cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Positive Emotions Broaden and Build

Abstract This contribution offers a review, comprehensive to date, of a 15-year research program on the broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions. Although centered on evidence that has emerged from Fredrickson's Positive Emotions and Psychophysiology Laboratory (PEP Lab), it features key findings from other laboratories as well. It begins with a description of 10 representative positive emotions, alongside approaches for assessing them, both directly with the modified Differential Emotions Scale and indirectly through physiological and implicit measures. Next, it offers the seeds of the broaden-and-build theory, including work on the undo effect of positive emotions. It then reviews the state of the evidence for the twin hypotheses that stem from the broaden-and-build theory, the broaden hypothesis and the build hypothesis, including a focus on upward spiral dynamics. It touches next on new frontiers for the theory, including deeper investigations into the biological resources that positive emotions build as well as clinical and organizational applications. Finally, this contribution closes with a brief presentation of two offshoots from the broaden-and-build theory, namely, the upward spiral model of lifestyle change and work on love as positivity resonance between and among people. Both are targets of increasing work in the PEP Lab.
Atomistic survey of grain boundary-dislocation interactions in FCC nickel

Abstract It is well known that grain boundaries (GBs) have a strong influence on mechanical properties of polycrystalline materials. Not as well-known is how different GBs interact with dislocations to influence dislocation movement. This work presents a molecular dynamics study of 33 different FCC Ni bicrystals, each subjected to four different loading conditions to induce incident dislocation-GB interactions in 132 unique configurations. The resulting simulations produce 189 dislocation-GB interactions. Each interaction is analyzed to determine properties that affect the likelihood of transmission, reflection, or absorption of the dislocation at the GB of interest. The results confirm the ability to predict the slip system of a transmitted dislocation using common geometric criteria. Furthermore, machine learning reveals that geometric properties, such as the minimum residual Burgers vector (RBV) and the disorientation angle between the two grains, are strong indicators of whether or not a dislocation will transmit through a GB.
The Laboratorization of Schools: Laboratory Metaphors in Twenty-first Century US Education

In twenty-first century US education, laboratory metaphors are used to frame school governance and classroom practices. To explore how non-laboratory and non-traditional laboratory settings are fra...
Primary ureteral lymphoma presenting as bilateral obstructive uropathy

Primary ureteral lymphomas are rare. We present a case of extranodal B-cell lymphoma of the ureter presenting as asymptomatic bilateral ureteral obstruction. A 34-year-old male was incidentally found to have obstructive uropathy. Imaging showed severe bilateral hydronephrosis and percutaneous nephroureteral stents were placed. Diagnostic work up did not uncover any apparent etiology to the obstruction. Histopathological analysis of the ureter excised during ureteral reimplantation revealed CD20+, CD5-, CD10- B-cell lymphoma with areas of aggressive disease. The patient received six cycles of R-CHOP chemotherapy and is currently disease free.
Presynaptic Homeostatic Plasticity Staves off Neurodegenerative Pathophysiology up to a Tipping Point.

In this issue of Neuron, Orr et al. (2020) identify an evolutionarily conserved mechanism of presynaptic homeostatic plasticity induced by ALS-like motor neuron degeneration, which maintains excitatory potentials until a threshold of synaptic loss is reached. Past this tipping point, disease onset progresses rapidly.
Superlative use within news articles relating to therapies for multiple sclerosis.

Abstract Background Superlatives are exaggerative terms that may not accurately portray a treatment's effectiveness, safety, or availability. Objectives The objective of this study was to evaluate the use of superlatives in news articles describing multiple sclerosis treatments. Methods We searched Google News for 11 prespecified superlative terms describing multiple sclerosis therapies in online news articles. Results We found that news articles commonly describe non-FDA approved multiple sclerosis therapies with superlative terms without providing clinical evidence or attribution. Additionally, no articles were published on a HONcode certified webpage. Conclusion It is important that healthcare professionals are aware of medical misinformation presented to the public.
Blockchain: A Review from The Perspective of Operations Researchers

Blockchain is a distributed, append-only digital ledger (database). The technology has caught much attention since the emergence of cryptocurrency, and there is an increasing number of blockchain applications in a wide variety of businesses. The concept, however, is still novel to many members of the simulation and operations research community. In this tutorial, we introduce the blockchain technology and review its frontier operations-and-data-related research. There are exciting opportunities for researchers in simulation, system analysis, and data science.
Vertical Mergers and Bargaining Models: Simultaneous Versus Sequential Pricing

