cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Information retrieval from relational databases using semantic queries

Relational databases are widely used today as a mechanism for providing access to structured data. They, however, are not suitable for typical information finding tasks of end users. There is often a semantic gap between the queries users want to express and the queries that can be answered by the database. In this paper, we propose a system that bridges this semantic gap using domain knowledge contained in ontologies. Our system extends relational databases with the ability to answer semantic queries that are represented in SPARQL, an emerging Semantic Web query language. Users express their queries in SPARQL, based on a semantic model of the data, and they get back semantically relevant results. We define different categories of results that are semantically relevant to the users' query and show how our system retrieves these results. We evaluate the performance of our system on sample relational databases, using a combination of standard and custom ontologies.
The illness of Vincent van Gogh.

Vincent van Gogh (1853–1890) was a wonderfully accomplished artist whose work is now widely appreciated. He created a great number of masterpiece paintings and drawings in just one decade devoted to art. His productivity is even more remarkable when considered in the context of his debilitating illness. He suffered from medical crises that were devastating, but in the intervening periods he was both lucid and creative. He left a profound, soul-searching description of his jagged life in his correspondence, which provides the basis for the present analysis. An inherited metabolic disease, acute intermittent porphyria, accounts for all of the signs and symptoms of van Gogh’s underlying illness. On this 150th anniversary of the birth of Vincent van Gogh it is appropriate to revisit the subject and to analyze the lack of organized skepticism in the popular media about other diagnoses.
Juvenile Sentencing in Illinois: Addressing the Supreme Court Trend away from Harsh Punishments for Juvenile Offenders

The United States Supreme Court has steadily been changing the way it approaches juvenile sentencing since 2005. This ideological shift has occurred as a response to the increase in biological and sociological studies, which point toward fundamental differences between juveniles and adults. This Note addresses how the new mandates by the Supreme Court have been implemented around the country, with a focus on statutory changes Illinois should make moving forward. Specifically, this Note argues that there are several adjustments Illinois will have to make in regards to the way it sentences juvenile homicide offenders, in order to be considered Constitutional based on the analysis set forth by the Supreme Court in Roper v. Simmons, Graham v. Florida, and Miller v. Alabama. First, lengthy, consecutive term-of-years sentences should be abolished because it does not give juvenile offenders the “meaningful opportunity for release” required by Graham. This Note suggests that courts need to look at the idea of a “meaningful opportunity for release” differently when sentencing juveniles as opposed to adult offenders, because studies have shown that adolescents who are imprisoned have a much lower life expectancy than average. Second, Illinois should amend its sentencing statutes to require judges to consider several factors, while on record at a sentencing hearing, before sentencing a juvenile homicide offender to life in prison. These factors, laid out within this Note, will put Illinois at the forefront of ethical juvenile sentencing, while also ensuring that it does not violate the authority of Miller. Admittedly, these theories have been criticized for being too ‘soft’ on punishment for juveniles who are convicted of felony murder. However, the suggestions in this Note are meant to allow for the protection of the adolescent’s Eighth Amendment right to be free of cruel and unusual punishment, while also considering the severity and nature of the offense.
Kinetics of Presynaptic Filament Assembly in the Presence of Single-Stranded DNA Binding Protein and Recombination Mediator Protein

Enzymes of the RecA/Rad51 family catalyze DNA strand exchange reactions that are important for homologous recombination and for the accurate repair of DNA double-strand breaks. RecA/Rad51 recombinases are activated by their assembly into presynaptic filaments on single-stranded DNA (ssDNA), a process that is regulated by ssDNA binding protein (SSB) and mediator proteins. Mediator proteins stimulate strand exchange by accelerating the rate-limiting displacement of SSB from ssDNA by the incoming recombinase. The use of mediators is a highly conserved strategy in recombination, but the precise mechanism of mediator activity is unknown. In this study, the well-defined bacteriophage T4 recombination system (UvsX recombinase, Gp32 SSB, and UvsY mediator) is used to examine the kinetics of presynaptic filament assembly on native ssDNA in vitro. Results indicate that the ATP-dependent assembly of UvsX presynaptic filaments on Gp32-covered ssDNA is limited by a salt-sensitive nucleation step in the absence of mediator. Filament nucleation is selectively enhanced and rendered salt-resistant by mediator protein UvsY, which appears to stabilize a prenucleation complex. This mechanism potentially explains how UvsY promotes presynaptic filament assembly at physiologically relevant ionic strengths and Gp32 concentrations. Other data suggest that presynaptic filament assembly involves multiple nucleation events, resulting in many short UvsX-ssDNA filaments or clusters, which may be the relevant form for recombination in vivo. Together, these findings provide the first detailed kinetic model for presynaptic filament assembly involving all three major protein components (recombinase, mediator, and SSB) on native ssDNA.
All-optical Transistor Gated by One Stored Photon

