cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Breathing pattern effects on pulmonary oxygen uptake.

Pulmonary oxygen uptake has been analysed to determine the relative importance of breathing pattern parameters. Computer simulations of pulmonary oxygen transport were obtained with a multicompartment model of the lung, assuming an absence of shunts, constant cardiac output, and 21% inspired oxygen. Simulations of oxygen uptake in the lung for various breathing patterns showed that the parameters having the greatest effect on the arterial PO2 are the tidal volume and breathing rate. At a constant tidal volume and breathing rate, that is a constant total ventilation, even extreme variations in the shape of the flow pattern produce relatively small changes in arterial Po2. At a given inspired oxygen concentration, optimal strategies to provide sufficient gas exchange with mechanically aided ventilation in the absence of significant oedema or aetelectasis can be based primarily on changes in tidal volume and breathing rates.
Intraluminal meconium calcification without distal obstruction

Intraluminal meconium calcification of unknown mechanism is reported in three neonates who did not have distal intestinal obstruction. The condition was benign in all three cases and did not require surgical intervention. This new form of intra-abdominal calcification should be differentiated from other forms that invariably are due to surgical disorders.
La Canonisation des tragédies raciniennes à l’Ecole républicaine

The critical reception of Racine during the French Third Republic reflects a shift from the Christian/monarchical view of the “tender Racine” to the secular/republican image of the “Racine cruel.” The importance of Racinian tragedy in the literary pedagogy of this period can best be grasped by examining the transformation of university criticism (Nisard, Brunetiere, Lanson) into school discourse (Albert, Calvet, Longhaye). The official canonization of the dramatic poet as the paragon of traditional French esthetic values (clarity, good taste, and elegance) gave way to the decanonization of his oeuvre since the early 1970s.
Mesophases of Alkylammonium Salts III. Disorder and Motion in the Intermediate Homologs: [CH3(CH2) n-1]4NX, n = 4, 5, 6, 7 and X = Br and I

Abstract Disorder and motion in crystals and mesophases of tetra-n-alkylammonium halides of intermediate chain length alkyl groups, [CH3(CH2) n-1]4NX, where n = 4, 5, 6, 7 and X = Br and I, have been analyzed based on entropy changes of phase transitions known from differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and new measurements of solid state 13C nuclear magnetic resonance spectra (NMR). Some mesophase transitions from the crystal state involve only conformational motion and disordering to lead to condis crystals. The conformational motion and disordering in the alkyl chains may also be introduced gradually (transitionless change to a condis crystals). Further heating of the samples increases the degree of conformational disorder (entropy) to reach different, more disordered condis states, or causes orientational motion and disorder of the cation as a whole to form plastic crystals, which in this intermediate alkyl chain-length group of salts contain always conformational disorder. Finally, isotropization oc...
A new glycopeptide antibiotic

Abstract Teicoplanin is a new glycopeptide antibiotic with a spectrum of activity similar to vancomycin. The anticipated advantages of teicoplanin include longer half-life and less frequent administration, higher activity against some streptococci and enterococci, and good absorption from intramuscular injection. It appears to be effective therapy for many of the infections currently treated with vancomycin. The incidence of red man syndrome and ototoxicity are probably lower, although the overall side effect rates are probably equivalent. The degree of which teicoplanin replaces the use of vancomycin will depend in part on competitive pricing.
Imaging and three-dimensional analysis of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis

Three-dimensional (3D) spinal assessment requires transverse plane images in addition to the posteroanterior and lateral projections provided by traditional radiography. Computed tomography has allowed 3D spine visualization as serial transverse radiographic images are acquired. New biplanar slot scanners allow patients to stand during radiograph acquisition and provide superior quality images at lower radiation than traditional x-rays. The 3D measurements, which were never before attainable from planar radiographs, are semiautomatically calculated using commercial software. These images may be further processed to allow additional 3D analyses. In this article, historic and newer innovative approaches to 3D spine assessment of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis are presented.
Reply [to Leonard Finegold's “Comment on “Assessing flood hazard on dynamic rivers” by Nicholas Pinter, Russell Thomas and Joseph H. Wlosinski”]

I am the source of the Table 1 mentioned in L. Finegold's letter, and the editors of Eos have asked me to respond. I don't know about tons of European lead emissions, which was mentioned in the other offending paper, but when it comes to Mississippi and Missouri River discharges, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) reports measurements to the nearest integer value in cfs (ft3/s). Converting into metric (cmss; m3/s), the values keep the same number of significant figures. Table 1 in Pinter et al. [2002] reported means and standard deviations of USGS annual maximum discharges. The means retain the same number of significant figures as the least precise value in each discharge set (nearest whole unit in cms), and the standard deviations are reported to the same decimal place as the means (again, nearest whole cms).
QL4: QUALITY OF LIFE MESSAGES IN PRESCRIPTION DRUG ADVERTISEMENTS IN LEADING MEDICAL JOURNALS, 1990-99

