cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
What Does a Diagnosis of Depression Mean for Patients Undergoing Colorectal Surgery

Abstract Background Depression has been linked to increased morbidity and mortality in patients after surgery. The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of documented depression diagnosis on in-hospital postoperative outcomes of patients undergoing colorectal surgery. Materials and methods Patients from the National Inpatient Sample (2002-2017) who underwent proctectomies and colectomies were included. The outcomes measured included total hospital charge, length of stay, delirium, wound infection, urinary tract infection (UTI), pneumonia, deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, mortality, paralytic ileus, leak, and discharge trends. Multivariable logistic and Poisson regression analyses were performed. Results Of the 4,212,125 patients, depression diagnosis was present in 6.72% of patients who underwent colectomy and 6.54% of patients who underwent proctectomy. Regardless of procedure type, patients with depression had higher total hospital charges and greater rates of delirium, wound infection, UTI, leak, and nonroutine discharge, with no difference in length of stay. On adjusted analysis, patients with a depression diagnosis who underwent colectomies had increased risk of delirium (odds ratio (OR) 2.11, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.93-2.32), wound infection (OR 1.08, 95% CI 1.03-1.12), UTI (OR 1.15, 95% CI 1.10-1.20), paralytic ileus (OR 1.06, 95% CI 1.03-1.09), and leak (OR 1.37, 95% CI 1.30-1.43). Patients who underwent proctectomy showed similar results, with the addition of significantly increased total hospital charges among the depression group. Depression diagnosis was independently associated with lower risk of in-hospital mortality (colectomy OR 0.58, 95% CI 0.53-0.62; proctectomy OR 0.72, 95% CI 0.55-0.94). Conclusions Patients with a diagnosis of depression suffer worse in-hospital outcomes but experience lower risk of in-hospital mortality after undergoing colorectal surgery. Further studies are needed to validate and fully understand the driving factors behind this.
Communication and memory requirements as the basis for mapping task and data parallel programs

For a wide variety of applications, both task and data parallelism must be exploited to achieve the best possible performance on a multicomputer. Recent research has underlined the importance of exploiting task and data parallelism in a single compiler framework, and such a compiler can map a single source program in many different ways onto a parallel machine. The tradeoffs between task and data parallelism are complex and depend on the characteristics of the program to be executed, most significantly the memory and communication requirements, and the performance parameters of the target parallel machine. We present a framework to isolate and examine the specific characteristics of programs that determine the performance for different mappings. Our focus is on applications that process a stream of input, and whose computation structure is fairly static and predictable. We describe three such applications that were developed with our compiler: fast Fourier transforms, narrowband tracking radar; and multibaseline stereo. We examine the tradeoffs between various mappings for them and show how the framework is used to obtain efficient mappings.
Auditors' Susceptibility to Affective Bias via Repeated Client Email Exchanges with Mixed Evidence

While auditors used email to communicate with clients before COVID-19, the pandemic has caused firms to increase their reliance on email to facilitate remote client service delivery. Thus, auditors are relying more on email to establish relationships and gather audit evidence. This reliance could result in skewed judgments based on client email content and tone. We conduct a 2x2 within-subjects experiment that manipulates client affect (positive vs. neutral) and evidence consistency (whether the client’s response is consistent or inconsistent with audit evidence). We find auditors’ judgments are positively skewed by positive affective tones used across repeated email correspondences. Importantly, the affective response is engaged, and persists, only once participants are exposed to statements inconsistent with audit evidence. Our results are pervasive across several significant judgments including reliability, risk of material misstatement, skepticism, and trust. Our results inform firms redesigning audit methodologies to ensure audit quality in a remote audit environment.
The dependence of spectral parameters in the cross-sectional equation of coherent and incoherent radiation on energy using a mathematical method

The dependence of the cross-section of the coherent and incoherent radiation peaks in the X-ray absorption experiment of different energies (20-800 Kev) was investigated. Cross-sectional dependence on the atomic number Z was included from the published data for (8) elements, ranging from carbon to silver (C-Ag). The proportional constant K was obtained between (σc/σi), with the atomic number Z from (6-47). The results show that the value of K exponentially changes with energy.
Microwave and millimeter-wave multiferroic devices

The coupling between the electric and magnetic subsystems in a magnetoelectric (ME) material opens up the possibility of novel sensors and devices. Since the composites show very strong ME interactions, several research groups in recent years focused on the possibility of microwave and millimeter-wave devices based on the converse ME effects, such as dual E- and H-tunable 1–110 GHz devices and miniature antennas. Studies, to date, have been focused on E-tuning of magnetic modes, hybrid spin-electromagnetic resonance, and FMR in composites with spinel ferrites, hexagonal ferrites, or yttrium iron garnet and PZT, PMN-PT, or BTO for the ferroelectric phase. Devices such as resonators, filters, phase shifters, and antennas were studied. Ferrimagnetic oxides are ideal for use in microwave devices due to low losses. The novel feature in all of the above ME devices is the electric field or voltage tunability. Magnetic field tuning of ferrite devices is often slow, noisy, and requires W or kW power for operation. Such devices cannot be miniaturized or integrated with semiconductor processing technologies. But electric field tuning will be rapid and less noisy, require minimal power, and the devices can be miniaturized.
Buffer management schemes for enhanced TCP performance over satellite links

