cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Emerging Varieties of Action Research: Introduction to the Special Issue

Action research is defined and its scientific basis is noted but not argued. Although its original, classical form established almost a half century ago still exists, there has recently emerged a variety of new models for doing action research today. The basic classical model is described in terms of five elements. These are, in turn, used to introduce the present collection of reports on new, emergent varieties of contemporary action research that complement and extend the classic model. The reports come from projects in hundreds of organizations, in communities and regions, and in numerous countries. The ideas behind the basic model of action research may remain viable today only because they are being practiced in new ways, in innovative research designs, and applied to new problems. The collection of cases presented in this special issue illustrates the rich variety of new thinking available in contemporary action research.
Extension of the signal subspace speech enhancement approach to colored noise

The signal subspace approach for speech enhancement is extended to colored-noise processes. Explicit forms for the linear time-domain- and spectral-domain-constrained estimators are presented. These estimators minimize the average signal distortion power for given constraints on the residual noise power in the time and spectral domains, respectively. Equivalent implementations of the two estimators using the whitening approach are described.
Regulation of Translation by Ribosome Shunting through Phosphotyrosine-Dependent Coupling of Adenovirus Protein 100k to Viral mRNAs

Adenovirus simultaneously inhibits cap-dependent host cell mRNA translation while promoting the translation of its late viral mRNAs during infection. Studies previously demonstrated that tyrosine kinase activity plays a central role in the control of late adenovirus protein synthesis. The tyrosine kinase inhibitor genistein decreases late viral mRNA translation and prevents viral inhibition of cellular protein synthesis. Adenovirus protein 100k blocks cellular mRNA translation by disrupting the cap-initiation complex and promotes viral mRNA translation through an alternate mechanism known as ribosome shunting. 100k protein interaction with initiation factor eIF4G and the viral 5′ noncoding region on viral late mRNAs, known as the tripartite leader, are both essential for ribosome shunting. We show that adenovirus protein 100k promotes ribosome shunting in a tyrosine phosphorylation-dependent manner. The primary sites of phosphorylated tyrosine on protein 100k were mapped and mutated, and two key sites are shown to be essential for protein 100k to promote ribosome shunting. Mutation of the two tyrosine phosphorylation sites in 100k protein does not impair interaction with initiation factor 4G, but it severely reduces association of 100k with tripartite leader mRNAs. 100k protein therefore promotes ribosome shunting and selective translation of viral mRNAs by binding specifically to the adenovirus tripartite leader in a phosphotyrosine-dependent manner.
The Moral Foundations of Scientific Ethics and Responsibility

Any significant involvement of AADR/IADR in ensuring responsible research among their members must be grounded in a widely accepted consensus that there are good moral reasons for such involvement. One important source of such reasons is AADR/IADR's identity as a scientific research, a professional, and a dental association. These identities and the commitments to society and to clients implicit in them generate several mutually reinforcing reasons for taking responsibility for the reliability of members' research. With regard to scientific research, these reasons arise from what it means to do such research, and from the various ways the larger society supports that activity. With regard to the professional dimension, the reasons arise from what it means to be a profession in this society and can be best seen in relation to the four major characteristics of professions. With regard to AADR/IADR's being a dental profession, such reasons arise from dental researchers' specific role in the dental family of ...
Therapeutic efficacy of cancer stem cell vaccine

Meeting abstracts The inability to target cancer stem cells (CSC) may be a significant factor contributing to treatment failure. Novel therapeutic strategies are needed to immunologically target CSCs. We have developed a strategy to target the CSC populations in melanoma and squamous cell
Information Fiduciaries and the First Amendment

This article introduces the concept of an information fiduciary to explain how to protect digital privacy and prevent overreaching by online enterprises consistent with the First Amendment. An information fiduciary is someone who, because of their relationship with another, assumes special duties with respect to the information they obtain in the course of the relationship. Traditional information fiduciaries include professionals with special skills like doctors and lawyers. Clients cannot easily observe and monitor what professionals do and are dependent on professional expertise; moreover, professionals expect and encourage clients to have confidence in them. Lacking knowledge, skill, and the ability to monitor, clients must trust that these fiduciaries will not abuse their position and misuse the information they obtain from their clients.For similar reasons, many online service providers and cloud companies should be considered as information fiduciaries with respect to their customers, clients, and end users. They keep their operations secret and they encourage end-users to trust them; moreover, end-users do not understand and cannot monitor how their information will be used in the future.The duties of this new class of digital information fiduciaries may differ from and be more limited than those of traditional fiduciaries. Permissible regulations depend on the nature of their businesses and the kinds of trust and confidence they encourage from their end-users and clients. Governments may impose privacy regulations to enforce these fiduciary obligations without violating the First Amendment.Similar reasoning explains how courts should modify the third-party doctrine in Fourth Amendment law. People should have a reasonable expectation that those who owe them fiduciary duties of trust and confidence will not betray them to third-parties, including the government. If new digital online service providers are information fiduciaries, end-users should have reasonable expectations of privacy in at least some of the information shared with them. Hence governments must show probable cause and/or obtain a warrant to access this information. The same reasons that governments may protect personal information under the First Amendment also provide justifications for a reasonable expectation of privacy under the Fourth Amendment.
Effects of peritumoral nanoconjugated cisplatin on laryngeal cancer stem cells

