cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The impact of chronic kidney disease on medication choice and pharmacologic management in patients with heart failure

ABSTRACTIntroduction: In the past few years, medical community, including doctors, have become increasingly aware of the fact that chronic kidney disease (CKD) and heart failure (HF) have common risk factors which impact one another in terms of choice of therapy.Areas covered: Management of these two diseases has been a challenge for physicians. The treatment goals for HF patients with CKD are very important. They serve as the end point in using a specific treatment for management and treatment of CKD patients, hence decreasing mortality rates. In this review, we discuss the pharmacological approaches to managing patients with HF and CKD, discussing current evidence-based up-to-date management strategies and guidelines in the general population with HF and CKD.Expert commentary: Newer novel drugs targeting specific signaling pathways are approaching the stages of clinical investigation including the direct renin inhibitors. They have been a highly attractive concept for the future in the management of the...
Automated Quantification of Nonperfusion Areas in 3 Vascular Plexuses With Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography in Eyes of Patients With Diabetes.

Importance Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a leading cause of vision loss that is managed primarily through qualitative clinical examination of the retina. Optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) may offer an objective and quantitative method of evaluating DR. Objective To quantify capillary nonperfusion in 3 vascular plexuses in the macula of eyes patients with diabetes of various retinopathy severity using projection-resolved OCTA (PR-OCTA). Design, Setting, and Participants Cross-sectional study at a tertiary academic center comprising 1 eye each from healthy control individuals and patients with diabetes at different severity stages of retinopathy. Data were acquired and analyzed between January 2015 and December 2017. Main Outcomes and Measures Foveal avascular zone area, extrafoveal avascular area (EAA), and the sensitivity of detecting levels of retinopathy. Results The study included 39 control individuals (20 women [51%]; mean [SD] age, 43.41 [19.37] years); 16 patients with diabetes without retinopathy (8 women [50%]; mean [SD] age, 56.50 [12.43] years); 23 patients with mild to moderate nonproliferative DR (18 women [78%] ; mean [SD] age, 62.48 [10.55] years); and 32 patients with severe nonproliferative DR or proliferative DR (12 women [38%]; mean age, 53.41 [14.05] years). Mean (SD) foveal avascular zone area was 0.203 (0.103) mm2for control individuals, 0.192 (0.084) mm2for patients with diabetes without retinopathy, 0.243 [0.079] mm2for mild to moderate nonproliferative DR, and 0.359 (0.275) mm2for severe nonproliferative DR or proliferative DR. Mean (SD) EAA in whole inner retinal slab in these groups, respectively, were 0.020 (0.031) mm2, 0.034 (0.047) mm2, 0.038 (0.040) mm2, and 0.237 (0.235) mm2. The mean (SD) sum of EAA from 3 segmented plexuses in each of the respective groups were 0.103 (0.169) mm2, 0.213 (0.242) mm2, 0.451 (0.243) mm2, and 1.325 (1.140) mm2. With specificity fixed at 95%, using EAA in inner retinal slab, the sensitivity of detecting patients with diabetes from healthy control individuals was 28% (95% CI, 18%-40%), 31% for patients with DR (95% CI, 19%-45%), and 47% for patients with severe DR (95% CI, 29%-65%) from whole inner retinal EAA. With the sum of EAA from 3 individual plexuses, the sensitivities were 69% (95% CI, 57%-80%), 82% (95% CI, 70%-91%), and 97% (95% CI, 85%-100%), respectively. Avascular areas were not associated with signal strength index. The commercial vessel density from the 2-plexus scheme distinguished the groups with lower sensitivity and were dependent on SSI. Conclusions and Relevance Automatically quantified avascular areas from a 3-layer segmentation scheme using PR-OCTA distinguished levels of retinopathy with a greater sensitivity than avascular areas from unsegmented inner retinal slab or measurements from a commercially available vessel density in 2-layer scheme. Additional studies are needed to investigate the applicability of nonperfusion parameters in clinical settings.
Steel Frame Analysis and Connection Shear Deformation

