cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Redosing antibiotics during cardiopulmonary bypass: The time is now

Surgical site infections (SSIs) in postoperative cardiac surgical patients are devastating complications associated with increased morbidity, mortality, and cost. In a time in which outcome measures have substantial implications for reimbursement and overall consumer ratings, considerable amounts of attention and effort are paid to preventive measures. Protocol-driven perioperative antibiotic prophylaxis and stringent aseptic technique have been successful in minimizing the occurrence of SSIs; however, patients who undergo cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) represent a unique patient population who still ac
The Free Amino Acid Changes in Plasma Following Coagulation and Plasminogen Activation

Arginine and lysine are liberated in human blood plasma after plasma plasminogen activation to the protease plasmin as well as after plasma recalcification and subsequent coagulation. Furthermore, digestion of fibrinogen by plasmin results in progressive release of these same amino acids.
Hyperarousal in insomnia and hypnotic dose escalation.

Abstract Background Given concerns about the abuse liability of hypnotics, this study assessed hyperarousal in people with insomnia and its relation to hypnotic self-administration over 12 months of nightly hypnotic use. Methods Ninety-five subjects with insomnia (age 32–64 years) underwent screening nocturnal polysomnogram (NPSG) and Multiple Sleep Latency Test (MSLT) the following day and, then, were randomized to receive zolpidem 10 mg or placebo nightly for 12 months. NPSGs and MSLTs were conducted and urine was collected (0700–1500 h) and analyzed for norepinephrine (NE) levels during months one and eight on study medication. A subset (n = 54) underwent hypnotic self-administration assessments in months one, four, and 12. Results Mean daily sleep latency on screening MSLT was distributed across the full range of MSLT latencies (2–20 min). The highest screening MSLT latencies were detected in subjects with higher NE levels, compared to those with the lowest MSLT latencies. In the subset undergoing self-administration assessment, those with the highest MSLT latencies chose more capsules (placebo and zolpidem) and increased the number of capsules chosen in months four relative to month one, compared to those with the lowest MSLT latencies. Conclusions These data show that some insomniacs are hyperaroused with high MSLT/NE levels and, compared to low MSLT/NE insomniacs, they increase the number of capsules (zolpidem and placebo) self-administered on months four and 12 relative to Month one.
Reflexiones para decolonizar la cultura académica latinoamericana en Comunicación

It would be unlikely to decolonize the communicational practices and lore anchored in the coloniality of power of the current knowledge politics and in the traditional authorize voices that indicate what, who, how, when and where to problematize Communication. This paper suggests the necessity of its “liberation” –held by the epistemological state of the field- based on some other ways of being-knowing in the edge of a decolonized knowledge, gestated not only by the mere de-westernization in the intellectual production, intervention and understanding of communication processes, but also through epistemic disobedience.
Examining the Effects of Transphobic Discrimination and Race on HIV Risk Among Transwomen in San Francisco.

Transwomen, in particular transwomen of color (TWOC), are among the most vulnerable populations at risk for HIV. This secondary analysis is organized using a gender minority stress framework to examine the effects of transphobic discrimination and race on HIV risk factors. We describe the sample of 149 HIV- adult transwomen in San Francisco and use binary logistic regression to examine the relationship between levels of transphobic discrimination and TWOC status on binge drinking and condomless receptive anal intercourse (CRAI), controlling for potential confounders. Those with high levels of transphobic discrimination had 3.59 fold greater odds of engaging in binge drinking compared to those who reported a low level of transphobic discrimination (95% CI 1.284–10.034; P = 0.015). TWOC had nearly threefold greater odds of CRAI compared to white transwomen (95% CI 1.048–8.464; P = 0.040). We discuss implications for gender minority stress research and future interventions for this population.
Engineering and Employing Reusable Software Components for Modular Verification

The aim of this paper is to illustrate the central role of reusable software components in developing high assurance software systems and a practical framework and environment for building such systems. The paper presents in detail elements of an actual implementation of a component-based system wherein all components are engineered for reuse and are equipped with interface contracts formalized via mathematical models so that they are amenable to automated verification. The components in the system themselves are built reusing other components, and for scalability, can be verified in a modular fashion one component at a time, using only the interface contracts of reused components. While building such components is necessarily expensive, reuse has the power to amortize the costs. Specification, research, development, verification, and reuse of components in this paper have been performed in the context of an experimental, desktop-based IDE we have built.
Synthesis of Geometrically Well-Defined Covalent Acene Dimers for Mechanistic Exploration of Singlet Fission

We report the first synthesis of norbornyl-bridged acene dimers (2 and 3) with well-defined and controlled spatial relationships between the acene chromophore subunits. We employ a modular 2-D strategy wherein the central module, common to all our compounds, is a norbornyl moiety. The acenes are attached to this module using the Diels-Alder reaction, which also forms one of the acene rings. Manipulation of the Diels-Alder adducts provides the desired geometrically defined bis-acenes. The modular nature of this synthesis affords flexibility and allows for the preparation of a variety of acene dimers, including functionalized tetracene dimers.
How the Brain Processes Multimodal Technical Instructions (Remley, D; 2015) [Book review]

