cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Acanthocytosis causing chronic hemolysis in a patient with advanced cirrhosis.

![Figure][1] These images were captured from the peripheral blood smear of a 56-year-old patient with Child-Pugh C alcoholic cirrhosis, ongoing alcohol abuse, and chronic macrocytic anemia with baseline hemoglobin 7 to 8 g/dL. Laboratory work suggested a hemolytic process, with a mixed
Association Between Clinical Practice Group Adherence to Quality Measures and Adverse Outcomes Among Adult Patients With Diabetes.

Importance Clinical practice group performance on quality measures associated with chronic disease management has become central to reimbursement. Therefore, it is important to determine whether commonly used process and disease control measures for chronic conditions correlate with utilization-based outcomes, as they do in acute disease. Objective To examine the associations among clinical practice group performance on diabetes quality measures, including process measures, disease control measures, and utilization-based outcomes. Design, Setting, and Participants This retrospective, cross-sectional analysis examined commercial claims data from a national health insurance plan. A cohort of eligible beneficiaries with diabetes aged 18 to 65 years who were enrolled for at least 12 months from January 1, 2010, through December 31, 2014, was defined. Eligible beneficiaries were attributed to a clinical practice group based on the plurality of their primary care or endocrinology office visits. Data were analyzed from October 1, 2018, through April 30, 2019. Main Outcomes and Measures For each clinical practice group, performance on current diabetes quality measures included 3 process measures (2 testing measures [hemoglobin A1c{HbA1c} and low-density lipoprotein {LDL} testing] and 1 drug use measure [statin use]) and 2 disease control measures (HbA1c Results In this cohort of 652 258 beneficiaries with diabetes from 886 clinical practice groups, 42.9% were aged 51 to 60 years, and 52.6% were men. Beneficiaries lived in areas that were predominantly white (68.1%). At the clinical practice group level, except for high correlation between the 2 testing measures, correlations among different quality measures were weak (rrange, 0.010-0.244). Rate of HbA1cof less than 8% had the strongest correlation with hospitalization for MACE (r = −0.046;P = .03) and diabetes (r = −0.109;P Conclusions and Relevance In this study, performance on utilization-based measures—intended to reflect the quality of chronic disease management—was only weakly associated with direct measures of chronic disease management, namely, disease control measures. This correlation should be considered when determining the degree of financial emphasis to place on hospitalization rates as a measure of quality in treatment of chronic diseases.
ISDE Presidential Biography: David B. Skinner, MD

Dr. David Skinner, the 4th President of the ISDE, was a world-renowned surgeon, educator, scholar, and leader. He participated in the formation of the ISDE, hosted two international congresses in 1983 and 1989, and made important advances in the ISDE during his presidential tenure 1992-1995.
Predicting Remaining Lifetime Using the Monotonic Gamma Process and Bayesian Inference for Multi-Stress Conditions

Abstract Lifetime prediction using the condition-based monitoring data provides better asset management and predictive maintenance strategies to build a resilience system. The degradation data as a direct or indirect measure of the product performance can be used as a condition-based monitoring data. Considering the physical deterioration (wear/fatigue) and temporal variations, gamma process as a monotonic stochastic model has been chosen to model the degradation process in this work. The accelerated stress condition is used to expedite the degradation mechanism as well as the product performance deterioration to get quick information. The maximum likelihood estimation method is applied to estimate model parameters. Considering the usage condition degradation data getting from the sensor technology or simulation method, the Bayesian inference is used to obtain the updated model parameters and also the remaining lifetime at each new degradation point. The proposed method has been demonstrated with a case study example to predict the remaining useful life.
Investigation of CO2 single-pass conversion in a flow electrolyzer

Flow electrolyzers are attracting significant attention because of their unique capability of facilitating carbon dioxide (CO2) electroreduction at high reaction rates. Among all figures of merit, CO2 single-pass conversion is an important factor that can strongly affect the product separation cost of the whole process but often neglected in the literature. In this study, CO2 single-pass conversion was investigated using a flow electrolyzer under various operating conditions to identify the operating constraints on achieving a maximum single-pass CO2 conversion. The maximum amount of CO2 being converted to CO is limited to approximately 43% regardless of CO2 feeding rate, operating current density, and reaction temperature. Further investigation shows that the remaining CO2 feed was mainly consumed by the side reaction of carbonate formation between the CO2 feed and the hydroxide anions generated during the electrolysis. As a result, the gas effluent stream from the cathode chamber contains mainly CO (∼80%), together with 15% H2 and 5% unreacted CO2.
Adverse effects of erenumab on cerebral proliferative angiopathy: A case report.

