cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
What is the Quality of Online Resources About Pain Control After Total Knee Arthroplasty

Abstract Background With the growing opioid crisis in the United States, there has been a push to reduce the utilization of opioids in favor of multimodal analgesia options. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the quality of online resources that patients may use to learn about pain control after total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Methods We identified websites using a combination of search terms about TKA and pain control. A novel grading rubric was created with 25 maximum points, consisting of items that were deemed important for patients to know about the subject. Three authors then independently graded websites and the results averaged. Flesch-Kinkaid reading level was also evaluated. Results After identifying 166 unique websites, 32 met final inclusion criteria. The overall scores were low–4.7 of 25 total points (18.8%), written at an average 10th grade level. Subgroup scores were 50% for route of administration, 40% for types of analgesia, 23% for opioid-specific items, and 30% for general guidance. Only about half discussed the risks of opioid dependency. The top 3 website total scores ranged from 10.7-12.5 of 25 points. Conclusion There is a paucity of online information for TKA patients to read about pain control. Most websites provide limited educational content, particularly about opioids. Higher quality information is needed to help patients make decisions with their physicians and to help combat the opioid epidemic. Given the lack of quality information available, there is an opportunity for subspecialty organizations to take a leadership role in such efforts.
Patient identity verification based on physiological signal fusion

Patient identification is crucial in providing proper care in hospitals or other care-facilities. Failure to correctly identify patients can result in a variety of problems such as medication errors, transfusion errors, testing errors, and duplication of EHR records. The current solutions for identifying patients in a hospital setting rely on confirming the patient's identity several times, the use of labels, bar-codes, and RFID tags. However, these solutions are not always sufficient and patient identification errors are common. In this paper we present a patient identity verification approach that can complement existing patient identification solutions in the event that they cannot be relied upon. Our approach works by fusing common physiological signals (vital signs) already collected from the patients. The idea is to fuse two physiological signals electrocardiogram (ECG) with arterial blood pressure (ABP) to identify an individual patient. Existing identification/authentication solutions based on cardiac signals have been primarily tested on healthy patients whose signals exhibit normative rhythm and morphology. However, in our context not all patients can be expected to have normative cardiac signals as many of them may be suffering from ailments that affect the cardiac process. The fusion of multiple ECG and ABP allows us to ensure patient identification even when the patients have ailments that affect their cardiac rhythms. An evaluation of our approach showed that it is over 97% accurate in identifying patients with non-normative cardiac rhythms and morphology with over 99% accuracy for patients whose cardiac rhythms are normative. Further, our approach can identify a patient in as little as 3 seconds, which makes it practical in real-world scenarios.
Genetic health and population monitoring of two small black bear (Ursus americanus) populations in Alabama, with a regional perspective of genetic diversity and exchange

One of the major concerns in conservation today is the loss of genetic diversity which is a frequent consequence of population isolation and small population sizes. Fragmentation of populations and persecution of carnivores has posed a substantial threat to the persistence of free ranging carnivores in North America since the arrival of European settlers. Black bears have seen significant reductions in range size from their historic extent, which is most pronounced in the southeastern United States and even more starkly in Alabama where until recently bears were reduced to a single geographically isolated population in the Mobile River Basin. Recently a second population has naturally re-established itself in northeastern Alabama. We sought to determine size, genetic diversity and genetic connectivity for these two populations in relation to other regional populations. Both populations of black bears in Alabama had small population sizes and had moderate to low genetic diversity, but showed different levels of connectivity to surrounding populations of bears. The Mobile River Basin population had a small population size at only 86 individuals (76-124, 95% C.I.), the lowest genetic diversity of compared populations (richness = 2.33, Ho and He = 0.33), and showed near complete genetic isolation from surrounding populations across multiple tests. The newly recolonizing population in northeastern Alabama had a small but growing population doubling in 3 years (34 individuals 26-43, 95% C.I.), relatively moderate genetic diversity compared to surrounding populations (richness = 3.32, Ho = 0.53, He = 0.65), and showed a high level of genetic connectivity with surrounding populations.
Stimulation for Return of Upper-Extremity Function

Abstract Neuroprostheses can be used to move paralyzed limbs through the coordinated electrical activation of multiple muscles. Specifically, implantable motor neuroprostheses are used to provide hand grasping and reach for tetraplegic spinal cord injured individuals. Typical motor neuroprosthetic systems consist of stimulating electrodes, a stimulator, an external controller, and an input sensor. Grasp function is provided through patterned electrical stimulation of the paralyzed forearm and hand muscles. Control of grasp opening and closing is provided proportionally by utilizing residual joint movement, such as shoulder or wrist movement, or by recording the myoelectric signal from muscles under voluntary control. Over 250 individuals have received implanted systems for hand control. The outcomes have been consistently positive in every subject tested to date. Paralyzed individuals can regain the ability to perform daily activities such as eating, writing, brushing teeth, and reaching overhead. Future neuroprosthetic systems are expected to be modular and provide multiple functions to each individual.
Freight Mode Choice: A Regret Minimization and Utility Maximization Based Hybrid Model:

With the introduction of automated vehicles, the performance of the trucking industry is expected to be improved. In fact, this may impact the entire freight transportation system as trucks possess...
Chapter VII: Section c: Polyuronides

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses polyuronides. The uronic acids are aldehyde carbonic acid derivatives of the hexose sugars. The polyuronides are the corresponding polysaccharides in which n hexuronic acids are combined according to the principles of glycoside formation with the exclusion of ( n − 1) molecules of water to form macromolecules containing many hexuronic acid residues. The proportion of these units in the polysaccharide may be small as in the case of some gums and exudates of plants and in various polysaccharides produced by microorganisms. Uronic acid units may account for about one-half of the building units of the polymer as in hyaluronic acid, which is composed of equal parts of D-glucuronic acid and N -acetyl-n-glucosamine. In addition to D-glucuronic acid, D-galacturonic acid, and D-mannuronic acid, some other uronic acids have been found to occur in polysaccharides: the L-iduronic acid in chondroitin sulfate B may be noted as such an example. The chapter describes hyaluronic acid and some other polysaccharides containing lower proportions of uronic acid units.
Auralization of Amplitude Modulated Helicopter Flyover Noise

Rotorcraft noise is an active field of study as the sound produced by these vehicles is often found to be annoying. A means to auralize rotorcraft flyover noise is sought to help understand the factors leading to annoyance. Previous work by the authors auralized a complete flyover event in which the source noise synthesis traversed a range of emission angles. The source noise definition process for the synthesis used helicopter flyover recordings. Although this process yielded both periodic and aperiodic (modulation) components at a set of discrete emission angles, only the periodic components were used in the previous work to synthesize the sound of the flyover event. In the current work, aperiodic amplitude modulation is incorporated into the source noise synthesis to improve its fidelity toward assessing rotorcraft noise annoyance. The method is demonstrated using ground recordings from a flight test of the AS350 helicopter for the source noise definition.
Hypoglycemia in primary carcinoma of the liver. Report of a case.

A 50-year-old Negro male with hepatoma and severe hypoglycemia is reported. In addition to a low blood-sugar level, there were changing neurologic signs. Insulin-like activity was assayed and found to be nonspecific.
Povidone-Iodine Wound Lavage to Prevent Infection After Revision Total Hip and Knee Arthroplasty: An Analysis of 2,884 Cases.

Background Postoperative infection remains a major challenge in revision total hip arthroplasty (THA) and revision total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Wound irrigation with dilute povidone-iodine (PI) solution has emerged as a simple, inexpensive, and potentially successful means of reducing postoperative infections. The aim of this study was to assess its effectiveness in reducing infection following revision THA and TKA in, to our knowledge, the largest revision cohort to date. Methods Using our institution's total joint registry, we identified 1,402 revision THAs and 1,482 revision TKAs performed during the study period (2013, when the PI irrigation protocol was first implemented, to 2017). The PI lavage protocol was employed in 27% of the revision THA cases and 34% of the revision TKA cases; in the remaining cases, the protocol was not used. Demographics, comorbid conditions, underlying surgical diagnoses, and whether the revision was for a septic or an aseptic etiology were compared between the groups (use or no use of PI irrigation). Any reoperation due to infection, as assessed at 3 and 12 months following revision arthroplasty, was compared between the groups and propensity scores were calculated to account for differences in baseline characteristics between the groups. Results After adjusting for baseline differences between the groups using the propensity-score weighted models, we found no significant difference in the rate of reoperation for infection at 3 months (p = 0.58 for revision THA, and p = 0.06 for revision TKA) and at 12 months (p = 0.78 for revision THA, and p = 0.06 for revision TKA). Nonetheless, the hazard ratios from the propensity-score model trended higher for patients who received PI lavage: 1.6 and 1.3 for revision THA at 3 and 12 months, respectively, and 2.9 at both 3 and 12 months for revision TKA. Conclusions PI wound lavage demonstrated no benefit in reducing any reoperation for infection following revision THA and TKA. Moreover, the trend toward higher rates for reoperation for infection among patients who received PI irrigation merit further consideration. Level of evidence Therapeutic Level III. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
Resilient Sensor Architecture Design and Tradespace Analysis for Autonomous Vehicle Localization and Mapping