We realize an all-optical transistor where one stored gate photon controls the resonator transmission of several applied source photons. We also discuss experimental progress on generating entangled atomic ensembles using light. Article not available.
Analysis on the measles /rubella laboratory network in Jiangxi, 2013

Objective To evaluate the measles and rubella laboratory network in Jiangxi Province. Methods The operation indicators of the measles/rubella laboratory network of Jiangxi in 2013 were analyzed and evaluated. Results The network of fast detection of pathogen nucleic acids for measles /rubella suspected was established in 2013, including 1 provincial and 11 municipal laboratories. 2124 serum samples were detected. In 2013, the positive ratios of measles Ig M antibody and of rubella Ig M antibody were 2.07% and 7.53%, respectively. 1197 samples of nasopharyngeal swabs specimens for measles and rubella were tested by real time RT-PCR detection. 55 samples were positive for measles, and 11 samples were positive for rubella. A total of 16 measles and 4rubella virus strains were separated from 1197 specimens of nasopharyngeal swabs, and the measles and rubella viral strains were proved to be H1 a and 1E genotype. Provincial measles laboratory confirmed serum samples and the proficiency test with the full mark. All municipal laboratories passed proficiency test with the full mark. The measles and rubella virus Ig M antibody confirmation rates of serum samples were 94.12% and 60.98%, respectively. Conclusion The measles /rubella laboratory network in Jiangxi in2013 was running well. The new establishment of measles and rubella pathogenic RT-PCR rapid diagnosis laboratory network had played a very important role in measles control and elimination.
Neuropsychological Impairment of Patients with Depression

Neuropsychological impairment is one of the most common and persistent symptoms of depressive disorders. Studies indicate impairment in the domains of executive functions, attention, and memory. However, a definite profile of these impairments has yet not been identified possibly due to the fact that the neuropsychological performance is influenced by several clinical and demographic factors, e.g., depression subtype, rumination, and age. Depression also further deteriorates cognitive performance of brain-damaged patients. Impairments improve with remission of the disorder but do often not reverse completely. In addition, they have an important clinical impact and are positively related to suicidality, poor treatment response, and reduced everyday functioning. Therefore, effective treatment is needed. First results raised hope that neuropsychological impairment in depression is successfully treatable with neuropsychological therapy, training of mindfulness, specific antidepressants, and new neurobiological treatments such as transcranial magnet stimulation.
Abstract LB-131: Birinapant and carboplatin co-therapy can effectively target platinum resistant ovarian cancer initiating cells

High-grade serous ovarian cancers (HGSOCs) contain CA125-negative cancer-initiating cells resistant to standard platinum therapy. High expression of cellular inhibitors of apoptosis proteins (cIAPs) in these platinum resistant HGSOC initiating cells causes resistance to apoptosis despite platinum-induced DNA damage. cIAPs can be degraded with the addition of birinapant, a SMAC-mimetic, sensitizing cancer initiating cells to carboplatin and resulting in their elimination. Using in vitro drug assays, we demonstrate that more than half of human HGSOCs (13/23 independent samples) can be targeted with birinapant and carboplatin co-therapy. Importantly, treatment with this co-therapy eliminated tumor cells irrespective of their clinically-defined platinum sensitivity suggesting that this therapeutic approach could be efficacious with patient who have platinum sensitive and/or resistant disease. Pre-clinical trials in mice bearing intra-peritoneal low-passage human-derived HGSOC cell lines demonstrate that birinapant and carboplatin co-therapy significantly improves overall survival. A vast majority of co-therapy treated mice are still alive, 5 months after all animals treated with vehicle or carboplatin monotherapy have succumbed to tumor. Given that co-therapy was efficacious in approximately 50% of HGOSCs, evaluation of biomarkers that can predict this response are clinically relevant. The expression of cIAP levels were quantified using western blot and then immunohistochemistry in the CA125 negative fraction of our 23 clinical samples. We found that expression of ≥24ng of cIAP in the CA125-negative HGSOC cell lysate could accurately predict response to co-therapy with 100 percent accuracy. Detection and quantification of cIAP in CA125 negative cells by immunohistochemistry (IHC) could also predict a response to co-therapy with 95 percent accuracy. We report on careful analysis of two sets of biomarkers specifically measuring druggable targets in ovarian cancer initiating cells that could predict a response to co-therapy with birinapant and carboplatin. This therapeutic approach, that can overcome platinum resistance in ovarian cancer initiating stem cells, will be tested in an upcoming clinical trial alongside our proposed companion diagnostic biomarkers of response. Citation Format: Vincent La, Rachel Fujikawa, Deanna Janzen, Liat Bainvoll, Sanaz Memarzadeh. Birinapant and carboplatin co-therapy can effectively target platinum resistant ovarian cancer initiating cells. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr LB-131.
Exogenous Transposable Elements Circumvent Identity-Based Silencing, Permitting the Dissection of Expression-Dependent Silencing

