cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Impact of Maryland's Global Budget Payment Reform on Emergency Department Admission Rates in a Single Health System.

Background In 2014, the state of Maryland (MD) moved away from fee-for-service payments and into a global budget revenue (GBR) structure where hospitals have a fixed revenue target, independent of patient volume or services provided. We assess the effects of GBR adoption on emergency department (ED) admission decisions among adult encounters. Methods We used hospital medical record and billing data from adult ED encounters from January 1, 2011, through December 31, 2015, with four MD hospitals and two District of Columbia (DC) hospitals within the same health system. We performed difference-in-differences analysis and calculated the effects of the GBR model on ED admission rates (inpatient and observation) using hospital fixed-effect regression adjusted for patient, hospital, and community factors. We also examined changes in the distribution of acuity among ED admissions with GBR adoption. Results The study sample included 1,492,953 ED encounters with a mean ED admission rate of 20.5%. The ED admission rate difference pre- and post-GBR was -1.14% (95% confidence interval [CI] = -0.89 to -1.40) for MD hospitals and -0.04% (95% CI = -0.24 to 0.32) for DC hospitals with a difference-in-differences result of -1.10% (95% CI = -1.34 to -0.86). This change was attributable to a -3.3% (95% CI = -3.54 to -3.08) decline in inpatient admissions and 2.7% (95% CI = 2.53 to 2.79) increase in observation admissions. Declines in admissions were observed primarily among mild-to-moderate severity of illness encounters with a low risk of mortality. Conclusions Within the same health system, implementation of global budgeting in MD hospitals was associated with a decline in ED admissions-particularly lower-acuity admissions-compared to DC hospitals that remained under fee-for-service payments.
Setting the Agenda for Quality Improvement in Pediatric Sickle Cell Disease

Objective Despite recent scientific advances, children with sickle cell disease (SCD) continue to experience high mortality and significant morbidity, in part due to variations in the care provided. We sought to identify and compare drivers for quality improvement among clinical staff and parents of children with SCD. Methods We interviewed clinical staff across care settings in an urban teaching hospital to elicit their perspectives on improving care for children with SCD. Concurrently, we invited parents of children with SCD to participate in focus groups to identify their needs. Findings are reported according to Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research guidelines. Results We conducted 29 interviews with clinical staff and 4 focus groups with parents. Both groups identified the need for effective communication of relevant patient information across disciplines as a key area for improvement. Clinical staff cited standardization of care delivery as a top priority through increased accessibility of pertinent clinical information, enhanced pain assessment and management, and improved availability of clinical decision-making tools. Parents listed the need for increased community awareness about SCD, including school and day care staff, enhanced parental education and peer support, and self-management skills for their children as opportunities to improve pediatric SCD care. Conclusions Identifying drivers for quality improvement is a critical first step in transforming the care provided to children with SCD. Using a systematic approach that includes eliciting the perspectives of both clinicians and parents may significantly enhance the development of a patient-centered quality improvement agenda.
Single Stock Futures and Cross-Border Access for US Investors

In the face of growing demand by US investors for access to foreign markets and pressure to restore US capital markets competitiveness, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is gradually negotiating mutual recognition arrangements with select foreign markets - arrangements that will allow foreign exchanges and brokers to operate in the United States without direct SEC oversight. The SEC's willingness to even consider such arrangements marks a significant shift in SEC regulatory strategy because it means that the SEC now accepts that certain foreign regulatory standards are comparable or even superior to US standards - standards that the SEC frequently asserts are the highest in the world.The amount of regulatory energy being expended by the SEC to determine how to agree on comparable standards with foreign regulators is puzzling given the SEC's longstanding antipathy to financial innovation at home and its competitive attitude toward the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. This contradiction is no more apparent than in the case of single stock futures (SSFs).SSFs are futures contracts based on the shares of individual companies. By purchasing SSFs on foreign company shares, investors will be able to gain exposure to the price movements of a potentially unlimited number of foreign securities on a single exchange, under a single regulatory regime and without many of the costs of transacting in the underlying foreign securities themselves. As a result, SSFs address several of the SEC's concerns associated with mutual recognition: trading of SSFs takes place entirely within the United States on US-regulated exchanges and is handled by US-regulated brokers; contracts are governed by US law and approved by US regulators; and the clearance and settlement of the contracts take place within the United States. By eliminating the need for US investors to access foreign exchanges or place orders with foreign brokers, SSF trading makes it less necessary to seek convergence of foreign regulation with US regulation to permit cross-border access for US investors.This paper argues that the SEC should recognize the advantages of SSFs to crossborder investment and relinquish its opposition to SSF trading in the United States.
The vector potential for rotationally symmetric flow lines (Conference Presentation)

The rotationally symmetric flow line is one of the few examples of the closed form solutions for flow lines in 3D configurations. In this paper we give its analytical form.
Abstract P245: The Angiotensin-(1-7) Agonist AVE0991 Attenuates Angiotensinogen Release from Human Proximal Epithelial Cells

