cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Shape and Shape Transformation of Heated Human Red Cells

This paper describes the shape changes and shape transformations observed in human red cells heated for 2 min. to 48, 50 and 52° C. The first change observed is an irregularity of the cell; this is followed by sphering, but the spherical forms can be turned into irregularly shaped disks again by the addition of serum albumin. The sphering is accordingly part of a reversible disk-sphere transformation due to the loss of a (recoverable) anti-sphering substance from the cells. At a slightly higher temperature 50°C.) fragmentation of the cells occurs with the production of fragments which are also capable of undergoing something equivalent to a disk-sphere transformation. The properties upon which the shape transformations depend are therefore not necessarily dependent on the integrity of the red cell as a unit. The fragments derived from the cell may be unequally haemoglobinized, and the Hb is usually lost in a step-wise, as opposed to an all-or-none, manner. Taken together with the loss of anti-sphering substance and an accompanying loss of potassium from the cells, the shape changes preceding fragmentation and the step-wise loss of Hb suggest that the phenomena observed in the heated red cell are part of a process of disintegration of a plastic Hb-bearing ‘solid’.
Effects of extracellular Mg2+ on T- and L-type Ca2+ currents in single atrial myocytes.

Whole cell voltage-clamp techniques were used to study the effects of extracellular Mg2+ on T- and L-type Ca2+ currents recorded from single atrial myocytes from cat heart. T and L currents were di...
The Effects of Methyl-GAG on a Transplantable Murine Renal Cell Adenocarcinoma

The effect of Methyl-GAG on a transplantable murine renal cell adenocarcinoma was evaluated. Inoculation of Balb/C mice with 1 X 10(5) renal adenocarcinoma cells under the renal capsule resulted in 100% tumor growth and death of the animal in 29 +/- 5 days. In 66% of the control animals lung metastases was observed. Intraperitoneal injections of Methyl-GAG at dose levels of 200 mg/m2, 150 mg/m2, and 100 mg/m2 administered weekly failed to demonstrate any effect on local growth of the tumor. More than 50% incidence of metastatic development was noted in the treated groups. Methyl-GAG had no apparent effect on primary tumor growth or the retardation of metastatic incidence.
Frequency analysis of low flows: hypothetical distribution methods and a physically based approach

A mixed log Pearson type III distribution, a double bounded probability density function, partial duration series and a physically based approach are analyzed for frequency estimates of low flows. The mixed log Pearson III involves a point probability mass at zero for intermittent streams. The double bounded probability distribution has lower and upper bounds with a point mass at the lower bound. Two approaches are used in partial duration series i) truncation, and ii) censoring which represent curtailing of the population and the sample respectively. The parameters are estimated by maximum likelihood procedure. Considering low flows as part of the recession limb of stream flow hydrographs a physically based approach is formulated. By using the exponential decay of stream recessions and considering the initial recession flows, recession durations, and recharge due to incoming storms as statistically independent random variables, a first order random coefficient Markov model for initial recession flows is formed. The resulting steady state probability distribution for initial recession flows is combined with the probability distribution of the exponential decay to obtain the probabilities of low flow events. The methods are applied to both perennial and intermittent streams.
The Significance of Isoechoic Prostatic Carcinoma

AbstractThe diagnosis of prostatic carcinoma is most commonly made today by transrectal ultrasound guided needle biopsy. Often hypoechoic and peripheral zone lesions are the only areas sampled. Recently, we showed that this approach missed a quarter of the cancers that would be detected by a systematic biopsy technique. We term these missed cancers isoechoic carcinomas. We reviewed 1,549 systematic sextant prostate needle biopsies, of which 417 cancers were detected and subdivided into hypoechoic cancers (cancers detected on biopsy of a hypoechoic sector and isoechoic cancers (cancers found only in normal [isoechoic] peripheral zone). We noted in men with only isoechoic cancers that fewer biopsy cores per prostate revealed cancer (mean 1.6 versus 3.0, p <0.0001) and that these men had lower serum prostate specific antigen levels (mean 14.4 versus 43.7, p <0.001). The Gleason scores for the isoechoic and hypoechoic cancers were indistinguishable. The pathological staging of hypoechoic and isoechoic cancers...
Pharmacologic cardioversion for atrial fibrillation and flutter.

There is no evidence that rhythm control in older patients with atrial fibrillation is more effective than rate control for improving patient-oriented outcomes.
Low-Level Chemical Sensitivity: A Perspective from Behavioral Toxicology:

Low-level chemical sensitivity is hardly a new issue in environmental toxicology. It is, in fact, the focus of risk assessment. The risk assessment process is designed explicitly to estimate the he...
Cost/Benefit Summary

