cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Trends in pediatric liver transplant donors and deceased donor circumstance of death in the United States, 2002‐2015

While much of the discussion regarding expanding the donor pool for pediatric liver transplantation has surrounded the use of technical variant grafts, little attention has been directed toward changes in the deceased donor population. The aim of this study was to investigate trends in the circumstance of the death of deceased donors used for pediatric liver transplantation. All pediatric liver transplant recipients transplanted between 2002 and 2015 were identified in the UNOS database and were categorized based on the donor circumstance of death. There was no significant correlation between year of transplantation and number of pediatric liver transplants performed, pediatric donors, split livers, or living donors. There was a significant downward trend in donors from motor vehicle fatalities and an upward trend in suicide, non-MVA, and death due to natural causes. There was also an upward trend in drowning, one of the most common mechanisms of death among non-MVA in 2015. While the number of donors who died in MVA has fallen, the number of deceased donors who died from suicide, natural causes, and non-MVA, especially drowning, has increased, maintaining the overall number of pediatric deceased donor livers transplanted.
Impact of a standardized patient simulation on undergraduate nursing student knowledge and perceived competency of the care of a patient diagnosed with schizophrenia.

Abstract Background Undergraduate nursing students may not have the opportunity to assess and intervene with a patient diagnosed with schizophrenia during their clinical rotation. Provision of a standardized patient simulation experience affords students this opportunity in a safe setting without risk to the patient or student. Methods A quasi-experimental design was utilized to explore the impact of the addition of a standardized patient simulation scenario depicting a patient with a diagnosis of schizophrenia on undergraduate nursing student knowledge and perceived competency. Results The mean values for perceived competence and knowledge increased significantly over the three time periods (p Conclusion The results suggest that incorporating SP simulation into the undergraduate psychiatric mental health nursing course has the potential to enhance both knowledge and perceived competency of students in caring for patients diagnosed with schizophrenia and ultimately promote better healthcare outcomes.
Bereavement Outcomes as Causal Systems: A Network Analysis of the Co-Occurrence of Complicated Grief and Posttraumatic Growth:

Bereavement can lead to negative outcomes such as complicated grief (CG), but some mourners with symptoms of CG often experience positive sequelae of loss such as posttraumatic growth (PTG) as well...
Terrorist Manipulation of the Democratic Process

The political process is often conceived of as a bargaining, whereby an assortment of goals and values is maximized relative to the amount of power that can be marshaled in their behalf. Competition within this process is not often free; it is subject to manipulation by special-interest groups, which, by virtue of particular qualities, are able to maximize their ends at the expense of other, less fortunate groups. Occasionally these disadvantaged groups become dissatisfied with their subordinate position, and seek to tilt the political process to create a political climate which is more receptive to their demands. Often they accomplish this objective by introducing new methods of political action, which enhance their ability to compete. These new political methods are frequently quite violent.
The future of preconception care: A Clinical Perspective

The concepts of preconception care (PCC) have been discussed for over 20 years and the standards for PCC have been recently promulgated by the clinical committee of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Select Panel of Preconception Care. For PCC to be fully realized, however, changes must be made in clinical practice, public health supports, and health coverage. This article discusses 1) the clinical content and delivery of PCC, 2) barriers to why this care does not fit easily into the current clinical paradigm for providing medical care, and 3) how new information technologies within the concept of the medical home might be a promising new way to assist in the diffusion of these concepts.
Anger Rumination is not Uniquely Characteristic of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.

Although anger has been observed in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), it remains unclear if rumination about anger is characteristic and/or unique to OCD. The present study examines whether types of anger rumination are endorsed more strongly by OCD patients compared to clinical and nonclinical controls. Patients with OCD (n = 30), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD; n = 29), and non-clinical controls (NCC; n = 30) completed measures of OCD symptoms, anger rumination, and trait anxiety. Patients with OCD and GAD significantly differed from NCC's (all ps .10), in anger afterthoughts, thoughts of revenge, angry memories, and understanding causes of anger. However, the group differences were no longer significant when controlling for trait anxiety. A dimensional approach revealed that OCD symptoms were correlated with anger rumination domains overall. However, these associations were also no longer significant after controlling for trait anxiety. These findings suggest that anger rumination may emerge in OCD largely as an artifact of trait anxiety/negative affect that is associated with but not unique to the disorder. The implications of these findings for conceptualizing emotion and its regulation in OCD are discussed.
No short-term physiological costs of offspring care in a cooperatively breeding bird.

