cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Ferrocene-Modified Siloxane Polymers as Electron Relay Systems in Amperometric Glucose Sensors

Abstract This paper describes the design and testing of amperometric glucose sensors in which electrical communication between the flavin redox centers of glucose oxidase and an electrode is achieved via a network of donor-acceptor relays chemically bound to a flexible siloxane polymer backbone. Procedures are discussed for the synthesis of a variety of mediator(ferrocene)-containing siloxane copolymers which differ in flexibility and in the spacing between redox moieties, and for the optimization of the interaction between the flavin redox centers of glucose oxidase and the polymer-bound electron transfer relay system through investigation of these new flexible polymers in glucose sensors.
Deviations from minimum entropy production at steady states of reacting chemical systems arbitrarily close to equilibrium

Abstract Our analysis of reacting systems displaced from equilibrium by a matter flux across the boundaries has shown that the state of minimum entropy production differs from the steady state, even in the near equilibrium regime. When the displacement δ from equilibrium is small, the derivative of the dissipation at the steady state and the dissipation itself are both of order δ2. The state of least dissipation is displaced from the steady state by terms of order δ2 in the species concentrations. The theorem of minimum entropy production may be derived by first truncating the series expansions for the reaction rates, affinities and dissipation assuming that δ is small, and then differentiating to locate the minimum of the dissipation within the resulting idealized model. For chemical systems with an arbitrarily small but macroscopic displacement from equilibrium, this truncation procedure establishes that the dissipation is comparatively small in a neighborhood of the steady state; but it causes large relative errors in the values of the concentration derivatives and time derivatives of the dissipation within that neighborhood, because the operations of series truncation and differentiation do not commute near the steady state, when δ is small but nonzero. Near the steady state, the concentration derivative of the term of order δ3 in the dissipation is comparable to or larger than the derivative of the δ2 term.
Thymoma mimicking thyroid papillary carcinoma : Another pitfall in fine-needle aspiration

Thymomas are composed of a mixture of epithelial and lymphoid cells. When the lymphoid cells predominate, the possibility of malignant lymphoma must be considered. Recently, a thymoma mimicking lymphoblastic lymphoma was reported in this journal as a diagnostic pitfall in a mediastinal aspiration. We encountered another diagnostic pitfall at the other end of the spectrum: a thymoma with a dominant epithelial component in which a papillary carcinoma of the thyroid had to be considered in the differential diagnosis.
Harm avoidance and disability in old age

The relation of personality to disability in old age is not well understood. The authors examined the relation of harm avoidance, a trait indicating a tendency to worry, fear uncertainty, be shy, and tire easily, to disability in a group of 474 older persons without dementia. Participants completed the 35-item Harm Avoidance scale. Disability was assessed with the Rosow-Breslau scale, a self-report measure of physical mobility. Performance-based tests of lower limb functions were also administered from which composite measures of gait, balance, and strength were derived. In a logistic regression model controlled for age, sex, education, and lower limb function, persons with high levels of harm avoidance were nearly three times as likely to report mobility limitations as persons with low levels, and these effects largely reflected fatigability and fear of uncertainty. The association of harm avoidance with disability was not explained or modified by frailty, physical activity, depressive symptoms, neuroticism, extraversion, or cognition. The results suggest that harm avoidance is associated with disability in old age.
A setup reduction methodology from lean manufacturing for development of meta-heuristic algorithms

We present an application of the Single Minute Exchange of Dies (SMED) methodology used in lean automotive manufacturing for the design and implementation of metaheuristic algorithms. This methodology allows the design of algorithm implementations that are flexible and enables algorithm designers to modify the algorithm's configuration quickly and with a minimum amount of errors. This comes with little downside as measured by computational effort and engenders a wider variety of experimental scenarios to be tested.
Speech cryptographic key regeneration based on password

In this paper, we propose a way to combine a password with a speech biometric cryptosystem. We present two schemes to enhance verification performance in a biometric cryptosystem using password. Both can resist a password brute-force search if biometrics are not compromised. Even if the biometrics are compromised, attackers have to spend many more attempts in searching for cryptographic keys when we compare ours with a traditional password-based approach. In addition, the experimental results show that the verification performance is significantly improved.
Quantification of nerve tension after nerve repair: correlations with nerve defects and nerve regeneration.

