cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An Instance-Dependent Analysis for the Cooperative Multi-Player Multi-Armed Bandit

We study the problem of information sharing and cooperation in Multi-Player Multi-Armed bandits. We propose the first algorithm that achieves logarithmic regret for this problem. Our results are based on two innovations. First, we show that a simple modification to a successive elimination strategy can be used to allow the players to estimate their suboptimality gaps, up to constant factors, in the absence of collisions. Second, we leverage the first result to design a communication protocol that successfully uses the small reward of collisions to coordinate among players, while preserving meaningful instance-dependent logarithmic regret guarantees.
Glide dislocation nucleation from dislocation nodes at semi-coherent {1 1 1} Cu–Ni interfaces

Abstract Using atomistic simulations and dislocation theory on a model system of semi-coherent {1 1 1} interfaces, it is shown that misfit dislocation nodes adopt multiple atomic arrangements corresponding to the creation and redistribution of excess volume at the nodes. Four distinctive node structures were identified: volume-smeared nodes with (i) spiral or (ii) straight dislocation patterns, and volume-condensed nodes with (iii) triangular or (iv) hexagonal dislocation patterns. Volume-smeared nodes contain interfacial dislocations lying in the Cu–Ni interface but volume-condensed nodes contain two sets of interfacial dislocations in the two adjacent interfaces and jogs across the atomic layer between the two adjacent interfaces. Under biaxial tension/compression applied parallel to the interface, it is shown that the nucleation of lattice dislocations is preferred at the nodes and is correlated with the reduction of excess volume at the nodes.
SPARC-induced migration of glioblastoma cells via uPA-uPAR signaling and activation of small GTPase RhoA

4360 Secreted acidic protein rich in cysteine (SPARC) has been suggested as a potential glioma invasion promoting gene. SPARC is highly expressed in human gliomas, promotes glioma invasion, and delays tumor growth in vitro and in vivo . cDNA array reports were performed to determine whether SPARC, which interacts at the cell surface, has an impact on intracellular signaling and downstream gene expression changes that might account for some of its effects on invasion and growth. Additional in vitro studies demonstrated that SPARC delays growth, increases attachment, and modulates migration of tumor cells in extracellular matrix-specific and concentration-dependent manners. It has been reported that SPARC functionally contributes to brain tumor invasion and delays tumor growth in vivo , and that the effects of SPARC are related to the level of SPARC secreted into the extracellular matrix. Thus far, the signaling aspects of glioma migration and invasion are not fully understood. As such, we made an attempt here to increase our understanding of the signaling pathways involved in the invasion and migration of two glioblastoma cell lines (U87 and SNB19). We performed RT-PCR analysis to check the upregulation of uPA, its receptor (uPAR), matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP-2), and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP-9). Western blot analysis also confirmed the above results. We used zymography to determine the activity of the metalloproteinases and uPA. Downstream of the uPA-uPAR interaction, PI3-K upregulation has been shown to be overexpressed in SPARC cells. Using GST-TRBD, we show the upregulation of active GTP-bound RhoA, but not Rac1 and Cdc42. Inhibition of uPA-uPAR downregulated PI3-K activity and cell migration as shown by the matrigel invasion assay. The results from the dorsal skin fold chamber model in nude mice indicated the high angiogenic activity of SPARC, but the proliferation of the overexpressed SPARC cells was not affected or reduced. Further, results from the dorsal skin fold chamber model using the SPARC overexpressing SNB19 stable cells transfected with puPA, puPAR or pU2 confirmed the requirement of the uPA-uPAR system in the angiogenic activity of SPARC. Our results show that small GTPase RhoA is necessary to mediate invasion and migration via the uPA-uPAR/PI3-K signaling pathway.
Average case results for satisfiability algorithms under the random-clause-width model

In the probabilistic analysis of algorithms for the Satisfiability problem, the randomdclausedwidth model is one of the most popular for generating random formulas. This model is parameterized and it is not difficult to show that virtually the entire parameter space is covered by a collection of polynomial time algorithms that find solutions to random formulas with probability tending to 1 as formula size increases. But finding a collection of polynomial average time algorithms that cover the parameter space has proved much harder and such results have spanned approximately ten years. However, it can now be said that virtually the entire parameter space is covered by polynomial average time algorithms. This paper relates dominant, exploitable properties of random formulas over the parameter space to mechanisms of polynomial average time algorithms. The probabilistic discussion of such properties is news main averagedcase results over the last ten years are reviewed.
DC vs. effects of thin film surface flashover

