cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
239 Pu(n,γ) from 10 eV to 1.3 MeV

Abstract The 239Pu(n,γ) cross section has been measured from 10 eV to 1.3 MeV as part of an experimental campaign using the Detector for Advanced Neutron Capture Experiments (DANCE). The work represents a significant advance in experimental technique, with improved systematic uncertainties in key regions in the keV to MeV regime. In general the results of prior work are confirmed with improved uncertainties, particularly at the highest incident neutron energies.
“The most inspiring bikini photos you’ll see this summer”: A thematic analysis of mass audiences’ interpretations of ostomy selfies:

How people with ostomies—a surgically created opening in the body that expels bodily wastes—use social media to challenge ostomy stigma represents a growing area of research, especially the creatio...
Peripheral Vestibular Disorders in Children and Adolescents with Concussion

Objective To review peripheral vestibular disorders in pediatric patients with dizziness following concussion. Study Design Case series with chart review. Setting Pediatric vestibular clinic and pediatric multidisciplinary concussion clinic at a tertiary level pediatric hospital. Subjects and Methods We retrospectively reviewed 109 patients seen for dizziness following a concussion between September 2012 and July 2015. Patients were ≤20 years of age at the time of concussion. Incidences of specific peripheral vestibular disorders were assessed along with timing of diagnosis relative to the date of injury, diagnostic test findings, and treatment interventions associated with those diagnoses. Results Twenty-eight patients (25.7%) were diagnosed with peripheral vestibular disorders. None of these disorders were diagnosed prior to evaluation in our pediatric vestibular clinic or our multidisciplinary concussion clinic, which occurred a mean of 133 days (95% confidence interval, 89.2-177.3) after injury. Benign paroxysmal positioning vertigo was diagnosed in 19 patients, all of whom underwent successful canalith repositioning maneuvers. Other diagnoses included temporal bone fracture (n = 3), labyrinthine concussion (n = 2), perilymphatic fistula (n = 2), and superior semicircular canal dehiscence (n = 2). Both patients with perilymphatic fistula and 1 patient with superior semicircular canal dehiscence underwent successful surgical management, while 1 patient with superior semicircular canal dehiscence was managed nonsurgically. Conclusion Peripheral vestibular disorders may occur in pediatric patients with dizziness following concussion, but these disorders may not be recognized until symptoms have persisted for several weeks. An algorithm is proposed to guide the diagnosis and management of peripheral vestibular disorders in pediatric patients with concussion.
Significant infections in liver transplant recipients undergoing endoscopic retrograde cholangiography are few and unaffected by prophylactic antibiotics.

Abstract Introduction Current practice guidelines recommend prophylactic antibiotics prior to endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) in liver transplant recipients (LTR). This study evaluated the risk of clinically significant infections after ERCP in LTR who received antibiotic prophylaxis compared to those who did not. Methods This retrospective case-cohort study evaluated all LTR who underwent elective, outpatient ERCP from 2008 to 2015. Hospitalized patients, pediatric allograft recipients and patients with cholangitis or incomplete biliary drainage were excluded. The primary outcome was unanticipated hospitalization from procedure-related clinically significant infection occurring within 3 days of ERCP. Results Sixty-nine patients (48 males; mean age 60.5 ± 7.4 years) underwent 191 ERCPs after liver transplantation. Prophylactic antibiotics were administered during 82 ERCPs and not administered for 109 ERCPs. Unscheduled admissions for fever within 3 days occurred in 4 patients. Only 2 patients had documented bacteremia, of which only 1 patient received prophylactic antibiotics and also met primary outcome. Interventions during ERCP, patient demographics, and time from transplantation were not associated with increased risk of hospitalization from infections or bacteremia. Conclusions The risk of infectious complications after ERCP in LTR is low and not affected by administration of prophylactic antibiotics. A tailored approach to antibiotic prophylaxis may be more appropriate than universal prophylaxis in selected LTR at low risk of infections.
Notes on Price and Quantity Tâtonnement Dynamics

In these notes we present an exposition of some modern versions of L. Wal ras’ tatonnement theory (see (1926)) with special emphasis on simultaneous price and quantity dynamics.
Indirect peer aggression in adolescence and reproductive behavior.

Evolutionary psychologists have suggested that indirect aggression during adolescence is a strategy to compete with same-sex peer rivals for resources, status, and mating opportunities. We collected survey data on 143 young adults to determine retrospectively, the amount of indirect aggressive behavior they perpetrated and the amount of indirect victimization they experienced in middle school and high school. We also collected information about reproductive opportunities such as age at first sexual intercourse and number of lifetime sex partners to determine whether aggression or victimization could be used to predict measures of reproductive opportunity. We performed a principal components analysis to develop factors from 16 aggression and victimization variables. Results indicate that females who reported indirect aggression toward peers had earlier ages at first sexual intercourse and females who were more victimized in adolescence experienced later ages at first sexual intercourse. We discuss these re...
9.22 Fluvial Terraces

