cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Longitudinally Controlled Modification of Cylindrical and Conical Track-Etched Poly(ethylene terephthalate) Pores Using an Electrochemically Assisted Click Reaction

In this study, the longitudinally controlled modification of the inner surfaces of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) track-etched pores was explored using an electrochemically assisted Cu(I)-catalyzed azide–alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC) click reaction. Cylindrical or conical PET track-etched pores were first decorated with ethynyl groups via the amidation of surface −COOH groups, filled with a solution containing Cu(II) and azide-tagged fluorescent dye, and then sandwiched between comb-shaped and planar gold electrodes. Cu(I) was produced at the comb-shaped working electrode by the reduction of Cu(II); it diffused along the pores toward the other electrode and catalyzed CuAAC between an azide-tagged fluorescent dye and a pore-tethered ethynyl group. The modification efficiency of cylindrical pores (ca. 1 μm in diameter) was assessed from planar and cross-sectional fluorescence microscope images of modified membranes. Planar images showed that pore modification took place only above the teeth of the comb-s...
Experiments and Models for Decision Fusion by Humans in Inference Networks

With the advent of the Internet of Things (IoT) and a rapid deployment of smart devices and wireless sensor networks (WSNs), humans interact extensively with machine data. These human decision makers use sensors that provide information through a sociotechnical network. The sensors can be other human users or they can be IoT devices. The decision makers themselves are also part of the network, and there is a need to understand how they will behave. In this paper, the decision fusion behavior of humans is analyzed on the basis of behavioral experiments. The data collected from these experiments demonstrate that people perform decision fusion in a stochastic manner dependent on various factors, unlike machines that perform this task in a deterministic manner. A Bayesian hierarchical model is developed to characterize the observed stochastic human behavior. This hierarchical model captures the differences observed in people at individual, crowd, and population levels. The implications of such a model on designing large-scale inference systems are presented by developing optimal decision fusion trees with both human and machine agents.
Retinal Phenotype of an X-Linked Pseudo-usher Syndrome in Association with the G173R Mutation in the RPGR Gene

Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is the most common hereditary retinal degeneration, affecting approximately 1:3,500 individuals (Iannaccone, 2005). X-linked recessive RP (XLRP) accounts for about 10-20% of cases and, typically, causes one of the most severe forms of RP (Iannaccone, 2005). To date, two of the genes responsible for XLRP have been cloned,
The Evolution of the National Liver Review Board

To highlight the process of development and summarize the new structure of the National Liver Review Board (NLRB) The concept of an NLRB has been considered since the institution of the Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score liver allocation system, though barriers included concerns over logistics and loss of local control. Recently, increased volume of exceptions combined with an increased transplant rate for exception versus non-exception patients and growing concern over inequality within the regional system led to a reconsideration of an NLRB. A proposal was recently approved by the Governing Board of the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) which includes the specific structure (three separate boards including one for pediatric cases, one for hepatocellular carcinoma, and one for all other exceptions), as well as a significant change to the exception scores, which will be set either at or just below the median MELD at the time of transplantation (MMaT). This system may improve efficiency and consistency across the regions and improve the disparity between exception and non-exception patients awaiting transplantation in the USA.
Urbanicity of residence and depression among adults 50 years and older in Ghana and South Africa: an analysis of the WHO Study on Global AGEing and Adult Health (SAGE).

Objectives: As the primary cause of disability worldwide, depression is a significant contributor to global morbidity and mortality and often disproportionately affects older adults. Several studie...
Utility Scale Compressed Air Energy Storage and Clean Power Using Waste Heat From Thermal Power Plants Plus Added Protection for Nuclear Power Plants

An engineering design is provided for a hybrid power plant called new compressed air power (NCAP). The NCAP design utilizes the enormous amount of waste heat from existing thermal power plants to replace polluting natural gas now used in existing compressed air energy storage (CAES) called turbo expanders. Stored compressed air is expanded to provide a heat sink that absorbs the low-temperature waste heat that steam plant designers have long believed could not produce more useful power. The waste heat is then converted to mechanical work in a low-temperature multi-stage air turbine. The design can create the thousands of utility-scale, non-polluting renewable energy storage, and power generation facilities the world needs. The NCAP design can increase the power output of its companion thermal plant by up to 100% during peak demand times with no additional CO2 generation. This allows the shutdown of other thermal plants. NCAP plants can be assembled quickly around the world with existing infrastructure.
Insoluble Proteins of the Synaptic Plasma Membrane

The presynaptic plasma membrane of a CNS neuron is that part of its limiting membrane that confines the terminal knob or bouton of its axonal process.(l, 2) Within the space defined by this structure are contained a variety of components believed to be intimately connected with its function.
Surprise Detection in Multivariate Astronomical Data

