cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Corporate Debt Management and the Value of the Firm

Three alternative characterizations of corporate debt management policy, which have had wide currency in the literature, are examined. They are shown to give rise to substantial differences in their predictions of total-firm value. This study concludes that, of the three, the one that assumes that management periodically rebalances the firm's debt levels in response to evolving new information on expected future operating cash flows is the most logically consistent. On that basis, a reinterpretation of the available empirical evidence on the “tax effect” of debt is indicated.
Scleroderma-Related Lung Disease: Are Adipokines Involved Pathogenically?

Scleroderma is a systemic autoimmune disease of unknown etiology whose characteristic features include endothelial cell dysfunction, fibroblast proliferation, and immune dysregulation. Although almost any organ can be pathologically involved in scleroderma, lung complications including interstitial lung disease (ILD) and pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) are the leading cause of death in patients with this condition. Currently, the molecular mechanisms leading to development of scleroderma-related lung disease are poorly understood; however, the systemic nature of this condition has led many to implicate circulating factors in the pathogenesis of some of its organ impairment. In this article we focus on a new class of circulating factors derived from adipose-tissue called adipokines, which are known to be altered in scleroderma. Recently, the adipokines adiponectin and leptin have been found to regulate biological activity in endothelial, fibroblast, and immune cell types in lung and in many other tissues. The pleiotropic nature of these circulating factors and their functional activity on many cell types implicated in the pathogenesis of ILD and PAH suggest these hormones may be mechanistically involved in the onset and/or progression of scleroderma-related lung diseases.
High quality thin films of YBa2Cu3O7 by post-annealing at low oxygen partial pressure

Abstract Thin films of YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7 were made by coevaporation and post-annealing at two sets of temperature and oxygen partial pressure (850°C and 1 atm of oxygen, and 750°C and 29 Pa of oxygen). The films were deposited on (100) LaAlO 3 susbtrates. The shape of the resistance versus temperature curves for samples annealed as above are similar, but the room temperature resistance of the sample annealed at high temperature is a factor of 1.7 higher, and the critical current density at 77 K is a factor of 3 lower. Samples annealed at low temperature and low oxygen partial pressure are much smoother, and have a significantly sharper RF eddy-current transition. The improved properties of samples annealed at low oxygen partial pressure may be related to the proximity of the conditions used to this superconductor's thermodynamic stability line.
Timing of Dietary Estrogenic Exposures and Breast Cancer Risk

The same dietary component, such as fat or phytochemicals in plant foods, can have an opposite effect on breast cancer risk if exposed in utero through a pregnant mother or at puberty. Dietary exposures during pregnancy often have similar effects on breast cancer risk among mothers and their female offspring. High fat intake and obesity are illustrative examples: excessive pregnancy weight gain that increases high birth weight is associated with increased breast cancer risk among mothers and daughters. High body weight during childhood is inversely linked to later breast cancer risk. The main reason why the age when dietary exposures occur determines their effect on breast cancer risk likely reflects the extensive programming of the mammary gland during fetal life and subsequent reprogramming at puberty and pregnancy. Programming is a series of epigenetic/transcriptional modifications in gene expression that can be influenced by changes in the hormonal environment induced, for example, by diet. Because epigenetic modifications are inherited by daughter cells, they can persist throughout life if they occur in mammary stem cells or uncommitted mammary myoepithelial or luminal progenitor cells. Our results indicate that the estrogen receptor (ER), mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), and the tumor suppressors BRCA1, p53, and caveolin-1 are among the genes affected by diet-induced alterations in programming/reprogramming. Consequently, mammary gland morphology may be altered in a manner that increases or reduces susceptibility to malignant transformation, including an increase/reduction in cell proliferation, differentiation, and survival, or in the number of terminal end buds (TEBs) or pregnancy-induced mammary epithelial cells (PI-MECs) that are the sites where breast cancer is initiated. Thus, dietary exposures during pregnancy and puberty may play an important role in determining later risk by inducing epigenetic changes that modify vulnerability to breast cancer.
Same Difference in Indiaand Europe

Books reviewed in this article: Colonialism and its Forms of Knowledge: The British in India, by Bernard S. Cohn Empire and Information: Intelligence Gathering and SocialCommunication in India, 1780–1870, by Christopher A. Bayly
Insights into acidosis-induced regulation of SLC26A4 (pendrin) and SLC4A9 (AE4) transporters using three-dimensional morphometric analysis of β-intercalated cells.