Table 9.1 illustrates the net cost (before taxes) of example scenarios for the expected, best, and worse case analyses. System cost is based on prices, current as this writing, for a minimum configuration of a l6-bit microcomputer with three terminals, a disk controller with two 30-megabyte disk drives, a dot matrix printer at 300 characters per second speed, and the bus line tape backup and interfaces necessary to support five devices. The price also includes a multi-user operating system, language, and utility programs necessary to run a small business application program. Such a system would support from one to three or four practicing physicians although for a one-physician practice you might require only two terminals whereas at a three- or four-physician volume, two 60-megabyte disks would provide a better storage capacity depending on vendor requirements. The total estimated hardware (and some software) cost is $30,000 and the medical office applications software is estimated at one-half the hardware price. To all of the example figures you should subtract your current cost of a computer service except for postage and apply your tax rate to the remaining amounts to determine actual costs.
Integrating plug-in electric vehicles into the electric power system

This dissertation contributes to our understanding of how plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) and plug-in battery-only electric vehicles (EVs)—collectively termed plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs)—could be successfully integrated with the electric power system. The research addresses issues at a diverse range of levels pertaining to light-duty vehicles, which account for the majority of highway vehicle miles traveled, energy consumed by highway travel modes, and carbon dioxide emissions from on-road sources. Specifically, the following topics are investigated: (i) On-board power electronics topologies for bidirectional vehicle-to-grid and grid-to-vehicle power transfer; (ii) The estimation of the electric energy and power consumption by fleets of light-duty PEVs; (iii) An operating framework for the scheduling and dispatch of electric power by PEV aggregators; (iv) The pricing of electricity by PHEV aggregators and how it affects the decision-making process of a cost-conscious PHEV owner; (v) The impacts on distribution systems from PEVs under aggregator control; (vi) The modeling of light-duty PEVs for long-term energy and transportation planning at a national scale.
Attack Detection in Sensor Network Target Localization Systems With Quantized Data

We consider a sensor network focused on target localization, where sensors measure the signal strength emitted from the target. Each measurement is quantized to one bit and sent to the fusion center. A general attack is considered at some sensors that attempts to cause the fusion center to produce an inaccurate estimation of the target location. The attack is a combination of man-in-the-middle, hacking, and spoofing attacks that can effectively change both signals going into and coming out of the sensor nodes in a realistic manner. We show that the essential effect of attacks is to alter the naive estimate of the distance between the target and each attacked sensor, which ignores the existence of attacks, to a different extent, giving rise to a geometric inconsistency among the attacked and unattacked sensors. With the help of two secure sensors, a class of detectors are proposed to detect the attacked sensors by scrutinizing the existence of the geometric inconsistency. We show that the false alarm and miss probabilities of the proposed detectors decrease exponentially as the number of measurement samples increases, which implies that with sufficient measurement samples, the proposed detectors can identify the attacked and unattacked sensors with any required accuracy. Numerical results show that compared to the cases where all sensors are employed without detecting attacks or only the secure sensors are employed, the localization performance can be significantly improved if we employ the secure sensors and the sensors which are declared as unattacked by the proposed detector.
Cloud-support for collaborative services in connected cars scenarios

This paper investigates the support that cloud services and applications bring to use-cases for enhanced driving situation awareness. The focus of these services is to support the decision an automated car needs to take when the situation dictates that a hand-over to the driver or a take-over by the automated driving system is required, in the context of driving scenarios proposed in VI-DAS by experts. Collaboration is viewed from a spatio-temporal perspective and as such the paper will elaborate on which kind of communication and what kind of context awareness suit driving scenarios.
Implementation and Student Perceptions on Google Docs as an Electronic Laboratory Notebook in Organic Chemistry.

Electronic laboratory notebooks are gaining in popularity in industry and academia. Various types of electronic laboratory notebooks exist, and a variety of tools can be used for these forms of notebooks. Some tools are commercial products dedicated to being electronic notebooks, while individual organizations can develop ones for their own needs with tools such a OneNote and Google Docs. Google Docs was used as an electronic notebook in organic chemistry, and student perceptions were evaluated using surveys. These tools are used to reduce students’ time preparing for lab and writing reports. The implementation of the notebooks and the findings of students’ perceptions on the implementation are discussed.
Metabolism of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene by a Pseudomonas consortium under aerobic conditions

An aerobic bacterial consortium was shown to degrade 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT). At an initial concentration of 100 ppm, 100% of the TNT was transformed to intermediates in 108 h. Radiolabeling studies indicated that 8% of [14C]TNT was used as biomass and 3.1% of [14C]TNT was mineralized. The first intermediates observed were 4-amino-2,6-dinitrotoluene and its isomer 2-amino-4,6-dinitrotoluene. Prolonged incubation revealed signs of ring cleavage. Succinate or another substrate—e.g., malic acid, acetate, citrate, molasses, sucrose, or glucose—must be added to the culture medium for the degradation of TNT. The bacterial consortium was composed of variousPseudomonas spp. The results suggest that the degradation of TNT is accomplished by co-metabolism and that succinate serves as the carbon and energy source for the growth of the consortium. The results also suggest that this soil bacterial consortium may be useful for the decontamination of environmental sites contaminated with TNT.
Adenosine Receptors Regulate Bone Remodeling and Cartilage Physiology

