cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Performance Improvement in Healthcare Is Personalized Site Feedback Enough

Healthcare is on a necessary course of continuous improvement. At the top of its list of priorities is improving the performance of how we manage our patients having chronic diseases, such as heart failure. Reflective within the epidemic of chronic diseases, heart failure is pervasive across sex, race, ethnicity, and geography.1 Thus, a heavy toll is placed across a wide spectrum of individuals, families, and communities. Article see p 421 Our healthcare system is tasked with operationalizing a management plan using evidence-based guidelines. This competes directly with both inherent challenges of the chronic disease and the unwarranted variations across care delivery. Such complex and chronic problems require a robust performance improvement (PI) system. Evaluation of high-performing PI systems demonstrates the need for multiple capabilities to be available and working well to achieve optimal process and outcome results.2–6 Fundamental capabilities of a comprehensive PI system include leadership priority setting, systems approach to improvement, measurement capability, learning organization, improvement capability, and culture. In brief, the leadership team identifies, prioritizes, and aligns essential PI opportunities with strategic goals. Core processes have been mapped with a system for managing improvement and monitoring progress. A balanced scorecard system is used to engage frontline staff around select process and outcome metrics trended over time, with national best in class as the performance target. A learning system is created to spread best practices across the organization. Formal PI infrastructure and oversight capability exist across both macrolevels and mesolevels along with a uniform methodology for PI training. Finally, a culture that values engagement, accountability, and data integrity is developed and promoted from the executive to the frontline team level.2–6 All components are equally vital and necessary. The absence or poor development of even 1 capability will result in suboptimal outcomes. In …
Characterization of CpG sites that escape methylation on the inactive human X-chromosome

In many whole genome studies of gene expression or modified cytosines, data from probes localized to the X-chromosome are removed from analyses due to gender bias. Previously, we observed population differences in cytosine modifications between Caucasian and African lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCLs) on the autosomes using whole genome arrays to measure modified cytosines. DNA methylation plays a critical role in establishment and maintenance of X-chromosome inactivation in females. Therefore, we reasoned that by investigating cytosine modification patterns specifically on the X-chromosome, we could obtain valuable information about a chromosome that is often disregarded in genome-wide analyses. We investigated population differences in cytosine modification patterns along the X-chromosome between Caucasian and African LCLs and identified novel sites that escape methylation on the inactive X-chromosome (Xi) in females. We characterized the chromatin state of these loci by incorporating the extensive histone modification ChIP-seq data generated by ENCODE. To explore the relationship between DNA and histone modifications further, we hypothesized that BRD4, a protein that binds acetylated histones, could be preventing some sites from becoming de novo methylated. To test this, we treated 4 female LCLs with JQ1, a small molecule inhibitor of BRD4, but found that JQ1 treatment induced minor changes in cytosine modification levels, and the majority of sites escaping methylation on the Xi remained unmethylated. This suggests that other epigenetic mechanisms or transcription factors are likely playing a larger role in protecting these sites from de novo methylation on the Xi.
A note on harmonious families

The concept of a harmonious family of sets, which generalizes, in a particular setting, the concept of a balanced collection, is characterized in set-like terms
Highly resilient correctors for polynomials

Abstract We consider the problem of correcting programs that compute multivariate polynomials over large finite fields and give an efficient procedure to transform any program that computes a multivariate polynomial ⨍ correctly on a 1 2+δ fraction of its inputs (δ>0) into a randomized program that computes ⨍ correctly on every input with high probability. This shows that programs computing polynomials are “resilient” to a high fraction of errors. The resilience shown in this paper is better than that of the previously known correction procedures and is close to the information theoretic optimum. The running time of the correction procedure is polynomial in the degree of ⨍, the number of variables, and 1 δ , where calls to the incorrect program are assessed a unit cost per call. An important consequence of this result is that the nxn permanent is resilient to errors of up to 1 2 −p(n) for any polynomial p(n).
In practice: Virtual job club: A social support network for recent graduates

The current job market is a tough one for new and recent college graduates. Heather N. Maietta describes Nichols College's new, web-based program designed to support student learning in community, as it provides peer-focused support for the job search.
The uronic acid composition of anticoagulantly active and inactive heparin

Bovine heparin was fractionated with respect to chain length and anticoagulant activity. Analysis of each of these fractions for iduronic and glucuronic acids demonstrated that active heparin has a greater amount of glucuronic acid than inactive heparin. The ratio of the uronic acids in the respective fractions was the same for heparin with different molecular weights. Thus, active heparin with longer chain lengths have more additional glucuronate residues than are required for the antithrombin-binding domain. The results indicate that the active and inactive heparin species differ in more than one structural characteristic and suggest a considerable divergence in their respective biosynthesis.
How Many Emotions Are There? Wedding the Social and the Autonomic Components