Astronomers systematically study the sky with large sky surveys. A common feature of modern sky surveys is that they produce hundreds of terabytes (TB) up to 100 (or more) petabytes (PB) both in the image data archive and in the object catalogs. For example, the LSST will produce a 20–40 PB catalog database. Large sky surveys have enormous potential to enable countless astronomical discoveries. Such discoveries will span the full spectrum of statistics: from rare one-in-a-billion (or one-in-a-trillion) object types, to complete statistical and astrophysical specifications of many classes of objects (based upon millions of instances of each class). The growth in data volumes requires more effective knowledge discovery and extraction algorithms. Among these are algorithms for outlier (novelty/surprise/anomaly) detection. Outlier detection algorithms enable scientists to discover the most “interesting” scientific knowledge hidden within large and high-dimensional datasets: the “unknown unknowns”. Effective outlier detection is essential for rapid discovery of potentially interesting and/or hazardous events. Emerging unexpected conditions in hardware, software, or network resources need to be detected, characterized, and analyzed as soon as possible for obvious system health and safety reasons, just as emerging behaviors and variations in scientific targets should be similarly detected and characterized promptly in order to enable rapid decision support in response to such events. We have developed a new algorithm for outlier detection (KNN-DD: K-Nearest Neighbor Data Distributions). We have derived results from preliminary experiments in terms of the algorithm’s precision and recall for known outliers, and in terms of its ability to distinguish between characteristically different data distributions among different classes of objects.
Conscious and Unconscious Process in Hypnosis

The distinction between what is conscious and what is unconscious in human mentation is by no means clear and obvious. The problem arises because unconscious processes which are of interest are those which closely resemble conscious ones. Completely “unconscious” processes such as homeostatic mechanisms and habits that have become automatized are not relevant in this connection. The frequent assertion that one can “talk directly to the unconscious” in hypnosis is not a precise statement. The “hidden observer” approach provides a method for examining the basis for such claims.
Standardized patient scenarios: Preparing interprofessional teams for working with veterans

Abstract Military veterans may have complex physical and mental health problems, many of which health professionals are unfamiliar and may feel unprepared to provide care. A need for health care providers to be prepared to provide culturally sensitive, competent care for veterans exists. The purpose of this 8-week Interprofessional Education (IPE) project used standardized patient simulations to train health professional students in military culture, common health issues of veterans, and interprofessional collaboration and practice. Students engaged in weekly case study simulations and standardized patient experiences to simulate the “real-life” experiences of veteran patients. Supported by focus group data, student teams collaborated with the patient and their team to provide patient-centered, culturally sensitive care for veterans. Students shared that working on the case scenarios and standardized patients enriched their learning because of the immediate feedback from faculty and peers.
Gould’s laws: a second perspective

In a recent paper, Chris Haufe paints a provocative portrait of the late paleontologist Stephen Jay Gould. His principal aim is to resolve a “paradox” arising from a prima facie inconsistent pair of commitments: (a) Gould believed that the biological facts could have been otherwise (the Replay Thesis), and (b) Gould believed that there are evolutionary laws. In order to resolve this paradox, Haufe makes two substantive claims: (1) Gould was aware of the challenges that the Replay Thesis posed for a law-centered science of evolution, even early in his career, and (2) Gould endeavored to meet these challenges by deploying the “species-as-particles approach.” In this paper, I put pressure on both of these claims. By examining the goals and methods of Gould’s first “nomothetic research program,” the science of form, I show that it does not fit the picture of nomothetic science that Haufe illustrates. Additionally, I show that no straightforward connection exists between Gould’s understanding of contingency and his (short-lived) adoption of the species-as-particles approach. I propose that Gould’s career can be usefully split into three periods, each of which employed a distinct strategy for establishing distinctively paleontological contributions to evolutionary theory.
Big and bad: how relative predator size and dietary information influence rusty crayfish (Faxonius rusticus) behavior and resource-use decisions

Prey animals use the information that they extract from predator cues to assess risk. Animals can obtain information about the relative size of predators and their dietary constituents from odor cu...
Perceived Interpersonal Influences and College-Major Nontraditionality as Predictors of Women’s Leadership Aspirations:

In this study, we examined the degree to which two forms of perceived interpersonal influence relate to college women’s plans to become leaders in their career fields. We also tested whether those ...
Cognitive Task Performance During Titration Predicts Deep Brain Stimulation Treatment Efficacy: Evidence From a Case Study

Device titration is a major challenge when using deep brain stimulation (DBS) for behavioral disorders. Unlike in movement disorders, there is no reliable real-time clinical feedback for changes in complex behaviors resulting from DBS of the nucleus accumbens. Here, a female patient receiving DBS of the nucleus accumbens for the treatment of morbid obesity underwent cognitive testing via the flanker task alongside traditional methods of device titration. One set of stimulation parameters administered during titration resulted in acute cognitive improvement (p=0.033) and increased frontal engagement as measured by electroencephalography (left anterior: p=0.007, right anterior: p=0.005) relative to DBS-OFF. The same parameters resulted in the most weight-loss during long-term continuous stimulation (47.8lbs lost in 129 days) compared to the results of other stimulation settings. Diffusion tensor imaging analyses showed increased connectivity to dorsal attention networks and decreased connectivity to the default mode network for optimal parameters (p<0.01). Our results provide evidence that targeted cognitive testing is a potentially useful tool for capturing acute effects of DBS stimulation during titration and predicting long-term treatment outcomes. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01512134, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01512134
As one falls, another rises? Residential peak load reduction through electricity rate structures

