cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Gender, Somatization, and Psychopathic Traits in a College Sample

The structure of psychopathic traits and their association with somatization symptoms were investigated in a sample of 199 undergraduate college students enrolled in introductory psychology classes. Using multiple measures of psychopathic traits, an iterated principal axis (IPA) analysis revealed two dimensions of psychopathy that were similar to ones typically found in forensic samples. One dimension focused on a cold, callous, and unemotional interpersonal style and the second dimension focused on an impulsive and antisocial lifestyle. These two dimensions emerged for both men and women, although the correlation between the two was somewhat higher for men than women. Also, the callous and unemotional dimension was negatively correlated with somatization symptoms, and the impulsive and antisocial dimension was positively associated with somatization symptoms. This pattern of associations was similar for both men and women and it suggests that somatization symptoms may be one aspect of the high rate of negative affectivity experienced by antisocial individuals.
Women in Emergency Medicine Residency Programs: An Analysis of Data From Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education-approved Residency Programs.

Objective Understanding the factors associated with attracting women to a residency program would help residency program leadership build programs that are appealing to women candidates. The objective of this study was to identify factors associated with the percentage of women residents in emergency medicine (EM) residency programs. Methods A list of 161 Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education–approved EM residencies was compiled. The public websites for each of the residencies was queried for information on the following variables: residency region (Midwest, Northeast, South, West), residency length (3 years vs. 4 years), sex of the department chair, sex of the program director (PD), percentage of women faculty, and the number of residents by graduation class and sex. Results The websites of 161 EM residencies were reviewed. Complete data were available from a total of 143 programs representing 4,547 residents from the studied classes of 2014, 2015, and 2016. Overall, 38% were women (n = 1,743). The percentage of women residents per program varied from 0% to 68% across residency programs. There was no association between the percentage of women residents and residency region, sex of the department chair, and sex of the PD. Conclusions In this study, there was no evidence that EM residencies with a greater percentage of women faculty and women in select leadership roles had a greater percentage of women residents. There was also no evidence for regional variability in women's selection of residency programs. This study was limited to publicly available data and cannot address the many other complex factors which may play a role in women's decision making when choosing a residency.
Investigating the Efficacy of a Web-Based Early Reading and Professional Development Intervention for Young English Learners

The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether the Targeted Reading Intervention (TRI), a professional development and early reading intervention program delivered via webcam technology, could support the early reading progress of English learners (ELs). Participants for the current study were drawn from a larger three-year randomized controlled trial and included 108 ELs from 47 classrooms randomly assigned to treatment and control conditions. Teachers in treatment classrooms used the TRI in one-on-one sessions in the regular classroom for approximately 15 minutes per day. Weekly, and later biweekly, webcam coaching sessions between a TRI coach and each classroom teacher allowed the coach to interact with both the teacher and students in real time and allowed classroom teachers to receive real-time feedback from the coach. Two-level hierarchical linear models suggested that ELs struggling with learning to read in intervention classrooms significantly outperformed their peers in control classrooms on word-level measures of early reading, with effect sizes of .43 and .45, but not on text-level measures. Results also suggested that ELs struggling with learning to read were gaining at the same rate as their nonstruggling peers but were unable to catch up within the study year.
Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Patients May Be Predisposed to Various Cardiomyopathies

Introduction Mutations in PKD1 and PKD2 cause autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD). Experimental evidence suggests an important role of the polycystins in cardiac development and myocardial function. To determine whether ADPKD may predispose to the development of cardiomyopathy, we have evaluated the coexistence of diagnoses of ADPKD and primary cardiomyopathy in our patients. Methods Clinical data were retrieved from medical records for patients with a coexisting diagnosis of ADPKD and cardiomyopathies evaluated at the Mayo Clinic (1984–2015). Results Among the 58 of 667 patients with available echocardiography data, 39 (5.8%) had idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (IDCM), 17 (2.5%) had hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy, and 2 (0.3%) had left ventricular noncompaction. Genetic data were available for 19, 8, and 2 cases of IDCM, hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy, and left ventricular noncompaction, respectively. PKD1 mutations were detected in 42.1%, 62.5%, and 100% of IDCM, hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy, and left ventricular noncompaction cases, respectively. PKD2 mutations were detected only in IDCM cases and were overrepresented (36.8%) relative to the expected frequency in ADPKD (15%). In at least 1 patient from 3 IDMC families and 1 patient from a hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy family, the cardiomyopathy did not segregate with ADPKD, suggesting that the PKD mutations may be predisposing factors rather than solely responsible for the development of cardiomyopathy. Discussion Coexistence of ADPKD and cardiomyopathy in our tertiary referral center cohort appears to be higher than expected by chance. We suggest that PKD1 and PKD2 mutations may predispose to primary cardiomyopathies and that genetic interactions may account for the observed coexistence of ADPKD and cardiomyopathies.
122 IDIOPATHIC OVARIAN VEIN THROMBOSIS AS A RARE CAUSE OF ABDOMINAL PAIN.