Fluvial terraces are landforms and deposits that integrate tectonic, climatic, and geomorphic processes at the watershed scale. Terraces attest to a fundamental unsteadiness in the rate of vertical incision of a channel as it carves its valley. The most common sources of that unsteadiness are vegetative, geomorphic, and hydrologic responses to climate, which for the Quaternary, are dominated by 100-ky glacial–interglacial cycles; however, the precise response depends much on watershed substrate and the climatic, tectonic, and base-level setting. When coupled with numeric ages, terraces can be used as a stratigraphic and geodetic marker to interpret correlation and process rates.
Etanercept Treatment to Enable Successful Hepatitis C Virus Clearance in a Patient with Rheumatoid Arthritis

Arthralgias and the presence of serum rheumatoid factor are common in patients infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV). True rheumatoid arthritis is rarer, but it can limit the ability to cure HCV infection with interferon due to exacerbation of rheumatic disease. In this case study, we report the successful clearance of HCV by using etanercept (Enbrel, Immunex) in combination with pegylated interferon-α (pegIFN-α) and ribavirin in a patient with rheumatoid arthritis who had previously stopped therapy prematurely due to worsening of joint symptoms.
Grasshopper theology: Heading to the Promised Land instead of climate disaster:

Today’s climate crisis provokes dystopian and utopian narratives of the future faced by humanity. To navigate the theological terrain between the present and an uncertain future, this article explo...
Jitter-Induced Max-of-N Fluence Distribution at National Ignition Facility

Measured pointing jitter from NIF is used to simulate the effect of Max-of-N accumulated fluence distribution. The simulate result was able to reproduce the measured Max-of-N effect for different energy and wavelength operations.
Allogeneic transplantation outcomes amongst a contemporary cohort of high-risk myelodysplastic syndrome and acute myeloid leukemia patients aged ≥70 years.

Abstract Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is an integral therapy for patients with hematological malignancies, myelodysplasia, and bone marrow failure. Its use has been increasing over the past decade, as understanding of the treatment and its related toxicities has led to changes in patient selection, conditioning regimens, and post-transplant care. Older (age ≥65 years) patients are often considered unfit for transplantation; however, more recent data suggest that older patients, when selected appropriately, tolerate transplantation well. We report our institutional experience with HSCT in patients aged ≥70 years. A cohort of 22 patients underwent HSCT. Median overall survival was 5.16 years [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.5–8.7 years], and median post-transplant survival was 2.2 years (myelodysplastic syndrome: median 1.3 years, 95% CI: 4.7 months–2.2 years; acute myeloid leukemia: median not reached). Thirty-day mortality following HSCT was 9.5% (n = 2). These data provide further support for the use of HSCT in selected older patients, and highlight the impact of HSCT on overall survival among a patient cohort primarily of acute myeloid leukemia and myelodysplasia.
Frequentist, Bayes, or Other?

Both philosophically and in practice, statistics is dominated by frequentist and Bayesian thinking. Under those paradigms, our courses and textbooks talk about the accuracy with which true model pa...
Unstructured interviews: are they really all that bad?

Although much of the interview and selection literature views unstructured interviews as being vastly inferior to structured interviews in terms of validity and reliability, this critical review at...
Nonsteroid Antiinflammatory Agents

The drugs with which this review will be concerned are those which are useful in the treatment of connective tissue diseases. These disorders are characterized by chronic inflammation, and the drugs used to treat them have the ability to inhibit one or more of the manifestations of inflammation. Arthritis is a term used to indicate ‘articular inflammation and is a sign of disease and not a diagnosis’ [10].
A framework for evaluating the effects of observational type and quality on vector-borne disease forecast

Recent research has advanced infectious disease forecasting from an aspiration to an operational reality. The accuracy of such operational forecasting depends on the quantity and quality of observations available for system optimization. In particular, for forecasting systems that use combined mechanistic model-inference approaches, a broad suite of epidemiological observations could be utilized, if these data were available in near real time. In cases where such data are limited, an in silica, synthetic framework for evaluating the potential benefits of observations on forecasting accuracy can allow researchers and public health officials to more optimally allocate resources for disease surveillance and monitoring. Here, we demonstrate the application of such a framework, using a model-inference system designed to predict dengue, and identify the type and quality of observations that would improve forecasting accuracy.
From National Geographic to Harvard

As you read through many of the chapters in this book you will find that various routes were traveled, but there was one similarity common among most authors. Many authors will describe the influence that a professor, a course, or a mentor(s) had on choosing a career path. Hopefully, your path will include exposure to supportive mentors and a couple of ineffective directors (I’ll explain later).
Palliative Care and End-of-Life Outcomes Following High-risk Surgery.