Bone is a dynamic tissue that undergoes constant remodeling. Many intercellular messengers and cellular mechanisms regulate the rate and efficacy of bone remodeling, and disruption of this process can lead to such pathology as osteopenia and osteoporosis on one hand and osteopetrosis on the other. Results of recent studies indicate a central role for adenosine and its receptors in the control of bone and cartilage metabolism. Many studies using pharmacological and genetic approaches were performed in different laboratories in order to clarify the role, sometimes controversial, of adenosine in the skeletal system.
A New Paradigm for Non-Geostationary Satellite Communications and Radio Astronomy System

This paper proposes a new paradigm to accommodate the rapid growth of non-geostationary orbit (NGSO) satellite communications system (SCS) and radio astronomy system (RAS). Traditionally, SCS and RAS are operated in different frequency bands to avoid radio frequency interference (RFI). However, the prospects of large-scale NGSO satellites cast a distressful RFI scenario to the ground-based RAS observations. By integrating SCS and RAS into the NGSO satellite system, the proposed paradigm mitigates the RFI significantly, enables plenty of new observation opportunities and capabilities for RAS, provides higher throughput for SCS, and creates potential new services/revenues for SCS. Potential deployment scenarios are discussed. In addition, the paper addresses two related problems of the new paradigm, namely the spectrum resource allocation problem and the RAS data transport problem. Simulation results demonstrate the performance advantages of the proposed paradigm and related solutions.
Perceptions of hospitalized patients and their surrogate decision makers on dialysis initiation: a pilot study

Dialysis is often initiated in the hospital during episodes of acute kidney injury and critical illness. Little is known about how patients or their surrogate decision makers feel about dialysis initiation in the inpatient setting. We conducted a prospective cohort study at a large academic center in the United States. All patients who initiated dialysis during a 30-day period in 2016 were approached for enrollment. Study participants were defined as individuals who provided consent for dialysis initiation – either the patient or a surrogate decision-maker. Decisional satisfaction and the degree of shared decision-making were assessed using the decisional attitude scale and the control preferences scale, respectively. These scales were incorporated into a study questionnaire along with an exploratory structured interview. A total of 31 potential participants were eligible and 21 agreed to participate in the study. Continuous renal replacement therapy was used in 14 out of 21 cases (67%) and there was 33% in-hospital mortality in the study cohort. A majority (62%) of patients were unable to participate in the consent process for dialysis initiation and had to rely on a surrogate decision-maker. The mean score for the decisional attitude scale was 4.1 (95% CI 3.8–4.3) with a score of 5 corresponding to high decisional satisfaction. Most of the decisions were classified as shared and incorporated input from clinicians as well as patients or surrogates. Although 90% of participants agreed that they had a choice in making the decision, 81% were unable to mention any alternatives to dialysis initiation. Dialysis initiation was associated with high decisional satisfaction and most participants felt that the decision incorporated input from patients and providers. However, inpatient dialysis initiation was commonly associated with loss of decisional capacity and reliance on a surrogate decision-maker. This finding is likely driven by critical illness. Survivors of critical illness who remain dialysis dependent may need to revisit conversations about the rationale, risks, and benefits of dialysis.
DDT: Decentralized event Detection and Tracking using an ensemble of vertex-reinforced walks on a graph

Automated detection of decentralized event dynamics together with the identification of irregular topology on which the event propagates is a challenging task, which has its application in areas such as geomorphology and video surveillance. The problem becomes severe when the underlying topology is time-varying and multiple events with varied scales exist on the same topology. Conventional research works separately to deal with the problems of detecting events and identifying topology. On one hand, the methodologies for event detection involving the graph-spectral response fail to perform spatiotemporal localization of events if the underlying topology is unknown. On the other hand, the algorithms which estimate the underlying graph topology assume only static nature of the events. In this work, we utilize vertex reinforcement based walks on the topology to simultaneously perform both the tasks by using a scalable and tractable algorithm. An ensemble of such walks recursively updates the event membership of each location in the topology followed by associating a spatial support of each event. Our approach shows improvement over state-of-the-art methods in terms of the spatiotemporal localization of decentralized events.
The use of drug-coated balloons in the treatment of femoropopliteal and infrapopliteal disease

While the field of endovascular interventions has evolved in the last decade, technological advancements have rendered drug-coated balloons (DCBs) to be the first line therapy for femoropopliteal artery disease. As the knowledge continues to advance, the application of DCB to the infrapopliteal segments as well as its role in in conjunction with plaque modification to minimize stent utilization, will be further elucidated.
Analysis of Hot- and Cold-Rolled Loads in Medium-Mn TRIP Steels

