cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Mortality and transmissibility patterns of the 1957 influenza pandemic in Maricopa County, Arizona

While prior studies have quantified the mortality burden of the 1957 H2N2 influenza pandemic at broad geographic regions in the United States, little is known about the pandemic impact at a local level. Here we focus on analyzing the transmissibility and mortality burden of this pandemic in Arizona, a setting where the dry climate was promoted as reducing respiratory illness transmission yet tuberculosis prevalence was high. Using archival death certificates from 1954 to 1961, we quantified the age-specific seasonal patterns, excess-mortality rates, and transmissibility patterns of the 1957 H2N2 pandemic in Maricopa County, Arizona. By applying cyclical Serfling linear regression models to weekly mortality rates, the excess-mortality rates due to respiratory and all-causes were estimated for each age group during the pandemic period. The reproduction number was quantified from weekly data using a simple growth rate method and assumed generation intervals of 3 and 4 days. Local newspaper articles published during 1957–1958 were also examined. Excess-mortality rates varied between waves, age groups, and causes of death, but overall remained low. From October 1959-June 1960, the most severe wave of the pandemic, the absolute excess-mortality rate based on respiratory deaths per 10,000 population was 16.59 in the elderly (≥65 years). All other age groups exhibit very low excess-mortality and the typical U-shaped age-pattern was absent. However, the standardized mortality ratio was greatest (4.06) among children and young adolescents (5–14 years) from October 1957-March 1958, based on mortality rates of respiratory deaths. Transmissibility was greatest during the same 1957–1958 period, when the mean reproduction number was estimated at 1.08–1.11, assuming 3- or 4-day generation intervals with exponential or fixed distributions. Maricopa County exhibited very low mortality impact associated with the 1957 influenza pandemic. Understanding the relatively low excess-mortality rates and transmissibility in Maricopa County during this historic pandemic may help public health officials prepare for and mitigate future outbreaks of influenza.
White-cheeked Pintail duckling and brood survival across wetland types at Humacao Nature Reserve, Puerto Rico

ABSTRACT Duckling survival is an important influence on recruitment in several North American Anas species. White-cheeked Pintail (Anas bahamensis) breeding in Puerto Rico encounter a variety of wetland types that may influence duckling survival. We monitored fates of 92 radio-tagged ducklings in 31 broods in 5 wetland habitat types at Humacao Nature Reserve in southeastern Puerto Rico from 2000 to 2002. Wetlands included 2 separate coastal lagoon complexes, mangrove forest, and managed and unmanaged wetland impoundments containing herbaceous vegetation. We used known-fate models to estimate daily and interval survival rates of ducklings and broods. We conducted conservative and liberal analyses of survival because of uncertain fates of 36 ducklings. In the conservative analysis, the most parsimonious model for duckling survival contained wetland type and a positive influence of daily precipitation. In the liberal analysis, duckling survival also varied among wetlands, was positively influenced by daily p...
Computational Cannula Microscopy: Fluorescent imaging through ultra-thin glass needle

We demonstrate a fluorescent microscopy through an optical cannula (220µm diameter glass needle) for deep tissue imaging. We first show sample images captured in thin sections for the proof of principle. Then cannula is inserted deep into dissected brain tissue which captured high resolution images of microglia cells.
Glucose uptake and glycogen levels are increased in pig heart after repetitive ischemia

Repetitive myocardial ischemia increases glucose uptake, but the effect on glycogen is unclear. Thirteen swine instrumented with a hydraulic occluder on the circumflex (Cx) artery underwent 10-min occlusions twice per day for 4 days. After 24 h postfinal ischemia and in the fasted state, echocardiogram and positron emission tomography imaging for blood flow ([(13)N]-ammonia) and 2-[(18)F]fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (FDG) uptake were obtained. Tissue was then collected for ATP, creatine phosphate (CP), glycogen, and glucose transporter-4 content, and hexokinase activity. After reperfusion, regional function and CP-to-ATP ratios in the Cx and remote regions were similar. Despite the absence of stunning, the Cx region demonstrated higher glycogen levels (33 +/- 11 vs. 24 +/- 11 micromol/g; P < 0.05), and this increase correlated well with the increase in FDG uptake (r(2) = 0.78; P < 0.01). Hexokinase activity was also increased relative to remote regions (0.62 +/- 0.29 vs. 0.37 +/- 0.19 IU/g; P < 0.05), with no difference in GLUT-4 content. In summary, 24 h after repetitive ischemia, glucose uptake and glycogen levels are increased at a time that functional and bioenergetic markers of stunning have recovered. The significant correlation between glycogen content and FDG accumulation in the postischemic region suggests that increased rates of glucose transport and/or phosphorylation are linked to increased glycogen levels in hearts subjected to repetitive bouts of ischemia.
Free Tissue Transfer