Crossing disciplinary boundaries is a common practice for today’s technical writer. The author offers an insightful look at how neurobiological and multimodal rhetorical concepts can inform instructional document design to improve learning. This book addresses an interdisciplinary audience of academic and industry professionals involved in employee training or instructional training material design. The goal here is to answer the question, “How does one learn new technical concepts?. To answer this, the book bridges theoretical concepts in the seemingly dissimilar fields of cognitive psychology, neurobiology, and rhetoric. While there is still much to be discussed within this vast interdisciplinary conversation, the author's synthesis and his resulting analysis model hold workplace and pedagogical value by providing an entry point through a shared goal: cognitive gain through effective technical instructional materials.
3D-printed ionic polymer-metal composite soft crawling robot

This paper presents the design, fabrication, modeling, and performance characterization of a new 3D-printed ionic polymer-metal composite (IPMC) soft crawling robot. First, a precursor to an ionomeric polymer material (Nafion) is used to 3D print modular leg and body sections to create a caterpillar-like robot. Then, the printed components are activated, plated with electrodes, assembled together to create the robot from smart electroactive polymer material. The 3D-printed robot exploits the unique capabilities of IPMC materials; specifically, the actuation of the hydrated 3D-printed leg and body sections can be controlled by applying a voltage signal. In particular, the IPMC legs can grip and the body sections can expand and contract, allowing the robot to propel itself forward and backward. The newly-developed 3D-printing process and the robot design and modeling process are described. Experimental results are presented that show the prototype robot moving along a tube like a caterpillar or inchworm.
OXIDATION OF THE MESANGIAL MATRIX METALLOPROTEINASE-2 IMPAIRS GELATINOLYTIC ACTIVITY

Glomerulosclerosis is characterized by an accumulation of mesangial extracellular matrix. Oxygen radicals are strongly implicated in glomerular injury but it is unclear by what mechanism they could modulate matrix turnover dynamics. We evaluated whether oxidation of the 72 kD mesangial matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2), the major mesangial matrix-degrading enzyme, could alter its gelatinolytic activity. Oxidation of the MMP-2 using a FeCl3/ascorbate system resulted in impaired ability to degrade [3H]gelatin compared to control. Samples were also subjected to SDS-PAGE gelatin substrate zymography. At the 72 kD position a significant impairment of gelatinolytic activity of oxidized samples was observed, a decrease attenuated by coincubation of samples with the FeCl3/ascorbate system plus the radical spin trap N-tert-butyl-α-phenylnitrone suggesting specificity of oxidative changes in the decrease in enzymatic activity. These data represent the first report demonstrating that oxidation of the MMP-2 diminishes its activity and suggest a previously undescribed mechanism by which oxygen radicals may contribute to altered turnover of extracellular matrix.
Abstract LB-258: Orphan nuclear hormone receptor, DAX-1, expression during progressive stages of invasive ductal carcimona

The orphan nuclear hormone receptor DAX-1 (Dosage Sensitive Sex Reversal Adrenal Hypoplasia Congenita on the X Chromosome, gene 1) plays an important role in the development of adrenal and gonadal tissues and functions as a global negative-regulator of steroidogenesis. In addition, it is known to play a role in several cancers including breast. DAX-1 immunoreactivity had been found to directly correlate with androgen receptor (AR), estrogen receptor (ER) expression and lymph node metastasis. Beyond this, DAX-1’s role in breast cancer is relatively poorly understood. In this study we investigated, using fluorescent immunohistochemistry, the expression of DAX-1 and AR during progressive stages of invasive ductal carcinoma with known estrogen receptor ER status. Additionally correlations with patient age, tumor grade, TNM score, progesterone receptor (PR), antigen Ki67 expression and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (Her2), were analysed. Comparing both bioinformatic and protein staining methodology we attempted to correlate DAX-1, AR and ER to cancer stage. In order to understand the mechanisms involved in cancer progression we employed epigenetic studies to determine if changes in DAX-1 expression correlated to changes in methylation status. Our data suggests DAX-1 is expressed more frequently in early stage breast cancer. Understanding the time points and mechanisms by which DAX-1 acts in breast cancer could potentially provide a novel target for therapeutic treatments. Citation Format: Erin Dishington. Orphan nuclear hormone receptor, DAX-1, expression during progressive stages of invasive ductal carcimona [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2017; 2017 Apr 1-5; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(13 Suppl):Abstract nr LB-258. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-LB-258
A data mining framework for environmental and geo-spatial data analysis

