cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Feed deprivation of channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus (Rafinesque), influences organosomatic indices, chemical composition and susceptibility to Flavobacterium columnare

Withholding feed has been suggested as a strategy to manage infectious disease of channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus (Rafinesque). In a previous study, we demonstrated that deprivation of feed for as little as 7 days reduced innate resistance of catfish to Flavobacterium columnare. This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of feeding regimens [no feeding (NF), fed once every other day to satiation (FEOD) and fed once daily to satiation (FD)] on organosomatic indices, physiological changes and susceptibility of channel catfish to F. columnare. Fish that were not fed for 2 and 4 weeks had a significant increase (P < 0.05) in gutted weight: wet weight ratio and decrease in other organosomatic indices [gut index (GI), mesenteric fat index (MFI) and hepatosomatic index (HSI)]. Haematology was not effected by feeding regimen except at week 4, when a significantly higher haemoglobin level was observed in the NF fish. Serum protein did not differ at week 2, but the level at week 4 of the NF fish (35.91 mg mL - 1 ) was significantly lower than that of the FD fish (41.77 mg mL - 1 ). Significantly lower (P < 0.05) blood glucose (39.5 and 40.3 mg dL - 1 ) and liver glycogen (1.7 and 1.8 mg g - 1 ) were seen in the NF fish at weeks 2 and 4, respectively, as compared with blood glucose and liver glycogen levels of FD fish (67.5 and 92.8 mg dL - 1 and 46.5 and 52.6 mg g - 1 at weeks 2 and 4, respectively) and FEOD (82.8 and 85.5 mg dL - 1 and 45.1 and 51.4 mg g - 1 at weeks 2 and 4, respectively). Mortality in the NF fish caused by F. columnare (78%) was significantly higher (P < 0.05) than mortality in the FD and FEOD treatments (0.0 and 1.7%, respectively). Blood glucose and liver glycogen showed the same trend of low values for NF fish following challenge (week 6). Blood glucose, liver glycogen, GI and HSI are sensitive indicators for channel catfish deprived of feed (NF) for 4 weeks. Blood glucose and liver glycogen levels around 40 mg dL - 1 and 2 mg g - 1 , respectively, are indicative of starvation in juvenile channel catfish. Moreover, NF fish were susceptible to F. columnare infection. Thus, it is suggested that in the absence of natural food, juvenile channel catfish should be fed at least once every other day to apparent satiation to maintain normal physiological function and improve resistance to F. columnare.
Pharmacokinetic differences between 111In- and 125I-Labeled cationized monoclonal antibody against β-Amyloid in mouse and dog

AbstractThe AMY33 monoclonal antibody, which is directed against the β-amyloid peptide of Alzheimer's disease, was labeled with either 111In or 125I and the plasma pharmacokinetics was investigated. The native anti-body labeled with either isotope did not show significant differences in the pharmacokinetic profile in mice and showed the characteristics of a plasma volume marker. In contrast, the cationized antibody (isoelectric point = 9) was affected differently by the labeling methods. In mice, the systemic clearance of 125I-cationized AMY33 was increased 29-fold compared to 125I-native AMY33, while systemic clearance of 111In-cationized AMY33 was only 4-fold accelerated compared to 111In-native AMY33. In the dog, the clearance of 111In-cationized AMY33 was actually lower than the clearance of 111In-native AMY33 resulting in a 2.5-fold longer mean residence time. The different plasma profiles of the tracers were paralleled by different organ clearances, which were calculated as permeability surface area...
A uniform asymptotic expansion for the Green's functions used in microstrip calculations

A uniform asymptotic approximation is developed in the limit of small substrate thickness for the Green's functions used in microstrip-type problems. The author develops an approximation which is uniformly valid for all distances from the source in the limit where the substrate region is thin, which is typically the case of interest for microstrip problems. The approximation is valid for a single-layer substrate. The expansions agree with previously published near and far-field results. The approximation is compared with numerical evaluations of the exact integral solution available for the problem. >
Minimal CDMA recoding strategies in power-controlled ad-hoc wireless networks

The problem of Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) code assignment to eliminate primary and hidden collisions in multihop packet radio networks has been widely researched in the past. However, very little work has been done on the very realistic *distributed, dynamic* version of the transmitter-oriented code assignment (TOCA) problem in an ad-hoc network where mobiles use CDMA technology. None of the existing dynamic TOCA CDMA algorithms in literature are efficient, in terms of maximum code index assigned in the network, or number of times a mobile has to change its code. We present a set of local and distributed *recoding* strategies for the TOCA CDMA problem in an ad-hoc network where mobiles can arbitrarily 1) connect and disconnect, 2) move about, and 3) increase or decrease their transmission power all these may need some mobiles to be recoded, to avoid new collisions. Our strategies, unlike those proposed earlier in literature, guarantee *minimal recoding*, that is, given a current network-wide code assignment and one of the above events, our strategies change the codes of the minimum number of mobiles needed to eliminate all collisions. Minimal recoding can be very important in reducing the effect of frequent code changes on the performance and criticality of distributed applications. Further, among all possible minimal recoding strategies in a class, most of our strategies are also (provably) *optimal* in terms of the maximum code index assigned in the network. Performance results that evaluate our dynamic minimal strategies are also presented.
Speculative computation, parallelism, and functional programming

