cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Participatory Genomic Testing Can Effectively Disseminate Cardiovascular Pharmacogenomics Concepts within Federally Qualified Health Centers: A Feasibility Study.

Objective: We assessed feasibility of an educational program designed to enhance stakeholder knowledge and perceptions of pharmacogenomics at a federally qualified health center (FQHC). Design: FQHCs have a rich history of providing care to the underserved, but often are not represented by studies evaluating cutting-edge concepts. We used a novel educational platform to provide participato­ry genomic testing and classroom education. We assessed participant knowledge and perceptions using questionnaires between May and July 2018. Setting: We partnered with a FQHC affili­ated with an academic medical center in Chicago. Participants: Using convenience sampling, we recruited 20 providers and 10 commu­nity members for a feasibility study. Provid­ers included physicians, physician extend­ers, community health workers, and patient health navigators. Community members were patients, supporters, and/or FQHC advisory board members. Intervention: Participants had the option to undergo personal genomic testing. Online educational modules included basic genet­ics, cardiovascular pharmacogenomics, and personalized medicine. Education conclud­ed in a 2-hour live course with case-based discussions. Main Outcome Measures: Our main out­come was testing pilot feasibility. Baseline knowledge and perceptions were compared with post-intervention assessments using descriptive statistics, t tests (or Wilcoxon rank-sum) for continuous variables and chi-squared (or Fisher’s exact) for categorical variables. Results: We found that attitudes toward the intervention were positive and remained so after intervention. Our intervention was both feasible and acceptable. Genomics knowledge increased for nearly all partici­pants. Conclusions: We have determined that a pharmacogenomics educational program tailored for an underrepresented commu­nity is feasible and acceptable. Outcomes will advise methodology for larger imple­mentation studies. Ethn Dis. 2020;30(Suppl 1):167-176; doi:10.18865/ed.30.S1.167
Make Me Care: Ethical Visualization for Impact in the Sciences and Data Sciences

Scientists and data scientists have long aspired to eliminate bias from their visualizations. This paper argues that eliminating bias from visualizations is impossible, efforts to do so have negative real-world consequences for people, and that strategically emphasizing bias in visualizations is not only desirable, but also ethical. The growing public mistrust in science has not been helped by efforts to produce visualizations devoid of bias. This paper further argues that ethical visualization can only be achieved by acknowledging and embracing the treacherous nature of data visualization as a medium, committing to an ethics of care in visualization, investigating the potential for both benefit and harm when visualizing specific data, and then employing strategies to mitigate the harm involved in creating, using, and sharing visualizations. These strategies center around consciously crafting a visual frame (ie bias) for communicating data to a given audience. This paper offers 1) a critical lens on the rhetorical nature of visualizations, 2) the Hippocratic oath as a means of committing to maximizing the benefit, and mitigating the harm, done by visualizations, 3) ethical visualization for impact as a practical strategy for taming treacherous visualizations, and 4) compassionate visualizations as the end goal of following ethical visualization practices.
It’s complicated: Sex and the BDSM subculture:

Drawing from extensive insider ethnographic work and an internet survey with a convenience sample of 1642 BDSM practitioners, I show that the social context of the BDSM subculture has a profound im...
Clinical assessment of muscle condition in cats

Loss of muscle occurs in feline patients as a result of multiple chronic conditions, and muscle atrophy may worsen the prognosis for cats that are living with these diseases. In states of health, a...
Variational problems in weighted sobolev spaces with applications to computational fluid dynamics

We study variational problems in weighted Sobolev spaces on bounded domains with angular points. The specific forms of these variational formulations are motivated by, and applied to, a finite element scheme for the time-dependent Navier-Stokes equations. Specifically, we introduce new variational formulations for the Poisson and Helmholtz problems in what would be a weighted counterpart of H2 ∩ H10 , show the existence and uniqueness of solutions, and establish the relationship with the traditional H1 formulations. We formulate a conforming C 1 finite element method for solving these variational problems and prove its convergence. We apply our methods to the time-dependent Navier-Stokes equations on non-convex polygonal domains by adapting an iterative algorithm due to Liu, Liu, and Pego. The well-posedness of the modified algorithm follows from our analysis of the Poisson and Helmholtz problems. Numerical results for several benchmark problems are provided.
NAS Parallel Benchmarks for GPGPUs using a Directive-based Programming Model

The broad adoption of accelerators boosts the interest in accelerator programming. Accelerators such as GPGPUs are optimized for throughput and offer high GFLOPS and memory bandwidth. CUDA has been adopted quite rapidly but it is proprietary and only applicable to GPUs, and the difficulty in writing efficient CUDA code has kindled the necessity to create higher-level programming approaches such as OpenACC. Directive-based programming models such as OpenMP and OpenACC offer programmers an option to rapidly create prototype applications by adding annotations to guide compiler optimizations. In this paper we study the effectiveness of a high-level directive based programming model, OpenACC, for parallelizing NAS Parallel Benchmarks (NPB) on GPGPUs. We present the application of techniques such as array privatization, memory coalescing, cache optimization and examine their impact on the performance of the benchmarks. The right choice or combination of techniques/hints are crucial for compilers to generate highly efficient codes tuned to a particular type of accelerator. Poorly selected choice or combination of techniques can lead to degraded performance. We also propose a new clause, ‘scan’, that handles scan operations for arbitrary input array size. We hope that the practices discussed in this paper will provide useful guidance to users to effectively migrate their sequential/CPU-parallel codes to GPGPU architectures and achieve optimal performance.
A Next Generation Atmospheric Prediction System for the Navy