Rigid moment-resisting connections in unbraced framed structures are shown to have a significant effect on the strength and stiffness of such frames, and a method is provided whereby the size and stiffness of connections are considered in the analysis. The stiffness method of analysis is extended to consider the deformation of the connection. The elastic-plastic response of the connection subjected to antisymmetrical loading is calculated by considering the shear stiffness of the panel in the elastic range and the frame action of the boundary plates (flanges and stiffeners) in the inelastic range. Using the method described, the effect of connection shear stiffening on the frame strength and resistance to drift may be determined. In one experiment in which the girder depth-to-story height ratio was 1:8 and the column depth to girder span ratio was 1:20, the conventional method of analysis erred by 32%; whereas, the panel hinge method predicted the observed behavior accurately.
Abnormal renal perfusion, GFR and tubular function demonstrated with Tc-99m DTPA and MAG3 in patients with hepatorenal syndrome

423 Objectives Hepatorenal syndrome is an advanced form of renal dysfunction that is associated with advanced hepatic failure and poor patient prognosis. The purpose of this study was to characterize the findings in this clinical entity with respect to glomerular and tubular function using readily available Tc99m labeled radiopharmaceuticals of DTPA and MAG3. Methods We analyzed 35 patients (22 males, 13 females, mean age 53 ±12years old) with advanced end-stage liver diseases (MELD scores>10) and renal dysfunction. All patients had a Tc99m DTPA and MAG3 renal scan. GFR values were obtained using the Gate’s method. MAG3 studies consisted of a 3sec/frame perfusion study for 1 minute and a function evaluation of 2min/frame for 20min. Renal perfusion, initial renal extraction, and cortical retention of radionuclide were evaluated based on renal to background ratios including 30min/maximum values using an ROI approach. Studies were rated by at least 2 physicians and assigned to one of three groups; mild, moderate or severely decreased renal perfusion and/or initial extraction. Cortical retention was based on retained activity in the renal cortices at the end of the function component of the study. Results GFR was reduced in all subjects with a mean value of 24cc/min with S.D. ± 14. Renal perfusion was reduced in all subjects, 7=mild, 15= moderate and 13=severe. Initial extraction was reduced in all subjects, 9=mild, 20=moderate and 6=severe. Cortical retention was present in all subjects, 11=mild, 6=moderate, and 18=severe. 30/maximum was 83 ±16 left kidney, 78±16 right kidney (Nl 20±6). Conclusions From this study, we determined that patients with severe hepatic failure may present with a pattern of diminished GFR, impaired renal perfusion and function with cortical retention simulating an “ATN” pattern. The mechanism of these findings is unclear but likely represents a combination of reduced renal perfusion and severe tubular dysfunction
A novel approach to the diagnosis and treatment of hemoptysis in infants: A case series.

Introduction Hemoptysis in children is an uncommon presenting symptom but can be life-threatening if massive. Cardiac catheterization and coil embolization of aorto-pulmonary collateral vessels (APCs) is uncommon in pediatric hemoptysis patients without congenital heart disease. Methods We present a series of seven infants (≤12 months of age) with hemoptysis, all of whom underwent cardiac catheterization to look for and intervene upon APCs, if found. Only those patients who underwent both bronchoscopy as well as cardiac catheterization from January 1995 to January 2015 were included in this retrospective review. Results Seven patients met inclusion criteria, and three had a history of recurrent hemoptysis. The mean age was 3 months. Four had evidence of bleeding on bronchoscopy. All seven had respiratory distress which necessitated ICU admission; five required mechanical ventilation. Cardiac catheterization showed significant APCs (>2 mm) in six of the seven studied patients, all of which were coil embolized. One patient had no significant APCs and therefore, no embolization. All patients had complete resolution with no recurrences during the 10-20-year outpatient follow-up period. Chest CT scans were not helpful in delineating the site or etiology of bleeding in any patient. Conclusions APCs should be considered as a differential diagnosis for pulmonary hemorrhage in infants after more common causes have been ruled out.
Obstruction predicts worse long-term outcomes in stage III colon cancer: A secondary analysis of the N0147 trial.

