cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Christian Privilege and the Promotion of “Secular” and Not-So “Secular” Mainline Christianity in Public Schooling and in the Larger Society

Using the conceptual organizers of Young's (1990) “faces of oppression,” and Hardiman and Jackson's (1997) “levels of oppression,” this essay investigates the concept of domination and subordination, Christian privilege, and the subtle and not-so subtle promotion of Christianity in public schooling and in the larger United States society. The author explores a number of areas related to Christian privilege and religious oppression, and provides a historical foundation to illustrate the roots and legacies of Christian hegemony and privilege within a United States context.
Current concepts and controversies in surgery for IBD.

Abstract Surgery improves the quality of life in patients with Crohn's disease (CD) and cures patients with chronic ulcerative colitis (CUC). There are several surgical controversies primarily involving techniques and long-term outcomes. Some debates are long standing; whether to perform a double-stapled ileal pouch-anal anastomosis (IPAA) or a mucosectomy and hand-sewn anastomosis, and whether to divert or not to divert in patients with CUC undergoing an IPAA. Other issues are more recent, such as the effects of age, pregnancy, pouch salvage, and laparoscopic IPAA. In patients with Crohn's disease the anastomosis technique, the management of perianal disease, and the role of laparoscopic surgery are topics of debate. This review shows the current concepts and controversies in the surgical management of patients with CUC or CD.
Magneto-polymer composite particles fabricated utilizing patterned perfluoropolyether elastomer molds

In this work we show the fabrication of magneto-polymer composite particles using a novel technique known as Particle Replication In Non-wetting Templates (PRINT). The shape and size of the composite particle was dictated by a patterned perfluoropolyether (PFPE) mold. The highly fluorinated nature of the PFPE elastomer make it an ideal material for use in soft lithography. Before curing, the colorless liquid is highly wetting a factor that leads to high fidelity between the master and the mold. After curing, its highly fluorinated surface reduces lipophilic solvent uptake and minimizes scum formation. Magnetite nanoparticles, sterically stabilized by covalently bound polyethyleneglycol-silane (PEG-silane) were dispersed in a mixture of PEG-monomethacrylate and PEG-triacrylate. The composite particles were photochemically cured in a UV chamber using the radical photoinitiator diethoxyacetophenone (DEAP). Particles were harvested from the elastomeric mold using either a scraping method or a sacrificial adhesive layer. Particles were purified through repeated rinsing and filtration. Particles were characterized using a variety of techniques including: Scanning Electron Microscopy, Transmission Electron Microscopy, Selected Area Electron Diffraction, and X-ray Diffraction.
When religious ‘mommy bloggers’ met ‘mommy porn’: Evangelical Christian and Mormon women’s responses to Fifty Shades

While some conservative religious women have rejected Fifty Shades of Grey as contrary to their values and beliefs, others have embraced it. This article analyzes commentaries and reflections on the book series in US evangelical Christian and Mormon women’s blog communities, and shows how many of these women find value in the books because of their personal, cultural, and religious significance. I argue that attention to the reading strategies employed by evangelical and Mormon women in relation to Fifty Shades demonstrates a complex set of responses to ‘secular’ culture as well as ongoing negotiations of gender, sexuality, and authority within these conservative religious traditions.
Effect of exercise protocol on the left ventricular response to exercise.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether the left ventricular response during exercise radionuclide angiography would be influenced by exercise protocol. One hundred twenty healthy volunteers (aged 18 to 40 years) performed upright bicycle exercise using 1 of 5 protocols. Ejection fraction was measured using first-pass radionuclide angiography. Exercise protocols were as follows: (1) graded exercise (25 W increase every 2 minutes) to fatigue, heart rate >85% of age-predicted maximum, n = 53; (2) graded exercise to 85% of age-predicted maximal heart rate or to fatigue with heart rate
A study on the effects of microparameters on macroproperties for specimens created by bonded particles

Purpose – To use distinct element simulation (PFC2D) to investigate the relationships between microparameters and macroproperties of the specimens that are modeled by bonded particles. To determine quantitative relationships between particle level parameters and mechanical properties of the specimens.Design/methodology/approach – A combined theoretical and numerical approach is used to achieve the objectives. First, theoretical formulations are proposed for the relationships between microparameters and macroproperties. Then numerical simulations are conducted to quantify the relationships.Findings – The Young's modulus is mainly determined by particle contact modulus and affected by particle stiffness ratio and slightly affected by particle size. The Poisson's ratio is mainly determined by particle stiffness ratio and slightly affected by particle size. The compressive strength can be scaled by either the bond shear strength or the bond normal strength depending on the ratio of the two quantities.Research...
The firm in Illyria: Market syndicalism reconsidered

