cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A three-dimensional single-scan approach for the measurement of changes in cerebral blood volume, blood flow, and blood oxygenation-weighted signals during functional stimulation

The blood-oxygenation-level-dependent (BOLD) effect reflects ensemble changes in several physiological parameters such as cerebral blood volume (CBV), blood flow (CBF), and cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen (CMRO2). Quantitative BOLD approaches have been developed to estimate CMRO2 dynamics from BOLD, CBF and CBV responses, generally using separate scans. The ability to detect changes in these parameters in a single scan would shorten the total scan time and reduce temporal variations in physiology or neuronal responses. Here, an acquisition strategy, named 3D TRiple-acquisition after Inversion Preparation (3D-TRIP), is demonstrated for 3D acquisition of CBV, CBF, and BOLD signal changes in a single scan by incorporating VASO, FAIR-ASL and T2-prepared BOLD fMRI methods. Using a visual stimulation paradigm, we demonstrate that the activation patterns, relative signal changes, temporal signal-to-noise ratio (tSNR), contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR), and estimated CMRO2 changes during visual stimulation are all comparable between the concurrent imaging proposed here and the separate scans conventionally applied. This approach is expected to provide a useful alternative for quantitative BOLD fMRI studies where information about oxygen metabolism alterations can be extracted from changes in hemodynamic signals associated with CBV, CBF, and blood oxygenation.
Effects of Bt Corn and Egg Density on Western Corn Rootworm (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) Adult Emergence and Estimation of Effective Bt Dose.

Since 2003, rootworm-protected transgenic corn has been commercially deployed in the United States as a principal method of control of western corn rootworm, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte. Durability of this technology depends partly on larval mortality (“dose”) exerted by the traits, but density-dependent mortality can confound calculations of dose. Research reported here examined the effects of density-dependent mortality on adult emergence and estimates of trait dose. At sites in Illinois and Indiana, western corn rootworm eggs were infested at four densities on non-Bt corn and at a single density on corn hybrids with transgenic events MON 88017 (VT Triple PRO), DAS-59122-7 (Herculex Insect Protection), and MON 88017 × DAS-59122-7 (SmartStax corn). Beetles were collected weekly in large emergence cages. Density-dependent mortality and the effect of Bt traits were examined using percent survival from egg to adult, sex ratio, and beetle mass. Beetle emergence from Bt treatments was very low, and percent survival from non-Bt treatments was greatest at the lowest egg density (410 eggs per row-meter). Therefore, emergence from the lowest infestation density on non-Bt corn was used to estimate the effective dose of the Bt treatments. Sex ratio and beetle mass were unaffected by density-dependent effects and were not consistently affected by Bt traits. Dose was estimated at 97.4–99.3% for MON 88017, 98.8–99.9% for DAS-59122-7, and 99.7–100.0% for MON 88017 × DAS-59122-7. This study confirms the need to account for density-dependent mortality when estimating dose of corn rootworm protection events even at relatively low egg infestation densities.
Temporal characterization of flowback and produced water quality from a hydraulically fractured oil and gas well

This study examined water quality, naturally-occurring radioactive materials (NORM), major ions, trace metals, and well flow data for water used and produced from start-up to operation of an oil and gas producing hydraulically-fractured well (horizontal) in the Denver-Julesburg (DJ) Basin in northeastern Colorado. Analysis was conducted on the groundwater used to make the fracturing fluid, the fracturing fluid itself, and nine flowback/produced water samples over 220days of operation. The chemical oxygen demand of the wastewater produced during operation decreased from 8200 to 2500mg/L, while the total dissolved solids (TDS) increased in this same period from 14,200 to roughly 19,000mg/L. NORM, trace metals, and major ion levels were generally correlated with TDS, and were lower than other shale basins (e.g. Marcellus and Bakken). Although at lower levels, the salinity and its origin appear to be the result of a similar mechanism to that of other shale basins when comparing Cl/Br, Na/Br, and Mg/Br ratios. Volumes of returned wastewater were low, with only 3% of the volume injected (11millionliters) returning as flowback by day 15 and 30% returning by day 220. Low levels of TDS indicate a potentially treatment-amenable wastewater, but low volumes of flowback could limit onsite reuse in the DJ Basin. These results offer insight into the temporal water quality changes in the days and months following flowback, along with considerations and implications for water reuse in future hydraulic fracturing or for environmental discharge.
Green Cloudlet Network: A Sustainable Platform for Mobile Cloud Computing

