cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Gremlin: scheduling interactions in vehicular computing

Vehicular applications must not demand too much of a driver's attention. They often run in the background and initiate interactions with the driver to deliver important information. We argue that the vehicular computing system must schedule interactions by considering their priority, the attention they will demand, and how much attention the driver currently has to spare. Based on these considerations, it should either allow a given interaction or defer it. We describe a prototype called Gremlin that leverages edge computing infrastructure to help schedule interactions initiated by vehicular applications. It continuously performs four tasks: (1) monitoring driving conditions to estimate the driver's available attention, (2) recording interactions for analysis, (3) generating a user-specific quantitative model of the attention required for each distinct interaction, and (4) scheduling new interactions based on the above data. Gremlin performs the third task on edge computing infrastructure. Offload is attractive because the analysis is too computationally demanding to run on vehicular platforms. Since recording size for each interaction can be large, it is preferable to perform the offloaded computation at the edge of the network rather than in the cloud, and thereby conserve wide-area network bandwidth. We evaluate Gremlin by comparing its decisions to those recommended by a vehicular UI expert. Gremlin's decisions agree with the expert's over 90% of the time, much more frequently than the coarse-grained scheduling policies used by current vehicle systems. Further, we find that offloading of analysis to edge platforms reduces use of wide-area networks by an average of 15MB per analyzed interaction.
Ties that bind and ties that tear: Network’s influence on group identity and transactive memory

Though a group’s communication structure is a representation of behavior in the group, it also has a deep effect on group member’s feelings about their group. Two unique but difficult to empiricall...
Leveraging Social Networking Sites for an Autoimmune Hepatitis Genetic Repository: Pilot Study to Evaluate Feasibility

Background: Conventional approaches to participant recruitment are often inadequate in rare disease investigation. Social networking sites such as Facebook may provide a vehicle to circumvent common research limitations and pitfalls. We report our preliminary experience with Facebook-based methodology for participant recruitment and participation into an ongoing study of autoimmune hepatitis (AIH). Objective: The goal of our research was to conduct a pilot study to assess whether a Facebook-based methodology is capable of recruiting geographically widespread participants into AIH patient-oriented research and obtaining quality phenotypic data. Methods: We established a Facebook community, the Autoimmune Hepatitis Research Network (AHRN), in 2014 to provide a secure and reputable distillation of current literature and AIH research opportunities. Quarterly advertisements for our ongoing observational AIH study were posted on the AHRN over 2 years. Interested and self-reported AIH participants were subsequently enrolled after review of study materials and completion of an informed consent by our study coordinator. Participants returned completed study materials, including epidemiologic questionnaires and genetic material, to our facility via mail. Outside medical records were obtained and reviewed by a study physician. Results: We successfully obtained all study materials from 29 participants with self-reported AIH within 2 years from 20 different states. Liver biopsy results were available for 90% (26/29) of participants, of which 81% (21/29) had findings consistent with AIH, 15% (4/29) were suggestive of AIH with features of primary biliary cholangitis (PBC), and 4% (1/29) had PBC alone. A total of 83% (24/29) had at least 2 of 3 proposed criteria: positive autoimmune markers, consistent histologic findings of AIH on liver biopsy, and reported treatment with immunosuppressant medications. Self-reported and physician records were discrepant for immunosuppressant medications or for AIH/PBC diagnoses in 4 patients. Conclusions: Facebook can be an effective ancillary tool for facilitating patient-oriented research in rare diseases. A social media-based approach transcends established limitations in rare disease research and can further develop research communities. [J Med Internet Res 2018;20(1):e14]
A global and local search approach to quay crane scheduling problem

The container flow in terminals at a port is often bottlenecked due to the slow operations of the quay cranes in a scarce terminal land space. The quay crane scheduling problem (QCSP) is a major problem because of the assignment of expensive quay cranes to multiple vessel-holds for container discharging and loading operation. This paper presents a hybrid QCSP Solver, which combines genetic algorithms for global search with steepest ascent hill climbing for local search. Numerical experiments are performed with small- and large-sized random QCSP instances. The experimental results revealed that the hybrid QCSP Solver provides a better solution than the stand-alone QCSP Solver. By scheduling the dynamic operation of quay cranes it is expected that the developed decision making tool will provide terminal planners with a guideline to enhancing the assignment of quay cranes to a vessel.
Interpolation by Bounded Analytic Functions and Related Questions

The paper investigates some interpolation questions related to the Khinchine–Ostrowski theorem, Zalcman’s theorem on bounded approximation, and Rubel’s problem on bounded analytic functions.
Risk of meticillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Clostridium difficile in patients with a documented penicillin allergy: population based matched cohort study.