We consider an upstream firm U that supplies a key input to two symmetric downstream firms, A and B, that sell differentiated products. U negotiates bilaterally with A and B over a linear input price, and A and B set output prices. We assume Nash-in-Nash bargaining for input prices, and Bertrand competition for output prices. We compare two models. The simultaneous pricing model assumes that each price is determined holding all other prices constant (e.g., Crawford et al., 2018). The sequential pricing model assumes that input prices are determined first, and then output prices are determined given the input prices (e.g., Rey and Verge, 2019). We compare the equilibria of the two models as well as their predictions for the effects of a vertical merger of U and A. For simplicity, we assume linear demand and no production costs. We show that input prices are lower, and hence the double marginalization problem is smaller, in the sequential pricing model than in the simultaneous pricing model. In both models, a merger of U and A leads to an input price increase to B (raising rival's cost) but the price increase is small in the simultaneous pricing model, while it can be very substantial in the sequential pricing model. We also show that, in the simultaneous pricing model, the merger leads to an output price reduction for both A and B, while in the sequential pricing model it leads to an increase in the output price of B (and also in the output price of A if the two products are relatively close substitutes). We then show that the bargaining model with simultaneous pricing actually produces merger effects that are similar to the effects obtained using a sequential pricing model without bargaining where U sets input prices by making take-it-or-leave-it offers to A and B.
Uptake and Predictors of Opportunistic Salpingectomy for Ovarian Cancer Risk Reduction in the United States.

Evidence suggesting that high-grade serous ovarian cancers originate in the fallopian tubes has led to the emergence of opportunistic salpingectomy (OS) as an approach to reduce ovarian-cancer risk. In the U.S., some national societies now recommend OS in place of tubal ligation for sterilization or during a benign hysterectomy in average-risk women. However, limited data exist on the dissemination of OS in clinical practice. We examined the uptake and predictors of OS in a nationwide sample of inpatient and outpatient claims (N = 48,231,235) from 2010 to 2017. Incidence rates of OS were calculated, and an interrupted time-series analysis was used to quantify changes in rates before (2010–2013) and after (2015–2017) national guideline release. Predictors of OS use were examined using Poisson regression. From 2010 to 2017, the age-adjusted incidence rate of OS for sterilization and OS during hysterectomy increased 17.8-fold [95% confidence interval (CI), 16.2–19.5] and 7.6-fold (95% CI, 5.5–10.4), respectively. The rapid increase (age-adjusted increase in quarterly rates of between 109% and 250%) coincided with the time of national guideline release. In multivariable-adjusted analyses, OS use was more common in young women and varied significantly by geographic region, rurality, family history/genetic susceptibility, surgical indication, inpatient/outpatient setting, and underlying comorbidities. Similar differences in OS uptake were noted in analyses limited to women with a family history/genetic susceptibility to breast/ovarian cancer. Our results highlight significant differences in OS uptake in both high- and average-risk women. Defining subsets of women who would benefit most from OS and identifying barriers to equitable OS uptake is needed. Prevention Relevance: Opportunistic salpingectomy for ovarian-cancer risk reduction has been rapidly adopted in the U.S., with significant variation in uptake by demographic and clinical factors. Studies examining barriers to opportunistic salpingectomy access and the long-term effectiveness and potential adverse effects of opportunistic salpingectomy are needed.
Pollen gene expression: molecular evidence.

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the current advances with respect to the genes expressed in pollen that have been isolated, the identification of these genes with respect to function, and the makeup of promoters that direct the pollen-specific expression of the genes under their regulation. Transcription of genes occurs from the haploid genome following meiosis of microsporocytes and during the subsequent differentiation of the microspores into mature male gametophytes. A large number of different genes are transcribed during postmeiosis microspore and pollen development. Several cDNA clones corresponding to genes expressed in the developing male gametophyte are isolated, sequenced, and a few tentatively identified on the basis of function. The pollen-specific cDNA clone from maize, Zm13 , is a full-length copy of the mRNA, which is 929 nucleotides long. Zm13 codes for a predicted polypeptide of 170 amino acid residues with a molecular mass of 18.3 kDa. The hydropathy profile of the polypeptide suggests a possible signal sequence at the amino terminus.
Bulk Metallic Glass: A Superior Erosion and Cavitation Resistant Material

We report on the slurry erosion and cavitation behavior of a zirconium based bulk metallic glass (BMG), Zr44Ti11Cu10Ni10Be25. Slurry erosion and cavitation tests were carried out using a non-circulating type test rig at different impingement angles. For comparative analysis, commonly used hydroturbine steel, CA6NM (13Cr4Ni), was also evaluated under similar test conditions. For low impingement angles, BMG demonstrated nearly 3 times higher erosion resistance compared to CA6NM. However, under normal impingement condition, BMG showed marginally better erosion performance. The cavitation resistance for BMG was four times higher compared to hydroturbine steel. The unusually high erosion resistance for BMG is attributed to its uniform amorphous structure with no grain boundaries, higher hardness, and ability to accommodate strain through localized shear bands.
Finsler tractography for white matter connectivity analysis of the cingulum bundle

In this paper, we present a novel approach for the segmentation of white matter tracts based on Finsler active contours. This technique provides an optimal measure of connectivity, explicitly segments the connecting fiber bundle, and is equipped with a metric which is able to utilize the directional information of high angular resolution data. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the algorithm for segmenting the cingulum bundle.
Automatic initialization and dynamic tracking of surgical suture threads