Modern energy systems are continually subject to failure from surface flashover of insulators. Little is known about AC and DC surface flashover in normal atmospheric pressures and temperatures. A greater general understanding of this phenomenon is needed to design modern energy systems with a higher tolerance for this failure process. Flashover in the past been has shown to occur primarily at a junction between the insulator, conducting medium and air which is known as the triple point. The focus of this initial study is on the adverse effects that AC and DC flashover have on conductive thin film geometry. The thin film is metallized polypropylene and is cut into strips measuring 12" X 3/4" to be representative of long path flashover in contaminated energy systems. Each strip of thin metallized film is then subjected to a voltage pulse of 2500 V/sub ac/dc/. Preliminary results have shown a significant difference of output energy from a pulsed AC to a pulsed DC configuration. The AC configuration yields more intense flashes of light as compared to the DC application. Upon further investigation, the conformity of the AC flashover remained consistent as voltage and film length were scaled down linearly in stages to 150 V/sub ac/ and 3/4" respectively. The DC configuration, when scaled down, did not experience any flashover at low voltages. These initial studies are to be extended in the future by developing a valid model to explain these significant phenomena.
Experimental demonstration of a QCA shift register and analysis of errors

Quantum-dot Cellular Automata (QCA) is a device architecture that uses the position of electrons in quantum-dot arrays to implement digital logic. We present the experimental demonstration of a two-stage QCA shift register and an analysis of errors encountered in its operation.
18. Stress, pain and monocytes in fibromyalgia

Several lines of evidence implicate an immunological contribution to symptoms associated with fibromyalgia (FM). However, a clear picture of how immunological disturbances could drive these symptoms remains elusive. This preliminary study was performed to explore whether or not FM-related symptoms could be associated with differences in circulating monocyte subpopulations. A mixed-methods design was used to assess the relationship between specific symptoms found in FM (n = 19) and patterns of monocytes phenotypes as compared to healthy age- and gender-matched controls (n = 19). All participants provided a blood sample for monocyte phenotyping and completed questionnaires assessing pain, stress, fatigue, positive/negative affect, depression, sleep, and disease impact (FM group only). Monocyte populations were assessed for expression of CD14 and CD16 using flow cytometry, and data was expressed as percentages of CD45 positive cells (i.e. all leukocytes). There was no association of symptoms with any monocyte subpopulation in the control group. However, in the FM group, symptoms of pain and stress were significantly correlated with reduced percentages of “classical” and “intermediate” monocyte populations. Although the mechanisms driving these differences cannot be determined from this study, the strong correlation of stress with increased ratings of pain and depression, concomitant with lower percentages of classic and intermediate monocytes in FM suggests that stress may play a mediating role in symptom levels in FM.
Immunosignature system for diagnosis of cancer

Although the search for disease biomarkers continues, the clinical return has thus far been disappointing. The complexity of the body’s response to disease makes it difficult to represent this response with only a few biomarkers, particularly when many are present at low levels. An alternative to the typical reductionist biomarker paradigm is an assay we call an “immunosignature.” This approach leverages the response of antibodies to disease-related changes, as well as the inherent signal amplification associated with antigen-stimulated B-cell proliferation. To perform an immunosignature assay, the antibodies in diluted blood are incubated with a microarray of thousands of random sequence peptides. The pattern of binding to these peptides is the immunosignature. Because the peptide sequences are completely random, the assay is effectively disease-agnostic, potentially providing a comprehensive diagnostic on multiple diseases simultaneously. To explore the ability of an immunosignature to detect and identify multiple diseases simultaneously, 20 samples from each of five cancer cohorts collected from multiple sites and 20 noncancer samples (120 total) were used as a training set to develop a reference immunosignature. A blinded evaluation of 120 blinded samples covering the same diseases gave 95% classification accuracy. To investigate the breadth of the approach and test sensitivity to biological diversity further, immunosignatures of >1,500 historical samples comprising 14 different diseases were examined by training with 75% of the samples and testing the remaining 25%. The average accuracy was >98%. These results demonstrate the potential power of the immunosignature approach in the accurate, simultaneous classification of disease.
Managing Client/Server Implementations: Today's Technology, Yesterday's Lessons:

Client/server computing is quickly becoming the computing architecture of choice in the 1990s. However, like many advances in information technology, public sources, such as trade journals and newspapers, portray client/server as a completely new paradigm which will transform our profession. But is it? We are conducting multiple case studies on organizations that have adopted client/server technology in order to extract managerial prescriptions for best practices in evaluating, developing and implementing effective client/server systems. Thus far, we have completed three case studies. Many of the lessons we are uncovering – the need for top management support, redesigning business processes before automation, user participation, phased implementation strategies and buying-in vendor skills to transfer learning – have been identified by previous researchers in other information technology contexts. Thus, although client/server is being touted as a radical change in information technology, practitioners need not discard the lessons from the past. Although there are some unique technical skills required to deploy client/server systems effectively, confirming project management lessons from the past is consoling to practitioners and academics alike. While the context of information technology changes rapidly, the organizational, administrative and policy practices are proving robust.
Environmental impacts of Brazil's Tucuruí Dam: unlearned lessons for hydroelectric development in Amazonia.

