cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Capacity assessment of older t-beam bridges by nonlinear proxy finite-element analysis

Abstract Older, cast-in-place, reinforced concrete T-beam bridges often have inadequate flexural rating factors, despite carrying modern traffic without distress. Three T-beam bridges were field tested under high bending moment and their strain response was recorded. The results allowed two of these bridges’ HL-93 flexural rating factors to be increased to above 1.0, suggesting their ability to carry larger loads than predicted. A novel, nonlinear proxy finite element analysis (PFEA) technique was developed which enables the computationally efficient prediction of bridge response up to failure while accounting for girder ductility and load redistribution in the three-dimensional structure. PFEA uses a genetic algorithm to optimize constitutive and geometric parameters assigned to a shell element discretization of each girder that possesses moment-curvature response equivalent to that of the solid reinforced concrete T-beam sections. The resulting elastic and elastic-plastic shell element discretization is straightforward to implement in a three-dimensional model of a complete bridge using commercial finite element software. Using PFEA, the three field-tested bridges were analyzed and load rated, with resulting ratings consistently greater than those calculated by AASHTO and consistent with or greater than those inferred from field testing. The PFEA technique accurately predicts the real bridges’ longitudinal and transverse load responses, and incorporates both girder ductility and load redistribution while also being able to assess bridges with non-uniform geometry.
Developmental Outcomes in Critically Ill Children: A Population Based Birth Cohort Report

Introduction The burden of pediatric critical illness within a general community is not well understood. Study of the impact of critical care on patients and their community is essential for creating opportunities for early identification and intervention. Scoring systems for evaluating ICU admission and discharge morbidity exist, but have yet to be linked with longer term outcomes. As a result, the utility of these tools for predicting persistent disability to guide follow up remains unknown. Purpose The objective of this study was to evaluate the association between acute disability assessments …
Analysis of the use of upright abdominal radiography for evaluating intestinal perforations in handlebar traumas: Three case reports.

Rationale Intestinal perforations due to blunt abdominal handlebar trauma are difficult to diagnose. This report presents a retrospective analysis of 3 patients with intestinal perforations due to abdominal bicycle handlebar trauma who were diagnosed via upright abdominal radiography. Patients concerns All the patients lost their balance while riding a bicycle for leisure and had fallen on the handlebar tip. The patients were initially misdiagnosed at different-level health centers despite various radiologic investigations performed. Diagnosis The patients' intestinal perforations were diagnosed via plain upright abdominal X-ray radiography (UAXR) in our institution. Interventions and outcomes The children underwent exploratory laparotomy due to intestinal perforations. All the perforations were repaired either with primary closure or bowel resection and anastomosis with successful outcomes. Lessons Pneumoperitoneum due to intestinal perforation can be diagnosed via UAXR with appropriate patient positioning and timing. This case series shows that to accurately diagnose intestinal perforations, upright plain X-ray should be routinely performed, carefully evaluated, and repeated in patients with enduring abdominal complaints.
A person-centered approach to examining high-school students’ motivation, engagement and academic performance

Abstract This study examined the relationship among motivation, engagement, and academic performance through a person-centered research approach. Participants included 10,527 students in grades 9 to 12 from twenty public high schools across the state of Ohio in the United States. Latent profile analysis revealed seven profiles of academic motivation including the amotivated, externally regulated, balanced demotivated, moderately motivated, identified/externally regulated, balanced motivated, and autonomously motivated profile groups. Students in these motivational profiles exhibited differences in cognitive and social engagement, as well as academic performance. In addition, multiple-group path analysis revealed different patterns of relationship among cognitive engagement, social engagement, and GPA, suggesting that motivational profile membership moderated the relationship between engagement and academic performance.
dsDraw: Programmable Animations and Animated Programs

Teaching computer science theory is often challenging due to the very nature of the field - its reliance on a solid mathematical foundation, logical reasoning, and the ability to use abstractions. As such, visualization tools have been developed to provide a deep and intuitive understanding of the concepts. However, most proprietary tools are bulky, unresponsive, require specific hardware and software, and often require license and training for their use. Most available free educational tools come with a predefined set of examples and offer very little flexibility and expressive power. In this paper, we describe our lightweight web application called dsDraw that allows instructors to record whiteboard-style animated lectures with accompanying instructional audio. Graphics are created within an editor using the mouse and keyboard or by invoking commands in an interactive console. The resulting videos can be exported to common file formats for use in other mediums. The dsDraw language provides a familiar C-like programming syntax, allowing users to minimize repetition and work at a higher level of abstraction. It includes built-in functions for common structures such as flowcharts, arrays, trees and graphs, but users can define their own functions to enhance their editing workflow. dsDraw also provides a program trace feature where users can step through programs one expression at a time, as well as a variable view that displays the current state of memory. Equipped with these programming features, dsDraw admits a wide variety of potential use cases. Instructors can use dsDraw to create animations, interative lessons, program visualizations, and record lectures. In addition, the flexibility of dsDraw enables it to be used across a wide range of topics such as data structures, algorithms, automata theory, networking, databases, and topics in other disciplines like genomic and chemical interactions, and integration in calculus. The use of dsDraw can help meet the demands of instructing to a significant growing enrollment of students in computer science. This paper describes the rich set of programming features of dsDraw. We motivate the use of dsDraw by explaining how it can be used to create content illustrating dynamic programming and computational geometry.
Issues in clinical application of forced expiratory lung function in pediatrics

