cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effects of elevated concentrations of prostaglandin F2α on pregnancy rates in progestogen supplemented cattle

An experiment was performed to determine the effect of elevated prostaglandin F2 alpha (PGF2 alpha) on pregnancy rates of progestogen-treated bred cows in the presence or absence of luteal tissue. Ninety-one beef cows were bred (Day 0) and assigned randomly to receive either 3 mL saline (CON), 15 mg PGF2 alpha, or 15 mg PGF2 alpha + lutectomy (P + L) administered intramuscularly (i.m.) at 8 h intervals on either Days 5-8, 10-13, or 15-18 postbreeding. Lutectomies were performed by transrectal digital pressure before initiation of treatment on Day 5, 10, or 15 for the respective treatment groups. All cows were fed 4 mg/day of melengesterol acetate from two days prior to initiation of treatment until Day 30 postbreeding. Mean concentrations of 13,14-dihydro-15-keto-PGF2 alpha (PGFM) were increased in cows administered PGF2 alpha and P + L treatments (398 +/- 23 and 413 +/- 22 pg/ml, respectively; p < 0.01) compared to the CON group (80 +/- 29 pg/ml) regardless of treatment group. Mean concentrations of oxytocin (OT) were increased in cows given PGF2 alpha on Day 10 and 15 (p < or = 0.0001) and tended to be increased on d 5 when compared to CON and P + L treatment groups on Day 5. Pregnancy rates were reduced (p < or = 0.03) in the PGF2 alpha treatment group (23%) and by Day 5-8 compared to CON (72%). Lutectomy tended to improve pregnancy rate in P + L (5-8; 55%) compared to PGF2 alpha (5-8; p = 0.1). Pregnancy rates tended (p < or = 0.07) to increase in the PGF2 alpha treatment groups on Days 5-8 treatment (23%, 50%, and 60% for Days 5-8, 10-13, and 15-18, respectively). The later the treatments were initiated pregnancy rates did not differ between treatments given on Days 10-13 and 15-18. In conclusion, the most susceptible period of embryonic growth to the negative effects of PGF2 alpha was during morula to blastocyst development. Removal of luteal tissue diminishes the negative effects of PGF2 alpha through interruption of the luteal oxytocin-uterine PGF2 alpha feedback loop.
Renal artery embolization with polyvinyl alcohol foam particles.

Abstract Polyvinyl alcohol foam particles have been used for renal artery embolization using flow-controlled techniques. This material causes permanent thrombosis which originates in and near the capillary bed. Maximum devascularization of renal tumors can be achieved, and small renal arteriovenous malformations can be selectively occluded.
Population Dynamics and Seasonal Biology of the Alfalfa Weevil (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) on Alfalfa in Louisiana

The biology of the alfalfa weevil, Hypera postica (Gyllenhal), was studied in Louisiana during 1986 to 1988 on alfalfa, Medicago sativa (L.). Post-estivation migration of adults in the fall occurs during late November and early December. Fall oviposition during December and January resulted in 58 to 81% of alfalfa stems with egg clusters. Egg viability of eggs laid in the fall was estimated at 75%. Alfalfa weevil egg clusters contained an average of 10.9 (1986–1987) to 13.3 (1987–1988) eggs per cluster. The position of egg clusters in the alfalfa canopy, relative to the base of the stem, indicated that 95 and 50% of all clusters were below 40 and 18 cm, respectively. An ovipositional preference was found with eggs generally laid between the upper 30% and lower 80% regions of the alfalfa stem. Alfalfa weevil larvae were first detected in February. Egg eclosion in 1987 was highly synchronized as indicated by larval counts increasing from 4 to 90 per sweep between 3 and 10 February. In 1988, larval emergence gradually increased from 4 February (≦10/sweep) to 3 March (60/sweep). Head capsule widths were 0.15, 0.28, 0.42, and 0.55 mm for first, second, third, and fourth instars, respectively. Corresponding body lengths were 1.4, 2.8, 4.6, and 6.6 mm for first, second, third, and fourth instars, respectively. The marked decline of alfalfa weevils in April is presumably indicative of adult migration from alfalfa to summer estivation sites. Degree-day accumulations are used to describe and predict spring hatch of the alfalfa weevil in Louisiana.
Tabletop Ensemble: touch-enabled virtual percussion instruments

We present an interactive virtual percussion instrument system, Tabletop Ensemble, that can be used by a group of collaborative users simultaneously to emulate playing music in real world while providing them with flexibility of virtual simulations. An optical multi-touch tabletop serves as the input device. A novel touch handling algorithm for such devices is presented to translate users' interactions into percussive control signals appropriate for music playing. These signals activate the proposed sound simulation system for generating realistic user-controlled musical sounds. A fast physically-based sound synthesis technique, modal synthesis, is adopted to enable users to directly produce rich, varying musical tones, as they would with the real percussion instruments. In addition, we propose a simple coupling scheme for modulating the synthesized sounds by an accurate numerical acoustic simulator to create believable acoustic effects due to cavity in music instruments. This paradigm allows creating new virtual percussion instruments of various materials, shapes, and sizes with little overhead. We believe such an interactive, multi-modal system would offer capabilities for expressive music playing, rapid prototyping of virtual instruments, and active exploration of sound effects determined by various physical parameters in a classroom, museum, or other educational settings. Virtual xylophones and drums with various physics properties are shown in the presented system.
THE INFLUENCE OF DISTRIBUTIONAL ASSUMPTIONS ON THE CALCULATION OF CROP INSURANCE PREMIA