Objectives/Hypothesis To evaluate the efficacy of peritumoral hyaluronic acid (HA)-cisplatin therapy in a murine model of laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma and to evaluate its effect on cancer stem cells (CSCs). Study Design An orthotopic murine study utilizing University of Michigan squamous cell carcinoma-12 (UMSCC-12) laryngeal cancer cells was conducted in randomized controlled fashion with three treatment arms: saline, systemic cisplatin, and peritumoral HA-cisplatin. Methods UMSCC-12 laryngeal cancer cells were inoculated into the buccal mucosa of athymic nude mice followed by weekly treatment with saline, systemic cisplatin, or peritumoral HA-cisplatin for 3 weeks. Tumor response and animal weight was monitored and change in CD44 proportion was analyzed ex vivo. Results HA-cisplatin demonstrated superior antitumor efficacy and greater reduction in CD44 positivity on ex vivo analysis. Conclusions Peritumoral nanoconjugated HA-cisplatin provides superior antitumor efficacy compared to standard cisplatin therapy in an in vivo laryngeal cancer model. There was also selective targeting of CD44+ cancer cells with HA-cisplatin. This therapeutic strategy could represent the first selective laryngeal CSC-targeted therapy. Further preclinical investigation is warranted to evaluate its role for locally advanced head and neck cancer treatment. Level of Evidence NA Laryngoscope, 2015
Long-Term Efficacy, Safety, and Side Effect Profile of Botulinum Toxin Injections in Dystonia – A 20-Year Follow-Up (P07.197)

OBJECTIVE: To study the long-term safety and efficacy of BoNT used continuously in patients with dystonia for at least 15 years. BACKGROUND: Botulinum toxin (BoNT) injections have emerged as one of the most effective therapeutic modalities not only in Neurology but in nearly all fields of Medicine. With the chronic use of BoNT and an expanding list of therapeutic indications there is a need to carefully examine the long-term efficacy and safety of BoNT treatment. DESIGN/METHODS: Of 1,636 patients injected with BoNT at the PDCMDC, from September 1981 through December 1996, 1,361 had dystonia as a primary therapeutic indication of which 104 had continuous treatment of ≥ 1 injection visit per year for at least 15 years and are still being treated at our center. Detailed demographic, clinical, treatment response, and adverse events data were entered from the 9Botulinum Toxin Data Form9 and medical chart into a database and analyzed. RESULTS: Of 104 patients 75 were women, the mean age at first injection was 48.9 ± 12.4 years (range: 8.4 to 74.2), and women were older (51.2 ± 10.0 years) than men (43.1 ± 15.9 years) (P = 0.003). At the time of their last visit, the mean age was 68.3 ± 12.5 years (range: 25.1 to 89.8); the mean follow-up period was 19.4 ± 2.9 years (range, 15.5 to 26.5). The primary diagnoses were cervical dystonia (54.8%), cranial dystonia (25.0%), spasmodic dysphonia (11.5%), oro-mandibular dystonia (10.5%), tardive dystonia (9.6%), blepharospasm (7.7%), torsion dystonia (6.7%), focal dystonia (5.7%), and other dystonias (2.8%). CONCLUSIONS: In over three decades of experience with BoNT for the treatment of dystonia and other movement disorders, 104 patients received continuous BoNT treatment for 20 years with persistent benefit and minimal adverse effects, thus supporting the conclusion that BoNT is a safe and effective long-term treatment for focal and segmental dystonia. Disclosure: Dr. Ramirez Castaneda has nothing to disclose. Dr. Jankovic has received personal compensation for activities with Allergan, Inc., Chelsea Therapeutics, EMD Serono, Merz Pharmaceuticals, Lundbeck, and Teva Neuroscience as a consultant. Dr. Jankovic has received personal compensation in an editorial capacity for Medlink: Neurology in Clinical Practice. Dr. Jankovic has received research support from Allergan, Inc, Allon Therapeutics, Ceregene, Inc, Chelsea Therapeutics, Diana Helis Henry Medical Research Foundation, EMD Serono, Huntington9s Disease Society of America, Huntington Study Group, Impax Pharmaceuticals, and Ipsen Limited.
Teaching in a public Montessori school: contexts, quandaries, and thinking schemes

As one of many contemporary educational reform strategies, the charter school movement has expanded opportunities for educators, children and parents to pursue environments that suit their personal...
THE HIDDEN ABODE: SOCIOLOGY AS ANALYSIS OF THE UNEXPECTED* 1999 Presidential Address

