cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Alterations in receptive field properties of superior colliculus cells produced by visual cortex ablation in infant and adult cats

To determine if functional alterations in the superior colliculus might account for recovery of visual behaviors following visual cortex removal in infant cats, the receptive field characteristics of single units in the superior colliculus of cats whose visual cortex was removed within the first week of life were compared with those of cats which sustained visual cortex lesions in adulthood and with those of normal cats. In the normal superior colliculus, 90% of all cells responded to moving stimuli irrespective of shape or orientation. Sixty-four percent of these units were directionally selective, responding well to movement in one direction but poorly or not at all to movement in the opposite direction. Ninety percent of units were binocular, the vast majority of these responding equally to stimulation of either eye or showing only slight preference for stimulation of the contralateral eye. Responses to stationary flashes of light were observed in only 33% of all visually activated cells in the normal superior colliculus. After visual cortex ablation in adult cats, only six percent of movement sensitive cells were directionally selective. Binocular preference was shifted following adult visual cortex lesions such that sixty percent of all cells responded exclusively or predominantly to stimulation of the contralateral eye. Seventy-one percent of all visually responsive units responded to stationary lights flashed on or off within their receptive field boundaries. Lesions limited primarily to area 17 had the same effect as larger lesions of visual cortex. Infant visual cortex lesions resulted in receptive field alterations similar to those observed after adult ablation. Only fifteen percent of motion sensitive units were directionally selective. Seventy-one percent responded exclusively or predominantly to stimulation of the contralateral eye. Seventy-six percent of visually responsive cells were activated by stationary light. Lesions largely confined to area 17 produced the same alterations as more extensive lesions of visual cortex. Thus, no evidence was found that the superior colliculus is involved in the functional reorganization presumed to occur following visual cortex ablation in infant cats. Recovery of visual behaviors following neonatal injury may therefore not involve alterations in the receptive fields of single cells.
The time has come to simplify the evaluation of the hirsute patient

Androgen excess disorders, such as the polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), are particularly distressing and disruptive to our patients. Fortunately, over the past decade we have found ourselves in a world increasingly aware of androgen excess, one of the most common reproductive disorders of women. This heightened recognition can be attributed to the increased interest of industry, the greater degree of collaboration between the different medical specialties, the expanding use of the internet as a medical resource, and the rise in patient activism.
Clinical Efficacy of Dihydroartemisinin–Piperaquine for the Treatment of Uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum Malaria at the China–Myanmar Border

Artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) are currently used as the first-line therapy for uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum malaria. However, the recent emergence and/or spread of artemisinin resistance in parts of Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) of southeast Asia requires close monitoring of the therapeutic efficacy of ACTs. This study was conducted from March 2012 to December 2013 in four clinics and seven villages along the China-Myanmar border. A total of 109 patients with uncomplicated falciparum malaria were treated with dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine (DP) and followed up on days 1, 2, 3, 7, 14, 21, 28, and 42 after treatment. A total of 71 patients (22 children and 49 adults) completed the 42-day follow-up. DP remained highly efficacious for treatment of uncomplicated falciparum malaria with an overall 42-day cure rate of 100%. The day 3 parasite-positive rate was 7.04% (5/71). Within 14 days of treatment, a total of 13 (18.31%) patients had detectable gametocytes and a large proportion of these were persistent from the first three days of treatment. The presence of gametocytes in patients through 14 days after DP treatment suggests that the incorporation of a single dose of primaquine for clearing gametocytemia should be considered for blocking parasite transmission.
Analysis of Mutations in the Pore-Forming Region Essential for Insecticidal Activity of a Bacillus thuringiensis δ-Endotoxin

Bacillus thuringiensis is unique in its capacity to produce a variety of insecticidal δ-endotoxins, which are arranged in different classes (7, 13). The structure of these toxins appears to be highly conserved (10, 13, 19), especially the seven amphipathic α helices which comprise domain I. Following binding of the toxin to specific receptors on cells lining the larval midgut (12, 15), one or more of these helices insert into the membrane and participate in the formation of an ion channel (8, 10, 16, 22). The mode of killing is believed to be colloid osmotic lysis (17), although more subtle and/or more rapid effects have not been ruled out. Previously we had mutagenized regions of the cry1Ac1 gene encoding residues within three of these helices, i.e., α2, α5, and α6, and found that helix α5 was the only one in which many of the mutations abolished toxicity (2, 27). As an extension of the previous studies, we have investigated the role of helix α4 and the loop connecting helices α4 and α5. Thirty-nucleotide mutagenic oligonucleotides were used to obtain random mutations in regions of the cry1Ac1 gene encoding residues in helix α4 and the loop. Four site-specific mutations which should have altered the hydrophobic properties of helix α3 were also examined. Many mutations in helix α4 resulted in either the loss of toxicity or toxin instability, and one mutant toxin had enhanced activity. Mutations in the loop connecting helices α4 and α5 or within helix α3, however, had little effect on stability or toxicity. The nontoxic α4 mutant toxins oligomerized in the membrane as well as the wild-type toxin but did not form functional ion channels. Helices α4 and α5, which comprise a very hydrophobic loop within domain I, are both important for toxicity but have different roles in toxin aggregation and probably ion channel formation and/or function.
To the Editor- Electrocardiogram correlates of myocardial edema in patients with Takotsubo syndrome.

