cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Is Common in IBD Patients However Progression to Hepatic Fibrosis by Noninvasive Markers Is Rare.

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common liver disorder in western countries and an increasing cause of end-stage liver disease and hepatocellular carcinoma. NAFLD is known to coexist in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). This study aims to examine the prevalence of NAFLD, as well as trends in NAFLD-associated fibrosis, in a well-characterized IBD cohort utilizing a validated noninvasive test. We conducted a single-center retrospective chart review of patients at a large academic IBD center between 2007 and 2017. Patients with IBD and concurrent hepatic steatosis were identified. Charts were reviewed for baseline characteristics and laboratory data in order to calculate and trend NAFLD progression over time by a noninvasive marker, the NAFLD fibrosis score (NFS). Of 207 patients with IBD and concurrent NAFLD, NFS was able to be calculated for 138 patients at index diagnosis. A subsequent NFS was able to be calculated at 5-year follow-up for 56 patients. Over 5 years, 9 patients (16%) had worsening in NFS category, 4 patients (7%) had improvement in NFS category, and the remaining 43 patients (77%) stayed within their index NFS category. IBD patients with NAFLD tend to have stable liver disease over 4–6 years, and the risk of liver disease progression is low. This is the first study to document the progression of NAFLD by noninvasive testing over time.
Determining Minimum Number of Attempts to Achieve Repeatability of Sniff Nasal Inspiratory Pressure Measures

Background: The measurement of respiratory muscle strength is assessed using the maximal inspiratory pressure (MIP), the maximal expiratory pressure (MEP), and sniff nasal inspiratory pressure (SNIP). Presently, no guidelines specify the minimum number of SNIP attempts needed to achieve repeatability of this measure. Thus, the purpose of this study was to determine the minimum numbers of attempts of SNIP measures to achieve repeatability. Methods: This was a secondary analysis of data from a cross-sectional study of 85 subjects free of acute cardiopulmonary disease who were admitted to general medical and surgical floors of an acute care hospital. Up to 10 SNIP attempts using the MicroRPM were made by each subject to achieve acceptable and repeatable results. Demographic information and the number of attempts it took to achieve the highest SNIP and repeatable SNIP measures within 10% were recorded. Frequency and median values of attempts were computed. Results: Of the 70 (82%) subjects who achieved repeatable SNIP values, slightly more were female (57.1%) and from minority backgrounds: African American (48.6%), Hispanic (18.6%). The mean (SD) age was 51.1 y (15.9) with a range of 19-86. The mean peak SNIP value was 61.8 cm H2O (28) with a range of 3-129. The median (IQR) number of attempts to achieve the highest SNIP value was 6 (4-8) and the earliest median repeatability attempt was a 7 (6-8). Conclusions: It appears that many hospitalized general medical and surgical patients can achieve repeatable SNIP maneuvers. A total of 8 attempts may be needed to allow most subjects to achieve their highest value. Publishing a standard specifying the minimum number of SNIP attempts could improve the precision of SNIP measurements.
Structural Basis for Vital Function and Malfunction of Serum Amyloid A: an Acute-Phase Protein that Wears Hydrophobicity on Its Sleeve

This review addresses normal and pathologic functions of serum amyloid A (SAA), an enigmatic biomarker of inflammation and protein precursor of AA amyloidosis, a life-threatening complication of chronic inflammation. SAA is a small, highly evolutionarily conserved acute-phase protein whose plasma levels increase up to one thousand-fold in inflammation, infection, or after trauma. The advantage of this dramatic but transient increase is unclear, and the complex role of SAA in immune response is intensely investigated. This review summarizes recent advances in our understanding of the structure-function relationship of this intrinsically disordered protein, outlines its newly emerging beneficial roles in lipid transport and inflammation control, and discusses factors that critically influence its misfolding in AA amyloidosis. High-resolution structures of lipid-free SAA in crystals and fibrils have been determined by x-ray crystallography and electron cryo-microscopy. Low-resolution structural studies of SAA-lipid complexes, together with biochemical, cell-based, animal model, genetic, and clinical studies, have provided surprising new insights into a wide range of SAA functions. An emerging vital role of SAA is lipid encapsulation to remove cell membrane debris from sites of injury. The structural basis for this role has been proposed. The lysosomal origin of AA amyloidosis has solidified, and its molecular and cellular mechanisms have emerged. Recent studies have revealed molecular underpinnings for understanding complex functions of this Cambrian protein in lipid transport, immune response, and amyloid formation. These findings help guide the search for much-needed targeted therapies to block the protein deposition in AA amyloidosis.
Healthcare in the new age of transparency

Debates around access to and ownership of an individual's digital information have taken center stage in health care. A decade ago, the idea of offering patients ready access to their clinical notes was a fringe idea. Today, information transparency in health care is a pressing legislative and regulatory issue in the United States and elsewhere. The 21st Century Cures Act of 2016 requires that clinicians and health care organizations give patients electronic access to the information in their electronic medical records. Rules to enact this legislative priority by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services substantially expanded the types of information that must be easily accessible to patients and exchanged among clinicians in electronic form. A growing body of research supports the notion that sharing transparent medical records, including clinical notes with patients, can help to strengthen communication, trust in clinicians, and patient engagement. Patients receiving dialysis may receive particular benefits from this greater transparency due to their increased risk for fragmented care. In the paper, we review the decade of research focused on the effects of sharing clinical notes with patients and the implications for improved engagement and care.
Interobserver and intraobserver reliability of determining the deformity angular ratio in severe pediatric deformity curves.