Purposive social action has provided the bedrock for theoretical developments and model building in several social sciences. Since its beginnings, however, sociology has harbored, a “contrarian” vocation based on examining the unrecognized, unintended, and emergent consequences of goal-oriented activity. I present several examples of the sociological practice of bashing myths based on the logic of purposive action and offer a typology of alternative goals, means, and outcomes illustrated by both classic sociological writings and contemporary research. The multiple contingencies documented by sociologists in the past cautions against attempts to build institutions or implement programs grounded on grand blueprints. The cautionary tale supported by sociological analysis of concealed goals, shifts in midcourse, and unexpected effects does not lead, however, to the conclusion that scientific prediction and practical intervention are futile endeavors. It leads instead to an emphasis on the dialectics of social life, and on the need to take into account the definitions of the situation of relevant actors. I offer some illustrations of successful mid-range theories that are based on the analysis of dilemmas in social processes and the importance of sensitivity to the unexpected in the implementation of programmatic interventions.
Utility of a Glucocorticoid Sparing Strategy in the Management of Patients Following Transsphenoidal Surgery

Objective: Following transsphenoidal surgery (TSS), it is important to assess for and manage adrenal insufficiency (AI). The goal of this study is to assess the efficacy and safety of a glucocorticoid (GC) sparing protocol to limit GC exposure in patients undergoing TSS. Methods: Adult patients undergoing TSS (excluding Cushing disease) with adequate adrenal function prior to surgery underwent TSS without perioperative GC coverage. Following TSS, daily morning fasting serum cortisol levels were tested. GCs were administered at stress doses for serum cortisol 12 mcg/dL with severe headache, nausea or vomiting, fatigue, anorexia, or hyponatremia. The primary endpoint was the use of GCs in the immediate postoperative period. Results: Of 178 subjects, GCs were administered to 80 (45%) patients for the following indications: 31.3% for serum cortisol <5 mcg/dL; 36.3% for cortisol between 5 and 12 mcg/dL accompanied ...
131 Resective Surgery for Focal Cortical Dysplasia in Children: A Comparative Analysis of the Utility of Intraoperative Magnetic Resonance Imaging.

Purpose Seizure freedom following resection of focal cortical dysplasia (FCD) correlates with complete resection of the dysplastic cortical tissue. However, difficulty with intraoperative identification of the lesion may limit the ability to achieve the surgical objective of complete extirpation of these lesions. Intraoperative magnetic resonance imaging (iMRI) may aid in FCD resections. The objective of this study is to compare rates of postoperative seizure freedom, completeness of resection, and need for reoperation in patients undergoing iMRI-assisted FCD resection versus conventional surgical techniques.
Applications of NMR Imaging in Processing of Foods

Publisher Summary In this chapter, after a brief introduction to the theory underlying the exploitation of the magnetic resonance phenomenon, the discussion moves from low to high mobility processes, from crystallization, through diffusion creaming emulsions and syneresis, and concludes with more rapid flow in aseptic processing and extrusion. The magnetic resonance (MR) phenomenon, and its utilization in exploring the properties of food materials, depends on the inherent magnetic properties of certain atomic nuclei in a magnetic field. Thus, MRI offers a versatile, noninvasive, nondestructive experimental technique to study food processing. Its advantages stem from the ability to study and quantify any phenomenon which generates contrast, i.e., change in signal intensity. Magnetic resonance imaging derives many of its attributes from mobility, and not coincidentally MRI techniques have found use in quantifying dynamic processes from the molecular to the macro level. Syneresis, the expulsion of whey from shrinking cheese curd, begins immediately after disturbance of the curd by cutting. The control and understanding of conditions affecting rates of syneresis aid in the reproducible manufacture of quality cheese. Decrease in mobility during freezing or crystallization greatly attenuates the MR signal amplitude, providing a means of following these related processes.
Special session: Culturally responsive practices in K-16 engineering education

Engineering education scholars have pointed to the need of cultural change in engineering education. To address this need, we propose this special session about the use of one strategy that bridges research and practice and has been underutilized in engineering education - culturally responsive practices. We aim to engage the audience in discussion about culturally responsive practices via collaborate case studies. The objectives of this session are to provide a space to reflect on what culturally responsive practices can be used in K-16 engineering education, to learn more and understand better the students, and to challenge deficit models in engineering classrooms.
Computer Aided Clinical Trials for Implantaule Cardiac Devices

In this paper we aim to answer the question, “How can modeling and simulation of physiological systems be used to evaluate life-critical implantable medical devices?” Clinical trials for medical devices are becoming increasingly inefficient as they take several years to conduct, at very high cost and suffer from high rates of failure. For example, the Rhythm ID Goes Head-to-head Trial (RIGHT) sought to evaluate the performance of two arrhythmia discriminator algorithms for implantable cardioverter defibrillators, Vitality 2 vs. Medtronic, in terms of time-to-first inappropriate therapy, but concluded with results contrary to the initial hypothesis- after 5 years, 2,000+ patients and at considerble ethical and monetary cost. In this paper, we describe the design and performance of a Computer-aided Clinical Trial (CACT) for Implantable Cardiac Devices where previous trial information, real patient data and closed-loop device models are effectively used to evaluate the trial with high confidence. We formulate the CACT in the context of RIGHT using a Bayesian statistical framework. We define a hierarchical model of the virtual cohort generated from a physiological model which captures the uncertainty in the parameters and allow for the systematic incorporation of information available at the design of the trial. With this formulation, the estimates the inappropriate therapy rate of Vitality 2 compared to Medtronic as 33.22% vs 15.62% $(\mathrm{p}\lt 0.001)$, which is comparable to the original trial. Finally, we relate the outcomes of the computer- aided clinical trial to the primary endpoint of RIGHT.
No toilet no bride? Intrahousehold bargaining in male-skewed marriage markets in India