Forced expiratory lung function testing plays an important role in the diagnosis and management of respiratory diseases in children patients, but its quality control and report interpretation via spirometry in the field of pediatrics still need improvement.In this paper, the issues existing in technical testing and report interpretation of forced expiratory lung function by spirometry are discussed. Key words: Lung function; Spirometry; Child; Clinical application; Quality control; Interpretation
The Ran GTPase Gradient Protects the Nucleolus from Aging-Associated Morphological Changes

In the context of its regulatory function for nucleocytoplasmic transport, the Ran GTPase undergoes cycles of nuclear import, GTP loading, nuclear export, and GTP hydrolysis. These reactions give rise to a nuclear:cytoplasmic (N:C) Ran gradient. In Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria Syndrome, disruption of the Ran gradient suppresses nuclear import of high molecular mass complexes by reducing the nuclear concentration of Ran. Here, we report that cells undergoing senescence, as a consequence of passage number, chemical induction, and altered nuclear lamina structure, all display a Ran gradient disruption quantitatively similar to that observed in Progeria patient cells. We found that the Ran gradient is critical for maintenance of nucleolar structure, as its disruption increases the size and decreases the average number of nucleoli per cell. Nucleolar number and size are biomarkers of longevity in diverse organisms, thus the nuclear level of Ran may be important for the nucleolar morphology in aging. The contribution of the Ran gradient includes regulating import of nucleolin and nucleophosmin, nucleolar proteins that assemble into high molecular mass complexes. The steepness of the Ran gradient is highly dependent on nuclear heterochromatin, which is reduced by passage number and chemical induction of senescence in cultured cells, and is known to decline during normal aging. Our data suggest that the Ran gradient senses nuclear heterochromatin, and through its function as a transport regulator, helps maintain the protein composition and structure of the nucleolus.
Influenza-Induced Oxidative Stress Sensitizes Lung Cells to Bacterial-Toxin-Mediated Necroptosis.

Summary Pneumonias caused by influenza A virus (IAV) co- and secondary bacterial infections are characterized by their severity and high mortality rate. Previously, we have shown that bacterial pore-forming toxin (PFT)-mediated necroptosis is a key driver of acute lung injury during bacterial pneumonia. Here, we evaluate the impact of IAV on PFT-induced acute lung injury during co- and secondary Streptococcus pneumoniae (Spn) infection. We observe that IAV synergistically sensitizes lung epithelial cells for PFT-mediated necroptosis in vitro and in murine models of Spn co-infection and secondary infection. Pharmacoelogical induction of oxidative stress without virus sensitizes cells for PFT-mediated necroptosis. Antioxidant treatment or inhibition of necroptosis reduces disease severity during secondary bacterial infection. Our results advance our understanding on the molecular basis of co- and secondary bacterial infection to influenza and identify necroptosis inhibition and antioxidant therapy as potential intervention strategies.
Microsecond dynamics in proteins by two-dimensional ESR. II. Addressing computational challenges

Two-dimensional electron–electron double resonance (2D-ELDOR) provides extensive insight into molecular motions. Recent developments permitting experiments at higher frequencies (95 GHz) provide molecular orientational resolution, enabling a clearer description of the nature of the motions. In previous work, we provided simulations for the case of domain motions within proteins that are themselves slowly tumbling in a solution. In order to perform these simulations, it was found that the standard approach of solving the relevant stochastic Liouville equation using the efficient Lanczos algorithm for this case breaks down, so algorithms were employed that rely on the Arnoldi iteration. While they lead to accurate simulations, they are very time-consuming. In this work, we focus on a variant known as the rational Arnoldi algorithm. We show that this can achieve a significant reduction in computation time. The stochastic Liouville matrix, which is of very large dimension, N, is first reduced to a much smaller dimension, m, e.g., from N ∼ O(104) to m ∼ 60, that spans the relevant Krylov subspace from which the spectrum is predicted. This requires the selection of the m frequency shifts to be utilized. A method of adaptive shift choice is introduced to optimize this selection. We also find that these procedures help in optimizing the pruning procedure that greatly reduces the dimension of the initial N dimensional stochastic Liouville matrix in such subsequent computations.
Early National Landscape of Surgical Stabilization of Sternal Fractures.