are due to ME. 1 Although there is a reference to a “parallel course of development and resolution on initial and 3-month follow-up ECG/cMRI studies,” the work did not explore the time interval between these 2 assessments. This may be necessary since there is a documented biphasic course of the TWIs, with the initial TWIs observed from days 1 to 3 and then transient improvement from days 2 to 6 and subsequent development of giant TWIs with QTc prolongation persisting for Z2 months until recovery. 4 The authors attributed the TWIs to an apicobasal gradient of ME, inducing a transient inhomogeneity and dispersion of repolarization between apical and basal left ventricular regions; similar TWIs in terms of amplitude and distribution have been found in patients with inverse TTS (with basal akinesis/dyskinesis and apical hyperkinesis) or midventricular “ballooning” and normal or hyperkinetic left ventricular contractile patterns of basal and apical myocardial regions, even though with a lower rate of TWIs in patients with inverse TTS. 5 IN addition, an occasional patient 6 suffers recurrent TTS episodes, involving different myocardial territories, with the ECGs revealing TWIs of the same distribution, in association with both occurrences. It is conceivable that the above discrepancies are generated by an incomplete overlap of the area of akinesis/dyskinesis and ME. A case in point of a total absence of overlap of left ventricular WCAs and ME is a patient with inverse TTS, who was found to have hypokinesis of all basal left ventricular segments with apical sparing and a left ventricular ejection fraction of 35%, with globally increased myocardial wall thickness, reflecting the presence of ME, by cMRI assessment; 2 months later the
An NBD fluorophore-based sensitive and selective fluorescent probe for zinc ion

A novel NBD-derived fluorescent probe for Zn2+ is described; the probe features ready availability, good water solubility, high sensitivity and selectivity, and ability to quantify the concentration of Zn2+.
Geophysics in the Affairs of Man: A Personalized History of Exploration Geophysics and Its Allied Sciences of Seismology and Oceanography

This book traces the developments of the applications of the geophysical sciences to a variety of societal needs from misty beginnings to now, with emphasis on the “golden age,” the early 1920s through the 1960s. The phrase “applied geophysics” is so often taken as synonymous with “geophysical exploration” that the broader viewpoint of this work is especially welcome. The authors certainly devoted much of their treatment to exploration geophysics, as is appropriate in view of the large commitment of human and financial resources to this endeavor and the practical importance of the results. However, they have also included interesting sketches of military applications of geophysical techniques and the important technological advances that have come from these, as well as much material on ocean science. Atmospheric and space science receives less detailed coverage.
Comparison between super low ionization ratio and reach through avalanche photodiode structures

Avalanche photodiodes (APD) are solid state quantum detectors suitable for low level light detection in the visible and near infrared regions. These devices are commercially available from many manufacturers and are fabricated using several different solid state structures. In this paper a comparison between the well developed reach through structure (RTS) aPd and the relatively newer super low ionization ratio, k, (SLIK) APD structure will be discussed. The comparison is based on the experimental characterization of two APDs with these structures. The characterization setup and experiments will be described which include the calibration of the APDs, temperature response, bias voltage response, and noise measurements including noise-equivalent-power and detectivity D*. For this comparison the selected RTS APD is the EG&G C30955E, currently used by the lidar atmospheric sensing experiment (LASE) instrument. The selected SLIK ApD is the EG&G C30649E, which is proposed for LASE development. The characterization experiments where done in order to develop an advanced atmospheric water vapor differential absorption lidar detection system.
Falling risk factors in Parkinson's disease.

Objective: to identify falling risk factors that are potentially modifiable among individuals who have idiopathic Parkinson's disease. Design: a between group comparison of 19 fallers and 21 nonfallers who have Parkinson's disease, across an array of variables that have been identified as falling risk factors among the elderly and among those who have Parkinson's disease. Results: several variables were demonstrated significantly to distinguish fallers: disease duration and severity; dyskinesias associated with the use of dopaminergic agents; freezing; postural instability; depression; fear of falling; impaired fine motor control and motor planning in the feet; decreased proximal strength and muscular endurance in the legs; and a higher level of disability. Conclusions: several of these variables can be viewed a potentially modifiable during a future intervention trial that aims to reduce falls in those who have Parkinson's disease using multidimensional risk factor modification.
Probing the Structure of the Diphtheria Toxin Channel : Reactivity in Planar Lipid Bilayer Membranes of Cysteine-substituted Mutant Channels with Methanethiosulfonate Derivatives