We designed queue management policies to enhance the performance of TCP over satellite networks. Our queue management schemes, smallest window first (SWF) and smallest sequence number first (SSF) give priority to sessions that have just opened or traveled across lossy and high delay channels. Thus, they combat the inherent unfairness of TCP. Our protocols help slow sessions grow their congestion windows more rapidly and effectively compete against other sessions for bottleneck resources. Although our protocols are useful in other contexts, they are particularly useful in satellite networks. With their high round trip times (RTTs), sessions can be severely penalized by the closure of the TCP congestion window. We show that our schedulers not only provide increased fairness, but they also substantially reduce the latency associated with transmitting short files (e.g., e-mails). SWF doubles the goodput of lossy sessions over FIFO and provides a 16% improvement over DRR. It also reduces the latency of short file transfers up to 40% over DRR
The Archaeology of Solvieux: An Upper Palaeolithic Open Air Site in France

The Archaeology of Solvieux: An Upper Palaeolithic Open Air Site in France. James Sackett. Los Angeles: UCLA Institute of Archaeology, 1999. 420 pp.
MNADK, a Long‐Awaited Human Mitochondrion‐Localized NAD Kinase

Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) and its phosphorylated form, NADP, play essential roles in numerous cellular processes in all organisms. NADP maintains a pool of its reducing equivalent, NADPH, which regenerates cellular oxidative defense systems to counteract oxidative damages. Mitochondria represent a major source of oxidative stress, because the majority of superoxide, a reactive oxygen species, is generated from the mitochondrial respiratory chain. Therefore, as universal electron carriers in cellular electron transfer reactions, the pyridine nucleotides are required by mitochondria for both antioxidant protection and biosynthetic pathways. The NAD kinase (NADK) is the sole NADP biosynthetic enzyme. Because NADP is membrane-impermeable, eukaryotes need compartment-specific NADKs for different organelles. Consistently, in both yeast and plants, three compartment-specific NADKs have been identified. In contrast, even though the first human NADK, a cytosolic one, was identified in 2001, the identity of a hypothesized mitochondrial NADK remained elusive, until a recent discovery that the uncharacterized human gene C5ORF33 encodes a mitochondrion-localized NADK, referred to as MNADK. Three groups have characterized MNADK functions based on distinct systems involving yeast, mouse, and human studies, from aspects of both in vitro and in vivo evidence. MNADK is a mitochondrial NADK that is enriched and nutritionally-regulated in mouse liver, and a MNADK-deficient patient exhibits symptoms characteristic of mitochondrial disease. The identification of MNADK provides a key clue to the mechanism involved in mitochondrial NADPH production and the maintenance of redox balance in mammalian cells. The roles of MNADK in physiological and pathological processes have yet to be discovered. J. Cell. Physiol. 230: 1697–1701, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
A method for compatible COTS component selection

Software projects involving integration of multiple commercial as well as in-house components, often confront interoperability problems. This is a result of the component selection process being limited to piecewise evaluation of system capabilities while neglecting a more thorough evaluation of interoperability between candidate components. Such problems often lead to increased costs and schedule overruns. Based on empirical data gathered from five years of developing e-services applications at USC-CSE, we have developed and applied a method for component selection that focuses on piecewise evaluation, as well as the interoperability between the candidate components. In this paper we describe the method and present a real-world example showing how it operates within the spiral process model generator.
Concentrations and Distribution of Major and Selected Trace Elements in Size-Density Fractionated Fly Ashes

The effectiveness of separation methods based on differences in size and density for isolating and concentrating trace-metal-enriched solid phases was investigated in four fly ashes. Size fractionation of fly ashes showed that about 80–90% by mass of the particles were 2.9gcm -3. The magnetic particles in this mass consisted mainly of spinels and hematite with the morphology of pyrite framboids. Concentrations of Ca, Ba, Sr, and P were enhanced in the >2.9-g cm-3 density fractions. Concentrations of trace elements As, Cr, Cu, Mo, Ni, Pb, V, and Zn increased with decreasing particle size. The highest concentrations of Cr, Cu, Ni, and V were found in the >2.9-gcm-3 portion of the magnetic fractions. The Cr, Ni, and V in these fractions seemed to be associated with spinel. The mass distribution of trace elements observed is apparently due to their volatilization-condensation during coal combustion. Calculations showed that 20–50% of the mass of As, Mo, Pb, Se, V, and Zn and 6–30% of the mass of Cr, Cu, and Ni may be present in surface layers. The trace elemental mass in these surface layers may constitute the readily mobilizable fraction of these trace elements in bulk ash. The nature of the solid phases of the trace elements in these fly ashes (except for Cr, Ni, and V in spinel) could not be determined directly.
Enzyme-Inhibitor Association Thermodynamics: Explicit and Continuum Solvent Studies