Purpose To present a case of idiopathic ovarian vein thrombosis as a rare cause of abdominal pain. Methods A 31-year-old African American female presented with the chief complaint of a 48-hour history of abdominal pain associated with subjective fever, nausea, and dysfunctional uterine bleeding. She had no prior history of clotting but did disclose a previous spontaneous abortion. Her mother experienced a prior clotting episode. Physical examination revealed left adnexal tenderness. Subsequent CT scan demonstrated left ovarian thrombosis without any other noted abnormalities. Anticoagulation was initiated with unfractionated heparin and warfarin. Coagulation profiles were monitored. Results The patient remained on heparin until a therapeutic INR could be achieved. Partial coagulation studies were obtained after initiation of anticoagulation. Homocysteine, methyltetrahydrofolate reductase gene, anticardiolipin antibody, 20210A mutation, factor V Leiden mutation, and lupus anticoagulant were all unremarkable. Pelvic examination revealed the patient to have Chlamydia, which was treated with appropriate antibiotic therapy. Conclusions Ovarian vein thrombosis (OVT), although rare, must be considered in the differential diagnosis of abdominal pain in the female patient population. Early diagnosis and treatment are essential to avoid the potentially severe sequelae of thrombophlebitis, deep sepic pelvic thrombophlebitis, or pulmonary embolus. The syndrome involves acute abdominal pain and fever and can be easily diagnosed by sonography or CT studies. Acute appendicitis, especially when involvement of the right ovarian vein exists, is usually high in the differential and must be excluded early. Most OVT occurs after pelvic surgical procedures; however, many cases have been discovered as complications of pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). It is suspected that our patient suffered from PID as her cervical cultures grew Chlamydia. Her abdominal pain quickly diminished after initiation of anticoagulation and antibiotic therapy. She is to complete a 6-month course of warfarin therapy. Completion of hypercoagulation studies will be obtained at the conclusion of anticoagulation.
Long-term PGC1β overexpression leads to apoptosis, autophagy and muscle wasting

Skeletal muscle wasting is prevalent in many chronic diseases, necessitating inquiries into molecular regulation of muscle mass. Nuclear receptor co-activator peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor co-activator 1 alpha (PGC1α) and its splice variant PGC1α4 increase skeletal muscle mass. However, the effect of the other PGC1 sub-type, PGC1β, on muscle size is unclear. In transgenic mice selectively over-expressing PGC1β in the skeletal muscle, we have found that PGC1β progressively decreases skeletal muscle mass predominantly associated with loss of type 2b fast-twitch myofibers. Paradoxically, PGC1β represses the ubiquitin-proteolysis degradation pathway genes resulting in ubiquitinated protein accumulation in muscle. However, PGC1β overexpression triggers up-regulation of apoptosis and autophagy genes, resulting in robust activation of these cell degenerative processes, and a concomitant increase in muscle protein oxidation. Concurrently, PGC1β up-regulates apoptosis and/or autophagy transcriptional factors such as E2f1, Atf3, Stat1, and Stat3, which may be facilitating myopathy. Therefore, PGC1β activation negatively affects muscle mass over time, particularly fast-twitch muscles, which should be taken into consideration along with its known aerobic effects in the skeletal muscle.
A large-scale study of programming languages and code quality in GitHub

What is the effect of programming languages on software quality? This question has been a topic of much debate for a very long time. In this study, we gather a very large data set from GitHub (728 projects, 63 million SLOC, 29,000 authors, 1.5 million commits, in 17 languages) in an attempt to shed some empirical light on this question. This reasonably large sample size allows us to use a mixed-methods approach, combining multiple regression modeling with visualization and text analytics, to study the effect of language features such as static versus dynamic typing and allowing versus disallowing type confusion on software quality. By triangulating findings from different methods, and controlling for confounding effects such as team size, project size, and project history, we report that language design does have a significant, but modest effect on software quality. Most notably, it does appear that disallowing type confusion is modestly better than allowing it, and among functional languages, static typing is also somewhat better than dynamic typing. We also find that functional languages are somewhat better than procedural languages. It is worth noting that these modest effects arising from language design are overwhelmingly dominated by the process factors such as project size, team size, and commit size. However, we caution the reader that even these modest effects might quite possibly be due to other, intangible process factors, for example, the preference of certain personality types for functional, static languages that disallow type confusion.
Hybrid Applications of Solution Scattering to Aid Structural Biology

