cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Critical periods of vulnerability for the developing nervous system: evidence from humans and animal models.

Vulnerable periods during the development of the nervous system are sensitive to environmental insults because they are dependent on the temporal and regional emergence of critical developmental processes (i.e., proliferation, migration, differentiation, synaptogenesis, myelination, and apoptosis). Evidence from numerous sources demonstrates that neural development extends from the embryonic period through adolescence. In general, the sequence of events is comparable among species, although the time scales are considerably different. Developmental exposure of animals or humans to numerous agents (e.g., X-ray irradiation, methylazoxymethanol, ethanol, lead, methyl mercury, or chlorpyrifos) demonstrates that interference with one or more of these developmental processes can lead to developmental neurotoxicity. Different behavioral domains (e.g., sensory, motor, and various cognitive functions) are subserved by different brain areas. Although there are important differences between the rodent and human brain, analogous structures can be identified. Moreover, the ontogeny of specific behaviors can be used to draw inferences regarding the maturation of specific brain structures or neural circuits in rodents and primates, including humans. Furthermore, various clinical disorders in humans (e.g., schizophrenia, dyslexia, epilepsy, and autism) may also be the result of interference with normal ontogeny of developmental processes in the nervous system. Of critical concern is the possibility that developmental exposure to neurotoxicants may result in an acceleration of age-related decline in function. This concern is compounded by the fact that developmental neurotoxicity that results in small effects can have a profound societal impact when amortized across the entire population and across the life span of humans.
Augmenting film and video footage with sensor data

With the advent of tiny networked devices, Mark Weiser's vision of a world embedded with invisible computers is coming to age. Due to their small size and relative ease of deployment, sensor networks have been utilized by zoologists, seismologists and military personnel. In this paper, we investigate the application of sensor networks to the film industry. In particular, we are interested in augmenting film and video footage with sensor data. Unobtrusive sensors are deployed on a film set or in a television studio and on performers. During a filming of a scene, sensor data such as light intensity, color temperature and location are collected and synchronized with each film or video frame. Later, editors, graphics artists and programmers can view this data in synchronization with film and video playback. For example, such data can help define a new level of seamless integration between computer graphics and real world photography. A real-time version of our system would allow sensor data to trigger camera movement and cue special effects. In this paper, we discuss the design and implementation of the first part of our embedded film set environment, the augmented recording system. Augmented recording is a foundational component for the UCLA Hypermedia Studio's research into the use of sensor networks in film and video production. In addition, we have evaluated our system in a television studio.
Exploring semantic memory by investigating buildup and release of proactive interference in healthy older adults and individuals with dementia of the Alzheimer type.

There is debate regarding the integrity of semantic memory in dementia of the Alzheimer type (DAT). One view argues that DAT is associated with a breakdown in semantic memory; the other argues that DAT is associated with predominantly preserved semantic memory and a breakdown in retrieval. The classic release from proactive interference (RPI) paradigm was used to shed light on this debate. Individuals with early-stage DAT ( n 5 36) and healthy older adult controls ( n 5 45) participated in an RPI paradigm. Each trial was a Brown‐Peterson task in which participants read three-word lists, counted (for 0, 3, 6, or 9 s), and recalled the words. Both groups showed significant proactive interference (PI), but the size of the PI was significantly smaller in the DAT group. The group difference in PI may be due to the faster forgetting rate in the DAT group. Both groups showed significant RPI and there was no group difference in size when RPI was considered in terms of PI levels. Both groups showed PI and RPI in prior list intrusions. The DAT group’s significant buildup and release of PI based on semantic categories suggest predominantly preserved semantic memory activity, at least, in early-stage DAT individuals. (JINS, 2003, 9, 830‐838.)
Probing shear-banding transitions of the VCM model for entangled wormlike micellar solutions using large amplitude oscillatory shear (LAOS) deformations

We explore the use of large amplitude oscillatory shear (LAOS) deformation to probe the dynamics of shear-banding in soft entangled materials, primarily wormlike micellar solutions which are prone to breakage and disentanglement under strong deformations. The state of stress in these complex fluids is described by a class of viscoelastic constitutive models which capture the key linear and nonlinear rheological features of wormlike micellar solutions, including the breakage and reforming of an entangled network. At a frequency-dependent critical strain, the imposed deformation field localizes to form a shear band, with a phase response that depends on the frequency and amplitude of the forcing. The different material responses are compactly represented in the form of Lissajous (phase plane) orbits and a corresponding strain-rate and frequency-dependent Pipkin diagram. Comparisons between the full network model predictions and those of a simpler, limiting case are presented.
Selenium–lead interactions in crawfish (Procambrus clarkii) in a controlled laboratory environment