Microvascular free tissue transfer facilitates structural and functional reconstruction of composite defects throughout the body with durable, well-vascularized soft tissue coverage. Although this modality requires specialized expertise, it provides the most reliable alternative for single-stage resurfacing of wound beds with exposed vital structures, particularly in the setting of compromised local perfusion and/or regional tissue deficits from various etiologies. For patients in whom free tissue transfer is being considered, medical optimization, wound debridement, infection control, and thorough assessment of donor- and recipient-site vascular status serve to enhance reconstructive success by promoting healing and minimizing perioperative complications. Postoperatively, a vigilant flap monitoring protocol will aid in the early identification of microvascular compromise and improve the odds of ultimate flap salvage. Details regarding the classification, tissue composition, vascular anatomy, and indications for the most commonly utilized workhorse flaps are included in this review.
3D segmentation of the ascending and descending aorta from CT data via graph-cuts

Segmentation of the aorta from CT and MR data is important in order to quantitatively assess diseases of the aorta including aortic dissection and distention of aortic aneurysm, among others. In this paper, we propose a segmentation method to extract exact the 3D boundary of the aorta via graph-cuts segmentation. The graph-cuts technique is able to avoid local minima with global optimization and can be applied to 3D and higher dimension with fast computation. We performed 3D segmentation using this method for five CT data sets. The user selects seed points for aorta region as 'object' and surrounding tissues as 'background' on an axial slice of the 3D CT data and the algorithm calculates the cost of n-link (neighborhood-link) and t-link (terminal-link), and computes the minimum cut separating the aorta from the background by applying the max-flow/min-cut algorithm. Results were validated against manually traced aorta boundaries. The mean Dice Similarity Coefficient for the five 3D segmentations was 0.9381. The 3D segmentation took less than five minutes for data sets of size 512×512×244 to 512×512×284.
The FDA Breakthrough-Drug Designation - Four Years of Experience.

The FDA Breakthrough-Drug Designation In 2012, Congress created the breakthrough-therapy designation to expedite the testing and approval by the FDA of medications with potential to provide substan...
Numerical Methods for Stochastic Differential Games: The Ergodic Cost Criterion

The Markov chain approximation method is a widely used, relatively easy to apply, and efficient family of methods for the bulk of stochastic control problems in continuous time, for reflected jump-diffusion type models. It is the most general method available, it has been shown to converge under broad conditions, via probabilistic methods, and there are good algorithms for solving the numerical problems, if the dimension is not too high (see the basic reference [16]). We consider a class of stochastic differential games with a reflected diffusion system model and ergodic cost criterion, where the controls for the two players are separated in the dynamics and cost function. The value of the game exists and the numerical method converges to this value as the discretization parameter goes to zero. The actual numerical method solves a stochastic game for a finite state Markov chain and ergodic cost criterion. The essential conditions are nondegeneracy of the diffusion and that a weak local consistency condition hold “almost everywhere” for the numerical approximations, just as for the control problem. The latter is close to a minimal condition. Such ergodic and “separated” game models occur in risk-sensitive and robust control.
Integration of Plant and Bacterial Metabolism in Nitrogen Fixing Systems

Portions of this topic have been included in other recent reviews (McDermott et al. 1989; Day, Copeland 1991; Streeter 1991; Gordon 1992). In general, the literature cited here has been limited to papers not cited in those reviews. All of these earlier reviews contain schemes that illustrate processes of transport and metabolism in nodules; although these are very useful in providing a framework for understanding nodule function, they are not reproduced here because of space constraints. Because function is often related to the structure of nodules, the recent summary of nodule anatomy by Brown and Walsh (1994) is also noteworthy. In this report the structure of nodules from 43 species in 31 different genera of legumes is documented in a tabular summary of features and in a helpful selection of micrographs.
Rethinking Industrial Relations, or at least the British radical frame:

This article provides a short overview of the analysis in John Kelly’s 1998 book Rethinking Industrial Relations (RIR) of long-run cycles and trends in worker collective mobilization and conflict, ...
Zinc-Induced Conformational Transitions in Human Islet Amyloid Polypeptide and Their Role in the Inhibition of Amyloidosis

Type-2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a disease hallmarked by improper homeostasis within the islets of Langerhans of the pancreas. The most critical species affected is insulin, which is produced by ...
Made for this Moment: The Enduring Relevance of Adolf Berle's Belief in a Global New Deal

