cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Venture-level outcomes of juggling and struggling

Abstract Although the perceived flexibility of being one’s own boss may draw those with significant family responsibilities to entrepreneurship over traditional employment, existing research on the interface between work and family suggests that conflicts between these two domains arise. In other words, while entrepreneurship may seem like an approach for juggling work and home life commitments, theory on work-life conflict indicates that entrepreneurs face many of the same struggles of the organizationally employed with family responsibilities. In this paper, we examine the impact of family life responsibilities on the ability of nascent entrepreneurs to accomplish important founding milestones over time. The results indicate that family responsibilities may not have the degree of negative impact on venture-level outcomes that existing theory suggests. We consider potential explanations for these findings and propose future research to continue exploring this important topic.
High-throughput organ-on-chip platform with integrated programmable fluid flow and real-time sensing for complex tissue models in drug development workflows

Drug development suffers from a lack of predictive and human-relevant in vitro models. Organ-on-chip (OOC) technology provides advanced culture capabilities to generate physiologically appropriate, human-based tissue in vitro, therefore providing a route to a predictive in vitro model. However, OOC technologies are often created at the expense of throughput, industry-standard form factors, and compatibility with state-of-the-art data collection tools. Here we present an OOC platform with advanced culture capabilities supporting a variety of human tissue models including liver, vascular, gastrointestinal, and kidney. The platform has 96 devices per industry standard plate and compatibility with contemporary high-throughput data collection tools. Specifically, we demonstrate programmable flow control over two physiologically relevant flow regimes: perfusion flow that enhances hepatic tissue function and high-shear stress flow that aligns endothelial monolayers. In addition, we integrate electrical sensors, demonstrating quantification of barrier function of primary gut colon tissue in real-time. We utilize optical access to the tissues to directly quantify renal active transport and oxygen consumption via integrated oxygen sensors. Finally, we leverage the compatibility and throughput of the platform to screen all 96 devices using high content screening (HCS) and evaluate gene expression using RNA sequencing (RNA-seq). By combining these capabilities in one platform, physiologically-relevant tissues can be generated and measured, accelerating optimization of an in vitro model, and ultimately increasing predictive accuracy of in vitro drug screening.
Risk of COVID-19 in Patients with Cancer Receiving Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine the rate of coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) among patients with cancer treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a retrospective study of 1,545 patients with cancer treated with ICIs between July 1, 2019, and February 29, 2020, and 20,418 age-, sex-, and cancer category-matched controls in a large referral hospital system. Confirmed COVID-19 case and mortality data were obtained with Massachusetts Department of Public Health from March 1 through June 19, 2020. RESULTS: The mean age was 66.6 years, and 41.9% were female. There were 22 (1.4%) and 213 (1.0%) COVID-19 cases in the ICI and control groups, respectively. When adjusting for demographics, medical comorbidities, and local infection rates, ICIs did not increase COVID-19 susceptibility. CONCLUSION: ICIs did not increase the rate of COVID-19. This information may assist patients and their oncologists in decision-making surrounding cancer treatment during this pandemic.
Intracellular Location of Phytochrome

Attempts to elucidate the molecular mechanism of phytochrome action must reconcile two superficially contradictory sets of data: (a) Physiological studies where rapid, phytochrome-mediated changes in membrane properties have led to the hypothesis that the pigment directly modifies cellular membrane function as its primary action upon photoconversion to pfp.1,2,3,4 and (b) Biochemical and immunocytochemical studies where most of the phytochrome is, respec tively, extractable as a water soluble protein under conventional conditions and apparently uniformly distributed in the cytosol in situ -at least in unirradiated, etiolated tissue.5
Oxygen Uptake Rate (OUR) Estimation in High Density Mammalian Cell Perfusion Cultures

Mammalian cells are being widely used for the production of therapeutic proteins given their ability to correctly fold and glycosylate large molecules. However, productivities from a typical mammalian cell reactor are low and one approach to increase productivity is using perfusion systems for high cell density cell cultivations. Perfusion bioreactors are characterized by a high degree of complexity and require considerable effort to maintain. Due to the long duration of this type of process, disturbances in bioreactor operation can directly affect cellular metabolism and productivity. One parameter which has been shown to correlate to these metabolic shifts is the oxygen uptake rate (OUR).We present a method for real-time estimation of OUR in high density mammalian cell perfusion cultures. These computations are based on a global mass balance which does not require kLa data or reactor perturbations. The applicability of this approach was tested in a long-term BHK cell cultivation. Furthermore, real-time OUR data enables real-time metabolic flux estimation and cell physiological state monitoring.
Peccate fortiter! or probing CPT invariance & novel tests of quantum mechanics in φ → KoKo

A review of the experimental status of CPT invariance leads to two conclusions: (i) There is no hint of a CPT violation in the data. (ii) CPT invariance has not been probed with a quantitative sensitivity that greatly exceeds that achieved in studies of CP symmetry. I sketch some models where CPT violations could be implemented. Yet it is hard to see how those types of ansatz could generate observable effects in the transitions of neutral K mesons. On the other hand the quite special quantum aspects of the reaction φ → KL KS can be harnessed to probe quantum mechanics in novel ways by analyzing EPR like correlations of a kind that have not been studied before. Some comparisons are made with Weinberg's recent formulation of non-linear (though homogenous) quantum mechanics and with generalizations that can be obtained from Bohm's interpretation of quantum mechanics.
Protein Synthesis at 680 atm: Is It Related to Environmental Origin, Physiological Type, or Taxonomic Group?