Abstract To determine whether the relationship between selenium and lead is one of an antagonistic or synergistic nature, experiments were conducted on the freshwater crustacean crawfish or crayfish (Procambarus clarkii). Crawfish were exposed to a known concentration of lead, dissected then analyzed to determine the accumulation of lead and found as follows: gills > exoskeleton > organs > edible meat. Duplicates of the lead exposed crawfish were exposed to a concentration of approximately 10 ppm (mg/L) selenium for a week to determine any adverse physiological effects. Analysis of the selenium exposed crawfish revealed time dependent and tissue specific adsorption of selenium identical to the concentrations of the lead exposed crawfish: gills > exoskeleton > organs > edible meat. After exposure to selenium, the crawfish were still living in a complete state of paralysis for seven days. Duplicates were placed in pure water to determine the ability of the crawfish to purge the selenium and regain mobility. Within 24 h of purging, eighty-eight percent of the paralyzed crawfish had regained full motor skills. Analysis of the purged crawfish showed a significant decrease in the concentration of selenium in the chitin rich exoskeleton and gills. However, the lead concentration in the gills and exoskeleton of the purged versus non-purged crawfish did not show any significant decrease indicating that the bond between the chitin and lead is much stronger than the bond between the selenium and chitin and/or lead. Proposed mechanisms for each bond are presented in this research.
Vasopressin/Serotonin Interactions in the Anterior Hypothalamus Control Aggressive Behavior in Golden Hamsters

Studies in several species of rodents show that arginine vasopressin (AVP) acting through a V1A receptor facilitates offensive aggression, i.e., the initiation of attacks and bites, whereas serotonin (5-HT) acting through a 5-HT1B receptor inhibits aggressive responding. One area of the CNS that seems critical for the organization of aggressive behavior is the basolateral hypothalamus, particularly the anterior hypothalamic region. The present studies examine the neuroanatomical and neurochemical interaction between AVP and 5-HT at the level of the anterior hypothalamus (AH) in the control of offensive aggression in Syrian golden hamsters. First, specific V1A and 5-HT1Bbinding sites in the AH are shown by in vitro receptor autoradiography. The binding for each neurotransmitter colocalizes with a dense field of immunoreactive AVP and 5-HT fibers and putative terminals. Putative 5-HT synapses on AVP neurons in the area of the AH are identified by double-staining immunocytochemistry and laser scanning confocal microscopy. These morphological data predispose a functional interaction between AVP and 5-HT at the level of the AH. When tested for offensive aggression in a resident/intruder paradigm, resident hamsters treated with fluoxetine, a selective 5-HT reuptake inhibitor, have significantly longer latencies to bite and bite fewer times than vehicle-treated controls. Conversely, AVP microinjections into the AH significantly shorten the latency to bite and increase biting attacks. The action of microinjected AVP to increase offensive aggression is blocked by the pretreatment of hamsters with fluoxetine. These data suggest that 5-HT inhibits fighting, in part, by antagonizing the aggression-promoting action of the AVP system.
Chronic fluoxetine reduces autonomic control of cardiac rhythms in rats with congestive heart failure

Up to 40% of patients with heart failure develop depression, and depression is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular mortality in this patient population. Consequently, increasing numbers o...
Field trial detects incomplete barstar attenuation of vegetative cytotoxicity in Populus trees containing a poplar LEAFY promoter:: barnase sterility transgene

We tested the efficacy of an attenua- tion system developed to preclude the deleteri- ous effects of floral promoter::cytotoxin genes on vegetative growth of transgenic sterile plants. We tested the promoter (2.6 kb 5¢ region) of the poplar LEAFY gene PTLF driving barstar, combined on the same T-DNA with barstar dri- ven by either the CaMV 35S basal promoter +5 to -72 fragment (35SBP), 35SBP fused to the TMV omega element (35SBP omega), or the NOS promoter. The unattenuated pPTLF::barnase construct failed to give rise to any transgenic events, suggesting substantial non-reproductive expression from this promoter. The barstar- attenuated constructs enabled transformation, but the rate was reduced by nearly one-third. Four events (7% of attenuated events) had highly abnormal morphology, and were identified during the early phases of propagation; these events had significantly higher barnase:barstar expression ra- tios based on quantitative RT-PCR. A greenhouse study showed that phenotypically normal attenu- ated plants grew at the same rate as wild-type and barnase-lacking transgenic plants. A statistically significant positive linear association was found between relative growth rate (RGR) and bar- star:barnase ratio in the attenuated events, and graphical analysis suggested a threshold for barstar attenuation of barnase, above which additional levels of barstar did not provide further attenua- tion. Surprisingly, the appearance and growth rate of the nearly all of the attenuated events were substantially reduced after one or two growing seasons in the field, and the extent of growth reduction was associated with barstar:barnase expression ratio. These results demonstrate the importance of field testing during early phases of research to identify pleiotropic effects of transgenic sterility genes in trees.
Resource Availability and Quality Influence Patterns of Diet Mixing by Sheep

