cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Flow characteristics as a function of velopharyngeal gap size

The classic paradigm for treatment of velopharyngeal insufficiency (VPI) is based on the assumption that the severity of the speech disorder correlates with the size of the velopharyngeal (VP) opening. However, several studies have documented that even small VP openings can cause significant speech distortion. To investigate the potential contribution of aeroacoustic sources to speech distortion in VPI-affected speech, we set out to determine how airflow characteristics change as a function of the VP gap size. To do so, a head and neck CT scan of a VPI patient sustaining the phoneme /z/ was obtained. From the CT scan, patient-specific phantoms of the upper airway were made extending from the glottis to the nasal and oral exits. Four phantoms were made: one with the original VP gap size and three with VP gap sizes artificially scaled by factors of 1.25, 1.5, and 2. Particle image velocimetry (PIV) was used to measure the velocity and turbulence fields along planar slices in each phantom. Average velocity fields for each VP gap size are presented, and the change in flow characteristics as a function of the VP gap size is discussed, along with the implications for aeroacoustic sources.
Schwannosis in Three Foals and a Calf

Proliferation of ectopic Schwann cells within the central nervous system (CNS) parenchyma (schwannosis) in early life is most commonly associated with human neurofibromatosis type-2 and has been unrecognized in domestic animals. Three foals and a calf, 5 to 11 weeks old, with progressive neurological signs from birth were studied. Histologically, at multiple levels of the spinal cord, all animals had bilateral plaques of proliferative spindle cells, predominantly affecting the white matter adjacent to dorsal and ventral nerve roots and variably extending into the gray matter. Proliferating cells had strong intracytoplasmic immunoreactivity for the Schwann cell markers myelin protein zero and periaxin, highlighting the formation of peripheral nervous system (PNS) myelin within the spinal cord. In all cases, foci of disorganized neural tissue (glioneuronal hamartomas) were present, which in 2 cases formed a mass effect that resulted in syringohydromyelia. Neonatal presentation suggests a congenital maldevelopment of the nervous system, with spontaneous invasion of PNS-derived Schwann cells into the CNS.
Spatial variability of phytoplankton in a shallow tidal freshwater system reveals complex controls on abundance and community structure

Abstract Estuaries worldwide are undergoing changes to patterns of aquatic productivity because of human activities that alter flow, impact sediment delivery and thus the light field, and contribute nutrients and contaminants like pesticides and metals. These changes can influence phytoplankton communities, which in turn can alter estuarine food webs. We used multiple approaches-including high-resolution water quality mapping, synoptic sampling, productivity and nitrogen uptake rates, Lagrangian parcel tracking, enclosure experiments and bottle incubations-over a short time period to take a “spatial snapshot” of conditions in the northern region of the San Francisco Estuary (California, USA) to examine how environmental drivers like light availability, nutrients, water residence time, and contaminants affect phytoplankton abundance and community attributes like size distribution, taxonomic structure, and nutrient uptake rates. Zones characterized by longer residence time (15–60 days) had higher chlorophyll-a concentrations (9 ± 4 µg L−1) and were comprised primarily of small phytoplankton cells ( 5 µm) cells considered important to pelagic food webs. Rather, longer residence time zones had a phytoplankton community comprised primarily of small cells, particularly picocyanobacteria that made up 38 ± 17% of the chlorophyll-a – nearly double the concentration seen in shorter residence time zones (22 ± 7% picocyanobacterial of chlorophyll-a). Our results suggest that water residence time in estuaries may have an effect as large or larger than that experimentally demonstrated for light, contaminants, or nutrients.
Correct Point Estimator and Confidence Interval for RMSEA Given Categorical Data

RMSEA estimation given nonnormal continuous data is usually based on the mean-adjusted ( T M ) or mean-variance-adjusted ( T M V ) chi-square statistic, but a plain application of these statistics ...
A spatial–temporal contextual Markovian kernel method for multi-temporal land cover mapping

Abstract Due to a lack of spatial–temporal consistency, the current generation of multi-temporal land cover products is subject to significant error propagation in change detection results. To address the evolving needs of land change science, the next generation of land cover products must be derived from new classification methods that are designed specifically for multi-temporal land cover mapping. In this paper, a next generation classifier is proposed that fully exploits contextual information by combining results born from the machine learning paradigm in remote sensing with domain knowledge from multi-temporal land cover mapping. This classifier, the Spatial–Temporal Markovian Support Vector Classifier, exhibits an entirely new level of accuracy of change detection when evaluated for the classification of seven Landsat images from an Appalachian Ohio study area. It exceeds previous leading techniques employing machine learning kernel methods and Markov Random Field models of image context on all accuracy metrics for the creation of a spatial–temporally consistent land cover product. It owes its performance to the greatly improved decision-making about contextual information afforded by the extension and integration of these previous techniques. With such a classifier, substantially more accurate and spatial–temporally consistent multi-temporal land cover products are possible that are suitable for the detailed study of land cover change.
Provider and Patient Perspectives on a New Tangible Decision Aid Tool to Support Patient-Centered Contraceptive Counseling with Adolescents and Young Adults.

