cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Late removal of releasable sutures after trabeculectomy or combined trabeculectomy with cataract extraction supplemented with antifibrotics

PURPOSE Releasable scleral flap sutures have been effectively used in trabeculectomy. The suggested time for suture removal is within the first two postoperative weeks. The authors wished to determine whether the use of intraoperative antifibrotics alters the time of suture removal and the results of surgery. METHODS The charts of 324 patients (388 eyes) undergoing trabeculectomy and 141 patients (174 eyes) undergoing combined trabeculectomy with cataract extraction with a minimum follow-up of 12 months were retrospectively reviewed. All eyes received intraoperative antifibrotics; mitomycin C in 534 eyes and 5-fluorouracil in 29 eyes. Two releasable scleral flap sutures were used in all of the eyes. RESULTS The removal time of at least one of the two releasable sutures was later than 21 days postoperatively in 89 eyes of 83 patients with trabeculectomy (22.9%) and in 58 eyes of 55 patients with combined surgery (33.3%). The suture removal was deferred in 39 eyes because of an early complication such as hypotony (intraocular pressure (IOP) < or = 5 mm Hg), bleb leak, or shallow or flat anterior chamber. There was no complication in the other 108 eyes, but suture removal was delayed until the IOP was more than 10 mm Hg. Immediate IOP reduction was (mean +/- standard deviation) 6.3 +/- 2.8 mm Hg when suture removal was performed beyond 3 weeks. There was a decreased response as the postoperative time until suture removal increases (r = -0.57). No serious complication associated with late suture removal was noted during the follow-up period (mean +/- standard deviation, 19.8 +/- 10.1 months). CONCLUSION Intraoperative pharmacologic modulation of wound healing in trabeculectomy and combined trabeculectomy with cataract extraction extends the period that releasable suture removal is clinically effective. However the response decreases with a longer interval to releasable suture removal.
Effects of cholinergic agonists on two non-pyramidal cell types in rat hippocampal slices

In the hippocampus, pyramidal cells (PCs) are not the only cell type sensitive to cholinergic stimulation. Two non-pyramidal cell types from animals as young as 8 days demonstrated clear, direct responses to application of cholinergic agonists. These cholinergic actions are excitatory, mostly blocked by muscarinic antagonists, and persist under conditions which block synaptic transmission (TTX, low Ca2+/high Mg2+). Cholinergic agonists may affect different conductances in interneurons than in PCs, sometimes resulting in rapid depolarization. Demonstration of direct excitatory cholinergic effects on inhibitory interneurons supports the view that cholinergically-evoked hyperpolarizations in PCs are due to local circuit interactions.
Drosophila Sensory Neurons Require Dscam for Dendritic Self-Avoidance and Proper Dendritic Field Organization

A neuron's dendrites typically do not cross one another. This intrinsic self-avoidance mechanism ensures unambiguous processing of sensory or synaptic inputs. Moreover, some neurons respect the territory of others of the same type, a phenomenon known as tiling. Different types of neurons, however, often have overlapping dendritic fields. We found that Down's syndrome Cell Adhesion Molecule (Dscam) is required for dendritic self-avoidance of all four classes of Drosophila dendritic arborization (da) neurons. However, neighboring mutant class IV da neurons still exhibited tiling, suggesting that self-avoidance and tiling differ in their recognition and repulsion mechanisms. Introducing 1 of the 38,016 Dscam isoforms to da neurons in Dscam mutants was sufficient to significantly restore self-avoidance. Remarkably, expression of a common Dscam isoform in da neurons of different classes prevented their dendrites from sharing the same territory, suggesting that coexistence of dendritic fields of different neuronal classes requires divergent expression of Dscam isoforms.
Mechanism of inhibition of advanced glycosylation by aminoguanidine in vitro.

Abstract A triazine and a bishydrazone were isolated from a solution of aminoguanidine incubated with an Amadori product (1-deoxy-1-propylamino-D-fructose) under physiological conditions. The new products were characterized by NMR and mass spectrometric analysis. The mechanism of the inhibition was proposed to involve the reactive intermediate 1, 4-dideoxy-1-(propylamino)-D-glycero-2, 3-hexodiulose (i.e., 1-propylamino-1, 4-dideoxyosone). The existence of this intermediate was supported by acetylation and characterization of the product. Formation of a proposed triazine and bis(amidinohydrazone) after the incubation of 1-propylamino-1, 4-dideoxyosone with aminoguanidine also supported the proposed mechanism.
Swift oxo transfer reactions of perchlorate and other substrates catalyzed by rhenium oxazoline and thiazoline complexes

The reaction kinetics and mechanisms of catalytic oxygen atom transfer (OAT) with rhenium oxazoline and thiazoline complexes are described in this feature article. The striking features of this new family of molecular oxotransferases are their rapid kinetics and their surpassed ability in catalyzing the very difficult reduction of perchlorate by atom transfer. The diverse and competing pathways that make these catalysts efficient and practical have been delineated. Factors that govern the rates of OAT reactions have been elucidated on the basis of substrate variation, substituent and steric effects, subtle changes in the coordination environment, and geometrical transformations. This account also presents comparisons of our abiological OAT catalysis to mechanistically related enzymes and model complexes of molybdenum and tungsten.
The Association of Resilience with Mental and Physical Health among Older American Indians: The Native Elder Care Study.