Abstract Domar has argued that multi-input egalitarian labor-managed firms (ELMFs) must respond perversely to changes in product prices and fixed costs in the short run if their production technologies are radially parallel. This hypothesis is examined and disproven. It is demonstrated that radially parallel isoquants guarantee neither the perversity of the employment nor of the output effect, and it is shown further that the output elasticity of ELMFs with respect to price need not be less than its capitalist twin. These demonstrations suggest that the Pareto inefficiencies of ELMFs need not be severe and may be relatively minor.
A novel method for assessing rival models of recognition memory

Abstract A general comparison is made between the multinomial processing tree (MPT) approach and a strength-based approach for modeling recognition memory measurement. Strength models include the signal-detection model and the dual-process model. Existing MPT models for recognition memory and a new generic MPT model, called the Multistate (MS) model, are contrasted with the strength models. Although the ROC curves for the MS model and strength model are similar, there is a critical difference between existing strength models and MPT models that goes beyond the assessment of the ROC. This difference concerns the question of stochastic mixtures for foil test trials. The hazard function and the reverse hazard function are powerful methods for detecting the presence of a probabilistic mixture. Several new theorems establish a novel method for obtaining information about the hazard function and reverse hazard function for the latent continuous distributions that are assumed in the strength approach to recognition memory. Evidence is provided that foil test trials involve a stochastic mixture. This finding occurred for both short-term memory procedures, such as the Brown–Peterson task, and long-term list-learning procedures, such as the paired-associate task. The effect of mixtures on foil trials is problematic for existing strength models but can be readily handled by MPT models such as the MS model. Other phenomena, such as the mirror effect and the effect of target-foil similarity, are also predicted accurately by the MPT modeling framework.
Multiscale Effects of Grain Size on Landscape Pattern Analysis

Abstract We used multiple resolutions of remotely sensed data to explore the relationship between grain size and landscape pattern. Holding extent constant, we aggregated fine grained and coarse grained data to provide a continuum of grain sizes ranging from 5 m to 30 m on a side. Landscape metrics were calculated for each image and varied widely between grain sizes. Finer grained images appeared to be more fragmented and complex than coarser grained images for the same landscape. Most metrics varied smoothly as a function of grain size and were fitted to nonlinear models. Results showed that the models failed to accurately predict the metrics for the second landscape, although the metrics did display similar scaling patterns as in the first image. Further research using additional images of landscapes and a greater range of grain sizes is necessary to determine whether general scaling laws can be determined.
Urinary bladder matrix promotes site appropriate tissue formation following right ventricle outflow tract repair.

The current prevalence and severity of heart defects requiring functional replacement of cardiac tissue pose a serious clinical challenge. Biologic scaffolds are an attractive tissue engineering approach to cardiac repair because they avoid sensitization associated with homograft materials and theoretically possess the potential for growth in similar patterns as surrounding native tissue. Both urinary bladder matrix (UBM) and cardiac ECM (C-ECM) have been previously investigated as scaffolds for cardiac repair with modest success, but have not been compared directly. In other tissue locations, bone marrow derived cells have been shown to play a role in the remodeling process, but this has not been investigated for UBM in the cardiac location, and has never been studied for C-ECM. The objectives of the present study were to compare the effectiveness of an organ-specific C-ECM patch with a commonly used ECM scaffold for myocardial tissue repair of the right ventricle outflow tract (RVOT), and to examine the...
Packaged Weight Vs. Actual Weight of Specific Portion Controlled Foods Used in Controlled Electrolyte Diets

Abstract LEARNING OUTCOME: To determine weight variance in stated packaged weight versus the actual weight of food items used in controlled electrolyte diets. The preparation of diets for research studies requires accurate calculations and food preparation methods. Pre-packaged portion controlled foods (PCs) are useful in research diets; they ease production and decrease labor costs. A metabolic diet examines specific nutrients and requires many foods to be weighed individually in order to achieve precise nutrient target goals. Under FDA regulation, the nutrition labeling law allows a 20% deviation for all nutrients and product weight. This regulation promotes a homogenous product, but leaves room for error when using PC's for research diets. To examine the variance in stated packaged weight versus the actual weight of products commonly used in diets controlled in electrolyte content, twenty-two different pre-packaged foods were weighed six times. Deviations are reported as percentages (absolute deviation/ stated weight). Mean difference in actual weight was +/- 6.44%. Out of the 22 PC foods selected, 21 were within the 20% stated weight limits, one cereal product exceeded limits by 80%. Average deviations for food groups ranged from a low of 0% deviation to a high of 33%. By food groups, these average weight deviations were: Cereals 33%, Canned Fruit 6.5%, Breads 6.3%, Snacks 4.3%, Cookies 3.5%, Canned juices 2.6%, Soups 2.3%, and Peanut Butter 0%. The variance between the stated nutrition label weight and the actual weight was minute for most products. These weight differences altered the stated nutrient label content in one product by an average of 1.5 mEq Na+ and in another product by 2mEq K+. To be able to use PC foods on controlled electrolyte diets, the actual product weight must be within the allowed 20% deviation from the nutrition label and still coincide with the nutrient targets for the protocol diet order. Periodic quality assurance of PC's is necessary to monitor product weights and maintain nutrient accuracy of the research diet.
Adjuvant Analgesics in Cancer Pain: A Review