Many problems can be solved more quickly on parallel machines if some work can be started before it is known to be necessary. If work which is known to be necessary (mandatory work) is given priority over other work (speculative work), then performing speculative work can only speed computation. A simple functional language feature to control speculative work is proposed.
Animal models of soft-tissue sarcoma

Soft-tissue sarcomas (STSs) are rare mesenchymal tumors that arise from muscle, fat and connective tissue. Currently, over 75 subtypes of STS are recognized. The rarity and heterogeneity of patient samples complicate clinical investigations into sarcoma biology. Model organisms might provide traction to our understanding and treatment of the disease. Over the past 10 years, many successful animal models of STS have been developed, primarily genetically engineered mice and zebrafish. These models are useful for studying the relevant oncogenes, signaling pathways and other cell changes involved in generating STSs. Recently, these model systems have become preclinical platforms in which to evaluate new drugs and treatment regimens. Thus, animal models are useful surrogates for understanding STS disease susceptibility and pathogenesis as well as for testing potential therapeutic strategies.
Extracapsular Cataract Extraction, Posterior Chamber Lens Insertion, and Pars Plana Vitrectomy in One Operation

Extracapsular cataract extraction (ECCE), placement of a posterior chamber intraocular lens (PC IOL), and pars plana vitrectomy were combined in a single operation in 24 patients. Sixteen of these, 11 of whom are diabetic, have had 6 months or more of follow-up. In all cases, excellent visualization of the posterior segment was obtained, and the surgical objectives were achieved. No diabetic patient without preoperative neovascularization of the iris had this complication later. The advantages and disadvantages of alternative techniques are discussed.
Complex scattering lengths in multi-channel atom–molecule collisions

Abstract It is shown that in the presence of inelastic scattering, zero energy elastic and inelastic scattering can be characterized by a complex scattering length, the imaginary part of which is related directly to the total inelastic scattering cross section. Collisions between H atoms and vibrationally excited H 2 molecules are investigated. Zero energy cross sections for all vibrational states of H 2 and the corresponding complex scattering lengths are reported using accurate quantum mechanical calculations. We obtain large values of the elastic cross sections which we attribute to s -wave bound and quasi-bound states of H⋯H 2 ( v ). The energies and lifetimes of the quasi-bound states are extracted from the complex scattering lengths.
Forging of Compressor Blades: Temperature and Ram Velocity Effects

Forging is one of the most widely used manufacturing process for making high strength, structurally integrative, impact and creep resistant Ti-6A1-4V compressor blades for jet engines. In addition, in modern metal forming technology, finite element analysis method and computer modeling are being extensively employed for initial evaluation and optimization of various processes, including forging.In this study, DEFORM, a rigid viscoplastic two-dimensional finite element code, was used to study the effects of initial die temperature and initial ram velocity on the forging process. For a given billet, die temperature and ram velocity influence the strain rate, temperature distribution, and thus the flow stress of the material. The die temperature and the ram velocity were varied over the range 300–700°F and 15–25 in/sec, respectively, to estimate the maximum forging load and the total energy required to forge compressor blades. The ram velocity was assumed to vary linearly as a function of stroke.Based on the analysis, it was found that increasing the die temperature from 300–700°F decreases the forging loads by 19.9% and increases the average temperature of the workpiece by 43°F. Similarly, increasing the initial ram velocity from 15–25 in/sec decreases the forging loads by 25.2% and increases the average temperature of the workpiece by 36°F. The nodal temperature distribution is bimodal in each ease. The forging energy required to forge the blades is approximately 18 kips*in/in.Copyright © 1994 by ASME
Markers of protein oxidation by hydroxyl radical and reactive nitrogen species in tissues of aging rats

Many lines of evidence implicate oxidative damage in aging. Possible pathways include reactions that modify aromatic amino acid residues on proteins.o-Tyrosine is a stable marker for oxidation of p...
49 Influence of oat β-glucan on postprandial glycemic and insulinemic responses to a meal or oral sugar