Abstract Study Objective Despite the benefits of patient-centered contraceptive care, many adolescents and young adults do not receive such care. The objective of this study was to develop and evaluate Hello Options, a tangible decision aid to support patient-centered contraceptive counseling with adolescents and young adults in a clinic setting. Design, Setting, Participants, Intervention, and Main Outcome Measures Hello Options is a contraceptive counseling decision aid tool (hereafter referred to as "the Tool") that allows patients to see and feel life-size “tangible” models of the range of contraceptive methods. The Tool was developed by a team of designers, adolescents, clinicians, and researchers using human-centered design. From December 2019 to March 2020, we conducted a pilot study to evaluate the usability, feasibility, and acceptability of the Tool with 10 contraceptive care providers and 40 adolescent and young adult patients (aged 12-29 years) at two Chicago clinics. We calculated descriptive statistics for patient survey data, and qualitatively analyzed provider interview transcripts for salient themes using recursive abstraction. Results Patients had positive reactions to the Tool, reporting that it allowed them to better understand how contraceptive methods work in their body and that it allowed them to make more informed decisions. Furthermore, providers commented that the Tool facilitated conversations with their patients, helped dispel myths about particular methods, and eased patients’ anxieties. Limitations mentioned included storage and portability concerns, and time constraints for counseling. Conclusion Hello Options is a useful, feasible, and acceptable decision aid that can support the provision of patient-centered contraceptive care for young people.
Pathology of COVID 19 associated acute kidney injury

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is common among hospitalized patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), with the occurrence of AKI ranging from 0.5% to 80%. An improved knowledge of the pathology of AKI in COVID-19 is crucial to mitigate and manage AKI and to improve the survival of patients who develop AKI during COVID-19. In this review, we summarize the published cases and case series of various kidney pathologies seen with COVID-19. Both live kidney biopsies and autopsy series suggest acute tubular injury as the most commonly encountered pathology. Collapsing glomerulopathy and thrombotic microangiopathy are other encountered pathologies noted in both live and autopsy tissues. Other rare findings such as anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody vasculitis, anti-glomerular basement membrane disease and podocytopathies have been reported. Although direct viral infection of the kidney is possible, it is certainly not a common or even widespread finding reported at the time of this writing (November 2020).
2D speed of sound mapping using a multilook reflection ultrasound tomography framework.

Abstract Quantitative ultrasound (QUS) has emerged as a viable tool in diagnosing and staging the onset and progression of various diseases. Within the field of QUS, shear wave elastography (SWE) has emerged as the clinical standard for quantifying and correlating the stiffness of tissue to its underlying pathology. Despite its widespread use, SWE suffers from drawbacks that limit its widespread clinical use; among these are low-frame rates, long settling times, and high sensitivity to operating conditions. Longitudinal speed of sound (SOS) has emerged as a viable alternative to SWE. We propose a framework to obtain 2D sound speed maps using a commercial ultrasound probe. A commercial ultrasound probe is localized in space and used to scan a domain of interest from multiple vantage points; the use of a reflector at the far end of the domain allows us to measure the round trip travel times to and from it. The known locations of the probe and the measured travel times are used to estimate the depth and inclination of the reflector as well as the unknown sound speed map. The use of multiple looks increases the effective aperture of the ultrasound probe and allows for a higher fidelity reconstruction of sound speed maps. We validate the framework using simulated and experimental data and propose a rigorous framework to quantify the uncertainty of the estimated sound speed maps.
Abstract A24: CD133 initiates tumors, induces epithelial-mesenchymal transition, and increases metastasis in pancreatic cancer

CD133 has been implicated as a cancer stem cell (CSC) surface marker in several malignancies including pancreatic cancer, however, the functional role in the cancer stem cell remains elusive. In this study, we overexpressed CD133 CSC marker in a cell line with minimal endogenous CD133 in order to determine its functional role within a cancer context. We determined that CD133 expression led to increased tumorigenicity down to 10 cells. Progression of tumors derived from cells overexpressing CD133 increased in volume quicker than controls. Additionally, the number of lesions and sites of metastasis were increased in the orthotopic tumors derived from CD133 overexpressing cells. In vitro, CD133 expression induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Mesenchymal marker genes such as SNAI1, ZEB1, CDH2, and VIM increased upon CD133 overexpression and led to increased in vitro invasion by Boyden chamber invasion assay. Furthermore, our results indicate EMT induction and increased invasiveness were mediated by increased NF-κB activation upon CD133 overexpression, as inhibition of NF-κB mitigated these effects. In conclusion, this study demonstrated a functional role of CD133 in pancreatic cancer: its expression increases tumorigenicity; induces EMT; and increases invasion and metastasis. Citation Format: Alice Nomura, Sulagna Banerjee, Veena Sangwan, Rohit Chugh, Vikas Dudeja, Selwyn M. Vickers, Ashok K. Saluja. CD133 initiates tumors, induces epithelial-mesenchymal transition, and increases metastasis in pancreatic cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Pancreatic Cancer: Innovations in Research and Treatment; May 18-21, 2014; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(13 Suppl):Abstract nr A24.
Visual attention problems as a predictor of vehicle crashes in older drivers.

