cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Maintenance of Non-Timber Plants at Low Heights Increased the Solar Radiation Influx and Understory Vegetation Biomass in Woodlands

The vast coverage of woodlands in the southeast United States offers a great opportunity for grazing small ruminants. However, not much attention has been given to utilize these resources well. The objectives of the current study were to evaluate the potential of increasing the a) light influx to the woodland floor and b) understory vegetation biomass by altering the height of non-timber (non-pine) plants. The study was conducted in six woodland plots (0.4-ha each) consisting of southern pines, hardwoods, and numerous understory plant species. The non-pine plants were either left uncut (control) or cut to one of the heights from the ground: 0 m, 0.9 m, and 1.5 m (treatments) in summer 2016. Kiko wethers (8) and Katahdin rams (5-6) were rotationally stocked in the study plots (3 plots per animal species) during 2017 and 2018. Photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) data were collected before and after stocking animals and the understory vegetation biomass samples were collected before stocking animals in the study plots. The PAR influx in areas that received cutting treatments increased by 413-1723% when measured before grazing, and by 543-2223% when measured after grazing compared to the control. Similarly, the productivity of understory vegetation biomass was 36-107% greater in the cutting treatment areas compared to the control. The findings suggest that the maintenance of non-pine plants at low heights can significantly increase the PAR influx to the woodland floor, thereby enhancing the productivity of understory vegetation and grazing opportunity for small ruminants.
Revenue Effects of COVID-19 - September 2020 Update

COVID-19 has had a big negative impact on growth with the baseline forecast a 5.2% contraction in global GDP in 2020 according to the World Bank. This sharp fall in growth has placed pressure on government’s expenditures as well as revenues. Countries have further relaxed the revenue burden to support businesses and individuals. This paper tracks the actual fiscal situation of countries around the World and allows for better prediction of the fiscal outcomes further in the future and enables us to make better recommendations on alleviating the fiscal crisis due to COVID. This paper concludes that for most countries the deep reduction in tax revenues is showing signs of reversing trending to the 2019 levels by July-2020. Even while this reversal happens, the hole in the cumulative revenues for first seven months for the countries surveyed is very evident with the global average being 13% below levels of 2019. Further analysis of the expenditure trends which is forthcoming would give us a complete picture of the current fiscal situation of countries around the World.
Redox Cycling of Iron: Effects of Chemical Composition on Reaction Rates with Phenols and Oxygen in Model Wine

Wine oxidation is mediated by the redox cycling of iron between two oxidation states: iron(II) is oxidized by oxygen and iron(III) is reduced by phenols. The effects of phenolic structure, pH, and copper on the rates of these reactions were evaluated in model wine. In the absence of a nucleophile, pyrogallol exhibited greater reactivity with iron(III) than 4-methylcatechol, though both compounds ultimately required aid from the nucleophile benzenesulfinic acid for unrestricted reduction of iron(III) to occur, illustrating the differential structure-dependent reactivities of phenols and the importance of nucleophiles to oxidation. It was hypothesized the rate of oxygen consumption would depend on the rate at which iron(II) is recycled from iron(III), though this was not found to be the case: while the rate of iron(III) reduction by 4-methylcatechol in the presence of benzenesulfinic acid decreased with higher pH, the opposite was observed for the rate of oxygen consumption. Furthermore, copper had no effect on the rate of iron(III) reduction, but significantly increased the rate of oxygen consumption, indicating the two reactions do not necessarily occur synchronously despite being coupled through iron. Pseudo-first order rate constants for oxygen consumption were much lower than those for iron(III) reduction, except when nucleophiles are absent, unlikely in wine, suggesting iron(II) oxidation is the rate-determining reaction for the wine oxidation pathway. Therefore, the rate at which wine ages is likely limited not by chemical composition, but by oxygen ingress, though the overall capacity of wine for oxidation may still depend on constituent phenols and nucleophiles, thus a method to assess these factors would be of interest.
The Effect of Cardiac Resynchronization on Morbidity and Mortality in Heart Failure

Background. Cardiac resynchronization reduces symptoms and improves left ventricular function in many patients with heart failure due to left ventricular systolic dysfunction and cardiac dyssynchrony. We evaluated its effects on morbidity and mortality. Methods. Patients with New York Heart Association class III or IV heart failure due to left ventricular systolic dysfunction and cardiac dyssynchrony who were receiving standard pharmacologic therapy were randomly assigned to receive medical therapy alone or with cardiac resynchronization. The primary end point was the time to death from any cause or an unplanned hospitalization for a major cardiovascular event. The principal secondary end point was death from any cause. Results. A total of 813 patients were enrolled and followed for a mean of 29.4 months. The primary end point was reached by 159 patients in the cardiac resynchronization group, as compared with 224 patients in the medical therapy group (39% vs. 55%; hazard ratio, 0.63; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.51-0.77; p<0.001). There were 82 deaths in the cardiac resynchronization group, as compared with 120 in the medical therapy group (20% vs. 30%; hazard ratio 0.64; 95% CI, 0.48-0.85; p<0.002). As compared with medical therapy, cardiac resynchronization reduced the interventricular mechanical delay, the end-systolic volume index, and the area of the mitral regurgitant jet; increased the left ventricular ejection fraction; and improved symptoms and the quality of life (p<0.01 for all comparisons). Conclusions. In patients with heart failure and cardiac dyssynchrony, cardiac resynchronization improves symptoms and the quality of life and reduces complications and the risk of death. These benefits are in addition to those afforded by standard pharmacologic therapy. The implantation of a cardiac resynchronization device should routinely be considered in such patients.
Apple Inc.: An Application of Financial Analysis, 2003–2018