The ability of bacteria to synthesize protein at 680-atm pressure is not related to their environmental origin, physiological type, or taxonomic group.
Notes on distributed systems of microprocessors

As small machines proliferate and more and more information is kept in digital form, the desire to share that information will correspondingly increase. This desire, together with the architectural plans of many office automation vendors to provide their products in the form of multiple machines networked together, insures that distributed systems will become increasingly important. While compatibility with the past has been a terrible sword hanging over the heads of major mainframe manufacturers, it may be an even more binding force in some respects in the distributed system market, especially those segments where multiple vendors are involved. It is often more difficult to motivate and coordinate change in a marketplace than within a single, albeit large, company.
Artificially intelligent decision support systems—criteria for tool selection

The use of artificial intelligence techniques within decision support systems adds an important new dimension to these systems, giving them the ability to reason for internal purposes and for offering external advice to users. This reasoning ability is a natural extension to past kinds of decision support systems. It necessitates the inclusion of inference capabilities in a decision support system’s problem processor and of reasoning knowledge (e.g., rules) in the decision support system’s knowledge system. A tool for building artificially intelligent decision support systems must accommodate the representation and processing of reasoning knowledge. Criteria for assessing such a tool are discussed.
Block Designs for Comparison of Two Test Treatments with a Control

In an experiment to compare p = 2 test treatments with a control, simultaneous confidence bounds (or intervals) for the amount by which each test treatment is better than (or differs from) the control are required. When an experiment is arranged in b blocks of size k, the optimal allocation of a fixed number of experimental units to the individual test treatments and the control within each block need to be determined. The optimality criteria of interest are the minimization of the expected average allowance (EAA) or the minimization of the expected maximum allowance (EMA) of the simultaneous confidence bounds for the p = 2 treatment-control mean contrasts. This paper provides bounds on the EAA and EMA which are then used in search algorithms for obtaining optimal or highly efficient experimental design solutions.
Prosthodontic Implant Club at UIC, Program Description and Survey Analysis.

Purpose This study aims to (1) describe the Predoctoral Implant Club at UIC (PIC-UIC) mentoring model while providing a rationale for the program and (2) investigate PIC members’ perception about the club and prosthodontics in general via a questionnaire and focus group discussion. Materials and Methods A survey to investigate PIC members’ perception regarding the club was distributed at a meeting. The survey consisted of questions about the members’ prior exposure to prosthodontics, faculty, and residents; current exposure to and perceptions of prosthodontics; future outcomes from membership; and possible improvements to PIC-UIC. Four student members of PIC-UIC participated in a focus group discussion about their exposure to prosthodontics during each year of their training, their exposure to prosthodontics following PIC-UIC membership, including rotations in the advanced prosthodontic clinic, mentorships by prosthodontic faculty and residents, and attendance at the American College of Prosthodontists Annual Session. Results Following PIC-UIC membership, students indicated an increased exposure to prosthodontics and prosthodontic faculty. More than a third of the respondents indicated that they are “likely” to consider a prosthodontic residency after having joined PIC-UIC. Almost two-thirds of the respondents indicated that they would recommend PIC to students at other universities and believed their understanding of the prosthodontic specialty has increased. Students who participated in the focus group agreed they had little exposure to prosthodontics, prosthodontic faculty, and advanced restorative procedures in the beginning of their dental education. They felt that involvement in PIC-UIC was a valuable experience that helped them consider or reinforced their decision to pursue prosthodontics as a career. Conclusions PIC-UIC increased predoctoral students’ interest in prosthodontics. Involving prosthodontic faculty and residents in mentoring and educational activities was evaluated positively by students. PIC-UIC may serve as a pipeline program for predoctoral students at other dental schools.
Background firing rate affects the signal transfer of behavior locked input patterns from Purkinje cells to the cerebellar nuclei