OBJECTIVES: The use of health-related quality of life (HRQL) claims in drug promotions is under active discussion by the pharmaceutical industry, the FDA, and other stakeholders. However, the extent to which pharmaceutical companies have previously promoted HRQL messages in advertisements in medical journals, and the nature of those messages, has not been quantified. METHODS: We performed a content analysis of all pharmaceutical advertisements appearing in three general medical journals (AIM, JAMA, and NEJM), and three specialty journals (Circulation, Gastroenterology, and Neurology) in January, July, and October annually from 1990–1999. Two reviewers analyzed each advertisement for the presence and type of HRQL content, and for supporting evidence. We distinguished explicit HRQL claims, which used words, such as “quality of life or “patient satisfaction,” from implicit claims, which we defined broadly as pictures implying improved physical, emotional/mental, or social functioning. RESULTS: We judged that HRQL messages appeared in 520 (24.3%) of 2142 advertisements examined. Advertisements with HRQL content increased from 1990–94 to 1995–99 (19.9% vs. 29.6%, p 100%, because a single ad could contain multiple messages). CONCLUSIONS: Advertisements conveying HRQL messages are used frequently by drug manufacturers in medical journals, and are increasing over time. In the future, researchers should better define HRQL, and probe more deeply into what comprises substantiating evidence, perhaps by incorporating the concept of “patient-reported outcomes.”
A general method to characterize homogeneous neuronal populations

Nonlinear methods have been applied to the study of brain systems. However, experimental results have been disappointing in that higher-order terms are often found to have no effect, or increase the error in prediction for kernel-derived models. While simple neural systems may be second-order, it is possible that the efficacy of higher-order terms for complex systems may be degraded by computational error. Input parameters, output measures and computations which incorporate known parameters of neural systems are described. Results should provide system definition that is more accurate and amenable to modeling and simulation efforts.
Developmental Regulation of a Matrix Metalloproteinase during Regeneration of Axolotl Appendages

Removal of specific extracellular matrix (ECM) components has been implicated in the initiation of salamander limb regeneration. Remodeling of the ECM at the distal stump is necessary for the release of cells that eventually contribute to the blastema. Several matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) have been well characterized as important to various physiological and pathological processes, such as bone remodeling and tumor invasion. The goal of this study is to identify and characterize MMPs that modulate the ECM during appendage regeneration in the axolotl Ambystoma mexicanum. By analyzing axolotl tissue extracts using gelatin-substrate gels, we have identified a 90-kDa gelatinase/collagenase that is upregulated within hours after limb amputation. This gelatinase shows a dramatic elevation in activity during the dedifferentiation and blastema stages. Its activity declines by the palette stage and returns to its basal level by the digit stages. The increase in activity of the 90-kDa gelatinase in response to amputation is independent of the nerve supply and the wound epithelium but these factors affect its subsequent downregulation. In addition to the blastema, the 90-kDa gelatinase can be detected in the stump at least 4 mm proximal to the regenerate. Similar regulation of the 90-kDa gelatinolytic activity is observed during tail regeneration and flank would healing. We suggest that this 90-kDa gelatinase/collagenase may play a role in the initiation and rapid growth phase of axolotl regeneration and wound healing.
Transforming Growth Factor β Represses the Actions of Myogenin Through a Mechanism Independent of DNA Binding

Abstract Myogenin belongs to a family of regulatory factors that can activate myogenesis when transfected into nonmyogenic cells. A conserved DNA sequence, known as an E box, serves as the target for binding and trans-activation by myogenin. Using 10T1/2 fibroblasts that constitutively express a transfected myogenin cDNA, we show that myogenin accumulates in the nucleus but is unable to initiate myogenesis when cells are maintained with transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) or high serum. Although the final effect of TGF-beta and high serum--inhibition of myogenesis--was the same, their effects on the DNA-binding properties of myogenin in vitro differed. TGF-beta did not affect the ability of myogenin to bind DNA, whereas serum diminished the in vitro DNA-binding activity of myogenin. The helix-loop-helix (HLH) protein Id, postulated to inhibit DNA binding of other HLH proteins, was induced by high serum but not by TGF-beta. The presence of Id correlated with the failure of myogenin to bind the muscle creatine kinase enhancer in vitro. These findings suggest that serum can inhibit myogenesis by attenuating the DNA-binding activity of myogenin, possibly as a consequence of Id protein expression, whereas TGF-beta acts through a mechanism distal to DNA sequence recognition by myogenin and independent of Id.
The generalized cumulant expansion approach to stochastic reductions in molecular collision dynamics: Applications to collisional energy transfer

