cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Dropouts and Broken Appointments: A Literature Review and Agenda for Future Research

Patient dropouts create inefficiencies for medical providers, threaten the validity of clinical research and may themselves suffer unnecessary morbidity. A review of literature concerning patient dropouts and broken appointments was undertaken in an effort to identify correlates of the behavior, assess proposed interventions and identify issues for the content and methodology of future research. While the bulk of existing reports deal with psychiatric and pediatric populations, studies of general adult clinics report missed appointments rates of 15 to 33 per cent and often emphasize demographic features of the patient. Other factors, such as patient beliefs, sociobehavioral characteristics, aspects of the disease and its therapy, patient-provider interactions and organizational features of the providing facility are less well studied, but probably more important. Organizational features exert a strong influence and are particularly amenable to modification. Patient surveys suggest that forgetting and administrative oversights are common problems, and the success of mailed appointment reminders supports this notion. Such surveys have often suggested successful intervention strategies. Future investigations should emphasize more consistent methodology, improved analysis techniques, identification of better predictors and development of a conceptual model for this patient behavior. These efforts may suggest new intervention methods, which should be evaluated for cost effectiveness and the feasibility of individualized application.
Plasma levels of citalopram in depressed patients with hepatitis C

Hepatitis C affects an estimated 4 million Americans and 100 million people worldwide. Rates of depression are higher than that seen in the general population. Antidepressant therapy is often initiated at lower doses in patients with liver disease because of concerns about impaired metabolism and clearance. This study assessed plasma levels of citalopram in 15 subjects with hepatitis C and major depression during an 8-week trial. The mean citalopram dose at study completion was 26.67 mg/day. Mean plasma levels of citalopram, compared with levels previously reported, were lower than expected (at 10 mg/day [N = 1]: 21 ng/ml [N = 1]; at 20 mg/day [N = 8]: mean = 42.25 ng/ml, SD = 18.38; at 30 mg/day [N = 1]: 54 ng/ml; at 40 mg/day [N = 5]: mean = 76.2 ng/ml, SD = 35.86). There was a tendency for lower plasma levels to be found in those subjects receiving interferon, although a statistically significant difference was not observed. Citalopram was well tolerated. The results of this study suggest that patients with major depression and hepatitis C, but without evidence of severe liver disease, may be able to tolerate usual recommended doses of citalopram, thus avoiding the potential for undertreatment of the depression.
Experimental use and quantitative performance analysis of triangular flakes (Levallois points) used as arrowheads

The invention and widespread use of projectile weaponry is a characteristic presumed to exist only with Homo sapiens. However, as finds of wooden material during the early development of projectile weapons are extremely rare, this remains a contentious topic. Recent work has proposed a series of ballistically-significant morphological characteristics of stone points that yield information about their potential use. Here we report on initial experimental approaches to quantifying the performance of relatively simple stone points as arrow armatures. Two experimental trials were performed using a series of 51 Levallois points. The first, against a uniform density target, was designed to give an overall indication of performance. The second, against a simulated animal carcass, demonstrated the durability of these points. The results of this study suggest that small Levallois points could have functioned as arrowheads, albeit ones likely to break after limited use. They also suggest that these points’ penetrating power is strongly controlled by their morphometric characteristics, most notably their perimeter. This latter finding refines a method for assessing hypothetical Paleolithic stone points on the basis of tip cross-sectional area previously proposed by others.
Molecular Marker Satt481 is Associated with Iron-Deficiency Chlorosis Resistance in a Soybean Breeding Population

Soybean [Glycine max. (L.) Merr.] breeders have improved resistance to iron-deficiency chlorosis (IDC) using conventional breeding approaches; however, many IDC-resistant cultivars have lower yields compared to IDC-susceptible cultivars. The importance of environment on IDC-resistance expression hinders progress in breeding for resistance. An environment-independent selection strategy, such as marker-assisted selection (MAS), may increase breeding efficiency. Our objective was to determine whether simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers located in previously reported quantitative trait loci (QTL) for IDC resistance would be associated with IDC resistance in a breeding population. One-hundred and eight SSR markers genetically linked to eight QTLs on eight molecular linkage groups (MLGs) previously identified for IDC were tested in a breeding population evaluated for IDC resistance on calcareous soils in Iowa. The breeding population was developed from a cross between Pioneer 9254 and A97-770012. The F 2 lines were genotyped with markers and the F 2 -derived lines (F 2:4 and F 2:5 ) were evaluated for IDC resistance. Three markers were associated with IDC resistance: Satt211, Satt481, and Sat_104. However, of the three markers, only Satt481 was associated to IDC resistance across environments. Although Satt481 accounted for only 12% of the total phenotypic variation, molecular analysis of the eleven-most resistant lines in the population indicated that 73% of the lines were homozygous for the resistant allele at the Satt481 locus. Our results indicated that Satt481 may be useful to improve IDC resistance in this soybean population and that additional QTLs conferring resistance to IDC might exist in soybean.
Observations on cortical plasticity using horseradish peroxidase