A local renin-angiotensin system (RAS) is evident within the renal proximal tubules and overexpression of the precursor angiotensinogen targeted to the tubules increases blood pressure and promotes...
Interaction of Wing Vortices and Plumes in Supersonic Flight

A model of the wake of an aircraft cruising at high speed in the stratosphere is presented. The two major components of the flow field are the trailing vortex wake and the jet exhaust plumes. The prospect of large fleets of supersonic airliners makes it important to accurately predict the dispersion of engine emissions resulting from interaction between the two. Here, synthesis of a number of different jet and vortex studies provides a unified description of aircraft wakes in terms of a length scale bA/CL, based on the span, aspect ratio, and cruise lift coefficient. The basic premise of the model is that jet plumes, being immersed in the trailing vortex wake downwash, deform into twin vortices typical of jets in a cross-flow. This permits the development of the wake flow field to be assessed with the tools of vortex filament analysis. The wakes of both conventional high subsonic and supersonic aircraft are shown to be accommodated by this approach, as would the wakes of wing jet combination injectors for scramjet applications. Experimental studies which would aid in the development of more accurate prediction methods are also described.
Governance, depoliticization, and nuclear power in Britain and the United States

Governance is a form of statecraft used to work through networks. A complementary perspective to governance is depoliticization which considers statecraft under neoliberalism. This article argues t...
Introducing an Arabidopsis thaliana Thylakoid Thiol/Disulfide-Modulating Protein Into Synechocystis Increases the Efficiency of Photosystem II Photochemistry.

Photosynthetic species are subjected to a variety of environmental stresses, including suboptimal irradiance. In oxygenic photosynthetic organisms, a major effect of high light exposure is damage to the Photosystem II (PSII) reaction-center protein D1. This process even happens under low or moderate light. To cope with photodamage to D1, photosynthetic organisms evolved an intricate PSII repair and reassembly cycle, which requires the participation of different auxiliary proteins, including thiol/disulfide-modulating proteins. Most of these auxiliary proteins exist ubiquitously in oxygenic photosynthetic organisms. Due to differences in mobility and environmental conditions, land plants are subject to more extensive high light stress than algae and cyanobacteria. Therefore, land plants evolved additional thiol/disulfide-modulating proteins, such as Low Quantum Yield of PSII 1 (LQY1), to aid in the repair and reassembly cycle of PSII. In this study, we introduced an Arabidopsis thaliana homolog of LQY1 (AtLQY1) into the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC6803 and performed a series of biochemical and physiological assays on AtLQY1-expressing Synechocystis. At a moderate growth light intensity (50 µmol photons m-2 s-1), AtLQY1-expressing Synechocystis was found to have significantly higher F v /F m , and lower nonphotochemical quenching and reactive oxygen species levels than the empty-vector control, which is opposite from the loss-of-function Atlqy1 mutant phenotype. Light response curve analysis of PSII operating efficiency and electron transport rate showed that AtLQY1-expressing Synechocystis also outperform the empty-vector control under higher light intensities. The increases in F v /F m , PSII operating efficiency, and PSII electron transport rate in AtLQY1-expressing Synechocystis under such growth conditions most likely come from an increased amount of PSII, because the level of D1 protein was found to be higher in AtLQY1-expressing Synechocystis. These results suggest that introducing AtLQY1 is beneficial to Synechocystis.
Lower Extremity Fasciotomy: Indications and Technique

The competent trauma surgeon must be familiar with lower extremity fasciotomy. This operation becomes necessary in patients who are suffering from and who are at risk for developing a compartment syndrome (CS)—a surgical emergency. CS is the result of the pressure within a muscle compartment exceeding that of the perfusion pressure, which subsequently causes ischemia of the muscles and nerves contained within. The overall rate of fasciotomy after extremity injury is 2.8%. Proper knowledge of the pertinent anatomy of the thigh and leg are essential in order to avoid complications. The consequences of missing an indicated adequate lower extremity fasciotomy can be limb- or even life-threatening. There are also medico-legal consequences to this. This chapter will cover indications for lower extremity thigh and leg fasciotomy, technique, and emphasize how to avoid pitfalls.
Ecomodern Masculinity, Energy Security, and Green Consumerism: The Rise of Biofuels in the United States:

Through a case study of a major biofuel company in the United States, we seek to uncover how producers and consumers promote biofuels as a solution to climate change, despite considerable evidence ...
Flavor Preference and Systemic Immunoglobulin Responses in E-Cigarette Users and Waterpipe and Tobacco Smokers: A Pilot Study

Electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use has had an exponential increase in popularity since the product was released to the public. Currently, there is a lack of human studies that assess different biomarker levels. This pilot study attempts to link e-cigarette and other tobacco product usage with clinical respiratory symptoms and immunoglobulin response. Subjects completed surveys in order to collect self-reported data on tobacco product flavor preferences. Along with this, plasma samples were collected to test for immunoglobulin G (IgG) and E (IgE) levels. Our pilot study’s cohort had a 47.9% flavor preference towards fruit flavors and a 63.1% preference to more sweet flavors. E-cigarette and traditional cigarette smokers were the two subject groups to report the most clinical symptoms. E-cigarette users also had a significant increase in plasma IgE levels compared to non-tobacco users 1, and dual users had a significant increase in plasma IgG compared to non-tobacco users 2, cigarette smokers, and waterpipe smokers. Our pilot study showed that users have a preference toward fruit and more sweet flavors and that e-cigarette and dual use resulted in an augmented systemic immune response.
Within-Family Validation of Polygenic Risk Scores and Complex Trait Prediction