Fundamental in the field of emotions is the question of how many emotion there are or there can be. The answer proposed here is that the number of possible emotions is limites. As long as society differentiates new social situations, labels them, and socializes individuals to experience them, new emotions will continue to emerge. But this view must be qualified by an understanding of the autonomic constraints that limit variability in the experience of emotions. It is argued here that there are four psychologically grounded primary emotions: fear, anger, depression, and satisfaction. They are evolutionarily important, cross-culturally universal, ontogenetically early to emerge, and link empirically with important outcomes of social relations. Secondary emotions, such as guilt, shame, pride, gratitude, love, nostalgia, ennui, and so forth, are acquired through socializing agents who define and label such emotions while the individual is experiencing the autonomic reactions of one of the "primaries." Hence,...
Using Integer Linear Programming for Detecting Speech Disfluencies

We present a novel two-stage technique for detecting speech disfluencies based on Integer Linear Programming (ILP). In the first stage we use state-of-the-art models for speech disfluency detection, in particular, hidden-event language models, maximum entropy models and conditional random fields. During testing each model proposes possible disfluency labels which are then assessed in the presence of local and global constraints using ILP. Our experimental results show that by using ILP we can improve the performance of our models with negligible cost in processing time. The less training data is available the larger the improvement due to ILP.
Coordinated Defects in Hepatic Long Chain Fatty Acid Metabolism and Triglyceride Accumulation Contribute to Insulin Resistance in Non-Human Primates

Non-Alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is characterized by accumulation of triglycerides (TG) in hepatocytes, which may also trigger cirrhosis. The mechanisms of NAFLD are not fully understood, but insulin resistance has been proposed as a key determinant. Aims To determine the TG content and long chain fatty acyl CoA composition profile in liver from obese non-diabetic insulin resistant (IR) and lean insulin sensitive (IS) baboons in relation with hepatic and peripheral insulin sensitivity. Methods Twenty baboons with varying grades of adiposity were studied. Hepatic (liver) and peripheral (mainly muscle) insulin sensitivity was measured with a euglycemic clamp and QUICKI. Liver biopsies were performed at baseline for TG content and LCFA profile by mass spectrometry, and histological analysis. Findings were correlated with clinical and biochemical markers of adiposity and insulin resistance. Results Obese IR baboons had elevated liver TG content compared to IS. Furthermore, the concentration of unsaturated (LC-UFA) was greater than saturated (LC-SFA) fatty acyl CoA in the liver. Interestingly, LC-FA UFA and SFA correlated with waist, BMI, insulin, NEFA, TG, QUICKI, but not M/I. Histological findings of NAFLD ranging from focal to diffuse hepatic steatosis were found in obese IR baboons. Conclusion Liver TG content is closely related with both hepatic and peripheral IR, whereas liver LC-UFA and LC-SFA are closely related only with hepatic IR in non-human primates. Mechanisms leading to the accumulation of TG, LC-UFA and an altered UFA: LC-SFA ratio may play an important role in the pathophysiology of fatty liver disease in humans.
Uncovering Validity Criteria for Stories Managers Hear and Tell

}Policymakers and managers rely to a large extent on stories told to them for information that shapes problem formulation and decision. But what can give them confidence in such stories? In this article, one of several articles by the author in which the value of stories is examined, the social origins of validity standards for storytelling. Based on sociological theory regarding the construction of social reality, the author argues that four questions typically are asked when the validity of a story is to be tested.
On the existence of post-buckling solutions of shallow shells under a certain unilateral constraint

Abstract Post-buckling configurations of a wide class of shallow shells, subject to unilateral constraints are shown to exist, as solutions of the nonlinear eigenvalue inequality associated to the physical shell problem.
The infection of Pseudomonas aeruginosa by RNA pilus phage PP7: the adsorption organelle and the relationship between phage sensitivity and the division cycle.

Abstract Evidence was obtained in favor of the proposal that FP pili are the adsorption organelle for the RNA containing Pseudomonas aeruginosa phage PP7. A pili-less mutant derived from the phage's piliated host was found to be phage resistant and unable to adsorb phage. Spheroplasts prepared from either the mutant or the sensitive strain could be infected by naked PP7 RNA with equal efficiency, demonstrating that the phage resistance of the mutant was due to a defect in the adsorption-penetration mechanism and not due to an inability to replicate the phage. Two types of experiments with synchronously dividing cells demonstrated that the phage's host was susceptible to infection only during a brief phase of the cellular growth cycle, beginning shortly before division. In the first, exposure of an asynchronously growing culture to phage infection for most of one generation time selected for cells in approximately the same growth phase as evidenced by the observation that the survivors grew synchronously for three generations after the phage exposure was terminated. In the second type of experiment, a culture which had been induced to divide synchronously by a period of starvation showed cyclic fluctuations in phage susceptibility with the maxima occurring just before cell division. Because of the short duration of the phage-susceptible phase, the susceptible cells extant in an exponentially growing culture constituted only a small minority of the cell population. Quantitative models were constructed in which phage susceptibility was defined as a particular phase of the cellular growth cycle. These models correctly predicted the rate at which phage-resistant cells became phage susceptible, were infected and accumulated as infected cells after phage had been added to an exponentially growing culture.
Fifty-two forms of childhood cancer: United States mortality experience, 1960-1966