Abstract An increased corticocortical connectivity was evidenced, after horseradish peroxidase (HRP) injections, of an enlarged somatosensory representation induced by early training in kittens. Labeled cells found in subcortical structures suggest a possible role for them in the modulation of plasticity at the cortical level.
Genome-wide study of methotrexate clearance replicates SLCO1B1

Methotrexate clearance can influence the cure of and toxicity in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). We estimated methotrexate plasma clearance for 1279 patients with ALL treated with methotrexate (24-hour infusion of a 1 g/m2 dose or 4-hour infusion of a 2 g/m2 dose) on the Children’s Oncology Group P9904 and P9905 protocols. Methotrexate clearance was lower in older children (P = 7 x 10(-7)), girls (P = 2.7 x 10(-4)), and those who received a delayed-intensification phase (P = .0022). A genome-wide analysis showed that methotrexate clearance was associated with polymorphisms in the organic anion transporter gene SLCO1B1 (P = 2.1 x 10(-11)). This replicates findings using different schedules of high-dose methotrexate in St Jude ALL treatment protocols; a combined meta-analysis yields a P value of 5.7 x 10(-19) for the association of methotrexate clearance with SLCO1B1 SNP rs4149056. Validation of this variant with 5 different treatment regimens of methotrexate solidifies the robustness of this pharmacogenomic determinant of methotrexate clearance. This study is registered at http://www.clinicaltrials.gov as NCT00005585 and NCT00005596.
Filtration efficiencies in electrostatically augmented granular beds

Abstract Fine particle filtration efficiencies of electrically enhanced granular beds are computed and compared with available experimental data. Collection efficiencies of a single bed sphere in a gaseous flow are first calculated by numerically solving the equations of particle motion. The collection mechanisms incorporated here are inertial impaction, interception, and charged fine particle-imposed electric field interaction. The approach is based upon a “unit cell” model which enables one to include the effects of surrounding bed particles on the collection process. Stokes' flow and potential flow are used to model the gas flow around the bed particle. Total efficiency is computed by integrating the single-sphere collection efficiency over the bed volume. These calculated total bed efficiencies compare satisfactorily with data obtained from an existing granular bed facility over a range of parameter values. Both theory and experimental data show that the electrical force significantly enhances particulate collection in granular beds.
The Hall resistivity of sputtered amorphous Fe‐B films

Amorphous Fe‐B films were prepared by sputtering in a wide composition range. The magnetization curves at 4.2 K of these amorphous alloys are not saturated easily and the apparent high‐field susceptibility drastically increases with a decrease in boron content. The concentration dependence of magnetization exhibits a broad maximum around 14 %B. The Hall resistivity (ρH) as a function of applied magnetic field is also not saturated easily, and this behavior tends to become more significant with decreasing boron content. Such behavior may be correlated with the Invar effects and the stress retained in the amorphous films. The spontaneous Hall coefficient (Rs) calculated from ρH has a marked concentration dependence at low boron content, indicating a decrease in the value. The apparent ordinary Hall coefficient R*o increases dramatically with decreasing boron content, and also the ordinary Hall coefficient Ro is estimated to exhibit a similar tendency. The present results suggest that the electronic structur...
Dangers of "eye-to-eye" contact.

for transplantation. Second, improved procurement techniques and storage media have further increased the number of corneas suitable for transplantation and have improved donor viability. Third, improvements in surgical instruments and technique, combined with improved microsurgical training of ophthalmologists and postoperative management have improved the prognosis for individual cases. As a result, more than 30,000 corneal transplants a year are being performed in the United States. Optimal characteristics of a donor cornea include adequacy of endothelial cell population and viability to ensure graft survival, and absence of potentially infectious agents to be transmitted to the recipient. Much attention has been paid to the transmission of infectious diseases by corneal transplantation. To date, only two viral diseases-rabies and CreutzfeldtJakob disease-have been documented to be transmitted by corneal transplantation." Recent investigators have isolated hepatitis B surface antigen from the washings of ocular tissue from corneal donors,4 while others have isolated the human immunodeficiency virus from corneal tissue.5-6 The importance of these observations is the possibility of transmitting a potentially fatal disease to the corneal transplant recipient. However, because isolation of these pathogens from donor material is
Solar energy in the Northwest U.S.

Abstract The Power Act created the Pacific Northwest Power Planning Council. The Council is required to draw a 20 yr energy plan and to look into alternative resources in the following order: conservation, renewable resources, cogeneration and conventional technologies. To help the Council evaluate impacts of alternative actions, a generation system simulation model (SAM) was developed. This model evaluates the cost and reliability impacts of a given load/resource scenario, employing a Monte-Carlo approach to deal with uncertainties. We present a brief description of SAM, availability of solar energy resource in the Pacific Northwest (PNW), results of a 100 MW hypothetical central station photovoltaic installation performance, and a central station photovoltaic model.
Application of unsteady lifting surface theory to propellers in forward flight

Development of a theory for determining the aerodynamic forces for unsteady, compressible subsonic flow on a propeller in forward flight. The acceleration potential method is used in developing the basic downwash integral equation which governs the flow. This integral equation is solved by the doublet-lattice method, which consists of placing 'load' lines at certain locations on the chord and satisfying the downwash condition at other selected positions. The examples presented include the spanwise and chordwise loading on a rotating propeller for incompressible flow, an example of compressible flow calculations, and, finally, a calculation illustrating the loss of aerodynamic damping of a propeller blade due to the passage of the blade over its own wake.
It's Time to Overcome Clinical Inertia