A generalized cumulant expansion method is developed for applying stochastic reductions to molecular collision processes. We begin by introducing an approximate partitioning of a collision system into two subsystems Sr and Si which are assumed to be weakly correlated. Cumulant expansion methods are then used to simultaneously perform a stochastic reduction over Si, and a projection of the diagonal elements of the reduced density matrix for Sr thereby leading to a Pauli master equation describing Sr. We then apply this general equation using an impulse approximation partitioning to problems in inelastic V–T and R–T scattering. For He+H2 vibrationally inelastic collisions, the stochastic theory predicts low order moments and some probabilities in very good agreement with exact quantum results. In applications to He+H2 rigid rotor scattering, integral cross sections and opacity functions within 10%–30% of exact results are obtained at most energies.
A case history of vegetation changes on the Meridean Islands of West-Central Wisconsin, USA

Abstract The history of the vegetation of the Meridean Islands on the Chippewa River in Wisconsin is presented. Land office survey data from 1845–1849 indicate that about 60% of the island was prairie and oak openings, while most of the remaining area was swamp-hardwood forest at the time of settlement. Farms, small industry and a small village developed on the islands but were abandoned in the early 1900s. Land economic inventories from 1937, aerial photographs taken from 1951 to 1981 and sample plots were used to trace the changes in vegetation that have occurred in the interim. The early settlers established their farms on the open land, much of which was converted to pine plantations after abandonment. Little change was found to occur in the location, extent and composition of the forests. Overall, the vegetation pattern present on the islands today is very similar to that present prior to settlement.
Bootstrapping one way analysis of rao's quadratic entropy

We establish a bootstrap approximation for the one way analysis of quadratic entropy in this paper. The quadratic entropy was introduced by Rao in 1982. It generalizes the concepts of variance and diversity measures and is useful in statistical inference. Our results in this paper provide a computational method to get rid of the nuisance parameters in the asymptotic distribution of the analysis of quadratic entropy (ANOQE) statistic.
Historical and Future Coastal Changes in Northwest Alaska

Abstract Kotzebue Sound comprises a large part of the Northwest Arctic Borough (NAB) shoreline. It has a diverse coastal geomorphology. Natural coastal dynamics and global sea-level rise (SLR) are contributing to changes in the erosion and accretion of beaches. Recently published data from the joint project of the University of Colorado (Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research) and National Park Service (Arctic Network Inventory and Monitoring Program) for the first time makes systematic quantitative analysis of coastal changes along the Northwest Alaskan coast possible. This study is based on shoreline indicators derived from 112 aerial photographs, spanning more than 50 years, from 1950 to 2003, processed by research staff at the Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research. The images were used in this study to locate and digitize the shoreline indicators for 1950, 1980, and 2003. Integration of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Digital Ahoreline Ana...
Control of Static Shape, Dynamic Oscillation, and Thermally Induced Vibration of Nozzles

Static shape actuation and dynamic control of nozzles can improve their performance, accuracy, reliability, etc. A new curved laminated piezothermoelastic hexahedral finite element is formulated based on the layerwise constant shear angle theory and it is used for modeling and analysis of piezothermoelastic conical shell structures subjected to control voltages for static shape actuation and dynamically and thermally induced vibration controls. Free vibration characteristics of an elastic truncated conical shell nozzle with fixed-free boundary conditions are studied using the new finite element. Both frequencies and mode shapes are accurately computed and compared favorably with available experimental and other numerical data. This study is then extended to evaluate control effectiveness of the conical shell with laminated piezoelectric layers. Static shape control is achieved by an applied electric potential. Vibration sensing and control are carried out using the negative velocity control scheme. Control of thermal excitation is also investigated. Analysis data suggest that the dynamic behavior and control characteristics of conical shells are quite complicated due to the coupled membrane and bending effects participating in the responses. To improve control effectiveness, segmentation and/or shaping of sensor and actuator layers need to be further investigated.
Melt inclusions in augite of the Nakhla martian meteorite: Evidence for basaltic parental melt

Nakhla contains crystallized melt inclusions that were trapped in augite and olivine when these phases originally formed on Mars. Our study involved rehomogenization (slow-heating and fast-heating) experiments on multiphase melt inclusions in Nakhla augite. We studied melt inclusions trapped in augite because this phase re-equilibrated with the external melt to a lesser extent than olivine and results could be directly compared with previous Nakhla melt inclusion studies. Following heating and homogenization of encapsulated melt inclusions, single mineral grains were mounted and polished to expose inclusions. Major element chemistry was determined by electron microprobe. The most primitive melt inclusion analyzed in Nakhla NA03 is basaltic and closely matches previously reported nakhlite parent melt compositions. MELTS equilibrium and fractional crystallization models calculated for NA03 and previous Nakhla parent melt estimates at QFM and QFM-1 produced phase assemblages and compositions that can be compared to Nakhla. Of these models, equilibrium crystallization of NA03 at QFM-1 produced the best match to mineral phases and compositions in Nakhla. In all models, olivine and augite co-crystallize, consistent with the hypothesis that olivine is not xenocrystic but has undergone subsolidus re-equilibration. In addition, measured melt inclusion compositions plot along the MELTS-calculated liquid line of descent and may represent pockets of melt trapped at various stages during crystallization. We attempt to resolve discrepancies between previous estimates of the Nakhla parental melt composition and to reinterpret the results of a previous study of rehomogenized melt inclusions in Nakhla. Melt inclusions demonstrate that Nakhla is an igneous rock whose parent melt composition and crystallization history reflect planetary igneous processes.
Simple gene silencing using the trans‐acting siRNA pathway