In the Green Cloudlet Network (GCN) architecture, each User Equipment (UE) is associated with an Avatar (a private virtual machine for executing its UE's offloaded tasks) in a cloudlet located at the network edge. In order to reduce the operational expenditure for maintaining the distributed cloudlets, each cloudlet is powered by green energy and uses on-grid power as a backup. Owing to the spatial dynamics of energy demands and green energy generations, the energy gap (i.e., energy demand minus green energy generation) among different cloudlets in the network is unbalanced, i.e., some cloudlets’ energy demands can be fully provisioned by their green energy generations but others need to utilize on-grid power to meet their energy demands. The unbalanced energy gap increases the on-grid power consumption of the cloudlets. In this paper, we propose the Green-energy aware Avatar Placement (GAP) strategy to minimize the total on-grid power consumption of the cloudlets by migrating Avatars among the cloudlets according to the cloudlets’ residual green energy, while guaranteeing the service level agreement (the End-to-End (E2E) delay requirement between a UE and its Avatar). Simulation results show that GAP can save 57.1 and 57.6 percent of on-grid power consumption as compared to the two other Avatar placement strategies, i.e., Static Avatar Placement and Follow me AvataR, respectively.
Using virtual reality for scaffolding computer programming learning

Learning how to analyze computational problems, to think critically, and to transfer algorithmic logic into language-specific code is central to computer programming. A critical step towards acquiring these skills is analyzing and debugging existing code usually starting with the famous "Hello World" program. Even after learning basic structure and syntax of a computer language, new learners struggle to understand algorithmic process, to mentally visualize effects of algorithms on data, and to remain engaged while learning it. We explore the use of virtual reality that teaches introductory concepts of computer programming to students in a 3D interactive space, while scaffolding their progression.
Imaging of isoproterenol-induced myocardial injury with 18F labeled fluoroglucaric acid in a rat model.

Abstract Positron emission tomography (PET) of myocardial infarction (MI) by infarct avid imaging has the potential to reduce the time to diagnosis and improve diagnostic accuracy. The objective of this work was to synthesize 18 F–labeled glucaric acid (FGA) for PET imaging of isoproterenol-induced cardiomyopathy in a rat model. Methods We synthesized 18 F–FGA by controlled oxidation of 18 F–fluorodeoxy glucose (FDG), mediated by 4-acetamido-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine 1-oxyl (TEMPO) in presence of NaBr and NaOCl in highly-buffered reaction conditions. After ascertaining preferential uptake of 18 F–FGA in necrotic as compared to normal H9c2 myoblasts, the biodistribution and circulation kinetics of 18 F–FGA was assessed in mice. Moreover, the potential of 18 F–FGA to image myocardial damage was investigated in a rat model of isoproterenol-induced cardiomyopathy. Isoproterenol-induced myocardial injury was verified at necropsy by tissue staining and plasma cardiac troponin levels. Results Synthesis of radiochemically pure 18 F–FGA was accomplished by a 5min, one step oxidation of 18 F–FDG. Reaction yield was quantitative and no side-products were detected. Biodistribution studies showed rapid elimination from the body ( k e =0.83h −1 ); the major organ of 18 F–FGA accumulation was kidney. In the rat model, isoproterenol-treatment resulted in significant increase in cardiac troponin. PET images showed that the hearts of isoproterenol-treated rats accumulated significant amounts of 18 F–FGA, whereas healthy hearts showed negligible uptake of 18 F–FGA. Target-to-nontarget contrast for 18 F–FGA accumulation became significantly more pronounced in 4h images as compared to images acquired 1h post-injection. Conclusion 18 F–FGA can be easily and quantitatively synthesized from ubiquitously available 18 F–FDG as a precursor. The resultant 18 F–FGA has a potential to serve as an infarct-avid agent for PET imaging of MI. Advances in Knowledge and Implications for Patient Care 18 F–FGA/PET will complement existing perfusion imaging protocols in therapeutic decision making, determination of revascularization candidacy and success, differentiation of ischemia from necrosis in MI, discrimination of myocarditis from infarction, and surveillance of heart transplant rejection.
Domperidone upregulates dopamine receptor expression and stimulates locomotor activity in larval zebrafish (Danio rerio).

Dopamine (DA) plays a significant role in cognition, motor function and social behavior. The objectives of this study were to (1) quantify the temporal expression of transcripts (DA receptors, transporters and tyrosine hydroxylase) associated with DA signaling during early stages of zebrafish development and (2) determine their expression profiles following treatment with a D2 receptor antagonist domperidone (DMP). We also assessed locomotor behavior following treatment with DMP using alternating periods of light and dark (ie, dark photokinesis), as DA plays a key role in behavior. Relative expression levels of transcripts that were investigated and related to the DA system were detected after the first 24 hours postfertilization (hpf). Some DA receptor transcripts (eg, drd4c) increased in abundance earlier in the embryo compared with other receptors (eg, drd3), suggesting that DA receptor paralogs may have unique roles in development. Treatment of larvae with DMP resulted in the upregulation of DA receptor transcripts (ie, drd1, drd7, drd4b, drd4c) and DA transporter 1 (ie, slc6a3), and it is hypothesized that upregulation of genes related to the DA system is a compensatory neurophysiological response to DA receptor antagonism. Larval activity during dark photokinesis (measured by distance traveled) was also elevated by DMP. We hypothesize that behavioral responses observed with DMP may be related to the regulation of deep brain photoreception in zebrafish (Danio rerio) (ZF) larvae by DA.
A theoretical investigation of sugar and phosphate contributions to the activation barriers of guanine methylation by carcinogenic methane diazonium ion

