cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Inherent Kinematic Features of Dynamic Bimanual Path Following Tasks

Bimanual coordination is critical in many robotic and haptic systems, such as surgical robots and rehabilitation robots. While these systems often incorporate two robotic manipulators for each limb, there may be a missed opportunity to leverage overarching models of human bimanual coordination to improve the way in which the robotic manipulators are controlled and respond to the dynamic human operator. In this article, we study the influences of several bimanual motion factors (e.g., symmetry and direction) on kinematic human joint-space features and performance outcome task-space features in a user study with 11 subjects and two haptic devices. Additionally, we evaluated the ability to use joint-space features to classify types of bimanual movement, showing the potential for a robotic system to predict how users coordinate their limbs. Three classifiers, namely, likelihood ratio, k-nearest neighbor, and support vector machine, are evaluated for classification accuracy with regard to the factor of number of targets. Likelihood ratio resulted in an accuracy of 79.6% with the majority of correct predictions occurring immediately at the start of movement. The task-space performance results reveal that despite the relative direction of both hands, reaching two targets results in lower performance than a single target, and symmetry alone does not contribute to performance disparity. In addition, dimensionless integrated absolute jerk is an indicator of superior performance for this particular task. Furthermore, these results align with current bimanual coordination theory by showing that manual performance disparities are a consequence of task constraints and conceptualization.
Longitudinal patient-reported outcomes and restrictive opioid prescribing after minimally invasive gynecologic surgery.

Objective To determine post-discharge patient-reported symptoms before and after implementation of restrictive opioid prescribing among women undergoing minimally invasive gynecologic surgery. Methods We compared clinical outcomes and symptom burden among a cohort of 389 women undergoing minimally invasive gynecologic surgery at a single institution before and after implementation of a restrictive opioid prescribing quality improvement initiative in July 2018. Post-discharge symptom burdens were collected up to 42 days after discharge using the MD Anderson Symptom Inventory and analyzed using linear mixed effects models. Results The majority of women included in this study were white non-smokers and the median age was 55 (range 23–83). Most women underwent hysterectomy (64%), had surgery for malignancy (71%), and were discharged from the hospital on the day of surgery (65%). Women in the restrictive opioid prescribing group had a median reduction in morphine equivalent dose prescribed at discharge of 83%, corresponding to a median reduction in 25 tablets of 5 mg oxycodone per person. There was no difference between opioid prescribing groups in either the rate of refill requests (P=1) or hospital re-admission (P=1) up to 30 days after discharge. After adjustment for co-variates, there was no statistically significant difference in post-discharge symptom burden including patient-reported pain (P=0.08), sleep (P=0.30), walking interference (P=0.64), activity interference (P=0.12), or affective interference (P=0.67). There was a trend toward less reported constiptation in the restrictive opioid prescribing group that did not reach statistical significance (P=0.05). Conclusion We found that restrictive post-operative opioid prescribing was not associated with differences in longitudinal symptom burden among women undergoing minimally invasive gynecologic surgery. These results provide the most comprehensive picture to date of post-operative symptom recovery under different opioid prescribing approaches, lending additional support for existing recommendations to reduce opioid prescribing following gynecologic surgery.
ExTru: A Lightweight, Fast, and Secure Expirable Trust for the Internet of Things

The resource-constrained nature of the Internet of Things (IoT) edges, poses a challenge in designing a secure and high-performance communication for this family of devices. Although side-channel resistant ciphers (either block or stream) could guarantee the security of the communication, the energy intensive nature of these ciphers makes them undesirable for lightweight IoT solutions. In this paper, we introduce ExTru, an encrypted communication protocol based on stream ciphers that adds a configurable switching & toggling network (CSTN) to not only boost the performance of the communication in these devices, it also consumes far less energy than the conventional side-channel resistant ciphers. Although the overall structure of the proposed scheme is leaky against physical attacks, we introduce a dynamic encryption mechanism that removes this vulnerability. We demonstrate how each communicated message in the proposed scheme reduces the level of trust. Accordingly, since a specific number of messages, N, could break the communication and extract the key, by using the dynamic encryption mechanism, ExTru can re-initiate the level of trust periodically after $T$ messages where T < N, to protect the communication against side-channel and scan-based attacks (e.g. SAT attack). Furthermore, we demonstrate that by properly configuring the value of T, ExTru not only increases the strength of security from per “device” to per “message”, it also significantly improves energy saving as well as throughput vs. an architecture that only uses a conventional side-channel resistant block/stream cipher.
How to Sample a Mountain

Techniques of experimental design, based on generalized sampling models, are extremely important for "sampling a mountain," especially because of the possible wide variability in element composition in the samples taken from that "mountain." Current investigations are determining better guidelines in sampling and analytical procedures for minor-element studies in geochemical research. Too often, expensive analytical effort may be wasted owing to lack of proper design in the laboratory by the analyst and in geologic sampling by the geologist. Experimental design techniques are being applied to a wide variety of geologic sampling problems. Analytical procedures, including spectrochemical methods, are expected to change in accordance with the nature of the problem and the geologic sample. An example of sampling for minor-element analysis is given to illustrate types of geologic variance as compared to laboratory variance.
Speech dereverberation using a learned speech model

