cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
SOLVING THE CONCUSSION PROBLEM AND SAVING PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL

The recognition of serious head injuries in football is not new. Paul Barrett recently noted that "[i]n 1903, before the NFL existed, the New York Times compared college football, then the top of the line, to 'mayhem and homicide.'" In 1905, responding to the tragic deaths of eighteen college football players, President Theodore Roosevelt intervened and asked college leaders to attend a White House Conference to curb the violence by promulgating safety rules. New safety rules were adopted, and those initial reform efforts "led to the formation of a Rules Committee and the formation of the Intercollegiate Athletic Association, which in 1910 was renamed the National Collegiate Athletic Association [NCAA]." With these rule changes and the formation of the NCAA, a major crisis that threatened the very existence of football was averted. In the second decade of the 21st century, we face a new crisis fueled by litigation and sobering scientific revelations regarding the devastating potential impact of head injuries in football at all levels. Unless handled well, this crisis will again threaten the existence — or at a minimum, the prominence — of professional football as we know it.In 2012, concerns and calls for further research gained a new and well known face when Junior Seau committed suicide. Seau was an All Pro football player who played for the San Diego Chargers for most of his career. His family responded by requesting that his brain be donated to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) of the NIH to be studied and assessed as to whether Seau had suffered major brain trauma. NINDS asked a number of nationally recognized neuropathologists to analyze Seau's brain tissue. The consultants were unanimous, as reported by the NIH, in concluding that "on initial examination the brain looked normal, but under the microscope, with the use of special staining techniques, abnormalities were found that are consistent with a form of chronic traumatic encephalopathy." The NIH findings regarding Mr. Seau's brain have also been found in autopsies of other deceased athletes who played contact sports involving repeated trauma to the head. It is widely conceded that the problem of head injuries experienced by present and former players in the NFL is quite serious. The economic costs of dealing with those issues will be high but are secondary to the emotional and physical costs to the players themselves — costs that must be meaningfully and promptly addressed.This article addresses what can be done, in a legal and policy sense, to deal with the serious problem of brain injuries suffered in professional football. Dealing with these issues from legal and policy perspectives — not merely a medical perspective — this article examines the role of (1) litigation, (2) administrative and legislative action, and (3) associational action by the NFL and the NFLPA in dealing with these issues. Each possible means of addressing this problem will be examined in terms of its strengths (benefits) and weaknesses (costs).
Shifting and Sharing Responsibility for Public Safety Problems

The public calls upon the police to respond to an astounding range of problems and to perform an extraordinary diversity of tasks, all the while assuming that police have the expertise and resources to do so. Many of these problems and tasks fall to the police through the default of others: from gaps in government services, to the abandonment of responsibility by private citizens, corporations, and other organizations. This has always been a concern. In recent years, through a more methodical approach to policing, police are increasingly pressing for a more rational distribution of responsibilities based upon a detailed examination of the differing facets of police business.This guide details the ways in which police can persuade or coerce others to address crime and disorder problems. As such, it differs from other guides in the Response Guides series; whereas most Response Guides examine the kinds of responses that can be used to address common crime and disorder problems — crackdowns, street closings, publicity campaigns, video surveillance, and so forth — this guide examines how police can get others to respond to such problems, regardless of the form that such responses may take, provided they do not violate basic standards of propriety and legality. Public safety problems are commonly addressed through a combination of responses; seldom is a single type of response sufficient. Of course, many public safety problems are adequately addressed by the police in the exercise of their normal authority and expertise. Increasingly, however, police and others are discovering that it is not only the police who have the authority and expertise to respond to many public safety problems; consequently, the police have come to depend heavily upon others to aid them in responding effectively to crime and disorder. There is growing evidence that by addressing the conditions that underlie crime and disorder problems, rather than merely looking to arrest offenders, police can more effectively prevent and control such problems
Habitat-related phenotypic variation in adult Western Atlantic stone crabs (Menippe mercenaria Say, 1818) (Decapoda: Brachyura)

Habitat partitioning by different life stages or phenotypes in a heterogeneous marine environment could confer fitness advantages. Two distinct phenotypes of the Western Atlantic stone crab ( Menippe mercenaria Say, 1818), spotted and brown, are easily distinguishable and occupy different habitats in allopatry. Intermediate phenotypes occur in two geographic zones, the northeastern Gulf of Mexico and the southern Atlantic coast of the USA from South Carolina to northern Florida. We examined stone crab phenotypic variation and demography in two adjacent rivers near Charleston, SC, USA, the Kiawah and Stono rivers. The intertidal oyster habitat (quantified as reef per meter shoreline) in the Kiawah River is more than twice as dense as the oyster habitat in the Stono River. Significantly more brown than spotted crabs, a higher proportion of males, and larger individuals were collected in the Kiawah River in a year-long trapping study. Brown coloration for stone crabs on oyster reefs could confer a fitness advantage if these crabs are more cryptic than spotted crabs. The timing of ovigery and egg development did not differ between crabs in the Kiawah and Stono rivers or between brown and spotted stone crabs regardless of capture location. Males exhibited greater cheliped wear than females, but wear was unrelated to proximity to an oyster-reef habitat. Demographic patterns related to habitat use presented here are consistent with habitat use in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico zone of phenotypic variation. The differences in stone crab demographics in these two coastal rivers in South Carolina indicate that further studies are needed to determine whether this habitat-related phenotypic variation is representative of stone crab distributions throughout the South Atlantic Bight.
Histological Studies of the Boletaceae and Related Genera