The propagation of epigenetic marks has received a great deal of attention, yet the initiation of epigenetic silencing of a new transgene, virus, or transposable element (TE) remains enigmatic. The overlapping and simultaneous function of multiple silencing mechanisms has obscured this area of investigation. Here, we revealed two broad mechanisms that can initiate silencing independently: identity-based and expression-dependent silencing. We found that identity-based silencing is targeted by 21- to 22-nucleotide or 24-nucleotide small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) generated from previously silenced regions of the genome. By transforming exogenous TEs into Arabidopsis thaliana, we circumvented identity-based silencing, allowing us to isolate and investigate the molecular mechanism of expression-dependent silencing. We found that several siRNA-generating mechanisms all trigger de novo expression-dependent RNA-directed DNA methylation (RdDM) through RNA Polymerase V. In addition, while full-length TEs quickly progress beyond RdDM to heterochromatin formation and the final maintenance methylation state, TE fragments stall at the RdDM phase. Lastly, we found that transformation into a mutant genotype followed by introgression into the wild type does not result in the same level of silencing as direct transformation into the wild type. This demonstrates that the plant genotype during a narrow window of time at TE insertion (or transgene transformation) is key for establishing the transgenerational extent of epigenetic silencing.
Distributed Maximum Power Point Tracking Using Model Predictive Control for Photovoltaic Energy Harvesting Architectures Based on Cascaded Power Optimizers

Mismatching and partial shading in photovoltaic (PV) energy harvesting systems are the main causes for performance degradation and efficiency drop. A power electronic energy harvesting topology based on cascaded power optimizers that use distributed maximum power point tracking (MPPT) is believed to be one of the promising solutions to address these issues. In this scheme, each PV module is interfaced to the energy system through a separate dc/dc converter with maximum power point tracking capability. This paper presents application of the model predictive control technique to a distributed maximum power point tracking algorithm for maximizing the energy harvest performance of a cascaded power optimizer based system under dynamic weather conditions. The developed technique employs two control loops: a submodule maximum power point tracking model predictive control loop for each converter and a supervisory maximum power point tracking loop for power optimization of all cascaded PV modules. The provided experimental results confirm high energy capture, fast dynamic response, and negligible oscillations around MPP using the proposed method.
Distributed Practice in Classroom Inquiry Science Learning.

This study is inspired by laboratory studies demonstrating that distributing study sessions over time better supports learning and retention than clustering sessions. We compare two implementations...
Prediction of calcaneal bone competence from biomechanical accommodation variables measured during weighted walking.

Abstract Carrying weight while walking is a common activity associated with increased musculoskeletal loading, but not all individuals accommodate to the weight in the same way. Different accommodation strategies could lead to different skeletal forces, stimuli for bone adaptation and ultimately bone competence. The purpose of the study was to explore the relationships between calcaneal bone competence and biomechanical accommodation variables measured during weighted walking. Twenty healthy men and women (10 each; age 27.8 ± 6.8 years) walked on a treadmill at 1.34 m/s while carrying 0, 44.5 and 89 N weights with two hands in front of the body. Peak vertical ground reaction force and sagittal plane angular displacements of the trunk and left lower extremity during weight acceptance were measured and used to quantify accommodation. Calcaneal bone stiffness index T-score (BST) was measured using quantitative ultrasound. Correlation and stepwise multiple regression were used to predict calcaneal BST from the accommodation variables. Accommodations of the foot and ankle explained 29 and 54% (p ≤ .015) of the variance in calcaneal BST in different regression models. Statistical resampling using 1000 replications confirmed the strength and consistency of relationships, with the best model explaining 94% of the variance in calcaneal BST. Individuals who change foot and ankle function when carrying heavier weight likely alter the control of gravitational and muscular forces, thereby affecting calcaneal loading, bone adaptation and bone competence. These novel findings illustrate the importance of gait accommodation strategies and highlight a potential clinical consequence that requires further investigation.
Efficient simulation of electromagnetic telemetry using thin wire kernel and layered media Green's function

To simulate the EM telemetry system in deviated and horizontal drilling, the underground formation is assumed to be horizontally layered media, and the long, metal drill string acts as an antenna that may be treated as a thin wire excited by a gap voltage source located near the drill bit. The numerical model employs the electric field integral equation (EFIE) and the method of moments (MoM) to obtain a linear system for the axial current distribution on the drill string, which is subdivided into one-dimensional segments. By using the thin wire kernel, near-field interactions can be evaluated accurately and efficiently, while also reducing problem dimensionality and singularity order of the homogeneous medium contribution to the layered media Green's function (LMGF). Numerical results are presented to verify the fast and accurate performance of the proposed approach.
Feasibility Trial of Tailored Home Modifications: Process Outcomes.