Abstract Feedback from electrostatic potential and local ionization potential maps provides evidence that in the gas phase electrostatic interactions cause the activation barriers of guanine methylation by methane diazonium ion at the N7 site to increase upon addition of sugar and phosphate moieties, from 24.6 kcal/mol with the 6–31 + G∗ basis set to 29.87 kcal/mol with the 6–311 + G (2df, 2p) basis set at the DFT/B3LYP-D3 level of theory. Aqueous activation barriers strongly depend on the interaction of guanine with discrete number of water molecules and, in implicit water, they lie between 4.37 for free guanine to 5.39 kcal/mol for syn-dGMP−
Tutorial Designs and Task Types in Zooniverse

Prior CSCW research has paid little attention to training for crowdsourcing project participants, which can require more than simple instructions. We examined the design of tutorials on the Zooniverse citizen science platform and identified aspects of tutorial design that aligned with task types, including more use of images and rich media for certain tasks. These findings support developing new tools for online tutorial creation, such as standard templates based on task characteristics.
Synthesis of Stereochemically and Skeletally Diverse Fused Ring Systems from Functionalized C-Glycosides.

Four different fused pyran ring systems can be synthesized starting from common C-glycosides.
PTMphinder: an R package for PTM site localization and motif extraction from proteomic datasets.

Background Mass-spectrometry-based proteomics is a prominent field of study that allows for the unbiased quantification of thousands of proteins from a particular sample. A key advantage of these techniques is the ability to detect protein post-translational modifications (PTMs) and localize them to specific amino acid residues. These approaches have led to many significant findings in a wide range of biological disciplines, from developmental biology to cancer and infectious diseases. However, there is a current lack of tools available to connect raw PTM site information to biologically meaningful results in a high-throughput manner. Furthermore, many of the available tools require significant programming knowledge to implement. Results The R package PTMphinder was designed to enable researchers, particularly those with minimal programming background, to thoroughly analyze PTMs in proteomic data sets. The package contains three functions: parseDB, phindPTMs and extractBackground. Together, these functions allow users to reformat proteome databases for easier analysis, localize PTMs within full proteins, extract motifs surrounding the identified sites and create proteome-specific motif backgrounds for statistical purposes. Beta-testing of this R package has demonstrated its simplicity and ease of integration with existing tools. Conclusion PTMphinder empowers researchers to fully analyze and interpret PTMs derived from proteomic data. This package is simple enough for researchers with limited programming experience to understand and implement. The data produced from this package can inform subsequent research by itself and also be used in conjunction with other tools, such as motif-x, for further analysis.
Spontaneous cerebrospinal fluid leak and idiopathic intracranial hypertension.

Purpose of review To review the most recent literature on the relationship of spontaneous cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak with idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) and considerations in management of these conditions. Recent findings A link has been proposed between spontaneous CSF leak and IIH based on similar demographics, radiologic, and clinical findings in these patients, and on a plausible mechanism of skull base erosion in the setting of high CSF pressure over time. IIH patients with CSF leak may not present with classic IIH signs and symptoms as the leak can alleviate excess pressure; however, they may develop these after a leak is repaired. There may also be a higher risk of leak recurrence if intracranial hypertension is not treated postoperatively. Summary A growing body of evidence supports an association between IIH and spontaneous CSF leak. However, this relationship is still not fully elucidated, and there is no current agreement on how to incorporate screening, management, or counseling guidelines for CSF leak into the care of IIH patients. There are also no specific guidelines for evaluation/management of IIH in patients with spontaneous CSF leak. Further interdisciplinary research is needed to explore this connection and to establish screening, evaluation, and management guidelines.
Proteomic signatures of clear cell renal cell carcinoma

In recent years, the molecular view of clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) has been based primarily on gene transcription data with limited information on protein features. A new study led by the Clinical Proteomic Tumor Analysis Consortium now offers a comprehensive view of the ccRCC proteome.
Ultrasound Transmission through a Flexible Printed Circuit Board Bonded to the Front Side of a Capacitive Micromachined Ultrasonic Transducer Array: Feasibility Study

Interconnecting the inner elements of a densely populated ultrasonic transducer array with electronics poses a great challenge when pads are located in the inner area such that they are not easily accessible or wire bonding is not a viable solution. To tackle that challenge, we propose the technique of front-side flip-chip bonding capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer (CMUT) arrays to flexible printed circuit boards (FPCBs). As the propagation through the flex material can cause signal attenuation, we measured the pressure reduction for a reference transducer and an experimental CMUT and observed that the reference underwent a 19% pressure reduction while the experimental CMUT experienced a 33% pressure reduction after transmission through the flex. We argue that the difference can be partly attributed to inappropriate underfill in the interface between the CMUT and the FPCB. The proposed packaging approach can potentially provide a versatile interconnecting scheme for densely populated small transducers required in applications such as ultrasound neuromodulation.
A reactive metabolite as an immune suppressant.

Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) occupy sites of chronic inflammation and suppress CD8+ T cell function. A new study describes the transfer of the metabolite methylglyoxal (MG) to T cells, which mediates this immunosuppressive mechanism.
Conducting Polymer Nanocomposite-Based Gas Sensors

Conducting polymers (CP) can behave like metals or semiconductors by incorporation of additives to tailor structure, crystallinity, and morphology. The emergence of nanoscience has provided impetus to the possibility of using electrically conducting polymers in various applications as in electrochromic devices, chemical and biological sensors, transparent conducting materials, batteries, actuators, field emission displays, super-capacitors, photovoltaic cells, data storage, and for surface protection. The chapter begins with the discussion of various aspects of gas sensors, fabricated using conducting polymers such as polyaniline (PANI), polypyrrole (PPy), polythiophene, and poly (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) and their hybrids with metal, metal oxide nanostructures and nanocarbons (reduced graphene oxide (rGO), carbon nanotubes (CNTs)) heterogenous species as the active layers. The fabrication of CP for different gas sensor applications, the sensing mechanism, and the configurations are also discussed in this chapter. The CP hybrid composites with enhanced sensing capabilities toward chemical gases, as chemoelectrical sensors, are due to their improved charge transport and charge transfer properties, through redox chemical reactions. Moreover, the CP hybrids with other materials provide synergistic properties, such as target analyte specificity, environmental/room temperature stability, ease of fabrication, signal reproducibility, and enhanced sensitivity. The factors that affect the gas sensors, brief prospects and future challenges in this field of research are discussed at the end of the chapter. The current trends and novel approaches to process materials with desirable physicochemical properties and fine-tuning the property of new materials for target specificity are emphasized.
The use of tamsulosin to prevent postoperative urinary retention in laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair: a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled study

The rate of postoperative urinary retention (POUR) in laparoscopic inguinal hernia repairs is 1–22%. POUR may cause patient anxiety, discomfort, and increased hospital costs. Currently there is no standard prophylaxis for POUR. Preoperative administration of tamsulosin has been shown to decrease POUR rates in urologic studies. This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of tamsulosin on the incidence of POUR in patients undergoing totally extraperitoneal (TEP) LIHR. A randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial was initiated and accrued patients from 2017 to 2019. A total of 169 males undergoing elective TEP LIHR were included. Patients were administered tamsulosin 2 h before surgery and followed for up to 24 h postoperatively for episodes of POUR. Analysis was performed to quantify the association between patient, surgical, and perioperative factors with POUR. The overall rate of POUR was 9%. There was no difference in the rate of POUR between the placebo (9.9%) and tamsulosin groups (7.9%) (p = 0.433). Univariate analysis showed a trend toward POUR in patients with history of benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH) (p = 0.058). Previously reported risk factors of older age, total IVF, length of procedure and opioid use were not associated with increased rates of POUR. Tamsulosin reduced the time to discharge by 4 to 68 min when compared to placebo. This study suggests that preoperative administration of tamsulosin may not reduce the risk of POUR in males undergoing elective TEP LIHR. Further study with a larger sample size may be needed to show a statistically significant difference.
Epstein-Barr virus promotes survival through germinal center light zone chromatin architecture

BFL-1 is an understudied anti-apoptotic protein upregulated in cancer and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-immortalized lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCLs). We have previously shown that BFL23 1 is regulated through viral EBNA3A-mediated alterations in B-cell chromatin conformation (Price et al., 2017). Here, we extend those findings to define cis- and trans-acting factors that regulate BFL-1 in LCLs and reliance on BFL-1 for survival from extrinsic apoptosis. Beyond LCLs, BFL-1 is expressed in B cells maturing in the germinal center (GC). We therefore characterized the gene expression profiles and chromatin landscape of maturing human tonsillar B-cell subsets. While chromatin accessibility at the BFL-1 locus increases as naive B cells enter the GC reaction, BFL29 1 expression increases during the transition from dark zone to light zone (LZ) correlating with association between enhancer regions and the transcriptional start site. The relationship between LCLs and LZ B cells suggests that EBV phenocopies GC biology to enhance their survival in establishing latent infection.
Long-Term Patient-Reported Knee Outcomes After Suprapatellar Intramedullary Tibial Nailing.

Suprapatellar nailing of tibial fractures has not been shown to affect short-term knee outcomes, however long-term outcomes are unknown. The purpose of this study was to report long-term patient-reported knee outcomes after suprapatellar nailing. Thirty-five adult patients with 37 tibial shaft fractures treated with suprapatellar nailing completed the Tegner-Lysholm Knee Score (TLKS) at an average of 5 years (range, 4–9 years) follow-up. The median TLKS was 98 (interquartile range, 85–100): Scores were considered excellent in 24 (68%), good in 3 (9%), fair in 3 (9%), and poor in 5 (14%). Based on patient responses, 28 (80%) patients did not have a limp, 32 (91%) ambulated without assistance, 22 (63%) were pain free, 29 (83%) had no knee instability, 30 (86%) endorsed no catching or locking, 27 (77%) could climb stairs with no issue, and 24 (69%) had no problems with squatting. Patients with poor/fair outcomes on the TLKS were more likely to have had a complication [3 (38%) vs. 1 (4%), difference 34%, 95% confidence interval 1–65%] and had no detectable difference in age, gender, open fracture, fracture classification, or worker’s compensation. At long-term follow-up a majority of patients undergoing suprapatellar nailing had good/excellent knee outcomes. Poor/fair knee outcomes were associated with the development of complications. III, Retrospective cohort study.
Incidence, duration and risk factors associated with delayed and missed diagnostic opportunities related to tuberculosis: a population-based longitudinal study.