In grazing systems, forage availability is a function of herbivore density, which can influence an animal's ability to be selective. In turn, the influence of food availability on selectivity has the potential to influence plant biodiversity. We hypothesized that the ability of herbivores to mix toxin-containing foods in their diets is a function of the availability of nontoxic foods and the nutritional characteristics of the toxin-containing foods. We evaluated this hypothesis in two trials simulating different diet qualities (high-quality foods in trial 1, low-quality foods in trial 2). Within each trial, the four treatment groups were offered with different amounts of nutritious, familiar foods—10, 30, 50, and 70% of ad libitum intake—but were offered with ad libitum access to toxin-containing foods. Each lamb was presented with five foods, including three toxin-containing unfamiliar foods (terpenes, tannins, and oxalates) and two nutritious familiar foods (alfalfa and barley). In trial 1, as the availability of nutritious familiar foods decreased, animals ate more of all three toxin-containing foods. As the availability of nutritious alternatives increased, the pattern of selection shifted from terpenes to tannins and oxalates. In trial 2, animals also ate more toxins as the availability of nutritious alternatives decreased, but their pattern of diet mixing changed. Low availability of nutritious alternatives resulted in the animals eating more oxalates. During preference tests when all five foods were offered ad libitum, animals fed with 10, 30, 50, and 70% of ad libitum intake from trial 1 ate 49, 47, 41, and 38% of the three toxin-containing foods, respectively. The lower diet quality in trial 2 affected intake of the toxin-containing foods such that animals fed with 10, 30, 50, and 70% of ad libitum intake ate 37, 36, 29, and 27%, respectively, of the three toxin-containing foods. Thus, the quality of toxin-containing foods and the availability of nutritious alternatives interacted to modify the pattern of diet mixing by lambs.
Regular Spatial Patterns of Bank Swallow (Riparia riparia) Tunnel Entrances, with Some Possible Evolutionary Implications

Abstract Tunnel entrance distributions at six bank swallow sand-pit colonies showed consistently nonrandom, too-regular patterns, supporting the hypothesis that the distance between tunnel entrances is determined by territorial disputes at the tunnel mouths. Average nearest neighbor distances, and numbers of burrows per unit area of pit face, were both consistently greater than their random expectations, a paradox that is explained algebraically. Evidence of tunnel coalescence and communal nesting was found in a completely evacuated colony of 30 tunnels. It is argued that bank swallow colonial behaviors evolved to maximize populations on small exposed bank faces along streams and rivers, and that they are still behaving as if only small fractions of large sand pit banks are available. On small areas, regular spacings help to avoid too close tunneling and concomitant bank collapse. It is argued that a tolerance for communal nesting, once coalescence has occurred, involves less tunneling than the forced eva...
Comments on Wulff’s ‘The Causal Basis of the Current Disease Classification’

Causal explanations function in medicine, as Henrik Wulff shows in his paper, within the embrace of a number of quite pragmatic considerations. Since medicine is not a pure science, but an applied science, it is not so much concerned with fashioning true classifications or true diagnoses, in some contextless sense of truth [1]. It is rather focused on maximizing well-being and minimizing the suffering of patients or possible patients. Since the probabilities of most diagnostic choices and the therapies they warrant being the most appropriate lie somewhere between zero and one, physicians must frame accounts of reality in terms of the alternative costs of different ways of being wrong. Which is to say, in framing a diagnosis, or giving a causal account of a particular clinical problem, a physician must assess the costs and benefits of acting as if the probability value of that choice being a correct choice were one, though realizing that it is not the only one. One might recall here C. S. Pierce’s definition of a pragmatic account of truth: “In order to ascertain the meaning of an intellectual conception one should consider what practical consequences might conceivably result by necessity from the truth of that conception; and the sum of these consequences will constitute the entire meaning of the conception” ([4], 5.9). With an appropriate specification of “practical” consequences one can deliver the instrumentalist view of truth which Henrik Wulff uses in accounting for diseases and causes of diseases [8].
Disparities in Adverse Preconception Risk Factors Between Women with and Without Disabilities.