When blood pressure levels are above goal, clinicians often fail to intensify therapy—a practice called clinical inertia. Two recent Annals articles, one in this issue, provide information about th...
Inverse of a Matrix of Relationships Due to Sires and Maternal Grandsires in an Inbred Population

Abstract A rapid method for computing the inverse of the numerator relationship matrix, A, and the diagonals of A using sires and maternal grandsires in an inbred population is presented. Computer storage requirements are only four vectors of length equal to the number of animals in the system. About 1h was required for an IBM 370/135 to carry out these computations on a population of approximately 5000 individuals.
Effects of Chronic Microwave Irradiation on Mice

An experiment has been carried out to determine pathological and longevity effects caused by chronic microwave irradiation of mice. Two hundred males were exposed daily for 59 weeks to 0.100 w/cm2 for 4.5 minutes. This treatment produced an average body temperature rise of 3.3° C. Histopathology was performed on all dead mice in both irradiated and control group. Changes in body weight, in body temperature response to heating, and in the blood picture were not evident. Testicular degeneration in the form of tubule atrophy and neoplasms of the white cells were indicated. Longevity of the mice did not appear to be affected under the prevailing conditions.
Influence de la stratégie de dosage des bêtabloquants sur la régulation de la fréquence cardiaque peropératoire et les résultats cliniques chez les opérés de chirurgie vasculaire : Étude randomisée

La strategie optimale de dosage perioperatoire des betabloquants pour atteindre sans risque les frequences cardiaques (FC) issues des recommandations actuelles n'est pas bien definie. Un mode d'administration perioperatoire des betabloquants lie a la FC a ete compare a l'administration d'une dose fixe a partir des resultats cliniques, de la frequence cardiaque postoperatoire, et des complications liees au betabloquant. Des patients (n = 64) programmes pour une chirurgie vasculaire a risque modere ou a haut risque et sans contre-indications aux betabloquants ont ete randomises entre une dose fixe de betabloquants ou une dose determinee par la FC. Les resultats cliniques et la FC ont ete evalues du preoperatoire immediat a la 24eme hr postoperatoire. Une difference postoperatoire immediate de la FC moyenne entre les deux bras de l’etude etait significative (respectivement 70,1 BPM contre 58,2 BPM pour la dose fixe et la dose adaptee a la FC ; p = 0,012) mais a aucune autre intervalle de temps. Cependant, la strategie de dose liee a la FC entrainait une reduction significative du pourcentage des mesures de BPM >80 BPM (34,5% contre 16,1%, p
Surgical site infection: still waiting on the revolution.

Thomas Anthony, MD, MSc; Bryce W. Murray, MD; John T. Sum-Ping, MD; Fima Lenkovsky, MD; Vadim D. Vornik, MD; Betty J. Parker, RN; Jackie E. McFarlin, RN, CIC; Kathleen Hartless, RN, CIC; Sergio Huerta, MDObjective: To determine if an evidenced-based practice bundle would result in a significantly lower rate of surgical site infections (SSIs) when compared with standard practice.Design: Single-institution, randomized controlled trial with blinded assessment of main outcome. The trial opened in April 2007 and was closed in January 2010.Setting: Veterans Administration teaching hospital.Patients: Patients who required elective transabdominal colorectal surgery were eligible. A total of 241 subjects were approached, 211 subjects were randomly allocated to 1 of 2 interventions, and 197 were included in an intention-to-treat analysis.Interventions: Subjects received either a combination of 5 evidenced-based practices (extended arm) or were treated according to our current practice (standard arm). The interventions in the extended arm included (1) omission of mechanical bowel preparation; (2) preoperative and intraoperative warming; (3) supplemental oxygen during and immediately after surgery; (4) intraoperative intravenous fluid restriction; and (5) use of a surgical wound protector.Main Outcome Measure: Overall SSI rate at 30 days assessed by blinded infection control coordinators using standardized definitions.Results: The overall rate of SSI was 45% in the extended arm of the study and 24% in the standard arm (P = .003). Most of the increased number of infections in the extended arm were superficial incisional SSIs (36% extended arm vs 19% standard arm; P = .004). Multivariate analysis suggested that allocation to the extended arm of the trial conferred a 2.49-fold risk (95% confidence interval, 1.36-4.56; P = .003) independent of other factors traditionally associated with SSI.Conclusions: An evidenced-based intervention bundle did not reduce SSIs. The bundling of interventions, even when the constituent interventions have been individually tested, does not have a predictable effect on outcome. Formal testing of bundled approaches should occur prior to implementation.Trial Registration: clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00953784
IMAGE RELATED APPLICATIONS FOR A CORE ALGORITHMS COURSE