The purpose of this study was to examine the three-dimensional (3-D) expression and distribution of anion transporters pendrin (SLC26A4) and anion exchanger (AE)4 (SLC4A9) in β-intercalated cells (β-ICs) of the rabbit cortical collecting duct (CCD) to better characterize the adaptation to acid-base disturbances. Confocal analysis and 3-D reconstruction of β-ICs, using identifiers of the nucleus and zona occludens, permitted the specific orientation of cells from normal, acidotic, and recovering rabbits, so that adaptive changes could be quantified and compared. The pendrin cap likely mediates apical Cl−/HCO3− exchange, but it was also found beneath the zona occludens and in early endosomes, some of which may recycle back to the apical membrane via Rab11a+ vesicles. Acidosis reduced the size of the pendrin cap, observed as a large decrease in cap volume above and below the zona occludens, and the volume of the Rab11a+ apical recycling compartment. Correction of the acidosis over 12–18 h reversed these changes. Consistent with its proposed function in the basolateral exit of Na+ via Na+-HCO3− cotransport, AE4 was expressed as a barrel-like structure in the lateral membrane of β-ICs. Acidosis reduced AE4 expression in β-ICs, but this was rapidly reversed during the recovery from acidosis. The coordinate regulation of pendrin and AE4 during acidosis and recovery is likely to affect the magnitude of acid-base and possibly Na+ transport across the CCD. In conclusion, acidosis induces a downregulation of AE expression in β-ICs and a diminished presence of pendrin in apical recycling endosomes.
Los caminos del enfermo en una comunidad K'iche' de Guatemala: una contribución del análisis de redes al estudio de los comportamientos de búsqueda de atención en salud

Introduction: The aim of this study was to broaden understanding about careseeking behavior through the analysis of the transitions people make between different forms of treatment. Methodology: A survey of disease prevalence in 229 households from the community identified 92 people with severe illnesses, who were interviewed to establish the actions they took regarding the enferemdad. The actions correspond to one of the following categories: waiting, home remedies, purchase of medicine, or professional use (traditional, biomedical or divine healing). These therapeutic categories were tabulated in an array the same way. Netdraw program was used to plot the network of transitions between therapeutic categories. UCINET was used to calculate the density of the network, the degree of centrality and brokerage for each treatment category. Results: The network density was 98%. For the entire network, the degree of centrality outward and inward was 35 and 27% respectively. The degree of interference was between 1% to traditional
Fluorine-assisted super-halo for sub-50-nm transistors

The potential of using a fluorine-assisted super-halo for sub-50-nm transistors is analyzed for the first time. The capability of producing a super-sharp halo using fluorine is demonstrated by one-dimensional (1-D) SIMS profiles. The added ability to tailor the halo profile using fluorine for different transistor criteria on junction capacitance, tunneling current, V/sub t/ roll-off, and mobility is demonstrated. The impact of the resulting fluorine-assisted halo dopant profile on the transistor characteristics is evaluated using TCAD simulations. Experimental data show that the fluorine-assisted halo process results in lowered junction capacitance and improved I/sub on/-I/sub off/ characteristics for both nMOS and pMOS.
Human Claspin works with BRCA1 to both positively and negatively regulate cell proliferation

Claspin is a homolog of Mrc1, a checkpoint protein required for the DNA replication checkpoint in yeast. In Xenopus, phosphorylated Claspin binds to xChk1 and regulates xChk1 activation in response to replication stress. In this study, we have shown that the human homolog of Claspin is required for resistance to multiple forms of genotoxic stress including UV, IR, and hydroxyurea. Phosphorylation of Claspin was found to depend on the ataxia telangiectasia mutated-Rad3 related (ATR) pathway. DNA damage induces the formation of a complex between Claspin and BRCA1, a second regulator of Chk1 activation. Claspin was found to control BRCA1 phosphorylation on serine 1524, a site whose phosphorylation is controlled by the ATR pathway. These results are consistent with a model in which ATR regulates Claspin phosphorylation in response to DNA damage and replication stress resulting in recruitment and phosphorylation of BRCA1. BRCA1 and Claspin then function to activate the tumor suppressor Chk1. Unexpectedly, we found that Claspin has a second, positive role in control of the cell cycle as Claspin overexpression increased cell proliferation. These results suggest that Claspin has properties of both a tumor suppressor and an oncogene.
Causas estruturais e consequências dos regimes internacionais: regimes como variáveis intervenientes

Os regimes internacionais sao definidos como principios, normas, regras e procedimentos de tomada de decisoes ao redor dos quais as expectativas dos atores convergem em uma dada area-tema. Como ponto de partida, os regimes sao conceituados como variaveis intervenientes, estando entre fatores causais basicos e os resultados e comportamentos relacionados. Ha tres visoes a respeito da importância dos regimes: as orientacoes estruturais convencionais desvalorizam os regimes como sendo, na melhor das hipoteses, ineficazes; as orientacoes grocianas veem os regimes como componentes intimos do sistema internacional; as perspectivas estruturalistas modificadas veem os regimes como significativos somente em certas condicoes restritas. Para os argumentos grociano e estruturalista modificado – que concordam com a visao de que os regimes podem influenciar resultados e comportamentos –, o desenvolvimento de regimes e visto como uma funcao de cinco variaveis causais basicas: auto-interesse egoista; poder politico; normas e principios difusos; usos e costumes; conhecimento.
Detecting differential item functioning using generalized logistic regression in the context of large-scale assessments

