cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Boron Supplementation of a Semipurified Diet for Weanling Pigs Improves Feed Efficiency and Bone Strength Characteristics and Alters Plasma Lipid Metabolites

Two experiments were conducted to determine effects of dietary boron (B) on performance, plasma minerals and metabolites, and bone characteristics in young pigs. In Experiment 1, 48 pigs (24 males, 24 females; 21 d old) were allotted to pens, which were randomly assigned to one of the following dietary treatments: 1) control (natural ingredient diet; 6.7 mg B/kg diet), 2) control + 5 mg B/kg diet and 3) control + 15 mg B/kg diet. Boron was supplemented as sodium borate. In Experiment 2, 48 pigs (24 males, 24 females; 21 d old) were assigned to the same treatments described in Experiment 1; however, the basal diet was a semipurified diet (0.98 mg B/kg diet). Diets were fed for 40 d; on d 40, blood samples were obtained for determination of plasma mineral and metabolite concentrations. Femurs were harvested from 8 pigs per treatment on d 40 for determination of mechanical properties, ash and lipid percentage. In Experiment 1, B did not affect performance, plasma minerals or metabolites or bone properties. In Experiment 2, B supplementation improved (P: < 0.05) the gain:feed ratio and increased plasma cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations. There was a treatment x sex interaction (P: < 0.05) in Experiment 2 for bone lipid to be lower and bending moment to be higher, with the response occurring in male pigs. Other dependent variables in Experiment 2 were not affected by treatment. In conclusion, B supplementation of a low B diet elicited responses of physiologic importance to pigs. However, B supplementation of a natural ingredient diet did not elicit a response.
PAHLS: towards run-time synthesis for FPGAs

In this abstract, we have presented our research efforts toward the integration of physical synthesis with high level synthesis. By incorporating physical considerations into high level specification, we restrict computations and communications to geographic proximities while reserve the quality of the final result to a large extent within limited resources of FPGAs. We believe that the proposed methodology provides possible directions for synthesis unification of high level abstraction and lower level implementation, and is on the right track towards achieving a well-balanced (or even a globally optimum mapping, this is the long-run objective of PAHLS) synthesis result.
“You’re Not a Stone” Emotional Sensitivity in a Bureaucratic Setting

Although the emotion management perspective dominates the micro-sociological study of emotions, a phenomenological approach provides access to phenomena that are inaccessible through emotion management. While the former shows the strategic management of one’s emotions to conform to norms, the latter reveals the myriad ways in which emotions move us. Indeed, if not for the poignant resonance of emotions in social life, emotions would hardly be worth “managing.” This article will employ a phenomenological perspective on emotions as they were expressed by applicants and workers in a Section 8 housing office throughout the course of eligibility interviews. I will show that despite giving off an impression of detachment and neutrality, workers are unavoidably sensitive to the emotional displays of applicants. Hence, a research agenda focusing on interpersonal emotional sensitivity is proposed as a complement to the conceptualization of emotions as managed.
The Polemic with Rousseau over Gender and Sociability in E. S. Urusova's Polion (1774)

One of the basic challenges we face in reading eighteenth-century works of literature is loss of context, the lack of those cultural conventions and points of reference that give meaning, substance, and life to any communicative act. This is particularly the case as regards eighteenth-century Russian women's writing, which has only recently begun to be uncovered and explored. A case in point is Princess Ekaterina Urusova (1747-after 1816) and her Polion or the Misanthrope Enlightened (1774), one of the first individual poetic works and the first poema published by a Russian woman writer.1 While many of Urusova's works were published anonymously, there is evidence that she was known and earned significant recognition as an author. In 1772, the year her first individually issued work came out, a verse epistle to R D. Eropkin, Nikolai Novikov praised the poet's songs, elegies, "and other small poems" for their "pure style, delicacy and pleasant descriptions," even though to that date Urusova had not published any short works?at least, not under her name.2 A few years later the anonymous reviewer of Urusova's Heroldes Dedicated to the Muses {Mil) noted that Polion was by the same unnamed but known woman author, and declared that it had "long since earned the praises and respect of our best Poets."3 Derzhavin referred to Urusova in his Memoirs as a "famous poet (slavnaia stikhotvoritsa) of that time" (the 1770s), but noted that he had jokingly declined the suggestion to marry her on
Infrastructure Investment in Weak Institutional Contexts: Exit Threats and Regulatory Bargaining in the Argentine Electricity and Water Sectors

Inspired by Hirschman’s classic Exit, Voice and Loyalty (1970), a venerable line of scholarship in political economy has argued that government economic policy can be influenced by investor threats of exit. Exit threats issued by firms operating in capital-intensive industries such as infrastructure and utilities are assumed to be less credible, which makes them vulnerable to governmental opportunism, particularly in weak institutional environments that provide few checks upon policymakers. The vulnerability of firms operating in weak institutional environments is heightened because of the intensity and frequency of economic crises in such settings. These crises typically prompt governments to revise original contractual conditions. This paper offers a new framework for understanding project and sector-level variation in post-crisis negotiation outcomes that turns standard exit cost arguments on their head. We argue that investors that are more patient as a result of high exit costs and that can draw on a broad range of informal bargaining strategies are more likely to conclude contract renegotiations yielding crucial changes that allow them to operate on more favorable terms in a given market. This paper assesses the explanatory power of this argument through an examination of an original panel dataset of exit decisions and contract renegotiation outcomes in the electricity distribution and water and sanitation sectors in Argentina following the 2001-2002 macroeconomic crisis.
Immunosuppressive Treatment Can Alter Visual Performance in the Royal College of Surgeons Rat.

