cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Comparison of Clinical Features of COVID-19 vs Seasonal Influenza A and B in US Children

Importance Compared with seasonal influenza, the clinical features and epidemiologic characteristics of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) in US children remain largely unknown. Objective To describe the similarities and differences in clinical features between COVID-19 and seasonal influenza in US children. Design, Setting, and Participants This retrospective cohort study included children who were diagnosed with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 between March 25 and May 15, 2020, and children diagnosed with seasonal influenza between October 1, 2019, and June 6, 2020, at Children’s National Hospital in the District of Columbia. Exposures COVID-19 or influenza A or B. Main Outcomes and Measures Rates of hospitalization, admission to the intensive care unit, and mechanical ventilator use and the association between underlying medical conditions, clinical symptoms, and COVID-19 vs seasonal influenza. Results The study included 315 patients diagnosed with COVID-19 (164 [52%] male; median age, 8.3 years [range, 0.03-35.6 years]) and 1402 patients diagnosed with seasonal influenza (743 [53%] male; median age, 3.9 years [range, 0.04-40.4 years]). Patients with COVID-19 and those with seasonal influenza had a similar hospitalization rate (54 [17%] vs 291 [21%],P = .15), intensive care unit admission rate (18 [6%] vs 98 [7%],P = .42), and use of mechanical ventilators (10 [3%] vs 27 [2%],P = .17). More patients hospitalized with COVID-19 than with seasonal influenza reported fever (41 [76%] vs 159 [55%],P = .005), diarrhea or vomiting (14 [26%] vs 36 [12%],P = .01), headache (6 [11%] vs 9 [3%],P = .01), body ache or myalgia (12 [22%] vs 20 [7%],P = .001), and chest pain (6 [11%] vs 9 [3%],P = .01). Differences between patients hospitalized with COVID-19 vs influenza who reported cough (24 [48%] vs 90 [31%],P = .05) and shortness of breath (16 [30%] vs 59 [20%],P = .13) were not statistically significant. Conclusions and Relevance In this cohort study of US children with COVID-19 or seasonal influenza, there was no difference in hospitalization rates, intensive care unit admission rates, and mechanical ventilator use between the 2 groups. More patients hospitalized with COVID-19 than with seasonal influenza reported clinical symptoms at the time of diagnosis.
C3a, C4a, and C5a Complement Anaphylatoxins Are Paradoxically Decreased in Acute and Chronic Heart Failure

Background Inflammation is a prerequisite for healing after physical insult or microbial invasion. However, sustained and chronic inflammation often leads to deleterious effects. Especially in heart failure (HF), inflammation plays a causative role in adverse cardiac remodeling and functional decline. An important part of the innate immune system, the complement cascade is associated with the initiation and propagation of inflammation for the purpose of clearing bacterial pathogens. Specifically, the anaphylatoxins C3a, C4a, and C5a are integral in the complement cascade, initiating and amplifying inflammation that may exacerbate HF. Hypothesis In light of prior evidence linking innate immune system activation to inflammation and the aggravation of HF, we hypothesize that increased complement activation, evidenced by higher concentrations of circulating anaphylatoxins, are indicative of HF severity and track with traditional HF risk factors. Method Blood and clinical values were obtained from healthy (non-HF), acute HF, and chronic HF subjects. To compare anaphylatoxin levels, serum from non-HF and HF subjects were assayed for circulating C3a, C4a, and C5a concentrations by cytometric bead array, then compared to clinical parameters. C3, the major complement initiating factor for the anaphylatoxins, was measured in serum by ELISA assay. Additionally, data from RNAseq analysis on cardiac tissue isolates from non-HF and dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) patients were compared for differential expression in 22 complement-related genes. Results Compared to non-HF, Serum C3a was found to be decreased by 24.3% in chronic HF and 20.5% among all HF cohorts (P Conclusions Although inflammation is increased in HF, C3, C3a, and C4a were found to be paradoxically decreased in HF cohorts, while C5a conversely increased in acute HF alone. The significant decreases in anaphylatoxins may be explained by the decreased C3 expression observed in HF subjects. While contrary to our hypothesis, our findings suggest differential complement dynamism, dependent on acute versus chronic HF status.
The CIA on Latin America

A mythology has grown among scholars that during the early years of the Cold War the CIA was so preoccupied with a perceived Soviet threat that except for highly exceptional events such as the 1954...
There is no “I” in “AI”

With recent advancements in technology and computer science, we have reached a point where we can clearly state that thinking is no longer the exclusive privilege of living minds. Artificial intelligence (AI) can gather and process information in a manner fairly similar or even superior to our thinking process. AI can use this processed information in a reasoning process to make decisions and execute them. However, what makes our mind distinct from AI is the addition of “I,” that is, an entity composed of two mental processes of awareness-based choice selection (ABCS) and discretionary selection of information for attention (DSIA) that are the fundamental core function of decision making and awareness processes, respectively. ABCS allows the coexistence of free will alongside—but unrestrained by—the chain of causality in the decision-making process with the help of awareness. “I” also allows for DSIA, which is a key step in the awareness process. This intertwined process is crucial for our consciousness. Similar to AI, the mind is devoid of any form of self-recognition without awareness. Self-awareness is a collaborative function of “I” and the mind. “I” is instrumental in the sense of self-awareness, but on its own, it is selfless. Additionally, “I” is the heart of the decision-making process. Therefore, AI is missing “I,” a selfless master of the mind.
Testing the generality of sea otter‐mediated trophic cascades in seagrass meadows