Image related computations are becoming mainstream in today's computing environment. However, Computer Science departments still offer image related courses mostly as electives or at the graduate level. As imaging's importance increases, one needs to consider its coverage at the core courses. Most departments cannot afford to add another course into their curriculum at this level, so the only remaining choice is to integrate image related applications into the existing core courses. This paper addresses this issue as it relates to an Algorithms course. The specific prerequisites and goals of our Algorithms course are described. The image related applications that have been adopted are presented and their impact on the course is discussed.
Who Wants to Play With Dolls? Implementing a Collaborative OB Simulation Program to Improve Patient Safety

Childbearing Poster Presentation Purpose for the Program Obstetric emergencies are low volume but extremely high risk with potentially devastating outcomes. The purpose of this program is to provide a more structured approach to simulation training in the obstetric department and improve patient safety through real time feedback. The mobile obstetric emergency simulator (MOES) provides us the opportunity to simulate in the actual location of the event compared with an offsite location. In addition, this program results in decreased patient safety events as well as enhanced teamwork among nurses and physicians. Proposed Change All physicians and nurses participate in simulation training using the MOES system led by a team of physicians and nurses working collaboratively. The MOES system gives us the ability to transfer the training simulator to an actual patient room where simulation of specific obstetric emergencies can then be played out in a more realistic environment. This program brings the simulation directly to the bedside unannounced and unscheduled, which further enhances a realistic emergency environment. The program consists of case scenarios that specifically involve high‐risk situations to include postpartum hemorrhage, umbilical cord prolapse, shoulder dystocia, and maternal code. Implementation, Outcomes, and Evaluation The MOES system includes a mannequin as well as a mobile electronic cart that houses a monitor that can be programed for real time viewing of maternal and fetal vital signs. Each participant completes an online education module before attending the course. Once in the course, each participant then participates in hands‐on skills stations before the actual simulation event. Following the simulation, a debriefing takes place where the participants submit feedback through an audience response system. Outcomes include decreased adverse events and enhanced collaboration and teamwork based on the Safety Attitudes Questionnaire. Outcomes also include increased physician and nurse satisfaction. In addition, policy changes and additional training needs are identified during the simulation session. Results are communicated throughout the division. Implications for Nursing Practice The staff members who participate in the simulation program have demonstrated more effective communication and collaboration. The nurses have gained increased confidence in responding to unexpected emergencies related to maternal and fetal complications.
Design and implementation of a parallel unstructured Euler solver using software primitives

This paper is concerned with the implementation of a three-dimensional unstructured-grid Euler solver on massively parallel distributed-memory computer architectures. The goal is to minimize solution time by achieving high computational rates with a numerically efficient algorithm. An unstructured multigrid algorithm with an edge-based data structure has been adopted, and a number of optimizations have been devised and implemented to accelerate the parallel computational rates. The implementation is carried out by creating a set of software tools, which provide an interface between the parallelization issues and the sequential code, while providing a basis for future automatic run-time compilation support. Large practical unstructured grid problems are solved on the Intel iPSC/860 hypercube and Intel Touchstone Delta machine. The quantitative effects of the various optimizations are demonstrated, and we show that the combined effect of these optimizations leads to roughly a factor of 3 performance improvement. The overall solution efficiency is compared with that obtained on the Cray Y-MP vector supercomputer.
Current Endograft Therapy of Type B Aortic Dissection

Over the last decade, the emergence of endovascular therapies provides an alternative to both open surgery and medical therapy in the management of patients with type B aortic dissection. The benefits of this new approach are perhaps most apparent in the reported experience with endografts used in the setting of acute dissection complicated by rupture, organ malperfusion, rapidly expanding false lumen, or unremitting pain. Successful placement of an aortic endograft across the entry tear(s) of the dissection with obliteration of this communication(s) to the false lumen and re-direction of blood flow via the true lumen exclusively is an increasingly valuable treatment strategy in selected patients with complicated dissection. The results in this setting compare very favorably with those reported for traditional open surgical therapy with less morbidity and risk of paraplegia. Currently, global consensus does not yet support the extension of endograft use to include patients with uncomplicated acute dissection or chronic dissection.
Variance spectra of the vertical wind component derived from observations with the sonic anemometer at O'Neill, Nebraska in 1953

An analog data reduction system for obtaining variance spectra of stationary time series is described and its accuracy is discussed. This equipment was developed to reduce data obtained with the sonic anemometer. The variance spectra of the vertical wind component observed with the sonic anemometer in 1953 at O'Neill, Nebraska, are presented in Table 1.
Race-Ethnicity Is a Strong Correlate of Circulating Fat-Soluble Nutrient Concentrations in a Representative Sample of the U.S. Population