Objective The objective of this study was to compare the prevalence of select preconception health indicators among women with and without disabilities. Methods 2010 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data were used to estimate the prevalence of health behaviors, health status indicators, and preventive health care among non-pregnant women ages 18–44 years with (N = 8370) and without (N = 48,036) disabilities. Crude percentages were compared with Chi square statistics. Multivariable logistic regressions adjusted for socio-demographic factors. Results Women with disabilities were more likely than women without disabilities to currently smoke (30.5 vs. 14.5 %, p < 0.0001) and less likely to exercise in the past month (67.1 vs. 79.8 %, p < 0.0001). Heavy drinking was similar in the two groups (4.4 vs. 4.5 %, p = 0.9). Health status indicators were worse among women with disabilities, with 35.0 % reporting fair/poor health and 12.4 % reporting diabetes, compared with 6.7 and 5.6 %, respectively, among women with no disabilities (p < 0.0001 for both). Frequent mental distress, obesity, asthma, and lack of emotional support were also higher among women with disabilities compared with their non-disabled counterparts. Women with disabilities were more likely to receive some types of preventive care, (HIV), but less likely to receive others (recent dental cleaning, routine checkup). Disparities in health behaviors and health status indicators between the two groups remained after adjusting for socio-demographic factors. Conclusion Women with disabilities at reproductive age are more vulnerable to risk factors associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes compared to their counterparts without disabilities. Our findings highlight the need for preconception health care for women with disabilities.
Conducting public health photovoice projects with those who are homeless: A review of the literature

‘Photovoice’ is a photographic method that is used for several purposes (e.g. storytelling, building awareness, enhancing personal discovery), including conducting community-based participatory research (CBPR). Since its creation, photovoice has been used as a method for implementing health-related CBPR projects with people experiencing homelessness. As such, this article presents an overview of seven peer-reviewed publications regarding photovoice projects that were conducted with participants who are homeless. The goal of the review is to provide health professionals with a practical summary of the lessons learned from each photovoice project's methods and findings. Based on the literature, the review's major suggestion is that health professionals should plan and implement future projects according to the fundamental aspects of photovoice (e.g. empowerment of participants to document their community, facilitation of group discussions of photos, concerted efforts to reach policymakers).
Psychiatric Illness Is Common Among Patients with Orthopaedic Polytrauma and Is Linked with Poor Outcomes

Background: Psychiatric disorders are common, and their functional consequences may be underappreciated by non-mental health-care providers. There exist limited data regarding the frequency of psychiatric illness in patients who sustain orthopaedic polytrauma. The purpose of this study was to describe the prevalence of psychiatric illness in patients with orthopaedic polytrauma, to determine whether psychiatric illnesses were identified and were accommodated by trauma providers, and, finally, to investigate any associations between postoperative complications and psychiatric illness. Methods: Three hundred and thirty-two skeletally mature patients with surgically treated axial and/or femoral fractures and injuries to other body systems (Injury Severity Score of ≥16 points) were identified from a database at a Level-I trauma center. These included 238 men and ninety-four women with a mean value (and standard deviation) of 39 ± 16 years for age and 27 ± 12 points for the Injury Severity Score. Records were reviewed for preexisting diagnoses of psychiatric disorders. The inpatient courses and discharge recommendations regarding treatment of psychiatric illness were analyzed. Complications in the six-month postoperative period were determined by an independent committee. Results: Preexisting psychiatric disorders were identified in 130 patients (39.2%), including depression in seventy-four patients (22.3%) and substance abuse in fifty-six patients (16.9%). Patients managed by an orthopaedic surgery service were less likely to receive their home psychiatric medications while hospitalized (p = 0.001) and were less likely to receive instructions for psychiatric follow-up at discharge (p = 0.087). Postoperative complications occurred in sixty-six patients (19.9%) overall; depression was an independent predictor of increased complications, with an odds ratio of 2.956 (95% confidence interval, 1.502 to 5.816). Conclusions: Psychiatric illness was common among individuals who sustained orthopaedic polytrauma, and patients with depression had more complications. This study highlights the need for greater attention to mental health disorders in this population. Level of Evidence: Prognostic Level III. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
PROGNOSIS OF CHILDHOOD ASTHMA WHO HAD BEEN ADMITTED WITH ASTHMA ATTACKS

The prognoses of 103 asthmatic patients, who had been admitted with asthma attacks from April, 1979 to March 1975 as children, were examined by questionnaire in 1986, except for two of them who had died. The final prognosis was: cured: 22.3%, markedly improved: 30.1%, mild: 17.5%, moderately severe: 17.5%, severe: 9.7% and dead 2.9%. This prognosis depeded on the severity of the patient's asthma at the first visit to our hospital. Comparing of the severity of asthma in present study with that study, which were examined in 1979 to the patients who had been admitted with asthma attacks, no significant difference were observed in spite of recent advance of asthmatic therapy.We would like to emphasize the concept of “high risk childhood asthma”. High risk childhood asthma was defined as follows, asthmatic children who was severe resisting the agressive therapy for the first year since the patient's first visit.
A TRPC3 signalling complex promotes cerebral artery remodelling during hypertension.