BackgroundCerebral proliferative angiopathy is a vascular malformation associated with compromised blood-brain barrier and with migraine-like headache. Treating blood-brain barrier-compromised pati...
Echoes of Past Revolutions: Architecture, Memory, and Spectral Politics in the Historic Districts of Port-au-Prince

Abstract This article explores the life history of Ulrick Rosarion, a Haitian federal prosecutor who built his career during the Duvalier dictatorship. Rosarion lived his entire life in a small house of downtown Port-au-Prince, in a neighborhood formerly inhabited by the Black middle-classes that gained prominence in the political and administrative sphere during the dictatorship (1957-1986). Rosarion was also a writer who produced four books of nationalist poetry. Based on interviews and readings of his literary production, and beyond, through an exploration of architectural forms and material remnants echoing the dictatorship, this paper explores how an idealized version of the dictatorship today haunts the political landscape of Haiti. Moreover, this article argues that the state takes on a sensual form that allows for the diffusion and/or rupture of past ideologies.
Changes in Social Behavior Over Time During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Public health recommendations aimed at limiting the spread of SARS-CoV-2 have encouraged social distancing and masks as economies across the United States re-open. Understanding adherence to these guidelines will inform further efforts to reduce transmission. In this repeated cross-sectional survey study, we describe changes in social behavior in Ohio during periods of declining and rising cases. While essential activities remained consistent over time, more individuals attended gatherings of 10 or more people as cases rose, particularly in the 18-29 age group. A majority of individuals wore masks. It appears necessary to continue limiting gatherings and encourage mask-wearing, particularly among younger groups.
Girasol, a sky imaging and global solar irradiance dataset

Abstract The energy available in a microgrid that is powered by solar energy is tightly related to the weather conditions at the moment of generation. A very short-term forecast of solar irradiance provides the microgrid with the capability of automatically controlling the dispatch of energy. We propose a dataset to forecast Global Solar Irradiance (GSI) using a data acquisition system (DAQ) that simultaneously records sky imaging and GSI measurements, with the objective of extracting features from clouds and use them to forecast the power produced by a Photovoltaic (PV) system. The DAQ system is nicknamed the Girasol Machine (Girasol means Sunflower in Spanish). The sky imaging system consists of a longwave infrared (IR) camera and a visible (VI) light camera with a fisheye lens attached to it. The cameras are installed inside a weatherproof enclosure that it is mounted on a solar tracker. The tracker updates its pan and tilt every second using a solar position algorithm to maintain the Sun in the center of the IR and VI images. A pyranometer is situated on a horizontal mount next to the DAQ system to measure GSI. The dataset, composed of IR images, VI images, GSI measurements, and the Sun’s positions, has been tagged with timestamps.
Phase-based Constraints within Match Theory

This paper argues that Match Theory (Selkirk 2011) cannot account for some types of phrasal syntax-prosody correspondence in Blackfoot (Algonquian; Frantz 2017). I focus on the verbal complex and show that the verbal complex contains phrasal syntactic structure all the way up to a CP phrase, and that it contains two distinct prosodic constituents corresponding the v P/VP and the CP, respectively. Since the verbal complex contains phrasal syntax, theories of phrasal syntax-prosody correspondences should apply. I argue that the definitions of the syntactic units which correspond to prosodic constituents must be redefined based on phases, and show how a phase-based revision of Match Theory can account for the syntax-prosody correspondence in Blackfoot verbal complexes. The result is a unified theory of the prosodic phonology of stems and phrases which is built on universal syntactic definitions. Although Match Theory is the theoretical focus of this paper, the evidence from Blackfoot implies that phrasal syntax-prosody correspondences can and should be brought 'below the word' in any theory of prosodic phonology.
Cryo-Electron Microscopy Structure and Interactions of the Human Cytomegalovirus gHgLgO Trimer with Platelet-Derived Growth Factor Receptor Alpha

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is a herpesvirus that produces disease in transplant patients and newborn children. Entry of HCMV into cells relies on gH/gL trimer (gHgLgO) and pentamer (gHgLUL128-131) complexes that bind cellular receptors. Here, we studied the structure and interactions of the HCMV trimer, formed by AD169 strain gH and gL and TR strain gO proteins, with the human platelet-derived growth factor receptor alpha (PDGFRα). Three trimer surfaces make extensive contacts with three PDGFRα N-terminal domains, causing PDGFRα to wrap around gO in a structure similar to a human hand, explaining the high-affinity interaction. gO is among the least conserved HCMV proteins, with 8 distinct genotypes. We observed high conservation of residues mediating gO-gL interactions but more extensive gO variability in the PDGFRα interface. Comparisons between our trimer structure and a previously determined structure composed of different subunit genotypes indicate that gO variability is accommodated by adjustments in the gO-PDGFRα interface. We identified two loops within gO that were disordered and apparently glycosylated, which could be deleted without disrupting PDGFRα binding. We also identified four gO residues that contact PDGFRα, which when mutated produced markedly reduced receptor binding. These residues fall within conserved contact sites of gO with PDGFRα and may represent key targets for anti-trimer neutralizing antibodies and HCMV vaccines. Finally, we observe that gO mutations distant from the gL interaction site impact trimer expression, suggesting that the intrinsic folding or stability of gO can impact the efficiency of trimer assembly. IMPORTANCE HCMV is a herpesvirus that infects a large percentage of the adult population and causes significant levels of disease in immunocompromised individuals and birth defects in the developing fetus. The virus encodes a complex protein machinery that coordinates infection of different cell types in the body, including a trimer formed of gH, gL, and gO subunits. Here, we studied the interactions of the HCMV trimer with its receptor on cells, the platelet derived growth factor receptor α (PDGFRα), to better understand how HCMV coordinates virus entry into cells. Our results add to our understanding of HCMV strain-specific differences and identify sites on the trimer that represent potential targets for therapeutic antibodies or vaccine development.
Adaptive learning with heterogeneous expectations in an estimated medium-scale New Keynesian model