PURPOSE. To identify visual factors that are significantly associated with increased vehicle crashes in older drivers. METHODS. Several aspects of vision and visual information processing were assessed in 294 drivers aged 55 to 90 years. The sample was stratified with respect to age and crash frequency during the 5-year period before the test date. Variables assessed included eye health status, visual sensory function, the size of the useful field of view, and cognitive status. Crash data were obtained from state records. RESULTS. The size of the useful field of view, a test of visual attention, had high sensitivity (89%) and specificity (81%) in predicting which older drivers had a history of crash problems. This level of predictability is unprecedented in research on crash risk in older drivers. Older adults with substantial shrinkage in the useful field of view were six times more likely to have incurred one or more crashes in the previous 5-year period. Eye health status, visual sensory function, cognitive status, and chronological age were significantly correlated with crashes, but were relatively poor at discriminating between crash-involved versus crash-free drivers. CONCLUSIONS. This study suggests that policies that restrict driving privileges based solely on age or on common stereotypes of age-related declines in vision and cognition are scientifically unfounded. With the identification of a visual attention measure highly predictive of crash problems in the elderly, this study points to a way in which the suitability of licensure in the older adult population could be based on objective, performance-based criteria. Keywords: Driver distraction;
ATP overflow in skeletal muscle 1A arterioles.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the sources of ATP in the 1A arteriole, and to investigate age-related changes in ATP overflow. Arterioles (1A) from the red portion of the gastrocnemius muscle were isolated, cannulated and pressurized in a microvessel chamber with field stimulation electrodes. ATP overflow was determined using probes specific for ATP and null probes that were constructed similar to the ATP probes, but did not contain the enzyme coating. ATP concentrations were determined using a normal curve (0.78 to 25 μmol l−1 ATP). ATP overflow occurred in two phases. Phase one began in the first 20 s following stimulation and phase two started 35 s after field stimulation. Tetrodotoxin, a potent neurotoxin that blocks action potential generation in nerves, abolished both phases of ATP overflow. α1-Receptor blockade resulted in a small decrease in ATP overflow in phase two, but endothelial removal resulted in an increase in ATP overflow. ATP overflow was lowest in 6-month-old rats and highest in 12- and 2-month-old rats (P < 0.05). ATP overflow measured via biosensors was of neural origin with a small contribution from the vascular smooth muscle. The endothelium seems to play an important role in attenuating ATP overflow in 1A arterioles.
Design and Analysis of Distributed Detection Networks with Uncertainties

A distributed detection network is an acyclic directed graph with detectors as nodes. Each detector has the ability to process its input data consisting of external observations and decisions from preceding detectors, to produces a decision regarding an underlying binary hypothesis testing problem. The local observations are assumed conditionally independent given either hypothesis. Each local detector has an unknown probability to be jammed or defective and an unknown probability to provide an incorrect decision when jammed or defective. The resulting binary hypothesis testing problem is solved using concepts of Dempster-Shafer theory. Each detector employs Dempster's combining rule to aggregate its input information for a decision. The uncertainty that is introduced by the unknown probabilities is treated by discounting the degree of confidence on decisions. It is shown that each detector employs a likelihood ratio test and that the thresholds can be expressed as a function of the local performance characteristics and the uncertainty discount rates. By analysing a special distributed detection network with four detectors we show that the proposed decision rule has very robust behaviour and that with few exception, it significantly outperforms the minimax decision rule and the decision rule that is optimum when there are no jammed or defective detectors.
Serum factors in lymphocyte proliferation: I. The requirement for serum in mixed lymphocyte reactions☆

Abstract An evaluation was made of the serum requirement for mixed lymphocyte reactions. Allogeneic mixtures, totalling 3.0 × 106 mouse lymphoid cells, showed DNA synthesis when serum was removed after the first few hours of cultivation. Cultures initiated in the absence of serum failed to incorporate 3H-thymidine, except when high cell concentrations (6.0 × 106 cells/ml) were used. Partial stimulation was supported by as little as 0.5% serum and full stimulation occurred with a concentration of 2% serum. The results indicate that serum facilitates an early point in recognition or blastogenesis in mixed lymphocyte reactions.
Sequence interpretation. Functional annotation of mouse genome sequences.