Adjuvant analgesics (co-analgesics) are medications whose primary indication is the management of a medical condition with secondary effects of analgesia. Cancer pain is multifactorial and often involves inflammatory, nociceptive, and neuropathic pain subtypes. Adjuvant analgesics used in conjunction with opioids have been found to be beneficial in the management of many cancer pain syndromes; however, they are currently underutilized. Antidepressants, anticonvulsants, local anesthetics, topical agents, steroids, bisphosphonates, and calcitonin are all adjuvants which have been shown to be effective in the management of cancer pain syndromes. When utilizing analgesic adjuvants in the treatment of cancer pain, providers must take into account the particular side effect profile of the medication. Ideally, adjuvant analgesics will be initiated at lower dosages and escalated as tolerated until efficacy or adverse effects are encountered.
Expression of miRNAs and Their Cooperative Regulation of the Pathophysiology in Traumatic Brain Injury

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading cause of injury-related death and disability worldwide. Effective treatment for TBI is limited and many TBI patients suffer from neuropsychiatric sequelae. The molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying the neuronal damage and impairment of mental abilities following TBI are largely unknown. Here we used the next generation sequencing platform to delineate miRNA transcriptome changes in the hippocampus at 24 hours and 7 days following TBI in the rat controlled cortical impact injury (CCI) model, and developed a bioinformatic analysis to identify cellular activities that are regulated by miRNAs differentially expressed in the CCI brains. The results of our study indicate that distinct sets of miRNAs are regulated at different post-traumatic times, and suggest that multiple miRNA species cooperatively regulate cellular pathways for the pathological changes and management of brain injury. The distinctive miRNAs expression profiles at different post-CCI times may be used as molecular signatures to assess TBI progression. In addition to known pathophysiological changes, our study identifies many other cellular pathways that are subjected to modification by differentially expressed miRNAs in TBI brains. These pathways can potentially be targeted for development of novel TBI treatment.
Multi-Iron Tungstodiarsenates. Synthesis, Characterization, and Electrocatalytic Studies of αββα-(FeIIIOH2)2FeIII2(As2W15O56)212-

Reaction of the trivacant lacunary complex, α-Na12[As2W15O56], with an aqueous solution of Fe(NO3)3·9H2O yields the sandwich-type polyoxometalate, αββα-Na12(FeIIIOH2)2FeIII2(As2W15O56)2 (Na1). The structure of this complex, determined by single-crystal X-ray crystallography (a = 13.434(1) A, b = 13.763(1) A, c = 22.999(2) A, α = 90.246(2)°, β = 102.887(2)°, γ = 116.972(1)°, triclinic, P1, R1 = 5.5%, based on 25342 independent reflections), consists of an FeIII4 unit sandwiched between two trivacant α-As2W15O5612- moieties. UV−vis, infrared, cyclic voltammetry, and elemental analysis data are all consistent with the structure determined from X-ray analysis. Magnetization studies confirm that the four Fe(III) centers are antiferromagnetically coupled. A cyclic voltammogram of Na1 reveals that a three-wave W(VI) system replaces the two-wave W(VI) system found in the precursor α-As2W15O5612- complex. The observed modifications in the CV patterns of Na1 and α-As2W15O5612- are most likely due to subsequent cha...
A global optimization algorithm for solving the minimum multiple ratio spanning tree problem

This paper studies the sum-of-ratios version of the classical minimum spanning tree problem. We describe a branch-and-bound algorithm for solving the general version of the problem based on its image space representation. The suggested approach specifically addresses the difficulties arising in the case when the number of ratios exceeds two. The efficacy of our approach is demonstrated on randomly generated complete and sparse graph instances.
The Eight Trigrams of the Chinese I Ching and the Eight Primary Emotions

Durkheim and Mauss, in Primitive Classification, concluded that the emotions play a causal role in the history of dual symbolic classification systems, but could not test this intuitive speculation because they saw a classification of the emotions as impossible. In this paper a portion of Plutchik's psychoevolutionary model of the primary emotions are assumed to be valid and are then investigated through analysis of one of their three case studies of primitive classification, that of classification in ancient China, where their emphasis was on the eight “trigrams” or “powers” that they saw arranged in a “divinatory compass.” The trigrams are three-line components of the “hexagrams,” the six-line figures that are interpreted as master signs in I Ching divination rituals. Using Plutchik's psychoevolutionary classification of the emotions as a basis of comparison, especially his model of the primary emotions as adaptive reactions to the positive and negative experiences of four existential problems – identity, temporality/reproduction, hierarchy, and territoriality – it is found that both trigrams and primary emotions exist as four pairs of opposites. The eight trigrams and eight primary emotions similarly can be seen as adaptive reactions to the four basic problems of life. Through structural analysis, correspondences between the trigrams and the primary emotions are developed, the result being that the primary emotions are structurally isomorphic and very close in first meanings to the primary attributes of the trigrams. Implications of this isomorphism of structure for the development of a social psychology of the emotions are discussed.
Randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial of an aerosolized β2-agonist for treatment of acute lung injury