When studying student performance across different countries or cultures, an important aspect for comparisons is that of score comparability. In other words, it is imperative that the latent variable (i.e., construct of interest) is understood and measured equivalently across all participating groups or countries, if our inferences regarding performance can be regarded as valid. Relatively fewer studies examined an item-level approach to measurement equivalence, particularly in settings where a large number of groups is included. This simulation study examines item-level differential item functioning (DIF) in the context of international large-scale assessment (ILSA) using a generalized logistic regression approach. Manipulated factors included the number of groups (10 or 20), magnitude of DIF, percent of DIF items, the nature of DIF, as well as the percent of affected groups with DIF. Results suggested that the number of groups did not have an effect of the performance of the method (high power and low Type I error rates); however, other factors had impacted the accuracy. Specifically, Type I error rates were inflated in non-DIF conditions, while they were very conservative in all of the DIF conditions. Power was generally high, in particular in conditions where DIF magnitude was large, with one exception – in conditions where DIF was introduced in difficulty parameters and the percent of DIF items was 60. Our findings presented a mixed picture with respect to the performance of the generalized logistic regression method in the context of large number of groups with large sample sizes. In the presence of DIF, the method was successful in distinguishing between DIF and non-DIF, as evidenced by low Type I error and high power rates. On the other hand, however, in the absence of DIF, the method yielded increased Type I errors.
Arsenic trioxide induces oxidative stress, DNA damage, and mitochondrial pathway of apoptosis in human leukemia (HL-60) cells

Acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) is a subtype of acute myeloid leukemia (AML), which accounts for approximately 10% of all acute myloid leukemia cases. It is a blood cancer that is formed by chromosomal mutation. Each year in the United States, APL affects about 1,500 patients of all age groups and causes approximately 1.2% of cancer deaths. Arsenic trioxide (ATO) has been used successfully for treatment of APL patients, and both induction and consolidated therapy have resulted in complete remission. Recently published studies from our laboratory have demonstrated that ATO pharmacology as an anti-leukemic drug is associated with cytotoxic and genotoxic effects in leukemia cells. In the present study, we further investigated the detailed molecular mechanism of ATO-mediated intrinsic pathway of apoptosis; using HL-60 cells as a test model. Oxidative stress was assessed by spectrophotometric measurements of MDA and GSH levels while genotoxicity was determined by single cell gel electrophoresis (Comet assay). Apoptosis pathway was analyzed by Western blot analysis of Bax, Bcl2 and caspase 3 expression, as well as immunocytochemistry and confocal imaging of Bax and Cyt c translocation and mitochondrial membrane potential depolarization. ATO significantly (p < 0.05) induces oxidative stress, DNA damage, and caspase 3 activityin HL-60 cells in a dose-dependent manner. It also activated the intrinsic pathway of apoptosis by significantly modulating (p < 0.05) the expression and translocation of apoptotic molecules and decreasing the mitochondrial membrane potential in leukemia cells. Taken together, our research demonstrated that ATO induces mitochondrial pathway of apoptosis in HL-60 cells. This apoptotic signaling is modulated via oxidative stress, DNA damage, and change in mitochondrial membrane potential, translocation and upregulation of apoptotic proteins leading programmed cell death.
Number and Stoichiometry of Subunits in the Native Atrial G-protein-gated K+ Channel, IKACh

The G-protein-regulated, inwardly rectifying K+ (GIRK) channels are critical for functions as diverse as heart rate modulation and neuronal post-synaptic inhibition. GIRK channels are distributed predominantly throughout the heart, brain, and pancreas. In recent years, GIRK channels have received a great deal of attention for their direct G-protein βγ (Gβγ) regulation. Native cardiac IKACh is composed of GIRK1 and GIRK4 subunits (Krapivinsky, G., Gordon, E. A., Wickman, K. A., Velimirovic, B., Krapivinsky, L., and Clapham, D. E. (1995) Nature 374, 135–141). Here, we examine the quaternary structure of IKACh using a variety of complementary approaches. Complete cross-linking of purified atrial IKACh protein formed a single adduct with a total molecular weight that was most consistent with a tetramer. In addition, partial cross-linking of purified IKACh produced subsets of molecular weights consistent with monomers, dimers, trimers, and tetramers. Within the presumed protein dimers, GIRK1-GIRK1 and GIRK4-GIRK4 adducts were formed, indicating that the tetramer was composed of two GIRK1 and two GIRK4 subunits. This 1:1 GIRK1 to GIRK4 stoichiometry was confirmed by two independent means, including densitometry of both silver-stained and Western-blotted native atrial IKACh. Similar experimental results could potentially be obtained if GIRK1 and GIRK4 subunits assembled randomly as 2:2 and equally sized populations of 3:1 and 1:3 tetramers. We also show that GIRK subunits may form homotetramers in expression systems, although the evidence to date suggests that GIRK1 homotetramers are not functional. We conclude that the inwardly rectifying atrial K+ channel, IKACh, a prototypical GIRK channel, is a heterotetramer and is most likely composed of two GIRK1 subunits and two GIRK4 subunits.
Effect of contention resolution rules on the performance of deflection routing