Since its launch out of a garage in 1976, Apple Inc. had transformed from a computer-manufacturing company to the undisputed leader in diversified consumer electronics and media. Unparalleled financial performance along almost every metric followed, and in September 2018, Apple's market capitalization topped $1 trillion, the first time a US publicly traded company reached that mark. Using the company's financial statements, this case provides a longitudinal view of Apple over 2003–2018. Using these data, students can perform a variety of financial analyses in order to assess how Apple has evolved over time. These include computations of traditional analysis metrics (e.g., ROE and gross margin), but also critical valuation inputs (e.g., free cash flow and implied terminal growth). This case is used at Darden in the second-year Financial Statement Analysis course. It would also be suitable in earlier accounting and finance courses, and even executive education programs, wherein the objective is to review financial statements and discuss critical financial metrics. Excerpt UVA-C-2420 Rev. Apr. 10, 2019 Apple Inc.: An Application of Financial Analysis, 2003–2018 Quality is much better than quantity. One home run is much better than two doubles. —Steve Jobs, 1955–2011 As of 2018, Apple Inc. had been one of the best-known companies in the world for over four decades, unarguably reaching iconic status. Steve Jobs, Apple's deceased cofounder and CEO, was widely regarded as one of the elite group of visionaries whose ideas and products significantly changed the world. Since its launch in a garage in 1976, with handmade personal computers as its first product offering, the company had adapted and innovated, staying true to creating unique, high-quality electronic devices that carried mass appeal. Over the years, Apple had transformed from primarily a computer-manufacturing company to the undisputed leader in diversified consumer electronics and media. Unparalleled financial performance along almost every metric followed. Since 2003, total sales had increased over 20 times. Profit margins more than doubled. And in September 2018, Apple's market capitalization topped $ 1trillion, the first time a US publicly traded company reached that mark. . . .
Conformational Sampling in Structure Prediction and Refinement with Atomistic and Coarse-Grained Models

The performance of models at different resolutions is compared in the context of an iterative protein structure refinement protocol. The models considered here consist of an all-atom model described with the CHARMM22 force field in combination with a distance-dependent dielectric implicit solvent approximation, a united-atom model described by the CHARMM19 force field in combination with the effective energy function 1 (EEF1) solvent model, the new intermediate coarse-grained model PRotein Intermediate MOdel (PRIMO), both with Generalized Born and distance-dependent dielectric solvent models, and the lattice-based coarse-grained Side CHain Only (SICHO) model. It is found that the CHARMM19 and SICHO models lead to initially rapid refinement for a set consisting of 11 targets from past critical assessment of protein structure prediction (CASP) competitions, but they are eventually outperformed by the CHARMM22 and PRIMO models in consistently reaching near-native conformations over the course of 100 refinement cycles.
A performance vs. trust perspective in the design of end-point congestion control protocols

Receiver-driven TCP protocols delegate key congestion control functions to receivers. Their goal is to exploit information available only at receivers in order to improve latency and throughput in diverse scenarios ranging from wireless access links to wireline and wireless Web browsing. Unfortunately, in contrast to today's sender-driven protocols, receiver-driven congestion control introduces an incentive for misbehavior. Namely, the primary beneficiary of a flow (the receiver of data) has both the means and incentive to manipulate the congestion control algorithm in order to obtain higher throughput or reduced latency. We study the deployability of receiver-driven TCP in environments with untrusted receivers which may tamper with the congestion control algorithm for their own benefit. Using analytical modeling and extensive simulation experiments, we show that deployment of receiver-driven TCP must strike a balance between enforcement mechanisms, which can limit performance, and complete trust of end-points, which results in vulnerability to cheaters and even DoS attackers.
Altered brain connectivity in sagittal craniosynostosis.