Cross-sectional reliability study. The deformity angular ratio (DAR) is a means of quantifying magnitude of the coronal (C-DAR) and sagittal (S-DAR) plane of deformity curves to produce a total DAR (T-DAR). It has been shown to predict the risk of spinal cord monitoring alerts and actual neurologic deficits. We sought to assess the reliability of determining the C-DAR and S-DAR among pediatric spinal deformity surgeons. Twelve preoperative anterior–posterior (AP) and lateral X-rays from the Fox multi-center pediatric deformity study were de-identified and sent to7 pediatric spinal deformity surgeons. Each surgeon measured: coronal/sagittal Cobb angles, upper/lower endplate vertebrae (UEV/LEV), apices, and number of vertebrae included in the main curve. The C-DAR and S-DAR were then calculated by dividing the Cobb angles by the number of vertebrae included in the curve. Intra- and interobserver reliability was calculated using interclass correlation (ICC). The mean C-DAR was 14.9 (range 1.3–51.5) with a mean Cobb angle of 88.8° (range 15.0–163.0) over a mean of 7.5 (range 2.0–14.0) levels. The mean S-DAR was 8.6 (range 1.0–19.6), with a mean Cobb angle of 68.0° (range 10.0–137.0) over a mean of 7.5 (range 3–11) levels. The intraobserver reliability of the C-DAR was ICC = 0.908 (range 0.846–0.960) and the S-DAR 0.914 (range 0.815–0.961). The interobserver reliability of the C-DAR was ICC = 0.868 (range 0.846–0.938), and the S-DAR was ICC = 0.848 (range 0.815–0.961). Despite poor reliability among UEV, LEV, and apex selection (aggregated range 0.340–0.724), the C-DAR and S-DAR were demonstrated to be reliable in our study Reliability was good to excellent for C-DAR and S-DAR, despite poor to moderate reliability among UEV, LEV, and apex selection. These data support the use of the C-DAR, S-DAR, and combined T-DAR as a means of quantifying deformity magnitude.
Medullary Blood Oxygen Level-Dependent MRI Index (R2*) is Associated with Annual Loss of Kidney Function in Moderate CKD

Background: The estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) is frequently used to monitor progression of kidney disease. Multiple values have to be obtained, sometimes over years to determine the rate of decline in kidney function. Recent data suggest that functional MRI (fMRI) methods may be able to predict loss of eGFR. In a prior study, baseline data with multi-parametric MRI in individuals with diabetes and moderate CKD was reported. This report extends our prior observations in order to evaluate the temporal variability of the fMRI measurements over 36 months and their association with annual change in eGFR. Methods: Twenty-four subjects with moderate CKD completed 3 sets of MRI scans over a 36-month period. Blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD), arterial spin labeling perfusion, and diffusion MRI images were acquired using a 3 T scanner. Coefficients of variation was used to evaluate variability between subjects at each time point and temporal variability within each subject. We have conducted mixed effects models to examine the trajectory change in GFR over time using time and MRI variables as fixed effects and baseline intercept as random effect. Associations of MRI image markers with annual change in eGFR were evaluated. Results: Multi-parametric functional renal MRI techniques in individuals with moderate CKD showed higher temporal variability in R2* of medulla compared to healthy individuals. This was consistent with the significant lower R2* in medulla observed at 36 months compared to baseline values. The results of linear mixed model showing that R2*_Medulla was the only predictor associated with change in eGFR over time. Furthermore, a significant association of medullary R2* with annual loss of eGFR was observed at all the 3 time points. Conclusions: The lower R2* values and the higher temporal variability in the renal medulla over time suggest the ability to monitor progressive CKD. These were confirmed by the fact that reduced medullary R2* was associated with higher annual loss in eGFR. These data collectively emphasize the need for inclusion of medulla in the analysis of renal BOLD MRI studies.
Mitochondrial genotype alters the impact of rapamycin on the transcriptional response to nutrients in Drosophila