Mining geo-spatial data is an important task in many application domains, such as environmental science, geographic information science, and social networks. In this paper, we introduce a data mining framework, which includes pre-processing of environmental and geo-spatial data, geo-spatial data mining techniques, and visual analysis of environmental and geo-spatial data. In particular, we propose new density-based clustering algorithms to identify interesting distribution patterns from geo-spatial data, a change pattern discovery technique to detect dynamic change patterns within spatial clusters, and a post-processing technique to extract interesting patterns and useful knowledge from geo-spatial data. Our density-based clustering algorithms are based on the well-established density-based shared nearest neighbor clustering algorithm, which can find clusters of different shape, size, and densities in high-dimensional data. The post-processing analysis technique allows automatic screening of interesting spatial clusters. The change pattern discovery algorithm is able to detect and analyze dynamic patterns of changes within spatial clusters. This paper focuses on developing a framework integrating a sequence of data mining process including clustering algorithm, analysis technique and pattern changing discovery algorithm. In contrast to previous works in this area, our approaches can cluster and analyze dynamically evolved complex objects, i.e., polygons. We evaluate the effectiveness of our techniques through a challenging real case study involving ozone pollution events in the Houston–Galveston–Brazoria area. The experimental results show that our approaches can discover interesting patterns and useful information from geo-spatial air-quality data.
SiC MOSFET threshold-stability issues

Abstract This work provides additional insight into the threshold-voltage instability effect generally observed, to varying degrees, in SiC MOSFETs, and discusses the need for an improved test method to unambiguously separate out good devices from bad ones. Threshold-voltage stability is affected primarily by active charge traps in the near-interfacial region of the insulating gate oxide. Their close proximity to the semiconductor interface leads to a strong time dependence of the direct-tunneling mechanism in response to changes in gate bias. Bias-temperature stressing can induce additional active oxide traps that can then participate in this instability. This time dependence is not properly accounted for in the existing test methods for assessing high-temperature gate-bias (HTGB) effects.
Hardware-friendly inter prediction techniques for AV1 video coding

The Alliance for Open Media (AOMedia) aims at generating a new, royalty-free video codec specification named AV1 that is scheduled for completion in the 2nd half of 2017. To facilitate AV1 market acceptance and rapid deployment, attention has been paid toward development of hardware friendly coding tools. This paper presents the following techniques to facilitate hardware implementation of AV1 inter prediction: 1) a simplified motion vector prediction scheme to reduce memory footprint / bandwidth; 2) methods to limit / remove the dependency between the computation of probability context model and the reconstruction of motion vectors to improve hardware throughput. Experimental results on a wide range of test clips show negligible quality impact for 1) and minor quality impact for 2) while the motion vectors line buffer memory footprint is reduced by 50%, motion vectors local memory is reduced by 33%, and the throughput of the arithmetic decoder remains unchanged.
Resolving phase stability in the Ti-O binary with first-principles statistical mechanics methods

The Ti-O system consists of a multitude of stable and metastable oxides that are used in wide ranging applications. In this work we investigate phase stability in the Ti-O binary from first principles. We perform a systematic search for ground state structures as a function of oxygen concentration by considering oxygen-vacancy and/or titanium-vacancy orderings over four parent crystal structures: (i) hcp Ti, (ii) $\ensuremath{\omega}$-Ti, (iii) rocksalt, and (iv) hcp oxygen containing interstitial titanium. We explore phase stability at finite temperature using cluster expansion Hamiltonians and Monte Carlo simulations. The calculations predict a high oxygen solubility in hcp Ti and the stability of suboxide phases that undergo order-disorder transitions upon heating. Vacancy ordered rocksalt phases are also predicted at low temperature that disorder to form an extended solid solution at high temperatures. Predicted stable and metastable phase diagrams are qualitatively consistent with experimental observations, however, important discrepancies are revealed between first-principles density functional theory predictions of phase stability and the current understanding of phase stability in this system.
The Risk of Skewness and Kurtosis in Oil Market and the Cross-Section of Stock Returns

We show that exposure to the risk of kurtosis in oil market drives the cross-section of stock returns from 1996 to 2014. The average monthly difference between the return of portfolio of stocks with low exposure and high exposure to the risk of kurtosis is -0.37%, showing that higher exposure to oil’s kurtosis risk will be penalized by lower average returns. We are able to confirm the significance of kurtosis risk within the statistical framework of Carhart 4-factor model. In contrast to the skewness risk, which is only a significant player in some of the sub-periods, kurtosis risk is keeping its significance through all sub-periods, as well as after taking market moments into account and within different maturities. The significance of the risk of skewness gets more evident moving from shorter to longer maturities. The risk of volatility, which has been shown to be a significant-priced risk in the cross-section of stock returns in literature, loses its significance after controlling for the third and fourth moments.
Hypertensive lower esophageal sphincter pressures and gastroesophageal reflux: an apparent paradox that is not unusual.