Previous work has established that the 61 amino acid stretch from residue 322 to 382 in the T-domain of diphtheria toxin forms channels indistinguishable in ion-conducting properties from those formed by the entire T-domain. In the crystal structure of the toxin's water-soluble form, the bulk of this stretch is an α-helical hairpin, designated TH8-9. The present study was directed at determining which residues in TH8-9 line the ion-conducting pathway of the channel; i.e., its lumen or entrances. To this end, we singly mutated 49 of TH8-9's 51 residues (328–376) to cysteines, formed channels with the mutant T-domain proteins in planar lipid bilayers, and then determined whether they reacted with small, charged, lipid-insoluble, sulfhydryl-specific methanethiosulfonate (MTS) derivatives added to the bathing solutions. The indication of a reaction, and that the residue lined the ion-conducting pathway, was a sudden change in single-channel conductance and/or flickering behavior. The results of this study were surprising in two respects. First, of the 49 cysteine-substituted residues in TH8-9 tested, 23 reacted with MTS derivatives in a most unusual pattern consisting of two segments: one extending from 329 to 341 (11 of 13 reacted), and the other from 347 to 359 (12 of 13 reacted); none of the residues outside of these two segments appeared to react. Second, in every cysteine mutant channel manifesting an MTS effect, only one transition in single-channel conductance (or flickering behavior) occurred, not the several expected for a multimeric channel. Our results are not consistent with an α-helical or β-strand model for the channel, but instead suggest an open, flexible structure. Moreover, contrary to common sense, they indicate that the channel is not multimeric but is formed from only one TH8-9 unit of the T-domain.
Optimum PML ABC conductivity profile in FDFD

We address the problem of optimally choosing the conductivity (/spl sigma/) profile of a perfectly-matched-layer absorbing boundary condition (PML ABC) with prescribed number of layers so as to minimize reflections for a wide range of incidence angles and for a narrow (CW) or broad frequency-band. A new one-dimensional (1-D), frequency-domain description of 2-D PML performance is developed, validated and used in PML-/spl sigma/ profile optimization. An exhaustive search for PML-/spl sigma/ profiles that minimize reflections over a prescribed wide angle-range is carried out. Our procedure yields PML-/spl sigma/ profiles with better performance than previously reported values, for given number of layers.
Chromosome 5 and Schizophrenia: Implications for Genetic Linkage Studies

Two years ago, a family with two members who shared a chromosomal anomaly (partial trisomy of the long arm of chromosome 5), mild physical abnormalities, and schizophrenia was reported. This special family provided a candidate region on chromosome 5 for linkage studies of schizophrenia . The background of the finding is examined, and the specific features of the original report are outlined. A description of the immediate implications of the chromosome 5 abnormality for linkage studies leads to a discussion of the broader clinical, methodological, and ethical issues involved. Solutions to the many questions arising from this new wave of genetic linkage studies will require active involvement of researchers, clinicians, and families.
Mechanized Conversion of Colorimetric Data to Munsell Renotations

A program for a high-speed digital electronic computer is described for performing the computation of the Munsell renotations H, V, C corresponding to given CIE chromaticity coordinates x, y and daylight reflectance Y. Mathematically, this is equivalent to a three-dimensional coordinate transformation where two of the three transformation functions are given only numerically for a grid of discrete points. Since this grid consists of approximately 5000 points which are nonuniformly spaced, the major problem was to devise an economic scanning routine in order to find the point used in the interpolation. This was accomplished by consistent use of vector algebra and the help of an interpretive routine for vector operations.
Nonlinear mixture analysis for hyperspectral imagery

Nonlinear mixture analysis for hyperspectral imagery is investigated in this paper. A simple but effective nonlinear mixture model is adopted, where the multiplication of each pair of endmembers results in another “endmember”, representing nonlinear scattering effect during pixel construction process. The analysis is followed by original linear demixing process. Due to the larger number of nonlinear terms being added, the resulting abundance estimation may contain some error if most of endmembers do not really participate in the mixture of a pixel. We take advantage of the developed endmember variable linear mixture model (EVLMM) to search the actual endmember set for each pixel, which yields more accurate abundance estimation.
Regulating Conflict: Historical Legacies and State Commitment to the Laws of War

The ongoing War on Terror and the rise of nonstate actors in armed conflicts around the world have led both critics and proponents of international law to argue the Geneva Conventions currently governing warfare are no longer relevant. Yet what are the prospects for a new Geneva Convention to take hold in the international community? In order to begin to address this issue, I examine the factors influencing the decision of states to commit to the existing laws of war. Using an event history analysis of the ratification of the 1949 Geneva Conventions and 1977 Additional Protocols I and II, I find formative events involving past experience with war, as well as several other domestic and external factors, shape the incentives to commit to international law. In particular, far from pushing war-torn states to join international agreements in the hopes of mitigating the costs of armed conflict, the legacy of war makes states less willing to be constrained by international humanitarian law. The findings have implications for the role of formative events on incentives for international cooperation and foreshadow that the path toward widespread acceptance of any new Geneva Convention, should one ever be negotiated, would likely be formidable.
Alterations in left ventricular volumes and ejection fraction at rest and during exercise in patients with aortic regurgitation