Biomolecular applications of solution X-ray and neutron scattering (SAXS and SANS, respectively) started in late 1960s – early 1970s but were relatively limited in their ability to provide a detailed structural picture and lagged behind what became the two primary methods of experimental structural biology − X-ray crystallography and NMR. However, improvements in both data analysis and instrumentation led to an explosive growth in the number of studies that used small-angle scattering (SAS) for investigation of macromolecular structure, often in combination with other biophysical techniques. Such hybrid applications are nowadays quickly becoming a norm whenever scattering data are used for two reasons. First, it is generally accepted that SAS data on their own cannot lead to a uniquely defined high-resolution structural model, creating a need for supplementing them with information from complementary techniques. Second, solution scattering data are frequently applied in situations when a method such NMR or X-ray crystallography cannot provide a satisfactory structural picture, which makes these additional restraints highly desirable. Maturation of the hybrid bio-SAS approaches brings to light new questions including completeness of the conformational space sampling, model validation, and data compatibility.
The effect of different treatments for early-lactation hyperketonemia on liver triglycerides, glycogen, and expression of key metabolic enzymes in dairy cattle

Despite the widespread use of treatments for postpartum hyperketonemia in dairy cows, there is currently a lack of evidence comparing their effects on both the resolution of hyperketonemia and the potential effects on the liver of affected animals. The objective of our work was to investigate the effect of commonly used hyperketonemia treatments on hepatic triglyceride and glycogen content as well as on the mRNA and protein abundance of key enzymes involved in gluconeogenesis, ketogenesis, and lipid metabolism. Multiparous Holstein cows between 3 and 9 d in milk were screened 3 times per week and enrolled in the study when whole-blood β-hydroxybutyrate concentrations measured ≥1.2 mmol/L. Cows were randomly allocated to 1 of 4 groups: (1) 500 mL of a 50% d-glucose solution intravenously once a day for 3 d (n = 8), (2) 300 mL of propylene glycol orally once a day for 3 d (n = 8), (3) 500 mL of a 50% d-glucose solution intravenously and 300 mL of propylene glycol orally once a day for 3 d (n = 8), or (4) an untreated control group (n = 8). Liver biopsies were taken on the day of enrollment as well as on the day following completion of treatments. Liver triglyceride and glycogen content were determined by colorimetric and fluorometric methods, respectively. Gene and protein expression of pyruvate carboxylase, phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase 1, glucose-6-phosphatase, 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA synthase 2, acetyl-CoA carboxylase, and carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1A were compared between groups and time points using quantitative reverse transcriptase PCR and Western blotting techniques, respectively. In addition, the ratio of light chain 3B II:I was determined by Western blotting. Plasma samples from both time points for each enrolled cow were submitted for chemistry analysis. Data were analyzed using a repeated-measures ANOVA taking into account the paired nature of the data, and differences between all groups and time points were controlled for multiple comparisons using the Tukey procedure. No difference was found in triglyceride or glycogen concentration between treatment groups. The gene expression of pyruvate carboxylase decreased in the group receiving both treatments, whereas protein expression of this enzyme increased in all groups over time. The autophagy marker light chain 3B II:I decreased in the group receiving both glucose and propylene glycol. No other changes in gene or protein expression of key hepatic enzymes were associated with treatments. We conclude that intravenous glucose and oral propylene glycol, commonly used treatments for ketosis in postpartum dairy cows, administered alone or in combination for a duration of 3 d did not have important beneficial or detrimental effects on selected indicators of liver composition and function in cows with hyperketonemia.
Abstract B28: Baseline prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels in midlife predict aggressive prostate cancer in African-American men

Background: Baseline prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels measured in midlife predict future prostate cancer mortality among white men. There are minimal data on whether a baseline PSA in African-American men, who experience the highest incidence and mortality of this disease, predicts future aggressive prostate cancer. Methods: We undertook a nested case-control study among African-American men age 40 to 64 years who gave prediagnostic blood at enrollment in the Southern Community Cohort Study between 2002-2009 and were followed a median of 9 years for cancer incidence and mortality through 2015. Baseline total and free PSA levels were available for 197 prostate cancer cases (55 aggressive cases, Gleason ≥4+3=7, AJCC Stage III or IV, or cancer-specific death) and 569 age-matched controls. Conditional logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the association between baseline PSA levels and risk of total and aggressive prostate cancer. Results: Median PSA among controls was 0.72, 0.80, 0.94, and 1.03 ng/mL for men aged 40 to 49, 50 to 54, 55 to 59, and 60 to 64 years, respectively. Relative risk of total prostate cancer was strongly associated with baseline PSA levels in midlife: ORs (95% CIs) comparing PSA levels in the >90th percentile vs. ≤median were 93.7 (22.5-390) at 40 to 54 years and 77.0 (24.9-238) at 55 to 64 years. Risk of aggressive prostate cancer was also strongly associated with baseline PSA levels in midlife: ORs (95% CIs) comparing PSA levels in the >90th percentile vs. ≤median were 80.8 (14.7 to infinity) at 40-54 years Citation Format: Mark Preston, Travis Gerke, Sigrid V. Carlsson, Lisa Signorello, Daniel D. Sjoberg, Sarah C. Markt, Adam S. Kibel, Quoc-Dien Trinh, Mark Steinwandel, William Blot, Andrew J. Vickers, Hans Lilja, Lorelei A. Mucci, Kathryn M. Wilson. Baseline prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels in midlife predict aggressive prostate cancer in African-American men [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR International Conference: New Frontiers in Cancer Research; 2017 Jan 18-22; Cape Town, South Africa. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(22 Suppl):Abstract nr B28.
The financial value of vascular surgeons as operative consultants to other surgical specialties