All (29,457) death certificates for children under 15 years of age who died of cancer in the United States, 1960–1966, were recoded as to cell type, and national mortality rates for each were determined. The most common neoplasms in order of frequency were leukemia, gliomas, lymphoma, neuroblastoma, Wilms' tumor, bone cancer, rhabdomyosarcoma, and primary liver cancer. Comparison was made with 2,487 deaty certificates of persons who died of cancer from 15 to 19 years of age, 1965–1966. The marked differences in frequencies between the 2 age groups reflect dynamic changes in rates and in cell type with age during childhood.
In vitro studies on the effect of yolk sac antisera on functions of the visceral yolk sac: I. Pinocytosis and transport of small molecules.

The production of congential malformations by the administration of teratogenic antisera to pregnant animals has been reported from many laboratories. This work has focused our attention on the importance of the yolk sac placenta in supporting the rat embryo during early organogenesis and the significance of yolk sac dysfunction in rodent teratogenesis. The studies reported in this article deal with the effect of teratogenic antisera on the process of yolk sac transport; specifically pinocytosis (as measured by 14C-sucrose uptake) and small-molecule transport utilizing 14C-α-aminoisobutyric acid (AIB) and 3H-2-deoxyglucose (DOG). We sought to determine whether several different yolk sac localizing antibodies interfere with these transport processes, and, if so, which transport processes were most affected. The results of the experiments indicated that teratogenic antisera interfered with the process of pinocytosis in the yolk sac and that pinocytosis can be reduced as much as 40%. Nonteratogenic antisera, even when they localized in the yolk sac, did not interfere with the process of pinocytosis. Furthermore, the teratogenic antisera did not interfere with the transport of small molecules (either AIB or DOG) in the yolk sac. These results indicated that while fluorescent localization of an antiserum in the yolk sac did not invariably indicate the potential for teratogenicity, it is likely that the reduction in pinocytosis may directly correlate with the teratologic and embryopathic events. This work reaffirms the view that the yolk sac in important during rodent organogenesis and that yolk sac dysfunction can play an important role in the development of congenital malformations. The results from the endocytosis experiments with explanted yolk sacs did identify the embryotoxic antiserum (i.e., whole visceral yolk sac antiserum) and thus this method may have utility as a rapid bioassay for these antisera. The simple measurement of endocytic index as a marker for the determination of teratogenicity of uncharacterized sera would represent a considerable saving in time, effort, and animals.
Attraction in initial interethnic interactions

Abstract Interethnic attraction was predicted to increase when (1) perceived similarity in communication style increases, (2) perceived self-concept support increases, (3) uncertainty decreases, (4) strength of ethnic identities decrease and strength of cultural identities increase, (5) positive intergroup expectations increase, and (6) shared intergroup networks increase. Perceived similarity in communication styles, perceived self-concept support, lack of uncertainty, strength of ethnic identities, and positive intergroup expectations predicted interethnic attraction in the overall analysis (65% of the variance in attraction was explained). In the European American analysis, perceived similarity in communication styles, perceived self-concept support, lack of uncertainty, strength of cultural identities, and positive intergroup expectations predicted interethnic attraction (76% of the variance in attraction was explained). In the non-European American analysis, perceived similarity in communication styles, perceived self-concept support, and positive intergroup expectations predicted interethnic attraction (59% of the variance in attraction was explained).
The Use of a Surgery-Specific Written Examination in the Selection Process of Surgical Residents

Objective Selection of surgical residents is a difficult task, and program directors are interested in identifying the best candidates. Among the qualities being sought after is the ability to acquire surgical knowledge, and eventually do well on their board examinations. During the interview process, many programs use results from the United States Medical Licensing Exam (USMLE) to identify residents they think will do well academically. The purpose of this study was to evaluate a different method of identifying such residents, through the use of a surgery-specific written exam (SSWE). Design A retrospective review of residents in our program between 2004 and 2012 was done. A 50-question SSWE was designed and administered to candidates on the day of their interview. Scores on the SSWE and the USMLE were compared with results on the American Board of Surgery In-Training Exam (ABSITE). Correlation coefficients were calculated and compared. Setting Community based General Surgery residency program. Participants Resident applicants. Results Forty-three residents had scores available from the SSWE, USMLE Part 1 (USMLE-1), and Part 2 (USMLE-2). There were ABSITE scores available for 38 in postgraduate year (PGY) 1. USMLE-1 had a statistically significant correlation ( r = 0.327, p = 0.045) with the ABSITE score in PGY-1 (ABSITE-1), while with USMLE-2 had slightly less correlation ( r = 0.314, p = 0.055) with ABSITE-1. However, the SSWE had a much stronger correlation ( r = 0.656, p Conclusions An SSWE is a good method to identify residents who will later do well on the ABSITE. It is a better method than using the more general USMLE. Since the ABSITE has been shown to correlate with performance on board examinations, residency programs interested in identifying candidates that will do well on their board examinations, should consider incorporating an SSWE into their application process.
The Stability, Structural Organization, and Denaturation of Pectate Lyase C, a Parallel β-Helix Protein†