We examined the association of resilience with measures of mental and physical health in a sample of older American Indians (AIs). A validated scale measuring resilience was administered to 185 noninstitutionalized AIs aged>=55 years. Unadjusted analyses revealed that higher levels of resilience were associated with lower levels of depressive symptomatology and chronic pain, and with higher levels of mental and physical health. Resilience remained significantly associated with depressive symptomatology after controlling for demographic and other health measures. Our findings suggest that resilience among older AIs has important implications for some aspects of mental and physical health.
A tutorial on feature oriented programming and the AHEAD tool suite

Feature oriented programming (FOP) is the study of feature mod ularity and its use in program synthesis. AHEAD is a theory of FOP that is based on a fundamental concept of generative programming that functions map programs. This enables the design of programs to be expressed compo sitionally as algebraic expressions, which are suited for automated analysis, manipulation, and program synthesis. This paper is a tutorial on FOP and AHEAD. We review AHEAD's theory and the tool set that implements it.
The early development of the hypoglossal nerve and occipital somites in staged human embryos.

Serial sections of 105 human embryos (including 20 silver preparations) from stage 11 (24 days) to stage 22 (54 days) were studied, and 23 graphic reconstructions were prepared. The hypoglossal nucleus is evident at stage 12 and becomes isolated from other efferent nuclei at stage 14. The first hypoglossal nerve fibers appear at stage 12. The roots unite at stage 14 and the main trunk arrives in the tongue at stage 15. Four occipital somites can be identified during stage 13, and the sclerotomic material forms two bilateral masses. The fourth sclerotome separates in stage 14 and develops like a vertebra. This and the remaining sclerotomic material form the basioccipital and exoccipital parts of the chondrocranium , which are the first to appear. Four occipital myotomes develop and grow towards the tongue as the "hypoglossal cord", which arrives prior to the hypoglossal nerve. The developmental similarity in the hypoglossal region between birds and mammals, combined with experimental studies in birds, renders it extremely likely that the hypoglossal musculature in mammals also is derived from occipital somites. The present study is the first in which this conclusion is adequately supported in the human. This investigation aids in the interpretation and timing of origin of variations (e.g., bipartite hypoglossal canal) and anomalies (e.g., persistent hypoglossal artery).
Only Children, Stereotypes, and Research

Only children are people who grow up without siblings. About 13% of completed American families contain an only child (U.S. Bureau of Census, 1970). Besides being rare, only children are widely considered to be undesirable. In 1950 and again in 1972, Blake (1974) conducted a survey of a representative sample of the American public to determine whether being an only child was considered to be an advantage or disadvantage. Seventy-six percent in 1950 and 80% in 1972 chose “disadvantage” in describing only children.
Visualizing programs using graphs

Graphs seem to be a natural way to represent various aspects of program execution. And therefore, graphs are commonly used by software visualization to display, interpret, document and convey the static and dynamic nature of program execution. The major obstacles which must be considered before graphs can be used in software visualization tools, are the conceptual problems, that is, the difficulty of the interpretation of a graph by a user, and the display problems, that is, the difficulties in handling large graphs and drawing dynamically changing graphs on the display. In this paper, we show a set of techniques which together overcome the complexity of large graphs, their display, and the handling of the dynamic changes in graphs. We demonstrate these techniques based on a variety of tools which were developed in the past.
Effects of hip joint angle changes on intersegmental spinal coupling in human spinal cord injury.