At a time when the insecurity of working people in the United States and Europe is being exploited by nativist forces, the concept of a global New Deal is more relevant than ever. But, instead of a global New Deal, the predominant force in international trade in recent decades has been spreading pre-New Deal, laissez-faire approaches to markets, without extending with equal vigor the regulations essential to providing ordinary people economic security. Adolf Berle recognized that if the economy did not work for all, the worst impulses in humanity could be exploited by demagogues and authoritarians, having seen this first hand in the 1930s. Berle believed in international trade and economic dynamism. But he understood that growth in each produces instability, the potential for lost jobs, and human insecurity that governments, preferably working in concert, have the duty and capacity to address. That is why he advocated for a global New Deal that would extend the key elements necessary to a fair economy to cover the full scope of the transnational economy. This article identifies support in Berle’s writing for addressing economic inequality and insecurity and ensuring that the advances for working people accomplished by the New Deal and social democracy in the OECD nations are preserved and extended to working people in developing nations. Because Berle was both a believer in facts and an optimist, one senses that he would now be arguing for a muscular and bold international agenda to increase the security of working people in the developed world while simultaneously strengthening trade and opportunities for people in the developing world. Berle’s writings indicate that working people would be central to his focus, and signal his support for stronger minimum wages appropriate to the conditions of different tiers of the world economy, guarantees for workers to bargain for higher wages, and protections against child labor, unfair hours, and unsafe working conditions. Berle also advocated for other policies that have current relevance, such as investments in infrastructure, evolving technology, environmental protection, and education to create employment opportunities, improve quality of life, and make the United States more competitive. Berle’s work also indicates that he would view the U.S. as well positioned to pay for needed action by asking the wealthy winners to pay their fair share and by enacting Pigouvian taxes that would also reduce the risks of financial speculation and carbon use. This article outlines key components that could form the basis for Berlean transnational understandings to create more economic security for working people and thus continue globalizing trade while addressing the legitimate concerns of workers in the OECD nations.
Spectroscopy and Photochemistry of Planetary Atmospheres and Ionospheres: Mars, Venus, Titan, Triton and Pluto

The chemical composition of any planetary atmosphere is of fundamental importance in determining its photochemistry and dynamics in addition to its thermal balance, climate, origin and evolution. Divided into two parts, this book begins with a set of introductory chapters, starting with a concise review of the Solar System and fundamental atmospheric physics. Chapters then describe the basic principles and methods of spectroscopy, the main tool for studying the chemical composition of planetary atmospheres, and of photochemical modeling and its use in the theoretical interpretation of observational data on chemical composition. The second part of the book provides a detailed review of the carbon dioxide atmospheres and ionospheres of Mars and Venus, and the nitrogen-methane atmospheres of Titan, Triton and Pluto. Written by an expert author, this comprehensive text will make a valuable reference for graduate students, researchers and professional scientists specializing in planetary atmospheres.
Closing the Loop

Closed loop control offers great potential for improving care and reducing health care costs. When used properly it can be a valuable asset greatly aiding in patient care by providing optimination and adjustment of patient therapy according to the patient’s needs. The physician is relieved of some of the mundane tasks which can be performed by closed loop controllers, but he is still in charge and must closely observe the behavior of these closed loop units and carefully select the patients on which they are applied.
Generalized signed-rank estimation for regression models with non-ignorable missing responses

Abstract In regression modeling, it has become very common to deal with missing data, which render the statistical analysis more difficult. It is then of interest to develop robust methods toward statistical inference for the regression coefficients in the presence of missing data. From this, a generalized signed-rank estimator of the regression coefficients in a model with non-ignorable missing responses is studied. The generalized signed-rank objective function covers a large class of existing objective functions such as the least squares, the signed-rank, the least absolute deviation among others. Under mild regularity conditions, the consistency and the limiting distribution of the proposed estimator are established. Finite-samples simulation studies are carried out to assess the performance of the proposed estimation method, and a practical real data application is given to illustrate our method. Results of these studies show that the proposed approach results in a robust and more efficient estimator compared to the least squares and least absolute deviation approaches, when dealing with heavy-tailed, contaminated model error distributions and/or when data contain gross outliers in the response space. Under the standard normal model error distribution, while the least squares and the proposed estimator have a similar performance, the least absolute deviation is inefficient.
Sleep-related attitudes, beliefs, and practices among an urban-dwelling African American community: a qualitative study.

Abstract Objectives Short sleep duration and poor sleep quality are more prevalent among African Americans (AAs) and may be a modifiable risk factor for cardiometabolic disorders. However, research is limited about sleep-related attitudes, beliefs, and practices among AAs. Our objective was to evaluate these practices and beliefs surrounding sleep among urban-dwelling AAs. Design Qualitative study comprised of five 90-minute focus groups using a semistructured interview guide. Setting Five churches located on the west side of Chicago. Participants Adults (N = 43) ages 25-75 years. Measurements Transcripts were voice recorded, transcribed, and then coded for content analysis using NVivo 12 Pro to capture themes in the discussions. Results Most participants (86%) reported sleeping less than the recommended 7 or more hours. The discrepancy between actual and desired sleep duration was nearly 3 hours per night. Participants reported that sleep is essential for mental and physical health. Napping and consuming caffeine were frequently reported techniques for coping with lack of sleep. Noise, physical discomfort, and stress were reported as barriers to sleep, and participants reported using TV and other electronics to cope with racing thoughts or worry. Many participants were diagnosed with or knew someone with obstructive sleep apnea, but few participants had been diagnosed with insomnia or were aware of nonpharmacologic insomnia treatments. Conclusion A cycle of stress/disruptive environment, stress, rumination at night, and coping by use of electronics and daytime napping may perpetuate sleep disparities in this community. Results suggest that sleep-related interventions should include stress reduction and environmental improvements in addition to the typical sleep hygiene–related behavioral recommendations.
Progressive hypoxia‐on‐a‐chip: An in vitro oxygen gradient model for capturing the effects of hypoxia on primary hepatocytes in health and disease