This study tested the validity of a quantitative in vitro nerve-tension-measuring technique, by correlating the tension measurements with functional and morphologic assessments of nerve regeneration. Initially, harvested nerves were used in vitro to determine a K value for lateral displacement in this tissue. Next, this value was used to calculate the tension of nerve repair, following 0-, 3-, 6-, and 9-mm resections of nerves in groups of rats. After quantifying the nerve tensions following excision and repair, the authors determined a sciatic function index to evaluate functional recovery and axon diameter in the animals. Functional recovery was significantly impaired in animals with elevated measurable tension (9.04 ± 0.74 g in a 6-mm defect, 27.76 ± 8.86 g in a 9-mm defect), compared to animals with no or 3-mm excision and measured tension of 3.3 ± 1.09 g or less. Increased tension was also associated with a significant decrease in axon diameter. This study succeeded, therefore, in quantitatively relating the elements of measured nerve tension, nerve gaps, functional nerve recovery, and morphologic regeneration. Quantification of nerve tension by lateral displacement in viva offers a possible solution to clinical management of nerve gaps, when the choice between primary repair and nerve grafting is not a clear one.
Developing a Research Agenda and a Comprehensive National Prevention and Response Plan for Rift Valley Fever in the United States

Suggested citation for this article: Britch SC, Linthicum KJ, Rift Valley Fever Working Group. Developing a research agenda and a comprehensive national prevention and response plan for Rift Valley fever in the United States. Emerg Infect Dis [serial on the Internet]. 2007 Aug [date cited]. Available from http://www.cdc.gov/eid/content/13/8/e1.htm 1These authors contributed equally to this summary. 2The participants in the Rift Valley Fever Working Group are listed below (alphabetically by agency and within agency): Barry R. Miller, John T. Roehrig, and Pierre E. Rollin, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Chester G. Moore, Colorado State University; Christy A. Tedrow, George Mason University; Assaf Anyamba, National Aeronautics and Space Administration and University of Maryland Baltimore County; Judy Akina, Kristine E. Bennett, Mary Ann Bjornsen, Barbara S. Drolet, Matthew L. Farnsworth, Jerome E. Freier, Kenneth D. Geter, Jeffrey S. Hall, Angela M. James, Thomas R. Kasari, Camilla Kristensen, Tracey V. Lynn, Susan A. Maroney, Richard T. Mayer, Brian J. McCluskey, Robert G. McLean, James O. Mecham, Ryan S. Miller, J. Jeffrey Root, Jack C. Rhyan, Daniel A. Strickman, Steven J. Sweeney, Sherrilyn H. Wainwright, J. Todd Weaver, and William C. Wilson, US Department of Agriculture; and Franco Basile, Scott N. Miller, and Li Zou, University of Wyoming.
Horses On Mars

3.6 billion years ago, A microbe is blasted off its home planet from a meteor impact and embarks on a journey through the inner solar system. After spending time on other worlds, it decides home is best and tries to return - only to head in the wrong direction by mistake. Unable to ever return again, it has a stunning vision of home - and what lies ahead for it. The imagery mimicks the look of electron microscope imagery. Created on a Dell workstation donated by Intel. Maya and Maya Composer donated by Alias|Wavefront. RenderMan courtesy of Pixar. Copyright held by creator.
The efficiency versus freon content for a multiwire proportional counter having 3 mm anode wire spacing

Abstract The efficiency of a multiwire proportional counter filled with argon, isobutane and freon 13B1 is found to depend only on freon concentration, and exceeds 99% for ⩽ 0.3% freon.
Expanding the Universal Medication Schedule: A patient-centred approach

Objective Improved drug labelling for chronic pill-form medications has been shown to promote patient comprehension, adherence and safety. We extended health literacy principles and included patients9 perspectives to improve instructions for: (1) non-pill form, (2) short term, (3) ‘as needed,’ (4) tapered and (5) escalating dose medications. Setting Participants were recruited via convenience sampling from primary care clinics in Chicago, Illinois and San Francisco, California, USA. Participants 40 adult, English-speaking participants who reported taking at least one prescription drug in the past 12 months were enrolled in the study. Primary and secondary outcomes Participant opinions, preferences and comprehension of standard and improved medication instructions were assessed during four iterative waves of discussion groups. Brief interviews preceding the discussion groups measured individuals’ literacy skills, sociodemographic and health characteristics. Results On average, participants were 46 years old, took four medications and reported two chronic health conditions. Patients varied sociodemographically; 40% were men and 33% had limited literacy skills. Patients agreed on the need for simpler terminology and specificity in instructions. Discussions addressed optimal ways of presenting numeric information, indication and duration of use information to promote comprehension and safe medication use. Consensus was reached on how to improve most of the instructions. Conclusions Through this patient-centred approach, we developed a set of health literacy-informed instructions for more challenging medications. Findings can inform current drug labelling initiatives and promote safe and appropriate medication use.
Synthesis of RNA by dissociated cells of the sea urchin embryo.