The presence and strength of trophic cascades can be a function of the local abiotic environment and relative abundance of key species. The reintroduction and expansion of sea otters Enhydra lutris, a known keystone species in kelp ecosystems, in southeast Alaska provides a rare natural experiment to test the generality of a apex‐predator – seagrass trophic cascades across a broad spatial scale. We conducted an in‐depth seagrass community survey at 21 sites spanning ~100 km with variable sea otter presence to test for patterns of alternating abundance and direct relationships between species indicative of trophic cascades. Our analysis revealed some of the trophic relationships predicted by the apex predator–seagrass trophic cascades theory, including a strong negative relationship between sea otters and crabs and many of the expected relationships between nitrate, seagrass, epiphytes and epifauna. Other expected relationships within a trophic cascade, however, were not supported – including no relationship between crabs and epifauna, a critical link in the trophic cascade. Given the lack of evidence for all hypothesized direct relationships, we conclude that a sea otter mediated trophic cascade may not be present in southeast Alaska and could be due to local scale factors including the spatial heterogeneity, low resource availability and non‐linear food chains in southeast Alaska seagrass communities. However, correlation analyses suggest further interactions among biological and environmental variables in southeast Alaska seagrass communities, including a positive correlation between sea otters and seagrass biomass. These results suggest that the effects of recovering apex‐predator populations may not be generalizable across regions and spatial scales, highlighting a need for local assessment on the ecology and management of these populations.
Confocal air-coupled acoustic radiation force probe for the optical coherence elastography of tissues

We have designed and developed an air-coupled ultrasonic radiation force probe co-focused with a phase-sensitive optical coherence tomography system (ACUS-OCT). Our custom-made 1 MHz spherically focused piezo-electric transducer with a concentric circular opening of 10 mm diameter allows for the confocal micro-excitation of waves and the spatial (2D, 3D) motion measurement of tissues. Phantom studies demonstrated the capabilities of this probe to produce quasi-harmonic excitation up to 4 kHz for the generation of highly localized elastic waves. Experimental results in ocular tissues showed the highly localized 2D/3D elasticity mapping capabilities of this approach with great potential for clinical translation.
Implementing the Cardiff Model for violence prevention: using the diffusion of innovation theory to understand facilitators and barriers to implementation

Objective Interpersonal violence is an ongoing, vexing public health issue. Communities require comprehensive timely data on violence to plan and implement effective violence prevention strategies. Emergency departments (EDs) can play an important role in violence prevention. EDs treat injuries associated with violent crime, and they are well-positioned to systematically collect information about these injuries, including the location where the injury occurred. The Cardiff Model for Violence Prevention (The Cardiff Model) provides a framework for interdisciplinary data collection and sharing. Methods This paper uses the Diffusion of Innovation Theory as a framework to present our experiences of implementing the Cardiff Model in several EDs that serve the Milwaukee area, and to detail the processes of data collection, linking and presentation across four different hospital systems. Results Implementing a city-wide data collection effort that involves multiple hospital systems is challenging. Viewing our findings through the lens of the Diffusion of Innovations theory provides a way to anticipate facilitators and challenges to Cardiff Model implementation in a hospital setting. Conclusions Facilitators and barriers to Cardiff Model adoption in the ED setting can be understood using the Diffusion of Innovation theory, and barriers can be interrupted through careful planning and continuous communication between partners.
Decoding Nondelegation After Gundy: What the Experience in State Courts Tells Us About What to Expect When We’re Expecting

The nondelegation doctrine theoretically limits Congress’s ability to delegate legislative powers to the executive agencies that make up the modern administrative state. Yet, in practice, the Supreme Court has, since the New Deal, shied away from enforcing any limits on congressional delegation. That may all change in the near future. In Gundy v. United States, the Court narrowly upheld a delegation, and a dissent signaled deep doubts about the Court’s longstanding “intelligible principle” standard and offered a new framework to replace it. Subsequent events strongly suggest that the Court is poised to move in the direction contemplated by the dissent in Gundy, drawing a line between policy discretion, which cannot be delegated, and authority to fill in details or find facts triggering policies, which can. Whether observers’ view of the prospect of Court-imposed limits on delegation is apocalyptic or euphoric, virtually everyone expects it to be highly consequential. While these opinions about the nondelegation doctrine are understandable, they are ultimately speculative. This article offers a more data-driven evaluation of what implementation of the Gundy dissent’s line drawing would portend for administrative law. Using the underexamined laboratory of the nondelegation doctrine in the states, where the doctrine has always had more life than at the federal level, I show that states that adhere closely to the lines drawn by the Gundy dissent are no more or less likely to invalidate statutes passed by state legislatures than are states that adhere to the intelligible principle formulation. The lack of a relationship between doctrinal formulation and outcomes suggests we will only know whether a revolution is afoot based on what the Court actually does over a series of cases, not in what it says it is going to do. Moreover, it suggests significant limitations in the ability of the Gundy dissent’s approach to provide any ex ante guidance to Congress, the lower courts, or even future Supreme Courts about what the nondelegation doctrine prohibits—an observation that suggests significant logistical and institutional problems inherent in the entire project of resuscitating the doctrine.
Did You Say My Name? Congruency of 12-month-old Infants' Behavioral and Cardiac Responses to Name.