We test a variety of polygenic predictors using tens of thousands of genetic siblings for whom we have SNP genotypes, health status, and phenotype information in late adulthood. Siblings have typically experienced similar environments during childhood, and exhibit negligible population stratification relative to each other. Therefore, the ability to predict differences in disease risk or complex trait values between siblings is a strong test of genomic prediction in humans. We compare validation results obtained using non-sibling subjects to those obtained among siblings and find that typically most of the predictive power persists in within-family designs. In the case of disease risk we test the extent to which higher polygenic risk score (PRS) identifies the affected sibling, and also compute Relative Risk Reduction as a function of risk score threshold. For quantitative traits we examine between-sibling differences in trait values as a function of predicted differences, and compare to performance in non-sibling pairs. Example results: Given 1 sibling with normal-range PRS score (<84 percentile) and 1 sibling with high PRS score (top few percentiles), the predictors identify the affected sibling about 70-90% of the time across a variety of disease conditions, including Breast Cancer, Heart Attack, Diabetes, etc. For height, the predictor correctly identifies the taller sibling roughly 80 percent of the time when the (male) height difference is 2 inches or more.
Osteochondritis Dissecans of the Capitellum: Management in the Throwing Athlete

Young overhead athletes, such as baseball players and gymnasts, are at risk of developing osteochondritis dissecans lesions of the capitellum. Repetitive microtrauma in conjunction with limited local blood supply likely contribute to the development of these lesions. Adolescent and young adult throwing athletes presenting with lateral-sided elbow pain and stiffness should undergo prompt evaluation and imaging with elbow radiographs. Advanced imaging with computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging or arthrography can further diagnose these lesions and determine lesion size and stability. Skeletally immature individuals with early, stable lesions should be given a trial of conservative treatment. Lesions failing nonoperative management and unstable lesions may be treated operatively with arthroscopic debridement and microfracture, fragment fixation, or osteochondral autograft transplantation surgery depending on lesion stability, size, and location. A wide variety of surgical techniques and outcomes have been reported. Overall these techniques result in excellent outcomes with good return to sport rates, diminished pain, and improved range of motion.
Utility of Rapid Exome Sequencing in the Diagnosis of a Rare Congenital Myasthenic Syndromes in a Preterm Infant

Congenital myasthenic syndromes (CMS) are rare and challenging diagnoses in preterm neonates. We presented in this case report a preterm infant with recurrent extubation failures. An exhaustive workup to rule out common etiologies of chronic ventilator dependence was negative including a neostigmine trial, acetylcholine receptor antibodies, and chromosomal microarray. Electromyography (EMG) showed features of a neuromuscular junction defect. After ruling out metabolic, inflammatory, and immune mediated causes, a rapid exome sequencing demonstrated CHRNB1 gene mutation diagnostic of autosomal dominant slow channel CMS. The patient was started on fluoxetine and nebulized salbutamol with a gradual improvement in her respiratory function over time with minimal ventilator support.
Analytical methods to determine effectiveness of slurry seals in wet/freeze climate using pavement management information systems

With increasing economic pressures worldwide, the amount of money spent on pavement preservation needs to become more effectively utilised. Historically, the Long-Term Pavement Performance (LTPP) s...
Formally exact simulations of mesoscale exciton dynamics in molecular materials

Excited state carriers, such as excitons, can diffuse on the 100 nm to micron length scale in molecular materials but only delocalize over short length scales due to coupling between electronic and vibrational degrees-of-freedom. Here, we leverage the locality of excitons to adaptively solve the hierarchy of pure states equations (HOPS). We demonstrate that our adaptive HOPS (adHOPS) methodology provides a formally exact and size-invariant (i.e., ) scaling algorithm for simulating mesoscale quantum dynamics. Finally, we provide proof-of-principle calculations for exciton diffusion on linear chains containing up to 1000 molecules.
Parent Preferences for Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Physician Attire: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Objective Physician attire may influence the parent-provider relationship. Previous studies in adult and outpatient pediatrics showed that formal attire with a white coat was preferred. We aimed to describe parent preferences for physician attire in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Study Design We surveyed 101 parents in a level IV NICU. The survey included photographs of a physician in seven different attires. Attire was scored in five domains and parents selected the most preferred attire in different contexts. All attires were compared with formal attire with white coat. Descriptive statistics, Fisher's exact tests, and one-way analysis of variance were used to compare parent responses. Results Scrubs without white coat (40.8 [7.0]) and formal attire without white coat (39.7 [8.0]) had the highest mean (standard deviation) composite preference scores. However, no significant differences between formal attire with white coat (37.1 [9.0]) versus any other attire were observed. When asked to choose a single most preferred attire, scrubs with a coat (32%) and formal with a coat (32%) were chosen most often, but preferences varied by clinical context and parent age. For example, parents preferred surgical scrubs for physicians performing procedures. Parents indicated that physician attire is important to them but does not influence their satisfaction with care. Conclusion Although parents generally favored formal attire and scrubs, the variations based on the context of care and lack of significant preference of one attire suggests that a single dress code policy for physicians in a NICU is unlikely to improve the patient-provider relationship. Key Points
Red queen's race: rapid evolutionary dynamics of an expanding family of meiotic drive factors and their hpRNA suppressors