Operative management of chest wall injuries aims to restore respiratory mechanics and mitigate pulmonary complications. Extensive studies support surgical stabilization of rib fractures (SSRF) for select patients, but role for surgical stabilization of sternal fractures (SSSF) remains unclear. We aimed to understand national prevalence of SSSF and compare outcomes after surgical stabilization and non-operative management of sternal fractures. We retrospectively analyzed adult patients (age ≥ 18 years) admitted with sternal fractures after blunt trauma using the 2016 National Trauma Data Bank. We compared odds of inpatient mortality, pneumonia, and respiratory failure for propensity score matched patients (4:1) who underwent non-operative management vs SSSF. We characterized subgroup of patients with concurrent rib and sternal fractures who underwent concomitant SSRF-SSSF. We identified 14,760 encounters of adults admitted with sternal fractures; 270 (1.8%) underwent SSSF. Compared to matched patients who underwent non-operative management, patients who underwent SSSF had lower odds of mortality (OR [95%CI]: 0.19 [0.06–0.62], p = 0.006). Adjusted for trauma center level, Mantel–Haenszel mortality odds remained lower for patients who underwent SSSF. Odds of pneumonia and respiratory failure were similar between matched groups. Among 46% of patients who had concomitant rib fractures, 0.3% (n = 18) underwent concurrent SSRF-SSSF and these patients survived hospitalization without pneumonia or respiratory failure. A vast majority of patients who suffer sternal fractures undergo non-operative management. Potential mortality benefit of SSSF and concurrent SSRF-SSSF’s role for commonly concomitant rib and sternal fractures deserve further study. Our preliminary findings call for delineating heterogeneity of sternal fractures and establishing consensus SSSF indications.
Assessing the Relationship Between Bone Density and Loss of Reduction in Nonsurgical Distal Radius Fracture Treatment.

PURPOSE Whether low bone mineral density affects loss of reduction for distal radius fractures (DRFs) managed without surgery is unknown. Our purpose was to understand how bone mineral density, based on second metacarpal cortical percentage (2MCP) measurement, affects DRF healing after nonsurgical treatment. METHODS We retrospectively reviewed 304 patients from 2 health systems with DRFs treated without surgery. The AO classification, 2MCP (<50% indicating osteoporosis), and fracture stability based on Lafontaine criteria were determined from prereduction radiographs. Radial inclination, radial height, volar tilt, ulnar variance, and intra-articular stepoff were measured on initial and 6-week final follow-up radiographs and compared. Bivariate analysis was used to evaluate the association between Lafontaine criteria or 2MCP and changes in radiographic parameters. Radiographic parameters with significant associations in bivariate analysis were evaluated in multivariable models adjusted for age, sex, initial radiographic parameters, reduction status, and AO fracture type. RESULTS Across all patients, after 6 weeks of nonsurgical treatment, ulnar variance (shortening of the radius) increased by an average of 1.4 mm. Bivariate analysis showed that lower 2MCP and unstable fractures per Lafontaine criteria were each significantly associated with an increase in ulnar variance (P < .05). In adjusted multivariable models, having both 2MCP less than 50% and an unstable fracture together was associated with an additional 1.2-mm increase in ulnar variance (P < .05). CONCLUSIONS A 2MCP in the osteoporosis range and unstable fractures by Lafontaine criteria were each associated with a significant increase in ulnar variance after nonsurgical treatment for DRFs. Patients with unstable fractures and 2MCP less than 50% are likely to have an additional increase of greater than 1 mm in ulnar variance at the end of nonsurgical fracture treatment than patients with similar injuries, but without these features. Using initial radiographs to identify patients with low bone mineral density that may be at risk for more substantial loss of reduction can assist with decision making for managing DRFs. TYPE OF STUDY/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE Prognostic IV.
Review Article — Cat Wars: The Devastating Consequences of a Dangerous Book

Cat Wars is a dangerous book that declares war on all free-roaming cats. Filled with hyperbole and exaggerated statistics, the book argues that cats are a danger to humans, birds, and other free-living animals and should be eradicated from the landscape — a devastating, expensive, inhumane, and useless result. This review exposes the flaws in the authors’ analysis and ethical approach and redirects the dialogue toward an ethic that protects all animals. Compassionate conservationism promotes the use of nonlethal management strategies to protect individual birds and other animals while compassionately reducing the number of free-roaming cats.
World Heritage sites on Wikipedia: Cultural heritage activism in a context of constrained agency:

UNESCO World Heritage sites are places of outstanding significance and often key sources of information that influence how people interact with the past today. The process of inscription on the UNE...
Well-differentiated systemic mastocytosis with associated myeloid sarcoma and myelodysplastic syndrome: Diagnostic challenges of an underrecognized entity.