We present a general single-channel speech dereverberation method based on an explicit generative model of reverberant and noisy speech. To regularize the model, we use a pre-learned speech model of clean and dry speech as a prior and perform posterior inference over the latent clean speech. The reverberation kernel and additive noise are estimated under the maximum-likelihood framework. Our model assumes no prior knowledge about specific speakers or rooms, and consequently our method can automatically adapt to various reverberant and noisy conditions. We evaluate the proposed model with both simulated data and real recordings from the REVERB Challenge1 in the task of speech enhancement and obtain results comparable to or better than the state-of-the-art.
Protos: an exemplar-based learning apprentice

Abstract Building Protos, a learning apprentice system for heuristic classification, has forced us to scrutinize the usefulness of inductive learning and deductive problem solving. While these inference methods have been widely studied in machine learning, their seductive elegance in artificial domains ( e.g., mathematics) does not carry over to natural domains ( e.g., medicine). This paper briefly describes our rationale in the Protos system for relegating inductive learning and deductive problem solving to minor roles in support of retaining, indexing, and matching exemplars. The problems that arise from “lazy generalization” are described along with their solutions in Protos. Finally, an example of Protos in the domain of clinical audiology is discussed.
Classical mutagenesis techniques

Publisher Summary Generating mutants, to identify new genes and to study their properties, is the starting point for much of molecular biology. Forward mutations and metabolic suppressors obtained by reversion can provide powerful insights into the functions and relationships of normal gene products. Similarly, mutations and intragenic revertants provide the raw material for the analysis of gene product structure-function relationships. Site-specific mutagenesis and other methods based on recombinant DNA techniques are increasingly used for these purposes, and they are clearly the methods of choice where particular changes in specified genes or genetic sites are needed. Nevertheless, classical methods, in which cells are treated with mutagens, are likely to remain the chief means for inducing mutations in many circumstances because they require no prior knowledge of gene or product and are generally applicable: the user need to only specify an appropriate alteration in phenotype. However, unless selection for the desired strain is possible, hunting for mutants can be extremely laborious and analyzing the material obtained even more so.
Renormalizing Recitation Grades

I discuss issue of how to adjust recitation grades given by different instructors in a large course, taking into account and correcting for differences in standards among the instructors, while preserving the effects of differences in average student performance among the recitation sections.
Simulation-Based Verification of Autonomous Controllers via Livingstone PathFinder

AI software is often used as a means for providing greater autonomy to automated systems, capable of coping with harsh and unpredictable environments. Due in part to the enormous space of possible situations that they aim to address, autonomous systems pose a serious challenge to traditional test-based verification approaches. Efficient verification approaches need to be perfected before these systems can reliably control critical applications. This publication describes Livingstone PathFinder (LPF), a verification tool for autonomous control software. LPF applies state space exploration algorithms to an instrumented testbed, consisting of the controller embedded in a simulated operating environment. Although LPF has focused on NASA’s Livingstone model-based diagnosis system applications, the architecture is modular and adaptable to other systems. This article presents different facets of LPF and experimental results from applying the software to a Livingstone model of the main propulsion feed subsystem for a prototype space vehicle.
Dysphagia produced by a contractile ring in the lower esophagus.

Summary 1.In six male patients complaining of dysphagia, the responsible disorder appeared to be an annular esophageal constriction situated 0.5-2.5 cm. above the diaphragm. The constriction did not produce dysphagia unless it happened to trap a solid morsel of food, thereby occluding the esophageal lumen. 2.Anamnestic, radiologic, physiologic and pathologic evidence indicated that the annular constriction was not caused by a fibrous band, inflammatory stricture, cardiospasm (or achalasia), or diaphragmatic hernia. 3.If the claim of several anatomists is correct that a physiologic sphincter exists in the esophagus 1-2 cm. above the diaphragmatic hiatus, the constriction ring may be identified tentatively as an overactive inferior esophageal sphincter.
Differences between values for plasma and serum in tests performed in the Ektachem 700 XR Analyzer, and evaluation of plasma separator tubes (PST).

We measured 25 analytes in plasma and serum from the same blood specimen, using the Kodak Ektachem 700 XR Analyzer. For 22 of the analytes, values for plasma were practically the same as those for serum; for the other three, differences between concentrations in plasma and serum were significant, both statistically and medically. Values for the same analytes in plasma from regular heparinized tubes were essentially indistinguishable from those for plasma obtained by use of Plasma Separator Tubes (PST).
Encode-Then-Encipher Encryption: How to Exploit Nonces or Redundancy in Plaintexts for Efficient Cryptography

We investigate the following approach to symmetric encryption: first encode the message via some keyless transform, and then encipher the encoded message, meaning apply a permutation FK based on a shared key K. We provide conditions on the encoding functions and the cipher which ensure that the resulting encryption scheme meets strong privacy (eg. semantic security) and/or authenticity goals. The encoding can either be implemented in a simple way (eg. prepend a counter and append a checksum) or viewed as modeling existing redundancy or entropy already present in the messages, whereby encode-then-encipher encryption provides a way to exploit structured message spaces to achieve compact ciphertexts.
Depositional processes beneath coastal multi-year sea ice