This editorial refers to ‘TRPC3 channel confers cerebrovascular remodelling during hypertension via transactivation of EGF receptor signalling’ by M. Wang et al. , pp. 34–43. Members of the transient receptor potential (TRP) superfamily of cation channels are key players in critical aspects of vascular function, such as angiogenesis, endothelium-dependent vasodilation, functional hyperaemia, and pressure-induced autoregulation of cerebral artery tone.1 Recent work highlights the importance of TRP channels as components of complex subcellular signalling networks that perform some of these functions. For example, the sole member of the ankyrin TRP subfamily, TRPA1, co-localizes with NADPH-oxidase 2 (NOX2) and intermediate- and small-conductance Ca2+-activated K+ channels (IK and SK, respectively) in the endothelial face of myoendothelial projections. In this complex, NOX2 activity leads to opening of TRPA1 channels, causing a localized influx of Ca2+ that activates nearby IK and SK to hyperpolarize the endothelial cell plasma membrane, leading to dilatation of cerebral pial arteries.2 Vanilloid (V) TRPV4 channels in the renal vasculature are coupled with endothelial nitric oxide synthase and TRPV4 activation causes vasodilation of renal arteries through the generation of nitric …
Analysis and prevention advises of liability diseases of offshore workers

Offshore oil industry is defined as the enterprises who engage in exploration and development of offshore oil and gas.The working environment,working hours,labor intensity,occupational risk factors,dietary structure and law of offshore workers were obviously different with those of land workers.Offshore workers stay in boats,offshore platform for a long term with narrow living and working spaces,much equipment,intensive tasks,various hazards and severe weather which seriously affects the health of workers and can result in occupational diseases.In addition,the special shift system of offshore workers,dull work and life,insufficient entertainment as well as work risks make the offshore workers showing psychological problems such as depression and anxiety,then result in great reducing of work efficacy,even maritime safety incidents.Therefore,the physical and mental health of offshore workers should attract more attentions.This paper analyzes and summarizes their physical and mental health in order to provide reference for occupational health protection of offshore workers in the future.
Real-time Data Acquisition Based on PCI bus Under VB Development Environment

This paper introduces a multifunctional data acquisition card based on the PCI bus. The DLL technology to realize the real-time collecting of local data is discussed.And the real time-dynamic display of the data is also discussed.
Performance evaluation of polymer flooding profile control agent composite ion YPY-1

Studies the static evaluation of the composite ion YPY-1 the drag coefficient,the residual resistanc of coefficient,plug the rate erosion-resistant,as well as after the diversion rate profile of the measured and the results of static observation,as well as through three parallel tests to examine its tune Flooding after the autopsy results to determine the best conditions for the effect of flooding are:profile control agent to be 0.1 PV,polymer volume 0.64 PV,injection timing for the injection of polymer profile control before.Composite ion YPY-1 with gelation properties,and enhanced oil recovery and effective within a certain period of time the adva-ntages of self-degradation.
Comment on Sjöholm et al. Weight Change–Adjusted Effects of Gastric Bypass Surgery on Glucose Metabolism: 2- and 10-Year Results From the Swedish Obese Subjects (SOS) Study. Diabetes Care 2016;39:625–631

We read with interest the article by Sjoholm et al. (1) in Diabetes Care on the effect of Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) on glucose metabolism 2 and 10 years following surgery. The authors used data from the Swedish Obese Subjects (SOS) study and compared fasting glucose, insulin, and HOMA of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) in patients who underwent gastric banding (GB), RYGB, or vertical banded gastroplasty (VBG). To evaluate for procedure-specific effects of RYGB, they compared groups on the basis of percent total body weight loss and concluded that weight loss is more important than procedure type for long-term improvements in glucose metabolism. The authors hypothesized that short-term and long-term improvements in glucose metabolism are different. We fully agree with this concept. In our studies (2), early improvements in glucose metabolism after RYGB occurred before any change …
Additional tests of interest to the dermatologist.