This study was performed (1) to determine the changes in left ventricular volumes during exercise in patients with aortic regurgitation, and (2) to evaluate the importance of these alterations in characterizing left ventricular function in these patients. In 15 normal subjects (Group I) and in 17 patients with aortic regurgitation (Group II), left ventricular end-diastolic volume index, end-systolic volume index, ejection fraction and the ratio of peak systolic blood pressure to end-systolic volume index were measured at rest and during supine exercise. The patients with aortic regurgitation were classified into two groups on the basis of symptoms and chest radiographs: Group IIA, minimal or no symptoms, no cardiomegaly or pulmonary venous congestion; Group IIB, definite symptoms, with cardiomegaly and pulmonary venous congestion. Patients with aortic regurgitation had greater left ventricular end-diastolic and end-systolic volume indexes at rest and during exercise (p <0.05) than did normal subjects. During exercise, left ventricular end-diastolic volume index increased in normal subjects (53 ± 13 ml/m2 [mean ± standard deviation] at rest, 67 ± 18 ml/m2 during exercise, p <0.01), demonstrated a heterogeneous response in patients in Group IIA and increased in patients in Group IIB (180 ± 96 ml/m2 at rest, 209 ± 102 ml/m2 during exercise, p <0.05). During exercise, left ventricular end-systolic volume index decreased in normal subjects (18 ± 5 ml/m2 at rest, 15 $6 ml/m2 with exercise, p <0.01), increased in patients in Group IIB (82 ± 60 ml/m2 at rest, 118 ± 93 ml/m2 during exercise, p <0.05), and showed a variable response in those in Group IIA. At rest, left ventricular ejection fraction was similar in the three groups, but during exercise it increased in Group I (0.71 ± 0.07 at rest, 0.82 ± 0.07 with exercise, p <0.001), was unchanged in Group IIA and decreased in Group IIB (0.59 ± 0.15 at rest, 0.50 ± 0.16 during exercise, p <0.05). During exercise, there was an inverse relation between changes in left ventricular ejection fraction and endsystolic volume, but no relation between changes in end-diastolic volume and ejection fraction. Changes in the systolic pressure-volume ratio provided no more information than changes in end-systolic volume alone. Thus, abnormal alterations in left ventricular volumes occur during exercise in patients with aortic regurgitation and may be helpful in the further characterization of left ventricular performance in these patients.
Tris(dimethylamino)sulfonium Difluorotrimethylsilicate, a Mild Reagent for the Removal of Silicon Protecting Groups

Numerous methods have been developed for the introduction and selective removal of silicon-containing protecting groups, which are used extensively in organic synthesis.2-4 Nevertheless, there remains a great need for the development of ever milder and more selective methods for silyl group deprotection for use with baseand/or acid-sensitive substrates. Herein, we report the use of TAS-F [tris(dimethylamino)sulfonium difluorotrimethylsilicate, (Me2N)3S+ F2SiMe3] for the deprotection of a range of silyl ethers and 2-(trimethylsilyl)ethyl carbamates and esters. Particularly striking are the TAS-F-mediated deprotections of the base-sensitive substrates 1, 3, 5, 11, and 13, which could not be deprotected cleanly or efficiently by using tetra-nbutylammonium fluoride (TBAF).
H in rutile-type compounds; II, Crystal chemistry of Al substitution in H-bearing stishovite

The crystal structures of a synthetic H-bearing aluminous stishovite, containing approximately 1.6 wt% A1203, and a pure-silica stishovite have been refined from threedimensional, single-crystal X-ray diffraction data. The space group of both is P42/mnm, and the unit cell parameters of the aluminous crystal are a = 4.1839(8) and c = 2.6684(6) A, which are slightly larger than those of pure silica [a = 4.1773(4) and c = 2.6652(2) A]. The AI-bearing octahedron is slightly larger and more regular than that of pure-silica stishovite. Unit cell and atom position refinement are consistent with 1.6% substitution of Al for Si. The observation of 1.9% Al substitution for [6ISi,even without clear charge balance, is evidence that this substitution may be significant in many lower mantle silicate phases.
Therapy of B-cell Lymphoproliferative Disorders

The majority (>80%) of both aggressive and indolent variants of NHL are of B-cell origin, and their treatment is discussed in this chapter. Therapeutic options range from close observation with intervention only with disease progression to treatment at diagnosis with intensive multiagent regimens. With the development of new chemotherapeutic regimens and advances in supportive care, improved outcomes are becoming apparent. The introduction of antibody immunotherapy, immunomodulatory agents, and small molecules that target lymphoma signaling pathways are leading to further customized therapies.
Organizing and interpreting test findings