Abstract The incorporation of radioactive uridine into RNA by micromeres, mesomeres and macromeres of sea urchin embryos was studied, employing methods for separating the cell types in pure suspension. At the 16-cell stage, the 3-cell types, on a per genome basis, synthesized RNA at approximately the same rate although on a per mg protein basis the micromere-RNA synthetic rate was considerably higher than either mesomeres or macromeres. At the 32-cell stage, incorporation of radioactive uridine by micromeres decreased relative to mesomeres and macromeres. It was demonstrated that radioactive uridine could not be effectively washed or diluted out of the cells of 16-cell stage embryos. Experiments on reaggregating cells did not detect any transfer or transport of radioactivity from micromeres to the other cells. Possible explanations for these findings versus the disparate results of previous investigators were presented.
Suppression of charge-induced yield increases in PIGE analysis of biological specimens

A simple target-moving system, in which the movement of the target is achieved by externally moving the whole miniature scattering chamber, was developed and tested as a means for suppressing γ-ray yield increase induced by proton beams in biological specimens. Although there is a limit in the total beam charge which may be safely deposited on a moving biological target, the duration of the safe bombardment is sufficiently prolonged by the motion to allow the accumulation of meaningful statistics.
Detection of Carriers for X-linked Ichthyosis by Southern Blot Analysis and Identification of One Family with a De Novo Mutation

Scaling in patients with recessive X-linked ichthyosis is caused by lack of activity of the enzyme steroid sulfatase. In approximately 90% of kindreds, this lack is the result of a DNA deletion large enough to eliminate the coding region completely. We have used Southern blot hybridization of DNA isolated from peripheral blood leukocytes to measure gene dosage of the steroid sulfatase gene. This readily detects a half-normal dosage in women who are carriers and therefore can be used to diagnose the carrier status of female relatives of 90% of patients with the disease. We have found one family in whom the deletion arose on an allele inherited from the proband's clinically normal maternal grandfather.
Experimental and Simulation Insight on the Transport of Silver Fission Product in SiC

Understanding of the fission product transport in TRISO fuel particles is fundamental to improving the safety and performance of high temperature gas cooled reactors. Previous experiments showing silver release from TRISO fuel have focused on release measurements and not direct observation of the fission product transport. The possible diffusion of Ag via a grain boundary diffusion mechanism is being examined. By characterizing the SiC grain boundary structure according the coincidence site lattice scheme and detecting diffusion along specific grain boundaries, insight into the relationship between SiC microstructure and Ag release may be obtained. In addition computer modeling is being used to investigate the diffusion of silver through SiC. We employ a multi-scale approach based on ab initio techniques, molecular dynamics, and continuum rate equations in order to establish relationships between complex microstructures and diffusion rates. Initial work has begun on transport through bulk SiC and on building realistic models of grain boundaries in SiC.Copyright © 2008 by ASME
CENP-B is not critical for meiotic chromosome segregation in male mice.

Abstract Centromere protein B (CENP-B) is a constitutive protein that binds to a highly conserved 17 bp motif located at most mammalian centromeres. To determine whether disruption of this gene affects chromosome segregation in male germ cells, we evaluated the frequencies of disomic and diploid sperm in CENP-B heterozygous and homozygous null mice using the mouse epididymal sperm aneuploidy (m-ESA) assay, a multicolor FISH method with probes for chromosomes X, Y and 8. The specificity and sensitivity of the m-ESA assay was demonstrated using Robertsonian (2.8) translocation heterozygotes as positive controls for sperm aneuploidy. Our results show that the frequencies of disomic and diploid sperm did not differ significantly between CENP-B heterozygous and homozygous null mice ( P ≥0.5) or from 129/Swiss isogenic mice ( P ≥0.5) and B6C3F1 mice ( P ≥0.2). These findings indicate that CENP-B does not have an essential role during chromosome segregation in male meiosis.
Killer toxin production in Pichia acaciae is associated with linear DNA plasmids

We have identified a strain of the yeast Pichia acaciae which produces a “killer” toxin active against the yeast Debaryomyces tamarii. The killer phenotype was associated with the presence of two DNA plasmids, pPacl-1 (13.6 kilobase pairs) and pPacl-2 (7.3 kilobase pairs). P. acaciae strains, cured of these plasmids by irradiation with ultraviolet light, lacked killer activity and were sensitive to toxin produced by the parental strain. A partially cured strain, GS-1215, missing only the smaller plasmid, pPacl-2, also exhibited loss of both toxin activity and immunity. Exonuclease studies revealed that both plasmids were linear double-stranded DNA molecules with 5′ protected ends. The P. acaciae system differs from that of the well-studied Kluyveromyces lactis “killer” system both in the range of susceptible strains and in the sizes of the plasmids involved. Our studies contradict previous reports that Pichia killer systems are invariably chromosomal.
Nutritional requirements for web synthesis in the tetragnathid spider Nephila clavipes

Trap-constructing organisms provide a unique opportunity for the study of resource allocation, because an observer can unambiguously determine the allocation to foraging. In species that synthesize a trap from physiologically important compounds, there is the further advantage that there may be direct trade- offs between allocation of resources to foraging and physiological functions. We examined the ability of the spider Nephila clavipes (L.; Araneae: Tetragnathidae) to synthesize resources that are known to be used for both web synthesis and non- foraging physiological functions. We found that choline, required for both web function and physiological function, is an essential nutrient: it is not synthesized by this spider. Under laboratory conditions with a diet of fruit flies, choline is limiting, and the spiders make allocation trade-offs between investing choline in foraging (the web) or in their body.
Baseball: A Poor Substitute for Football—More Evidence of Sports Gambling as Consumption