UNLABELLED The association of a hypertensive lower esophageal sphincter pressure (LESP) with significant gastroesophageal reflux (GER) has always seemed paradoxical because of the original association of a hypotensive sphincter with reflux. OBJECTIVES AND METHODS In this study, the manometric and ambulatory pH studies of a group of consecutive patients evaluated over a 3-yr period were reviewed to identify and characterize patients with a hypertensive LESP and abnormal GER as defined by increased acid exposure in the distal esophagus as measured on ambulatory pH monitoring. RESULTS Eighteen such patients were identified, which represented 5.2% of all patients with abnormal GER and 23.4% of all patients with a hypertensive LESP. Heartburn (nine patients) and chest pain (nine patients) represented the dominant symptoms. LESP ranged from 47 to 73 mm Hg. Incomplete LES relaxation in response to swallow was found in nine out of 18 patients. Intact peristalsis was found in all patients, and seven patients had a nutcracker esophagus. Patients showed a wide range of abnormal distal esophageal acid exposure times with only slightly abnormal recumbent or upright reflux times to greater than 25% pH less than 4 total (although most patients had mild reflux with 17 out of 18 patients having total distal esophageal acid exposure less than 10%). There was no correlation between LESP and total % pH less than 4 (r = 0.11). Of 16 patients, 12 responded to antireflux treatment, including the three patients who required fundoplication. The four patients who did not respond to treatment had poor correlation of reflux episodes to symptoms on pH monitoring, had markedly elevated LESPs, and did not present with heartburn. CONCLUSIONS The association of a hypertensive LESP and abnormal GER is not uncommon. When abnormal GER does occur in these patients, it tends to be mild but can be clinically important and respond to antireflux treatments. We recommend that patients with a hypertensive LESP and/or nutcracker esophagus who present with heartburn or chest pain should undergo ambulatory pH monitoring to evaluate the possibility of GER disease.
Biology of LAG3 Checkpoint Blockade

Dr. Vignali will discuss the biology of the inhibitory receptor LAG3, and its contribution to T cell exhaustion and immune regulation on CD8 + and CD4 + intratumoral T cells in mouse models of cancer and autoimmunity, and in a variety of human malignancies. He will also discuss the impact of LAG3 on regulatory T cell function. Given the considerable interest in inhibitory receptors in general, and LAG3 recently, as immunotherapeutic targets, he will also discuss how differential LAG3 expression could impact responsiveness to immunotherapy. Disclosures Vignali: Potenza Therapeutics: Consultancy, Equity Ownership, Membership on an entity9s Board of Directors or advisory committees, Patents & Royalties: Licensed IP, Research Funding; Tizona Therapeutics: Consultancy, Equity Ownership, Membership on an entity9s Board of Directors or advisory committees, Patents & Royalties, Research Funding; Oncorus: Consultancy, Equity Ownership, Membership on an entity9s Board of Directors or advisory committees; Pieris: Membership on an entity9s Board of Directors or advisory committees; FStar: Membership on an entity9s Board of Directors or advisory committees; BMS: Equity Ownership; Merck: Equity Ownership; Crescendo: Consultancy; Intellia: Consultancy; MPM: Consultancy; Onkaido/Moderna: Consultancy; Servier: Consultancy.
Abstract 3118: Obesity as a risk factor for pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia: A report from the Children's Oncology Group

Introduction: Increases in the incidence of both obesity (a risk factor for many adulthood cancers) and acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in childhood have been observed over the past three decades, thus we sought to identify whether obesity may be an unrecognized risk factor for childhood ALL. Methods: Demographics, anthropometrics and disease characteristics from children and young adults (aged 1-30 years) diagnosed with ALL between 2004-2017 and treated on Children’s Oncology Group (COG) frontline treatment protocols with available pre-treatment anthropometric data (n=4775, AALL17D2) were compared to National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) controls (n=30,107). Individuals were classified as underweight, normal weight, overweight, or obese, per standard CDC age- and sex-based pediatric and adult definitions for body mass index (BMI). Multivariate logistic regressions were performed, adjusting for sex, race/ethnicity, age, socioeconomic status and obesity status, to assess associations between BMI classification and ALL. Additional models were performed stratifying by ALL disease characteristics. Results: ALL patients (72% B-ALL, 28% T-ALL) were more likely to be male (62%), 58% were non-Hispanic white, 9% non-Hispanic black and 24% identified as Hispanic. Among ALL patients, 5% were underweight, 58% normal weight, 17% overweight and 20% obese. Using normal weight as reference, BMI above normal weight classification was associated with ALL diagnosis (overweight, OR=1.10, 95% CI 1.00-1.20, p =0.046; obese, OR=1.15, 95% CI 1.05-1.25, p =0.002), as was underweight (OR=1.74, 95% CI 1.48-2.03, p= p trend p trend p =0.006; CNS3, OR=2.28, 95% CI 1.24-4.17, p =0.005). Conclusions: This is the first study, to our knowledge, to show that pre-treatment overweight or obesity is associated with ALL, specifically among males and B-cell immunophenotype. Furthermore, ALL CNS involvement was associated with obesity. This study also confirmed the known association between underweight and ALL. Although the associations between BMI status and newly diagnosed ALL may be secondary to detrimental physiologic effects of ALL (i.e. underweight at time of diagnosis), they also suggest a role for inflammation, environmental exposures, or other genetic susceptibility in ALL pathogenesis. Further analyses are needed to elucidate whether other ALL disease characteristics, such as cytogenetics, may be associated with pre-treatment childhood BMI. Citation Format: Taumoha Ghosh, Michaela Richardson, Justin Ryder, Logan Spector, Lucie Turcotte. Obesity as a risk factor for pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia: A report from the Children9s Oncology Group [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2019; 2019 Mar 29-Apr 3; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 3118.
TRANSMax II: Designing a flexible model for transit route optimization