In order to realize many of the potential benefits associated with robotically assisted minimally invasive surgery, the robot must be more than a remote controlled device. Currently using a surgical robot can be challenging, fatiguing, and time consuming. Teaching the robot to actively assist surgical tasks, such as suturing, has the potential to vastly improve both patient outlook and the surgeon's efficiency. One obstacle to completing surgical sutures autonomously is the difficulty in tracking surgical suture threads. This paper proposes an algorithm which uses a Non-Uniform Rational B-Spline (NURBS) curve to model a suture thread. The NURBS model is initialized from a single selected point located on the thread. The NURBS curve is optimized by minimizing the image match energy between the projected stereo NURBS image and the segmented thread image. The algorithm is able to accurately track a suture thread as it translates, deforms, and changes length in real-time.
Veterans Homelessness Prevention Demonstration Evaluation: Interim Report

This interim evaluation report describes the first year of the Veterans Homelessness Prevention Demonstration (VHPD). Funded in FY2009, the VHPD is a joint effort of the U.S. Departments of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Veterans Affairs (VA), and Labor (DOL) to provide homelessness prevention and rapid rehousing to veterans, especially those returning from conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq. The VHPD has five sites, with each associated with a military base and a Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC). The sites are in Utica, NY; Tampa Bay, FL; Tacoma, WA; San Diego, CA; and Austin, Texas. It is the first attempt to investigate homelessness prevention and rapid rehousing services for veterans and their families.Prevention and rapid rehousing are necessary components in any plan to end homelessness. Veterans are at greater risk of homelessness than comparable non-veterans, with veterans of recent conflicts possibly at higher risk than veterans of earlier conflicts. Further, compared to earlier generations of veterans, service members returning from post­-9/11 conflicts include more women, parents, and members of the National Guard and Reserve units. Because of this, Congress intended that the VHPD evaluation investigate ways to reach and serve veterans at risk of homelessness among these subgroups.
IMAGES OF POWER: AN ANALYSIS OF THE MILITARIZATION OF POLICE UNIFORMS AND MESSAGES OF SERVICE

This paper examines the symbolic order of the American policing system. By symbolic order we refer to the various codes of communication between police and community members that reinforce "boundaries" in social relations. In the paper we argue that the militaristic symbolic vessels "worn" by the police reflect the institution's perceptions of worth and value regarding the public. Furthermore, we contend that these symbolic forms identify and perpetuate power inequalities and serve as mechanisms of social control. We conclude the paper with specific recommendations on how police may openly foster and communicate messages of service to community members.
Bicultural conflicts in Chinese immigrant children.

To study the adjustment experience of Chinese immigrant children to the US research was undertaken with a grant from the Administration for Children Youth and Family Department of Health Education and Welfare from 1976 to 1979. The study shows how the social institutions of the family school and community deal with the problems encountered and how they provide or fail to provide support for the immigrant children and youths in their transition process; this paper deals with the bicultural conflict of the immigrant experience. Some of the conflicts studied include: 1) agressiveness; 2) sexuality--a difference in attitudes and customs; 3) sports--the traditional Chinese way of thinking is that development of the mental faculties is more important than development of the physique; 4) tattling--the Chinese feel duty bound to report wrongdoing; 5) demonstration of affection--a lack of demonstrative affection extends to spouses and friends; 6) education--the bright student is not always the one who is respected and looked up to in American schools; 7) thrift--the conflict between the consumption of material possessions and the Chinese tradition of frugal success; 8) dependency; 9) respect for authority; 10) heroes and heroines; and 11) individualism--the Chinese are situation-centered not individual-centered. For Chinese immigrant children who live in New Yorks Chinatown or in the satellite Chinatowns these conflicts are moderated to a large degree because there are other Chinese children around to mitigate the dilemmas that they encounter. Even so teachers and parents should be made aware of these conflicts to avoid exacerbating the differences and to inculcate in both the Chinese and the non-Chinese a health respect for cultural differences.
Tri-Module and Controller for wheelchair

The Tri-Module and Controller is an Electronic Door Opener, a Backpack Retriever, and an Electronic Tray Placer. The door opener relies on microcontrollers to organize inputs from three sources, the Backpack Retriever uses a pivoting arm to bring a backpack into easy reach, and the Tray Placer is a device that locates a tray in front of the user in a position wherein it is most convenient.
The Mutability of Public Reason

Rawls's “public reason” has not been without its critics. One criticism is that public reason is “conservative.” Public reason must rely on those beliefs that are “widely shared” among citizens. But if public reason relies on widely shared beliefs, how can it change without departing from those beliefs, thus violating public reason? In part one of my essay, I introduce the conservatism objection and describe two unsatisfactory responses to it. Part two argues that there are aspects of public reason which diminish the force of the conservatism objection: first, that public reason is historical, and second, that it is mutable.
Statistical Issues in Translational Cancer Research