In plants, particular micro-RNAs (miRNAs) induce the production of a class of small interfering RNAs (siRNA) called trans-acting siRNA (ta-siRNA) that lead to gene silencing. A single miRNA target is sufficient for the production of ta-siRNAs, which target can be incorporated into a vector to induce the production of siRNAs, and ultimately gene silencing. The term miRNA-induced gene silencing (MIGS) has been used to describe such vector systems in Arabidopsis. Several ta-siRNA loci have been identified in soybean, but, prior to this work, few of the inducing miRNAs have been experimentally validated, much less used to silence genes. Nine ta-siRNA loci and their respective miRNA targets were identified, and the abundance of the inducing miRNAs varies dramatically in different tissues. The miRNA targets were experimentally verified by silencing a transgenic GFP gene and two endogenous genes in hairy roots and transgenic plants. Small RNAs were produced in patterns consistent with the utilization of the ta-siRNA pathway. A side-by-side experiment demonstrated that MIGS is as effective at inducing gene silencing as traditional hairpin vectors in soybean hairy roots. Soybean plants transformed with MIGS vectors produced siRNAs and silencing was observed in the T1 generation. These results complement previous reports in Arabidopsis by demonstrating that MIGS is an efficient way to produce siRNAs and induce gene silencing in other species, as shown with soybean. The miRNA targets identified here are simple to incorporate into silencing vectors and offer an effective and efficient alternative to other gene silencing strategies.
A medical student perspective on self-referral and overutilization in radiology: application of the four core principles of medical ethics.

There is contention within the medical community surrounding imaging self-referral, in which providers refer patients to imaging facilities from which they receive financial returns. Controversy surrounds the assertion that self-referral leads to overutilization, or the application of imaging resources and services in situations in which patients are unlikely to benefit. Proponents of self-referral claim that the practice provides increased convenience, timelier diagnosis, more expeditious treatment, and decreased cost, while opponents believe that the practice results in the inappropriate ordering of unnecessary imaging studies. Given the importance of this subject and the magnitude of its potential economic impact, it is important to restore objectivity. The 4 core principles of medical ethics—autonomy, nonmaleficence, beneficence, and justice—represent a useful and well-established paradigm. This review article addresses the question of whether self-referral upholds these 4 principles and thus whether it is an ethical practice.
Memories of Electrons in Crystals

As a student in Zurich, it was my good fortune to be present at the colloquium in which Schrodinger told the first time about his wave mechanics. When both he and Debye accepted positions in Germany I decided upon the latter’s advice to continue my studies under Heisenberg in Leipzig, where I arrived in the autumn of 1927. Already in Zurich my interests had turned from experimental to theoretical physics, and particularly towards quantum mechanics, and before coming to Leipzig I had started some calculations on the radiation-damping of wave-packets. As the first thing, Heisenberg encouraged me to complete this work, later published in the Physikalische Zeitschrift , whereupon he considered me ready to start on a topic for my Ph.D. thesis.
Effects of feature-based attention on the motion aftereffect at remote locations

Previous studies have shown that attention to a particular stimulus feature, such as direction of motion or color, enhances neuronal responses to unattended stimuli sharing that feature. We studied this effect psychophysically by measuring the strength of the motion aftereffect (MAE) induced by an unattended stimulus when attention was directed to one of two overlapping fields of moving dots in a different spatial location. When attention was directed to the same direction of motion as the unattended stimulus, the unattended stimulus induced a stronger MAE than when attention was directed to the opposite direction. Also, when the unattended location contained either uncorrelated motion or had no stimulus at all an MAE was induced in the opposite direction to the attended direction of motion. The strength of the MAE was similar regardless of whether subjects attended to the speed or luminance of the attended dots. These results provide further support for a global feature-based mechanism of attention, and show that the effect spreads across all features of an attended object, and to all locations of visual space.
The Mandinka Nosological System in the Context of Post-Trauma Syndromes

Preliminary studies of trauma and psychiatric sequelae among West African refugees have revealed the need to develop West African-sensitive assessment instruments. This article addresses the results of the first stage of such a process which involved two focus group discussions with nine traditional Mandinka practitioners. Various dimensions of the diagnoses required to adequately reflect the range of refugee experience are presented. Such dimensions include diagnostic labels, idioms of distress, causes, source, and seriousness. The findings of this pilot study suggest that the impact of trauma such as experienced by refugees is so complex that a unitary diagnostic label is insufficient.
Passive Modeling of Interconnects by Waveform Shaping

In this paper, we propose a new approach to enforcing the passivity of a reduced system of general passive linear time invariant circuits. Instead of making the reduced models passive for infinite frequencies, which is difficult and inefficient using state-of-the-art optimization based methods for circuits with many terminals and operating in wideband frequency ranges, the new method works on the signal waveform driving reduced models. It slightly shapes the waveforms of the signal such that the resulting signal spectra are band limited to the frequency range in which the reduced system is passive. As a result, the reduced models only need to be band-limited passive (also called conditionally passive), which can be achieved much easier than traditional passivity for a reduced system, especially for ones with many terminals or requiring wide band accuracy (more poles). We propose to use spectrum truncation via FFT/IFFT and low-pass filter based approaches for transient waveform shaping processing. We analyze the delay and distortion effects caused by using low-pass filters and propose methods to mitigate the two effects. Experimental results on several interconnect circuits demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed methods
Reprogramming the specificity of sortase enzymes.