Importance Palliative care has the potential to improve care for patients and families undergoing high-risk surgery. Objective To characterize the use of perioperative palliative care and its association with family-reported end-of-life experiences of patients who died within 90 days of a high-risk surgical operation. Design, Setting, and Participants This secondary analysis of administrative data from a retrospective cross-sectional patient cohort was conducted in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Healthcare System. Patients who underwent any of 227 high-risk operations between January 1, 2012, and December 31, 2015, were included. Exposures Palliative-care consultation within 30 days before or 90 days after surgery. Main Outcomes and Measures The outcomes were family-reported ratings of overall care, communication, and support in the patient’s last month of life. The VA surveyed all families of inpatient decedents using the Bereaved Family Survey, a valid and reliable tool that measures patient and family-centered end-of-life outcomes. Results A total of 95 204 patients underwent high-risk operations in 129 inpatient VA Medical Centers. Most patients were 65 years or older (69 278 [72.8%]), and the most common procedures were cardiothoracic (31 157 [32.7%]) or vascular (23 517 [24.7%]). The 90-day mortality rate was 6.0% (5740 patients) and varied by surgical subspecialty (ranging from 278 of 7226 [3.8%] in urologic surgery to 875 of 6223 patients [14.1%] in neurosurgery). A multivariate mixed model revealed that families of decedents who received palliative care were 47% more likely to rate overall care in the last month of life as excellent than those who did not (odds ratio [OR], 1.47 [95% CI, 1.14-1.88];P = .007), after adjusting for patient’s characteristics, surgical subspecialty of the high-risk operation, and survey nonresponse. Similarly, families of decedents who received palliative care were more likely to rate end-of-life communication (OR, 1.43 [95% CI, 1.09-1.87];P = .004) and support (OR, 1.31 [95% CI, 1.01-1.71];P = .05) components of medical care as excellent. Of the entire cohort, 3374 patients (3.75%) had a palliative care consultation, and 770 patients (0.8%) received it before surgery. Of all decedents, 1632 (29.9%) had a palliative care consultation, with 319 (5.6%) receiving it before surgery. Conclusions and Relevance Receipt of a palliative consultation was associated with better ratings of overall end-of-life care, communication, and support, as reported by families of patients who died within 90 days of high-risk surgery. Yet only one-third of decedents was exposed to palliative care. Expanding integration of perioperative palliative care may benefit patients undergoing high-risk operations and their families.
Smell and taste symptom-based predictive model for COVID-19 diagnosis.

Author(s): Roland, Lauren T; Gurrola, Jose G; Loftus, Patricia A; Cheung, Steven W; Chang, Jolie L | Abstract: BackgroundThe presentation of coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) overlaps with common influenza symptoms. There is limited data on whether a specific symptom or collection of symptoms may be useful to predict test positivity.MethodsAn anonymous electronic survey was publicized through social media to query participants with COVID-19 testing. Respondents were questioned regarding 10 presenting symptoms, demographic information, comorbidities, and COVID-19 test results. Stepwise logistic regression was used to identify predictors for COVID-19 positivity. Selected classifiers were assessed for prediction performance using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis.ResultsA total of 145 participants with positive COVID-19 testing and 157 with negative results were included. Participants had a mean age of 39 years, and 214 (72%) were female. Smell or taste change, fever, and body ache were associated with COVID-19 positivity, and shortness of breath and sore throat were associated with a negative test result (p l 0.05). A model using all 5 diagnostic symptoms had the highest accuracy with a predictive ability of 82% in discriminating between COVID-19 results. To maximize sensitivity and maintain fair diagnostic accuracy, a combination of 2 symptoms, change in sense of smell or taste and fever was found to have a sensitivity of 70% and overall discrimination accuracy of 75%.ConclusionSmell or taste change is a strong predictor for a COVID-19-positive test result. Using the presence of smell or taste change with fever, this parsimonious classifier correctly predicts 75% of COVID-19 test results. A larger cohort of respondents will be necessary to refine classifier performance.
Transcatheter Edge-to-Edge Mitral Valve Repair With the MitraClip G4 System

Abstract Objectives The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the MitraClip G4 in the reduction of mitral regurgitation (MR). Background The next-generation MitraClip G4 system was recently introduced for the treatment of MR in the United States. Methods The study included consecutive patients undergoing transcatheter mitral edge-to-edge repair for MR with the MitraClip G4. The key outcome was the proportion of patients with MR reduction to ≤2+ at 30 days. Results Fifty-nine patients (median age 77 years, 62.7% men) were treated with the MitraClip G4. Reduction of MR to ≤2+ was achieved in 57 patients (96.6%) during the procedure, 58 patients (98.3%) at discharge, and 57 patients (96.6%) by 30 days. The median number of MitraClips used per patient was 2 (interquartile range: 1 to 3). Wide clips (NTW/XTW) were used in 82.7% of patients. The XTW clip was used most frequently as the first clip in patients with degenerative MR (65.4%) and the NTW clip in those with secondary MR (72.7%). The independent grasping mechanism was used in 49.2% of patients. Conclusions Use of the MitraClip G4 system was associated with excellent reduction in MR to ≤2+ in 96.6% of patients at 30 days. The availability of multiple MitraClip G4 sizes, especially the wide clips, and the ability to independently grasp leaflets are the likely contributors to MR reduction.
Nonlinear harmonic imaging of solids