Abstract Purpose: Immunosuppression is frequently employed to enhance survival of xenografted human cells as part of translational proof-of-concept studies. However, the potential effects of this treatment are easily overlooked. Methods: As part of baseline testing in the dark-eyed variant of the dystrophic Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) rat, we documented the time course of retinal degenerative changes versus Long Evans controls using bright field retinal imaging, fluorescein angiography, and histology and examined the impact of immunosuppression on visual function. Rats received either no treatment or systemic immunosuppression with oral cyclosporine A and injectable dexamethasone and subsequently underwent functional evaluation by optomotor response testing and electroretinography (ERG) at multiple intervals from P45 to P180. Results: Immunosuppressed RCS animals demonstrated poorer performance on functional tests than age-matched untreated rats during the earlier stages of degeneration, including sig...
Action of Ascorbic Acid and Hydrogen Peroxide on Collagen and Thymonucleohistone.

SummaryAscorbic acid and hydrogen peroxide cause an irreversible reduction of viscosity of solutions of collagen and thymo-nucleohistone.
Threshold Fracture of Networks

We discuss the threshold fracture energy, GO, of networks over a wide range of cross-link density. C, for networks with an average number of main chain steps, ςc, that compare favorably with the entanglement spacing, ςc, follow the 1/2 power law, Go - ς1/2. Two views of molecular fracture, one a chain-breaking mechanism and the other a suction process, produce the 1/2 power law. For lightly cross-linked networks (ςc ≫ ςe), Go appears to decrease with increasing ςc. Trapped entanglements limit the extensibility and fracture energy of these networks. Consideration of rupture of trapped entangled chains gives Go-ςc-1/2; this form agrees reasonably well with data at high ςc.
Effects of structural changes on the natriuretic activity of oxytocin analogs in conscious rats.

SummaryThe natriuretic activities of several synthetic analogs of oxytocin having a 7-glycine substitution and some analogs having a different single amino acid substitution or a deletion were tested in conscious, saline-loaded rats. The 7-glycine-substituted analogs and [8-proline]-oxytocin all possessed similar natriuretic activities, 2–8% of the natriuretic activity of oxytocin. [2-Phenylalanine]-oxytocin, however, possessed 26% of the natriuretic activity of oxytocin. Des-9-glycinamide-oxytocin retained about 0.2% of the natriuretic activity of oxytocin. The natriuretic and oxytocic or antidiuretic activities of these analogs were not linearly correlated. The natriuretic response to oxytocin analogs thus appears to be mediated by receptors which are different from the oxytocic and antidiuretic receptors for these peptides.
Quantitative Nonlinear Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound of the Breast.

OBJECTIVE. Breast cancer is the most frequent type of cancer among women (25% of all cancers). The angiogenic process that fuels the growth of tumors is a potential early indicator for differentiating between malignant and benign tumors. Recently, the use of microbubble-based contrast agents combined with ultrasound has allowed the development of contrast agent–specific imaging modes that provide visualization of tumor neovascularity. CONCLUSION. Contrast-enhanced Doppler, harmonic, and subharmonic imaging are some of the imaging modes that have been investigated for visualizing and quantifying the vascularity in breast tumors.
Detection of peripheral blood myeloma cells by three-color flow cytometry

A variety of techniques have documented the presence of malignant cells in the peripheral blood (PB) of patients with multiple myeloma (MM) [1–5]. These cells are usually not detected on a white blood cell (WBC) differential performed by the routine clinical laboratory instruments or microscopes because they are in such small numbers or because they do not have plasma cell morphology. Cells that have the gene rearrangement but not the morphology of the plasma cell have commonly been referred to as precursor cells. These cells are important to characterize if we are to better understand the pathogenesis of MM and also learn which is the most important cell population to target.
Postpartum onset of panic disorder: a coincidental event?