The extent of multi-year sea ice impacts climate processes worldwide, such as ocean–atmosphere carbon dioxide exchange and deep ocean current formation. Reconstructing these processes in the past, and assessing the distribution of ecologically and climatically significant features, such as polynas, requires recognition of sediments deposited under multi-year sea ice, but little is known about their characteristics. Textural analysis of subaerial and sea floor sediment in Explorers Cove, McMurdo Sound, at the mouth of Taylor Valley, Antarctica, augmented with observations of sedimentary structures and faunal components, elucidates how sediment is transported to the sea floor and allows characterization of the deposits. Comparison of grain-size characteristics of subaerial (moraine, delta and sea-ice surface) sediment and sea floor sediment from short cores taken at depths of 7 to 25 m indicates that the likely source of the moderately to poorly sorted sea floor sand is deltaic sediment; small glacial meltwater streams have built deltas since Taylor Valley became ice-free ca 7000 years ago. Windblown sediment accumulating on the multi-year sea ice close to the coast typically is coarser grained than sediment on the sea floor; this suggests that the transport of sediment through the ice to the sea floor is not the predominant mode of sediment transfer. However, supra-sea-ice sediment does move to the sea floor through local fractures. The rate of sedimentation under multi-year sea ice is low because of limited stream flow and biogenic sedimentation; the ice cover inhibits primary productivity and dampens waves, precluding physical re-suspension. The upper centimetres of sea floor sediment are churned by epifaunal scallops and brittle stars that leave no telltale biogenic structures and whose calcite ossicles and shells may be poorly preserved. The resulting deposits under multi-year sea ice are poorly sorted, massive sand that provides little evidence of the bioturbators that have masked the indicators of the original physical depositional processes.
Immunogold detection of chromatophore antigens on the surface ofRhodopseudomonas sphaeroides spheroplasts

Antibody was obtained from rabbits immunized with chromatophores isolated fromRhodopseudomonas sphaeroides. Antichromatophore antibody was adsorbed with membranes prepared from nonphotosynthetic aerobically grown cells to remove cross-reacting antibody in order to obtain an antibody preparation specific for antigens unique to the chromatophore membrane. This adsorbed antibody was coupled to colloidal gold particles and used to label chromatophore antigens on the surface of spheroplasts of phototrophically grown cells. Aerobically grown cells were induced to form chromatophore membrane by reduction of oxygen tension. Chromatophore-specific antigens were recognized by crossed immunoelectrophoretic analysis of membranes prepared from these induced cells and by immunogold labeling of spheroplasts prepared from these cells.
Differential modulation of XBP1 and PERK ER stress pathways in acute pancreatitis

s / Pancreatolog generationwe examined the antibody concentration and antibody binding of antibodies isolated from patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma and chronic pancreatitis as well as control patients without malignancies. Materials and methods: Antibody concentrations of IgG, IgM, IgA, and IgE were determined in serum of patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PC; n1⁄450), chronic pancreatitis (CP; n1⁄450) and control patients (C; n1⁄450) by ELISA. Human IgG was purified on Protein A/G columns. Immunoreactivity of isolated IgG was examined with plasmamembrane fractions and methanol fixed cells from the cell lines Panc-1, MiaPaCa-II, BxPc-3, HPAF-II, HEK-293, and HFF-1 as well as a 100 AAMUC1 tandem repeat peptide. Results are expressed as median and lower quartile/upper quartile. Results: IgG concentrations were significantly reduced in patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma (C 10.90mg/ml 8.88/11.87; CP 7.53mg/ml 6.61/ 9.36, p<0.001; PC 7.65mg/ml 6.65/10.35, p<0.001). Simultaneously, an increase in IgE concentration was detected in patients with CP and PC (C 28.28ng/ml 13.17/60.88; CP 109.10ng/ml 60.03/169.64 p<0.005; PC 69.75ng/ml 25.77/108.77, p<0.005). IgG binding to tumor cell surfaces was reduced for Panc1, HPAF, BxPc3, and HEK293 cell surfaces (HPAF-II C 0.69 0.610.81; CP 0.63 0.54/0.; PC 0.55 0.47/0.64, p<0.001). Analyses of patients developing anti-tumor cell antibodies showed that a small subset of patients develop IgG with immunoreactivity toward several pancreatic cancer cell lines. Conclusion: Patients with pancreatic disorder not only showed reduced overall IgG concentrations but binding to PDAC cell lines was also reduced. Four patients with pronounced immunoreactivity toward pancreatic cancer cell lines could be identified independent of any pancreatic disorder.
A three-dimensional reconstruction of the rat hypothalamus.