The purpose of this work is to investigate the hot- and cold-rolling requirements to produce third-generation advanced high-strength steels (AHSS). Therefore, five medium-Mn (10 to 14 wt pct Mn) alloys that exhibit transformation-induced plasticity (TRIP) were compared to a commercially produced grade of AISI 1018 using hot- and cold-rolling experiments. Experimental data collected from a STANAT instrumented rolling mill was utilized to measure force and torque during hot- and cold-rolling. Experimental data were processed by a 1D analytical model, based on Orowan model, to determine rolling pressure. It was determined that pressures required to hot-roll TRIP alloys are 1.4 to 1.8 times greater than pressures for rolling AISI 1018 steel. Cold rolling of the medium-Mn TRIP steels was found to be 1.5 to 2.8 times greater than the AISI 1018 steel. Mechanical and microstructural characterization was also performed and the variation in rolling pressure was related to the starting microstructural constituents, and alloys containing greater starting quantities of e-martensite in the microstructure had higher flow stresses at equivalent rolling strains during cold rolling.
MCATSS - End-To-End Mobile Cardiopulmonary Tolerance Score System

Recently hospital re-admission rates have received national attention due to the rise in healthcare costs and poor clinical outcomes specially in case cardiac surgery patients. While there exists risk prediction model for discharging patients, few are utilized due several limitations such as poor discriminative ability, lack of discharge assessment and inadequate measurement of functional status. Further none of the current models present real-time actionable information to facilitate early identification and risk-stratification for patients. Hence in this paper we propose a Mobile Cardiopulmonary Tolerance Score System (MCATSS), which is a system that facilitates data collection using a series of automated tests that incorporate data acquisition from external sensors placed on the patient's body. MCATSS has been designed to reduce erroneous input collection, increase the ease of use for clinicians and provide detailed statistics for medical personals to assist them in determining the safe discharge of patients. Overall, MCATSS offers a platform for digital cross-talk of continuous, sensor- and input-driven data to clinicians at their fingertips and will improve patient care, communication and evidence-based practice while decreasing costs and readmission rates.
Work Value Transmission From Parents to Children: Early Socialization and Delayed Activation:

This study examines the transmission of work values from parents to children between mid-adolescence and early midlife. The authors propose that work-related values are transmitted from parents to ...
Fusion of radioactive Sn 132 with Ni 64 at sub-barrier energies

Sub-barrier fusion of $^{132}\mathrm{Sn}$ and $^{64}\mathrm{Ni}$ was measured at ${E}_{\mathrm{beam}}=465$ MeV with an improved apparatus. The result of this new measurement is well reproduced by a coupled-channel calculation and a density-constrained time-dependent Hartree-Fock calculation. The previously measured cross section at ${E}_{\mathrm{beam}}=453$ MeV was reanalyzed. Only an upper limit of the cross section was obtained.
Folding heterogeneity in the essential human telomerase RNA three-way junction

Telomeres safeguard the genome by suppressing illicit DNA damage responses at chromosome termini. In order to compensate for incomplete DNA replication at telomeres, most continually dividing cells, including many cancers, express the telomerase ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complex. Telomerase maintains telomere length by catalyzing de novo synthesis of short DNA repeats using an internal telomerase RNA (TR) template. TRs from diverse species harbor structurally conserved domains that contribute to RNP biogenesis and function. In vertebrate TRs, the conserved regions 4 and 5 (CR4/5) fold into a three-way junction (3WJ) that binds directly to the telomerase catalytic protein subunit and is required for telomerase function. We have analyzed the structural properties of the human TR (hTR) CR4/5 domain using a combination of in vitro chemical mapping, endogenous RNP assembly assays, and single-molecule structural analysis. Our data suggest that a functionally essential stem loop within CR4/5 is not stably folded in the absence of the telomerase reverse transcriptase protein subunit in vitro. Rather, the hTR CR4/5 domain adopts a heterogeneous ensemble of conformations. RNA structural engineering intended to bias the folding landscape of the hTR CR4/5 demonstrates that a stably folded 3WJ motif is necessary but not sufficient to promote assembly of a functional RNP complex. Finally, single-molecule measurements on the hTR CR4/5 domain show that RNP assembly selects for a conformation that is not the major population in the heterogeneous free RNA ensemble, suggesting that non-canonical hTR folds may be required during telomerase biogenesis.
Abstract 16741: A Comparison of High versus Conventional Power Radiofrequency Catheter Ablation for Pulmonary Vein Isolation: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Objectives: We sought to evaluate the procedural safety and outcomes of high power (HP) versus conventional power (CP) radiofrequency (RF) ablation during pulmonary vein isolation (PVI). Methods: A...
Sweetness of Aspartame: Introducing Key Statistical Concepts in an Upper Division Bioanalytical Laboratory Project.