Oxygen is vital to the function of all tissues including the liver and lack of oxygen, that is, hypoxia can result in both acute and chronic injuries to the liver in vivo and ex vivo. Furthermore, a permanent oxygen gradient is naturally present along the liver sinusoid, which plays a role in the metabolic zonation and the pathophysiology of liver diseases. Accordingly, here, we introduce an in vitro microfluidic platform capable of actively creating a series of oxygen concentrations on a single continuous microtissue, ranging from normoxia to severe hypoxia. This range approximately captures both the physiologically relevant oxygen gradient generated from the portal vein to the central vein in the liver, and the severe hypoxia occurring in ischemia and liver diseases. Primary rat hepatocytes cultured in this microfluidic platform were exposed to an oxygen gradient of 0.3-6.9%. The establishment of an ascending hypoxia gradient in hepatocytes was confirmed in response to the decreasing oxygen supply. The hepatocyte viability in this platform decreased to approximately 80% along the hypoxia gradient. Simultaneously, a progressive increase in accumulation of reactive oxygen species and expression of hypoxia-inducible factor 1α was observed with increasing hypoxia. These results demonstrate the induction of distinct metabolic and genetic responses in hepatocytes upon exposure to an oxygen (/hypoxia) gradient. This progressive hypoxia-on-a-chip platform can be used to study the role of oxygen and hypoxia-associated molecules in modeling healthy and injured liver tissues. Its use can be further expanded to the study of other hypoxic tissues such as tumors as well as the investigation of drug toxicity and efficacy under oxygen-limited conditions.
Abstract WP50: Computed Tomography Angiography is Better at Predicting Lesion Core Volume in Acute Ischemic Stroke Patients with Proximal Occlusion

Introduction: The Alberta Stroke Program Early CT Score (ASPECTS) is a validated tool measuring early ischemic changes on noncontrast CT (NCCT). We hypothesized an ASPECTS using CT angiography-sour...
Detection of subclinical cardiotoxicity in sarcoma patients receiving continuous doxorubicin infusion or pre-treatment with dexrazoxane before bolus doxorubicin.

Continuous infusion of doxorubicin or dexrazoxane pre-treatment prior to bolus doxorubicin are proven strategies to protect against doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity. Recently, global longitudinal peak systolic strain (GLS) measured with speckle tracking echocardiography (STE) and high-sensitivity troponin T (hs-TnT) have been validated as sensitive indicators of doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity. Here, we asked whether changes in hs-TnT and/or GLS can be detected in patients who were treated with continuous infusion of doxorubicin or pre-treated with dexrazoxane followed by bolus doxorubicin. Twenty-nine patients with newly diagnosed sarcoma were assigned to receive either 72-h doxorubicin infusion or dexrazoxane pre-treatment before bolus doxorubicin. Eight patients received dexrazoxane pre-treatment; eleven patients received continuous doxorubicin infusion; ten patients crossed over from continuous infusion to dexrazoxane. Bloods were collected for hs-TnT at baseline, 24 h or 72 h after initiation of doxorubicin treatment in each chemotherapy cycle. All blood samples were assayed in batch using hs-TnT kit from Roche diagnostics. 2D Echo and STE were performed before doxorubicin, after cycle 3, and at the end of chemotherapy. Seven patients in the cross-over group have at least one hs-TnT measurement between 5 ng/L to 10 ng/L during and after chemotherapy. Ten patients have at least one hs-TnT measurement above 10 ng/ml during and after chemotherapy (six in dexrazoxane group, three in continuous infusion group, one in cross-over group). The average hs-TnT level increases with each additional cycle of doxorubicin treatment. Eight patients had a more than 5% reduction in LVEF at the end of chemotherapy (four in dexrazoxane group, three in continuous infusion group, and one in cross-over group). Four out of these eight patients had a change of GLS by more than 15% (three in the dexrazoxane group). Elevation in hs-TnT levels were observed in more than 59% of patients who had received either continuous doxorubicin infusion or dexrazoxane pre-treatment before bolus doxorubicin. However, changes in LVEF and GLS were less frequently observed. Thus, continuous doxorubicin infusion or dexrazoxane pre-treatment do not completely ameliorate subclinical doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity as detected by more sensitive techniques.
The Clinical Microbiology Laboratory and the Opioid Epidemic: Challenges and Opportunities

Increased infections from injection drug use harm patients and are costly to the health care system. The impact on clinical microbiology laboratories is less recognized. Microbiology laboratories face increased test volume and test complexity from the spectrum and burden of pathogens associated with injection drug use, which lead to diagnostic challenges and overtaxed resources. We describe stressed workflows, pathogens that defy protocols, and limits of current technologies. Laboratories may benefit from protocol revisions, additional resources, workflow oversight, and improved communication with clinical providers to optimally meet challenges associated with this public health crisis.
Enhanced activity and stability of MgO-promoted Ni/Al2O3 catalyst for dry reforming of methane: Role of MgO