Multielectrode recordings from awake behaving mice revealed rhythmic modulation both in Purkinje cell (PC) simple spike (SS) activity and the cerebellar nuclei (CN) neuron activity that is phase locked to the breathing rhythm. In the present work we were interested in studying how the different levels of background SS activity may affect the transfer of rhythmic SS modulation from PCs to the CN using a multicompartmental CN neuron model. We created a population of fifty artificial gamma distributed PC spike trains and gave them to the CN neuron model as inputs with 5nS conductance strength [1]. The mean firing rate for a given input was based on the rate histogram distribution constructed from our experimental PC recordings in awake mice, and ranged from 28 to 170 Hz. An identical slow fluctuation in the background firing rate for all 50 inputs was used, reflecting a high correlation of rates observed in vivo as quantified using a Bayesian rate estimation method [2]. The breathing associated rhythmic modulation estimated from a peri-event time histogram of a PC recording was normalized to a % change from mean rate and convolved with baseline firing rate at the timing of recorded breaths. The synaptic strength of the mossy fiber excitatory inputs was tuned so that the model output gave the best match to both the statistical properties and behavior related modulation of the experimental CN recordings. This match turned out to be excellent, as the mean ISI (recording 29.47, model 29.49), CV (1.072 vs. 0.926), and CV2 (0.74 vs. 0.75) were near identical. The mean breathing related rhythmic modulation in the CN simulation turned out to be higher (60 %) than in the applied PC input trains (12 %). We then separated the breathing modulations obtained in the model output based on whether they occurred at low or high background firing rate. We observed a decrease in modulation depth from 70% to 30% when the baseline firing rate was high in the CN. Similar results were observed in experimental recordings (a decrease from 60% to 30%) which also correlated with an decrease in PC firing rate and a decrease in rhythmicity of breathing during such episodes. To probe the cause of the inverse relationship between CN background rate and breathing modulation depth we used a PC input consisting of a 100 s ramp increase in rate with a fixed breathing modulation depth. This simulation revealed a linear inverse firing rate transformation between PC and CN rates, which also explains the dependence of breathing modulation on background rate. Essentially, since at high rates the absolute breathing related PC rate modulation is higher, this gets translated to greater relative rate modulation of CN neurons at their resulting low mean firing rate. Based on our findings we conclude that the background firing rate of PCs strongly affects the behavioral modulation of the output from the CN. This effect may be important in the cerebellar control or coordination of rhythmic motor behaviors such as breathing, licking, swallowing, and whisking.
Reaction-Diffusion Equations in the Random Media: Localization and Intermittency

In this paper we’ll describe physical effects of localization and intermittency for the particle system with branching and diffusion in the random environment. Such type of models can arise in chemical kinetics in the case (for instance) of randomly distributed grains of a catalyst. In terms of PDE’s it is a problem of the asymptotic structure of the solutions for the non-linear reaction-diffusion equations with a random reaction rate.
GLUT-1 reduces hypoxia-induced apoptosis and JNK pathway activation.

Many studies have suggested that enhanced glucose uptake protects cells from hypoxic injury. More recently, it has become clear that hypoxia induces apoptosis as well as necrotic cell death. We hav...
Congress and U.S.–North Korean Relations: The Role of the Entrepreneur

Abstract The executive branch has been the chief architect of U.S. policy to prevent North Korea from acquiring nuclear weapons. However, Congress has also played an important role influencing that policy. Using North Korea policy, the authors examine the increasing role members of Congress play as foreign-policy entrepreneurs.
Toxicity of two toxins from the Florida red tide marine dinoflagellate, Ptychodiscus brevis

The purification and crystallization of T17, a toxin from Ptychodiscus brevis, is reported. The toxicity of this compound and a second toxin known as T34 are compared by i.v., i.p. and oral administration in mice. Both toxins produce symptoms characteristic of muscarnic stimulants; hypersalivation, rhinorrhea and excessive urination and defecation being the most commonly observed. T17, which is orally toxic, is believed to be the agent responsible for Neurotoxic Shellfish Poisoning.
A study of aphasic individuals predicting letters of graded material

Abstract This study was designed to test the adequacy of a letter predicting process (Shannon's “guessing game”) as a means of equating written paragraphs that are rated at different reading grade-levels. The equality of the paragraphs was tested by aphasic subjects who predicted the letters that were found to be redundant by the normal adults. The results showed a significant difference in the level of difficulty of the paragraphs. Thus the determination of redundant spaces by a letter-predicting process by normal adults is not an adequate means for equating the difficulty of reading material that is to be predicted by aphasic individuals.
Physical rendering with a digital airbrush

Airbrush painting is an expressive art form that allows for unrepeatable spray patterns and unique ink staining. Artists utilize these properties while painting, expressing subjective style and artistic intentions. We present an augmented airbrush device that acts both as a physical spraying device and an intelligent digital guiding tool, that maintains both manual and computerized control. We demonstrate our custom designed hardware and numerous algorithms that control it through hands-on usage examples of a human-computer collaborative of a physical painting effort.
Event-related brain potentials: comparison between children and adults

Event-related brain potentials in response to tachistoscopically presented stimuli were recorded from adults and children. Rare, nontarget stimuli (both novel and easily recognized) elicited different brain potentials in children and adults, while equally rare, target stimuli elicited similar potentials in children and adults.
Automating testing of service-oriented mobile applications with distributed knowledge and reasoning

Automated testing of distributed, service-oriented applications, particularly mobile applications, is a hard problem due to challenges testers often must deal with, such as (1) heterogeneous platforms, (2) difficulty in introducing additional resources or backups of resources that fail during testing, and (3) lack of fine-grained control over test sequencing. To address these challenges, this paper describes an approach that combines portable operating system libraries with knowledge and reasoning, which together leverage the best features of centralized and decentralized testing infrastructures to support both heterogeneous systems and distributed control by reasoning on distributed testing events.
Immunologic studies in Burkitt's lymphoma.