Crop insurance premia are shown to be sensitive to the distributional assumptions used in their calculation. Premia calculations based on normal distributions and beta distributions are compared. The normal distribution overstates the probability of loss relative to the beta distribution, and causes premia to be higher. It is argued that use of the normal distribution in crop insurance premia calculation cannot be justified by appealing to a Central Limit Theorem because crop insurance loss events are not independent, and that distributions with flexible representation of skewness would be more appropriate for crop insurance premia calculation.
Managing the aftermath of medication errors: managed care's role.

Objective To discuss managed care's role in managing an organization's response to a medication error and to provide specific recommendations for that response. Data Sources Published articles and reports related to crisis management, service failure, public relations, ethics, psychology, management, marketing, health care, and law. Review of the literature on crisis management and service failure was extensive. ProQuest and MEDLINE databases were searched. Search terms were medication error , medical error , and organizational crisis . Study Selection Studies were selected on the basis of their relevance to practitioners. Data Synthesis Medication errors place practitioners, pharmacies, and health care organizations under severe emotional, physical, and financial stress. Managed poorly, a medication error can have disastrous consequences for all involved. When the response is managed correctly, a medication error presents a challenge, but one that is survivable and potentially instructive. Managed care should develop and disseminate best practices for responding to errors and lead the development and adoption of technologies and systems designed to curtail the number of errors and reduce the costs associated with those errors. Effectively responding to a medication error allows the pharmacy organization to maintain or resume its core activities while minimizing stakeholders' losses. The lessons learned in the process of managing the aftermath of a medication error should be incorporated into ongoing quality improvement programs. Conclusion Based on the literature review and the ideas presented, specific recommendations for responding to catastrophic medication errors are made. Following those recommendations would allow those in the health care system—managed care organizations and individual practitioners—to improve their image and do good at the same time.
Double trouble: two complicated slings in one woman

A 45-year-old woman presented with urinary retention and urethral erosion after repeated slings for stress urinary incontinence. The following case communication briefly discusses the clinical presentation, appearance, and the management features of urinary retention in the presence of urethral mesh erosion.
Foot and Ankle Resources on the Internet

The foot is the most neglected part of the body. Many people believe that foot pain is normal, when in fact, it is not. According to the American Podiatric Medical Association, 75% of Americans will experience some type of foot problem in their lives. Neglect and abuse cause most foot problems, while congenital malformations and disabilities cause a small percentage of these ailments. Some foot conditions are signs of more serious problems, such as diabetes and other circulatory and nerve diseases and disorders. This article will serve as a guide to the various foot and ankle resources available on the World Wide Web for both health professionals and consumers.
Spectral transmission measurements in the nu sub 6 fundamental of /C-12/H3D at 8.65 microns

Spectral transmission measurements were performed at 300 K in the 8.65-micron fundamental band of monodeuterated methane, a trace constituent in the atmosphere of Jupiter. A theoretical curve is obtained from line-by-line computation of the spectral transmission utilizing a triangular slit function with full width at half-maximum. The agreement between theoretical and experimental spectral transmission curves suggests that deuteration does not affect the collision-broadened half-widths significantly in the two extreme cases of broadening being considered.
Subgingival occurrence of enteric rods, yeasts and staphylococci after systemic doxycycline therapy

The occurrence of subgingival enteric rods, yeasts and staphylococci (pre-treatment and post-treatment) was examined in 21 adult periodontitis patients receiving mechanical periodontal therapy and systemic doxycycline (200 mg on first day, then 100 mg/day for 20 days). Subgingival samples obtained prior to, and 2 weeks and 4 weeks after completion of the antibiotic therapy were transported in VMGA III and plated onto TSBV (for enteric rods and yeasts) and Staphylococcus 110 media. At baseline, small numbers of enteric rods (3 patients), yeasts (5 patients) and staphylococci (11 patients) were detected subgingivally. After the antibiotic therapy, more than 10-fold increases were seen in subgingival numbers of Enterobacter aerogenes (2 patients), Escherichia coli (1 patient), Candida albicans (2 patients), and staphylococci (11 patients). These findings demonstrating that systemic doxycycline therapy may result in at least temporary subgingival overgrowths of enteric rods, yeasts and staphylococci, may indicate the risk of frequent use of tetracycline in periodontal therapy.
Novel approaches to FEL operation: The gas-loaded FEL and a high efficiency FEL design

Two novel methods for improving free-electron laser (FEL) oscillator performance are discussed: (a) The gas-loaded FEL (GFEL) allows operation at snorter wavelengths for a given accelerator energy and wiggler. Experimental results of laser operation with a gas retention foil in the electron beam line and with the introduction of gas to the wiggler cavity are presented, (b) An FEL design utilizing a time-ramped microwave field to accelerate electrons as they lose energy to radiation allows for high conversion efficiencies. Parameter constraints for such an FEL are discussed, leading to a structure that integrates a wiggler with a linac. It is shown that conversion efficiencies of 50% at λ = 10 μm with a 2m wiggler length can be achieved for typical FEL parameter values without sacrificing small-signal gain
Neural connections of the "visual wulst" of the avian telencephalon. Experimental studies in the piegon (Columba livia) and owl (Speotyto cunicularia).