We have expanded Stein’s “Sweetness of Aspartame” laboratory project (Stein, P. J. J. Chem. Educ. 1997, 74, 1112, DOI: 10.1021/ed074p1112) to include extensive use of statistical testing. Students test the statistical significance of a nonzero intercept in a linear regression, bias in comparison to a true value, and statistical significance of the difference between replicate measurements of two different samples. They also estimate error stemming from the use of a calibration curve and explore the pitfalls in linearizing nonlinear data (e.g., the unweighted Lineweaver–Burk plot). Students use t-values and p-values to perform hypothesis testing; they review algebraic error propagation calculations and linear regression and are introduced to nonlinear regression. This laboratory project applies key measurements and statistical analyses often covered in analytical chemistry and instrumental analysis to a fascinating biochemical reaction, the sensation of sweetness.
Discontinuation of Intermittent Hemodialysis in HIV-Associated Nephropathy Following Initiation of Antiretroviral Therapy

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection occurs due to the HIV virus. It results in an immunodeficient state and multi-organ system infections and malignancy known as AIDS. HIV-associated nephropathy (HIVAN) is the most common HIV kidney involvement and may present as acute kidney injury (AKI), as well as chronic kidney disease (CKD). HIVAN is a collapsing form of focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS). HIVAN treatment options include antiretroviral therapy (ART), steroids, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors/angiotensin receptor blockers (ACEI/ARB), and hemodialysis (HD). We herein describe the case of a 40-year-old patient with an established diagnosis of HIVAN who has had partial recovery of end-stage renal failure following the initiation of ART.
Impact of Neutron Energy on Asteroid Deflection Performance

Abstract In the future, a hazardous asteroid will find itself on a collision course with Earth. For asteroids of moderate size or larger, a nuclear device is one of humanity’s only technologies capable of mitigating this threat via deflection on a timescale of less than a decade. This work examined how the output neutron energy from a nuclear device standoff detonation affects the deflection of a notional asteroid that is 300 meters in diameter and composed of silicon dioxide at a bulk density of 1.855 g/cm 3 . 14.1 MeV and 1 MeV neutron energy sources were modeled in MCNP to quantify the energy deposition in the asteroid target. The asteroid’s irradiated region was discretized in angle by tracing the rays emanating from the point of detonation and in depth by considering the neutron mean-free-paths. This high-fidelity approach was shown to deviate from previous analytic approximations commonly used for asteroid energy deposition. 50 kt and 1 Mt neutron yields of the energy deposition mappings were imported into a hydrodynamic asteroid model in ALE3D to simulate the deflective response due to blow-off ejecta. Underexplored in literature, changing the neutron energy was found to have up to a 70% impact on deflection performance due to induced differences in the energy deposition profile and in the energy coupling efficiency. The magnitude of energy deposition accounted for most of the observed variation in the asteroid velocity change, making the coupling efficiency more significant than the spatial profile characteristics. These findings are vital for determining the optimal source neutron energy spectrum for asteroid deflection applications.
Effect of an emergency department education and empowerment intervention on uncontrolled hypertension in a predominately minority population: The AHEAD2 randomized clinical pilot trial.

OBJECTIVE To determine whether an emergency department (ED) education and empowerment intervention coupled with early risk assessment can help improve blood pressure (BP) in a high-risk population. METHODS A hypertension emergency department intervention aimed at decreasing disparities (AHEAD2) is a 3-arm, single-site randomized pilot trial for feasibility in an urban academic ED. A total of 150 predominantly ethnic minorities with no primary care provider and severely elevated blood pressure (BP) (≥160/100 mm Hg) were enrolled over 10 months. Participants were randomized into 1 of 3 study arms: (1) enhanced usual care (EUC), (2) ED-initiated screening, brief intervention, and referral for treatment (ED-SBIRT), or (3) ED- SBIRT plus a 48-72 hours post-acute care hypertension transition clinic (ED-SBIRT+PACHT-c). Primary outcomes were change in systolic and diastolic BP (SBP and DBP) from baseline to 9 months. Secondary outcomes were BP control (BP <140/90 mm Hg), changes in hypertension knowledge, medication adherence, and limited bedside echocardiogram (LBE) findings. RESULTS SBP reduction from baseline to month 9 was -26.8 (95% confidence interval [CI]: -32.8, -20.7) mm Hg for ED-SBIRT, -23.4 (95% CI: -29.5, -17.3) mm Hg for ED-SBIRT+PACHT-c, and -18.9 (95% CI: -24.9, -12.9) mm Hg for EUC. DBP decreased by -12.5 (95% CI: -16.1, -9.0) mm Hg for ED-SBIRT, -11.3 (95% CI: -14.8, -7.7) mm Hg for ED-SBIRT+PACHT-c, and -8.4 (95% CI: -11.9, -4.9) mm Hg for EUC. A multicomponent intervention compared with EUC resulted in SBP decrease of -7.9 mm Hg (95% CI: -16.4, 0.6). At 9 months, hypertension was controlled for 29.3% (95% CI: 20.3, 38.3) of intervention and 23.5% (95% CI: 11.9, 35.2) of EUC participants. All groups saw improvements in hypertension knowledge, medication adherence, and LBEs, with greater improvements in intervention groups. CONCLUSIONS The study findings suggest that a multicomponent intervention comprising of ED education and empowerment coupled with early risk assessment may help improve BP in a high-risk population.
High-throughput characterization of mutations in genes that drive clonal evolution using multiplex adaptome capture sequencing.