Background In addition to their well characterized role in cellular energy production, new evidence has revealed the involvement of mitochondria in diverse signaling pathways that regulate a broad array of cellular functions. The mitochondrial genome (mtDNA) encodes essential components of the oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) pathway whose expression must be coordinated with the components transcribed from the nuclear genome. Mitochondrial dysfunction is associated with disorders including cancer and neurodegenerative diseases, yet the role of the complex interactions between the mitochondrial and nuclear genomes are poorly understood. Results Using a Drosophila model in which alternative mtDNAs are present on a common nuclear background, we studied the effects of this altered mitonuclear communication on the transcriptomic response to altered nutrient status. Adult flies with the 'native' and 'disrupted' genotypes were re-fed following brief starvation, with or without exposure to rapamycin, the cognate inhibitor of the nutrient-sensing target of rapamycin (TOR). RNAseq showed that alternative mtDNA genotypes affect the temporal transcriptional response to nutrients in a rapamycin-dependent manner. Pathways most greatly affected were OXPHOS, protein metabolism and fatty acid metabolism. A distinct set of testis-specific genes was also differentially regulated in the experiment. Conclusions Many of the differentially expressed genes between alternative mitonuclear genotypes have no direct interaction with mtDNA gene products, suggesting that the mtDNA genotype contributes to retrograde signaling from mitochondria to the nucleus. The interaction of mitochondrial genotype (mtDNA) with rapamycin treatment identifies new links between mitochondria and the nutrient-sensing mTORC1 (mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1) signaling pathway.
Spatiotemporal changes in diffusivity and anisotropy in fetal brain tractography.

Population averaged diffusion atlases can be utilized to characterize complex microstructural changes with less bias than data from individual subjects. In this study, a fetal diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) atlas was used to investigate tract-based changes in anisotropy and diffusivity in vivo from 23 to 38 weeks of gestational age (GA). Healthy pregnant volunteers with typically developing fetuses were imaged at 3 T. Acquisition included structural images processed with a super-resolution algorithm and DTI images processed with a motion-tracked slice-to-volume registration algorithm. The DTI from individual subjects were used to generate 16 templates, each specific to a week of GA; this was accomplished by means of a tensor-to-tensor diffeomorphic deformable registration method integrated with kernel regression in age. Deterministic tractography was performed to outline the forceps major, forceps minor, bilateral corticospinal tracts (CST), bilateral inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus (IFOF), bilateral inferior longitudinal fasciculus (ILF), and bilateral uncinate fasciculus (UF). The mean fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD) was recorded for all tracts. For a subset of tracts (forceps major, CST, and IFOF) we manually divided the tractograms into anatomy conforming segments to evaluate within-tract changes. We found tract-specific, nonlinear, age related changes in FA and MD. Early in gestation, these trends appear to be dominated by cytoarchitectonic changes in the transient white matter fetal zones while later in gestation, trends conforming to the progression of myelination were observed. We also observed significant (local) heterogeneity in within-tract developmental trajectories for the CST, IFOF, and forceps major.
Two-Dimensional Wind Setup of Oil on Water

The geometry of an oil wedge that floats on water and is retained by a barrier depends on the wind and current forces acting on the oil. An investigation of the two-dimensional setup of floating oil retained by a rigid barrier and subjected to a wind stress was conducted. An analytical expression for the oil wedge thickness as a function of oil properties, wedge length and wind stress or wind velocity was developed. This expression was then experimentally verified in a two-dimensional wind-wave flume. Experiments were conducted for a range of wind speeds using three oils with different density and viscosity. The air-oil interfacial stress for a smooth interface is the same as that for wind over a smooth water surface. However, the development of waves in the oil significantly increases the interfacial stress and resulting setup. A prediction equation is presented for conditions when waves exist but further research on the nature and effects of waves at the air-oil interface is needed. Interfacial stresses evaluated from the setup prediction equation were in agreement with stress values determined from wind velocity profile measurements and the Karman-Prandtl equations.
FERROUS SULFATE POISONING: A REVIEW, CASE SUMMARIES, AND THERAPEUTIC REGIMEN.

The incidence, pathology, and symptoms of acute severe iron poisoning arereviewed. Four cases are presented: the first terminated in death by acute hepatic failure; the second case with severe first and second phase symptoms was treated successfully with peritoneal dialysis and calcium disodium EDTA; and in the third and fourth cases recovery occurred after treatment by chelation and supportive means. The clinical phases of acute iron poisoning are reviewed, and a logical plan for management is formulated.
Distinctions between islet neogenesis and β‐cell replication: Implications for reversal of Type 1 and 2 diabetes

The terms “islet” and “β-cell” are often used interchangeably, yet islets are highly complex multicellular organelles that contain the insulin-producing β-cells and four other cells types, all of which play a role in maintaining glucose homeostasis within a very narrow range. Although the formation of new islets in adults is rare, occurring primarily in response to pancreatic injury and major stress to the pancreas, β-cell replication from existing cells occurs throughout adulthood. An understanding of the regulatory factors controlling pancreatic development has more clearly defined the differences between new islet formation from progenitor cells located throughout the adult pancreas and β-cell replication occurring within existing islets. The present review sets forth to more clearly distinguish the differences between the postnatal pathways of islet neogenesis and β-cell replication with a discussion of the potential implications for reversal of Type 1 and 2 diabetic patients using islet neogenesis agents that are now in development. For Type 1 diabetic patients, an immune tolerance agent in conjunction with an islet neogenesis agent may allow achievement of adequate islet mass, perhaps with subsequent potential to withdraw medications. For Type 2 diabetic patients, lifestyle changes and/or medications may sustain the production of new islets and limit the accelerated β-cell apoptosis characteristic of the condition.
Rogers, Carl Ransom (1902–87)