Retinal fibers in both the pigeon and owl terminate in a multi-nucleate complex of the dorsal thalamus, including the nuclei lateralis anterior, dorsolateralis-anterior, dorsolateralis anterior, pars lateralis et pars magnocellularis, and collectively designated the nucleus opticus principalis thalami (OPT). Efferent projections of OPT were traced with the Fink-Heimer method into the ipsilateral lateral forebrain bundle, and via the dorsal supraoptic decussation, into the contralateral lateral forebrain bundle. OPT projections terminate within an elevation, or “Wulst” on the dorsum of the telencephalon. The Wulst is a multilaminate structure containing a deep lying layer of large cells the hyper-striatum dorsale (HD), a dispersed cell layer — the hyperstriatum intercalatus suprema (HISm), a granule cell layer or nucleus intercalatus hyperstriatum accessorium (IHA), an overlying hyperstriatum accessorium (HA) consisting of a broad layer of medium sized neurons, and an overlying fibro-molecular layer. Each of these laminae are particularly well developed in the owl, where the granule cell layer is divisible into inner and outer bands (IHAex and IHAint). The projections of OPT terminate in the HD, HISm and IHA. A homotopic projection was also found in the contralateral Wulst. The pattern of termination was similar in both the pigeon and the owl, though the pattern of distribution was more apparent in the owl with its massive OPT and Wulst. Medial, nonvisual, thalamic cell groups in the pigeon (nuclei dorsolateralis pars medialis and dorso-medialis anterior) also project bilaterally upon the Wulst, but terminate in a more medial, nonvisual and cytologically different, portion of HD. The projections of the medial thalamic nuclei did not overlap with those of OPT and appear to be a separate functional system of still undetermined nature. Efferent axons of the “visual Wulst” of the pigeon and owl project upon the ipsilateral lateral hyperstriatum ventrale, neostriatum and upon the peri-ectostriatal belt (Karten and Hodos, '70). Extratelencephalic projections via the septomesencephalic tract (TSM) terminate in OPT, the internal lamina of the ventral lateral geniculate nucleus (LGv), pretectal nuclei and optic tectum. A small contingent of fibers of the TSM cross to the opposite side in the dorsal supraoptic decussation, to terminate in LGv, and, in the owl, in the contralateral ventromedial tectum. Dense terminal degeneration has also been observed in the deeper layers of the ipsilateral optic tectum of pigeon whereas in the owl the projection of the Wulst also extends to the more superficial layers of the tectum, and appears to be topographically arranged. The numerous similarities between the system described above and the geniculostriate visual pathways of mammals seems apparent. These findings clearly indicate that the geniculo-striate type of system may attain elaborate degrees of development in nonmammalian as well as mammalian brains.
Comment on Ralph Hancock, The Responsibility of Reason: Theory and Practice in a Liberal-Democratic Age

Abstract Ralph Hancock's Responsibility of Reason distinguishes two “axes of transcendence,” vertical and horizontal, characteristic of ancient and modern philosophy, respectively, and settles for a mixed regime in which both can stake their claim. Praising Tocqueville and Heidegger for their trenchant analyses of the modern problem, Hancock criticizes the effort by Leo Strauss and his “High Straussian” disciples to restore classical political philosophy as post-Christian, that is, denying rather than acknowledging Christian insight. Regarding Strauss, I think the criticism misfires, for Strauss's adage to understand authors as they understood themselves allows Christianity, too, to appear as fresh as the classical authors to whom the early Christians responded. Moreover, to settle the responsibility of reason in our time requires coming to terms with the achievements as well as the limits of modern science, the epitome of reason to most modern men. Heidegger's critique of technology does not exhaust this...
Mutations in 2 distinct genetic pathways result in cerebral cavernous malformations in mice