The authors investigate the effect of contention resolution (CR) rules on the performance of deflection routing. A new livelock-free prioritized CR rule, which is based on a packet's distance to the destination and the number of deflections suffered by it, is proposed. The performance-in terms of the average throughput, the average network delay and the delay distribution-of this CR rule is compared with those of other commonly used CR rules. Results show that prioritized CR rules improve the performance in networks using unbuffered deflection routing. It is observed that prioritized CR rules have hardly any effect on the performance of buffered deflection routing. These results suggest that using the random CR rule with output buffers is a better way to improve the performance than implementing complicated CR rules which sacrifice the switching speed inherent in deflection routing. >
Risk-Specific Optimal Cancer Screening Schedules: An Application to Breast Cancer Early Detection

The optimal schedules for breast cancer screening in terms of examination frequency and ages at examination are of practical interest. A decision-theoretic approach is explored to search for optimal cancer screening programs which should achieve maximum survival benefit while balancing the associated cost to the health care system. We propose a class of utility functions that account for costs associated with screening examinations and value of survival benefit under a non-stable disease model. We consider two different optimization criteria: optimize the number of screening examinations with equal screening intervals between exams but without a prefixed total cost; and optimize the ages at which screening should be given for a fixed total cost. We show that an optimal solution exists under each of the two frameworks. The proposed methods may consider women at different levels of risk for breast cancer so that the optimal screening strategies will be tailored according to a woman’s risk of developing the disease. Results of a numerical study are presented and the proposed models are illustrated with various data inputs. We also use the data inputs from the Health Insurance Plan of New York (HIP) and Canadian National Breast Screening Study (CNBSS) to illustrate the proposed models and to compare the utility values between the optimal schedules and the actual schedules in the HIP and CNBSS trials. Here, the utility is defined as the difference in cure rates between cases found at screening examinations and cases found between screening examinations while accounting for the cost of examinations, under a given screening schedule.
Fracture analysis of notched composites

In this study the problem of part-through cracks emanating from a central notch in a composite laminate is considered. The composite laminate is modeled as an orthotropic plate and along the branches, it is assumed that the stresses are carried by the fibers only. The stresses along the uncracked portions are assumed to be proportional to the crack opening displacement at that point. After formulating the branched crack problem, the model is applied to a (±45 deg)2s composite laminate. The stress concentration factors for the fibers are computed for various values of the spring constant K. Sample results showing the crack opening displacement are also displayed in the figures.
Rates of occupant deaths in vehicle rollover: importance of fatality-risk factors

Fatality-based rates—for example, the numbers of occupant deaths per 10,000 registered vehicle years—are often used to compare the "realworld performance" of passenger vehicles. One assumption, often implicit, is that such rates reflect more the design or characteristics of vehicles and less the human and environmental factors that can increase the risk of fatality. The purpose of this study was to examine the importance of selected fatality-risk factors for the magnitude and meaning of fatality-based rates. The objectives were to quantify the influence of fatality-risk factors, to adjust fatality-based rates for that influence, and to assess how well adjusted rates measured differences for various groupings of vehicles. The focus of this study was on rollovers in single-vehicle crashes involving light-duty trucks. Statistical models of fatality risk were developed with multivariate logistic regression applied to data on single-vehicle rollovers of any severity. Raw counts of occupant fatalities based on ...
Dosing and Monitoring of Trace Elements in Long-Term Home Parenteral Nutrition Patients

Background: Trace elements (TEs) dosing and monitoring in home parenteral nutrition (PN) patients vary with their underlying conditions. Methods: This retrospective observational study evaluated parenteral TE dosing, serum TE concentrations and monitoring, and dose-concentration relationships between TE doses and serum TE concentrations in 26 adult and adolescent home PN patients. Results: There was a total of 40,493 PN days. Average parenteral zinc doses of 9.1 mg/d and 7.6 mg/d resulted in the majority of serum zinc concentrations (90%) within normal range in patients with and without short bowel syndrome (SBS), respectively. Selenium at about 70 mcg/d resulted in about 60% of serum selenium concentrations within normal range, with 38% of values below normal in patients with and without SBS alike. Copper at 1 mg/d resulted in 22.5% of serum copper concentrations above the normal range. The majority of serum manganese (94.6%) and chromium (96%) concentrations were elevated. Serum TE concentrations were i...
Spontaneous Rupture of a Left Main Coronary Artery Aneurysm