Carl R. Rogers (1902–87) was America's most influential psychotherapist and one of its most prominent psychologists. He developed an approach to psychotherapy, known successively as the ‘nondirective,’ ‘client-centered,’ and ‘person-centered’ approach. He pioneered in the recording and publishing of psychotherapy sessions and cases. He sponsored more scientific research on counseling and psychotherapy than had ever been undertaken. He was largely responsible for extending professional counseling and psychotherapy beyond psychiatry and psychoanalysis to many helping professions – psychology, social work, education, pastoral counseling, and others. Rogers was a leader in the humanistic psychology movement, encounter groups, and using effective interpersonal communication to resolve intergroup conflict.
Biosynthesis of abnormal collagens with amino acid analogues. I. Incorporation of L-azetidine-2-carboxylic acid and cis-4-fluoro-L-proline into protocollagen and collagen.

Abstract 1. 1. Eight proline analogues inhibited the incorporation of [14C]proline into collagen by embryonic cartilage, apparently because the analogues competed with [14C]proline for uptake by the cells. 2. 2. l -Azetidine-2-carboxylic acid and cis-4-fluoro- l -proline were more effective than the other analogues in inhibiting [14C]proline incorporation, and they were the only analogues which decreased the extent to which [14C]proline still incorporated into protein was converted to collagen [14C]hydroxyproline. 3. 3. Direct evidence for the incorporation of l -azetidine-2-carboxylic acid into collagen was obtained with a 14C-labeled preparation of the analogue, and the results indicated that the l -azetidine-2-carboxylic acid was incorporated without significant conversion to other compounds. 4. 4. cis-Fluoroproline was similar to l -azetidine-carboxylic acid in that it decreased the ratio of [14C]hydroxyproline to total 14C in the tissue without inhibiting protocollagen proline hydroxylase; it inhibited the growth of Escherichia coli; and it resulted in the synthesis of a protocollagen which differed kinetically from normal protocollagen when incubated with protocollagen proline hydroxylase. 5. 5. The results indicated that l -azetidine-2-carboxylic acid and cis-4-fluoro- l -proline are incorporated into an abnormal protocollagen which is subsequently converted to an abnormal collagen.
The Global Apparel Value Chain: What Prospects for Upgrading by Developing Countries?

The paper uses the global value chain framework to explain the transformations in production, trade and corporate strategies that altered the apparel industry over the past decades and changed the conditions for innovation and learning in the industry. The apparel industry is identified as a buyer-driven value chain that contains three types of lead firms: retailers, marketers and branded manufacturers. With the globalization of apparel production, competition between the leading firms in the industry has intensified as each type of lead firm has developed extensive global sourcing capabilities. While "de-verticalizing" out of production, these firms are fortifying their activities in the high value-added design and marketing segments of the apparel chain, leading to a blurring of the boundaries between them and a realignment of interests within the chain. Innovation in the global apparel value chain is primarily associated with the shift from assembly to full-package production. Full-package production changes fundamentally the relationship between buyer and supplier giving more autonomy to the supplying firm and creating more possibilities for innovation and learning. The paper distinguishes between three new models of competition in the North American market namely the East Asian, Mexican and Caribbean Basin model. Each model presents different perspectives and challenges for industrial innovation and learning.
Implementation of MPEG-7 Document Management System Based on Native Database

Embedded database technology can be used to manage MPEG-7 data with limited resources. In that case, we need a clustering method for the efficient storage of MPEG-7 documents. The present study designed and implemented a MPEG-7 document management system that can store MPEG-7 documents efficiently in mobile terminals such as PDA. The system used Berkeley DB XML, an embedded XML database system based on MPEG-7 data clustering.
Multi-rate and variable-rate modeling of speech at phone and syllable time scales [speech recognition applications]

This paper introduces a multi-rate extension of hidden Markov models (HMMs), for joint acoustic modeling of speech at multiple time scales. The approach complements the usual short-term, phone-based representation of speech with wide modeling units and long-term temporal features. We consider two alternatives for coarse scale, representing either phones, or syllable structure and lexical stress, and both fixed- and variable-rate dependencies between time scales. Experiments on conversational telephone speech (CTS) show that the proposed multi-rate approach significantly improves recognition accuracy over HMM- and other coupled HMM-based approaches (e.g. feature concatenation) for combining short- and long-term acoustic and linguistic information.
Peripheral target specification of synaptic connectivity of muscle spindle sensory neurons with spinal motoneurons