ABSTRACT The cost of reproduction results in a life-history trade-off where investment in current reproduction via costly parental care decreases subsequent fitness. Although this trade-off is thought to occur ubiquitously across animals, there is equivocal evidence that parental care behaviours are costly. A major challenge of studying the cost of parental care has been a lack of consensus over which physiological mechanisms underlie this trade-off. Here, we compare four traits believed to mediate the cost of parental care by examining whether glucocorticoids, oxidative stress, immune function or body condition represent a cost of performing offspring care and shape subsequent fitness. We use a 4 year dataset collected in free-living cooperatively breeding superb starlings ( Lamprotornis superbus ), a species in which parental and alloparental care effort varies widely among individuals and across years. Our results showed that within-individual change in physiology was unrelated to investment in offspring care, and physiological state during chick rearing did not predict the likelihood that an individual would breed in subsequent seasons. Instead, individuals that had elevated baseline corticosterone during incubation performed more nest guarding, suggesting that this hormone may play a preparatory role for investing in offspring care. Together, our results indicate that superb starlings modify their investment in offspring care according to their physiological state during incubation, despite there being no evidence of a short-term physiological cost of parental or alloparental care. Thus, breeding cooperatively appears to provide individuals with the flexibility to adjust their investment in offspring care and overcome any potential costs of reproduction.
Can Protein Expression Be Regulated by Modulation of tRNA Modification Profiles

tRNAs are the central adaptor molecules in translation. Their decoding properties are influenced by post-transcriptional modifications, particularly in the critical anticodon-stem-loop (ASL) region. Synonymous codon choice, also called codon usage bias, affects both translation efficiency and accuracy, and ASL modifications play key roles in both of these processes. In combination with a handful of historical examples, recent studies integrating ribosome profiling, proteomics, codon-usage analyses, and modification quantifications show that levels of tRNA modifications can change under stress, during development, or under specific metabolic conditions and can modulate the expression of specific genes. Deconvoluting the different responses (global or specific) to tRNA modification deficiencies can be difficult because of pleiotropic effects, but, as more cases emerge, it does seem that tRNA modification changes could add another layer of regulation in the transfer of information from DNA to protein.
Practice that supports learning and development: A commentary

Darling-Hammond and colleagues (in press) offer a comprehensive overview of the implications of findings on the science of learning and development for pedagogical practices and the organization of...
An Open Software Architecture for Operator-in-the-Loop Simulator Design and Integration

This paper describes the design and implementation of an open software architecture for operator-in-the-loop simulators to support virtual prototyping applications. This framework provides properties that are critical to the cost-effective design of complex simulators, including uniform software specification techniques, modular design methodologies, enhanced reliability and maintainability, ease of reconfigurability, and reusability of simulator subsystems. The open architecture has already served as a basis for development of the Iowa Driving Simulator (IDS) and will, with further enhancement, be used to support development of tracked vehicle virtual prototyping simulation under support from the Defense Advanced Projects Research Agency (DARPA). The architecture is suitable for general application to the design and integration of a wide variety of simulation systems.
Chapter 13 – Cerebral Malformations

Human brain development and malformation have been accurately described by the fields of neuroembryology, developmental neuropathology, pediatric neuroradiology, and clinical child neurology. Some etiologies of ­malformation are explained by teratology and genetics, but the mechanisms by which molecular, metabolic, and cellular alterations disrupt the sequential developmental stages in cerebral morphogenesis are the study of diverse neuroscience disciplines. No single malformation classification method is possible given the complexity and limited understanding of the molecular basis of brain development. Most malformation classification schemes are based on description of structural anatomical anomalies or estimates of timing of the most disruptive step during neurodevelopmental processes (e.g., neural tube defects, neuroblast migration disorders). Major structural malformations are recognizable through neuroimaging but precise knowledge of genetic or teratogenic etiologies is frequently absent in clinical practice. This synopsis of cerebral malformations focuses on genes specific to brain development and approaches to genetic etiologies using current technologies.
Don’t Take It Personally? The Role of Personal Relevance in Conceptual Change

The overall purpose of this study was to investigate the role of personal relevance in conceptual change. First, we used an experimental design to investigate the role of augmented activation—which...
A unified description of macroion diffusiophoresis, salt osmotic diffusion and collective diffusion coefficient

Abstract Diffusiophoresis describes the net migration of a macroion within an aqueous fluid due to a concentration gradient of salt, while salt osmotic diffusion describes the net motion of small ions toward Donnan equilibrium due to a macroion concentration gradient. A new theoretical description of macroion diffusiophoresis, salt osmotic diffusion and the light-scattering collective diffusion coefficient of macromolecules conforming to Onsager Reciprocal Relation (ORR) is developed. Specifically, symmetric transport equations for macroion-salt coupled transport in isothermal conditions are derived. These equations, which can be regarded as a generalization of Nernst–Planck equations, incorporate an electrokinetic factor for diffusiophoresis, salt thermodynamic non-ideality and concentration-dependent ionic transport coefficients. Due to the electrokinetic factor, thermodynamic driving forces must be modified to ensure that ORR is not violated. A mathematical expression for the collective diffusion coefficient compatible with ORR was then extracted. Diffusiophoresis and salt osmotic diffusion equations are discussed in relation to experimental transport data on lysozyme in aqueous NaCl. These transport equations represent a more appropriate theoretical reference model, compared to multicomponent-diffusion limiting laws for describing protein-salt coupled diffusion in aqueous mixtures.
Design and Fabrication Approaches of 400–600 V 4H-SiC Lateral MOSFETs for Emerging Power ICs Application