Abstract Meiotic drivers are a class of selfish genetic elements that are widespread across eukaryotes. As their activities are often detrimental to organismal fitness, opposing regulatory mechanisms are usually required to silence them, to ensure fair segregation during meiosis. Accordingly, the existence of such selfish elements is frequently hidden in genomes, and their molecular functions are little known. Here, we trace evolutionary steps that generated the Dox meiotic drive system in Drosophila simulans (Dsim), which distorts male:female balance (sex-ratio) by depleting male progeny. We show that Dox emerged via stepwise mobilization and acquisition of portions of multiple D. melanogaster genes, notably including from protamine, which replaces histones in haploid sperm and mediates the highly condensed state of sperm chromatin. Moreover, we reveal novel Dox homologs in Dsim and massive, recent, amplification of Dox superfamily genes specifically on X chromosomes of its closest sister species D. mauritiana (Dmau) and D. sechellia (Dsech). The emergence of Dox superfamily genes is tightly associated with 359-bp repeats (in the 1.688 family of satellite repeats) that flank de novo genomic copies. In concert, we find coordinated emergence and diversification of autosomal hairpin RNA-class siRNA loci that target subsets of Dox superfamily genes across simulans clade species. Finally, an independent set of protamine amplifications on the Y chromosome of D. melanogaster indicates that protamine genes are frequent and recurrent players in sex chromosome dynamics. Overall, we reveal fierce genetic arms races between meiotic drive factors and siRNA suppressors associated with recent speciation.
Irregular Array Codes with Arbitrary Access Sets for Geo-Distributed Storage

Distributed storage systems typically use erasure codes to provide tolerance against node failures. An erasure code encodes a message into a codeword made up of several symbols, which are then distributed among nodes in the system. Maximum distance separable (MDS) $[n, k]$ scalar codes are commonly used in practice, which have the property that any subset of $k$ out of $n$ nodes is enough to decode the message. However, in applications such as geo-distributed storage systems, decodability from many of these subsets is unnecessary. In this paper, we study codes where only certain subsets of nodes, named access sets, are required to satisfy decodability. Our analysis focuses on two metrics of practical importance: update cost and storage overhead. For minimizing these metrics, we show that it is necessary to employ irregular array codes. We derive a lower bound on update cost as a function of the required access sets and show that it is achievable. Existing work provides an achievable lower bound on storage overhead. While both lower bounds are individually achievable, we show that they are not simultaneously achievable in general. Due to the premium in wide-area network bandwidth cost over storage cost, we focus on codes with minimum update cost (termed MUC). Finally, we derive a lower bound on the storage overhead of MUC codes and show the existence of MUC codes meeting this lower bound via a randomized construction. Our results thus show that it is possible to achieve significant savings in update cost and storage overhead by tailoring the design of codes to the required access sets.
Introduction: The Centrality of Intersectionality

Globally, many nations are undertaking unique efforts to diversify their teacher workforce to keep pace with an increasingly diverse student body. At the same time, the field of education is expanding to include a variety of contexts and formats. This is the case now more than ever as schools shut down worldwide due to COVID-19. This edited volume explores how educators themselves are experiencing various changes in terms of gender, race, class, sexuality, and other social identities (Holvino, 2010; Collins, 2002), in addition to how these experiences influenced their teaching strategies prior to the global pandemic. Because teaching is considered a feminized profession, and the province of white women (hooks, 1994), the book includes a series of research essays—each by a different author or set of co-authors—highlighting the interplay of gender, class, race, and sexualities in the professional lives of educators who do not identify as heterosexual white women. It discusses this interplay not only in traditional classroom settings, but also in nontraditional contexts such as higher education, teacher training programs, dual language immersion programs, international American schools, the U.S. practice of family education, and prisons and juvenile detention facilities in different regions of the United States. At the end of each set of research essays we, the co-editors of the volume, ask readers to consider the implications of these essays both for recruiting and retaining a more diverse teacher workforce and for improving the professional experiences of educators through a social justice lens.
Enhancing Enrollment of Patients to Radiation Oncology Clinical Trials Across a Multi-Institutional Community-Academic Partnership: An Interrupted Time Series Analysis.