An evaluation of the immune status in patients with Burkitt's lymphoma was performed. Cellular immune responses were normal in both untreated patients and in patients in remission. An impairment of primary antibody response and low IgM levels were noted in untreated patients with Burkitt's lymphoma but not in patients in remission. A defect in humoral immunity associated with the presence of acive Burkitt's lymphoma is postulated; this defect is possibly related to IgM metabolism.
OC159: Complicated gastroschisis - can prenatal ultrasound predict outcome?

Objectives: To determine the possible association between single umbilical artery (SUA) in the second trimester and the incidence of fetal aneuploidy (T21,13&18) and other malformations. To report the incidence of associated perinatal mortality. Methods: Colour flow imaging undertaken between20–23 weeks of gestation during routine scan in 49,698 cases in two tertiary referral centres between the period of 2000–2007. Referred cases for second opinion have been excluded as well as Fetuses diagnosed with single umbilical artery and no other anomalies or markers (isolated SUA). Retrospective analysis of associated aneuploidy, malformations and intrauterine deaths (IUD). Results: SUA was diagnosed in 219/49698 (0.44%). Among the 219 fetuses with SUA, 156 (71.2%) had no associated markers or anomalies and 63 (28.2%) had associated findings. 31/63 (49.2%) fetuses had only soft markers (one or two). 32/63 (50.8%) had associated anomalies (at least one structure defect). 8/63 (12.7%) fetuses had aneuploidy (4 cases of T18, 3 cases of T13, one case with unbalanced translocation 18-Y). 55/63 (82.5%) fetuses had structure anomalies of which 13/63 (20.6%) had multiple anomalies (>3 anomalies).14/63 (22.2%) had cardiac anomalies, 8/63 (12.7%) had CNS anomalies, 6/63 (9.5%) had renal anomalies (3cases of hydronephrosis, 2cases of renal agenesis and one case of multicystic dysplastic kidney). 4/63 (6.3%) had cleft palate, 4.8% had skeletal anomalies, 3.2% had NTD, and 2/63 (3.2%) had diaphragmatic hernia. Perinatal mortality rate reported in 14/63 (22.2%). 10 fetuses had intrauterine death while 4 fetuses were terminated. Conclusion: This case series of unselected population indicate high association of aneuploidy in particular T18 and T13 and many other structure anomalies. No case of T21 was detected. We conclude that second trimester sonographic detection of SUA and other findings is not associated with increased risk of T21.
Marginal accuracy of complete crowns made from alternative casting alloys

The marginal accuracy of complete cast crowns made from five alternative casting alloys was measured and compared with that of crowns made from the traditional type III high-gold alloy. The alternative alloys studied were low-gold-palladium, high palladium, silver-palladium, nickel-chrome-molybdenum, and copper-aluminum. The findings indicated that Ag Pd alloy crowns exhibited the best marginal accuracy among the alternative alloys tested. However, their marginal discrepancy value was still slightly higher than that of crowns made of type III high-gold alloy. Conversely, Ni Cr Mo alloy crowns exhibited the poorest marginal accuracy.
A theory of electrical polarity in cells

In general, there exist electrical potential differences along the axis of a spherical cell containing an asymmetric diffusion field. The electrical potential is calculated for any point on the axis of such a cell, which is assumed to contain metabolite ions and charged colloidal particles.
Discrimination thresholds for communicating rotational inertia and torque using differential skin stretch feedback in virtual environments

This paper presents a device for providing tactile feedback through four sliding contactor plates placed in the device's handle and grasped in the palm of the hand. This device is capable of communicating virtual forces and torques to a user through the motion of the independently controlled slider plates. Integrated device motion tracking allows simulation software to command our haptic device to mimic the in-hand friction and shear forces experienced by a user during sports activities such as swinging a tennis racket or catching a lacrosse ball. These situations present the user with the resistance of rotational inertia and impact torques. We present two experiments that provide an initial characterization of the range of rotational inertia and impact torques that can be presented with the current prototype. Weber fractions for discriminating rotational inertia and torque in the two experiments ranged from 15-25%. Such feedback can be used to give the sense of mass to a virtual object.
Experimental performance of three design factors for ventral nozzles for SSTOVL aircraft

An experimental study of three variations of a ventral nozzle system for supersonic short-takeoff and vertical-landing (SSTOVL) aircraft was performed at the NASA LeRC Powered Lift Facility. These test results include the effects of an annular duct flow into the ventral duct, a blocked tailpipe, and a short ventral duct length. An analytical study was also performed on the short ventral duct configuration using the PARC3D computational dynamics code. Data presented include pressure losses, thrust and flow performance, internal flow visualization, and pressure distributions at the exit plane of the ventral nozzle.
Chaperone SecB: Conformational changes demonstrated by circular dichroism