Studying the thermodynamics of biochemical association reactions at the microscopic level requires efficient sampling of the configurations of the reactants and solvent as a function of the reaction pathways. In most cases, the associating ligand and receptor have complementary interlocking shapes. Upon association, loosely connected or disconnected solvent cavities at and around the binding site are formed. Disconnected solvent regions lead to severe statistical sampling problems when simulations are performed with explicit solvent. It was recently proposed that, when such limitations are encountered, they might be overcome by the use of the grand canonical ensemble. Here we investigate one such case and report the association free energy profile (potential of mean force) between trypsin and benzamidine along a chosen reaction coordinate as calculated using the grand canonical Monte Carlo method. The free energy profile is also calculated for a continuum solvent model using the Poisson equation, and the results are compared to the explicit water simulations. The comparison shows that the continuum solvent approach is surprisingly successful in reproducing the explicit solvent simulation results. The Monte Carlo results are analyzed in detail with respect to solvation structure. In the binding site channel there are waters bridging the carbonyl oxygen groups of Asp189 with the NH2 groups of benzamidine, which are displaced upon inhibitor binding. A similar solvent-bridging configuration has been seen in the crystal structure of trypsin complexed with bovine pancreatic trypsin inhibitor. The predicted locations of other internal waters are in very good agreement with the positions found in the crystal structures, which supports the accuracy of the simulations.
Scientific programming languages for distributed memory multiprocessors: paradigms and research issues

Abstract This paper attempts to identify some of the central concepts, issues, and challenges that are emerging in the development of imperative, data parallel programming languages for distributed memory multiprocessors. It first describes a common paradigm for such languages that appears to be emerging. The key elements of this paradigm are the specification of distributed data structures, the specification of a virtual parallel computer, and the use of some model of parallel computation and communication. The paper illustrates these concepts briefly with the DINO programming language. Then it discusses some key research issues associated with each element of the paradigm. The most interesting aspect is the model of parallel computation and communication, where there is a considerable diversity of approaches. The paper proposes a new categorization for these approaches, and discusses the relative advantages or disadvantages of the different models.
Severe acute abdominal pain in idiopathic nephrotic syndrome.

We read with great interest the case report on severe acute abdominal pain in a patient with steroid-sensitive idiopathic nephrotic syndrome (SSINS) [1]. Some statements made by the authors deserve further comments. Severe acute abdominal pain in SSINS is a well-known clinical symptom and is related to infectious peritonitis or vascular thrombosis. However, the great majority of children with SSINS presenting with acute abdominal pain suffer from imminent (and often severe) relapse, as reported in textbooks [2]. This association is often not recognized because the abdominal pain occurs before the patient has developed marked edema, thus heralding a new relapse. Laboratory findings include elevated hematocrit (often >0.50), mildly raised plasma creatinine, and low urinary sodium.
Sparse sign-consistent Johnson–Lindenstrauss matrices: Compression with neuroscience-based constraints

Johnson–Lindenstrauss (JL) matrices implemented by sparse random synaptic connections are thought to be a prime candidate for how convergent pathways in the brain compress information. However, to date, there is no complete mathematical support for such implementations given the constraints of real neural tissue. The fact that neurons are either excitatory or inhibitory implies that every so implementable JL matrix must be sign consistent (i.e., all entries in a single column must be either all nonnegative or all nonpositive), and the fact that any given neuron connects to a relatively small subset of other neurons implies that the JL matrix should be sparse. We construct sparse JL matrices that are sign consistent and prove that our construction is essentially optimal. Our work answers a mathematical question that was triggered by earlier work and is necessary to justify the existence of JL compression in the brain and emphasizes that inhibition is crucial if neurons are to perform efficient, correlation-preserving compression.
Multiple mechanisms underlie displacement of solitary Hawaiian hymenoptera by an invasive social wasp.

Variation in invasion success may result from the divergent evolutionary histories of introduced species compared to those of native taxa. The vulnerability of native biotas to ecological disruption may be especially great on oceanic islands invaded by continental species with unique ecological traits. In part because Hawaii lacks native eusocial insects, social invaders may threaten endemic taxa that are ecologically similar but solitary. Using a combination of field manipulations, molecular analyses, physiological data, and behavioral assays, we identify the mechanisms underlying the displacement of two genera of native solitary Hymenoptera in Hawaii by a social continental invader, the western yellowjacket (Vespula pensylvanica). Experimental removal of V. pensylvanica colonies resulted in increased densities of native Hymenoptera. Endemic Hylaeus bees directly suffer through predation by yellowjackets, and perhaps as a consequence, avoid floral resources occupied by V. pensylvanica. Native Nesodynerus wasps also avoid V. pensylvanica but are negatively affected by yellowjackets not through predation, but through exploitative competition for caterpillar prey. Displacement of native solitary Hymenoptera may be heightened by the ability of V. pensylvanica to prey upon and scavenge honey bees and to rob their honey stores, resources unavailable to endemic bees and wasps because of their specialized niches. Our study provides a unique example of an ecologically generalized social invader that restructures native assemblages of solitary Hymenoptera by interacting with endemic taxa on multiple trophic levels.
‘The time of most distress’: Plymouth plantation's demographic crisis