This article reports the demonstration and fabrication of 400–600 V, 4H-SiC lateral MOSFETs on 6-in, N+ substrates. The P-top was implanted on an $\text{N}\boldsymbol -$ drift region to create a single reduced surface field (RESURF) structure to alleviate the electric field on the surface. The different layout methodologies (source-centered and drain-centered) for making lateral MOSFETs are discussed. The process and design split, such as rapid thermal anneal (RTA) temperatures (900 °C and 1000 °C), different channel designs [accumulation-mode (ACCU) and inversion-mode (INV)], and channel lengths were varied and experimentally analyzed to optimize the device performance. It was confirmed that channel components (channel design and channel length) and RTA temperature are the key ingredients to improve the forward characteristic of the lateral MOSFETs. With the gate to drain length ( ${L}_{\text {gd}}$ ) of ${5}~\boldsymbol \mu \text{m}$ , the breakdown voltage of 600 V was achieved with a voltage supporting capability of 120 $\text{V}\boldsymbol / \boldsymbol \mu \text{m}$ . On the other hand, a lateral MOSFET with ${L}_{\text {gd}}$ of $2.5~\boldsymbol \mu \text{m}$ and with a further reduced channel length ( ${L}_{\text {ch}} \boldsymbol {=} {0.3} \,\,\boldsymbol \mu \text{m}$ ), a record specific ON-resistance of 7.7 $\text{m}\boldsymbol \Omega $ -cm2 and breakdown voltage of 450 V were achieved. Device design, layout, fabrication, and electrical characteristics of the 400–600 V, 4H-SiC lateral MOSFETs are discussed and reported.
Epigenetics in Prader-Willi Syndrome.

Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS) is a rare neurodevelopmental disorder that affects approximately 1 in 20,000 individuals worldwide. Symptom progression in PWS is classically characterized by two nutritional stages. Stage 1 is hypotonia characterized by poor muscle tone that leads to poor feeding behavior causing failure to thrive in early neonatal life. Stage 2 is followed by the development of extreme hyperphagia, also known as insatiable eating and fixation on food that often leads to obesity in early childhood. Other major features of PWS include obsessive compulsive and hoarding behaviors, intellectual disability, and sleep abnormalities. PWS is genetic disorder mapping to imprinted 15q11.2-q13.3 locus, specifically at the paternally expressed SNORD116 locus of small nucleolar RNAs and noncoding host gene transcripts. SNORD116 is processed into several noncoding components and is hypothesized to orchestrate diurnal changes in metabolism through epigenetics, according to functional studies. Here, we review the current status of epigenetic mechanisms in PWS, with an emphasis on an emerging role for SNORD116 in circadian and sleep phenotypes. We also summarize current ongoing therapeutic strategies, as well as potential implications for more common human metabolic and psychiatric disorders.
HIV and Drug Use Prevention Needs Among Traveling Homeless Youth: A Qualitative Study

We investigated HIV, drug use, and health and social service needs of traveling homeless youth.We conducted in-depth, qualitative interviews with homeless youth in Portland, Oregon between 2015-17. Forty-two participants, with an average age of 23 years, agreed to interview and discuss their experiences of homelessness and traveling. Participants described experiences of trauma, parental drug and alcohol abuse in their childhood as reasons for their homelessness. Drug use among participants was common, with marijuana and alcohol being the most reported substances. High-risk sexual behaviors were also reported. Unprotected sex and needle sharing appeared to be common. Knowledge of HIV/STI prevention strategies was low. Access to, and engagement with, social and health services was minimal due to institutional barriers and the high mobility of the group. Current prevention services available for traditional (non-traveling) homeless youth may not be effectively reaching and engaging travelers. Due to the high mobility of this group, multilevel, multi-city, prevention strategies are urgently needed. In addition to behavioral risk-reduction interventions, homeless travelers need access to clean needles, condoms, and other survival services.
A Public Health Summer Experience for High School Students

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, many high school students were unaware of careers in public health—that there are many options available for those interested in improving health and preventing dise...
Musculoskeletal Tissues and Anatomy

The skeletal system has multiple functions including protection of vital organs, contributing to posture, serving as a reservoir for calcium and phosphorus, housing cells which develop into blood cells, and serving as locations on which muscles act to produce the movements permitted by the joints. Joints, which are locations where two or more bones are united, are also an important component of the skeletal system. Two important tissues compose this system. Cartilage is a specialized type of connective tissue that consists of chondrocytes surrounded by an extracellular matrix of fibers and ground substance, whereas bone is a specialized type of connective tissue that consists of osteocytes surrounded by an extracellular matrix also composed of fibers and ground substance. Bone formation occurs in two different ways: intramembranous formation and endochondral formation. Partnering with the skeletal system, the muscular system produces movement, contributes to heat generation, and assists with posture. It is composed of skeletal muscle tissue, which in turn is composed of long, thin cells known as fibers.
Neuronal Protection by Nitric Oxide-Related Species