Object Sagittal nonsyndromic craniosynostosis (sNSC) is the most common form of NSC. The condition is associated with a high prevalence (> 50%) of deficits in executive function. The authors employed diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and functional MRI to evaluate whether hypothesized structural and functional connectivity differences underlie the observed neurocognitive morbidity of sNSC. Methods Using a 3-T Siemens Trio MRI system, the authors collected DTI and resting-state functional connectivity MRI data in 8 adolescent patients (mean age 12.3 years) with sNSC that had been previously corrected via total vault cranioplasty and 8 control children (mean age 12.3 years) without craniosynostosis. Data were analyzed using the FMRIB Software Library and BioImageSuite. Results Analyses of the DTI data revealed white matter alterations approaching statistical significance in all supratentorial lobes. Statistically significant group differences (sNSC < control group) in mean diffusivity were localized to the rig...
Ocean commission holds initial meeting

The U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy held its first organizational meeting on September 17 and 18 in Washington, D.C., and appointed James Watkins, a retired U.S. Navy admiral and former secretary of energy under (former) President George Bush, to chair the commission. Created through the Oceans Act of 2000, the commission is charged with reviewing the effects of federal ocean-related laws and programs, and with assessing the relationship of various governmental and private sector groups in carrying out ocean- and coastal-related activities. The commission is considered to be a new “Stratton Commission.” The original Stratton Commission completed a similar broad review of U.S. ocean laws and policies in 1969 under the authority of the Marine Resources and Engineering Development Act of 1966.
Electrolock [electronic entry system for autistic child]

The Electrolock is a vandal-proof, keypad operated electronic keyless security system, the keypad supports request-to-exit, forced entry, and door ajar, features typically found only on larger access control systems.
Sintering and Cyclic Failure Mechanisms of Thermal and Environmental Barrier Coating Systems Under Thermal Gradient Test Conditions

Plasma-sprayed ZrO 2 -8wt%Y 2 O 3 and mullite+BSAS/Si multilayer thermal and environmental barrier coating (TBC-EBC) systems on SiC/SiC ceramic matrix composite (CMC) substrates were thermally cyclic tested under high thermal gradients using a laser high-heat-flux rig in conjunction with furnace exposure in water-vapor environments. Coating sintering and interface damage were assessed by monitoring the real-time thermal conductivity changes during the laser heat-flux tests and by examining the microstructural changes after exposure. Sintering kinetics of the coating systems were also independently characterized using a dilatometer. It was found that the coating failure involved both the time-temperature dependent sintering and the cycle frequency dependent cyclic fatigue processes. The water vapor environment not only facilitated the initial coating conductivity increases due to enhanced sintering and interface reaction, but also promoted later conductivity reductions due to the accelerated coating cracking and delamination. The failure mechanisms of the coating systems are also discussed based on the cyclic test results and are correlated to the sintering and thermal stress behavior under the thermal gradient test conditions.
Predictive familial risk factors and pharmacological responses in ADHD with comorbid disruptive behavior disorders.

Background: The aim of the present study was to examine the putative familial risk factors and evaluate the pharmacological effects in children and adolescents of attention‐deficit–hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) with comorbid disruptive behavior disorders (DBD) and normal IQ. Methods: The retrospective study included 144 Japanese subjects (age, 5–18 years) with ADHD, of whom 35 subjects (24%) met the diagnostic criteria for DBD. Using multiple regression analysis, the familial background risk factors that might increase any comorbid antisocial behaviors were assessed. Furthermore, the 20 methylphenidate (MPH)‐resistant DBD subjects were divided into three treatment groups: MPH plus risperidone (n= 8); MPH plus carbamazepine (n= 5); and MPH plus lithium carbonate (n= 4). The effectiveness of the treatment was evaluated both before and after the add‐on therapy using the Clinical Global Impressions–Improvement (CGI‐I) and CGI‐Severity (CGI‐S) scale. Results: The putative familial risk factors were child abuse (odds ratio [OR], 19.48; P= 0.013) and maternal psychiatric disorders (OR, 15.59; P= 0.027). The addition of risperidone had the strongest tendency to improve the CGI‐S score (P= 0.063) and the highest rate of responses (50%) among the three treatment groups, albeit with no significant differences. Very few remarkable adverse clinical symptoms were observed. Conclusions: Child abuse and maternal psychiatric disorders are suggested to be significant risk factors in influencing the development of comorbid DBD in offspring. The use of risperidone appears to be well tolerated and is moderately effective in MPH‐resistant aggression in ADHD children and adolescents with comorbid DBD.
Leprosy and the Plague: State Surveillance of Low-Income Fathers

Foucault’s theory of state social control contrasts societal responses to leprosy, where deviants are exiled from society but promised freedom from social demands, and the plague, where deviants are controlled and surveyed within society but receive some state assistance in exchange for their cooperation.In this paper, I analyze how low-income fathers in the United States simultaneously experience social control consistent with leprosy and social control consistent with the plague but do not receive the social benefits that Foucault associates with either status.Through interviews with 57 low-income fathers, I investigate the role of state surveillance in their family lives through child support enforcement, the criminal justice system, and child protective services.Because they did not receive any benefits from compliance with this surveillance, they resisted it, primarily by dropping “off the radar.”Men justified their resistance in four ways: they had their own material needs, they did not want the child, they did not want to separate from their child’s mother or compliance was unnecessary.This resistance is consistent with Foucault’s distinction between leprosy and the plague.They believed that they did not receive the social benefits accorded to plague victims, so they attempted to be treated like lepers, excluded from social benefits but with no social demands or surveillance.
Effects of breastfeeding on women's health