Abstract In this study, we analyze the potential for time-varying electricity rate structures to reduce and/or shift peak demand in the residential sector. To do so, we develop a convex optimization model in which a household with four major appliances minimizes electricity costs, with marginally increasing penalties for deviating from temperature set-points or operating appliances at inconvenient times. The four specific appliances we include are: heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems, electric water heaters (EWHs), electric vehicles (EVs), and pool pumps (PPs). The study incorporates a one-parameter thermal model of the home and the electric water heater, so that the penalties can apply to the room and water temperatures rather than the total appliance loads. Analysis is performed on a community of 100 single-family detached homes in Austin, TX. These homes each host a combination of the four end-use devices while some also have onsite solar panels. We find that dynamic pricing effectively shifts the residential peak away from the time of overall peak load across the electricity system, but can have the adverse impact of making the residential peak higher. The energy consumption does not differ significantly across the different rate structures. Thus, we infer that the time-varying rates encourage customers to concentrate their electricity demand within low-price hours to the extent possible without incurring significant inconvenience. By incorporating the novel approach of including monetary value of customer behavior in price-based demand response models, this study builds a tool to realistically quantify peak load reduction and shifts in the residential sector.
Waiting on Retirement: Aging and Economic Insecurity in Low-Wage Work: by Mary Gatta, Stanford University Press, 2018, 184 pp., US$63 (hardback), ISBN-13 978-0-804-79995-9 / US$25 (paperback), ISBN-13 978-1-503-60740-8

As noted in the Economist (2017), ‘the United States has a retirement crisis, which it is treating like a savings crisis. They are not the same thing.’ While many Americans fail to save adequately ...
Counting Hypergraphs with Large Girth

Morris and Saxton used the method of containers to bound the number of $n$-vertex graphs with $m$ edges containing no $\ell$-cycles, and hence graphs of girth more than $\ell$. We consider a generalization to $r$-uniform hypergraphs. The {\em girth} of a hypergraph $H$ is the minimum $\ell$ such that for some $F \subseteq H$, there exists a bijection $\phi : E(C_\ell) \to E(F)$ with $e\subseteq \phi(e)$ for all $e\in E(C_\ell)$. Letting $N_m^r(n,\ell)$ denote the number of $n$-vertex $r$-uniform hypergraphs with $m$ edges and girth larger than $\ell$ and defining $\lambda = \lceil (r - 2)/(\ell - 2)\rfloor$, we show \[ N_m^r(n,\ell) \leq N_m^2(n,\ell)^{r - 1 + \lambda}\] which is tight when $\ell - 2 $ divides $r - 2$ up to a $1 + o(1)$ term in the exponent. This result is used to address the extremal problem for subgraphs of girth more than $\ell$ in random $r$-uniform hypergraphs.
Dorsal commissural axon guidance in the developing spinal cord

Commissural axons have been a key model system for identifying axon guidance signals in vertebrates. This review summarizes the current thinking about the molecular and cellular mechanisms that establish a specific commissural neural circuit: the dI1 neurons in the developing spinal cord. We assess the contribution of long- and short-range signaling while sequentially following the developmental timeline from the birth of dI1 neurons, to the extension of commissural axons first circumferentially and then contralaterally into the ventral funiculus.
Automation of Leaf Counting in Maize and Sorghum Using Deep Learning

ABSTRACT Leaf number and leaf emergence rate are phenotypes of interest to plant breeders, plant geneticists, and crop modelers. Counting the leaves of an individual plant is straightforward even for an untrained individual, but manually tracking changes in leaf numbers for hundreds of individuals across multiple time points is logistically challenging. This study generated a dataset including over 150,000 maize and sorghum images for leaf counting projects. A subset of 17,783 images also includes annotations of the positions of individual leaf tips. With these annotated images, we evaluate two deep learning-based approaches for automated leaf counting: the first based on counting-by-regression from whole image analysis and a second based on counting-bydetection. Both approaches can achieve RMSE (root of mean square error) smaller than one leaf, only moderately inferior to the RMSE between human annotators of between 0.57 and 0.73 leaves. The counting-by-regression approach based on CNNs (convolutional neural networks) exhibited lower accuracy and increased bias for plants with extreme leave numbers which are underrepresented in this dataset. The counting-by-detection approach based on Faster R-CNNs object detection models achieve near human performance for plants where all leaf tips are visible. The annotated image data and model performance metrics generated as part of this study provide large scale resources for comparison and the improvement of algorithms for leaf counting from image data in grain crops.
Interfacial Behaviors of Proteins