BACKGROUND: This study investigated whether the onset of panic for the first time during the postpartum period represented a coincidental occurrence. METHOD: Sixty-four childbearing women diagnosed with panic disorder who had been treated at the Yale Anxiety Research Clinic were interviewed. Postpartum panic was defined as the first panic occurring within 12 weeks of the woman's first childbirth. RESULTS: Seven women (10.9%) met criteria for postpartum onset, which is significantly greater than the expected age-corrected percentage of 0.92%, Z = 2.29, p < .02. CONCLUSION: The onset of panic in the first postpartum period is not a coincidental event.
“Experience Keeps a Dear School”: the Effects of Ethnicity and Caregiving Experience on Hiring a Healthcare Advocate

In the present study, ethnic differences in evaluating the severity and associated needs of medical complications experienced by an elderly man and the likelihood of seeking professional assistance (i.e., hire a healthcare advocate [HCA]) to care for him, and for one's own family or parent should they become ill, as a function of previous caregiving experience, were investigated. The 974 participants were White, Black, Hispanic, or Asian/Pacific Islander. They read a hypothetical vignette about a 75-year-old man, Daryl, who was experiencing health problems. Participants were instructed to imagine that they were James, Daryl's son, and asked to indicate how severe his condition(s) were, how much medical assistance he would require, and how likely they would be to hire an HCA to assist him. They were also asked to report whether they previously had assisted a parent with activities of daily living (Assistance) and whether they would be likely to hire an HCA in the future if 1) a family member or 2) a parent, specifically, became ill. Two, 2 (Assistance) × 4 (Ethnicity) multivariate analyses of covariance (MANCOVA) were performed to assess differential responses among individuals of different ethnicities as a function of previous caregiver experience. A priori interaction contrasts were examined to determine whether Black, Hispanic, or Asian/Pacific Islander participants differed on the outcomes from White participants as a function of previous caregiver experience. There were no significant differences between Black or Asian/Pacific Islander and White participants, but Hispanic participants assigned significantly higher severity and need for medical assistance ratings and were significantly more likely to indicate that they would seek assistance from an HCA with respect to the vignette and for their own parents in the future if they had provided caregiving to a parent in the past, whereas White participants were less likely to seek assistance from an HCA if they had provided caregiving in the past to a parent. Although ethnic differences in evaluations of Daryl's condition and in the reported likelihoods of hiring an HCA in various contexts as a function of previous caregiving experience were limited, there are important inter-cultural differences to recognize. It may be important in future research to assess ethnic differences in the expectations and experiences of caregiving.
Band alignment of TFET heterojunctions and post deposition annealing effects by internal photoemission spectroscopy

The tunneling field-effect transistor (TFET) has been attracting increasing attention for low-voltage logic application [1]. Recently, III-V semiconductor TFETs are being extensively explored, showing higher on-state current than Si TFETs [1]–[3]. However, low subthreshold swings (SS) have not yet been demonstrated on any III-V TFETs, possibly due to the high density of traps at the high-k oxide and semiconductor interface [2]–[3]. It has been shown that post deposition anneal (PDA) can improve SS by reducing the interface trap density in III V TFETs [2].
Abstract 4242: Metformin suppresses GRP78-dependent PI3-Kinase activity in clonogenic side population to enhance the anti-myeloma benefit of bortezomib

Multiple myeloma (MM) patients invariably relapse through mechanisms that remain elusive. Disease recurrence after treatment suggests that rare, tumor-initiating subpopulations with chemoresistant phenotypes persist or emerge to propagate and mediate tumor regrowth. Stem cell-like side population (SP) cells were isolated from myeloma cell lines and patient samples and exhibited resistance to proteasome inhibitors relative to the main population (MP). SP cell-based high-throughput screening detected pharmacologics that enhanced the anti-proliferative effect of bortezomib and revealed the anti-diabetic agent metformin. Bortezomib treatment increased levels of the molecular chaperone glucose-regulated protein GRP78 but metformin co-treatment suppressed bortezomib-induced GRP78 upregulation. Bortezomib treatment also promoted GRP78 co-localization with the signal transducer phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K) that activates cell growth and survival pathways. SP cells displayed greater levels of the PI3K product phosphatidylinositol (3,4,5)-trisphosphate (PIP3) and enhanced PI3K-mediated phosphorylation of protein kinase B/AKT compared to MP cells. Metformin treatment or knockdown of GRP78-encoding HSPA5 enhanced sensitivity to bortezomib preferentially in SP cells. Tumor growth was significantly delayed and overall survival prolonged after metformin co-treatment with bortezomib in mice injected with parental or SP cells. Taken together, the results support the pharmacologic repositioning of metformin to inhibit GRP78 induction in therapy-resistant cells and enhance the anti-myeloma benefit of bortezomib. Note: This abstract was not presented at the meeting. Citation Format: James J. Driscoll, Sajjeev Jagannathan, Mohamed AY Abdel Malek, Nikhil Vad, Ehsan Malek. Metformin suppresses GRP78-dependent PI3-Kinase activity in clonogenic side population to enhance the anti-myeloma benefit of bortezomib. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr 4242. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-4242
Relative versus absolute risk of comorbidities in patients with psoriasis