Abstract Objective To evaluate the relation between penicillin allergy and development of meticillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and C difficile. Design Population based matched cohort study. Setting United Kingdom general practice (1995-2015). Participants 301 399 adults without previous MRSA or C difficile enrolled in the Health Improvement Network database: 64 141 had a penicillin allergy and 237 258 comparators matched on age, sex, and study entry time. Main outcome measures The primary outcome was risk of incident MRSA and C difficile. Secondary outcomes were use of β lactam antibiotics and β lactam alternative antibiotics. Results Among 64 141 adults with penicillin allergy and 237 258 matched comparators, 1365 developed MRSA (442 participants with penicillin allergy and 923 comparators) and 1688 developed C difficile (442 participants with penicillin allergy and 1246 comparators) during a mean 6.0 years of follow-up. Among patients with penicillin allergy the adjusted hazard ratio for MRSA was 1.69 (95% confidence interval 1.51 to 1.90) and for C difficile was 1.26 (1.12 to 1.40). The adjusted incidence rate ratios for antibiotic use among patients with penicillin allergy were 4.15 (95% confidence interval 4.12 to 4.17) for macrolides, 3.89 (3.66 to 4.12) for clindamycin, and 2.10 (2.08 to 2.13) for fluoroquinolones. Increased use of β lactam alternative antibiotics accounted for 55% of the increased risk of MRSA and 35% of the increased risk of C difficile. Conclusions Documented penicillin allergy was associated with an increased risk of MRSA and C difficile that was mediated by the increased use of β lactam alternative antibiotics. Systematically addressing penicillin allergies may be an important public health strategy to reduce the incidence of MRSA and C difficile among patients with a penicillin allergy label.
The Cytopathology of Endoscopic Ultrasound-Guided Fine Needle Aspiration

Cytology plays an integral role with endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) and allows for definitive diagnosis and staging of tumors examined by the technique. This chapter discusses some basic principles of cytology as well as nomenclature. It then discusses, in more depth, the cytologic features of disease processes seen throughout the organs typically sampled by EUS-guided fine needle aspiration.
Compensated High-Bandwidth Laser Ultrasonic Detector Based on Photo-Induced Emf in GaAs

The trend toward intelligent manufacturing has produced an increase in the need for sensors which can nondestructively evaluate components and processes in real-time. One commonly used nondestructive approach is ultrasonic inspection. The most common method for generating and sensing ultrasound in materials makes use of contacting piezoelectric transducers. A gel or water interface is often used to match the acoustic impedance between the sensor and part. This constraint can impose limitations on their applicability for some types of in-process industrial control or inspection, specifically, inspection of moving parts at elevated temperatures or in vacuum. While noncontact receivers have been made using capacitance or magnetic induction, often their spacing to the workpiece must be maintained within a close tolerance. The lack of a substantial standoff distance for these sensors also reduces their usefulness in some industrial inspection and process control applications. Specifically, contacting schemes and close proximity sensors are not well suited for conditions such as extreme vibrations and fast moving parts with irregular surfaces. Furthermore, it may be more cost effective, from the users perspective, to use a long standoff, remote sensing system which could be applied to a wide range of materials including metals, semiconductors and composites.
An anytime scheme for bounding posterior beliefs

This paper presents an any-time scheme for computing lower and upper bounds on posterior marginals in Bayesian networks. The scheme draws from two previously proposed methods, bounded conditioning (Horvitz, Suermondt, & Cooper 1989) and bound propagation (Leisink & Kappen 2003). Following the principles of cutset conditioning (Pearl 1988), our method enumerates a subset of cutset tuples and applies exact reasoning in the network instances conditioned on those tuples. The probability mass of the remaining tuples is bounded using a variant of bound propagation. We show that our new scheme improves on the earlier schemes.
Some Notes on High Speed Medium Propulsion

There is a class of propulsion engines which depend upon the medium through which they fly for part of their working fluid. Under some conditions, they can also derive some of their energy from this medium. Air breathing engines are familiar members of this class.
Machine learning analyses can differentiate meningioma grade by features on magnetic resonance imaging

OBJECTIVEPrognostication and surgical planning for WHO grade I versus grade II meningioma requires thoughtful decision-making based on radiographic evidence, among other factors. Although conventional statistical models such as logistic regression are useful, machine learning (ML) algorithms are often more predictive, have higher discriminative ability, and can learn from new data. The authors used conventional statistical models and an array of ML algorithms to predict atypical meningioma based on radiologist-interpreted preoperative MRI findings. The goal of this study was to compare the performance of ML algorithms to standard statistical methods when predicting meningioma grade.METHODSThe cohort included patients aged 18-65 years with WHO grade I (n = 94) and II (n = 34) meningioma in whom preoperative MRI was obtained between 1998 and 2010. A board-certified neuroradiologist, blinded to histological grade, interpreted all MR images for tumor volume, degree of peritumoral edema, presence of necrosis, tumor location, presence of a draining vein, and patient sex. The authors trained and validated several binary classifiers: k-nearest neighbors models, support vector machines, naive Bayes classifiers, and artificial neural networks as well as logistic regression models to predict tumor grade. The area under the curve-receiver operating characteristic curve was used for comparison across and within model classes. All analyses were performed in MATLAB using a MacBook Pro.RESULTSThe authors included 6 preoperative imaging and demographic variables: tumor volume, degree of peritumoral edema, presence of necrosis, tumor location, patient sex, and presence of a draining vein to construct the models. The artificial neural networks outperformed all other ML models across the true-positive versus false-positive (receiver operating characteristic) space (area under curve = 0.8895).CONCLUSIONSML algorithms are powerful computational tools that can predict meningioma grade with great accuracy.
Zinc Selenide Surface Passivation Layer for Single-Crystalline CZTSe Solar Cells