Nonlinear ultrasonics has been shown to be sensitive to small scale damage and microstructural changes in solids. However, measuring the nonlinearity parameter of a solid requires complex calibrations and point-by-point measurements using contact transducers. This poses a challenge when it comes to applying this technique for imaging. The present work explores the use of immersion based nonlinear ultrasonics to perform nonlinear harmonic imaging of solids. A solid sample immersed in liquid (water) will form a “3-layer” structures (water-solid-water) when two ultrasonics transducers are used in through transmission mode. This work will explore the analytical modeling of such a structure using the KZK equation to model the combined effect of attenuation and diffraction of the three layers. The objective of the modelling effort is to develop an inversion model to invert the acoustic nonlinearity parameter from experimental results. The nonlinear model was further validated using experimental measurements carried out on a Steel sample with localized damaged.
Population Changes in Seroprevalence among a Statewide Sample in the United States

Antibody surveillance provides essential information for public health officials to work with communities to discuss the spread and impact of COVID-19 in communities. At the state of the new severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic in the diagnostic testing was limited with many asymptomatic cases. Irrespective of symptom severity, antibodies develop within two to three weeks after disease onset and may persist 6 months or more, antibody surveillance is an important tool for tracking trends in past infections across diverse populations. This study includes adults and children recruited from a statewide sample of past 2014-2020 Survey of the Health of Wisconsin (SHOW) participants. SHOW, an ongoing population-based health examination study including a randomly selected sample of households, partnered with the Wisconsin Department of Health Services and the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene to conduct longitudinal antibody surveillance using the Abbott Architect SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibody test. WAVEs I and II of three planned WAVES were complete in mid-summer to late fall respectively, WAVE III is planned for early 2021. From WAVE I to WAVE II, crude estimates of seroprevalence in the total study population increased four to five-fold from 1.9% to 7.3%. Within the statewide probability sample, weighted estimates increased from an estimated 1.6% (95% CI:0.6-2.5%) seropositivity to 6.8% (95% CI:4.3-9.4%). Seroprevalence varied by health region in both waves, and significant disparities in smaller population groups were identified. Although there was no gender difference observed in WAVE I, seropositivity rates was higher in men 9.4% (95% CI:4.3, 14.3) compared to women 4.3% (2.7-5.3%) in WAVE II. This public health and academic partnership provides critical data for public health response to the pandemic and lays the foundation for future research into longer-term immunity, health impacts and population level disparities.
Clinical utility of sonographic features in indeterminate pediatric thyroid nodules.

Objective Surgical resection is recommended for cytologically indeterminate pediatric thyroid nodules due to their intermediate malignancy risk. We evaluated the utility of ultrasound characteristics for refining malignancy risk to inform the management of these nodules. Design Retrospective cohort study (2004-2019). Methods We analyzed consecutive thyroid nodules with indeterminate fine-needle aspiration cytology (Bethesda category III, IV, or V) in pediatric patients (<19 years). We assessed the association of demographic and sonographic characteristics with malignancy risk among all indeterminate nodules and within each Bethesda category. Results Eighty-seven cytologically indeterminate nodules were identified in 78 patients. Bethesda category was III in 56 nodules (64%), IV in 12 (14%), and V in 19 (22%). The malignancy rate was 46/87 (53%) overall, and 23/56 (41%), 8/12 (75%), and 15/19 (79%) in Bethesda III, IV, and V nodules, respectively. Malignancy rate was higher in solitary nodules (67% vs 37%, P = 0.004) and nodules with irregular margins (100% vs 44%, P < 0.001) or calcifications (82% vs 43%, P = 0.002). American College of Radiology Thyroid Imaging, Reporting and Data System (ACR TI-RADS) risk level TR5 was associated with a higher rate of malignancy than lower TI-RADS risk levels (80% vs 42%, P = 0.002). Within individual Bethesda categories, TI-RADS risk level was not associated with malignancy. No sonographic feature had a negative predictive value for malignancy greater than 80%. Conclusions In pediatric thyroid nodules with indeterminate cytology, some sonographic features - including higher ACR TI-RADS risk level - are associated with malignancy, but these associations are unlikely to alter clinical management in most cases.
Creating Pediatric Critical Care Simulationists: Development of an Advanced Resuscitation Simulation Curriculum

Background: Simulation-based education (SBE) has proven benefits within interprofessional teamwork training, procedural skills, and resuscitative care, which are all important for critical care physicians. In our institution SBE is now part of the culture of residency and fellowship training, especially in critical care units. Thus, there is a need for critical care physicians to develop and advance their …
Maternal postpartum depression: risk factors, impacts, and interventions for the NICU and beyond.

Purpose of review Postpartum depression (PPD) negatively impacts caregivers, infants, siblings, and entire families. Mothers with infants admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) face additional risk for PPD, coupled with risk factors extending beyond a NICU admision. The novelty of this review is the focus on maternal PPD for mothers with infants admitted to the NICU. Interventions aimed at limiting and preventing PPD in this population include: prenatal and postpartum depression screening, PPD symptom awareness and monitoring, and trauma-informed care. Recent findings PPD, the most frequent complication of childbirth, affects approximately 10-15% of mothers worldwide. Prevalence rates increase to 40% for mothers whose infant is admitted to the NICU. PPD can affect maternal and child health across the life course and predispose future generations to a myriad of developmental, psychosocial, and physical challenges. Prevalence rates are higher for racial and ethnic minorities, immigrant and refugee populations, and mothers in rural locations. Trauma-informed care is suggested at individual and organizational levels, leading to better care for those with and without previous trauma exposure. Summary Increasing PPD symptom awareness, screening for PPD, and connections with resources should begin during prenatal visits. Care teams should discuss barriers to resources for mothers, children, and families to improve access and support.
Analysis of Price Transparency for Oncologic Surgery Among National Cancer Institute-Designated Cancer Centers in 2020.