Reduced orienting to name is an early behavioral risk marker for neurodevelopmental disorders. However, individual instances of infants' behavioral responses to name are limited in both reliability and predictive validity. Physiological responses such as heart rate (HR) deceleration may serve as more sensitive metrics than behavioral methods. As a first step toward validating HR deceleration as a candidate psychophysiological measure of name processing, we examined the congruency of behavioral and cardiac responses to name in 12-month-old typically developing infants. Infants exhibited greater median HR deceleration and spent a larger proportion of time in HR deceleration when they behaviorally oriented to their names than when they failed to do so; however, maximum HR deceleration was not related to behavioral responses. These findings provide preliminary evidence that specific HR deceleration metrics may be useful indices of infants' responses to name and may inform psychophysiological mechanisms underlying behavioral responses.
Evaluating the Driving Potential of the Handicapped Using a Simulator

The GMR Driving Simulator was used to study the performance of four teen-aged, novice drivers, two of whom had cerebral palsy. The purpose of this pilot study was to determine the potential of the simulator to discriminate between the driving abilities of medically handicapped and non-handicapped individuals. The study concentrated on the psychomotor aspects of lane-keeping performance in the presence of road curvature and environmental disturbances. The study indicates that a dynamically realistic driving simulator could be a valuable screening device for indentifying potential performance difficulties in handicapped individuals prior to behind-the-wheel instruction.
Application of a Fourier Transform-Phase-Slope Technique to the Design of an Instrument for the Ultrasonic Measurement of Texture and Stress

This paper describes the development of an ultrasonic instrument to measure texture (preferred grain orientation), stress, and related physical properties in metal sheets in industrial environments. The technique is based on precise measurements of the speed of guided modes, including angular variations, and is made practical by the use of EMAT transducers, which require no couplant. The instrument is expected to find important initial applications in predicting sheet metal formability, either as a process control tool in the rolling mill or as a quality control tool in a stamping shop. Since the instrument will offer an improved measurement capability not presently available to industry, a much broader range of applications may develop, including measurements of stress and porosity in sheet and other simple geometries.
A Double-Sandwich ELISA for Identification of Monoclonal Antibodies Suitable for Sandwich Immunoassays

The sandwich immunoassay (sELISA) is an invaluable technique for concentrating, detecting, and quantifying target antigens. The two critical components required are a capture antibody and a detection antibody, each binding a different epitope on the target antigen. The specific antibodies incorporated into the test define most of the performance parameters of any subsequent immunoassay regardless of the assay format: traditional ELISA, lateral-flow immunoassay, various bead-based assays, antibody-based biosensors, or the reporting label. Here we describe an approach for identifying monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) suitable for use as capture antibodies and detector antibodies in a sELISA targeting bacterial protein toxins. The approach was designed for early identification of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), in the initial hybridoma screen.
Phototransduction in Rods and Cones

Vertebrates rely on retinal rods and cones for the conventional, image-forming vision while non-image-forming vision is mediated by intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs) (see chapter on Melanopsin Ganglion Cells). Rods are specialized for low-light vision. They are extremely sensitive and can signal the absorption of single photons. Cones mediate daylight vision (Figure 1). They are much less sensitive to light than rods, but have higher temporal resolution. They also mediate color vision by several cone types with different pigment spectra sensitivity.Great progress has been made in understanding rod phototransduction since the introduction of the suction-electrode recording technique in the late 1970s (1). Individual amphibian and mammalian (including primate) photoreceptors can be recorded with this method. Bovine retina, on the other hand, has been a favorite preparation for studying phototransduction by biochemists because of the abundance of tissue available. The mouse, however, has become an increasingly popular animal model for study in the past decade through the advent of gene-targeting techniques. When combined with electrophysiology, mouse genetics provides unmatched power in elucidating the in vivo functions of key phototransduction proteins, most of which have been knocked out, overexpressed or mutated in rods, yielding a rich body of information on the mechanisms underlying the amplification, recovery and adaptation of rod/cone photoresponses (Table 1, Figure 2, Figure 3).I shall first give a brief description of the structure and the development of mouse photoreceptors, followed by a summary of recent studies on rod phototransduction with emphasis on information gleaned from mouse models. Finally, a recent advance in studying mouse cones will be mentioned.
Picosecond Vibrational Dephasing Experiments in Liquids under High Laser Depletion Conditions

In the presence of a sufficiently high intensity photon field (>1GW/cm2) a myriad of nonlinear optical processes occur in a molecular system. Transient Stimulated Raman Scattering (TSRS) pumping of vibrational degrees of freedom is often found to dominate the interaction of a nonresonant picosecond photon field with a molecular liquid medium.
Bovine serum albumin enhances nicotinic acetylcholine receptor function in mouse thalamic synaptosomes.