Sociodemographic and lifestyle factors exert important influences on nutritional status; however, information on their association with biomarkers of fat-soluble nutrients is limited, particularly in a representative sample of adults. Serum or plasma concentrations of vitamin A, vitamin E, carotenes, xanthophylls, 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D], SFAs, MUFAs, PUFAs, and total fatty acids (tFAs) were measured in adults (aged ≥ 20 y) during all or part of NHANES 2003-2006. Simple and multiple linear regression models were used to assess 5 sociodemographic variables (age, sex, race-ethnicity, education, and income) and 5 lifestyle behaviors (smoking, alcohol consumption, BMI, physical activity, and supplement use) and their relation to biomarker concentrations. Adjustment for total serum cholesterol and lipid-altering drug use was added to the full regression model. Adjustment for latitude and season was added to the full model for 25(OH)D. Based on simple linear regression, race-ethnicity, BMI, and supplement use were significantly related to all fat-soluble biomarkers. Sociodemographic variables as a group explained 5-17% of biomarker variability, whereas together, sociodemographic and lifestyle variables explained 22-23% [25(OH)D, vitamin E, xanthophylls], 17% (vitamin A), 15% (MUFAs), 10-11% (SFAs, carotenes, tFAs), and 6% (PUFAs) of biomarker variability. Although lipid adjustment explained additional variability for all biomarkers except for 25(OH)D, it appeared to be largely independent of sociodemographic and lifestyle variables. After adjusting for sociodemographic, lifestyle, and lipid-related variables, major differences in biomarkers were associated with race-ethnicity (from -44 to 57%), smoking (up to -25%), supplement use (up to 21%), and BMI (up to -15%). Latitude and season attenuated some race-ethnicity differences. Of the sociodemographic and lifestyle variables examined, with or without lipid adjustment, most fat-soluble nutrient biomarkers were significantly associated with race-ethnicity.
Effects of 10 days of endurance exercise training on the suppression of whole body and regional lipolysis by insulin.

The aim of this study was to evaluate in premenopausal women (10 sedentary obese women) the effects of 10 days of exercise on the suppression of whole body and regional lipolysis by insulin. Lipolysis was determined using 2H5-glycerol infusion and microdialysis of sc adipose tissue during a two-stage hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp [10 (LO) and 20 (MO) mU/m·min]. Microdialysis probes were positioned in abdominal and femoral sc adipose tissue to monitor interstitial glycerol and blood flow. Basal plasma glycerol was 86.7 ± 17.0 and 100.3 ± 19.8 μmol/L before and after training, respectively (P < 0.05). Plasma glycerol was suppressed to a greater extent after [to 47 ± 5% (LO) and 42 ± 5% (MO) of basal] than before [to 62 ± 8% (LO) and 55 ± 8% (MO) of basal] training. The rate of appearance of glycerol was suppressed to 49 ± 7% and 40 ± 5% of basal during LO and to 38 ± 5% and 30 ± 4% of basal during MO (P < 0.05) before and after training, respectively. There were no differences in the suppression of lipo...
Mechanical Considerations in CW Linacs

An 80-MHz radio-frequency quadrupole (RFQ) linac has been designed, fabricated and operated at 100% duty factor (cw) for the Fusion Materials Irradiation Test (FMIT) project at Los Alamos.1 This paper describes the design features, fabrication techniques, and operational problems of the device. The RFQ is an assembly of heavy steel, copper-plated weldments. It measures about 15 ft (4.5 m) long by 5 ft (1.5 m) in diameter and weighs over 12 t. Major components are two pair of diametrically orthogonal vanes mounted in a core cylinder. The core is assembled into a manifold cylinder that couples rf power into the vane quadrants. The design features discussed include assembly of hollow wall, flood-cooled components; highconductivity rf seals; removable and adjustable vanes; and tuning devices. Fabrication challenges such as close-tolerance weldments, vane-tip-contour machining and large-component plating requirements are covered.
A dynamical systems analysis of afferent control in a neuromechanical model of locomotion: I. Rhythm generation

Locomotion in mammals is controlled by a spinal central pattern generator (CPG) coupled to a biomechanical limb system, with afferent feedback to the spinal circuits and CPG closing the control loop. We have considered a simplified model of this system, in which the CPG establishes a rhythm when a supra-spinal activating drive is present and afferent signals from a single-joint limb feed back to affect CPG operation. Using dynamical system methods, in a series of two papers we analyze the mechanisms by which this model produces oscillations, and the characteristics of these oscillations, in the closed- and open-loop regimes. In this first paper, we analyze the phase transition mechanisms operating within the CPG and use the results to explain how afferent feedback allows oscillations to occur at a wider range of drive values to the CPG than the range over which oscillations occur in the CPG without feedback, and then to comment on why stronger feedback leads to faster oscillations. Linking these transitions to structures in the phase plane associated with the limb segment clarifies how increased weights of afferent feedback to the CPG can restore locomotion after removal of supra-spinal drive to simulate spinal cord injury.
Mutation of a Single Conserved Residue in VH Complementarity-Determining Region 2 Results in a Severe Ig Secretion Defect