The chaperone SecB, which is involved in protein export inEscherichia coli, is shown by circular dichroism measurements to contain a high content ofβ-pleated sheets. Prediction of the secondary structure of SecB is in good agreement with the observed content ofβ-sheet. In accordance with the previous studies in which changes in conformation were assessed indirectly [Randall (1992),Science257, 241–245], here we show that the conformation of SecB changes with the concentration of salt in the milieu and also when SecB interacts with a peptide ligand.
Development of a brief screening questionnaire for histrionic personality symptoms

Compared to other personality disorders such as borderline or antisocial, histrionic personality disorder has received comparably little attention in the research and clinical literature. Currently, there is no freely accessible, stand-alone clinical measure for histrionic symptoms. In this article, we report two studies that examined the reliability, convergent validity and factor structure of a new measure of histrionic personality disorder symptoms, the Brief Histrionic Personality Scale (BHPS). Study 1 describes the initial development of the measure with 661 young adults. An initial pool of 36 items was narrowed down to a 11-item, reliable scale that converged highly with the Colligan/Morey/Offord MMPI scale for histrionic symptoms, as well as with a measure of extraversion. Exploratory factor analysis revealed a two-factor structure to the measure. In study 2, confirmatory factor analysis found that the two-factor model was a good fit to the data on a sample of 340 young adults. Taken together, these results suggest that the BHPS is a promising research and clinical tool for histrionic personality disorder.
Assessment of transient ischemic dilation (TID) ratio in gated SPECT myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) using regadenoson, a new agent for pharmacologic stress testing.

Abnormal values of the transient ischemic dilation (TID) ratio are associated with severe and extensive coronary artery disease (CAD). The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between TID, determined from stress and rest ventricular volumes during regadenoson gated single-photon emission computed tomography myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) dual isotope studies, and the extent of CAD found during coronary angiography. 195 patients who underwent dual isotope MPI with regadenoson and cardiac angiography between March 2009 and February 2010 were analyzed. TID was calculated using commercially available software, Emory Cardiac Toolbox. Mean TID values were compared across disease types. A threshold for abnormal TID was determined by adding two standard deviations (SDs) to the mean TID of the “non-obstructive CAD” subgroup. In the 195-patient group analyzed, the mean TID ratio for non-obstructive CAD (n = 104) was found to be 1.09 with a SD of 0.15. In a subgroup of patients whose angiogram was within 3 months of MPI (n = 155), the mean TIDs for non-obstructive disease (n = 81), single-vessel disease (n = 35), and multi-vessel disease (n = 39) were 1.09, 1.15, and 1.19 with SDs of 0.16, 0.19, and 0.26, respectively. Those with an abnormal TID had a crude and adjusted odds ratio of 3.4 for multi-vessel disease which was statistically significant. History of diabetes was not found to be a significant confounder, effect modifier, or mediator of the relationship between the TID and the vessel disease. The mean TID ratio in patients with multi-vessel disease was 1.19. The threshold for an abnormal TID was 1.39 with specificity of 95% and sensitivity of 15% for determining multi-vessel CAD status. We conclude that the level of TID in gated SPECT MPI using regadenoson is associated with the degree of CAD on angiography.
Theoretical insights into the reductive decompositions of propylene carbonate and vinylene carbonate: Density functional theory studies

The electroreductive decompositions of propylene carbonate (PC) and vinylene carbonate (VC) in lithium-ion battery-electrolyte solutions have been investigated with density functional theory using Li+(PC)n(n = 2, 3) and (PC)nLi+(VC) (n = 1, 2) cluster models. The objective is to help in understanding the experimentally observed irreversible capacity of graphite anodes when PC alone is used as a solvent versus the reported reversible capacity found in the presence of small amounts of VC in PC-based electrolyte solutions. The results indicate that PC solvates Li+ more strongly than ethylene carbonate (EC) and VC do, which implies that, if it exists, the cointercalation of PC with Li ion into graphite layers is preferred; however, PC is more difficult to be reduced than the other two carbonates. On the other hand, the reaction kinetics for the reductive decomposition of PC is very similar to that of EC. Besides the problem caused by the possible cointercalation, the nature of the PC reduction products may al...
An integrated, modular, power-aware microsensor architecture and application to unattended acoustic vehicle tracking

We introduce a truly modular, power-aware, distributed microsensor architecture, capable of seamlessly spanning performance metrics from point-optimized low-power to point-optimized high-power applications. This type of performance is often needed in unattended ground sensor applications such as acoustic sensing and tracking, where long periods of minimal sensing activity are intermixed with short periods of intense sensor processing. The system design and implementation of a microsensor platform based on this architecture are described with experimental results. We show that although building a modular power-aware system requires additional hardware components, it results in system capable of rapid physical hardware and software reconfiguration with module reuse for new applications, while achieving a significant decrease in overall system power.
Global Citizenship: Implications for Guidance and Counselling Innovations in Developing Nations