Bovine serum albumin (BSA) enhances nicotinic agonist-induced 86Rb+ efflux from synaptosomal fractions of the mouse thalamus, but how it does so is not understood. The experiments reported here indicated that BSA enhancement of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor function was rapid, reversible, depended on BSA concentration, and occurred at all points of the nicotinic agonist concentration-response curve. We hypothesized that BSA-extractable compounds, such as long-chain fatty acids, were responsible for inhibiting nicotinic responses in the absence of BSA. The hypothesis was tested by applying arachidonic, linolenic, or oleic acids in the absence of BSA after an initial prewash with BSA. All three fatty acids exhibited a rapid, concentration-dependent inhibition of nicotinic-agonist stimulated ion flux. Concentration-response curves produced after 30 s of pre-treatment with arachidonic acid were similar to those seen when BSA was completely absent. The effects of pre-treatment were reversed immediately by the introduction of BSA. Furthermore, no effects of fatty acids were observed when preparations were continuously exposed to BSA or when BSA was continuously absent. These results suggest that the removal of endogenous, inhibitory compounds is largely responsible for the rapid, potentiating action of BSA at nicotinic acetylcholine receptors expressed in the mouse thalamus.
atom ratios in integrated global fallout: a reassessment of the production of 237Np

Abstract It is estimated that as much as 3 tons of 237Np ( T 1 2 = 2.14 × 106 years) was released to the environment during the above-ground testing of nuclear weapons. This estimate is based on the analysis of 237 Np 239 Pu atom ratios (0.7 ± 0.2) in soil samples believed to have captured the entire global fallout record. In the course of several studies dealing with the behavior of transuranic radionuclides in different ecosystems, we measured the 237 Np 239 Pu atom ratios in a variety of soils throughout the northern hemisphere, including repetitive analyses of the soils used to establish the ratio cited above. Our data argue for a global 237 Np 239 Pu fallout ratio near 0.45 and a total 237Np production of ~1.5 tons.
On the porous continuum-scale modeling of gravity-driven fingers in unsaturated materials: Numerical solution of a hypodiffusive governing equation that incorporates a hold-back-pile-up effect

[1] We consider the use of a hypodiffusive governing equation (HDE) for the porous-continuum modeling of gravity-driven fingers (GDF) as occur in initially dry, highly nonlinear, and hysteretic porous media. In addition to the capillary and gravity terms within the traditional Richards equation, the HDE contains a hypodiffusive term that models an experimentally observed hold-back-pile-up (HBPU) effect and thus imparts nonmonotonicity at the wetting front. In its dimensionless form the HDE contains the dimensionless hypodiffusion number, NHD. As NHD increases, one-dimensional (1D) numerical solutions transition from monotonic to nonmonotonic. Considering the experimentally observed controls on GDF occurrence, as either the initial moisture content and applied flux increase or the material nonlinearity decreases, solutions undergo the required transition back to monotonic. Additional tests for horizontal imbibition and capillary rise show the HDE to yield the required monotonic response but display sharper fronts for NHD > 0. Finally, two-dimensional (2D) numerical solutions illustrate that in parameter space where the 1D HDE yields nonmonotonicity, in 2D it forms nonmonotonic GDF.
A Foundation for Evolution from Relational to Object Databases

Object models have an important part to play in the future of database systems, but progress is hampered by lack of agreement on their essential characteristics. Strong constraints on the design of a common model are exercised by the need to interface well with object models in programming languages, and the desirability of a smooth evolution from existing database technology.
Rapid Depletion of Peripheral Antigen-Specific T Cells in TCR-Transgenic Mice After Oral Administration of Myelin Basic Protein

In myelin basic protein (MBP)-specific TCR-transgenic (Tg) mice, peripheral T cells express the Vα2.3/Vβ8.2-Tg TCR, demonstrate vigorous proliferative responses to MBP in vitro, and can exhibit experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) within 5 days of pertussis toxin injection. We explored the effects of oral administration of MBP on the cellular trafficking of the MBP-specific TCR-Tg cells and the ability of oral MBP to protect Tg mice from EAE. Tg mice were fed MBP, OVA or vehicle and sacrificed at various times after feeding. An immediate and dramatic decrease in Vα2.3/Vβ8.2+-Tg cells was observed in the periphery within 1 h after feeding. By 3 days after feeding, the percentage of Tg cells increased to near control levels, but decreased again by 10 days. When MBP or vehicle-fed Tg mice were challenged for EAE at this point, disease was severe in the vehicle-fed mice and reduced in the MBP-fed mice over the 40-day observation period. In vitro studies revealed a biphasic pattern of MBP proliferative unresponsiveness and an induction of Th1 cytokines. Immunohistochemical staining showed that the number of Tg cells found in the intestinal lamina propria increased dramatically as the number of Tg cells in the periphery decreased. There was no apparent proliferation of Tg cells in the lamina propria, indicating that Tg cells trafficked there from the periphery. Taken together, these results suggest that T cell trafficking into the site of Ag deposition acts to protect the TCR-Tg mouse from EAE.
Urea and Thermal Mutants of Poliovirus