Abstract : A long-term goal of this project is to develop a global cloud-permitting (3-km resolution) forecast capability as part of the multi-agency next-generation Earth System Prediction Capability (ESPC) initiative. Within the next decade or less, computational platforms with more than 1,000,000 processors will be commonly available and high-fidelity global weather forecasts with variable resolution grids at the mesoscale or cloud permitting scales will be routinely feasible. Unfortunately, current generation weather models are incapable of performing such forecasts because of their lack of variable resolution grid capabilities, inadequate numerical accuracy, and computational inefficiency. A paradigm shift in the numerical weather and climate prediction capabilities of the US Navy and the nation is needed in order to be at the leading edge in the future. The time is right and critical to embark on an accelerated development path of a modeling system with next-generation attributes since a decade of development is typically required to advance a Numerical Weather and Climate Prediction (NWCP) system to the point where it is operationally viable. Global and regional models are currently applied as separate modeling systems at many operational centers such as the Navy, AFWA, NCEP, with the global models providing lateral boundary conditions for the local models with finer spatial resolution over areas of interest. Recently, the horizontal spatial resolution of global models used in the leading centers around the world is fast approaching the grid spacing traditionally used by the mesoscale models, which is on the order of 10 km. In the relatively near future, when the resolution becomes even finer, approaching cloud permitting scales, the Nations global model dynamical cores will need to account for non-hydrostatic effects. A new class of next-generation models is emerging.
SU-E-T-700: Single Isocenter Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy (VMAT) and Intensity Modulated Radiotherapy (IMRT) for Intact Left Breast Cancer Patients with Internal Mammary (IM) and Supraclavicular (S/C) Nodes - a Treatment Planning Study

Purpose: To investigate treatment plan quality and feasibility of VMAT for treatment delivery of intact left breast cancer patients with involved internal mammary (IM) and supraclavicular (S/C) nodes. Methods: Ten patients were selected for this retrospective study. All PTVs (Intact left breast, IM & S/C nodes) were contoured by a single radiation oncologist. Four 200° partial arcs with 2cm overlapping jaws (two clockwise and two counterclockwise; gantry angle 300°–140°) and ten fixed-field equally spaced coplanar modulated fields were used to optimize single isocenter VMAT (RapidArc) and IMRT treatment plans, respectively, using Eclipse TPS. Prescribed dose to PTV was 46Gy in 23 fractions with prescription dose covering 95% of the PTV. Results: Four of the 10 patients had PTV > 1200cc. The mean PTV volume was 1200.17±571.51cc (findings are reported as mean ± 1 SD). All plans were judged clinically acceptable while satisfying dose-volume constraints, with VMAT showing significantly better conformity than IMRT. The mean Paddick conformity index (PCI) was 0.88±0.03 for VMAT vs. 0.82±0.06 for IMRT plans (p=0.001). However, maximum doses were within ±1.0% of 111% of the prescription dose for both plans. The heart mean dose was 5.00±0.99Gy for VMAT vs. 7.09±1.70Gy for IMRT (p 30Gy was 0.18±0.29% for VMAT vs. 0.68±1.24% for IMRT (p=0.19), and V5Gy and V7Gy were 31.67±11.56% and 14.93±7.41% for VMAT vs. 67.15±17.66% and 36.55±16.59% for IMRT plans, respectively (p<0.001). The mean total lung dose was 8.95±0.52Gy vs. 8.48±0.81Gy (p=0.06) and V20Gy was 10.65±2.00% vs. 8.12±1.37% (p=0.055) for VMAT and IMRT plans, respectively. The right breast mean dose was 2.83±0.46Gy for VMAT vs. 4.06±0.61Gy for IMRT plans (p<0.001). Conclusion: VMAT plans achieved intended dose coverage to the intact left breast, IM & S/C nodes at ≥ 95% with significantly lower dose to critical structures, especially, to heart and contralateral breast compared to IMRT plans.
A survey of perceptual feedback issues in dexterous telemanipulation. II. Finger touch feedback

For part I see ibid., p.263-70 (1994). The existing touch display technologies in the literature are surveyed. This survey indicates five main approaches to touch feedback, involving visual, pneumatic, vibro-tactile, electro-tactile and neuromuscular stimulations. A pneumatics approach could use air jets, air pockets or inflatable bladders to provide touch feedback cues to the operator. Similarly the vibro-tactile approach could use vibrating pins, voice coils, or piezoelectric crystals to provide tickling sensation to the human operator's skin to signal the touch. The electro-tactile stimulation method can provide electric pulses of appropriate width and frequency to the skin, while the neuromuscular stimulation approach provides the signals directly to the primary cortex of the operator's brain. With regard to this, 17 devices, most of which were built for sensory substitution purposes, are examined and compared for their suitability as touch feedback devices for dexterous telemanipulation. >
Delay discounting of reward in ADHD: application in young children