This cross-sectional analysis reviews hospital chargemasters for a range of cancer surgeries to determine hospitals’ legal compliance with disclosure requirements and the specific prices disclosed.
Quantifying the design-space tradeoffs in autonomous drones

With fully autonomous flight capabilities coupled with user-specific applications, drones, in particular quadcopter drones, are becoming prevalent solutions in myriad commercial and research contexts. However, autonomous drones must operate within constraints and design considerations that are quite different from any other compute-based agent. At any given time, a drone must arbitrate among its limited compute, energy, and electromechanical resources. Despite huge technological advances in this area, each of these problems has been approached in isolation and drone systems design-space tradeoffs are largely unknown. To address this knowledge gap, we formalize the fundamental drone subsystems and find how computations impact this design space. We present a design-space exploration of autonomous drone systems and quantify how we can provide productive solutions. As an example, we study widely used simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) on various platforms and demonstrate that optimizing SLAM on FPGA is more fruitful for the drones. Finally, to address the lack of publicly available experimental drones, we release our open-source drone that is customizable across the hardware-software stack.
On Bayesian Analysis of Parsimonious Gaussian Mixture Models

Cluster analysis is the task of grouping a set of objects in such a way that objects in the same cluster are similar to each other. It is widely used in many fields including machine learning, bioinformatics, and computer graphics. In all of these applications, the partition is an inference goal, along with the number of clusters and their distinguishing characteristics. Mixtures of factor analyzers is a special case of model-based clustering which assumes the variance of each cluster comes from a factor analysis model. It simplifies the Gaussian mixture model through parameter dimension reduction and conceptually represents the variables as coming from a lower dimensional subspace where the clusters are separate. In this paper, we introduce a new RJMCMC (reversible-jump Markov chain Monte Carlo) inferential procedure for the family of constrained MFA models. The three goals of inference here are the partition of the objects, estimation of the number of clusters, and identification and estimation of the covariance structure of the clusters; each therefore has posterior distributions. RJMCMC is the major sampling tool, which allows the dimension of the parameters to be estimated. We present simulations comparing the estimation of the clustering parameters and the partition between this inferential technique and previous methods. Finally, we illustrate these new methods with a dataset of DNA methylation measures for subjects with different brain tumor types. Our method uses four latent factors to correctly discover the five brain tumor types without assuming a constant variance structure and it classifies subjects with an excellent classification performance.
Space, place and nonplace in Pere Joan’s Passatger en trànsit (1984): forging the Iberian comic in post-dictatorial Barcelona

Building on growing interest in the development of the ninth art in Spain, this article returns to a foundational work by creator Pere Joan that encapsulates Barcelona’s role in forging the post-di...
Rupture of the Unscarred Gravid Uterus: Case Series

Rupture of the unscarred uterus is estimated to occur in approximately 0.8 in 10,000 deliveries. It is a potentially catastrophic event for both mother and fetus. We present two such cases and review the relevant literature. The first case concerns a multiparous patient who attended due to reduced fetal movements and subsequently incurred fetal demise, sepsis and significant hemorrhage. The second case concerns a patient in her second delivery who developed uterine rupture after a prolonged second stage of labor. We recommend that clinicians maintain a high index of suspicion for uterine rupture even in the absence of prior cesarean delivery. J Med Cases. 2015;6(7):330-332 doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.14740/jmc2203w
In situ Validation of the Source of Thin Layers Detected by NOAA Airborne Fish Lidar

Abstract : Our long term goal is to understand how physical-biological, biological-biological and chemical-biological interactions control the formation, maintenance and dissipation of thin layers of plankton and how the resulting thin layers impact in situ and remote sensing technologies of critical interest to the Navy. We are also interested in improving our ability not only to detect, characterize and map the temporal and spatial extent of thin layers, but also to improve our ability to predict their occurrence in a variety of ocean environments. Our short-term objective is to evaluate the relative importance of large non-spheroid phytoplankton and zooplankton in generating the thin optical backscattering layers detected by the NOAA airborne fish lidar in a variety of coastal and oceanic environments. We are particularly interested in determining the degree to which the cross polarization detector system (and other characteristics) of the airborne fish lidar make it sensitive to thin layers of large, non-spheroid phytoplankton and/or zooplankton, or other types of layered non-spheroid particulate material.
Studies on cytochrome c peroxidase. XV. Comparison of manganese porphyrin-containing cytochrome c peroxidase, horseradish peroxidase, and myoglobin.