Abstract Haryana state in India is characterized by widespread discrimination against women, including a severe population-level sex imbalance. In this context an innovative social marketing campaign, which targeted pro-sanitation messages to households active in local marriage markets, was implemented with the goal of increasing toilet ownership. This paper estimates the impact of this program, known colloquially as “No Toilet No Bride”, on household-level latrine ownership. Private sanitation coverage in Haryana increased by 21% specifically among households with boys active on the marriage market. This effect is larger and concentrated in marriage markets where women are relatively scarce and absent when women are relatively abundant, which together suggest the program operated by successfully linking sanitation outcomes with marriage market competition induced by local scarcities of women due to male-biased sex ratios.
Vaccination Against Lawsonia intracellularis Decreases Shedding of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium in Co-Infected Pigs and Alters the Gut Microbiome

Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium continues to be a major cause of foodborne illness worldwide and pork can serve as a source of infection. Co-infection of S. enterica with Lawsonia intracellularis, a common intestinal pathogen of swine, has been found as risk factor for increased S. enterica shedding. The objective of this study was to investigate if vaccination against L. intracellularis could lead to decreased S. Typhimurium shedding. To test this hypothesis, pigs were challenged with either S. Typhimurium or S. Typhimurium and L. intracellularis, with and without L. intracellularis vaccination (n = 9 per group). A non-challenged group served as a negative control. Vaccination decreased the shedding of S. Typhimurium in co-infected animals by 2.12 log10 organisms per gram of feces at 7 days post infection. Analysis of the microbiome showed that vaccination led to changes in the abundance of Clostridium species, including Clostridium butyricum, in addition to other compositional changes that may explain the protection mediated against S. Typhimurium. These results indicate that vaccination against L. intracellularis in co-infected herds may provide a new tool to increase food safety by helping to prevent S. enterica without the need for antibiotics.
New Old Algorithms for Stochastic Scheduling

We consider the stochastic identical parallel machine scheduling problem and its online extension, when the objective is to minimize the expected total weighted completion time of a set of jobs that are released over time. We give randomized as well as deterministic online and offline algorithms that have the best known performance guarantees in either setting, online or offline and deterministic or randomized. Our analysis is based on a novel linear programming relaxation for stochastic scheduling problems that can be solved online.
Billbug (Coleoptera: Dryophthoridae: Sphenophorus spp.) Seasonal Biology and DNA-Based Life Stage Association in Indiana Turfgrass.

Eleven species of billbugs (Coleoptera: Dryophthoridae: Sphenophorus spp. Schonherr) infest managed turfgrass in North America. However, the regional variation in species composition remains unresolved and the seasonal phenology of several species has not been well documented. The latter gap is largely due to the inability to identify the larval stage to species-a confounding problem with several sympatric insect species. We used field trapping (adults) and soil sampling (larvae and pupae) surveys along with a DNA-based life-stage association to characterize the biology of billbugs associated with turfgrass in the Midwestern United States. Pitfall trapping at four locations in Indiana revealed four billbug species: S. venatus Say, S. parvulus Gyllenhaal, S. minimus Hart, and S. inaequalis Say. Sphenophorus venatus was the most abundant species on warm-season turfgrass while S. parvulus was most abundant on cool-season turfgrass. Investigation of S. venatus seasonal biology revealed two overwintered life stages-larva and adult-which resulted in two overlapping cohorts and two larval generations. Degree-day models describing S. venatus activity were more accurate for first-generation adults and larvae than for overwintering life stages. Maximum-likelihood analyses provided the first molecular species identification of billbug larvae and direct evidence that S. venatus larvae are capable of overwintering above 40°N latitude. Findings clarify the utility of molecular markers (CO1, 18S, and ITS2) for describing billbug larval population dynamics and seasonal phenology in regions where several sympatric billbug species occur. These results support the development of sustainable management strategies based on billbug seasonal phenology in different regions of North America.
Solvation Dynamics of HEHEHP Ligand at the Liquid-Liquid Interface.