This chapter will examine the current molecular understanding of proteins confined to solid-liquid, air-water, and oil-water interfaces. Later chapters will address the protein’s response to interfacial stress (Chapters “Evaluation of interfacial stress during drug product development” and “Relating interfacial shear and dilatations stresses to protein aggregation in mAbs”) as well as the quantification of instability (Chapter “Analytical techniques for evaluating protein instability at interfaces”), but this chapter will highlight the tools used to examine the fundamental biophysics of proteins at the interface. The dynamics of a protein at or near an interface differs significantly from the behavior of a protein in a bulk solution phase, but the nature of the unfolding and lateral self-assembly at the interface is not well understood. Moreover, once adsorbed to the surface, the dynamics of the protein are dependent on the particular protein as well as the nature of the surface. This chapter will discuss several analytical tools that have been used to understand protein-protein and protein-surface interactions. Each section of this chapter will provide a brief working principle of the technique followed by some relevant examples to understand the application of these tools to understand protein adsorption. Hypotheses will be presented that correlate the inherent solution-phase stability of the protein with the propensity of the molecule to adsorb and unfold at an interface. Finally, we will discuss the quantitative analysis of multicomponent systems and competitive adsorption. The competitive adsorption will focus on surfactant-protein systems, and we will highlight the role of intermolecular interactions in the dynamics of an adsorbed biomacromolecule.
Capturing the Complexity of Alternative Schools: Narratives of Latino Males in an Overlooked Educational Space

This study discusses the needs and challenges associated with Latino males’ treatment in public schools. The primary concern is how nationally, only one in two Latino males graduate from U.S. high schools (Schott Foundation for Public Education in Black Lives Matter: The Schott 50 State Report on Public Education and Black Males, http://blackboysreport.org/ , 2015). However, a growing body of research has emerged, heightening Latino males’ social and academic needs in traditional K-12 educational settings. In this paper, we highlight the need to focus on alternative school settings through the narratives of four Latino males enrolled in two alternative public schools. Our findings describe the nuances in alternative schooling experience for Latino males. It explores the school context's differences to (re)engage youth back into school and the various factors that shape their future aspirations. We discuss implications for research and practice to improve alternative schools' conditions to better serve Latino males in this overlooked sector in the educational pipeline.
Achieving oncology mental health providers' usage of an empirically supported treatment: Lessons learned.

OBJECTIVE There is a need for oncology mental health providers to receive training to use empirically supported psychological treatments (ESTs) with their patients. The purpose of this editorial is to describe "lessons learned" from disseminating-conducting EST trainings-and supporting providers' capacity and confidence to use the EST. METHOD Processes and outcomes from conducting six, 3-days (18 h) EST training institutes from 2012-2016 are discussed. Institutes trained 166 full time oncology mental health providers from more than 100 different settings. The dissemination was intentionally designed to achieve EST implementation, i.e., therapists' sustained usage of the EST for at least 12 months post training. RESULTS Previously published discussion and findings show the effort was successful in achieving positive EST dissemination outcomes and sustained EST implementation by providers. Thus, "lessons learned" include discussions of (1) orientation to design education/training to achieve EST usage using theory based aims and outcomes of training efficacy; (2) multimodal, educational strategies used to achieve therapists' positive attitudes toward and self-efficacy to implement the EST; (3) guidance to therapists for adapting the EST to their practice settings while maintaining fidelity; (4) assistance to therapists to identify and problem solve implementation challenges; and (5) using patient reported outcome measures to determine clinical change. CONCLUSION Our discussion of the plan, methods, and goals of EST training contributes to the science of dissemination/implementation by providing support for (1) theory-informed EST dissemination, and (2) mechanisms of EST implementation. For researchers, our experience may guide future EST dissemination/implementation efforts in psycho-oncology. For therapists, lessons learned provide criteria for evaluating future continuing education options.
REVeAL-HF: Design and Rationale of a Pragmatic Randomized Controlled Trial Embedded Within Routine Clinical Practice.

Abstract Heart failure (HF) is one of the most common causes of hospitalization in the United States and carries a significant risk of morbidity and mortality. Use of evidence-based interventions may improve outcomes, but their use is encumbered in part by limitations in accurate prognostication. The REVeAL-HF (Risk EValuation And its Impact on ClinicAL Decision Making and Outcomes in Heart Failure) trial is the first to definitively evaluate the impact of knowledge about prognosis on clinical decision making and patient outcomes. The REVeAL-HF trial is a pragmatic, completely electronic, randomized controlled trial that has completed enrollment of 3,124 adults hospitalized for HF, defined as having an N-terminal pro–B-type natriuretic peptide level of >500 pg/ml and receiving intravenous diuretic agents within 24 h of admission. Patients randomized to the intervention had their risk of 1-year mortality generated with information in the electronic health record and presented to their providers, who had the option to give feedback on their impression of this risk assessment. The authors are examining the impact of this information on clinical decision-making (use of HF pharmacotherapies, referral to electrophysiology, palliative care referral, and referral for advanced therapies like heart transplantation or mechanical circulatory support) and patient outcomes (length of stay, post-discharge 30-day rehospitalizations, and 1-year mortality). The REVeAL-HF trial will definitively examine whether knowledge about prognosis in HF has an impact on clinical decision making and patient outcomes. It will also examine the relationship between calculated, perceived, and real risk of mortality in this patient population. (Risk EValuation And Its Impact on ClinicAL Decision Making and Outcomes in Heart Failure [REVeAL-HF]; NCT03845660 ).
Verification of a fully implicit particle-in-cell method for the v ∥-formalism of electromagnetic gyrokinetics in the XGC code