Objective The aim of this study was to conduct a process evaluation to examine the implementation of a randomized controlled trial of home modifications designed to reduce the risk of falls and improve daily activity performance among community-dwelling older adults. Method A process evaluation was conducted alongside a blinded, randomized sham-controlled trial (n = 92). Participants were followed for 1 yr after intervention. The process evaluation was framed using the Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance framework. Results The treatment group improved daily activity performance over 12 mo compared with the sham control group (F = 4.13; p = .024). The intervention elements and dose were delivered with greater than 90% accuracy. Participants reported a 91% adherence rate at 12 mo. Conclusion The complex intervention of home modifications examined in this study is acceptable to older adults, is feasible, and can be delivered with high fidelity for frail, community-dwelling older adults.
Sleepwalking in Children and Adolescents

Sleepwalking or somnambulism is a parasomnia characterized by complex, quasi-purposive, motor behavior in N3 sleep. Several factors including drugs, psychosocial stressors, and endocrine factors act on a background of genetic predisposition to generate this disorder. The episodes usually occur during first few cycles of non-rapid eye movement sleep and last up to 30 min. On polysomnography, they are characterized by increased delta power in temporal relation to the event and otherwise abnormally fragmented N3 sleep. Increased rate of cyclic alternating patterns is also seen. The disorder frequently coexists with psychological morbidity including externalized anxiety, aggression, panic, or phobias in adults. Other sleep disorders including night terrors and sleep disordered breathing and neurological disorders including migraine and Tourette syndrome are known to co-occur with sleepwalking. The important differential consideration is to exclude partial-onset seizures, and overnight video-electroencephalogram (EEG) monitoring or combined polysomnography with video-EEG may be very helpful in establishing the diagnosis. Sleepwalking has been cited as a defense against homicide or other crimes with reported success, but from a clinical perspective, it is difficult to establish the exact nature of the episode during which the alleged crime was committed. Management of this enigmatic entity often involves multidisciplinary care and includes drug therapy and adaptive measures to address safety of the patient and others and to improve sleep hygiene. Although there is lack of sufficient controlled evidence, the bulk of anecdotal reports support use of benzodiazepines, especially clonazepam. Also, there is limited information about some nonpharmacologic measures.
"Sorry daktari, the phones are not working today, maybe tomorrow".

A Peace Corps physician in Africa describes in his latest online journal entry how the countries that could most benefit from telemedicine technologies are often unable to use it due to poor communications infrastructures. Virtual Mentor is a monthly bioethics journal published by the American Medical Association.
The effect of legal mandates on substance use disorder treatment completion among older adults.

AbstractObjective: This study seeks to determine the relationship between referral type (legally mandated versus non-mandated) and substance use disorder (SUD) treatment completion among older adul...
The Evolution of Endoscopic Skull Base Surgery Outcomes: Defining the Edge of the Envelope

Background Endoscopic skull base surgery is a relatively new approach in the neurosurgical armamentarium and its usefulness is still being explored. As the field has evolved, so too have the results. For this reason, it is important to re-examine the outcomes of surgery for a variety of diseases individually over time to determine the appropriate indications for these approaches. Methods We performed a systematic review of recent literature (since 2012) of all studies using the endoscopic endonasal approach (EEA) for craniopharyngioma, olfactory groove, planum sphenoidale, tuberculum sellae meningioma, esthesioneuroblastoma, chordoma, and chondrosarcoma and discuss outcomes compared with a transcranial approach (TCA). These results are also compared with a series of reviews of the literature that were performed before 2012 to see how results have evolved over time. Results For chordomas, craniopharyngioma and planum sphenoidale/tuberculum sellae meningiomas, EEA has shown superior outcomes to TCA for well-selected cases. Olfactory groove meningiomas still have a better outcome when performed using TCA. Esthesioneuroblastoma requires consideration of tumor stage and extent to select the appropriate approach, although with time, more advanced tumors have become approachable with EEA. Chondrosarcoma is a rare lesion that may be resectable by EEA when anatomy is favorable, although its rarity makes comparison difficult. Conclusions Advances in EEA make it a useful tool that is at times superior to TCA for specific diseases based on recently published literature reporting rates of resection and complications. Ongoing re-evaluation of outcomes is essential to providing the best information to surgeons choosing an approach in each patient.
Risk Prediction Model for Patients Undergoing Laparoscopic Hysterectomy