Research about the effects of breastfeeding on maternal health has concentrated primarily on breast cancer, bone loss, and maternal depletion. Breastfeeding may provide some protection against breast cancer. Adequate maternal nutrition, a prolonged period of weaning, and adequate child spacing are expected to alleviate any potential bone loss or maternal depletion caused by breastfeeding. Regardless of how one chooses to weight the relative benefits and risks of breastfeeding to the mother, it seems clear that the programmatic tasks are to see that breastfeeding women are adequately fed and enabled to space their pregnancies.
The effects of fastener hole defects

The influence of drilling-induced defects, such as delamination, on the fa tigue life of a pin bearing joint in a toughened carbon epoxy system was investigated. In a pin bearing joint, the parameters of interest are the bearing stress and the pin position or tolerance. Tension bearing by-pass tests were conducted on coupons under ambient and elevated temperature wet conditions. Specimens were tested in a bearing tension frame to static failure in order to measure the failure load and to calculate pin bearing stress. From static test results, a fatigue load was selected as 66% of the static pin bearing failure load. Coupons were then tested under pin bearing fatigue loading at ambient and elevated tem perature wet conditions. Two-dimensional finite element models were used to simulate the pin and tension loads applied to the coupons. These models simulated the stress distribu tion around the loaded pin. The loads in the finite element models represented the failure load incurred in the static pin bearing ...
TU‐C‐BRC‐03: AAPM Initiatives in Quantitative Imaging

The Science Council (SC) of the AAPM has initiated the Quantitative Imaging (QI) Initiative, which is an effort focused on moving the field of diagnostic imaging towards a more quantitative footing. While much of the quantitative content of the radiologist report will be generated by the radiologist with perhaps the help of user‐friendly and robust software capable of generating quantitative metrics off of a patient's images, there is an important role for physicists to play in assuring the quantitative integrity of the image data. The QI Initiative currently has three task groups, on PET/CT, on dynamic contrast enhanced MRI, and on CT. The methods and activity of these groups towards achieving their objectives will be discussed. The activity of these three groups has overlap with similar efforts of other societies such as the SNM, ISMRM, and the RSNA, and the interconnections will also be described. The parallel, integrated efforts towards creating a more quantitative future for medical imaging assessment is being driven by the needs of clinical research trials, as well as other payer initiatives such as pay for performance. Long term, the QI Initiative will include a comprehensive array of procedures to reduce variance in the imaging process, by standardization of the acquisition protocols, calibration of the spatial and gray scale output of scanners, incorporation of structured reporting tools to improve accuracy and format consistency, and the development of scientific software capable of extracting accurate QI data from image data.
First-pass studies of acute lung injury

Abstract Mild hydrochloric acid was introduced to a caudal lung section in each of eight dogs to induce injury. Transits of 99m Tc-labeled red blood cells (RBC) and [ 123 I]iodoantipyrine (IAP) injected intravenously were recorded by a scintillation camera. Lungs and blood samples were analyzed post-mortem. Peak-to-equilibrium ratios (PE) of RBC time-activity curves were computed to be 3.83 ± 0.54 for the control lung, 2.58 ± 0.55 for the injured lung and 2.23 ± 0.58 for the injured caudal section. For IAP, the respective results were 3.78 ± 0.29, 2.02 ± 0.18 and 1.77 ± 0.17. The decrease of PE in injured areas was attributed to reduced blood flow. Using mean transit times of the tracers, we computed extravascular lung water per unit blood volume to be 0.35 ± 0.18 for the control lungs and an increased value of 0.68 ± 0.24 for the injured lungs. These results displayed sensitivity to injury, but were gross underestimates relative to the corresponding values of 2.04 ± 0.54 and 4.56 ± 1.85 in postmortem analyses.
Some Remarks on the Evolution of Risk Preferences

Are pigeons risk averse? Or maybe rats? I recall first seeing experimental research on this topic (e.g. Battalio, Kagel and MacDonald [1985]; Kagel [1987]) and thinking to myself: why in the world is this relevant to my understanding of human behavior under uncertainty? Ultimately, I think I understood. Since risk aversion is such a basic premise in our analyses of behavior under uncertainty for human beings, it is interesting to know whether such behavior is a matter of reasoning or some inherent biological trait. In his paper, Hans-Werner Sinn [2003] argues that logarithmic preferences, within an expected-utility framework, dominate all other preferences in an evolutionary sense. A similar conclusion was reached by Sinn and Weichenrieder [1993] and by Robson [1996]. Sinn adds to this literature by proving a rather strong form of dominance. Along the way, he provides us with a clear and thought-provoking way to think about why our preferences might be no different from those of pigeons and rats. The basis for Sinn's model is quite Malthusian. Consumption is essentially an intermediate good used to produce offspring. Or, as phrased by Sinn, "it assumed that the number of children a parent has is proportional to the amount of resources he commands." Under this paradigm, it is shown how logarithmic preferences will eventually dominate in the sense that, if differing types of preferences exist, then individuals with logarithmic preferences (whom I will henceforth refer to as "loggers,") will eventually have a measure of one, equal to the measure of the entire population. Put differently, individuals without logarithmic preferences eventually will have a measure of zero and become virtually extinct. I have two basic inhibitions in my own ability to accept this analysis. First of all, I am always a bit uncomfortable with results that rely on infinity. Here, we can say that the measure of loggers approaches one as time passes by. But we cannot say, for example, if a measure exceeding 0.99 will occur after 10 thousand years or 10 million years or 10 billion years! With such lengths of time, one must even doubt the stability of the species. For example, the sun will die out with probability one as we move through time, and after only a finite number of years. Moreover, as time approaches infinity in Sinn's model so does the absolute number of the population, including those types of measures near zero. The measure of one for loggers is achieved only by their absolute numbers approaching infinity faster than the other types. Where are all of these people to be located? At some point, we need to add resource constraints, which hinders the model. My second qualm is, in some ways, easier to address. If we look at, say, the population growth rates for Germany vs. India, and then simultaneously examine their respective
Second-order characterizations of tilt stability with applications to nonlinear programming