Despite ill omens and unfavorable contractual terms, English Separatists from Leiden and people recruited by investors in London established a settlement at Plymouth in the winter of 1620/21. Sickness and disease killed half the colonists, devastating families and reshaping the population in terms of gender balance, age, and social status. Between 1621 and 1623 the arrival of additional settlers and the constant intrusion of transients caused food shortages, instability, and clashes with local Native Americans. Disputes involving civil and religious leadership led to significant outmigration. Improved social relations after 1625 masked problems that stemmed from the first winter's deadly toll and the sporadic arrival of impoverished Separatists from Leiden.
Viral Inactivation in Foods: A Review of Traditional and Novel Food-Processing Technologies

Over one-half of foodborne illnesses are believed to be viral in origin. The ability of viruses to persist in the environment and foods, coupled with low infectious doses, allows even a small amount of contamination to cause serious problems. An increased incidence of foodborne illnesses and consumer demand for fresh, convenient, and safe foods have prompted research into alternative food-processing technologies. This review focuses on viral inactivation by both traditional processing technologies such as use of antimicrobial agents and the application of heat, and also novel processing technologies including high-pressure processing, ultraviolet- and gamma-irradiation, and pulsed electric fields. These industrially applicable control measures will be discussed in relation to the 2 most common causes of foodborne viral illnesses, hepatitis A virus and human noroviruses. Other enteric viruses, including adenoviruses, rotaviruses, aichi virus, and laboratory and industrial viral surrogates such as feline caliciviruses, murine noroviruses, bacteriophage MS2 and ΦX174, and virus-like particles are also discussed. The basis of each technology, inactivation efficacy, proposed mechanisms of viral inactivation, factors affecting viral inactivation, and applicability to the food industry with a focus on ready-to-eat foods, produce, and shellfish, are all featured in this review.
Real time mapping of corrosion activity under coatings

Abstract Current accelerated testing of aircraft coating systems for corrosion protection relies heavily on salt spray methods. Electrochemical techniques such as electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and electrochemical noise methods (ENM) provide insight into the global properties of a coating system, and both techniques are being used on a limited basis. However, there is a need to investigate corrosion events with greater spatial resolution under coatings at the metal/coating interface. Such corrosion activity may be related to coating defects and variations in the surface chemistry of the underlying metal. The scanning vibrating electrode technique (SVET) has been developed to allow high spatial resolution investigation of localized corrosion activity that may be associated with coating defects or galvanic coupled regions of the metal surface. The SVET offers high resolution in current measurements of the order of 0.5 μA/cm 2 and is able to detect in-situ initiation and progress of corrosion activity under a protective coating. Using the SVET, minute variations in d.c. current associated with localized corrosion activity are detected and used to map both anodic and cathodic corrosion activities in a localized area. The difference in initial corrosion activity under various coatings can be correlated to the performance life of the coatings. The application of SVET to aircraft coatings and corrosion is reported to demonstrate the utility of this important new electrochemical tool. In the current study, the SVET was used to discriminate the corrosion protection performance of selected sol–gel based coating systems. Sol–gel based surface treatments are being developed as part of an environmentally compliant coating system alternative to the currently used chromate-based systems. The SVET results are compared with data obtained from chromium inhibition coating systems. The SVET analyses are compared with electrochemical impedance measurements. The comparison of such data will provide the basis to adopt SVET measurements as an early performance discriminator for newly developed coating systems.
Real-time adaptive signaling for isolated intersections

Efficient design is required for a cyber-physical system, as we need to trade off the complexity and performance benefits. We consider the CPS of a traffic-light controller at an isolated intersection that is used by autonomous, semi-autonomous, and human-driven automobiles. Existing traffic systems are vulnerable to accidents (more than 1 million people die in automotive accidents globally) and undesired traffic delays (the average U.S. driver spends a week stuck in traffic every year). The next generation of traffic-light control systems should protect against these disruptions while maintaining enhanced control of the system to optimize features of interest. The potential benefits of such a system include increased safety in the presence of higher density traffic, increased fuel and time efficiency (as less time is wasted in queuing), and decreased demands on drivers to make driving decisions. Here, we demonstrate a novel approach to adjusting the cycle length, yellow time, and red-to-green ratios of a traffic signal by minimizing the average loss per vehicle due the presence of the signal.
Incidence and Management of Colorectal Cancer in Liver Transplant Recipients