Background Psoriasis is associated with numerous comorbidities, often reported in terms of relative risk. Both doctors and the general population tend to overestimate the effects of exposures when presented in relative terms, leading to anxiety and potentially poor treatment decisions. Absolute risks might provide a better basis for risk assessment. Objective To characterize and compare relative and absolute risks of comorbidities in patients with psoriasis. Methods A systematic review using Medline identified comorbidities associated with psoriasis, their relative risks, and information for calculating absolute risks. Results The comorbidities associated with psoriasis with the highest relative risk were nonmelanoma skin cancer, melanoma, and lymphoma, with relative risks of 7.5, 6.12, and 3.61, respectively; the attributable risk for these 3 conditions were 0.64, 0.05, and 0.17 per 1000 person-years, respectively. To attribute 1 event of these conditions to psoriasis would require seeing 1551; 20,135; and 5823 patients, respectively. Limitations Database studies might not fully account for confounders, resulting in overestimates of the risk impact of comorbidities. Conclusions Presenting attributable risk in the form of the number needed to harm provides a clearer picture of the magnitude of risk and a basis for wiser medical decision making and patient education.
Lean design and analysis of a milk-run delivery system: case study

Multiple discrete event simulation models are developed to represent a milk-run delivery system in an automobile emissions system production facility as part of a logistics system overhaul. The aim of this study is to analyze resupply configurations and variability in key model inputs in order to make recommendations based on supply train utilization and workstation starvation. This study includes three experiments that compare optimized routing, recommended routing, and on-demand resupply systems. Sensitivity analyses are conducted to measure the effects of various factors such as number of supply trains, travel speeds, and load and unload times to find the best combination of input parameters. The results of the proposed simulation models demonstrated potential impacts of a milk-run delivery framework on pull systems with limited transport capabilities, but diminished improvements on systems with multiple supply trains.
Solute and Water Transport in Peritoneal Dialysis: A Case-Based Primer

Peritoneal dialysis (PD) is an effective therapy for patients with end-stage kidney disease. Dialysis solutions containing physiologic concentrations of electrolytes and base, as well as glucose often at supraphysiologic concentrations, are infused into the peritoneal cavity for solute and water exchange, and the patient's own peritoneal membrane is used for dialysis. The peritoneal membrane is dominated by small pores, which allow transport of water and small-molecular-size solutes, including electrolytes, by way of both diffusion and convection. Through small pores, diffusion allows the movement of solutes from the high-concentration compartment to a lower-concentration region. Also, through small pores, water and solutes move together by convection in response to an osmotic force. The glucose in the dialysis solution generates osmotic force to drive convection. In addition to small pores, the peritoneal membrane contains a specialized water channel, aquaporin 1, which is also present in capillaries of the peritoneal membrane. These specialized water channels, which are upregulated by glucose, allow water transport without solute (free water) in response to the osmotic force induced by glucose in the PD solution. During a PD exchange, net loss or gain of electrolytes and base is determined by both their gradient between capillary blood and dialysis solution and the net ultrafiltration volume. Developing a PD prescription, including the amount of glucose used, and changing the prescription in response to dietary changes and/or loss of residual kidney function requires a sound understanding of the peritoneal physiology. The case studies presented here help solidify the basic elements of PD prescription and how the PD prescription should be altered in response to changing clinical situations.
Specialized Cranial and Dental Anatomy of Rodents

Rodents can be separated from all other eutherian mammals on the basis of a number of characteristics. Because the focus of this book is fossil rodents, the characters cited here are only those that are commonly preserved in fossils, that is, the skeleton and dentition. The skull bones and cranial foramina of rodents that are discussed throughout this work are diagrammed in Fig. 2.1. In the systematic chapters, reference to size of rodents as small, medium, and large is defined as follows: small, similar in size to modern field mice (Peromyscus) or chipmunk (Tamias) or smaller; medium, no larger than a Recent tree squirrel (Sciurus) or muskrat (Ondatra); and large, the largest rodents near the size of modern beaver (Castor) or larger.
Is There a Moral Duty to Obey the Law

There are a variety of positions that might be taken concerning the question of whether or not there is a duty to obey the law. First, there is the view that there is an absolute legal obligation to obey the law, one which holds that we ought always to obey the law no matter what because the law is the law and it ought always to be obeyed. This naive legalistic notion of the duty to obey the law has few, if any, takers. But a legalistic view that has proponents is the one that states that there is aprima facie legal obligation to obey the law because the law is the law and it ought to be obeyed except in circumstances where the law permits disobedience. In either case, it is a legal duty to obey political authority that we have. A position equally extreme to that of the naive legalistic one is the skeptical legalistic position that denies that there could ever be a legal obligation to obey the law. One reason why this position is problematic, if not nonsensical, is that it seems to hold that no legal system or body of law would bind citizens to it by way of obedience. Yet it appears that most, if not all, legal systems do precisely that.
The raf kinase inhibitor sorafenib inhibits Jak-STAT signal transduction in human immune cells