Actinide–lanthanide separation (ALSEP) has been a topic of interest in recent years as it has been shown to selectively extract problematic metals from spent nuclear fuel. However, the process suffers from slow kinetics, prohibiting it from being applied to nuclear facilities. In an effort to improve the process, many fundamental studies have been performed, but the majority have only focused on the thermodynamics of separation. Therefore, to understand the mechanism behind the ALSEP process, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were utilized to obtain the dynamics and solvation characteristics for an organic extractant, 2-ethylhexylphosphonic acid mono-2-ethylhexyl ester (HEHEHP). Simulations were conducted with both pure and biphasic solvent systems to evaluate the complex solvent interactions within the ALSEP extraction method. The MD simulations revealed solvation and dynamical behaviors that are consistent with the experimentally observed chemical properties of HEHEHP for the pure solvent systems (e.g...
Foliations that are not approximable by smoother ones

Renee Croushore — From: Memorial Library-Borrowing lgzmi||@library.wisc.edug Sent: Thursday, December 04, 2014 8:06 AM To: Math Lib Subject: Math Document Delivery Memorial Library received the following article request: Article Title: Foliations that are not approximable by smoother ones Article Author: Hirsch, Morris W. Journal Title: Geometric dynamics (Rio de Janeiro, 1981) Springer Lecture Notes in Mathematics, vol. 1007 Journal Volume: Journal issue: Journal Month/Date: Journal Year: 1983 Pages: 146-176 TN: 2585866 Call Number: QA614 G46 1983 Location: Math instructions: -Save this file in the R:\OdysseyHelper\Memorial\DocDel\ If you have questions please contact the ILL staff at gzmi|l@|ibrary.wisc.edu or 262-1193. Thank you, Memorial Library University of Wisconsin-Interlibrary Loan Department
Regulation of Bone Formation and Immune Cell Development by Schnurri Proteins

Although identified over a decade ago, the function and physiological significance of the mammalian Schnurri protein family remained largely unknown. However, the recent generation and characterization of mice bearing null mutations in the individual Schnurri genes has led to the discovery of unexpected yet central roles for these large zinc-finger proteins in several biological processes. Here, we review findings of these studies and discuss the importance of the Schnurri protein family in regulating both the immune and skeletal systems.
The price of pain in chronic rhinosinusitis.

BACKGROUND Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is associated with productivity losses exceeding US$13 billion annually. Although pain is well known to significantly affect patient productivity in other diseases, its economic impact on CRS-related lost productivity has not been examined. The objective of this study was to determine whether CRS-related facial pain correlates with lost productivity in patients with CRS. METHODS Seventy patients with CRS were enrolled in a cross-sectional investigation. Patients with a history of systemic inflammatory disease, ciliary dysfunction, chronic pain syndromes, migraines, and fibromyalgia were excluded. Pain was measured using the Brief Pain Inventory Short Form (BPI-SF) and the Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire (SF-MPQ). Presenteeism, absenteeism and lost work, and household and overall productivity were assessed. Regression analysis was performed to assess potential confounders, including depression. RESULTS Pain as measured with BPI-SF and SF-MPQ total scores correlated with all domains of productivity losses. Overall, lost productivity was significantly correlated with pain (R range, 0.354-0.485; p < 0.001). Presenteeism (reduced work efficiency) had the highest correlation with all of the overall pain scores (R range, -0.366 to -0.515; p < 0.001). Lost household productivity time was the least affected by pain (R range, 0.267-0.389; p < 0.05). These correlations remained statistically significant after regression analysis, which accounted for depression (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION A significant correlation exists between CRS-related facial pain and productivity losses in patients with CRS that is independent of depression. Facial pain has the strongest correlation with presenteeism, which is the main driver of productivity losses and indirect costs associated with CRS.
Arguments Against Pacifism and Moral Support for Pacifism

In this chapter some seven arguments against pacifism are presented and answered. These include the arguments that it is internally incoherent, and that it is counter to human nature. Also in this chapter moral support for pacifism is presented. Pretheoretical moral intuitions are divided on pacifism, it is conceded, but theoretical moral reflection does provide support for pacifism. It is argued that utilitarian thinking, Kant’s deontological ethics, and virtue ethics can all be mustered in support of pacifism and that, as well, the requirements of moral justice provide an argument for pacifism. Pretheoretical morality is divided on the issue of pacifism, on whether killing in war is ever proper, but this is not to say that no support for pacifism or the repudiation of war is to be found in the received categories of pretheoretical morality. The argument for pacifism based on moral justice that is discussed proceeds from a consideration of the pretheoretical moral concept of justice.
Distinguishing experts from novices by the Mind’s Hand and Mind’s Eye

Tetris is a complex task notable for the increasingly substantial demands it makes on perception, decision-making, and action as the game is played. To investigate these issues, we collected data on 39 features of Tetris play for each Tetris zoid (piece), for up to 16 levels of difficulty, as each of 240 players played an hour of Tetris under laboratory conditions. Using only early (level 1) data, we conducted a Principle Component Analysis which found intriguing differences among its three, statistically significant, principle components. Each of these components captures different combinations of perception, decision-making, and action which suggests differing higher level skills, tactics, and strategies. Each component is presented and discussed, and then used in a series of principle component regression analyses on subsets of these data (a) from different Tetris levels, as well as (b) from players of different levels of expertise. We validate these models with data collected at a locally held Tetris tournament. These components represent elements of expertise; namely, correlations among perceptual, decision-making, and motor features that represent processing stages and hierarchical control and which distinguish expert from novice Tetris players. These components provide evidence for an integrated complex of processes - the Mind's Hand and the Mind's Eye - that are the essence of expertise in the real-time, sequential-decision-making task of Tetris.
Absorption and Disposition of Colloidal Drug Delivery Systems. I. High-Performance Liquid Chromatographic (HPLC) Analysis of a Cyclosporin Emulsion