Due to the use of sports wagering market data as a laboratory to test the Efficient Markets Hypothesis, sports bettors have been assumed to behave as investors. With the rejection of the balanced b...
Visual Cortex: The Continuing Puzzle of Area V2

Surprisingly little is known about the role of V2 in visual processing. A recent study found that the responses of V2 neurons to pairs of angled lines could be predicted from their responses to the individual line components. A simple analysis shows how these neurons may simply sum the responses from one or more orientation selective V1 neurons.
Double superexchange in quantum dot mesomaterials

A new optoelectronic mesomaterial is proposed in which a network of quantum dots is covalently connected via organic molecules. Optically generated excitons are rapidly dissociated with electrons subsequently hopping from dot to dot while holes transit via the connecting moieties. The molecules serve as efficient mediators for electron superexchange between the dots, while the dots themselves play the complementary role for hole transport between molecules. The network thus exhibits a double superexchange. In addition to enhancing carrier hopping rates, double superexchange plays a central role in mediating efficient polaron dissociation. Photoluminescence, dissociation, and transport dynamics are quantified from first-principles for a model system composed of small silicon quantum dots connected by organic moieties. The results demonstrate that double superexchange can be practically employed to significantly improve charge generation and transport. These are currently viewed as the critical obstacles to dramatic enhancements in the energy conversion efficiency of photovoltaic cells based on quantum dots.
TargetRNA2: identifying targets of small regulatory RNAs in bacteria

Many small, noncoding RNAs (sRNAs) in bacteria act as posttranscriptional regulators of messenger RNAs. TargetRNA2 is a web server that identifies mRNA targets of sRNA regulatory action in bacteria. As input, TargetRNA2 takes the sequence of an sRNA and the name of a sequenced bacterial replicon. When searching for targets of RNA regulation, TargetRNA2 uses a variety of features, including conservation of the sRNA in other bacteria, the secondary structure of the sRNA, the secondary structure of each candidate mRNA target and the hybridization energy between the sRNA and each candidate mRNA target. TargetRNA2 outputs a ranked list of likely regulatory targets for the input sRNA. When evaluated on a comprehensive set of sRNA-target interactions, TargetRNA2 was found to be both accurate and efficient in identifying targets of sRNA regulatory action. Furthermore, TargetRNA2 has the ability to integrate RNA-seq data, if available. If an sRNA is differentially expressed in two or more RNA-seq experiments, TargetRNA2 considers co-differential gene expression when searching for regulatory targets, significantly improving the accuracy of target identifications. The TargetRNA2 web server is freely available for use at http://cs.wellesley.edu/∼btjaden/TargetRNA2.
The Response of Long-Span Bridges to Low Frequency, Near-Fault Earthquake Ground Motions

Historical seismic hazard characterizations did not include earthquake ground motion waveforms at frequencies below approximately 0.2 Hz (5 seconds period). This resulted from limitations in early strong motion instrumentation and signal processing techniques, a lack of measurements in the near-field of major earthquakes and therefore no observational awareness, and a delayed understanding in the engineering community of the potential significance of these types of motions. In recent years, there is a growing recognition of the relevance of near-fault, low frequency motions, particularly for long-period structures such as large bridges. This paper describes a computationally based study of the effects of low frequency (long-period) near-fault motions on long-span bridge response. The importance of inclusion of these types of motions for long span cable supported bridges is demonstrated using actual measured broad-band, near-fault motions from large earthquakes.
AlGaN/GaN HFETs and Insulated Gate HFETs DC and RF stability

The comparative study of the DC parameters and RF power stability of nitride-based conventional HFETs and Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor HFETs (MOSHFETs) is presented. The average lifetime under DC stress is estimated to be as high as 2.5 years at room temperature. Under the large-signal RF stress, the gate leakage current of conventional HFETs increases significantly with time showing faster degradation as compared to DC stressing. MOSHFETs demonstrate superior RF performance stability, which perfectly correlates with the DC stability data. It is shown that in conventional HFETs, the combination of the self-heating and positive dynamic gate bias leads to the defect accumulation in the AlGaN barrier under the gate. In MOSHFETs, the absence of the gate leakage is a key to stable RF performance.
Sensitivity of Surface Complexation Modeling to the Surface Site Density Parameter.