Staphylococcus aureus sortase A catalyzes the transpeptidation of an LPXTG peptide acceptor and a glycine-linked peptide donor and has proven to be a powerful tool for site-specific protein modification. The substrate specificity of sortase A is stringent, limiting its broader utility. Here we report the laboratory evolution of two orthogonal sortase A variants that recognize each of two altered substrates, LAXTG and LPXSG, with high activity and specificity. Following nine rounds of yeast display screening integrated with negative selection, the evolved sortases exhibit specificity changes of up to 51,000-fold, relative to the starting sortase without substantial loss of catalytic activity, and with up to 24-fold specificity for their target substrates, relative to their next most active peptide substrate. The specificities of these altered sortases are sufficiently orthogonal to enable the simultaneous conjugation of multiple peptide substrates to their respective targets in a single solution. We demonstrated the utility of these evolved sortases by using them to effect the site-specific modification of endogenous fetuin A in human plasma, the synthesis of tandem fluorophore–protein–PEG conjugates for two therapeutically relevant fibroblast growth factor proteins (FGF1 and FGF2), and the orthogonal conjugation of fluorescent peptides onto surfaces.
Leathersex: Meaningful aspects of gay sadomasochism

Sadomasochism (S/M) is popularly misconceived as the sexual confusion of pain with pleasure, and is generally associated with meaningless and violent acts of sex (McCary, 1967: 358–60; Kando, 1978:108). Actually, S/M is a catchall term for a wide range of individual passions and practices, with an endless spectrum of possibilities for expression. Among homosexuals, S/M is institutionalized to the extent that particular symbolic acts of dominance and submission are more common than others, most of which involve no pain whatsoever. Also, an elaborate scheme of norms control certain aspects of the scene, especially the action itself. Finally, a common path of entry can be traced. The action of gay S/M is termed leathersex, and its members are leathermen. This study may serve to construct an enlightened view of gay S/M.1
Pharmacist-administered depot medroxyprogesterone acetate.

Continuation rates for women using depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA) for contraception in the United States are very low. Compliance/continuation rates at 3 months range from 57% to 71% with usual care and follow-up. At 6 months the range decreases to between 35% and 63%. The continuation rate at 1 year ranges from 23% to 45%. In one study the unintended pregnancy rate was 20% by 9 months after stopping DMPA. Side effects were cited as the most common reason for discontinuation of DMPA. Between 25% and 60% of women who stopped using DMPA stated that menstrual irregularities including amenorrhea or unpredictable bleeding patterns were the reason for discontinuation. Other side effects such as weight gain headaches or mood changes accounted for 18–43% of reasons for discontinuation. (excerpt)
Eternally incorrigible: the continuing-sin response to the proportionality problem of hell

According to the proportionality objection to hell, infinite suffering is out of proportion to any wrong that finite human beings could commit and is hence unjust and inconsistent with God's moral perfection. The continuing-sin response concedes that eternal consignment to hell is out of proportion to the sins people commit during their earthly lives, but argues that people in hell continue to sin while in hell and, in this way, extend their consignment to hell ad infinitum. In this essay, I evaluate the continuing-sin response. In particular, I argue that whether there is a proportionality problem to begin with and whether the continuing-sin response succeeds as a response depends on the character of the suffering that is experienced in hell.
Chemical Source Localization in Unknown Turbulence Using the Cross-Correlation Method

Estimating the direction of a diffusive source is a difficult problem, and little has been tried to estimate a chemical source subject to turbulence. Turbulence must be addressed if chemical localizer systems are to be effective. We look at how to quantify turbulence and develop a measure to locate a source in two different types of turbulence, modulated and unmodulated plumes. We show that a plume can be modeled linearly on a small-scale and that a wind measure for a stationary sensor array can indicate the direction of a chemical source with reasonable accuracy and time. This measure can be easily implemented in low-power computational electronics and applied to the detection of chemical leaks and illegal substances.
Thresholds and scheduling for LDPC-coded partial response channels