Brazil's Tucurui Dam provides valuable lessons for improving decision-making on major public works in Amazonia and elsewhere. Together with social impacts, which were reviewed in a companion paper, the project's environmental costs are substantial. Monetary costs include costs of construction and maintenance and opportunity costs of natural resources (such as timber) and of the money invested by the Brazilian government. Environmental costs include forest loss, leading to both loss of natural ecosystems and to greenhouse gas emissions. Aquatic ecosystems are heavily affected by the blockage of fish migration and by creation of anoxic environments. Decay of vegetation left in the reservoir creates anoxic water that can corrode turbines, as well as producing methane and providing conditions for methylation of mercury. Defoliants were considered for removing forest in the submergence area but plans were aborted amid a public controversy. Another controversy surrounded impacts of defoliants used to prevent regrowth along the transmission line. Mitigation measures included archaeological and faunal salvage and creation of a "gene bank" on an island in the reservoir. Decision-making in the case of Tucurui was virtually uninfluenced by environmental studies, which were done concurrently with construction. The dam predates Brazil's 1986 requirement of an Environmental Impact Assessment. Despite limitations, research results provide valuable information for future dams. Extensive public-relations use of the research effort and of mitigation measures such as faunal salvage were evident. Decision-making was closely linked to the influence of construction firms, the military, and foreign financial interests in both the construction project and the use of the resulting electrical power (most of which is used for aluminum smelting). Social and environmental costs received virtually no consideration when decisions were made, an outcome facilitated by a curtain of secrecy surrounding many aspects of the project. Despite improvements in Brazil's system of environmental impact assessment since the Tucurui reservoir was filled in 1984, many essential features of the decision-making system remain unchanged.
Urban effects on precipitation amount

Major reviews of urban effects on local climate, extending from Kratzer in 1937 through to Landsberg in 1981, have dealt primarily with radiation, temperature, wind, and air quality. To a much lesser extent they have examined moisture-related elements including humidity, cloud, precipitation, and storminess. Selecting air temperature to represent the former group and precipitation amount to represent the latter, the author asserts that, because of the intrinsic physical differences between them, there are necessarily important differences in the methods to be used for their proper observation, analysis, presentation, and interpretation pertaining to urban effects. The principal differences are based in the fact that temperature is continuous in both time and space, whereas precipitation is continuous in neither. The author maintains that because of these differences, urban climatologists have had much greater success in specifying and explaining urban effects on temperature than on precipitation amount. F...
Histones H2a, H2b, H3, and H4 form a tetrameric complex in solutions of high salt

In 2 M NaCl, histones H2b, H2a, H3, and H4 form a heterotypic tetrameric complex made up of one chain of each histone. This complex has been analyzed by hydrodynamic techniques. It is indistinguishable from histones in chromatin by its resistance to trypsin, pattern of reactivity with 125I. and ability to form specific crosslinked products after treatment with formaldehyde. It is proposed that this complex is responsible for protecting the small DNA fragments produced by exhausting nuclease digestion of nuclei and that on the average two of these complexes protect the larger 180-200 base pair unit produced by partial treatment of nuclei with nuclease.
A generalized analysis for cascading single fluid vapor compression refrigeration cycles using an entropy generation minimization method

Abstract This paper focuses on cascading an ideal vapor compression cycle and determining the optimal intermediate temperatures based on the entropy generation minimization method. Only superheating and throttle losses of the cycle are considered since they are inherent to the ideal vapor compression refrigeration cycle. The second law equations have been developed in terms of specific heats and temperature ratios with the intent of reducing involved property modeling. Also the entropy generation was expressed in terms of a single independent variable and minimized to develop an advanced rule for selecting optimum intermediate temperatures. Results for a cascade system operating between reduced temperatures of 0.684 and 0.981 with R-134a as the working fluid are presented. The approximate method presented here predicted the optimum intermediate reduced temperature for a two-stage system to be 0.88, a difference of 2% from the optimum. The method presented was a much better predictor of the optimum temperature than the geometric mean method which was 0.82, a difference of 5% from the optimum. The entropy generation distribution of the optimum solution was investigated. For a two-stage system, the lower stage and higher stage entropy generation was 44% and 56%, respectively. In comparison to the single stage, the two-stage reduced losses by 78%.
The Analysis of Cross-Classified Data: Independence, Quasi-Independence, and Interactions in Contingency Tables with or without Missing Entries

(1968). The Analysis of Cross-Classified Data: Independence, Quasi-Independence, and Interactions in Contingency Tables with or without Missing Entries. Journal of the American Statistical Association: Vol. 63, No. 324, pp. 1091-1131.
Evolution of a High-Risk Cancer Registry: past, present and future

Background Huntsman Cancer Institute's High-Risk Cancer Clinics at the University of Utah has followed high-risk colon, pancreatic, melanoma and breast cancer patients, under the auspices of independently run and funded registries, for over 15 years. As knowledge of the genetics of high-risk syndromes and cancers has grown, awareness has emerged of the clinical overlap between risks for these conditions, previously viewed as distinct. To address this growing understanding and to assist in the facilitation of broad-based research efforts, we have embarked on a plan to combine these registries into one single global high-risk cancer registry.
Interface mechanics in lower-limb external prosthetics: a review of finite element models