Histological studies have been made of the pilei of over sixty species of the Boletaceae and a few related species, such as Gomphidius maculatus, the Paxilli and Phylloporus rhodoxanthus. Fistulina...
Microbiology: Fungus produces a toxic surprise

A protein fragment released by filaments of the fungus Candida albicans destroys host cells. This is the first demonstration that human fungal pathogens other than moulds can release toxic peptides. See Article p.64 This study identifies and characterizes a cytolytic peptide toxin in the opportunistic human fungal pathogen Candida albicans. The peptide, termed Candidalysin, acts both as a crucial virulence factor that permeabilizes the host cell plasma membrane and as a key signal that triggers a host danger-response pathway.
Influence of Additives in Electret Nonwoven Fabric on Thermally Stimulated Current

Polypropylene fibers consist of a complicate higher-order structure and contain additives such as antioxidant, polar polymer and nucleating agent, hence, the origin of carrier traps is complicated. After carriers were trapped adequently into a nonwoven fabric by corona charging, the effect of additives was investigated by thermally stimulated current. As results, even a small amount of additives affected largely upon thermally stimulated current and enlarged the intensity of peak and the polarization charge. These phenomena may be the result of increase of physical and chemical traps formed by additives. The thermally stimulated current originated from trapped carriers and polarization of electret polypropylene fibers was found to closely concern with the molecular motion of polypropylene. Furthermore, the polarization charge increased by additives affected upon filter performance.
Pre-Baptismal Instruction and the Administration of Baptism in the Philippines during the Sixteenth Century*

Magellan’s abortive attempts to introduce baptism among the natives of the island of Cebu during the month of April of 1521 and the more successful efforts of the Spanish missionaries to preach the Gospel following the arrival of the Legazpi-Urdaneta expedition at Cebu on February 13, 1565 occurred during the initial and the culminating chapters respectively of the “spiritual conquest” of those native peoples of America and the Far East who were to enter the orbit of Spanish culture. During April of 1521, as Magellan was transforming himself into a lay missionary, Hernan Cortes was making the final preparations for the siege of Tenochtitlan. Its successful issue on August 13, 1521 laid the foundation not only of the Spanish Empire in the New World, but also it provided the Spaniards with the base of operations from which eventually they could extend their power to the Philippines. It was Cortes’ conquest of the Aztec Confederation in 1521 which enabled the Catholic missionaries of Spain to undertake one of the most extensive expansions in the history of the Christian Church. In 1565 the Spanish Church for its Philippine enterprise was able to draw upon a vast storehouse of missionary experience acquired in both North and South America. Magellan’s apostolic labors, ill-starred and brief though they were, exemplify many of the permanent features of the Spanish missionary enterprise. The Magellan episode also illustrates how his successors after 1565 did in fact profit from the Circumnavigator’s errors of judgment and tactics.
Intense pruritus in Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) hepatitis treated with naloxone drip

Pruritus is a manifestation of chronic liver disease. Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection often presents as infectious mononucleosis and mild hepatitis. Severe pruritus in the setting of infectious mononucleosis and persistent marked hyperbilirubinaemia is exceedingly uncommon. To the best of our knowledge, we present the first case of a patient with EBV hepatitis and severe pruritus that was successfully treated with an ultra-low dose of intravenous naltraxone.
Questions of Path and Questions of Covenant

In any serious reflection upon the social condition of human beings there are, typically, two kinds of questions. The first can be described as questions ofpath, the second as questions of covenant. Questions of path and questions of covenant correspond to two distinct orders of obligation. Therefore, it is indispensable to distinguish the two kinds of questions that will inevitably arise in the conduct of a science of political relations.
Comparison of intracervical, intrauterine, and intratubal techniques for donor insemination*

Objective To compare the efficacy of intracervical insemination (ICI), intrauterine insemination (IUI), and a combination of intratubal and intrauterine insemination (ITI/IUI) for donor insemination. Design Prospective randomized clinical trial. Setting The University of Michigan donor insemination program. Patients, Participants Forty-one women undergoing donor insemination with cryopreserved sperm for either isolated male factor or male factor plus ovulatory dysfunction corrected by clomiphene citrate. Intervention Each patient was randomly assigned to receive each of the three insemination techniques in consecutive cycles until pregnancy occurred or the patient dropped from the study. Main Outcome Measures Cycle fecundity rates were compared using the χ 2 test, and cumulative pregnancy rates (PRs) determined by life table analysis were compared using a log-rank test. Results Cycle fecundity rate was significantly higher for IUI (18.3%) than for ICI (3.9%) or ITI/IUI (7.3%). By life table analysis, the cumulative PR for IUI was significantly higher than for ICI, but the PR for ITI/IUI was not. Conclusion For donor insemination with cryopreserved sperm, IUI increases cycle fecundity compared with ICI. The addition of ITI to IUI, however, interferes with the apparent beneficial effect of IUI alone.
Bacterial spore coat protein kinases: A new twist to an old story