The source of environmental cues determining the central connections of muscle sensory neurons was investigated by manipulating chick embryos so that sensory neurons supplied a duplicate set of dorsal thigh muscles. These neurons projected out ventral nerve pathways and along motor axons that normally project to ventral muscles but their ultimate target tissue was the duplicate set of dorsal muscles. The central connections of these sensory neurons to motoneurons supplying normal dorsal muscles were then determined with intracellular recordings in isolated spinal cord preparations. Sensory neurons supplying individual duplicate dorsal muscles made the same connections as those supplying the corresponding normal dorsal muscles; the pattern of these connections was different than that made by afferents supplying ventral muscles. Sensory neurons thus made synaptic connections appropriate for their target muscle rather than for their more proximal ventral environment. These findings suggest that the target muscle is the source of cues that determine the central connections of the sensory neurons projecting to it. Motoneurons forced to innervate novel muscle received many of the same sensory inputs they would normally receive, suggesting that motoneurons are less influenced by their target tissue than sensory neurons.
Relating intrinsic low-frequency bold cortical oscillations to cognition in schizophrenia

The amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (ALFF) in the blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) signal during resting-state fMRI reflects the magnitude of local low-frequency BOLD oscillations, rather than interregional connectivity. ALFF is of interest to studies of cognition because fluctuations in spontaneous intrinsic brain activity relate to, and possibly even constrain, task-evoked brain responses in healthy people. Lower ALFF has been reported in schizophrenia, but the cognitive correlates of these reductions remain unknown. Here, we assess relationships between ALFF and attention and working memory in order to establish the functional relevance of intrinsic BOLD oscillatory power alterations with respect to specific cognitive impairments in schizophrenia. As part of the multisite FBIRN study, resting-state fMRI data were collected from schizophrenia subjects (SZ; n=168) and healthy controls (HC; n=166). Voxelwise fractional ALFF (fALFF), a normalized ALFF measure, was regressed on neuropsychological measures of sustained attention and working memory in SZ and HC to identify regions showing either common slopes across groups or slope differences between groups (all findings p<0.01 height, p<0.05 family-wise error cluster corrected). Poorer sustained attention was associated with smaller fALFF in the left superior frontal cortex and bilateral temporoparietal junction in both groups, with additional relationships in bilateral posterior parietal, posterior cingulate, dorsal anterior cingulate (ACC), and right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) evident only in SZ. Poorer working memory was associated with smaller fALFF in bilateral ACC/mPFC, DLPFC, and posterior parietal cortex in both groups. Our findings indicate that smaller amplitudes of low-frequency BOLD oscillations during rest, measured by fALFF, were significantly associated with poorer cognitive performance, sometimes similarly in both groups and sometimes only in SZ, in regions known to subserve sustained attention and working memory. Taken together, these data suggest that the magnitude of resting-state BOLD oscillations shows promise as a biomarker of cognitive function in health and disease.
Direct and repeated bifurcation into turbulence

This lecture is a review of the applications of the theory of bifurcation to the problem of transition to turbulence. Most of the material in this lecture can be found in detail in my recent review [ll], in other reviews in the same volume and in the monographs [12]. We shall discuss some new results having to do with frequencylocked solutions and bifurcation into higher dimensional tori in the transition to turbulence which were not discussed in [ii] and [12]. Some of these results are derived in the new book on bifurcation theory by Iooss and Joseph [9]. To keep the lecture and this written report of it discursive, I am not going to do much citing and attributing of old results; complete citations for the older work can be found in [ll] and [12]. I will confine my remarks to a discussion of the bifurcation of solutions of the Navier-Stokes equations for an incompressible fluid when the velocity ~(x,t) of the boundary B of the region V occupied by the fluid is prescribed together with field forces G(x,t):
PROBABILITY DISTRIBUTIONS ON CLADOGRAMS

By analogy with the theory surrounding the Ewens sampling formula in neutral population genetics, we ask whether there exists a natural one-parameter family of probability distributions on cladograms (“evolutionary trees”) which plays a central role in neutral evolutionary theory. Unfortunately the answer seems to be “no” - see Conjecture 2. But we can embed the two most popular models into an interesting family which we call “beta-splitting” models. We briefly describe some mathematical results about this family, which exhibits qualitatively different behavior for different ranges of the parameter β.
Hydraulic Fracturing and the Emergent Dormant Commerce Clause

This essay reviews the increasing prominence of the dormant Commerce Clause in debates over hydraulic fracturing. In particular, the essay is framed around New Jersey Governor Chris Christie’s citing of the dormant Commerce Clause as a reason for vetoing a ban on hydraulic fracturing wastewater disposal passed by the New Jersey Legislature. The Governor’s reasoning is compared to analysis in a New Jersey Office of Legislative Services' memorandum indicating the dormant Commerce Clause would not be implicated by the proposed ban. The legal reasoning of the New Jersey dispute regarding the applicability of the dormant Commerce Clause to hydraulic fracturing is then considered in light of other scenarios around the country.
MMP-13 selective α-sulfone hydroxamates: a survey of P1' heterocyclic amide isosteres.