Abstract Background Patients with colon cancer often present with obstruction. Large series have reported obstruction among the high-risk features, yet prospective data on its specific prognostic influence are lacking. We hypothesized that obstruction is an independent risk factor for poor prognosis in patients with stage III colon cancer. Methods N0147 was a trial conducted between 2004 and 2009 that randomly assigned patients with stage III colon cancer to adjuvant regimens of folinic acid (leucovorin calcium), fluorouracil, and oxaliplatin or fluorouracil, leucovorin, and irinotecan, with or without cetuximab. Patient-level data from the control chemotherapy-only arms were obtained. Patient, tumor, and treatment characteristics were abstracted. Disease-free survival and overall survival were estimated by the Kaplan-Meier method. Proportions were compared by χ2 and Fisher exact tests. Univariable and multivariable survival analyses were performed using Cox proportional hazards models. Results Of 1,543 patients with stage III colon cancer, 250 (16.2%) presented with obstruction. Patients with obstruction were equally likely to complete 12 cycles of adjuvant chemotherapy (75.9% vs 77.1%, P = .6). With median follow-up time of 30.9 months among survivors, five-year overall survival and disease-free survival were worse among patients with obstruction (overall survival 67.7% vs 78.0%, P Conclusion In this prospectively followed cohort of patients with stage III colon cancer treated with adjuvant chemotherapy, obstruction was associated with recurrence and worse survival. Moreover, this effect was independent of T and N stage and histologic grade. These results suggest that obstruction should be incorporated into novel risk-stratification models.
Analytical and experimental probabilistic constitutive relation characterizations, part I: linear viscoelastic media

Analytical and experimental deterministic and statistical protocols are formulated for the constitutive linear relations that characterize viscoelastic media. These proceedings are achieved in the real time space in terms of moduli and/or compliances without any inclusion of viscoelastic Poisson's ratios. Independent experimental determinations of linear viscoelastic material properties of three distinct polymers include single conditions of creep, relaxation, and constant strain and extensometer time rates - except for starting transients. Statistical dynamic data for the instantaneous modulus and quasi-static data for relaxation moduli are analytically and numerically merged to produce relaxation modulus and creep compliance expressions containing properly evaluated parameters. The combined actual starting load and displacement transient and subsequent time histories are tracked, recorded and incorporated into the analyses to produce moduli and compliances based on actual continuous loading-time sequences. Prony series and generalized continuous relaxation time spectral modulus and compliance functions are derived and discussed.Four distinct probability models of material properties and temperature are postulated and evaluated for two sets of real viscoelastic materials (polymers). Statistical sufficiency considerations are included in the analyses.
Comparison of Impedance Measurement Techniques for Extracting Parasitic Inductance of SiC MOSFETs

The parasitic inductances of silicon carbide (SiC) MOSFETs have a significant influence on device performance, and limit the switching frequency and power density in practical applications. This paper compares three different inductance extraction techniques for SiC MOSFETs: the one-port impedance (Z-parameter) measurement with the third terminal floating, the one-port Z-parameter measurement with the third terminal shorted, and the two-port scattering (S) parameters measurement. These three extraction methods are compared analytically, experimentally, and with Advanced Design System (ADS) high frequency circuit simulation. It is found that the one-port floating terminal method introduces the highest measurement errors and uncertainty, which can be somewhat improved by shorting the floating terminal to the ground. However, the two-port method offers the best measurement accuracy, and remains as the only approach applicable to power modules with more than three terminals.
Clustering of Massive Ensemble of Vehicle Trajectories in Strong, Dynamic and Uncertain Ocean Flows