With the reports of the DNA sequence of the human and mouse genomes, research attention is now on questions of protein function and interactions, developmental and physiological pathways, and systems biology. The International Mouse Mutagenesis Consortium proposes goals and outlines plans for the next 10 years for annotating the mouse genome and compiling data on mouse mutations. In addition to the challenges of identifying new assays to probe biological functions, more efficient and reliable methods are needed for archiving, managing, analyzing, displaying, and disseminating the complex phenotype data sets resulting from mutagenesis programs. Achieving these goals will require the biomedical research community to improve efficiencies, to reduce costs, and to coordinate international expertise and resources.
Revealed processes in knowledge management

The essence of process is repeatability. Organizations, especially for-profit companies, have worked to refine their operations by using well-defined processes that they can manage. In the modern era, many organizations have focused on redesigning their processes by following Hammer’s discussion of business process reengineering (BPR). While BPR is not dependent on information technology (IT), reengineering efforts often have complementary IT efforts. In particular, the focus on process has led to the rise of workflow management systems. The importance of process in daily life has also made it a central field within artificial intelligence (AI), where researchers in planning work to automate the construction of processes the achieve user goals [1-3]. The combination of planning, workflow systems and information retrieval has led to work in the burgeoning field of intelligent processoriented systems for information access. By incorporating a process representation, a process-oriented system can guide users through complex task sequences, while offering relevant information at each step.
Censorship Tsunami Spares College Media: To Protect Free Expression on Public Campuses, Lessons From the "College Hazelwood" Case

Since the advent of journalism schools in the college academy, student publications have taken their place as a vital component of campus life. As counterparts to the Fourth Estate in the society at large, college journalists act as watchdogs on student government, ensuring that student money is wisely spent and student justice equitably administered. As an outpost of the Fourth Estate, college journalism serves all the public by monitoring the administration of higher education. In September 1999, a decision from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit threatened to radically distort the face of college journalism by rendering student writers, editors, and producers impotent and bound by the will of government. The court applied to adult, college journalists the same lenient standard for government censorship that applies to minors in secondary schools. College media across the country, along with academics, alumni, professional journalists, and others sympathetic to student publications, breathed a sigh of relief on January 5, 2001 when the Sixth Circuit ruled en banc that, in 1999, the divided, three-judge panel had erred. This Article reviews the history of high school and college journalism before Kincaid v. Gibson. The Article presents the background and holdings of Kincaid itself, then sketches, by analogy to the effect of Hazelwood in secondary schools, the detrimental impact Kincaid could have had on college journalism had the ultimate decision by the Court of Appeals not been favorable to the students. The Article then turns, still by analogy to Hazelwood, to consider how, in light of the ultimate decision in Kincaid, college journalism advocates can avert future threats to free expression on campus.
Hydration of Olefins, Dienes, and Acetylenes via Hydroboration

The hydroboration of olefins, dienes, and acetylenes involves the addition of a boron-hydrogen bond to the carbon-carbon multiple bond. This reaction provides a new, convenient route to the corresponding organoboranes and makes them readily available as intermediates in organic synthesis. One of the important reactions that the organoboranes undero is the rapid and essentially quantitative oxidation with alkaline hydrogen peroxide. The hydroboration of olefins involves a cis addition of the boron hydrogen bond, the boron atom becoming attached to the less substituted of the two olefinic carbon atoms of the double bond. This chapter surveys the available information on the hydration of olefins, dienes, acetylenes, and their derivatives by the hydroboration-oxidation procedure. Keywords: hydration; olefins; dienes; acetylenes; hydroboration; oxidation; organoboranes; experimental conditions; functional groups
On the lack of X-ray bright Type IIP supernovae

Type IIP Supernovae (SNe) are expected to arise from Red Supergiant stars (RSGs). These stars have observed mass-loss rates that span more than two orders of magnitude, from $< 10^{-6}$ solar masses yr$^{-1}$ to almost $ 10^{-4} $ solar masses yr$^{-1}$. Thermal bremsstrahlung X-ray emission from at least some IIP's should reflect the larger end of the high mass-loss rates. Strangely, no IIP SNe are seen where the X-ray luminosity is large enough to suggest mass-loss rates greater than about $ 10^{-5} $ solar masses yr$^{-1}$. We investigate if this could be due to absorption of the X-ray emission. After carefully studying all the various aspects, we conclude that absorption would not be large enough to prevent us from having detected X-ray emission from high mass-loss rate IIP's. This leads us to the conclusion that there may be an upper limit of $\sim 10^{-5} $ solar masses yr$^{-1}$ to the mass-loss rate of Type IIP progenitors, and therefore to the luminosity of RSGs that explode to form Type IIPs. This is turn suggests an upper limit of $\leq 19 $ solar masses for the progenitor mass of a Type IIP SN. This limit is close to that obtained by direct detection of IIP progenitors, as well as that suggested by recent stellar evolution calculations. Although the statistics need to be improved, many current indicators support the notion that RSGs above $\sim 19 $ solar masses do not explode to form Type IIP SNe.
Neoclassical transport in toroidal plasmas with nonaxisymmetric flux surfaces