Abstract Covering path problems date from the pioneering work of Current et al. (1984, 1985). Two basic forms were defined in their work: the shortest covering path problem and the maximal covering shortest path problem. These two problems differ in that one requires complete coverage by the defined path and the other involves determining path alternatives which cover as much as possible while keeping the path length as short as possible. The latter of these two problems, the maximal covering shortest path problem, embodies the two major goals in transit planning: that is, finding efficient paths which serve as many people as possible. Often transit routes are restricted to major road segments, and when that occurs, routes do not compete with one another unless they overlap along a street segment or at an intersection. In addition, coverage distances can be quite small, barely extending to other streets. Given this type of situation, Curtin and Biba (2011) developed a model called TRANSMax (Transit Route Arc-Node Service Maximization), which maximizes node and arc service, where service coverage is defined for only those street and node segments that are part of a route. They based their model on a structure first proposed by Vajda (1961) in formulating and solving the traveling salesman problem. Because of this structure, we demonstrate that it is possible that a route generated by their original TRANSMax model may not be Pareto optimal with respect to both distance and access. In this paper, we develop a flexible TRANSMax model formulation that finds Pareto Optimal solutions when the original form does not. We also present computational experience in solving this new model on the same street network of Curtin and Biba involving Richardson, Texas. This application allows us to make comparisons between this work and the original work of Curtin and Biba. Overall, we show that this new model can identify new, improved routes over the existing TRANSMax model.
Effects of hybrid-functional electrical stimulation (FES) rowing whole-body exercise on neurologic improvement in subacute spinal cord injury: secondary outcomes analysis of a randomized controlled trial.

Secondary outcome measures analysis of a randomized, controlled study. To assess the effects of hybrid-functional electrical stimulation (FES) rowing on motor and sensory recovery in individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) 6–18 months post injury. Outpatient rehabilitation network. 25 participants 6–12 months after SCI were randomly assigned to hybrid-FES rowing (n = 10) or standard of care (n = 15) groups. The hybrid-FES rowing group completed 6 months of rowing scheduled 3 times per week for 26 weeks at an exercise intensity of 70–85% of maximal heart rate. The standard of care group either participated in an arm ergometer exercise program (n = 6) or a waitlist without an explicit exercise program (n = 9). Changes in motor score and combined sensory score of the International Standards for Neurological Classification of SCI (ISNCSCI) were analyzed. Both groups demonstrated increases in motor and combined sensory scores, but no significant differences were noted between intervention groups (motor difference mean ↑1.3 (95% CI, −1.9 to 4.4), combined sensory difference mean ↓10 (−30 to 18)). There was an average of 63% adherence to the hybrid-FES rowing protocol, with no significant correlation in changes in motor or combined sensory score in the hybrid-FES rowing group with total distance or time rowed. No significant effects to neurologic improvement were found with hybrid-FES rowing when compared with standard of care interventions in individuals with SCI 6–18 months post injury.
Effect of Initial Harvest Timing on Cultivar Yield in Cool‐Season Forage Grass Trials

Cool-season forage grasses have a range of inter- and intraspecies heading dates in the spring. Selecting a manageable harvest schedule that does not confound yield estimates through a harvest x maturity interaction is troublesome in forage variety trials. Our objective was to determine the extent of interaction between cool-season forage grass maturity and initial spring harvest when estimating total season yield. Cultivars of orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata L.), perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.), smooth bromegrass (Bromus inermis Leyss.), tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.), and timothy (Phleum pratense L.) differing in relative maturity were established in silt loam soils in 1997 and 1999 at Rock Springs, PA. Orchardgrass and perennial ryegrass were established at the same site in 2001. After the seeding year, three harvest schedules resulting in four harvests per year were applied: (A) each individual cultivar was harvested when it reached boot stage (R0 stage); (B) all cultivars within a species were harvested when the average cultivar maturity within that species was at boot stage; and (C) all cultivars of all species were harvested when the average maturity of all species/cultivars was at boot stage. Subsequent harvests were taken at 35-d intervals. There was no cultivar x harvest schedule interaction for dry matter (DM) yields in this research. Tall fescue (12 140 kg ha -1 yr -1 ) was the highest-yielding and perennial ryegrass (5316 kg ha -1 yr -1 ) the lowest-yielding species. Cultivars within each species differed in DM yield. Delaying orchardgrass or smooth bromegrass harvest beyond the boot stage (Harvest Schedule C) resulted in increased yields. The results of this research indicate that timing of initial harvest has no effect on relative cultivar total-season yield within the species tested.
Remembering Wilhelm Wundt and the Second Leipzig School of Psychology