The distribution of mechanical stress at the interface between a residual limb and prosthetic socket is an important design consideration in lower-limb prosthetics. Stresses must be distributed so that the amputee is stable and comfortable, while avoiding trauma to the tissues of the residual limb. Numerical estimation of the stresses at the interface through finite element (FE) modeling can potentially provide researchers and prosthetists with a tool to aid in the design of the prosthetic socket. This review addresses FE modeling of interface stresses in lower-limb external prosthetics. The modeling methodologies adopted by analysts are described. Verification of FE estimates of interface stress against experimental data by different analysts is presented and the likely sources of error discussed. While the performance of the models is encouraging, there are definite limitations to all of them, necessitating further improvements. Parametric analysis of the sensitivity of interface stress to model parameters provides a tool to identify model weaknesses and to suggest possible refinements. Parametric analyses by different analysts are also presented and potential refinements discussed. Finally, directions for future work in prosthetic FE modeling are suggested.
The temperature rise at sliding electrical contacts

Abstract The equations for the temperature rise due to ohmic heating at stationary electric contacts and to frictional heating at sliding electric contacts are combined to give closed-form equations for the temperature rise of sliding electric contacts. The relationship applicable at high sliding speeds indicates that in many cases increasing the sliding speed can reduce the interfacial temperature. An experimental program has been carried out to test the applicability of the equation, using wear tests carried out on graphite-Cu sliding systems in a high temperature friction apparatus to determine the relationship between wear coefficient and surface temperature. Tests using a graphite brush sliding against a copper disk at speeds of around 10 m s−1 show that the wear increases with current density, and application of the temperature equation confirms that the wear coefficient is determined by the interfacial temperature, whether that temperature is produced by bulk heating in a furnace, by interfacial heating as a result of sliding or as a result of ohmic heating of the interface.
New Russians as a Cultural Myth

In September 2002 the acclaimed film director Pavel Lungin, known for such movies as Taxi-Blues, Luna-Park, and A Wedding, released his new venture, Oligarkh ("An Oligarch"). Based on Yulii Dubov's novel Bol'shaia paika ("A Big Quota"), it features the infamous Russian tycoon and "king-maker" Boris Berezovsky, played by the popular "leading man" Vladimir Mashkov, as the central character and prototype. A year later Iskusstvo kino published a three-way conversation under the telling title "Konets dinozavrov" ("The End of the Dinosaurs") among Lungin, Aleksandr Timofeevskii (critic, political analyst, and speechwriter), and Lev Karakhan (deputy editor-in-chief of the journal) about this screen project. The point of consensus among the participants in this conversation was that the era of the New Russians is over-the attention-grabbing dinosaurs are extinct now, replaced by "middling beings" resembling field mice, who in the political sphere are represented by Putin's "chekists from Piter" (piterskie chekisty). The conclusion Lungin drew from this perceived fact is quite symptomatic: It is time to create a myth about New Russians:
MODELING THE OCCURRENCE OF BIRD SPECIES: ARE THE ERRORS PREDICTABLE?

Typical assessments of models where many species occurrences are predicted (e.g., from species–habitat matrices or Gap Analyses) report overall omission and commission errors. Yet species’ attributes suggest that we may predict a priori that some species are more likely to be modeled correctly than others. Because the likelihood of modeling species correctly is related to species incidences in surveys, a method was created that ranked the 183 avian species known to be breeding in Maine as to how likely they would be to occur in surveys. Attributes (e.g., population level, niche width, aggregation) were used to model 79% of the variation in incidence within the Maine Breeding Bird Atlas. Likelihood of Occurrence Ranks (LOORs) were assigned to each species based upon the modeled incidences to reflect how likely the species are to be observed in future surveys. The occurrence of birds on areas with species checklists were then modeled and compared to the LOORs. For five of six areas, the number of species correctly modeled using species–habitat associations was highly correlated with LOORs: species judged a priori to be likely to be modeled correctly actually were. For one large area (9172 ha) with a checklist covering 52 years, the number of species correctly modeled was not correlated with LOORs, evidence that the checklist is essentially complete. In general, sites with checklists from many years (e.g., >10 yr) and from large areas (e.g., >1000 ha) yielded the lowest commission error. These results demonstrate that the confidence assigned to results where the occurrences of species are modeled (e.g., Gap Analysis) is highly dependent on the test sets and the species modeled.
A New Genus of Dustywings Allied to Archiconiocompsa in Baltic Amber (Neuroptera: Coniopterygidae)

A new genus and species of dustywing is described and figured from Baltic amber. Geroconiocompsa ostara, new genus and species, is closely allied to Archiconiocompsa Enderlein (Coniopterygidae: Aleuropteryginae), itself known from a single Eocene amber species (Archiconiocompsa prisca Enderlein) and tentatively assigned to the Coniocompsini. The new genus shares with Archiconiocompsa the deeply forked forewing M, Cu forked near the wing base, two crossveins between Cu and A1, sc-r present in the forewing, Sc2 not joining Sc1 in the hind wing, and crossveins present between Cu1 and Cu2, and A1 and A2 in the hind wing, but has a more primitive form of venation in the connection of the posterior branch of Rs (R4+5) to the anterior branch of M (M1+2), the shorter distal abscissa of Sc1, and the hind wing r1 -rs distad the Rs fork, features reminiscent of many Aleuropterygini. The new genus further bridges the morphological gap between Coniocompsini and Aleuropterygini highlighting that the former may render t...
“A Prick of a Needle Can Do No Harm”: Compulsory Extraction of Blood in the Search for the Children of Argentina's Disappeared