“Plus ca change, plus c’est la meme chose” (the more things change, the more they stay the same). Nowhere is this more apparent than in biology, where nature cleverly recycles and adapts the same chemical reactions to control complex physiology from bacteria to archaea, plants, and metazoans (1, 2). However, those of us who work on protein phosphorylation have been lured into thinking bacteria do it one way and the rest of nature another. It has been over 60 years since Fischer and Krebs (3) worked out the basic mechanisms of protein phosphorylation, 35 years since Tony Hunter connected tyrosine phosphorylation to oncogenesis (4), and 25 years since Susan Taylor gave us the iconic protein kinase fold (5). Structural genomic analyses have defined approaching 550 members of the protein kinase superfamily in humans and a burgeoning cohort of pseudokinases (1). This latter group look like their active counterparts but function as allosteric modulators or as enzyme scaffolds (6). So, it seems as if we know it all. However, an article published in PNAS (7) revealing the importance of bacterial Ser and Thr protein kinases in the phosphorylation of spore coat proteins may have begun a new chapter in the protein phosphorylation saga. Regardless of their function, all archaea, plant, and metazoan kinases have evolved to enable the transfer a molecule of phosphate from ATP onto the hydroxyl of Ser, Thr, and Tyr residues. Conversely, bacterial protein kinases are traditionally considered to modify the imidazole of histidine residues on proteins as part of a two-component system. Nevertheless, a few bacterial Ser and Thr kinases were identified, but these enzymes were considered to be esoteric and were often relegated to annals of intellectual curiosity. However, Vincent Tagliabracci and Jack Dixon, who are among the authors of the study published in PNAS … [↵][1]1To whom correspondence should be addressed. Email: scottjdw{at}uw.edu. [1]: #xref-corresp-1-1
Photocatalytic CO2 Reduction to Formate Using a Mn(I) Molecular Catalyst in a Robust Metal-Organic Framework.

A manganese bipyridine complex, Mn(bpydc)(CO)3Br (bpydc = 5,5′-dicarboxylate-2,2′-bipyridine), has been incorporated into a highly robust Zr(IV)-based metal–organic framework (MOF) for use as a CO2 reduction photocatalyst. In conjunction with [Ru(dmb)3]2+ (dmb = 4,4′-dimethyl-2,2′-bipyridine) as a photosensitizer and 1-benzyl-1,4-dihydronicotinamide (BNAH) as a sacrificial reductant, Mn-incorporated MOFs efficiently catalyze CO2 reduction to formate in DMF/triethanolamine under visible-light irradiation. The photochemical performance of the Mn-incorporated MOF reached a turnover number of approximately 110 in 18 h, exceeding that of the homogeneous reference systems. The increased activity of the MOF-incorporated Mn catalyst is ascribed to the struts of the framework providing isolated active sites, which stabilize the catalyst and inhibit dimerization of the singly reduced Mn complex. The MOF catalyst largely retained its crystallinity throughout prolonged catalysis and was successfully reused over sever...
Hollywood at Home and at War in the 1940s

As the 1930s gave way to the 1940s, Hollywood was luring stage talent like director Orson Welles and producer John Houseman to the movies to make Citizen Kane (1940). At the same time, it was enlisting all the studios in the war effort, resulting in a flood of patriotic propaganda fervor, from home front dramas, comedies, and cartoons to combat documentaries in the theaters of war on land, sea, and in the sky. William Wyler’s classic The Memphis Belle (1944) was perhaps the most distinguished of them; and participants in that film came together with filmmakers of the remake (1990) to examine fact, myth, and memory. For a standard treatment of the Second World War film, see Clayton R. Koppes and Gregory D. Black, Hollywood Goes to War (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1987)
Decline curve analysis using a pseudo-pressure-based interporosity flow equation for naturally fractured gas reservoirs