Abstract This paper constructs a medium-scale New Keynesian model with heterogeneous expectations by employing the Euler equation adaptive learning technique. Two agent-types are similar in all ways except in how they form expectations. Agent-type A uses a correctly specified model that is consistent with the minimum state variable (MSV) rational expectations equilibrium solution, while agent-type B uses a misspecified model that omits an important subset of variables in the MSV solution. The model is estimated with Bayesian methods using post-Second World War U.S. data and results show that there is significant expectational heterogeneity in the data and that the heterogeneous expectations model performs better than a homogeneous expectations benchmark model. Furthermore, the model’s dynamics resulting from heterogeneous expectations are analyzed.
Intent inferencing by an intelligent operator's associate - A validation study

In the supervisory control of a complex, dynamic system, one potential form of aiding for the human operator is a computer-based operator's associate. The design philosophy of the operator's associate is that of 'amplifying' rather than automating human skills. In particular, the associate possesses understanding and control properties. Understanding allows it to infer operator intentions and thus form the basis for context-dependent advice and reminders; control properties allow the human operator to dynamically delegate individual tasks or subfunctions to the associate. This paper focuses on the design, implementation, and validation of the intent inferencing function. Two validation studies are described which empirically demonstrate the viability of the proposed approach to intent inferencing.
A retrievable sensor installation technique for acquiring high frequency signals

Abstract The use of in-seam waves for void detection in mines requires the capability of capturing high frequency signals over large distances. For instance, the Airy phase of Love waves which are used for void detection in coal mines ranges from several hundred to over one thousand Hertz and the expected travel distance of these signals is at least 90 m (equivalent to a detection distance of 45 m) for the technique to be considered practical. In order to obtain high quality and broadband signals, sensors are conventionally grouted at the bottom of boreholes so that the attenuation due to the fractured surface is minimized and the coupling effect is improved. However, to be economically feasible, the expensive and high sensitive sensors must be retrievable so that they can be used repeatedly at the same or other locations. Because of these concerns, a retrievable sensor installation technique was developed. This paper provides a detailed review of the technique as well as a brief discussion of its applications. The technique is simple and reliable for both installation and retrieval operations and can be used for boreholes oriented in any directions. The technique has been demonstrated in over 200 sensor installation/retrieval operations under various borehole conditions, including bituminous coal, anthracite coal, shale, sandstone and trona. With this technique, we were able to detect the high frequency signals required for our projects. For instance, the signals used at a trona mine for void detection have a typical frequency of 5 kHz with the travel distance of 150–200 m. The results of these operations have shown that sensors installed in the prescribed manner exhibit predictable, consistent, and repeatable performance. The technique also provides an economical and reliable means for many other field seismic monitoring applications where high quality and broadband signals are essential, such as microseismic monitoring and geotomography studies.
Implicit authentication for mobile devices

We introduce the notion of implicit authentication - the ability to authenticate mobile users based on actions they would carry out anyway. We develop a model for how to perform implicit authentication, and describe experiments aimed at assessing the benefits of our techniques. Our preliminary findings support that this is a meaningful approach, whether used to increase usability or increase security.
Power estimation for cycle-accurate functional descriptions of hardware

Cycle-accurate functional descriptions (CAFD) are being widely adopted in integrated circuit (IC) design flows. Power estimation can potentially benefit from the inherent increase in simulation efficiency of cycle-based functional simulation. Currently, most approaches to hardware power estimation operate at the register-transfer level (RTL), or lower levels of design abstraction. Attempts at power estimation for functional descriptions have suffered from poor accuracy because the design decisions performed during their synthesis lead to an unavoidable, large uncertainty in any power estimate that is based solely on the functional description. We propose a methodology for CAFD power estimation that combines the accuracy achieved by power estimation at the structural RTL with the efficiency of cycle-accurate functional simulation. We achieve this goal by viewing a CAFD as an abstraction of a specific, known RTL implementation that is synthesized from it. We identify correlations between a CAFD and its RTL implementation, and "back-annotate" information into the CAFD solely for the purpose of power estimation. The resulting RTL-aware CAFD contains a layer of code that instantiates virtual placeholders for RTL components, and maps values of CAFD variables into the RTL components' inputs/outputs, thus enabling efficient and accurate power estimation. Power estimation is performed in our methodology by simply co-simulating the RTL-aware CAFD with a simulatable power model library that contains power macro-models for each RTL component. We present techniques to further improve the speed of CAFD power estimation, through the use of control state-based adaptive power sampling. We have implemented and evaluated the proposed techniques in the context of a commercial C-based hardware design flow. Experiments with a number of large industrial designs (up to 1 million gates) demonstrate that the proposed methodology achieves accuracy very close to RTL power estimation with two-to-three orders of magnitude speedup in estimation times.
Flow paths of plant tissue residues and digesta through gastrointestinal segments in Spanish goats and methodological considerations.