Low-density parity check (LDPC) codes exhibit a threshold phenomenon over a wide variety of channels. The threshold serves as a good parameter for system and code design, and is usually very close to channel capacity. There has been a great deal of recent work surrounding the use of LDPC and turbo codes with iterative decoding for partial response (PR) channels. In this paper, we calculate thresholds for LDPC codes over binary-input PR channels using a Gaussian approximation. We show that the threshold varies according to decoder schedule, and we identify schedules that result in good thresholds. Conversely, we use our results to guide the design of decoder schedules that minimize the number of computationally expensive Bahl-Cocke-Jelinek-Raviv algorithm steps.
A Second-Order Dual X-/Ka-Band Frequency Selective Surface

In this letter, a new technique for designing dual-band frequency selective surfaces with arbitrary bands of operation, with second-order band-pass responses at each band of operation, is presented and experimentally verified. The technique is based on utilizing a particular topology of a second-order band-pass microwave filter and synthesizing its constituting elements using periodic structures with inductive, capacitive, or resonant type surface impedances. The result is a low-profile planar structure composed of three metal and two dielectric layers that acts as a spatial version of the dual-band microwave filter.
Methodology for the Generation of Program Test Data

A methodology for generating program test data is described. The methodology is a model of the test data generation process and can be used to characterize the basic problems of test data generation. It is well defined and can be used to build an automatic test data generation system.
The Decompensated Detrusor II: Evidence for Loss of Sarcoplasmic Reticulum Function After Bladder Outlet Obstruction in the Rabbit

AbstractPurpose: While it may lack the classic morphological pattern in striated muscle systems, there is ample evidence that smooth muscle also contains sarcoplasmic reticulum. These intracellular storage sites release calcium into the cytosol to generate contractile force in response to various stimuli. A major component of the sarcoplasmic reticulum is an adenosine triphosphate dependent ion pump, which serves to drive free calcium out of the cytosol back into this intracellular reservoir. This ion pump serves to maintain the intracellular calcium storage sites, and also as a marker of the sarcoplasmic reticulum.Materials and Methods: Muscle strip studies were performed to stratify the data into 3 major groups (controls, and compensated and decompensated obstructions) based on physiological performance. These were correlated with biochemical and molecular determinations of sarcoplasmic endoplasmic reticulum calcium, magnesium-adenosinetriphosphatase expression.Results: Our results demonstrate a remarka...
22q11 Gene dosage establishes an adaptive range for sonic hedgehog and retinoic acid signaling during early development

We asked whether key morphogenetic signaling pathways interact with 22q11 gene dosage to modulate the severity of cranial or cardiac anomalies in DiGeorge/22q1 deletion syndrome (22q11DS). Sonic hedgehog (Shh) and retinoic acid (RA) signaling is altered in the brain and heart—clinically significant 22q11DS phenotypic sites—in LgDel mouse embryos, an established 22q11DS model. LgDel embryos treated with cyclopamine, an Shh inhibitor, or carrying mutations in Gli3Xtj, an Shh-signaling effector, have morphogenetic anomalies that are either not seen, or seen at significantly lower frequencies in control or single-mutant embryos. Similarly, RA exposure or genetic loss of RA function via heterozygous mutation of the RA synthetic enzyme Raldh2 induces novel cranial anomalies and enhances cardiovascular phenotypes in LgDel but not other genotypes. These changes are not seen in heterozygous Tbx1 mutant embryos—a 22q11 gene thought to explain much of 22q11DS pathogenesis—in which Shh or RA signaling has been similarly modified. Our results suggest that full dosage of 22q11 genes beyond Tbx1 establish an adaptive range for morphogenetic signaling via Shh and RA. When this adaptive range is constricted by diminished dosage of 22q11 genes, embryos are sensitized to otherwise benign changes in Shh and RA signaling. Such sensitization, in the face of environmental or genetic factors that modify Shh or RA signaling, may explain variability in 22q11DS morphogenetic phenotypes.
Unpacking Payment Bundles.

Health care consists of 2 predominant drivers: the science behind the services provided to restore, maintain, or improve health; and the economics of paying the rehabilitation professionals and facilities that deliver these essential services. The confluence of science and economics has made the health care delivery system in the United States a complex one, with varied stakeholders and interests. To best manage this system, policy makers deploy strategies and tactics with an aim to get the best health outcome for the dollar spent.1 With many factors impacting the delivery of health care and how health care services are paid, policy makers are in a constant search to align best practice with the right economic incentives. Policy makers use legislation, regulation, and other policies to try to achieve alignment through efforts aimed at managing the benefit via (1) controls on patient access, (2) risk mitigation through cost-containment strategies for the payer, or (3) penalties and incentives to drive the rehabilitation professional's behavior and practice. The growth in health care spending in the past couple of decades has led to a growing need to reorganize the system to reduce cost, increase access, improve care coordination, and improve quality—and ultimately has led to reforms to shift costs to patients, manage payment through cost containment, or redesign care delivery. Bundling is a policy strategy that combines cost containment with delivery system reforms centered on care coordination and patient outcomes. Bundled payments are the consolidation of payment for a continuum of health care services for a defined population with a specified diagnosis or clinical condition for a specific episode of care.2 Bundled payment methodologies aim to strike a balance between fee-for-service and capitated payment models. They also seek to reduce the incentives of fee-for-service models when fragmented care has the potential to drive …
Applying the Communal Goal Congruity Perspective to Enhance Diversity and Inclusion in Undergraduate Computing Degrees