Pectate lyase C (pelC) was the first protein in which the parallel β-helix structure was recognized. The unique features of parallel β-helix-containing proteinsa relatively simple topology and unusual interactions among side chainsmake pelC an interesting protein to study with respect to protein folding. In this paper, we report studies of the unfolding equilibrium of pelC. PelC is unfolded reversibly by gdn-HCl at pH 7 and 5, as monitored by far- and near-UV CD and fluorescence. The coincidence of these spectroscopically detected transitions is consistent with a two-state transition at pH 7, but the three probes are not coincident at pH 5. No evidence was found for a loosely folded intermediate in the transition region at pH 5. At pH 7, the for unfolding is 12.2 kcal/mol, with the midpoint of the transition at 0.99 M gdn-HCl and m = 12.3 kcal/(mol·M). Thus, pelC is unusually stable and has an m value that is much larger than for typical globular proteins. Thermal denaturation of pelC has been studied by ...
Assessment of robust reconstruction algorithms for compressive sensing spectral-domain optical coherence tomography

In this paper, we performed an in-depth assessment of current state-of-the-art compressive sensing (CS) reconstruction algorithms, including YALL1, CSALSA, NESTA, SPGL1, TwIST and SpaRSA for use in spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT). A brief description of mentioned algorithms and criterion in assessing performance between constraint and unconstraint algorithms are presented. The performance of all algorithms is initially assessed using a set of artificial noiseless A-scan signals with different spatial-domain dynamic range. Reconstruction error, computation time, noise tolerance and reliability of each algorithm are used as key metrics. A fair speed comparison is then implemented. Finally, computation time, SNR and local contrast of the algorithms are evaluated on real OCT Bscan data. Our results show that SPGL1 and YALL1 have moderately better performance.
Cellulose-Directed Growth of Selenium Nanobelts in Solution

Elemental selenium nanobelts have been synthesized for the first time by a novel and mild solution method. The synthetic reaction was carried out with cellulose as both reducing and morphology-directing agents in solution under simple hydrothermal conditions at low temperature, which is quite different from the thermal evaporation/reaction process for nanobelts at high temperature. Some other mild biopolyhydric chemicals such as sorbitol and polygalacturonic acid, which are related to cellulose, have also been investigated under our synthetic conditions. When sorbitol and polygalacturonic acid were used as reducing agents, different one-dimensional (1D) nanostructures, simple cylindrical nanowires, and centipede-shaped 1D structures could be obtained. This method might bring a new, mild, and economical concept for the synthesis and construction of nanobelts, nanowires, and other kinds of 1D nanostructures.
Hepatitis B and human immunodeficiency virus coinfection

Coinfection with human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV) and hepatitis B virus (HBV) is common; worldwide, an estimated 10% of HIV-infected persons have chronic hepatitis B. Because the incidence of traditional acquired immunodeficiency syndrome-related opportunistic infections has decreased with successful anti-HIV therapy, liver disease has emerged as a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in HIV-infected individuals. HIV infection negatively impacts all phases of the natural history of hepatitis B leading to increased rates of persistent infection, higher HBV DNA levels, lower rates of hepatitis B e antigen loss, increased cirrhosis and liver-related mortality, and increased risk of hepatocellular carcinoma at lower CD4+ T cell counts. The management of hepatitis B in HIV infection is complicated by the dual activity of several nucleoside analogs, the more rapid development of lamivudine-resistant HBV in patients who are HIV-positive, and the paucity of studies in this population. Until further research emerges on the optimal treatment for this population, data from HBV monoinfected persons will need to be extrapolated to the HIV-HBV coinfected population. Further research is also needed to determine the mechanism(s) for the increased liver disease progression and optimal treatment goals.
Orbital tracking and decay analysis of the saturn i flights.

Orbit determination for Saturn vehicles, discussing skin tracking by instrumentation radar and atmospheric drag acting on vehicles
The trend of data path structures for data acquisition systems in positron emission tomography

Coincidence detection and the high event rates make data acquisition (DAQ) a challenge for Positron Emission Tomograpy (PET). The data path structures inside a DAQ system in PET have been changing with technological advancements in both communication devices and semiconductor based photo-detectors. Time-of-flight (TOF) detection capability or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) compatibility place new requirements on the detection signal chain.
Preadipocyte screening by laminin in porcine stromal vascular cell cultures.