Abstract Apoproteins of cytochrome c peroxidase, horseradish peroxidase, and sperm whale myoglobin were recombined with manganese complexes of proto-, hemato-, meso-, and deuteroporphyrins to form manganese porphyrin-protein complexes. These complexes were purified by column chromatography. All the manganese porphyrin-containing cytochrome c peroxidases were crystallized. Light absorption maxima of manganese porphyrins were shifted to longer wave lengths upon binding to these apoproteins. Light absorption maxima of manganese porphyrin-protein complexes and their derivatives were shifted to shorter wave lengths to the extent of 1 to 10 mµ in the order of proto-, hemato-, meso-, and deutero- derivatives. Manganese-porphyrins and their protein complexes exhibited no appreciable electron paramagnetic resonance absorption at -196°. Manganese porphyrin-containing peroxidases reacted with hydroperoxides to form peroxide compounds and catalyzed the peroxidatic oxidation of ferrocytochrome c, ferrocyanide, and ascorbate at reasonable rates. The peroxide compounds of manganese porphyrin-containing horseradish peroxidases were highly stable and appeared to be a manganese (IV) derivative. The peroxide compounds of manganese porphyrin-containing cytochrome c peroxidases were less stable and retained 2 oxidizing equivalents per mole of the enzyme. However, the chemical nature of the compound was not established. Manganese porphyrin-containing myoglobin neither formed peroxide compounds nor exhibited peroxidase activity under comparable conditions. These myoglobin derivatives and their dithionite-reduced compounds did not form complexes with oxygen and carbon monoxide.
Brown fat in the rat: adaptive changes in cold

1. Brown adipose tissue has been earlier shown in this laboratory to represent a highly vascularized thermogenic effector system which in response to cold supplies heat to cervical and thoracic neural and visceral elements. 2. In respect to rats, evidence is adduced to show that during cold exposure the hyperplastic development and rising QO2 of the brown adipose tissue coincides in point of time with the gradual disappearance of the shivering thermogenesis normally occurring during the first two or three weeks of exposure. 3. Factors which may limit the amount and hyperplastic rate of growth of the tissue are suggested.
Optimal Net Surface Problems with Applications

In this paper, we study an interesting geometric graph called multi-column graph in the d-D space (d ? 3), and formulate two combinatorial optimization problems called the optimal net surface problems on such graphs. Our formulations capture a number of important problems such as surface reconstruction with a given topology, medical image segmentation, and metric labeling. We prove that the optimal net surface problems on general d-D multicolumn graphs (d ? 3) are NP-hard. For two useful special cases of these d-D (d ? 3) optimal net surface problems (on the so-called proper ordered multi-column graphs) that often arise in applications, we present polynomial time algorithms. We further apply our algorithms to some surface reconstruction problems in 3-D and 4-D, and some medical image segmentation problems in 3-D and 4-D, obtaining polynomial time solutions for these problems. The previously best known algorithms for some of these applied problems, even for relatively simple cases, take at least exponential time. Our approaches for these applied problems can be extended to higher dimensions.
Global robust state-feedback for nonlinear systems via dynamic high-gain scaling

We propose state-feedback controller design methodologies using our recent results on uniform solvability of state-dependent matrix Lyapunov equations. The controller designs obtained do not involve recursive computations and have a simple form being essentially a linear feedback with state-dependent dynamic gains. Furthermore, the Lyapunov functions utilized in the designs are quadratic functions of the states. A static state- feedback controller using the weak cascading upper diagonal dominance (w-CUDD) concept is presented first. We then consider a dynamic state-feedback controller utilizing a dynamic high-gain scaling technique to obtain a controller under weaker assumptions. The designs obtained are applicable to a class of systems which is a generalization of the strict-feedback form as long as certain assumptions regarding relative magnitudes of terms that appear in the system dynamics are satisfied. The designed controllers provide global robust state-feedback asymptotic stabilization.
Measuring Executive Function Deficits Following Head Injury: An Application of SMS Simulation Technology

Neuropsychological tests have limited sensitivity in identifying subtle residual cognitive impairments in patients with good medical recovery from head injury and post-concussive syndrome. Detecting and characterizing residual ‘real life’ cognitive difficulties can be problematic for treatment purposes. This study investigated the usefulness of a well-standardized and validated cognitive simulation procedure that is based on complexity theory (The Strategic Management Simulation or SMS) for detecting such impairments. Twenty adults who had suffered moderate closed head injury (CHI) but now generated normal or close to normal neuropsychological test scores, yet continued to experience family, work, or other problems, were compared with matched controls. Comparisons of the patient and control group on simulation scores indicated no significant differences for single, well-structured task components or for information search activity. In contrast, the CHI sample was impaired on numerous tasks that require intermediate or complex cognitive efforts. The CHI sample generated significantly lower performance scores for strategic functioning, activity levels, information utilization, emergency responsiveness, planning, and breadth of decision-making. These findings suggest that SMS may provide a highly sensitive assessment tool for the assessment of subtle cognitive deficits after CHI.
The Ideology Behind Brown v. Board of Education: Political Parties and 'Jurisprudential Bundling'