Objectives Missed opportunities to diagnose tuberculosis are costly to patients and society. In this study, we (1) estimate the frequency and duration of diagnostic delays among patients with active pulmonary tuberculosis and (2) determine the risk factors for experiencing a diagnostic delay. Design A retrospective cohort study of patients with tuberculosis using longitudinal healthcare encounters prior to diagnosis. Setting Commercially insured enrollees from the Commercial Claims and Encounters or Medicare Supplemental IBM Marketscan Research Databases, 2001–2017. Participants All patients diagnosed with, and receiving treatment for, pulmonary tuberculosis, enrolled at least 365 days prior to diagnosis. Primary and secondary outcome measures We estimated the number of visits with tuberculosis-related symptoms prior to diagnosis that would be expected to occur in the absence of delays and compared this estimate to the observed pattern. We computed the number of visits representing a delay and used a simulation-based approach to estimate the number of patients experiencing a delay, number of missed opportunities per patient and duration of delays (ie, time between diagnosis and earliest missed opportunity). We also explored risk factors for missed opportunities. Results We identified 3371 patients diagnosed and treated for active tuberculosis that could be followed up for 1 year prior to diagnosis. We estimated 77.2% (95% CI 75.6% to 78.7%) of patients experienced at least one missed opportunity; of these patients, an average of 3.89 (95% CI 3.65 to 4.14) visits represented a missed opportunity, and the mean duration of delay was 31.66 days (95% CI 28.51 to 35.11). Risk factors for delays included outpatient or emergency department settings, weekend visits, patient age, influenza season presentation, history of chronic respiratory symptoms and prior fluoroquinolone use. Conclusions Many patients with tuberculosis experience multiple missed diagnostic opportunities prior to diagnosis. Missed opportunities occur most commonly in outpatient settings and numerous patient-specific, environment-specific and setting-specific factors increase risk for delays.
The Law of Enhanced Weathering for Carbon Dioxide Removal

Despite scientists’ dire warnings about the catastrophic impacts of climate change, the greenhouse gases that cause it continue to be emitted in substantial amounts. While there is no question that deep, across the board cuts in greenhouse gas emissions are essential, many scientists now agree that simply cutting future emissions will not be enough. It will also be necessary to remove previously-emitted greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. This paper explores one greenhouse gas removal technique—enhanced weathering—which involves spreading finely ground silicate rocks or other materials with similar chemical composition over land or ocean waters. The materials react with carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, sequestering it in mineral form (e.g., as limestone) on land or in the oceans. While further study is needed to fully evaluate the risks associated with enhanced weathering, initial research suggests that it could result in the long-term storage of large amounts of carbon dioxide, likely for centuries or millennia. This paper examines the international and U.S. legal framework for enhanced weathering on land and in ocean waters. As the paper shows, there are currently no international or U.S. federal or state laws dealing specifically with enhanced weathering, but projects could be regulated under various general environmental and other laws. At the international level, potentially applicable instruments include the Convention on Biological Diversity, Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Waste and Other Matter, and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Domestically, projects could be subject to various provisions of the Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act, Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, and Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act, among other statutes. Exactly when and how these statutes will apply remains uncertain. Much will depend on the specific design of each project, including where it is conducted, the materials used, and how they are applied to land or ocean waters. The paper identifies areas where new laws could be adopted, or existing laws revised, to reduce uncertainty and facilitate the development of enhanced weathering projects.
Comparison of percent adjusted versus predefined incremental argatroban dosing nomograms in patients with heparin induced thrombocytopenia

Abstract Introduction Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) necessitates initiation of non-heparin based anticoagulation to prevent long-term sequelae. Optimal anticoagulation needs to be reached safely and rapidly. The optimal adjustment of argatroban dosing has remained unclear. Materials and methods This retrospective cohort study at UI Health screened patients between 1/1/2011 to 3/21/2017. Patients were included if argatroban was administered for 24 h or more for suspected or confirmed HIT. The primary outcome was to compare time to reach 2 consecutive activated partial thromboplastin time within 60 to 100 s (stable therapeutic aPTT) between pre-guideline (dose incremental adjusted) and post-guideline (percent adjusted) nomograms. Secondary outcomes were to characterize safety events and analyze the effect of covariates on the primary outcome. Results A total of 231 patients were screened, 29 patients pre-guideline and 24 patients post-guideline were included. The mean ± SD time to reach stable therapeutic aPTT was 17.3 ± 14.4 h pre-guideline and 27.4 ± 23.5 h post-guideline (p=0.08). The mean ± SD number of dose adjustments was 1.5 ± 2.2 pre-guideline and 1.7 ± post-guideline (p = 0.89). ICU admission, hepatic impairment, albumin level, total bilirubin level, weight, and starting argatroban dose did not statistically affect time to stable therapeutic aPTT. There were 3 major bleed events and 3 thrombotic events, all occurred in pre-guideline cohort. Conclusions No statistically significant difference in time to reach therapeutic anticoagulation between dosing nomograms or in any safety or clinical outcomes was found. Less stringent, provider-driven argatroban dosing nomograms may have similar efficacy and safety to more aggressive dosing.
Measuring interest group agendas in regulatory proposals: a method and the case of US education policy