The paper is devoted to the study of tilt-stable local minimizers of general optimization problems in finite-dimensional spaces and its applications to classical nonlinear programs with twice continuously differentiable data. The importance of tilt stability has been well recognized from both theoretical and numerical aspects of optimization, and this notion has been extensively studied in the literature. Based on advanced tools of second-order variational analysis and generalized differentiation, we develop a new approach to tilt stability, which allows us to derive not only qualitative but also quantitative characterizations of tilt-stable minimizers with calculating the corresponding moduli. The implementation of this approach and general results in the classical framework of nonlinear programming provides complete characterizations of tilt-stable minimizers under new second-order qualification and optimality conditions.
Reconstruction of Massive Midfoot Bone and Soft Tissue Loss as a Result of Blast Injury

Lower extremity blast injuries represent a unique challenge to surgeons and often involve complex, limb-threatening wounds with extensive soft tissue and bone loss. Surgical treatment of these injuries can be difficult because of limited autogenous resources for reconstruction of the defect. In this article, we describe a technique for medial column reconstruction using iliac crest bone graft and soft tissue coverage with an abductor hallucis rotational flap combined with a split-thickness skin graft. This method addresses the extensive bone and soft tissue defects that frequently characterize blast injuries to the foot, and may be applicable in other situations where trauma or infection has caused extensive destruction of the medial column.
Origins of debris and mitigation through a secondary RF plasma system for discharge-produced EUV sources

RF plasma based mitigation has been studied as an improved debris mitigation scheme for extreme ultraviolet (EUV) sources. The RF plasma ionizes sputtered neutral debris and, when used in conjunction with a collimator (also known as a foil trap), inhibits that debris from reaching the collector optics. An ionization fraction of 61±3% has been measured. In addition, increased scattering of the ion component of the debris has led to a decrease in erosive flux reaching the diagnostics. Results from in-situ high-precision quartz crystal oscillators, ex-situ surface characterization (Auger, XPS), and secondary plasma characterization is presented for a series of mitigation schemes, including a foil trap in conjunction with the RF plasma.
A Qualitative Evaluation of a Program to Support Family, Friend, and Neighbor Caregivers

ABSTRACT The early care and education field lacks an evidence base of effective programs to support caregiving quality among family, friend, and neighbor, or unlicensed, caregivers. This article presents the results of a qualitative evaluation of a program implemented with 20 primarily low-income English- and Spanish-speaking grandparents providing childcare for infants and toddlers. Our findings demonstrate the perceived impact of the program, the correspondence with outcomes in support of children's social and emotional development, and the program's feasibility for use with this population.
Saturation Phenomenon of Stress-Induced Gate Leakage Current

The saturation phenomenon of stress-induced leakage currents (SILCs) is monitored with various stress voltages, gate oxide thicknesses and temperatures for gate oxides formed with different fabrication processes. It is found that there exist seeds of defects at the point when the gate oxide is fabricated and the number of the seeds determines the saturation phenomenon. Injected holes do not create new sites of defects, but help to activate the seeds of defects. Degradation models are proposed based on the percolation theory. In the presaturation region, defects in the body of the oxide are activated and SILC increases rapidly. The saturation phenomenon occurs when most of the seeds are activated. After saturation, many holes are used to create interface states and the increase of the SILC is suppressed.
Unsplit Schemes for Hyperbolic Conservation Laws with Source Terms in One Space Dimension

The present work is concerned with an application of the theory of characteristics to conservation laws with source terms in one space dimension, such as the Euler equations for reacting flows. Space-time paths are introduced on which the flow/chemistry equations decouple to a characteristic set of ODE's for the corresponding homogeneous laws, thus allowing the introduction of functions analogous to the Riemann invariants in classical theory. The geometry of these paths depends on the spatial gradients of the solution. This particular decomposition can be used in the design of efficient unsplit algorithms for the numerical integration of the equations. As a first step, these ideas are implemented for the case of a scalar conservation law with a nonlinear source term. The resulting algorithm belongs to the class of MUSCL-type, shock-capturing schemes. Its accuracy and robustness are checked through a series of tests. The stiffness of the source term is also studied. Then, the algorithm is generalized for a system of hyperbolic equations, namely the Euler equations for reacting flows. A numerical study of unstable detonations is performed.
N-terminal region of gelsolin induces apoptosis of activated hepatic stellate cells by a caspase-dependent mechanism.