Brown encompassed the start of a transformative period of political change, where the federal judiciary and Congress succeeded in dismantling Jim Crow. Yet, the question of why Brown occurred, when it did, continues to evade a fully satisfying answer despite all of the scholarly commentary devoted to it.This paper illuminates a set of ideological influences behind the Brown ruling that help explain why the Court took the direction that it did, when the opportunity to do so arose. My claim is that the result in Brown might be partly understood as emanating from certain core elements of American political party ideology. These four elements were: a) the acceptance of a "class political" ideal, or the belief that law and public policies should promote the interests of certain social groups; b) the acceptance of a non-southern orientation toward class politics; c) a commitment to federal governmental statism, or the use of federal governmental power to promote desirable social goals; and d) a principled acceptance of the Supreme Court fulfilling, at times, a "rationalizing" function with respect to established legal doctrines.These four ideas were core components of New Deal Democratic Party ideology that, I argue, provided a conceptual foundation for both the Brown decision in 1954 and the New Deal Democratic commitment to a form of economic liberalism in the 1930s. These four ideological elements thus allowed New Deal economic liberalism to be "jurisprudentially bundled" with racial liberalism among the Brown Court members. After laying out these four ideological elements, I discuss several significant implications that stem from illuminating the links between these two historical periods. The most important implication is my proposal of "jurisprudential bundling" as a general theory of judicial behavior and constitutional development. The paper concludes by suggesting, more broadly, how ideas are capable of exerting autonomous influence upon the development of constitutional doctrine.
$L^p$ bounds for a central limit theorem with involutions

Let $E=((e_{ij}))_{n\times n}$ be a fixed array of real numbers such that $e_{ij}=e_{ji}, e_{ii}=0$ for $1\le i,j \le n$. Let the permutation group be denoted by $S_n$ and the collection of involutions with no fixed points by $\Pi_n$, that is, $\Pi_n=\{\pi\in S_n: \pi^2= id, \pi(i)\neq i\,\forall i\}$ with id denoting the identity permutation. For $\pi$ uniformly chosen from $\Pi_n$, let $Y_E=\sum_{i=1}^n e_{i\pi(i)}$ and $W=(Y_E-\mu_E)/\sigma_E$ where $\mu_E=E(Y_E)$ and $\sigma_E^2= Var(Y_E)$. Denoting by $F_W$ and $\Phi$ the distribution functions of $W$ and a $\mathcal{N}(0,1)$ variate respectively, we bound $||F_W-\Phi||_p$ for $ 1\le p\le \infty$ using Stein's method and the zero bias transformation. Optimal Berry-Esseen or $L^\infty$ bounds for the classical problem where $\pi$ is chosen uniformly from $S_n$ were obtained by Bolthausen using Stein's method. Although in our case $\pi \in \Pi_n$ uniformly, the $L^p$ bounds we obtain are of similar form as Bolthausen's bound which holds for $p=\infty$. The difficulty in extending Bolthausen's method from $S_n$ to $\Pi_n$ arising due to the involution restriction is tackled by the use of zero bias transformations.
Diagnostic Procedures and Instruments Used in the Assessment and Treatment of Speech

An articulation test is a paper and pencil test used by speech-language pathologists to systematically evaluate the formation and production of the sounds of speech in different contexts in words and sentences. It is used to record the sounds that are produced correctly as well as the errors in speech including omissions, distortions, and substitutions of normal or compensatory sound errors. Systematic evaluation of the articulation of speech is helpful in ensuring complete and consistent analysis of the problems so that effective and efficient treatment can be planned.
Functionality of optical field transformation in irregular waveguide structures

Summary form only given. Periodic optical elements such as photonic bandgap structures have been widely explored. While these structures perform effectively in some applications, the limited degrees of freedom can dictate their size. We adopt the concept of irregular structures, which have been shown to provide better performance and functionality than periodic structures, with significantly reduced size. We demonstrate both optical mode converter and mode-selective optical cavity structures that can be fabricated using standard semiconductor processing techniques. Frequency-dependent mode conversion illustrates the prospect for wavelength division multiplexing elements and laser cavity mode control. The mode converter function can lead to optimal power splitters. The general concept of our irregular waveguide structure is depicted where the variable width sections provide for field transformation. We treated the discrete waveguide widths as optimization variables in a cost function involving the input field and the desired output field. A multi-resolution strategy was used to arrive at particular designs, where solutions with coarse steps in waveguide width with a small number of sections were refined to smaller steps in width and a larger number of sections during the iterative process. We have demonstrated the functionality achievable with optimized, irregular optical field transformation components. The compact design geometries we have obtained are within the resolution limits of electron beam lithography, and could be fabricated on a semiconductor wafer with current technology.
Avian Amyloidosis II. Incidence and Contributing Factors in the Family Anatidae

The incidence and contributing factors relating to amyloidosis in the family Anatidae were analysed by genus and species. There is a striking segregation of susceptibility by species, with exotic, poorly adapted or excessively aggressive birds being the most susceptible, and indigenous, well adapted non-aggressive or domestic types least susceptible. Other associations, such as chronic disease, are inconstant. Classifications such as primary and secondary amyloidosis do not apply to avian amyloidosis.
A brief history of LIMS