Abstract Objective Vascular surgeons provide assistance to other surgical specialties through planned and unplanned joint operative cases. The financial impact to the hospital of vascular surgeons as consultants in this context has yet to be quantified. We sought to quantify the financial value of services provided by consulting vascular surgeons in the performance of joint operative procedures, both planned and unplanned. Methods Hospital financial data were reviewed for all inpatient operative cases during a 3-year period (2013-2015). Cases in which a vascular surgeon provided operative assistance as a consultant to a nonvascular surgeon were identified and designated planned or unplanned. Contribution margin, defined as hospital revenue minus variable cost, was determined for each case. In addition, the contribution margin ratio (contribution margin divided by revenue) was determined for each cohort. Financial data for consulting cases was compared with all nonconsult cases. Data analysis was performed with nonparametric statistics. Results There were 208 cases with a primary nonvascular surgeon that required a vascular co-surgeon during the study period, 169 planned and 39 unplanned. For comparison, 19,594 nonconsult cases of other surgical specialties were identified. The median contribution margin was higher for vascular surgery consult cases compared with nonconsult cases ($14,406 [interquartile range, $63,192] vs $5491 [interquartile range $28,590]; P = .002). The overall contribution margin ratio was higher for vascular surgery consult cases (0.41) compared with control nonconsult cases (0.35). There was no difference in contribution margin and contribution margin ratio between planned and unplanned vascular surgery consult cases. Conclusions Vascular surgeons provide essential operative assistance to other surgical specialties. This operative assistance is frequent and provides significant financial value, with high contribution margin and contribution margin ratio. Vascular surgeons, as consulting surgeons, enable the completion of highly complex cases and in this capacity provide significant financial value to the hospital.
Applications of X-Ray Nanochemistry in Catalysis

This chapter reviews fundamental concepts of catalysis for the purpose of explanation and discussion of three different kinds of catalysis that are related to X-ray nanochemistry. The three are regular heterogeneous catalysis, photocatalysis and chemical enhancement as defined in Chap. 3. Each kind of catalysis is discussed and publications in the three areas are reviewed.
Population Growth, Environmental Change and Technical Innovation: Implications for Sustainable Growth in Agricultural Production

In this paper I explore a number of agricultural, resource and environmental concerns that will condition the capacity of the agricultural sector to respond to the demands that population and income growth will place on the sector — particularly in the developing countries of Latin America, Asia and Africa.
Pressure Drop in Pulse Tube Cooler Components

The present work investigates the usefulness of the perforated copper plate as multi-orifice plate for mass flow metering. Discharge coefficients have been measured, for Reynolds number 1 to 2000, using both liquid nitrogen and air. The consistencies of the results with theoretical models as well as classical orifice data encourage flow metering over a broad range of Reynolds numbers.
Priority System, One Server, Infinite Queue (M/M/1//P)

This chapter pertains to a systems where the service discipline behaves in a preemptive priority way. The system has one server, infinite capacity, exponential inter-arrival and service times. An example is a military unit using a one-frequency radio system where the top commander can interrupt any ongoing call whenever needed. The probability on n units, and the basic performance measures of the system are developed. Examples are presented.
Biosynthesis of Marine Sterols

Marine sterols have been the subject of intense research since Bergmann first discovered that marine organisms elaborate unique sterols. Much of this research has been directed at the isolation and characterization of novel marine sterols, but recently studies have begun to investigate their biosynthetic origin. The study of an organism and its ability to perform de novo sterol biosynthesis, as well as its metabolic processes such as alkylation, dealkylation, and rearrangement, has provided insight into sterol sequestration and utilization. These efforts to understand the biosynthetic origin of marine sterols are reviewed.
Reducing health disparities with the establishment of a new low-dose lung CT (LDCT) screening program.

e18071Background: While lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the United States for both men and women its incidence and mortality rate differs depending on race, ethnicity, and gende...
Role of Stemness Factors in Neuroblastoma: Neuroblastoma Stem Cells, Tumor Microenvironment, and Chemoresistance

Abstract The cancer stem cell paradigm is the idea that subpopulations of cancer cells exist within a tumor that are capable of self-renewal, multipotency, proliferation, and tumor maintenance. This subpopulation of cells is believed to be responsible for tumor cell treatment resistance and tumor recurrence. In neuroblastoma, the phenotypic characteristics identifying cancer stem cells include expression of certain cell surface markers, expression of certain cytoplasmic and nuclear proteins, efflux of Hoechst 33,342 dye, and the ability to grow as spheres in culture. These cells reside in specialized microenvironments which are composed of non-tumor host cells, immune cells, tumor stromal cells, the extracellular matrix, and cell adhesion molecules. The identification of neuroblastoma cancer stem cell populations and the contribution of the various elements of the tumor microenvironment that support these cells is discussed in this chapter.
A Log-Based Step-Size Adaptation Technique for Fast and Robust Maximum Power Point Tracking Method for Solar PV Grid Tied System