A sequence of eight twice-daily meals, each marked with different rare earth elements, was fed to 24 Spanish goats (BW = 20.6 +/- 1.94 kg) to produce meal-based profiles of rare earth markers within segments of the gastrointestinal digesta on subsequent slaughter. Accumulative mean residence time and time delay of rare earths and segmental and accumulative mean residence times of indigestible NDF (IDF) were estimated for each sampled segment. Diets consisted of ad libitum access to bermudagrass hay with a limit feeding of one of four supplements: 1) minerals (basal, B); 2) B + energy (E); 3) B + CP (CP); or 4) B + E + CP for 84 d. Mean daily intake (g/kg of BW) during the 5 d before slaughter differed (P crainodorsal reticulorumen (0.357) approximately reticulum (0.354) > mid-dorsal reticulorumen (0.291) approximately ventral reticulorumen (0.286), to that within the omasal folds and in the abomasum (0.259). Such a gradient of progressively aging mixture of plant tissue fragments is consistent with age-dependent flow paths established in the reticulorumen and flowing to the omasum and abomasum. Such heterogeneity of fragment ages within the reticulorumen is also indicated by the superior fit of marker dose site double dagger marker sampling site model assumptions. Additionally, cyclic meal- and rumination-induced variations in escape rate occur. Estimates of mean escape rates over days, needed for the practice of ruminant nutrition, must consider the complex interactions among plant tissues and the dynamics of their ruminal digestion of PDF.
Some Recent Work in Experimental Epistemology

I survey here some recent work on experimental philosophy and its bearing on some current debates in Epistemology. In the first part of the paper, I survey some general methodological issues concerning the relevance of folk judgments (a domain of study of experimental philosophy) to Contextualism and Interest Relative Invariantism (IRI). In the second part, I provide a critical review of several experiments some of which have been thought to disfavor contextualism and IRI, and others which have been thought to favor contrastivism (a type of contextualism).
Precursors of corpus cancer. II. A clinical and pathological study of adenomatous hyperplasia.

100 patients affected by adenomatous hyperplasia were observed to describe the clinical pattern and to define the final relationship of adenomatous hyperplasia to carcinoma. Most patients were over 50 but a number were premenopausal; most were white and married. The menstrual pattern of patients before onset of the disease also was observed. A considerable number of patients were obese and all had had abnormal vaginal bleeding for an average of 16 months; 22% had received treatment with estrogenic preparations; 27 patients had idiopathically enlarged uteri. 37 patients were treated by curettage 24 were considered cured and 13 required further treatment. 26 were treated by curettage and radiation sterilization 23 were considered cured while 3 required further treatment. 36 were treated with hysterectomy. In this series 10% of patients developed cancer later and in another 10% coexisting cancer could not be excluded. Obviously adenomatous hyperplasia is a significantly dangerous lesion which must be considered a cancer precursor.
It’s Time to Define a New Brand for Libraries. Let’s Make Sure It Leaves People Soaring, Not Snoring.

Librarians can benefit from studying the history of other professions in order to learn from mistakes others have made. One place librarians need to be concerned about today is the library brand, which defines for user communities what libraries are all about and what kind of experience users will have in libraries. Recent research reports show the library brand as “books” and suggest an equally uninspiring new branding. This article examines some compelling brand examples from other professions and suggests some other options for librarianship.
Renal Flow Studies After Abdominal Aortic Aneurysmectomy and Axillo-Bifemoral Bypass Graft: Case Report

Vascular disorders affecting the kidneys are either acquired or congenital. Included in this category are common multiplicity of renal arteries, the rare arteriovenous malformation, stresses due to fibromuscular disease or atherosclerosis including abdominal aortic aneurysms, arterial thrombosis, venous thrombosis, and infarction. In contrast to the group of cystic and neoplastic kidneys where scintigraphic or pathologic are not diagnostic, scintigraphic or pathologic anatomy in vascular disease is often diagnostic by nuclear medicine techniques. The authors present an interesting case of evaluation of acute renal failure in a patient abdominal aortic aneurysmectomy and axillo-bifemoral bypass graft.
Cytomegalovirus load at treatment initiation is predictive of time to resolution of viremia and duration of therapy in hematopoietic cell transplant recipients

Background Preemptive antiviral therapy relies on viral load measurements and is the mainstay of cytomegalovirus (CMV) prevention in hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT) recipients. However, optimal CMV levels for the initiation of preemptive therapy have not been defined.
Gamma-Ray Imaging of the Galactic Center Region