Hallum, J. V. (University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pa.), and J. S. Youngner. Urea and thermal mutants of poliovirus. J. Bacteriol. 91:2305–2308. 1966.—Thermally selected mutants of poliovirus which differed in sensitivity to heating at 50 C were inactivated with urea. With 3 m urea, urea resistance paralleled thermal resistance. In contrast, when urea-resistant mutants were selected from thermosensitive, urea-sensitive, wild-type poliovirus, the 50 C sensitivity of the selected mutants did not change. These findings indicate a lack of covariance of the urea and the 50 C-inactivation markers of poliovirus.
Syringe and Needle Regulation, Blood-Borne Disease Transmission, and Concern for Public Safety

—We are all for preventing IDUs from contracting deadly blood-borne diseases and, therefore, fully support creation and expansion of syringe exchange programs. However, repeal of syringe regulation laws and practice guidelines as outlined by Gostin and colleagues 1 is a dangerous and illconceived solution. Granting access to an endless supply of needles to society's most irresponsible members is as preposterous as it is unthinkable. Possession of hypodermic needles carries a serious responsibility to dispose of them safely. Trusting an IDU to fully carry out this responsibility is both foolish and naive. Injecting drug users are by legal definition criminals, by medical definition addicts who are unable to control their own impulses and actions, and by society's definition the very letter of irresponsibility. Beyond the physician's responsibility to IDUs is our responsibility to protect the public at large. No doubt, trash collectors and beachgoers, among the persons most assuredly at risk to
Tumor Necrosis Factor-α Mediates One Component of Competitive, Experience-Dependent Plasticity in Developing Visual Cortex

Rapid, experience-dependent plasticity in developing visual cortex is thought to be competitive. After monocular visual deprivation, the reduction in response of binocular neurons to one eye is matched by a corresponding increase to the other. Chronic optical imaging in mice deficient in TNFalpha reveals the normal initial loss of deprived-eye responses, but the subsequent increase in response to the open eye is absent. This mutation also blocks homeostatic synaptic scaling of mEPSCs in visual cortex in vitro, without affecting LTP. In monocular cortex, thought not to be subject to competition, responses in TNFalpha mutants are as reduced as in the binocular zone. Pharmacological inhibition of endogenous TNFalpha in wild-type mice phenocopies the knockout. These findings suggest that experience-dependent competition in developing visual cortex is the outcome of two distinct, noncompetitive processes, a loss of deprived-eye responses followed by an apparently homeostatic increase in responses dependent on TNFalpha signaling.
In vivo assay of crevicular leukocyte migration. Its development and potential applications.

Defects in neutrophil or polymorphonuclear leukocyte (PMNL) Chemotaxis have been observed in a number of clinical conditions, including Down's syndrome and insulindependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM), which tend to be associated with severe forms of periodontal disease. In addition, impaired PMNL Chemotaxis is frequently detected in individuals with localized juvenile periodontitis (LJP). The ability to monitor PMNL function in vivo at the gingival sulcus should therefore be useful as a diagnostic test. In this regard, we developed a technique which measures the response of PMNLs to a chemotactic agent, e.g., casein and N-formylmethionylleucylphenylalanine (N-FMLP) placed directly into gingival crevices. The development of the technique and its relationship to in vitro assays of Chemotaxis are discussed, and data obtained from tests of the assay on control and streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats and human subjects with various periodontal diseases and IDDM are presented. As compared with healthy subjects and control animals, atypical (double peak) and reduced crevicular PMNL response patterns were observed during oral and systemic diseases. This suggests that the in vivo assay with appropriate modifications can be used diagnostically to assess PMNL migratory dysfunction and to identify individuals who may be susceptible to severe forms of periodontal disease.
Novel Method for Predicting Dexterous Individual Finger Movements by Imaging Muscle Activity Using a Wearable Ultrasonic System