Pathological expression of movement and muscle tone in human upper motor neuron disorders has been partly associated with impaired modulation of spinal inhibitory mechanisms, such as reciprocal or presynaptic inhibition. In addition, input from specific afferent systems contributes significantly to spinal reflex circuits coupled with posture or locomotion. Accordingly, the objectives of this study were to identify the involved afferents and their relative contribution to soleus H-reflex modulation induced by changes in hip position, and to relate these effects with activity of spinal interneuronal circuits. Specifically, we investigated the actions of group I synergistic and antagonistic muscle afferents (e.g. common peroneal nerve, CPN; medial gastrocnemius, MG) and tactile plantar cutaneous afferents on the soleus H-reflex during controlled hip angle variations in 11 motor incomplete spinal cord injured (SCI) subjects. It has been postulated in healthy subjects that CPN stimulation evokes an inhibition on the soleus H-reflex at a conditioning test (C-T) interval of 2–4 ms. This short latency reflex depression is caused mainly by activation of the reciprocal Ia inhibitory pathway. At longer C-T intervals (beyond 30 ms) the soleus H-reflex is again depressed, and is generally accepted to be caused by presynaptic inhibition of soleus Ia afferents. Similarly, MG nerve stimulation depresses soleus H-reflex excitability at the C-T interval of 6 ms, involving the pathway of non-reciprocal group I inhibition, while excitation of plantar cutaneous afferents affects the activity of spinal reflex pathways in the extensors. In this study, soleus H-reflexes recorded alone or during CPN stimulation at either short (2, 3, 4 ms) or long (80, 100, 120 ms) C-T intervals, and MG nerve stimulation delivered at 6 ms were elicited via conventional methods and similar to those adopted in studies conducted in healthy subjects. Plantar skin conditioning stimulation was delivered through two surface electrodes placed on the metatarsals at different C-T intervals ranging from 3 to 90 ms. CPN stimulation at either short or long C-T intervals and MG nerve stimulation resulted in a significant facilitation of the soleus H-reflex, regardless of the hip angle tested. Plantar skin stimulation delivered with hip extended at 10° induced a bimodal facilitation reflex pattern, while with hip flexed (10°, 30°) the reflex facilitation increased with increments in the C-T interval. This study provides evidence that in human chronic SCI, classically key inhibitory reflex actions are switched to facilitatory, and that spinal processing of plantar cutaneous sensory input and actions of synergistic/antagonistic muscle afferents interact with hip proprioceptive input to facilitate soleus H-reflex excitability. These actions might be associated with the pathological expression of neural control of movement in individuals with SCI, and potentially could be considered in rehabilitation programs geared to restore sensorimotor function in these patients.
Operative treatment of cervical spondylotic myelopathy.

Cervical spondylotic myelopathy is a leading cause of spinal cord dysfunction in the adult population. Affected patients represent a large subset of individuals who undergo operative treatment of degenerative cervical conditions. In a study of 450 patients undergoing anterior neck surgery for the treatment of degenerative disc disease, 61% presented with radicular symptoms, 16% had pure myelopathic symptoms, and the remaining 23% had a combination of myelopathy and radiculopathy1. The subtle clinical findings of early cervical spondylotic myelopathy make diagnosis difficult, and true natural history studies are unavailable. The patients or their relatives notice increasing awkwardness with gait and balance that they attribute to old age or arthritis of the lower extremity joints. Patients may report an insidious onset of clumsiness or diffuse numbness in the hands, resulting in worsening of handwriting or …
INDIRECT EFFECTS OF A TOP PREDATOR ON A RAIN FOREST UNDERSTORY PLANT COMMUNITY

Tropical rain forests, some of the most diverse natural communities, have been characterized either as inherently stable or as extremely fragile. Theoretically, complex food webs allow for alternative pathways and overlapping functions within and among trophic levels, such that cascading effects are buffered and perturbation is resisted. On the other hand, strong interdependence among species and trophic levels in these same systems can make them vulnerable to perturbation. To assess the ability of a tropical rain forest community to resist perturbation or to amplify perturbation through trophic cascades, we measured changes in overall vegetative cover and species richness of understory plants in response to the experimental addition of a top predator beetle. In August 2000, 30 randomly located patches of naturally occurring Piper cenocladum shrubs were found at sites with variable soil quality and light availability, and top predator addition treatments were randomly assigned to half the patches. Using an 8-m2 subplot within each P. cenocladum patch, we estimated (nondestructively) vegetative cover of understory plants for nine months and measured herbivore damage, plant longevity and plant species richness for ∼1.5 years. For all understory species in our subplots, vegetative cover and total numbers of leaves declined significantly more in predator addition patches than in control patches. Understory cover also declined significantly more on poor soils than on rich soils. Mortality of small plants was high overall, but longevity was significantly greater in control patches than in patches with top predators. Herbivore damage was lowest, plant establishment highest, and the accumulation of new plant species highest in control plots on rich soils. The cumulative effect of top predators interacted with plant resources, such that plant species richness was suppressed when beetles were present in understory communities on rich soils. Patterns of herbivore damage suggest that trophic cascades from apex predators through ant predators to herbivores altered the structure of understory vegetation. The presence of indirect effects supports the characterization of rain forests as vulnerable ecosystems whose integrity may be threatened by the slow erosion of complex tight interactions among species.
Intense exercise stimulates albumin synthesis in the upright posture

We tested the hypothesis that an elevation in albumin synthetic rate contributes to increased plasma albumin content during exercise-induced hypervolemia. Albumin synthetic rate was measured in sev...
Variation in Large‐Conductance, Calcium‐Activated Potassium Channels from Hair Cells Along the Chicken Basilar Papilla