A fully implicit particle-in-cell method for handling the v ∥-formalism of electromagnetic gyrokinetics has been implemented in XGC. By choosing the v ∥-formalism, we avoid introducing the nonphysical skin terms in Ampere's law, which are responsible for the well-known “cancellation problem” in the p ∥-formalism. The v ∥-formalism, however, is known to suffer from a numerical instability when explicit time integration schemes are used due to the appearance of a time derivative in the particle equations of motion from the inductive component of the electric field. Here, using the conventional δf scheme, we demonstrate that our implicitly discretized algorithm can provide numerically stable simulation results with accurate dispersive properties. We verify the algorithm using a test case for shear Alfven wave propagation in addition to a case demonstrating the ion temperature gradient-kinetic ballooning mode (ITG-KBM) transition. The ITG-KBM transition case is compared to results obtained from other δf gyrokinetic codes/schemes, whose verification has already been archived in the literature.
Race and Ethnic Group Dependent Space Radiation Cancer Risk Predictions

Future space missions by national space agencies and private industry, including space tourism, will include a diverse makeup of crewmembers with extensive variability in age, sex, and race or ethnic groups. The relative risk (RR) model is used to transfer epidemiology data between populations to estimate radiation risks. In the RR model cancer risk is assumed to be proportional to background cancer rates and limited by other causes of death, which are dependent on genetic, environmental and dietary factors that are population dependent. Here we apply the NSCR-2020 model to make the first predictions of age dependent space radiation cancer risks for several U.S. populations, which includes Asian-Pacific Islanders (API), Black, Hispanic (white and black), and White (non-Hispanic) populations. Results suggest that male API and Hispanic populations have the overall lowest cancer risks, while White females have the highest risk. Blacks have similar total cancer rates as Whites, however their reduced life expectancy leads to modestly lower lifetime radiation risks compared to Whites. There are diverse tissue specific cancer risk ranking across sex and race, which include sex specific organ risks, females having larger lung, stomach, and urinary-bladder radiation risks, and males having larger colon and brain risks.
Mechanistic Studies of NH3-Assisted Reduction of Mononuclear Cu(II) Cation Sites in Cu-CHA Zeolites

Cu-exchanged zeolites catalyze various redox reactions including the selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of NOx with NH3 and the partial oxidation of hydrocarbons. The reduction of Cu(II) cations to Cu(I) by NH3 alone has been observed experimentally, yet fundamental details regarding the Cu active site requirements, reaction stoichiometry, and reaction mechanism remain incompletely understood. Here, we synthesized model Cu-exchanged chabazite (Cu-CHA) zeolites with varying Cu ion densities and distributions of mononuclear Cu(II) ion site types (Cu2+, (CuOH)+) and studied NH3-assisted Cu(II) reduction reactions using a combination of spectroscopic, titrimetric, and gas-phase product analysis methods. In situ UV-Visible and X-ray absorption spectroscopies were used to monitor and quantify the transient partial reduction of Cu(II) to Cu(I) during exposure to NH3 (473 K), in concert with titration methods that use NO and NH3 co-reductants to fully reduce to the Cu(I) state any residual Cu(II) ions that remained after treatments in NH3 alone for a given time period. The techniques provide quantitative evidence that both mononuclear Cu(II) site types are able to reduce in NH3 alone, and do so to similar extents as a function of time. NH3-temperature programmed reduction (TPR) revealed that the reaction stoichiometry of NH3-assisted reduction forms approximately one equivalent of N2 per 6 Cu sites, regardless of Cu speciation or density, consistent with a six-electron reduction process whereby two NH3 molecules react with six Cu(II) species to produce one N2 molecule and six Cu(I) species. These findings provide new insights into the reaction pathways and mechanisms in which NH3 alone reduces mononuclear Cu(II) sites in zeolites, which are undesired side-reactions that occur during steady-state NOx SCR and can unintentionally influence SCR-relevant spectroscopic or titrimetric characterization experiments.
Biosensor for direct determination of fenitrothion and EPN using recombinant Pseudomonas putida JS444 with surface-expressed organophosphorous hydrolase. 2. Modified carbon paste electrode.