The lack of diversity in the tech industry is a widely remarked phenomenon. The majority of workers in tech roles are either white or Asian men, with all other groups being under-represented.Some authors point to cultural factors influencing self-efficacy, leading to a lack of diversity at the start of the "pipeline" of IT talent. Others point to toxic workplace culture that can lead skilled tech workers to drop out of the industry.While these effects are very real and important, this paper focuses on a third concept contributing to lack of diversity, communal goal congruity. We present a growing body of evidence suggesting that working with others, and in the service of others, are important career goals that many believe tech careers lack. We describe prior work that shows that these beliefs also have a significant impact on the pipeline of tech talent.We then report on the first pieces of data out of the first long-term intervention designed with this communal goal congruity perspective in mind. We have created a cohort-based service-learning program in computer science, computer engineering, electrical engineering, and software engineering. The result is a program with 26.3% women and 31.6% African American and/or Hispanic students, including 15.8% African American and/or Hispanic women, at an institution that has never previously seen this level of diversity in its computing majors.
Abstract 160: Intravenous rt-PA is Not Associated with Increased Risk of Symptomatic Hemorrhage in Patients with Intracranial Aneurysms

Introduction: Recent American Heart Association guidelines for acute ischemic stroke suggest a prominent role for CT angiography. As vascular neuro-imaging is used more commonly in the acute setting, the incidental detection of intracranial aneurysms is likely to increase. In the protocols of some stroke centers, the presence of an intracranial aneurysm is a relative or absolute contraindication for the administration of rt-PA. This study was designed to test the hypothesis that administration of rt-PA is safe in patients who have an unruptured intracranial aneurysm. Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of all acute ischemic stroke patients treated with rt-PA at our tertiary care academic medical center from June 2006 to June 2010 who also received intracranial vessel imaging during their hospitalization. Patients who received rt-PA but did not receive vessel imaging were excluded. Baseline clinical characteristics were prospectively determined. Identification of hemorrhage and presence of aneurysm was obtained from radiology report and neuro-imaging findings were confirmed by study investigators. Symptomatic ICH (sICH) was defined according to NINDS criteria. Results: Five percent of patients (8/172) had at least one intracranial aneurysm on vessel imaging. There were no differences in baseline clinical characteristics including age, NIHSS, INR, or atrial fibrillation between patients who did and did not have an aneurysm. A total of seven patients (4%) had sICH. There was no significant difference in intracranial aneurysms between patients with or without sICH (1/7 (14%) vs. 7/165 (4.2%), p=0.29). Risk factors for sICH included history of atrial fibrillation (4/7 vs. 31/134, p=0.032; RR = 5.22) and final infarct volume (mean 155 ml 3 (SEM 45) vs. 36 ml 3 (SEM 6); p=0.0004). There was a trend towards increased hemorrhage in patients with elevated serum glucose (mean 153 mg/dl (SEM 19) vs. 123 mg/dl (SEM 4); p=0.068). In the one patient with sICH and an intracranial aneurysm, the location of hemorrhage was distant from the aneurysm. Conclusions: Incidental intracranial aneurysms are common in patients who present with acute ischemic stroke. Administration of rt-PA in these patients appears to be safe, and the presence of an intracranial aneurysm should not be a contraindication to thrombolysis.
Toadstools, Bartleby, and Badiou: Herman Melville’s Response to the Quest for the Historical Jesus

This article brings together Herman Melville’s “Bartleby, the Scrivener” with Lives of Jesus authored by David Strauss and Simon Greenleaf and reads them through Alain Badiou’s philosophy of the Event. If we bear in mind the raging debates of the time about how to write an historical account of Jesus, represented here by Strauss and Greenleaf, Melville’s story about a reclusive law-copyist and his frustrated biographer becomes a set of questions about the nature and purpose of biography. When Badiou’s ideas about the Event are taken into account, “Bartleby” intensifies into an anguished consideration of what to do, or what to write, after a life-altering encounter with an elusive subject who leaves no evidentiary trace.
Age and susceptibility to convulsions.

SummaryExperiments on rats varying in age between 4 weeks and more than 11/2 years show that the incidence and severity of convulsions induced by application of an electrical current to the head declines with increasing age. This decline is not confined to the period preceding sexual maturity. Comparison of adult rats of different age but similar weight shows that the susceptibility to convulsions is related to age and not solely to weight. Furthermore it is shown that eserine administered subcutaneously increases the susceptibility to electrically induced convulsions without altering the circulation.
PD-1:PD-L1(B7-H1) pathway in adaptive resistance: A novel mechanism for tumor immune escape in human papillomavirus-related head and neck cancers.