The capability to treat nonaxisymmetric flux surface geometry has been added to the drift-kinetic code NEO (Belli and Candy 2008 Plasma Phys. Control. Fusion 50 095010). Geometric quantities (i.e. metric elements) are supplied by a recently-developed local 3D equilibrium solver, allowing neoclassical transport coefficients to be systematically computed while varying the 3D plasma shape in a simple and intuitive manner. Code verification is accomplished via detailed comparison with 3D Pfirsch–Schluter theory. A discussion of the various collisionality regimes associated with 3D transport is given, with an emphasis on non-ambipolar particle flux, neoclassical toroidal viscosity, energy flux and bootstrap current. Finally, we compute the transport in the presence of ripple-type perturbations in a DIII-D-like H-mode edge plasma.
The stability and transport of carbon dioxide on Iapetus

Abstract Carbon dioxide has been detected associated with Iapetus' dark material by the Cassini spacecraft. This CO2 may be primordial and/or resulting from ongoing production by photolysis of water-ice in the presence of carbonaceous material [Allamandola, L.J., Sandford, S.A., Valero, G.J., 1988. Icarus 76, 225–252]. Although any primordial CO2 would likely be complexed with the dark material and thus stable against thermal transport to Iapetus' poles [Buratti, B.J., and 28 colleagues, 2005. Astrophys. J. 622, L149–L152], active production of CO2 would result in some fraction of the CO2 being mobile enough to allow the accumulation of CO2 at Iapetus' poles. We develop a computer model to simulate ballistic transport of CO2 ice on Iapetus, accounting for Iapetus' gravitational binding energy and polar cold traps. We find that the residence time of CO2 ice outside the polar regions is very short; a sheet of CO2 ice near the equator of Iapetus decreases in thickness at a rate of 50 mm year−1. The sublimated CO2 will ballistically move around Iapetus until it reaches the polar cold traps where it can be sequestered for up to 15 years. If the total surface inventory of CO2 exceeds 3 × 10 7 kg , the polar ice cap will be permanent. While CO2 is moving around the surface, a small percentage will eventually reach escape velocity and be lost from the system. As such, a seasonal polar cap is lost at rate of 12% every solar orbit as the CO2 moves between the two polar cold traps.
Ethnic and gender differences in opening lines

This study reports an examination of ratings of opening lines by male and female, African American and European American college students. Two hundred and seventy‐five undergraduates from a large mid‐western university volunteered to rate seventy‐two inductively‐derived opening lines. Each opening line was previously coded as being either direct, innocuous, or cute‐flippant. Results indicated statistically significant and substantial main effects for sex, ethnicity, and line type. In general, innocuous lines were related most favorably, and cute ‐flippant lines were rated least favorably. African Americans rated lines more positively than European Americans, and males more positively than females. Two‐way and three‐way interactions between gender, ethnicity, and type of line were also found. African American males rated direct lines much more favorably than other groups, and European American females rated innocuous lines higher than European American males or African American females, but rated direct an...
Extension of the theory of the oscillating-disk viscometer for large boundary-layer thicknesses encountered at low pressures

Abstract After summarizing the exact solutions for the oscillating viscometer, the paper extends the theory of the instrument to include the case of larger boundary-layer thicknesses encountered at very low pressures. A correction factor has been included to allow for the edge effects, the effects from secondary flow and the effects produced by the chuck and the mirror holder attached to the oscillating body. The working equation has been presented.
Reanalysis of a randomized trial of 3 techniques of anterior colporrhaphy using clinically relevant definitions of success

Objective The purpose of this study was to reanalyze the results of a previously published trial that compared 3 methods of anterior colporrhaphy according to the clinically relevant definitions of success. Study Design A secondary analysis of a trial of 114 subjects who underwent surgery for anterior pelvic organ prolapse who were assigned randomly to standard anterior colporrhaphy, ultralateral colporrhaphy, or anterior colporrhaphy plus polyglactin 910 mesh from 1996−1999. For the current analysis, success was defined as (1) no prolapse beyond the hymen, (2) the absence of prolapse symptoms (visual analog scale ≤2), and (3) the absence of retreatment. Results Eighty-eight percent of the women met our definition of success at 1 year. One subject (1%) underwent surgery for recurrence 29 months after surgery. No differences among the 3 groups were noted for any outcomes. Conclusion Reanalysis of a trial of 3 methods of anterior colporrhaphy revealed considerably better success with the use of clinically relevant outcome criteria compared with strict anatomic criteria.
An m-convexity property for complementary pairs in the plane