Previous research has shown that adsorption of many inorganic anions on soil mineral surfaces can be described equally well by chemical surface complexation models using either inner- or outer-sphere surface complexes. At the same time, goodness of fit of these models to adsorption data has been used to distinguish between inner- and outer-sphere adsorption mechanisms. In this study the ability of chemical surface complexation models to describe anion adsorption on goethite using both inner- and outer-sphere surface complexes was evaluated and found to be sensitively dependent on the value of the surface site density. Application of a goodness of fit criterion leads to the choice of an inner-sphere adsorption mechanism for small surface site densities and an outer-sphere adsorption mechanism for large values of this parameter. Experimentally determined values of surface site density vary by an order of magnitude depending upon the method used. It is suggested that uncertainty in the value of the surface site density parameter currently invalidates use of surface complexation models to predict anion adsorption mechanisms on soil mineral surfaces. © 1991 Academic Press. Inc.
Climbing Behavior of Flatwoods Salamanders (Ambystoma bishopi/A. cingulatum)

Abstract As a result of declining populations and reduced availability of suitable habitat, Ambystoma bishopi (Reticulated Flatwoods Salamander) and A. cingulatum (Frosted Flatwoods Salamander) are federally listed as endangered and threatened, respectively, by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service under the Endangered Species Act. Recovery efforts are hindered by a lack of basic natural history information. Although the fossorial life history of ambystomatid salamanders often precludes direct observation of adults and juveniles, an incidental encounter of A. bishopi climbing on Aristida stricta (Wiregrass) sparked a new search effort. On 13 occasions from 29 April 2010 to 23 November 2011, we examined herbaceous ground cover in and around six known breeding wetlands in the Florida panhandle, documenting 36 observations of flatwoods salamanders (10 adults and 26 juveniles), 30 of which were climbing up to 0.5 m above the ground in Wiregrass. These observations led us to hypothesize that Wiregrass, a...
Cloud-Based Collaborative Writing and the Common Core Standards.

The Common Core State Standards emphasize the integration of technology skills into English Language Arts (ELA) instruction, recognizing the demand for technology-based literacy skills to be college- and career- ready. This study aims to examine how collaborative cloud-based writing is used in in a Colorado school district, where one-to-one computer access with netbooks and open source software is provided to all students. Specifically, this paper highlights how the middle school students’ online writing align with the specific domains of the Common Core ELA Standards. Implications for practices are also discussed based on the challenges and affordances of using cloud-based collaborative writing in the district.
Intestinal and hepatic response to combined partial hepatectomy and small bowel resection in mice

Abstract Background: Both partial-hepatectomy (PHx) and massive small bowel resection (SBR) are strong mitogenic signals to the remnant liver and intestine, respectively. This study tested the hypothesis that PHx was an additive signal for intestinal adaptation after massive SBR. Methods: Male mice underwent either sham SBR or 50% proximal SBR. Mice from these two groups were then subjected to a 70% PHx or sham PHx. After 3 days, parameters of intestinal adaptation and liver regeneration were recorded in the remnant intestine and liver, respectively. Results: Intestinal adaptation following SBR occurred normally, but was not enhanced after concomitant PHx. On the other hand, SBR impaired the regenerative ability of the liver following PHx. Conclusions: Intestinal adaptation after SBR takes priority over liver regeneration after PHx. These data implicate a hierarchy with regard to adaptive alterations to organ loss and endorse an important role for the intestinal mucosa in the regulation of hepatic regeneration.
Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute seeks to find out what works best by involving 'end-users' from the beginning.

Joe V Selby: A family physician, clinical epidemiologist and health services researcher, Dr Joe V Selby has more than 35 years of experience in patient care, research and administration. He is responsible for identifying strategic issues and opportunities for the Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) and implementing and administering programs authorized by the PCORI Board of Governors. Dr Selby joined PCORI from Kaiser Permanente (CA, USA) where he was Director of the Division of Research for 13 years and oversaw a department of more than 50 investigators and 500 research staff members working on more than 250 ongoing studies. He was with Kaiser Permanente for 27 years. An accomplished researcher, Dr Selby has authored more than 200 peer-reviewed articles and continues to conduct research, primarily in the areas of diabetes outcomes and quality improvement. His publications cover a spectrum of topics, including effectiveness studies of colorectal cancer screening strategies; treatment effe...
Cachexia and neuropeptide Y

Cachexia or wasting disease occurs commonly in diseases that have an overproduction of proinflammatory cytokines associated with them. The hallmarks of cachexia are loss of lean and adipose tissue, anorexia, anemia, memory disturbance, and sickness behavior. This review suggests that increased inducible nitric oxide synthase production in the hypothalamus leads to severe anorexia and that this is the pathway through which proinflammatory cytokines produce anorexia. Orexigenic peptides, such as neuropeptide, ghrelin, and orexin A, and anorectic peptides, such as leptin, produce their effects through neuronal nitric oxide synthase. Activation of neuronal nitric oxide synthase results in increased adenosine monophosphate kinase and a decrease in malonyl coenzyme A, leading to increased food intake.
Integrating quantitative and qualitative evaluation methods to compare two teacher inservice training programs