The use of thin ZnSe layers for interface passivation on the CZTSe/CdS junction in solar cell devices is presented. Single-crystalline CZTSe material of mm size scales was grown via a solid-state ingot growth mechanism. Thermally evaporated ZnSe produced an increase in integrated photoluminescence intensity of up to 450% when deposited onto a polished crystal surface. Device characterization showed Voc increases as high as 150% with the implementation of a 10 nm ZnSe layer. Device performance was characterized as a function of ZnSe layer thickness. External quantum efficiency curves indicate that the presence of this high bandgap layer does not cause significant changes to the absorption spectrum. Temperature dependent J-V characteristics indicate that the ZnSe layer leads to an improved interface region.
Glutarate L-2-hydroxylase (CsiD/GlaH) is an archetype Fe(II)/2-oxoglutarate-dependent dioxygenase.

The Escherichia coli gene initially named ygaT is located adjacent to lhgO, encoding L-2-hydroxyglutarate oxidase/dehydrogenase, and the gabDTP gene cluster, utilized for γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) metabolism. Because this gene is transcribed specifically during periods of carbon starvation, it was renamed csiD for carbon starvation induced. The CsiD protein was structurally characterized and shown to possess a double-stranded s-helix fold, characteristic of a large family of non-heme Fe(II)- and 2-oxoglutarate (2OG)-dependent oxygenases. Consistent with a role in producing the substrate for LhgO, CsiD was shown to be a glutarate L-2-hydroxylase. We review the kinetic and structural properties of glutarate L-2-hydroxylase from E. coli and other species, and we propose a catalytic mechanism for this archetype 2OG-dependent hydroxylase. Glutarate can be derived from l-lysine within the cell, with the gabDT genes exhibiting expanded reactivities beyond those known for GABA metabolism. The complete CsiD-containing pathway provides a means for the cell to obtain energy from the metabolism of l-lysine during periods of carbon starvation. To reflect the role of this protein in the cell, a renaming of csiD to glaH has been proposed.
Monovalent ions modulate the flux through multiple folding pathways of an RNA pseudoknot

The functions of RNA pseudoknots (PKs), which are minimal tertiary structural motifs and an integral part of several ribozymes and ribonucleoprotein complexes, are determined by their structure, stability, and dynamics. Therefore, it is important to elucidate the general principles governing their thermodynamics/folding mechanisms. Here, we combine laser temperature-jump experiments and coarse-grained simulations to determine the folding/unfolding pathways of VPK, a variant of the mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV) PK involved in ribosomal frameshifting. Fluorescent nucleotide analogs (2-aminopurine and pyrrolocytidine) placed at different stem/loop positions in the PK serve as local probes allowing us to monitor the order of assembly of VPK that has two constituent hairpins with different intrinsic stabilities. We show that at 50 mM KCl, the dominant folding pathway populates only the more stable hairpin intermediate; as the salt concentration is increased, a parallel folding pathway emerges involving the less stable hairpin as an alternate intermediate. Notably, the flux between the pathways is modulated by the ionic strength. Our findings support the principle that the order of PK structure formation is determined by the relative stabilities of the hairpins, which can be altered by sequence variations or salt concentrations. The experimental results of salt effects on the partitioning between the two folding pathways are in remarkable agreement with simulations that were performed with no adjustable parameters. Our study not only unambiguously demonstrates that VPK folds by parallel pathways but also showcases the power of combining experiments and simulations for a more enriched description of RNA self-assembly.
The association of burn patient volume with patient safety indicators and mortality in the US.

Abstract Introduction Clinical volume has been associated with rate of complications and mortality for various conditions and procedures. We aim to analyze the relationship between annual hospital burn admission, patient safety indicators (PSI), line infections, and inpatient mortality. We hypothesize that high facility volume will correlate with better outcomes. Methods All burn admissions with complete data for total body surface area (TBSA) and depth were extracted from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample from 2002–2011. Predictor variables included age, gender, comorbidities, %TBSA, burn depth, and inhalation injury. Surgically relevant PSIs were drawn from the Healthcare Cost & Utilization Project and included: sepsis, venous thromboembolic disease, hemorrhage, pneumonia, and wound complications. Outcomes were analyzed with regression models. Results Of the 57,468 encounters included, 3.1% died, 6.3% experienced >1 PSI event, and 0.3% experienced a catheter-associated urinary tract infections or central line associated blood stream infections. The most frequent PSI was pneumonia followed by sepsis and VTE. Annual hospital burn admission volume was independently associated with decreased odds of mortality (OR 0.99, 95% CI 0.99–0.99, p Conclusion There was a significant association between higher hospital volume and decreased likelihood of patient safety indicators and mortality. There was no observed relationship with line infections. These findings could inform future verification policies of US burn centers.
Characterization of Particle Size and Shape in an Ageing Bismuth Titanate Sol Using Dynamic and Static Light Scattering