The Caltech imaging γ-ray telescope was launched by balloon from Alice Springs, NT, Australia and performed observations of the galactic center during the period 12.62 to 13.00 April 1988 UT. The first coded-aperture images of the galactic center region at energies above 30 keV show a single strong γ-ray source which is located 0.7±0.1 ° from the galactic nucleus and is tentatively identified as 1E1740.7-2942. If the source is at the distance of the galactic center, it is one of the most luminous objects in the galaxy at energies from 35 to 200 keV.
Lipid Concentrations and Couple Fecundity: The LIFE Study

Context: A role of lipids in human fecundity is hypothesized as cholesterol is the main substrate for steroid synthesis and has also been shown to affect the hormonal milieu and steroidogenesis in both men and women. Objective: The objective of the study was to evaluate the association between male and female serum lipid concentrations and time to pregnancy (TTP). Design/Setting: A population-based prospective cohort study recruiting couples from 16 counties in Michigan and Texas (2005–2009) using sampling frameworks allowing for identification of couples planning pregnancy in the near future. Participants: Five hundred one couples desiring pregnancy and discontinuing contraception were followed up for 12 months or until a human chorionic gonadotropin pregnancy was detected. Main Outcome and Measures: Fecundability odds ratios (FORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated after adjusting for age, body mass index, race, and education in relationship to female, male, and joint couple lipid concen...
Mistreatment due to weight: prevalence and sources of perceived mistreatment in women and men.

FALKNER, NICOLE H, SIMONE A. FRENCH, ROBERT W. JEFFERY, DIANNE NEUMARK-SZTAINER, NANCY E. SHERWOOD, AND NOELLE MORTON. Mistreatment due to weight: prevalence and sources of perceived mistreatment in women and men. Obes Res. Objective: Previous research has documented prejudicial attitudes and discrimination against overweight people. Yet the extent to which overweight people themselves perceive that they have been mistreated because of their weight has not been carefully studied. The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence of perceived mistreatment due to weight and sources of perceived mistreatment. Methods and Procedures: A non-clinical sample of healthy adults (187 men and 800 women) enrolled in a weight gain prevention program comprised the study population. A self-administered questionnaire was used to measure perceived mistreatment due to weight. Results: Overall, 22% of women and 17% of men reported weight-related mistreatment. The most commonly reported sources of mistreatment among women were strangers (12. 5%) and a spouse or loved one (11. 9%). Men were most likely to report mistreatment by a spouse or loved one (10. 2%) and friends (7. 5%). Somewhat surprisingly, sex differences in perceived weight-related mistreatment were significant only for stranger as the source. Perceived weight-related mistreatment was positively associated with body mass index (BMI) (r = 0. 39, p<0. 0001). Reported mistreatment was nearly ten times as pervalent among individuals in the highest quartile of the BMI distribution (42. 5%) than among those in the lowest BMI quartile (5. 7%), but was significantly greater than zero in all but the very lean. Discussion: Perceived mistreatment due to weight is a common experience and is not restricted to the morbidly obese. Results are discussed in light of the sociocultural value for thinness.
NMR spectra for a nested Fermi-liquid model

The anomalous NMR relaxation rate and Knight shift in the YBa{sub 2}Cu{sub 3}O{sub 7} superconducting state contrast notably with conventional BCS theory for s-wave energy gap models. A d-wave energy gap on a nested Fermi surface with a large gap ratio 2{Delta}{sub 0}{approx}11T{sub c} fits the data and is explained by using a {ital temperature-dependent} pairing interaction. A spin fluctuation pairing mechanism involves the susceptibility, which develops a T variation from electron collision damping. A superconducting energy gap reduces the damping below T{sub c}, enhances the susceptibility, and therefore strengthens the pairing at low T. {copyright} {ital 1997} {ital The American Physical Society}
Pattern of mutant p53 expression in human astrocytomas suggests the existence of alternate pathways of tumorigenesis

Background. Clinical observations suggest that malignant astrocytomas may arise from well-differentiated, low-grade tumors that have undergone anaplastic progression or may develop de novo. Mutations that alter the function of the p53 gene product are thought to play a critical role in astrocytoma tumorigenesis. The authors studied the pattern of mutant p53 expression in astrocytomas to define its role in the formation of malignant tumors by these different pathways. Methods. Tissues from 44 astrocytomas corresponding to Grades I-IV of the World Health Organization (WHO) classification were analyzed for the presence of mutations in exons 5, 7, and 8 of the p53 gene using single strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) and sequence analysis of DNA amplified by the polymerase chain reaction. Immunostaining for mutant p53 proteins was performed on tissues fixed in formaldehyde solution and embedded in paraffin; the tissues were from these 44 astrocytomas and another 103 astrocytomas obtained from archival material. Results. Tumors with mutant p53 genes were reliably identified by immunostaining for mutant p53 proteins. A higher percentage of astrocytomas of histologic Grades II-IV stained positively for p53 than were identified by mutational analysis. The average ages of patients with Grade III/IV astrocytomas with prominent (>10%) p53 staining and those with sparse (<10%) or no p53 staining were 44.5, 64.3, and 67.9 years, respectively (P < 0.0001). Conclusions. The pattern of mutant p53 expression is consistent with a role in driving the progression of low-grade astrocytomas to more malignant tumors. These results provide a genetic basis for the clinical observation that malignant astrocytomas resulting from anaplastic progression occur in a younger patient population than do malignant astrocytomas arising de novo.
Total energy calculations for extremely large clusters : the recursive approach