Abstract Highly dispersed nickel nanoparticles (NPs) were deposited on Al2O3 NPs by atomic layer deposition (ALD). Various amounts of MgO were loaded on Ni/Al2O3 catalysts by the incipient wetness (IW) method for dry reforming of methane. Fresh and used catalysts were systematically characterized to reveal the effects of MgO on the catalytic performance. MgO was found to increase the basic amount and basic strength of catalyst surfaces, which provided additional surface oxygen species and assisted the adsorption and activation of CO2. Although the formation of NiO-MgO solid solution, during the calcination of incipient wetness, did not improve the overall reducibility, the Ni NPs from NiO-MgO solid solution after reduction formed an intimate interaction with MgO, which could inhibit Ni NPs from sintering and provide sufficient metal-support interface for CO2 activation. The MgO-promoted Ni/Al2O3 reached a methane reforming rate of 1780 LCH4gNi−1 h−1 at 850 °C, which is 26% more than that of the pristine Ni/Al2O3. The higher CO2 activity enhanced the oxidation rate of the surface carbon generated from side-reactions, thereby resulting in a higher reforming rate and inhibiting coke formation, especially the detrimental graphitic encapsulating carbon on the active nickel surface.
Discovery of the Hidden State in Ionic Models Using a Domain-Specific Recurrent Neural Network.

Ionic models, the set of ordinary differential equations (ODEs) describing the time evolution of the state of excitable cells, are the cornerstone of modeling in neuro- and cardiac electrophysiology. Modern ionic models can have tens of state variables and hundreds of tunable parameters. Fitting ionic models to experimental data, which usually covers only a limited subset of state variables, remains a challenging problem. In this paper, we describe a recurrent neural network architecture designed specifically to encode ionic models. The core of the model is a Gating Neural Network (GNN) layer, capturing the dynamics of classic (Hodgkin-Huxley) gating variables. The network is trained in two steps: first, it learns the theoretical model coded in a set of ODEs, and second, it is retrained on experimental data. The retrained network is interpretable, such that its results can be incorporated back into the model ODEs. We tested the GNN networks using simulated ventricular action potential signals and showed that it could deduce physiologically-feasible alterations of ionic currents. Such domain-specific neural networks can be employed in the exploratory phase of data assimilation before further fine-tuning using standard optimization techniques.
Benchmark comparison of dual-basis double-hybrid density functional theory and a neural-network-optimized method for intermolecular interactions

Abstract We present a computationally efficient implementation of double-hybrid density functional theory (DH-DFT) leveraging the dual basis methods of Head-Gordon and co-workers and the resolution-of-the-identity second-order Moller-Plesset (RI-MP2) theory. The B2PLYP, B2GP-PLYP, DSD-BLYP and DSD-PBEP86 density functionals are applied to assess the performance of dual-basis methods on several benchmark test cases, including the CONF set of conformational energy differences in C4-C7 alkanes, the S22 set of noncovalent interaction energies, and the RGC10 noble-gas dimer dissociation curves. The dual-basis DH-DFT approach is shown to give results in excellent agreement with conventional methods at a reduced computational cost. For noncovalent interaction energies, DH-DFT is compared against a leading neural-network-based approach, namely the SNS-MP2 method of McGibbon and coworkers (McGibbon et al., 2017). The DH-DFT and SNS-MP2 methods are shown to produce similar accuracies when compared to the established benchmark values.
Improving undergraduate education in surgical paediatrics using near-peer assisted learning tutorials.

IntroductionNear-peer assisted learning (NPAL) has been welcomed in recent years as a favourable method for teaching medical students. It has proven advantages for both the educator and the learner...
GPCR-Based Bioactive Peptide Screening Using Phage-Displayed Peptides and an Insect Cell System for Insecticide Discovery.

The discovery of new insecticides improves integrated pest management (IPM), but is usually a long high-risk process with a low probability of success. For over two decades, insect neuropeptides (NPs) and their G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) have been considered as biological targets for insect pest control, because they are involved in almost all physiological processes associated with insect life stages. A key roadblock to success has been the question of how large volume chemical libraries can be efficiently screened for active compounds. New genomic and proteomic tools have advanced and facilitated the development of new approaches to insecticide discovery. In this study, we report a novel GPCR-based screening technology that uses millions of short peptides randomly generated by bacteriophages, and a method using an insect Sf9 cell expression system. The fire ant is a good model system, since bioactive peptides have been identified for a specific GPCR. The novel small peptides could interfere with the target GPCR-ligand functions. Therefore, we refer to this new mechanism as “receptor interference” (RECEPTORi). The GPCR-based bioactive peptide screening method offers multiple advantages. Libraries of phage-displayed peptides (~109 peptides) are inexpensive. An insect cell-based screening system rapidly leads to target specific GPCR agonists or antagonists in weeks. Delivery of bioactive peptides to target pests can be flexible, such as topical, ingestion, and plant-incorporated protectants. A variety of GPCR targets are available, thus minimizing the development of potential insecticide resistance. This report provides the first proof-of-concept for the development of novel arthropod pest management strategies using neuropeptides, and GPCRs.
A Replication of “Weathering Corruption” ( Journal of Law and Economics, 2008):