The ageing characteristics of a metal-alkoxide solution, used to prepare thin films of ferroelectric bismuth titanate, Bi4Ti3O12, were carefully scrutinized using laser light scattering. Dynamic light scattering experiments revealed a bimodal distribution of hydrodynamic diameters, with larger molecular clusters increasing in size from 4 to 68 nm over the course of 60 days ageing in a sealed vial. Static light scattering measured the radius of gyration to be 71 nm. Comparison of these two results suggests that these clusters are approximated as thin cylindrical (or chainlike) structures. Using ellipsoid scattering theory, plots of scattered light intensity versus q (scattering) vector also suggest a long cylindrical type cluster with a length of ∼350 nm and a diameter of ∼4 nm. Some deviation of experimental data from the theoretical curves probably is an indication of some flexibility and/or fractal nature of the molecular clusters. Such anisotropy in oligomeric cluster shape apparently has a strong influence on final crystallographic texturing of ceramic thin films made by spin-coating of these solutions on flat substrates.
The Structural Determinants of PH Domain-Mediated Regulation of Akt Revealed by Segmental Labeling

Akt is a critical protein kinase that governs cancer cell growth and metabolism. Akt appears to be autoinhibited by an intramolecular interaction between its N-terminal pleckstrin homology (PH) domain and kinase domain, which is relieved by C-tail phosphorylation, but the precise molecular mechanisms remain elusive. Here, we use a combination of protein semisynthesis, NMR, and enzymological analysis to characterize structural features of the PH domain in its autoinhibited and activated states. We find that Akt autoinhibition depends on the length/flexibility of the PH-kinase linker. We identify a role for a dynamic short segment in the PH domain that appears to regulate autoinhibition and PDK1-catalyzed phosphorylation of Thr308 in the activation loop. We determine that Akt allosteric inhibitor MK2206 drives distinct PH domain structural changes compared to baseline autoinhibited Akt. These results highlight how the conformational plasticity of Akt governs the delicate control of its catalytic properties.
Prognostic Impact of Metastatic Site and Pattern in Patients with Metastatic Head and Neck Cancer

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS Investigate the relationship between site and pattern of distant metastasis (DM) and overall survival (OS) in a multi-institutional cohort of patients with DM head and neck cancer (HNC). STUDY DESIGN Retrospective review. METHODS 283 patients treated at 4 academic centers in the Midwest HNC Consortium between 2000 and 2015 were retrospectively reviewed. Disease patterns were divided between solitary metastatic versus polymetastatic (≥2 sites) disease. Survival functions for clinically relevant variables were estimated using Kaplan-Meier and Cox proportional hazards models. RESULTS Median OS for all patients was 9.0 months (95% confidence interval [CI]: 7.4-10.6). Lung (n = 220, 77.7%) was the most common site of DM, followed by bone (n = 90, 31.8%), mediastinal lymph nodes (n = 55, 19.4%), liver (n = 41, 14.5%), and brain (n = 17, 6.0%). Bone metastases were independently associated with the worst prognosis (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.6, 95% CI: 1.3-2.1). On univariate analysis, brain metastases were associated with improved prognosis (HR = 0.5, 95% CI: 0.3-0.9), although this was not statistically significant on the multivariate analysis. Polymetastatic disease was present in the majority of patients (n = 230, 81.3%) and was associated with a worse prognosis compared to solitary metastatic disease (HR = 1.4, 95% CI: 1.0-2.0). CONCLUSION Our large, multi-institutional review indicates that both the metastatic pattern and site of DM impact OS. Polymetastatic disease and bone metastasis are associated with worse prognosis, independent of treatment received. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE 4 Laryngoscope, 131:E1838-E1846, 2021.
Configurable Network Protocol Accelerator (COPA)

Today's field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) offer not only programmable acceleration capabilities but also include advanced features that are on-par with a mainstream processor platform. However, rather than being deployed as autonomous acceleration nodes, they are generally deployed as second-class citizens under the control of a standard processor platform. The configurable network protocol accelerator (COPA) framework enables FPGAs to support custom inline/lookaside accelerators and attach directly to a 100-Gb/s Ethernet network. The hardware component provides the necessary networking/accelerator infrastructure. The software component supports an open standard API that enables the integrated accelerators to be used with network communication by applications/middleware. COPA enables a truly distributed FPGA accelerator model and has been implemented on variants of Stratix10 FPGAs. The COPA framework along with example accelerator IPs has been validated with microbenchmarks as well as proxy client/server benchmarks and achieves full network bandwidth.
Brain structure and parasympathetic function during rest and stress in young adult women