We report a case of left main coronary artery (LMCA) aneurysm rupture while the patient was hospitalized and immediately after imaging with 2 noninvasive cardiac modalities. An 85-year-old man with history of atrial fibrillation, prostate cancer, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia presented with sudden lightheadedness, chest pressure, and junctional bradycardia (heart rate, 40 bpm). He was admitted to a telemetry bed; warfarin was held and unfractionated heparin was administered. The following day, heparin was held because of supratherapeutic-activated partial thromboplastin times. Transthoracic echocardiogram was performed demonstrating normal ejection fraction, normal wall motion, mild aortic root dilatation, and no pericardial effusion; nothing unusual about the coronary anatomy was noted. Computed tomography coronary angiography to evaluate for coronary artery disease and computed tomography of the chest with contrast to evaluate for pulmonary embolism were performed shortly afterward. Preliminary reports for these studies indicated no pulmonary embolus, mildly aneurysmal thoracic aorta, no thrombus in the left atrial appendage, and <50% stenosis of the left anterior descending ostium. A subsequent final interpretation reported an aneurysmal LMCA (Figure 1). Shortly after returning to his room, the patient developed sudden, severe hypotension and left chest discomfort. Intravenous fluids and vasopressors were administered with minimal effect. Urgent repeat transthoracic ECG showed a new, large pericardial effusion with tamponade (Figure 2). Because of refractory hypotension, emergency pericardiocentesis was arranged. Figure 1. Large left main coronary artery (LCMA) aneurysm on coronary computed tomography angiogram. …
Integrated distributed amplifier with passive-free input driver

High efficiency amplifier operation (class-D, E and S) conceptually approaches an ideal switched transistor model. Driver signals are of sufficient level to ensure that the devices are saturated and cut off during the proper parts of the RF cycle. Conventional sine wave input signals are generated with lower efficiency cascaded power gain stages. Deep sub-micron CMOS technology and improved power device input terminal parameters, have created a novel opportunity for a new switching signal driver design approach. This can be extended to distributed power amplifier application to replace the passive lumped transmission line input network with an integrated active solution.
Results: Developments of New Radical Cascades with N-Acylcyanamides

Since radical cascades using cyanamides have been reported only starting from aryl radicals, we have wished to broaden the scope of these cascades. Our objectives were to test the reactivity of alkyl, vinyl and aminyl radicals in this process. Indeed, the use of alkyl and vinyl radical should provide us with a straightforward access to natural and biologically active quinazolinones; while the use of aminyl radicals should afford the first radical synthesis of guanidines.
Reconstructive surgery of hands with injured central metacarpophalangeal joints.

1. The early treatment of injuries in the center of the hand should be directed toward the preservation of motion in the metacarpophalangeal joints. 2. Repair of the tendons and nerves and occasionally even of the bone should be delayed until the wounds in the damaged joints have healed and until motion has been restored. 3. Amputation should never be performed until it is certain that no further use may be made of the good parts of the finger which is to be deleted. 4. Single joint injuries can be treated by capsulotomy, fusion, or amputation combined with metacarpal transfer or recession of the digit into the palm. 5. A hand with a double joint injury may sometimes be reconstructed by combining the good parts of two worthless fingers into a single useful digit. 6. Multiple tendon transfers and joint arthrodesis may be performed to restore effective pinch to a hand in which the motor branch of the ulnar nerve has been disrupted.
Abstract T P10: Hounsfield Unit Value and Clot Length in the Acutely Occlude Vessel and Time Required to Achieve Thrombectomy, Complications and Outcome

Introduction: Intra-arterial therapy for acute ischemic stroke (AIS) now has an established role. We investigated if Hounsfield Units (HU) quantification on noncontrast CT is associated with ease and efficacy of mechanical thrombectomy and outcomes. Methods: We retrospectively studied a prospectively maintained database of cases of acute ischemic stroke that underwent intra-arterial therapy between May 2008 and August 2012. Functional outcome was assessed by ninety-day follow up modified Rankin Scale (mRS). Patients were dichotomized base on time to recanalization. Hounsfield units were calculated on head CT. Thrombus location and length were determined on CT angiography. Simple linear regression was used to analyze the association between clot length, average HU, and other clinical variables. Results: 141 patients were included. There was no difference in clot length or average HU among patients with good recanalization achieved within an hour compared to those in which procedures extended beyond an hour. There was no relationship between clot length or density and recanalization. The thrombus length and density were not significantly different between patients with procedural complications and those without. The presence of post procedure intracranial hemorrhage was not associated with thrombus length or density. Ninety day mRS was not associated with thrombus length or density. Conclusions: We have not found any significant associations between either thrombus length or density and likelihood of recanalization, time to achieve recanalization, intraprocedural complications, postprocedural hemorrhage or functional outcome at ninety days. These results do not support a predictive value for thrombus quantification in the evaluation of AIS.
Unilateral Powers, Public Opinion, and the Presidency