s / Journal of Equine Veterinary Science 35 (2015) 400e417 405 49 Influence of oat b-glucan on postprandial glycemic and insulinemic responses to a meal or oral sugar J. Weir*, V. Robbins, J.M. Bobel, L.A. Skurupey, and L.K. Warren University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA Oats are a favored cereal grain in equine rations and are rich in b-glucan (BG). This soluble fiber has been linked to health benefits in humans, including lowered cholesterol and postprandial glucose and insulin. We hypothesized that oat BG would yield similar benefits in horses. Eight mature, clinically healthy Quarter Horses (mean ± SEM, 569 ± 2 kg) were used in a 4 X 4 Latin square design study to determine the effect of oat BG on glycemic and insulinemic responses. Horses were fed 4 diets differing in amount and source of BG for 22 d: cracked corn (low BG control), regular feed oats (moderate BG), a highBG oat variety (high BG), or corn top-dressed with a concentrated oat BG powder (high BG). Both high BG diets provided 170 mg BG/kg BW/d. All diets were isocaloric. Horses also had free access to pasture forage and were fed a vitamin/mineral supplement. In each of 4 periods, 2 horses were fed each diet. Blood samples were obtained on d 0 and 21 for determination of serum total cholesterol. On d 21, glycemic and insulinemic responses to the assigned treatment diet were evaluated after an 8-h fast. Meal size was standardized to provide 0.8 g NSC/kg BW (an amount equal to the habitual meal size for both oat diets, but a lowered meal size for diets containing corn). On d 22, glycemic and insulinemic responses to an oral dose of sugar (corn syrup, 0.15 mL/kg BW) were evaluated after an 8-h fast. At the completion of each 22-d period, horses underwent a 13-d dietary washout (corn control diet), followed by reallocation of treatments. Data were compared using mixed model ANOVA with repeated measures. Serum cholesterol was not affected by diet and averaged 75.2 ± 1.6 mg/dL. Time to consume the meal differed between diets (P < 0.0001), averaging 13.4 and 7.5 min for diets containing oats and corn, respectively. Insulin response to a meal was affected by diet (P < 0.0001), time (P < 0.0001) and diet time (P < 0.0001), where serum insulin was higher and remained elevated longer in response to meals containing oats (regular or high BG) compared with the 2 diets containing corn. In response to the oral sugar test, insulin was affected by time (P < 0.0001) and diet time (P 1⁄4 0.027), with a lower response in the 2 diets containing a high level of BG compared with the corn and regular oat diets. Diet did not affect glycemic responses to either the meal or the oral sugar test. Results of the meal test likely reflect differences in foregut starch availability between oats and corn. However, responses to the oral sugar test suggest that habituation to diets containing a high level of oat BG may reduce the magnitude of insulin response.
Antitumor effects of nonconjugated murine Lym-2 and human-mouse chimeric CLL-1 monoclonal antibodies against various human lymphoma cell lines in vitro and in vivo

Lym-2 is a murine monoclonal antibody (MoAb) directed towards a human class II molecule variant reactive with both normal and neoplastic human B lymphocytes. Previous studies have shown that signals transmitted by class II molecules that stimulate normal lymphocytes can be inhibitory for B-cell lymphoma growth by signaling activation-induced cell death. Therefore, we sought to evaluate the effects of nonconjugated murine Lym-2 and a human-mouse chimeric Lym-2 (chCLL-1; with murine variable regions and human constant regions) MoAb on the growth of various human lymphomas by using both in vitro and in vivo assays. Cell lines derived from Burkitt's lymphomas, diffuse large cell B-cell lymphomas, anaplastic large-cell lymphomas, and Epstein-Barr virus-induced B-cell lymphomas were incubated with Lym-2 or chCLL-1 in vitro, and effects on proliferation were determined by [3H]-thymidine incorporation. The effects of Lym-2 in vitro were also compared with those of Lym-1, which is a similar MoAb that has been evaluated clinically. After immobilization, which enhances crosslinking of the MoAbs, both Lym-2 and chCLL-1 were capable of directly inhibiting the growth of various lymphoma lines in vitro. These human lymphomas were then transferred into mice with severe combined immunodeficiency to evaluate the efficacy of these MoAbs in vivo. Treatment with either murine Lym-2 or the chimeric chCLL-1 were significantly effective in improving the survival of tumor-bearing mice. These results indicate that stimulation by nonconjugated chCLL-1 may offer a biological approach to the treatment of various human lymphomas.
Guidance and Control Mechanisms for the Construction of UN-System Law — Of In-House Legal Advice and Judicial Review in Courts of Law: Sung and Unsung Tales from the Coalition of the Willing, or Not

This article explores guidance and control mechanisms for the interpretation of the meaning and effects of peace-coercion law created by the UN Security Council (hereinafter referred to as UN-system law). Using the military action against Iraq by the Coalition of the Willing in 2003 as a case study, it identifies institutions, processes and procedures for steering and reviewing the construction of UN-system law — legal input into a government’s internal decision process and judicial proceedings in courts of law. The article consists of four parts. After briefly recalling the relevant UN-system law relevant to the Iraq situation, the article turns to the dynamics surrounding the in-house legal advice from Attorney General Lord Peter Goldsmith to British Prime Minister Tony Blair when the case for the war against Iraq was made by Her Majesty’s Government. Next judicial review in courts of law will be covered. This portion of the article discusses cases seen through in the United Kingdom, the Republic of Costa Rica and the Federal Republic of Germany. It also works through conceivable judicial proceedings on the international plane. Finally, the article evaluates the different guidance and control mechanisms potentially available for the interpretation of UN-system law.
Does Convergence of Conditional Cash Transfer and Socialized Health Insurance Induce Outpatient Care Utilization for Illness/Injury? Philippine Case