The mechanism for electrical tuning in non-mammalian hair cells rests within the widely diverse kinetics of functionally distinct, large-conductance potassium channels (BK), thought to result from alternative splicing of the pore-forming α subunit and variable co-expression with an accessory β subunit. Inside-out patches from hair cells along the chicken basilar papilla revealed ‘tonotopic’ gradations in calcium sensitivity and deactivation kinetics. The resonant frequency for the hair cell from which the patch was taken was estimated from deactivation rates, and this frequency reasonably matched that predicted from the originating cell's tonotopic location. The rates of deactivation for native BK channels were much faster than rates reported for cloned chicken BK channels including both α and β subunits. This result was surprising since patches were pulled from hair cells in the apical half of the papilla where β subunits are most highly expressed. Heterogeneity in the properties of native chicken BK channels implies a high degree of molecular variation and hinders our ability to identify those molecular constituents.
Structural Isomerization of the Gas‐Phase 2‐Norbornyl Cation Revealed with Infrared Spectroscopy and Computational Chemistry

In an attempt to produce the 2-norbornyl cation (2NB+) in the gas phase, protonation of norbornene was accomplished in a pulsed discharge ion source coupled with a supersonic molecular beam. The C7H11+ cation was size-selected in a time-of-flight mass spectrometer and investigated with infrared laser photodissociation spectroscopy using the method of “tagging” with argon. The resulting vibrational spectrum, containing sharp bands in the CH stretching and fingerprint regions, was compared to that predicted by computational chemistry. However, the measured spectrum did not match that of 2NB+, prompting a detailed computational study of other possible isomers of C7H11+. This study finds five isomers more stable than 2NB+. The spectrum obtained corresponds to the 1,3-dimethylcyclopentenyl cation, the global minimum-energy structure for C7H11+, which is produced through an unanticipated ring-opening rearrangement path.
Laboratory Evaluation of Peripheral Neuropathy

The question of how to evaluate peripheral neuropathies is complicated by there being hundreds of potential causes, both acquired and inherited. This article focuses on a targeted and thoughtful approach to the laboratory evaluation of patients with peripheral neuropathy, designed to allow the identification of treatable neuropathies without undue expense and risk to patients. After determining which clinical patterns are present, the patterns are used to define a discrete manageable subset of diseases underlying these neuropathies. Thinking in terms of such patterns is often more helpful than relying on electrodiagnostic studies, leading to a more accurate, cost-effective laboratory evaluation.
Proposed mechanisms of transfusion-induced immunomodulation.

The effects of blood transfusion on the functions of the immune system have been studied in humans and laboratory animals for more than 25 years. It is becoming customary to refer to these effects on the immune system as “immunomodulatory,” as they may involve augmentation as well as suppression
Preliminary results on interconnected hybrid systems

We present a new framework for describing multi-agent systems with hybrid individual dynamics where the interaction between agents occurs at both the continuous and discrete levels. We formally define these multi-agent systems as interconnected hybrid systems and then recast fundamental hybrid concepts such as a hybrid metric, hybrid execution, and reachability in this new interconnected hybrid systems framework. We then prove a necessary condition for the existence of the interconnected hybrid executions. This work extends results in [10], [16].
The Economists of the Reformation: An Overview of Reformation Teaching Concerning Work, Wealth, and Interest

This article provides an overview of the teaching of the Protestant Reformers (Luther, Calvin, and the Puritans) toward issues of wealth, work, interest, and calling. The purpose is to highlight some of the teachings that could be said to lead to a “Protestant Work Ethic.” The Reformers were not uniform in their views of economic matters and in some cases their views of economic matters were influenced by the society around them. While much of the teaching continued in the Catholic tradition, the reformers did elevate the views of calling and work; what had been toil was elevated to Divine calling and service to God.
Online incremental regression for electricity price prediction

Modeling methods aiming at predicting electricity price accurately, should be capable of handling a continuous stream of data while keeping responsive to the potential structural changes. To this end, traditional machine learning based approaches are widely applied such as Multi-linear Regression, Artificial Neural Network (ANN), Time Series Models like Auto Regressive Moving Average Models (ARMA), Gaussian Process (GP), random forests and Genetic Algorithm (GA), all of which can fall into two categories: the parametric and nonparametric model. While practical challenges in forecasting streaming data come along with the structural variation of the testing samples making the training samples not necessarily representative enough towards the new arriving samples. In such an online forecasting context, an incremental supervised learning based algorithm is better suited in contrast to the batch-mode one. Given the fact that it can adapt to the new coming streaming data by accommodating the possible variations of new samples, as well as allows for the removal of old data if necessary. An incremental learning algorithm is presented in this paper, i.e. the online support vector regression model, which enjoys the merits of less memory capacity and less computational overload compared with the batch methods. Promising results are demonstrated by evaluating with other typical regression methods for the electricity price forecasting task on a publicly available benchmark data set.
Evaluation and reduction of steering column vibration of a rear wheel drive sedan

Vehicle noise, Vibration and Harshness (NVH) has become a key enabler for successful distinction between competitive vehicles because consumers have come to judge vehicle quality by NVH levels. One of many critical areas of NVH is the amount of vibration felt in the steering wheel as the customer drives the vehicle. This paper presents the evaluation of steering column vibration for a rear-wheel drive sports sedan. A significant amount of component level work had previously been done for the column under study, the results of which did not yield a complete understanding of in-vehicle response. For this follow-up study, a varying force input level test was designed to understand how this steering column responded under forces seen in both bedplate and in-vehicle testing. It appears that the column reacts in a non-linear fashion, and the forced response spectra changes with varying input force. The additional insight of the component response yielded greater understanding of the vehicle response. Transfer functions between key chassis attachment points and the response at the wheel were studied to understand the vehicle response and, where possible, to improve the column response. These investigations yielded significant understanding to component and vehicle weaknesses to arrive at improved designs. Significant improvements in tactile response were achieved by altering the vehicle chassis sensitivity to input loads.
Alien Intimacies: The Coloniality of Japanese Internment in Australia, Canada, and the U.S.