Purpose/objective(s) Although clinical trial enrollment is critical to development of new cancer therapies, Materials/methods All patients enrolled on radiation oncology therapeutic clinical trials at community-based partner sites from Q2 2018 - Q1 2021 were included in this analysis. Guided by Expert Recommendation for Implementing Change (ERIC), strategies to increase trial enrollment were implemented prior to Q2 2020, and included: 1) altered incentive structure (per-patient cost paid to partner site, leaderboards), 2) building a coalition of physicians in metastatic disease, and 3) practice facilitation. An interrupted time series analysis included a two-tailed student's t-test to compare mean trial enrollments per quarter pre- and post-implementation. Protocol deviations were assessed in quality assurance (QA) review. Results Among 52 total patients enrolled in community-based, partner sites, 28 (54%) identify as Black or Hispanic. The number of clinical trials open to enrollment pre- and post-implementation was 5 vs. 8, respectively, while the number of patients enrolled was 6 vs. 46, respectively, representing an overall increase in mean number of quarterly patient enrollments from 1 to 11 (P Conclusion These implementation strategies were associated with increased therapeutic trial enrollment in community-based partner sites. With high variation in enrollment between physicians and prior research suggesting limited impact of site-level financial incentives, qualitative research will further investigate non-financial incentives and other facilitators to clinical trial enrollment within community-academic partnerships. Over-representation of minority patients further supports the benefit of enrolling patients on clinical trials in the community-based setting.
Angelic machines: A philosophical dialogue (2)

Is machine autonomy the same as human autonomy? Answers to this question are developed in philosophical dialogue. Becket Geist, a romantic philosopher with scientific leanings, is irked by the arrogance of Fortran McCyborg – a Model 2000 cyborg. Nonette Naturski, a champion of naturalistic views, joins Becket in playing devil's advocate by arguing that Fortran's actions are voluntary, not chosen by him, and lacking the freedom caused by deliberate desire. With the attempts to reduce Fortran's status, Fortran ups the ante by arguing for yet higher status – that he is an angel. The dialogue with the realization that the conversation which denied Fortran autonomous status presupposed it on some level. Angelic Machines picks up where Loss of the World leaves off.
Identified serotonergic neurons LCB1 and RCB1 in the cerebral ganglia of Aplysia produce presynaptic facilitation of siphon sensory neurons

Several lines of evidence suggest that 5-HT plays a significant role in presynaptic facilitation of the siphon sensory cells contributing to dishabituation and sensitization of the gill- and siphon-withdrawal reflex in Aplysia. Most recently, Glanzman et al. (1989) found that treatment with the 5-HT neurotoxin, 5,7-DHT markedly reduced both synaptic facilitation and behavioral dishabituation. To provide more direct evidence for a role of 5-HT, we have attempted to identify individual serotonergic facilitator neurons. Hawkins (1989) used histological techniques to locate several serotonergic neurons in the ring ganglia that send axons to the abdominal ganglion and are therefore possible serotonergic facilitators. These include one neuron in the B cluster of each cerebral ganglion, which we have identified electrophysiologically and named the CB1 cells. Both glyoxylic acid histofluorescence and 5-HT immunofluorescence indicate that the CB1 neurons are serotonergic. In a semiintact preparation, the CB1 neurons respond to cutaneous stimulation which produces dishabituation and sensitization (such as tail shock) with an increase in firing, which may outlast the stimulation by 15 min. Intracellular stimulation of a CB1 neuron in a manner similar to its response to tail shock produces facilitation of the EPSPs from siphon sensory neurons to motor neurons, as well as broadening of the action potential in the sensory neurons in tetraethylammonium solution. These results strongly suggest that the identified serotonergic CB1 neurons participate in mediating presynaptic facilitation contributing to dishabituation and sensitization of the gill- and siphon-withdrawal reflex in Aplysia.
Assembling the Startup Team

Nothing can bedevil a high-potential startup more than its "people problems." These problems typically result from choices that founders make as they add team members to their startup team. Three characteristics of startup teams must be aligned for these teams to function well: relationships, roles, and rewards (the Three Rs). Early decisions that founders make about the Three Rs can significantly affect their startup's direction and success. This note explores some of these choices and their long-term implications.Learning Objective: To educate students about how to assemble a strong, complementary, and effective startup team and how early choices about relationships, roles, and rewards can affect the team's and startup's success.
Vocal divergence and discrimination of long calls in tamarins: A comparison of allopatric populations of Saguinus fuscicollis nigrifrons and S. f. lagonotus.

Divergence in vocalizations can reduce gene flow by serving as a premating barrier during secondary contact between previously isolated populations. In primates, vocal divergence in long calls of separated populations has been documented, yet recognition of these differences by the respective populations has seldom been studied in the field. To investigate this issue, we studied populations of two subspecies of saddle-back tamarins (Saguinus fuscicollis nigrifrons and S. f. lagonotus) that are separated by the Amazon River in Peru. We recorded long calls of each subspecies and detected significant differences between the populations in the number of notes per call, duration of calls, and shifts in starting frequency of notes over the length of calls. In addition, a population of S. f. nigrifrons responded more overtly in measures of approach to playback of long calls of its own subspecies compared to long calls of S. f. lagonotus. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that allopatric divergence of long calls might contribute to reproductive isolation of these subspecies of saddle-back tamarins, which adds to growing evidence suggesting full species status for these taxa. Am. J. Primatol. 77:679–687, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Temperature-Dependent Magnetic Properties of SiO2-Coated Ni75Fe25 Nanoparticles