The explosion of knowledge about the basic biological processes and the genetics of cancer has led to increasing optimism that this knowledge can be put to practical clinical use in the near future. Indeed, important examples of translational approaches can already be found in the areas of drug discovery and development, disease diagnosis and classification, selection of therapeutic regimens for individual patients, and designing clinical trials. These are important developments but, as with any new approach, there is a danger of unwarranted enthusiasm and premature clinical application of laboratory results based on insufficient evidence. To carry out the translation of knowledge into practice with maximal efficiency and effectiveness, it is essential to conduct studies with appropriate designs and analyses based on sound statistical principles. This article provides an overview of some of these principles applied to assay development, validation of predictive models, and the design of clinical trials for targeted therapies.
Model-Free Drug-Likeness from Fragments

We developed a drug-likeness filter (DLF), starting from molecular fragments and molecular weight (MW), a key property relevant in drug design. The molecular fragments were selected from extended connectivity atom environments based on their occurrence ratio in our collection of drugs and “nondrugs”. The DLF recalls 87.05% of compounds from DRUGS (N = 3823) and 40.25% of compounds from the Available Chemicals Directory, (ACD, N = 178 0 11), using molecular fragments only. By adding MW (under 600) as an additional filter, 78.81% of DRUGS and 40.17% of ACD are recalled. The DLF procedure was externally validated using the MDL Drug Data Report (MDDR) data set (N = 169 277): 78.45% of compounds were recalled using the molecular fragments only, while 65.64% pass the DLF-MW filter. Over 50% of a pesticides collection (N = 1482) passed the DLF, as these chemicals share molecular fragments with known drugs. Developed as a model-free filter, DLF is perhaps less useful in discriminating drugs from nondrugs but more...
Accurate downdating of a modified Gram-Schmidt QR decomposition

A new algorithm for downdating a QR decomposition is presented. We show that, when the columns in the Q factor from the Modified Gram-Schmidt QR decomposition of a matrixX are exactly orthonormal, the Gram-Schmidt downdating algorithm for the QR decomposition ofX is equivalent to downdating the full Householder QR decomposition of the matrixX augmented by ann ×n zero matrix on top. Using this relation, we derive an algorithm that improves the Gram-Schmidt downdating algorithm when the columns in the Q factor are not orthonormal. Numerical test results show that the new algorithm produces far more accurate results than the Gram-Schmidt downdating algorithm for certain ill-conditioned problems.
The Middle Passages of Nancy Prince and Harriet Jacobs 1

Most people think about the Middle Passage in terms of its historical dimensions. Approximately 9.5 million Africans made the crossing from Africa to the Americas during the international slave tra...
On Estimating the Number of Vital Events in Demographic Surveys

Abstract An examination is made of the effectiveness of the Chandrasekar-Deming technique for estimating the number of vital events using both the registration (continuous recording) of events and a periodic retrospective survey. It is shown that, under a general model for response errors, the technique may produce estimates that are considerably biased downwards. A comparison is made with a number of other estimators. The possibility of improving results through double sampling is explored.
Determinants of the probability and timing of commercial casino legalization in the United States

The adoption of lotteries by state governments has received significant attention in the economics literature, but the issue of casino adoption has been neglected by researchers. Casino gambling is a relatively new industry in the United States, outside Nevada and New Jersey. As of 2007, 11 states had established commercial casinos; several more states are considering legalization. We analyze the factors that determine a state’s decision to legalize commercial casinos, using data from 1985 to 2000, a period which covers the majority of states that have adopted commercial casinos. We use a tobit model to examine states’ fiscal conditions, political alignments, intrastate and interstate competitive environments, and demographic characteristics, which yields information on the probability and timing of adoptions. The results suggest a public choice explanation that casino legalization is due to state fiscal stress, to efforts to keep gambling revenues (and the concomitant gambling taxes) within the state, and to attract tourism or “export taxes.”
Confronting the Sorry State of U.S. Health

In January 2013, the U.S. National Research Council (NRC) and Institute of Medicine (IOM) issued U.S. Health in International Perspective: Shorter Lives, Poorer Health , a stunning depiction of how, over the past four decades, the comparative health status of Americans has declined ( 1 ). The report applied a term, commonly used to describe the relative deprivation of social groups, to the nation as a whole: the “U.S. health disadvantage.” How can this be explained and what is to be done?
A New Hazard in Closed Environmental Atmospheres

Abstract : An evaluation was made of a completely integrated life support system in an experiment which involved maintaining five men for 30 days in a hermetically sealed environmental chamber. Undesirable contaminants developed in the chamber and persisted in spite of the contaminant control system. The atmosphere acquired an odor which became increasingly disagreeable. The crew developed anorexia, became nauseated, suffered severe vomiting, and developed headaches and odd facial sensations. Later analysis of the chamber atmosphere identified 23 volatile compounds. Among these were monochloroacetylene and dichloroacetylene. The latter compound is known to produce symptoms identical to those experienced by the chamber crew. Dichloroacetylene has since been found at low concentration in a submarine atmosphere also. A few chlorinated hydrocarbons customarily have been tolerated in most closed environmental atmospheres because of their general usefulness and relatively low toxicity. Such was the case in both these instances. The toxicant was produced through the action of an improperly operating element of the environmental control system on one of these compounds.
633 VALUE OF LIVER BIOPSIES IN THE DIAGNOSIS OF OPPORTUNISTIC INFECTION IN CHILDREN WITH AIDS