Activated hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) are the major source for alteration of extracellular matrix in fibrosis and cirrhosis. Conditioned medium (CM) collected from immortalized human hepatocytes (IHH) have earlier been shown to be responsible for apoptosis of HSCs. In this study, we have shown that antibodies raised against a peptide derived from a linear B-cell epitope in the N-terminal region of gelsolin identified a gelsolin fragment in IHH CM. Analysis of activated stellate cell death by CM collected from Huh7 cells transfected with plasmids encoding gelsolin deletion mutants suggested that the N-terminal half of gelsolin contained sequences which were responsible for stellate cell death. Further analysis determined that this activity was restricted to a region encompassing amino acids 1–70 in the gelsolin sequence; antibody directed to an epitope within this region was able to neutralize stellate cell death. Gelsolin modulation of cell death using this fragment involved upregulation of TRAIL-R1 and TRAIL-R2, and involved caspase 3 activation by extrinsic pathway. The apoptotic activity of N-terminal gelsolin fragments was restricted to activated but not quiescent stellate cells indicating its potential application in therapeutic use as an anti-fibrotic agent. Gelsolin fragments encompassing N-terminal regions in polypeptides of different molecular sizes were detected by N-terminal peptide specific antiserum in IHH CM immunoprecipitated with chronically HCV infected patient sera, suggesting the presence of autoantibodies generated against N-terminal gelsolin fragments in patients with chronic liver disease.
Fragmented Narration and Multiple Path Readings: Towards the Creation of Reader Driven Texts

In Diamond Age Neal Stevenson presents the concept of a totally open narration in which the text adapts itself to the needs of the reader. In three texts, Rayuela, by Julio Cortazar, Die Wiederholung, by Peter Handke, and Elderscrolls III: Morrowind a video game created by Bethsoft aspects of this open narration are examined. In Rayuela Julio Cortazar creates a fragmented text which can be read in a number of orders. In addition he adds explicit comments which focus on the desire to create a new reader driven narrative. Peter Handke focuses on the power of repetition to add depth and new meaning to a text. In his novel he examines how words and sign systems connect in unexpected ways and form new meanings in the process. His emphasis is on how each reading is also a re-reading and a recreation of the text. Finally, the Video Game Morrowind is presented as an early realization of this concept of open narrative. An inspection of this game reveals how it adapts itself to the player’s style and preferences, thus becoming in effect an open narrative.
Video-Assisted Cardiac Surgery: Preliminary Experience in Reoperative Mitral Valve Surgery

Objectives Video-assisted endoscopic techniques had been applied in the surgical correction of patent ductus arteriosus, vascular ring, or coronary artery disease. However, it has been used only recently in the correction of reoperative mitral valve lesions. Design Video-assisted cardiac operations were performed on four patients who had received surgical interventions on their mitral valves and needed emergent reoperation. Patients Four patients (3 men and 1 woman) received emergency surgery from September to December 1995 for thrombosis of mechanical mitral prosthesis (2 patients) and severe mitral regurgitation with previously failed mitral valve repair (2 patients). Six previous operations had been performed on these mitral valves. Patient ages ranged from 26.7 to 68.1 years (mean, 47.3 years). Preoperatively, acute pulmonary edema occurred in two patients, cerebral emboli occurred in one patient, and sepsis was found in one patient. Mechanical ventilatory support was used in two patients before operation. Intervention The operations were performed through right anterior minithoracotomy, guided by video-assisted endoscopic techniques with femoro-femoral extracorporeal circulation. The operative procedures were thrombectomy of mitral prosthesis in two patients, mitral valve repair in one patient, and mitral valve replacement in one patient. Results The duration of extracorporeal circulation was 166 to 320 min (222±67 min) and the operation time was 4.6 to 6.8 h (6.1±1.0 h). All patients recovered from the operations rapidly with uneventful postoperative courses except 1 patient who had sepsis preoperatively and died 2 months later. Conclusion Our experience demonstrates that video-assisted cardiac surgery is technically feasible and could be performed in reoperation of the mitral valve.
A KINEMATIC DESCRIPTION OF THE EXPANSION OF THE UNIVERSE

A kinematic expression for the Hubble parameter H is derived which defines it directly in terms of the positions and velocities of all existing mass particles. The derivation is simply based on the concept that the numerical value of H at any instant of time is determined solely by particle positions and velocities that exist at that instant, and it is only indirectly affected by gravity through its actions on particles which change the positions and velocities. This definition of H does not depend on the motion of photons because the motion of a photon in a distant galaxy is determined by H as it moves with a constant velocity in the galaxy’s inertial system at rest in the Hubble drift. The kinematic definition of H is shown to be identical to the conventional expression H=Ṙ/R. Under general conditions it behaves in the usual manner. But in the case when all matter is located in a small volume of space, such as that which could have occurred at the time of origin of the universe, there exists for a brief time a kinematic repulsion which acts in addition to the usual gravitational attraction that is described in the standard solution of relativity. The repulsion could be strong enough to overcome gravitation and cause even a static universe to quickly evolve into an expanding one. In the case of an initially pure and static radiation universe that subsequently expands and creates all matter during the expansion, the kinematically defined H allows matter to be created in clusters at a very early time within a highly uniform background of radiation.
The Role of the HER-2/neu Oncogene in Gynecologic Cancers