Heart rate variability (HRV) is an important biomarker for parasympathetic function and future health outcomes. The present study examined how the structure of regions in a neural network thought to maintain top-down control of parasympathetic function is associated with HRV during both rest and social stress. Participants were 127 young women (90 Black American), who completed a structural MRI scan and the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST), during which heart rate was recorded. Regression analyses were used to evaluate associations between cortical thickness in five regions of the Central Autonomic Network (CAN; anterior midcingulate cortex [aMCC], pregenual and subgenual anterior cingulate cortex [pgACC, sgACC], orbitofrontal cortex [OFC], and anterior insula) and high-frequency HRV during rest and stress. Results indicated that cortical thickness in CAN regions did not predict average HRV during rest or stress. Greater cortical thickness in the right pgACC was associated with greater peak HRV reactivity during the TSST, and survived correction for multiple comparisons, but not sensitivity analyses with outliers removed. The positive association between cortical thickness in the pgACC and peak HRV reactivity is consistent with the direction of previous findings from studies that examined tonic HRV in adolescents, but inconsistent with findings in adults, which suggests a possible neurodevelopmental shift in the relation between brain structure and autonomic function with age. Future research on age-related changes in brain structure and autonomic function would allow a more thorough understanding of how brain structure may contribute to parasympathetic function across neurodevelopment.
Gaussian Process Model for Estimating Piecewise Continuous Regression Functions.

This paper presents a Gaussian process (GP) model for estimating piecewise continuous regression functions. In scientific and engineering applications of regression analysis, the underlying regression functions are piecewise continuous in that data follow different continuous regression models for different regions of the data with possible discontinuities between the regions. However, many conventional GP regression approaches are not designed for piecewise regression analysis. We propose a new GP modeling approach for estimating an unknown piecewise continuous regression function. The new GP model seeks for a local GP estimate of an unknown regression function at each test location, using local data neighboring to the test location. To accommodate the possibilities of the local data from different regions, the local data is partitioned into two sides by a local linear boundary, and only the local data belonging to the same side as the test location is used for the regression estimate. This local split works very well when the input regions are bounded by smooth boundaries, so the local linear approximation of the smooth boundaries works well. We estimate the local linear boundary jointly with the other hyperparameters of the GP model, using the maximum likelihood approach. Its computation time is as low as the local GP's time. The superior numerical performance of the proposed approach over the conventional GP modeling approaches is shown using various simulated piecewise regression functions.
Research on substance use disorders during the COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has triggered changes in the substance use disorder (SUD) treatment delivery system, in the availability of legal and illicit drugs, and in other social and economic factors. As such, these changes necessitate that the field re-evaluate research approaches to SUDs, including in epidemiology, clinical trials, health services, implementation and policy research, as well as basic and translational neuroscience. COVID-19 has reduced researchers' access to target populations and made it difficult for them to obtain timely data to monitor changes in patterns of drug use and overdoses. These changes have increased researchers' interest in virtual technologies to expand and accelerate access to populations; increased modifications in the design, conduct, and analysis of clinical trials; and increased emphasis on implementation. Similarly, as researchers better understand the biology of COVID-19, they will better understand potential effects of COVID-19 on neurotransmitter receptors and signaling pathways, mechanisms underlying COVID-19 associated neurological and psychiatric sequelae, and interactions between COVID-19 treatments and psychoactive substances. The pandemic has also revealed the need for research that addresses health disparities. Overall, the COVID-19 pandemic has challenged several aspects of current research on SUD. Responding to these challenges provides opportunities to develop robust research approaches that align with the goals of improving patient outcomes and public health and are resilient to the challenges of future crises.
Prediction of Prolonged Opioid Use After Surgery in Adolescents: Insights From Machine Learning.

Background Long-term opioid use has negative health care consequences. Patients who undergo surgery are at risk for prolonged opioid use after surgery (POUS). While risk factors have been previously identified, no methods currently exist to determine higher-risk patients. We assessed the ability of a variety of machine-learning algorithms to predict adolescents at risk of POUS and to identify factors associated with this risk. Methods A retrospective cohort study was conducted using a national insurance claims database of adolescents aged 12-21 years who underwent 1 of 1297 surgeries, with general anesthesia, from January 1, 2011 to December 30, 2017. Logistic regression with an L2 penalty and with a logistic regression with an L1 lasso (Lasso) penalty, random forests, gradient boosting machines, and extreme gradient boosted models were trained using patient and provider characteristics to predict POUS (≥1 opioid prescription fill within 90-180 days after surgery) risk. Predictive capabilities were assessed using the area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve (AUC)/C-statistic, mean average precision (MAP); individual decision thresholds were compared using sensitivity, specificity, Youden Index, F1 score, and number needed to evaluate. The variables most strongly associated with POUS risk were identified using permutation importance. Results Of 186,493 eligible patient surgical visits, 8410 (4.51%) had POUS. The top-performing algorithm achieved an overall AUC of 0.711 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.699-0.723) and significantly higher AUCs for certain surgeries (eg, 0.823 for spinal fusion surgery and 0.812 for dental surgery). The variables with the strongest association with POUS were the days' supply of opioids and oral morphine milligram equivalents of opioids in the year before surgery. Conclusions Machine-learning models to predict POUS risk among adolescents show modest to strong results for different surgeries and reveal variables associated with higher risk. These results may inform health care system-specific identification of patients at higher risk for POUS and drive development of preventative measures.
Bexarotene derivatives modify responses in acute myeloid leukemia