Liver biopsies were obtained from 9 AIDS patients with fever of unknown etiology and hepatomegaly. All patients had prenatal or early neonatal acquisition of AIDS. All were HBsAg, anti-S and IgM-anti-HAV negative, although several mothers had evidence of hepatitis B infection. The age at time of biopsy was two mo. to six years, with a mean age of two years eight months. M.avium/intercellulare (MAI) was identified histologically in four patients' liver while bone marrow aspirates revealed organisms in only one. Bone marrow culture subsequently confirmed the diagnosis of MAI in all four. Reactive changes in liver varied from the presence of isolated macrophages in sinusoids and portal tracts to aggregates forming ill-defined granulomas devoid of multinucleated cells or lymphocytes. Ziehl-Nielsen stain was necessary to identify organisms in the biopsies showing minimal tissue reaction. Distinction between M. tuberculosis and MAI was based on the abundant MAI within a given cell, their long filamentous shape and PAS affinity. No HBsAg was identified by Orcein staining. Conclusions: Unlike adults with AIDS, these children had no evidence of hepatitis A or B infection. FUO and hepatomegaly in children with AIDS was often associated with atypical mycobacterial infection. Percutaneous liver biopsy is a rapid way to diagnose MAI, but requires use of an acid fast stain as a routine.
A Tactile Sensing Finger Tip for a Dextrous Hand

A tactile sensor was designed into the finger tips of a multifinger dextrous hand. The sensor features complete coverage of the cylindrical and hemispherical end portions of the finger. An 8X8 array is used based on standard capacitive sensing techniques. An analysis of appropriate sensor depth has been used to allow accurate localization of contacts, and reduced spatial aliasing. A comparison has been done between the cylindrical sensor and a simple two dimensional stress strain model. The effect of skin thickness and sensor depth on sensitivity are analyzed. Preliminary methods for deter-mining contact locatiot, total force, and tangential force with just normal deflection sensors have been implemented.
Analytical and Numerical Study of the Mechanics of Rockbolt Reinforcement around Tunnels in Rock Masses

This paper addresses the problem of quantifying the mechanical contribution of rockbolts installed systematically around tunnels excavated in rock masses. The mechanical contribution referred to here is that of increased stress confinement and decreased tunnel convergences as compared with corresponding stresses and displacements obtained for non-reinforced tunnels. The problem is treated analytically first by presenting a closed-form solution for stress and displacement distributions around a circular tunnel excavated in elastic material and reinforced by grouted or anchored rockbolts. The analytical solution assumes that rockbolts are regularly spaced around the tunnel and that axi-symmetry conditions of geometry and loading apply. The results obtained with the closed-form solution are shown to be equivalent to the results of the same problem solved with traditional numerical methods. Based on the analytical and numerical results and by introducing dimensionless ratios that allow to quantify the increase of radial stresses and the decrease of radial displacements in the reinforced region of the tunnel, the paper shows that reinforcement can have a significant mechanical effect (i.e., increasing the confinement and decreasing the convergences) in tunnels excavated in rock masses of poor to very poor quality. The paper analyzes then the mechanical contribution of rockbolt reinforcement when the rock mass is assumed to behave elasto-plastically. For this case, it is shown that rockbolt reinforcement can also have a critical effect in controlling the extent of the plastic failure zone and the convergences of the tunnel.
Experimental and theoretical study of molecular, continuum, and lineradiation from planetary atmospheres.

Molecular, continuum and line radiation of planetary atmospheres, comparing molecular band structure models with spectral measurements of CN VIOLET band
Infrared Spectroscopy of Matrix-Isolated Polycyclic Aromatic Compounds and Their Ions: 6; Polycyclic Aromatic Nitrogen Heterocycles

The matrix-isolation technique has been employed to measure the mid-infrared spectra of several polycyclic aromatic nitrogen heterocycles in both neutral and cationic forms. The species studied include: 7,8-benzoquinoline (C13H9N), 2-azapyrene (C15H9N), 1- and 2- azabenz[a]anthracene (C17H11N), and 1-, 2-, and 4-azachrysene (also C17H11N). The experimentally measured band frequencies and intensities for each molecule are tabulated and compared with their calculated values computed using density functional theory at the B3LYP/4-31G level. The overall agreement between experiment and theory is good, in keeping with previous investigations involving the parent aromatic hydrocarbons. Several interesting spectroscopic trends are found to accompany nitrogen substitution into the aromatic framework of these compounds. For the neutral species, the nitrogen atom produces a significant increase in the total integrated infrared intensity across the 1600−1100 cm-1 region and plays an essential role in the molecular ...
Evaluation of an alternative supplemental testing strategy for HIV diagnosis by retrospective analysis of clinical HIV testing data.