A previous three-dimensional reconstruction of the rat hypothalamus revealed an organization of nuclei into three major clusters. This clustering may relate to the presence of three hypothalamic anlagen in the embryo and to a restriction of marker proteins and transcription factors to specific regions of the hypothalamus during development. To see if a similar clustering was apparent in the human hypothalamus, a reconstruction of the hypothalamus from a male cadaver was prepared. The reconstruction showed a clustering of nuclei into three anterior-posterior groups. With reference to the well-defined human supraoptic nucleus, the suprachiasmatic and lateral mammillary nuclei were proportionately smaller in this single human specimen than would be expected from data in the rat. A high degree of homology between hypothalamic structures in the rat and human were generally observed.
Use of vasopressin in a canine model of severe verapamil poisoning: a preliminary descriptive study.

Objectives The purpose of this preliminary study was to evaluate the effect of arginine vasopressin (AVP) administration in a model of shock induced by calcium channel antagonist overdose and to determine endogenous serum AVP concentrations in calcium channel antagonist-induced shock. Methods This was a controlled, randomized laboratory investigation based on a previously described canine model of verapamil toxicity. After induction of verapamil toxicity, animals in both the control and the experimental groups (n = 6 each) received a continuous infusion of verapamil. Experimental animals received an escalating dose of AVP, while control animals received an equal volume of 0.9% saline infusion. The hemodynamic end point was return of mean arterial pressure (MAP) to within 20% of baseline. Surviving animals were killed after 60 minutes. Results In the treatment group, administration of low-dose AVP (4 mU/kg/min) resulted in further declines in cardiac index and heart rate. No significant change was noted in MAP with low-dose AVP. A slight increase in MAP was noted with both escalating doses of AVP and equivalent volumes of normal saline. By the end of the 60-minute antidote/saline phase, the MAPs of the saline control group and the AVP experimental group were similar. The primary hemodynamic end point was not achieved in either the AVP or the saline control arm. Mean baseline serum AVP concentration in control animals was 5.8 pg/mL, increasing to 225 pg/mL during the toxicity phase. Conclusions In an animal model of verapamil-induced shock, endogenous AVP levels increased nearly 40-fold compared with baseline levels. Escalating doses of exogenous AVP worsened cardiac index and failed to return MAP to within 20% of baseline.
"The people must be forced to go to Palestine": Rabbi Abraham Klausner and the She'erit Hapletah in Germany

American rabbi Abraham Klausner played a vital role in rebuilding Jewish communal life in Germany during the first few years after World War II, advocating on behalf of survivors before U.S. military authorities, securing much-needed supplies, publishing lists of survivors, and establishing the Central Committee of the Liberated Jews as the official representative body of the Jewish displaced persons. The survivors lauded Klausner as their most trusted advocate, yet his zealous Zionism seemed increasingly to outpace that of much of the survivor population. In his May 2, 1948 confidential report to world Jewish leaders, Klausner suggested that after three years in the DP camps, perhaps only thirty percent of the survivors would choose to go to Palestine, and he proposed radical solutions to this perceived problem. Observing the DP situation from Klausner’s unique perspective, the author of this article examines the contingent nature of DP Zionism.
Pricing Commodity Options when the Underlying Futures Price Exhibits Time-Varying Volatility

Standard commodity option pricing models assume proportional changes in the underlying futures price are i.i.d. normal. Empirical evidence suggests commodity futures price movements exhibit excess kurtosis and time-varying volatility. This paper presents option pricing models when time-varying volatility and excess kurtosis in the underlying futures price can be modeled as a GARCH process. Empirical results suggest that the GARCH option pricing model outperforms the standard Black option-pricing model, which uses historical volatilities. A closed-form approximation model using a variance forecast generated from the estimated GARCH process also outperforms Black's model and in many cases the general GARCH model as well.
Altered expression of antiviral cytokine mRNAs associated with cyclophosphamide’s enhancement of viral oncolysis

Oncolytic viruses (OVs) are being used as anticancer agents in preclinical and clinical trials. Propagation of OVs inside infected tumors is critical to their efficacy and is mediated by the productive generation of progeny OVs within infected tumor cells. In turn, this progeny can spread the infection to other tumor cells in successive rounds of oncolysis. Previously, we had found that, in rats, cyclophosphamide (CPA) pretreatment increased infection of brain tumors by an intra-arterially administered herpes simplex virus type 1 OV, because it inhibited activation of complement responses, mediated by innate IgM. We also have previously shown that other pharmacologic inhibitors of complement, such as cobra venom factor (CVF), allowed for increased infection. However, in these studies, further inhibition of complement responses by CVF did not result in additional infection of brain tumor cells or in propagation of OV to surrounding tumor cells. In this study, we sought to determine if CPA did lead to increased infection/propagation from initially infected tumor cells. Unlike our results with CVF, we find that CPA administration does result in a time-dependent increase in infection of tumor cells, suggestive of increased propagation, in both syngeneic and athymic models of brain tumors. This increase was due to increased survival of OV within infected tumors and brain surrounding tumors. CPA's effect was not due to a direct enhancement of viral replication in tumor cells, rather was associated with its immunosuppressive effects. RT-PCR analysis revealed that CPA administration resulted in impaired mRNA production by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of several cytokines (interferons α/β, interferon γ, TNFα, IL-15, and IL-18) with anti-HSV function. These findings suggest that the CPA-mediated facilitation of OV intraneoplastic propagation is associated with a general decrease of antiviral cytokines mRNAs in PBMCs. These findings not only suggest a potential benefit for the addition of transient immunosuppression in clinical applications of oncolytic HSV therapy, but also suggest that innate immunomodulatory pathways may be amenable to manipulation, in order to increase OV propagation and survival within infected tumors.
The interaction of CCl2F2 with Fe(110) — selective reaction via the fluorine moieties