Well-differentiated systemic mastocytosis (WDSM) is a rare unique variant of systemic mastocytosis that has been described in few studies [1–11]. This entity has unique features that can cause pote...
Extracting more concurrency from distributed transactions

Distributed storage systems run transactions across machines to ensure serializability. Traditional protocols for distributed transactions are based on two-phase locking (2PL) or optimistic concurrency control (OCC). 2PL serializes transactions as soon as they conflict and OCC resorts to aborts, leaving many opportunities for concurrency on the table. This paper presents ROCOCO, a novel concurrency control protocol for distributed transactions that outperforms 2PL and OCC by allowing more concurrency. ROCOCO executes a transaction as a collection of atomic pieces, each of which commonly involves only a single server. Servers first track dependencies between concurrent transactions without actually executing them. At commit time, a transaction's dependency information is sent to all servers so they can re-order conflicting pieces and execute them in a serializable order.We compare ROCOCO to OCC and 2PL using a scaled TPC-C benchmark. ROCOCO outperforms 2PL and OCC in workloads with varying degrees of contention. When the contention is high, ROCOCO's throughput is 130% and 347% higher than that of 2PL and OCC.
Selective review of the results of research on the use of audiovisual media to teach adults.

The purpose of this literature review is to summarize findings from experimental studies that have assessed the instructional effectiveness of various audiovisual media for teaching adults. The studies cited here were selected in the light of the objectives of a larger project, of which this review is one preliminary phase. As discussed by the Council of Europe, the larger project will be an attempt to construct a media taxonomy that can be used by teachers to select appropriate media for specific learning tasks. The present literature review was carried out to obtain experimental research evidence that might assist in making decisions about which media are most appropriate for each of the specific learning tasks represented in the taxonomy. The needed evidence was sought in the "hard" research data provided by experimental studies of media effectiveness. This literature contrasted with the "softer" insights into instructional media that were provided in the nonexperimental literature, most of which did not attempt to deal with
High Throughput Screening (HTS) Techniques: Applications in Chemical Biology

The rapid testing of chemical libraries for biological activity is the primary aim of high throughput screening (HTS). Advances in HTS have paralleled those in molecular biology, instrumentation and automation, and informatics, and the increased availability of arrayed compound libraries. Sophisticated high sensitivity assays and the associated technologies required to implement these assays in HTS have been largely developed within the pharmaceutical industry for the identification of new chemical matter for drug development. However, HTS approaches are now widely applied to the broader questions within biological research. By way of introduction, we will describe the components of HTS and provide examples of strategies used to identify novel chemtypes for specific biological targets using large chemical libraries. We then will illustrate how more narrowly defined compound collections (e.g., targeted libraries or bioactive compounds) have been profiled against related targets or cell types for the purpose of discovering or defining, compound class/gene family selectivity, off-target activity or “hidden phenotypes”, toxic fingerprints, or any other relationship between chemical structure and bioactivity. In this way, HTS systems can expand the scope of an experimental hypothesis to address questions of chemical biology, be they at the level of an isolated enzymatic activity or that of a complex cellular phenotype.
How smell develops.

The mouse's sense of smell is built of approximately 1000 input channels. Each of these consists of a population of olfactory sensory neurons that express the same odorant receptor gene and project their axons to the same targets (glomeruli) in the olfactory bulb. A neuron must choose to express a singular receptor gene from a repertoire of approximately 1000 genes, and its axon must be wired to the corresponding glomerulus, from an array of approximately 1800 glomeruli. Genetic experiments have shown that the expressed odorant receptor specifies axonal choice of the innervated glomerulus, but it is not the only determinant. The mechanisms of odorant receptor gene choice and axonal wiring are central to the functional organization of the mammalian olfactory system. Although principles have emerged, our understanding of these processes is still limited.
Working-Capital: Definition, Wirkungen, Relevanz

Aufgrund zunehmender und schwer vorhersagbarer Volatilitat im Unternehmensumfeld wird es fur ein Unternehmen immer wichtiger, einerseits ausreichend liquide zu sein und andererseits einen ausreichenden Geschaftswertbeitrag zu erzielen. Weiterhin erleichtert eine gute Eigenkapitalausstattung die Unternehmensfuhrung auch in angespannten Zeiten. Alle drei genannten Kriterien werden durch gezieltes Working Capital-Management masgeblich unterstutzt.
Transplacental Cocaine Exposure 1: A Rodent Model