It has been 100 years since Wilhelm Wundt, our founding father of modern psychology, has passed away. In this present contribution to the journal Human Arenas special topic section marking this centennial milestone, I will be re-visiting some of the theoretical highlights coming out of the first and second Leipzig School of Psychology. Particular focus is given to Wundt’s examination of human consciousness, his emotional-will theory, creative synthesis, and especially the new direction implemented by his successors after his retirement in 1917. That is, the shift from a focus on elementary processes resulting in a creative synthesis to the developmental holistic outlook of Genetic Ganzheitspsychologie that takes holistic complexes and their transformations as the starting point for psychological examinations.
Ethiopianist Fiction and the Politics of Theological Hope

This essay examines Pauline E. Hopkins’s speculative novel Of One Blood (serialized 1902–03) as it represents the distinctive nonlinear time of Ethiopianism, an African American prophetic tradition...
ActionHealthNYC: Effectiveness of a Health Care Access Program for the Uninsured, 2016–2017

Objectives. To evaluate the effectiveness of a novel health care access program (ActionHealthNYC) for uninsured immigrants. Methods. The evaluation was conducted as a randomized controlled trial in...
Questioning the renoprotective role of L-type calcium channel blockers in chronic kidney disease using physiological modeling

Our physiological model replicates clinical trial results and provides unique insights into possible mechanisms that play a role in glomerular injury and hypertensive kidney disease progression dur...
CHAPTER 9 – Reflection

Reflection is a relatively simple, yet powerful, probe of films on a substrate and of the substrate itself. It can probe the interface between the substrate and the ambient medium above it, which is usually a gas, and in some configurations it is very sensitive to monolayers of adsorbates on a substrate. Also, reflection can be used to measure film thicknesses very accurately through optical interference in the film. Reflection probes can be easily installed on a wide range of thin film reactors. They are immune to the light collection issues in optical emission spectroscopy (OES), laser-induced fluorescence (LIF), and photoluminescence (PL) because the incident and reflected beams are well collimated. Still, some reflection-based probes, such as ellipsometry, are sensitive to other experimental factors, including wafer movement and the optical properties of reactor windows. Many reflection-based diagnostics can be employed in rotating-disk deposition systems.
Health-related Quality of Life in Cancer Survivors Between Ages 20 and 64 Years : Population-based Estimates From the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System

BACKGROUND The authors examined the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of cancer survivors between ages 20 and 64 years by using a population-based survey of individuals who had activity limitations caused by cancer. METHODS A population-based, cross-sectional study was conducted using the 2000 to 2002 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) to examine HRQOL among respondents who reported activity limitations because of cancer. HRQOL was measured by using the CDC's Healthy Days Measures, including self-rated health status, numbers of unhealthy physical and mental health days, and activity limitation. HRQOL was compared among the following groups: those who reported no activity limitations and those who were limited primarily by cardiovascular conditions, emotional problems, and cancer. Taylor-series linearization methods were used to calculate population-based estimates in this complex sample survey. RESULTS Individuals between ages 20 and 64 years who were limited by cancer reported poorer HRQOL measured as higher prevalence of poor or fair self-reported health, more physically unhealthy days, more painful days, and more inadequate sleep days. Compared with the group that had no activity limitations, the individuals who had limitations were more likely to be women and to have annual household incomes <$25,000. They were more likely to be unable to work and to have health insurance. In addition, they were more likely to be former smokers and to be overweight, but they were less likely to participate in leisure-time physical activity. CONCLUSIONS Overall, respondents between ages 20 and 64 years who reported being limited primarily by cancer reported lower HRQOL. They also reported unhealthy behaviors that were detrimental to improved HRQOL. The HRQOL and lifestyle modification needs of this population need to be examined prospectively to help decrease their burden of suffering. Cancer 2008. Published 2008 by the American Cancer Society.
Studies of Radical Model for Retrieval of Cursive Chinese Handwritten Annotations

Our research focuses on Chinese online ink matching that tries to match handwritten annotations with handwritten queries without attempting to recognize them. Previously, we proposed a semantic matching scheme that uses elastic matching with a dynamic programming approach based on the radical model of Chinese characters. By means of semantic matching, a handwritten annotation may also be retrieved independently of writers via typed text query, or stored texts can be retrieved by handwritten queries. This work concerns with the behavior of the previously proposed radical model in several aspects including character normalization, stroke segmentation, structural information, dynamic programming costs and schemes. Based on our study, a new radical model is proposed. As a result, the recall of retrieval by handwritten query reaches 90% for the first hit (an improvement of 20% over previous results) and the recall by text query reaches 80% when top 20 matches are returned.
Metamorphism of dry snow as a result of temperature gradient and vapor density differences