La ultima dictadura militar (1976�1983) en Argentina es responsable por la desaparicion forzada de 30,000 personas, entre quienes se incluyen unos 500 bebes y ninos ilegalmente apropiados y criados como propios por familias de militares. Las Abuelas de la Plaza de Mayo se organizaron con el proposito de ubicar a estos ninos desaparecidos, sus nietos y nietas, y restituirlos a sus familias biologicas valiendose de tecnologias geneticas de identificacion. A mediados de los '90, los jovenes cuya identidad estaba en cuestion adquirieron la mayoria de edad, volviendose duenos de sus propios destinos. Sin embargo, las Abuelas fueron confrontadas por casos en los que, a pesar de estar seguras de haber ubicado uno de los nieto/nieta desaparecido, el o la joven rechazaba someterse a los examenes necesarios a fin de verificar su identidad biologica. En casos como estos, las Abuelas argumentaron por realizar extracciones compulsivas de sangre, aun en contra de la voluntad de los potenciales nietos o nietas. Este articulo examina uno de estos casos, enfatizando las contradicciones en los discursos de derechos humanos y suposiciones de vinculos de parentesco
Death, Dice, and Divination: Rethinking Religion and Play in South America

RESUMEN En este articulo exploro la ocurrencia de juegos en rituales funerarios dentro de contextos etnograficos especificos de Sudamerica. Juegos funerarios expresan la vinculacion entre rituales religiosos “serios” y actividades ludicas en forma de apuestas, bromas, parodia, y mimesis. Juegos en velorios yuxtaponen la muerte y el humor, el duelo y la risa, el peligro y la diversion. Los motivos de los juegos funerarios no pueden enmarcarse en una sola explicacion teoretica sino que requieren explicaciones multiples. En mi analisis hago referencia a explicaciones indigenas, el simbolismo comparativo de Sudamerica, y teorias antropologicas que ayudan a entender los significados multiples de los juegos funerarios, y propongo que en muchas culturas indigenas de Sudamerica, el juego es el medio que mantiene el enlace de comunicacion entre los vivos y el alma del difunto. In this article I explore the playing of games during funeral rituals in specific, South American ethnographic contexts. Funeral games express the link between “serious” religious rituals and ludic activities in the form of gambling, jokes, parody, and mimesis. Games at wakes juxtapose death and humor, grief and laughter, danger and fun. The reasons for playing cannot be reduced to one theoretical explanation but require multiple explanations. In my analysis I refer to indigenous exegesis, the comparative symbolism of South American cultures, and anthropological theories to understand the multiple meanings of funeral games, and I suggest that in many South American indigenous cultures play is the means by which the living maintain a communicative link with the soul of the deceased.
A century of vegetation change in the San Juan Mountains, Colorado: An analysis using repeat photography

Abstract Repeat photography samples were used to analyze how the structure and site-specific distribution of forests may or may not have changed during the past century in the San Juan Mountains, Colorado. Systematic evaluation of 146 photosets was combined with field observations to identify trends in vegetation change. Both conifers and deciduous trees (e.g., aspen) have increased in extent. Forest recovery from large disturbances that occurred during Euro-American settlement contributed substantially to this increase. Trees also encroached into grass/shrublands, but less than half of photosets show tree invasion, and invasion is more common in small grass/shrubland openings interspersed with forest than in large openings. Establishment of conifers into willow wetlands was common. Photosets show aspen regenerating along boundary edges of both self-replacing stands and seral stands, and persistence in many stands even in the presence of conifers. A visible trend towards the loss of native bunchgrasses and increases in less palatable species is documented in the photosets, and is a testimony to the ecological impacts of livestock grazing.
Dexmedetomidine and ketamine for sedation during spinal anesthesia in children.

Abstract Study Objective To evaluate the combination of dexmedetomidine and ketamine for sedation during lumbar puncture and sedation for spinal anesthesia in children. Design Retrospective analysis of quality assurance data sheets and anesthetic records. Setting Developing countries with the humanitarian group, Kids First. Patients 12 infants and children, ranging in age from two to 9 years. Interventions A bolus dose of ketamine (two mg/kg) and dexmedetomidine (one μg/kg) was given over three minutes followed by a continuous infusion of dexmedetomidine (two μg/kg/hr for the first 30 min, followed by one μg/kg/hr for the duration of the case). Supplemental analgesia/sedation was provided by ketamine (0.5 mg/kg) as needed. Measurements The need for supplemental ketamine, the ability to complete the procedure, and heart rate (HR), blood pressure, end-tidal carbon dioxide (ETCO 2 ), and oxygen saturation values were recorded. Main Results Effective sedation for lumbar puncture and performance of spinal anesthesia were achieved in all patients. One patient required a supplemental dose of ketamine (0.5 mg/kg). Following the bolus dose of ketamine and dexmedetomidine, HR increased by 11 ± 4 bpm. The greatest HR increase was 20 bpm. No patient had a HR increase ≥ 20% from baseline. The HR decrease was ≤ 30 bpm in 10 of the 12 patients, and the greatest HR decrease was 58 bpm. Systolic blood pressure (SBP) increased from baseline by 10 ± 3 mmHg after administration of the bolus dose of ketamine and dexmedetomidine. During the subsequent dexmedetomidine infusion, SBP decreased by 11 ± 9 mmHg. No patient's respiratory rate decreased to less than 10 breaths/min or increased above 24 breaths/min during the procedural sedation. The highest ETCO 2 was 45 ± 2 mmHg ( P Conclusion A combination of ketamine and dexmedetomidine provides effective sedation during spinal anesthesia in infants and children, with limited effects on cardiovascular and ventilatory function.
Policy Update: Biofuel policies and grain crop price volatility