As autonomous cars are rolled out into new environments, their ability to solve the simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) problem becomes critical. In order to tackle this problem, autonomous vehicles rely on sensor suites that provide them with information about their operating environment. When large scale production is taken into consideration, a trade-off between an acceptable sensor suite cost and its resulting performance characteristics arises. Furthermore, guaranteeing the system's performance requires a resilient sensor network design. This work seeks to address such trade-offs by introducing a method that takes into account the performance, cost, and resiliency of distinct sensor selections. As a result, this method is able to offer sensor combination recommendations based on the vehicle's operating environment. It is found that the structure of the environment influences sensor placement, and that the design of a resilient sensor network involves careful consideration of both environmental attributes such as landmark density and location, as well as the available types of complimentary sensors. Demonstration of the proposed approach is shown by evaluating it using sequences from the KITTI Benchmark Suite.
Los secretarios del Despacho Universal de la monarquía hispánica durante el reinado de Felipe IV (1621-1665)

espanolResumen En este trabajo se presenta una aproximacion a la secretaria del Despacho Universal a traves de los secretarios que ocuparon este empleo durante el reinado de Felipe IV. Nos proponemos saber quienes fueron y comprobar si existieron patrones comunes. Nacida en el siglo XVII, esta secretaria tuvo una enorme importancia para reforzar el poder de los validos en la monarquia hispanica y, una vez desaparecidos estos, para agilizar las tareas de gobierno. Conocer quienes fueron estos secretarios nos permitira, por tanto, profundizar en las estructuras de poder de la alta administracion espanola. EnglishAbstract This paper presents an approach to the secretariat of the Universal Office through the secretaries who occupied this job during the reign of Felipe IV. We propose to know who they were and to check if there were patterns shared. Born in the seventeenth century, this secretariat had an enormous importance to strengthen the power of the favorite in the Hispanic Monarchy and, once these disappeared, to streamline the tasks of government. Knowing who these secretaries were will allow us, therefore, to deepen the power structures of the Spanish top management.
Question Asking and the Common Good: A Hermeneutic Investigation of Student Questioning in Moral Configurations of Classroom Practice

This qualitative study (based on a hermeneutic moral-realist interpretive frame (Yanchar & Slife, 2017)) explored question asking as it unfolded in the everyday practice of being a student in a graduate course on design thinking (with an emphasis on design in education). Findings are presented as four key tensions that occurred within the complex classroom setting under investigation: “theory and overlapping practices,” “convergence and divergence,” “participation and reticence,” and “give and take.” Overall, these thematized tensions point to a dynamic interplay between student agency and the common good of the class. These findings have significant implications for understanding student questioning experiences and the study of classroom interactions.
Prenatal Ethanol Exposure Leads to Attention Deficits in Both Male and Female Rats.

Background. Prenatal ethanol exposure (PE) causes multiple behavioral and cognitive deficits, collectively referred to as fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD). Studies show that 49 – 94% of FASD children exhibit attention deficits, even when they have normal IQs or lack severe facial deformities, suggesting that attention deficits could be caused by even moderate prenatal exposure to alcohol, of which the underlying neural mechanisms are still unclear. A valid rodent model could help elucidate this phenomenon. Material and Methods. A second-trimester equivalent binge drinking PE model was utilized. Pregnant Sprague Dawley rats were administered with 15% (w/v) ethanol (6 g/kg/day, via gastric gavage) during gestational days 8 – 20, and their offspring were the subjects in the present study. A modified 2-choice reaction time (2-CRT) task was used to illustrate possible attention deficits, including increased action impulsivity and lapses of attention. Enhanced impulsivity was reflected by more premature responses while increased lapses of attention were manifested as more incorrect responses and/or greater variability of reaction time, demonstrated by more skewed distributions of reaction time. Ten-week-old male and female rats were tested for 3 sessions following 16 – 19 days’ training. Results. Our PE paradigm caused no major teratogenic effects. Prenatal ethanol exposure led to increased impulsivity exhibited as greater premature responses and augmented lapses of attention shown by greater skewnesses of reaction time distributions, relative to controls. The deficits were observed in both PE male and female rats. Interestingly, in males, the attention deficits were detected only when the 2-CRT task was relatively difficult whereas in females they were detected even when the task was at a less demanding level. Conclusion. We show that the binge drinking pattern of PE led to attention deficits in both sexes of rats even though no major teratogenic effects were observed. Therefore, this rodent model can be used to study neural mechanisms underlying attention deficits caused by PE and to explore effective intervention approaches for FASD.
Detecting earlier stages of amyloid deposition using PET in cognitively normal elderly adults