This chapter summarizes the sequence of activities that can be applied to organizing and interpreting the test findings. These activities include computing the raw test scores, comparing the test scores with normative data to obtain standardized scores, compiling the data summary sheet, determining estimates of pre-morbid abilities, interpreting test scores, identifying the neuropsychological profile and disorders associated with this profile, and identifying change on reevaluation. Total raw scores for each test are computed by using the standardized instructions provided in the test manuals, which are then compared with the normative data to determine if the scores are within normal limits for the sample from which the normative data were derived. The next step is to summarize the raw test and standard scores by entering them in a data sheet. The data sheet includes columns for entering the raw scores, the standard scores provided in the test manual, the z-score conversions of the standard scores, premorbid estimates of abilities, interpretations of test scores, and qualitative comments concerning test performance. Determining an estimate of premorbid ability is a critical step, since this estimate is used as a standard to determine whether the patient has experienced significant decline in neuropsychological function. It is recommended that estimates of premorbid intelligence be applied as one basis for estimating abilities within specific neuropsychological domains. Each test score is then interpreted within the context of the normative data or within the context of the patient's premorbid abilities.
A Linguistic Account of Mereological Vagueness

Proponents of linguistic accounts of vagueness generally trace vagueness in mereological claims to imprecision in singular terms. The purpose of this chapter is to develop an alternative linguistic account of vague mereological claims. I propose that vagueness in ordinary mereological claims is typically due, not to imprecision in singular terms, but to imprecision in mereological terms such as the relational predicate “is part of.” Though my account is not problem-free, I think it is preferable to the standard linguistic account because it preserves important ordinary intuitions about objects. Moreover, my account is supported by the evident lack of rigor and specificity in our actual use of mereological vocabulary. I further suggest that my linguistic account of mereological vagueness might accommodate some intuitions motivating ontic accounts of vagueness while avoiding a troublesome commitment to indeterminacy in the world.
Renal clearance of mineral metabolism biomarkers

CKD leads to disturbances in multiple interrelated hormones that regulate bone and mineral metabolism. The renal handling of mineral metabolism hormones in humans is incompletely understood. We determined the single-pass renal clearance of parathyroid hormone, fibroblast growth factor 23, vitamin D metabolites, and phosphate from paired blood samples collected from the abdominal aorta and renal vein in 17 participants undergoing simultaneous right and left heart catheterization and estimated associations of eGFR with the renal elimination of metabolites. The mean age ±SD of the study population was 71.4±10.0 years and 11 participants (65%) were male. We found a relatively large mean±SD single-pass renal extraction of parathyroid hormone (44.2%±10.3%) that exceeded the extraction of creatinine (22.1%±7.9%). The proportionate renal extraction of parathyroid hormone correlated with eGFR. The renal extraction of fibroblast growth factor 23 was, on average, lower than that of parathyroid hormone with greater variability across individuals (17.1%±19.5%). There were no differences in the mean concentrations of vitamin D metabolites across the renal vein and artery. In summary, we demonstrate substantial single-pass renal extraction of parathyroid hormone at a rate that exceeds glomerular filtration. Impaired renal clearance of parathyroid hormone may contribute to secondary hyperparathyroidism in CKD.
Circulating Exosomes in Pancreatic Cancer: Will They Succeed on the Long, Littered Road to Early Detection Marker?

Pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer death in the US and is projected to be the second leading cause of cancer death by 2020. The high mortality of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC),3 the most common form of pancreatic cancer, is largely a consequence of diagnosis at an advanced stage, when the tumor can no longer be surgically resected for cure. Nevertheless, symptoms rarely develop with early disease, and established risk factors for PDAC—tobacco smoking, obesity, personal history of chronic pancreatitis or diabetes, and family history of pancreatic cancer—are insufficient to risk-stratify the population to facilitate disease screening. Despite extensive research efforts and many potential candidates, no noninvasive biomarker has reached the clinic with utility for early detection of PDAC. Experimental studies indicate that more than a decade elapses from formation of the founder malignant clone to a patient's diagnosis, suggesting a window of opportunity for early detection. With this issue in mind, 2 recent studies have exposed new and interesting biology related to the release of exosomes from pancreatic tumors into peripheral blood (1, 2), raising the possibility of a noninvasive tool for risk stratification and earlier PDAC diagnosis. Exosomes are small, extracellular membrane–enclosed vesicles released from most cell types. Because they initially form from intracellular compartments, they contain nucleic acids and proteins, which can be transferred to other cells upon fusion with their extracellular membrane. Although the full spectrum of exosome biology remains to be defined, it is increasingly clear that exosomes are secreted from cancer cells at higher rates than from healthy cells and are important in facilitating cancer progression and spread (3). By use of proteomics, Melo et al. (1) compared exosomes secreted from cancer cell lines and nontumorigenic cells and identified glypican 1 (GPC1) as a membrane-bound protein preferentially present …
Image registration robust to sparse large errors