Much has been written on the role of biofuel policies and the volatility in food grain commodity prices. Figure 1 in [101] indicates that oil prices led the food grain commodity price boom for the ...
Effect of bupivacaine and levobupivacaine on exocytotic norepinephrine release from rat atria.

Background The cardiotoxic mechanism of local anesthetics may include interruption of cardiac sympathetic reflexes. The authors undertook this investigation to determine if clinically relevant concentrations of bupivacaine and levobupivacaine interfere with exocytotic norepinephrine release from cardiac sympathetic nerve endings. Methods Rat atria were prepared for measurements of twitch contractile force and [H]-norepinephrine release. After nerve endings were loaded with [H]-norepinephrine, the tissue was electrically stimulated in 5-min episodes during 10 10-min sampling periods. After each period, a sample of bath fluid was analyzed for radioactivity and [H]-norepinephrine release was expressed as a fraction of tissue counts. Atria were exposed to buffer alone during sampling periods 1 and 2 (S1 and S2). Control atria received saline (100 microl each, n = 6 atria) in S3-S10. Experimental groups (n = 6 per group) received either bupivacaine or levobupivacaine at concentrations (in microM) of 5 (S3-S4), 10 (S5-S6), 30 (S7-S8), and 100 (S9-S10). Results Bupivacaine and levobupivacaine decreased stimulation-evoked fractional [H]-norepinephrine release with inhibitory concentration 50% values of 5.1 +/- 0.5 and 6.1 +/- 1.3 microM. The inhibitory effect of both local anesthetics (approximately 70%) approached that of tetrodotoxin. Local anesthetics abolished the twitch contractions of atria with inhibitory concentration 50% values of 12.6 +/- 5.0 microM (bupivacaine) and 15.7 +/- 3.9 microM (levobupivacaine). In separate experiments, tetrodotoxin inhibited twitch contractile force by only 30%. Conclusions The results indicate that clinically relevant cardiotoxic concentrations of bupivacaine and levobupivacaine markedly depress cardiac sympathetic neurotransmission. A possible mechanism of local anesthetics in reducing evoked norepinephrine release from sympathetic endings is blockade of tetrodotoxin-sensitive fast sodium channels.
Production of transgenic maize plants and progeny by bombardment of HI-II immature embryos

Production of transgenic maize (Zea mays L.) callus, plants, and progeny from microprojectile bombardment of 2–5-d cultured Hi-II immature embryos is described. Histological evidence indicates that these tissues are amenable to transformation due to surface layer cell division of the scutellum. Two out of every 100 bombarded embryos produced transgenic callus and R0 transgenic plants were both male and female fertile. Expected segregation of transgenes was observed in progeny. The primary advantage of bombarding these tissues is increased male and female fertility of transgenic plants compared with those produced using long-term callus or suspension cultures.
Fraction Interventions for Students Struggling to Learn Mathematics: A Research Synthesis

This study synthesized intervention studies focusing on instruction to improve fraction skills. Seventeen studies met the inclusion criteria: being published in English-language peer-reviewed journals or dissertations between 1975 and 2014, and targeting 3rd- through 12th-grade students struggling to learn mathematics. From the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics, addition and subtraction of fractions were most frequently representing the Standards for Mathematical Content, and modeling for mathematics instruction was most frequently observed to represent the Standards for Mathematical Practice. Results indicated that interventions consisting of evidence-based instructional components (e.g., concrete and visual representations; explicit, systematic instruction; range and sequence of examples; heuristic strategies; and use of real-world problems) led to improved performance on measures with fraction concepts and skills. Limitations and directions for future research are discussed.
Melatonin effects on metabolism independent of gonad function