Objective To examine the feasibility of using cross-sectional PET to identify cognitive decliners among β-amyloid (Aβ)-negative cognitively normal (CN) elderly adults. Methods We determined the highest Aβ-affected region by ranking baseline and accumulation rates of florbetapir-PET regions in 355 CN elderly adults using 18F-florbetapir-PET from the Alzheimer9s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI). The banks of the superior temporal sulcus (BANKSSTS) were found as the highest Aβ-affected region, and Aβ positivity in this region was defined as above the lowest boundary of BANKSSTS standardized uptake value ratio of Aβ+ (ADNI-defined COMPOSITE region) CN individuals. The entire CN cohort was divided as follows: stage 0, BANKSSTS−COMPOSITE−; stage 1, BANKSSTS+COMPOSITE−; and stage 2, BANKSSTS+COMPOSITE+. Linear mixed-effect (LME) models investigated subsequent longitudinal cognitive change, and 18F-flortaucipir (FTP)-PET was measured 4.8 ± 1.6 years later to track tau deposition. Results LME analysis revealed that individuals in stage 1 (n = 64) and stage 2 (n = 99) showed 2.5 (p 4 years of mean follow-up. Compared to stage 0, both stage 1 (p Conclusions Nominally Aβ− CN individuals with high Aβ in BANKSSTS are at increased risk of cognitive decline, probably showing an earlier stage of Aβ deposition. Our findings may help elucidate the association between brain Aβ accumulation and cognition in Aβ− CN cohorts. Classification of evidence This study provides Class II evidence that in elderly CN individuals those with high PET-identified superior temporal sulcus Aβ burden have an increased risk of cognitive decline.
Preparing student clinicians to reveal communication competence in people with aphasia: Are there more effective and efficient modalities for training clinical skills?1

Q What are the effects of a 20-minute lecture targeting communication partner training on the communication behaviors of speech-language pathology students during conversations with individuals liv...
Border Babies - Medical Ethics and Human Rights in Immigrant Detention Centers.

Border Babies More needs to be done to promote transparency and accountability in detention and medical care for asylum seekers and immigrants at the U.S.–Mexican border, and medical professional o...
Prevalence of total hip and knee arthroplasty in former National Football League players: comparison with the general US population and other populations of professional athletes

Objectives: To evaluate the prevalence of total hip arthroplasty (THA) and total knee arthroplasty (TKA) in a population of former National Football League (NFL) players. Methods: Participants were 3913 former NFL players (participation in years 1960–2019) who completed either an online or mailed survey that included self-reported TKA and THA, year(s) of surgery and date of birth. The prevalence of TKA and THA was reported by age category and compared to published cohorts of athlete populations and general population of non-athletes in the USA. Results: 12.3% and 8.1% of sample reported TKA and THA, respectively. The prevalence of both TKA and THA was higher in former NFL players compared to US non-athletes across all ages. Prevalence of TKA was not statistically higher than in other former athlete cohorts but performed at younger ages. The prevalence of TKA and THA was higher than in other cohorts of former NFL players. Conclusion: Former NFL players had higher prevalence of arthroplasty than the general population, suggesting prior participation in American-style football may contribute to elevated risk for arthroplasty at younger ages. Understanding risk factors in style of play, lifestyle and other contributors is important to improve joint health of this population.
Light-coupled cryo-plunger for time-resolved cryo-EM.

Abstract Proteins are dynamic molecules that can undergo rapid conformational rearrangements in response to stimuli. These structural changes are often critical to protein function, and thus elucidating time-dependent conformational landscapes has been a long-standing goal of structural biology. To harness the power of single particle cryo-EM methods to enable ‘time-resolved’ structure determination, we have developed a light-coupled cryo-plunger that pairs flash-photolysis of caged ligands with rapid sample vitrification. The ‘flash-plunger’ consists of a high-power ultraviolet LED coupled with focusing optics and a motorized linear actuator, enabling the user to immobilize protein targets in vitreous ice within a programmable time window – as short as tens of milliseconds – after stimulus delivery. The flash-plunger is a simple, inexpensive and flexible tool to explore short-lived conformational states previously unobtainable by conventional sample preparation methods.
Zinc-Induced Copper Deficiency

Copper deficiency is a rare cause of sideroblastic anemia and neutropenia that often is not suspected clinically. The morphologic findings in bone marrow, while not pathognomonic, are sufficiently characteristic to suggest the diagnosis, leading to further testing to establish the correct diagnosis. Excess zinc ingestion is among the causes of copper deficiency. We present 3 cases of zinc-induced copper deficiency in which the diagnosis first was suggested on the basis of bone marrow examination. The first patient was a 47-year-old man with a debilitating peripheral neuropathy that had progressed during the previous 18 months, mild anemia, and severe neutropenia. The second was a 21-year-old man receiving zinc supplementation for acrodermatitis enteropathica in whom moderate normocytic anemia and neutropenia developed. The third patient was a 42-year-old man with anemia, severe neutropenia, and a peripheral neuropathy that had progressed during 8 months. The bone marrow findings in all cases suggested copper deficiency, which was confirmed by further laboratory testing and determined to be due to zinc excess. The morphologic features, clinical manifestations, differential diagnosis, and pathogenetic mechanisms are discussed.
Coloring Outside the Lines: Making Black and Brown Lives Matter in the Prevention of Youth Suicide.