Significant amounts of oil and gas are trapped in naturally fractured reservoirs, a phenomenon which has attracted growing attention as production from unconventional reservoirs starts to outpace production from conventional sources. Traditionally, the dual-porosity model has been used in modeling naturally fractured reservoirs. In a dual-porosity model, fluid flows through the fracture system in the reservoir, while matrix blocks are segregated by the fractures and act as fluid sources for them. This model was originally developed for liquid flow in naturally fractured systems and it is therefore inadequate for capturing pressure-dependent effects such as viscosity–compressibility changes in gas systems in its original form. This study presents a rigorous derivation of a gas interporosity flow equation that accounts for the effects of such pressure-sensitive properties. A numerical simulator using the gas interporosity flow equation is built and demonstrates a significant difference in system response from that of a simulator implementing a liquid-form interporosity flow equation. For this reason, rigorous modeling of interporosity flow is considered essential to decline curve analysis for naturally fractured gas reservoirs. In this study, we also show that the use of the proposed gas interporosity flow equation eliminates late-time decline discrepancies and enables rigorous decline curve analysis. The applicability of density-based approach in dual-porosity gas systems is investigated, and the approach reveals that gas production can be forecast in terms of a rescaled liquid solution that uses depletion-driven parameters, λ and β. Application of this approach demonstrated that, at the second decline stage, gas production profile shifted from its liquid counterpart is identical to gas numerical responses with gas interporosity flow equation in effects. The production rates from the pseudo-function approach and those from simulations implementing the gas interporosity flow equation for the synthetic reservoirs are compared against each other, which demonstrated good matches during decline.
A Note on a Digression on Arendt in Waller Newell's Tyranny: A New Interpretation

This note explores Newell's instructive digression, in his Tyranny, about Hannah Arendt's reading of Aristotle (in The Human Condition). I supplement his account of Arendt as collapsing the theory/...
Relative Abundance of Frankliniella bispinosa and Other Species of Thysanoptera Emerging from Soil Beneath ‘Navel’ Orange Trees in Florida During Spring Flowering

Sixteen species of thrips in three families were identified from slide-mounted specimens collected from emergence traps placed beneath and between citrus trees in southwest and central Florida betw...
Critical mass or critical culture? Gendered perceptions of women and men in an engineering school

Your school reached its target percentage for women in engineering. So what? And now what? With all the discussion and reporting of percentages of women in engineering, educators may be tempted to assume that attaining a target number, or ‘critical mass,’ alone solves the problems related to engagement of a gender diverse student body. We argue that while critical mass may be necessary, it is insufficient. We submit that a thriving and diverse learning ecosystem must recognize the importance of interactions, associations, values, and identities in shaping a culture of inclusiveness. To that end, in this study we characterized the motivations, professional identities, basic needs satisfaction, and self-efficacy of undergraduate students in an engineering school with a relatively high percentage of enrolled women. In this environment that passes common critical mass thresholds, we observed gendered responses that call into question the use of simple percentages as proxies for inclusiveness in engineering. Specifically, we found that women and men held some common values, and similarly endorsed certain identity traits such as problem solving and practicality. Compared to men, however, women reported lower self-efficacy, lower endorsement of technological leadership, higher emphasis on social consciousness, and less freedom to express their ideas and opinions. These findings raise important questions about inclusive design of engineering cultures, and they help illustrate where women and men may find personal and professional alignment versus misalignment in their programs.
Tackling Tumors with Small RNAs Derived from Transfer RNA

Transfer RNA Derivatives and Tumor-Cell Growth The “RNA world” is made up of many types of regulatory molecules. One class of small noncoding RNAs is derived from transfer RNAs (tRNAs), and a recent study implicates a tRNA derivative in the sustenance of hepatocellular carcinoma.
Beliefs and attitudes about prescribing opioids among healthcare providers seeking continuing medical education

Objective: The purpose of this study was to assess the beliefs and attitudes of healthcare providers about prescribing opioids for chronic pain. Setting: The setting was a continuing medical education conference that was specifically designed to deliver content about chronic pain and prescription opioids to providers without specialty expertise in pain medicine. Participants: Conference attendees with prescribing privileges were eligible to participate, including physicians, physician assistants, and advance practice nurses. Intervention: Study participants completed a questionnaire using an electronic response system. Main outcome measures: Study participants completed a validated questionnaire that was specifically developed to measure the beliefs and attitudes of healthcare providers about prescribing opioids for chronic pain. Results: The questionnaire was completed by 128 healthcare providers. The majority (58 percent) indicated that they were “likely” to prescribe opioids for chronic pain. A significant proportion of respondents had favorable beliefs and attitudes toward improvements in pain (p < 0.001) and quality of life (p < 0.001) attributed to prescribing opioids. However, a significant proportion had negative beliefs and attitudes about medication abuse (p < 0.001) and addiction (p < 0.001). Respondents also indicated that prescribing opioids could significantly increase the complexity of patient care and could unfavorably impact several administrative aspects of clinical practice. Conclusions: The beliefs and attitudes identified in this study highlight important educational gaps that exist among healthcare providers about prescribing opioids. Knowledge of these educational gaps could build the capacity of medical educators to develop targeted educational materials that could improve the opioid prescribing practices of healthcare providers.
Reductive Dechlorination of Chlorinated Solvents on Zerovalent Iron Surfaces