This study investigates whether there’s considerable impact from complemented/converged Conditional Cash Transfer (which is Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program or 4Ps) and Socialized Health Insurance (which is PhilHealth Sponsored Program (SP)) than compared to having 4Ps alone or SP alone on the outpatient care utilization for illness/injury of beneficiaries. This study computed the Average Treatment Effect on the Treated (ATT) using propensity score matching (PSM) methods to address the non-random selection of beneficiaries and using post-intervention observational data, which is the Family Health Survey 2011 data. Ordinary least squares (OLS) is also applied on the resulting matched samples to further confirm technique-robustness of the estimates. The findings show statistically significant and techniques-robust positive impact on outpatient care utilization for illness/injury from the convergence of 4Ps and SP compared to 4Ps alone or SP alone, suggesting that there’s income effect from 4Ps, price effect from SP, in addition to information spillover from 4Ps Family Development Sessions and health grant requirements for the beneficiaries to utilize outpatient care for illness/injury.
Physician-Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia: A Current Legal Perspective

In this article, I will discuss the legal developments with regard to physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia. I think there is much good news. With the exception of Oregon, where physician-assisted suicide has been legal since 1997, the organized effort to legalize assisted suicide through the courts and state legislation has met with no success since 1997, at least not in the United States. Yet, developments abroad and broader cultural trends create grave cause for concern. Moreover, recent court cases involving the refusal of medical treatment confirm and extend the trend in the courts over the last twenty years that rejects the idea that the state has a compelling interest in protecting human life in its weakest and most vulnerable state. Or, put another way, the courts increasingly take the view that there are certain lives that are not worth living. We have thus far largely resisted the move to justify affirmative acts to end these lives, but the principle that the courts have accepted – that omitting life-saving medical treatments is permissible – is frequently based on the idea that the life of such a patient is not a good and that idea is ultimately quite supportive of the assisted suicide and euthanasia positions – even if the logic of this position has not been fully appreciated. The long-term cultural battle is to restore the sanctity of life ethic.
Thermal conductivity measurements via time-domain thermoreflectance for the characterization of radiation induced damage

The progressive build up of fission products inside different nuclear reactor components can lead to significant damage of the constituent materials. We demonstrate the use of time-domain thermoreflectance (TDTR), a nondestructive thermal measurement technique, to study the effects of radiation damage on material properties. We use TDTR to report on the thermal conductivity of optimized ZIRLO, a material used as fuel cladding in nuclear reactors. We find that the thermal conductivity of optimized ZIRLO is 10.7 ± 1.8 W m−1 K−1 at room temperature. Furthermore, we find that the thermal conductivities of copper–niobium nanostructured multilayers do not change with helium ion irradiation doses of 1015 cm−2 and ion energy of 200 keV, demonstrating the potential of heterogeneous multilayer materials for radiation tolerant coatings. Finally, we compare the effect of ion doses and ion beam energies on the measured thermal conductivity of bulk silicon. Our results demonstrate that TDTR can be used to quantify depth dependent damage.
The Marketing Channel: Who Should Lead this Extra-corporate Organization?:

Corporate organization and activities extend beyond conventional ownership limits in a variety of ways. The marketing channel, for example, exerts substantial influence on the firm's internal activ...
Evaluating New Technologies to Enhance Night Vision by Looking at Detection and Recognition Distances of Non-Motorists and Objects

This empirical research aims to identify how new technologies are able to enhance night vision. This research provides empirical data on 12 vision enhancement systems taking into consideration factors such as driver age and type of objects on the roadway (i.e., static and dynamic objects). The results of this study are presented in terms of detection and recognition distances. When the detection distance of different objects were analyzed, the Infrared Thermal Imaging System resulted in the longest detection and recognition distance followed by the halogen low beam headlamps combined with high-output, medium-output, and hybrid ultraviolet headlamps. There was no significant difference, in terms of detection and recognition distances, among the halogen low beam (baseline) and when the ultraviolet headlamps are used. However, there was a significant difference among halogen low beam and high intensity discharge (HID), where halogen allowed drivers to detect and recognize objects at farther distance.
Disruption of Supported Lipid Bilayers by Semihydrophobic Nanoparticles