To characterize the transplacental effects of cocaine on the developing brain, we have developed a mouse model of gestational cocaine exposure. Pharmacokinetic analysis revealed that cocaine and its metabolites (BE, BNE, and NC) were found in fetal brain and plasma at 30 and 120 min following SC administration to embryonic day (E) 17 pregnant Swiss Webster mice. Pregnant dams injected twice daily with cocaine HCl at 20 mg/kg SC from gestational day E8 to E17 (COC) demonstrated less food intake and lower percentage weight gain than vehicle-injected dams allowed access to food ad lib (SAL). A nutritionally paired control group of dams injected with saline vehicle and pair-fed with the COC dams (SPF) demonstrated the lowest percentage weight gain of all three groups. The surrogate fostered offspring of COC and SPF dams demonstrated persistent growth retardation [on postnatal days (P) 1, P9, and P50] and transient brain growth retardation (on P1 and P9) when compared to pups born to SAL dams. We conducted behavioral tests that allowed us to dissociate the indirect effect of cocaine-induced malnutrition from a direct effect of prenatal cocaine administration in altering postnatal behavior. Pups from all three groups were tested for first-order Pavlovian conditioning on P9 or P12, or for the ability to ignore redundant information in a blocking paradigm on P50 or P100. Unlike the SPF and SAL controls, COC mice (i.e., mice born to COC dams) were unable to acquire an aversion to an odor previously paired with shock on P9. This learning deficit was transient because on P12, COC mice trained on the same conditioning task displayed an aversion to the odor that was indistinguishable from the SPF and SAL controls. P50 and P100 COC mice (and to a lesser extent, SPF mice) demonstrated a persistent behavioral deficit in the blocking paradigm, which may reflect alterations in selective attention. We discuss how these findings in our rodent model have developmental implications for human infants exposed to cocaine in utero.
Welcoming Confusion, Embracing Uncertainty: Educating Teacher Candidates in an Age of Certitude

This essay challenges the current emphasis on certainty, measurement and control in the field of education and the widespread view that confusion hurts students. Drawing on some recent analyses of Socrates as well as my own interpretation of his dialogues, I discuss how he might respond to the quest for certainty in education. Socrates would want us to welcome confusion and embrace uncertainty, and urge us to reconceptualize the quest for certainty as an ongoing process aimed at increasing complexity and enhancing understanding. Based on the insights I gleaned from Socrates, I argue that creating a space for perplexity and uncertainty in our classrooms is crucial for the goal of fostering citizens who are critical and independent thinkers. I conclude this essay by proposing a number of ways in which teacher educators can help their students welcome confusion and embrace uncertainty.
Association between incident cancer and subsequent stroke

Objective A study was undertaken to examine the association between incident cancer and the subsequent risk of stroke. Methods Using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results–Medicare linked database, we identified patients with a new primary diagnosis of breast, colorectal, lung, pancreatic, or prostate cancer from 2001 through 2007. These patients were individually matched by age, sex, race, registry, and medical comorbidities to a group of Medicare enrollees without cancer, and each pair was followed through 2009. Validated diagnosis codes were used to identify a primary outcome of stroke. Cumulative incidence rates were calculated using competing risk survival statistics. Results Among 327,389 pairs of cancer patients and matched controls, the 3-month cumulative incidence of stroke was generally higher in patients with cancer. Cumulative incidence rates were 5.1% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 4.9–5.2%) in patients with lung cancer compared to 1.2% (95% CI = 1.2–1.3%) in controls (p < 0.001), 3.4% (95% CI = 3.1–3.6%) in patients with pancreatic cancer compared to 1.3% (95% CI = 1.1–1.5%) in controls (p < 0.001), 3.3% (95% CI = 3.2–3.4%) in patients with colorectal cancer compared to 1.3% (95% CI = 1.2–1.4%) in controls (p < 0.001), 1.5% (95% CI = 1.4–1.6%) in patients with breast cancer compared to 1.1% (95% CI = 1.0–1.2%) in controls (p < 0.001), and 1.2% (95% CI = 1.1–1.3%) in patients with prostate cancer compared to 1.1% (95% CI = 1.0–1.2%) in controls (p = 0.085). Excess risks attenuated over time and were generally no longer present beyond 1 year. Interpretation Incident cancer is associated with an increased short-term risk of stroke. This risk appears highest with lung, pancreatic, and colorectal cancers. Ann Neurol 2015;77:291–300
Immunological and biochemical characterization of an epitope of the transferrin receptor involved in the production of interferon-γ and B-cell growth factor

We have investigated the effect of a newly developed monoclonal antibody, MoAb NDA9, on human lymphocyte function. This MoAb inhibits the capacity of peripheral blood lymphocytes to display blastogenic responses and to produce immunoglobulins when stimulated in vitro with PWM or with soluble antigens. The inhibitory effect seems to result from the decreased ability of T lymphocytes to produce B cell growth factors (BCGF) in the presence of MoAb NDA9. This antibody also blocks the capacity of polyclonal or monoclonal populations of activated human T cells to produce immune interferon (gamma) but has no direct effect on B cell activation and growth in T-cell-independent systems. Immunochemical studies of the antigen recognized by MoAb NDA9 showed that it is an epitope of the transferrin receptor molecule which is distinct from that recognized by the MoAb OKT9.
Bridging the resolution gap: superimposition of multiple multi-channel volumes