This article explores mass attitudes toward unilateral presidential power. We argue that mass attitudes toward presidential power reflect evaluations of the current president as well as more fundamental conceptions about the nature of the office, which are rooted in beliefs about the rule of law. In four nationally representative surveys, we find low levels of support for unilateral powers, that these attitudes are stable over time, and that they are structured both by presidential approval and beliefs in the rule of law. In a fifth survey, we show that political context conditions support for unilateral power, and in a sixth we show that these attitudes are consequential for policy evaluation. Even during the Obama presidency, when presidential power is highly politicized, voters distinguish the president from the presidency. Our results have important implications for public opinion’s role in constraining the use of presidential power.
Counterinsurgency as Cargo Cult

We go through the motions of “counterinsurgency” without focusing on what really matters. This leads to a focus on process metrics instead of outcome: shuras held versus local goodwill, number of partnered operations rather than real relationships built outside the wire, dollars spent versus actual popular commitment, IEDs found versus demonstrated local security forces readiness. The result is an outlook that is ill-suited to deal with the nuances of fighting small wars, which depend more on understanding local culture and character than on executing time-tested battle drills.
Polarization holding in randomly perturbed fibers

In many applications, single-mode fibers which can transmit a stable well-defined state of polarization are required. This has led to development of several types of highly birefringent fibers which should be able to hold, or propagate, linearly polarized light along the entire fiber length, even when subjected to irregular and time-dependent perturbing birefringences. These polarization-maintaining fibers are usually characterized by the strength of their linear birefringence βi or, equivalently, their beat length Lp = 2π//βi which can be measured quite simply. The more relevant characterization, namely, how well the fibers hold polarization when subjected to perturbations, is not so simple to perform.
What Goes Wrong with Lon in Ageing

We have shown previously that the product of the human lon gene, the Lon protease, selectively degrades oxidized mitochondrial proteins, thus preventing their aggregation and cross-linking. We have also shown that lon is a stress-responsive gene, whose protease product is a stress-responsive protein that is induced by multiple stressors, including heat shock, serum starvation, and oxidative stress. Lon induction, by pre-treatment with low-level stress, protects against oxidative protein damage, diminished mitochondrial function, and loss of cell proliferation, induced by toxic levels of hydrogen peroxide. Blocking Lon induction, with lon siRNA, also blocks this induced protection. All of these results were obtained in young, healthy cells. In senescent cells, and in older primary cells, however, Lon activity declines, and adaptational responses become sluggish or even ineffectual. Studies in Drosophila melanogaster flies and in mice now suggest that declining Lon activity and declining responsiveness to stress, may contribute to the ageing process, and to various age-associated diseases. We propose that Lon is a generalized stress-protective enzyme whose decline may contribute to the increased levels of protein damage and mitochondrial dysfunction observed in ageing and various age-related diseases. We further propose that impaired ability to induce lon, and other stress-responsive genes, now needs to be included in any Free Radical Theory of Ageing.
Students’ verbal exchanges and dynamics during Sport Education

In physical education (PE), children frequently participate in teams and the exchanges that transpire shape their perspectives and subsequently, influence learning. While Sport Education is one pedagogical model designed to enhance social exchanges through team membership, we previously identified the need for additional research to monitor these exchanges more closely. This study examined the verbal exchanges of students in two fourth grade PE classes participating in a season of team handball. One mixed-skill team from Class 1 (a heterogeneous skill league) and one low-skill team from Class 2 (a homogeneous skill league) were selected for in-depth study. Data collection included videotaped lessons from each team. Data analysis produced descriptive results of the frequency and focus of students’ individual exchanges. Our results indicated middle-to-high status students had higher rates of exchanges at the commencement of the season segments. Students in the homogeneous league had higher frequencies of ex...
Variable Adherence of Uropathogenic Escherichia Coli to Epithelial Cells from Women with Recurrent Urinary Tract Infection

AbstractThe adherence of 74 Escherichia coli strains to vaginal and buccal epithelial cells from women with recurrent urinary tract infections was studied. The strains were isolated from the urine, vaginal introitus or anal mucosa of women with recurrent bacteriuria. Vaginal and anal isolates were judged to be associated with urinary tract infection if they had the same biotype and serotype as the strain isolated subsequently from the urine. Adherence levels of urinary and anal isolates, and vaginal isolates associated with urinary tract infection were similar for vaginal and buccal cells. Adherence of vaginal isolates not associated with urinary tract infection was significantly lower than adherence of urinary isolates for vaginal (p less than 0.001) and buccal (p less than 0.005) epithelial cells. A positive nonlinear correlation between vaginal and buccal adherence was observed for urinary (r equals 0.87, p less than 0.0001), vaginal (r equals 0.70, p less than 0.0005) and anal (r equals 0.32, p equals...
Chapter 27 - Incredibly Efficient Use of a Negative Hypergeometric Distribution in Randomized Response Techniques