Black children are killing themselves in increasing numbers and have been for the past 20 years.1 Importantly, these increasing rates of suicidality in young Black children, 5-11 years of age, was first identified in 2015.2 This finding was striking, as African American children had been historically noted to have lower suicidality rates than their non-Latinx White (NLW) peers.2 Of further concern is the fact that while suicidality rates had been steadily increasing in African American children for more than 2 decades, NLW same-aged peers had seen a decrease in suicidality during this same period (Table 1). While our field has made great strides in suicide prevention, there have been glaring omissions with respect to exploration of racial/ethnic differences and how experiences of racism may amplify risk. We have not mobilized to address these disparities in care and still lack clear understanding of the reasons behind this disturbing trend, particularly given the diminution in NLW suicide rates during the same time period. What has become increasingly clear though is that the experiences of Black children have been left out of our collective response to youth suicide.
Optimized aperiodic broadband visible absorbers

We design a visible wavelength range broadband absorber based on an optimized aperiodic structure, which is capable of almost doubling the absorptance in the visible range, in comparison to tungsten. Our optimized structure is either a tungsten-air or a tungsten-silicon carbide multilayer stack on top of a tungsten substrate. We achieve almost perfect impedance matching between this structure and air. We find that the high absorptance is not related to resonances with high quality factors and no field enhancement is observed, which is in agreement with the broadband and broad-angle absorptance of our structure.
Surgical Outcomes Following Gender Affirming Penile Reconstruction: Patient-Reported Outcomes From a Multi-Center, International Survey of 129 Transmasculine Patients.

ABSTRACT Background Current literature on surgical outcomes after gender affirming genital surgery is limited by small sample sizes from single-center studies. Aim To use a community-based participatory research model to survey a large, heterogeneous cohort of transmasculine patients on phalloplasty and metoidioplasty outcomes. Methods A peer-informed survey of transmasculine peoples’ experience was constructed and administered between January and April 2020. Data collected included demographics, genital surgery history, pre- and postoperative genital sensation and function, and genital self-image. Outcomes Of the 1,212 patients completing the survey, 129 patients underwent genital reconstruction surgery. Seventy-nine patients (61 percent) underwent phalloplasty only, 32 patients (25 percent) underwent metoidioplasty only, and 18 patients (14 percent) underwent metoidioplasty followed by phalloplasty. Results Patients reported 281 complications requiring 142 revisions. The most common complications were urethrocutaneous fistula (n = 51, 40 percent), urethral stricture (n = 41, 32 percent), and worsened mental health (n = 25, 19 percent). The average erect neophallus after phalloplasty was 14.1 cm long vs 5.5 cm after metoidioplasty (P Clinical Implications These results support anecdotal reports that complication rates following gender affirming genital reconstruction are higher than are commonly reported in the surgical literature. Patients undergoing clitoris burial in addition to primary phalloplasty did not report a change in erogenous sensation relative to those patients not undergoing clitoris burial. Postoperative patients report improved genital self-image relative to their preoperative counterparts, although self-image scores remain lower than cisgender males. Strengths & Limitations These results are unique in that they are sourced from a large, heterogeneous group of transgender patients spanning 3 continents and dozens of surgical centers. The design of this study, following a community-based participatory research model, emphasizes patient-reported outcomes with focus on results most important to patients. Limitations include the recall and selection bias inherent to online surveys, and the inability to verify clinical data reported through the web-based questionnaire. Conclusion Complication rates, including urethral compromise and worsened mental health, remain high for gender affirming penile reconstruction. Robinson IS, Blasdel G, Cohen O, et al. Surgical Outcomes Following Gender Affirming Penile Reconstruction: Patient-Reported Outcomes From a Multi-Center, International Survey of 129 Transmasculine Patients. J Sex Med 2021;18:800–811.
Nonlinear Free Surface Condition Due to Wave Diffraction for a Pair of Cylinders

Computation of the non-homogeneous term arising in the nonlinear free surface condition due to the second-order wave diffraction for a pair of cylinders under the assumption of an incompressible, inviscid and irrotational fluid is presented. In the computations of the nonlinear loads on offshore structures, the most challenging task is the computation of the free surface integral. The main contribution to this integrand is due to the non-homogeneous term present in the free surface condition for the second-order diffracted potential. The combined first-order diffracted potential is obtained using Graf’s addition theorem for the Bessel functions. Since the free surface term for the second-order diffracted potential can be expressed in terms of the first-order potentials, the free surface term can be computed using the knowledge of only the first order potentials. Numerical results are presented for different parameters. It is found that the main contribution to the nonlinear free surface term comes from the first few individual terms, the contribution from all other individual terms is insignificant. The results obtained in this analysis indicate that the contribution to the individual free surface term $$f_{l}\left( r/a\right) $$ is negligible for higher values of M. It is observed that the succesive difference decreases rapidly as M increases. The zeroth-order term mainly contributes to the total free surface term. Except the first few individual terms, the contribution from all other individual terms to the free surface term is negligible.
Mid-aged Latin@s in the U.S. Midwest narrating sustained bilingualism through figured worlds of bilingualism research, professionalization, and advocacy

Drawing on research interviews conducted as part of a larger study of bilingualism, we investigated how mid-aged Latin@ migrants—a group that has received little empirical attention in applied ling...
LIQUEFACTION POTENTIAL: SCIENCE VERSUS PRACTICE