ABSTRACT Study Objective Develop a model for predicting adverse outcomes at the time of laparoscopic hysterectomy (LH) for benign indications. Design Retrospective cohort study. Setting Large academic center. Patients All patients undergoing LH for benign indications at our institution between 2009 and 2017. Interventions LH (including robot-assisted and laparoscopically assisted vaginal hysterectomy) was performed per standard technique. Data about the patient, surgeon, perioperative adverse outcomes (intraoperative complications, readmission, reoperation, operative time >4 hours, and postoperative medical complications or length of stay >2 days), and uterine weight were collected retrospectively. Pathologic uterine weight was used as a surrogate for predicted preoperative uterine weight. The sample was randomly split, using a random sequence generator, into 2 cohorts, one for deriving the model and the other to validate the model. Measurements and Main Results A total of 3441 patients were included. The rate of composite adverse outcomes was 14.1%. The final logistic regression risk-prediction model identified 6 variables predictive of an adverse outcome at the time of LH: race, history of laparotomy, history of laparoscopy, predicted preoperative uterine weight, body mass index, and surgeon annual case volume. Specifically included were race (97% increased odds of an adverse outcome for black women [95% confidence interval (CI), 34%–110%] and 34% increased odds of an adverse outcome for women of other races [95% CI, –11% to 104%] when compared with white women), history of laparotomy (69% increased odds of an adverse outcome [95% CI, 26%–128%]), history of laparoscopy (65% increased odds of an adverse outcome [95% CI, 21%–124%]), and predicted preoperative uterine weight (2.9% increased odds of an adverse outcome for each 100-g increase in predicted weight [95% CI, 2%–4%]). Body mass index and surgeon annual case volume also had a statistically significant nonlinear relationship with the risk of an adverse outcome. The c-statistic values for the derivation and validation cohorts were 0.74 and 0.72, respectively. The model is best calibrated for patients at lower risk ( Conclusion The LH risk-prediction model is a potentially powerful tool for predicting adverse outcomes in patients planning hysterectomy.
An Array of Studies Addressing Cognition and Cognitively Defined Neuropsychiatric Conditions: Many More Connections Than You Might Think

Six articles in the June 2020 issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry address the overall construct of cognition. These articles have a broad connection to cognition, which is itself a broad concept. From the experimental psychology perspective, cognition is the set of processes associated with attending, learning, knowing, and remembering. From the clinical perspective, a number of neuropsychiatric conditions are defined by the presence of cognitive impairment, with onset ranging from childhood, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and intellectual disability, to later life, such as dementia. Other conditions have notable cognitive impairments even if specific cognitive impairments are not an explicit part of their formal diagnostic criteria, including autism spectrum disorder and schizophrenia. Thus, the array of articles in this issue are related to each other and also may make important points about the role of cognition in everyday functioning and the connections between cognitive impairments in neuropsychiatric conditions and in the human population in general. Further, these articles address the neurobiological substrates that have an impact on cognition, with important implications in other domains, such as genomics. Finally, through sophisticated research methods, they clarify the results of previous studies that were affected by a variety of methodological challenges.
The Disparate Influence of Bullying on Student Wellbeing: Race, Weight, and Place

Purpose: Suicide rates are higher in nonmetropolitan/rural versus metropolitan areas and among Native American and White persons compared to other racial/ethnic groups. Bullying is a risk factor for negative mental health and poor academic outcomes among youth. Social identity theory suggests that perceived group memberships are important sources of pride and self-esteem. Increasingly, stigma-based bullying, or bullying that is motivated by social devaluation and discrediting, is being explored as a mechanism of peer victimization with particular attention toward mental health outcomes. This study …
Spatial and temporal patterns of land loss in the Lower Mississippi River Delta from 1983 to 2016

Abstract The Mississippi Delta in coastal Louisiana has some of the highest rates of land loss in the world. This land-loss crisis might become a global problem because most major deltas are expected to be vulnerable to land loss during the remainder of the 21st century and beyond. Despite this predicament, we do not understand how land loss in a deltaic environment proceeds in time and space. Here, we evaluate the spatial and temporal trends of land loss in the Lower Mississippi River Delta (LMRD) region using spatial statistics and landscape metrics. We used nearly 4800 Landsat images to construct a series of three-year cloud-free composites from 1983 to 2016. From these data, we created a stability index (SI), which is a dimensionless measure of the number of land-to-water transitions that a land pixel makes before being considered lost. Our results indicate that on the LMRD, 75% of land loss is a single transition from land to water, while about 25% of land pixels have two or more transitions before being considered lost. Using a local indicator of spatial association, we show that pixels with similar SI tend to cluster together. Single transition clusters (low SI) form elongated shapes, they are densely packed, and they are predominantly, but not always, found on marsh edges. On the other hand, multi-transition clusters (high SI) form square-like shapes, they are more fragmented, and they are usually found in marsh interiors. Our analysis further shows that the land-loss area within the spatial patches with both high and low stability is strongly related to the density of land patches and their shape (R2 of 0.717 and 0.545 respectively). Our analysis suggests that land-loss pixels on the marsh edges undergo different temporal patterns of land loss compared to those in the marsh interior. We hypothesize that this arises because wave edge-erosion drives land loss on marsh edges, whereas subsidence-related flooding drives land loss in marsh interiors. The stability index provides a useful way to characterize the processes causing land loss.
Minimally Invasive Pediatric Oncology for Renal Malignancies

Minimally invasive surgery (MIS) is increasingly used in adult tumor resections and has been shown to be associated with reduced pain and reduced length of stay, with similar oncologic and long-term survival outcomes. However, MIS is relatively infrequently used in children (1–5%) and adolescents (10%) with renal tumors, due in part to technical challenges related to the relatively large size of most pediatric renal tumors at the time of diagnosis. In this chapter, we review the literature and documented outcomes of MIS for renal tumors in children and the typical indications for MIS for renal tumors in children and adolescents. In addition, the choice of operative modality as well as general procedural steps of the most commonly used MIS procedures for renal tumors in children and adolescents are explored here in greater detail.
Westboro Baptist and the Limits of Religious Speech

A discussion of the role of defense attorneys, the implications of the prosecutorial burden of proof, the Supreme Court case of Phelps v. Snyder, and a corresponding incident in Floyd County Virginia involving the posting of the 10 Commandments in a public school, by different parties, and why there were differing results depending upon the party.
Characteristics of Eight Irish Dance LandingsConsiderations for Training and Overuse Injury Prevention.