Abstract Temperature programmed desorption (TPD) and quantitative beam dosing adsorption studies have been utilized to study the interaction of CCl2F2 with Fe(110) in the temperature range 90–850 K. At 90 K, molecular CCl2F2 adsorption occurs and produces the following desorption products: CCl2F2 from the multilayer (98 K) and monolayer (122 K),: CCl2 (156 K), FeF2 (two desorption states near 700 K), and a high temperature iron chloride species which desorbs above 900 K. Irreversible dissociative adsorption of CCl2F2 occurs at 326 K and the resulting desorption spectra reveal a broad FeF2 desorption state, in the temperature range of ~ 700 to ~ 950 K, as well as the high temperature iron chloride desorption state. The only desorption product observed, following CCl2F2 adsorption at 850 K, is a high temperature iron chloride species. It is shown that the CCl2F2 molecule preferentially interacts with the Fe(110) surface via the “fluorine end” of the molecule. This interaction probably occurs at defect sites. Comparisons of the results obtained for the CCl2F2/Fe(110) system with the CCl 4 F(110) and C 2 Cl 4 Fe(110) systems are presented.
Safety of staged interpolation flaps after Mohs micrographic surgery in an outpatient setting: a single-center experience.

Objective To establish the safety of staged interpolation flaps performed in an outpatient dermatologic clinic setting. Methods A retrospective chart review was performed of patients who underwent staged interpolation flap reconstruction by a single dermatologic surgeon after tumor clearance using Mohs micrographic surgery from 2000 to 2012 at the Department of Dermatology, Medical University of South Carolina. Results Six hundred fifty-three staged flaps were performed in 639 patients (mean age 65) between June 2000 and November 2012. Types of flaps included paramedian forehead flaps (n = 291, 45%), two-stage melolabial flaps (n = 256, 39%), retroauricular flaps (n = 58, 9%), interpolated paranasal flaps (n = 40, 6%), and Abbe or Abbe-Estlander flaps (n = 8, 1%). No major complications were observed. Of the minor complications, problems related to bleeding were the most prevalent; active bleeding requiring physician intervention was seen in 8.4% and hematoma formation in 0.4% of flaps. Postoperative infections were seen in 1.7% of patients after the initial surgery and 3.4% after division of the pedicle. Primary or secondary dehiscence was seen in 0.5%. Partial full-thickness flap necrosis was seen in 2.3% and total flap necrosis in 0.6%. Conclusion The rate of complications associated with dermatologic surgeons performing interpolated flaps in an outpatient setting under local anesthesia is low. Our complication rates are equal to or lower than published complication rates from other surgical specialties.
Indole alkaloids from two cultured cyanobacteria, Westiellopsis sp. and Fischerella muscicola

Chemical investigation of two cultured cyanobacteria, Westiellopsis sp. (SAG strain number 20.93) and Fischerella muscicola (UTEX strain number LB1829) led to the isolation of three hapalindole-type alkaloids, namely hapalindole X (1), deschloro hapalindole I (2), and 13-hydroxy dechlorofontonamide (3), along with ten known indole alkaloids (hapalindoles A, C, G, H, I, J, and U, hapalonamide H, anhydrohapaloxindole A, and fischerindole L) and fischerellins A and B. The structures were determined by a combination of spectroscopic analyses mainly based on 1D and 2D NMR and HRESIMS data. Selected compounds were evaluated for cytotoxicity and exhibited weak to moderate cytotoxicity against HT-29, MCF-7, NCI-H460, SF268, and IMR90 cells. All compounds, except hapalindole C, were evaluated for 20S proteasome inhibition and displayed either weak or no inhibition at 25 μg/mL. Selected compounds were also evaluated for antimicrobial activity, and hapalindoles X (1) and A, and hapalonamide H showed potent activity against both Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Candida albicans with MIC values ranging from 0.6 to 2.5 μM.
Failure to find electrophysiological correlates of chronic neuroleptic-induced oral dyskinesias in cats: somatosensory and substantia nigra evoked potentials, electroencephalogram, and caudate spindles.