1434 Sorafenib is a novel anti-cancer agent that functions through its direct effects on tumor cells, namely via its ability to inhibit Raf kinase activity. This drug has shown efficacy in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma. Recent efforts have focused on its administration in combination with immunomodulatory cytokines such as IL- 2 and interferon-alpha (IFN-a), which also have efficacy in this disease. We hypothesized that sorafenib may have inhibitory effects upon immune effector cells, thereby impacting their responsiveness to endogenous and exogenous cytokines. Phosphorylation of signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 (STAT1) and STAT5 in response to IFN-a and IL-2 was evaluated by intracellular flow cytometry and validated via immunoblot analysis. Pre-treatment of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) with sorafenib (10 uM) resulted in decreased phosphorylation of STAT1 (pSTAT1) following treatment with 10 5 U/mL IFN-a (Mean % pSTAT1 positive cells = 9.9 ± 7.1% for sorafenib pre-treatment vs. 89 ± 0.64% for vehicle pre-treatment). Pre-treatment of PBMC with sorafenib (10 uM) resulted in reduced phosphorylation of STAT5 (pSTAT5) following treatment with 8 nM IL-2 (Mean % pSTAT5 positive cells = 3.8 ± 2.9% for sorafenib pre-treatment vs. 78 ± 6.3% for vehicle pre-treatment, p 6 U/mL could not overcome the inhibitory effects of sorafenib pre-treatment of PBMC. Pre-treatment of PBMC with sorafenib also inhibited the expression of OAS1 and IFIT2, which are IFN-a regulated genes (mean fold induction = 24 ±5.2 and 3421 ±829 respectively in sorafenib pre-treated vs. 54 ±10 and 8454 ±1253 respectively in vehicle pre-treated cells). Similar reductions in IL-2 responsive genes (IFN-gamma, CIS, PIM-1) were also observed following sorafenib pre-treatment of PBMC. PBMC obtained from patients receiving 400 mg of sorafenib twice daily also show decreased responsiveness to IL-2 and IFN-a treatment in vitro as evidenced by decreased phosphorylation of STAT1 and STAT2 compared to pretreatment levels. We conclude that sorafenib can act as a potent inhibitor of cytokine-induced signal transduction in off-target cells, such as immune effector cells. These data suggest that the order in which the combinations of sorafenib and immunomodulatory cytokines are administered will be critical to obtaining the maximum clinical benefit.
Beyond the Standard Model: The Importance of Ideas in Uncertain and Evolving Environments

This paper examines the four fundamental assumptions that underlie the standard model of social scientific analysis: Equilibrium, Linearity, Exogeneity, and Normality. It offers a critique of each position and examines the consequences of accepting these assumptions as unproblematic. Drawing on work in complexity and evolutionary theory, the paper suggests how to overcome the limitations posed by such assumptions by paying more attention to the ideational and communicative bases of stability and change in complex systems. In particular, it asks how agents are able to negotiate systems where the data generating process is invisible and causes are often emergent.
Anti-Myeloperoxidase Antibodies Associate with Future Proliferative Lupus Nephritis.

Background. The subclinical pathophysiology of proliferative lupus nephritis (PLN) has not been fully elucidated. Myeloperoxidase anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (MPO-ANCA) is associated with PLN, but prediagnostic levels have not been reported. Methods. We performed a retrospective case-control Department of Defense Serum Repository (DoDSR) study comparing MPO-ANCA levels in longitudinal prediagnostic serum samples for 23 biopsy confirmed proliferative lupus nephritis (PLN) patients to DoDSR identified age, sex, race, and age of serum matched healthy and SLE without LN disease controls. We also compared the temporal relationship of MPO-ANCA to anti-double stranded DNA antibodies (dsDNAab). Results. A greater proportion of PLN patients had prediagnostic MPO-ANCA levels above ≥3 U/mL and ≥6 U/mL compared to SLE without LN (91% versus 43%, ; 57% versus 5%, , resp.). In subgroup analysis, the MPO-ANCA threshold of ≥3 U/mL was significant at ) and 1–4 years (87% versus 38%, ) prior to diagnosis. Statistically significant subclinical MPO-ANCA levels (≥3 U/mL) occurred prior to statistically significant dsDNAab ≥ 3 IU/ml (89% versus 11%, ). Conclusions. Subclinical MPO-ANCA levels could distinguish future PLN from SLE without LN. MPO-ANCA manifests prior to clinical disease and subclinical dsDNAab to suggest that it may contribute directly to PLN pathogenicity.
Consensus on MRD in AML

The European LeukemiaNet (ELN) Working Party publishes its consensus document on minimal/measurable residual disease (MRD) in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in this issue of Blood; Schuurhuis et al’s article reports the status of existing methodologies for MRD assessments, provides guidelines for standardized approaches, and recommends future directions.1
Acid-Base Disorders

In the surgical intensive care unit (SICU), both mild and significant acid-base disorders are common and an understanding of their management is key to caring for critically ill and injured patients. Under normal conditions, serum pH is the tightly controlled result of homeostatic buffering mechanisms. Mild, transient aberrations in pH may be physiologic, but if persistent, even subtle pH change may point to underlying pathology. As pH strays outside the normal range, acidemia or alkalemia may become harmful. Often this harm results from taxing attempts at compensation, such as tachypnea in response to metabolic acidosis, or through direct effects, such as systemic or pulmonary vasoregulatory changes, cerebral edema, and arrhythmias. While the intensivist may rush to correct pH, acidosis or alkalosis is ultimately a marker of an underlying disease process, and correcting the pH, while important, is insufficient if the driving pathology is not also identified and corrected. This chapter will review a practical approach to acid-base disorders typically encountered in the SICU, with a focus on diagnosis and initial management strategies.
Lithium Attenuation of Chemotherapy-Induced Granulocytopenia: Statistical and Clinical Significance?