Seeking compounds preferentially potent and selective for MMP-13, we reported in the preceding Letter on a series of hydroxamic acids with a flexible benzamide tail groups.(1a) Here, we replace the amide moiety with non-hydrolyzable heterocycles in an effort to improve half-life. We identify a hydroxamate tetrazole 4e that spares MMP-1 and -14, shows >400-fold selectivity versus MMP-8 and >600-fold selectivity versus MMP-2, and has a 4.8 h half-life in rats. X-ray data (1.9 A) for tetrazole 4c is presented.
A study of implicit difference schemes for inviscid equations

Abstract The analysis presented in this paper relates to the numerical difficulties encountered in obtaining a solution of the Full Viscous Shock Layer (FVSL) equations for flow past blunt bodies. A simple model problem consisting of two first order inviscid equations are shown to exhibit all the numerical difficulties encountered by the FVSL Set. In an effort to alleviate these difficulties, several numerical schemes for simultaneously solving the two first order equations have been investigated. It has been found that a staggered coupled implicit difference scheme for solving these two equations eliminates the numerical problems.
Statistical inference about the shape parameter of the Weibull distribution

Abstract This article discusses exact confidence intervals and exact statistical tests about the shape parameter of a Weibull distribution. There are some existing approaches for obtaining exact confidence intervals of the shape parameter based on BLUEs, BLIEs or MLEs of the parameters. A conditional technique was proposed by Lawless. The new method proposed in this paper uses less tables than the methods using BLUEs or BLIEs. The calculation for the critical values of statistical tests is simpler than the method using MLEs and the conditional method.
Episodic dizziness in a 74-year-old woman.

Table 1 Noninvasive determination of the site of 2:1 block in the AV conduction system 1 QRS width If the QRS complex demonstrates bundle branch block, the site of conduction can be anywhere in the AV conduction system. If the QRS complex is normal block is in the AV node or bundle of His 2 PR interval of the conducted P wave 4300 ms: block is in the AV node o160 ms: block is in the bundle of His or bundle branches
Language disability: A case study

This paper has described the intertwining of linguistic, cognitive, and emotional development in a boy who has a severe language disability. Development proceeded through the usual stages and at the expected ages, yet there were interesting shifts and interactions that appear to be a function of Tony’s individual developmental style, and also, possibly, of intervention. One is particularly struck by the diminishing significance of language comprehension difficulties; expressive problems continue to be troublesome, but verbal conceptual ability has developed well and Tony has acquired an enthusiasm and affection for words. He will continue to struggle with verbal expression, but he knows his difficulty well and has made enough strides in working with it to hold his own in a relatively demanding private school. Early identification of the problem and intervention that has spanned nearly seven years have permitted the observation of developmental regressions and advances which, if viewed statically, might have been misinterpreted. More important, the continued involvement has made possible an emotional commitment between student and therapist that, one hopes, has had a steadying effect and that has led to the investment of verbal content with more richly textured meanings.
Women Re-Authoring Their Lives Through Feminist Narrative Therapy

Abstract This paper focuses on the strengths of a feminist narrative metaphor in helping women“re-author” (White, 1995) their daily lives. I overview the philosophical assumptions and clinical strategies inherent in narrative therapy and discuss how such a metaphor might integrate the insights of feminist theory and practice. While women make meaning of their everyday lives through stories or self-narratives framed by dominant misogynous cultural meta-nar-ratives, a re-authoring can occur when women create alternative meanings associated with new self-narratives. The paper discusses an application of the feminist narrative metaphor of treatment to the general theme of the“beauty myth” (Wolf, 1991) and shares a short case example.
Decarbalkoxylation of (β-Ketoesters and Gem-Diesters Initiated by Iodotrimethylsilane

Abstract Decarbalkoxylation of β-ketoesters and gem-diesters constitutes a nontrivial step in the classical methods for carbon chain lengthening, even though it can be accomplished by hydrolytic procedures. An improved method discovered by Krapcho1 involves heating these esters in wet dimethyl sulfoxide with or without an alkali metal salt (NaCl, NaCN).
Cerebellar and Brainstem Development: An Overview in Relation to Joubert Syndrome

An overview of cerebellar and brainstem development is provided as a foundation for suggesting hypotheses about developmental defects in Joubert syndrome. Although neuropathologic studies of Joubert syndrome are rare, and the spectrum of brain pathology is not yet known, consistent findings include agenesis of the cerebellar vermis and hypoplasia or fragmentation of several brainstem nuclei (including dentate nuclei, inferior olives, and basis pontis), nuclei and tracts of cranial nerve V, solitary nuclei and tracts, and nuclei gracilis and cuneatus. Two aspects of cerebellar development might be important in the pathogenesis of Joubert syndrome: First, cerebellar development is regulated by a critical region of the embryo called the "midbrain-hindbrain organizer," and both mesencephalic and metencephalic elements take part in normal cerebellar development. While the metencephalon gives rise to the cerebellar hemispheres, the vermis is derived almost exclusively from the mesencephalon. This suggests that Joubert syndrome could involve an abnormality in formation of the pontomesencephalic junction (rhombomere 1). Second, the histogenesis of cranial nerve nuclei and brainstem structures derived from the embryonic rhombic lip (such as the inferior olives, neurons of the basis pontis, and arcuate nuclei) involves the formation, migration, and reorganization of nuclei and tracts during a critical period of development (6 to 8 weeks' gestation). Because these structures are abnormal in Joubert syndrome, an understanding of factors that regulate the proper formation and migration of cells that give rise to them could provide important clues about the pathogenesis of this disorder.
Determination of five protein analytes using the beckman array™ and the behring nephelometer system