Registration is difficult when images to be registered contain sparse but large-valued differences. We present a method for robust registration that ignores some fraction of large differences, while constraining the sparseness of these errors. We apply the method to stabilize microscopy videos of C. elegans tissues, in which bright moving filaments and tissue wounding appear as sparse large-valued differences. We demonstrate the advantage of the method on both synthetic and real data compared to state-of-the-art methods.
Nurses’ Beliefs About Caring for Patients With Traumatic Brain Injury

Patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and their families rely on health care providers, particularly nurses, to provide accurate information, yet inaccurate beliefs about TBI have been found among nurses. Although prior studies have assessed nurses' beliefs about TBI recovery and rehabilitation, none have assessed specific beliefs about the nursing role to care for these patients. The purpose of this study was to investigate nurses' beliefs and learning preferences about caring for patients with moderate-to-severe TBI. A cross-sectional survey was administered to 513 nurses at a Midwestern hospital between October and December 2014 (20.3% response rate). Latent class analysis was used. Findings showed that nurses had inaccurate beliefs about TBI relating to recovery and the nursing role, and had significant differences in learning preferences. These findings have implications for development of educational and training interventions specific to nurses to ensure that they have factual information about TBI and to clarify the nursing role.
Factors Affecting the Evaporation of Water from Droplets in Airblast Spraying

Evaporation losses from spray droplets carried in an air stream Were measured by determining the increase in concentration of a previously dissolved chemical. The losses were correlated with the ambient wet-bulb depression, the distance traveled (time elapsed) before impingement, and the spray “fineness.” A brief discussion of the pertinent theories of evaporation, air stream dynamics, and droplet motion is given. The probable implication to pesticide spraying of the rather large volume losses that may occur is discussed.
Effects of morphology and geometry of inclusions on two-point correlation statistics in two phase composites

A spectral form of the two-point correlation functions for two-phase composites is presented and the effects of secondary phase morphology, geometry and volume fraction on the coefficients of the corresponding series are studied. Initially, a principal component analysis is performed on the coefficients of the series and then, the effects of different morphological and geometrical parameters of the second phase inclusions on two-point correlation functions are examined. A direct linkage between the principal components of the coefficients with the morphological features (inclusion shape, aspect ratio and size) is established and the influence of preferred orientation of the anisotropic inclusions is also investigated. Finally a composite hull is constructed using the principal components of the coefficients in a three-dimensional space, which helps in determining the interrelation of properties and microstructures of any composite containing these types of inclusions.
Unsafe Havens: Re-Examining Humanitarian Aid and Peace Duration after Civil Wars

Does humanitarian aid delivered in the aftermath of civil conflict increase the risk of conflict resumption? And if so, under what conditions? In contrast to previous work that focuses on the terms of civil war resolution, we argue that humanitarian aid is most likely to play a de-stabilizing role when armed groups have access to territorial safe havens, either inside the country where the fighting has taken place or in cross-border refugee camps. We illustrate this argument with the cases of Liberia (1989-1997) and Sudan (1983-2005), and then test the theory using a panel dataset of civil war ceasefires between 1989 and 2004. Our results support the argument that the effect of humanitarian aid on ceasefire stability is conditional on the ability of rebel organizations to control territory and access cross-border refugee populations.
Centralized management of TB cases in Jinhua from 2007 to 2011

Objective To summarize the achievements of centralized management of tuberculosis(TB)recently in Jinhua,and to explore a more economical and scientific management model of tuberculosis.Methods The statement data of tuberculosis(TB)from 2007to 2011were collected and analyzed to establish the optimized model and a long-term operating mechanism of centralized management.Results It was found that the number of tuberculosis patients increased from 3 415cases in 2007to 3 775cases in 2011,the new smear positive cases from 1 444in 2007rose to 1499in 2011 and the cure rate rose from 89.45% of 2007up to 94.31% of 2011.Thus,it was significantly effective to imply the centralized management of tuberculosis controlled the occurrence of tuberculosis.Conclusions The model of finding patient-referral-therapy and management in the whole range has been set up through strengthening DOTS strategy and health administrative intervention of tuberculosis control project in Jinhua city.And it increases the detection and cure rate of tuberculosis patients and promotes the implementation of centralized management mechanism of tuberculosis.
Current status investigation analisys of the treatment and management of children bronchial asthma

Objective To investigate the current status of the treatment and management of asthmatic children,provide the basic data for the asthma control in the local area.Methods We performed an investigation by designing a questionnaire to investigate the asthmatic outpatients and their parents by professional doctors face to face.Results A total of 89 asthmatic children completed the questionnaire,80.9% of the patients chose ICS for therapy and only 29.2% of them with regular medication;38.2% of the patients treated with oral moutlukas,only 7.9% with desensitization and 11.2% with athletics.85.4% of the patients had lung function tests,Only 14.6% of all patients had twice or more lung function tests;95.5% of them had not learn the peak flowmeter and ACT(Asthma Control Test).Conclusion A few patients chose ICS for long-term regular therapy,few patients had monitored the disease process by lung function tests,almost no one used peak flowmeter and ACT(Asthma Control Test).We should reinforce the normalized treatment and management of asthmatic children in future,to improve their quality of life.
Using Network Structure to Identify Groups in Virtual Worlds.