We introduce a new way to measure interest group agendas and demonstrate an approach to extending the CAP topic coding scheme to policy domains at lower levels of analysis. We use public comments on regulatory proposals in US education policy to examine the topics contained in policy arguments. We map the education policy space using a data set of 493 comments and 5315 hand-coded comment paragraphs. A unique measurement model accounts for group and topic diversity and allows us to validate our approach. The findings have implications for measuring topic agendas in lower-level policy domains and understanding group coalitions and competition in education policy. We contribute to text-as-data approaches tracing policy change in the study of public policy. The findings suggest the relationship between issue attention observed by scholars and larger policy reform movements.
Simulated Performance of Solid Polymer Electrolyte Fuel-Cell-Powered Vehicles

Fuel cells offer a number of attractive features as alternate power sources for transportation applications. Potential advantages include high efficiency, good performance operation on nonpetroleum fuel and negligible pollution. General Electric (GE) assessed solid polymer electrolyte (SPE) fuel cells specifically for automotive applications. The results of this assessment are used to calculate the performance and fuel consumption of the GM X Car and of the GE Chrysler Electric Test Vehicle 1 (ETV-1). The X car was calculated to have good performance, negligible emission, and substantially reduced energy consumption. The calculated performance of the ETV-1 with an SPE fuel cell is comparable to that of a present day, small gasoline-powered passenger car. In addition, the calculated fuel consumption is 33 mpg of methanol, equivalent to 66 mpg of gasoline on an energy basis.
Designing Multimedia Quality-based Advanced Videoconferencing Applications for Telemedicine over the Internet

Telemedicine and related healthcare technologies aim to provide efficient healthcare to improve the well being of patients and bring medical expertise at a lower cost to people who are geographically separated. This field has evolved over the past thirty years and today most telemedicine applications still use expensive leased telecommunication circuits to provide secured reliable connections. With the ubiquity of the Internet, it is now possible to deliver healthcare through Internet-based telemedicine applications to a wider population. However, the unreliable connection properties of packet-based systems and their vulnerability to various impairments that can occur at the physical, network, and application levels hamper the quality of Internet-based telemedicine applications. This research developed a taxonomy that identifies several key telemedicine dimensions to help patients, providers and program administrators understand the effort. The next phases of the study will create new objective/subjective multimedia quality models exclusively for telemedicine over the Internet using an experimental design over an emulated testbed. These models will be developed for telediagnosis in ophthalmology and mental health with extensive experiments using real-world telemedicine multimedia sessions obtained from the Regenstrief Institute for Health Care and VA. Finally, an intelligent videoconferencing software will be developed with real-time quality feedback functionality based on the quality models developed during this study. This new artifact will help practitioners in the field to pursue telemedicine confidently with the knowledge of real-time quality conditions under which they operate.
Participation of Branched-Chain Amino Acid Analogues in Multivalent Repression

Two isoleucine analogues and two leucine analogues were examined for their ability to replace the natural amino acid preventing the accumulation of threonine deaminase-forming potential. The procedure used to study repression by the analogues distinguishes between true repression and the formation of inactive enzyme by the analogue in question. The leucine analogue 4-azaleucine was found to replace leucine in multivalent repression of threonine deaminase-forming potential in Escherichia coli but not in Salmonella typhimurium. Another leucine analogue, trifluoroleucine, was only partially effective in causing repression in either organism. The isoleucine analogue 4-azaisoleucine was ineffective in replacing isoleucine in repression. In contrast, 4-thiaisoleucine effectively replaced isoleucine in the repression of threonine deaminase-forming potential in S. typhimurium and E. coli.
A 1 V CMOS op amp using bulk-driven MOSFETs

It is important to develop circuit techniques that permit existing CMOS to implement analog circuits at power supply voltages as low as 1 V. This paper describes some of these techniques and illustrates their application in the design of a CMOS op amp operating from a 1 V power supply. This opamp uses a digital 2-/spl mu/m CMOS having threshold voltages of 0.7 to 0.8 V and demonstrates performance comparable with opamps using higher power supply voltages.
Preparing Teachers of Technology: A Response to Gagel's NAITTE Membership Survey Report.