Background A key underlying process that may contribute to attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) involves alterations in reward evaluation, including assessing the relative value of immediate over delayed rewards. This study examines whether children with ADHD discount the value of delayed rewards to a greater degree than typically developing children using a delay discounting task. Methods Children aged 7-9 years diagnosed with ADHD and controls completed a task in which they chose between a hypothetical $10 available after a delay (7, 30, 90 and 180 days) versus various amounts available immediately. Results ADHD participants discounted more steeply than controls. However, this effect did not survive covarying of IQ. Conclusions ADHD is associated with a steeper delay gradient when contemplating hypothetical later rewards, but not independently of IQ. The interplay of cognitive processing and IQ with reward evaluation in ADHD requires further exploration.
Biochemical studies on human ceruloplasmin

Abstract Ceruloplasmin from nephrotic urine, ascites fluid and plasma has been partially characterized. All ceruloplasmin preparations were found to be comprised of two light and two heavy polypeptide subunits. Characterization of the purified subunits indicated that the α chain had a mol. wt. of 16 000 and had N-terminal valine while the β chain had a mol. wt. of 59 000 and had N-terminal lysine. All carbohydrate resided in the β subunit. Incomplete cleavage of the 5-methionine residues of the α chain enabled a preliminary ordering of the CNBr fragments. Automated sequence analysis of the α chain was carried out and the sequence determined was Val-Phe-Asx-Pro-Arg-Arg-Lys-Leu-Glx-Phe-Ala-Leu-Leu-Phe-Leu-Val-Phe-Asx-Glx-Asx-Glx.
Solvation in highly nonideal solutions: A study of aqueous 1-propanol using the coumarin 153 probe

We have investigated the anomalous behavior of aqueous 1-propanol binary solutions using a typical fluorescence probe molecule, coumarin 153. We present data on the fluorescence lifetimes, fluorescence anisotropies, and solvent reorganization dynamics, as well as the steady-state absorption and emission spectra of coumarin 153 in the binary solutions. The rotational diffusion and solvation time constants depend strongly on the content of 1-propanol, especially at low 1-propanol mole fractions. Spectroscopic results presented here are consistent with prior light scattering [G. H. Grosmann and K. H. Ebert, Ber. Bunsenges. Phys. Chem. 85, 1026 (1981)], small angle x-ray scattering [H. Hayashi, K. Nishikawa, and T. Iijima, J. Phys. Chem. 94, 8334 (1990)], and dielectric relaxation [S. Mashimo, T. Umehara, and H. Redlin, J. Chem. Phys. 95, 6257 (1991)] data. The anomalous dynamics features likely arise from the effect of the preferential solvation due to the 1-propanol clustering.
The evolutionary biology of poxviruses

The poxviruses (family Poxviridae) are a family of double-stranded viruses including several species that infect humans and their domestic animals, most notably Variola virus (VARV), the causative agent of smallpox. The evolutionary biology of these viruses poses numerous questions, for which we have only partial answers at present. Here we review evidence regarding the origin of poxviruses, the frequency of host transfer in poxvirus history, horizontal transfer of host genes to poxviruses, and the population processes accounting for patterns of nucleotide sequence polymorphism.
Proximal gastric vagotomy : Comparison between open and laparoscopic methods in the canine model

OBJECTIVE. The authors compared open and laparoscopic proximal gastric vagotomies for efficacy of acid reduction and preservation of gastric emptying. SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA. Laparoscopic methods have been used to perform vagotomy in patients with duodenal ulcer; however, no direct comparisons are available of laparoscopic and open surgical procedures regarding acid reduction and gastric emptying. METHODS. Thirty-one consecutive dogs were randomized to open proximal gastric vagotomy (OPGV; n = 11), laparoscopic anterior seromyotomy and posterior truncal vagotomy (ASPTV; n = 10), or laparoscopic proximal gastric vagotomy (LPGV; n = 10). Intraoperative endoscopic Congo red testing assured complete vagotomy. Basal acid output (BAO) and maximal acid output (MAO) during pentagastrin and insulin-induced hypoglycemia were measured with marker dilution techniques, and gastric emptying was assessed with radionuclide-labelled solid and liquid markers before and 5 weeks after operation. RESULTS. Operative time (mean +/- standard error of the mean) for OPGV was shorter compared with ASPTV and LPGV (86 +/- 7 minutes vs. 124 +/- 7 minutes and 115 +/- 7 minutes; p < 0.002). Postoperative BAO did not decrease in any group. Open proximal gastric vagotomy and LPGV, but not ASPTV, decreased MAO (p < 0.05); (after pentagastrin, OPGV from 26.4 +/- 1.7 mEq/hour to 11.3 +/- 0.1 mEq/hour, LPGV from 21.4 +/- 1.0 mEq/hour to 6.4 +/- 0.5 mEq/hour; after insulin-induced hypoglycemia, OPGV from 9.9 +/- 0.5 mEq/hour to 2.2 +/- 0.3 mEq/hour, LPGV from 7.9 +/- 0.5 mEq/hour to 1.9 +/- 0.4 mEq/hour). Gastric emptying of liquids and solids, as quantitated by the time for one half of the marker to empty (T 1/2) and the shape of the emptying curve, were similar before and after all three surgical procedures. CONCLUSIONS. Laparoscopic proximal gastric vagotomy was comparable to OPGV in decreasing stimulated gastric acid production without significantly altering gastric emptying. Anterior seromyotomy and posterior truncal vagotomy was less effective in decreasing MAO and required more operative time. Laparoscopic proximal gastric vagotomy has the potential to become accepted therapy for patients with duodenal ulcer managed presently with OPGV.
Fusion of high spatial resolution WorldView-2 imagery and LiDAR pseudo-waveform for object-based image analysis