Objective: To determine if subpopulations of cells in stromal vascular (S-V) cultures could be segregated and separated based on affinity for laminin substratum. Research Methods and Procedures: S-V cells were seeded and allowed to attach for various times; 4 hours was found to be optimal for cell attachment. Cultures were rinsed after 4 hours of seeding, and S-V cells were divided into three subpopulations based on affinity for laminin: (1) cells that did not attach to laminin; (2) cells that had a low affinity for laminin; and (3) cells that had a high affinity for laminin. After 24 hours, cultures were either stained for the AD-3 antigen (a marker for preadipocytes), C/EBP-α (a terminal differentiation marker), or C/EBP-8 (an early preadipocyte marker). Companion cultures were treated with various media for 9 days and stained with oil red-O. Results: Cells with a high affinity for laminin had the highest proportion of AD-3 and C/EBP-α positive cells and the highest proportion of fat cells after treatment with insulin ± dexamethasone. Cells with a low affinity for laminin had the1 highest proportion of C/EBP-8 cells and the highest proportion of fat cells after treatment with fetal bovine serum+dexamethasone, followed by insulin. Discussion: These results indicate that differentiating preadipocytes adhere to laminin to a much greater degree than do non-preadipocytes. Therefore, laminin-coated dishes can be used to screen S-V cells to produce preadipocyte or fibroblast-enriched S-V cultures.
Neutronics and material attractiveness for PWR thorium systems using monte carlo techniques

Abstract Thorium (Th) oxide fuel offers a significant advantage over traditional low-enriched uranium and mixed uranium/plutonium oxide (MOX) fuel irradiated in a Light Water Reactor. The benefits of using thorium include the following: 1) unlike depleted uranium, thorium does not produce plutonium, 2) thorium is a more stable fuel material chemically than LEU and may withstand higher burnups, 3) the materials attractiveness of plutonium in Th/Pu fuel at high burnups is lower than in MOX at currently achievable burnups, and 4) thorium is three to four times more abundant than uranium. This paper quantifies the irradiation of thorium fuel in existing Light Water Reactors in terms of: 1) the percentage of plutonium destroyed, 2) reactivity safety parameters, and 3) material attractiveness of the final uranium and plutonium products. The Monte Carlo codes MCNP/X and the linkage code Monteburns were used for the calculations in this document, which is one of the first applications of full core Monte Carlo burnup calculations. Results of reactivity safety parameters are compared to deterministic solutions that are more traditionally used for full core computations. Thorium is fertile and leads to production of the fissile isotope 233 U, but it must be mixed with enriched uranium or reactor-/weapons-grade plutonium initially to provide power until enough 233 U builds in. One proposed fuel type, a thorium-plutonium mixture, is advantageous because it would destroy a significant fraction of existing plutonium while avoiding the creation of new plutonium. 233 U has a lower delayed neutron fraction than 235 U and acts kinetically similar to 239 Pu built in from 238 U. However, as with MOX fuel, some design changes may be required for our current LWR fleet to burn more than one-third a core of Th/Pu fuel and satisfy reactivity safety limits. The calculations performed in this research show that thorium/plutonium fuel can destroy up to 70% of the original plutonium per pass at 47 GWd/MTU, whereas only about 30% can be destroyed using MOX. Additionally, the materials attractiveness of the final plutonium product of irradiated plutonium/thorium fuel is significantly reduced if high burnups (∼94 GWD/MTU) of the fuel can be attained.
PATTERNS OF INTEGRATION, COMMITMENT, AND STUDENT CHARACTERISTICS AND RETENTION AMONG YOUNGER AND OLDER STUDENTS

The primary purpose of this study was to explore the differential persistence impact of the components of the Tinto model, preentry characteristics, initial goals and commitments, integration, subsequent goals and commitments, and external commitments, to the process of younger and older student persistence. The sample (N=449) included first-time students enrolled full- or part-time at a large, urban community college. The study design was longitudinal with questionnaire data gathered at the beginning and end of the spring 1989 semester. Persistence was measured from the spring to the following fall semester. Discriminant function analysis was used to study multivariate differences between short-term persisters and nonpersisters. Younger (17 to 24 years) and older (25+ years) student data were analyzed separately. Findings indicated (1) integration was more important to the persistence of younger students than it was for the older cohort; (2) self-assessed study skills were the most important discriminator for older students; (3) student perceptions of cognitive and personal development were important to persistence in both groups; and (4) goal commitment was important to the persistence of both age groups.
Hybrid–Hybrid Relaxation Matrix Structural Refinement of Duplex DNA from Simulated 3D NOESY–NOESY Data