Rationale: β2-Adrenergic receptor agonists accelerate resolution of pulmonary edema in experimental and clinical studies. Objectives: This clinical trial was designed to test the hypothesis that an aerosolized β2-agonist, albuterol, would improve clinical outcomes in patients with acute lung injury (ALI). Methods: We conducted a multicenter, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial in which 282 patients with ALI receiving mechanical ventilation were randomized to receive aerosolized albuterol (5 mg) or saline placebo every 4 hours for up to 10 days. The primary outcome variable for the trial was ventilator-free days. Measurements and Main Results: Ventilator-free days were not significantly different between the albuterol and placebo groups (means of 14.4 and 16.6 d, respectively; 95% confidence interval for the difference, −4.7 to 0.3 d; P = 0.087). Rates of death before hospital discharge were not significantly different between the albuterol and placebo groups (23.0 and 17.7%, respectively; 95% confidence interval for the difference, −4.0 to 14.7%; P = 0.30). In the subset of patients with shock before randomization, the number of ventilator-free days was lower with albuterol, although mortality was not different. Overall, heart rates were significantly higher in the albuterol group by approximately 4 beats/minute in the first 2 days after randomization, but rates of new atrial fibrillation (10% in both groups) and other cardiac dysrhythmias were not significantly different. Conclusions: These results suggest that aerosolized albuterol does not improve clinical outcomes in patients with ALI. Routine use of β2-agonist therapy in mechanically ventilated patients with ALI cannot be recommended. Clinical trial registered with www.clinicaltrials.gov (NCT 00434993).
Flow-Graph Solutions of Linear Algebraic Equations

A weighted, oriented topological structure, denoted by G and called a flow graph, is associated with a set of m equations in n variables, denoted by KX = 0 , such that K is a connection matrix and X a vertex weight matrix of the associated graph. This same set of equations can be written as A_{-v:}^{-} C(A+)'X = 0 where A_{-}^{-v:} and A^{+} are negative and positive incidence matrices and where C and X are respectively branch and vertex weight matrices of the graph. By familiar algebraic procedures, an expression for the weight x_p , of a nonreference vertex of G is obtained as a linear combination of the weights of the reference vertices (vertices with zero negative order) and can be written as x_p = \Sigma_{j=1}^{s} \zeta p{\dot}r_{j}x_{r_j} . To these algebraic results there correspond topological expressions in terms of subgraphs of G for the coefficients, \zeta P{\dot}r_j . A similar correspondence is obtained between the topological operation of deleting a vertex from the flow graph and the algebraic operation of eliminating a variable from the set of equations. These results are derived from the algebraic equations written in terms of the incidence and weight matrices of the graph. They are similar to those given for the familiar Signal-Flow-Graph, although they are more convient to use, since the topological properties of the flow graph depend only upon the algebraic properties of the set of equations. A flow graph can be drawn directly from an electric network diagram, and the flow-graph properties, used to obtain a solution of the network equations. Examples of this for two types of feedback networks are shown.
A case of hippocampal sclerosis diagnosed as cortical dysplasia due to preoperative brain MRI finding

= Abstract = Hippocampal sclerosis (HS) is one of the most common features of intractable temporal lobe epilepsy. Generally it can be identified through brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with high degree of sensitivity and specificity. Typical brain MRI findings of HS are hippocampal atrophy with hyperintense signal confined to the lesion. On the other hand cortical dysplasia exhibits blurring of the gray-white matter junction and abnormal white matter signal intensity. We present a case where preoperative brain MRI strongly suggested the presence of diffuse cortical dysplasia in the left temporal lobe but postoperative pathology revealed the temporal lesion to be unremarkable except for hippocampal sclerosis. (Korean J Pediatr 2010;53:106-110)
Assessing barriers to care and readiness for cognitive behavioral therapy in early acute care PTSD interventions

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) interventions are efficacious in reducing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) but are challenging to implement in acute care and other non-specialty mental health settings. This investigation identified barriers impacting CBT delivery through a content analysis of interventionist chart notes from an acute care PTSD prevention trial. Only 8.5% of all intervention patients were able to complete CBT. Lack of engagement, clinical and logistical barriers had the greatest impact on CBT entry. Treatment preferences and stigma only prevented entry when more primary barriers resolved. Patients with prior diagnosis of alcohol abuse or dependence were able to enter CBT after six months of sobriety. Based on the first trial, we developed a CBT readiness assessment tool. We implemented and evaluated the tool in a second early intervention trial. Lack of engagement emerged again as the primary impediment to CBT entry. Patients who were willing to enter CBT treatment but demonstrated high rates of past trauma or diagnosis of PTSD were also the least likely to engage in any PTSD treatment one month post-discharge. Findings support the need for additional investigations into engagement and alternative delivery strategies, including those which dismantle traditional office-based, multi-session CBT into stepped, deliverable components.
Aging and bone metabolism in African American and Caucasian women.