A whole cell-based amperometric biosensor for highly selective, sensitive, rapid, and cost-effective determination of the organophosphate pesticides fenitrothion and ethyl p-nitrophenol thiobenzenephosphonate (EPN) is discussed. The biosensor comprised genetically engineered p-nitrophenol (PNP)-degrading bacteria Pseudomonas putida JS444 anchoring and displaying organophosphorous hydrolase (OPH) on its cell surface as biological sensing element and carbon paste electrode as the amperometric transducer. Surface-expressed OPH catalyzed the hydrolysis of organophosphorous pesticides such as fenitrothion and EPN to release PNP and 3-methyl-4-nitrophenol, respectively, which were subsequently degraded by the enzymatic machinery of P. putida JS444 through electrochemically active intermediates to the TCA cycle. The electrooxidization current of the intermediates was measured and correlated to the concentration of organophosphates. Operating at optimum conditions, 0.086 mg dry wt of cell operating at 600 mV of applied potential (vs Ag/AgCl reference) in 50 mM citratephosphate buffer, pH 7.5, with 50 μM CoCl2 at room temperature, the biosensor measured as low as 1.4 ppb of fenitrothion and 1.6 ppb of EPN. There was no interference from phenolic compounds, carbamate pesticides, triazine herbicides, or organophosphate pesticides without nitrophenyl substituent. The service life of the biosensor and the applicability to lake water were also demonstrated.
Polymyxin-Coagulase-Mannitol-Agar I. A Selective Isolation Medium for Coagulase-Positive Staphylococci

A selective, differential plating medium was developed for the isolation and identification of coagulase-positive and mannitol-fermenting staphylococci. Coagulase produced by growing Staphylococcus aureus caused an opaque zone of fibrin to form around each colony. Several strains of S. aureus produced a visible coagulase reaction by 8 hr, and all strains gave a positive reaction before 12 hr. Mannitol fermentation was usually observed between 12 and 36 hr. Rabbit serum was filtered through Sephadex G-100 to obtain plasmin- and plasminogen-free coagulase-reacting factor (CRF). False-negative reactions, caused by staphylokinase and staphylococcal Muller factor action on plasminogen, were eliminated when this CRF was used. False-positive reactions by lipolytic, coagulase-negative staphylococci were reduced, since gel filtration removed the serum lipoprotein which served as a primary source of opacity. The addition of 75 mug of polymyxin B per ml selectively retarded the growth of S. epidermidis and minimized false-positive reactions caused by citrate-utilizing gram-negative rods. The preparation, characteristics, and use of the medium are presented.
Don’t Shoot The Trumpeter - He’s Doing His Best!

R. B. Braithwaite’s story of the pianist and trumpeter with adjoining rooms is presented, and his solution to the problem of dividing playing time fairly between them is discussed, along with alternative solutions that have been put forward. These solutions are criticized for the shared assumption that the object of distribution is utility rather than opportunity. The author proposes a different approach and works out its implications for the problem of the pianist and the trumpeter in three variants. In conclusion, the relevance of the analysis to wider issues of distribution is briefly considered.
Asian American Folktales

Reviewed Medium: book Year: 2009 Pages: 167 Publisher: Greenwood Publishing Group ISBN: 978-0-313-36297-2 (hard cover). Prices: $49.95 USD(hard cover).
Puerto Rican and Deaf: A View from the Borderland

Resumen en: A little-known aspect of the Great Migration is the story of Puerto Rican families who came with their deaf children to New York City. This paper examine...
Active site labeling of a receptor-like protein tyrosine phosphatase

The inactivation of the cytoplasmic domain of rat LAR, a receptor-like protein tyrosine phosphatase (PTPase), by iodoacetate and not by iodoacetamide suggested that iodoacetate interacts in a highly selective manner with the enzyme. The data indicate that iodoacetate binds at the active site of the enzyme with a stoichiometry of 0.8 mol of iodoacetate bound per mol of rat LAR. A single [14C]iodoacetate-labeled peptide was isolated following endoproteinase Lys-C digestion of the radiolabeled PTPase. Sequence analysis of the active site labeled peptide demonstrates that Cys-1522 contains the radiolabel. This residue has been shown by site-directed mutagenesis to be essential for rat LAR activity (Pot, D. A., Woodford, T. A., Remboutsika, E., Haun, R. S., and Dixon, J. E. (1991) J. Biol. Chem. 266, 19688-19696). Iodoacetate reacts only with the first domain of this double domain PTPase. These results, for the first time, directly identify the highly reactive cysteine residue at the active site of a PTPase and highlight the ability of this residue to participate as a nucleophile in the hydrolysis of phosphate from tyrosine.
Correlated measurements of ozone and particulates in the Ross Island region, Antarctica

[1] Trace gases, submicron particle size distributions, and bulk filterable halogen content were measured on Ross Island, Antarctica, in austral spring 2007. During several surface level, partial ozone depletion events, enhanced submicron particle concentrations, and changes in filterable halogens were observed. These events were characterized by ozone depletions of 5–15 ppbv for durations between 6 and 48 h and associated with threefold-to-fourfold increases in submicron particle mass (PM1.0) over backgrounds of approximately 100 ng m−3. Peak particle number densities were centered on a mode at 500–600 nm in diameter, which is consistent with wintertime sea-salt aerosol size distributions. Filterable chloride also increased during these events, consistent with aerosol being of oceanic origin. Ozone depletion and particle enhancement events were accompanied by increasing temperatures and winds, suggesting that halogen-containing aerosol is generated from windblown snow and brine from the snow pack or sea ice near the ice edge.
Entrevista | Carlos Torres-Marchal