Previous research using data on convictions for corruption-related crimes from the Public Integrity Section (PIN) of the Department of Justice points to a positive correlation between the amount of...
The Geometry of Lilies

FLOWERS CAN BLOOM from the mathematical mind. Matt, the mathematician in the family, wrings petals from paper by practicing ori gami, the ancient, Oriental art of paper folding. Given enough paper and time, he can create a garden of intricate shapes. It is the complexity of ori gami that drives him ?a hundred folds for a single design is not uncom mon? but what he does has its own grace, a thumb-twisted elegance. The result is a wondrous mix of clarity and clutter, a paper knot in the form of a rose, perhaps, or a daisy, a creation that seems light and whimsical, the intricacy relegated to accordion folds hidden away. Matt wadded up a lot of paper in his early attempts at the art. He found a book on the subject ?a bad translation from the Korean with sentences like this: "Through the occlusion of fold 'a' angles 'b' and 'c' emerge simul taneously." Little emerged from such language, unfortunately, and even when the instructions were clear, the task remained complex and difficult. The simplest shape required ten to twelve folds any one of which, done wrong, turned up a donkey with two tails or a three-legged giraffe, mutants which found their way, in a wad, to my son's trash can. With practice Matt learned most of what he needed to know and even tually mastered the subtleties of the art. In minutes now he can turn a sheet of colored paper into a flower, a donkey, or a star. No flat page in the house is safe. A quick inspection of one shelf turns up a dog, a swan, a camel, a grasshopper, a pig, and a panda. Pterodactyls, wings clipped snugly to the next shelf up, hover menacingly above the scene. I love to watch him amid such clutter create designs, his fingers producing abundantly within the constraints of his own devising. Love and discipline meet in these shapes, a boundless, creative energy in the mix. I see in them a rough draft for the geometry of lilies and catch a glimpse of the folds in our lives as well.
A CAD-based human interface for preoperative planning of total knee surgery

To aid an orthopedic surgeon in performing total knee replacement surgery, a computer-aided-design (CAD)-based graphic system is proposed for preoperative planning. This system consists of two parts. The first part reads the computed tomography (CT) scan data for the patient's leg and performs image analysis on the graphics computer. To interact with the surgeon's examination, CT images are manipulable on a high-resolution monitor. The output of this image analysis will be the extracted wire-frame data of the patient's leg bones and certain pins inserted previously into the femur and tibia for surgery. These data will be the input of the second part of the system, a 3-D graphic training system that emulates the procedures of total knee arthroplasty. This system will allow a surgeon to simulate the bone alignment, cutting, and implant placement. >
Survey of Business Owners: Data Overview

The 2002 Survey of Business Owners is part of the Economic Census, conducted every five years for years ending in 2 and 7. Statistics describe the characteristics of U.S. businesses by ownership category (i.e., by gender, Hispanic or Latino origin, and race of principal owners for both employer and non-employer businesses). Data are presented for detailed industries and geographies, and by size of firm (receipts and employment information). Download the slides at: http://papers.ssrn.com/paper=1027917 Download the audio file at: http://papers.ssrn.com/paper=1029983
Voxel based Monte Carlo calculations of nuclear medicine images and applied variance reduction techniques

Due to the availability of digitally stored human anatomy images, 3-dimensional surfaces of internal structures of the body can be stored in computer volume arrays. Such a volume based software phantom delineates internal human organs with millimeter resolution and lends itself to fully 3-dimensional Monte Carlo simulations. Our simulation models 45 internal human organs (each with an associated radioisotope concentration and attenuation coefficient), calculates gamma radiation histories through these structures, and accepts gamma events onto a collimated planar camera. Variance reduction techniques are applied to decrease the time required to compute a given number of events at the detector. Stratification and two implementations of forced detection variance reduction techniques are compared to ”brute force” calculations for their efficiency speed-ups in this heterogeneous geometry. Simulated clinical images of the liver are shown.
Tracking ongoing cognition in individuals using brief, whole-brain functional connectivity patterns

Functional connectivity (FC) patterns in functional MRI exhibit dynamic behavior on the scale of seconds, with rich spatiotemporal structure and limited sets of whole-brain, quasi-stable FC configurations (FC states) recurring across time and subjects. Based on previous evidence linking various aspects of cognition to group-level, minute-to-minute FC changes in localized connections, we hypothesized that whole-brain FC states may reflect the global, orchestrated dynamics of cognitive processing on the scale of seconds. To test this hypothesis, subjects were continuously scanned as they engaged in and transitioned between mental states dictated by tasks. FC states computed within windows as short as 22.5 s permitted robust tracking of cognition in single subjects with near perfect accuracy. Accuracy dropped markedly for subjects with the lowest task performance. Spatially restricting FC information decreased accuracy at short time scales, emphasizing the distributed nature of whole-brain FC dynamics, beyond univariate magnitude changes, as valuable markers of cognition.
Brain Activation for Knee Movement Measured Days Before Second Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury: Neuroimaging in Musculoskeletal Medicine