Abstract Each of nine cats was prepared with 30 chronically implanted stainless steel gross electrodes in cortex, basal ganglia and other brain structures. Measurements were taken for 0.5–11.5 months of baseline, chronic daily administration of chlorpromazine, and withdrawal. In most cases there was also a second cycle of drug administration and withdrawal. Although we observed dramatic, persistent increases in licking behavior, suggestive of tardive dyskinesia, consistent correlated patterns were not observed in somatosensory or substantia nigra evoked potentials, electroencephalogram, or spindling evoked in cortex by caudate stimulation.
A Narrative Study of Women Leading Within the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities

This article is based on a 3-year narrative study that tells the stories of five women leading within the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities (CCCU). Women leaders are under-represented within this sector of higher education compared to other religious and/or private higher education institutions even though women comprise approximately 60% of college students. This article will explore 4 of the 10 themes that emerged from the women's narratives within the context of existing research literature: (a) family-work balance, (b) transformational and androgynous leadership, (c) imposter syndrome, and (d) the complicated relationships and networks present within the CCCU. Within the women's stories, compelling evidence suggests that cultural challenges exist for female leaders. Christian higher education institutions wishing to create inclusive environments for female (or other nonmajority) leaders should: (a) be attentive to Christian culture for both positive and negative forces impacting leaders; (...
The anthrax team: a novel teaching approach to increase anthrax and bioterrorism awareness.

Abstract A team approach to educating staff regarding anthrax and bioterrorism awareness was implemented after the acts of terrorism that began September 11, 2001. “The Anthrax Team” developed algorithms on the basis of 5 different scenarios, an educational brochure, and a PowerPoint presentation. With use of the algorithms and PowerPoint material, the team conducted informal educational sessions to increase awareness and allay fears. On the basis of the success of this educational method, the teaching process will be applied to address staff on other biologic and chemical terrorism agents.
Uncertain Neighborhood Effects and Restrictive Covenants

Abstract This paper provides a theoretical model and empirical analysis of private land use contracts in an urban housing market. One contribution of our analysis lies in the explicit treatment of neighborhood externalities as uncertain processes; the potential resident views the contractual obligation established by deed restrictions as credible commitment by unknown future neighbors to utilize their own property within the defined bounds, thereby reducing the uncertainty or riskiness of future externality effects. Following this view, we present a hedonic valuation model for deed restrictions and neighborhood covenants to tie housing consumption risk theory to the empirical hedonic method. We then use a unique land use contracts data set to test the model implications.
Surface excitations and surface energy of the antiferromagnetic XXZ chain by the Bethe ansatz approach

We study boundary bound states using the Bethe ansatz formalism for the open XXZ (Δ > 1) chain in a boundary magnetic field h. Boundary bound states are represented by the 'boundary strings' similar to those described in Skorik and Saleur. We find that for certain values of h the ground-state wavefunction contains boundary strings and from this infer the existence of two 'critical' fields in agreement with Jimbo et al. An expression for the vacuum surface energy in the thermodynamic limit is derived and found to be an analytic function of h. We argue that boundary excitations appear only in pairs with `bulk' excitations or with boundary excitations at the other end of the chain. We mainly discuss the case where the magnetic fields at the left and the right boundaries are antiparallel, but we also comment on the case of parallel fields. In the Ising (Δ = ∞) and isotropic (Δ = 0) limits our results agree with those previously known.
Clustering of cardiovascular risk factors in association with indices of adiposity and adipose tissue distribution in adults

The hypothesis, that clustering of elevated levels of blood pressures, plasma lipids and lipoprotein cholesterols, and serum glucose in men and women was associated with indices of adiposity and adipose tissue distributione was tested while controlling for family membership, age, level of education, income, and smoking as well as menopause (surgical and natural )and the use of oral contraceptives and replacement estrogens in women. The study population included 146 white men and 171 white women, 18-88 years of age, from 4 large kindreds residing in the Dayton, Ohio, metropolitan area. The data were collected between 1977 and 1980 as part of a study of genetic factors in essentials hypertension. Four groups of individuals with similar levels for blood pressures, plasma lipids and lipoprotein cholesterols, and serum glucose were defined for each sex by using a k-means clustering algorithm. A group was identified in each sex that had higher than average values for all of these risk factors. Membership in this group was associated significantly with age and weight/stature2 in the men, and with age, weight/stature2 and the interaction of age and weight/stature2 in the women, after controlling for level of education, income, smoking, and, in the women, also for menopause, use of oral contraceptives, and replacement estrogens. Group membership was not associated significantly with family membership or with an index of adipose tissue distribution.
Absorptivity of several metals at 10.6 μm: empirical expressions for the temperature dependence computed from Drude theory

Simple expressions for the temperature-dependent absorptivity at 10.6 μm have been computed for silver, aluminum, gold, copper, lead, and tungsten by means of a straightforward application of the Drude model and experimental dc conductivity data over a wide temperature range. The results of these computations are in reasonable agreement with experimental data where such are available.
Receptor-mediated endocytosis of GnRH analogs: Differential processing of gold-labeled agonist and antagonist derivatives

