized to treating a particular scene - but from an arbitrary point of view - proved to be an order of magnitude faster than the best available general purpose algorithm. (Author)
The pentose phosphate pathway of glucose metabolism. Influence of a growth-hormone-secreting pituitary tumour on the oxidative and non-oxidative reactions of the cycle in liver.

1. Measurements were made of the activities of enzymes of the pentose phosphate cycle, glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase, 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase, ribose 5-phosphate isomerase, ribulose 5-phosphate epimerase, transketolase and transaldolase, as well as of the related or competing enzymes glucokinase, hexokinase, phosphoglucose isomerase and phosphoglucomutase, in control rats and in rats bearing the growth-hormone- and prolactin-secreting pituitary tumour MtTW5, to study the effect of high endogenous concentrations of growth hormone on this pathway in liver. 2. There was a twofold increase in liver weight. Glucokinase activity/g. of liver decreased to half the control value in the experimental group, although on a total liver basis it remained unchanged. Hexokinase activity increased in parallel with the liver weight, so that the total activity was doubled in rats with a high endogenous concentration of growth hormone. No differences in response were found between heat-stable and heat-labile forms of hexokinase. 3. The activity/g. of liver of the two oxidative enzymes of the pathway decreased slightly in the experimental group, but this was offset by the increase in liver weight, and the resultant effect was a 50% increase in the total activity. 4. Of the non-oxidative enzymes of the cycle the most marked increase on a total liver basis was in ribose 5-phosphate isomerase activity, to 2·5 times the control value. Ribulose 5-phosphate epimerase activity showed the smallest increase. Transketolase and transaldolase activities were also increased. The latter is the rate-limiting enzyme of the non-oxidative reactions of the cycle in these animals. 5. The results are discussed in relation to the glycolytic pathway and synthesis of glycogen, and more particularly to the increased requirement for ribose 5-phosphate for RNA synthesis.
Millimeter-Wave Photonics for Communications and Phased Arrays

AbstractThis article presents recent developments in millimeter-wave communications architectures featuring broadband photonic signal generation, up-conversion and down-conversion, as well as true-time-delay photonic steering of millimeter-wave arrays. These developments will support future high-capacity millimeter-wave wireless communications by enabling broadband signals to be generated and converted between baseband and millimeter-wave carrier frequencies without electronic heterodyne systems and by permitting the use of true-time-delay beamsteering in millimeter-wave array apertures.
Technology vs. pedagogy: Instructional effectiveness and student perceptions of a student response system

Abstract Objectives The objective was to determine students’ attitudes, perceptions, and material retention with the use of student response systems (SRSs) in a first-year pharmacy practice course. Methods During a two-hour smoking cessation module, students were randomized to either instruction with the use of SRS (treatment group) or instruction without the use of SRS (control group). A pre- and post-test design was deployed to assess student perceptions and attitudes, as well as student learning outcomes (SLOs). Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) tests were employed to address the specific study objectives. Results Pre- and post-assessment results showed that while SRS did not significantly increase retention of SLO in our study, it did appear to significantly impact student perception and attitudes. Students exposed to SRS experienced double the increase in positive attitudes toward the use of this teaching tool as compared with students who were not exposed to their use. We also show that students in the treatment group tended to attribute improved performance on retention of SLO to the use of technology in the classroom more while students in the control group did not. Conclusion Our results suggest a complex interaction between student learning and attitudes toward technology and active learning tools such as SRS. Further investigation into the impact of perceived student benefits in the aftermath of exposure to new learning tools and relationships to SLO retention are warranted.
Self-healing in group key distribution using subset difference method

The subset difference (SD) method proposed by D. Naor et al. is one of the most efficient group key distribution techniques. Recently a polynomial based solution for key distribution was proposed by D. Liu et al., which requires a similar message size as the SD method, but also provides self-healing feature. We propose a self-healing feature for the SD method, and present some optimization techniques to reduce the overhead caused by the self-healing capability.
Genetic Analysis of B2t, the Structural Gene for a Testis-Specific β-Tubulin Subunit in DROSOPHILA MELANOGASTER

Genetic analysis of the B2t locus has resulted in the recovery of four recessive mutations in the B2t structural gene and a deficiency that deletes the locus. Two of the mutations were recovered as suppressors of B2tD, a dominant male sterile mutation at the locus, and two were induced on wild-type chromosomes. All four mutant genes encode beta 2-tubulin subunits that are synthesized at normal rates but do not accumulate. All mutants are completely male sterile as homozygotes.
Corporate Governance Spillovers

Failures of corporate governance at one firm spill over into short-termism and incentives for managers at other firms to manipulate earnings fraudulently due to career concerns and relative performance evaluation. The model predicts that (i) peer governance matters and that the average rate of earnings fraud should be higher when peer governance is weaker; (ii) managers should react more aggressively to changes in relative performance when peer governance is weaker; and (iii) earnings fraud should be most sensitive to peer governance when career concerns are strong. Using data on event-periods associated with fraudulent restatements, I find evidence corroborating all three predictions and the implication that a few "bad apples" can lead to increased misbehavior at other firms. By studying a specific managerial action, the paper highlights the importance of the role of career concerns and implicit incentives as well as the governance environment in influencing managerial behavior.
Effects of Social Interaction on Performance and Mood State during Computer-Based Data Entry Work:

The effects of social interaction on performance and mood state were investigated for computer-based data entry work. A highly repetitive, screen-based, numeric data entry task was performed in a laboratory environment. Experienced data entry workers (N=16) performed the task under social and nonsocial conditions. Pairs of subjects worked at adjacent workstations in both conditions. During the nonsocial condition a room divider prevented visual contact and conversation was not permitted. During the social condition visual contact and conversation were permitted. Each condition consisted of three, 40-min work periods separated by 10-min rest breaks away from the workstation. The two subjects entered lines of data which had the same or an unequal number of characters so that interactions between task similarity and social/nonsocial conditions could be evaluated. Keystroke output, error rate, and the number of character corrections with the backspace key were scored for each work period. In addition, a surve...
Design of a series elastic actuator for a compliant parallel wrist rehabilitation robot

This paper presents the design of a novel linear series elastic actuator purposely designed to match the requirements of robots for wrist rehabilitation: backdriveabil-ity, intrinsic compliance, and capability to be controlled as ideal force/torque sources. An existing rehabilitation robot is adapted to include intrinsic compliance in the design. A novel linear compliant element is designed to meet dimensional and force/stiffness requirements; a force sensing scheme involving a Hall-effect sensor is optimized in FEM simulations and developed. Linearity tests of the compliant sensing element show a maximum of 4.5% of FSO combined nonlinearity and hysteresis errors. Characterization experiments show that the developed system introduces physical compliance, still guaranteeing accurate force control in a frequency range largely compatible with that required for wrist assistance during rehabilitation.