Understanding the interaction between functional nanoparticles and cell membranes is critical to use nanomaterials for broad biomedical applications with minimal cytotoxicity. In this work, we have investigated the effect of adsorbed semihydrophobic nanoparticles (NPs) on the dynamics and morphology of model cell membranes. We have systematically varied the degree of surface hydrophobicity of carboxyl end-functionalized polystyrene NPs of varied size in buffer solutions with varied ionic strength. It is observed that semihydrophobic NPs can readily adsorb on neutral SLBs and drag lipids from SLBs to NP surfaces. Above a critical NP concentration, the disruption of SLBs is observed, accompanied with the formation and rapid growth of lipid-poor regions on NP-adsorbed SLBs. In the study of the effect of solution ionic strength on NP surface hydrophobic degree and the growth of lipid-poor regions, we have concluded that the hydrophobic interaction enhanced by screened electrostatic interaction underlies the envelopment of NPs by lipids that are attracted from SLBs to the surface of NPs or their aggregates. Hence, the formation and growth of lipid-poor regions, or vaguely referred as "pores" or "holes" in the literature, can be controlled by NP concentration, size, and surface hydrophobicity, which is critical to design functional nanomaterials for effective nanomedicine while minimizing possible cytotoxicity.
The scientific appropriation of social research

The research program proposed by Robert Park in 1915, and largely carried out by himself, Ernest Burgess, and their students over the next twenty years, brought empirical sociological research into an academic setting on a scale not accomplished previously. This "appropriation" of social research was justified by the idea that knowledge produced by academic scientists was of a higher order than research findings of nonacademics.' University-based scientists alone were thought to be capable of a "pure sociological gaze" entailing the disavowal of immediate interventionist goals in their encounters with their objects of study. Historical studies have often adopted this justification for admitting new practices into the field as an explanation for scientific change.2 They forget that the criteria of scientificity they adopt are a product of the same historical development and were imposed by the very actors whose work they are now used to evaluate. Thus the symbolic struggle to impose a new definition of science, in which Park had to engage in order to gain legitimacy for practices previously regarded as unscientific, is left unanalyzed. The problem of "scientific advance" thereby becomes the purely logistic problem of organizing the institutional forms that more closely realize a static notion of science. As a consequence, the analysis of sociology as an institutional form is severed from the analysis of its symbolic products, and the relation between the two is either overlooked or treated as a wholly contingent one. Many studies of "institutionalization," or of "professionalization;' of social science are products of this approach in which the sociology of sociology subjects only the organizational or administrative aspects of science to its scrutiny, stopping at the actual content of sociological works, which is left to textual analysis by historians of ideas.
In Support of Technical Eclecticism

It is argued that psychotherapists who function as eclectic theorists must inevitably embrace divergent and contradictory notions. To remain theoretically consistent does not require the rejection ...
An Alternative Approach to the Parol Evidence Rule: A Rejection of the Restatement (Second) of Contracts; Mitchill v. Lath Revisited

The Restatement (Second) of Contracts describes the parol evidence rule as a "binding integrated agreement [that] discharges prior agreements to the extent that it is inconsistent with them" or "to the extent that they are within its scope." The rule is designed to prevent adding terms to a written agreement that the parties may have agreed to prior to or contemporaneously with the written agreement, but that were omitted from the final written agreement. The rule only applies if the second agreement is written, regardless of whether the first agreement is oral or written. It must be understood that the parol evidence rule is not applicable until the written agreement is enforceable. Thus, any evidence would be admissible to show the agreement is unenforceable due to fraud, mistake, illegality, or accident. Furthermore, if none of the terms in the writing are final (e.g., a letter of intent or preliminary memorandum), the parol evidence rule is not applicable because such a writing is not enforceable. The parol evidence rule serves two separate functions and answers the question of why the evidence was offered. The first function is determining what terms are part of the contract, i.e., what is the content of the written agreement? The second is determining what those terms mean, i.e., it has a role in interpretation. Professor Margaret N. Kniffen compares these two functions to an Emperor and Empress, each "clothed in different requirements:" Contract interpretation, which can be labeled the Empress, functions to assign meaning to terms already contained within a contract. In contrast, the parol evidence rule, which can be designated the Emperor, determines whether a term can be added to (or in rare cases, deleted from or displace terms in) a contract. This Article discusses the "Emperor" concept -- determining what terms are parts of the contract. Although reading a written agreement may seem to be an easy method of determining which terms are part of a contract, that is not enough. For instance, there may be evidence of terms that have been agreed upon, but which have been omitted from the written agreement. Further, an agreement may consist of more than one document. In this article, after the introduction, Part II presents the parol evidence rule. Next, Part III determines whether certain terms are omitted from the contract. Part IV states the final issue of the article, followed by Part V which offers an alternative approach. Finally, Part VI summarizes with the conclusion.
High Throughput Studies of Cell Migration in 3D Microtissues Fabricated by a Droplet Microfluidic Chip.