Maximum power point tracking (MPPT) method is essential for solar photovoltaic (SPV) of smart gird systems. For the sake of improving the speed of tracking, maintaining stability, and concluding the prospect of miscalculation of increasing or decreasing the photovoltaic voltage, a new individual time-adjusting stepsize adaptation technique for MPPT control method is proposed in this paper. The objective of the proposed technique is to predict the power of PV system instead of utilizing the current estimated power to achieve a better performance than conventional MPPT algorithm. The prediction is based on the previously estimated values of the PV voltage, and a time-varying stepsize that adjusts according to the log-function of the individual estimated PV voltage. The proposed technique delivers a fast convergence and has a quick response to environment changes such as irradiance and temperature. Simulation results show the outperformance of the proposed technique in terms of providing a rapid tracking to maximum power point, achieving less steady-state error, and operating steadily under rapidly changing of atmospheric conditions compared with conventional MPPT algorithm.
Technical note: effectiveness of different methods of continuous marker administration for estimating fecal output.

Six ruminally fistulated crossbred steers (BW = 369 kg) were used in a randomized complete block experiment to test the efficacy of continuous-infusion pumps and controlled-release boluses for administering external markers to predict fecal output. Steers, limit-fed chopped alfalfa hay at 2% of BW daily, were fitted with continuous-infusion pumps that administered Co-EDTA and YbCl3 solutions intraruminally. In addition, a controlled-release bolus containing Cr2O3 was inserted into the rumen of each steer. Fecal grab samples were taken every 6 h for 7 d during initial marker equilibration; after this period, fecal grab samples were taken every 3 h for 48 h to evaluate diurnal variation patterns. Steers were subsequently fitted with fecal bags for 7 d to allow total fecal collection. Grab samples also were taken during the total fecal collection period at O600 (AM) and 1400 (PM). The marker x time effect was nonsignificant. Similarly, time of grab sampling (AM or Ph4) did not affect estimates of fecal output (P > .lo). Estimates of fecal output obtained from Co and Yb did not differ from total fecal collection (P > .lo), but the Cr203 bolus overestimated fecal output (P e .05). Fecal marker concentrations during the 48-h profile showed little diurnal variation regardless of marker used All markers equilibrated in the feces at approximately 100 to 120 h after initiating infusions. The continuous-infusion pumps evaluated were efficacious for administering markers for estimating total fecal output in limit-fed steers; however, the Cr2O3 boluses evaluated overestimated fecal output when the manufacturer's suggested release rate was used for fecal output calculations.
Provisioned Data Distribution for Intelligent Manufacturing via Fog Computing

Abstract The number of ‘things’ ranging from simple devices to complex machines on the factory floor connected at the enterprise level and to the broader internet is growing exponentially. This connection also leads to a tremendous amount of data generated leading to ‘Data’ now considered one of the core assets in the broader manufacturing industry. However, the availability of this asset is hardly made use of by Small and Medium scale manufacturing enterprises (SME) - the ‘Mittelstand’ of America. How can certain types of data be shared by SME companies, yet have the ability to retain ownership and control over their own data? How does SME leverage computing on these diverse forms of data for the benefit of its clients and itself? In this paper, we propose a decentralized data distribution architecture to democratize the potential availability of large amounts of data generated by the manufacturing industry using the Fog Computing paradigm. The architecture leverages an Industry scalable middleware extension of Cloud manufacturing that securely filters and transmits data from IoT enabled manufacturing machines on the shop floor to potential users over the cloud. This work also demonstrates a data-centric approach which allows peer-to-peer data sharing laterally within the fog layer to serve cloud users. We demonstrate the feasibility of the Fog middleware infrastructure through case studies that involves various types of manufacturing data.
Correlation of minimal residual disease negativity (MRD-) with prognosis in high-risk myeloma (HRM).