The executive committee of the National Association of Industrial and Technical Teacher Educators (NAITTE) under the leadership of Charles Gagel is to be commended for conducting the 2004 membership survey. Gagel has presented a clear interpretation of the survey results together with some organizational demographics. Although there were good reasons to conduct this survey, it was a task that could have been ignored and left for someone else. That can easily happen in organizations such as NAITTE, which function entirely with volunteers. The fact that the need for a survey was not ignored, demonstrates the competent, dedicated leadership characteristic of NAITTE. In writing a response to Gagel’s report it is only fair that I first reveal some of my own bias. I have been a member of NAITTE since 1964. I was first brought to a NAITTE general session by my department chair, Dr. George Brandon, who also introduced me to many NAITTE members. It quickly became apparent that this was an organization that suited me. This assessment has remained true throughout my career. Through active participation in NAITTE, I have enjoyed many benefits and forged many professional relationships. Now as a professor emeritus I have the opportunity to observe secondary school laboratories as I supervise teaching interns. And, with the perspective of one who is no longer burdened by day-to-day tasks of the field, I have the privilege of taking a broader view. The NAITTE of tomorrow cannot be the NAITTE of the past. Gagel’s conclusion is clear, NAITTE must change if it is to survive, and many of us believe that there are good reasons for a teacher education organization to be part of the field that we profess. However, that field is not the same as it once was. This seems to be at the heart of what NAITTE is experiencing. The
Ethical issues in robotic-assisted transaxillary thyroidectomy

Like many new techniques in surgery, the use of robotic-assisted transaxillary thyroidectomy is an innovative approach to a common surgical treatment. However, the increased risks associated with the operation along with the increased costs make robotic-assisted transaxillary thyroidectomy an ethically problematic procedure to be utilized in contemporary health systems.
A factor that activates oscillatory chloride currents in Xenopus oocytes copurifies with a subfraction of serum albumin.

Abstract Vertebrate blood sera contain a factor that elicits oscillatory chloride currents in Xenopus oocytes through activation of the phosphatidylinositol second messenger system. This factor was purified from rabbit and human sera by a sequence of Blue-Agarose chromatography, concanavalin A affinity chromatography, and hydroxyapatite fractionation, yielding a single active protein band (67 kDa). This protein is a subfraction of serum albumin, as revealed by its molecular mass, isoelectric properties, peptide maps, amino acid composition, and NH2-terminal sequence. Moreover, the factor could be purified with a monoclonal antibody to serum albumin and its ability to elicit oscillatory currents was inhibited by several polyclonal-monospecific antibodies to serum albumin. Various commercial high purity albumin preparations elicited oscillatory currents in oocytes. The activity of albumin was partially reduced by charcoal absorption and was greatly diminished when crystalline albumin was extracted with dry methanol. However, the activity was resistant to extraction with chloroform/ether, disulfide cleavage, and denaturation with 8 M urea, 6 M guanidinium chloride, and 1% sodium dodecyl sulfate. Trypsin or lipase treatment substantially reduced the potency of the active albumin, but neither treatment alone abolished the factor even after prolonged digestion. In contrast to serum or serum albumin, freshly collected blood plasma or purified plasma albumin did not evoke oscillatory currents. This indicates that some of the plasma albumin changes during blood coagulation and acquires a "factor" that makes it capable of activating the phosphatidylinositol-Ca2+ system in Xenopus oocytes. The serum factor also activates the phosphatidylinositol system in a variety of mammalian cells, suggesting that the modified albumin may play a role in cellular events related to tissue repair following injury.
Tumor growth and angiogenesis induced by a secreted binding protein for fibroblast growth factors

Basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) is a strong inducer of angiogenesis and thus may play an important role in the growth of solid tumors. However, bFGF is usually found immobilized on the extracellular matrix, and it is only partly understood how it is solubilized to reach and activate its extracellular receptors. We studied the potential contribution to this process by a secreted binding protein (BP) with high affinity for FGFs. An expression vector for BP was transfected into a human cell line (SW-13) that contains constitutively high levels of bFGF. The BP-expressing cells began to grow colonies in soft agar due to their autocrine stimulation by bFGF and released biologically active bFGF into their media. Furthermore, they grew into well vascularized tumors in athymic nude mice. In addition, we found the BP mRNA expressed at high levels in squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) tissues from patients and in SCC cell lines of different origin as well as in immortalized keratinocytes. However, we failed to detect BP mRNA in normal adult tissues or in a number of non-SCC tumor cell lines. Expression of the secreted BP appears to be a mechanism through which immobilized FGF can be activated to support tumor growth and angiogenesis.
Expression of various genes is controlled by DNA methylation during mammalian development