Humans are adept social animals capable of identifying friendship groups from a combination of linguistic cues and social network patterns. But what is more important, the content of what people say or their history of social interactions? Moreover, is it possible to identify whether people are part of a group with changing membership merely from general network properties, such as measures of centrality and latent communities? In this paper, we address the problem of identifying social groups from conversation data and present results of an empirical study on identifying groups in a virtual world. Virtual worlds are interesting because group membership is more shaped by common interests and less influenced by cultural and socio-economic factors. Our finding is that a combination of network measures is more predictive of group membership than language cues, and that both types of features can be combined to improve prediction.
Compartmentalized protein kinase C activation in ovarian carcinoma cells.

Protein kinase C (PKC), a family of phospholipid-dependent serine/threonine kinases, plays a cardinal role in malignancy (1-5). PKC isozymes can be categorized into three groups: Group A or conventional (c) PKC: α, βI, βII, and γ; Group B or novel (n) PKC: δ, e, η, θ, and µ, and Group C or atypical (a) PKC: ζ and λ (ι) (1,3,4). Whereas cPKCs require Ca(2+)and diacylglycerol (DAG) phorbol esters for their activities, nPKCs and aPKCs are Ca(2+)-independent. aPKCs are also insensitive to diacylglycerol and phorbol esters (1,3,4).
Information and the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative

Roughly 3.5 billion people live in countries with plentiful oil, gas, and mineral reserves, yet a worrying number of these countries do not release transparent information about the extraction of those resources or how the revenues emanating from them are expended. Furthermore, the challenge of governing energy resources is that countries with large caches of them can perform worse in terms of economic growth, social development, and good governance than other countries with fewer resources. The mismanagement of their resources, sometimes called the “resource curse,” expands outside the extractive industries sector and slowly degrades social welfare. Resource-cursed countries consequently display comparatively higher levels of poverty and inequality, deteriorating environmental quality, institutionalized corruption, and an increased frequency of conflict and war. After introducing readers to these concerns, this chapter shows how transparency — “timely and reliable economic, social and political information accessible to all relevant stakeholders”1 — can counteract the trend towards the resource curse.
Learning adaptive forecasting models from irregularly sampled multivariate clinical data

Building accurate predictive models of clinical multivariate time series is crucial for understanding of the patient condition, the dynamics of a disease, and clinical decision making. A challenging aspect of this process is that the model should be flexible and adaptive to reflect well patient-specific temporal behaviors and this also in the case when the available patient-specific data are sparse and short span. To address this problem we propose and develop an adaptive two-stage forecasting approach for modeling multivariate, irregularly sampled clinical time series of varying lengths. The proposed model (1) learns the population trend from a collection of time series for past patients; (2) captures individual-specific short-term multivariate variability; and (3) adapts by automatically adjusting its predictions based on new observations. The proposed forecasting model is evaluated on a real-world clinical time series dataset. The results demonstrate that our approach is superior on the prediction tasks for multivariate, irregularly sampled clinical time series, and it outperforms both the population based and patient-specific time series prediction models in terms of prediction accuracy.
Teaching as Leading: Valuing the Veteran in All of Us

Corley argues that college faculty can more effectively instruct student veterans by renewing their commitment to widely acknowledged hallmarks of excellent instruction: welcoming all students; giving clear and direct feedback; approaching self, subjects, and students with moral seriousness; teaching with integrity; relating the subject matter to everyday concerns; and holding all students to high standards. Through classroom anecdotes and descriptions of military life, Corley demonstrates numerous points of connection between military culture and the best instructional practices described.
Lessons from University-Based Journalism Schools and Law Schools

The angst of critics bemoaning the state of the business school is quite palpable. However, that angst is not unique. It is present in writings about many professional schools. This chapter selects two representative schools, journalism and law, for comparison.
TCT-576 Evaluation of Two-Year Outcomes Following Resolute Integrity Zotarolimus-eluting Stent Implantation

The Resolute IntegrityTM zotarolimus-eluting stent (ZES; Medtronic, Inc.) is designed with a single continuous wire formed into a repeating sinusoidal pattern (as compared with discrete rings with the previous Resolute ZES) with the goal to enhance deliverability. The objective of RESOLUTE INTEGRITY
Health care costs associated with addition, titration, and switching antihypertensive medications after first-line treatment: Results from a commercially insured sample