Liver transplant recipients are at an increased risk of developing de novo malignancies because of the prolonged immunosuppression necessary to avoid acute and chronic rejections. Skin cancers and lymphoproliferative diseases are the most common malignancies, but the overall incidence of colon cancer in this patient population does differ from that of the general population. Therefore, colorectal cancer (CRC) is a major health concern in liver transplant recipients. Furthermore, there are unique subsets of liver transplant recipients, such as those with primary sclerosing cholangitis and inflammatory bowel disease, who are at an increased risk for developing CRC after liver transplantation and might require special screening/surveillance strategies. The similar principles for management of colon cancer can be applied to transplant recipients if the adjustment to maintain the need for the long-term immunosuppression is made. Colectomy can be performed safely during the posttransplantation period. Prophylactic colectomy at the time of liver transplantation has been performed in some patients at high risk or with known premalignant conditions. Chemotherapy with 5- fluorouracil and oxaliplatin has been used in transplant recipients for the treatment of metastatic CRC; however, further research is required to examine the safety, tolerability, and efficacy of combination chemotherapy and biologic agents in this patient population. This review summarizes the incidence, risk factors, diagnosis, and management of de novo CRC in liver transplant recipients.
High resolution microwave studies of the magnetic properties of OCS

Abstract A high resolution Zeeman microwave spectrometer employing a superconducing magnet, superheterodyne detection, and a microwave resonant cavity absorption cell was used to accurately measure the rotational magnetic moment and molecular magnetic susceptibility anisotropy of 16 O 12 C 32 S. Δ M J = ±1 Zeeman transitions of the J = 1 → 2 rotational absorption line were studied, yielding the following results: g 1 = −0.028860 ± 0.000037, g 2 = −0.028870 ± 0.000037, Δ x = (−9.36 3 ± 0.01 6 ) × 10 −6 emu/mole. From these data the molecular quadrupole moment of 16 O 12 C 32 S has been evaluated as O | = (−0.773 ± 0.023) × 10 −26 esu cm 2 .
Developmental changes of tropoelastin synthesis by rat pulmonary fibroblasts and effects of dexamethasone.

ABSTRACT: Lung elastin is an important extracellular structural protein and it has been postulated that it plays a regulatory role in alveolar formation. To study the developmental regulation of elastin gene expression, we examined the tropolastin (TE) production in primary culture of rat pulmonary fibroblasts (RPF). We found that developmental changes in elastin production as assessed by TE synthesis and 3.6-kb TE mRNA levels were similar for RPF and whole tissue except those results from iate gestation animals, with peak elastin expression occurring 7 d postnatally with a decline out to 21 d. At late gestation (20 d), TE mRNA was barely detectable in RPF but clearly detectable TE mRNA in the whole tissue, indicating that there are elastogenic cells other than RPF in the tissue at this age. When TE-producing cells were treated with dexamethasone, there was a dose-dependent stimulation of TE synthesis with the maximum response at 10-9 to 10-7 M. Interestingly, dexamethasone had no stimulatory effect on cells from late gestation animals. The developmental window of elastin synthesis in this RPF model between late gestation and 21 d postnatal seems to correlate with the reported period of secondary alveolar formation, and thus we speculate that RPF elastogenic activity reflects that of the alveolar wall. (Pediatr Res 28: 379–382, 1990)
Gas puff Z-pinch x-ray source: a new approach

Gas puff Z-pinches have been operated successfully with peak currents of 100 kA to more than 10 MA. Very little effort has been developed to study long life rep-rated systems. The scaling laws of the gas puff Z-pinch show that up to a few MA (peak pinch current), the neon k-line yield is proportional to I4. In these machines the peak current is proportional to the square root of the energy stored in the system. As a result the x-ray yield is proportional to the square of the stored energy. A 1 pulse/sec with about one Megampere current can be realized with a capacitor-driven gas puff Z-pinch storing 20 to 40 kJ. Such a system will deliver about one kW Ne k line radiation (about 10 A) and a few hundred Watts Kr 1 line radiation. At this power level this machine becomes very attractive for x-ray applications such as x-ray lithography, x-ray microscopy, and spectroscopy. Reliability, components life time, debris, and state of the art are discussed.© (1991) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Effect of preprocessing treatments on the firmness and quality characteristics of whole and sliced strawberries after freezing and thermal processing

Procedures designed to improve fruit firmness of overripe strawberry fruit originally designated for the fresh market were investigated. The firmness of ‘Cardinal’ strawberries was increased by soaking or vacuum infiltrating in 1 or 2% Ca lactate solutions. Calcium lactate was more effective in firming sliced than whole fruit. Thermally processed fruit benefited more from calcium absorption than did the frozen, thawed fruit. Whole fruit firmness was increased by the vacuum infiltration of Ca lactate. There was little increase in firmness of the sliced fruit when the calcium was vacuum infiltrated as compared to a soak treatment with no vacuum. There were slight but significant differences among treatments on all quality attributes tested. However, these quality differences would have no commercial importance.
GDNF/Ret signaling and the development of the kidney