Abstract High spatial resolution (HSR) imagery and high density LiDAR data provide complementary horizontal and vertical information. Therefore, many studies have focused on fusing the two for mapping geographic features. It has been demonstrated that the synergetic use of LiDAR and HSR imagery greatly improves classification accuracy. This is especially true with waveform LiDAR data since they provide more detailed vertical profiles of geographic objects than discrete-return LiDAR data. Fusion of discrete-return LiDAR and HSR imagery mostly takes place at the object level due to the superiority of object-based image analysis (OBIA) for classifying HSR imagery. However, the fusion of the waveform LiDAR and HSR imagery at the object level has not been adequately studied. To fuse LiDAR waveform and image objects, the waveform for the objects derived from image segmentation are needed. However, the footprints of existing waveform are usually of fixed size and fixed shape, while those of building are of different size and shape. In order to obtain waveforms with footprints that match those of image objects, we proposed synthesizing object-based pseudo-waveforms using discrete-returns LiDAR data by utilizing count or intensity based histogram over the footprints of the objects. The pseudo-waveforms were then fused with the object-level spectral histograms from HSR WorldView-2 imagery to classify the image objects using a Kullback–Leibler divergence-based curve matching approach. The fused dataset achieved an overall classification accuracy of 97.58%, a kappa coefficient of 0.97, and producer’s accuracies and user’s accuracies all larger than 90%. The use of the fused dataset improved the overall accuracy by 7.61% over the use of HSR imagery alone, and McNemar’s test indicated that such improvement was statistically significant (p
Forecast Evaluation of AveAve Forecasts in the Global VAR Context

The article “Forecasting Economic and Financial Variables with Global VARs” is on the frontier of current model building based on vector autoregressions. The constructed model links country/region specific models into a unified framework. This global VAR (GVAR) consists of 26 regions and estimates equations for 134 variables. The models for most regions consist of both real and financial endogenous variables. It is thus possible to explore the dynamics and interrelationships of both the real and the financial sectors. The authors explain the issues involved in building a model, evaluating the model and doing the final testing. This paper builds on research by Pesaran, Schuermann, and Weiner (2004) and Dees, di Mauro, Pesaran and Smith (2007) by exploring the forecasting ability of the GVAR. The paper ties together a large number of diverse literatures. Consider the topics that are covered: VARs, model averaging and combinations, time series benchmarks, cointegration, structural breaks, estimation periods, etc. The model itself takes into account co-trending restrictions, cross country cointegration and trade relations, etc. The paper also develops a panel version of the Diebold-Mariano predictive test statistic. The breath of the topics covered makes
Phospholipid composition of mouse, beef, pig, cat and hamster tissues

Abstract Phospholipid composition (per cent of total lipid phosphorus) of liver, kidney, heart and spleen of the mouse ( Mus musculus ), beef ( Bos taurus ), pig ( Sus scrofa ), cat ( Felis domestica ) and hamster ( Cricetus cricetus ) was determined by silicic acid-impregnated glass-paper chromatography. It was found that the similarity of phospholipid composition among the various tissues and species was more evident than the differences.
N4-aminoalkyl-cytidine derivatives: Ligands for ribonuclease affinity adsorbents

Abstract The bisulfite-induced transamination at the 4-position of eytosine was used to prepare N4-aminoalkyl-cytidine 2′(3′)-monophosphate derivatives in a single, simple reaction. The primary aliphatic amine function of these derivatives could readily be coupled to either cyanogen bromide-activated agarose or a commercially available activated Sepharose derivative (the N-hydroxysuccinimide ester of Sepharose-6-aminohexanoic acid) to yield effective and specific affinity adsorbents for bovine pancreatic ribonuclease
Changes in acetylcholinesterase activity and muscarinic receptor bindings in μ-opioid receptor knockout mice