Does lithium significantly attenuate the degree and/or duration of chemotherapy-induced granulocytopenia? Several studies have addressed this question (Tisman, 1974; Greco, et al., 1976; Greco and Brereton, 1977; Stein et al., 1977; Catane et al., 1977; Lyman et al., 1978), and all have reported that the mean granulocyte nadir is significantly higher, or the mean or median duration of granulocytopenia is significantly shorter, following chemotherapy plus lithium (P values ranging between 0.01 and 0.05). There is not a single “negative” study reported. When these data are considered with the fact that lithium increases granulocyte production (Rothstein et al., 1978), one can easily conclude that the statistically significant attenuation of chemotherapy-induced granulocytopenia by lithium is a real effect. Further clarification of this significant effect requires detailed inspection of these data. It was obvious during our initial studies of lithium in patients receiving chemotherapy (Greco et al., 1976; Greco and Brereton, 1977) that the ability of lithium to limit the nadir of granulocytopenia was at best marginal except in a few patients. We were also uncertain, as were Stein and co-workers (Stein et al., 1977) if our “statistically significant” observations were biologically important. Therefore, I have again looked at the study of Stein and co-workers and carefully reviewed our own data (Greco and Brereton, 1977) in an attempt to gain a better appreciation of the observed “lithium effect.” At this writing, these two studies are the only detailed reports available. Both these studies report significant (P ≤ 0.05) lithium attenuation of granulocytopenia induced by chemotherapy.
Multimonth Prescription of Antiretroviral Therapy Among Children and Adolescents: Experiences From the Baylor International Pediatric AIDS Initiative in 6 African Countries.

BACKGROUND To reach 90-90-90 targets, differentiated approaches to care are necessary. We describe the experience of delivering multimonth prescription (MMP) schedules of antiretroviral therapy (ART) to youth at centers of excellence in 6 African countries. METHODS We analyzed data from electronic medical records of patients aged 0-19 years started on ART. Patients were eligible to transition from monthly prescribing to MMP when clinically stable [improving CD4, viral load (VL) suppression, or minimal HIV-associated morbidity] and ART adherent (pill count 95%-105%). Patients were classified as transitioned to MMP after 3 consecutive visits at intervals of >56 days. We used survival analysis to describe death and lost to follow-up. We described adherence and acceptable immunologic response by CD4 using 6-month and VL suppression (<400 copies per milliliter) using 12-month intervals. RESULTS Twenty-two thousand six hundred fifty-eight patients aged 0-19 years received ART and 14,932 (66%) transitioned to MMP between 2003 and 2015. Of these 2.6% were lost to follow-up and 2.0% died. Median duration of MMP was 3.9 (interquartile range: 2.2-5.9) years. There were significant differences in survival (P < 0.0001) between age groups, worst among those younger than 1 year and 15-19 years. The frequency of favorable clinical endpoints was high throughout the first 5 years of MMP, by year ranging from 87% to 94% acceptable immunologic response, 75% to 80% adherent, and 79% to 85% VL suppression. CONCLUSIONS These analyses from 6 African countries demonstrate that youth on ART who transitioned to MMP overall maintained favorable outcomes in terms of death, retention, adherence, immunosuppression, and viral suppression. These results reassure that children and adolescents, who are clinically stable and ART adherent, can do well with reduced visit frequencies and extended ART refills.
A 67.1-ps FOM, 0.5-V-Hybrid Digital LDO With Asynchronous Feedforward Control Via Slope Detection and Synchronous PI With State-Based Hysteresis Clock Switching

We present a fully integrated digital low-drop-out regulator (LDO) with a 100-pF output capacitor ( ${C} _{\textbf {OUT}}$ ) in 65 nm, based on hybrid-synchronous-asynchronous control. The goal is to minimize both response and settling time for abrupt load changes, which in turn enables the ${C} _{\textbf {OUT}}$ scaling under a voltage droop constraint. The architecture is based on the synchronous proportional-integral feedback control in tandem with the asynchronous feedforward control. The asynchronous control loop employs load-event-based triggering , which compensates the output voltage immediately after a voltage droop, shortening response time. Then, the synchronous loop operates on either fast or slow clock selected automatically by a hysteresis control and quickly brings the output to the steady state, achieving short settling time. The proposed hysteresis control achieves superior stability and scales the lower bound of the slow-clock frequency by two orders over the existing scheme. The LDO prototype improves the response- and settling-time related metrics over the prior synchronous and asynchronous LDOs.
A new species of Lasalichthys (Actinopterygii, Redfieldiiformes) from the Upper Triassic Dockum Group of Howard County, Texas, with revisions to the genera Lasalichthys and Synorichthys