Optimal design of zerovalent iron-based permeable reactive barriers requires a complete understanding of dechlorination kinetics and mechanism. The effect of other ambient constituents, which may retard or enhance the dechlorination processes, should be considered. Literature has revealed that reduction of chlorinated compounds occurs on the iron surface and the reaction rate is limited by surface processes, rather than transport processes. Adsorption onto the surface can take place on both reactive sites that are responsible for the reductive dechlorination, and nonreactive sites that only sequester the contaminants. This chapter explores a model based on the assumptions that adsorption equilibrium on the two types of surface sites is always maintained, but the reduction rate is directly proportional to the amount sorbed onto reactive sites only. Numerical solutions are obtained to illustrate the effect of coadsorbates on the adsorption and reduction of chlorinated compounds under this mechanistic framework.
Characterization of cis-Regulatory Elements and Transcription Factor Binding: Gel Mobility Shift Assay

To understand how cardiac gene expression is regulated, the identification and characterization of cis-regulatory elements and their trans-acting factors by gel mobility shift assay (GMSA) or gel retardation assay are essential and common steps. In addition to providing a general protocol for GMSA, this chapter describes some applications of this assay to characterize cardiac-specific and ubiquitous trans-acting factors bound to regulatory elements [novel TCTG(G/C) direct repeat and A/T-rich region] of the rat cardiac troponin T promoter. In GMSA, the specificity of the binding of trans-acting factor to labeled DNA probe should be verified by the addition of unlabeled probe in the reaction mixture. The migratory property of DNA-protein complexes formed by protein extracts prepared from different tissues can be compared to determine the tissue specificity of trans-acting factors. GMSA, coupled with specific antibody to trans-acting factor (antibody supershift assay), is used to identify proteins present in the DNA-protein complex. The gel-shift competition assay with an unlabeled probe containing a slightly different sequence is a powerful technique used to assess the sequence specificity and relative binding affinity of a DNA-protein interaction. GMSA with SDS-PAGE fractionated proteins allows for the determination of the apparent molecular mass of bound trans-acting factor.
Circulating oleic acid levels are related to greater risks of cardiovascular events and all-cause mortality: The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis

Background Limited evidence has suggested that circulating levels of the omega-9 fatty acid, oleic acid, may be related to greater risks of adverse cardiovascular outcomes. Objective We aimed to determine whether plasma oleic acid may be independently associated with clinical and subclinical cardiovascular disease (CVD) and all-cause mortality in a large multiethnic cohort. Methods Plasma fatty acids were measured by gas chromatography–flame ionization in 6568 participants of the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis. The presence of coronary artery calcium (CAC) and aortic valve calcification (AVC) was determined by computed tomography, and carotid plaque was assessed by ultrasound. Incident CVD was defined as myocardial infarction, fatal coronary heart disease, resuscitated cardiac arrest, stroke, or stroke death. Heart failure (HF) was adjudicated from clinical records. Relative risk regression estimated plasma oleic acid-related rate ratios for prevalent CAC, AVC, and carotid plaque. Cox regression estimated hazard ratios (HRs) for CVD, HF, and all-cause mortality over a median 13-year follow-up. Results Individuals in top quartiles of oleic acid showed greater rate ratios of CAC, AVC, and carotid plaque (all P Conclusions Plasma oleic acid appears to be a risk factor for CVD events and all-cause mortality independent of typical risk factors and plasma omega-3 fatty acids. Additional studies are warranted for confirmation and to further examine whether plasma oleic acid directly contributes to, or serves as a marker of, disease pathogenesis. These findings should not be extrapolated to dietary oleic acid intake.
Unidentified anion gap metabolic acidosis.

Abstract A 35−month−old female with nonketotic hyperglycinemia (NKH) presented to the Emergency department with severe hypoglycemia, fever, and several episodes of seizures. Due to worsening respiratory status, additional seizures and anion gap worsening metabolic acidosis the patient was transferred to the pediatric intensive care unit. The useful mnemonics for causes of high anion gap metabolic acidosis are the classic MUDPILES (representing Methanol, Uraemia , Diabetes, Paraldehyde , Iron (and Isoniazid), Lactate, Ethylene glycol , and Salicylate) and the more recently proposed GOLD MARK (Glycols [ethylene and propylene], Oxoproline, l -lactate, d -lactate, Methanol, Aspirin, Renal failure, and Ketoacidosis) as causes of the anion gap metabolic acidosis were all ruled out. Relatively stable concentrations of salicylate (approximately 10 mg/dL, 0.7 mmol/L) were noted, despite no evidence the patient received aspirin Therefore further laboratory testing was performed. A Basic-Acid-Neutral (BAN) gas chromatography mass-spectroscopy (GC–MS) Drug screen of urine was undertaken. A large benzoic acid peak was identified by spectral match, which supported the clinical history that the patient was taking sodium benzoate powder 1175 mg as a dietary supplement three times a day. However, salicylate was not identified. This patient had benzoic acid concentration in excess of 2000 μg/mL. Given that benzoic acid is a weak acid, with a pK of approximately 4 it is almost completely ionized at pH 7. Therefore, the large amount of benzoic acid was not only thought to be contributing to the patient's anion gap metabolic acidosis, but the source of the interference in the salicylate assay.
Numerical modelling of microwave heating of a porous catalyst bed