Irish dance has evolved in aesthetics that lead to greater physical demands on dancers' bodies. Irish dancers must land from difficult moves without letting their knees bend or heels touch the ground, causing large forces to be absorbed by the body. The majority of injuries incurred by Irish dancers are due to overuse (79.6%). The purpose of this study was to determine loads on the body of female Irish dancers, including peak force, rise rate of force, and impulse, in eight common Irish hard shoe and soft shoe dance movements. It was hypothesized that these movements would produce different ground reac- tion force (GRF) characteristics. Sixteen female Irish dancers were recruited from the three highest competitive levels. Each performed a warm-up, reviewed the eight movements, and then performed each movement three times on a force plate, four in soft shoes and four in hard shoes. Ground reaction forces were measured using a three-dimensional force plate recording at 1,000 Hz. Peak force, rise rate, and vertical impulse were calculated. Peak forces normalized by each dancer's body weight for each of these variables were significantly different between move- ments and shoe types [F(15, 15)= 65.4, p 0.40). It is concluded that there was a large range in GRF characteristics among the eight movements studied. Understanding the force of each dance step will allow instructors to develop training routines that help dancers adapt gradually to the high forces experienced in Irish dance training and competitions, thereby limiting the potential for overuse injuries.
Pilot-Scale Optimization of the Solvent Exchange Production and Lyophilization Processing of PEG–PLA Block Copolymer-Encapsulated CaWO4 Radioluminescent Nanoparticles for Theranostic Applications

Previous studies have shown that calcium tungstate (CaWO4) nanoparticles (NPs) can be used as a radiosensitizing/X-ray contrast agent for cancer treatment. However, due to the propensity of calcium...
Kinetics and Mechanisms of Flow-Induced Crystallization

This paper presents a discussion of flow-induced crystallization emphasizing studies of fiber growth in tubular flow and the highly related rheological phenomenon of shear-thickening. Studies of seeded growth have demonstrated that crystallization proceeds within a concentrated, liquid precursor phase which forms as a first step in the process. The growth kinetics are monitored in-situ using video recording and digital image processing to convert polarized light images to kinetic isotherms. Viscosity studies have been concerned with shear-thickening in fiber forming systems and its analysis in terms of kinetic network models to describe the effects of the chain entanglement process.
Isolation and characterization of four peptide hydrolases from the cytosol of rat intestinal mucosa.

The high speed supernatant fluid prepared from rat intestinal mucosa was subjected to ion-exchange chromatography on diethlaminoethyl-cellulose eluted with a linear gradient of sodium chloride (0 to 0.27 m). Assay of eluted fractions for Phe-Gly hydrolase activity revealed four distinct peaks of enzyme activity. These cytosol enyzmes have been designated I, II, III, and IV in order of their elution from the column. Examination of the substrate specificity of the four enzymes by use of 20 mm peptide concentrations indicated the most discriminating substrates for the four enzymes were Leu-Gly-Gly, His-Met, Ser-Phe, and leucine amide, respectively. The mean distribution of the recovered peptide hydrolase activities against these substrates among the four enzymes I, II, III, and IV was 96.1, 1.4, 1.7, and 0.8%, respectively, for Leu-Gly-Gly; 0.6, 96.4, 2.4, and 0.6% for His-Met; 0, 0, 95.8, and 4.2% for Ser-Phe; and 20.8, 19.8, 5.6, and 53.8% for leucine amide. Ion-exchange chromatography resulted in increases in specific activity of 19-, 19-, 46-, and 3.5-fold for enzymes I, II, III, and IV, respectively. The activity of all four enzymes, but especially III and IV, were stabilized by the presence of 150 µm dithioerythritol. Activity of each of the four enzymes was decreased 79 to 100% by 1 mm ethylene diaminetetraacetate, HgCl 2 , 1,10-phenanthroline, or 0.5 mm p -hydroxymercuribenzoate, except that the activity of enzyme I was decreased only 15% by ethylene-diaminetetraacetate. No significant activation of the partially purified enzymes occurred in the presence of 500 µm Zn ++ , Co ++ , or Mg ++ . The four enzymes exhibited distinct p H profiles with optima at 7.5, 7.5, 8.5, and 8.0 for enzymes I, II, III, and IV, respectively. Molecular weights of the four enzymes determined by gel filtration on Sephadex G-200 were 58,500, 74,000, 97,500, and 113,000, respectively. All four enzymes lost more than 85% of their activity after 1 hr at temperatures of 50°C or higher in sodium phosphate buffer, p H 7.0. The K m , values determined with the most specific substrates for each enzyme were 0.76, 0.44, 3.82, and 8.3 mm for enzymes I, II, III, and IV, respectively. Recent evidence suggests that a significant amount of some small peptides are absorbed intact and hydrolyzed by cytosol peptide hydrolases. Adequate understanding of the function and control of these intracellular enzymes requires knowledge of the characteristics and substrate specificity of individual enzymes. The study described here demonstrates the presence of at least four cytosol peptide hydrolases with distinct substrate specificities. Substrates almost exclusively hydrolyzed by each of three of the enzymes, and therefore suitable for assay of each of these enzymes in the presence of the others, have been identified.
Analysis of the Hindi Proposition Bank using Dependency Structure