A heat conduction equation for the determination of the temperature profile in a snowpack is developed. The magnitude of the temperature gradient tends to increase as the snow surface is approached, with local minima through layers of high snow density and local maxima above and below these layers. Calculations are made of the difference in vapor density in the pore and over the ice grain surfaces which border the pore. In the presence of sufficient temperature and temperature gradient, faceted crystals will develop near the top of the pore, as ice is sublimed away from the surfaces in the lower region. There will be a reduction in the percentage of rounded grains as the faceted form develops. The process is demonstrated to be enhanced at warm temperatures and large temperature gradients in low density snow.
Parallel pairwise statistical significance estimation of local sequence alignment using Message Passing Interface library

SUMMARY Homology detection is a fundamental step in sequence analysis. In the recent years, pairwise statistical significance has emerged as a promising alternative to database statistical significance for homology detection. Although more accurate, currently it is much time consuming because it involves generating tens of hundreds of alignment scores to construct the empirical score distribution. This paper presents a parallel algorithm for pairwise statistical significance estimation, called MPIPairwiseStatSig, implemented in C using MPI library. We further apply the parallelization technique to estimate non-conservative pairwise statistical significance using standard, sequence-specific, and position-specific substitution matrices, which has earlier demonstrated superior sequence comparison accuracy than original pairwise statistical significance. Distributing the most compute-intensive portions of the pairwise statistical significance estimation procedure across multiple processors has been shown to result in near-linear speed-ups for the application. The MPIPairwiseStatSig program for pairwise statistical significance estimation is available for free academic use at www.cs.iastate.edu~ankitag/MPIPairwiseStatSig.html. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Chapter 2 Integrated Electronic and Photonic Devices

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on the integrated electronic and photonic devices. The electronic technology in semiconductor compound is dominated by GaAs field effect transistors (FETs) fabricated by direct implantation into the semi-insulating (SI) substrate. Heteroepitaxial technology is a must for optoelectronic devices. The blending of these separate technologies is achieved by the selective epitaxy technology. Double heterostructure (DH) transistor technology has advantages in speed and noise compared with FETs and the added bonus of being compatible with that of the laser. The heterobipolar transistor (HBT) achieves its maximum speed performance in stripe geometry at very high current densities and as an integrated circuit element, its area has to be reduced as much as possible. The main motivation for the development of GaAs ICs is speed. As speed increases, the interconnection of ICs and subsystems becomes more critical and cannot be easily implemented using technologies available today. Significant improvements in terms of speed and noise can be gained by the monolithic approach by reducing the importance of the role played by undesired packing parasitics associated with discrete devices.
Catalytic ozonation of ammonia using biomass char and wood fly ash

Catalytic ozonation of gaseous ammonia was investigated at room temperature using wood fly ash (WFA) and biomass char as catalysts. WFA gave the best results, removing ammonia (11 ppmv NH(3), 45% conversion) at 23 degrees C at a residence time of 0.34 s, using 5 g of catalyst or ash at the lowest ozone concentration (62 ppmv). Assuming pseudo zero order kinetics in ozone, a power rate law of -r(NH3) = 7.2 x 10(-8) C(NH3)(0.25) (r, mol g(-1)s(-1), C(NH3)molL(-1)) was determined at 510 ppmv O(3) and 23 degrees C for WFA. Water vapor approximately doubled the oxidation rate using WFA and catalytic ozonation activity was not measured for the char without humidifying the air stream. Overall oxidation rates using the crude catalysts were lower than commercial catalysts, but the catalytic ozonation process operated at significantly lower temperatures (23 vs. 300 degrees C). Nitric oxide was not detected and the percentage of NO(2) formed from NH(3) oxidation ranged from 0.3% to 3% (v/v), with WFA resulting in the lowest NO(2) level (at low O(3) levels). However, we could not verify that N(2)O was not formed, so further research is needed to determine if N(2) is the primary end-product. Additional research is required to develop techniques to enhance the oxidation activity and industrial application of the crude, but potentially inexpensive catalysts.
Socio-behavioral and geographic correlates of prevalent hepatitis C virus infection among young injection drug users in metropolitan Baltimore and Chicago.

Abstract Background Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection prevalence among young injection drug users (IDUs) differs substantially between cities in the United States (U.S.). Methods Between 2002 and 2004, IDUs aged 15–30 were recruited for the Third Collaborative Injection Drug User Study in five U.S. cities using respondent-driven methods. Our cross-sectional study examined correlates and geographic distribution of prevalent HCV infection (HCV+) from the Baltimore ( n = 736) and Chicago ( n = 586) study sites. We evaluated baseline socio-demographic and behavioral data collected from computer-assisted self-interviews and serological antibody testing for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis A, B, and C. Results HCV prevalence was 53.0% in Baltimore and 13.7% in Chicago ( p p Conclusions The disparate HCV prevalence between the two cities is only partially explained by individual-level factors. Future studies should examine the network configurations and injection partners’ characteristics of young IDUs.
Using the standard-setting process to demystify the concepts statements: The case of SFAS 76