AbstractA Multiphysics numerical model was developed using COMSOL Multiphysics to study the effect of size, shape and position of catalyst bed within the microwave reactor (2450 MHz). The dielectri...
Murdering Hands and Mad Doctors: The Horrors of Organ Exchange

Mad Dr. Frankensteins, urban legends about kidney heists, and horror stories in which transplanted organs infect their new hosts with a murderous impulse all speak to a powerful underlying current of fear in discussions of organ exchange. This chapter analyzes the horrific narratives of transplantation that dramatize these common fears. But rather than criticizing these negative portrayals as a roadblock to greater public acceptance, I argue that this outlet for public fears is a necessary part of coming to grips with radically experimental medical practices. The texts examined in this chapter dramatize these fears, not to limit our acceptance of the practice, but to paradoxically reassure us that such transgressions are located safely at a generic extreme.
Tensor network formulation of two dimensional gravity

We show how to formulate a lattice gauge theory whose naive continuum limit corresponds to two-dimensional (Euclidean) quantum gravity including a positive cosmological constant. More precisely the resultant continuum theory corresponds to gravity in a first-order formalism in which the local frame and spin connection are treated as independent fields. Recasting this lattice theory as a tensor network allows us to study the theory at strong coupling without encountering a sign problem. In two dimensions this tensor network is exactly soluble and we show that the system has a series of critical points that occur for pure imaginary coupling and are associated with first order phase transitions. We then augment the action with a Yang-Mills term which allows us to control the lattice spacing and show how to apply the tensor renormalization group to compute the free energy and look for critical behavior. Finally we perform an analytic continuation in the gravity coupling in this extended model and show that its critical behavior in a certain scaling limit depends only on the topology of the underlying lattice. We also show how the lattice gauge theory can be naturally generalized to generate the Polyakov or Liouville action for two dimensional quantum gravity.
Digital Imaging Detection and Image Analysis of Internal Structural Defects in GIS

The existence of internal structural defects in gas insulated combinations (GIS) seriously affects the normal operation of equipment, and it needs an efficient and non-destructive detection method. This study is focused on the feasibility of X-ray digital imaging detection in GIS equipment monitoring. First, the digital imaging detection process is briefly introduced. Then, in order to obtain high-quality digital images, a correlation coefficient is introduced to improve the nonlocal mean filtering denoising algorithm. In terms of image enhancement, a histogram equalization method is introduced, and then an improved contrast-limited adaptive histogram equalization (CLAHE) method is proposed for image denoising. The detection system and image processing method of this study are used to detect two GIS equipment units of the Chongqing Electric Power Company (China). It is found that this method clearly and accurately detects the equipment defects with high reliability. This study provides some theoretical basis for further promotion of the X-ray digital radiography in GIS equipment defect detection.
Structural and Functional Organization of Skeletal Muscle

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the structural and functional organization of skeletal muscle, mechanical properties of skeletal muscle, and effects of altered muscular activity on skeletal muscle. Muscles are biological machines that convert chemical energy—derived from the reaction between food substrate and oxygen—into force production and mechanical work. The mechanical properties of skeletal muscle are expressed in terms of both its force and contractile speed generating capability. Calcium levels in the cytoplasm are responsible for regulating the contraction response. Under most physiological conditions, skeletal muscles contract tetanically rather than in twitch fashion. The most fundamental mechanical property of skeletal muscle is its force–velocity relationship, which describes the muscle's ability to shorten as a function of the force it generates during a given isotonic contraction. Skeletal muscle has the capacity to adapt its morphological, biochemical, and functional properties in accordance with the functional demands imposed on it. The functional demand varies from endurance exercise and strength training to limb immobilization.
Controlled Apoptosis of Stromal Cells to Engineer Human Microlivers

Engineered tissue models comprise a variety of multiplexed ensembles in which combinations of epithelial, stromal, and immune cells give rise to physiologic function. Engineering spatiotemporal control of cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions within these 3D multicellular tissues would represent a significant advance for tissue engineering. In this work, a new method, entitled CAMEO (Controlled Apoptosis in Multicellular tissues for Engineered Organogenesis) enables the non-invasive triggering of controlled apoptosis to eliminate genetically-engineered cells from a pre-established culture. Using this approach, the contribution of stromal cells to the phenotypic stability of primary human hepatocytes is examined. 3D hepatic microtissues, in which fibroblasts can enhance phenotypic stability and accelerate aggregation into spheroids, were found to rely only transiently on fibroblast interaction to support multiple axes of liver function, such as protein secretion and drug detoxification. Due to its modularity, CAMEO has the promise to be readily extendable to other applications that are tied to the complexity of 3D tissue biology, from understanding in vitro organoid models to building artificial tissue grafts.
Rapid and efficient esterification of oleic acid by continuous liquid-phase plasma discharge