The incarceration of Japanese "enemy aliens" in concentration camps during World War II was a remarkably transnational phenomenon in Pacific settler colonies. Immediately following Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, the governments of Canada, the United States, and Australia set in motion the round up, removal, and incarceration of civilians of Japanese ancestry. Australia was first to implement extensive measures, rounding up nearly all Japanese individuals from Australia and surrounding nations within twenty-four hours of the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Unlike Canada and the U.S., a wartime internment policy was already in place under the National Security Act of 1939, which provisioned for the wholesale internment of local Japanese civilians—mostly concentrated in northern pearling towns of Broome, Darwin, and Thursday Island—in the event of a declaration of war with Japan. The U.S., catapulted into war by the events of December 7, responded by seizing Japanese assets, sealing off the Can...
Permissive anemia: How low should we go?

From the Department of Surgery, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Md. Disclosures: Author has nothing to disclose with regard to commercial support. Received for publication Aug 3, 2015; accepted for publication Aug 3, 2015; available ahead of print Aug 28, 2015. Address for reprints: Glenn J. R.Whitman, MD, Department of Surgery, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, 1800 Orleans St, Zayed Tower/Suite 7107, Baltimore, MD 21287 (E-mail: gwhitman@jhmi.edu). J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2015;150:1330-1 0022-5223/$36.00 Copyright 2015 by The American Association for Thoracic Surgery http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jtcvs.2015.08.008
Discriminative Training of 150 Million Translation Parameters and Its Application to Pruning

Until recently, the application of discriminative training to log linear-based statistical machine translation has been limited to tuning the weights of a limited number of features or training features with a limited number of parameters. In this paper, we propose to scale up discriminative training of (He and Deng, 2012) to train features with 150 million parameters, which is one order of magnitude higher than previously published effort, and to apply discriminative training to redistribute probability mass that is lost due to model pruning. The experimental results confirm the effectiveness of our proposals on NIST MT06 set over a strong baseline.
Pyrolytic Carbon Coating in an Engineering-Scale System

This report describes work concerning production of coated-particle fuels for use in high-temperature, gas-cooled reactors (HTGR's) and a coating system that has served as the basis for the design ...
The ABCs (Airway, Blood Vessels, and Compartments) of Pediatric Neck Infections and Masses.

OBJECTIVE. The radiologist plays several important roles in the diagnosis and management of pediatric neck infections and masses. Although the clinical diagnosis of an infection is often clear, the radiologist should evaluate for an underlying cause and for drainable collections. With neck masses, the radiologist's role is to form a differential diagnosis and evaluate for biopsy of a potentially neoplastic lesion. With both clinical scenarios, the radiologist should also evaluate for complications. CONCLUSION. The mnemonic device ABCs (airway, blood vessels, and compartments) serves as a useful reminder for potentially critical complications of pediatric neck infections and masses.
When the cat's (far) away... the effect of control centralization and compensation interdependence on performance misreporting

This study investigates how control features influence employees’ perceptions of controls and, subsequently, their reporting behaviors. Specifically, I examine whether implementing a more centralized versus decentralized monitoring control influences employees’ perceptions of whether the control will detect misreported performance. In an experiment that holds the true detection rate constant, I find participants perceive a relatively decentralized control more likely to detect misreporting than a centralized control. Because decisions about monitoring controls and compensation systems are interrelated (O’Donnell 2000) and made contemporaneously (Brenner and Ambos 2013), I also examine whether compensation interdependence influences the effect that control centralization has on misreporting. Prior research documents aggressive reporting behavior increases as compensation becomes more interdependent (Sutter 2009). This suggests that larger increases in perceived detection rates are required to reduce dishonest reporting as compensation interdependency increases. Therefore, for a given level of perceived detection resulting from control centralization, employees are more likely to misreport when compensation is more interdependent than independent. Consistent with this reasoning, I find that a more decentralized control reduces dishonest reporting when compensation interdependence is low. However, when compensation interdependence is high, the effect of control centralization on dishonest reporting is muted. These results suggest that a complex relationship exists between control centralization and compensation interdependence. As such, this study has important implications for academics, control system designers, and compensation system designers.
A platform-centric uml-/xml-enhanced hw/sw codesign method for the development of soc systems