A hybrid-hybrid relaxation rate matrix refinement of 3D NOESY-NOESY data was tested by simulated refinement calculations on a dodecamer duplex DNA structure. 'Experimental' 3D data sets were generated from the known target structure for the simulated refinement. Theoretical 3D N0F.-NOE spectra were then calculated from several model-built structures. By scaling, the simulated experimental 3D data were merged with the theoretical 3D data to create a hybrid 3D NOESY-NOESY data set. This was then deconvoluted into a partial 2D hybrid volume matrix. The deconvoluted 2D hybrid NOESY data were then merged with the simulated 2D NOESY data (and, if available, additional experimental 2D data) to create a hybrid-hybrid 2D NOE volume matrix. Experimental 2D NOE data are not required for such a calculation. The hybrid-hybrid 2D data set was then used in an established 2D relaxation matrix procedure (MORASS) to produce distance constraints for restrained molecular dynamics refinement. The theoretical 3D data set and the model were refined in each iteration until agreement was obtained between the experimental and theoretical 3D NOESY-NOESY data sets. Two simulated 3D NOESYNOESY data sets of the dodecamer duplex with 20% and %0/0 integration errors were used for refinement, containing 1667 and 1472 3D cross peaks, respectively. A total of 478 and 481 2D cross peaks were generated by deconvolution of the two 3D data sets, respectively. A simulated 2D NOE data set with 359 cross peaks (20% integration error) was used for comparison. Refinement calculations from three different models using all three data sets showed that the deconvoluted 3D NOESY-NOESY data can provide accuracy and precision comparable to or even better than those from 2D NOESY data. Importantly, the 3D data reproduced the sequence-specific variation in the helical parameters much better than the 2D data did. Computationally, this method does not require any significant increase in central processing unit time, storage or computer memory over the MORASS 2D protocol.
Mimicking the sense of olfaction: A conducting-polymer-based electronic nose

— We describe herein the construction of a simple, low-power, broadly responsive vapor sensor. Carbon-black-organic-polymer composites have been shown to swell reversibly upon exposure to vapors. Thin films of carbon-black-organic-polymer composites have been deposited across two metallic leads, with swelling-induced resistance changes of the films signaling the presence of vapors. To identify and classify vapors, arrays of such vapor-sensing elements have been constructed, with each element containing a different organic polymer as the insulating phase. The differing gas-solid partition coefficients for the various polymers of the sensor array produce a pattern of resistance changes that can be used to classify vapors and vapor mixtures. This type of sensor array has been shown to resolve all organic vapors that have been analyzed, and can even resolve H2O from D2O.
Structure of a Type III Restriction Endonuclease by Single-Particle Electron Microscopy

Type III restriction endonucleases recognize DNA sequences and cleave at a specific distance from the recognition sequence. These enzymes are composed of two protein subunits: Mod, necessary for specific binding and methylation, and Res, necessary for ATP-dependent restriction. A Res2Mod2 subunit assembly has been determined for the best-known examples of Type III restriction endonucleases, EcoP1I and EcoP15I, however no more structural information is available yet about type III restriction endonucleases. We have used electron microscopy (EM) and single-particle image processing to start deciphering the 3D structure of EcoP15I.Advances in single-particle reconstruction methods have made it possible to elucidate the 3D structure of many macromolecules from EM images. However, accurate 3D structural determination of non-polymeric proteins smaller than 500 kDa such as EcoP15I is still a challenge. To optimize the extraction of information from our EM dataset, we review systematically different aspects of the reconstruction algorithms such as image de-noising, alignment, and classification. De-noising is an important factor in the quality of reconstruction because images of small macromolecules have low signal-to-noise ratio. We are comparing various techniques of de-noising based on statistical and geometrical characteristics of images. We are also investigating possible improvement of alignment based on coordinate transformation, interpolation, and statistical information to reduce alignment errors. Finally, we are evaluating sophisticated classification algorithms based on statistical information of the images.Our preliminary 2D averages of EcoP15I show an oval structure of ∼160x100 A major and minor axes, and at least four distinguishable domains. The different classes correspond to different various projection angles, readily providing 3D structural information. Our preliminary 3D reconstruction confirms the above finding. The enhancement prospects of the image processing developments will be discussed in the context of the determination of the 3D structure of EcoP15I.
Effects of Activation on the Surface Properties of Silica-Supported Cobalt Catalysts

Abstract Drying and calcining effects on 16-19 wt% Co/SiO2 Fischer-Tropsch (FT) catalysts, prepared by impregnation with cobalt nitrate, have been examined using ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) surface analysis and conventional catalyst characterization techniques. Drying in air at 110°C or under vacuum at 100°C and then calcining in air at 400°C causes large Co3O4 particles to form, which easily reduce under hydrogen at 300°C. In contrast, dried samples annealed under UHV prior to calcining exhibit dramatically different characteristics. The decomposition of cobalt nitrate during drying initiates the formation of a surface cobalt silicate. Prolonged air drying eventually converts the surface silicate into Co3O4, while vacuum drying disperses the nitrate precursor on the support, forming cobalt silicate islands. Annealing air-dried samples in UHV stabilizes the surface silicate against reduction or oxidation through the migration of Co2+ ions into the support to form a well-ordered bulk cobalt silicate. Annealing of vacuum-dried samples to 200°C in UHV produces a continuous, conductive surface silicate that sinters upon heating to temperatures above 250°C. Analysis of species generated during the decomposition of the Co(NO3)(2) · 6H2O precursor indicates that the concentration of gas phase NOx near the surface determines the nature of the cobalt surface phase. The formation of an intermediate surface cobalt silicate under specific activation conditions maximizes the amount of reducible cobalt surface area available for FT reactions.
Phenylalanine Side Chain Behavior of the Intestinal Fatty Acid-binding Protein THE EFFECT OF UREA ON BACKBONE AND SIDE CHAIN STABILITY