Anatomical evidence indicates that cholinergic and opioidergic systems are co-localized and acting on the same neurons. However, the regulatory mechanisms between cholinergic and opioidergic system have not been well characterized. In the present study, we investigated whether there are compensatory changes of acetylcholinesterase activity and cholinergic receptors in mice lacking μ-opioid receptor gene. The acetylcholinesterase activity was determined by histochemistry assay. The cholinergic receptor binding was carried out by quantitative autoradiography using [3H]-quinuclidinyl benzilate (nonselective muscarinic receptors), N-[3H]-methylscopolamine (nonselective muscarinic receptors), [3H]-pirenzepine (M1 subtype muscarinic receptors) and [3H]-AF-DX384 (M2 subtype muscarinic receptors) in brain slices of wild-type and μ-opioid receptor knockout mice. The acetylcholinesterase activity of μ-opioid receptor knockout mice was higher than that of the wild-type in the striatal caudate putamen and nucleus accumbens, but not in the cortex and hippocampus areas. In addition, the bindings in N-[3H]-methylscopolamine and [3H]-AF-DX384 of μ-opioid receptor knockout mice were significantly lower when compared with that of the wild-type controls in the striatal caudate putamen and nucleus accumbens. However, there were no significant differences in bindings of [3H]-quinuclidinyl benzilate and [3H]-pirenzepine between μ-opioid receptor knockout and wild-type mice in the cortex, striatum and hippocampus. These data indicate that there are up-regulation of acetylcholinesterase activity and compensatory down-regulation of M2 muscarinic receptors in the striatal caudate putamen and nucleus accumbens of μ-opioid receptor knockout mice.
Kinship and social structure of bobcats (Lynx rufus) inferred from microsatellite and radio-telemetry data

Kinship analysis using 12 microsatellites was compared with radio-telemetry data to examine the social structure of bobcats Lynx rufus in southern Texas. Genetically identified kinship relationships combined with capture data were used to reconstruct pedigrees. Three family groups were constructed from parent/ offspring pairs identified from shared alleles. All parents identified by genetic analysis had established home ranges. Individuals with no distinct home ranges were not genetically observed to have offspring among the bobcats sampled. This suggests that establishing a home range is necessary for bobcats to breed. Of three identified male offspring and three identified female offspring, two female offspring were philopatric. These females became a part of the breeding population in their natal area. Among sibling pairs that included nine female and four male individuals, four females and one male were residents suggesting male-biased dispersal.
A self-organizing adaptive vector quantization technique

Abstract This paper describes a new adaptive vector quantization scheme suitable for encoding monochrome and color images. In the proposed technique, a large codebook, consisting of two sections, called higher and lower priority sections, respectively, and representing common and specific characteristics of images, is designed. During encoding the entries in the two sections are reorganized and exchanged as a function of frequency of codevector usage at given intervals. The rate and the extent of adaptation are dictated by the update interval and the desired level of quality, respectively. Adaptation is achieved without requiring any transmission of the vectors themselves. The codebook is expected to adaptively self-organize itself in such a manner that the highpriority part of the codebook is sensitized to track the local (specific) characteristics of the input image. This method improves the coding efficiency and provides a perceptually more consistent image quality throughout all areas of the restructured image. Simulation results show that for the test color images bit rates in the range of 0.15–0.25 bits per pixel with a signal-to-noise ratio around 27–30 dB can be achieved.
A strategic analysis of spam botnets operations

We present in this paper a strategic analysis of spam botnets operations, i.e., we study the inter-relationships among bot-nets through their spam campaigns, and we focus on identifying similarities or differences in their modus operandi. The contributions of this paper are threefold. First, we provide an in-depth analysis which, in contrast with previous studies on spamming bots, focuses on the long-term, strategic behavior of spam botnets as observed through their aggregate spam campaigns. To that end, we have analyzed over one million spam records collected by Symantec.cloud (formerly Message Labs) through worldwide distributed spamtraps. Secondly, we demonstrate the usefulness of emerging attack attribution methodologies to extract intelligence from large spam data sets, and to correlate spam campaigns according to various combinations of different features. By leveraging these techniques relying on data fusion and multi-criteria decision analysis, we show that some tight relationships exist among different botnet families (like Rustock/Grum or Lethic/Maazben), but we also underline some profound differences in spam campaigns performed by other bots, such as Rustock versus Lethic, Bagle or Xarvester. Finally, we use the very same attribution methodology to analyze the recent Rustock take-down, which took place on March 17, 2011. As opposed to previous claims, our experimental results show that Bagle has probably not taken over Rustock's role, but instead, we found some substantial evidence indicating that part of Rustock activity may have been offloaded to Grum shortly after the take-down operation.
Replacing sulfa drugs with novel DHPS inhibitors

More research effort needs to be invested in antimicrobial drug development to address the increasing threat of multidrug-resistant organisms. The enzyme DHPS has been a validated drug target for over 70 years as the target for the highly successful sulfa drugs. The use of sulfa drugs has been compromised by the widespread presence of resistant organisms and the adverse side effects associated with their use. Despite the large amount of structural information available for DHPS, few recent publications address the possibility of using this knowledge for novel drug design. This article reviews the relevant papers and patents that report promising new small-molecule inhibitors of DHPS, and discuss these data in light of new insights into the DHPS catalytic mechanism and recently determined crystal structures of DHPS bound to potent small-molecule inhibitors. This new functional understanding confirms that DHPS deserves further consideration as an antimicrobial drug target.
Synthesis and characterization of 1,4,7-triazacyclononane derivatives with methylphosphinate and acetate side chains for monitoring free MgII by31P and1H NMR spectroscopy

A series of 1,4,7-triazacyclononane-based ligands containing one, two, or three methylphosphinate (MP) side chains has been prepared. The macrocycle with three methylphosphinates, NOTMP, appeared to be a very promising ligand for monitoring MgII in biological samples by 31P NMR spectroscopy. The 31P resonances of the free ligand and the MgII complex were well resolved, in slow exchange, and well downfield of typical tissue phosphate and phosphate ester metabolite resonances. The Kd value of the Mg(NOTMP) complex was 0.35 mM at physiological pH and temperature, a value which is optimal for accurate assessment of free MgII in cells and blood plasma. The latter was confirmed experimentally. Furthermore, the selectivity of NOTMP for MgII over CaII exceeded 2 orders of magnitude. The Kd values of the MgII complexes were sensitive to pH and temperature. The pH effects could be easily predicted from potentiometric pH titration data. Examination of the MgII ligand equilibria by 31P NMR over a wide temperature ran...
Prospective analysis of arthroscopic rotator cuff repair: subgroup analysis.