As today's real-time embedded systems grow increasingly ubiquitous, rising complexity ensues as more and more functionalities are integrated. Market dynamics and competitiveness further constrict the technology-to-market time requirement, consequently pushing it to the very forefront of consideration during the development process. Traditional system development approaches could no longer efficiently cope with such formidable demands, and a paradigm shift has been perceived by many as a mandate. This thesis presents a novel platform-centric SoC design method that relies on a platform-based design to expedite the overall development process. The proposed approach offers a new perspective towards the complex systems design paradigm, and can attain the desired paradigm shift through extensive reuse and flexibility. It offers a unified communication means for all sectors involved in the development process: Semiconductor vendors can use it to publish their platform specifications; Tool vendors can use it to develop and/or enhance their tools; System developers can use it to efficiently develop the system. Key technologies are also identified, namely the Extensible Markup Language (XML) and the Unified Modeling Language (UML), that realize the proposed approach. This thesis extends XML to attain a standard means for modeling, and processing a large amount of reusable platform-related data. Additionally, it employs UML's own extension mechanism to derive a UML dialect that can be used to model real-time systems and characteristics. This UML dialect, i.e. the UML profile for Codesign Modeling Framework (UML-CMF), remains compliant to the UML standard. A sub-profile within the UML profile for Codesign Modeling Framework is also developed so as to furnish a means for efficient modeling of platforms, and that can be seamlessly integrated with other real-time modeling capabilities offered by the UML-CMF. Such an effort yields a robust UML-compliant language that is suitable for a general platform-based modeling and design. A practical use of the proposed approach is demonstrated through a powerful case study that applies the approach to develop a digital camera system. The results are comparatively presented against the SpecC approach in terms of cost metrics based on the COCOMO II model.
Early corticosteroid withdrawal in recipients of renal allografts: a single-center report of ethnically diverse recipients and recipients of marginal deceased-donor kidneys.

BACKGROUND Candidacy for kidney transplantation is being progressively liberalized, and the safety and efficacy of early withdrawal of corticosteroids in high-risk patients have not been fully characterized. METHODS We analyzed the safety and efficacy of an early corticosteroid withdrawal regimen of rabbit antithymocyte globulin induction, tacrolimus, mycophenolate mofetil, and steroid withdrawal by day 5 after transplantation in our study cohort of 634 kidney transplant recipients that included 27% African American and 18% Hispanic recipients. Fifty-five percent of the recipients were recipients of deceased-donor kidneys, and 46% of deceased-donor kidneys were kidneys from expanded criteria donors. RESULTS Kaplan-Meier patient survival at 1, 3, and 5 years after transplantation was 98.6%, 94.6%, and 90.2%, and death-censored graft survival was 96.2%, 91.9%, and 87.6%, respectively. During a mean follow-up of 57 months, 89.3% of patients remained off of corticosteroids, and the incidence of acute rejection including subclinical rejection identified by protocol biopsy was 12.0%. Multivariable analysis identified age older than 60 years as protective against (P=0.01) and the African American ethnicity as a risk factor for (P=0.03) rejection. Delayed graft function (P<0.0001), rejection (P<0.0001), and transplant panel reactive antibody 20% or more (P=0.03) were risk factors for graft loss. Opportunistic infections included viral in 15.3%, fungal in 1.6%, and parasitic in 0.6% of the patients. Posttransplantation malignancy occurred in 9.1% of patients. CONCLUSIONS An early corticosteroid withdrawal regimen of rabbit antithymocyte globulin induction, tacrolimus, and mycophenolate mofetil is associated with excellent patient and kidney graft survival in an ethnically diverse population with risk factors for poor outcomes.
BASIDIOSPORE WALL ULTRASTRUCTURE AND TISSUE SYSTEM MORPHOLOGY IN THE GENUS CALOSTOMA IN NORTH AMERICA

The three North American species of Calostoma and one variety were studied from both fresh and dried material. Spores were examined using light microscopy as well as scanning and transmission electron microscopy. The structure of the spore wall is described for the first time for the three species. Tissue systems in the sporocarps were studied from immature and mature specimens using light microscopy. New information is presented on the arrange- ment of the tissue systems and the structure of the walls. Complete descriptions of each species are presented and accompanied by information on their known distribution in eastern Calostoma is a monotypic genus in the Calostomataceae (Gasteromycetes, Tulostomatales) (Dring, 1973). The generic concept is based on C. cinnabarina Desv. (1809). Members of the genus are distributed worldwide in regions of de- ciduous, temperate, tropical or subtropical forests in Indonesia (Borneo, Java, Sumatra, New Guinea), Ceylon, Himalaya, Nepal, Taiwan, China, Australia, New Zealand, North America, and Latin America. Of the ten to sixteen recog- nized species (Dring, 1973; Guzman, 1973), three occur in the western hemi- sphere: Calostoma cinnabarina Desv., C. lutescens (Schw.) Burnap, and C. ravenelii (Berk.) Massee. All three occur in the eastern and southeastern United States and Mexico, and C. cinnabarina occurs in Columbia. The species included within the Calostomataceae are typified by Dring (1973) as having a complex peridium of four clearly defined layers, the outermost ge- latinous or spiny, the second pigmented, the third very horny, the innermost membranous and remaining attached to the outer layers only at the top of the star-shaped apical pore. The gleba is pale, with initially thickened capillitium which disintegrates at maturity. Primary infertile basidia form small islands which are surrounded by secondarily fertile, pleurosporous basidia. Spores are large and ornamented either with a reticulum or long spines. Clamp connections are present. The morphology of the tissue systems of Calostoma species has not been adequately described. Likewise the spores of the genus have been only superfi- cially examined although the genus has been the subject of several monographs and regional reviews (Massee, 1888; Burnap, 1897; Webster, 1899; Boedijn, 1938; Guzman, 1973; Chen and Yeh, 1975). The family has also been placed within the Sclerodermatales by Zeller (1949). There are conflicting descriptions of the spores and tissue systems studied with light microscopy. Light microscopy is therefore inadequate for complete and accurate characterization of spore ultrastructure and morphology. We have used scanning and transmission electron microscopy (SEM
Do the melanophore dispersing hormones pass the cerebrospinal fluid-blood barrier of the killifish, Fundulus heteroclitus?