8024Background: MRD is a standard measurement for response assessment in MM. Despite new treatments, HRM patients continue to have poor prognosis. We evaluated the impact of MRD- in high vs standar...
Modelling phase behavior of triglycerides, diglycerides and monoglycerides related to biodiesel transesterification in mixtures of alcohols and CO2 using a polar version of PC-SAFT

Abstract Soh et al. [1] showed that one can achieve high conversion (98%) of triglycerides to fatty acid methyl esters at 95 °C when carbon dioxide (CO2) is used as a co-solvent to enhance mixing of the immiscible alcohol and triglyceride. Soh's results demonstrated the benefits of using CO2 as a co-solvent yet did not provide information on the evolution of the phase behavior during the reaction. The PC-SAFT equation of state has been employed to understand and predict the phase behavior of the various biodiesel components versus temperature and pressure in the presence of CO2. In previous work [2] the interaction between alkyl-esters and low molecular weight alcohols, glycerol, and CO2 were investigated. Polar PC-SAFT and the Group Contribution PPC-SAFT EoS were used to model phase equilibria amongst the various multicomponent systems. The same approach is extended here, specifically applied to mixtures containing tri-, di- and monoglycerides plus low molecular weight alcohols and CO2. Data for different types of glycerides are scarce and in general the phase boundary curves in CO2-based mixtures are only weakly dependent on CO2 concentration, creating curves with very high slopes in P-T space that accumulate larger prediction errors compared to the previously investigated alkyl-ester systems. Nonetheless, it was found that one could generate a general correlation for binary interaction coefficient that depends only on carbon chain length and degree of unsaturation for description of triglyceride-CO2 mixtures. Binary interaction parameters as low as 12% were obtained for all glyceride-methanol systems and binary interaction coefficient below 3.5% are sufficient to correctly capture CO2 – glyceride vapor-liquid and liquid-liquid phase equilibria.
Haemophilus parainfluenzae-related cellulitis of the penis following tearing of a short frenulum

Summary Introduction Infectious cellulitis is a common disease, mostly affecting the lower extremities and the face but only rarely the genitalia. Observation A 24-year-old male patient presented with acute erythematous edema of the penile shaft and foreskin present for 48 hours. Gentle retraction of the foreskin revealed a short frenulum with a small area (2–3 mm) of erosion. He had had unprotected genital and orogenital sex three days before with his usual female partner and reported tearing of the frenulum during intercourse. Ampicillin-sensitive Haemophilus parainfluenzae was isolated from the swab taken from the erosion of the frenulum. Clinical remission was obtained following oral administration of amoxicillin and clavulanic acid. Discussion We describe not only the first case of Haemophilus parainfluenzae-associated cellulitis of the penis but also the first report of penile cellulitis following erosion of a short frenulum during sexual intercourse.
CNS axonal degeneration and transport deficits at the optic nerve head precede structural and functional loss of retinal ganglion cells in a mouse model of glaucoma

Glaucoma is a leading neurodegenerative disease affecting over 70 million individuals worldwide. Early pathological events of axonal degeneration and retinopathy in response to elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) are limited and not well-defined due to the lack of appropriate animal models that faithfully replicate all the phenotypes of primary open angle glaucoma (POAG), the most common form of glaucoma. Glucocorticoid (GC)-induced ocular hypertension (OHT) and its associated iatrogenic open-angle glaucoma share many features with POAG. Here, we characterized a novel mouse model of GC-induced OHT for glaucomatous neurodegeneration and further explored early pathological events of axonal degeneration in response to elevated IOP. C57BL/6 J mice were periocularly injected with either vehicle or the potent GC, dexamethasone 21-acetate (Dex) once a week for 10 weeks. Glaucoma phenotypes including IOP, outflow facility, structural and functional loss of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs), optic nerve (ON) degeneration, gliosis, and anterograde axonal transport deficits were examined at various stages of OHT. Prolonged treatment with Dex leads to glaucoma in mice similar to POAG patients including IOP elevation due to reduced outflow facility and dysfunction of trabecular meshwork, progressive ON degeneration and structural and functional loss of RGCs. Lowering of IOP rescued Dex-induced ON degeneration and RGC loss, suggesting that glaucomatous neurodegeneration is IOP dependent. Also, Dex-induced neurodegeneration was associated with activation of astrocytes, axonal transport deficits, ON demyelination, mitochondrial accumulation and immune cell infiltration in the optic nerve head (ONH) region. Our studies further show that ON degeneration precedes structural and functional loss of RGCs in Dex-treated mice. Axonal damage and transport deficits initiate at the ONH and progress toward the distal end of ON and target regions in the brain (i.e. superior colliculus). Most of anterograde transport was preserved during initial stages of axonal degeneration (30% loss) and complete transport deficits were only observed at the ONH during later stages of severe axonal degeneration (50% loss). These findings indicate that ON degeneration and transport deficits at the ONH precede RGC structural and functional loss and provide a new potential therapeutic window for rescuing neuronal loss and restoring health of damaged axons in glaucoma.
Resolving flame thickness using high-speed chemiluminescence imaging of OH* and CH* in spherically expanding methane–air flames