Recently there have been major advances in the electro-mechanical design of upper extremity prosthetics. However, the development of control strategies for such prosthetics has lagged significantly behind. Conventional noninvasive myoelectric control strategies rely on the amplitude of electromyography (EMG) signals from flexor and extensor muscles in the forearm. Surface EMG has limited specificity for deep contiguous muscles because of cross talk and cannot reliably differentiate between individual digit and joint motions. We present a novel ultrasound imaging based control strategy for upper arm prosthetics that can overcome many of the limitations of myoelectric control. Real time ultrasound images of the forearm muscles were obtained using a wearable mechanically scanned single element ultrasound system, and analyzed to create maps of muscle activity based on changes in the ultrasound echogenicity of the muscle during contraction. Individual digit movements were associated with unique maps of activity. These maps were correlated with previously acquired training data to classify individual digit movements. Preliminary results using ten healthy volunteers demonstrated this approach could provide robust classification of individual finger movements with 98% accuracy (precision 96%-100% and recall 97%-100% for individual finger flexions). The change in ultrasound echogenicity was found to be proportional to the digit flexion speed (R2=0.9), and thus our proposed strategy provided a proportional signal that can be used for fine control. We anticipate that ultrasound imaging based control strategies could be a significant improvement over conventional myoelectric control of prosthetics.
Managing acute nerve injuries in extremities

Peripheral nerve injury has been the focus of surgical research for centuries. Initial advancements included not only identifying nerves in vivo and differentiating them from surrounding structures such as tendons, but also understanding their function and unique anatomy. The understanding of the physiology of neurotrophic factors and the relationship to axonal regeneration has contributed to developing new methods of nerve repair. Operative exploration of an injured nerve involves assessment of many factors that will decide if a primary or secondary repair will be performed. The vascularity of surrounding tissue, the amount and quality of soft tissue coverage, the type of nerve injury, the age and general medical condition of the patient, and associated injuries are some of the factors that are assessed. Types of primary repair include epineurial and perineurial. Different methods of facilitating differentiation of motor and sensory fascicles include electrostimulation and histochemical staining techniques. Once the nerve is identified and trimmed back to viable tissue, any type of nerve gap must be assessed. If there is tension at the reapproximation site or significant gap, a nerve graft can be done at a secondary surgery. Other options include using polyglycolic acid or vein graft conduits. New contributions continue to be made as our understanding of peripheral nerves advance on the biochemical, physiologic, and anatomic levels.
Monotinicity of slab operators. I

Solutions of boundary value problems for the equation Tψ′=−Aψ in a slab are used to define scattering, transmission, and reflection operators. This article deals with the monotonicity properties (as partial orderings of bounded self-adjoint operators in a Hilbert space) of these operators as functions of the slab width.
Intermittent peritoneal dialysis in the management of acute renal failure in children.

Summary Five children with acute renal failure,ranging in age from 3 months to 11 years, were treated by intermittent peritoneal dialysis for periods ranging from 5 hours to 33 days. The indications for dialysis included oneor more of the following: oliguria, anuria, edema, hyperkalemia, azotemia, hypervolemia, cardiac failure, encephalopathy, and drug intoxication. The procedure proved a practical and effective means of substituting for the kidney and in one case was repeated 85 times during a 33 day period. Adjustment in body fluid volume andcomposition was accomplished by varying the electrolyte composition and osmolality of the dialysis fluid to meet the need at any given time. Large quantities of edema fluid, urea, and potassium were removed. The decrements in blood urea nitrogen were not particularly outstanding. Hypotonic dialyzing fluid used in a severely ill infant with tubular necrosis and cardiac failure resulted in acute pulmonary edema and illustrates the danger associated with the use of hypotonic dialyzing fluid. One patient developed peritonitis after 22 days of dialysis but responded promptly to therapy; it was not necessary to discontinue the procedure. The use of intermittent peritoneal dialysisin renal failure, as with other dialyzing procedures, should be reserved for potentially reversible cases.
H -space and Robinson-Trautman solutions

It is shown that in theH-space of any Robinson-Trautman type II solution there is a uniquely defined world-line and that, under suitable regularity conditions, this world-line is a geodesic.
Proteinase suppression by E-cadherin-mediated cell-cell attachment in premalignant oral keratinocytes.

The expression and activity of epithelial proteinases is under stringent control to prevent aberrant hydrolysis of structural proteins and disruption of tissue architecture. E-cadherin-dependent cell-cell adhesion is also important for maintenance of epithelial structural integrity, and loss of E-cadherin expression has been correlated with enhanced invasive potential in multiple tumor models. To address the hypothesis that there is a functional link between E-cadherin and proteinase expression, we have examined the role of E-cadherin in proteinase regulation. By using a calcium switch protocol to manipulate junction assembly, our data demonstrate that initiation of de novoE-cadherin-mediated adhesive contacts suppresses expression of both relative matrix metalloproteinase-9 levels and net urinary-type plasminogen activator activity. E-cadherin-mediated cell-cell adhesion increases both phosphatidylinositol 3′-kinase (PI3-kinase)-dependent AKT phosphorylation and epidermal growth factor receptor-dependent MAPK/ERK activation. Pharmacologic inhibition of the PI3-kinase pathway, but not the epidermal growth factor receptor/MAPK pathway, prevents E-cadherin-mediated suppression of proteinases and delays junction assembly. Moreover, inhibition of junction assembly with a function-blocking anti-E-cadherin antibody stimulates proteinase-dependent Matrigel invasion. As matrix metalloproteinase-9 and urinary-type plasminogen activator potentiate the invasive activity of oral squamous cell carcinoma, these data suggest E-cadherin-mediated signaling through PI3-kinase can regulate the invasive behavior of cells by modulating proteinase secretion.
Mechanics of lateral positioning of a translating tape due to tilted rollers: Theory and experiments