Recent advances in probabilistic forecasting of regional ocean dynamics, and stochastic optimal path planning with massive ensembles motivate principled analysis of their large datasets. Specifically, stochastic time-optimal path planning in strong, dynamic and uncertain ocean flows produces a massive dataset of the stochastic distribution of exact time-optimal trajectories. To synthesize such big data and draw insights, we apply machine learning and data mining algorithms. Particularly, clustering of the time-optimal trajectories is important to describe their PDFs, identify representative paths, and compute and optimize risk of following these paths. In the present paper, we explore the use of hierarchical clustering algorithms along with a dissimilarity matrix computed from the pairwise discrete Frechet distance between all the optimal trajectories. We apply the algorithms to two datasets of massive ensembles of vehicle trajectories in a stochastic flow past a circular island and stochastic wind driven double gyre flow. These paths are computed by solving our dynamically orthogonal level set equations. Hierarchical clustering is applied to the two datasets, and results are qualitatively and quantitatively analyzed.
Are We Witnessing a Paradigm Shift?: A Systematic Review of Social Media in Residency.

As social media's applications continue to evolve, the pitfalls and dangers associated with misuse have been accentuated in the literature. Consequently, academic institutions across the nation have implemented social media policies. This study is aimed to evaluate the state of social media literature examining postgraduate trainees (residents/fellows). Methods A systematic search was performed identifying peer-reviewed publications presenting original research. Studies published through December 8, 2018, focusing on social media use among postgraduate trainees were considered for inclusion. Results Fifty-three studies were categorized into 4 domains: (1) resident recruitment, (2) graduate medical education, (3) professional development, and (4) academic scholarship. Thirty-four (64.15%) investigated social media's impact on professional development, of which 16 (47.05%) highlighted the detrimental potential on trainee professionalism. The remaining 18 (52.94%) focused on promoting social media training during residency, and/or enhancing social media competency to benefit professional development. Fourteen (26.42%) rationalized social media use in augmenting graduate medical education. Ten (18.87%) assessed social media's influence on resident recruitment, of which 7 (70%) depicted use as a screening instrument for program directors on resident applicants. Two (3.77%) of the studies introduced social media as a platform for academic scholarship with indicators as altmetrics. Conclusions The well-established disadvantages of social media use by the postgraduate trainee continue to persist in the literature. However, there is recognition of social media as a valuable resource in influencing resident recruitment, graduate medical education, professional development, and academic scholarship, representing a paradigm shift-from cautiously avoidant to thoughtful capitalization on its immense potential.
High Frequency Dielectric Spectroscopy Array with Code Division Multiplexing for Biological Imaging

Radio frequency dielectric spectroscopy is an attractive paradigm for low-cost non-optical imaging of cells and bioparticles. While traditional electrochemical impedance spectroscopy is often performed at lower frequencies, working at radio frequencies can overcome ion screening effects and detect features farther from electrode surfaces. We designed and fabricated a 64×64 sensing array with 10 µm pixels in 180-nm CMOS, supporting switching frequencies up to 100 MHz. The array features code-division multiplexed readout of all 64 rows simultaneously, which offers opportunities for extended integration times, higher frame rates, improved common-mode rejection, and new wide-bandwidth sensing modalities.
Efficacy of greater auricular and auriculotemporal nerve blocks performed in rabbits.