The retinoids all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) and bexarotene are active in acute myeloid leukemia (AML), but responses beyond acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) have been more modest than APL responses. To determine whether chemical modification of bexarotene might augment retinoid responses in AML, we screened a series of 38 bexarotene derivatives for activity in a mouse MLL-AF9 leukemia cell line, which exhibits strong synergistic sensitivity to the combination of ATRA and bexarotene. We found that RXRA potency correlated with anti-leukemic activity and that only one compound (103-4) with dual RARA/RXRA activity was capable of ATRA-independent anti-leukemic activity. We evaluated bioisostere and cyclohexane modifications for potential resistance to P450 metabolism and found that bioisosteres reduced potency and that bezopyran, cyclopentane, and cyclohexene modifications only modestly reduced susceptibility to metabolism. Collectively, these studies provide a map of the structure-activity relationships of bexarotene with outcomes related to RXRA and RARA activity, corepressor binding, compound stability, and anti-leukemic potential.
High Surface Area N-Doped Carbon Fibers with Accessible Reaction Sites for All-Solid-State Lithium-Sulfur Batteries.

Porous carbon plays a significant role in all-solid-state lithium-sulfur batteries (ASSLSBs) to enhance the electronic conductivity of sulfur. However, the conventional porous carbon used in cell with liquid electrolyte exhibits low efficiency in ASSLSBs because the immobile solid electrolyte (SE) cannot reach sulfur confined in the deep pores. The structure and distribution of pores in carbon highly impact the electrochemical performance of ASSLSBs. Herein, a N-doped carbon fiber with micropores located only at the surface with an ultrahigh surface area of 1519 m2 g-1 is designed. As the porous layer is only on the surface, the sulfur hosted in the pores can effectively contact SE; meanwhile the dense core provides excellent electrical conductivity. Therefore, this structurally designed carbon fiber enhances both electron and ion accessibilities, promotes charge transfer, and thus dramatically improves the reaction kinetic in the ASSLSBs and boosts sulfur utilization. Compared to the vapor grown carbon fibers, the ASSLSBs using PAN-derived porous carbon fibers exhibit three times enhancement in the initial capacity of 1166 mAh g-1 at C/20. An exceedingly cycling stability of 710 mAh g-1 is maintained after 220 cycles at C/10, and satisfactory rate capability of 889 mAh g-1 at C/2 is achieved.
Chapter 5 Nucleic Acid Sequence Localization by Electron Microscopic in Situ Hybridization

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the electron microscopic in situ hybridization (EMISH) technique for nucleic acid sequence localization. In situ hybridization is a pivotal genome mapping technique that provides the cytological location of a cloned sequence. The development of equivalent mapping techniques at the electron microscope (EM) level present the opportunity to determine the relative map positions of sequences. The EM localization is well suited for mapping sequences on small chromosomal structures and for subnuclear localization in small nuclei, such as yeast. It uses biotin-substituted probes and immunogold tagging of hybrid sites. EMISH is applied successfully to the localization of DNA and RNA sequences in both whole-mount metaphase chromosomes and nuclei in organisms from yeast to man. The methodology is analogous to that used at the light microscope (LM) level with a few modifications. The main source of background in EMISH appears to be the nonspecific binding of antibodies to grid films. In addition to modifying EMISH, the use of primer extension in the presence of biodUTP after hybridization of an oligonucleotide to chromosome preparations is being investigated.
Is There a Midwestern Literature

THE MORE I TRIED to bear down on the question, "Is there a Mid western literature?," the more I identified with the medium in James Thurber's famous cartoon of the seance in which the rapt clairvoyant tells her client, "I can't get in touch with your uncle but there's a horse here that wants to say hello." Other attractions and distractions kept suggest ing themselves, ways of describing (and dismissing) Midwestern literature with, for instance, one or another list of clich?s commonly ascribed to the region. Could Midwestern literature be a homespun web of small towns, general stores, flat lands, immigrant ancestors, middle-class families and conservative tendencies? (Clich?s, to earn their weight in fool's gold, must possess a fraction of?certainly not a whole?truth.) And I was plagued with the vague feeling that after all my brooding, I'd do little more than arrive at another characterizing, seemingly less clich?-ridden list of Midwestern literature's attributes.
Thermodynamic nonideality and the dependence of partition coefficient upon solute concentration in exclusion chromatography. Application to self-associating and non-self-associating solutes. Application to hemoglobin.