BACKGROUND: Treatment modifications are necessary for addressing issues related to efficacy and tolerance of first-line monotherapy, but they increase the economic burden on patients and their health plans. Understanding the differences in costs between alternative treatment modification strategies, if any, can serve as a guideline for clinical decision making and for designing cost-containment strategies. OBJECTIVE: To compare the health care utilization costs between (a) addition (i.e., use of free-pill combinations [FPCs] or fixed-dose combinations [FDCs]) and uptitration as alternatives for addressing efficacy issues and (b) switching and downtitration as alternatives for addressing tolerance issues with first-line antihypertensive monotherapy. METHODS: This is a retrospective cohort study that used the 2008-2012 BlueCross BlueShield of Texas claims database. Patients who had a treatment modification within 12 months of initiating antihypertensive monotherapy were identified. All-cause and disease-rel...
Single nucleotide variations in cultured cancer cells: Effect of mismatch repair

Abstract We assessed single nucleotide variations (SNVs) between individual cells in two cancer cell lines; DU145, from brain metastasis of prostate tumor with deficient mismatch repair; and HT1080, a fibrosarcoma cell line. Clones of individual cells were isolated, and sequenced using Ion Ampliseq comprehensive cancer panel that covered the exomes of 409 oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes. Five clones of DU145 and four clones of HT1080 cells were analyzed. We found from 7 to 12 unique SNVs between DU145 clones, while HT1080 clones showed no more than one unique SNV. We then sub-cloned individual cells from some of these isolated clones of DU145 and HT1080 cells. The sub-clones were expanded from a single cell to approximately one million cells after about 20 cell divisions. The sub-clones of DU145 cells had from one to four new unique SNVs within the sequenced regions. No unique SNVs were found between sub-clones of HT1080 cells. Our data demonstrate that the extent of genetic variation at the single nucleotide level in cultured cancer cells is significantly affected by the status of the DNA mismatch repair system.
Constrained Consensus in Continuous-Time Multiagent Systems Under Weighted Graph

This paper studies constrained consensus for continuous-time multiagent systems, where agents are subject to different state constraints. A projection-based consensus protocol is presented where a projection operator is used on top of the traditional consensus protocol in order to keep the state staying inside the constraint set. This operator can ensure the smoothness of the state trajectory under projection and it will only be used when the state is close to the boundary of the constraint set and about to move outside. Under this protocol, each individual agent only needs to know its own state and constraint set as well as the relative states to its neighboring agents. With the assumption that all constraint sets are convex and have nonempty intersection, it is proven that global consensus can be achieved without violating any state constraints during the transience.
GaAsP/InGaP HBTs grown epitaxially on Si substrates: Effect of dislocation density on DC current gain

Heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBTs) with GaAs0.825P0.175 bases and collectors and In0.40Ga0.60P emitters were integrated monolithically onto Si substrates. The HBT structures were grown epitaxially on Si via metalorganic chemical vapor deposition, using SiGe compositionally graded buffers to accommodate the lattice mismatch while maintaining threading dislocation density at an acceptable level (∼3 × 106 cm−2). GaAs0.825P0.175 is used as an active material instead of GaAs because of its higher bandgap (increased breakdown voltage) and closer lattice constant to Si. Misfit dislocation density in the active device layers, measured by electron-beam-induced current, was reduced by making iterative changes to the epitaxial structure. This optimized process culminated in a GaAs0.825P0.175/In0.40Ga0.60P HBT grown on Si with a DC current gain of 156. By considering the various GaAsP/InGaP HBTs grown on Si substrates alongside several control devices grown on GaAs substrates, a wide range of threading disloca...
Abstract 17619: Interstage Growth Trajectory is Associated With Interstage Survival in the Absence of Post-operative Complications Following the Norwood Procedure

Introduction: Low birth and procedure weight have been identified as risk factors for mortality after the Norwood operation. There are no strong data to show that growth during the interstage period is associated with interstage survival. Hypothesis: We hypothesize that positive growth trajectory following the Norwood operation is associated with improved interstage transplant-free survival. Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study using the National Pediatric Cardiology Quality Improvement Database. The exposure, growth trajectory, was the slope of the least-squares regression line of body mass index-for-age Z-scores over time. The outcome was interstage transplant-free survival. We constructed a multivariable logistic regression model to examine the association between interstage growth trajectory and interstage transplant-free survival. Results: The study population included 1501 infants who were discharged alive from the Norwood operation between June 2008 and January 2015. The most common diagnosis was hypoplastic left heart syndrome with aortic and mitral atresia (34%). The most common operation was the Norwood procedure with a right ventricle to pulmonary artery shunt (55%). Interstage survival was 89%. Growth trajectory was positive in 945/1392 (68%) for whom sufficient data were available. The occurrence of at least one post-operative complication was identified as an effect measure modifier (p=0.02). When adjusted for sex, birth weight, presence of a secondary cardiac diagnosis, type of operation and post-operative arrhythmia, positive growth trajectory was significantly associated with interstage survival in the absence (OR=3.7, 95% CI 1.7, 8.0) but not in the presence (OR=1.1, 95% CI 0.7, 1.7) of post-operative complications. Conclusions: Positive interstage growth trajectory is significantly associated with transplant-free interstage survival in the absence of post-operative complications.