SiO2-coated Ni75Fe25 nanoparticles were prepared using a wet chemical method and their structure and magnetic properties were investigated using x-ray diffraction, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, and a superconducting quantum interference device magnetometer. The SiO2 material was in an amorphous state. The Ni75Fe25 nanoparticles were in a simple cubic state and contained inner oxide (Ni-oxide and Fe-oxide) cores whose size decreased with increasing calcination temperature. The nanoparticles were basically in the ferromagnetic state. Their saturation magnetization increased with increasing calcination temperature, whereas their coercivity decreased with increasing calcination temperature. The nanoparticles exhibited strong temperature-dependent magnetic behaviors. The Bloch exponent fell from 1.5 for the bulk to smaller values and decreased with increasing oxide content, while the Bloch constant was much bigger than that for bulk and increased significantly with oxide content. The value of coercivity decreased with increasing temperature, and this decrease was more pronounced for the nanoparticles containing high oxide content. The exchange anisotropy arising from the exchange coupling across the Ni75Fe25/oxide interfaces was examined and was used to interpret the observed temperature-dependent behaviors.
Rapid determination of very low nitrogen levels in water.

THE importance of nitrogen in the various life cycles of interacting ecosystems has been well described1–4. The pertinent concentration levels may be as low as 5 × 10−9 g kg−1 in water3. Quick, accurate and nondestructive tests for the presence of these levels of nitrogen are of practical importance. We report here a new approach to 14N assay, associated with the evaporated detritus of less than 4 ml. of water. The present overall accuracy is about ±25% at concentrations greater than 200 × 10−9 g kg−1; the test is sensitive down to levels of about 20 × 10−9 g kg−1. These figures can be improved by relatively simple procedures. The testing time per sample is about 3 min and the sample is not destroyed by the test.
FAMOUS PEOPLE AND GENETIC DISORDERS: FROM MONARCHS TO GENIUSES- A PORTRAIT OF THEIR GENETIC ILLNESSES

Famous people with genetic disorders have always been a subject of interest because such news feeds the curiosity the public has for celebrities. It gives further insight into their lives and provides a medical basis for any unexplained or idiosyncratic feature or behavior they exhibit. It draws admiration from society of those who excel in their specialized fields despite the impositions of their genetic illnesses and also elicits sympathy even in the most casual observer. Such news certainly catapults a rare genetic disorder into the realm of public awareness. We hereby present six famous figures: King George III, Toulouse-Lautrec, Queen Victoria, Nicolo Paganini, Abraham Lincoln, and Vincent van Gogh, all of whom made a huge indelible mark in either the history of politics or that of the arts.
PhraseNet: towards context sensitive lexical semantics

This paper introduces PhraseNet, a context-sensitive lexical semantic knowledge base system. Based on the supposition that semantic proximity is not simply a relation between two words in isolation, but rather a relation between them in their context, English nouns and verbs, along with contexts they appear in, are organized in PhraseNet into Consets; Consets capture the nderying lexical concept, and are connected with several semantic relations that respect contextually sensitive lexical information. PhraseNet makes use of WordNet as an important knowledge source. It enhances a WordNet synset with its contextual information and refines its relational structure by maintaining only those relations that respect contextual constraints. The contextual information allows for supporting more functionalities compared with those of WordNet. Natural language researchers as well as linguists and language learners can gain from accessing PhraseNet with a word token and its context, to retrieve relevant semantic information.We describe the design and construction of PhraseNet and give preliminary experimental evidence to its usefulness for NLP researches.
Processing and Release o Ribosomal RNA from Isolated Nuclei Analysis of the ATP‐Dependence and Cytosol‐Dependence

The release of ribosomal subunits from isolated liver nuclei is stimulated by macromolecules in the cytosol, the concentration-dependence curve being sigmoidal in character. These factors appear to be proteins which adsorb to DEAE-cellulose at pH 8.0, precipitate between 20 and 60% saturation with ammonium sulfate and are partially denatured during a short incubation at 50 °C, or during prolonged storage at -15 °C. Pre-incubation of the nuclei at 30 °C for 10 min prior to the addition of ATP neither resulted in release of RNA, nor affected the subsequent rate of release when the energy source was added. The degree of processing of the 45-S ribosomal precursor RNA was also directly or indirectly dependent on the presence in the incubation medium of ATP and cytoplasmic macromolecules.
Basket Option Pricing Using GP-GPU Hardware Acceleration

We introduce a basket option pricing problem arisen in financial mathematics. We discretized the problem based on the alternating direction implicit (ADI) method and parallel cyclic reduction is applied to solve the set of tridiagonal matrices generated by the ADI method. To reduce the computational time of the problem, a general purpose graphics processing units (GP-GPU) environment is considered. Numerical results confirm the convergence and efficiency of the proposed method.
Private aquaculture and commercial fisheries: Bioeconomics of salmon ranching