I present a new algorithm to render multiple overlapping multi-channel volumes in real-time. The approach uses textured slices for rendering volumes and hardware- accelerated shaders for the application of transfer functions and the blending of data channels. Volume rendering is an important technique for visualizing scientific and biological data. The National Center for Microscopy and Imaging Research (NCMIR) images biological systems at multiple scales and resolutions using a variety of techniques. Visualization across scales is useful to scientists because 1) they often must combine multiple microscopies with different resolutions to understand a specimen; and 2) it is more efficient to take lower resolution views of broad expanses of tissue and higher resolution views of features of interest. Combining them together allows detail to be appreciated in context. Generating data sets at different levels of spatial resolution does not provide the precise coordinates required to co-locate, or superimpose the resulting volumes automatically. The algorithm enables users to interactively co-locate multiple nested volumes in real- time
Tumor necrosis factor-α and tumor necrosis factor receptors in human heart failure

The basic mechanisms that are responsible for the development and progression of congestive heart failure are not known. Although clinicians have traditionally viewed heart failure as a hemodynamic disorder related to left ventricular pump dysfunction, one of the more recent concepts that has emerged is that the development and progression of heart failure is attributable, at least in part, to the overexpression of biologically active molecules that can contribute both to patient symptomatology as well as to disease progression. In this regard, one of the more recent interesting and intriguing observations in clinical heart failure research is the finding that a proinflammatory cytokine, termed tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), is expressed in patients with heart failure. Accordingly, the focus of the present brief review is to summarize recent clinical and experimental observations that implicate the elaboration of TNF-α and TNF receptors in the progression of human heart failure.
Build your world and play in it: Interacting with surface particles on complex objects

We explore interacting with everyday objects by representing content as interactive surface particles. Users can build their own physical world, map virtual content onto their physical construction and play directly with the surface using a stylus. A surface particle representation allows programmed content to be created independent of the display object and to be reused on many surfaces. We demonstrated this idea through a projector-camera system that acquires the object geometry and enables direct interaction through an IR tracked stylus. We present three motivating example applications, each displayed on three example surfaces. We discuss a set of interaction techniques that show possible avenues for structuring interaction on complicated everyday objects, such as Surface Adaptive GUIs for menu selection. Through a preliminary informal evaluation and interviews with end users, we demonstrate the potential of interacting with surface particles and identify improvements necessary to make this interaction practical on everyday surfaces.
Dictionary-based order-preserving string compression

As no database exists without indexes, no index implementation exists without order-preserving key compression, in particular, without prefix and tail compression. However, despite the great potentials of making indexes smaller and faster, application of general compression methods to ordered data sets has advanced very little. This paper demonstrates that the fast dictionary-based methods can be applied to order-preserving compression almost with the same freedom as in the general case. The proposed new technology has the same speed and a compression rate only marginally lower than the traditional order-indifferent dictionary encoding. Procedures for encoding and generating the encode tables are described covering such order-related features as ordered data set restrictions, sensitivity and insensitivity to a character position, and one-symbol encoding of each frequent trailing character sequence. The experimental results presented demonstrate five-folded compression on real-life data sets and twelve-folded compression on Wisconsin benchmark text fields.
Figuring Out Life’s Most Important Questions

First of all, I want to thank the Institute of College Values for putting on this conference and inviting us here. As a student, it’s really inspiring to see everyone here taking the initiative to find out what students think about these issues. Professor Cheryl Keen who’s working with us on the Inward Bound Conference came to North Carolina recently and some Self Knowledge Symposium students had a chance to meet with her. She excused herself for being a little tired because she had been up until midnight the night before talking with a group of students. When I heard this I was so impressed because it’s passionate professors like her and conferences like this one that move us closer to what we want out of our education.
Electromechanical behavior of 90-degree domain motion in barium titanate single crystals

It is well known that many common ferroelectric materials are also ferroelastic, thus the nonlinear behavior of these materials, as governed by domain motion, is highly affected by stress, as well as electric field. The combined influence of stress and electric field on domain motion and the electrostrictive response of ferroelectric single crystals is investigated. Experiments are performed on (001) and (100) oriented single crystals of barium titanate under combined electro-mechanical loading. The crystal is exposed to a constant compressive stress and an oscillating electric field along the [001] direction. Global deformation and polarization are measured as a function of electric field at different values of compressive stress. The use of semi-transparent electrodes and transmitted illumination allow in situ, real-time microscopic observations of domain motion using a long working-distance, polarizing microscope. The combined electro-mechanical loading results in a cycle of stress and electric field induced 90-degree domain switching. The magnitude of the global deformation increases with stress, with maximum steady state actuation strain of 0.57%.
4:10 Complications of spinal fusion in treatment of adult spinal deformity