A new species of redfieldiiform fishes, Lasalichthys otischalkensis, sp. nov., is described based on new, three-dimensionally preserved specimens from the Upper Triassic Dockum Group of Howard Coun...
Antagonism from the perspective of interpersonal theory

Abstract In this chapter, antagonism, both as a trait and as its specific manifestations in momentary thoughts, feelings, and behavior are examined through the lens of contemporary integrative interpersonal theory (CIIT). CIIT views personality as the consistent patterning of interpersonal functioning that emerges in interpersonal situations and integrates a validated structural model (the interpersonal circumplex) for organizing interpersonal functioning with a framework for making predictions about dynamic processes within and across situations. From this perspective, antagonism can be viewed as a personality trait or behavior that falls well within the bounds of the interpersonal circumplex of traits, problems, and values. In addition, expressions of antagonistic behavior vary dynamically across time, and appear to be contextualized and contingent on certain situational features.
Demonstration of a C-methylating enzyme in cell free extracts of indolmycin-producing Streptomycesgriseus

Abstract A cell free extract of an indolmycin-producing strain of Streptomyces griseus is shown to catalyze the transfer of a methyl group from S-adenosylmethionine-(methyl-14C) to indolepyruvate to form radioactive β-methylindolepyruvate, an intermediate in indolmycin biosynthesis. The reaction product β-methylindolepyruvate has been unequivocally identified by chemical correlations and it has been shown to have the S configuration.
Resolution of a complex crisis at DNA 3′ termini

Ribonucleotides that are misincorporated into DNA during replication are removed by topoisomerase 1, which generates 3′-terminal adducts that are not amenable to DNA repair and thus compromise genome stability. A recent report by Li et al. reveals that Apn2/APE2 resolves such blocked 3′ termini, thereby suppressing topoisomerase 1–induced mutations at ribonucleotide monophosphate sites within the genome.
Characterization and Efficient Management of Big Data in IoT-Driven Smart City Development.

Smart city is an emerging initiative for integrating Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in effective ways to support development of smart cities with enhanced quality of life for its citizens through safe and secure context-aware services. Major technical challenges to realize smart cities include resource use optimization, service delivery without interruption at all times in all aspects, minimization of costs, and reduction of resource consumption. To address these challenges, new techniques and technologies are required for modeling and processing the big data generated and used through the underlying Internet of Things (IoT). To this end, we propose a data-centric approach to IoT in conceptualizing the “things” from a service-oriented perspective and investigate efficient ways to identify, integrate, and manage big data. The data-centric approach is expected to better support efficient management of data with complexities inherent in IoT-generated big data. Furthermore, it supports efficient and scalable query processing and reasoning techniques required in development of smart city applications. This article redresses the literature and contributes to the foundations of smart cities applications.
Association between greater leg length and increased incidence of colorectal cancer: the atherosclerosis risk in communities (ARIC) study.

Previous studies have reported that taller people have an increased risk of colorectal cancer (CRC). We examined the association of two height components—leg length and sitting height—with CRC risk in 14,532 individuals aged 45–64 years in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study. Anthropometrics were measured at baseline (1987–1989). Incident CRC cases (n = 382) were ascertained from 1987 to 2012. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to estimate multivariable-adjusted hazard ratios for CRC and colon cancer across quintiles of sex-specific leg length and sitting height. The highest (versus the lowest) quintile of leg length was associated with a 36% greater CRC risk (p-trend = 0.04), and 51% greater colon cancer risk (p-trend = 0.01). For the top four quintiles combined, risk was increased by 34% for CRC and by 45% for colon cancer versus the lowest quintile. Total height and sitting height were not significantly associated with CRC or colon cancer risk. A small number of cases (n = 57) limited our ability to conduct subgroup analyses for rectal cancer. A positive association of leg length with CRC and colon cancer risk suggests that biological mechanisms leading to greater leg length during puberty may explain the association between taller height and CRC.
Shareholder Value(s): Index Fund ESG Activism and the New Millennial Corporate Governance

Major index fund operators have been criticized as ineffective stewards of the firms in which they are now the largest shareholders. While scholars debate whether this passivity is a serious problem, index funds’ generally docile approach to ownership is broadly acknowledged. However, this Article argues that the notion that index funds are passive owners overlooks an important dimension in which index funds have demonstrated outspoken, confrontational, and effective stewardship. Specifically, we document that index funds have taken a leading role in challenging management and voting against directors in order to advance board diversity and corporate sustainability. We show that index funds have engaged in a pattern of competitive escalation in their policies on environmental, social, and governance (“ESG”) issues. Index funds’ confrontational and competitive activism on ESG issues is hard to square with their passive approach to more conventional corporate governance questions. To explain this dichotomy in approaches, we argue that index funds are locked in a fierce contest to win the soon-to-accumulate assets of the millennial generation, who place a significant premium on social issues in their economic lives. With fee competition exhausted and returns irrelevant for index investors, signaling a commitment to social issues is one of the few dimensions on which index funds can differentiate themselves and avoid commoditization. For index funds, the threat of millennial migration to another fund is more significant than the threat of management retaliation. Furthermore, managers themselves, we argue, face intense pressure from their millennial employees and customers to respond to their social preferences. This three-dimensional millennial effect—as investors, customers, and employees—we argue, is an important development with the potential to provide a counterweight to the wealth-maximization paradigm of corporate governance. We marshal evidence for this new dynamic, situate it within the existing literature, and consider the implications for the debate over index funds as shareholders and corporate law generally.
Capacitance analysis of a circular disk on a dielectric layer