As endogenous sources of oxidizing and reducing agents have been discovered, redox modulation of protein function has been recognized to be an important mechanism for many cell types. For our purposes, we confine our review of redox modulation to covalent modification of sulfhydryl (thiol) groups on protein cysteine residues with special reference to the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) subtype of glutamate receptor in the brain. If the cysteine sulfhydryls possess a sufficient redox potential, oxidizing agents can react to form adducts on single sulfhydryl (thiol, -SH) groups; or if two free sulfhydryl groups are vicinal (in close proximity), disulfide bonds may be formed. Reducing agents can regenerate free sulfhydryl (thiol, -SH) groups by donating electron(s). Considering endogenous redox agents, in addition to the usual suspects including glutathione, ascorbate, vitamin E, lipoic acid, and reactive oxygen species, nitric oxide (NO) and its redox-related species have come to the fore. This has occurred largely because of the rediscovery and application to biological systems of work from the early part of the twentieth century showing the organic synthesis of nitrosothiols (RS-NO) (for review, Stamler et al. 1992). NO group donors represent different redox-related species of the NO group, each with its own distinctive chemistry, that lead to entirely different biological effects. NO-related species include nitric oxide (NO-) but also the other redox-related forms of the NO group: with one less electron (NO+, or nitrosonium ion) or one additional electron (NO-, or nitroxyl anion) (Stamler et al. 1992). Evidence suggests that all three of these redox-related forms or their functional equivalents are important pharmacologically and physiologically, participating in distinctive chemical reactions.
In vitro growth of murine T cells. IV. Use of T-cell growth factor to clone lymphoid cells.

Abstract Soft agar and limiting dilution techniques have been used in conjunction with T-cell growth factor to develop methods for the cloning of continuous T-lymphoid populations from single lymphoid cells. Clones have been produced from both fresh murine splenocytes as well as from in vitro sensitized cells. These T-cell clones have continued to express specific cytotoxic functions for over 4 months and should be a valuable source of monoclonal lymphoid cells for immunologic studies.
Recent epidemiology of group A streptococcal infections in North America and abroad: an overview.

Feared for centuries as a major cause of infection-associated morbidity and mortality among infants, children, and adults, infections caused by the Group A beta-hemolytic streptococcus (Streptococcus pyogenes) and the associated public health problems declined remarkably by the close of the decade of the 1960s. Rather than hospitals being filled with children and adults with rheumatic heart disease or with suppurative sequelae such as mastoiditis, serious Group A streptococcal infections and their sequelae declined to the point where they have almost been considered a "nuisance". There have been relatively rare instances of surgical infections and there have been infrequent epidemics of pharyngitis. However, in North America, Europe, and most of the industrialized countries of Asia, epidemics of serious Group A infections and their sequelae essentially are unheard of. These infections and their suppurative and nonsuppurative sequelae have been much more of a medical and public health problem in many of the developing countries of the world, where few significant changes in their epidemiologic patterns have been evident. The primary manifestations of Group A streptococcal infections have been pharyngitis and superficial skin infections (impetigo) for most industrialized countries. During the past 10 years, however, this has changed remarkably. Serious Group A infections and their suppurative and nonsuppurative sequelae have re-emerged as significant problems for physicians and for public health authorities. For example, mortality has been greater than 30% in some reported series. This fact has placed increasing pressure on primary care physicians to appropriately diagnose and treat these infections. Understanding the epidemiology can beneficially impact patient care and public health policies.
Assessing emerging automotive technologies for the future

A scenario-based multi-attribute decision-making (MADM) methodology has been developed and applied for the selection of automotive technology. The present study discusses, what are the problems for the current automotive technologies are, what requirements are outlined in the literatures and government guidelines/publications, considering different aspects of technological needs, public needs, policy measures etc. A set of criteria are developed, which cover multiple perspectives; reflecting the diverse stakeholders in the technology assessment, acquisition and adoption, in this case the government, the general public which includes drivers and pedestrians, automobile manufacturers. Three emerging technologies (Vehicle-to-Vehicle communication, Vehicle-to-Infrastructure and Full autonomous) were identified and evaluated based on the mentioned criteria using Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS), a multi criteria decision tool. Since the technologies are still being developed and some are barely emerging, it is considered appropriate to use speculative values from the publications from industry and other credible sources and consider multiple scenarios each of which could occur. In our case, we considered 9 main scenarios and evaluated the three technology candidates under each of them.
Predicting and designing for the impact of process variations and mismatch on the trim range and yield of bandgap references

Process tolerance and device mismatch produce significant random variations in bandgap voltage reference circuits. These variations lead to errors in the reference voltage and significantly impact manufacturing cost by increasing trimming requirements and decreasing yield. Current-mirror mismatch, followed by V/sub BE/ spread, package shift, and resistor mismatch are the dominant sources of random error in bandgap reference circuits. A folded-cascode topology, often used in low voltage applications, can be optimized to effectively alleviate the effects of a mismatch in the mirroring devices. By decreasing the ratio of the current in the cascode to that of the bandgap core circuit and ascertaining the best-matched devices for implementing current-mirrors and current sources, these mismatches can be significantly reduced.
Accelerated learning on the connection machine