Cerebral cavernous malformations (CCMs) are a common type of vascular malformation in the brain that are a major cause of hemorrhagic stroke. This condition has been independently linked to 3 separate genes: Krev1 interaction trapped (KRIT1), Cerebral cavernous malformation 2 (CCM2), and Programmed cell death 10 (PDCD10). Despite the commonality in disease pathology caused by mutations in these 3 genes, we found that the loss of Pdcd10 results in significantly different developmental, cell biological, and signaling phenotypes from those seen in the absence of Ccm2 and Krit1. PDCD10 bound to germinal center kinase III (GCKIII) family members, a subset of serine-threonine kinases, and facilitated lumen formation by endothelial cells both in vivo and in vitro. These findings suggest that CCM may be a common tissue manifestation of distinct mechanistic pathways. Nevertheless, loss of heterozygosity (LOH) for either Pdcd10 or Ccm2 resulted in CCMs in mice. The murine phenotype induced by loss of either protein reproduced all of the key clinical features observed in human patients with CCM, as determined by direct comparison with genotype-specific human surgical specimens. These results suggest that CCM may be more effectively treated by directing therapies based on the underlying genetic mutation rather than treating the condition as a single clinical entity.
Alignment, zippering and splaying of microtubules during axogenesis

Microtubules are reconfigured from a scattered array to a paraxial bundle during axogenesis. One popular model posits that this reconfiguration results from the assembly dynamics of the microtubules together with structural proteins that stabilize and crosslink them. Here we show that the microtubules undergo behaviors that are not consistent with a model based on these principles alone. When cultured on polylysine, rat sympathetic neurons extend modest lamellae which contain a mass of nonaligned microtubules. Application of a mixture of growth factors called matrigel results in a rapid expansion of the lamellae followed by the outgrowth of axons. Fluorescence-imaging of living neurons reveals sluggish movements of microtubules in neurons not exposed to matrigel. After addition of matrigel, the movements become rapid and result in dramatic changes in the microtubule array. Microtubules now extend to the periphery of the lamellae where they invade newly forming axons. The microtubules align with one another and relative to the cell cortex, and draw together into bundles. Microtubules within a bundle move apart as well, particularly in the growth cones that form at the tips of developing axons. These microtubule behaviors, which we refer to as alignment, zippering and splaying, are reminiscent of those observed in vitro when microtubules are subjected to forces generated by molecular motor proteins. High-resolution images obtained with electron microscopy support this view, and also suggest that microtubule reconfiguration occurs in conjunction with alterations in actin, which may be a substrate for microtubule movements. We conclude that the reconfiguration of microtubules underlying axogenesis involves complex microtubule behaviors, many of which are consistent with movements generated by motor-driven forces.
Selective depletion of plasma prekallikrein or coagulation factor XII inhibits thrombosis in mice without increased risk of bleeding

Recent studies indicate that the plasma contact system plays an important role in thrombosis, despite being dispensable for hemostasis. For example, mice deficient in coagulation factor XII (fXII) are protected from arterial thrombosis and cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury. We demonstrate that selective reduction of prekallikrein (PKK), another member of the contact system, using antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) technology results in an antithrombotic phenotype in mice. The effects of PKK deficiency were compared with those of fXII deficiency produced by specific ASO-mediated reduction of fXII. Mice with reduced PKK had ∼ 3-fold higher plasma levels of fXII, and reduced levels of fXIIa-serpin complexes, consistent with fXII being a substrate for activated PKK in vivo. PKK or fXII deficiency reduced thrombus formation in both arterial and venous thrombosis models, without an apparent effect on hemostasis. The amount of reduction of PKK and fXII required to produce an antithrombotic effect differed between venous and arterial models, suggesting that these factors may regulate thrombus formation by distinct mechanisms. Our results support the concept that fXII and PKK play important and perhaps nonredundant roles in pathogenic thrombus propagation, and highlight a novel, specific and safe pharmaceutical approach to target these contact system proteases.
TiO2 nanoparticles as a soft X-ray molecular probe.

This communication reports the development of a TiO2–streptavidin nanoconjugate as a new biological label for X-ray bio-imaging applications; this new probe, used in conjunction with the nanogold probe, will make it possible to obtain quantitative, high-resolution information about the location of proteins using X-ray microscopy.
Snapshot imaging spectropolarimeter utilizing polarization gratings

Measurements of complete polarization and spectral content across a broad wavelength range of a scene are used in various fields including astronomy, remote sensing, and target detection. Most current methods to acquire spectral and polarimetric information need moving parts or modulation processes which lead to significant complexity or reduce sampling resolution. Here we present a novel snapshot imaging spectropolarimeter based on anisotropic diffraction gratings known as polarization gratings (PGs). Using multiple PGs and waveplates, we can acquire both spectrally dispersed and highly polarized diffractions of a scene on a single focal plane array, simultaneously. PGs uniquely produce only three diffracted orders (0 and ±1), polarization independent zerothorder, polarization sensitive first-orders that depend linearly with the Stokes parameters, and easily fabricated as polymer films suitable for visible to infrared wavelength operation. The most significant advantage of our spectropolarimeter over other snapshot imaging systems is its capability to provide simultaneous acquisition of both spectral and polarization information at a higher resolution and in a simpler and more compact way. Here we report our preliminary data and discuss the cogent design of our imaging spectropolarimeter.
Intraoperative use of a new angle-independent Doppler system to measure arterial velocities after carotid endarterectomy