Background The rotator cuff registry was established to evaluate prospectively the effectiveness of arthroscopic rotator cuff repair. The purpose of the present study is to report the preliminary data at the 1- and 2-year time point and perform subgroup analysis to identify factors that may affect outcome. Methods A total of 193 patients underwent all-arthroscopic repair of a rotator cuff tear and met the inclusion criteria and 127 (65.8%) completed 2-year follow-up. The outcome measurements included physical examination, manual muscle testing, the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) score, and ultrasonography. Results The pre-operative ASES score was 52.37 ± 24.09 and improved to 83.88 ± 19.28 at 1 year (P Conclusion Arthroscopic rotator cuff repair demonstrates significant improvement in clinical outcomes and good rate of healing by postoperative ultrasound. Longer-term studies are necessary to determine the efficacy over time. Level of evidence Level IV, Case Series, Treatment Study.
Postradiation dental extractions: A review of the literature and a report of 72 episodes

This report outlines our experiences involving 72 episodes of postradiation dental extraction over an 11-year period. Bone exposures of 3 months or longer developed following 16 of the 72 postradiation extraction episodes (22%). The necrosis rate in the mandible was 29% (13 of 45) and in the maxilla was 11% (3 of 27). The risk of bone necrosis increased when the dose to bone exceeded 6,500 rad, and when 75% or more of the body of the mandible was within the radiation treatment volume. Five of the 13 mandibular bone necroses precipitated by postradiation extractions eventually required radical resection of the affected portion of the mandible. The remaining eight mandibular episodes healed with conservative measures. When possible, given the two above conditions, root canal therapy rather than dental extraction should be employed to resolve mandibular dental infection within the radiation field after radiotherapy.
Experimental studies of active temperature control in solid breeder blankets

Abstract A program of model development and experimentation has been undertaken to develop innovative methods to provide predictable and controllable thermal barrier regions for solid breeder blankets. In particular, particle beds have been studied because of their unique thermalhydraulic properties. It has been demonstrated that large variations in thermal conductance can be obtained in the thermal barrier region by external control over the gas pressure and composition in a metallic particle bed. By providing this “active” control mechanism, adjustments in the blanket temperature profiles can be made during operation to accommodate changes in power levels, time-dependent changes in material behavior, and design uncertainties. Data are presented for the effective thermal conductivity of several single-size and binary beds of aluminum, for a range of He and N2 gas pressures, and for a number of different porosities. Data for the wall conductance also are presented. The relative contribution to the temperature drop due to wall conductance is smallest in single-size beds with smaller particles. The variation of wall conductance with pressure is small or non-existent, suggesting that the wall region is dominated by conduction through the solid particle contact points, rather than gas in the Smolukovski zones.
SOLUBILITY OF INDIVIDUAL POLYCHLORINATED BIPHENYL (PCB) CONGENERS IN SUPERCRITICAL FLUIDS : CO2, CO2/MEOH AND CO2/N-C4H10

Abstract The solubilities of nine individual polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners 2-chlorobiphenyl, 4-chlorobiphenyl, 2,2′-dichlorobiphenyl, 4,4′-dichlorobiphenyl, 2,4′,5-trichlorobiphenyl, 3,3′,4,4′-tetrachlorobiphenyl, 2,2′,4,5,5′-pentachlorobiphenyl, 2,2′,4,4′,5,5′-hexachlorobiphenyl, and 2,2′,3,4,4′,5,5′-heptachlorobiphenyl in supercritical carbon dioxide and in supercritical carbon dioxide modified by n-butane (n-C4H10) and methanol (0.05 mole fractions on a solute-free basis) are presented. The concentrations of the PCB/hexane solutions are analyzed by capillary gas chromatography with an electron capture detector (GC/ECD). Solubility isotherms at 313, 323, and 333 K for each PCB congener have been determined over a pressure range of 100–300 bar. The solubility data (expressed as mole fractions) are correlated by a semi-empirical equation to link the solubility to the thermodynamic properties of solvent such as reduced density, solute vapor pressure, reduced temperature and reduced pressure of the system. Both n-butane and methanol were found to increase the solubility over the case of pure carbon dioxide of all PCB congeners studied (higher in CO2/n-C4H10 fluids).
Radial flow to a partially penetrating well with storage in an anisotropic confined aquifer