Background: Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury has multifactorial causes encompassing mechanical, hormonal, exposure, and anatomical factors. Alterations in the central nervous system also play a role, but their influence after injury, recovery, and recurrent injury remain unknown. Modern neuroimaging techniques can be used to elucidate the underlying functional and structural alterations of the brain that predicate the neuromuscular control adaptations associated with ACL injury. This knowledge will further our understanding of the neural adaptations after ACL injury and rehabilitation and in relation to injury risk. In this paper, we describe the measurement of brain activation during knee extension-flexion after ACL injury and reconstruction and 26 days before a contralateral ACL injury. Methods: Brain functional magnetic resonance imaging data for an ACL-injured participant and a matched control participant were collected and contrasted. Results: Relative to the matched control participant, the A...
Color-octet-electroweak-doublet scalars and the CDF dijet anomaly

Abstract We study the phenomenology of color-octet scalars in the ( 8 , 2 ) 1 / 2 representation in the context of the 3.2σ excess, in the dijet invariant mass spectrum of the W + j j final state, recently observed by the CDF Collaboration. We consider the region of parameter space with a sizable mass splitting between the charged and neutral color-octet scalars and consistent with electroweak precision data. We implement the principle of Minimal Flavor Violation (MFV) in order to suppress FCNC currents and reduce the number of free parameters. The excess in the W + j j channel corresponds to the charged current decay of the heavier neutral octet scalar into its lighter charged partner which decays into the two jets. In the MFV scenario, the production of the neutral color-octet is dominated by gluon fusion due to the Yukawa suppression of production via initial state quarks. As a result, no visible excess is expected in the γ + j j channel due to Yukawa and CKM suppression. Contributions to the Z + j j final state are suppressed for a mass spectrum where the decay of the heavier color-octet to this final state is mediated by an off-shell neutral color-octet partner. MFV allows one to control fraction of bottom quarks in the final state jets by a single ratio of two free parameters.
(TMTSF)2PF6: Evidence for a unified phase diagram

Abstract We report magnetotransport data on the title compound under pressure which link the ambient pressure SDW and high-pressure field-induced states. Moreover, the transitions to both states fit the same simple semi-empirical formula using the same parameter values. The sequence metal-semimetal-semiconductor encountered with increasing field is consistent with a scheme proposed by Yamaji.
Hurler's syndrome (gargoylism)

Summary We present a case showing a congenital, systemic disorder, the salient features of which are central nervous system lesions, hepatosplenomegaly, changes in the skeletal system, and corneal cloudiness. Microscopic study reveals an infiltration of a lipidelike substance in most of the tissues but chiefly in the liver, lymph nodes, and anterior lobe of the pituitary. The etiology is unknown, but a metabolic dysfunction, probably ofa complex lipide, appears to be the most likely cause. Infiltration of this material into the liver, spleen, heart, lymph nodes, corneae, pituitary, and possibly other endocrine glands probably accounts for the outstanding symptoms and signs. However, since the bone marrow in our case showed no infiltrative changes and since the bone lesions would seem more likely to be due to a defective germ plasm than an erosion, the skeletal signs remain unexplained. A comparison with other diseases reveals nervous system lesionssimilar to those of juvenile amaurotic familial idiocy and Niemann-Pick disease and a lipide metabolic disturbance which resembles that of Niemann-Pick, Hans-Schuller-Christian and Gaucher syndromes. Consequently, we believe with Ashby and his coworkers that this disease should be classified as a fifth member in the category of lipidoses. Finally, though gargoylism is a short descriptive term, we feel that priority should be respected and that, since the other diseases of this group bear the names of those who described them, this disease should be called Hurler's syndrome.
Surgical Management of Bilateral Synchronous Kidney Tumors: Functional and Oncological Outcomes

Purpose: We evaluated renal functional and oncological outcomes after sequential partial nephrectomy and radical nephrectomy in patients with bilateral synchronous kidney tumors.Materials and Methods: A total of 220 patients treated from June 1994 to July 2008 were included in the study. Estimated glomerular filtration rate, and overall, cancer specific and recurrence-free survival were assessed.Results: Patients underwent sequential partial nephrectomy (134), partial nephrectomy followed by radical nephrectomy (60) or radical nephrectomy followed by partial nephrectomy (26). Final estimated glomerular filtration rate after bilateral surgery was 59, 36 and 35 ml/minute/1.73 m2 in these 3 groups, respectively (p <0.001). The order in which partial nephrectomy and radical nephrectomy were conducted did not affect functional outcomes. Overall survival of patients with bilateral cancer was 86% at 5 years and 71% at 10 years, cancer specific survival was 96% at 5 and 10 years, and recurrence-free survival was ...
Molecular electronic circuits

This talk focuses on pathways to solving the challenges involved in adapting molecular switches so that they can be used in practical circuits. Addressing these issues result in detailed understanding of the interactions between molecular switch properties and application requirements, deep consideration of interconnect structures, and modeling of potential candidate structures. This talk is part tutorial and part research talk. The tutorial portion will discuss fundamental circuit issues, including CMOS scaling concerns, and competing approaches to nanoelectronics. The research talk will start with a treatment of the appropriateness of Spice as a circuit modeler before presenting our results in memory and logic applications.
Does Cigarette Smoking Increase Sleep Problems