Abstract We present a computationally efficient scheme to evaluate the total energy of clusters that treats the nonlocality of bonding in very large systems, yet scales linearly with the number of atoms. The local electronic density of states and the corresponding band-structure energy, based on a Slater-Kloster parametrized Hamiltonian, is evaluated using the recursion technique. Other energy contributions are combined into pairwise repulsive energies. We demonstrate the utility of our approach by presenting total energies and densities of states for the different bulk forms of carbon.
Advertising in a pervasive computing environment

The advent of the internet has revolutionized the field of advertising by providing a whole new path for reaching potential customers. Studies show that online advertising is, on the whole, extremely effective and that consumer acceptance of online advertising is comparable to traditional media[7][8]. One of the reasons for the high effectiveness of online advertising is that users interact with the web at a far more personal and intimate level than they interact with other advertising media like the radio or television. Pervasive computing environments deal with users at an even more intimate level; hence such environments are even better advertising platforms than the web. Pervasive environments allow the delivery of relevant advertising in suitable ways to selected consumers. In this paper, we examine some of the possibilities of pervasive advertising as well as some of the issues involved.
Flutter of buckled plates at zero dynamic pressure

Buckled plates flutter at zero dynamic pressure, considering initial plate imperfections, including aerodynamic damping in quasi-steady supersonic approximation
Antibiotic Susceptibility of the Peptidyl Transferase Locus of Bovine Mitochondrial Ribosomes

We have a used a modified 'fragment reaction' to compare the susceptibility of isolated bovine mitochondrial ribosomes, bacterial (Escherichia coli) ribosomes and eukaryotic (bovine microsomal) ribosomes to several antibiotics. All of these ribosomes share certain structural features of their peptidyl transferase center, as indicated by their interaction with substrates, puromycin and gougerotin. Bovine mitochondrial ribosomes have other structural features in common with bacterial, but not cytoplasmic ribosomes, as revealed by their susceptibility to chloramphenicol and the streptogramin antibiotics. While mitochondrial ribosomes are susceptible to all inhibitors of bacterial ribosomes tested, their low susceptibility to the lincosamines and macrolides suggests that some component(s) of the binding sites for these antibiotics is altered.
Family‐based treatment for adolescent anorexia nervosa: A promising approach?

Despite the fact that anorexia nervosa is a debilitating disorder with serious psychological and medical sequelae, few psychological treatments have been studied. Of these, interventions that involve the parents of the adolescent have proved to be most promising. This is especially true for those cases with a short duration of illness ( < 3 years). Even more compelling is the fact that the benefits of this family-based treatment have been shown to be enduring at 5-year follow-up. Examination of the available treatment studies, both controlled trials as well as case series, indicates that most adolescents with anorexia nervosa, even those who are severely ill, can be treated quite successfully as outpatients. The important caveat is that outcome appears to be most successful when the patient's parents are viewed as a resource rather than a hindrance. Optimism regarding these encouraging findings should be tempered until larger scale randomised trials have been conducted.
Isolation and characterization of the major form of human MUC18 cDNA gene and correlation of MUC18 over-expression in prostate cancer cell lines and tissues with malignant progression.

Abstract Ectopical expression of huMUC18, a cell adhesion molecule in the immunoglobulin gene superfamily, causes a non-metastatic human melanoma cell line to become metastatic in a nude mouse system. To determine if MUC18 expression correlates with the development and malignant progression of prostate cancer, we investigated differential expression of human MUC18 (huMUC18) in normal prostate epithelial cells, prostate cancer cell lines, and prostatic normal and cancer tissues. We cloned and characterized the human MUC18 ( huMUC18 ) cDNA gene from three human prostate cancer cell lines and three human melanoma cell lines. The cDNA sequences from the six human cancer cell lines were identical except differences in one to five nucleotides. The deduced amino acid sequences of the longest ORF were 646 amino acids that were identical in these cDNAs except for one to three amino acid residues. The amino acid sequences of all our huMUC18 cDNA genes are similar to that cloned by other group (GenBank access #M28882) except differences in the same seven amino acids. We conclude that huMUC18 cDNA gene reported here represents the gene product from a major allele. The MUC18 mRNA and protein was expressed in three metastatic prostate cancer cell lines (TSU-PR1, DU145, and PC-3), but not in one non-metastatic prostate cancer cell line (LNCaP·FGC). The expression of huMUC18 in these four cell lines is positively related to their extent of in vitro motility and invasiveness and in vivo metastasis in nude mice. HuMUC18 protein was also expressed at high levels in extracts prepared from tissue sample sections containing high grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PIN), but weakly expressed in extracts prepared from cultured primary normal prostatic epithelial cells and the normal prostate gland. Immunohistochemical analysis showed that huMUC18 was expressed at higher levels in the epithelial cells of high-grade PIN and prostatic carcinomas, and in cells of a perineural invasion, a lymph node, and a lung metastases compared to that in normal or benign hyperplastic epithelium (BPH). We therefore conclude that MUC18 expression is increased during prostate cancer initiation (high grade PIN) and progression to carcinoma, and in metastatic cell lines and metastatic carcinoma. Increased expression of MUC18 is implicated to play an important role in developing and malignant progression of human prostate cancer. Furthermore, the lacking of predominant cytoplasmic membrane expression of MUC18 appeared to correlate with malignant progression of prostate cancer.
Beyond Dependency: Historical Sociology and Social Change in the Southern Cone of South America. A Review Article