Abstract Objective: The purpose of this study was to assess the intraoperative use of a new angle-independent ultrasound scan device (EchoFlow [EF]) in measurement of carotid artery velocities after endarterectomy. Specifically, the purpose was to determine the reproducibility of velocity measurements obtained with EF and to compare these measurements with the velocity measurements obtained with duplex ultrasound scan. Methods: Velocity measurements of the common, internal, and external carotid arteries were performed by the operative surgeon with EF in 65 consecutive patients after carotid endarterectomy (36 female, 29 male; mean age, 71 years). Three velocity measurements were obtained from each of the arteries with EF and compared with the velocity measurements obtained with duplex ultrasound scan performed by a radiologist. Results: Velocity measurements obtained with the EF device were reproducible in the common, internal, and external carotid arteries (intrapatient correlation coefficients, 0.95, 0.96, and 0.95, respectively). Seventy-five percent of common, 88% of internal, and 78% of external carotid velocity measurements obtained with the angle-independent ultrasound scan device were within 25 cm/s of the velocities measured with duplex ultrasound scan. The mean differences in velocity measurements between EF and duplex scan were −12 cm/s in the common, −8 cm/s in the internal, and −11 cm/s in the external carotid arteries. Differences between the EF device and duplex scan velocity measurements correlated with increasing arterial velocities in each of the three arteries measured ( P Conclusion: Reproducible measurements of carotid artery velocity may be obtained with a new angle-independent Doppler system after endarterectomy. Most measurements obtained with the EF system are clinically comparable with those obtained with standard duplex ultrasound scan. This novel low-cost device may be useful in the intraoperative assessment of hemodynamic adequacy of carotid endarterectomy. (J Vasc Surg 2003;37:374-80.)
Social Construction of Human Trafficking on YouTube: An Exploratory Study

When proclamations are made that human trafficking is a serious global social problem, it is important to recognize that social problems are socially constructed in that “… . individuals or groups ...
Case Article---Process Control and Design of Experiments/ANOVA

Process control and design of experiments are two important concepts that business students must learn, as a proper usage of these techniques can have a significant impact on a firm's bottom line. Moreover, these ideas can be successfully used in a variety of application contexts: Process control applications range from the manufacturing of automobiles to the management of call centers, whereas design of experiments is used for process, product, and policy design. This set of two cases discusses operational improvement initiatives using these methods at a fictitious semiconductor manufacturing company that is being pressured by one of its major customers to improve quality. The first of the two cases covers process control charts, process capability, and a trade-off analysis between product quality improvement and new equipment leasing costs. The second case covers design of experiments and analysis of variance ANOVA. Both cases require hands-on analysis and can be used in both undergraduate and graduate business programs. Case Teaching Note: Interested Instructors please see the Instructor Materials page for access to the restricted materials. To maintain the integrity and usefulness of cases published in ITE, unapproved distribution of the case teaching notes and other restricted materials to any other party is prohibited.
After fertilization, sperm surface components remain as a patch in sea urchin and mouse embryos

Abstract Sea urchin and mouse sperm that are labeled on their surfaces with fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC), tetramethylrhodamine isothiocyanate (TMRTC) or 125 I-diiodofluorescein isothiocyanate ( 125 IFC) remain viable and can fertilize eggs. When sea urchin eggs were fertilized with 125 IFC-labeled sperm, the radioactivity from the sperm was quantitatively transferred to the egg (at a ratio of one sperm equivalent per egg) and persisted in the embryo as it developed to the pluteus larval state (5 days at 12°C). The radioactivity was acid-precipitable and was associated with the particulate fraction of embryo homogenates. In addition, FITC-labeled sea urchin sperm were used to fertilize eggs, and the labeled components were followed by fluorescence microscopy. In the embryo, labeled sperm components were present as a discrete patch that was partitioned unequally during early cleavages. In experiments using mouse sperm labeled with TMRTC, the labeled sperm components were also transferred to the embryo as a discrete patch that was again distributed unequally after cleavage. This physiological cell fusion system therefore has distinctive characteristics: there is limited lateral mobility of surface components, which have a low turnover rate unlike that seen in other systems. In this paper, we discussed the possible morphogenetic role of this unusual behavior.
A mechanism for optic nerve conduction and form perception.

This paper continues the analysis of a hypothetical device for “bottleneck” optic nerve conduction and form perception. The neural mechanism described in this paper provides for a form perception which is invariant for transformations of size, translation and rotation on the retina. The number of neurons at different levels in the mechanism is considered.
Demonstration of complementary apodized cascaded grating waveguides for tunable optical delay lines.