Objective The HER-2/neu proto-oncogene (also known as c-erbB2, neu, and HER2) encodes a 185-kDa transmembrane glycoprotein with intrinsic tyrosine kinase activity that resembles the receptor for epidermal growth factor. Aberrant HER-2/neu protein overexpression occurs in human gynecologic adenocarcinomas, including those of the ovary, endometrium, breast, fallopian tube, and cervix, and is secondary to gene amplification and/or overexpression of the p185HER2 protein. Methods A Medline literature search revealed numerous studies on HER-2/neu and tumor biology, cancer prognosis, and therapeutic targeting. We present a review of the literature pertinent to gynecologic malignancies. Results Overexpression of HER-2/neu was found to be a poor prognostic factor for survival from advanced-stage ovarian cancer, node-positive breast cancer, and endometrial cancer. Although a specific ligand has not been definitively identified, HER-2/neu may have unusually complex activation pathways because it can form both homodimeric and heterodimeric associations with other related receptor proteins. Preliminary findings suggest that serum HER-2/neu levels may be used as a tumor marker in a subset of patients with tumors that overexpress the HER-2/neu receptor. Receptor-targeted therapeutics currently being studied include the use of receptor antibodies, liposomally delivered antisense DNA, antigen-activated cytotoxic lymphocytes, and adenovirus-mediated E1A delivery to overexpressing tumor cells. Conclusion HER-2/neu appears to play an important role in the biologic behavior of ovarian, endometrial, and breast cancers and holds potential as a target for oncogene-directed therapies.
A hybrid ion exchange-nanofiltration (HIX-NF) process for energy efficient desalination of brackish/seawater.

This study reports a new hybrid ion exchange-nanofiltration (HIX-NF) process for desalination of sea and brackish water that can attain significant energy economy over the conventional membrane-based pressure driven processes. In this hybrid process, an ion exchange step converts monovalent chloride ions of saline water to divalent sulfate ions and the resulting solution, having a reduced osmotic pressure than the feed, is desalinated using a nanofiltration (NF) membrane. The sulfate rich reject stream from the NF process is used to regenerate the anion exchanger. Results validate that NF membranes can desalinate sodium sulfate solution at a much lower transmembrane pressure compared to RO membranes as well as yield a higher permeate flux. The sulfate-chloride selectivity of the anion exchangers plays important role in sustainability of the process. Laboratory studies have revealed that a single type of anion exchanger cannot sustain the process for saline water with different salt concentrations. However, anion exchangers with different sizes of amine functional groups (e.g. quaternary-, tertiary-, secondary- and primary amine) hold the promise that the process can be tailored to achieve sustainability. Laboratory studies have validated the basic premise of the hybrid process including greater than two times less energy requirement than RO process for the same feed water and same permeate recovery condition.
Evaluation of role of upper cervical inspiratory neurons in respiration, emesis and cough

Abstract Upper cervical (C1−3) inspiratory (UCI) propriospinal neurons project to spinal segments containing respiratory motoneurons, but their functional significance is unknown. Bilateral kainic acid injections into this cell column in 12 decerebrate cats (11 paralyzed and artificially ventilated) had no major effect on phrenic, intercostal, and abdominal nerve discharge or EMG activity during (fictive) respiration, vomiting and coughing. Thus, UCI neurons are unessential for activation of major respiratory muscles during these behaviors.
Monoquadrant Robotic Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass

Background While laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass is one of the most commonly performed procedures for morbid obesity in the USA, robotic application has been viewed as a valid option. However, the technique is not firmly established with single robotic docking. The objective of this video is to demonstrate the technical details of performing a standardized monoquadrant robotic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RRYGB).
Pharmacoepidemiology of QT-interval prolonging drug administration in critically ill patients.

Purpose—Commonly prescribed medications produce QT-prolongation and are associated with torsades de pointes in non-acutely ill patients. We examined patterns of QT-prolonging drug use in critically ill individuals. Methods—An administrative critical care database was utilized to identify patients receiving drugs associated with QT-interval prolongation or torsades de pointes for ≥24 hours. Results—Data from 212,016 individuals collected over a 63-month period was examined to identify 6,125 patients (2.9%) receiving QT-interval prolonging drugs. These individuals had a mean (±SE) age of 63.0 (±0.2) years, were predominately male (55.4%) and Caucasian (84.4%), and were exposed to QT-interval prolonging agents for a mean (±SE) 53.1 (±0.4) % of their ICU length of stay. Respiratory and cardiovascular illnesses were the most common reasons for ICU admission (17.2%, 12.0%, respectively). The most frequently administered agents were Amiodarone (23.5%), Haloperidol (19.8%), and Levofloxacin (19.7%); no other single agent accounted for more than 10% of QT-interval prolonging drugs prescribed. Coadministration of QT-prolonging drugs occurred in 1,139 patients (18.6%). These patients had higher ICU mortality rate and longer ICU lengths of stay, compared to patients not receiving coadministered drugs (p<0.001 for both). For patients receiving coadministered drugs, overlap occurred for 71.4 (±0.8) % of the time that the drugs were given. Amiodarone coadministration with antibiotics, Haloperidol coadministration with antibiotics, and Haloperidol coadministration with Amiodarone, comprised 15.2%, 13.7%, and 9.4%, of all coadministered agents, respectively. Conclusions—QT-prolonging drugs were used in a minority of critically ill patients. Prospective evaluation in the ICU environment is necessary to determine whether administration of these agents is associated with adverse cardiac events comparable to those reported in ambulatory patients.
Three-Year Global Survey of Coronal Null Points from Potential-Field-Source-Surface (PFSS) Modeling and Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) Observations