During an immune response, somatic mutations are introduced into the VH and VL regions of Ig chains. The consequences of somatic mutation in highly conserved residues are poorly understood. Ile51 is present in 91% of murine VH complementarity-determining region 2 sequences, and we demonstrate that single Ile51-->Arg or Lys substitutions in the PCG1-1 Ab are sufficient to severely reduce Ig secretion (1-3% of wild-type (WT) levels). Mutant H chains, expressed in the presence of excess L chain, associate with Ig binding protein (BiP) and GRP94 and fail to form HL and H2L assembly intermediates efficiently. The mutations do not irreversibly alter the VH domain as the small amount of mutant H chain, which assembles with L chain as H2L2, is secreted. The secreted mutant Ab binds phosphocholine-protein with avidity identical with that of WT Ab, suggesting that the combining site adopts a WT conformation. A computer-generated model of the PCG1-1 variable region fragment of Ig (Fv) indicates that Ile51 is buried between complementarity-determining region 2 and framework 3 and does not directly contact the L chain. Thus, the Ile51-->Arg or Ile51-->Lys mutations impair association with the PCG1-1 L chain via indirect interactions. These interactions are in part dependent on the nature of the L chain as the PCG1-1 VH single Ile51-->Arg or Ile51-->Lys mutants were partially rescued when expressed with the J558L lambda1 L chain. These results represent the first demonstration that single somatic mutations in V(H) residues can impair Ig secretion and suggest one reason for the conservation of Ile51 in so many Ig VH.
"C3, C4, C5 keep you alive," or do they?

Contrary to traditional teaching in anatomy courses, historical data suggest that bilateral loss of phrenic nerve function does not necessarily result in death. Clin. Anat. 19:130–131, 2006. © 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
ELECTROLYTE ALTERATIONS IN ACUTE MYOCARDIAL ISCHEMIC INJURY.

The electrolyte shifts occurring in myocardial cells irreversibly injured by ischemia were compared in two groups of dogs; one given 40 minutes of transient ischemia followed by 20, 50, 80, and 200 minutes of restored coronary arterial flow and the other 30, 60, 90, 130, and 240 minutes of permanent ischemia. Each interval of restored arterial flow in the transient ischemia group was associated with marked changes in the electrolyte content of the injured myocardium. Sodium, chloride, and water were increased and potassium and phosphorus were decreased. These changes occurred much more quickly in dogs exposed to transient ischemia than in dogs with comparable periods of permanent ischemia. These data indicate that objective chemical evidence of the death of myocardial cells develops slowly in areas of permanent ischemia primarily because of the reduced flow of blood through the ischemic injured tissue.
LQG/LTR spacecraft attitude control

The control of pitch attitude and pitch momentum of an Earth-orbiting spacecraft using loop-shaping techniques based on the linear-quadratic-Gaussian/loop-transfer-recovery (LQG/LTR) methodology is considered. Attitude is measured by an Earth horizon sensor, and control torque is produced by magnetic torquer bars and a pitch momentum or reaction wheel. The controller must achieve good tracking, environmental disturbance rejection, and robustness to modeling errors. Loop-shaping filters are used so that the roll and yaw magnetic torquer bars control pitch attitude at low frequency, while the pitch wheel controls pitch attitude at high frequency. The controller design and the simulation results are presented and discussed.
Religious Institutions and Ethnic Entrepreneurship: The Korean Ethnic Church as a Small Business Incubator:

Ethnic entrepreneurship is one of the key factors of community economic development. This article explores how religious institutions enhance ethnic entrepreneurship through social capital in the L...
Anchoring millions of distinct reads on the human genome within seconds

With the advent of next-generation DNA sequencing machines, there is an increasing need for the development of computational tools that can anchor accurately and expediently the millions of generated short DNA sequences (or reads) onto the genomes of target organisms. In this work, we describe 'Q-Pick', a new and efficient method for solving this problem. Q-Pick allows the rapid identification and anchoring of such reads with possible wildcards in large genomic databases, while guaranteeing completeness of results and efficiency of operation. Q-Pick requires very spartan memory and computational resources, and is trivially amenable to SIMD implementation; it can also be easily extended to handle longer reads, e.g. 75-mers or longer. Our experiments indicate that Q-Pick can anchor millions of distinct short reads against both strands of a mammalian genome in seconds, using a single-core computer processor.
The Lunar Surface and the U.S. Ranger Programme

The unaided eye can see roundish dark spots on the Moon set in a brighter back­ground. Telescopic observation of these dark spots, called maria (plural of mare , sea) reveals that they are nearly level terrain sparsely covered with craters. The brighter surroundings or terrae are from shadow measurements found to be higher, some 1 to 3 km above the maria. The terra elevations scatter widely, reaching several kilometres in the mountain ranges. The most prominent of these ranges occur as peripheral mountain chains around the near-circular maria. Examples are the Apennines, the Alps, the Carpathians, and the Altai Scarp. These arcuate chains surround the maria as the crater walls surround crater floors, an analogy that can be carried further and implies, apart from scale, a similar origin. This origin is almost certainly impact by massive objects. In the case of the impact maria and pre-mare craters, the source of the objects appear to have been a satellite ring around the Earth through which the Moon swept very early in its history, in its outward journey from its position of origin very near the Earth (Kuiper 1954, 1965). The post-mare craters are presumably mostly asteroidal (and partly comet­ary) in origin and related to the craters observed by Mariner IV on Mars. The estimated time dependencies of these two crater-forming processes are shown schematically in figure 1. A fuller discussion of this problem has been given else­where (Kuiper, Strom & Poole 1966; Kuiper 1966). The higher asteroidal impact rate on Mars, by a factor of about 15, as derived from the Mariner IV records, is interpreted as being due to the greater proximity to the asteroid ring. The num­erical factor approximately agrees with theory. Mars apparently lacks the equiva­lent of the initial excessively intense bombardment of the Moon (attributed to impacts by circumterrestrial bodies); unless, of course, the entire Martian surface has been molten and is directly comparable to the lunar maria. This does not seem probable but can at present not be ruled out; if true, the earliest surface history would have been erased. The nature of the mare surface has, during the past decade, been an object of much, perhaps too much, speculation. With the several recent successful lunar reconnaissance missions completed, the older interpretation of the maria as lava beds, based on telescopic observation, has been abundantly confirmed. Four options discussed in recent literature are analysed in Kuiper (1965, §§A, B, pp. 12–39). Among the most potent arguments for the lava cover of the maria are the prominent lava flows observed on Mare Imbrium and Mare Serenitatis, each having a characteristic colour. A map of some Mare Imbrium flows is found in figure 2.
The Impact of Alcohol Consumption and Cholecystectomy on Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth

The etiology of small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) is diverse and frequently multi-factorial. SIBO is thought to result from structural changes of the gastrointestinal tract, disordered peristalsis of the stomach and/or small intestine, or a disruption of the normal mucosal defenses of the small intestine. Alcoholics are reported to have higher rates of SIBO, as diagnosed by jejunal aspirate; however, no data are available on the association between moderate alcohol consumption and SIBO. To evaluate the association between moderate alcohol consumption and SIBO and identify risk factors for SIBO using the lactulose breath test (LBT). A retrospective chart review was completed for 210 consecutive patients who underwent the LBT between 2008 and 2010. We reviewed demographic data, including age, race, body mass index, alcohol and tobacco history, medication use, comorbid medical conditions, and history of abdominal surgery. The study included 196 patients (68 % female; mean age 55 years), 93 of whom had a positive LBT (47.4 %). Of those patients who consumed a moderate amount of alcohol, 58 % had a positive LBT, compared to 38.9 % of abstainers (P = 0.008). Those with a history of cholecystectomy had significantly lower rates of a positive LBT than those who had not (33.3 vs. 51.7 % respectively; P = 0.031). Neither proton pump inhibitor (PPI) use nor tobacco use was associated with a positive LBT. In this retrospective review, moderate alcohol consumption was a strong risk factor for SIBO. Cholecystectomy appeared to be protective against SIBO. Neither PPI use nor tobacco use was associated with an increased risk of SIBO.
Complexities and sequence similarities of mRNA populations of cholinergic (NS20-Y) and adrenergic (N1E-115) murine neuroblastoma cell lines.

Abstract The clonal murine neuroblastoma cell lines NS20-Y and N1E-115 have been proposed as models for examining the commitment of neural crest cells to either the cholinergic or adrenergic phenotype, respectively. The validity of this model depends in part on the extent to which these two cell lines have diverged as a result of their transformed, rather than neuronal properties. In order to quantitate differences in gene expression between NS20-Y and N1E-115 cells, the mRNA complexity of each cell type was determined. An analysis of the kinetics of hybridization of NS20-Y cell mRNA with cDNA prepared from NS20-Y cell mRNA demonstrated the presence of approximately 11700 mRNA species assuming an average length of 1900 nucleotides. A similar analysis using mRNA isolated from N1E-115 cells and cDNA prepared from NIE-115 cell mRNA demonstrated that the adrenergic cell line expressed approximately 11600 mRNA species. The species of mRNA expressed by each cell line were resolved into high, intermediate, and low abundance populations. In order to determine whether mRNAs were expressed by the cholinergic, but not by the adrenergic cell line, NS20-Y cDNA was hybridized to an excess of Nl E-l15 cell mRNA. An analysis of the solution hybridization kinetics from this procedure demonstrated that the two cell lines do not differ significantly in the nucleotide complexity of their mRNA populations. The extensive similarity between the two mRNA populations suggests that only a small number of genes are expressed differentially between the two cell lines and supports their use as models for the differentiation of cholinergic and adrenergic neurons.
Creating Community: Latina Nannies in a West Los Angeles Park

Drawing on 1 year of ethnographic fieldwork in Los Angeles, this article examines how Latina nannies create workplace solidarity in a public park. This article reveals how nannies use public spaces in the neighborhoods in which they work to establish ties similar to co-worker relations in other settings. This paper demonstrates how nannies create a community at the park by incorporating park staff into their activities, reinforcing group values such as sharing and reciprocity, and distinguishing themselves from their employers. Adding to previous research which highlights the atomization and stigmatization that comes with domestic employment, this article shows how nannies create co-worker relationships that are buffers against unfavorable job conditions such as solitary work settings and unappreciative employers.
Measuring the relative impacts of criminology and criminal justice journals: A research note

Journals can be rated according to a number of subjective and objective criteria. The present paper uses citations of a journal as an index of objective rank. Previous work using this index has several flaws, including a reliance on a single source journal and a lack of adjustments for age and size to its raw citations scores. The present paper uses a longer list of source journals to tabulate citation counts and provides raw impact, age-adjusted impact, and impact factor scores for each of 26 criminal justice/criminology journals. In addition, this study found subjective ratings from previous research on criminology journals to be significant, although not strong predictors of the impact factor, one objective index of journal quality. Little evidence was found for the notion that journal rankings are a function of other variables, including age of the journal or sponsorship by a professional organization.
Heavy-ion elastic scattering (II). 142 MeV 16O on 28Si, 59Co and 60Ni