Summary Understanding how cells are likely to evolve can guide medical interventions and bioengineering efforts that must contend with unwanted mutations. The adaptome of a cell—the neighborhood of genetic changes that are most likely to drive adaptation in a given environment—can be mapped by tracking rare beneficial variants during the early stages of clonal evolution. We used multiplex adaptome capture sequencing (mAdCap-seq), a procedure that combines unique molecular identifiers and hybridization-based enrichment, to characterize mutations in eight Escherichia coli genes known to be under selection in a laboratory environment. We tracked 301 mutations at frequencies as low as 0.01% and inferred the fitness effects of 240 of these mutations. There were distinct molecular signatures of selection on protein structure and function for the three genes with the most beneficial mutations. Our results demonstrate how mAdCap-seq can be used to deeply profile a targeted portion of a cell’s adaptome.
An empirical study of using radiology reports and images to improve ICU-mortality prediction

The predictive Intensive Care Unit (ICU) scoring system plays an important role in ICU management for its capability of predicting important outcomes, especially mortality. There are many scoring systems that have been developed and used in the ICU. These scoring systems are primarily based on the structured clinical data contained in the electronic health record (EHR), which may suffer the loss of the important clinical information contained in the narratives and images. In this work, we build a deep learning based survival prediction model with multimodality data to predict ICU-mortality. Four sets of features are investigated: (1) physiological measurements of Simplified Acute Physiology Score (SAPS) II, (2) common thorax diseases pre-defined by radiologists, (3) BERT-based text representations, and (4) chest X-ray image features. We use the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care IV (MIMIC-IV) dataset to evaluate the proposed model. Our model achieves the average C- index of 0.7847 (95% confidence interval, 0.7625-0.8068), which substantially exceeds that of the baseline with SAPS-II features (0.7477 (0.7238-0.7716)). Ablation studies further demonstrate the contributions of pre-defined labels (2.12%), text features (2.68%), and image features (2.96%). Our model achieves a higher average C-index than the traditional machine learning methods under the same feature fusion setting, which suggests that the deep learning methods can outperform the traditional machine learning methods in ICU-mortality prediction. These results highlight the potential of deep learning models with multimodal information to enhance ICU-mortality prediction. We make our work publicly available at https://github.com/bionlplab/mimic-icu-mortality.
Living on the Borders of Religious Intersections: Being Centered Within One’s Dissonance

This study explored how individuals spoke about the dissonance they experienced due to their own intersections of identity within religious and/or spiritual spaces in their communities and on colle...
Universal Grammar and Second Language Acquisition

Traditionally, the central problem in the study of second language acquisition and use has been the determination of those factors that differentiate cases in which a relatively high degree of proficiency in a second language is attained from those cases in which it is not. Implicit in the pursuit of solutions to this problem is the assumption - fully justified on the basis of systematic as well as anecdotal observation - that the acquisition of a second or third or fourth language is, in the normal case, by no means inevitable as is the acquisition of a first language. The non-inevitability of second language acquisition gives rise to a variety of questions in the study of second language phenomena that do not ordinarily arise in the study of first; questions concerning the personality, motivations, general cognitive style, and (most importantly for the present discussion) the age of the learner, as well as features of the environmental conditions under which acquisition occurs.
Oligonucleotide Arrays for the Detection of ras Mutations

Although a variety of genetic instabilities have been suggested to be involved in the etiology of human tumors, much of our current understanding of this cellular transformation process strongly implicates the role of oncogenes and anti-oncogenes (tumor suppressor genes). Oncogenes are the activated form of normal genes (proto-oncogenes) which are generally involved in cell growth and proliferation. We know that proto-oncogene activation to oncogenes may involve alteration in the regulation of gene expression resulting in over amplification of the gene product; or by direct genetic mutation which leads ultimately to abnormal biological function, such as uncontrolled cell proliferation. The function of a tumor suppressor gene is to control cell proliferation, thus inactivation of this gene concomitant with activation of the Oncogene is thought to be a key factor in the initiation and the progression of tumorgenesis (Coleman and Tsongalis, 1997).
CONSTRUCTO — An Interactive Gaming Environment

It has been difficult within the context of traditional construction engineering programs to convey the realism and dynamism of the construction project environment. CONSTRUCTO is a computerized construction management game developed at the Univ. of Illinois which attempts to confront the student with the realism of the actual construction site. The game is structured within the framework of a network representation of the project. It initially estimates the forward progress of the construction based on standard productivities. The player then constructs the project on a period by period basis interacting with the actual weather factors and productivities generated in a Monte Carlo fashion by the computer. The weather and economic aspects of the game can be varied by changing templates which control these elements.
Protecting against Plunder: The United States and the International Efforts against Looting of Antiquities