Signaling by GDNF through the Ret receptor is required for normal growth of the ureteric bud during kidney development. However, the precise role of GDNF/Ret signaling in renal branching morphogenesis and the specific responses of ureteric bud cells to GDNF remain unclear. Recent studies have provided new insight into these issues. The localized expression of GDNF by the metanephric mesenchyme, together with several types of negative regulation, is important to elicit and correctly position the initial budding event from the Wolffian duct. GDNF also promotes the continued branching of the ureteric bud. However, it does not provide the positional information required to specify the pattern of ureteric bud growth and branching, as its site of synthesis can be drastically altered with minimal effects on kidney development. Cells that lack Ret are unable to contribute to the tip of the ureteric bud, apparently because GDNF-driven proliferation is required for the formation and growth of this specialized epithelial domain.
Acute Intra-Arterial Administration of Cholesterol Causes Renal Vasoconstriction and Antinatriuresis in Rats

An increase in circulating cholesterol level concentration chronically induces vascular dysfunction and aggravates the condition of hypertension. However, the mechanistic role of cholesterol in the pathophysiological process of hypertension remains poorly understood. To examine the hypothesis that increased cholesterol influences renal hemodynamic and tubular function leading to sodium retention, we evaluated the renal responses to polyoxyethanyl-cholesteryl sebacate (PEG-Chol) as well as cholesterol sequestered with methyl-cyclodextrin (MCD-Chol) at a dose 8μg/min/100g of body weight infused directly into the left renal artery of anesthetized male Sprague-Dawley rats for 60 min. Total renal blood flow (RBF) was measured by a Transonic flow probe and regional (cortical, CBF and medullary, MBF) blood flow was measured by laser-Doppler needle flow probes. Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) was determined by inulin clearance. Observed renal responses to acute infusion of PEG-Chol (n = 6) and MCD-Chol (n = 6) were similar, therefore these data were combined. Compared to the control period, administration of cholesterol caused slight decreased of 10 ± 2 % in RBF (baseline, B 7.6 ± 0.3 mL/min/g), 8 ± 1 % in CBF (B 210 ± 11 perfusion unit; PU), 7 ± 2 % in MBF (B 67 ± 4 PU) and 5 ± 2 % in GFR (B 0.87 ± 0.03mL/min/g). Moreover, cholesterol infusion also caused marked reductions of 14 ± 2 % in urine flow (B 12.9 ± 0.9 μL/min/g), 28 ± 3 % in sodium excretion (B 1.10 ± 0.08 μmol/min/g) and 22 ± 2 % in fractional sodium excretion (B 0.87 ± 0.06 %) without affecting potassium excretion. Infusion of vehicle did not cause any changes in renal parameters. These data suggest that hypercholesterolemia compromises the kidney’s ability to excrete sodium appropriately and thus could play a role in the pathophysiology of salt-sensitivity and hypertension.
Ruptured cerebral aneurysms.

A ruptured cerebral aneurysm is an intracranial catastrophe, associated with very high morbidity and mortality. Drs. Dilantha Ellegala and Arthur Day describe how outcomes have substantially improved over the past 30 years.
An interrelational grouping abstraction for heterogeneous sensors

In wireless sensor network applications, the potential to use cooperation to resolve user queries remains largely untapped. Efficiently answering a user's questions requires identifying the correct set of nodes that can answer the question and enabling coordination between them. In this article, we propose a query domain abstraction that allows an application to dynamically specify the nodes best suited to answering a particular query. Selecting the ideal set of heterogeneous sensors entails answering two fundamental questions—how are the selected sensors related to one another, and where should the resulting sensor coalition be located. We introduce two abstractions, the proximity function and the reference function, to precisely specify each of these concerns within a query. All nodes in the query domain must satisfy any provided proximity function, a user-defined function that constrains the relative relationship among the group of nodes (e.g., based on a property of the network or physical environment or on logical properties of the nodes). The selected set of nodes must also satisfy any provided reference function, a mechanism to scope the location of the query domain to a specified area of interest (e.g., within a certain distance from a specified reference point). In this article, we model these abstractions and present a set of protocols that accomplish this task with varying degrees of correctness. We evaluate their performance through simulation and highlight the tradeoffs between protocol overhead and correctness.
Asymmetrical dark field detectors in the stem

Although the annular dark field detector in the STEM collects a large fraction of the elastically scattered electrons, it does not use all the information carried by these electrons because it ignores the distribution of electrons over its surface. This information can be obtained by dividing the detector into sections. This paper calculates the number of electrons scattered by a single atom onto each side of an annular dark field detector split in half by a line passing through its center. This scattering problem is unusual because the incident wave is not a plane wave in the STEM. The sum and difference signals are calculated for a single atom from its scattering amplitude for a STEM limited by primary or secondary spherical aberration operating at 10 kV, 40 kV, 70 kV, or 100 kV. All the cases calculated show that a single thorium atom should give an observable difference signal which is very sensitive to the focal conditions of the STEM.
The relationship between preoperative cervical alignment and postoperative spinal cord drift after decompressive laminectomy and arthrodesis for cervical spondylotic myelopathy.