This article compiles and examines a comprehensive coronal magnetic-null-point survey created by potential-field-source-surface (PFSS) modeling and Solar Dynamics Observatory/Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (SDO/AIA) observations. The locations of 582 potential magnetic null points in the corona were predicted from the PFSS model between Carrington Rotations (CR) 2098 (June 2010) and 2139 (July 2013). These locations were manually inspected, using contrast-enhanced SDO/AIA images in 171 A at the East and West solar limb, for structures associated with nulls. A Kolmogorov–Smirnov (K–S) test showed a statistically significant difference between observed and predicted latitudinal distributions of null points. This finding is explored further to show that the observability of null points could be affected by the Sun’s asymmetric hemisphere activity. Additional K–S tests show no effect on observability related to eigenvalues associated with the fan and spine structure surrounding null points or to the orientation of the spine. We find that approximately 31 % of nulls obtained from the PFSS model were observed in SDO/AIA images at one of the solar limbs. An observed null on the East solar limb had a 51.6 % chance of being observed on the West solar limb. Predicted null points going back to CR 1893 (March 1995) were also used for comparing radial and latitudinal distributions of nulls to previous work and to test for correlation of solar activity to the number of predicted nulls.
A recent sea‐ice retreat west of the Antarctic Peninsula

Satellite passive microwave data show a record decrease in sea ice extent in the Bellingshausen Sea from mid-1988 through early 1991. The change coincides with more southerly surface winds, increased cyclonic activity and rising surface air temperatures, which reached historic highs along the west coast of the Antarctic Peninsula in 1989. Preceded by high ice cover in 1986-87, the retreat was most evident during summer in the formerly perennial sea-ice field over the continental shelf. Ocean heat storage probably contributed to the persistence and coastal propagation of this anomaly.
The relationship between college student information‐seeking behaviors and perceived instructor verbal behaviors

The purpose of this study was to explore the use of information‐seeking strategies (i.e., overt, indirect, third party, testing, observing) among students in the college classroom, with a specific focus on identifying (a) which information‐seeking strategies are used by college students and (b) whether student use of information‐seeking strategies is related to perceived instructor clarity, verbal immediacy, and verbal receptivity. Participants were 291 undergraduate students enrolled in a variety of communication courses at two small midwestern universities. Results indicated that (a) the overt strategy is used more frequently than the observing, third party, indirect, and testing strategies, (b) a positive relationship exists between student use of the overt information‐seeking strategy and perceived instructor clarity, verbal immediacy, and verbal receptivity, and (c) a number of negative relationships exists between student use of the indirect, third party, and testing information‐seeking strategies a...
GALACTIC AND CIRCUMGALACTIC O VI AND ITS IMPACT ON THE COSMOLOGICAL METAL AND BARYON BUDGETS AT 2 < z ≲ 3.5*

We present the first results from our NASA Keck Observatory Database of Ionized Absorbers toward Quasars (KODIAQ) survey which aims to characterize the properties of the highly ionized gas of galaxies and their circumgalactic medium (CGM) at 2 1, ) as probes of these galaxies and their CGM where both transitions of the O VI doublet have little contamination from the Lyα, β forests. We found 20 absorbers that satisfy these rules: 7 Lyman limit systems (LLSs), 8 super-LLSs (SLLSs) and 5 damped Lyα (DLAs). The O VI detection rate is 100% for the DLAs, 71% for the LLSs, and 63% for the SLLSs. When O VI is detected, , an average O VI column density substantially larger and with a smaller dispersion than found in blind O VI surveys at similar redshifts. Strong O VI absorption is therefore nearly ubiquitous in the CGM of z ~ 2-3 galaxies. The total velocity widths of the O VI profiles are also large ( km s–1). These properties are quite similar to those seen for O VI in low-z star-forming galaxies, and therefore we hypothesize that these strong CGM O VI absorbers (with τLL > 1) at 2 1 absorbers could contain as much as 3%-14% of the cosmic baryon budget at z ~ 2-3, only second to the Lyα forest. We conservatively show that 5%-20% of the metals ever produced at z ~ 2-3 are in form of highly ionized metals ejected in the CGM of galaxies.