This paper makes two contributions. First, we describe the Hindi Proposition Bank that contains annotations of predicate argument structures of verb predicates. Unlike PropBanks in most other languages, the Hind PropBank is annotated on top of dependency structure, the Hindi Dependency Treebank. We explore the similarities between dependency and predicate argument structures, so the PropBank annotation can be faster and more accurate. Second, we present a probabilistic rule-based system that maps syntactic dependents to semantic arguments. With simple rules, we classify about 47% of the entire PropBank arguments with over 90% confidence. These preliminary results are promising; they show how well these two frameworks are correlated. This can also be used to speed up our annotations.
Recognition modes of RNA tetraloops and tetraloop‐like motifs by RNA‐binding proteins

RNA hairpins are the most commonly occurring secondary structural elements in RNAs and serve as nucleation sites for RNA folding, RNA-RNA, and RNA-protein interactions. RNA hairpins are frequently capped by tetraloops, and based on sequence similarity, three broad classes of RNA tetraloops have been defined: GNRA, UNCG, and CUYG. Other classes such as the UYUN tetraloop in histone mRNAs, the UGAA in 16S rRNA, the AUUA tetraloop from the MS2 bacteriophage, and the AGNN tetraloop that binds RNase III have also been characterized. The tetraloop structure is compact and is usually characterized by a paired interaction between the first and fourth nucleotides. The two unpaired nucleotides in the loop are usually involved in base-stacking or base-phosphate hydrogen bonding interactions. Several structures of RNA tetraloops, free and complexed to other RNAs or proteins, are now available and these studies have increased our understanding of the diverse mechanisms by which this motif is recognized. RNA tetraloops can mediate RNA-RNA contacts via the tetraloop-receptor motif, kissing hairpin loops, A-minor interactions, and pseudoknots. While these RNA-RNA interactions are fairly well understood, how RNA-binding proteins recognize RNA tetraloops and tetraloop-like motifs remains unclear. In this review, we summarize the structures of RNA tetraloop-protein complexes and the general themes that have emerged on sequence- and structure-specific recognition of RNA tetraloops. We highlight how proteins achieve molecular recognition of this nucleic acid motif, the structural adaptations observed in the tetraloop to accommodate the protein-binding partner, and the role of dynamics in recognition.
Validity of brain death criteria in infants.

Okamoto and Sugimoto report a 3-month-old infant who developed apnea presumably secondary to hypoglycemia and then had a cardiopulmonary arrest. She regained sinus heart rhythm and spontaneous respirations 40 minutes after the apnea was first noted. Examination revealed evidence of neurologic function, including spontaneous respiration. There was subsequent deterioration in the infant9s status and the patient met the clinical criteria for brain death on hospital day 3 and this persisted for 48 hours. Ancillary tests, including electroencephalogram (EEG) and brainstem auditory-evoked responses supported the clinical diagnosis. The infant survived for an additional 71 days after meeting the criteria for brain death formulated by the Task Force on Brain Death in Children.
An ethnographic study of main events during hospitalisation: perceptions of nurses and patients.

Aim. To explore nurses’ and patients’ perceptions of care during main events of hospitalisation. Background. Main events during hospitalisation such as admission, transfer to the operation room and preparation for discharge have been identified as times when there is significant patient–caregiver interaction. It is during these interactions that there is an opportunity for the nurse to have a positive influence on the patient’s satisfaction with care. The patient’s perception of care has been studied but not qualitatively. Perceptions of care from the nurses’ perspectives have not been well studied. This study explored the patient’s perception of care as well as the nurse’s perception of the care he provided. Design. This study used an ethnographic methodology that included participant observation and unstructured interviews. Method. The research was conducted in two phases. First, participant observation was chosen to observe and understand nurse–patient and nurse–family behaviour. The second phase was an unstructured interview to elicit both the patient’s and the nurse’s views about the care experience. Results. Two major findings were the patient and the nurse had different perceptions of the care experience and the presence of family or a support person influenced the patient’s perception of care. Conclusion. The use of ethnography proved to be a valuable methodology for studying the interactions of patients, families and nurses. Qualitative methods such as ethnography can yield significant findings on perceptions that are unable to be gleaned by traditional quantitative methods but can serve to provide hypotheses for further study. Relevance to clinical practice. This study suggests that to maintain quality and patient satisfaction scores, hospitals will need to focus on the difference between the perceived care given and the perceived care received particularly during main events. The role of families and visitors supports positive perceptions of care.
Output Approximate Loop Transfer Recovery For Fixed Order Dynamic Compensators