Abstract In this chapter, a new randomized response device is proposed based on the use of a pair of negative hypergeometric distribution when estimating the proportion of persons in a population possessing a sensitive characteristic in a population. The proposed resultant estimator is found to be more efficient than the recent model studied by Singh and Sedory (2013) and hence in turn remains more efficient than the Warner (1965) , the Kuk (1990) , and the Mangat (1994) estimators under the same situations investigated by Singh and Sedory (2013) .
Presidency under Siege

It is easy for observers, watching a nation in crisis, to conclude that matters cannot worsen, that when economic, political, and security structures are stretched to a “certain” point, “something” must happen. True, coups d’etat are a feature of the unstable third world, and generally happen at low points of regimes’ popularity and standing, as is true of the Philippines. But regimes have an ability to decline in standing far greater than was believed possible when scholars began analyzing political stability in the developing world. In Africa in the 1980s, for example, numerous unpopular regimes held on to power year after year, even decade after decade, despite the absence of any apparent popular support or raison d’etre.
On the Presuppositional Behavior of Coherence-Driven Pragmatic Enrichments

When interpreting a sentence such as Every time the company fires an employee who comes in late, a union complaint is lodged , an addressee is likely to infer that the union will only complain when an employee is fired because he came in late. One is thus led to ask why a purely pragmatic enrichment of this sort -- one drawn despite no risk of interpretative failure nor other linguistic mandate -- would intrude upon truth conditions. We argue that this effect results from the interaction among three pragmatic phenomena: presupposition, the associative mechanisms that underlie the establishment of coherence in discourse, and the calculation of domain restriction for quantificational operators. Because the analysis does not consider the operative enrichments to be species of implicature, we claim that such cases do not represent an intrusion of implicature into truth-conditional content. Instead, they merely involve the context-dependent determination of quantificational domains.
Transient Dissipation and Structural Costs of Physical Information Transduction.

A central result that arose in applying information theory to the stochastic thermodynamics of nonlinear dynamical systems is the Information-Processing Second Law (IPSL): the physical entropy of the universe can decrease if compensated by the Shannon-Kolmogorov-Sinai entropy change of appropriate information-carrying degrees of freedom. In particular, the asymptotic-rate IPSL precisely delineates the thermodynamic functioning of autonomous Maxwellian demons and information engines. How do these systems begin to function as engines, Landauer erasers, and error correctors? Here, we identify a minimal, inescapable transient dissipation engendered by physical information processing not captured by asymptotic rates, but critical to adaptive thermodynamic processes such as found in biological systems. A component of transient dissipation, we also identify an implementation-dependent cost that varies from one physical substrate to another for the same information processing task. Applying these results to producing structured patterns from a structureless information reservoir, we show that "retrodictive" generators achieve the minimal costs. The results establish the thermodynamic toll imposed by a physical system's structure as it comes to optimally transduce information.
Impression management and interview and job performance ratings: A meta-analysis of research design with tactics in mind.

Impression management (IM) is pervasive in interview and job performance settings. We meta-analytically examine IM by self- and other-focused tactics to establish base rates of tactic usage, to understand the impact of tactics on interview and job performance ratings, and to examine the moderating effects of research design. Our results suggest IM is used more frequently in the interview rather than job performance settings. Self-focused tactics are more effective in the interview rather than in job performance settings, and other-focused tactics are more effective in job performance settings rather than in the interview. We explore several research design moderators including research fidelity, rater, and participants. IM has a somewhat stronger impact on interview ratings in lab settings than field settings. IM also has a stronger impact on interview ratings when the target of IM is also the rater of performance than when the rater of performance is an observer. Finally, labor market participants use IM more frequently and more effectively than students in interview settings. Our research has implications for understanding how different IM tactics function in interview and job performance settings and the effects of research design on IM frequency and impact.
Surgical Aspects of Moyamoya Disease

Abstract Moyamoya disease (MMD) is a rare cerebrovascular occlusive disorder affecting the main trunks of the circle of Willis with the development of basal collateralization, resulting in the characteristic “puff of smoke” appearance. It affects diverse ethnicities, with bimodal age distributions. In children and North American adults, cerebral ischemia is the most common presentation, while nearly 50% of Japanese adult series presented with intracranial hemorrhage. With a morbidity rate of over 65% in medically treated patients, surgical revascularization for symptomatic MMD is recommended. As of 2016, there is no randomized controlled trial that has determined whether direct or indirect revascularization is superior in the management of MMD. Based on our experience, we advocate direct bypass in the majority of cases, as it also has the added benefit of indirect collateralization after the initial increased cerebral perfusion to the at-risk territory.
specgen: A Tool for Modeling Statecharts in CSP