Laboratory research and methods of analysis have been developed in the last decade for evaluation of liquefaction potential of saturated sands. The procedures have been widely adopted and sometimes required by regulatory agencies. No direct field evidence supports the validity of the procedures. Recent tests have suggested that factors not included in the test procedures may appreciably increase resistance to liquefaction. On the other hand, field data on liquefaction have been correlated with the standard penetration resistance. Use of these empirical correlations, although crude, would have led to better practice in the last decade than reliance only on the results of the scientific studies. Scientific results may be misleading unless adequately supported by field data.
Isolation of dolastatins 10–15 from the marine mollusc dolabella auricularia☆☆☆

Abstract A twenty year pursuit of the cell growth inhibitory and antineoplastic constituents of the Western Indian Ocean (Mauritius) sea hare Dolabella auricularia has resulted in the discovery of fifteen structurally unique peptide, cyclopeptide, depsipeptide, and cyclodepsipeptide type-substances designated dolastatins 1–15. Solution of the difficult isolation problems leading to discovery of dolastatins 10–15 in 10−6 to 10−7% yields required 1,600 kg of Dolabella aurlcularia. To date, this represents the largest scale separation of sea hare components. Of these dolastatin 10 (4) has displayed unprecedented potency in experimental antineoplastic and tubulin assembly systems. Dolastatin 15 (9), and to a lesser extent dolastatin 14 (8) were also found to exhibit unusually strong antineoplastic activity. Both dolastatina 10 and 15 are in advanced preclinical development. Details of the isolation strategies and structural summaries for dolastatins 10–15 have been recorded. Intensive Study of the cell growth inhibition and antineoplastic constituents of the sea hare Dolabella auricularia provided the structurally unique peptides designated dolastatins 1-15.
Identifying Potential Type Confusion in Authenticated Messages

Abstract : A type confusion attack is one in which a principal accepts data of one type as data of another. Although it has been shown by Heather et al. that there are simple formatting conventions that will guarantee that protocols are free from simple type confusions in which fields of one type are substituted for fields of another, it is not clear how well they defend against more complex attacks, or against attacks arising from interaction with protocols that are formatted according to different conventions. In this paper we show how type confusion attacks can arise in realistic situations even when the types are explicitly defined in at least some of the messages, using examples from our recent analysis of the Group Domain of Interpretation Protocol. We then develop a formal model of types that can capture potential ambiguity of type notation, and outline a procedure for determining whether or not the types of two messages can be confused. We also discuss some open issues.
Modulation of the DNA scanning activity of the Micrococcus luteus UV endonuclease.

Abstract Micrococcus luteus UV endonuclease incises DNA at the sites of ultraviolet (UV) light-induced pyrimidine dimers. The mechanism of incision has been previously shown to be a glycosylic bond cleavage at the 5'-pyrimidine of the dimer followed by an apyrimidine endonuclease activity which cleaves the phosphodiester backbone between the pyrimidines. The process by which M. luteus UV endonuclease locates pyrimidine dimers within a population of UV-irradiated plasmids was shown to occur, in vitro, by a processive or "sliding" mechanism on non-target DNA as opposed to a distributive or "random hit" mechanism. Form I plasmid DNA containing 25 dimers per molecule was incubated with M. luteus UV endonuclease in time course reactions. The three topological forms of plasmid DNA generated were analyzed by agarose gel electrophoresis. When the enzyme encounters a pyrimidine dimer, it is significantly more likely to make only the glycosylase cleavage as opposed to making both the glycosylic and phosphodiester bond cleavages. Thus, plasmids are accumulated with many alkaline-labile sites relative to single-stranded breaks. In addition, reactions were performed at both pH 8.0 and pH 6.0, in the absence of NaCl, as well as 25,100, and 250 mM NaCl. The efficiency of the DNA scanning reaction was shown to be dependent on both the ionic strength and pH of the reaction. At low ionic strengths, the reaction was shown to proceed by a processive mechanism and shifted to a distributive mechanism as the ionic strength of the reaction increased. Processivity at pH 8.0 is shown to be more sensitive to increases in ionic strength than reactions performed at pH 6.0.
Sports Are Not Immune to Goofy Suits

A number of lawsuits recently filed by fans has caused the public to grow increasingly apprehensive toward the legal community due to the perception that these frivolous lawsuits plague the court system. Attorneys must decide whether it would be proper for a disappointed fan to seek retribution in court before choosing to represent a prospective litigant.
A neural-fuzzy system for the protein folding problem

While artificial neural networks and fuzzy systems have both been used as universal approximators, the two approaches have different advantages. For example, neural networks are good at classification and learning, while fuzzy systems can perform inference. To take advantage of such complementary strengths, various hybrid neural-fuzzy systems have been devised. The research reported here involves a new combination of neural and fuzzy systems developed for the protein folding problem, that is, how to estimate the number of topological hydrophobic contacts in the (unknown) most stable conformation of a given sequence of monomer residues. Fuzzy meta-rules are used to generate a series of neural networks for longer and longer input monomer sequences. >
Practical Reason: On the Theory of Action