This paper extends the approximate loop transfer recovery method for fixed order dynamic compensators to the problem of robustness at the plant output Full state gains are first designed for the dual system, which is the equivalent of designing a full order observer. Then, the loop characteristics at the dual system input are approximated with an observer or controller canonical compensator. Finally, the optimal gains are implemented in the dual compensator to ensure robustness and tracking performance at the plant output. This paper also presents a theorem which further justifies the performance index used in the approximate loop transfer recovery formulation. In addition, an example demonstrates the robust compensator design and implementation. This design addresses the problem of helicopter longitudinal flight control.
4D-transesophageal echocardiography and emerging imaging modalities for guiding mitral valve repair.

Two-dimensional transesophageal echocardiography (2D-TEE) had a transformative impact on surgical treatment of mitral valve pathology in the 1980s. 2D-TEE provided unprecedented, high-quality views of the mitral valve that enabled pre-operative repair strategizing and immediate post-operative assessment of repair efficacy. Several decades later, the commercialization of four-dimensional transesophageal echocardiography (4D-TEE) and other emerging imaging modalities such as 4D computed tomography (4DCT) and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMRI) potentiate yet another transformative phase in the practice of mitral valve repair surgery. Bypassing the “mental integration” step required for 2D image interpretation, these higher dimensional modalities provide a more intuitive, complete description of valve morphology and dynamics that can be leveraged as a tool for more effective surgical decision support. Current research shows that these modalities may enhance mitral valve repair outcomes in four ways: (I) by increasing the precision of mitral valve diagnostics in order to tailor the repair plan to an individual’s valve pathology; (II) as a means of risk stratification to determine which patients might benefit from valve repair over valve replacement; (III) by predicting the outcome of a given repair technique using image-derived valve models as input to computational biomechanical analysis; and (IV) by optimizing annuloplasty ring design. Research highlights in each of these areas are given below.
Intelligent Cities: translating architectural models into a virtual gaming environment for event simulation

The value of virtual reality simulation for emergency response training and improvement has great potential, but obstacles remain. The utility of simulators is dependent on creating a highly realistic environment. Rather than building a virtual world from scratch, using existing architectural models may be a viable option due to the large quantity of data embedded within three-dimensional architectural designs. However, it can be difficult to maintain and translate these huge and highly detailed models into an interactive, user friendly interface. The MITRE Intelligent Cities project aims to blend methods of data science with interactive 3D modeling tools, using software packages like Revit, 3DS Max, and the Unity gaming engine. The goal of the project is to provide a procedure for visualizing and interacting with the structural properties and metadata of facilities encoded in architectural designs. Using MITRE campus data as a test case, several options were explored to preserve the metadata across software platforms, and a means of easily and efficiently accomplishing this task was discovered. However, limitations occur due to the large size of the model, slowing down the gaming engine and requiring the use of a data subset. This procedure allows anybody with a standard Revit architectural model to visualize their environment in a 3D simulation. Interactivity can be added by creating scripts to highlight key features of the models. These implementations can be used by emergency personnel or facility operators to peer through walls, or to find locations of key facility systems, such as HVAC or data centers.
Dynamics of a lamellar system with diffusion and reaction: Scaling analysis and global kinetics

The evolution of a one-dimensional array of reactive lamellae with distributed striation thickness is studied by means of simulations, scaling analysis, and space-averaged kinetics. An infinitely fast, diffusion-controlled reaction {ital A}+{ital B}{r arrow}2{ital P} occurs at the interfaces between striations. As time increases, thin striations are eaten by thicker neighbors resulting in a modification of the striation thickness distribution (STD). Scaling analysis suggests that the STD evolves into a universal form and that the behavior of the system at short and long times is characterized by two different kinetic regimes. These predictions are confirmed by means of a novel numerical algorithm.
A Data Management Model for Design Change Control

This paper presents a data management model to support collaborative design environments Specifically, the proposed model describes a multidisciplinary project in terms of the independent evolution of designs from the participating disciplines The model monitors inde pendent design activities by systematically tracking component descriptions in the individual disciplines Projects are coordinated through asyn chronous communication of design changes This paper discusses two salient features of the given model First, we specify a three-layered closely coupled framework of versions, assemblies, and configurations In this framework, versions maintain evolving descriptions of primitive en tities within a single discipline Assemblies integrate component instances to describe more complex entities, as well as designs within single dis ciplines Configurations provide a framework to describe an overall project design that is composed of designs from multiple disciplines Secondly, we introduce equivalent operations...