Let A and B be closed nonempty sets in the plane with A ∪ B=R2, A ∩ B=bdry A=bdry B=C. Assume that for every m ≥ 2 points in C, at least one of the corresponding segments is in A, at least one in B. Then each of A and B is locally expressible as a union of m−1 or fewer convex sets.
Functional relationships between the conventional steady-state error characteristics and the weighting matrices in the quadratic performance index†

The requirements for achieving a desired value of steady-state error for an optimal control system utilizing the quadratic performance index with a linear plant arc derived for step, ramp and parabolic inputs. These requirements result in a number of the elements of the Riccati matrix being specified in terms of known parameters. It is shown that for an all-pole plant the control system cannot follow a parabolic input. For the stop input the q 11 element of the Q matrix is specified as one for an all-pole plant or in terms of the fixed plant parameters for a pole-zero plant. Depending on the number of requirements and the order of the system it may be necessary to assume values for the remaining elements of the Q matrix in order to solve the reduced Riccati equation.
The use of dioctyl phosphoric acid extraction in the isolation of carrier-free 90Y, 140La, 144Ce, 143Pr, and 144Pr☆

Abstract Tracer-level cerium has been oxidized to the tetravalent state and shown to be preferentially extracted from a 10 M HNO3 aqueous phase into a 0·75 M, or 0·30 M, solution of di(2-ethyl hexyl) orthophosphoric acid in n-heptane. In this system the ratio of the K for Ce(IV) to that for Ce(III) is greater than 106, and the K for Ce(IV) is much greater than that for any trivalent lanthanide. This system has been utilized to purify 144Ce with respect to lanthanide contaminants, including its 144Pr daughter, and to prepare a highly-purified gross sample of natural cerium for neutron bombardment in the preparation of 143Pr. It has been used also in the isolation of 143Pr and 144Pr products for tracer studies and for half-life determinations. A decontamination factor, with respect to the parent 144Ce, greater than 107 was obtained for a 144Pr sample isolated and prepared for counting in a period of less than 10 min. Other di(2-ethyl hexyl) orthophosphoric acid systems employing dilute HCl or HNO3 as the opposing phase have been used for separating 90Y from its 90Sr parent and for separating 140La from its 140Ba parent and from contaminant 90Sr90Y. Decontamination factors greater than 107 have been obtained in both separations, the total processing times being less than 15 min. The following new half-life values have been obtained: 90Y, 63·97 ± 0·1 hr; 140La, 40·27 ± 0·05 hr; 143Pr, 13·59 ± 0·04 day; and 144Pr, 17·27 ± 0·04 min.
Inverse Size Scaling of the Nucleolus by a Concentration-Dependent Phase Transition

Summary Justasorgansize typicallyincreaseswithbody size,thesize of intracellular structures changes as cells grow and divide. Indeed, many organelles, such as the nucleus [1, 2], mitochondria [3], mitotic spindle [4, 5], and centrosome [6], exhibit size scaling, a phenomenon in which organelle size depends linearly on cell size. However, the mechanisms of organelle size scaling remain unclear. Here, we show that the size of the nucleolus, a membraneless organelle important for cell-size homeostasis [7], is coupled to cell size by an intracellular phase transition. We find that nucleolar sizedirectlyscaleswithcellsizeinearlyC.elegansembryos. Surprisingly, however, when embryo size is altered, we observe inverse scaling: nucleolar size increases in small cells and decreases in large cells. We demonstrate that this seemingly contradictory result arises from maternal loading of a fixed number rather than a fixed concentration of nucleolar components, which condense into nucleoli only above a threshold concentration. Our results suggest that the physics of phase transitions can dictate whether an organelle assembles, and, if so, its size, providing a mechanistic link between organelle assembly and cell size. Sincethenucleolus isknowntoplay akeyroleincellgrowth, this biophysical readout of cell size could provide a novel feedback mechanism for growth control.
Effects of hydrogen on 5Al-2.5Sn ELI titanium.

Hydrogen effects on ELI Ti-Al-Sn alloy, conducting tensile, fretting and abrasion tests on stressed and thermal cycled specimens
Patterns of Physical and Neurologic Development in Preterm Children

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the influence of medical complications, gestational age, gender, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status on the changes in anthropometric measures and severity of neurologic impairment from 6 to 54 months of age in premature and term infants. STUDY DESIGN: This study was a prospective longitudinal study to determine predictors of patterns of growth and neurologic outcome in low-risk (n=137) and high-risk (n=96) preterm infants compared to full-term infants (n=136). Growth modeling analyses were used to evaluate factors that might influence patterns of physical growth and changes in neurologic status. RESULTS: Medical risk level was a predictor of height and head circumference at 30 months and neurologic outcome. Gender was a predictor of weight gain. Medical risk level and gender predicted 13.8% and 32% of the variance in head circumference and neurologic scores, respectively. CONCLUSION: Medical complications after birth and gender are stronger influences than gestational age on patterns of growth and neurologic outcome.
Is Heart Rate Variability Better Than Routine Vital Signs for Prehospital Identification of Major Hemorrhage