Abstract Background Cervical spondylotic myelopathy represents a debilitating disorder, often resulting in significant neurological impairment over time. Cervical laminectomy has enjoyed a successful track record in the surgical management of these patients. Little is understood regarding the significance of postdecompressive migration of the spinal cord in relation to patient outcome. Methods Preoperative and postoperative cervical spine MRIs of 28 patients who underwent cervical laminectomy and fusion for the treatment of CSM were reviewed. Radiographic parameters including preoperative cervical alignment, LDI, space available at the level cepahlad/caudad to the decompression, percent spinal cord expansion at the radiographically most compressed level, and spinal cord drift to the midpoint of the spinal cord were measured and subsequently analyzed for statistical correlation. The recovery rate based on the mJOA score was calculated for each patient and analyzed for correlation with spinal cord drift. Results The Cobb angle C2-7, cervical spinal angle, and CCI represented tightly correlated measures of cervical alignment. The preoperative cervical alignment did not statistically correlate with postoperative spinal cord drift. No statistical correlation was revealed between postdecompressive spinal cord drift and recovery rate. Conclusions Preoperative cervical alignment does not statistically correlate with postoperative spinal cord drift in patients undergoing multisegmental decompressive laminectomy and fusion for CSM. The observation of significant posterior shifting of the spinal cord in the context of straight or kyphotic preoperative alignment suggests that posterior decompression and arthrodesis represent a viable option in the surgical management of patients with CSM with nonlordotic preoperative alignment.
Complete Cystic Degeneration of a Large Leiomyoma

Background: Cystic degeneration of myomas is rare, accounting for only 4% of all cases of myoma degeneration. Case: A 42-year-old woman underwent the excision of a 18 × 10 × 9 cm completely cystic myoma, which weighed 1031 g and was attached to the uterine fundus. There was no significant myometrial invasion or solid component. Conclusions: This is the largest purely cystic myoma reported. It was removed intact without incident.
Reversible acute renal failure and nephrotic syndrome in a Type 1 diabetic patient.

Nephrotic syndrome is a condition commonly associated with end-stage renal disease secondary to diabetic nephropathy. It is usually associated with long-standing renal insufficiency, microalbuminuria, and overt proteinuria. We present a diabetic patient with acute oliguric renal failure and nephrotic syndrome. At presentation, he had a serum creatinine of 2.3 mg/dl, blood urea nitrogen (BUN) of 69 mg/dl, urinary protein excretion of 10.5 g/24 h, serum albumin of 1.3 g/dl, and a urine output <400 cc/24 h. A renal biopsy was done and the renal pathology was compatible with early diabetic nephropathy. Despite intense diuretic therapy, the patient's renal condition did not improve, and peritoneal dialysis was started several months after diagnosis. After 8 months of dialysis therapy, the patient's renal parameters and urinary output spontaneously restored to normal limits (serum creatinine was 1.1 mg/dl, urinary albumin excretion was 411 mg/24 h, serum albumin was 4.3 g/dl, and normal urine output) and dialysis was discontinued. His renal function did not deteriorate after discontinuation of dialysis. We conclude that this patient's reversible acute renal failure and nephrotic syndrome were associated with minimal change disease and not due to diabetic nephropathy.
Plate effects in North Pacific subduction zones

Abstract Plate structures derived by thermal modelling of subduction zones give rise to pronounced geophysical effects. These effects are examined in the North Pacific by applying seismic ray tracing to teleseismic and local network data. The amplitudes of long-period body waves are used to examine the location of the Kuril plate. By allowing for plate structure in the earthquake location process we find that deeper than normal hypocenters fall within the colder more brittle regions of the plate. Focal-mechanism plots of relocated earthquakes show large departures in the dip and azimuth of focal angles from symmetric earth values. Certain circumstances of station geometry with respect to the source may result in an error in the slip vector, to the extent that this kind of error is a limiting factor on the precision of any instantaneous plate motion model. Only small changes in the slowness and azimuth of the wavefront are predicted for arrays at teleseismic distances. A change in the stress direction down-dip to the descending plate has been identified between 120 and 140 km in depth in at least two subduction zones.
How robust are distributed systems

A distributed system is made up of large numbers of components operating asynchronously from one another and hence with imcomplete and inaccurate views of one another's state. Load fluctuations are common as new tasks arrive and active tasks terminate. Jointly, these aspects make it nearly impossible to arrive at detailed predictions for a system's behavior. It is important to the successful use of distributed systems in situations in which humans cannot provide the sorts of predictable realtime responsiveness of a computer, that the system be robust. The technology of today can too easily be affected by worn programs or by seemingly trivial mechanisms that, for example, can trigger stock market disasters. Inventors of a technology have an obligation to overcome flaws that can exact a human cost. A set of principles for guiding solutions to distributed computing problems is presented.
Determining students' intent to stay in it programs: an empirical model