The hypothalamic decapeptide, GnRH, stimulates LH and FSH release from pituitary gonadotrophs. Many synthetic peptide analogs, both agonist (GnRH-A) and antagonist (GnRH-AT), have been developed which bind specifically to the GnRH receptor. We have utilized highly potent GnRH-A and GnRH-AT analogs labeled with 18 nm colloidal gold to analyze ultrastructurally the events of binding and interiorization of these specific ligands by gonadotrophs in vitro. To examine internalization of GnRH-A-gold, gonadotrophs were cooled to 4 degrees C and equilibrated with the ligand for 1 h. Next, the cells were either fixed immediately or warmed to 37 degrees C for various times (5, 15 and 30 min) and prepared for electron microscopy. For GnRH-AT-gold, which binds slowly at 4 degrees C, the ligand was incubated with gonadotrophs at 37 degrees C for 15, 30 and 60 min, and the cells were processed for electron microscopy at each time point. In both cases, control gonadotrophs were also incubated in an excess of GnRH-A and GnRH-AT, respectively, in the presence of the gold-conjugated ligands. The results indicated that GnRH-A-gold was bound and rapidly internalized via a receptor-mediated endocytic pathway. GnRH-AT-gold was also bound but showed only limited entry into gonadotrophs; the percentage of intracellular GnRH-AT-gold in gonadotrophs was the same as in other pituitary cells contaminating the gonadotroph fraction and did not increase with time. In the gonadotroph, binding of the specific antagonist ligand to GnRH receptors does not stimulate its interiorization, in contrast to the rapid endocytosis and processing of the agonist ligand. These data suggest that specific ligand internalization requires prior receptor activation, and that GnRH-AT which does not activate the receptor remains bound at the cell surface for a prolonged period.
Analysis of intracellular methotrexate polyglutamates in patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis: effect of route of administration on variability in intracellular methotrexate polyglutamate concentrations

Objective Intracellular methotrexate (MTX) polyglutamates (MTXGlu) have been shown to be potentially useful biomarkers of clinical response in adult patients with rheumatoid arthritis. The present study was undertaken to measure intracellular MTXGlu concentrations in a cohort of patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) to determine the predictors of MTXGlu variability in these patients. Methods Blood samples were obtained from patients with JIA who were being treated with a stable dose of MTX for ≥3 months. Clinical data were collected by chart review. Concentrations of MTXGlu1–7 in red blood cell lysates were quantitated using an innovative ion-pairing chromatography procedure, with detection by mass spectrometry. Results Patients with JIA from a single center (n = 99; mean ± SD age 117.8 ± 56.5 months, 69 female) were included in the analysis. The mean ± SD dose of MTX was 0.51 ± 0.25 mg/kg per week, with a median treatment duration of 18 months (interquartile range 3–156 months). MTX was administered subcutaneously in 66 patients (67%). Fifty-six patients (57%) had active arthritis at the time of the clinic visit. Total intracellular MTXGlu (MTXGluTOT) concentrations varied 40-fold, with a mean ± SD total concentration of 85.8 ± 48.4 nmoles/liter. Concentrations of each MTXGlu subtype (MTXGlu1–7) were measured individually and as a percentage of MTXGluTOT in each patient. MTXGlu3 was the most prominent subtype identified, comprising 42% of MTXGluTOT, and the interindividual variability in the concentration of MTXGlu3 was the most highly correlated with that of MTXGluTOT (r = 0.96). The route of MTX administration was significantly associated with MTXGlu1–5 subtypes; higher concentrations of MTXGlu1 + 2 were observed in patients receiving oral doses of MTX, whereas higher concentrations of MTXGlu3–5 were observed in patients receiving subcutaneous doses of MTX (P < 0.0001). Conclusion In this cohort of patients with JIA, the MTXGluTOT concentration varied 40-fold. Individual MTXGlu metabolites (MTXGlu1–7), which have, until now, not been previously reported in patients with JIA, were detected. The route of MTX administration contributed to the variability in concentrations of MTXGlu1–5.
Radiofrequency fluorination of bromobenzene using elemental fluorine

Abstract Passage of undiluted elemental fluorine gas through a radiofrequency discharge region is known to produce atomic fluorine. Reaction of atomic fluorine with bromobenzene vapor gave the corresponding bromofluorobenzene isomers and small amounts of fluorobenzene and difluorobenzene isomers. From the isomer distributions the substitution of the atomic fluorine in observed to be more selective than previously thought.
Real-time facial information acquisition system for multimodal interfaces

A real-time face tracking and facial information acquisition system developed for multimodal man-machine communication s presented in this paper. The sadism can track a human face and report mouth position and other facial information in real-time. A stochastic model to characterize the skin color distribution of human skin is used to transform the hue image of the HSI color space to a skin color probability distribution image. A modified mean shift algorithm is then applied to find the mode of the probability distribution, which estimates the face window. To make the system more robust, 1D projections of the intensity image in potential face windows are proposed to verify and adjust face location.© (1999) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Kinetics of recovery from opioids at wild‐type and mutant μ opioid receptors expressed in Xenopus oocytes