Arrayed three-dimensional (3D) micro-sized tissues with encapsulated cells (microtissues) have been fabricated by a droplet microfluidic chip. The extracellular matrix (ECM) is a polymerized collagen network. One or multiple breast cancer cells were embedded within the microtissues, which were stored in arrayed microchambers on the same chip without ECM droplet shrinkage over 48 h. The migration trajectory of the cells was recorded by optical microscopy. The migration speed was calculated in the range of 3–6 µm/h. Interestingly, cells in devices filled with a continuous collagen network migrated faster than those where only droplets were arrayed in the chambers. This is likely due to differences in the length scales of the ECM network, as cells embedded in thin collagen slabs also migrate slower than those in thick collagen slabs. In addition to migration, this technical platform can be potentially used to study cancer cell-stromal cell interactions and ECM remodeling in 3D tumor-mimicking environments.
Discussion on Testing Method for Low-Voltage Load Shedding Equipment

Evaluation was made to the advantages and disadvantages of two logical testing methods for continuous changing voltage and repeat test.This paper proposed that the fixed step-down logic was used to detect the actuating voltage and the fixed time compensation was used to detect the actuation time.This testing method was high in testing accuracy,being able to give attention to the concertedness between each turn actuating value,which solved the difficult problem of actuation time testing,so as to evaluate the low-voltage load shedding equipment more accurately and believably.The normal operation of the low-voltage load shedding equipment will be guaranteed strongly.
Risk of Intestinal Malignancy in Patients With Short Bowel Syndrome.

Background: Postresection intestinal adaptation is an augmented self-renewal process that might increase the risk of malignant transformation in the intestine. Furthermore, patients with short bowel syndrome (SBS) have other characteristics that might increase this risk. Our aim was to determine the incidence of new intestinal malignancy in SBS patients. Methods: We reviewed the records of 500 adult SBS patients identified from 1982–2013. There were 199 men and 301 women ranging in age from 19–91 years. Follow-up from the time of diagnosis of SBS ranged from 12–484 months. A total of 186 (37%) patients were followed >5 years. Results: The cause of SBS was postoperative in 35% of patients, malignancy/radiation in 19%, mesenteric vascular disease in 17%, Crohn’s disease in 16%, and other in 13%. Twenty-eight (6%) patients received growth stimulatory medications. Fifteen percent of patients had a prior total colectomy. Twenty-eight (6%) patients underwent intestinal transplantation, and 115 (23%) patients ha...
A Practical Approach to Neurophysiologic Intraoperative Monitoring

Neurophysiologic Intraoperative Monitoring (NIOM) is a relative new but rapidly growing subspecialty. The second edition of “A Practical Approach to Neurophysiologic Intraoperative Monitoring” is edited by the internationally renowned neurophysiologist Aatif M. Husain. This book is a comprehensive guide to NIOM for health-care professionals including trainees, technologists, surgeons, anesthesiologists and neurophysiologists. The field of NIOM is comprised of state-of-the-art technology and can be used to improve surgical outcomes of a variety of diseases, such as surgery on vertebral column, spinal cord, peripheral nerve or dorsal nerve root, cerebellopontine angle tumor or microdecompression, brainstem, aortic or carotid and intracranial arteries; and epilepsy and movement disorder surgeries. The current edition is well organized and readable, and provides essential and up-to-date useful information.
How wideband receiver nonlinearities impact spectrum sensing

Wideband receivers are appealing for cognitive radio spectrum sensing as they allow sensing multiple subbands in parallel. However, wideband radio front-end circuits introduce various impairments into the received signal, which make detection of unoccupied bands difficult. In particular, the low noise amplifier and mixer are typically nonlinear components due to which the wideband received signal experiences internal mixing of the signal components, often referred to as intermodulation terms. The impact of these intermodulation terms on the wideband spectrum sensing might be significant in cases of both detection of occupied and unoccupied bands. In particular, energy detection based spectrum sensing might result in high false alarm probability due to increased energy in the band of interest due to intermodulation terms. In this paper we analyze the impact of LNA and mixer nonlinearities on energy detection based spectrum sensing, and show that although both components result in intermodulation terms in different subbands of the wideband channel, they both result in severe degradation of the spectrum sensing performance. We also discuss possible digital signal processing algorithms for compensation of nonlinearities.
A simplified pressure adjustment clinical pathway for programmable valves in NPH patients.

Abstract Objective The goal of this study is to provide a clinical pathway for shunt valve adjustment in the treatment of normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH) patients. Patient and methods The authors conducted a single-center retrospective study of 102 patients (mean age 74 years, 66 men, 36 women) diagnosed with NPH. In all cases, a Medtronic Strata Adjustable Pressure valve set initially at 1.5 was implanted. Outcome was based on the clinical status of the patient at the last contact point with the senior author. Patients were adjusted with reductions or increases of 0.5 per follow-up visit to achieve the best clinical outcome and avoid complications. Complications were categorized as infection, shunt malfunction, subdural hygroma/hematoma, or any adverse event able to be attributed to a change in shunt setting or surgical procedure. Results Of the 102 patients, 60% had the triad of clinical symptoms, 5% had gait dysfunction only, 2% had dementia only, 4% had urine incontinence and gait dysfunction, 1% had urine incontinence and dementia, and 28% had gait dysfunction and dementia. Over a mean clinical follow-up of 19 months, 71 patients had improvement or resolution of NPH symptoms at the last point of contact with the senior author. Of the 71 patients, 24% improved in all 3 symptoms, 8% improved in urine incontinence only, 17% improved in gait dysfunction only, 15% improved in dementia only, 15% improved in urine incontinence and gait dysfunction only, 4% improved in urine incontinence and dementia only, and 15% improved in gait dysfunction and dementia only. Valve pressure adjustment was required at least once in 85 patients (mean number of 1.68 adjustments, 7 maximum); 10% had 0.5 as the final setting, 47% had 1.0 as the final setting, 36% had 1.5 as the final setting, 7% had 2.0 as the final setting, and 0% had 2.5 as the final setting. There were 41 (40%) complications overall: 28 subdural hygromas/hematomas, of which 5 required surgical evacuation; 9 distal obstructions requiring surgical revision; 4 seizures; 2 infections; 1 exposed shunt tubing; 1 intraparenchymal hematoma of unknown etiology. Conclusion Standardization of post-operative care for patients with NPH is possible. The present manuscript offers a safe and effective pathway for treatment of NPH patients with the Strata Adjustable Pressure Valve.
Generalizing global error estimation for ordinary differential equations by using coupled time-stepping methods