5506 Background: Human papillomavirus-associated head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HPV-HNSCC) are associated with a strong host immune response. Despite ample tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (...
Partner Violence During Adolescence and Young Adulthood: Individual and Relationship Level Risk Factors

Violence within romantic relationships is a significant public health concern. Previous research largely explores partner violence at one or two time points, and often examines a limited set of risk factors. The present study explored both individual and relationship-level risk factors and their associations with physical victimization and perpetration across more than 10 years using a community sample of 200 participants (50 % female; M age Wave 1 = 15.8). Additionally, we explored the effects of previous partner violence on the likelihood of future partner violence. Survival analysis indicated that externalizing symptoms and negative interactions (e.g., relationship conflict) were associated with both perpetration and victimization. Reporting an experience of partner violence did not significantly alter an individual's risk of future partner violence. Overall, men were significantly more likely to report victimization; perpetration rates did not vary by gender. The results highlight the importance of examining multiple levels of risk.
Aberrant 5'-CpG Methylation of Cord Blood TNFα Associated with Maternal Exposure to Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers.

Growing evidence suggests that maternal exposures to endocrine disrupting chemicals during pregnancy may lead to poor pregnancy outcomes and increased fetal susceptibility to adult diseases. Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), which are ubiquitously used flame-retardants, could leach into the environment; and become persistent organic pollutants via bioaccumulation. In the United States, blood PBDE levels in adults range from 30–100 ng/g- lipid but the alarming health concern revolves around children who have reported blood PBDE levels 3 to 9-fold higher than adults. PBDEs disrupt endocrine, immune, reproductive and nervous systems. However, the mechanism underlying its adverse health effect is not fully understood. Epigenetics is a possible biological mechanism underlying maternal exposure-child health outcomes by regulating gene expression without changes in the DNA sequence. We sought to examine the relationship between maternal exposure to environmental PBDEs and promoter methylation of a proinflammatory gene, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα). We measured the maternal blood PBDE levels and cord blood TNFα promoter methylation levels on 46 paired samples of maternal and cord blood from the Boston Birth Cohort (BBC). We showed that decreased cord blood TNFα methylation associated with high maternal PBDE47 exposure. CpG site-specific methylation showed significantly hypomethylation in the girl whose mother has a high blood PBDE47 level. Consistently, decreased TNFα methylation associated with an increase in TNFα protein level in cord blood. In conclusion, our finding provided evidence that in utero exposure to PBDEs may epigenetically reprogram the offspring’s immunological response through promoter methylation of a proinflammatory gene.
Impulse Characteristic Analysis of Grounding Devices

In order to study the lightning impulse characteristics of grounding devices,the research on spark effect and inductance effect is taken as the principal line of this paper.Plus the feature of soil discharge,the high frequency response of grounding devices and the change regulation of soil electrical parameters are explored.Furthermore,three transient modeling methods which adopts circuit theory,electromagnetic field theory,and dynamic modeling respectively are compared.The development of impulse characteristic tests of grounding devices is also commented.Through summary and analysis of the researches,several important and imperative technical problems needed to be solved and their elementary solutions are presented.The discharge form of soil and the size of discharge area could be approached by collecting soil discharge image by adopting X-ray films or high speed imagers.It is necessary to determine the critical breakdown field-strength and the residual soil resistivity of discharge area which are used in the transient modeling.The spark effect influenced range and the frequency dependence of the spark effect and the inductance effect need to be discriminated.It is suggested to analyze the frequency characteristics of the extensive grounding bodies,the complex structure grounding devices and the grounding devices by adopting the distributed parameters model,the concentrated parameters model and the electromagnetic model respectively.The impulse characteristics of grounding devices which are excited by the impulse current with high amplitude and short front time could be gained by adopting the high voltage and capacity impulse current test systems,and then be used in the field measurement of the impulse grounding resistance.
Improving and developing analytical methods ... a continuing challenge.

Evolution historique de l'activite de l'AOAC et de ses travaux (depuis 1887) et quelques exemples precis sur l'evolution de la methodologie du dosage des sulfites, du mercure et de l'iode
Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells as a Platform for Personalized and Precision Cardiovascular Medicine

Human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) have revolutionized the field of human disease modeling, with an enormous potential to serve as paradigm shifting platforms for preclinical trials, personalized clinical diagnosis, and drug treatment. In this review, we describe how hiPSCs could transition cardiac healthcare away from simple disease diagnosis to prediction and prevention, bridging the gap between basic and clinical research to bring the best science to every patient.
Hopewell Therapeutic Farm Community

This chapter focuses on the development of Hopewell Therapeutic Farm Community, established as a private charitable nonprofit corporation in Mesopotamia, Ohio, on July 4, 1993, under the name of Hopewell Inn. The chapter provides an overview of its facilities and offers a detailed description of the services, activities, and programs available to its clients. Clients’ mental health outcomes and evaluations of their Hopewell experience are also discussed.
Health, safety and flaming Buicks

Thanks to the exotic and often dangerous conditions required for physics experiments, most physics research institutions are obsessively safety conscious.