We previously demonstrated that daily melatonin administration to middle-aged rats, restoring nocturnal plasma melatonin to young adult levels, decreased body weight and suppressed visceral fat and plasma leptin. In some species, metabolic and some neuronal responses to melatonin are mediated or dependent at least in part on gonadal steroid levels. Thus, melatonin-induced changes in gonadal steroid secretion may have mediated the aging-dependent melatonin-induced metabolic responses in our previous studies. To address this issue, melatonin (0.4 µg/mL) or vehicle (0.01% ethanol) was administered for 10 wk in the drinking water of both castrate and sham-operated Sprague-Dawley male rats, starting 1 mo after surgery at 9 mo of age. Melatonin treatment decreased (p<0.05) body weight in sham-operated rats by 7±2% relative to control (n=7/treatment), comparable to our previous results; melatonin like-wise decreased (p<0.05) body weight in castrate rats by 6 ± 2% relative to control (n=7/treatment). Melatonin treatment also decreased both intraabdominal fat and plasma leptin levels in both intact and castrate rats, with no significant differences of percentage suppression in the intact versus castrate rats. These results demonstrate that suppression of body weight, visceral adiposity, and plasma leptin levels by daily melatonin administration to middle-aged rats was independent of gonadal function.
Anatomical interconnections of the pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus and the nucleus prepositus hypoglossi in the cat

The Pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus (PPT) is a mesopontine structure containing predominantly cholinergic neurons, and physiological data indicate its neurons transfer eye-movement gated ponto-geniculo-occipital (PGO) waves to thalamus during the rapid eye movement phase of sleep. The present study, using anterograde and retrograde tracing of wheat germ agglutinin-conjugated horseradish peroxidase, found that the medullary nucleus Prepositus hypoglossi (PH), whose neurons are known to have eye-movement-related information, projects densely to PPT, and PPT has reciprocal projections to PH. The PH-PPT projection has some topographic organization, with rostral PH to rostral PPT and caudal PH to caudal PPT projections dominating. The PH-PPT projection may furnish the anatomical substrate for input of eye movement-related information into the rostral PGO wave system.
The Poor Man's Lamb Revisited? Assessing the State of LPFM at its 10th Anniversary

In this article the authors report the results of a year-long investigation into the state of the low-power FM (LPFM) industry on its 10th anniversary. They question whether LPFM stations give voice to the previously voiceless as envisioned or, as some research has indicated, benefit religious communities' efforts to expand their cultural reach. Using a 2-phase study, the authors first mapped the LPFM industry using Federal Communications Commission data and public information provided by LPFM stations and their owners and operators over the Internet. The authors then conducted interviews with dozens of LPFM operators across the United States. Results indicate that large interests, in particular religious organizations, have created de facto networks that rely on outside entities for the majority of programming, thus circumventing the spirit of the original policy.
The impact of technological advances on programmable controller s(tutorial session)

An input/output system of intelligent, programmable, solid-state power I/O modules inherently distributed to the point of control through integrated serial communications has been developed to provide a stand-alone, user-configurable I/O module. Design of this special I/O product was driven by the demand for greater diagnostics capability and lower installed costs required by programmable controller users. The product development, involving a new 5,500 gate equivalent VLSI chip and a smart power switch, required a high degree of computer simulation to reduce development cycles and provide a design optimizing reliability without adding unnecessary cost. This paper will outline the product and its advances in the programmable control market followed by a discussion of how computer simulation was used in the design.
Inhibitory effects of neuropeptide Y on sympathetic neurotransmission in the rabbit iris-ciliary body.

Neuropeptide Y (NPY, 1–300 nM) mediated a concentration-dependent inhibition of field stimulation-evoked [3H]norepinephrine (NE) overflow from the isolated, superfused rabbit iris-ciliary body. At equimolar concentrations (100 nM), the homologous neuropeptide peptide YY (PYY) mimicked the effects of NPY, whereas pancreatic polypeptide (PP) and the C-terminal fragment of NPY16–36 did not modify [3H]NE release. NPY-induced inhibition of [3H]NE release was unaffected by pretreatment of tissues with atropine (100 nM) plus yohimbine (100 nM) and was nonadditive with the maximal prejunctional effects of carbamycholine or clonidine, indicating that NPY acts independently of prejunctional muscarinic or alpha2-adrenergic receptor activity to reduce [3H]NE overflow. It is concluded that NPY is a specific, potent modulator of adrenergic neurosecretion in the rabbit iris-ciliary body. These findings confirm the role of NPY as a co-transmitter at ocular sympathetic neuroeffector junctions, either mimicking or augmenting the actions of endogenously released norepinephrine.
Incidence And Prevalence Of Human Immunodeficiency Virus, Hepatitis B Virus, Hepatitis C Virus, And Cytomegalovirus Among Health Care Personnel At Risk For Blood Exposure: Final Report From A Longitudinal Study

In a 10-year dynamic cohort study, 976 health care providers were followed a mean of 1.9 years to evaluate the risk of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) transmission, delayed seroconversion, and seronegative latent infection following occupational exposures. The seroprevalence and incidence of HIV, hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), and cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection were also measured, with annual serologic testing for viruses and postexposure HIV tests. One of 327 percutaneous exposures (0.31%; confidence interval, 0.008%-1.69%) and 0 of 398 mucocutaneous exposures to HIV-infected blood transmitted HIV. Neither delayed seroconversions nor seronegative latent infections were detected. The baseline seroprevalences of HBV, HIV, HCV, and CMV infection were 21.7%, 0, 1.4%, and 43.4%, respectively. Corresponding incidence density rates were 3.05, 0.055, 0.08, and 2.48 (per 100 person-years). Despite infection control precautions and availability of hepatitis B vaccine, these health care providers remain at risk for acquiring bloodborne viral infections.
A survey of allogeneic bone marrow transplant programs in the United States regarding cytomegalovirus prophylaxis and pre-emptive therapy.