The complexity of most machine learning techniques can be improved by transforming iterative components into their parallel equivalent. The parallel architecture of the Connection Machine provides a platform for the implementation and evaluation of parallel learning techniques. The architecture of the Connection Machine is described along with limitations of the language interface that constrain the implementation of learning programs. Connection Machine implementations of two learning programs, perceptron and AQ, are described, and their computational complexity is compared to that of the corresponding sequential versions using actual runs on the Connection Machine. Techniques for parallelizing ID3 are also analyzed, and the advantages and disadvantages of parallel implementation on the Connection Machine are discussed in the context of machine learning. >
INTRACELLULAR ORGANIZATION OF ENZYME SYSTEMS

A review is presented of the morphologic picture made available by recent advances in electron microscopy and of the biochemical localization of enzymes made possible by ultracentrifugation, which have led to a picture of the segregation of function accompanying a segregation of structure within the cell. The localization of enzymes in certain parts of the cell provides additional methods of controlling enzyme rates and insures that reactions will occur in a certain sequence. The product of one reaction is made directly available as the substrate for the next reaction in the sequence, and the enzyme for this next step is located immediately adjacent in the membrane. The localization of enzymes within lipoprotein membranes may permit reactions to occur in a nonaqueous phase, reactions that could not be carried out in a completely aqueous system. Although much remains to be done in this rapidly developing field, it is now clear that catalysts are organized spatially within the cell and that the fine structure of this organization extends to molecular dimensions, paralleling the intricate morphologic fine structure that has been revealed by electron microscopy.
Trace driven analysis of the long term evolution of Gnutella peer-to-peer traffic

Peer-to-Peer (P2P) applications, such as Gnutella, are evolving to address some of the observed performance issues. In this paper, we analyze Gnutella behavior in 2003, 2005, and 2006. During this time, the protocol evolved from v0.4 to v0.6 to address problems with overhead of overlay maintenance and query traffic bandwidth. The goal of this paper is to understand whether the newer protocols address the prior concerns. We observe that the new architecture alleviated the bandwidth consumption for low capacity peers while increasing the bandwidth consumption at high capacity peers. We measured a decrease in incoming query rate. However, highly connected ultra-peers must maintain many connections to which they forward all queries thereby increasing the outgoing query traffic. We also show that these changes have not significantly improved search performance. The effective success rate experienced at a forwarding peer has only increased from 3.5% to 6.9%. Over 90% of queries forwarded by a peer do not result in any query hits. With an average query size of over 100 bytes and 30 neighbors for an ultra-peer, this results in almost 1 GB of wasted bandwidth in a 24 hour session. We outline solution approaches to solve this problem and make P2P systems viable for a diverse range of applications.
Clifford-like calculus over lattices

We introduce a calculus over a lattice based on a lattice generalization of the Clifford algebras. We show that Clifford algebras, in contrast to the continuum, are not an adequated algebraic structure for lattice problems. Then we introduce a new algebraic structure, that reduces to a Clifford algebra in the continuum limit, in terms of which we can develop a formalism analogous to the differential geometry of the continuum, also in the sense that we have intrinsic expressions. The differential operator is given by the graded commutator of an operator that generalizes the Dirac operator. We also discuss the applications of this formalism in lattice gauge theories, with particular attention to the fermion doubling problem.
Comment on “Theoretical prediction of phase transition in gold”

The structural properties of compressed gold are studied from first-principles theory. A new bcc phase is predicted to be stable as the ultimate high-pressure phase and not the hcp phase that was suggested by Ahuja et al. [Phys. Rev. B $63,$ 212101 (2001)]. Semicore $5p$ states are broadened under high pressures and begin to hybridize with the $5d$ band and this modification of the electronic structure favors the bcc over the fcc and hcp structures at megabar pressures.
Calmodulin and Protein Kinase C Increase Ca2+-stimulated Secretion by Modulating Membrane-attached Exocytic Machinery

Abstract The molecular mechanisms underlying the Ca2+ regulation of hormone and neurotransmitter release are largely unknown. Using a reconstituted [3H]norepinephrine release assay in permeabilized PC12 cells, we found that essential proteins that support the triggering stage of Ca2+-stimulated exocytosis are enriched in an EGTA extract of brain membranes. Fractionation of this extract allowed purification of two factors that stimulate secretion in the absence of any other cytosolic proteins. These are calmodulin and protein kinase Cα (PKCα). Their effects on secretion were confirmed using commercial and recombinant proteins. Calmodulin enhances secretion in the absence of ATP, whereas PKC requires ATP to increase secretion, suggesting that phosphorylation is involved in PKC- but not calmodulin-mediated stimulation. Both proteins modulate release events that occur in the triggering stage of exocytosis. The half-maximal increase was elicited by 3 nm PKC and 75 nmcalmodulin. These results suggest that calmodulin and PKC increase Ca2+-activated exocytosis by directly modulating the membrane- or cytoskeleton-attached exocytic machinery downstream of Ca2+ elevation.
Synthesis and Characterization of an Injectable Hydrogel with tunable mechanical properties for soft tissue repair