To investigate a previous observation that classical antagonists behave as agonists at mutant H297N and H297Q mu opioid receptors, we compared the kinetics of recovery from opioids at wild-type and mutant mu receptors expressed in voltage-clamped Xenopus oocytes. The cDNA for the potassium channel GIRK1 was coinjected into the oocytes with that of the mu receptors to transduce agonist binding into a coupled electrophysiological response. The kinetics of recovery were estimated by brief test pulses of the agonist normorphine given at a frequency of 0.67 or 1 per min. After treatment with a variety of agonists, the receptors recovered from desensitization at rates that depended on the agonist, but there was little difference between mutant and wild-type receptors. Antagonists, however, induced agonist-like currents and demonstrated faster recovery at the mutant receptors. These results suggest that His-297 may comprise part of an antagonist subsite. This conclusion, when coupled with the steric theory that intrinsic activity depends on independent binary equilibration of a drug between agonist and antagonist subsites, could unify the paired observations that antagonists become agonists and recover faster at the mutant than at the wild-type receptors. Synapse 38:254-260, 2000. Published 2000 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
A comparison of somatotype methods

In order to compare Parnell's and Heath's somatotype methods, the authors independently somatotyped a series of 59 adult male and 61 adult female subjects, (1) using the criteria of Heath's method, (2) using the criteria of Parnell's method, and (3) taking into consideration tentatively adapted Parnell criteria in addition to Heath's criteria. The authors conclude that when use similar rating criteria their mean differences are smaller, their overall correlations are similar, and their percentage agreements to a half-unit are higher (96%) than for comparisons reported by other investigators. The study considers the potentially important relationships of measurements of subcutaneous fat to ratings of the first component. The similarity of distributions of subcutaneous fat measurements and of first component ratings in selected samples suggest important interrelationships among ratings of the first component, height/ weight ratios and subcutaneous fat measurements. The authors feel: (1) that Parnell's method fails to modify the basic weaknesses in Sheldon's somatotype method; and (2) that analyses of the anthropometric data basic to Parnell's method, if guided by the criteria of Heath's method, will further objectify and simplify Heath's method, will improve agreement among independent raters, and will increase the usefulness of somatotyping as a research instrument.
Fasting 2-Deoxy-2-[18F]fluoro-d-glucose Positron Emission Tomography to Detect Metabolic Changes in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension Hearts over 1 Year

Background: The development of tools to monitor the right ventricle in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is of clinical importance. PAH is associated with pathologic expression of the transcription factor hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1α, which induces glycolytic metabolism and mobilization of proangiogenic progenitor (CD34+CD133+) cells. We hypothesized that PAH cardiac myocytes have a HIF-related switch to glycolytic metabolism that can be detected with fasting 2-deoxy-2-[18F]fluoro-d-glucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) and that glucose uptake is informative for cardiac function.Methods: Six healthy control subjects and 14 patients with PAH underwent fasting FDG-PET and echocardiogram. Blood CD34+CD133+ cells and erythropoietin were measured as indicators of HIF activation. Twelve subjects in the PAH cohort underwent repeat studies 1 year later to determine if changes in FDG uptake were related to changes in echocardiographic parameters or to measures of HIF activation.Measurements and R...
Adaptive game for reducing aggressive behavior

Peer influence in social networks has long been recognized as one of the key factors in many of the social health issues that affect young people. In order to study peer networks, scientists have relied on the use of self-report surveys that impose limitations on the types of issues than can be studied. On the other hand, the ever increasing use of computers for communication has given rise to new ways of studying group dynamics and, even more importantly, it has enabled a new way to affect those dynamics as they are detected. Our work is focused on designing and analyzing computer social games that can be used as data collection tools for social interactions, and that can also react and change accordingly in order to promote prosocial, rather than aggressive, behavior.
Differential Strain of the Axially Loaded Scapholunate Interosseus Ligament

Purpose To directly measure strain changes in the scapholunate ligament via magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) when axially loading the wrist in the neutral and extended positions. Methods Six asymptomatic male volunteers without known history of previous wrist injury were enrolled in this MRI-based study. Each subject underwent 3 MRI scans in a 3T scanner: in resting neutral position, in neutral with axial load applied, and in extension with axial load applied. Axial load was applied via extension of an elastic band with known force/elongation curve. We analyzed images and converted them to 3-dimensional stereolithographs. Attachment points of the palmar, proximal, and dorsal sections of the scapholunate interosseus ligament (SLIL) were identified. The lengths of the resulting vectors were recorded for each position. Strain, defined as change in length divided by original length, was calculated for the axially loaded neutral and extended wrists. We used the Bonferroni adjusted multiple comparisons from an analysis of variance model, with statistical significance defined as p Results Strains were significantly greater in the palmar (p = .02) and proximal (p = .01) subregions of the SLIL in loaded extension versus loaded neutral positions. In contrast, the strain on the dorsal component in extension was not statistically greater than in the neutral position (p = .45). Axial load in neutral resulted in minimal strain of all 3 components of the SLIL complex, and these were not significantly different from each other (p > .99). With extension, the strains of the palmar (p = .03) and proximal (p = .006) regions were statistically greater than that of the dorsal component. Conclusions In extension, strain is greatest in the palmar and proximal portions of the intact SLIL. Axial load in neutral applies minimal strain to the SLIL complex. Avoiding axial loading in extension and encouraging loading in neutral position may allow for decreased injury and more effective healing of the scapholunate ligament.