This paper examines global citizenship as a way of thinking and behaving with understanding of the need to tackle injustice and inequality as a foundation for international peace and development. The conceptualized model was based on reality perspectives and eclectic counselling orientations for building global citizens in developing nations. Guidance and counselling as a crucial service for developing global citizenship, with a focus on Nigeria, is examined. Constraints and prospects for developing global citizens are analyzed. The paper concludes that integration of guidance and counselling as an educational innovation in developing countries would enrich global curriculum and instruction and contribute towards the enhancement of global citizenship.
Neighborhood socioeconomic status influences the survival of elderly patients with myelodysplastic syndromes in the United States

The potential role of socioeconomic status (SES) in the survival of patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) has not been evaluated. We conducted the first study to assess the prognostic role of neighborhood SES among a cohort of 2,118 patients (age ≥ 66 years) who were diagnosed with incident MDS in the United States during 2001–2002. Principal component analysis was used to develop a summary SES score by combining multiple measures of neighborhood SES. The score was then used to classify the census tract each patient resided in into a category of high, medium, or low SES. Hazard ratios (HRs) were estimated using multivariate Cox proportional hazard models. After adjusting for age, gender, comorbidities, and histological subtypes, compared with MDS patients lived in high-SES census tracts, those resided in medium (HR = 1.14, 95% CI: 1.01–1.30) and low (HR = 1.17, 95% CI: 1.02–1.34) SES census tracts had significantly increased the risks of death. The impact of SES on survival was more apparent for patients with refractory anemia with ringed sideroblasts—patients residing in medium (HR = 1.85, 95% CI: 1.17–2.91) and low (HR = 2.06, 95% CI: 1.27–3.37) census tracts had a nearly two-fold increased the risk of mortality, compared with those living in high-SES census tracts. In conclusion, this population-based study suggests that neighborhood SES status is a significant and independent determinant of survival among elderly patients with MDS in the United States.
Management of compartment syndromes of the foot

Abstract Twelve patients with isolated extremity injuries had 14 compartment syndromes of the feet. An interstitial pressure of more than 30 mm of mercury in either the central or interosseous compartment was considered pathologic and was treated by fasciotomy, performed dorsally in nine feet and medially in five. Open reduction of fractures amenable to internal fixation (eight tarsometatarsal, three calcaneus, and one metatarsal) was performed after completion of the fasciotomies. The fasciotomy wounds were covered by primary split-thickness skin excision (three), delayed split-thickness skin grafting (eight), and delayed primary wound closure (three). Patients were evaluated at a mean of 22 months (range, 17-36 months) after injury, and the examination was directed specifically toward symptoms and signs of myoneural ischemia. Absolute compartment pressure measurements are more accurate than clinical findings in the diagnosis of a compartment syndrome of the foot. Fasciotomy may be performed medially or dorsally, depending on the configuration of the pattern of fracture or dislocation. To ensure satisfactory results, all compartments should be decompressed, and the pressures remeasured after the completion of fasciotomy.
Prospects and Limits of Energy Storage in Batteries.

Energy densities of Li ion batteries, limited by the capacities of cathode materials, must increase by a factor of 2 or more to give all-electric automobiles a 300 mile driving range on a single charge. Battery chemical couples with very low equivalent weights have to be sought to produce such batteries. Advanced Li ion batteries may not be able to meet this challenge in the near term. The state-of-the-art of Li ion batteries is discussed, and the challenges of developing ultrahigh energy density rechargeable batteries are identified. Examples of ultrahigh energy density battery chemical couples include Li/O2, Li/S, Li/metal halide, and Li/metal oxide systems. Future efforts are also expected to involve all-solid-state batteries with performance similar to their liquid electrolyte counterparts, biodegradable batteries to address environmental challenges, and low-cost long cycle-life batteries for large-scale energy storage. Ultimately, energy densities of electrochemical energy storage systems are limited...
Statistical properties of water waves. Part 1. Steady-state distribution of wind-driven gravity-capillary waves

The Miles–Phillips model of the linear coupling between waves on the ocean surface and a fluctuating wind field is generalized to include the average effect of the nonlinear water-wave interactions in the dynamic equations for gravity–capillary waves. A statistical-linearization procedure is applied to the general problem and yields the optimum linear description of the nonlinear terms by linear terms. The linearized dynamic equations are stochastic with solutions that have stable moments, i.e. the average nonlinear interactions quench the linear instability generated by the coupling to the mean wind field. In particular, an asymptotic steady-state power-spectral density for the water-wave field is calculated exactly in the context of the model for various wind speeds.
Motoric signs of CNS dysfunction associated with alcohol and cocaine withdrawal.