This article describes several miscellaneous tests of interest to the dermatologist. These tests include levels of alpha-1-antitrypsin, and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid. The relevance of these laboratory tests in the evaluation of dermatologic disease is emphasized. Also, the methods or techniques of determining these values are explained. These tests are a necessary adjunct in the evaluation of certain skin diseases.
Short note: A simple and conservative operator-splitting semi-Lagrangian volume-of-fluid advection scheme

A semi-Lagrangian, operator-splitting, high-performance volume-of-fluid advection scheme (SLOSH-VOF) is developed. In the backward time integration a directional splitting strategy is adopted, which greatly simplifies the definition and locating of the departure volume and reduces it to a grid cell expanded or compressed in one grid direction. The VOF value in the departure cell is estimated using a geometrical interpolation algorithm with a piecewise linear interface calculation (PLIC) scheme for the interfacial cells. The proposed SLOSH-VOF method is unconditionally stable and very large time steps can be used to significantly speed up the overall computations. It is conceptually simple and can be very easily implemented due to the direction-split advection. Its performance is evaluated through several benchmark advection tests. The SLOSH-VOF results are comparable to those from an Eulerian VOF method in terms of interface position errors, and improved with regard to mass conservation, even with CFL numbers increased up to one order of magnitude.
Military Utopias of Mind and Machine

The central locus of my study is southern California, at the nexus of the Hollywood entertainment industry, the rapidly growing game design world, and military training medical R&D. My research focuses on the rise of military utopic visions of mind that involve the creation of virtual worlds and hyper-real simulations in military psychiatry. In this paper, I employ ethnography to examine a broader turn to the senses within military psychology and psychiatry that involve changes in the ways some are coming to understand war trauma, PTSD, and what is now being called "psychological resilience." In the article, I critique assumptions that are made when what is being called "a sense of presence" and "immersion" are given privileged attention in military therapeutic contexts, diminishing the subjectivity of soldiers and reducing meaning to biometric readings on the surface of the body. I argue that the military's recent preoccupation with that which can be described as "immersive" and possessing a sense of presence signals a concentrated effort aimed at what might be described as a colonization of the senses – a digital Manifest Destiny that envisions the mind as capital, a condition I am calling military utopias of mind and machine . Military utopias of mind and machine aspire to have all the warfare without the trauma by instrumentalizing the senses within a closed system. In the paper, I argue that such utopias of control and containment are fragile and volatile fantasies that suffer from the potential repudiation of their very aims. I turn to storytelling, listening, and conversations as avenues towards healing, allowing people to ascribe meaning to difficult life experiences, affirm social relationships, and escape containment within a closed language system.
Complications of percutaneous liver biopsy with Klatskin needles: a 36‐year single‐centre experience

SummaryBackground Liver biopsy is the gold standard in evaluating liver diseases but is susceptible to complications. Safety data on aspiration needle biopsies remain limited. Aim To evaluate the safety of percutaneous liver biopsy performed with Klatskin needle. Methods Clinical and biochemical data were retrospectively retrieved from sequential subjects who underwent liver biopsy with Klatskin needle from 1978 to 2015. Subjects with complications underwent thorough chart reviews for hospital course. Results Of 3357 biopsies performed, complications occurred in 135 (4%) biopsies with 33 (1%) resulting in major complications. Severe pain occurred in 78 (2.3%) subjects and bleeding occurred in 21 (0.6%) subjects. Biliary injury occurred in 8 (0.2%) biopsies. Three subjects died as a result of massive intraperitoneal bleeding. Compared to viral hepatitis, biopsies performed with certain diagnosis had significantly higher odds of major complications: NRH (OR: 17), DILI (OR: 20), GVHD (OR: 32) and HCC (OR: 34). Subjects with major complications had higher pre-biopsy median AP (153 vs. 78 U/L, P 35 were independent risk factors of post-biopsy bleeding. Conclusion Klatskin needle liver biopsies are safe with rare procedural morbidity. Our data suggests certain acutely ill subjects and those with systemic illnesses may be at higher risk of major complications. Clinicians should weigh the risks and benefits of liver biopsy in these patients with other alternative approaches.
Information Technology, Repeated Contracts, and the Number of Suppliers

Many theories address how information technology IT affects the number of suppliers and supply chain governance. However, their predictions are at times contradictory and there is relatively little empirical evidence with which to evaluate them. We therefore develop an integrated, multiperiod model of the optimal number of suppliers that combines search and coordination theory, transaction cost economics, and incomplete contracts theory, and we assess our theoretical predictions using a large new data set on the global IT sourcing decisions of 1,355 firms in 12 countries. Our empirical results support three key predictions about trust, IT, and supply base size. First, investments in coordination IT, which reduce search and coordination costs, are correlated with using more suppliers, while use of vendor-specific IT is associated with fewer suppliers. Second, repeated relationships and trust play a major role in supply chain governance. As firms work with fewer suppliers, they also engage in more repeated relationships. At the same time asset specificity and the need to induce relationship-specific investments are correlated not only with fewer suppliers, but also with a larger fraction of repeated relationships. Third, supply chain governance differs in human capital-intensive and physical capital-intensive industries. The correspondence between asset specificity and repetition is strong in physical capital-intensive firms and not significant in human capital-intensive firms, while the correspondence between fewer suppliers and more repeated relationships is strong in human capital-intensive firms but not significant in physical capital-intensive firms. This corroborates the differential implications of human and physical capital for bargaining power, contractual risk, and trust in buyer-supplier relationships. The online appendix is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2016.2631 . This paper was accepted by Chris Forman, information systems.
Fast reinforcement learning based distributed optimal flocking control and network co-design for uncertain networked multi-UAV system