Abstract This study introduces new time-stepping strategies with built-in global error estimators. The new methods propagate the defect along with the numerical solution much like solving for the correction or Zadunaisky’s procedure; however, the proposed approach allows for overlapped internal computations and, therefore, represents a generalization of the classical numerical schemes for solving differential equations with global error estimation. The resulting algorithms can be effectively represented as general linear methods. Several explicit self-starting schemes akin to Runge–Kutta methods with global error estimation are introduced, and the theoretical considerations are illustrated in several examples.
New Method to Synthesize Highly Active and Durable Chemically Ordered fct-PtCo Cathode Catalyst for PEMFCs.

In the bottom-up synthesis strategy performed in this study, the Co-catalyzed pyrolysis of chelate-complex and activated carbon black at high temperatures triggers the graphitization reaction which introduces Co particles in the N-doped graphitic carbon matrix and immobilizes N-modified active sites for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) on the carbon surface. In this study, the Co particles encapsulated within the N-doped graphitic carbon shell diffuse up to the Pt surface under the polymer protective layer and forms a chemically ordered face-centered tetragonal (fct) Pt–Co catalyst PtCo/CCCS catalyst as evidenced by structural and compositional studies. The fct-structured PtCo/CCCS at low-Pt loading (0.1 mgPt cm–2) shows 6% higher power density than that of the state-of-the-art commercial Pt/C catalyst. After the MEA durability test of 30 000 potential cycles, the performance loss of the catalyst is negligible. The electrochemical surface area loss is less than 40%, while that of commercial Pt/C is nea...
Interactions of β-amyloid peptide with fibrinogen and coagulation factor XII may contribute to Alzheimer's disease.

Purpose of reviewTo review the evidence that the Alzheimer peptide β-amyloid interacts with the blood coagulation system and influences the pathophysiology of the disease.Recent findingsβ-amyloid can interact with fibrinogen and blood coagulation factor XII and trigger ischemia and inflammation.Summ
Improving Burst Alignment in TOPS Interferometry With Bivariate Enhanced Spectral Diversity

Terrain observation by progressive scans (TOPS)-mode synthetic aperture radar interferometry requires high accuracy of burst alignments. Geometrical burst alignment relying on precise orbits and digital topography is not always sufficient for Sentinel-1A TOPS-mode interferometry. Enhanced spectral diversity (ESD) method was proposed to estimate a constant azimuth shift between radar images that minimizes phase discontinuities across the bursts. In some cases, however, the ESD refinement fails to align the bursts in Sentinel-1 interferograms, possibly because of ionospheric propagation effects. Here, we show that in such cases, a bivariate shift (that depends on both azimuth and range) can efficiently remove phase discontinuities across the bursts. The bivariate shift can be derived from the double-differenced radar phase in the burst overlap regions.
Three-dimensional computed tomography measurement accuracy of varying Hill-Sachs lesion size.

Background The glenoid track concept has been proposed to correlate shoulder stability with bone loss. Accurate assessment of Hill-Sachs lesion size preoperatively may affect surgical planning and postoperative outcomes; however, no measurement method has been universally accepted. This study aimed to assess the accuracy and reliability of measuring Hill-Sachs lesion sizes using 3-dimensional (3D) computed tomography (CT). Methods Nine polyurethane humerus bone substitutes were used to create Hill-Sachs lesions of varying sizes with a combination of lesion depth (shallow, intermediate, and deep) and width (small, medium, and large). Specimens were scanned with a clinical CT scanner for size measurements and a micro-CT scanner for measurement of true lesion size. Six evaluators repeated measurements twice in a 2-week interval. Scans were measured by use of 3D CT reconstructions for length, width, and Hill-Sachs interval and with use of 2D CT for depth. The interclass correlation coefficient evaluated interobserver and intraobserver variability and percentage error, and Student t-tests assessed measurement accuracy. Results Interclass correlation coefficient reliability demonstrated strong agreement for all variables measured (0.856-0.975). Percentage error between measured length and measured depth and the true measurement significantly varied with respect to both lesion depth (P = .003 and P = .005, respectively) and lesion size (P = .049 and P = .004, respectively). Discussion and conclusions The 3D CT imaging is effective and reproducible in determining lesion size. Determination of Hill-Sachs interval width is also reliable when it is applied to the glenoid track concept. Measured values on 3D and 2-dimensional imaging using a conventional CT scanner may slightly underestimate true measurements.
Digital Economy and Digital Labour Terminology: Making Sense of the “Gig Economy”, “Online Labour”, “Crowd Work”, “Microwork”, “Platform Labour”, Etc