Abstract Conventional esterification of fats/waste oils with high free fatty acids is time-consuming and energy intensive. In this study, a novel liquid-phase plasma discharge (LPPD) reactor was designed and evaluated for rapid esterification to convert oleic acid to biodiesel. Three LPPD operating parameters, i.e., feeding flowrate, methanol to oleic acid molar ratio (M/O), and sulfuric acid to oleic acid weight ratio (A/O), were all evaluated at five levels (1.2, 1.8, 2.4, 3.0, and 3.6 mL s−1 for flowrate; 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12 for M/O; and 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4 % w/w for A/O) using a fractional factorial experiment design. For each experiment, three treatment times (2, 6, and 10 min) were also tested. The optimum operating parameters for the LPPD were 2.4 mL s−1 for flowrate, 10 for M/O, and 2.0 % w/w for A/O, respectively, with the maximum conversion rate of 78 %. The power and applied voltage were consumed at 340 W and 2.12 kV during the 2-min treatment. The methyl oleate samples produced in this LPPD process were identified by GC–MS (gas-chromatography mass spectrometry) and FTIR (Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy) to confirm the esterification pathway.
Modeling and experimental investigation of the dynamics of a spherical Transforming Roving Rolling Explorer (TRREx) prototype

Abstract This paper examines a biologically inspired, transforming mars rover concept known as the Transforming Roving Rolling Explorer (TRREx). The rover is designed to operate in two modes: the ‘roving’ and ‘rolling’ modes. The roving mode is similar to many traditional wheeled rover designs and is useful for exploring relatively flat terrains. The rolling mode is intended to enable the rover to travel down steep slopes, such as those found in ravines and crater walls. In the rolling mode, the vehicle folds itself into a sphere and propels itself by shifting its center of mass. It does this by opening and closing the eight panels which form the surface of the sphere. The evaluation of this rolling mode is the primary focus of this paper. To that end, a spherical prototype TRREx has been designed, constructed, and tested. In addition, a mathematical model of the vehicle’s rolling mode dynamics has been created. The performance of the physical prototype has been compared to simulation results and the qualitative agreement between the experimental and simulated results indicate that the mathematical model created for the vehicle’s rolling mode dynamics captures the essential behavior of the vehicle. The mathematical simulation was then used to explore the TRREx parameter design space in order to analyze the effect of changing various system parameters. A path tracking simulation is also included as a case study to highlight the ability of a TRREx vehicle to traverse a desired path.
Markers of Bile Acid Metabolism in Pediatric Diarrhea Predominant Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Healthy Controls.

OBJECTIVES Excessive fecal bile acids in adults have been associated with diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-D), but their role in pediatric IBS-D is unknown. Serum markers including 7α-hydroxy-4-cholesten-3-one (C4) and fibroblast growth factor-19 (FGF-19) were validated in adults to detect bile acid diarrhea (BAD) compared to 48-hour fecal bile acid collection (48FBA). Our aims were to assess fasting serum C4 and FGF-19 and 48FBA in a pediatric population, to compare measurements in IBS-D patients and healthy controls (HC), and to determine the prevalence of BAD among children with IBS-D. METHODS Using a cross-sectional design, 26 patients with IBS-D and 56 HC were recruited in two pediatric tertiary care centers. Fasting serum C4 and FGF-19 and 48FBA were obtained. Participants completed a 7-day bowel diary coinciding with stool collection. Associations were analyzed using Spearman correlations. RESULTS Mean age was 14.7 ± 2.5 years (42.3% female) in IBS-D and 12.6 ± 2.4 years (39.3% female) in HC. There was a significant correlation of C4 with 48FBA (r = 0.48, P < 0.05) and an inverse association with FGF-19 (r = -0.43, P < 0.05). No significant differences were noted in C4 (P = 0.32), FGF-19 (P = 0.1), or 48FBA (P = 0.5) between IBS-D and HC groups; however, 20% of IBS-D patients had elevated C4 and 28% had low FGF-19 values.Fecal primary BA was significantly correlated with stool frequency (r = 0.45, P < 0.002). CONCLUSIONS Correlations of C4 with 48FBA and FGF-19 are confirmed in a pediatric population. Twenty percent of pediatric patients with IBS-D had abnormal fasting serum C4. This serum test could be applied to identify BAD in pediatric IBS-D.
Cerebral Spreading Depression Transient Disruption of Cross-Frequency Coupling in the Rat Brain: Preliminary Observations.