High-speed, tunable integrated silicon photonic delay lines are demonstrated by cascading complementary apodized silicon grating waveguides. The cascaded grating waveguides, with inward and outward super-Gaussian apodization profiles, compensate each other’s dispersion and allow high-speed operation. Characterization of the compact delay lines shows that they have low loss, offer true time delays of 82 ps and a tuning range of 32 ps, and can potentially operate at bit rates as high as 107 Gb/s.
“Can we just stop and talk?” patients value verbal communication about discharge care plans

BACKGROUND: Studies show that hospitalized patients often do not understand their postdischarge care plan. There are few studies about patients' preferences regarding the content of discharge care plans. OBJECTIVE: To identify what patients view as essential elements of a post-hospitalization plan. DESIGN: Anonymous written survey distributed on the second day of admission to internal medicine wards. SETTING: An academic tertiary care hospital and an academic county hospital in Seattle, Washington. PATIENTS: Two hundred English-speaking adult inpatients ≥18 years or their proxies. RESULTS: The majority of patients (64.5%) surveyed wanted verbal discharge instructions, with only 10.5% requesting written instructions (P < 0.0001). One hundred percent of patients valued the following discharge instructions as essential: “when you need to follow-up with [primary care provider] PCP,” “warning signs to call PCP,” and “medicines to continue post-hospitalization.” One hundred percent of patients wanted “a lot of information about my condition” and “test results,” but only 39% wanted “a lot of information about my medications” (P < 0.0001). When asked to choose the most important piece of discharge instruction related to their disease, 67.5% of patients chose “lifestyle changes.” One hundred percent of patients thought that personal communication between the inpatient provider and the outpatient primary care provider was “extremely important” or “essential.” CONCLUSION: Patients uniformly placed high value on: 1) verbal communication about discharge care plans; 2) information about lifestyle changes for improved health; and 3) personal communication between inpatient and outpatient providers. Journal of Hospital Medicine 2012. © 2012 Society of Hospital Medicine
Harnessing Natural Sequence Variation to Dissect Posttranscriptional Regulatory Networks in Yeast

Understanding how genomic variation influences phenotypic variation through the molecular networks of the cell is one of the central challenges of biology. Transcriptional regulation has received much attention, but equally important is the posttranscriptional regulation of mRNA stability. Here we applied a systems genetics approach to dissect posttranscriptional regulatory networks in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Quantitative sequence-to-affinity models were built from high-throughput in vivo RNA binding protein (RBP) binding data for 15 yeast RBPs. Integration of these models with genome-wide mRNA expression data allowed us to estimate protein-level RBP regulatory activity for individual segregants from a genetic cross between two yeast strains. Treating these activities as a quantitative trait, we mapped trans-acting loci (activity quantitative trait loci, or aQTLs) that act via posttranscriptional regulation of transcript stability. We predicted and experimentally confirmed that a coding polymorphism at the IRA2 locus modulates Puf4p activity. Our results also indicate that Puf3p activity is modulated by distinct loci, depending on whether it acts via the 5′ or the 3′ untranslated region of its target mRNAs. Together, our results validate a general strategy for dissecting the connectivity between posttranscriptional regulators and their upstream signaling pathways.
Regional variations in provenance and abundance of ice-rafted clasts in Arctic Ocean sediments: implications for the configuration of late Quaternary oceanic and atmospheric circulation in the Arctic

Abstract The composition and distribution of ice-rafted glacial erratics in late Quaternary sediments define the major current systems of the Arctic Ocean and identify two distinct continental sources for the erratics. In the southern Amerasia basin up to 70% of the erratics are dolostones and limestones (the Amerasia suite) that originated in the carbonate-rich Paleozoic terranes of the Canadian Arctic Islands. These clasts reached the Arctic Ocean in glaciers and were ice-rafted to the core sites in the clockwise Beaufort Gyre. The concentration of erratics decreases northward by 98% along the trend of the gyre from southeastern Canada basin to Makarov basin. The concentration of erratics then triples across the Makarov basin flank of Lomonosov Ridge and siltstone, sandstone and siliceous clasts become dominant in cores from the ridge and the Eurasia basin (the Eurasia suite). The bedrock source for the siltstone and sandstone clasts is uncertain, but bedrock distribution and the distribution of glaciation in northern Eurasia suggest the Taymyr Peninsula-Kara Sea regions. The pattern of clast distribution in the Arctic Ocean sediments and the sharp northward decrease in concentration of clasts of Canadian Arctic Island provenance in the Amerasia basin support the conclusion that the modern circulation pattern of the Arctic Ocean, with the Beaufort Gyre dominant in the Amerasia basin and the Transpolar drift dominant in the Eurasia basin, has controlled both sea-ice and glacial iceberg drift in the Arctic Ocean during interglacial intervals since at least the late Pleistocene. The abruptness of the change in both clast composition and concentration on the Makarov basin flank of Lomonosov Ridge also suggests that the boundary between the Beaufort Gyre and the Transpolar Drift has been relatively stable during interglacials since that time. Because the Beaufort Gyre is wind-driven our data, in conjunction with the westerly directed orientation of sand dunes that formed during the last glacial maximum on the North Slope of Alaska, suggests that atmospheric circulation in the western Arctic during late Quaternary was similar to that of the present.
The use of in situ hybridization to study erythropoietin gene expression in murine kidney and liver