Military applications require networked multi-UAV system to perform practically, optimally and reliably under changing mission requirements. Lacking the effective control and communication algorithms is impeding the development of multi-UAV systems significantly. In this paper, distributed optimal flocking control and network co-design problem has been investigated for networked multi-UAV system in presence of uncertain harsh environment and unknown dynamics. First, the mathematical interaction between network imperfections and practical wireless network channel performance has been investigate. Then, a novel co-model has been developed for networked multi-UAV combining effects from physical system and network channel model effectively. Then, adopting neuro dynamics programming (NDP) technique and actor-critic-identifier (ACI) design architecture, a novel online finite horizon optimal flocking control and network co-design has been proposed. The developed algorithm cannot merely obtain the distributed optimal co-design within finite time, but also relax the stringent requirement about physical UAV system and network dynamics. In addition, developed novel co-design can satisfy the practical constraints, e.g. transmit power constraint etc. The Lyapunov stability analysis is used to validate the effectiveness of developed scheme. With the proper NN weight update law, proposed co-design can ensure all closed-loop signals and NN weights are uniformly ultimately bounded (UUB). Furthermore, simulation results have been provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the developed scheme.
Endothelial Progenitor Cells for the Vascularization of Engineered Tissues

Self-assembled microvasculature from cocultures of endothelial cells (ECs) and stromal cells has significantly advanced efforts to vascularize engineered tissues by enhancing perfusion rates in viv...
Assessing price integration and trade policy in the U.S. catfish market

In 2003, the United States adopted anti-dumping tariffs for Vietnamese catfish products entering the country. This study examines how these tariffs have impacted the price relationship between dome...
Application of the Irrotational Component Approximation to Nonspherical Density Atoms

The electronic density ρ(r) of majority of atoms in the Periodic Table are nonspherically symmetric. These are open shell atoms with partially filled degenerate sublevels. However, in most calculations of atomic structure, such atoms are treated in the central field modelwherein their densities are sphericalized by ensemble averaging the different orientations (see e.g. Appendix D). Thus, in order that these atoms be represented in a more physically correct manner, and thereby obtain their properties more accurately, the nonsphericity of the density must be taken into account [1, 2].
Empirical Analysis of Dayrate Factors

A large number of factors have the potential to influence dayrates and a body of “common knowledge” has developed over the years regarding their impact. The purpose of this chapter is to critically review these expectations and the empirical evidence to support/refute selected claims. Some of the claims can be tested, but many cannot, and our evaluation is limited by the availability and reliability of data and factor analysis. We examine the effects of oil prices on rig demand and evaluate the relationship between dayrates and oil prices, utilization, rig specifications, contract length, E&P ownership, contractor size and well type. We show that oil prices explain a large proportion of the variation in the number of active rigs and average dayrates, while utilization is a weaker predictor of dayrates with effects varying by region and time period. We find no evidence that large contractors are able to use their market power to capture higher dayrates than would be expected by their fleet specification. State-owned oil companies, however, tend to pay higher dayrates than private oil companies, and appraisal drilling is found to be more expensive than developmental or exploratory drilling.
The Common Ancestor

Pan paniscus is a fascinating animal in its own right, but what makes it especially dear to some of us is the possibility suggested in 1933 by Harold Coolidge and debated ever since that, “it may approach more closely to the common ancestor of chimpanzees and man than does any living chimpanzee hitherto discovered and described” (Coolidge, 1933, p. 56). If the pygmy chimpanzee resembles our common ancestor, then one might expect it to show a special resemblance to the earliest known hominids grouped in the genus Australopithecus. Fifty years ago Schwarz (1932) pointed out that it might be important in the interpretation of Australopithecus, and in 1934 he wrote, “the importance of this race is evident, as it presents analogies to Australopithecus, which appears to be only a dwarfed gorilla” (Schwarz, 1934, p. 583). All that was known of Australopithecus at that time was the juvenile skull and dentition of the Taung baby (Dart, 1925). Subsequently, the sample of these early hominids has increased to the point that we have several specimens of most joints of the postcranial skeleton and hundreds of individuals represented by teeth and crania.
The (Over-Under) Biasing Problem in Importance Sampling

In the previous chapters we have said a lot about how to choose good importance sampling biasing distributions. We have found that in many interesting situations easily computable efficient choices exist. All in all we have painted quite a rosy picture of the problem of rare event simulation. In this chapter, we indicate some of the (dangerous) problems that can face the importance sampling practitioner and how one might go about guarding against these dangers.
Measurements of two-dimensional spatial coherence of normal-incidence seafloor scattering