There is limited information concerning bone mineral density (BMD) and its determinants across a wide spectrum of ages in African American females (AAF). Therefore, we have performed a cross-sectional study of 54 AAF and 39 Caucasian females (CF), aged 20-90 yr, to quantify femoral and lumbar bone mineral density, total body calcium, as well as the potential determinants of bone density. BMD decreased with age in all sites after age 40 yr in both racial groups. Bone density was greater in AAF than in CF, although there was considerable overlap between the two groups. There was no significant difference in the rate of age-related bone loss between the two groups. At the femoral neck, BMD was below the fracture threshold in 28% of the postmenopausal AAF compared to 47% of postmenopausal CF. L1-L4 BMD was below the fracture threshold in 8% of postmenopausal AAF and 11% of postmenopausal CF. Serum-25 hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) was inversely related to age in both othnic groups and lower (P < 0.05) in premenopau...
A cleavable silica-binding affinity tag for rapid and inexpensive protein purification

We describe a new affinity purification tag called Car9 that confers proteins to which it is fused micromolar affinity for unmodified silica. When appended to the C-terminus of GFPmut2 through a flexible linker, Car9 promotes efficient adsorption to silica gel and the fusion protein can be released from the particles by incubation with L-lysine. Using a silica gel column and the lysine elution approach in fast protein liquid chromatography (FPLC) mode, Car9-tagged versions of GFPmut2, mCherry and maltose binding protein (MBP) can be recovered from clarified lysates with a purity of 80-90%. Capitalizing on silica's ability to handle large pressure drops, we further show that it is possible to go from cell lysates to purified protein in less than 15 min using a fully disposable device. Finally, we demonstrate that the linker-Car9 region is susceptible to proteolysis by E. coli OmpT and take advantage of this observation to excise the C-terminal extension of GFPmut2-Car9 by incubating purified fusion protein with cells that overproduce the outer membrane protease OmpT. The set of strategies described herein, should reduce the cost of affinity purification by at least 10-fold, cut down purification times to minutes, and allow for the production of proteins with native (or nearly native) termini from their C-terminally-tagged versions.
Optical and near-infrared photon detection with superconducting devices

Significant progress has been made in packaging superconducting devices to detect single photons with high efficiency. We will describe our packaging techniques and metrology to verify the high efficiency.
Enhancing optical nonlinearity through engineered exciton coupling in organic-inorganic nanocomposites

We show enhancement in optical nonlinear absorption by engineering the coupling between excitons of 3,4,7,8-naphthalenetetracarboxylic dianhydride (NTCDA) and ZnO nanowires. Energy transfer between the excitonic systems and exciton scattering are found to be competing processes.
Using order to reason about negative numbers: the case of Violet

This case study illustrates how a 2nd-grade child, Violet, used an ordinal view of number to reason about positive and negative integers and arithmetic involving integers. Violet’s ordinal view of number facilitated her ability to reason about and correctly solve some integer-related problems and constrained her solutions to others. We demonstrate how Violet’s thinking evolved over time while she extended the properties of whole numbers and addition and subtraction to the integers. Using this case study as a basis, we propose a series of developmental milestones that build toward one’s understanding of integers and integer arithmetic in an order-based way. We believe that understanding Violet’s order-based reasoning can help us listen to other children.
Misophonia: incidence, phenomenology, and clinical correlates in an undergraduate student sample.

Objective Individuals with misophonia display extreme sensitivities to selective sounds, often resulting in negative emotions and subsequent maladaptive behaviors, such as avoidance and anger outbursts. While there has been increasing interest in misophonia, few data have been published to date. Method This study investigated the incidence, phenomenology, correlates, and impairment associated with misophonia symptoms in 483 undergraduate students through self-report measures. Results Misophonia was a relatively common phenomenon, with nearly 20% of the sample reporting clinically significant misophonia symptoms. Furthermore, misophonia symptoms demonstrated strong associations with measures of impairment and general sensory sensitivities, and moderate associations with obsessive-compulsive, anxiety, and depressive symptoms. Anxiety mediated the relationship between misophonia and anger outbursts. Conclusion This investigation contributes to a better understanding of misophonia and indicates potential factors that may co-occur and influence the clinical presentation of a person with misophonia symptoms.
Comprehension of Spoken Narrative Discourse by Adults With Aphasia, Right-Hemisphere Brain Damage, or Traumatic Brain Injury

This paper reviews the literature concerning auditory comprehension of discourse by adults with and without brain damage. It also reports the results of an investigation of comprehension of spoken ...
Overview of the cardiovascular effects of tadalafil