Qualitative and quantitative evaluation procedures were used to compare two physical-science teacher inservice training programs. The two programs followed the master teacher training model espoused by NSF but used different types of master teachers and types of activities. The two evaluation procedures produced different results and together they provided a much clearer picture of the strengths and weaknesses of the two programs. Using only one approach or the other would have substantially altered the conclusions.
Home-Based Parental Involvement in Young Children’s Learning Across U.S. Ethnic Groups Cultural Models of Academic Socialization

Despite a growing body of research on school-based parental involvement, our knowledge of home-based involvement beliefs and practices, and how these vary across ethnic groups, remains limited. Our study addresses this gap by exploring how the meanings of educational achievement and parents’ roles in young children’s learning vary across ethnic groups. The aim of this study was to construct a detailed picture of the landscape of parental home-based involvement with children and to gain a deeper understanding of the beliefs, meanings, and goals underlying parents’ interactions. Forty-one middle-class Mexican American, African American, and European American mothers participated in semistructured interviews about their goals and interactions with their children in the domain of education. We identified seven themes across the interviews and constructed two cultural models of parental academic socialization: determination with intervention, more typical of ethnic minority group mothers, and trust and laissez...
Inverting Systems of Embedded Sensors for Position Verification in Location-Aware Applications

Wireless sensor networks are typically deployed to monitor phenomena that vary over the spatial region the sensor network covers. The sensor readings may also be dual-used for additional purposes. In this paper, we propose to use the inherent spatial variability in physical phenomena, such as temperature or ambient acoustic energy, to support localization and position verification. We first present the problem of localization using general spatial information fields, and then, propose a theory for exploiting this spatial variability for localization. Our Spatial Correlation Weighting Mechanism (SCWM) uses spatial correlation across different phenomena to isolate an appropriate subset of environmental parameters for better location accuracy. We then develop an array of algorithms employing environmental parameters using a two-level approach: first, we develop the strategies on how the subset of parameters should be chosen, and second, we derive mapping functions for position estimation. Our algorithms support our theoretical model for performing localization utilizing environmental properties. Finally, we provide an experimental evaluation of our approach by using a collection of physical phenomena measured across 100 locations inside a building. Our results provide strong evidence of the viability of using general sensor readings for location-aware applications.
Instituting Medical Abortion Services: Changes in Outcome and Acceptability Related to Provider Experience

A prospective case series carried out at 34 Planned Parenthood sites studied the safety, efficacy, and acceptability of medical abortion with methotrexate and misoprostol in 1973 women. Women with pregnancies of 26 to 49 gestational days were given methotrexate followed by vaginal misoprostol. Eighty-one percent of women had documented complete medical abortions; abortion was not confirmed by examination in 6%, and 13% had documented suction curettage. The rate of suction curettage decreased with site experience, from 17% during the first 20 procedures to 10% at sites that had performed more than 50. Sites that had previous experience with either methotrexate or mifepristone medical abortion had a rate of 9% after they had performed at least 50 procedures. Exit interviews with 755 of the 902 women having abortions in the first year inquired about the level of comfort with the abortion and its overall acceptability. Women's satisfaction with the side effects did not directly correlate with site experience. Overall satisfaction with the abortion experience was related to whether the women had complete medical abortions or suction curettage.
Focusing on Cause or Cure? Priorities and Stakeholder Presence in Childhood Psychiatry Research

Background: Biomedical research is influenced by many factors, including the involvement of stakeholder groups invested in research outcomes. Stakeholder involvement in research efforts raises questions of justice as stakeholders’ specific interests and motivations play a role in directing research resources that ultimately produce knowledge, shaping how different conditions (and affected individuals) are understood and treated by society. This issue is highly relevant to child psychiatry research where diagnostic criteria and treatment strategies are often controversial. Biological similarities and stakeholder differences between attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) provide an opportunity to explore this issue by comparing research foci and stakeholder involvement in these conditions. Methods: A subset of ADHD and ASD research articles published between 1970 and 2010 were randomly selected from the PubMed database and coded for research focus, funding source(...
Mechanical properties of metal dihydrides

First-principles calculations are used to characterize the bulk elastic properties of cubic and tetragonal phase metal dihydrides, $$\text{M}{ {\text{H}}_{2}}$$ {$$\text{M}$$ = Sc, Y, Ti, Zr, Hf, lanthanides} to gain insight into the mechanical properties that govern the aging behavior of rare-earth di-tritides as the constituent 3H, tritium, decays into 3He. As tritium decays, helium is inserted in the lattice, the helium migrates and collects into bubbles, that then can ultimately create sufficient internal pressure to rupture the material. The elastic properties of the materials are needed to construct effective mesoscale models of the process of bubble growth and fracture. Dihydrides of the scandium column and most of the rare-earths crystalize into a cubic phase, while dihydrides from the next column, Ti, Zr, and Hf, distort instead into the tetragonal phase, indicating incipient instabilities in the phase and potentially significant changes in elastic properties. We report the computed elastic properties of these dihydrides, and also investigate the off-stoichiometric phases as He or vacancies accumulate. As helium builds up in the cubic phase, the shear moduli greatly soften, converting to the tetragonal phase. Conversely, the tetragonal phases convert very quickly to cubic with the removal of H from the lattice, while the cubic phases show little change with removal of H. Finally, the source and magnitude of the numerical and physical uncertainties in the modeling are analyzed and quantified to establish the level of confidence that can be placed in the computational results, and this quantified confidence is used to justify using the results to augment and even supplant experimental measurements.
Sun-Exposed Skin Color Is Associated with Changes in Serum 25-Hydroxyvitamin D in Racially/Ethnically Diverse Children