Summary Drawdowns generated by extracting water from large diameter (e.g. water supply) well are affected by wellbore storage. We present an analytical solution in Laplace transformed space for drawdown in a uniform anisotropic aquifer caused by withdrawing water at a constant rate from partially penetrating well with storage. The solution is back transformed into the time domain numerically. When the pumping well is fully penetrating our solution reduces to that of Papadopulos and Cooper (1967); Hantush (1964) when the pumping well has no wellbore storage; Theis (1935) when both conditions are fulfilled and Yang (2006) when the pumping well is partially penetrating, has finite radius but lacks storage. Newly developed solution is then used to explore graphically the effects of partial penetration, wellbore storage and anisotropy on time evolutions of drawdown in the pumping well and in observation wells. We concluded after validating the developed analytical solution using synthetic pumping test.
Estimation of the column radial heterogeneity from an analysis of the characteristics of tailing peaks in linear chromatography

An estimation procedure of the radial heterogeneity of the distributions of the mobile phase flow velocity and of the local column efficiency was derived from a comparison of experimental data and of the characteristics of these tailing peaks calculated numerically. The analysis of these characteristics indicated that the radial heterogeneity of the packing density of a column is a cause of peak tailing. This analysis showed also that it is possible to correlate the radial fluctuations of the flow velocity and the apparent efficiency of different columns. The comparison of experimental data and calculated results suggested also a correlation between the radial distributions of the flow velocity and of the column efficiency. Previous experimental data concerning the radial heterogeneity of column packings validated the correlation. Information on the degree of heterogeneity of the radial distributions of the flow velocity and the column efficiency were obtained by analyzing the peak width and the asymmetry factor of elution peaks. It was also found that the exponentially modified Gaussian distribution cannot provide a comprehensive representation of all types of tailing profiles in chromatography.
In vivo 31P NMR spectroscopic studies of soybean Bradyrhizobium symbiosis Compartmentation and distribution of P metabolites

In vivo 31P NMR spectroscopy was used to study the distribution of P metabolites and compartmentation in soybean nodules. By careful separation of the cortex, central matrix and bacteroids, we were able to obtain in vivo 31P spectra of the metabolites associated with each specialized section of the nodule tissue. These results indicated that in the earlier stages of growth (⩽ 4 weeks) the majority of Pi was actively metabolized in the cytoplasm. Furthermore, 31P spectra revealed that the cortical cells contained negligible amounts of phosphorus-containing metabolites in their cytoplasm. However, the vacuoles of the cortical cells appeared to preferentially accumulate Pi during growth. In contrast, the Pi level of the vacuoles of uninfected cells in the central matrix, after 7 weeks, remained relatively constant.
Cognition of the relation between an event and a circumstance understood to explain the event.

A model is advanced for the process of explanation, according to which (a) an event to be explained is understood to be a value on a particular dimension of variation; (b) a circumstance believed to explain the event is understood to be a value on another dimension of variation; (c) the two dimensions are understood to be related such that the dimension whose value is to be explained is more likely to take that value when the dimension of circumstance takes its obtaining value than when the dimension of circumstance takes an alternative value. Evidence for the model is reported from a study in which Ss made two judgments about a human action—wchich of two statements of circumstance specifying alternative values for a certain dimension was the better explanation for the action, and which of the same two statements described the case in which the action, or for certain items the opposite action, was more likely to occur. For each of five different actions, the judgments were significantly related as required by the model.
Rapid microbial respiration of oil from the Deepwater Horizon spill in offshore surface waters of the Gulf of Mexico

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill was one of the largest oil spills in history, and the fate of this oil within the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem remains to be fully understood. The goal of this study—conducted in mid-June of 2010, approximately two months after the oil spill began—was to understand the key role that microbes would play in the degradation of the oil in the offshore oligotrophic surface waters near the Deepwater Horizon site. As the utilization of organic carbon by bacteria in the surface waters of the Gulf had been previously shown to be phosphorus limited, we hypothesized that bacteria would be unable to rapidly utilize the oil released from the Macondo well. Although phosphate was scarce throughout the sampling region and microbes exhibited enzymatic signs of phosphate stress within the oil slick, microbial respiration within the slick was enhanced by approximately a factor of five. An incubation experiment to determine hydrocarbon degradation rates confirmed that a large fraction of this enhanced respiration was supported by hydrocarbon degradation. Extrapolating our observations to the entire area of the slick suggests that microbes had the potential to degrade a large fraction of the oil as it arrived at the surface from the well. These observations decidedly refuted our hypothesis. However, a concomitant increase in microbial abundance or biomass was not observed in the slick, suggesting that microbial growth was nutrient limited; incubations amended with nutrients showed rapid increases in cell number and biomass, which supported this conclusion. Our study shows that the dynamic microbial community of the Gulf of Mexico supported remarkable rates of oil respiration, despite a dearth of dissolved nutrients.
Close Correlation of Acetaminophen Clearance with that of Conjugated Benzodiazepines but not Oxidized Benzodiazepines

The clearance of the antipyretic-analgesic drug acetaminophen, biotransformed in humans by glucuronide and sulfate conjugation, was evaluated in 32 healthy young and elderly volunteers. Subjects received a single 650-mg dose of acetaminophen, and multiple plasma concentrations measured over the next 12 h. Random subgroups of subjects also participated in studies of the oxidized benzodiazepines diazepam, desmethyldiazepam and alprazolam, and of the conjugated benzodiazepines lorazepam, oxazepam and temazepam. Acetaminophen clearance was not related to that of the oxidized benzodiazepines, but was highly correlated with clearance of lorazepam (r = 0.70, n = 11, p less than 0.02), oxazepam (r = 0.76, n = 14, p less than 0.005) and temazepam (r = 0.63, n = 16, p less than 0.01). Thus acetaminophen may serve as a probe or marker compound to evaluate drug conjugating capacity in humans.
Interfacial instability due to elastic stratification in concentric coextrusion of two viscoelastic fluids