Abstract The coupling of CFD simulations with detailed chemical kinetics presents great progress in predicting the complex behavior of reacting flows, but also requires validated input parameters in the form of experimental data. The spatial profile of a combustion wave represents one such parameter, which can be directly measured using chemiluminescence imaging of a spherically expanding flame. In this work, emission signals from electronically excited methylidyne (CH*) and hydroxyl (OH*) radicals near 434 nm and 315 nm, respectively, from spherically expanding methane–air flames at 1 atm and 298 K were recorded for equivalence ratios of 0.8, 1.0, and 1.2. Spatial profiles of normalized intensity were compared to predicted profiles from AramcoMech2.0. The effect of image resolution was investigated by repeating experiments for three levels of image pixel density. An Abel inversion was employed to extract intensity profiles of CH* and OH* at flame radii up to 6.5 cm. Measured flame thickness increased as flames grew in size, but this behavior diminished as image resolution increased. A linear stretch correlation was used to extrapolate measured thicknesses to an unstretched thickness for each experimental condition. Radical-based flame thicknesses and corresponding spatial profiles were found to be highly dependent on image resolution, and at high resolution, measured flame thickness appeared to approach the kinetically predicted radical-based thicknesses. This paper lays the foundation for future, comprehensive measurements of spherical, laminar flames that can resolve the flame zone details to a level of precision not typically seen in the literature, providing benchmark data for both kinetics model validation and CFD model inputs. As a result, the measurements thus far indicate that the measured flame zone thickness based on electronically excited species is much closer to the length scale typically predicted by kinetics models than what has been seen in most experiments to date.
Time-Domain Quantum Maxwell Solver

We present finite-difference time-domain schemes to numerically solve quantum Maxwell's equations for arbitrary inhomogeneous media based on the macroscopic theory on quantum electrodynamics. In the Heisenberg picture, quantum Maxwell dynamical operators are expanded by a set of ladder operators defined in the coordinate space while non-orthogonal basis corresponding to a new long-range propagators different from the classical Green's function. The proposed time-domain quantum Maxwell solver is useful to study the local nature of quantum information propagation such as virtual photons or near single photon sources. We provide numerical examples associated with two photon interference occurring in a quantum beam splitter, called Hong-Ou-Mandel effect. Moreover, we emulate the recent interesting experiment on quantum interference across an astronomical distance [1].
“Women Deserve Better:” The Use of the Pro-Woman Frame in Anti-abortion Policies in U.S. States

In US political discourse, anti-abortion framing traditionally focuses on the right to life of the fetus. However, a “pro-life, pro-woman” frame increasingly gained ground among anti-abortion advoc...
District magnitude, electoral coordination, and legislative fragmentation

Theories of party systems suggest that more restrictive rules should lead to fewer parties. According to this line of reasoning, parties and voters should strategically respond to reforms in electo...
The effects of the Aqua PT 3-in-1 at 90°F on lumbar flexion, heart rate and blood pressure

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of dry hydrotherapy, dry heat therapy and massage therapy on heart rate, blood pressure and lumbar flexion range of motion using the Aqua PT 3-in-l Therapy System. Thirty-three healthy adult (24 female, nme male) subjects ranging from 20 to 60 years of age, with a mean age of 29 years, were tested. Subjects were placed in a prone position in the Aqua PT for 15 min, at 90°F, 7 Ibs of pressure and 2 cycles per second with a dorsal massage from the gluteal fold to the inferior border of the scapulae. Pre- and post-treatment heart rate, blood pressure and lumbar flexion range of motion were recorded. The values were compared to a non-treatment control procedure which consisted of 15 min of lying prone at room temperature (72°F). A two-tailed t-test was performed for heart rate, blood pressure and lumbar flexion between the treatment measurements and the control measurements. Gross flexion (T12 measurement) and hip flexion (S2 measurement) showed a significant increase with the Aqua PT treatment, whereas there was no significant difference in the True Lumbar Flexion measurement (TI2-S2). The heart rate and blood pressure measurements revealed no significant change between treatment and control. © 1998 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd.
A Unified Framework for RAND and Other Reasonable Royalties

The framework for calculating “reasonable royalty” patent damages has evolved over the years to a point at which, today, it is viewed by many commentators as potentially misleading and untethered from its original purpose. We offer a proposal to modify the framework for determining reasonable patent royalties that is based on recent scholarly and judicial analyses of standards-essential patents that are subject to commitments to license on terms that are reasonable and non-discriminatory (RAND). Litigated cases have applied the traditional Georgia-Pacific factors to assess RAND royalty rates with modifications to account for the circumstances of the RAND commitment. We propose that the reasonable royalty analysis should be conducted in essentially the same manner for all patents, whether or not they are encumbered by RAND commitments. We find considerable support for our approach in the historical development of U.S. patent law prior to the advent of the Georgia-Pacific test. Our approach focuses on the technical and economic characteristics of allegedly infringed patents and their incremental value to the overall product offering.
HIV Cancers in Resource-Limited Regions