Abstract The theory of partition of macromolecular solute between mobile and stationary phases under highly nonideal conditions is reexamined. Expressions are derived for the dependence of the partition coefficient of a non-self-associating solute. and the weight average partition coefficient of a dimerizing solute, upon the total concentration of solute in the mobile phase. These expressions are based upon a treatment of nonidcality in the stationary phase which is more realistic than that proposed earlier [L.W. Nichol, R.J. Siczin and D.J. Winzor, Biopliys. Chem. 9 (1979) 17]. It is found that the chromatographic data on oxyhemoglobin in the above paper may be accommodated by the present theory without invoking selfassociation.
Cyanide Metabolism by Bacillus megaterium

Cyanide disappears from a medium supporting actively growing cells of Bacillus megaterium, a bacterium isolated from a cyanide enrichment medium containing Fargo clay soil. Whole cells of this organism convert K14CN to asparagine-14C, aspartic acid-14C and 14CO2. Besides cyanide, serine 14C and β-cyanoalanine-14C are effectively converted by whole cells of this organism to asparagine-14C. An analysis of asparagine isolated in an experiment in which whole cells were administered K13C15N and serine-14C shows that the nitrogen and carbon of the amide group is derived from cyanide. β-Cyanoalanine-14C was isolated and identified as a product of this experiment. These results as well as results of analyses of the carbon skeletons of β-cyanoalanine-14C and asparagine-14C from this and other experiments collectively support the hypothesis that a metabolic pathway in this organism begins with the condensation of serine and cyanide to form β-cyanoalanine which in turn is hydrolyzed to asparagine and then to aspartic acid. Furthermore cell-free extracts catalyze the conversion of K14CN and serine to asparagine-14C and aspartic acid-14C as well as the conversion of asparagine-14C to aspartic acid-14C.
The Other Technological Divide: K-12 Web Accessibility

This study examined individual school home pages and their corresponding district-wide home pages for Web accessibility. As of 1999, the U.S. government established that all public and private scho...
AAOS Comprehensive Orthopaedic Review (Two-Volume Set and Study Guide)

Jay R. Lieberman, editor. Rosemont, Illinois: American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons; 2009. 1647 pages. $249.00. ISBN: 978-0892035984. Kudos to Jay Lieberman and his cast of thousands—well, actually, about 150 contributors. Under Dr. Lieberman’s editorship, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) has produced an orthopaedic review book that should be on every practicing orthopaedic surgeon’s and resident’s bookshelf, or at least in his or her computer. The AAOS Comprehensive Orthopaedic Review was crafted to assist those studying for the Board Certification Examination of the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery (ABOS) or for the AAOS Orthopaedic In-Training Examination. To assist in portability and to prevent injury, the massive tome is divided into three volumes: two review books and a question-and-answer book. The two-volume review is divided into the following twelve sections: Basic Science, General Information, Pediatrics, Orthopaedic Oncology and Systemic Disease, Sports Medicine, Trauma, Spine, Shoulder and Elbow, Hand and Wrist, Total Joint Arthroplasty/Joint Salvage, Knee, and Foot and Ankle. The material is presented in a …
A "de-Fregean" semantics (and neo-Gricean pragmatics) for modified and unmodified numerals

A challenge for the semantic and pragmatic analysis of modified numerals is how to account for ignorance implications about exact quantity. Superlative-modified numerals ( at least/most six ) systematically give rise to such implications while their comparative-modified counterparts ( more/fewer than sixggy ) do not, but the distribution of ignorance implications with superlative modifiers is sensitive to how the numeral interacts with modals and other operators. In this paper, I demonstrate that a "de-Fregean" semantic analysis of modified and unmodified numerals as second-order properties of degrees that differ only in the kind of ordering relation they introduce supports a neo-Gricean pragmatic account of ignorance implications as Quantity implicatures, and derives the pattern of interaction with modals as a scopal phenomenon. http://dx.doi.org/10.3765/sp.8.10 BibTeX info
Towards address privacy in mobile ad hoc networks

Security concerns are an impediment to deploying mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs) in hostile environments. This paper proposes and investigates solutions to a new security requirement called address privacy to prevent attackers from ascertaining network addresses of MANET principals. Lack of address privacy is devastating to critical MANET operations. For example, if knowing the network address of a target principal, attackers can easily locate the target by passively monitoring the open wireless channel and then launch a pinpoint attack. We present Swarms, the first solution to address privacy in MANETs. Swarms eliminates the conventionally explicit one-on-one mappings between MANET principals and network addresses and allows any two principals to communicate while blind to each other's address. We quantitatively measure the address privacy offered by Swarms via an entropy-based information-theoretic metric.
Relationship between benzene toxicity and the disposition of 14C-labelled benzene metabolites in the rat.

The distribution of radioactivity associated with three 14C-labelled benzene metabolites was studied using whole body autoradiography (WBAR). Male Fischer-344 rats were given an intravenous dose of 0.6 mg/kg (60 microCi phenol, 1.2 mg/kg (100 microCi) catechol, or 1.3 mg/kg (100 microCi) hydroquinone. The rats were killed after 2 h and autoradiograms were prepared from whole body sagittal sections. The relative organ uptake of radioactivity associated with each compound was assessed by comparing tissue/blood optical density (O.D.) ratios from X-ray films. Bone marrow, thymus and the white pulp of the spleen concentrated radioactivity associated with hydroquinone or catechol. Radioactivity associated with phenol concentrated in the red pulp of the spleen, but not in the other lymphoid tissues. Radioactivity associated with all three metabolites was found in the lungs, kidneys and small intestines, whereas greater accumulation of radioactivity was observed in subcutaneous tissues, sebaceous glands and the white matter of the brain and spinal cord in rats given hydroquinone or catechol than in animals given phenol. Rats pretreated with a single dose of Aroclor 1254 (250 mg/kg, i.p.), a regimen which was found to protect against benzene-induced lymphocytopenia, were given hydroquinone (100 microCi; 1.3 mg/kg) or catechol (100 microCi; 1.4 mg/kg). For hydroquinone the tissue/blood O.D. ratios for bone marrow and thymus were approx. 60% lower in Aroclor-pretreated than in untreated rats. A 25% reduction in the tissue/blood O.D. ratios for these organs was observed in pretreated rats given catechol. These findings indicate that the uptake and concentration of radioactivity associated with hydroquinone and catechol by bone marrow and lymphoid organs (1) can occur independently of the metabolism of benzene in these tissues and (2) is reduced under conditions in which the animal is less susceptible to benzene toxicity.
Large-scale bed configurations (macroforms), Platte River Basin, Colorado and Nebraska: Primary structures and formative processes