Injectable polymers are attractive materials for the fixation or augmentation of soft tissues. Thermosensitive hydrogels, especially poly(N-isopropylacryamide), have been investigated for these applications to exploit the lower critical solution temperature (LCST) which falls between room and body temperatures. One limitation to the material is the ability to withstand loading. In this work, we evaluated an injectable material system, poly(N-isopropylacryamide)-co-poly(ethyleneglycol) dimethacrylate, with the addition of trimethacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane (MPS). Our goal was to investigate the potential to tune the mechanical behavior of the injectable hydrogel. Addition of MPS to the hydrogel increased the compressive modulus but did not affect the LCST of the hydrogel. An increase in ion concentration of the immersion media resulted in less solution uptake by the hydrogels, regardless of MPS presence in the system. The challenge of this material system is to balance the network-forming and modulus-enhancing MPS while maintaining an injectable hydrogel for potential soft tissue repair.
Using a dedicated small computer in conjunction with a time-shared system in a hospital intensive care unit☆

Abstract The digital computer has become a valuable tool for monitoring critically ill patients. Large computer systems, e.g., the time-shared system ( 1 ) at the Latter-Day Saints Hospital, offer the advantages of (1) base of programming, (2) central record keeping, (3) flexibility and (4) computing capability; whereas small dedicated computers offer the advantages of (1) simplicity, (2) stand-alone capability, and (3) reliability. This paper describes a system which uses a small computer (PDP-8) in conjunction with a large time-shared computer (CDC-3200) for automation of blood analysis in the pediatric intensive care unit of the Primary Children's Hospital in Salt Lake City.
Banking in a new world order

September 11, 2001 is the defining date of a new world order. Like all individuals and commercial activities in the U.S., American banks and other domestic financial institutions were affected by the events of the terrorist attacks and by the subsequent responses of the American government and business community. Some of the effects of the attacks were immediate and fleeting. Others, however, were likely to have altered the environment of the financial services industry, particularly banking, in the U.S. for the foreseeable future. This paper is an initial consideration of these more lasting effects.
Receptor-mediated calcium signals in astroglia: multiple receptors, common stores and all-or-nothing responses

Abstract Calcium signals following activation of P 2Y purinergic, α 1 adrenergic, and muscarinic cholinergic receptors were examined in individual astroglial cells. ATP, phenylephrine and carbachol, each increased intracellular calcium levels ([Ca 2+ ] i ) to similar amplitudes in the presence or absence of extracellular Ca 2+ . The dose-response relationship showed that less than an order of magnitude increase in ligand concentration led to maximal increase in [Ca 2+ ] i from basal levels. Simultaneous application of multiple ligands did not produce additive effects on [Ca 2+ ] i . These data suggested that different ligands released Ca 2+ from common stores and that each of the ligands could cause maximal release. Application of a second ligand immediately after the first ligand produced an additional Ca 2+ rise, suggesting that the Ca 2+ stores were rapidly refilled and that receptor desensitization rather than Ca 2+ depletion accounted for the rapid decline of the Ca 2+ peak. Caged IP 3 produced Ca 2+ signals similar to those produced by ligands. For a given cell, both caged IP 3 and ligands sometimes produced only one level of partial Ca 2+ increases, suggesting the presence of a pool of high IP 3 -sensitive stores. Together, our results indicate that neuroligands tend to generate an all-or-nothing Ca 2+ release from IP 3 sensitive stores. The interactions between different receptor systems most likely occur at the level of IP 3 accumulation.
Tumor Necrosis Factor α Polymorphism in Heart Failure/Cardiomyopathy

Tumor necrosis factor a (TNF-alpha) is a proinflammatory cytokine that is produced by activated macrophages. It has been shown to stimulate the release of endothelial cytokines and NO, increase vascular permeability, decrease contractility, and induce a prothrombotic state. The most studied TNF-a gene mutation in heart disease is a gamma to alpha substitution, which occurs when 308 nucleotides move upstream from the transcription initiation site in the TNF promoter and has been associated with elevated levels of TNF-alpha. The TNF1 allele (wild type) contains gamma at this site, while the TNF2 allele has an alpha substitution at the site. The TNF2 allele is a more powerful transcriptional activator, therefore leading to higher TNF-alpha levels. Most of the studies to date have failed to conclusively show any link between the polymorphism and heart disease, both coronary artery disease and cardiomyopathy/heart failure.
Respiratory effort-related arousals contribute to sympathetic modulation of heart rate variability.