Because erectile dysfunction (ED) and cardiovascular disease share a number of risk factors, it is important to understand the haemodynamic and cardiovascular effects of treatments for ED, including the phosphodiesterase (PDE) type 5 inhibitors. In healthy subjects, administration of tadalafil (a potent and selective inhibitor of PDE5 indicated for the treatment of ED) resulted in small decreases in standing blood pressure. In the general population of men with ED, the effects of tadalafil on haemodynamic parameters were similar to those observed with placebo. As with sildenafil, administration of tadalafil with any nitrate is contraindicated. Tadalafil administration was not associated with prolongation in QT interval. Safety data show that the incidence rate of myocardial infarction following treatment with tadalafil was comparable to that observed in the age-standardized male population, and incidence rates of cardiovascular events observed in patients who were and were not treated with concomitant antihypertensive therapy were comparable. These results demonstrate that tadalafil has no clinically relevant effects on haemodynamics, although it should not be used in combination with nitrates. In addition, integrated analyses of the cardiovascular adverse events in the phase III safety database as a whole, and in patients taking concomitant antihypertensive medication, demonstrate that tadalafil is not associated with increased risk for clinically significant cardiovascular events. (Eur Heart J Supplements 2002; 4 (Suppl H): H32‐H47)
Unsettling the Imperial Sciences

Latitudes of climates and constitutions, like the allied myth of continents and races, have a deep and persistent past within European and US imperial discourses both as language and ideology. Taxonomies that name, classify, and attribute natures to lands, waters, climates, plants, animals, and peoples discipline, interpellate, and exert dominion over them. Those sciences create subjects, and in their imposition of order and hierarchies, they constitute the imperial project. Conversely, reconstituting space by deconstructing the racialized, gendered, and sexualized attributions of islands and continents, the tropical and temperate zones can unsettle the imperial order and endanger the privileges and poverties they sustain. Toward that end, this essay suggests a remapping of our Earth according to tectonic geographies, in their plenitude inclusive of both lands and waters and their biotic communities and their ceaseless movements and engagements.
The Use of Discontinuities and Functional Groups to Assess Relative Resilience in Complex Systems

It is evident when the resilience of a system has been exceeded and the system qualitatively changed. However, it is not clear how to measure resilience in a system prior to the demonstration that the capacity for resilient response has been exceeded. We argue that self-organizing human and natural systems are structured by a relatively small set of processes operating across scales in time and space. These structuring processes should generate a discontinuous distribution of structures and frequencies, where discontinuities mark the transition from one scale to another. Resilience is not driven by the identity of elements of a system, but rather by the functions those elements provide, and their distribution within and across scales. A self-organizing system that is resilient should maintain patterns of function within and across scales despite the turnover of specific elements (for example, species, cities). However, the loss of functions, or a decrease in functional representation at certain scales will decrease system resilience. It follows that some distributions of function should be more resilient than others. We propose that the determination of discontinuities, and the quantification of function both within and across scales, produce relative measures of resilience in ecological and other systems. We describe a set of methods to assess the relative resilience of a system based upon the determination of discontinuities and the quantification of the distribution of functions in relation to those discontinuities.
BugRedux: reproducing field failures for in-house debugging

A recent survey conducted among developers of the Apache, Eclipse, and Mozilla projects showed that the ability to recreate field failures is considered of fundamental importance when investigating bug reports. Unfortunately, the information typically contained in a bug report, such as memory dumps or call stacks, is usually insufficient for recreating the problem. Even more advanced approaches for gathering field data and help in-house debugging tend to collect either too little information, and be ineffective, or too much information, and be inefficient. To address these issues, we present BugRedux, a novel general approach for in-house debugging of field failures. BugRedux aims to synthesize, using execution data collected in the field, executions that mimic the observed field failures. We define several instances of BugRedux that collect different types of execution data and perform, through an empirical study, a cost-benefit analysis of the approach and its variations. In the study, we apply BugRedux to 16 failures of 14 real-world programs. Our results are promising in that they show that it is possible to synthesize in-house executions that reproduce failures observed in the field using a suitable set of execution data.
Analysis of microwave characteristics of photoconductive IC structures

A one-dimensional analytic solution for the microwave photoresponse of an optically modulated semiconductor channel is presented. This extends the existing treatments by including the effects of nonuniform channel cross sections and conductivity, nonuniform optical illumination, field-dependent mobilities, nonzero dielectric relaxation times, arbitrary electrical and optical excitation frequencies, and full coupled bipolar carrier transport. The solution is continuous over the full range of electric field intensities and thereby describes both the saturated and nonsaturated regimes of the photocurrent. Only the low-level generation case is considered, and trapping effects and diffusion are not included. This model allows the effects of optical stimulation in many typical IC structures to be assessed from dc up through the microwave range of frequencies.
SYSTEMWIDE OPTIMIZATION OF SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS FOR RESURFACING, RESTORATION, OR REHABILITATION PROJECTS