Abstract The final programs of the Pittsburgh Conference and Exposition on Analytical Chemistry and Applied Spectroscopy are reviewed to trace the origins of laboratory information management systems (LIMS) both as a topic in the technical program and as a product available in the exposition. The development of the literature of LIMS is examined, from the early articles in the trade press, through the key papers in the ‘A’ pages of Analytical Chemistry , to the peer-reviewed journal published by Elsevier. the concurrent publication of books on LIMS is described. The origins and growth of the International LIMS Conferences and the LIMS Institute are described. The LIMS activities of the ASTM, the currently available short courses, and the most recent newsletter activities are summarized.
Water Flux Coupled to Active Solute Transport Across Amphibian Epidermis

We examine the water flux across amphibian skin driven by both the osmotic gradient and the active transport. Amphibian skin is modeled as a well-stirred compartment bounded by a mucosal barrier and a serosal barrier. The compartment represents the lateral intercellular space between cells in the stratum granulosum. The mucosal barrier is comprised of a cell barrier and a tight junctional barrier. The cell barrier is hypothesized to have the ability to actively transport solute (Na-K-ATPase) and the solute flux is assumed to satisfy the Machaelis-Menton relationship. Our model shows that: 1) there is a substantial water flux coupled to the active solute flux and this coupled water flux is nearly constant when the osmolality of the apical bathing solution is greater than 100 mOsm despite its variation; 2) the predicted rehydration rates from apical bathing solutions are in good agreement with the experiment results in Hillyard and Larsen [2]; 3) the molar ratio of the actively transported solute flux to the coupled water flux is 1:165, which is almost the same as that reported in Nielsen [5].Copyright © 2003 by ASME
Attributing mental states to story characters: A comparison of narratives produced by autistic and mentally retarded individuals

This study investigated narrative abilities and their relation to theory of mind in autistic and mentally retarded subjects, who were matched for their linguistic competence on standardized measures of comprehension and production. We asked 27 autistic, 27 mentally retarded, and 17 normal subjects (whose age range matched the verbal mental age ranges of the developmentally disordered groups) to tell the story from a wordless picture book. Following their spontaneous narratives, a set of probe questions was asked about the story characters' feeling states. The autistic and mentally retarded subjects were also given a standard test of false belief. The main findings were that, when closely matched on language ability, no significant group differences were found on measures of narrative length, use of lexical cohesion devices, and mental state terms. On the probed questions, the autistic and mentally retarded subjects gave fewer appropriate emotion responses than the normal subjects, and the autistic subjects had difficulty explaining the emotional states correctly. For the autistic sample, the narrative measures were significantly correlated with performance on the theory of mind task. The findings are interpreted in terms of the contributions of both linguistic and social–cognitive factors in narrative ability.
Lack of cold sensitivity in hyperkalemic periodic paralysis

The nosologic distinction between paramyotonia congenita and hyperkalemic periodic paralysis is somewhat blurred. Muscle membrane inexcitability induced by cooling seems to be characteristic of paramyotonia congenita. The effect of cooling on the maximal compound muscle action potential (CMAP) in patients with paramyotonia congenita was compared to that in patients with hyperkalemic periodic paralysis. Diminution in CMAP amplitude and area, which was observed in paramyotonia congenita, did not occur in hyperkalemic periodic paralysis. We suggest that this effect of cooling on the CMAP can be utilized in the differentiation of these two syndromes.
Causes of kidney allograft loss in a large pediatric population at a single center

At our institution, 521 kidney transplants were performed in 429 children (mean age 8.7 +/- 5.6-years) between 1969 and 1991. Of these transplants, 408 were primary, 113 were retransplants, 347 were living related, 171 were cadaver, and 3 were living nonrelated. Immunosuppression consisted of prednisone, azathioprine, and Minnesota antilymphocyte globulin (non-CSA) in 339 patients, total lymphoid irradiation in 8, and, more recently, cyclosporine (CSA) in addition in 168 patients. Average follow-up was 8.8 +/- 6.0 years. Actuarial graft survival in the non-CSA versus CSA groups at 1 year was 77.0% versus 85.7%; at 5 years, 59.6% versus 71.9%. Of 136 non-CSA patients, causes of graft loss at 5 years included: chronic rejection in 55 (40.4%), acute rejection in 27 (19.9%), recurrent disease in 16 (11.8%), technical complications in 8 (5.9%), infectious complications in 4 (2.9%), other causes in 5 (3.7%), and death with a functioning graft in 21 (15.4%). Of 40 CSA patients, causes of graft loss at 5 years included: chronic rejection in 16 (40.0%), acute rejection in 8 (20.0%), recurrent disease in 6 (15.0%), technical complications in 3 (7.5%), other causes in 2 (5.0%), and death with a functioning graft in 5 (12.5%). The causes of graft loss did not significantly differ in the non-CSA and CSA groups. Chronic rejection was the most common cause of graft loss in both groups. Research focusing on chronic rejection is needed to improve graft outcome in pediatric kidney transplantation.