In situ hybridization has been used to localize erythropoietin (EPO)-producing cells in murine kidney and liver. Peritubular interstitial cells were the only cell type that produced EPO in the kidney. The EPO-producing cells were primarily concentrated in the inner cortex but were also seen in the outer medulla and outer cortex. EPO-producing cells represented less than 10% of the total interstitial cell population. The number of EPO-producing cells per square centimeter of cortex directly correlated with the amount of renal EPO mRNA and varied in an inverse exponential manner with hematocrit. These results suggest that EPO is expressed in an all-or-none fashion in peritubular interstitial cells and that the oxygen carrying capacity of blood is the major regulator of renal EPO production. Peritubular interstitial cells were also identified as the renal source of human EPO in transgenic mice that expressed human EPO mRNA is a regulated fashion in the kidney. Transgenic mice exhibiting inducible supranormal liver expression of human EPO were used to identify EPO-producing cells in the liver. Hepatocytes surrounding central veins produced human EPO in these mice. Individual hepatocytes were able to modulate their production of human EPO depending upon the severity of anemia to which they were subjected. Two types of widely scattered cells produced EPO in severely anemic nontransgenic mice. Eighty percent of EPO-producing cells were hepatocytes and 20% were classified as being nonepithelial based on their nuclear morphology and location in venous sinusoids.
Range of validity of seismic ray and beam methods in general inhomogeneous media - II. A canonical problem

Summary. The Green’s function, in a constant gradient medium, is derived for an explosive point source, in the frequency and the time domains. The a.nalytica1 dynamic ray tracing (DRT) solution is rederived with conditions stated in Part 1. The Gaussian beam (GB) solution is investigated. New beam parameters and conditions are defined. Comparisons between exact and approximate solutions are undertaken. For both methods, DRT and GB, conditions of validity are .explicit and quantitative. An accuracy criterion is defined in the time domain, and measures a global relative error. The range of validity is expressed in the form of two inequalities for the dynamic ray tracing method and of five inequalities for the Gaussian beam method. Results remain accurate at ray turning points. For the types of medium considered, the breakdown of the dynamic ray tracing method is smoother and better behaved than that of Gaussian beams. As examples, a vertical seismic profiling configuration, and a shallow earthquake are modelled, using Gaussian beams.
Low power shaper amplifier for the EOS TPC detector

A shaper amplifier designed for low power and small size, which are important requisites for the equation of state (EOS) time projection chamber (TPC) detector, is described. The shaper amplifier produces a semi-Gaussian pulse with a peaking time of 210 ns. It dissipates less than 35 mW and has a gain of 4.5. A unique driver circuit capable of driving large capacitive loads and yet requiring low standby current is introduced. >
After Critical Legal History: Scope, Scale, Structure

This review outlines a course for US legal historical writing distinct from the ascendant mode of the past 30 years, generally known as critical legal history or critical historicism. Critical legal history (CLH) is premised on the conventional historical strategy of exploring the nature of an object by situating it in an appropriate context and examining the conjunction between object and context. In CLH's case, the object is law and the context is polity, economy, or society, or more usually a realm of action that is a mixture of all three. CLH is also premised on the further, theoretical, contention that whatever the realm of action in relation to which law is situated, the outcome is the same: indeterminacy marked by contingency, alternative possibilities, paths not taken. In this regard, CLH shares in the general turn in the qualitative social sciences and humanities toward complexity. The results of this contextualizing or relational approach have been empirically rich but are inevitably marked by a...
Automatic Parallelization of C by Means of Language Transcription

The automatic parallelization of C has always been frustrated by pointer arithmetic, irregular control flow and complicated data aggregation. Each of these problems is similar to familiar challenges encountered in the parallelization of more rigidly-structured languages, such as FORTRAN77. By creating a mapping from one language to the other, we can expose the capabilities of existing automatically parallelizing compilers to the C language. In this paper, we describe our approach to mapping applications written in C to a form suitable for the Polaris source-to-source FORTRAN compiler. We also describe the improvements in the compiled applications realized by this second level of transformation and show results for a small application in comparison to commercial compilers. We describe our model of a Virtual Speculative Parallel Machine as the target of our compiler.
Assemble-to-order manufacturing: Implications for materials management

Abstract A company's manufacturing is often characterized as either make-to-stock (MTS), make-to-order (MTO), or assemble-to-order (ATO). This classification relates to the degree of interaction between the technological core and the market, with MTS involving the least amount of interaction and MTO the highest degree of contact. ATO represents a hybrid manufacturing strategy for which parts and subassemblies are made according to forecasts while the final assembly of the products is delayed until customer orders have been received. It is evident that each manufacturing philosophy has strategic as well as operational implications. This paper focuses on ATO manufacturing and, in particular, on the design and operation of the manufacturing planning and control system. The relative differences between MTO, ATO, and MTS strategies, and the reasons why a company may decide to be an ATO manufacturer, are discussed first. Several problem areas, which must be addressed by a company that chooses this form of manufacturing, are then identified. It is found that the ATO philosophy requires special system design considerations, particularly in the areas of master scheduling, bills of material structuring, order entry/order promising, final assembly scheduling, and buffering against demand uncertainty. Examples of important issues discussed are the selection of appropriate master schedule units and the associated consequences for the structuring of the bills of material; the choice of efficient procedures for reliable order booking using the combined information from forecasts, confirmed orders, and the master schedule; the relationship between the final assembly schedule and the master schedule; and various techniques that can be used to counter the effects of forecast errors related to the demand for customer options. Following the discussion of all the issues raised above and the presentation of some common solutions, actual industry applications taken from several companies are used to illustrate various aspects of ATO manufacturing. These case illustrations complement the other material since many of them were chosen to reflect alternative procedural approaches to some ATO-related problems. Finally, areas for future research into the design and operation of ATO manufacturing systems are suggested. It is particularly noted that few normative models for systems design exist in this area.
Efficient barrier synchronization on wireless computing systems