Abstract The elastic scattering of 141.9 MeV 16 O from targets of 28 Si, 59 Co and 60 Ni has been studied using the oxygen beam from the Oak Ridge Isochronous Cyclotron (ORIC). Elastic angular distributions were measured in angular steps of about 0.7° (c.m.) from about 10 (c.m.) to angles such that σ / σ R ≈ 10 −5 . Inelastic scattering angular distributions for populating the 2 + (1.77 MeV) and 4 + (4.6 MeV) excited states in 28 Si and the 2 + (1.33 MeV) excited state of 60 Ni were measured in the same angular steps from 10° to about 48° (c.m.). The elastic scattering data were analyzed with the nuclear optical model, using various prescriptions for the radial shape of the potential : the Woods-Saxon form, the proximity form, and a folding-model form. Good fits were obtained with all three forms. The importance of knowing the absolute magnitude of the cross sections and of having accurate data in the region where the cross section oscillates about the Rutherford value are re-emphasized. A comparison of the 59 Co (J π = 7 2 − ) and 60 Ni (J π = 0 + ) angular distributions shows that the uncertainties are too large to reveal evidence for a target-spin (or quadrupole) effect of the magnitude expected. The optical model fits to the present data are shown to fit data at other energies for targets of 28 Si and 60 Ni. The 2 + inelastic cross sections are in reasonable agreement with DWBA predictions.
Comparison of fast modular multiplication architectures in FPGA

Modular multiplication is the fundamental operation in most public-key cryptosystem. Therefore, the efficiency of modular multiplication directly affects the efficiency of whole crypto-system. This paper presents implementation and comparison of several recently proposed, highly efficient architectures for modular multiplication on FPGAs: interleaved multiplication, two variants of Montgomery multiplication, Jeong-Burleson multiplication, multiplication based on key size partitioning and complement. Finally, new hardware architecture for time optimal modular multiplication is proposed based on Hamming weight and position of one's in multiplicand.
Pharmacogenomics as molecular autopsy for forensic toxicology: genotyping cytochrome P450 3A4*1B and 3A5*3 for 25 fentanyl cases.

Pharmacogenomics, the study on genetic contributions to drug action may help in certifying fentanyl toxicity. Fentanyl is used clinically as an adjunct to surgical anesthesia and for chronic pain management. Its toxicity may be partially due to cytochrome P450 (CYP) 3A4" 1B and 3A5"3 variant alleles, resulting in variable fentanyl metabolism. In this study, we examined 25 fentanyl-related deaths (22 Caucasians, 1 African-American, and 2 NativeAmericans) from the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner's Office and referral cases. Fentanyl and norfentanyl in postmortem blood samples were analyzed by radioimmunoassay and liquid chromatography-mass
Improving graph partitioning for modern graphs and architectures

Graph partitioning is an important preprocessing step in applications dealing with sparse-irregular data. As such, the ability to efficiently partition a graph in parallel is crucial to the performance of these applications. The number of compute cores in a compute node continues to increase, demanding ever more scalability from shared-memory graph partitioners. In this paper we present algorithmic improvements to the multithreaded graph partitioner mt-Metis. We experimentally evaluate our methods on a 36 core machine, using 20 different graphs from a variety of domains. Our improvements decrease the runtime by 1.5-11.7X and improve strong scaling by 82%.
Genetic association of long-chain acyl-CoA synthetase 1 variants with fasting glucose, diabetes, and subclinical atherosclerosis

Long-chain acyl-CoA synthetase 1 (ACSL1) converts free fatty acids into acyl-CoAs. Mouse studies have revealed that ACSL1 channels acyl-CoAs to β-oxidation, thereby reducing glucose utilization, and is required for diabetes-accelerated atherosclerosis. The role of ACSL1 in humans is unknown. We therefore examined common variants in the human ACSL1 locus by genetic association studies for fasting glucose, diabetes status, and preclinical atherosclerosis by using the MAGIC and DIAGRAM consortia; followed by analyses in participants from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis, the Penn-T2D consortium, and a meta-analysis of subclinical atherosclerosis in African Americans; and finally, expression quantitative trait locus analysis and identification of DNase I hypersensitive sites (DHS). The results show that three SNPs in ACSL1 (rs7681334, rs735949, and rs4862423) are associated with fasting glucose or diabetes status in these large (>200,000 subjects) data sets. Furthermore, rs4862423 is associated with subclinical atherosclerosis and coincides with a DHS highly accessible in human heart. SNP rs735949 is in strong linkage disequilibrium with rs745805, significantly associated with ACSL1 levels in skin, suggesting tissue-specific regulatory mechanisms. This study provides evidence in humans of ACSL1 SNPs associated with fasting glucose, diabetes, and subclinical atherosclerosis and suggests links among these traits and acyl-CoA synthesis.