The equilibrium unfolding behavior of the intestinal fatty acid-binding protein has been investigated by (19)F-NMR after incorporation of 4-fluorophenylalanine and by pulsed field gradient diffusion (1)H-NMR. At low urea concentrations (0-3 m) but prior to the global unfolding that begins at 4 m urea, the protein exhibits dynamic motion in the backbone and an expanded hydrodynamic radius with no major change in the side chain orientation. As monitored by two-dimensional (19)F-(19)F nuclear Overhauser effect, the distance between two phenylalanine residues (Phe(68) and Phe(93)) located in the two different beta-sheets that enclose the internal cavity did not change up to 4 m urea. Additionally, the chemical shifts of these two residues changed almost identically as a function of denaturant. At all urea concentrations, as well as in the native protein, multiple conformations exist. These conformers interconvert at different rates under different conditions, ranging from slow exchange by showing separate peaks in the native state to intermediate exchange at intermediate urea concentrations. Residual structure persisted around Phe(62) even at very high concentrations of denaturant, suggesting that region as a nucleation site during folding. The results were compared with previous studies examining the backbone behavior (Hodsdon, M. E., and Frieden, C. (2001) Biochemistry 40, 732-742) and suggest that the side chains show more stability than the backbone prior to global unfolding of the protein.
Fixed cutaneous sporotrichosis: Unusual histopathology following intralesional corticosteroid administration

The fixed cutaneous type of sporotrichosis is difficult to diagnose because clinical lesions are variable in appearance and the cells of Sporothrix schenckii are usually scarce in skin biopsy specimens. We have described two patients with lesions of fixed cutaneous sporotrichosis that resembled other inflammatory skin conditions and were treated with intralesional corticosteroids. Subsequent skin biopsies from these lesions demonstrated an unusually large number of yeast cells.
Comparison of peak expiratory flow rate with speaking time in ED patients presenting with acute exacerbation of asthma

Thirty-six patients with a history of asthma who presented to an emergency department (ED) with an acute exacerbation were studied prospectively to determine if a correlation existed between peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) and speaking time. Each patient listened to an instructional audiotape on the proper method of counting and then maximally inhaled and counted until it became necessary to take a second breath. This represented the patient's "speaking time" in seconds. A PEFR was then obtained using a hand-held peak flow meter. The speaking time and PEFR were measured before and after each nebulized albuterol treatment. A total of 169 pairs of pretreatment and posttreatment PEFR and speaking time measurements were obtained. Regression analysis of the PEFR and speaking time demonstrated the PEFR can be predicted by the speaking time with statistical significance (P < .0001). The regression analysis equation was: peak flow (L/min) = 114.8 +/- (17.6 x speaking time).
Extending the Frontiers of Surgical Therapy for Hepatic Colorectal Metastases: Is There a Limit?

Hepatic resection for colorectal metastases, limited to the liver, has become the standard of care, and currently remains the only potentially curative therapy. Numerous single institutional reports have demonstrated long-term survival, and there are no other treatment options that have shown a survival plateau. However, curative resection is possible in less than 25% of patients with disease limited to the liver, which consequently translates into only 5% to 10% of the original group developing colorectal cancer. To increase the number of patients who could benefit from hepatic resection, the last decade has seen considerable effort directed towards the following areas, (1) refining prognostic factors that would improve patient selection, (2) advancements in surgical technique such as, use of intraoperative ultrasonography, controlling hemorrhage through use of vascular clamping techniques supplemented with low central venous pressure anesthesia, availability of novel devices for parenchymal transection, and controlled anatomic hepatectomy with Glissonian technique, and (3) novel approaches to permit curative hepatic resection such as, preoperative portal vein embolization for hypertrophy of future liver remnant and staged hepatic resection. This article reviews development of these innovative multidisciplinary modalities and the aggressive surgical approach that has been adopted to extend the frontiers of surgical therapy for colorectal hepatic metastases.
Investigation of the Accuracy and Spatial Resolution of Scanning Thermal Microscopy (SThM) Technique

Scanning Thermal Microscopy (SThM) employs a thermocouple as the scanning sensor to capture thermal images with sub-micron spatial resolution. After nearly two decades of research and development in this area, many outstanding issues/questions related to the accuracy and resolution of SThM technique has remained either unanswered or at best ambiguously defined. The present work uses numerical simulation for heat conduction in a combined SThM probe and device to obtain temperature distributions in various heated nanostructures. The limits of accuracy and spatial resolution of the SThM technique for heated metal bridges are estimated using a probe with 100 nm thermocouple junction as the temperature sensor. It is concluded mat large errors in temperature measurements should be expected for small devices that are fabricated on poor thermal conductivity substrates. There is no clear and unique definition for the spatial resolution of the SThM technique as it may change for different device configuration and substrates. It appears that the finite dimensions of the probe and contact area impose a limit on the spatial resolution of the SThM, which is strongly influenced by temperature gradients across the device under test.Copyright © 2005 by ASME
Melting temperature and high-temperature enthalpies of erbium tetraboride