Perguntas simples tem a vantagem de abrir espaco para respostas complexas e completas. E assim que recebo de volta as respostas de Carlos Torres, que maravilham nao apenas pela intimidade com Sousândrade, seu conhecimento de causa e sua paixao de investigador, mas pelo jogo de quebra-cabecas na montagem e remontagem dessa figura enigma-e-paradigma da simbiose brasil-latino-americana que e Joaquim de Sousa Andrade. O nao-estado de suas obras completas sempre incompletas porque ou esgotadas ou desaparecidas informam mais sobre a nossa miseria do que sobre a dele: um condor a voar deslocado do Rio de Janeiro a Marselha passando pela Senegâmbia em viagem pelo navio chamado – que nome seria melhor para Sousândrade?! –L'Avenir. Grande descoberta de nosso peruano-baiano Carlos Torres realizada em nosso presente, e sem contar com nenhum apoio, afora o dele proprio e de sua “lista de desejos”. E dessas maravilhas que se fazem as pesquisas de literatura e de historia, contra-a-corrente, mas sempre presentes e afirmativas. E Carlos Torres, a convite de Sueli Cavendish, vem publicando um precioso material no espaco da revista Eutomia. De nossa pequena canoa na terceira margem do Pacifico, saudamos a pesquisa realizada em aguas da Bahia, atraves dos fluxos recifenses. Que as aguas sousandradinas continuem a correr. Evoe!
An Experimental Distributed Deductive Database System

In this paper we describe a distributed environment for the evaluation of data intensive queries through deductive rules. The distributed database query answering system has been developed on the IBM SP (POWERParallel) available in Argonne National Laboratory. Beyond acting as a testbed, experiments with the system demonstrate that it offers significantly improved performance over single processor approaches. It provides a reconfigurable testbed to immediately evaluate new distribution strategies without writing additional low level code. Furthermore, changing application programs is as easy as changing a top-down Prolog program. With the distribution transformation algorithm, tuning the distribution of new application programs becomes a short process.
Root dynamics and global change : seeking an ecosystem perspective

Changes in the production and turnover of roots in forests and grasslands in response to rising atmospheric CO2 concentrations, elevated temperatures, altered precipitation, or nitrogen deposition could be a key link between plant responses and longer-term changes in soil organic matter and ecosystem carbon balance. Here we summarize the experimental observations, ideas, and new hypotheses developed in this area in the rest of this volume. Three central questions are posed. Do elevated atmospheric CO2, nitrogen deposition, and climatic change alter the dynamics of root production and mortality? What are the consequences of root responses to plant physiological processes? What are the implications of root dynamics to soil microbial communities and the fate of carbon in soil? Ecosystem-level observations of root production and mortality in response to global change parameters are just starting to emerge. The challenge to root biologists is to overcome the profound methodological and analytical problems and assemble a more comprehensive data set with sufficient ancillary data that differences between ecosystems can be explained. The assemblage of information reported herein on global patterns of root turnover, basic root biology that controls responses to environmental variables, and new observations of root and associated microbial responses to atmospheric and climatic change helps to sharpen our questions and stimulate new research approaches. New hypotheses have been developed to explain why responses of root turnover might differ in contrasting systems, how carbon allocation to roots is controlled, and how species differences in root chemistry might explain the ultimate fate of carbon in soil. These hypotheses and the enthusiasm for pursuing them are based on the firm belief that a deeper understanding of root dynamics is critical to describing the integrated response of ecosystems to global change.
The Early to Middle Ordovician graptolite faunal succession of the Trail Creek region, central Idaho, U.S.A

The Middle Ordovician graptolite biostratigraphy of the Trail Creek region of Idaho is reviewed and revised. The oldest known fauna belongs to the Didymograptellus bifidus Biozone. The Isograptus victoriae lunatus, I. victoriae maximodivergens, Oncograptus, Undulograptus austrodentatus and Holmograptus lentus Biozones can be differentiated. Pseudophyllograptus archaios (Braithwaite) is found for the first time in the Trail Creek region. This species represents a conspicuous North American mid-continent faunal element and enables the correlation of the endemic P. archaios-C. flexilis Biozone of Utah with the D. bifidus Biozone of the Pacific faunal realm, thus, providing an important tool for the correlation of endemic mid-continent faunas with the pandemic deep water graptolite faunas.
Effect of blood transfusion in patients with gynecologic malignancy.