Abstract Objective To evaluate the efficacy, duration and safety of greater auricular and auriculotemporal nerve blocks in rabbits. Study design Prospective, randomized, crossover, experimental study. Animals A total of 11 healthy adult Dutch-belted rabbits. Methods The rabbits underwent general anesthesia and injections of the greater auricular and auriculotemporal nerves using either bupivacaine (0.3 mL kg–1, 0.5%) or the same volume of saline. After anesthesia, the efficacy and duration of nerve blocks were assessed using analgesiometry forceps on the pinna and cotton-tipped applicators within the vertical ear canal. Rabbits were monitored for abnormal carriage of the ear and auriculopalpebral nerve block of the ipsilateral eye. Body weight, food intake, fecal output and fecal pellet diameter were measured daily for 6 days after the nerve blocks were performed and compared with baseline to assess short-term effects. Results The greater auricular nerve was successfully blocked in 12/16 (75%) ears for mean ± standard deviation duration of 88 ± 52 minutes. In successfully blocked ears, altered ear position was noted in five/16 (31%) cases. The auriculotemporal nerve was blocked in one/16 ears for 120 minutes. The auriculopalpebral nerve was inadvertently blocked in three/16 ears. Food intake and fecal output decreased significantly during the treatment day but returned to pretreatment values after 24 hours. There was no change in body weight or fecal pellet diameter for either treatment. Conclusions and clinical relevance The results suggest that duration of the greater auricular nerve block with 0.5% bupivacaine was short-lived in the live rabbit. Auriculotemporal nerve block was only achieved in one ear; therefore, further studies are warranted to evaluate the contribution of these blocks in the pain management of rabbits undergoing auricular surgery.
Trust and Distrust as Artifacts of Language: A Latent Semantic Approach to Studying Their Linguistic Correlates

Trust and distrust are crucial aspects of human interaction that determine the nature of many organizational and business contexts. Because of socialization-borne familiarity that people feel about others, trust and distrust can influence people even when they do not know each other. Allowing that some aspects of the social knowledge that is acquired through socialization is also recorded in language through word associations, i.e. linguistic correlates, this study shows that known associations of trust and distrust can be extracted from an authoritative text. Moreover, the study shows that such an analysis can even allow a statistical differentiation between trust and distrust—something that survey research has found hard to do. Specifically, measurement items of trust and related constructs that were previously used in survey research along with items reflecting distrust were projected onto a semantic space created out of psychology textbooks. The resulting distance matrix of those items was analyzed by applying covariance-based structural equation modeling (CBSEM). The results confirmed known trust and distrust relationship patterns and allowed measurement of distrust as a distinct construct from trust. The potential of studying trust theory through text analysis is discussed.
(Re) Honoring the Legacy of Jessie Bernard: An Analysis of Junior Scholars’ Outstanding Feminist Family Scholarship:

As a further tribute to feminist scholar Jessie Bernard, in this paper, we review the entire collection of the National Council on Family Relations’ Jessie Bernard Outstanding papers awarded to fem...
Suspicion, Suffering, and the Shaping of Subjectivity: A Reply to Goldstein

My discussion of Dr. Goldstein’s paper “Trust and Suspicion or Sameness of Difference? Reframing Hermeneutics with the Invisible Other” centers on a key clinical question: what, if any, are the lim...
Support for the Death Penalty in Cases of Rape and Sexual Assault: Variation between Victim Age Categories:

Research exploring attitudes toward the death penalty is common in the field of criminal justice. Additionally, a substantial body of literature has examined public perceptions of sex offenders and punishment in the U.S. Unfortunately, few studies have sought to examine perceptions of the death penalty in relation to sexual offending. This study contributes to the literature by examining perceptions of the college students at a mid-sized university in the Southeastern United States as they relate to support for the death penalty in cases of sexual assault across victim age categories. Findings suggest that respondent perceptions are shaped by biological sex, political affiliation, college major, fear of crime, and parents' level of education, and these relationships are uniform across victim age categories. Further, support for the death penalty appears inversely related with victim age.
On Entropy-Stable Discretizations and the Entropy Adjoint

For conservation laws that admit a convex entropy, Fidkowski and Roe (SIAM J Sci Comput 32(3):1261–1287, 2010) showed that the entropy variables satisfy an adjoint equation corresponding to an entropy-balance functional. In general, this relationship between the entropy variables and the entropy adjoint becomes an approximation when the conservation law is discretized. However, this work shows that the relationship is mimicked discretely for entropy-stable discretizations based on summation-by-parts (SBP) operators and two-point entropy-conservative flux functions; for these discretizations, the discrete entropy variables exactly satisfy the discrete adjoint equation for a particular discretization of the entropy-balance functional. A detailed proof of this result is presented for first-order conservation laws that are semi-discretized using SBP operators with diagonal norm and boundary operators. Subsequently, generalizations to second-order conservation laws, temporal discretizations, and non-diagonal SBP operators are described. The result is verified for steady inviscid and viscous flows.
Predictors of Attrition and Response in Cognitive Processing Therapy for Interpersonal Trauma Survivors with PTSD