Sympathetic activation induced by sleep-disordered breathing may contribute to cardiovascular morbidity. However, the apnea–hypopnea index (AHI) excludes respiratory effort-related arousals (RERAs) associated with inspiratory flow limitation without oxygen desaturation. We sought to determine whether RERAs are associated with sympathetic activation. Twenty-five adults (12 males, 13 females) with AHI 5/h were included in this study. Power spectral density analysis was performed on two non-contiguous 10-min segments containing inspiratory flow limitation and arrhythmia-free electrocardiogram during N2 sleep. One segment contained RERA; the other did not, NO-RERA. Spectral power was described in a low-frequency domain (LF; 0.04–0.15 Hz), primarily sympathetic modulation, and a high frequency domain (HF; 0.15–0.4 Hz), parasympathetic modulation. Analyses of LF and HF powers were made using normalized and absolute values. LF power was greater during RERA compared to NO-RERA (50.3 vs. 30.1 %, p < 0.001) whereas HF power was greater during NO-RERA compared to RERA (69.9 vs. 49.7 %, p < 0.001). The LF/HF ratio was greater during RERA than NO-RERA (1.01 vs. 0.43, p < 0.001). Gender differences emerged using absolute values of power: The percentage increase in LF power during RERA relative to NO-RERA was significantly greater for females than males, 247.6 vs. 31.9 %, respectively (p < 0.02). RERAs are associated with a marked increase in cardiac sympathetic modulation, especially in females. Patients with a high RERA index, even in the setting of a low or normal AHI, may be exposed to elevated sympathetic tone during sleep.
A SIMPLIFIED FORMULA FOR ESTIMATION OF EJECTION FRACTION FROM SPECKLE TRACKING ECHOCARDIOGRAPHIC GLOBAL STRAIN: COMPARISON WITH CARDIAC MAGNETIC RESONANCE

Global strain by speckle tracking echocardiography (STE) is emerging as a reproducible quantitative means to assess left ventricular function. Our aim was to determine a simplified formula to estimate ejection fraction (EF), using cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) for comparison. We studied 80
ROBUST METHODS APPLIED TO ENERGY‐CONSUMPTION DATA

In many instances a model is based on nonexperimental data and is used for prediction. In this situation, using both the least-squares and the robust methods simultaneously can result in models with improved predictive performance.
A Symbolic/subsymbolic Interface Protocol For Cognitive Modeling

Researchers studying complex cognition have grown increasingly interested in mapping symbolic cognitive architectures onto subsymbolic brain models. Such a mapping seems essential for understanding cognition under all but the most extreme viewpoints (namely, that cognition consists exclusively of digitally implemented rules; or instead, involves no rules whatsoever). Making this mapping reduces to specifying an interface between symbolic and subsymbolic descriptions of brain activity. To that end, we propose parameterization techniques for building cognitive models as programmable, structured, recurrent neural networks. Feedback strength in these models determines whether their components implement classically subsymbolic neural network functions (e.g., pattern recognition), or instead, logical rules and digital memory. These techniques support the implementation of limited production systems. Though inherently sequential and symbolic, these neural production systems can exploit principles of parallel, analog processing from decision-making models in psychology and neuroscience to explain the effects of brain damage on problem solving behavior.
Microbial Predation in Coupled Chemostats: A Global Study of Two Coupled Nonlinear Oscillators

Predator-prey systems in continuously operated chemostats exhibit sustained oscillations over a wide range of operating conditions. When two such chemostats interact through flow exchange, the interplay of the oscillation frequencies gives rise to a wealth of dynamic behavior patterns. Using numerical bifurcation techniques, we perform a detailed computational study of these patterns and the transitions between them as the coupling strength and relative frequencies of the two chemostats vary. We concentrate on certain strong resonance phenomena between the two frequencies as well as their mutual extinction and provide a representative sampling of possible phase portraits for our model system. Our observations corroborate recent mathematical results and case studies of coupled nonlinear chemical oscillators in which regions of mutual extinction as well as the Arnol'd structure for two-parameter families of maps of the plane have been observed. We highlight certain unexpected features of the operating diagram discovered through our computational study and discuss their implication for the dynamic response of the chemostat system.
Spontaneously Resolving Periocular Erythema and Ciliary Madarosis Following Intra-arterial Chemotherapy for Retinoblastoma.