Current declining enrollment and attrition trends in IT programs have inspired an emerging body of literature: IT student retention. To shed some insight on whom leaves and stays in IT programs, the authors developed a new construct, computing resilience, and explored its influence on intent to stay and emotional intelligence. This study also investigated the linkage between ethnic identity, emotional intelligence, and IT student intent to stay. It was found that ethnic identity and computing resilience influence student retention through emotional intelligence. Implications for these findings for IT faculty, students, and administrators are discussed.
Hemispherical transmittance properties of solar glazings as a function of averaging procedure and incident angle

Abstract The hemispherical transmittance properties of a variety of coated and uncoated plastics (teflon, tedlar, acrylic) and fiberglass composites (e.g., greenhouse coverings) were measured as a function of wavelength, polarization and incident angle. In addition the normal hemispherical reflectance for each sample was measured. The normal incidence data were solar averaged over an air mass two solar spectrum for the following cases: (1) an average over the solar energy spectrum as reported separately by Moon and Thekaekara to obtain a solar transmittance which is applicable to a solar thermal collector; (2) an average over the solar photon spectrum to obtain a solar transmittance which is applicable to a solar photon converter; and (3) an average over the solar photon spectrum which has been limited to the active wavelength region of several common solar cells. Solar energy transmittance values for the materials studied ranged from 0.95 to 0.77. The solar energy averages calculated using Thekaekara's data were from 0 to 3.5% lower than the averages calculated from Moon's data. Depending upon the material, the difference between the solar energy average and the solar photon average limited to the active range of a solar cell ranged from 1% to as much as 11%. The angular dependence of the solar transmittance was found to agree with calculations using a multiple beam transmittance model for materials that have very little scattering in the transmitted beam. However, for materials with appreciable scattering in the transmitted beam, differences between calculated and measured angular transmittance values as large as 0.04 transmittance units were found using this model.
Optical properties of ZnO-alloyed nanocrystalline films

ZnO is emerging as one of the materials of choice for UV applications. It has a deep excitonic energy level and a direct bandgap of ∼3.4 eV. Alloying ZnO with certain atomic constituents adds new optical and electronic functionalities to ZnO. This paper presents research on MgxZn1-xO and ZnS1-xOx nanocrystalline flexible films, which enable tunable optical properties in the deep-UV and in the visible range. The ZnO and Mg0.3Zn0.7O films were found to have bandgaps at 3.35 and 4.02 eV, respectively. The photoluminescence of the Mg0.3Zn0.7O exhibited a bandedge emission at 3.95 eV, and at lower energy 3.38 eV due to the limited solubility inherent to these alloys. ZnS0.76O0.24 and ZnS0.16O0.84 were found to have bandgaps at 3.21 and 2.65 eV, respectively. The effect of nitrogen doping on ZnS0.16O0.84 is discussed in terms of the highly lattice mismatched nature of these alloys and the resulting valence-band modification.
Live Load Radial Moment Distribution for Horizontally Curved Bridges

This study is designed to determine the effect of major parameters on maximum total bending moments of curved girders, establish the relationship between key parameters and girder distribution factors (GDFs), and develop new approximate distribution factor equations. A level of analysis study using 3 numerical models was performed to establish an appropriate numerical modeling method on the basis of field test results. 81, 2-traffic lane curved bridges were analyzed under HL-93 loading. Two approximate GDF equations were developed based on the data obtained in this study: 1) a single GDF based on total girder normal stress; and 2) a combined GDF treating bending and warping normal stress separately. The 2 equations were developed based on both an averaged coefficient method and regression analysis. A goodness-of-fit test revealed that the combined GDF model developed by regression analysis best predicted GDFs. This research study demonstrated that radius, span length, cross frame spacing, and girder spacing most significantly affect GDFs. The proposed GDF equations are expected to provide a more refined live load analysis for preliminary design.
GLUCOSE AND FATTY ACID OXIDATION BY DEVELOPING LUNG

Although the lung is active metabolically during late fetal development and in the immediate postnatal period because of large energy requirements for growth and the synthesis of surfaces active phospholipids, there is little information available concerning substrate oxidations by the developing lung. We have measured the capacity of lung slices obtained from 17 day fetuses to adults to oxidize glucose and fatty acids. Glucose oxidation to CO2 decreased between 17 and 20 days of fetal development. Coincident with birth CO2 production from glucose increased and remained constant until weaning when activity again increased possibly in association with the shift to higher carbohydrate intake. The ratio of glucose -1-14C: Glucose -6-1414C oxidation to 14CO2 was highest during late fetal development suggesting increased glucose oxidation via the pentose phosphate pathway at that time Oxidation of palmitate in fetal, newborn and adult lung was negligible even in the presence of carnitine. However, oxidation of capric acid (10 carbon) was significant and increased from 55 n moles/g/hr at 17 days gestation to 130 n moles/g/hr by the 5th postnatal day. Activity then declined to adult levels which were approximately 25% that of glucose oxidation. The data suggests that while the developing lung can oxidize glucose and medium chain fatty acids, palmitate oxidation is limited possibly because of requirements for its utilization as a substrate for pulmonary lecithin.