Large-scale, current bed forms, defined here as bed configurations having dimensions commensurate with the size of the turbulent boundary layer, are considered by many workers to be hydrodynamically equivalent to the regime bed forms. These bed forms were investigated at formative flows (bankfull flows) on the South Platte and Platte Rivers in Colorado and Nebraska to determine structures and formative processes. Results of this study suggest that large-scale bed forms, here termed macroforms, are not hydrodynamically equivalent to the regime bed forms but constitute a unique hierarchical class of bed configurations produced by turbulent vortices that involve the entire boundary layer. Macroforms are oriented obliquely to the mean flow direction and are attached to one or both channel banks. Three members of a continuum of geometries are recognized in the channels of the Platte River Basin. The internal stratification for each of the three macroform types recognized in the basin is similar and in its simplest form consists of the coarsening-upward sequence apron laminae-foreset laminae-topset laminae. Although it may not be possible to differentiate the three macroform types solely on the basis of internal stratification, the presence of a distinctive coarsening-upward sequence in coarse-grained fluvial systems offers a potentially powerful tool for identifying these environments in the geologic record.
Epistemological Open Questions

While there has been a great deal of recent interest in parallels between metaethics and metaepistemology, there has been little discussion of epistemological analogues of the open question argument (hereafter: OQA). This is somewhat surprising—the general trend in recent work is in the direction of emphasizing the continuity between metaethics and metaepistemology, and to treat metanormative questions as arising in parallel in these two normative domains. And while the OQA has been subjected to a wide variety of objections, it is still influential in metaethics. In this paper, I aim to show that an epistemological version of the OQA is just as promising as its moral cousin. That's not to say that I'll unqualifiedly endorse either argument. Rather, my aim is to show that there is just as strong a prima facie (really, secunda facie) case for an OQA in metaepistemology as there is in metaethics—I leave open whether the ultima facie case collapses.
A new computer-automated microscope stage system for fission-track analysis

Abstract A new MacintoshTM-controlled microscope stage and digitizing tablet system has been developed that automates external detector method grain-to-mica matching, track length measurement, slide scanning, object centering, and file management within a single, well-integrated, user-friendly program environment. The system is based on a high-quality KinetekTM aumated sanning stage that has found wide use in the microelectronics industry. A unique feature of the system is use of the digitizing tablet cursor to control most stage actions, resulting in a very intuitive and natural mode of operation, and faster and less tedious analysis of samples than with other automated systems.
Intraosseous infusion using the osteoport implant in the caprine tibia.

We evaluated the in vivo animal tolerance to intraosseous infusion via the Osteoport pediatric implant (model 2005PSO, Lifequest Medical, San Antonio, TX, U.S.A.) into the proximal tibia of immature goats and investigated the osseous effects of intermittent and sustained increases in intraosseous pressure (IOP). In group 1 (n = 3) autogenous whole blood was continuously infused (CI) for 5 days at flow rates producing an IOP of 30–45 mm Hg. Group 2 animals (n = 3) underwent a 5-s high-pressure infusion (HPI) of lactated Ringer solution (LRS) producing an IOP of 90–125 mm Hg twice daily for 10 days. In group 3, the Osteoports were left in place 5 (n = 2) or 10 days (n = 2) and evaluated for patency at 72-h intervals. An IOP > 35 mm Hg produced clinical evidence of bone pain. Bone mineral density was significantly increased (p < 0.05) in all implanted tibias (mean 1.04 g/cm2; range 0.87–1.21 g/cm2) compared with controls (mean 0.67 g/cm2; range 0.65–0.71 g/cm2). A nonsignificant increase (+9% to +31%) in periosteal new bone formation occurred in all implanted tibias. In the continuously infused group, there was a significant increase (p < 0.05) in cancellous new bone formation (+ 483%), percentage eroded bone surface (+ 143%), and osteoclast covered bone surface (+ 255%) compared with controls. HPI of LRS did not produce significant bone changes. Seemingly, the Osteoport provided a ready means of intraosseous infusion and may be associated with less complications than current methods of continual vascular access. Bone changes correlated more with the duration than the magnitude of increased intraosseous pressures.