Abstract This paper shows that common property problems associated with open access salmon ranching in the absence of a commercial fishery result in inefficiency characterized by overstocking. The presence of an open access fishery presents additional common property problems which will inhibit the development of fish ranching. At prices where salmon ranching does occur, the open access commercial fishery will tend to overexploit the natural fish stock to a greater extent than if there were no salmon ranching. It is shown that there exists a range of prices where both fish stocks can coexist with open access. However, there is a limit price above which the natural stock will be driven to extinction through overfishing stimulated by stock from salmon ranchers. The range of prices under which both species can coexist can be increased through either restrictions of fishery effort or reducing the catchability of aquacultured stock. Cooperative management of both aquaculture and commercial fishing results in profits from both activities and will not cause extinction of the natural fish stock.
RU 24969-induced emesis in the cat - 5-HT1 sites other than 5-HT1A, 5-HT1B or 5-HT1C implicated

RU 24969 was administered s.c. to cats and found to elicit emesis with a maximally effective dose of 1.0 mg/kg. 5-Methoxytryptamine was found to have lower efficacy and to produce a higher incidence of non-specific effects while trifluoromethylphenylpiperizine (TFMPP) was devoid of emetic effects. The emesis elicited by 1.0 mg/kg of RU 24969 was not altered by pretreatment with phentolamine, haloperidol, yohimbine or (-)-propranolol, indicating that catecholamines played no role in this response. The emesis was prevented by metergoline and methysergide but not by ketanserin, cyproheptadine, mesulergine, ICS 205,930, methiothepin, trimethobenzamide or BMY 7378. An indirect argument is presented that implicates a role for 5-HT1D sites. This conclusion must remain tentative until drugs selective for this site are synthesized and tested. The emesis was also prevented by 8-hydroxy-2-(di-n-propylamine)tetralin (8-OH-DPAT), confirming that this drug has a general antiemetic effect in cats.
An electron energy loss study of the chemisorption of oxygen and carbon on iron

Abstract Electron Energy Loss Spectroscopy (EELS) was used to investigate the chemisorption of oxygen and carbon on iron. Compared with those of clean iron, the EELS spectra of oxidized iron show characteristic features with strong enhancement of the interband transitions involving the Fe-3d band (4.6 and 7.5 eV) and moderate enhancement of the M 2,3 transition doublet (54.4 and 58.2 eV). Interband transitions involving the O-2p (7.5 and 12.5 eV) and O-2s (19.8 eV) bands appear. Plasmon peaks (17.3 and 23.5 eV) of the oxides were also identified. Prolonged sputtering of the bulk iron oxides results in enrichment of metallic iron on the oxide surfaces. The EEL spectra show a pronounced increase in the intensity of the peak at 12.6 eV and a shift of the peak at 17.3 to 15.2 eV. The changes in the electron energy loss structures with an overlayer of graphitic or carbidic carbon were also investigated. The electron energy loss peaks are compared with those of bulk graphite and Fe3C.
The kinetics of esterification of resin acids

The kinetics of the esterification of resin acids in both concentrated solutions and dilute alcoholic solutions were studied over a wide temperature range. In concentrated solutions the order of the reaction changes with both the temperature and the extent of reaction, but in dilute solutions the kinetics are similar to those for other organic acids. The uncatalyzed esterification is pseudo-second order while the hydrogen-ion-catalyzed esterification is first order and follows the Goldschmidt equation. Thus the esterification mechanism is probably the same as for other organic acids even though the carboxyl group on a resin acid molecule is highly hindered.
Effect of Long-term Eprosartan Versus Enalapril Antihypertensive Therapy on Left Ventricular Mass and Coronary Flow Reserve in Stage I-II Hypertension

SummaryA double-blind comparator study was performed in 528 hypertensive patients/baseline sitting diastolic blood pressure (SitDBP) 95–114mmHgl. The primary objective was to compare the incidence of drug-related cough in patients treated with enalapril and eprosartan. This paper reports the results of 27 asymptomatic patients who were recruited into a single centre substudy of the multicentre trial and randomised to receive either eprosartan (200–300 mg b.i.d.) or enalapril (5–20 mg o.d.). Blood pressure (BP) reduction, left ventricular (LV) mass regression and change in coronary flow reserve (CFR) after 6 months' treatment with either eprosartan or enalapril were compared. At the end of the study, eprosartan and enalapril were found to have caused similar reductions in BP. There was an increase in CFR in the eprosartan group to 1.6 ± 0.3 and a decrease in CFR in the enalapril group to 1.3 ± 0.3. Neither value was significantly different from baseline although the difference between the two groups was si...
Aromatic interactions in the synthesis and conformation of two collapsible tetracationic cyclophanes

The conformations of tetracationic paracyclophane and metacyclophane derivatives containing quaternary salts of para-2,2-diazaterphenyl were investigated. The molecules were synthesized as the bromide and hexafluorophosphate salts which allowed solubility in aqueous and organic solvents. Molecular mechanics led to the notion that these cyclophanes would populate collapsed and open conformations in water and only populate open conformers in organic solvent. VT NMR studies indicated that the open and the collapsed conformers did not exchange on the NMR timescale. Large, positively charged clefts in one of these conformers bound flat anions between pyridinium rings as would molecular-scale tweezers.
Replacement and aging of chloroplasts in Strombidium capitatum (ciliophora : oligotrichida)