Abstract Objective During initial assessment of trauma patients, metrics of heart rate variability (HRV) have been associated with high-risk clinical conditions. Yet, despite numerous studies, the potential of HRV to improve clinical outcomes remains unclear. Our objective was to evaluate whether HRV metrics provide additional diagnostic information, beyond routine vital signs, for making a specific clinical assessment: identification of hemorrhaging patients who receive packed red blood cell (PRBC) transfusion. Methods Adult prehospital trauma patients were analyzed retrospectively, excluding those who lacked a complete set of reliable vital signs and a clean electrocardiogram for computation of HRV metrics. We also excluded patients who did not survive to admission. The primary outcome was hemorrhagic injury plus different PRBC transfusion volumes. We performed multivariate regression analysis using HRV metrics and routine vital signs to test the hypothesis that HRV metrics could improve the diagnosis of hemorrhagic injury plus PRBC transfusion vs routine vital signs alone. Results As univariate predictors, HRV metrics in a data set of 402 subjects had comparable areas under receiver operating characteristic curves compared with routine vital signs. In multivariate regression models containing routine vital signs, HRV parameters were significant ( P Conclusions A novel diagnostic test should improve diagnostic thinking and allow for better decision making in a significant fraction of cases. Our findings do not support that HRV metrics add value over routine vital signs in terms of prehospital identification of hemorrhaging patients who receive PRBC transfusion.
Acceleration of Two Point Correlation Function Calculation for Pathology Image Segmentation

The segmentation of tissue regions in high-resolution microscopy is a challenging problem due to both the size and appearance of digitized pathology sections. The two point correlation function (TPCF) has proved to be an effective feature to address the textural appearance of tissues. However the calculation of the TPCF functions is computationally burdensome and often intractable in the gigapixel images produced by slide scanning devices for pathology application. In this paper we present several approaches for accelerating deterministic calculation of point correlation functions using theory to reduce computation, parallelization on distributed systems, and parallelization on graphics processors. Previously we show that the correlation updating method of calculation offers an 8-35x speedup over frequency domain methods and decouples efficient computation from the select scales of Fourier methods. In this paper, using distributed computation on 64 compute nodes provides a further 42x speedup. Finally, parallelization on graphics processors (GPU) results in an additional 11-16x speedup using an implementation capable of running on a single desktop machine.
The paradoxical behavior of a highly structured misfolded intermediate in RNA folding.

Like many structured RNAs, the Tetrahymena group I ribozyme is prone to misfolding. Here we probe a long-lived misfolded species, referred to as M, and uncover paradoxical aspects of its structure and folding. Previous work indicated that a non-native local secondary structure, termed alt P3, led to formation of M during folding in vitro. Surprisingly, hydroxyl radical footprinting, fluorescence measurements with site-specifically incorporated 2-aminopurine, and functional assays indicate that the native P3, not alt P3, is present in the M state. The paradoxical behavior of alt P3 presumably arises because alt P3 biases folding toward M, but, after commitment to this folding pathway and before formation of M, alt P3 is replaced by P3. Further, structural and functional probes demonstrate that the misfolded ribozyme contains extensive native structure, with only local differences between the two states, and the misfolded structure even possesses partial catalytic activity. Despite the similarity of these structures, re-folding of M to the native state is very slow and is strongly accelerated by urea, Na + , and increased temperature and strongly impeded by Mg 2+ and the presence of native peripheral contacts. The paradoxical observations of extensive native structure within the misfolded species but slow conversion of this species to the native state are readily reconciled by a model in which the misfolded state is a topological isomer of the native state, and computational results support the feasibility of this model. We speculate that the complex topology of RNA secondary structures and the inherent rigidity of RNA helices render kinetic traps due to topological isomers considerably more
Internists' attitudes about assessing and maintaining clinical competence.

BACKGROUND Important changes are occurring in how the medical profession approaches assessing and maintaining competence. Physician support for such changes will be essential for their success.
Smoking and mortality after breast cancer diagnosis: the health and functioning in women study.