During the past century, the inhabitants of South America's Southern Cone have experienced high hopes and deep frustrations. In the early twentieth century Argentina was counted among the richest countries in the world and experienced an extended period of liberal democratic politics. Before the 1970s, Chile and Uruguay had exceptionally stable democratic governments, and Uruguay was even considered a Latin American counterpart to European social democracy. Brazilians long expected that their country's ample resources and dynamic industry would allow it to become a major economic power, and many believed that social problems would be overcome through rapid economic growth. Since 1930, however, Argentines have endured repeated coups and dictatorships, and their country's economy has stagnated since the 1940s. In the early 1970s, democratic regimes in Chile and Uruguay were replaced by military dictatorships. In Brazil, the prosperity that once seemed near has been repeatedly postponed. Today the region faces a very uncertain future.
A computational study of the effect of capillary network anastomoses and tortuosity on oxygen transport.

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of capillary network anastomoses and tortuosity on oxygen transport in skeletal muscle, as well as the importance of muscle fibers in determining the arrangement of parallel capillaries. Countercurrent flow and random capillary blockage (e.g. by white blood cells) were also studied. A general computational model was constructed to simulate oxygen transport from a network of blood vessels within a rectangular volume of tissue. A geometric model of the capillary network structure, based on hexagonally packed muscle fibers, was constructed to produce networks of straight unbranched capillaries, capillaries with anastomoses, and capillaries with tortuosity, in order to examine the effects of these geometric properties. Quantities examined included the tissue oxygen tension and the capillary oxyhemoglobin saturation. The computational model included a two-phase simulation of blood flow. Appropriate parameters were chosen for working hamster cheek-pouch retractor muscle. Our calculations showed that the muscle-fiber geometry was important in reducing oxygen transport heterogeneity, as was countercurrent flow. Tortuosity was found to increase tissue oxygenation, especially when combined with anastomoses. In the absence of tortuosity, anastomoses had little effect on oxygen transport under normal conditions, but significantly improved transport when vessel blockages were present.
Cytodifferentiation of maturing pine tracheids: the final stage.

Abstract The natural process of autolysis of protoplasm terminating the maturation of xylem tracheids starts with the formation of cytoplasmic spherules and the breakdown of cytoplasmic bridges which maintain the unity of the intravacuolar lamellate and filamentous reticulum of cytoplasm immersed in vacuolar sap. Released organelles are subsequently digested in the central vacuole. The process is believed to involve vacuolar membrane transformations. Transmission and scanning electron microscopy of cell interiors were employed. Specimens for S.E.M. were freeze-fractured and freeze-dried, or processed by the critical point method.
Bracketing dates for two ash falls from Mount Mazama

TEPHRA falls from Mount Mazama1,2, on the site of the present Crater Lake caldera in Oregon, form the most extensive Holocene marker horizon in the Pacific North-west of the US and the adjacent part of Canada. Ash has been found east to Saskatchewan, south to Nevada, north to central British Columbia and on the Pacific Ocean floor3–6. Although the Mazama ash unit has been radiometrically dated repeatedly in the past 25 years (its age was one of the first determined by Arnold and Libby7), problems remain about the nature of the ashfall(s) and the radiometric control for the event(s). For example, the ash shows a degree of pertrographic variation that is not attributable only to gravity sorting away from the source. Also the spread of bracketing or included dates for tephra from 6,600 to ∼7,000 BP, using charcoal or non-calcareous sediments, is wider than expected for a single Holocene event8–10. Taken together, these facts suggest multiple Holocene eruptions of Mount Mazama. Substantial evidence of repeated or multiple eruptions is seen in the two unit sequence of Mazama ash in the C horizons of some soils and in peat bogs in Oregon. The ranges of radiocarbon dates under either the upper or the lower ash layers at several of these sites are significantly different, suggesting that three ash layers may occur11. Near Stillwater, Nevada, at least three ash units can be attributed to Mazama, the lowest of which is petrographically distinct from Mazama ash found elsewhere4. We report here the first demonstration that Mount Mazama erupted at least twice within a 200-yr span in the Holocene.
Reduction in the Number of Mg Acceptors with Al Concentration in Al x Ga 1− x N