About 29 of 33 million persons living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) (PLHA) worldwide in 2009 reside in resource-limited countries. The burden of cancer in this population is substantial, although there is much we still do not know about the epidemiology of various HIV-associated tumors in these regions. Access to life-extending combination antiretroviral therapy (cART), which has been rapidly expanding since 2000, has improved survival to nearly normal life expectancy, including in resource-limited countries where about 30 % of PLHA are receiving cART. The improvements in survival with HIV, however, are occurring at the expense of increased incidence of chronic co-morbidities including cancer in PLHA on cART. Sparse data about risk of cancer in PLHA in resource-limited countries complicates efforts to evaluate this concern. Cancer is diagnosed in about 30 % of PLHA in developed countries. Cancers in PLHA are historically categorized as “AIDS-defining” cancer (ADC) or “non-AIDS-defining” cancers (NADC). ADCs include Kaposi sarcoma (KS), aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), including Burkitt lymphoma (BL), and invasive cervical cancer. These cancers have a viral etiology and are more likely to be associated with degree or duration of immunosuppression. NADCs include Hodgkin lymphoma, anogenital, liver, and lung cancer. Most of these cancers have a viral etiology or are associated with lifestyle factors, e.g., cigarette smoking or injection drug use, which are more prevalent in PLHA. These cancers often occur in spite of sustained immune-restoration. Thus, NADCs have assumed greater importance as PLHA survive longer and ADCs proportionately decrease. Cancer is diagnosed in fewer than 5 % of PLHA in resource-limited countries. This rate is likely a gross underestimate, and is also affected by competing mortality from endemic infectious diseases such as malaria and tuberculosis. The low access to diagnostic services in low resource settings may also mean that a notable fraction of cancers remain undiagnosed in PLHA. Increasing access to affordable cART in resource-limited settings is likely to rapidly reduce infectious co-morbidities such as tuberculosis and thus amplify the importance of cancer in PLHA. Studies of PLHA in resource-limited countries are needed to characterize the additional cancer burden in PLHA to inform public health policy and knowledge about cancer etiology in different populations.
Simultaneous measurement of multiple active kinase states using polychromatic flow cytometry

Intracellular assays of signaling systems have been limited by an inability to correlate functional subsets of cells in complex populations on the basis of active kinase states. Such correlations could be important in distinguishing changes in signaling status that arise in rare cell subsets during functional activation or in disease manifestation. Here we demonstrate the ability to simultaneously detect activated kinase members of the mitogen-activated protein kinases family (p38 MAPK, p44/42 MAPK, JNK/SAPK), members of cell survival pathways (AKT/PKB), and members of T-cell activation pathways (TYK2), among others, in subpopulations of complex cell populations by multiparameter flow-cytometric analysis. We demonstrate the utility of these probes in identifying distinct signaling cascades for (1) both artificial and physiological stimulatory conditions of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), (2) cytokine stimulation in human memory and naive lymphocyte subsets as identified by five differentiation markers, and (3) ordering of kinase activation in potential signaling hierarchies. Polychromatic flow-cytometric active kinase measurements demonstrate that multidimensional analysis of signaling pathways can provide functional signaling pathway assessment on a single-cell level and allow for potential correlation with biological and clinical parameters.
Electron microscopy and three-dimensional image reconstruction.

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on the electron microscopy studies of Caenorhabditis elegans. The chapter discusses the methods for three-dimensional (3D) image reconstruction, based largely on film techniques introduced by John White and Randle Ware. Digital imaging techniques seem poised to make 3D reconstruction more accessible and may simplify the exchange of morphological data between laboratories. Several specialized specimen preparation techniques for electron microscopy, including freeze fracture and electron microscopic immunocytochemistry are described. The chapter outlines the methods making it feasible to collect hundreds of micrographs of cells or cell processes from a serially sectioned nematode. After assembling an ordered collection of negatives, all produced at one magnification, it is desired to view them sequentially in a well-aligned “movie” through the specimen. It can be quickly comprehended and can trace the continuity of individual processes as they course through a nerve bundle from a movie, even when the registration of profiles from print to print is difficult to discern.
Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act

Subchapter VII—General Administrative Provisions relates to several topics of special importance to persons with responsibilities to assure conform -ance with the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. It is incumbent on others in the food industry to acquire at least a general understanding of these topics. Therefore, it is the principal intent in this chapter to briefly summarize for purposes of a general acquaintanceship, knowing that when further details and interpretations are needed they may be found in the statute, printed in full below, in regulations and in other sources such as the Food Drug Cosmetic Law Reporter (see Chapter 6), and by making inquiries to the Food and Drug Administration or other agencies. (See Chapter 10 for lists of contacts.)
Subfossil platyrrhine tibia (Primates: Callitrichidae) from Hispaniola: A possible further example of Island gigantism

A distal right tibia described by G. S. Miller in 1929 (Smithsonian Misc. Coll. 82[5]:1–16) on the island of Hispaniola is shown to be that of a heretofore unknown extinct platyrrhine and is informally referred to as Ceboid M. Its affinities appear to be with the dwarfed callitrichids, especially Saguinus. It is suggested that Ceboid M represents yet another case of gigantism in the Antilles, in response to a lack of both competitors and predators. A reconsideration of the affinities of Xenothrix mcgregori from Jamaica is suggested.