Abstract Background Because newer screening assays are more sensitive than traditional confirmatory assays, a new HIV testing algorithm was proposed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) in 2010 to replace the current enzyme immunoassay (EIA)–Western blot (WB) algorithm that was established in 1989. The new algorithm includes a sensitive screening EIA and a HIV-1/HIV-2 differentiation immunoassay (Multispot) for confirmation. Concordant reactive specimens are reported as HIV-1 and/or HIV-2 positive; those with discordant results receive nucleic acid testing (NAT). Objective Our laboratory uses all components of both the current and proposed algorithms and conducted a retrospective analysis of test results to compare algorithm performance. Study design All available test results from 38,257 specimens were analyzed, of which 36,598 were EIA non-reactive. Of 1659 EIA-reactive specimens, 1578 were defined by our laboratory as HIV-1 positive, 5 as HIV-2 positive, 69 as negative and 7 as unknown. These results were used to evaluate both algorithms. Results Under the proposed algorithm, all 1578 HIV-1-positive specimens would be reported as ‘HIV-1 positive’, whereas the current algorithm only confirmed 98% (1546/1578). The proposed algorithm produced fewer inconclusive results (9 vs 48); consequently, fewer follow-up specimens would be needed. The current algorithm produced one false-positive result whereas the proposed algorithm produced four. Two of these four false-positive results could be eliminated by requiring NAT for specimens with discordant HIV-1 results on the Multispot. Although both algorithms identified all HIV-2-positive specimens, the current algorithm required an additional 112 tests. Conclusion The CDC/APHL HIV testing algorithm, proposed in 2010, outperformed the current algorithm because it was more sensitive for detecting HIV-1 infection, provided a greater number of definitive HIV results, and detected HIV-2 more efficiently.
Selective additive effect of phenylephrine to the inotropic action of isoproterenol on rabbit left atria.

The chronotropic and inotropic effects of isoproterenol, adrenaline and phenylephrine were examined in isolated right and left rabbit atria. 1. Spontaneous right atrial rate (RAR) and left atrial contractile force (LACF) (electrically stimulated at 2 Hz) were monitored during separate concentration-response curves to all 3 agonists. The order of potency for both parameters was isoproterenol > adrenaline > phenylephrine. 2. At maximum agonist effect, adrenaline produced the greatest LACF increase, followed in order by isoproterenol and phenylephrine. 3. When phenylephrine (6.0×10−5 M) was added to the left atria maximally stimulated with isoproterenol, an additional 32% increase in LACF was recorded, but an additive effect was not noted when phenylephrine was added to atria maximally stimulated with adrenaline. The LACF achieved by a combination of isoproterenol and phenylephrine approximated the maximum LACF induced by adrenaline alone. 4. At maximum agonist effect, isoproterenol and adrenaline produced a greater RAR increase than phenylephrine. Further, phenylephrine did not increase the maximum RAR effect of isoproterenol or adrenaline. 5. Adrenergically mediated chronotropic increases appear to be mediated by a beta adrenoceptor and the maximum response to agonists of full intrinsic activity can not be further increased by agonist combinations. However inotropic increases appear to be mediated by 2 adrenoceptor types which may be simultaneously stimulated to produce additive effects. The two adrenoceptors mediating inotropic change are probably alpha and beta.
The development of the hexagonally structured egg envelope of the C-O sole (Pleuronichthys coenosus).

The surface of a mature, pelagic C-O sole egg is composed of polygonal chambers having four to eight sides, most of which are hexagonally shaped. This honeycomb pattern initially appears on primary oocytes as a thin layer of compact, electron-dense material. Discrete thickenings begin to develop on the envelope of perinuclear stage oocytes. The thickenings lengthen and thin to form the hexagonal walls of the envelope in oocytes undergoing yolk vesicle formation. The walls of each hexagonal chamber occur in an area corresponding to the lateral margins of the adjacent follicle cell, suggesting that the hexagonal walls are produced by the follicle cells. The hexagonal layer is nearly complete at the beginning of vitellogenesis, and as vitellogenesis continues, a striated envelope layer composed of fibrillar lamellae develops between the oocyte and the hexagonal layer. The striated layer appears to be secreted by the oocyte. After vitellogenesis is completed, oocytes are ovulated and double in size during a period of maturation. Concurrently, the striated primary envelope stretches and thins into eight to nine horizontal lamellae. On the mature egg surface, the polygonal chambers are about 24-31 μm in diameter. Within each chamber there is a subpattern of polygonal areas; each polygon is 1.5-2.0 μm in diameter, and circumscribes a pore canal opening. This exceptional envelope may furnish the egg with some degree of protection, resiliency, and buoyancy, but its specific functions are not known.
Contrasting scaling of ciliary filters in swimming larvae and sessile adults of fan worms (Annelida: Polychaeta)