Objectives: To determine the effect of blood transfusion on long-term outcome (disease-free interval, recurrence of disease after treatment, and survival) in women with invasive gynecologic malignancy. Methods: In this retrospective study, 125 patients with gynecologic malignancy were assessed over a 36-month period. The variable of whether patients received blood transfusion during therapy was used to divide the sample into two groups. Results: There were no differences in the age, ethnicity, and site-stage of tumor of the two groups. Treatments (surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, or multimodal) were similar between the two groups, as were initial hematocrits. The disease-free interval was significantly better in women who did not receive homologous blood (P < 0.001). Life table analysis illustrated that more patients were alive and free of disease if they did not receive blood (P < 0.001). Likewise, persistence-recurrence of cancer was more common in the transfusion group (P < 0.001). Finally, overall survival time was adversely affected by transfusion (P = 0.045). Conclusions: The use of blood products in patients with invasive gynecologic cancer is associated with enhanced recurrence or persistence of malignancy, a decrease in the disease-free interval, and reduction in the probability of survival without evidence of disease.
Broadband CMOS-compatible silicon photonic electro-optic switch for photonic networks-on-chip

Error-free switching of up to 40-Gb/s data using a silicon photonic microring resonator electro-optic switch is demonstrated for the first time, with bit-error-rate and power penalty characterizations firmly establishing its feasibility for high-performance photonic networks-on-chip.
Small Area Variation in Endoscopic Sinus Surgery Rates Among the Medicare Population

Objectives To determine endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) rates among 306 hospital referral regions (HRRs) and to assess whether variability in ESS rates correlates with population density of beneficiaries, per capita number of otolaryngologists within an HRR, or proportion of patients diagnosed as having chronic rhinosinusitis. Design Retrospective cohort analysis. Setting Academic research. Patients A 20% sample of Medicare beneficiaries aged 65 to 99 years diagnosed as having chronic rhinosinusitis and undergoing ESS in 2006. Main Outcome Measures Variation in per capita rates of chronic rhinosinusitis diagnosis and ESS in 2006. Results Among 306 HRRs nationally, ESS was performed in sufficient volume to be reported in 148 HRRs. Per capita ESS rates (sinus surgical procedures per 1000 beneficiaries) varied 5-fold, from 0.02 to 0.10, with significant variations within states. Nationally, no geographic or regional patterns were noted, and high-use HRRs were often geographically proximal to low-use HRRs. Higher rates of chronic rhinosinusitis diagnosis and more beneficiaries in particular HRRs did not predict increased ESS within the HRRs. Conclusions Local ESS rates in the Medicare population vary considerably across the United States. Variability in high-use vs low-use regions seems to be random and independent of climate or the number of beneficiaries diagnosed as having chronic rhinosinusitis. Given that the appropriate rate of sinus surgery is unknown, this study points to the need for identifying and adopting more rigorous clinical criteria for ESS.
Comparison of prevalence and resection rates in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma

Abstract Since 1987 we have observed a predominance of adenocarcinoma in patients undergoing esophagectomy because of carcinoma at our institution. To discover whether this observation represented an actual change in the prevalence of adenocarcinoma, the Johns Hopkins Hospital pathology records were reviewed for the years 1959 to 1994. Overall, esophageal squamous cell carcinoma was the most common histologic type with 817 cases identified versus 284 cases of adenocarcinoma. The number of patients with squamous cell carcinoma rose slowly from 1959 to 1992 but since 1992 has decreased. Whereas adenocarcinoma was uncommon before 1978, its frequency has since increased markedly, exceeding that of squamous cell carcinoma in 1994. The number of patients with adenocarcinoma who underwent surgical resection has equaled or exceeded the number of those treated nonoperatively for all recorded years. Therefore the predominance of adenocarcinoma in patients undergoing esophageal resection for carcinoma appears to result from two factors: an overall increase in the prevalence of adenocarcinoma since 1978 and an increased likelihood of resection for patients with these tumors. (J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 1996;112:130-6)
Laser excision of multiple esophageal lymphangiomas: a case report and review of the literature.

Abstract Lymphangiomas of the gastrointestinal tract are rare and benign submucosal tumors. We present the first case of multiple lymphangiomas in the cervical esophagus and only the 15th case of an esophageal lymphangioma. A 63-year-old male presented to our clinic with two years of dysphagia and an esophageal mass noted on MRI. A barium swallow confirmed a polypoid mass of the upper esophagus with operative findings of two smooth pedunculated lymphangiomas occupying the entire lumen of the esophagus. Previous reports have documented successful surgical intervention through open or endoscopic techniques, whereas the favorable location of the tumors in this case allowed for the first successful excision utilizing a CO2 laser. We demonstrate here that esophageal laser surgery can provide an accurate, complete, and minimally invasive excision technique for lymphangiomas of the upper digestive tract with minimal morbidity for the patient. A complete review of all published cases is presented, with a focus on the clinical presentation and surgical treatment of this disease.
A case of invoking a Scot's economy or seven-in-a-stroke

The principle of invoking a Scot's economy or "never throw anything away" is useful for nearly every reconstructive procedure. A case of unilateral brow ptosis and temporal hollowness is presented here whereby the application of this principle allowed a single flap to perform multiple functions in the course of correcting the deformity.