Despite thousands of articles about 5-methylcytosine (m(5)C) residues in vertebrate DNA, there is still controversy concerning the role of genomic m(5)C in normal vertebrate development. Inverse correlations between expression and methylation are seen for many gene regulatory regions [Heard et al., 1997; Attwood et al., 2002; Plass and Soloway, 2002] although much vertebrate DNA methylation is in repeated sequences [Ehrlich et al., 1982]. At the heart of this debate is whether vertebrate DNA methylation has mainly a protective role in limiting expression of foreign DNA elements and endogenous transposons [Walsh and Bestor, 1999] or also is important in the regulation of the expression of diverse vertebrate genes involved in differentiation [Attwood et al., 2002]. Enough thorough studies have now been reported to show that many tissue- or development-specific changes in methylation at vertebrate promoters, enhancers, or insulators regulate expression and are not simply inconsequential byproducts of expression differences. One line of evidence comes from mutants with inherited alterations in genes encoding DNA methyltransferases and from rodents or humans with somatically acquired changes in DNA methylation that illustrate the disease-producing effects of abnormal methylation. Another type of evidence derives from studies of in vivo correlations between tissue-specific changes in DNA methylation and gene expression coupled with experiments demonstrating cause-and-effect associations between DNA hyper- or hypomethylation and gene expression. In this review, I summarize some of the strong evidence from both types of studies. Taken together, these studies demonstrate that DNA methylation in mammals modulates expression of many genes during development, causing major changes in or important fine-tuning of expression. Also, I discuss previously established and newly hypothesized mechanisms for this epigenetic control.
Vibrational deactivation on chemically reactive potential surfaces: An exact quantum study of a low barrier collinear model of H + FH, D + FD, H + FD and D + FH

We study vibrational deactivation processes on chemically reactive potential energy surfaces by examining accurate quantum mechanical transition probabilities and rate constants for the collinear H + FH(v), D + FD(v), H + FD(v), and D + FH(v) reactions. A low barrier (1.7 kcal/mole) potential surface is used in these calculations, and we find that for all four reactions, the reactive inelastic rate constants are larger than the nonreactive ones for the same initial and final vibrational states. However, the ratios of these reactive and nonreactive rate constants depend strongly on the vibrational quantum number v and the isotopic composition of the reagents. Nonreactive and reactive transition probabilities for multiquantum jump transitions are generally comparable to those for single quantum transitions. This vibrationally nonadiabatic behavior is a direct consequence of the severe distortion of the diatomic that occurs in a collision on a low barrier reactive surface, and can make chemically reactive atoms like H or D more efficient deactivators of HF or DF than nonreactive collision partners. Many conclusions are in at least qualitative agreement with those of Wilkin’s three dimensional quasiclassical trajectory study on the same systems using a similar surface. We also present results for H + HF(v) collisions which show that for a higher barrier potential surface (33 rather than 1.7 kcal/mole), the deactivation process becomes similar in character to that for nonreactive partners, with v→v−1 processes dominating.
The Use of Mobilized Peripheral Blood Stem Cells from Normal Donors for Allografting

Peripheral blood stem cells (PBSCs) are gaining increasing acceptance as an alternative to bone-marrow (BM)-derived stem cells for allografting. Although scarce under steady-state conditions, CD34+ progenitor cells can be effectively mobilized into the peripheral blood (PB) in the vast majority of normal donors with a brief (3-4 days) course of recombinant human (rHu)G-CSF. Those cytokine-peripheralized progenitor cells and, among them, pluripotent stem cells, are collected by apheresis in sufficient amounts to achieve complete and permanent alloengraftment after myeloablative treatment in patients with primarily malignant hematologic disorders. The short-term tolerability profile of PBSC mobilization and apheresis in normal donors appears to be acceptable, although continued monitoring is necessary to ensure long-term safety. When compared with BM progenitor cells, mobilized PBSCs seem to exhibit a more primitive phenotype and a different clonogenic potential. The impact of factors affecting the efficiency of PBSC mobilization, such as rHuG-CSF dose, duration of cytokine treatment, and, to a lesser extent, donor age is now being recognized. Potential ways to optimize and possibly "engineer" PBSC collection, such as the use of cytokine/chemokine combinations (e.g., thrombopoietin, stem cell factor, etc.) and monoclonal antibodies directed against integrin receptors on CD34+ progenitor cells, are now being explored as well. In the clinical setting, engraftment after PBSC allografting is rapid and probably faster than after BM allografting. PBSC allografting seems to be associated with an incidence and severity of acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) comparable to the ones observed after BM allografting, although the incidence of chronic GVHD after allogeneic PBSC transplantation is still controversial. The infusion of a larger number of lymphoid cells appears to translate into a more rapid immunologic recovery and may lead to an enhanced graft-versus-leukemia effect. The collection of large numbers of mobilized PBSCs should provide ample opportunities for graft engineering and gene therapy. PBSCs may eventually replace, at least in part, BM as the preferred source of stem cells for both auto- and allotransplantation.
Assortative matching for sex-role and marriage adjustment

Abstract Eighty-two middle-class married couples were administered the Bem Sex-role Inventory, a newly derived Behavioral Inventory measuring sex-role by task performance and the Spanier Dyadic Adjustment Scale. It was hypothesized that individuals are assortatively matched by sex-role in marriage, that all-androgynous couples have greater marriage adjustment (MA) than stereotypic couples who are, in turn, higher than ‘other’ couples (undifferentiated or cross-type), and that there is an interaction effect with certain combinations more deleterious to MA than others. All hypotheses were supported and evidence presented that matching occured by selection rather than as a result of living together. In addition, subsequent analysis indicated that men's sex-roles are more associated with MA than women's sex-roles.