. Both larval and adult fan worms capture particles with opposed bands of cilia. While the larvae use one of the opposed bands (the prototroch) for both feeding and swimming, the sessile adults rely partly on ambient currents to bring food particles to the ciliary bands. The scaling of length of prototrochal cilia with larval body size contrasts with scaling of the opposed latero-frontal cilia with adult body size. In the larva of the serpulid Hydroides elegans, the length of prototrochal cilia increased from 28 to 42 μm in early to late-stage larvae. In contrast, latero-frontal cilia did not increase in length (23 μm) during postlarval development of H. elegans. Among adults of 5 fan-worm species, lengths of latero-frontal cilia ranged from 22 to 35 μm and were weakly correlated with body size. The total area of ciliary filter nevertheless increased with increasing body dry weight of worms with an allometric exponent similar to exponents reported for gill and lophophore areas vs. body weight within species of suspension-feeding bivalves, brachiopods, and gastropods. The similar scaling was remarkable given the striking differences in distribution and function of the ciliary filters. In adult fan worms, increases in filter area depended largely on increases in number and length of radioles; differences in branching of radioles had little effect. Radioles were commonly in 2 or more rows in series, implying refiltration in still water by downstream radioles. Since the allometry of worms' filter area with body size depends on filters in series, it depends on ambient currents that overwhelm ciliary currents.
Neural network approach for inventory control

Artificial neural net models have been studied for many years in the hope of achieving human- like performance in different areas. These nets are composed of many nonlinear computational elements operating in parallel exactly as in biological neural nets. Computational elements or node are connected via weights that are dynamically being changed to improve the overall performance. The neural network studied is a two-layer perceptrons (known also as having three layers), each unit of the first layer is connected to a unit in the hidden layer in turn, is connected to every output unit on the output layer. In most applications, the number of input and output units is known and depends upon the nature of the task and application that are considered. In this paper a neural network model is designed for a two-layer feed-forward perceptron. The neural network has a minimum number of hidden neurons, using the backpropagation training algorithm for a non-complex application in a production plant inventory control. Eventually, designing the neural network architecture means seeking a convergence of this latter within a reasonable amount of time. One of the main issues is to determine the number of hidden neurons and what type of data needs to be entered to get the backpropagation algorithm started.
Injection of cultured autologous fibroblasts for human vocal fold scars

Objectives: This study evaluated the safety and effectiveness of injection of autologous fibroblasts into the lamina propria layer to treat vocal fold scarring. Study Design: A prospective, open-label, single arm, pilot study at a single tertiary care center. Methods: Autologous fibroblasts were expanded in cell culture from punch biopsies of the buccal mucosa of five human subjects with vocal fold scarring. Three doses of 1–2 × 107 cells/mL were injected into the superficial lamina propria layer of each scarred vocal fold at four-week intervals. The primary efficacy measure was an objective evaluation of the mucosal wave grade; secondary measures included acoustic analyses, a patient-completed voice handicap index (VHI) survey, and voice quality questionnaire. Safety assessments included clinical laboratory blood tests, vital signs, and monitoring for adverse events. Patients were followed for 12 months following the first treatment. Results: Mucosal wave grade improved and the improvement was sustained through month 12. Sustained improvements through month 12 were also noted for the VHI and voice quality questionnaire. Multiple injections of autologous fibroblasts into the lamina propria were well tolerated. Temporary otalgia was noted following treatment in two subjects. Conclusions: This study demonstrates that injection of autologous fibroblasts into the scarred vocal fold lamina propria layer is safe. Sustained trends for improved outcome were supported by 12-month data for mucosal wave grade, VHI, and voice quality questionnaire. Laryngoscope, 2011
Direct Spectroscopic Evidence of the Cross-Coupling Reaction between CH2(a) and CF3(a) on Ag(111)

The cross-coupling reaction between CH2 and CF3 on Ag(111) was studied with reflection absorption infrared spectroscopy (RAIRS) and temperature-programmed reaction spectroscopy (TPRS). Adsorbed CF3CH2(a) was, for the first time, spectroscopically identified as an intermediate in the reaction to form CF2CH2. It is formed by migratory methylene insertion into Ag−CF3. CF3CH2(a) undergoes β-fluoride elimination to form CF2CH2. Our results provide direct new fundamental insight into Fischer−Tropsch synthesis.
Effect of storage and freezing on unbound bilirubin measurement.

Background Unbound bilirubin (Bf) is a better predictor of bilirubin toxicity than total serum bilirubin (TSB) in the postnatal period. The Food and Drug Administration approved peroxidase test for Bf analysis is not currently available in clinical laboratories. The samples are often stored at varying temperature and for varying duration before Bf analysis.
The roles of group-V species in metalorganic molecular-beam epitaxy and chemical-beam epitaxy of III–V compounds

Abstract Our kinetic model for metalorganic molecular-beam epitaxy (MOMBE) and chemical-beam epitaxy (CBE) of GaAs has been extended to GaSb. This model can fit experimental data for growth with triethylgallium (TEGa) and antimony. The roles of group-V species in MOMBE of III–V compounds are summarized. Group-V species are as important as group-III species in determining the growth rates in MOMBE and CBE.
Wilms' Tumor and Congenital Heart Disease: Report of a Case and Family