Abstract Purpose of study: Surgical treatment for adult spinal deformity from 1992 to 2000 with a minimum of 1-year follow-up. To describe the overall complications in 363 adult spinal deformity patients who underwent 410 spinal fusion operations. Methods used: Included were 62 men and 301 women, average age 48 years (range, 20 to 86). There were 101 patients aged 20 to 40 years, 161 patients aged 41 to 60 years and 101 patients older than 60 years. Procedures included 278 deformities and 132 deformities with pseudarthrosis. There were 24 anterior, 156 posterior, 161 same-day anterior/posterior and 69 staged anterior/posterior approaches. of findings: The major complications rate was 29%. The overall major/minor complications rate was 58%. The major complications included 11 pulmonary emboli, 6 lower limbs paraparesis, 5 leg weakness with muscle strength 1 to 3/5, 2 cauda equina syndromes, 2 epidural hematoma requiring emergency decompression, 5 major vessel injury, 3 bowel necrosis, 1 bowel perforation, 2 SIADH, 2 ARDS, 24 respiratory compromise, 6 sepsis, 12 deep wound infection, 5 deep vein thrombosis and 2 ureteral injuries. Minor complications included 4 hook pull-outs, 3 pedicle screw pull-outs, 11 dural tears, 6 spinal headache, 1 acute hearing loss, 7 nerve root entrapment, 8 lower limb weakness with muscle strength 4/5, 14 pleural effusions, 25 postoperative ileus, 4 Clostridium difficile–positive diarrhea, 18 urinary tract infections, 17 urinary retention, 6 superficial wound infections, 3 transfusion reactions and 27 altered mental status. There were 9 deaths, 3 from pulmonary embolism, 1 intra-abdominal bleeding, 1 sepsis, 1 coagulopathy, 1 brain herniation, 1 bowel necrosis and multiple organ failure and 1 intraoperative death resulting from cardiac ischemia. Tracheostomy was performed for 8 patients. Instrumentation removal in 26 patients. The pseudarthrosis rate was 6%. In the 132 patients for pseudarthrosis repair, 10 continued to have pseudarthrosis. The fusion rate for pseudarthrosis repair was 92% (Table 1) Table 1 . Fusion rate for pseudarthrosis repair Age (years) Total complication Major complication Minor complication 20–40 47% 20% 34% 40–60 58% 31% 44% >60 67% 32% 55% All procedures 58% 29% 45% . Relationship between findings and existing knowledge: The study contributes to the literature by reporting on the largest series of patients with adult reconstructive deformity surgery complications. Overall significance of findings: Major complications in adult reconstructive deformity surgery are significant and age related but with knowledge can be decreased. Disclosures: No disclosures. Conflict of interest: No conflicts.
Wound Healing After Anorectal Surgery in Human Immunodeficiency Virus–Infected Patients

• Medical records of 52 human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients who underwent a total of 80 anorectal operations from January 1985 to January 1990 were retrospectively reviewed to determined whether anorectal surgical wounds healed in HIV-infected patients and the mean survival time of these patients after surgery. Twenty-four operations were performed in asymptomatic HIV-infected patients, 19 in HIV-infected patients with persistent lymphadenopathy, and 37 in patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. Wounds healed in 49 patients (94%). The mortality rate 30 days after surgery was 2%. There were no major complications. The mean survival time of HIV-infected patients after surgery was 15 months. We conclude that anorectal surgical wounds heal in most HIV-infected patients and that the survival time after surgery of HIV-infected patients with anorectal disease justifies appropriate surgical treatment. ( Arch Surg. 1991;126:1267-1271)
Development of retinal pigment epithelial surface structures ensheathing cone outer segments in the cat.

Specialized sheet-like projections elaborated from the apical surface of the pigment epithelium (RPE) ensheath cone outer segments of the adult cat retina. The postnatal development of this sheath in 10- to 40-day-old kittens was studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) stereoscopic pairs and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The course of development of the sheath can be divided into five stages. The surface of the RPE at around 10–12 days is dominated by microvilli. Neither these nor the developing photoreceptor outer segments are oriented in parallel as they are in the adult retina. At 2 weeks the developing cone sheath can be seen by TEM as a compact array of membranous lamellae oriented in parallel. The presence of vesicles within processes forming the growing sheath may be indicative of accelerated membrane addition. Between 16 and 21 days the processes comprising the cone sheath are seen by SEM to overlap each other and appear more highly organized. As the developing rod outer segments elongate and the interphotoreceptor space narrows during the fourth postnatal week, the basal portion of the sheath becomes visible by SEM. The degree of overlap of the ensheathing processes increases gradually until about 1 month of age when the sheath in most respects attains adult morphology. The cellular mechanisms of sheath morphogenesis as well as the functional morphology of the adult cone sheath are discussed. Related physiological, anatomical, and behavioral events occurring during this period are enumerated.
Effects of dominant material properties on the stability and transport of TiO2 nanoparticles and carbon nanotubes in aquatic environments: from synthesis to fate.