With the establishment of empirically validated treatments for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), concerns remain regarding the effectiveness of such treatments in real-world clinical settings. ...
Two promoters integrate multiple enhancer inputs to drive wild-type knirps expression in the Drosophila melanogaster embryo.

Author(s): Li, Lily; Waymack, Rachel; Elabd, Mario; Wunderlich, Zeba | Abstract: AbstractProper development depends on precise spatiotemporal gene expression patterns. Most genes are regulated by multiple enhancers and often by multiple core promoters that generate similar transcripts. We hypothesize that these multiple promoters may be required either because enhancers prefer a specific promoter or because multiple promoters serve as a redundancy mechanism. To test these hypotheses, we studied the expression of the knirps locus in the early Drosophila melanogaster embryo, which is mediated by multiple enhancers and core promoters. We found that one of these promoters resembles a typical “sharp” developmental promoter, while the other resembles a “broad” promoter usually associated with housekeeping genes. Using synthetic reporter constructs, we found that some, but not all, enhancers in the locus show a preference for one promoter. By analyzing the dynamics of these reporters, we identified specific burst properties during the transcription process, namely burst size and frequency, that are most strongly tuned by the specific combination of promoter and enhancer. Using locus-sized reporters, we discovered that even enhancers that show no promoter preference in a synthetic setting have a preference in the locus context. Our results suggest that the presence of multiple promoters in a locus is both due to enhancer preference and a need for redundancy and that “broad” promoters with dispersed transcription start sites are common among developmental genes. Our results also imply that it can be difficult to extrapolate expression measurements from synthetic reporters to the locus context, where many variables shape a gene’s overall expression pattern.
Stocks and Flows of Embodied Energy

In addition to materials and direct energy, accounting for embodied energy is essential to understand how the biophysical economy operates, because it provides an indication of the distribution of intra-economy energy demand created by consumption of goods and services. Furthermore, the energy embodied in manufactured capital provides, to first approximation, an estimate of the energy required to replace depreciated capital. This chapter begins by developing, for the first time in the literature, a rigorous, thermodynamically-based definition of embodied energy. We then show that energy embodied in the products of an economic sector is the sum of all direct energy consumed along the supply chain, including all upstream processing stages. We note that waste heat from a sector is additive to the energy embodied within products of a sector, thereby providing the mechanism for accumulating embodied energy along the manufacturing supply chain. Equations that describe the accumulation and flow of embodied energy through economies are developed through a series of increasingly-disaggregated model economies. Finally, we discuss embodied energy in the context of our running example, the US auto industry. We find that there are very few estimates in the literature of energy embodied within automobiles.
Representativeness and Heterogeneity in the Judgments of Professional Investors

This chapter discusses evidence pertaining to the impact of representativeness on the predictions of professional investors. Like individual investors, professional investors exhibit considerable heterogeneity in their beliefs. However, by and large, the evidence indicates that representativeness causes professional investors to be excessive in predicting reversals. There are several data sets providing market forecasts by professional investors. The Livingston data set is the oldest. However, the forecasts in that particular data set mask the identity of the forecaster in every year and are not provided in panel format. One data set providing panel data stems from the television program Wall $treet Week with Louis Rukeyser . This particular data set enables three conclusions to be drawn about the general nature of professional investors' market forecasts. Professional investors exhibit gambler's fallacy. Between 1983 and 2002, professional investors were unduly pessimistic, underestimating market returns. Between 1983 and 2002, professional investors underestimated market volatility. The Livingston forecasts and the BusinessWeek forecasts point out that the coefficient of variation tends to be positively correlated with the magnitude of the change in the index over the prior year. Sharp moves in the index increase the degree of heterogeneity in forecasts. The coefficients of variation for the forecasts made on Wall $treet Week with Louis Rukeyser exhibit a similar pattern as the forecasts for the Livingston data and the BusinessWeek data. The two largest values for the coefficient of variation, 15 percent and 21 percent, occurred in conjunction with the forecasts for 1988 and 1996. The forecast for 1988 was made right after the crash of 1987. In 1995 the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose by 33.5 percent, the largest percentage change since 1976.
Preliminary report on adrenal medullary grafting and cografting with sural nerve in the treatment of hemiparkinson monkeys.