Highway agencies face a dilemma in determining the appropriate balance of resurfacing and safety improvements in their programs to maintain the structural integrity and ride quality of highway pavements. Highway agencies currently lack a tool that would allow them to determine which sites should be resurfaced without accompanying safety improvements and which sites should be resurfaced and improved in other ways that would enhance safety. A resource allocation process that maximizes the benefits from resurfacing and safety improvements within a specified improvement budget can provide such a tool. A resource allocation process that accomplishes this goal has been developed and implemented in a software tool known as the Resurfacing Safety Resource Allocation Program (RSRAP). RSRAP uses an optimization process based on integer programming to determine which improvement alternatives (or combinations of alternatives) would optimize the benefits for a specified set of improvement projects. RSRAP incorporates the best available estimates of the safety effectiveness of specific geometric and safety improvements. RSRAP also gives consideration to the potential effects of resurfacing on vehicle speeds and on safety. The goal of the optimization process is not to optimize safety at any particular site but to optimize systemwide safety for a given set of resurfacing projects while not exceeding a user-specified improvement budget.
Evaluation of moderately cooled pure NaI as a scintillator for position-sensitive PET detectors

A new evaluation of pure NaI has been performed to determine if moderate cooling would lead to better performance than that of existing, activated NaI(Tl) position-sensitive detectors, particularly at high countrates. Using a freezer, an initial effort was performed to cool the crystal assembly to -90/spl deg/C (183/spl deg/K). At this temperature, pure NaI has a decay constant of 35 nsec, a light output which is about 20% that of room temperature NaI(Tl), and an energy resolution of 15%. For the authors' PET applications the signal of room temperature (25/spl deg/C) NaI(Tl) is normally pulse clipped, reducing the light output to 40% of the unclipped signal and yielding an energy resolution of 10.5%. Since the long decay of NaI(Tl) causes it to suffer more significantly than pure NaI from pre-pulse pileup, the difference in energy resolution between the two crystals at high countrates will be reduced. Also, a significantly shorter trigger deadtime with pure NaI will lead to a reduction in coincidence deadtime losses in PET. Computer simulations of large-area crystals operating at high countrates have been performed to quantify their trigger deadtime behavior and position resolution as a function of light output and pulse decay time. Having gained experience with the practical issues of cooling large crystals, measurements of position resolution have been performed with a NaI bar detector of similar geometry to the NaI(Tl) detectors in use in the PENN-PET scanner.
Enzymatic Chlorophyll Degradation in Wheat Near-Isogenic Lines Elicited by Cereal Aphid (Homoptera: Aphididae) Feeding

Abstract Chlorophyll degradation enzyme (i.e., chlorophyllase, Mg-dechelatase, and chlorophyll oxidase) activities of aphid-infested and uninfested ‘Tugela’ and Tugela near-isogenic wheat lines (i.e., Tugela-Dn1, Tugela-Dn2, and Tugela-Dn5) were assayed. Chlorophyllase activity was higher in bird cherry-oat aphid, Rhopalosiphum padi (L.) (Homoptera: Aphididae),-infested wheat lines compared with Russian wheat aphid, Diuraphis noxia (Mordvilko) (Homoptera: Aphididae)]-infested and uninfested plants. Mg-dechelatase activity was higher in D. noxia-infested wheat lines than in R. padi-infested and uninfested plants. Also, Mg-dechelatase activity was lower in Tugela wheat infested with D. noxia than in Tugela near-isogenic lines with Dn genes. Based on the in vitro assays of chlorophyll degradation enzyme (i.e., chlorophyllase and Mg-dechelatase) activities, we proposed that the chlorotic symptoms observed on D. noxia-infested Tugela wheat were most likely to be elicited by unbalanced chlorophyll biosynthesis ...
Fundamentals and Engineering of the Czochralski Growth of Semiconductor Silicon Crystals

Academically and industrially relevant dynamics of the Czochralski silicon crystal growth, from nanoscale to macroscale, is addressed. The basic phenomena of crystal growth involving the geometric stability of the growing crystal, interfacial kinetics, facet formation, and impurity segregation are discussed, primarily at nanoscale. Many nanoscale and a few microscale crystallographic imperfections (termed ‘microdefects’) evolve in growing Czochralski silicon crystals. These microdefects determine the quality of the electronic silicon substrate. The dynamics of the evolution of microdefects is presented in detail. A quantitative understanding of the nanoscale phenomena requires a rigorous macroscale quantification of the temperature field in the crystal puller and the flow field and the impurity concentration fields in the silicon melt, particularly in the presence of applied magnetic fields. This macroscale quantification is accomplished on the basis of a smart treatment of various physical phenomena at different time and length scales. The secular and cross-functional foundation of crystal growth is conspicuous in the discussion presented in this chapter.
Ghosts of Jim Crow Haunt Us Still

Thursday marks the 20th anniversary of the death of Baltimore-born Thurgood Marshall, the civil rights lawyer and first black Supreme Court justice who was instrumental in ending Jim Crow segregation. His representation of schoolgirl Linda Brown resulted in the landmark 1954 Supreme Court ruling Brown v. Board of Education, which ended separation practiced in a wide variety of public facilities and institutions. Yet Marshall sought more than just desegregation. Explaining his vision, Marshall proclaimed that "a child born to a black mother in a state like Mississippi … has exactly the same rights as a white baby born to the wealthiest person in the United States."
Predictive models for mortality after ruptured aortic aneurysm repair do not predict futility and are not useful for clinical decision making