BACKGROUND UVB light from the sun increases serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] concentration, but this relation may depend on skin pigmentation among different racial/ethnic groups. OBJECTIVE We used quantitative measures of exposed (facultative) and unexposed (constitutive) skin color to examine relations between serum 25(OH)D concentration, tanning, race/ethnicity, and constitutive skin color over the summer, following winter vitamin D supplementation. METHODS The subjects (n= 426, mean age 11.7 ± 1.4 y, 51% female) were racially/ethnically diverse schoolchildren (57% non-white/Caucasian) enrolled in a 6-mo vitamin D supplementation trial (October-December to April-June). In this secondary analysis, measures of serum 25(OH)D concentration and skin color, with the use of reflectance colorimetry, were taken over a 6-mo period after supplementation, from pre-summer (April-June) to post-summer (September-December). Multiple linear regression was used to evaluate longitudinal relations. RESULTS Following supplementation, mean serum 25(OH)D concentration was 29.3 ± 9.5 ng/mL but fell to 25.6 ± 7.9 ng/mL (P< 0.0001) by the end of summer. The decrease in white/Caucasian children was less than in black/African American children (P< 0.01) and tended to be less than in Hispanic/Latino, Asian, and multiracial/other children (P= 0.19-0.50) despite similar changes in sun-exposed skin color among all groups. Tanning was significantly associated with post-summer serum 25(OH)D concentration (β = -0.15,P< 0.0001), as was race/ethnicity (P= 0.0002), but the later association disappeared after adjusting for constitutive skin color. CONCLUSIONS Tanning significantly contributed to serum 25(OH)D concentration over the summer, independent of race/ethnicity, but was not sufficient to maintain serum 25(OH)D concentration attained with supplementation. Much of the variation in serum 25(OH)D concentration between racial/ethnic groups may be explained by skin color. This trial was registered atclinicaltrials.govasNCT01537809.
Performance prediction of hard rock Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs) in difficult ground

Abstract Performance prediction of TBMs is an essential part of project scheduling and cost estimation. This process involves a good understanding of the complexities in the site geology, machine specification, and site management. Various approaches have been used over the years to estimate TBM performance in a given ground condition, many of them were successful and within an acceptable range, while some missing the actual machine performance by a notable margin. Experience shows that the best approach for TBM performance prediction is to use various models to examine the range of estimated machine penetration and advance rates and choose a rate that best represents the working conditions that is closest to the setting of the model used for the estimation. This allows the engineers to avoid surprises and to identify the parameters that could dominate machine performance in each case. This paper reviews the existing models for performance prediction of TBMs and some of the ongoing research on developing better models for improved accuracy of performance estimate and increasing TBM utilization.
Studies on Efficacy of Eco-Friendly Insecticide Obtained from Plant Products Against Aphids Found on Tomato Plant

A number of synthetic pesticides have been used for the control of aphids in agriculture, but increasing public concerns over their adverse effects on the environment have required more environmentally friendly methods for pest management. Tomato is one of the most consumed and widely grown vegetable crops in the world, but their yield is suppressed by the diseases like tomato yellow leaf (TYL) caused by aphids. Aphids are the most common insects found on tomato plants. Aphids suck sap and juice from the new growth on tomato plants, causes wilting, loss of vigor and distorts the shape of the plant, and leave a characteristic sticky excrement called honeydew the leaves will have sticky shiny spots on them when honeydew is present. Aphids may even transmit viral diseases from one plant to another like tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV) and tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) and tomato yellow top. Aphids can be significantly reduced by the application of soap based insecticide containing Pyrethroid which is eco-friendly in nature as pyrethroid is obtained from the extract of Chrysanthemum plant. This insecticidal spray of potassium laurate and pyrethroid has reduced immensely the disease on tomato plant named tomato yellow leaf (TYL) spread by aphids .Hence an attempt has been made to develop an eco friendly economical product for integrated pest management strategy.
G363 Case reports on serious respiratory complications after renal transplant in obese children: Can these be avoided?