Abstract A mechanics based model to describe the lateral positioning of a thin, tensioned, translating tape over a tilted roller is introduced, based on the assumption that the transport velocity of the tape should match the surface velocity of the roller when there is sufficient traction. It is shown that this condition requires the slope of the neutral axis of the tape and the slope of the centerline of the tilted roller to be the same over the wrapped segment. An extension of this model is discussed including the possibility of circumferential and lateral sliding, depending on the velocity difference between the tape and the roller. The new model is incorporated into a generalized model of a tape path that consists of numerous rollers as well as the appropriate boundary conditions for the take-up and supply reel dynamics. The nonlinear equation of motion is solved numerically, and the steady state solution is found by an implicit time stepping algorithm. An experimental setup with one tilting roller, two or three nearly ideally oriented rollers and two reels is used for verification of the model. The effects of roller tilt angle, tape wrap angle, and the lengths of the free-tape spans upstream and downstream of the tilted roller on the steady state lateral tape position are investigated experimentally and by simulations. The experiments show that the circumferential position of the wrap on the upstream side of a tilted roller has the strongest effect on pushing the tape in the lateral direction. The total wrap angle around the roller has a smaller effect. It was also shown that the tape segments upstream and downstream of the tilted roller interact, and the combined effect results in a different overall lateral tape response in steady state.
Toothache in US Children

Objectives To describe the prevalence of and risk factors for recent toothache among US children and to estimate frequency of contact between children with toothache and their pediatric primary care providers (PPCP). Design Cross-sectional analysis of nationally representative data. Setting The 2007 National Survey of Children's Health. Participants Population-based sample of parents/guardians of 86 730 children aged 1 through 17 years from 50 states and the District of Columbia. Outcome Measure Parent-reported toothache in the last 6 months. Results A total of 10.7% of US children and 14% of children aged 6 to 12 years experienced toothache in the last 6 months. Poor and low-income minority children and those with special needs were significantly more likely to have had a toothache on multivariable analysis. Most children with toothache in the last 6 months had their own physician (88.9%) and had a preventive medical visit in the last year (88.1%), pointing to opportunities for PPCP to identify and intervene with children who have untreated dental decay and toothache. Conclusions Toothache is not the universal experience it was before the advent of modern dentistry. Nevertheless, a substantial number of US children recently had a toothache, with noteworthy variability between states. There are opportunities for PPCP to address oral health prevention, assess for dental decay and toothache, and treat complications. We propose toothache as a potential quality indicator reflecting disparities in oral health for a population.
Hip Resurfacing: A Fair and Balanced Review

This review of hip resurfacing surgery covers three generations of design progress. The first, spanning from the 1920s to the 1940s, represents early attempts at resurfacing the femoral head as a "mold arthroplasty." The second generation (1950s to the 1980s) represents the introduction of an acetabular component. The third generation (1990s to present) represents a worldwide resurgence of this technology into the hands of joint replacement surgeons. The clinical results and modes of failures in each of these technologies is discussed to provide surgeons a basis for educated decisions on technologies and patient selection for optimizing long-term success.
The influence of air origin on the chemical composition and size distribution of tropospheric aerosols

Abstract Chemical and size distribution data and the corresponding air mass trajectories were obtained for aerosols collected at Death Valley, California and over the Pacific Ocean 250 km west of Santa Barbara, California. For air masses from the western Pacific, vertical profiles of Si, an element associated with continental sources, showed virtually no change in concentration with altitude at the offshore location. At this location the concentrations of Si and Cl in the lowest kilometer of an air mass which had recently passed over land indicated that modification had taken place. Differences in the profiles of Cl concentration over Death Valley and over the Pacific were consistent with the model of Toba for modification of sea salt profiles over land. At altitudes higher than 2.5 km, the concentrations of all of the elements measured were nearly constant. In the lowest kilometer at the ocean and Death Valley locations, size distributions of the aerosols were not greatly different in air masses of different origin. Modification of the chemical composition of aerosol at 300 m altitude in a maritime air mass was observed in measurements made at successive distances from the ocean to 180 km inland over the Orinoco Delta. In general, the relative concentration of particles in the size range 0.5 μm ≤ r ≤ 2 μm was larger at altitudes above 2.5 km than at lower altitudes. The experimental results and qualitative arguments based on the mechanics of aerosols indicate a significant relationship between aerosol properties and air mass only near the surface.
It's what it's in: evaluating the usability of large-scale integrated systems