Abstract Objective The clinical decision-making utility of scoring algorithms for predicting mortality after ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysms (rAAAs) remains unknown. We sought to determine the clinical utility of the algorithms compared with our clinical decision making and outcomes for management of rAAA during a 10-year period. Methods Patients admitted with a diagnosis rAAA at a large university hospital were identified from 2005 to 2014. The Glasgow Aneurysm Score, Hardman Index, Vancouver Score, Edinburgh Ruptured Aneurysm Score, University of Washington Ruptured Aneurysm Score, Vascular Study Group of New England rAAA Risk Score, and the Artificial Neural Network Score were analyzed for accuracy in predicting mortality. Among patients quantified into the highest-risk group (predicted mortality >80%-85%), we compared the predicted with the actual outcome to determine how well these scores predicted futility. Results The cohort comprised 64 patients. Of those, 24 (38%) underwent open repair, 36 (56%) underwent endovascular repair, and 4 (6%) received only comfort care. Overall mortality was 30% (open repair, 26%; endovascular repair, 24%; no repair, 100%). As assessed by the scoring systems, 5% to 35% of patients were categorized as high-mortality risk. Intersystem agreement was poor, with κ values ranging from 0.06 to 0.79. Actual mortality was lower than the predicted mortality (50%-70% vs 78%-100%) for all scoring systems, with each scoring system overestimating mortality by 10% to 50%. Mortality rates for patients not designated into the high-risk cohort were dramatically lower, ranging from 7% to 29%. Futility, defined as 100% mortality, was predicted in five of 63 patients with the Hardman Index and in two of 63 of the University of Washington score. Of these, surgery was not offered to one of five and one of two patients, respectively. If one of these two models were used to withhold operative intervention, the mortality of these patients would have been 100%. The actual mortality for these patients was 60% and 50%, respectively. Conclusions Clinical algorithms for predicting mortality after rAAA were not useful for predicting futility. Most patients with rAAA were not classified in the highest-risk group by the clinical decision models. Among patients identified as highest risk, predicted mortality was overestimated compared with actual mortality. The data from this study support the limited value to surgeons of the currently published algorithms.
Free Expression, Privacy, and Diminishing Sovereignty in the Information Age: The Internationalization of Censorship

When Spanish lawyer Mario Costeja “googled” his name, a news story about his former debt appeared. Costeja had paid the debt long ago but the story continued to follow him. He sued a local Spanish newspaper and Google, asking the court to delete the record of his former debt. He did not claim the debt was factually untrue but that he had a right to be forgotten. In May 2014, a European court required that Google delete links connecting Costeja to his debt, and for the first time formally recognized the right to be forgotten. In the short time since the court’s ruling, Google has fielded 293,898 requests to deactivate more than 1 million links and has deleted over 40% of those, approximately 373,000 links. Deleted content – for now – disappears only from searches on European domain names, but pending E.U. legislation calls for worldwide applicability of the right to be forgotten. This Article suggests that the right to be forgotten is emblematic of the ambitious and ultimately flawed European approach to privacy law in the digital age. While informational privacy is undoubtedly important, an extraterritorial right to be forgotten harms more than helps. It allows one person on the other side of the globe to determine what the rest of us see. Its extraterritorial reach threatens to censor the Internet in its adolescence. It undermines democratic values attending national sovereignty by promoting one culture’s adherence to privacy over other cultures’ preference for free expression. It ignores a host of alternative approaches that tailor legal restrictions to the harms associated with privacy violations. This Article analyzes the conflict between free speech and the right to be forgotten, highlights the extraterritoriality and concomitant censorship implications of European privacy law, and articulates alternative regulatory frameworks that better balance free speech with informational privacy in the digital age.
Role of endogenous atrial natriuretic peptide in congestive heart failure

Effects of purified rabbit anti-rat 25-amino acid atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) immunoglobulin G (IgG) on renal sodium excretion and glomerular filtration rate were studied in a rat model of congestive heart failure (CHF) having high circulating ANP levels. Bolus injection of anti-ANP into anesthetized rats with surgically induced myocardial infarction (MI) significantly and markedly depressed both absolute and fractional urinary excretion of sodium without affecting mean arterial pressure or glomerular filtration rate. By contrast, anti-ANP failed to affect these renal functions in normal or acutely water-deprived rats. Nonimmune IgG did not affect renal function in MI rats. These results indicate that high circulating ANP plays an important role in sodium homeostasis of congestive heart failure: by promoting sodium excretion, ANP opposes the tendency of sodium retention characteristic of CHF.
Influence of Structural Variations of Demulsifiers on their Performance

Chemical demulsification is the most widely used method for breaking water-in-diluted bitumen emulsions in oil sands processing. In this work, the properties and performance of six samples of ethyl...