Normal brain function requires an integrated, simultaneous communication between brain regions in a coordinated manner. In our studies on cortical spreading depolarization (CSD) induced electrically in the rat brain while recording electrocorticography (ECoG) and delta wave activity, we found for the first time that CSD suppressed delta wave activity, which began even before the CSD was fully developed. We pursued this observation to determine whether repeated CSD suppressed delta wave activity in rats. CSD was produced by electrical stimulation of the neocortex while recording the development of CSD and changes in the coupling of low-frequency band cross coupling to four typical physiological neuronal activity frequency bands, i.e., 5–7 Hz, 8–12 Hz, 13–30 Hz, and 30–80 Hz. Band-pass filters were applied to achieve the corresponding physiological band signals. Besides the cross-frequency coupling (CFC) analysis, the distribution of delta wave density in time domain was analyzed. We calculated the delta wave density per 30 seconds but represent the density as frequency per minute. A Generalized Linear Models (GLM) was used to carry out the CFC analysis in Matlab. Because delta waves dominated the ECoG recorded, we modeled the higher-frequency amplitude envelope as a function of low-frequency phase using a spline basis. Besides the CFC analysis, we also characterized the distribution of the delta wave density in time domain. Four CFC, Theta, Alpha, Beta, and Gamma were at very small values after CSD, and after about 8 minutes, the CFC recovered to the pre-CSD level. CFC were seen to decrease before a CSD occurred at the higher-frequency bands and tended to decrease quickly. Whether the attenuated CFC by CSD has long-term consequences remains to be determined. Future studies will explore the impact of cortical CSD on CFC with deeper brain structures, including the thalamus and the caudate putamen.
The Utility of Janowitz’s Political Awareness in Officer Education:

In the pages of this journal, Damon Coletta and Tom Crosbie published a response to our article entitled, “The Continuing Relevance of Morris Janowitz’s The Professional Soldier for the Education o...
Diagnostic Approach to Patients with Polyneuropathies Associated with Monoclonal Proteins

In the preceding chapters, we have stressed that evaluation of patients with unexplained neuromuscular syndromes for monoclonal gammopathies is often fruitful and can lead to better understanding of the clinical syndrome and sometimes to effective therapy. This chapter will present our recommedations for the diagnostic approach to these patients (table 9-1).
Immunological Abnormalities in Autism Spectrum Disorders

Secondary to clinical features indicating chronic inflammation and immune dysregulation, the immune system has long been suspected to have a role in autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Studies of postmortem autistic brains indicate the presence of immune mediated chronic inflammation in some but not all autistic brains. However, studies of immune abnormalities in ASD children yielded no conclusive results. Instead, immune abnormalities reported appear to affect almost all aspects of the immune system and are often contradictory. This may be associated with the marked heterogeneity of ASD subjects, since ASD is a behaviorally defined syndrome. In addition, variable co-morbid conditions could affect the immune-parameters, making such analysis very difficult. Alternatively, various immune abnormalities reported may be associated with the fact that ASD is a polygenic condition affected by multiple genetic and environmental factors, resulting in similar behavioral symptoms. At present, it is unknown how the immune system contributes to the onset and progress of ASD. Nevertheless, the results of previous studies indicate the presence of chronic inflammation, in at least a portion of ASD children. This review summarizes previous immunological findings and the problems associated with these studies. The direction that future research needs to take will also be discussed.
Requirement for Reduced Diphosphopyridine Nucleotide-Cytochrome b5 Reductase in Stearyl Coenzyme A Desaturation

Abstract The stearyl coenzyme A desaturase system of hen liver microsomes has been purified 4-fold by fractionation with deoxycholate. Further fractionation by diethylaminoethyl cellulose column chromatography has yielded a particle (DE fraction) in which DPNH-cytochrome c reductase activity has been enriched 10-fold but desaturase activity has been completely lost. Treatment of the purified desaturase with N-ethylmaleimide has yielded a particle (N fraction) with neither desaturase nor DPNH-cytochrome c reductase activity present. Combination of the N fraction with the DE fraction has restored the stearyl-CoA desaturase activity. The DE fraction can be completely replaced by the soluble, highly purified DPNH-cytochrome b5 reductase. These observations strongly suggest that DPNH-cytochrome b5 reductase is an integral part of the stearyl-CoA desaturase system.
Islam and bioethics: Beyond abortion and euthanasia

Muslim theologians, jurists, and healthcare workers have been addressing the challenges of modern biotechnology for years. Major textbooks on religion and bioethics cover Islam in one or two articles, offering only a general introduction to these important discussions. The five articles in this issue of the Journal of Religious Ethics, originating from a conference at Pennsylvania State University, are unusual in the specificity of their topics—brain death, feeding tubes, sex selection, spiritual counseling, and organ transplantation—and in their engagement with complex discussions in the Muslim and non-Muslim worlds. In this essay, I introduce the five articles and consider two larger implications: the changing definition of the human person in light of biotechnological advances and the continuing importance of religious traditions, especially Islam, in legitimizing ethical responses to these advances.
Perceptual parameters of consonant sounds.

Recordings by one speaker of CV syllables made up of American English labial, alveolar, and post-alveolar stops and fricatives combined with the vowels /i, α, u/ were played to 16 subjects. They we...