We examined the effect of smoking on long-term mortality from breast cancer and other causes among a cohort of women with breast cancer. A total of 975 women diagnosed with breast cancer and aged 40–84 years were followed for a median follow-up of 11 years in the U.S. Health and Functioning in Women (HFW) study. The impact of the individual smoking status and smoking intensity reported in the first few months following breast cancer diagnosis on the risk of mortality from breast cancer and other causes was examined using Cox proportional hazards models. In this study, former smoking was associated with increased risk of other-cause mortality (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.47, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.13–1.90), and the risk doubled with increased intensity (HR for <50 pack-years [py]: 1.36, 95% CI: 1.03–1.79; HR for ≥50 py: 2.45, 95% CI: 1.41–4.23). Current smoking (HR = 2.45, 95% CI: 1.81–3.32) and each additional 10 py smoked (HR = 1.16, 95% CI: 1.11–1.22) were associated with statistically significant increases in the risk of other-cause mortality. The effect of current smoking on other-cause mortality decreased with advancing stage and increasing body mass index (BMI). Breast cancer-specific mortality was associated with current smoking of ≥50 py (HR = 2.36, 95% CI: 1.26–4.44), and each additional 10 py smoked (HR = 1.07, 95% CI: 1.01–1. 14). Current smoking, but not former smoking, was associated with increased risk of breast cancer-specific mortality in women with local disease (HR = 2.32, 95% CI: 1.32–4.09), but not in those with regional and distant disease (HR = 1.10, 95% CI: 0.73–1.68). Our findings suggest that current smoking at the time of breast cancer diagnosis may be associated with increased risk of breast-cancer specific and other-cause mortality, whereas former smoking is associated with increased risk of other-cause mortality. Smoking cessation at the time of diagnosis may lead to better prognosis among women with breast cancer.
Complications and outcome after thoracodorsal axial pattern flap reconstruction of forelimb skin defects in 10 dogs, 1989-2001.

Objective— To determine (1) the frequency and extent of complications associated with thoracodorsal axial pattern flap reconstruction of forelimb skin defects in dogs and (2) outcome after treatment of such complications. Study Design— Retrospective clinical study. Sample Population— Ten dogs. Methods— Medical records for 10 dogs that had a thoracodorsal axial pattern skin flap reconstruction of a forelimb skin defect were reviewed. Results— Three dogs had complete flap survival. Partial necrosis of the distal flap, ranging from an estimated 2% to 53% (mean, 21%) of the flap surface area, occurred in 7 dogs. Six dogs required surgical management of the skin necrosis, resulting in successful resolution in 5 dogs, whereas, in 2 dogs, the wound healed by second intention. Positive bacterial cultures were obtained from 3 dogs with distal flap necrosis. Seroma formation was noted in 2 dogs; the entire flap survived in 1 dog, whereas the second dog developed distal flap necrosis. Edema and bruising of the distal portion of the flap were noted in 8 dogs; distal flap necrosis subsequently developed in 7 dogs. Partial incisional dehiscence, which healed by second intention, occurred in 2 dogs. Of 6 owners available for follow-up, all were satisfied with the functional outcome, but 1 owner was not satisfied with the cosmetic appearance. Conclusions— Partial flap necrosis was a frequent complication of thoracodorsal axial pattern flap reconstruction of forelimb skin defects and required additional wound care or surgical intervention to achieve healing. Clinical Relevance— Thoracodorsal axial pattern flaps can provide full-thickness skin coverage of extensive skin defects of the forelimb, but owners should be aware of the likelihood of local wound complications.
The Discontinuous Galerkin Method for Two-Dimensional Hyperbolic Problems. Part I: Superconvergence Error Analysis

In this paper we investigate the superconvergence properties of the discontinuous Galerkin method applied to scalar first-order hyperbolic partial differential equations on triangular meshes. We show that the discontinuous finite element solution is O(h p+2) superconvergent at the Legendre points on the outflow edge for triangles having one outflow edge. For triangles having two outflow edges the finite element error is O(h p+2) superconvergent at the end points of the inflow edge. Several numerical simulations are performed to validate the theory. In Part II of this work we explicitly write down a basis for the leading term of the error and construct asymptotically correct a posteriori error estimates by solving local hyperbolic problems with no boundary conditions on more general meshes.
Actions speak louder with words: The roles of action and pedagogical language for grounding mathematical proof

Abstract Theories of grounded and embodied cognition posit that situated actions are central constituents in cognitive processes. We investigate whether grounding actions influence reasoning, and how pedagogical language influences the action–cognition relationship. Undergraduate students ( N = 120) generated proofs for two mathematical tasks after performing either grounding or non-grounding actions. Grounding actions facilitated key mathematical insights for both tasks, but did not lead to superior proofs. Pedagogical language in the form of prompts (prospective statements) and hints (retrospective statements) accompanying grounding actions enhanced proof performance on one task but not the other. Results from transfer tasks suggested that participants learned to apply their mathematical insights to new contexts. The findings suggest that relations between action and cognition are reciprocal: actions facilitate insight, while pedagogical language strengthens the influence of task-relevant actions for proof production. Pedagogically supported grounding actions offer alternative ways of fostering mathematical reasoning.
Five ways to ration capital: The case of a developing economy

Abstract The performances of two programming models and three “simple” investment rules, the benefit-cost ratio, internal rate of return, and present value to constrained cost ratio, are compared in solving a four-year capital rationing problem in a Latin American nation. The properties and advantages of the various approaches are discussed and policy conclusions are drawn. In addition, the effects of including project timing variants and political/ bureaucratic constraints are explored.