Abstract To illustrate the accounting standard-setting process and how conceptual consistency is lost during the negotiations involved in that process, Statement of Financial Accounting Standards (SFAS) 76 Extinguishment of Debt is used as a case study. Excerpts from actual “Comment Letters” sent to the FASB are used to highlight issues and stimulate discussion. Classroom results, wherein SFAS 76 was used, are summarized. While SFAS 76 as a case study was found to be an excellent vehicle for illustrating the problems faced by standard-setters and the role of the Conceptual Framework, any pronouncement could be used. The SFAS 76 case takes 20 or more minutes to use. However, the case can be substituted for some of the lecture on standard-setting so it does not have to expand the time needed to cover the topic.
Toward individualized dosing in pediatric ALL

Comment on Rocha et al, page [4752][1] In this issue of Blood, Rocha and colleagues provide evidence for the independent prognostic significance of pharmacogenomic parameters on clinical outcome in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia. C urrent treatment for pediatric acute lymphoblastic
Experimental constraints on the observation of the condensate fraction in superfluid helium four by a new method

Abstract A new method has been proposed for observation of the condensate fraction of superfluid helium four. This paper discusses the experimental considerations involved in carrying out the measurement.
Mechanical Stability of Crystal Lattices with Two-Body Interactions

The stability criteria developed by Max Born are applied to investigate the mechanical stability of body-centered-cubic (bcc) and face-centered-cubic (fcc) Morse-function crystal lattices {i.e., lattices in which the atoms interact via the morse interatomic potential energy function $\ensuremath{\phi}(r)=D[{e}^{\ensuremath{-}2\ensuremath{\alpha}(r\ensuremath{-}{r}_{0})}\ensuremath{-}2{e}^{\ensuremath{-}\ensuremath{\alpha}(r\ensuremath{-}{r}_{0})}]$}. It is shown that the conditions for stability can be expressed uniquely as a function of $\ensuremath{\alpha}a$, where $a$ is the lattice parameter of the crystal. The fcc lattice is stable for all values of $\ensuremath{\alpha}a$, while the bcc lattice is stable only for values of $\ensuremath{\alpha}a$ which are less than 4.8. The possibility of using Morse-function lattices to represent cubic crystals with particular values of elastic moduli ${C}_{11}$ and ${C}_{12}$ is investigated. The Morse function can serve quite well for this type of representation for fcc crystals. For bcc crystals, however, the ratio $\frac{{C}_{11}}{{C}_{12}}$ does not exceed about 1.36; thus the representation is inherently fairly poor.
Some observations on spinal reflexes in man.

An attempt has been made to assess the functional significance of certain spinal reflexes demonstrable in man, and to consider their relationships to tendon jerks and tonus. Selected older studies have been reviewed in light of current knowledge of stretch reflex activity. The physiological basis of the electrically induced reflexes first described by Paul Hoffmann has been more strictly defined. Certain features of motoneuronal excitability changes associated with them apparently represent properties, within the monosynaptic arc, of motor nerve cells themselves. Other, later, changes indicate participation of additional and more complex inhibitory mechanisms relayed through much higher levels. Two have been identified by their effects on motoneurone excitability. Others, perhaps more important in the total pattern of control of motor nerve cell discharge in response to muscle stretch, have not yet been recognized. This is emphasized by lack of correlation between clinical tonus and/or tendon jerk activity, on the one hand, and demonstrable interference with the identified central inhibitory mechanisms, on the other. It has been postulated that control of Hoffmann's reflexes, tendon jerks, and tonus, to the extent that it is myotatic, depends on additive recruitment of afferent discharge from muscle and of successively complex central mechanisms.
The isolated prolonged PTT

It is increasingly difficult to choose the proper tests to investigate an abnormal laboratory result, delaying the time to reach the correct diagnosis and increasing the cost of care. A wrong choice may also lead to clinically significant errors, which can be life threatening. To show how errors in test selection occur in routine medical practice, the authors describe an algorithm to evaluate patients with a prolonged activated partial thromboplastin time (PTT) and a normal prothrombin time. This exercise challenges the commonly held belief that errors in laboratory utilization occur primarily with esoteric and/or genetic testing, rather than in patients with common abnormalities such as a prolonged PTT.
A neural network for enhancing boundaries and surfaces in synthetic aperture radar images

A neural network system for boundary segmentation and surface representation, inspired by a new local-circuit model of visual processing in the cerebral cortex, is used to enhance images of range data gathered by a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) sensor. Boundary segmentation is accomplished by an improved Boundary Contour System (BCS) model which completes coherent boundaries that retain their sensitivity to image contrasts and locations. A Feature Contour System (FCS) model compensates for local contrast variations and uses the compensated signals to diffusively fill-in surface regions within the BCS boundaries. Image noise pixels that are not supported by BCS boundaries are hereby eliminated. More generally, BCS/FCS processing normalizes input dynamic range, reduces noise, and enhances contrasts between surface regions. BCS/FCS processing hereby makes structures such as motor vehicles, roads, and buildings more salient to human observers than in original imagery. The new BCS model improves image enhancement with significant reductions in processing time and complexity over previous BCS applications. The new system also outperforms several established techniques for image enhancement.