High hole concentrations in Al x Ga1−x N become increasingly difficult to obtain as the Al mole fraction increases. The problem is believed to be related to compensation, extended defects, and the band gap of the alloy. Whereas electrical measurements are commonly used to measure hole density, in this work we used electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy to investigate a defect related to the neutral Mg acceptor. The amount and symmetry of neutral Mg in MOCVD-grown Al x Ga1−x N with x = 0 to 0.28 was monitored for films with different dislocation densities and surface conditions. EPR measurements indicated that the amount of neutral Mg decreased by 60% in 900°C-annealed Al x Ga1−x N films for x = 0.18 and 0.28 as compared with x = 0.00 and 0.08. A decrease in the angular dependence of the EPR signal accompanied the increased x, suggesting a change in the local environment of the Mg. Neither dislocation density nor annealing conditions contribute to the reduced amount of neutral Mg in samples with the higher Al concentration. Rather, compensation is the simplest explanation of the observations, because a donor could both reduce the number of neutral acceptors and cause the variation in the angular dependence.
Estrogen and progesterone dose-dependently reduce disruptive effects of restraint on lordosis behavior.

Abstract Ovariectomized rats were hormonally primed with various doses of estradiol benzoate (EB; 0.5–10 μg) in combination with various doses of progesterone (2.5–500 μg) to induce sexual receptivity. Females were then subjected to 5 min restraint and the effect on lordosis behavior was monitored for the next 30 min. Such mild stress has been previously shown to transiently reduce lordosis behavior of ovariectomized females hormonally primed only with 10 μg EB. In the current study, doses of progesterone of 25 μg or more in combination with 10 μg EB reduced the effects of restraint. Also priming doses of EB from 4.0 to 10 μg in combination with 250 μg progesterone prevented the lordosis-inhibiting effects of restraint. These findings reinforce prior observations of the dose-dependency of both estrogen and progesterone in the facilitation of lordosis behavior and introduce the female's lordosis response to mild restraint as a potentially useful index of the female's response to stress.
Effect of Mechanical Stimulus Spread across Glabrous Skin of Raccoon and Squirrel Monkey Hand on Tactile Primary Afferent Fiber Discharge

The role of spread of skin deformation in activating cutaneous mechanoreceptors at a distance from their threshold receptive fields (RFs) was examined in glabrous skin of the North American raccoon and the squirrel monkey. One feedback-controlled mechanical stimulus probe was used to indent the skin to a controlled depth at a constant velocity, at varying distances from a second probe, which was used to monitor vertical displacement depth and velocity at this distant site. In many instances, the monitor probe was positioned over the RF of a cutaneous mechanoreceptor, and single-unit action potentials were simultaneously recorded from individual fibers of the median or ulnar nerve.With distance from the site of stimulation, there was a systematic, monotonic decline in indentation depth and velocity; velocity fell off with distance more rapidly than depth. The degree of diminution with distance varied with the size, shape, and curvature of the digital or palm pad stimulated. Spread of indentation was more r...
Turnover and synthesis of biogenic amines in discrete brainstem nuclei of the rabbit

By use of a microtechnique and sensitive enzymatic isotopic assays norepinephrine (NE), dopamine (DA) and serotonin (5-HT) turnover rates were measured in 6 discrete brainstem regions. The results from young (3 days) and adult (1 year) rabbits were compared. In the dorsal raphe nucleus (dr) of the younger animals the slopes of disappearance of NE and 5-HT were significantly higher than in the adults. Whereas, in the dr the slope of the decline of DA was found to be significantly lower in younger animals. In the dr turnover rates of NE and 5-HT were higher in the young animals. However, higher turnover rates for DA were seen only in the LC-A6 region. The young animals had significantly lower turnover times for NE and 5-HT in the dr. The nts was the only nuclear group to reach significance for DA, and the young animals had longer turnover times when compared to adults. These results are indicative of the different roles the neurotransmitter systems play in maintaining homeostasis. The delicate balances in these systems in the brains of younger animals may contribute to their increased susceptibility to perturbations.
Neurosurgical interventions for spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia congenita: clinical presentation and assessment of the literature.

Background Spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia (SED) is a rare disease that causes vertebral abnormalities and short-trunk dwarfism. The two forms of SED are congenita and tarda. Each form arises in a genetically distinct fashion and manifests with a different set of complications. SED congenita is more severe, and patients usually display atlantoaxial instability and odontoid hypoplasia. Patients often have various neurologic deficits caused by compression of the spinal cord. The region most affected is the craniovertebral junction (CVJ). Methods A review of the PubMed Database, 1970 to the present, was performed using the search term "spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia" and limited to English-language articles. The search identified 22 articles discussing COL2A1 gene mutations and 10 clinical articles describing patients with SED and associated spinal abnormalities. Results Findings from the literature concerning diagnosis, presenting symptoms, and intervention taken are discussed. Additionally, a patient with a diagnosis of SED congenita who presented with bilateral hand numbness is described. The patient underwent a suboccipital craniotomy; posterior decompression of the foramen magnum, the arch of C1, and the lamina of C2; and instrumented fusion of C1-3 to relieve his symptoms. Conclusions In this article, the authors survey the current literature surrounding neurosurgical interventions and present an algorithm for treatment.