We present specgen, a tool for translating statecharts to the Communicating Sequential Processes language (CSP), where they may be explored and verified using FDR, the CSP model checker. We build on earlier algorithms for translating statecharts to CSP by supporting additional features, simplifying the generated models, and implementing a practical tool for statecharts built in Enterprise Architect, a commercially available modeling environment. We demonstrate the tool on a standard example.
Abstract 355: Systems Epigenomics of Chromatin Structure in the Heart

Except during metaphase, endogenous chromatin structure is unknown. DNA - invariant between cells - and the cell type-specific modifiers of the genome establish chromatin structural features, both local (e.g. at the scale of individual nucleosomes) and global (e.g. chromosomal territories). A fundamental question is how these cell type-specific modifiers, including DNA modification, non-coding RNAs, and proteins, establish the chromatin environment conducive to gene expression for the correct cell type: in cardiac muscle, how is the genome structurally poised to confer cardiac (and not, say, renal) transcriptomes and proteomes, and what physical reprogramming events occur during disease? To address these questions, we are conducting a systems analysis of the epigenetic features of the healthy and diseased heart. In adult mice, we have used quantitative mass spectrometry to dissect distinct fractions of the nucleus and reveal the itineraries of chromatin structural proteins, enzymatic nucleosome remodelers, histone molecules and histone post-translational modifications. These studies have revealed rules for global reprogramming of gene expression, which involve altered abundance of non-histone chromatin structural proteins, a shift from hetero- towards euchromatic post-translational marks and a decreased linker to core histone ratio in heart failure. Furthermore, interrogation of genome-wide binding patterns of known cardiac transcription factors within the genes that encode proteins operative in cardiac genomic structure reveals hierarchical relationships between these protein, transcript and gene networks. Complementary investigations in isolated myocytes are characterizing the global rearrangement of chromatin following hypertrophic agonist treatment using conventional and super-resolution microscopy to directly visualize the chromatin backbone. Lastly, a combination of multiple genomic scale sequencing studies have revealed regions under control of specific chromatin structural proteins. Together, these studies aim to address the basic question of how global chromatin structure is maintained in cardiac myocytes and how diseases like heart failure result from deranged chromatin structure on a genomic scale.
Formulations Regarding an Experimental Analysis of Covert Impulse and Depression Responses as Mediators of Consummatory S—R Sequences

The present paper analyzes the possible role of covert impulse and emotional responses in mediating consummatory stimulus-response sequences. The hypothesis forwarded is that this mediational role can develop under certain conditions in which consummatory stimulus-response sequences are blocked by inhibiting setting factors.
Highlights of drug - and herb- induced liver injury in the literature from 2016: how best to translate new information into clinical practice?

ABSTRACTIntroduction: Over 1500 papers on drug-induced liver injury (DILI) and herb-induced liver injury (HILI) were published in 2016, many of which have the potential to impact clinical practice.Areas covered: Clinical studies and case series that lent themselves to new concepts in diagnosing, and treating DILI were selected for inclusion. Epidemiology of DILI in large prospective registries was highlighted. Causality assessment of drug hepatotoxicity remains challenging, as seen with cases of OxyELITE Pro (OEP). In 2016 updates to the Roussel Uclaf Causality Assessment Method (RUCAM) were published to aid in the accuracy of diagnosing DILI/HILI. New reports of established hepatotoxins were again discussed in 2016, including genetic risk factors for DILI with respect to antituberculous agents.Expert opinion: 2016 marked a turning point in how much credence should be placed in the current causality assessment for DILI/HILI cases. Many recognized hepatotoxins are backed by a relatively few number of liter...
Changes in cortical network connectivity with long-term brain-machine interface exposure after chronic amputation.

Studies on neural plasticity associated with brain–machine interface (BMI) exposure have primarily documented changes in single neuron activity, and largely in intact subjects. Here, we demonstrate significant changes in ensemble-level functional connectivity among primary motor cortical (MI) neurons of chronically amputated monkeys exposed to control a multiple-degree-of-freedom robot arm. A multi-electrode array was implanted in M1 contralateral or ipsilateral to the amputation in three animals. Two clusters of stably recorded neurons were arbitrarily assigned to control reach and grasp movements, respectively. With exposure, network density increased in a nearly monotonic fashion in the contralateral monkeys, whereas the ipsilateral monkey pruned the existing network before re-forming a denser connectivity. Excitatory connections among neurons within a cluster were denser, whereas inhibitory connections were denser among neurons across the two clusters. These results indicate that cortical network connectivity can be modified with BMI learning, even among neurons that have been chronically de-efferented and de-afferented due to amputation.