Aims To present two obese children who suffered serious post operative respiratory complications after renal transplantation and to discuss strategies we have considered to avoid a similar problem in the future. Methods Case 1 A 14 year old girl weighed 73 kg, BMI 35 kg/m 2 (>99.6th centile) at LRD transplant. Post operatively she was on a morphine PCA pump. Soon after surgery she developed a marked oxygen requirement (maximum FiO 2 60%) that persisted for 4 days. CXR showed basal atelectasis and consolidation. She was treated with antibiotics and chest physiotherapy. The fall in creatinine was slower than expected but a satisfactory baseline value was achieved by 2 weeks. Case 2 A 13 year old girl on PD weighed 100 kg at cadaveric transplant, BMI 38 kg/m (>99.6th centile). Lung function tests before surgery were normal. Post operatively she developed a marked oxygen requirement (FiO 2 70%), requiring transfer to PICU for mechanical ventilation for 5 days including high frequency oscillation. She had delayed graft function requiring CVVH followed by haemodialysis until 8 weeks post transplant and had wound dehiscence. Her creatinine 6 months post renal transplant remains elevated (~200 µmol/L). Results Both children had BMI >99.6th percentile, received iv opiate analgesia and suffered significant respiratory compromise post operatively which was life-threatening in the second case leading to delayed and sub optimal graft function in the short and medium term. Obese children are at risk of hypoventilation, exacerbated by reduced respiratory effort post operatively because of pain from the large abdominal wound and intravenous opiate analgesia. Although there is evidence of increased risk of adverse outcomes after renal transplant in obese adults, there are no paediatric studies. Conclusion The prevalence of obesity in paediatric CKD patients is increasing. We propose children with CKD 4 and 5 and a BMI >98th centile are supported to lose weight and have a sleep study to identify respiratory risk. Epidural analgesia although preferable may be technically difficult in this population. We welcome debate on a proposal to exclude/suspend children from transplantation if the BMI exceeds the 98th centile.
Picking Your Next Ventilator

Selection of new ventilator systems for the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), once a simple process due to the limited number of products available, is now a time-consuming, complex, and multidisciplinary undertaking. Making the best selection involves input from all clinical partners as well as hospital administration. Because ventilator systems now often may be used across the age spectrum, it is necessary to consider whether these devices will be used outside of the NICU. The selection process involves first choosing a multidisciplinary committee, followed by determination of performance and data handling standards. Costs and implementation strategies play a critical role in this process. A request for proposals is prepared and vendors selected for device presentation. Bench testing, either inhouse or by review of others9 data, is required, and a clinical evaluation may be part of the process. Finally, the selection is made and the real work begins.
Receiver Function Inversion Using Genetic Algorithms

Abstract The H‐Kappa (H‐ κ ) stacking algorithm is an important tool to stack receiver functions and thus help determine crustal thickness (H) and crustal P ‐wave to S ‐wave velocity ratio ( κ ). To determine these crustal parameters, the H‐ κ stacking algorithm makes use of a direct search method by assuming some reasonable values for weights assigned to three seismic phases found on receiver functions. In this study, genetic algorithms (GAs) have been implemented to investigate and obtain optimal or near optimal values of the weights assigned to the phases. The results indicate that GA is effective in finding weights for determining crustal parameters as it iteratively searches many combinations of weights without being trapped in local optima. Thus, the GA is implemented here to provide optimal weights for a set of receiver functions to be used by the H‐ κ stacking algorithm. In order to test the validity of the proposed method, we used receiver function sets from a previous work. We found that the resulting weights from the new method are very close to the weights used in the earlier study and that the H and κ values obtained through the two different studies are consistent. Since no human intervention is required while the GA is searching to obtain the different optimal parameters, the GA‐H κ technique could be used in automatic determinations of crustal parameters.
Device Implant Strategy and Patient Characteristics Have a Profound Impact on Early, Mid and Late Outcomes After MCSD Implant

s S81 97% at 2 years and 88% at 4 years. Postoperative survival was 7.6 years (95% CI 7.1 8.1, maximum 9.2). Five patients were transplanted (mean 4.7 years) and 29 (23%) patients died. Conclusion: We describe the largest series of patients with extended survival on CF LVAD support, with mean survival of 7.6 years. This unique cohort had relatively few readmissions per year and excellent NYHA functional class from 6 months through 4 years. Future study will hope to identify factors that predict long term success.
A Data-Driven Approach to Predicting Successes and Failures of Clinical Trials

Over the past decade, the rate of drug attrition due to clinical trial failures has risen substantially. Unfortunately it is difficult to identify compounds that have unfavorable toxicity properties before conducting clinical trials. Inspired by the effective use of sabermetrics in predicting successful baseball players, we sought to use a similar "moneyball" approach that analyzes overlooked features to predict clinical toxicity. We introduce a new data-driven approach (PrOCTOR) that directly predicts the likelihood of toxicity in clinical trials. PrOCTOR integrates the properties of a compound's targets and its structure to provide a new measure, the PrOCTOR score. Drug target network connectivity and expression levels, along with molecular weight, were identified as important indicators of adverse clinical events. Our method provides a data-driven, broadly applicable strategy to identify drugs likely to possess manageable toxicity in clinical trials and will help drive the design of therapeutic agents with less toxicity.