In 1970 UNESCO adopted a convention intended to stem the flow of looted antiquities from developing countries to collections in art-importing countries. The majority of art-importing countries, including Britain, Germany, and Japan, refused to join the Convention. Contrary to other art-importing countries, and reversing its own traditionally-liberal policy, the United States endorsed the international regulation of antiquities and joined the UNESCO Convention. The article seeks to explain why the United States chose to establish controls on antiquities, to the benefit of foreign countries facing archaeological plunder and to the detriment of the US art market. I argue that the concern of US policymakers about looting abroad resulted from a series of scandals that exposed the involvement of American museums and collectors with looted material. Advocacy efforts of American archaeologists also played a key role in educating policymakers about the loss of historical knowledge caused by looting and the necessity of regulation. The article further analyzes how antiquities dealers and certain museums lobbied Congress against implementing the UNESCO Convention and why Congress decided in favor of implementation as an act of international moral leadership. Following the analysis of the Congressional battle, I examine how the US debate over looted antiquities has evolved to the present. The article concludes with implications for the role of values versus interests in international law.
5-Dimensional Assisted Inflation and the Remedy of the Fine-Tuning Problem

We extend the idea of assisted inflation to the case of power-law potentials and demonstrate the simultaneous resolution of two major problems that plague chaotic inflation. The implementation of the same idea in the framework of a 5-dimensional, scalar field theory leads to a model of chaotic inflation free of fine-tuning.
Design of intelligent query systems for large databases

In this chapter, we present techniques that allow a query system to play an active (or intelligent) role in communicating knowledge in large databases to the user via meaningful and efficient feedback during query execution. Our approach is to dynamically create temporary files and access paths for information relevant to present query and inform the user of the existence of such information (if security is not compromised). Our research and experience shows that such information can be made accessible at a very low cost when the system is obtaining the data that has been requested and can be presented (if user shows interest) to the user without much effort. Four types of semantics (database semantics, database organization semantics, usage semantics, and real-world semantics) have been identified, their sources, appropriate data structures for their representation, and applicability have been presented with examples from medical and pictorial databases. Our hypothesis for this research is that most users cannot be expected to know all necessary information available in a large database and the query system must play an intelligent role and provide hints to the users.
Race, violence, and public health policy: The politics of research at the OTA

(1998). Race, violence, and public health policy: The politics of research at the OTA. Science as Culture: Vol. 7, Strategizing counter-expertise, pp. 285-310.
Scattering from fractal structures

Abstract We briefly discuss how the property of self-similarity found in nature manifests itself in various types of scaling laws for the scattering of radiation from fractal structures. The cases of scattering from mass and surface fractals are discussed, as is the generalization to the case where an object may possess both mass and surface fractal dimensions. The important case of scattering from self-affine fractal surfaces is also illustrated.
Sex hormone-induced nuclear DNA damage and lipid peroxidation in the dorsolaterel prostates of Noble rats

Abstract To date, few studies have been reported on any aspect of DNA damage in organs of intact animals. We and others demonstrated induction of high incidences of dysplasia, a precancerous proliferative lesion, and adenocarcinoma selectively in the dorsolateral prostates (DLPs) of Noble rats exposed to a long-term combined testosterone and estradiol-17β treatment (T + E 2 -treatment). We here report induction of a significant increase in DNA strand breakage and accumulation of lipid peroxidation fluorescent products in the DLPs, but not in the ventral prostates (VPs), of rats treated with T + E 2 for 16 weeks. These results indicate that this dual hormone treatment has free radical-based DNA damaging effect on rat DLP and therefore may have tumor-initiating action. Since a similar effect was not observed in regenerating DLPs of castrated rats following testosterone replacement, we conclude that the genotoxic effect of the dual hormone treatment is a direct result of hormone action and not secondarily due to enhancement of cell proliferation.
Distinguishing Nursing Art: Patient, Researcher, and Student Views: Frank's Story of Nursing Art Ask Me Who I Am

This patient's story was constructed from a study designed to describe how the art of nursing was perceived and understood by patients during a critical illness. Two in-depth interviews were conducted during the recovery phase of this person's illness to answer the question "When is nursing (considered) art?" The initial lead-in to the discussion was, "Tell me a story about a nursing situation that really stood out in your mind--one that was significant and meaningful." The interviews were tape recorded, transcribed, condensed into a short story, and shared with the participant. The researcher, also, composed a response to the person's story that personally expressed what the story triggered for her. Undergraduate nursing students were invited to reflect and respond to the "aesthetic face" of nursing from the perspective of a person who was nursed while critically ill. An example of a student response is included.
A Fluorescence-Based Method for Determining the Surface Coverage and Hybridization Efficiency of Thiol-Capped Oligonucleotides Bound to Gold Thin Films and Nanoparticles

Using a fluorescence-based method, we have determined the number of thiol-derivatized single-stranded oligonucleotides bound to gold nanoparticles and their extent of hybridization with complementary oligonucleotides in solution. Oligonucleotide surface coverages of hexanethiol 12-mer oligonucleotides on gold nanoparticles (34 ± 1 pmol/cm2) were significantly higher than on planar gold thin films (18 ± 3 pmol/cm2), while the percentage of hybridizable strands on the gold nanoparticles (1.3 ± 0.3 pmol/cm2, 4%) was lower than for gold thin films (6 ± 2 pmol/cm2, 33%). A gradual increase in electrolyte concentration over the course of oligonucleotide deposition significantly increases surface coverage and consequently particle stability. In addition, oligonucleotide spacer sequences improve the hybridization efficiency of oligonucleotide-modified nanoparticles from ∼4 to 44%. The surface coverage of recognition strands can be tailored using coadsorbed diluent oligonucleotides. This provides a means of indire...
Using a Discriminant Analysis to Classify Urban and Rural Climate Stations Based on Diurnal Range of Temperature and Dewpoint Depression