Measurements have been made near normal incidence of the two-dimensional spatial coherence of the acoustic field scattered from the lakebed in Seneca Lake, New York. In the test region, the lakebed consists of a series of sediment layers created by a sequence of distinct depositional processes. The spatial coherence length of the scattered field is shown to be dependent on the structure of the underlying sediment sequences. Significant ping-to-ping variability in the spatial coherence surface was also observed for each sediment sequence. This variability is quantified by a two-dimensional spatial coherence metric that measures the coherence lengths and asymmetric coherence surface orientation. The ping-to-ping variation of the surface asymmetry appears to be linked to the spatial isotropy of the sediment scattering strength. The scattering strength of the deepest observed sequence in the sub-bottom is the most spatially isotropic and the ping-to-ping variability of the coherence lengths and surface orientations are random. The scattering strength of the shallower sequences is spatially anisotropic and the coherence lengths and surface orientations show intervals of non-random ping-to-ping behavior.
Optimal Bin Width for Autonomous Coverage Estimation Using MDT Reports in the Presence of User Positioning Error

Minimization of drive test (MDT) allows coverage to be estimated at the base station using user equipment measurement reports with the objective of eliminating the need for drive tests. In this letter, we quantify various types of errors in MDT-based autonomous coverage estimation that stem from inaccurate user positioning, for example, as a result of GPS measurement uncertainties and quantization due to dividing the coverage area into bins. By investigating the interplay between quantization and positioning error to estimate coverage, we show that there exists an optimal bin width for coverage estimation and determine it as a function of positioning error and user density. This can enable network operators to configure the bin size for given positioning accuracy that results in the most accurate MDT-based coverage estimation.
Efficacy of a stepped collaborative care intervention for comorbid cancer and depression: Health care utilization and costs.

e18348Background: The aims of this study were to test the efficacy of a stepped collaborative care intervention for comorbid cancer and depression on outcomes including complication rates, health c...
Diagnostic and Management Strategies for Postoperative Complications in Pediatric Appendicitis

It is not uncommon for a patient to develop postoperative complications following appendectomy. This is especially true in those individuals whose initial presentation was perforated appendicitis. Most complications are infectious and include surgical site infections (SSI) such as superficial wound infections and deep intra-abdominal abscesses. Appropriate diagnosis and management of these complications is imperative. Herein we discuss the diagnostic and management strategies for postoperative complications following appendectomy.
A Qualitative Exploration of “Mother First” Identity and Antiretroviral Adherence among African American Women Living with HIV in the Mid-South Region of the United States

The majority of African American women living with HIV are of child-bearing age and large numbers of these women express a desire to have children. Extant research suggests that motherhood provides HIV-positive women with a sense of hope and normalcy and, in some cases, is associated with positive HIV-related health behaviors. Guided by the tenets of the culture-centered approach (CCA), this qualitative study sought to understand the relationship between motherhood identity and ART adherence among a sample of 50 African American women living with HIV in the Mid-South region of the United States. Our theoretically-informed thematic analysis of in-depth interviews with all 50 women produced three primary themes: (1) experiencing HIV through the lens of motherhood, (2) the physical and social realities of the "mother first" orientation while living with HIV, and (3) the impact of the "mother first" orientation on ART adherence and self-care. These findings identify how participants' "mother first" identity orientation interacts with their sociocultural environment to enable and constrain their attempts at ART adherence. The findings also provide empirical evidence to support the CCA's theorizing regarding the ways in which the materiality of structures interact with symbolic cultural meanings to (re)produce health inequalities.
Artificial intelligence and sustainable development

Abstract Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly opening up a new frontier in the fields of business, corporate practices, and governmental policy. The intelligence of machines and robotics with deep learning capabilities have created profound disrupting and enabling impacts on business, governments, and society. They are also influencing the larger trends in global sustainability. As the AI revolution transforms our world, it could herald a utopian future where humanity co-exists harmoniously with machines, or portend a dystopian world filled with conflict, poverty and suffering. More immediately, would AI accelerate our progress on the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) or bring us further down the path toward greater economic uncertainty, environmental collapse, and social upheaval? What are some of the implications for business leadership and the education of future business leaders? This article aims to address these questions by analyzing the impacts of AI in three case studies. It draws some preliminary inferences for management education and the business of leading corporations in the midst of rapid technological and social change. This study combines the perspectives of business strategy and public policy to analyze the impacts of AI on sustainable development with a specific focus on the advancement of the SDGs. It also draws some lessons on managerial learning and leadership development for global sustainability.