Abstract Measures of hand tremor and body sway were recorded from 6 alcohol-dependent (AD) and 16 cocaine-dependent (CD) patients after 1, 3, and 12 weeks of verified abstinence. The same measures were recorded from 15 nonpatient control subjects after comparable intervals. Hand tremor was transduced via an accelerometer. Body sway was transduced by a force-sensitive platform. Analyses revealed different patterns of motoric dysfunction in the AD and CD groups. AD patients exhibited enhanced hand tremor during a pointing task and enhanced body sway. Both of these abnormalities remitted with continued abstinence. CD patients exhibited enhanced and unchanging levels of resting tremor across the first 12 weeks of abstinence, but they had normal levels of body sway and action tremor. These results are interpreted as reflicting a subclinical cerebellar dysfunction in recovering AD patients, and a subclinical extrapyramidal dysfunction in the CD counterparts.
Endovascular techniques for vascular malformations of the spinal axis.

The purpose of this article is to discuss the use of endovascular techniques in the management of vascular lesions of the spinal axis. As with any other therapeutic modality, in deciding whether endovascular treatment is indicated, it is essential that the treating physician have a clear understanding of the pathologic entity in question, a clear understanding of the overall treatment plan, and a realistic understanding of the capabilities and limits of endovascular therapy. Without such an understanding, appropriate patients may be denied valuable treatment options and inappropriate patients may undergo procedures that are not in their best interest. The use of percutaneous catheter-based embolization for treating conditions of the craniospinal axis began to be reported in the early 1960s, but applications were limited until improved devices began to become available in the 1970s and 1980s. Most important in driving this development was the introduction of variable stiffness ‘‘microcatheters’’ and, subsequently, suitable embolic materials. A variable stiffness catheter is a catheter that is stiffer at the proximal end than it is at the distal end. This design resulted in a catheter with a small soft tip that could be safely navigated within the vascular system much more distally than was previously possible. With these microcatheters, it
A survey of maneuvering target tracking: approximation techniques for nonlinear filtering

This is a part of Part VI (nonlinear filtering) of a series of papers that provide a comprehensive survey of techniques for tracking maneuvering targets without addressing the so-called measurement-origin uncertainty. Part I [52] and Part II [48] deal with target motion models. Part III [49], Part IV [50], and Part V [51] cover measurement models, maneuver detection based techniques, and multiple-model methods, respectively. This part surveys approximation techniques for point estimation of nonlinear dynamic systems that are general, applicable to a wide spectrum of nonlinear filtering problems, especially those in the context of maneuvering target tracking. Three classes of such techniques are survey here: function approximation, moment approximation, and stochastic model approximation.
The degree of phenotypic correction of murine β-thalassemia intermedia following lentiviral-mediated transfer of a human γ-globin gene is influenced by chromosomal position effects and vector copy number

Increased fetal hemoglobin (HbF) levels diminish the clinical severity of β-thalassemia and sickle cell anemia. A treatment strategy using autologous stem cell–targeted gene transfer of a γ-globin gene may therefore have therapeutic potential. We evaluated oncoretroviral- and lentiviral-based γ-globin vectors for expression in transduced erythroid cell lines. Compared with γ-globin, oncoretroviral vectors containing either a β-spectrin or β-globin promoter and the α-globin HS40 element, a γ-globin lentiviral vector utilizing the β-globin promoter and elements from the β-globin locus control region demonstrated a higher probability of expression. This lentiviral vector design was evaluated in lethally irradiated mice that received transplants of transduced bone marrow cells. Long-term, stable erythroid expression of human γ-globin was observed with levels of vector-encoded γ-globin mRNA ranging from 9% to 19% of total murine α-globin mRNA. The therapeutic efficacy of the vector was subsequently evaluated in a murine model of β-thalassemia intermedia. The majority of mice that underwent transplantation expressed significant levels of chimeric mα2hγ2molecules (termed HbF), the amount of which correlated with the degree of phenotypic improvement. A group of animals with a mean HbF level of 21% displayed a 2.5 g/dL (25 g/L) improvement in Hb concentration and normalization of erythrocyte morphology relative to control animals. γ-Globin expression and phenotypic improvement was variably lower in other animals due to differences in vector copy number and chromosomal position effects. These data establish the potential of using a γ-globin lentiviral vector for gene therapy of β-thalassemia.
Mice Transgenic for a Human Porcine Endogenous Retrovirus Receptor Are Susceptible to Productive Viral Infection

Porcine endogenous retrovirus (PERV) is considered one of the major risks in xenotransplantation. No valid animal model has been established to evaluate the risks associated with PERV transmission to human patients by pig tissue xenotransplantation or to study the potential pathogenesis associated with PERV infection. In previous work we isolated two genes encoding functional human PERV receptors and proved that introduction of these into mouse fibroblasts allowed the normally nonpermissive mouse cells to become productively infected (T. A. Ericsson, Y. Takeuchi, C. Templin, G. Quinn, S. F. Farhadian, J. C. Wood, B. A. Oldmixon, K. M. Suling, J. K. Ishii, Y. Kitagawa, T. Miyazawa, D. R. Salomon, R. A. Weiss, and C. Patience, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 100:6759-6764, 2003). In the present study we created mice transgenic for human PERV-A receptor 2 (HuPAR-2). After inoculation of transgenic animals with infectious PERV supernatants, viral DNA and RNA were detected at multiple time points, indicating productive replication. This establishes the role of HuPAR-2 in PERV infection in vivo; in addition, these transgenic mice represent a new model for determining the risk of PERV transmission and potential pathogenesis. These mice also create a unique opportunity to study the immune response to PERV infection and test potential therapeutic or preventative modalities.
Extending the accuracy limits of prediction for side-chain conformations.