Purpose and Design: To describe an unusual clinical finding seen in children undergoing intra-arterial chemotherapy for retinoblastoma. Materials and Methods: A retrospective review of 69 eyes of 63 patients receiving intra-arterial chemotherapy over a 3-year period. Charts and photographs of 69 consecutive cases were reviewed, and data were collected on patients with clinical evidence of a hyperemic cutaneous periocular abnormality following the procedure. Results: A blanching erythematous and edematous patch was noted in the periocular region in 16% (11 of 69) of the children who received intraarterial chemotherapy. The plaque extended into the region of the supertrochlear and medial marginal artery distribution on the ipsilateral side of the intra-arterial chemotherapy. All patches of erythema spontaneously resolved within 3 months following completion of the intra-arterial chemotherapy. Conclusion: Periocular erythema and swelling is a self-limited clinical finding associated with intra-arterial chemotherapy in a small number of patients.
Crop yields and soil organic matter responses to sheep grazing in US northern Great Plains

Abstract Sheep (Ovis aries L.) grazing, a cost-effective method of controlling weeds compared to herbicide application and tillage, may influence soil C and N levels by consuming plant residue and returning feces and urine to the soil, but little is known about the practice on soil C and N storage under dryland cropping systems in the northern Great Plains, USA. Three weed control practices [sheep grazing (GRAZ), herbicide application (CHEM), and tillage (MECH)] and three cropping sequences [continuous alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) (CA), continuous spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) (CSW), and spring wheat-pea (Pisum sativum L.)/barley (Hordeum vulgaris L.) hay mixture-fallow (W-P/B-F)] were evaluated on a Blackmore silt loam from 2009 to 2011 in southwestern Montana, USA. Crop yields and soil organic C (SOC), total N (STN), NH4-N, and NO3-N contents at the 0–120 cm depth were quantified. Annualized spring wheat grain and biomass (stems + leaves) yields and C and N contents were greater with CSW than with W-P/B-F, but hay biomass and C content were similar between CA and W-P/B-F. While C and N in aboveground biomass after spring wheat and hay harvest were removed through haying in CHEM and MECH, sheep grazing removed about 99% of these elements in GRAZ. The SOC and STN at 5–15 cm were greater with CSW or W-P/B-F than with CA in GRAZ and MECH, but SOC at 30–60 cm was greater with CA than with CSW in MECH. The NH4-N content at most depths varied among treatments and years, but NO3-N content at 5–120 cm was greater with CSW and W-P/B-F than with CA. Longer duration of sheep grazing during fallow periods due to increased return of C and N through feces and urine or residue incorporation to a greater depth probably increased soil C and N storage at the surface layer with CSW and W-P/B-F in GRAZ and MECH, but increased root biomass likely increased C storage at the subsurface layer with CA in MECH. Absence of N fertilization and/or greater N uptake probably reduced soil NO3-N level with CA than with other cropping sequences. Regardless of treatments, SOC and STN declined from 2009 to 2011, probably due to residue removal from haying and grazing. Moderate sheep grazing during fallow periods can be used to increase soil C and N storage, obtain farm C credit, and sustain dryland crop yields compared to herbicide application for weed control in the semiarid regions.
Development of tetraploidy in V79 spheroids

Chinese hamster V-79-171 cells, when placed in suspension culture, spontaneously form multicell spheroids. As the spheroids enlarge the fraction of polyploid (predominantly tetraploid) cells increases and can approach 100% in very large spheroids. Spheroid size, rather than age, seems to be a major determinant for increased ploidy. When cell separation techniques were used to select enriched populations of diploid and tetraploid cells, the growth rate and plating efficiency of the diploid cells was always marginally higher, and they gradually became predominant in mixed monolayer cultures. Cloned tetraploid cells, however, generally remained quite stable, and no consistent ploidy dependent changes in radiosensitivity were observed relative to normal, diploid cell lines.
Sex-Related Patterns of Postnatal Development of Sea Otters in Prince William Sound, Alaska

Sea otter ( Enhydra lutris ) pups were studied in Prince William Sound, Alaska, from 1984 to 1987. Dependent pups were captured ( n = 157), marked, and recaptured ( n = 41 individuals). Radio-transmitters were implanted surgically in the abdomens of 37 pups. Births of males ( n = 81) and females ( n = 75) were distributed similarly throughout the spring and summer, with a peak occurring during late May. Dependency periods ranged from 76 to 333 days and averaged 170 days for males and 168 days for females. Male pups gained body mass more rapidly than female pups (95 g/day compared to 83 g/day), and differences were maintained from birth until weaning.
The Disgust Propensity and Sensitivity Scale–Revised: An examination of a reduced-item version

The Disgust Propensity and Sensitivity Scale-Revised (DPSS-R [Pers. Indiv. Differ. 41 (2006) 1241-1252]) is a new assessment tool thought to assess two distinguishable factors contributing to disgust reactions, Disgust Propensity and Disgust Sensitivity. Extant data though indicate the presence of four unreliable DPSS-R items. The present study examined the psychometric properties of a reduced-item version of the DPSS-R, in which these four problematic items were removed, using data from two large independent samples of nonclinical college students. Results from Study 1 revealed that the reduced-item DPSS-R factor structure provided more favorable goodness-of-fit indices than the two previous full-length DPSS-R factor structures. In Study 2, the reduced-item DPSS-R scales showed good reliability, stronger relationships with symptoms of disgust-relevant than fear-relevant phobias, and adequate incremental concurrent validity in predicting symptoms of disgust-relevant phobias. The present study suggests that the reduced-item DPSS-R is both reliable and valid, and likely addresses the limitations of the full-length version.