Practical Reason: On the Theory of Action. Pierre Bourdieu. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 1998. 153 pp.
Formation of Single-Stranded DNA during DNA Transformation of Neisseria gonorrhoeae

Neisseria gonorrhoeae is naturally competent for DNA transformation. In contrast to other natural prokaryotic DNA transformation systems, single-stranded donor DNA (ssDNA) has not previously been detected during transformation of N. gonorrhoeae. We have reassessed the physical nature of gonococcal transforming DNA by using a sensitive nondenaturing native blotting technique that detects ssDNA. Consistent with previous analyses, we found that the majority of donor DNA remained in the double-stranded form, and only plasmid DNAs that carried the genus-specific DNA uptake sequence were sequestered in a DNase I-resistant state. However, when the DNA was examined under native conditions, S1 nuclease-sensitive ssDNA was identified in all strains tested except for those bacteria that carried the dud-1 mutation. Surprisingly, ssDNA was also found during transformation of N. gonorrhoeae comA mutants, which suggested that ssDNA was initially formed within the periplasm.
Electro-photographic-model-based halftoning

Most halftoning algorithms assume there is no interaction between neighboring dots or if there is, it is additive. Without accounting for dot-gain effect, the printed image will not have the appearance predicted by the halftoning algorithm. Thus, there is need to embed a printer model in the halftoning algorithm which can predict such deviations and develop a halftone accordingly. The direct binary search (DBS) algorithm employs a search heuristic to minimize the mean squared perceptually filtered error between the halftone and continuous-tone original images. We incorporate a measurementbased stochastic model for dot interactions of an electro-photographic printer within the iterative DBS binary halftoning algorithm. The stochastic model developed is based on microscopic absorptance and variance measurements. We present an efficient strategy to estimate the impact of 5×5 neighborhood pixels on the central pixel absorptance. By including the impact of 5×5 neighborhood pixels, the average relative error between the predicted tone and tone observed is reduced from around 21% to 4%. Also, the experimental results show that electrophotography-model based halftoning reduces the mottle and banding artifacts.
Reconnection theory in three dimensions

Abstract One of the most interesting aspects of magnetic reconnection theory in three-dimensions, as opposed to two, is that electric fields are generated with a component parallel to the magnetic field. When the magnetic field has null points, the parallel electric field occurs on the separator field line joining the null points, but if null points are absent, then the region of parallel electric field typically extends over a much broader region. The exact distribution of the parallel electric field is determined by the way the plasma flow drives the reconnection. Topologically, there are two basic types of reconnection, known as spine reconnection and fan reconnection, but it is not yet clear how these two types are related to actual reconnection processes occurring in the Sun. Several important advances have been made recently in applying reconnection theory to three-dimensional configurations such as flares and X-ray bright points where magnetic reconnection is thought to be important. However, our knowledge of the generation of electric fields in these configurations still remains incomplete, and this makes it difficult to understand the relationship between magnetic reconnection and the acceleration of energetic particles.
Apparatus for the rapid scanning of the Seebeck coefficient of semiconductors

An apparatus for the determination, near room temperature, of the Seebeck coefficient at a point on the surface of a semiconductor is described. Measurements are simplified by the use of a direct reading potentiometer circuit, and the design of the sample mounting permits rapid measurement at a large number of points.
Which information technology major is right for me?: a preliminary finding

Students interested in an IT career understand little about the actual knowledge and critical skills required by each of the information technology majors (i.e., computer science, information systems, and telecommunications management). Existing psychometric career orientation measurements can be used to assist students in their selections of different IT majors. The preliminary analysis suggests that a discriminant function can be used to classify student groups and assist them in making wiser career decisions. By understanding the students' career orientations and assisting them with the selection of a major, we can ultimately increase their motivation to pursue IT careers.
Synthesis of an intrinsically radiolabeled enkephalin analog: [p‐tritio‐phenylalanyl]4‐norleucyl5‐enkephalin

In a previous study methionine-enkephalin (H-Tyr-Gly-Gly-Phe-Met-OH) and four analogs and homologs were synthesized and compared to morphine with respect to their ability to inhibit electrically evoked contractions of the isolated guinea pig ileum. The compounds were: Tyr-Gly-Gly-Phe-Leu (Leu5-enkephalin), Tyr-Gly-Gly-Phe (des-Met5-enkephalin), Tyr-Gly-Gly-Phe-Nle (Nle5-enkephalin) and Tyr-Gly-Gly-[p-chloro-Phe]-Nle ([p-chloro-Phe]4-Nle5-enkephalin). The IC50 concentrations on the guinea pig ileum assay were 3.0 × 10−7 M, 4.0 × 10−5 M, 1.1 × 10−7 M and 1.6 × 10−7 M respectively. The IC50 for Met5-enkephalin was 5.0 × 10−8 M and for morphine 2.0 × 10−7 M. These data indicate that the methionine residue is important for biological activity and that norleucine is a more acceptable substitution at this position than is leucine. Therefore, the [p-chloro-Phe]4-[Nle]5-enkephalin was synthesized, dehalogenated by catalytic hydrogenation in the presence of 3H2 to yield the intrinsically labeled [p-tritio-Phe]4-Nle5-enkephalin. The labeled peptide (9 Ci/mmole) was completely stable for at least 9 months at −20°C in 50% aqueous acetic acid.
Focus on Health Literacy: Recommendations to Improve European Union Risk Management Plan Public Summaries.