Confused about the gig economy vs. platform economy vs. on-demand economy? Befuddled by online labour vs. digital labour vs. platform labour? Bemused by microwork vs. crowdwork vs. digital work? Then read on. This paper analyses the myriad terminologies that have arisen in relation to the digital economy and digital labour. In detailed tables, it assesses the prevalence and currency within research literature of nearly 30 different terms. It then provides a definition for each and summarises the typical content of literature using the term. It also summarises current popularity of related Twitter hashtags. Taking the specific example of online outsourcing of digital tasks, the paper analyses which of the different terms is most appropriate as an identifier (concluding these to be “online labour”, “online outsourcing” and “gig economy” depending on focal interest), and presents a graphical summary. The review data provided can be re-used to identify the most-appropriate term for other labour-related topics in the digital economy.
BIOPROSTHETIC VALVE FRACTURE TECHNIQUE FOR VALVE-IN-VALVE TRANSCATHETER AORTIC VALVE REPLACEMENT

Valve in valve (ViV) transcatheter procedures have emerged as a viable option for patients who are not candidates for a redo-procedure. We present a case who underwent ViV with an Edwards Sapien valve for severe aortic regurgitation from her bioprosthetic aortic valve with subsequent severe patient
IC Chip Package Inspection with an Amplitude and Phase Scanning Acoustic Microscope

This paper will review and compare the principles of operation of the scanning acoustic microscope and the focused C-scan imaging System. We will show that with phase measurement ability, both instruments are capable of inspecting electronic packages for disbonds, cracks, and other defects given. We will also show that the resolution and defect detection sensitivity of both instruments is limited by the attenuation of the sound wave in the package.
Psychotropic Polypharmacy Among Children and Youth Receiving Medicaid, 2012-2015

BACKGROUND: The rates of mental health diagnoses in children have increased. Children in poverty have the highest rates. The use of psychotropic medication for children has been increasing, which i...
The Role of Gene Therapy in Premature Ovarian Insufficiency Management

Premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) is a highly prevalent disorder, characterized by the development of menopause before the age of 40. Most cases are idiopathic; however, in some women the cause of this condition (e.g.; anticancer treatment, genetic disorders, and enzymatic defects) could be identified. Although hormone-replacement therapy, the principal therapeutic approach for POI, helps alleviate the related symptoms, this does not effectively solve the issue of fertility. Assisted reproductive techniques also lack efficacy in these women. Thus, an effective approach to manage patients with POI is highly warranted. Several mechanisms associated with POI have been identified, including the lack of function of the follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) receptor, alterations in apoptosis control, mutations in Sal-like 4 genes, and thymulin or basonuclin-1 deficiency. The above mentioned may be good targets for gene therapy in order to correct defects leading to POI. The goal of this review is to summarize current experiences on POI studies that employed gene therapy, and to discuss possible future directions in this field.
A Comparison of Si-based Cameras for Imaging Luminescence from Photovoltaic Materials and Devices

Si cameras for luminescence imaging of photovoltaic devices are compared. The Princeton Instruments PIXIS l024BR camera is a scientific, cooled, Si-based camera that has back-illumination and deep-depletion for improved near-infrared sensitivity. This camera is compared to a consumer-grade Nikon D5100 camera with the internal short-pass filter removed. For a fraction of the cost, the Nikon camera shows reasonable comparison in image quality, but variations of luminescence intensity and exposure time give a less linear response than that of the PIXIS camera. For cost and performance between these examples, other camera choices, such as the Thor Labs 1501M, can provide good image quality and linearity.
ISG15: It's Complicated.

Abstract Interferon-stimulated gene product 15 (ISG15) is a key component of host responses to microbial infection. Despite having been known for four decades, grasping the functions and features of ISG15 has been a slow and elusive process. Substantial work over the past two decades has greatly enhanced this understanding, revealing the complex and variable nature of this protein. This has unveiled multiple mechanisms of action that are only now beginning to be understood. In addition, it has uncovered diversity not only between how ISG15 affects different pathogens but also between the function and structure of ISG15 itself between different host species. Here we review the complexity of ISG15 within the context of viral infection, focusing primarily on its antiviral function and the mechanisms viruses employ to thwart its effects. We highlight what is known regarding the impact of ISG15 sequence and structural diversity on these interactions and discuss the aspects presenting the next frontier toward elucidating a more complete picture of ISG15 function.