Abstract The linear stability of coextrusion of two viscoelastic fluids in a circular pipe is analyzed in the long wave limit. An interfacial instability due to elastic stratification is found. The effects of viscosity ratio, volume ratio and elasticity ratio on this elastic instability are also discussed.
Subclinical inclination toward manic-depression and creative performance on the Remote Associates Test.

Abstract An experiment examined manic-depressive inclination in college students as an influence on creativity. The Bipolar: Manic Disorder scale of the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory determined manic-depressive inclination or its absence. The Remote Associates Test was the basis for assessing creativity. The experiment was a 2×2 factorial design with manic-depressive inclination (presence or absence) as the first factor, and a mood-enhancing experience as the second. The mood-enhancing experience required that students write an essay about an activity they once had performed superbly well. Students assigned to the control condition wrote an essay about how they organized and sequenced activities in an ordinary day. As hypothesized, students with high Bipolar scores who wrote about a peak performance obtained especially high Remote Associates Test scores in comparison with students in other conditions of the experiment (p
Crystal Structures of Human Topoisomerase I in Covalent and Noncovalent Complexes with DNA

Topoisomerases I promote the relaxation of DNA superhelical tension by introducing a transient single-stranded break in duplex DNA and are vital for the processes of replication, transcription, and recombination. The crystal structures at 2.1 and 2.5 angstrom resolution of reconstituted human topoisomerase I comprising the core and carboxyl-terminal domains in covalent and noncovalent complexes with 22-base pair DNA duplexes reveal an enzyme that "clamps" around essentially B-form DNA. The core domain and the first eight residues of the carboxyl-terminal domain of the enzyme, including the active-site nucleophile tyrosine-723, share significant structural similarity with the bacteriophage family of DNA integrases. A binding mode for the anticancer drug camptothecin is proposed on the basis of chemical and biochemical information combined with these three-dimensional structures of topoisomerase I-DNA complexes.
RESOLUTION OF URGE SYMPTOMS FOLLOWING SLING CYSTOURETHROPEXY

Purpose: Persistence of urinary urge symptoms in women after pubovaginal sling cystourethropexy is a distressing problem. We assess the ability of preoperative video urodynamics to identify patients in whom urinary urge symptoms failed to resolve postoperatively.Materials and Methods: The records of 84 consecutive women who had undergone pubovaginal sling cystourethropexy were reviewed. Preoperative video urodynamics revealed stress urinary incontinence in all cases and concomitant detrusor instability in some. Cases of motor urge, defined as urge symptoms plus detrusor instability, were divided into low and high pressure categories. Patients with urge symptoms but no demonstrable detrusor instability on video urodynamics were diagnosed with sensory urge. Postoperatively complete urge resolution was defined as total absence of symptoms without pharmacological therapy. Mean followup was 26.7 months (range 2 to 62).Results: Of the 84 patients 41 with motor urge and 28 with sensory urge had preoperative urge...
A pulsed NMR study of molecular motion in solid N-methyl-5,6-dihydro-7H,12H-dibenz[c, f]azocine

Abstract N-Methyl-5,6-dihydro-7H,12H-dibenz[c, f]azocine was studied in the solid phase by use of pulsed NMR. Values of T1, T1D, and the second moment were measured over the range of temperature 95 to 331 K. The compound exhibits two distinct motions in the solid: methyl reorientation (EA = 2.10 kcal/mole) and an unassigned motion which is probably inversion at the N (EA ≥ 9.2 kcal/mole). The experimental second moment is constant over the temperature range studied, and it agrees with the value calculated from crystallographic data assuming rapid reorientation of the methyl group.
Reconfiguration-aware real-time scheduling under QoS constraint

Due to the increase in demand for reconfigurability in embedded systems, schedulability in real-time task scheduling is challenged by non-negligible reconfiguration overheads. Reconfiguration of the system during task execution affects both deadline miss rate and deadline miss distribution. On the other hand, Quality of Service (QoS) in several embedded applications is not only determined by deadline miss rate but also the distribution of the tasks missing their deadlines (known as weakly-hard real-time systems). As a result, we propose to model QoS constraints as a set of constraints on dropout patterns (due to reconfiguration overhead) and present a novel online solution for the problem of reconfiguration-aware real-time scheduling. According to QoS constraints, we divide the ready instances of the tasks into two groups: critical and non-critical, then model each group as a network flow problem and provide an online scheduler for each group. We deployed our method on synthetic benchmarks as well as software defined radio implementation of VoIP on reconfigurable systems. Results show that our solution reduces the number of QoS violations by 19.01 times and 2.33 times (57.02%) in comparison with Bi-Modal Scheduler (BMS) [1] for synthetic benchmarks with low and high QoS constraint, respectively.