Recently, increasing studies have focused on the environmental stability, transport, and fate of the anthropogenic nanomaterials in the environment, which contributes to the understanding of the potential risks when released. However, applying nanomaterials from different manufacturers and production methods tends to result in inconsistent experimental data and potentially a biased comparison. The aim of this review is to investigate the dominant material properties that determine the aggregation and deposition behavior of nanomaterials. Herein, we focus on two of the most popular anthropogenic nanomaterials, i.e., titanium dioxide (TiO2) and carbon nanotubes (CNTs). We start from the production methods of nanomaterials of different sources, and then examine their influence on the material properties and surface characteristics. The role of the material properties was carefully analyzed and correlated with the stability and transport in aquatic environments. These two case studies may be extended to other nanomaterials with similar surface properties, which will improve our understanding of the impact and risks of anthropogenic nanomaterials in the environment. This study highlights opportunities to design and produce “green” nanomaterials with less environmental risk and no sacrificing of the novel “nano” properties.
Cortical stimulation causes long-term changes in H-reflexes and spinal motoneuron GABA receptors.

The cortex gradually modifies the spinal cord during development, throughout later life, and in response to trauma or disease. The mechanisms of this essential function are not well understood. In this study, weak electrical stimulation of rat sensorimotor cortex increased the soleus H-reflex, increased the numbers and sizes of GABAergic spinal interneurons and GABAergic terminals on soleus motoneurons, and decreased GABAA and GABAB receptor labeling in these motoneurons. Several months after the stimulation ended the interneuron and terminal increases had disappeared, but the H-reflex increase and the receptor decreases remained. The changes in GABAergic terminals and GABAB receptors accurately predicted the changes in H-reflex size. The results reveal a new long-term dimension to cortical-spinal interactions and raise new therapeutic possibilities.
Rates of Dispersal of Drosophila pseudoobscura and Its Relatives

The dispersal behaviour of a species determines to a large extent the gene migration rates among its geographic subdivisions. Gene migration is very important in determining the genetic structure of populations which in turn determines the evolution of the species. The purpose of the work reported here was to obtain quantitative measures of the dispersal behaviour of a well studied insect Drosophila, D. pseudoobscura. Population samples of D. pseudoobscura and three related species were collected in nature, dusted with powders that fluoresce under ultraviolet light, and released at a certain point in the same locality where they had been collected. One and 2 days after the release, some of the marked flies were recaptured on baits of fermenting banana, spaced at 20 or 40 m intervals in straight lines on both sides of the release point. There were no significant differences among the four species in their dispersal behaviour. The variance of the distances from the release point to the points at which marked flies were recaptured is used as a measure of the active dispersal of the flies. In nine separate experiments, the average variance for all four species 1 day after the release was 21 449 $\pm $ 1554 m$^{2}$, and after two days 27 844 $\pm $ 3414 m$^{2}$. The estimated average distance travelled was 192 m after one day and 219 m after 2 days. It appears that the flies disperse faster on the first than on the second day after the release. These results differ in several respects from those obtained in the experiments made in 1942 and 1945.
Pulsating one-dimensional detonations in hydrogen–air mixtures

The propagation of one-dimensional detonations in hydrogen–air mixtures is investigated numerically by solving the one-dimensional Euler equations with detailed finite-rate chemistry. The numerical method is based on a second-order spatially accurate total-variation-diminishing scheme and a point implicit time marching algorithm. The hydrogen–air combustion is modelled with a 9-species, 19-step reaction mechanism. A multi-level, dynamically adaptive grid is utilized, in order to resolve the structure of the detonation. Parametric studies for an equivalence ratio range of 0.4–2.0, initial pressure range of 0.2–0.8 bar and different degrees of detonation overdrive demonstrate that the detonation is unstable for low degrees of overdrive, but the dynamics of wave propagation varies with fuel–air equivalence ratio and pressure. For equivalence ratios less than approximately 1.2 and for all pressures, the detonation exhibits a short-period oscillatory mode, characterized by high-frequency, low-amplitude waves. ...
Efficacy of mexiletine in chronic ventricular arrhythmias compared with quinidine: a single-blind, randomized trial.

Abstract This single-blind, randomized study was designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of oral mexiletine compared with oral quinidine in suppressing premature ventricular contractions (PVCs). Fifty-one patients were studied for ≤ 12 weeks; 26 patients were randomized to the mexiletine group and 25 to the quinidine group. The drugs were administered in an increasing dose regimen to suppress the PVCs by 70% from the baseline value in both groups. Mexiletine reduced the average number of PVCs by 70% of the baseline number in a comparable fashion to quinidine; 69 % in the mexiletine group vs 70% in the quinidine group ( p > 0.05). There was a comparable reduction (≥ 50 %) of ventricular couplets from the baseline value in the 2 groups, 78 % in the mexiletine group vs 86 % in the quinidine group (p > 0.05). The effect of mexiletine on suppression of ventricular tachycardia was also similar, 72 % in the mexiletine group vs 71 % in the quinidine group (p > 0.05). There was no significant difference in the 2 groups in side effects. This study shows the comparable efficacy and tolerance of mexiletine and quinidine for the control of ventricular arrhythmias in a large number of patients with diverse forms of heart diseases.