The Beckman Array and the Behring Nephelometer offer the clinical laboratory completely automated discrete protein analysis. To select one of these systems, we compared five protein analytes: IgG, IgA, IgM, transferrin, and prealbumin. In addition to automation, we wanted to achieve better precision than our present method and have available a wider range of test selection. The Beckman Array gave 2-week stability of calibration, analyzed lipemic samples without significant problems, and had direct manufacturer's service available. The Behring Nephelo meter offered a choice of single or multipoint calibration, retrieval of raw data, ease of operation, more flexibility in test parameters, and choice of calibrator. Interference from lipemia frequently caused variable results requiring pretreatment of the sample. Both instruments demonstrated excellent precision, linearity, and correlated adequately with the Hyland Laser Nephelometer PDQ. The Array demonstrated slightly better slope values than those of the Behring Nephelometer with the exception of prealbumin analysis.
Iterative solution of a singular convection-diffusion perturbation problem

An iterative domain decomposition method is developed to solve a singular perturbation problem. The problem consists of a convection-diffusion equation with a discontinuous (piecewise-constant) diffusion coefficient, and the problem domain is decomposed into two subdomains, on each of which the coefficient is constant. After showing that the boundary value problem is well posed, we indicate a specific numerical implementation of the iterative technique that combines the finite element method on one subdomain with the method of matched asymptotic expansions on the other subdomain. This procedure extends work by Carlenzoli and Quarteroni, which was originally intended for a boundary layer problem with an outer region and an inner region. Our extension carries over to a problem where the domain consists of the outer and inner boundary layer regions plus a region in which the diffusion coefficient is constant and significant in magnitude. An unexpected benefit of our new implementation is its efficiency, which is due to the fact that at each iteration the problem needs to be solved explicitly only on one subdomain. It is only when the final approximation on the entire domain is desired that the matched asymptotic expansions approximation need be computed on the second subdomain. Two-dimensional convergence results and numerical results illustrating the method for a two-dimensional test problem are given.
Design and application of distributed containers in a CPS software control library

Non-blocking synchronisation is known to alleviate the hazards of deadlock, livelock, and priority inversion. We present the design and portable implementation of a lock-free dynamically resizable array. Our lock-free implementation of a shared vector outperforms its lock-based STL counterpart and the implementation provided by Intel by a factor of 10 or more. The ABA problem is fundamental to all CAS-based designs. We offer a solution, called the λδ approach that is practical and efficient and offers speeds comparable to the direct application of the architecture-specific CAS2 instruction used for version counting. Our lock-free vector demonstrated high scalability when compared to the application of non-blocking transactions. We demonstrate the use of our non-blocking synchronisation methodology and our shared vector for the engineering of a framework for verification and semantics parallelisation of the mission data system’s (MDS) goal networks which provide for testing and development of autonomous real-time flight applications.
The structure of bis(organosilyl) amides containing the dimethylsilyl and bis(dimethylsilyl)ethylene groups

Abstract In contrast to the structure of bis(trimethylsilyl) amides, which, except for the formamide, exist in the imidate form and undergo rapid exchange of trimethylsilyl groups, the bis(dimethylsilyl)amides prepared in this study exist in the amide form and undergo rapid rotation around the CN bond. The reaction of several bis(trimethylsilyl) amides with 1,2-bis(dimethylchlorosilyl)ethane also produced amides containing a 5-membered silazane ring. Structures were determined by 13C, 29Si, 14N, and 17O NMR, and free energies of activation for hindered rotation were determined by variable temperature 13C or 29Si NMR. The difference in structure can be attributed to the spatial requirements of the groups attached to silicon.
A nearly optimal algorithm for approximating replacement paths and k shortest simple paths in general graphs

Let G = (V, E) be a directed graph with positive edge weights, let s, t be two specified vertices in this graph, and let π(s, t) be the shortest path between them. In the replacement paths problem we want to compute, for every edge e on π(s, t), the shortest path from s to t that avoids e. The naive solution to this problem would be to remove each edge e, one at a time, and compute the shortest s - t path each time; this yields a running time of O(mn + n2 log n). Gotthilf and Lewenstein [8] recently improved this to O(mn+n2 log log n), but no o(mn) algorithms are known.We present the first approximation algorithm for replacement paths in directed graphs with positive edge weights. Given any e e [0, 1), our algorithm returns (1 + e)-approximate replacement paths in O(e-1 log2n log(nC/c)(m+n log n)) = O(m log(nC/c)/e) time, where C is the largest edge weight in the graph and c is the smallest weight.We also present an even faster (1 + e) approximate algorithm for the simpler problem of approximating the k shortest simple s - t paths in a directed graph with positive edge weights. That is, our algorithm outputs k different simple s - t paths, where the kth path we output is a (1 + e) approximation to the actual kth shortest simple s - t path. The running time of our algorithm is O(ke-1 log2n(m + n log n)) = O(km/e). The fastest exact algorithm for this problem has a running time of O(k(mn+n2 log log n)) = O(kmn) [8]. The previous best approximation algorithm was developed by Roditty [15]; it has a stretch of 3/2 and a running time of O(km√n) (it does not work for replacement paths).Note that all of our running times are nearly optimal except for the O (log(nC/c)) factor in the replacements paths algorithm. Also, our algorithm can solve the variant of approximate replacement paths where we avoid vertices instead of edges.
A SURVEY OF THE PREVALENCE OF SELECTED BACTERIA IN WILD BIRDS