Despite an extensive literature, no consensus has emerged regarding the optimal preventive strategy for CMV in allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT). No survey of CMV prevention in BMT centers in the United States has yet been published. A questionnaire was sent to all allogeneic BMT programs in the United States, as listed in the November 1998 National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) address roster. Questions included whether universal prophylaxis, pre-emptive therapy, or some other strategy was used for CMV prevention, and which CMV diagnostic tests were utilized. Eighty-one of 96 programs (86%) responded to the survey. Of these, 46 (56%) utilize a pre-emptive ganciclovir strategy, whereas 17 (21%) utilize universal prophylaxis, and 15 (19%) utilize a hybrid strategy based on risk stratification. The most commonly utilized CMV diagnostic tests are CMV-DNA by PCR (55 centers), shell vial centrifugation culture (52), tissue culture (42), pp65 antigenemia assay (38), and CMV-DNA by Digene hybrid capture (14). Of these, the CMV-DNA by PCR, pp65 antigenemia assay, and shell vial culture are the most frequently utilized as triggers for pre-emptive therapy. Quantitative assays are common (PCR 42%, Digene 64%). We conclude that centers currently performing allogeneic BMT in the United States employ a variety of strategies for CMV prevention, and differ in their diagnostic tests of choice for CMV monitoring. These results emphasize the need for large-scale studies to identify optimal diagnostic and management protocols. Bone Marrow Transplantation (2000) 26, 763–767.
Sustained inhibition of deacetylases is required for the antitumor activity of the histone deactylase inhibitors panobinostat and vorinostat in models of colorectal cancer.

Despite compelling preclinical data in colorectal cancer (CRC), the efficacy of HDACIs has been disappointing in the clinic. The goal of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of vorinostat and panobinostat in a dose- and exposure-dependent manner in order to better understand the dynamics of drug action and antitumor efficacy. In a standard 72 h drug exposure MTS assay, notable concentration-dependent antiproliferative effects were observed in the IC50 range of 1.2–2.8 μmol/L for vorinostat and 5.1–17.5 nmol/L for panobinostat. However, shorter clinically relevant exposures of 3 or 6 h failed to elicit any significant growth inhibition and in most cases a >24 h exposure to vorinostat or panobinostat was required to induce a sigmoidal dose–response. Similar results were observed in colony formation assays where ≥24 h of exposure was required to effectively reduce colony formation. Induction of acetyl-H3, acetyl-H4 and p21 by vorinostat were transient and rapidly reversed within 12 h of drug removal. In contrast, panobinostat-induced acetyl-H3, acetyl-H4, and p21 persisted for 48 h after an initial 3 h exposure. Treatment of HCT116 xenografts with panobinostat induced significant increases in acetyl-H3 and downregulation of thymidylate synthase after treatment. Although HDACIs exert both potent growth inhibition and cytotoxic effects when CRC cells were exposed to drug for ≥24 h, these cells demonstrate an inherent ability to survive HDACI concentrations and exposure times that exceed those clinically achievable. Continued efforts to develop novel HDACIs with improved pharmacokinetics/phamacodynamics, enhanced intratumoral delivery and class/isoform-specificity are needed to improve the therapeutic potential of HDACIs and HDACI-based combination regimens in solid tumors.
The sensitivity of standard radiographic foot measures to misalignment.

Background:The purpose of this study was to identify the effects that X-ray source misalignment has on common measurements made from anterior-poster (AP) and medial-lateral (ML) view foot radiograp...
A meta-analytic review of the approach-avoidance achievement goals and performance relationships in the sport psychology literature

Abstract Purpose To summarize the approach-avoidance achievement goal and performance in the sport psychology literature. Methods A total of 17 published studies, two of which provided two samples, were located. Accepted meta-analytic procedures were used with Hedges g as the effect size metric. From the 17 studies, 73 effect sizes were calculated. Results Results based on a random effects model indicated that the performance goal contrast had the largest facilitative impact on performance followed by the mastery and performance approach goals. Both of the avoidance goals performance and mastery had small non-significant and detrimental effects on performance. The homogeneity statistics revealed significant heterogeneity for the approach and avoidance performance goals. Categorical moderator variables were examined for study sex composition (male, female, or mixed), mean age of sample ( Conclusion The performance goal contrast holds value for sport performance research. Contrary to approach-avoidance predictions, the mastery-approach goal and performance effect size was significant and of equal magnitude as the performance approach goal and performance effect size. Thus, future research should closely test the efficacy of both the mastery- and performance contrasts in impacting performance of sport tasks. Last, the significant effect sizes reported in this review are in stark contrast to contemporary meta-analytic findings in education. Differences in the approach-avoidance goals in sport and education relative to performance should be researched further.