Abstract Most climatological datasets are beset with urban temperature influences that distort long-term trends. Using an hourly dataset of 41 urban and rural stations from the United States, discriminant functions were developed using diurnal temperature range indices based on temperature, dewpoint, and dewpoint depression that capture the differences between the two environments. Based on data for 1997–2006, diurnal temperature range and nighttime dewpoint depression range indices provide the best classification variables to statistically discriminate between urban and rural climates. Of the 41 stations, 93% were correctly classified by this technique in a cross-validation analysis. An additional discriminant analysis specific to coastal stations was needed because coastal climates were noted to be aberrant. Here, all stations tested were correctly classified by the procedure. Temporal trends in discriminant scores indicate periods of time during which urbanization was occurring or increasing. Instrumen...
Liver-lung scan in the diagnosis of right subphrenic abscess

To assess the value of liver-lung scanning in the diagnosis of right subphrenic abscess, 148 scans were reviewed against corresponding charts. Of 91 scans with adequate clinical data, overall scanning error was 19.3% with 14 false positive and 3 false negative scans. Among 49 scans (of the initial group of 91 studies) with presence or absence of actual pathology proved by surgery and/or autopsy, there were 3 true positive, 12 false positive, 29 true negative, and 3 false negative scans. Analysis of data indicated (1) lower accuracy of scan interpretation than generally reported, (2) low specificity for positive scans and high specificity for negative scans, (3) correlation of false interpretations with atypical degrees of liver-lung separation and with scanning defects in liver and lung, and (4) failure of rereading significantly to improve accuracy of interpretation.
Potentiation of cold-water swim analgesia and hypothermia by clonidine

The analgesia induced by acute exposure to cold-water swims (CWS) covaries with levels of brain norepinephrine and is reduced by lesions placed in the locus coeruleus. In assessing whether alpha-noradrenergic receptor mechanisms mediated CWS analgesia, the first experiment found that clonidine pretreatment (500, 1000 micrograms/kg) elevated jump thresholds 60 min following injection. While clonidine (1000 micrograms/kg) paired with a 2 degrees C CWS potentiated CWS analgesia in a synergistic manner, additivity of analgesic effects was observed following pairing of clonidine (500 micrograms/kg) with a 2 degrees C CWS and pairing of clonidine (500 and 1000 micrograms/kg) with a 15 degrees C CWS. The second experiment showed that clonidine (500 micrograms/kg) paired with a 2 degrees C CWS enhanced CWS enhanced CWS analgesia on the tail-flick test. The third experiment indicated that while clonidine (500 and 1000 micrograms/kg) or CWS (2 degrees C) each produced hypothermia, pairing of these clonidine doses with CWS enhanced CWS hypothermia. These data are discussed in terms of the possible modulatory role that norepinephrine, and particularly its alpha-noradrenergic receptor subclass, plays in the full expression of CWS analgesia and hypothermia.
Structure and function of the c-myc DNA-unwinding element-binding protein DUE-B

Abstract Local zones of easily unwound DNA are characteristic of prokaryotic and eukaryotic replication origins. The DNA-unwinding element of the human c-myc replication origin is essential for replicator activity and is a target of the DNA-unwinding element-binding protein DUE-B in vivo. We present here the 2.0A crystal structure of DUE-B and complementary biochemical characterization of its biological activity. The structure corresponds to a dimer of the N-terminal domain of the full-length protein and contains many of the structural elements of the nucleotide binding fold. A single magnesium ion resides in the putative active site cavity, which could serve to facilitate ATP hydrolytic activity of this protein. The structure also demonstrates a notable similarity to those of tRNA-editing enzymes. Consistent with this structural homology, the N-terminal core of DUE-B is shown to display both d-aminoacyl-tRNA deacylase activity and ATPase activity. We further demonstrate that the C-terminal portion of the enzyme is disordered and not essential for dimerization. However, this region is essential for DNA binding in vitro and becomes ordered in the presence of DNA.
Dissolved Oxygen Determination by Electrocatalysed Chemiluminescence with In-line Solid Phase Media

Dissolved elemental oxygen is determined in a flowing aqueous stream using glucose oxidase to catalyse the reaction between D-glucose and O2 to produce hydrogen peroxide. The levels of the resulting H2O2 are detected and quantified by luminol chemiluminescence using in-line solid phase media for pH adjustment of the reagent stream and for controlled release of the luminophore. The reaction is initiated by electrochemical catalysis. By the use of excess Dglucose in the reagent flow stream, the intensity of chemiluminescence is rendered proportional only to fluctuations in the dissolved O2 concentration. The methodology provides a means for the detection of aqueous O2 in the range 0‐10 mg/L. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.