Cigarette smoking has been associated with delayed sleep onset and diminished sleep duration, primarily on the bases of responses to one-shot questionnaires. This study used a survey format of daily diaries to observe sleep quality. 29 smokers were matched for age, ethnicity, and gender with 29 nonsmokers. Both groups recorded information on cigarette, alcohol, caffeine consumption, daily stress, and sleep quality. While the results showed that smokers were more likely to experience poor sleep than nonsmokers, these data are difficult to interpret because smokers also used significantly greater amounts of alcohol and caffeine.
Thoron in the Environment

Thoron (220Rn), an isotope of the radon family, is produced in the earth’s crust at a rate comparable to that of common radon (222Rn). Thoron’s average activity concentration in soil gas and ground-level outside air is comparable to that of radon. Recent data from Europe and the United States indicate that in terms of the energy of the alpha particle decays of thoron’s progeny, its concentration in indoor air is significant, typically about half that due to radon progeny. This paper reviews current knowledge about thoron and its progeny in the outdoor and indoor environments and discusses issues involved in assessing whether or not it is a significant indoor pollutant.
Farewell to Larry Rosenblum

This installment bids farewell to Larry Rosenblum, who is stepping down from the CG&A's editorial board.
Upper Limb Joint Space Modeling of Stroke Induced Synergies Using Isolated and Voluntary Arm Perturbations

Among other diminished motor capabilities, survivors of a stroke often exhibit joint synergies. These synergies are stereotypically characterized by involuntary joint co-activation. With respect to the upper limbs, such synergies diminish coordination in reaching, pointing, and other daily tasks. The primary goal of this research is to model synergy and quantify it in a comprehensive and mathematically tractable form. A motion capture system was used to measure joint rotations from stroke survivors and control subjects. These data showed that joint synergies are nonunique and asymmetric. The model also provided a way to calculate joint combinations that result in maximum and minimum synergy. Beyond providing a more complete view of synergies, this approach could facilitate new ways to evaluate and treat stroke survivors. In particular, this approach may have applications in diagnostic and treatment algorithms for use in rehabilitation robots.
Molecular cloning and pharmacological characterization of an atypical gerbil angiotensin II type-1 receptor and its mRNA expression in brain and peripheral tissues

Abstract In the gerbil brain, most of the [ 125 I ]Sarcosine1–Angiotensin II binding sites are atypical, not sensitive to displacement with selective Angiotensin II AT1 and AT2 receptor ligands. A similar atypical binding profile exists in the gerbil kidney, where binding is highly expressed. We isolated a 2197 base pair clone from a gerbil kidney cDNA library which encodes a 359 amino acid protein with higher than 90% homology to other mammalian angiotensin II AT1 receptors. When expressed in COS-7 cells, stimulation by Angiotensin II of both the cloned gerbil receptor or the human AT1 receptor enhanced IP3 production to a similar degree. In COS-7 cells, the gerbil receptor also had a ligand affinity profile similar to that of the human AT1 receptor, but showed greatly reduced affinity for losartan (IC50=3480±174 nM). In the gerbil brain, in situ hybridization revealed receptor mRNA in circumventricular organs, selective hypothalamic, midbrain and brain stem areas, and in the hippocampus, where high mRNA expression was detected in the stratum pyramidale of the CA1 and CA2 subfields, and in the stratum granulosum of the dentate gyrus. The expression pattern of receptor mRNA corresponded well with that of atypical [ 125 I ]Sar1–Ang II binding. In situ hybridization and Southern blot experiments using riboprobes against the open reading frame and the 3′-untranslated region of the cloned gerbil Ang II receptor cDNA suggest that gerbils have, like other rodents, two AT1 receptor subtypes. The receptor mRNA distribution of the cloned gerbil Ang II receptor corresponds to the distribution of AT1A receptors described in other rodent species.
16.3 A 23Mb/s 23pJ/b fully synthesized true-random-number generator in 28nm and 65nm CMOS

True random number generators (TRNGs) use physical randomness as entropy sources and are heavily used in cryptography and security [1]. Although hardware TRNGs provide excellent randomness, power consumption and design complexity are often high. Previous work has demonstrated TRNGs based on a resistor-amplifier-ADC chain [2], oscillator jitter [1], metastability [3-5] and other device noise [6-7]. However, analog designs suffer from variation and noise, making them difficult to integrate with digital circuits. Recent metastability-based methods [3-5] provide excellent performance but often require careful calibration to remove bias. SiN MOSFETs [6] exploit larger thermal noise but require post-processing to achieve sufficient randomness. An oxide breakdown-based TRNG [7] shows high entropy but suffers from low performance and high energy/bit. Ring oscillator (RO)-based TRNGs offer the advantage of design simplicity, but previous methods using a slow jittery clock to sample a fast clock provide low randomness [1] and are vulnerable to power supply attacks [8]. In addition, the majority of previous methods cannot pass all NIST randomness tests.