Background: The complexity of drug risk information often exceeds patients’ abilities to understand and effectively act on it. Methods: The authors evaluated a layperson-focused European Union Risk Management Plan Public Summary and revised it to improve its understandability and usability by applying health literacy principles. The Suitability Assessment of Materials was used to test the appropriateness of the document for readers with low-to-average literacy levels. Two rounds of usability tests were conducted with American adults who had low to average education levels to identify areas of confusion. Revisions were made within perceived regulatory constraints. Results: A number of health literacy principles can be applied to improve the understandability and usability of the document; however, the document contains many inherently complex concepts. Conclusions: The authors recommend that stakeholders reassess the intended use of the document by members of the public and rethink its scope and structure, with close involvement of patients and caregivers.
Families of smooth confidence bands for the survival function under the general random censorship model

Randomly right censored data often arise in industrial life testing and clinical trials. Several authors have proposed asymptotic confidence bands for the survival function when data are randomly censored on the right. All of these bands are based on the empirical estimator of the survival function. In this paper, families of asymptotic (1-α)100% level confidence bands are developed from the smoothed estimate of the survival function under the general random censorship model. The new bands are compared to empirical bands, and it is shown that for small sample sizes, the smooth bands have a higher coverage probability than the empirical counterparts.
A kinesin-related protein, KRP(180), positions prometaphase spindle poles during early sea urchin embryonic cell division

We have investigated the intracellular roles of an Xklp2-related kinesin motor, KRP180, in positioning spindle poles during early sea urchin embryonic cell division using quantitative, real-time analysis. Immunolocalization reveals that KRP180 concentrates on microtubules in the central spindle, but is absent from centrosomes. Microinjection of inhibitory antibodies and dominant negative constructs suggest that KRP180 is not required for the initial separation of spindle poles, but instead functions to transiently position spindle poles specifically during prometaphase.
The influence of preferred coping style and cognitive strategy on laboratory-induced pain.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effects of matching an individual's coping style (low, mixed, or high monitoring) to an appropriate cognitive strategy (distraction or sensation monitoring) to improve pain management. DESIGN This study used a split-plot factorial design in a laboratory setting. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Main outcomes were pain threshold, pain tolerance, pain intensity, pain affect, and anxiety. RESULTS The results of the 2 x 3 x 3 (Experimental Condition x Coping Style x Trial) analysis of variance (ANOVA) interaction were significant for pain threshold scores, F(4, 178) = 2.95, p < .01. Low monitors in the matched distraction trial had higher pain threshold scores than during baseline, t(15) = -2.68, p = .017, and the mismatched sensation monitoring trial, t(15) = 2.80, p = .014. High monitors' pain threshold scores were higher than baseline only during the matched sensation monitoring trial, t(27) = -2.75, p = .010. The results of the 2 x 3 x 3 ANOVA interaction were not significant for pain tolerance scores; however, when the mixed monitors were excluded, the 3-way interaction was significant, F(2, 124) = 3.48, p < .05. The results were nonsignificant for pain intensity, pain affect, and anxiety. CONCLUSION Results demonstrate that matching coping style to the appropriate cognitive strategy is important for improving pain threshold and pain tolerance; however, matching did not reduce pain intensity, pain affect, or anxiety. Future studies should explore the explanation for differential responses of high and low monitors and should test these hypotheses in a clinical setting.
Climate and Bordeaux wine quality: identifying the key factors that differentiate vintages based on consensus rankings

The climate of Bordeaux, France, was examined to determine if climatic factors can distinguish between consensus vintage rankings, developed using eight ratings sources, of red and sweet white wines from 1961 to 2009. Climate variables were computed for the growing season and average plant phenological stages and were compared between the 10 highest and lowest ranked vintages. Good vintages exhibited higher heat accumulation during the growing season and a general lack of rainfall, particularly during veraison. Most climate factors were consistent for both red and sweet white wines. Mean maximum temperature during the growing season was an important discriminator between good and poor vintages for both reds and whites, although sweet white wines were also affected by growing season precipitation and temperatures during the vine's dormant period. In general, consensus vintage quality is consistent between reds and whites (Spearman's ρ = 0.66, p < 0.05), but the primary factor that distinguishes large red v...