This work deals with efficient barrier synchronization for wireless cluster computing where nodes communicate with each other wirelessly in one or multiple hops. Such a computing system is referred to as a wireless computing system (WCS). Given t nodes participating in barrier synchronization on such a WCS of size n (/spl ges/ t), a backbone structure (BBS) is constructed and maintained to cover all the t participants throughout the course of barrier synchronization necessary for correct execution of an assigned task cooperatively. Two mechanisms for BBS construction, dubbed RAD/spl I.bar/Expansion and G/spl I.bar/Search, have been developed and evaluated empirically, and RAD/spl I.bar/Expansion is found to be more desirable. Our transport-layer barrier primitive is then implemented on the BBS constructed using RAD/spl I.bar/Expansion, with AODV as its underlying network protocol, for evaluation using NS-2. It arrives at faster barrier synchronization than a naive approach, which lets every participant send its check-in messages directly to the barrier controller. The barrier time gap widens as the number of participants increases under given mobility.
Simulation based optimization of multi-location transshipment problem with capacitated transportation

In this study, a single-item two-echelon inventory system where the items can be stored in each of N stocking locations is optimized using simulation. The aim of this study is to minimize the total inventory, backorder, and transshipments costs, based on the replenishment and transshipment quantities. In this study, transshipments which are the transfer of products among locations at the same echelon level and transportation capacities which are the transshipment quantities between stocking locations, are also considered. Here, the transportation capacities among the stocking locations are bounded due to transportation media or the locations' transshipment policy. Assuming stochastic demand, the system is modeled based on different cases of transshipment capacities and costs. To find out the optimum levels of the transshipment quantities among stocking locations and the replenishment quantities, the simulation model of the problem is developed using ARENA 10.0 and then optimized using the OptQuest tool in this software.
De Novo Exon Duplication in a New Allele of Mouse Glra1 (Spasmodic)

The novel neurological mutant Cincinatti arose by genomic duplication of exon 5 in the glycine receptor gene Glra1. The mutant transcript results in premature protein truncation. A direct repeat of the pentamer GGGGC is present adjacent to the breakpoints and may have mediated the duplication event by a replication slippage mechanism.
Learning Strategies and Automated Knowledge Acquisition

Fundamental learning strategies are discussed in the context of knowledge acquisition for expert systems. These strategies reflect the type of inference performed by the learner on the input information in order to derive the desired knowledge. They include learning from instruction, learning by deduction, learning by analogy and learning by induction. Special attention is given to two basic types of learning by induction: learning from examples (concept acquisition) and learning from observation (concept formation without teacher). A specific form of learning from observation, namely, conceptual clustering, is discussed in detail, and illustrated by an example. Conceptual clustering is a process of structuring given observations into a hierarchy of conceptual categories.
Systemic Fluorescence Imaging of Zebrafish Glycans with Bioorthogonal Chemistry

Vertebrate glycans constitute a large, important, and dynamic set of post-translational modifications that are notoriously difficult to manipulate and image. Although the chemical reporter strategy has been used in conjunction with bioorthogonal chemistry to image the external glycosylation state of live zebrafish and detect tumor-associated glycans in mice, the ability to image glycans systemically within a live organism has remained elusive. Here, we report a method that combines the metabolic incorporation of a cyclooctyne-functionalized sialic acid derivative with a ligation reaction of a fluorogenic tetrazine, allowing for the imaging of sialylated glycoconjugates within live zebrafish embryos.
Nutritional vitamin D deficiency: a case report

We present a 6-month-old African American male child with a chief complaint of failure to appropriately gain weight despite adequate caloric intake via breastfeeding. While he has met developmental milestones he appears small for age and is diagnosed with failure to thrive after crossing two major growth curve percentiles. After appropriate diagnostic workup, a diagnosis of nutritional vitamin D deficiency (rickets) was reached and supplementation was initiated with ensuing adequate catch-up growth.
Multiple b cytochromes in rat and pigeon mitochondria detected by finite difference analysis of absorption spectra

Abstract The alpha absorption bands of two spectroscopically distinct b cytochromes are resolved by fourth-order finite difference analysis of low temperature spectra of rat liver and heart mitochondria. Results obtained with pigeon heart and breast muscle mitochondria suggest that as many as three b cytochromes may be present.