Abstract Using the Hankel transform, the mixed boundary value problem of a conducting, circular disk on a dielectric layer in an electric field was reduced to the solution of dual integral equations. Analytical expressions of the capacitance of the electrical system to the second approximation were derived for the ratio of the layer thickness to the disk radius being larger than one and the ratio being less than one, respectively. Both expressions yield numerical results in accord with those reported in literature. The capacitance of a circular disk on a semi-infinite dielectric can be used for a ratio larger than or equal to 4. Using the results, the thickness effect on electrowetting of a disk-like conducting film on a dielectric substrate was discussed. There exists an upper bound of the electric voltage applied to the film above which the saturation of contact angle or local instability will occur.
Carboxyvinyl Polymer and Guar-Borate Gelling System Containing Natamycin Loaded PEGylated Nanolipid Carriers Exhibit Improved Ocular Pharmacokinetic Parameters.

Purpose: Natamycin (NTM) ophthalmic suspension is the only FDA-approved formulation commercially available for treating ocular fungal infections. However, precorneal residence times and losses/drainage remain the foremost challenges associated with current ocular antifungal pharmacotherapy. In our previous investigations, NTM loaded polyethylene glycol nanolipid carriers (NTM-PNLCs) showed enhanced corneal permeation, both in vitro and in vivo. To further improve the corneal retention of NTM-PNLCs, this study aimed to develop a gelling system composed of carboxyvinyl polymer, guar gum, and boric acid in which the NTM-PNLCs were loaded. Methods: A 23 factorial design was employed in formulating and optimizing the gelling system for NTM-PNLCs, where the independent factors were the gelling excipients (guar gum, boric acid, and Carbopol® 940) and dependent variables were gelling time, gel depot collapse time, rheology, firmness, and work of adhesion. Optimized gel was evaluated for transcorneal permeation using rabbit cornea, in vitro; and tear pharmacokinetics and ocular biodistribution in male New Zealand White rabbits, in vivo. Results: Optimized NTM-PNLC-GEL was found to exhibit shear thinning rheology, adequate firmness, and spreadability, and formed a depot that did not collapse immediately. In addition, the in vitro transcorneal evaluation studies indicated that the NTM-PNLC-GEL exhibited a lower/slower flux and rate in comparison to Natacyn® suspension. NTM-PNLC-GEL (0.3%), at a 16-fold lower dose, exhibited mean residence time and elimination half-life comparable to Natacyn (5%), and provided similar in vivo concentrations in the innermost tissues of the eye. Conclusion: The data indicate that the NTM-PNLC-GEL formulation could serve as an alternative during ophthalmic antifungal therapy.
Quantum orders and symmetric spin liquids

A concept---quantum order---is introduced to describe a new kind of orders that generally appear in quantum states at zero temperature. Quantum orders that characterize the universality classes of quantum states (described by complex ground-state wave functions) are much richer than classical orders that characterize the universality classes of finite-temperature classical states (described by positive probability distribution functions). Landau's theory for orders and phase transitions does not apply to quantum orders since they cannot be described by broken symmetries and the associated order parameters. We introduced a mathematical object---projective symmetry group---to characterize quantum orders. With the help of quantum orders and projective symmetry groups, we construct hundreds of symmetric spin liquids, which have SU(2), U(1), or ${Z}_{2}$ gauge structures at low energies. We found that various spin liquids can be divided into four classes: (a) Rigid spin liquid---spinons (and all other excitations) are fully gapped and may have bosonic, fermionic, or fractional statistics. (b) Fermi spin liquid---spinons are gapless and are described by a Fermi liquid theory. (c) Algebraic spin liquid---spinons are gapless, but they are not described by free fermionic-bosonic quasiparticles. (d) Bose spin liquid---low-lying gapless excitations are described by a free-boson theory. The stability of those spin liquids is discussed in detail. We find that stable two-dimensional spin liquids exist in the first three classes (a)--(c). Those stable spin liquids occupy a finite region in phase space and represent quantum phases. Remarkably, some of the stable quantum phases support gapless excitations even without any spontaneous symmetry breaking. In particular, the gapless excitations in algebraic spin liquids interact down to zero energy and the interaction does not open any energy gap. We propose that it is the quantum orders (instead of symmetries) that protect the gapless excitations and make algebraic spin liquids and Fermi spin liquids stable. Since high-${T}_{c}$ superconductors are likely to be described by a gapless spin liquid, the quantum orders and their projective symmetry group descriptions lay the foundation for a spin liquid approach to high-${T}_{c}$ superconductors.