WILMS' tumor accounts for about 6% of all renal malignant neoplasms. Approximately three fourths of these tumors occur in children under the age of 4 years.1This neoplasm develops insidiously and may be massive before symptoms are present. Wilms' tumor is associated with congenital anomalies, of which the most frequently noted is aniridia.2-4Other associated congenital anomalies include hemihypertrophy, pigmented nevi, hemangiomas, horseshoe kidney, duplication of the upper urinary tract, aplastic or hypoplastic kidneys, cryptorchidism, hypospadias, undescended testes, bilateral small fibrous ovaries, recurved pinna, microcephaly, mental retardation, and multiple neurofibromatosis. Associated cardiac anomalies have included tetralogy of Fallot with patent foramen ovale (one case), aortic stenosis (one case), patent ductus arteriosus (two cases), and patent foramen ovale in two patients at ages 4 and 6 years.5 The present case is of interest from the following standpoints: (1) to document an additional variety of congenital anomalies (transposition of
Memory Hardware for High Speed Job Selection

The discriminating content addressable memory (DCAM) is a modified content addressable memory (CAM). After the ``similar to'' search performed by the CAM, the modified memory searches in parallel for the highest value in a particular field across all words of the memory. Applications of DCAM can greatly speed up queue searches and scheduling processes in operating systems. Worst case DCAM query time for 1000 words is 2 ?s. The number of extra gates required by a DCAM increases linearly with memory size.
Synchronous, mode-locked pumping of gas lasers

The generation of mode-locked far-infrared pulses by synchronous, mode-locked optical pumping by CO2 lasers is demonstrated for the first time. The gain bandwidth implied by the observed short pulses (<1 nsec) exceeds the homogeneous linewidth of 40 MHz (T2 = 8 nsec) under the experimental conditions and is attributed to an effective inhomogeneous broadening in molecules with a K-multiplet structure such as 12CH3F and also to the presence of near-resonant stimulated Raman emission from each frequency component of the pump. This implies that the duration of pulses generated in low-pressure gases by this technique is determined by the greater of the pumping-pulse bandwidth or the linewidth of the lasing transition.
WLC42-3: MIMO-OFDM Beamforming for Improved Channel Estimation

This paper takes a system view of the MIMO-OFDM beamformer design problem. We present a design method that helps improve the receiver channel estimation performance without damaging the optimality of beamforming. We design a so-called smoothed singular value decomposition (SSVD) algorithm to get smooth equivalent channels after beamforming, and thus the receiver can apply interpolation and smoothing to improve channel estimation. We then present some analysis of the statistical characteristics of the equivalent channel, which will be useful in designing the channel estimation. Simulation results are shown to support our algorithm.
Occupancy Sampling for Terabit CEE Switches

One consequential feature of Converged Enhanced Ethernet (CEE) is loss lessness, achieved through L2 Priority Flow Control (PFC) and Quantized Congestion Notification (QCN). We focus on QCN and its effectiveness in identifying congestive flows in input-buffered CEE switches. QCN assumes an idealized, output-queued switch, however, as future switches scale to higher port counts and link speeds, purely output-queued or shared-memory architectures lead to excessive memory bandwidth requirements, moreover, PFC typically requires dedicated buffers per input. Our objective is to complement PFC's coarse per-port/priority granularity with QCN's per-flow control. By detecting buffer overload early, QCN can drastically reduce PFC's side effects. We install QCN congestion points (CPs) at input buffers with virtual output queues and demonstrate that arrival-based marking cannot correctly discriminate between culprits and victims. Our main contribution is occupancy sampling (QCN-OS), a novel, QCN-compatible marking scheme. We focus on random occupancy sampling, a practical method not requiring any per-flow state. For CPs with arbitrarily scheduled buffers, QCN-OSis shown to correctly identify congestive flows, improving buffer utilization, switch efficiency, and fairness.
Do the products of messenger RNA hydrolysis cause 'cloudy swelling'?

L'actinomycin D et les temperatures d'incubation depassant l'optimum de croissance causent independamment une degradation de l'ARN instable chezTetrahymena pyriformis vivant. L'∄deme cellulaire se produit simultanement et il est proportionnel au degre de depolymerisation. Puisque les effets de l'antibiotique et les changements de temperature sont additif, ces observations suggerent que les produits de hydrolyse peuvent aboutir a l'accumulation excessive de l'eau dans la cellule.
Duplex to quadruplex equilibrium of the self‐complementary oligonucleotide d(GGGGCCCC)

The structure of the deoxyaligonucleotide d(GGGGCCCC) has been monitored by 1H and 31 P NMR, and by gel electrophoresis. In low-salt solution, this oligonucleotide forms a stable duplex structure. Upon titration with KCl, an equilibrium is established between duplex and quadruplex forms. The quadruplex form is the dominant one at physiological KCl concentrations, despite the fact that fewer hydrogen bonds are formed per strand in the quadruplex than in the duplex. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.