The amount of cyclosporin A in an oil-in-water emulsion drug delivery system was determined by HPLC. The direct extraction and analysis of an intact emulsion were compared to the analysis of a cracked emulsion and an olive oil solution of the drug. The intra- and interday variability for the intact emulsion was less than 10% from 35 to 150 µg/ml, with recovery of 94%. Comparison of the assay results obtained with the emulsion and the olive oil solution gave a highly correlated regression line with a small intercept and a slope close to unity. Thus, the direct extraction and HPLC analysis of drugs in emulsions may be a viable approach to evaluate drug content
Inhibitors of human neutrophil elastase

Human neutrophil elastase (HNE) is a serine protease that is responsible for a number of diverse pathological conditions. Synthetic inhibitors which can regulate the in vivo activity of HNE will therefore have broad therapeutic applications. Over the past 15 years a diverse set of strategies have been pursued for the development of HNE inhibitors, the most successful of which have been electrophilic ketones and acylating agents. Many of these inhibitors have been demonstrated to prevent the deleterious effects of elastase-mediated proteolysis in a number of in vivo models. This report reviews electrophilic ketones and acylating agents that have appeared in the patent literature since 1993. Supporting primary literature which highlights the therapeutic potential of these inhibitors is also included.
Fetomaternal Bleeding and Neonatal Hematocrit Following Cesarean Delivery: Routine Versus Transplacental Transection

Objective To evaluate fetomaternal bleeding following routine cesarean delivery compared with cesarean delivery involving transplacental transection. Study Design A prospective cohort study evaluating cesarean delivery in which the placenta was transected (cases) versus controls (placenta not transected) from January 2016 to April 2018. A maternal Kleihauer–Betke's (KB) test and newborn hematocrit were performed shortly after delivery. Results The rate of a positive KB test was not significantly different between cases (n = 31) and controls (n = 61) (19 vs. 14%; odds ratio [OR]: 1.44; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.46–4.49; p = 0.74). Median neonatal hematocrits were not different. However, the rate of newborn hematocrits Conclusion A cesarean requiring transplacental transection to accomplish delivery does not significantly increase the rate of fetomaternal bleeding but is associated with a higher likelihood of newborn hematocrit
Simulation Test Study of Grounding Impulse Characteristics of Transmission Line Tower

In order to study the lightning impulse characteristics of grounding bodies and to obtain the test data of impulse coefficient for large-size grounding bodies, we acquired the curve of impulse coefficient versus the peak of impulse current of four grounding bodies through small-scale tests. It is found that the impulse coefficient decreases with the increase of impulse current peak. Comparison with some other researches proves the validity of the small-scale tests. Moreover, the influence mechanism of impulse characteristics caused by dimension and uniformity of soil particles is revealed by the difference between clay and silver sand in their critical breakdown field strengths, and a preliminary conclusion is drawn that using silver sand to simulate real soil in impulse tests of grounding devices will overestimate the impulse characteristics. In addition, by comparing the test results of grounding bodies of different figures, it is suggested that the grounding bodies including square and ray conductors should be selected for the areas with low resistivity soil.
Evolution of the Velocity Structure in the Diurnal Warm Layer

AbstractThe daily formation of near-surface ocean stratification caused by penetrating solar radiation modifies heat fluxes through the air–sea interface, turbulence dissipation in the mixed layer,...
Design of helical gear with carbon reinforced EN36 steel for two stage constant mesh gearbox weight reduction

Abstract Engineering design is an iterative process that requires to be dealt with all feasible design solutions in order to arrive at a desired objective. Gear drives are considered as the critical components in a mechanical power transmission system. It is possible that gears will predominate as the most effective means of transmitting power in future machines due to their high degree of reliability and compactness. With the advancing technology in recent years, the machines are demanding varying speed and load. Over the years, research has been done predominantly on gears to minimize or to reduce the failures and for optimal design. The main aim of this work is to design and analyse the hybrid composite gears for two stage constant mesh helical gearbox and to compare the stress and deformation results with and without the inclusion of Carbon Fibre Reinforced (CFR) material. The objective of this research work is to reduce weight and rotational inertia of the entire assembly by using Hybrid Helical Gears. Carbon Fibre Standard UT Prepreg was selected for this study because of its high strength to weight ratio. By comparing the weights of EN36 Steel Gear and Hybrid Gear, a 25.3% reduction in weight was observed. This research work illuminates the replacement of EN36 alloy steel gear in terms of stresses and deformation with an added advantage of reduced weight and rotational inertia of the helical gear by using EN36/Carbon Fibre Composite material while considering the safety of the component in the application of two-stage constant mesh gearbox.
Between community and sectarianism: calling out and negotiated discipline in prefigurative politics