Today's systems are often composed of many heterogeneous, distributed components including computing and communications infrastructure, other hardware devices, and system and application software. Evaluating the usability of these systems is difficult, especially in the early stages of development when their use cannot be observed in context. While many different evaluation methods have been proposed for evaluating stand-alone technologies, evaluating very large-scale integrated systems requires techniques appropriate both for individual components, and the whole of the human-computing context being designed. Results from the case study reported here suggest that the usability of any individual application is highly determined by its integration with other applications in the distributed system. Modern evaluation methods need to account for this integration in both their perspective and the measures they use.
Engineering of societal systems

This paper proposes a methodology for conducting societal system engineering (SSE), the purpose of which is to ensure that the overall system meets the needs of the larger society as part of that society's infrastructure. Given the criticality of these systems, resiliency must be a major consideration in the design and operation of these systems. Resiliency in this context is not just the ability of the societal systems (SS) to recover after a crises, it is the broader capability of the system to handle surprises and disruptions as they arise. Resiliency must be designed into the system, and hence, this paper focuses on the design phase of SSE. This paper proposes an SSE model, and then applies the model to the US power delivery system as an example, with particular emphasis placed on describing how design impacts the SS's resiliency.
Modified Judkins catheters for selective coronary angiography in infants and young children.

The purpose of this study was to assess 4 Fr Judkins catheters with modified shorter tips for performing selective coronary angiography in infants and young children. Twenty patients ranging 6 weeks to 3.8 years of age were enrolled. Retrograde left heart catheterization and selective coronary angiography were performed. Right (JR) and left (JL) catheters with modified 1.5- and 2.5-cm curves (Cordis) were used. Thirty-six of 37 coronary arteries were successfully cannulated and demonstrated. Median procedure time was 95 sec for the right and 50 sec for the left coronary artery. Median fluoroscopy time was 1.1 min for the right and 0.7 min for the left coronary artery. The JL 1.5 appeared best suited for patients less than 75 cm tall. The JR 1.5 was suitable for patients up to 85 cm tall. Taller patients required the 2.5-cm curves. It is concluded that these modified 4 Fr Judkins catheters were effective. Cathet. Cardiovasc. Intervent. 51:175–181, 2000. © 2000 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
The disappearing gay income penalty

Abstract Since 1995, labor economists have reported on the income disparities between individuals who engage in same-sex behavior and those that do not. Many of these papers report a significant wage penalty, while others find no effect, but few look at the trend over time. We find, using National Health and Examination Survey (NHANES) data from 1988 to 2007, that the income gap has reversed over time from a penalty to a premium.
Was Jules Dupuit a Market Socialist: A Retrospective Note on Marginal Cost Pricing

This paper examines the extent to which Dupuit preceded Hotelling in the theory of marginal cost pricing and the relation of marginal cost pricing to the Pigou–Robinson definition of exploitation, Coase’s multipart pricing, and the Kaldor compensation principle. Tsuneki’s partial rehabilitation of Hotelling’s proof of MC pricing is partially endorsed.
Studies on the application of salts of complex cations to the microscopic detection of anions

The following anions gave characteristic crystalline reaction products with the xanthocobaltic chloride: bifluoride, chromate, dithionate, oxalate, phosphomolybdate, tartrate and thiosulfate. The crystals obtained with bifluoride, chromate, dithionate and oxalate ions are sufficiently characteristic to be useful for the detection and identification of these anions.
Parkinson disease: calcium channel blockers and Parkinson disease.

Substantial progress has been made over the past four decades in treating the symptoms of Parkinson disease, but treatments that slow its inexorable progression have remained tantalizingly out of reach. New research raises hopes that a means might have been found to safely and effectively slow progression of Parkinson disease and delay its clinical emergence.
A ≪5mW/Gb/s/link, 16×10Gb/s Bi-Directional Single-Chip CMOS Optical Transceiver for Board-Level Optical Interconnects

A single-chip CMOS parallel optical transceiver, or Optochip, is presented that addresses the key metrics of power consumption, density, bandwidth, and cost, to enable large-scale parallel optical links through fiber or waveguide-arrays.
Military women's menstrual experiences and interest in menstrual suppression during deployment.

Objective To develop a preliminary description of military women's menstrual experiences and their awareness of menstrual suppression during deployment. Design Qualitative descriptive with content analysis. Setting Recruitment and sampling occurred at a large U.S. military base from December 2005 to January 2006. Participants Nine women who had been deployed to U.S. military operations. Results Seven themes were generated from the data: (a) Menses is intensified during deployment, (b) It's hard to take care of yourself during your period, (c) Menstrual challenges: heat, dirt, and port-a-potties, (d) Menstruation is an inconvenience when you are deployed, (e) Dealing with menstruation in the military world, (f) Negative aspects of menstruation outweigh the positive during deployment, and (g) Menstrual suppression. Conclusion Menstruation is problematic during deployment and participants expressed interest in menstrual suppression. However, concerns about the side effects and safety of continuous oral contraceptives limited participants' use of this therapy. Education on menstrual hygiene and methods of menstrual cycle control should be provided prior to deployment to prepare women for the experience.