Experiments were made on male killifish, Fundulus heteroclitus, weighing ca. 10 g, to determine whether the melanophore dispersing hormones, α - or β-MSH, could enter the general circulation after injection into the third brain ventricle. Each fish had an implanted cannula provided with a removable cap for intracranial injection. The presence of a dispersing hormone in the blood was detected by means of the darkening of a “faded denervated caudal band,” described by Parker (1948). After injection, unanesthetized fish were observed for 60 min against a white background. Intraperitoneal injections of .67 µg, or less, of either preparation, in 100 µl of.6% NaCl, elicited the expected darkening with a latency of 10.7±.9 (SEM) min; intracranial injections of the same dose in .3 µl had no effect (seven fish) or resulted in a scarcely detectable darkening with a long-delayed latency (three fish). The melanophore hormones, α- and β-MSH pass the CSF-blood barrier with difficulty, if at all.
An appraisal of published usability evaluations of electronic health records via systematic review

Objective In this systematic review, we aimed to evaluate methodological and reporting trends present in the current literature by investigating published usability studies of electronic health records (EHRs). Methods A literature search was conducted for articles published through January 2015 using MEDLINE (Ovid), EMBASE, Scopus, and Web of Science, supplemented by citation and reference list reviews. Studies were included if they tested the usability of hospital and clinic EHR systems in the inpatient, outpatient, emergency department, or operating room setting. Results A total of 4848 references were identified for title and abstract screening. Full text screening was performed for 197 articles, with 120 meeting the criteria for study inclusion. Conclusion A review of the literature demonstrates a paucity of quality published studies describing scientifically valid and reproducible usability evaluations at various stages of EHR system development. A lack of formal and standardized reporting of EHR usability evaluation results is a major contributor to this knowledge gap, and efforts to improve this deficiency will be one step of moving the field of usability engineering forward.
Evaluation of Sequoia and Movento for Control of Western Flower Thrips on Head Lettuce, 2014

The objective of the trial was to evaluate the efficacy of the aphicides Sequoia and Movento against western flower thrips relative to the industry standards on romaine lettuce. Head lettuce ‘Pennylea’ was direct seeded on 5 December 2013 at the Yuma Valley Agricultural Center, Yuma, AZ, into double row beds on 42-inch centers. Stand establishment was achieved using overhead sprinkler irrigation, and irrigated with furrow irrigation thereafter. Plots were two beds wide by 35 ft long and bordered by two untreated beds. Four replications of each treatment were arranged in an RCB design. Formulations and rates for each compound are …
Geriatric fractures and treatment

Objective Osteoporosis and tumble are the most common risky factor for geriatric fracture that usually involve spine, hip, and distal radius. The major preventive measures include reasonable exercises, nourishment, and avoidance of substance abuse. To measure bone mineral density is valuable in predicting the risk of hip fracture. Little change will occur in the healing course of geriatric fractures, but the new born formation is slow and the healing time of later stage long. This paper recommends the therapeutic principle, procedure and difficulty in the treatment of geriatric fractures.
Strategies for Building Social Capital

Strengthening social capital requires understanding how settings (e.g., social networks, sense of community) can foster support for individuals. Strategies for increasing social capital are described, including creating new social networks, linking individuals to existing networks, and enhancing existing networks, as well as building individuals’ capacity to link with networks.
Ovarian Cancer Genomics

Epithelial ovarian cancer (OC) is one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths amongst women worldwide despite gains in diagnostic approaches and treatment over the last three decades. Existing biomarkers of OC progression possess very limited clinical reliability, highlighting the emerging need for identification of novel prognostic biomarkers that allow the stratification of patients who could benefit from different therapeutic approaches. In this chapter, we summarize the genomic analysis in OC. Large-scale high-throughput genomic technologies have been used to characterize this cancer and identify dysregulated genes and aberrantly activated signaling pathways. Such technologies can complement well-established clinical histopathology analysis to result in better, more tailored treatments in the future. Genomic signatures obtained by gene expression profiling of OC may be able to predict survival outcomes, chemo response, the success of surgical treatment and allow for the identification of novel predictive biomarkers for purposes of treatment planning. These data combined suggest a pathway to improve the treatment of advanced OC and the promise to provide personalized medicine to women with OC.
Entrepreneurial Opportunities in Bioenergy