This paper examines how activists negotiate tensions in disciplining offenders who transgress norms in prefigurative politics. Through the disciplinary process of calling-out, activists negotiate a...
Persistent Antiphospholipid Antibodies, Mast Cell Activation Syndrome, Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome and Post-COVID Syndrome: 1 Year On

This is the first case report of a patient with post-COVID-19 postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) with multiple persistent antiphospholipid antibody (aPL)-positivity more than a year after illness onset who also meets Global Consensus-2 criteria for mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS), suggesting pathological activation of the acquired and innate immune systems by SARS-CoV-2 While the patient continues to meet criteria for POTS 1 year on, her functional ability has improved significantly with therapy directed at MCAS, POTS and aPL-positivity LEARNING POINTS: A subset of long-haul COVID-19 patients have postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), which can be diagnosed by a 10-minute in-office stand test Antiphospholipid antibodies may be associated with POTS in patients with long-haul COVID-19 and have important clinical implications Mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS) may be associated with long-haul COVID-19 (with or without POTS) and can often be easily treated, including with over-the-counter medications, supplements and dietary changes
Mechatronic Capstone Design Course

Mechatronic system design is multidisciplinary and integration among the mechanical, sensor, actuator, electronic, computer, and control elements is essential. The integration is done simultaneously from the beginning and the design is model-based. Modeling, physical and mathematical, is the key in modern engineering practice. Before any hardware is purchased or built, a complete, computer virtual prototype is created to meet all performance specifications. Only then can an actual hardware prototype be built. Mechatronics students need to perform, need to experience, this process before graduation. It is all about the process, as they will be asked to apply the process to challenging problems. Modern machines are complex and computer-controlled, but most are made up of mechanisms. In this course, senior mechanical engineering students choose a mechanism to perform a certain task. They then apply the process to create the virtual and hardware prototypes to meet performance specifications, just like real mechatronics engineers.
Volatile anesthetic gas concentration sensing using flow sensor fusion for use in Austere settings

Flow sensors are often sensitive to the presence of volatile anesthetics. However, this sensitivity provides a unique opportunity to combine flow sensors of differing technological principles as an alternative to measuring volatile anesthetic gas concentration, particularly for austere settings. To determine the feasibility of flow sensor fusion for volatile anesthetic concentrations monitoring, eight flow sensors were tested with isoflurane, sevoflurane, and desflurane, ranging in concentrations from 0-4.5%, 0-3.5%, and 0-18%, respectively. Pairs of flow sensors were fit to the volatile anesthetic gas concentration with a leave-one-out cross-validation method to reduce the likelihood of overfitting. Bland-Altman was used for the final evaluation of sensor pair performance. Several sensor pairs yielded limits of agreement comparable to the rated accuracy of a commercial infrared spectrometer. The ultrasonic and orifice-plate flowmeters yielded the most combinations of viable sensor pairs for all three volatile anesthetic gases. Conclusion: Measuring volatile anesthetic gases using flow sensor fusion is a feasible low-cost, low-maintenance alternative to infrared spectroscopy. In this study, testing was done under steady-state conditions in 100% oxygen. Further testing is necessary to ensure sensor fusion performance under conditions that are more reflective of the clinical use case.
Patient-derived micro-organospheres recapitulate tumor microenvironment and heterogeneity for precision oncology.

3076Background: Preclinical models that can recapitulate patients’ intra-tumoral heterogeneity and microenvironment are crucial for tumor biology research and drug discovery. In particular, the abi...
MERIT: P2P Media Streaming with High Content Diversity and Low Delay

P2P is successful in various multimedia applications such as On-demand/live streaming due to the efficient upload bandwidth usage among participating peers which offloads server request thereby saving bandwidth as system size scales up. Many designs were proposed for P2P multimedia streaming systems, including the most promising tree/mesh overlays. In this paper, we propose MERIT as an integrated framework for scalable mesh-based P2P multi-streaming whose design objective is to preserve content diversity as well as optimizing start-up delay while satisfying the in-/out- bound bandwidth constraints. We formulate our design goals as an optimization problem and start with a centralized heuristic exploiting the global knowledge of peers. We then present a decentralized version of our algorithm which is scalable and follows similar design principles as the centralized one. Simulation results indicate that our heuristics outperform state-of-the-art approaches by improving streaming quality and start-up delay with efficient utilization of bandwidth resources at each peer.
Errors in Statistical Assumptions, Effects of

This article is reproduced from the previous edition, volume 7, pp. 4739–4744, © 2001, Elsevier Ltd., with an updated Bibliography section supplied by the Editor.
Improving the Economic Management of the Bristol Bay (Alaska) Sockeye Salmon Fishery in the Age of Aquaculture