Current techniques for the prediction of side-chain conformations on a fixed backbone have an accuracy limit of about 1.0–1.5 A rmsd for core residues. We have carried out a detailed and systematic analysis of the factors that influence the prediction of side-chain conformation and, on this basis, have succeeded in extending the limits of side-chain prediction for core residues to about 0.7 A rmsd from native, and 94 % and 89 % of χ1 and χ1+2 dihedral angles correctly predicted to within 20 ° of native, respectively. These results are obtained using a force-field that accounts for only van der Waals interactions and torsional potentials. Prediction accuracy is strongly dependent on the rotamer library used. That is, a complete and detailed rotamer library is essential. The greatest accuracy was obtained with an extensive rotamer library, containing over 7560 members, in which bond lengths and bond angles were taken from the database rather than simply assuming idealized values. Perhaps the most surprising finding is that the combinatorial problem normally associated with the prediction of the side-chain conformation does not appear to be important. This conclusion is based on the fact that the prediction of the conformation of a single side-chain with all others fixed in their native conformations is only slightly more accurate than the simultaneous prediction of all side-chain dihedral angles.
Single image multimaterial estimation

Estimating the reflectance and illumination from a single image becomes particularly challenging when the object surface consists of multiple materials. The key difficulty lies in recovering the reflectance from sparse angular samples while correctly assigning them to different materials. We tackle this problem by extracting and fully leveraging reflectance priors. The idea is to strongly constrain the possible solutions so that the recovered reflectance conform with those of real-world materials. We achieve this by modeling the parameter space of a directional statistics BRDF model and by extracting an analytical distribution of the subspace that real-world materials span. This is used, with other priors, in a layered MRF-based formulation that models material regions and their spatially varying reflectance with continuous latent layers. The material regions and their reflectance, and the direction and strength of a single point source are jointly estimated. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the method on real and synthetic images.
Two-Phase Flow and Boiling Heat Transfer to Cryogenic Liquids

The use of available information for predicting the rates of heat transfer to liquid hydrogen in particular and other fluids in general when a change of phase takes place is investigated and evaluated. The dimensionless groups are diseussed, and various methods of correlation are compared with the experimental data for liquid hydrogen. (auth)
Transistorized linear gate for photomultiplier pulses

Abstract A temperature compensated, linear pulse gating circuit employing transistors has been built which accepts pulses directly from the anode of photomultiplier tubes. Departures from linearity of less than 3% result for input pulses in the range 50 mV to 200 mV.
Circadian and Ultradian Rhythms of Peripheral Cortisol Concentrations in Lactating Dairy Cows

Abstract To investigate possible circadian and ultradian periodicities for plasma cortisol in lactating dairy cows, integrated 15-min blood samples taken sequentially over 48 h from six cows were analyzed by radioimmunoassay. The cows were housed in an environmental chamber at about 19°C, 50% relative humidity, and 16 h of light and 8 h of darkness (lights on at 0700 h); fed daily at 0900 h; and milked at 0830 and 2000 h. Peripheral concentrations of cortisol for all six cows exhibited weak circadian rhythms—average minima were 3.1 ng/ml at 1800 h, maxima were 4.5 ng/ml at 0530 h—and strong ultradian rhythms with periods around 120 min. Peak to trough amplitudes of ultradian rhythms, 1 to 17 ng/ml, varied among and within cows over time. No direct relation between ultradian peaks and milking or feeding was apparent. Spectral analysis indicated that most power (variation) was centered around 1 cycle every 2 h, i.e., around a period of 120 min. This very strong, easily observable, ultradian rhythm indicates that an oscillation with a period around 120 min is probably intrinsic to mechanisms regulating peripheral glucocorticoid concentrations.
Diadenosine-hexaphosphate is an inhibitory ligand of myocardial ATP-sensitive K+ channels

Abstract P1P6-di(adenosine-5′)hexaphosphate (Ap6A) has been recently demonstrated in mammalian cells, yet its function remains unknown. Using single-channel current recordings, we studied the effect of Ap6A on guinea-pig cardiac ATP-sensitive K+ (KATP) channels. When applied to the intracellular side of excised membrane patches, Ap6A produced a concentration-dependent inhibition (half-maximal inhibitory concentration: 14 μM; Hill coefficient: 1.1) of KATP channel activity. We conclude that Ap6A is a potent inhibitory ligand of KATP channels.