We determined the prevalence of six genera of bacteria from a sample of 387 cloacal swabs from 364 passerines and woodpeckers. The prevalence of bacteria were as follows: Escherichia coli (1%), Pseudomonas spp. (22%), Salmonella spp. (0%), Staphylococcus spp. (15%), Streptococcus spp. (18%), and Yersinia spp. (1%). The prevalence of Streptococcus spp. was higher in omnivorous species than in granivorous species (20% versus 8%). Individuals captured at feeders had a lower prevalence of both Streptococcus spp. (15% versus 33%) and Escherichia coli (0.5% versus 4%) than birds that did not have access to feeders. These differences are probably not due to the feeder per se, but instead to other site related differences. The prevalence of bacteria did not differ between male and female black-capped chickadees, Parus atricapillus. For 279 color marked black-capped chickadees, we calculated the cumulative mortality rate during 12 wk following swabbing. Although the cumulative mortality rates of infected birds were consistently higher than the rates of non-infected birds, none of these differences were significant. Infections may cause slight reductions in survival rates, but we were not able to confirm this with our data.
Across the Pacific: Transnational Context in the Japanese Plantation Workers’ Cemetery in Pāhala, Hawai’i

For nearly a century, immigration researchers have focused on immigrant adjustment largely in terms of relationships in/to the host country. More recently, some have used the concept of transnationalism to understand how ties with places beyond the host country impact immigrants’ experiences. The diversity of Hawai’i’s immigrant labor force in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries and the associated ethnic/national hierarchy on the sugar plantations created a situation where the global status of workers’ homelands impacted their daily experiences and survival strategies. This paper examines the effects of transnational political context on the expression of ethnic/national identity on gravestones in the Japanese plantation workers’ cemetery in Pāhala, Hawai’i. Results of the gravestone analysis indicate that expressions of ethnic/national identity in the cemetery co-varied with the fluctuation of Japan’s status on the global stage, suggesting that immigrant workers’ status was continually affected by homeland politics, and that immigrants were therefore strategic in deploying their ethnic/national identity locally.
Recognition and control of neisserial infection by antibody and complement

Immunity to neisserial infection involves complex interactions between antibody, complement and bacterial cell-surface molecules. Neisseria species express polysaccharide and glycolipid membrane components, which downregulate complement activation. The pathogenic potential of Neisseria depends on evasion of the complement cascade.
Psychophysical studies of pigeon color vision--I. Photopic spectral sensitivity.

Abstract A two-choice operant discrimination procedure was used to determine the spectral sensitivity function for the red field of the pigeon visual system under light adaptation. The data are consistent with a proposed model of the visual system which assumes that spectral sensitivity is determined by an additive combination of responses from cones containing the 562 pigment, and cones containing a postulated pigment with a peak absorption at 415 nm.
Orbit Determination for the QuikSCAT Spacecraft

An operational orbit determination system for QuikSCAT has been developed to meet the requirement for 100-m(3ae) positioning knowledge. This is nominally accomplished by processing global positioning system (GPS) position solutions in a dynamic e lter. The operational orbit determination system produced 24-h overlapping arc position errors between 15 and 25 m (root-sum-square )and 3-h arc overlaps between 5 and 6 m (root-sum-square ) for seven-day and one-day arcs, respectively. We also investigated the use of short segments of GPS pseudorange and carrier phase data and obtained results that differ by less than 10 m from the nominal orbit solutions. A third investigation considered the feasibility of a backup orbit determination system using antenna azimuth and elevation angles from three ground tracking stations. The methods and results of processing these three data types are presented.
Asymptotic estimates and stability analysis of Kuramoto-Sivashinsky type models

We first show asymptotic L2 bounds for a class of equations, which includes the Burger-Sivashinsly model for odd solutions with periodic boundary conditions. We consider the conditional stability of stationary solutions of Kuramoto-Sivashinsky equation in the periodic setting. We establish rigorously the general structure of the spectrum of the linearized operator, in particular the linear instability of steady states. In addition, we show conditional asymptotic stability with asymptotic phase, under a natural spectral hypothesis for the corresponding linearized operator. For the zero solution, we have more precise results. Namely, in the non-resonant regime L ≠ nπ, we prove conditional asymptotic stability, provided one considers only mean value zero data. If, however, L = n0π (but still \({\int\nolimits_{-L}^L u_0(x) dx=0}\)), then we have conditional orbital stability. More specifically, the solutions relax to a small (but generally non-zero) function as long as the initial data are small and lie on a center-stable manifold of codimension 2(n0 − 1).