When evaluated using biological criteria, Alaskan salmon fisheries are considered to be among the best managed commercial fisheries in the world. Nevertheless, the economic performance of these fisheries has deteriorated in recent years as a result of a long-term decline in ex-vessel prices triggered by exponential growth in the world salmon farming sector, with prices reaching historic lows during the late 1990s and early 2000s. Building on the regulated open-access model for renewable resources developed by Homans and Wilen (1997), Valderrama and Anderson (2010) conducted a formal examination of market interactions between the Bristol Bay sockeye salmon fishery and the world aquaculture sector. Their study demonstrated that the rents extracted during the initial years of the limited-entry program were gradually dissipated as a result of overcapacity and price declines caused by aquaculture. In this study, the Valderrama and Anderson (2010) econometric model is used as a framework to evaluate the economic benefits of rights-based management in the Bristol Bay fishery. The analysis illustrates the efficiency gains that management schemes such as harvesting cooperatives could generate by lowering the level of effort in the fishery. Given that growth in world aquaculture is expected to continue in the foreseeable future, improving efficiency in the fisheries sector is an essential step to restore some of the rents lost to competition with the aquaculture sector.
Effect of feed restriction on adipose tissue transcript concentrations in genetically lean and obese pigs.

To determine possible genetic influences on the steady-state concentrations of several key transcription factor transcripts and the transcript concentrations for adipocyte-characteristic proteins, young, genetically obese and lean pigs were given ad libitum access or feed or were restrictively fed at 50% of ad libitum intake for 5 wk. Obese pigs were smaller and fatter than lean pigs, whether intake was ad libitum or restrictive. Plasma protein, albumin, and cholesterol concentrations were greater in obese than in lean pigs. Plasma NEFA, blood urea nitrogen, triacylglycerols, and postprandial glucose and insulin concentrations were less (P < .02) in pigs fed restrictively than in pigs with ad libitum access to feed, regardless of genetic group. The adipose tissue glucose transporter 4, fatty acid synthase, and leptin transcript concentrations were greater (P < .05) in obese than in lean pigs. The CCAAT/enhancer binding proteins beta and alpha, adipocyte fatty acid binding protein, hormone-sensitive lipase, and the beta1-adrenergic receptor transcript concentrations tended (P < . 10) to be greater in adipose tissue from obese than in that from lean pigs. Several other transcripts were numerically greater in obese than in lean pigs. The data collectively suggest that messenger RNA concentration for several adipose tissue proteins is a contributing factor to the excess fat deposition in these obese pigs. Restricted feeding did not change the concentration of any transcript except that for adipocyte fatty acid binding protein, which was reduced. The accretion of fat was markedly reduced in the restrictively fed pigs, but this diminution does not seem to be regulated by modulation of messenger RNA concentration.
Large aperture deformable mirror with a transferred single-crystal silicon membrane actuated using large-stroke PZT unimorph actuators

We have demonstrated a large aperture (50 mm /spl times/ 50 mm) continuous membrane deformable mirror (DM) with a large-stroke piezoelectric unimorph actuator array. The DM consists of a continuous, large aperture, silicon membrane "transferred" in its entirety onto a 20 /spl times/ 20 piezoelectric unimorph actuator array. A PZT unimorph actuator, 2.5 mm in diameter with optimized PZT/Si thickness and design showed a deflection of 5.7 /spl mu/m at 20 V. An assembled DM showed an operating frequency bandwidth of 30 kHz and influence function of approximately 30 %.
F113The diagnosis and therapy in pregnancies complicated by acute hydramnios

Background The aim of the study was an analysis of frequency of hydramnios and its etiology, and assessment of therapeutic modalities. Method The study group consisted of 77 pregnant women with detected hydramnios. The entry criteria were amniotic fluid index (by Phellan) > 28 cm. Results The mean gestational age was 29 ± 4.5 weeks. The mean AFI was 35 ± 7.9 cm. In 30 cases of hydramnios the congenital malformation was diagnosed. The most frequent were anomalies of gastrointestinal tract, lesions of central nervous system and teratomas. In 23 cases viral infections were diagnosed. Another group of pregnancies with the acute hydramnios constitute 13 twin gestations with TTS. In 16 cases, no etiologic factor was found. In all cases, the therapy of acute hydramnios was based on serial amnioreductions. In two cases maternal treatment with indomethacin was introduced beside amniocentesis. In 13 cases there were performed additional intrauterine drainage procedures. The mean gestational age during delivery was 33.6 ± 4.6 weeks. The mean interval between the diagnosis and delivery was 4.6 weeks. The mean birth weight was 2055 ± 1060g. 5th min Apgar score was 4pt. In 13 cases intrauterine demise of fetus occurred. Conclusion The most frequent causes of acute hydramnios include fetal anomalies, the TTS in twin pregnancies and congenital infections. Amnioreductions are the therapeutic approach with a significant effect on the prolongation of pregnancy.
Scholarly Contributions to Two Major International Business Journals

A historical analysis of contributions to the international business literature provides an objective measure of research productivity. This study examines the individual and institutional contributors to the Journal of International Business Studies from 1970 to 1991 and Columbia Journal of World Business from 1965 to 1991. Contributions made by foreign academic institutions are also reported here. The results reported could serve as a benchmark for self-evaluation, promotion and tenure decision.