Entrepreneurs discover, evaluate, and exploit opportunities, and the bioenergy industries are full of opportunities for both direct participation and support industries. Bioenergy entrepreneurs are not only motivated by the business aspects but also environmental and social welfare issues. These motivations have led to a robust industry of first-generation biofuel facilities with numerous companies in support. The next generation of biofuel facilities are moving slowly, as the risk is high and the market uncertain. Exploring the value chain will help expose the diversity of opportunities available in bioenergy. In many cases, the by-products and coproducts have potential for new and expanded markets. The future of bioenergy is bright, yet policy and competition from fossil fuel interests will challenge the industry for years to come.
Inner Speech in Bilinguals: The Example of Calculation Abilities

The idea that there is an inner speech has a long history, but was systematized by Vygotsky during the twentieth century. He referred to three different types of speech: “external speech,” “private,” and “inner speech.” It has been observed that the left inferior frontal gyrus represents the brain area sustaining inner speech use. In bilinguals it has been observed that the private speech can be either one, depending on the specific context. However, languages acquired later in life are less likely to be used for inner (emotional) speech compared to early acquired languages and L1 is preferred for emotional inner speech even when this language is partly attrited. When performing calculation tasks bilinguals seem to use L1 more frequently as the inner speech for mental calculations. The use of L2 is also reported for mental mathematics, particularly in cases in which education has been received in the second language. It has been suggested that bilinguals develop memory networks for calculations that are specific for each language based in specific brain networks.
A Hidden Dimension to Explore New Thermoelectrics

In this issue of Joule , Ohno et al. have come closer to developing a detailed microscopic structure-property link between a given thermodynamic state and its corresponding carrier information. By taking a promising Zintl thermoelectric compound, Mg 3 Sb 2 , as a prototype, the authors developed a guideline for identifying multiple "hidden" thermoelectric materials with different thermodynamic states within a nominally identical composition.
Mental health burden in a national sample of American Indian and Alaska Native adults: differences between multiple-race and single-race subgroups.

Research on American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) mental health disparities is based largely on either tribal populations or national samples of adults that do not account for multiracial AIANs, even though over 40% of AIANs identify with multiple racial groups. The present investigation extends this research by assessing mental health status in a national sample of multiracial AIAN adults relative to adults who identify exclusively as either AIAN or White. 2012 BRFSS data were used to conduct multinomial logistic regression analyses comparing mental health outcomes among respondents who identified as either AIAN and one or more other races (AIAN-MR), AIAN-Single Race (AIAN-SR), or White-SR. After demographic adjustment, the AIAN-MR group reported a higher lifetime prevalence of diagnosed depressive disorder, more days of poor mental health, and more frequent mental distress compared to both the AIAN-SR and White-SR groups. AIAN-MR individuals also had higher levels of Kessler 6 (K6) non-specific psychological distress compared to White-SR individuals but not AIAN-SR adults. Differences between AIAN-SR and White-SR adults were found in days of poor mental health, frequent mental distress, and total K6 scores. These findings help gauge the magnitude of mental health disparities in the U.S. AIAN population and pinpoint AIAN subgroups for whom mental health is particularly problematic. As such, they raise concerns about restrictions that limit the identification of national survey respondents who report multiple race designations. Such restrictions will thwart efforts to understand the causal mechanisms and pathways leading to mental distress among AIAN individuals.
Evaluation of Marijuana Compounds on Neuroimmune Endpoints in Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis

Cannabinoid compounds refer to a group of more than 60 plant-derived compounds in Cannabis sativa, more commonly known as marijuana. Exposure to marijuana and cannabinoid compounds has been increasing due to increased societal acceptance for both recreational and possible medical use. Cannabinoid compounds suppress immune function, and while this could compromise one's ability to fight infections, immune suppression is the desired effect for therapies for autoimmune diseases. It is critical, therefore, to understand the effects and mechanisms by which cannabinoid compounds alter immune function, especially immune responses induced in autoimmune disease. Therefore, this unit will describe induction and assessment of the experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) model of multiple sclerosis (MS), and its potential alteration by cannabinoid compounds. The unit includes three approaches to induce EAE, two of which provide correlations to two forms of MS, and the third specifically addresses the role of autoreactive T cells in EAE. © 2018 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
On Some Polling Strategies

Various techniques for polling, especially as applied to a computer-communication network, are discussed. Some modifications are suggested for improving the performance of an adaptive scheme previously described in the literature. A new and more efficient polling technique is described which is based upon a conflict resolution scheme for multiple access communications.