The high-temperature enthalpy of ErB4 was measured from 1312 to 2227 K with a copperblock drop calorimeter. The results were fitted to the following equation, which should be use only over the experimental range: H°(T)−h°(298.15 K) = {17.372(TK)+4.740 × 103 (TK)2 +0.871 × 106 (TK)−1 − 2.679 × 103} calth mol−1. The melting temperature was determined by a heating-curve technique and found to be (2633±50) K.
Odd-even staggering of nuclear radii

Abstract The odd-even staggering of nuclear radii, as observed in the isotope shifts of atomic and mu-atomic spectra, is calculated using the pairing-plus-quadrupole model. The experimental effect is qualitatively explained on the basis that the mean square deformation β2 associated with the zero-point motion of quadrupole vibrations is greater for even than for odd nuclei. The radius change is related to a change in β2 using the incompressible fluid model. The theoretical value of Δβ2 is obtained by computing 〈Q2〉 for even and for odd nuclei, using BCS wave functions with ground state correlations admixed in perturbation theory by the quadrupole force, and properly blocking the ground state correlation admixtures, in the case of an odd nucleus, by the odd quasiparticle. Near the end of the shell, instead of BCS, a one- and two-particle calculation is done. In addition, the contribution of blocking to the odd-even mass differences is discussed.
Optical Scintillometer/Doppler Radar Instrument For Profiling Turbulence

The scintillation of starlight contains information about the refractive turbulence strength in the atmosphere. The fluctuations to each two-dimensional spatial wavenumber in the scintillation pattern are caused by turbulent features that have the same two-dimensional wavenumber. Therefore, a receiver that spatially filters the scintillations in starlight can measure the amount of turbulence in the atmosphere in a narrow band of wavenumbers. If the entire atmosphere were moving with constant velocity, the dominant wavenumber would produce a constant frequency as the turbulence moved across the filter. However, wind velocity typically varies with altitude, and turbulence at different altitudes will produce different frequencies. If the wind velocity profile is known, the vertical profile of Cn2 can be inferred from the frequency distribution of scintillations at a particular wavenumber.
Morphological and mechanical properties of caudal vertebrae in the SAMP6 mouse model of senile osteoporosis.

The senescence-accelerated mouse, strain P6 (SAMP6), is a model of senile osteoporosis with relatively low bone mineral density (BMD), low rates of bone formation and reduced long-bone bending strength. Seeking to extend previous descriptions of the SAMP6 skeletal phenotype, we assessed the morphological and mechanical properties of vertebrae from SAM mice at 4 and 12 months of age. We hypothesized that, relative to SAMR1 controls, vertebrae from SAMP6 mice have: (1) less trabecular bone, (2) increased endosteal and periosteal bone size and (3) decreased whole-bone strength. Caudal vertebrae from adult female mice (SAMR1 and SAMP6; 4 and 12 months; n = 10–11 per group) were evaluated by micro-computed tomography and mechanical compression testing. SAMP6 vertebrae had 33% less trabecular bone volume in cephalad and caudal end regions than SAMR1 (P 0.05), another finding in contrast to previous results in SAMP6 long bones. In summary, reduced vertebral trabecular bone volume is another feature of the SAMP6 mice with relevance to senile osteoporosis. However, age-related bone expansion and reduced whole-bone strength were not evident in SAMP6 vertebrae, indicating that while the SAMP6 mouse has many features relevant to senile osteoporosis in humans, not all features are observed or detectable at all skeletal sites.
Emerging electronic devices for THz sensing and imaging

Continuing advances in scaling of conventional semiconductor devices are enabling mainstream electronics to operate in the millimeter-wave through THz regime. At the same time, however, novel devices and device concepts are also emerging to address the key challenges for systems in this frequency range, and may offer performance and functional advantages for future systems. In addition to new devices, advances in integration technology and novel system concepts also promise to provide substantial system-level performance and functionality enhancements. Several emerging devices and device concepts, as well as circuit-level concepts to take advantage of them, are discussed. Based on unconventional semiconductor device structures and operational principles, these devices offer the potential for significantly improved system sensitivity and frequency coverage. When combined in arrays, features such as polarimetric detection and frequency tunability for imaging can be achieved. As examples of emerging devices for millimeter-wave through THz sensing and imaging, heterostructure backward diodes in the InAs/AlSb/GaSb material system and GaN-based plasma-wave high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) will be discussed. Based on interband tunneling, heterostructure backward diodes offer significantly increased sensitivity and extremely low noise for direct detection applications, and have been demonstrated with cutoff frequencies exceeding 8 THz. The plasma-wave HEMT is an emerging device concept that, by leveraging plasma-wave resonances in the two-dimensional electron gas within the channel of the HEMT, offers the prospect for both tunable narrowband detection as well as low-noise amplification at frequencies well into the THz. These emerging devices are both amenable to direct integration within compact planar radiating structures such as annular slot antennas for realization of polarimetric detection and frequency tuning for spectroscopy and imaging.