The planktonic ciliateStrombidium capitatum (Leegaard, 1915) Kahl, 1932 retains functional chloroplasts derived from ingested algal cells. Chloroplast replacement and aging were experimentally investigated in cultured ciliates provided with a cryptophyte (Pyrenomonas salina), a prymnesiophyte (Isochrysis galbana) and a prasinophyte (Pyramimonas sp.) as sources of plastids. All three algae were ingested and chloroplasts from all were retained by the ciliate. Within 15 min of exposure to the cryptophyte, this alga was taken up by the ciliates. Initially, most of the cryptophyte chloroplasts were in intact algal cells in ciliate vacuoles. By 2 h, cryptophyte plastids were commonly found free in the ciliate cytoplasm. WhenS. capitatum was switched from a diet containing cryptophytes to a non-cryptophyte diet, most cryptophyte chloroplasts were diluted out of the ciliates by cell division and/or replaced by non-cryptophyte chloroplasts within 9 h. When the ciliates are not provided with algae, they decrease in size and number. However, the starving ciliate cells contain some chloroplasts for as long as they live (40 h or more). Under these conditions, cryptophyte chloroplasts persist longer than the other chloroplast types. Our observations suggest that chloroplast retention times inS. capitatum depend on the type of chloroplast as well as the availability of phytoplankton containing suitable new chloroplasts, and probably also on the physiological states of the ingested algae and the ciliates. It is interesting that we were not able to grow this ciliate when we provided it only with prey that lacked chloroplasts.
A Community-Based Program for Dental Caries Prevention in Children was Found to Overcome Multiple Barriers to Care and Improve Children's Oral Health.

Article Title and Bibliographic Information A model for extending the reach of the traditional dental practice: the ForsythKids program. Niederman R, Gould E, et al. J Am Dent Assoc 2008;139(8):1040-50. Reviewer Joel Berg, DDS, MS Purpose/Question Does a school-based comprehensive aggressive preventive intervention reduce caries incidence in children with a high caries risk? Source of Funding Delta Dental Services of Massachusetts, Charlestown was the primary funding agency of this study Type of Study/Design This was a retrospective cohort study, as the determination of who resides in which group was made retrospectively. Level of Evidence Level 2: Limited-quality, patient-oriented evidence Strength of Recommendation Grade Grade B: Inconsistent or limited-quality patient-oriented evidence
A trial of thyroxine in acute renal failure

A trial of thyroxine in acute renal failure. Background Acute renal failure (ARF) remains a serious medical problem with a high mortality rate. Efforts to shorten the course of ARF might reduce this mortality. Since thyroxine has been shown in experimental models to shorten the course of ARF, we designed a trial to determine if a defined course of thyroxine would alter the course or change the mortality of clinical ARF. Methods A prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial of thyroxine was carried out in patients with ARF. End points were the percentage requiring dialysis, the percentage recovering renal function, time to recovery, and mortality. Results Fifty-nine patients were randomized to receive either thyroxine or placebo. The groups were well matched in terms of basal and entry creatinines, age, sex, APACHE II scores at entry, and percentage oliguric. Baseline thyroid functions, including T 3 , T 4 , rT 3 , and thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) levels, were equal between the two groups and typical of patients with euthyroid sick syndrome. Thyroxine resulted in a progressive and sustained suppression of TSH levels in the treated group, but had no effect on any measure of ARF severity. Mortality was higher in the thyroxine group than the control group (43 vs. 13%) and correlated with suppression of TSH. Conclusions In contrast to the beneficial effects seen in experimental ARF, thyroxine has no effect on the course of clinical ARF and could have a negative effect on outcome through prolonged suppression of TSH. Critically ill euthyroid sick patients should not be replaced with thyroid hormone.
Effect of the Experimental Production of an Accessory Blood Supply Upon Normal Kidney

ConclusionAn operation is described for the production of an accessory blood supply to the kidney by the way of the omentum. The effects of the procedure in 11 dogs are described.
Short-range and high-resolution ultrasound imaging using an 8 MHz Aluminum Nitride PMUT array

Ultrasound imaging uses costly bulk piezoelectric transducers and high voltage (200V+) electronics. Low-cost and low-voltage ultrasound transducers would enable many new applications in healthcare, biometrics, and personal health-monitoring. Here, we demonstrated short-range (∼mm) and high-resolution ( 31 =−0.5 C/m2), making detection of ultrasound signals from tiny (50 µm) PMUTs a challenging task. To solve this problem, we developed an ASIC with a low-noise analog front-end pre-amplifier that is impedance matched to the PMUT. Furthermore, a novel beam-forming and scanning method was demonstrated to achieve a sub-100µm focus size and 70 µm scanning step. Pressure map measurement from phased PMUT array and pulse echo imaging results were demonstrated using 1-D and 2-D phantoms.