Publisher Summary This chapter examines the preliminary report on adrenal medullary grafting and cografting with sural nerve in the treatment of hemiparkinson monkeys. In the study described in the chapter, 11 juvenile rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) were enrolled. A battery of testing was performed at 3 stages: (1) baseline, (2) post- 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) injection, and (3) post-transplantation. Baseline testing started with a clinical examination of the monkeys to ensure neurological normalcy. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) levels of the dopamine metabolite, homovanillic acid (HVA), and the serotonin metabolite, 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA), were determined by high performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection. Clinical behavior was assessed in a quantitative manner by a two-dimensional computerized movement analysis, indicating the following parameters: the percent of time moving, total distance traversed, and the graphical display of tracking of monkey's movements. The quantitation of drug induced rotation was used to measure the severity of the lesion and as a measure of graft effectiveness. Following the administration of MPTP, all of the animals demonstrated an altered behavior characteristic of parkmsonism. Hypokinesia, bradykinesia, and rigidity of the affected side were quite prominent, while a true tremor at rest was notably absent. The hemiparkinson monkeys demonstrated spontaneous rotation toward the side of the lesion within days following their MPTP injections. In a dose-dependent manner, rotation was accelerated using amphetamine or reversed using apomorphine.
F-SOFT: software verification platform

In this paper, we describe our verification tool F-Soft, which is developed for the analysis of C programs. Its novelty lies in the combination of several recent advances in formal verification research including SAT-based verification, static analyses and predicate abstraction. As shown in the tool overview in Figure 1, we translate a program into a Boolean model to be analyzed by our verification engine DiVer [4], which includes BDD-based and SAT-based model checking techniques. We include various static analyses, such as computing the control flow graph of the program, program slicing with respect to the property, and performing range analysis as described in Section 2.2. We model the software using a Boolean representation, and use customized heuristics for the SAT-based analysis as described in Section [2.1]. We can also perform a localized predicate abstraction with register sharing as described in Section [2.3], if the user so chooses. The actual analysis of the resulting Boolean model is performed using DiVer. If a counter-example is discovered, we use a testbench generator that automatically generates an executable program for the user to examine the bug in his/her favorite debugger. The F-Soft tool has been applied on numerous case studies and publicly available benchmarks for sequential C programs. We are currently working on extending it to handle concurrent programs.
Functional replacement of genes for individual polyketide synthase components in Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2) by heterologous genes from a different polyketide pathway.

Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2) and Streptomyces violaceoruber Tu22 produce the antibiotics actinorhodin and granaticin, respectively. Both the aglycone of granaticin and the half-molecule of actinorhodin are derived from one acetyl coenzyme A starter unit and seven malonyl coenzyme A extender units via the polyketide pathway to produce benzoisochromane quinone moieties with identical structures (except for the stereochemistry at two chiral centers). In S. coelicolor and S. violaceoruber, the type II polyketide synthase (PKS) is encoded by clusters of five and six genes, respectively. We complemented a series of S. coelicolor mutants (act) defective in different components of the PKS (actI for carbon chain assembly, actIII for ketoreduction, and actVII for cyclization-dehydration) by the corresponding genes (gra) from S. violaceoruber introduced in trans on low-copy-number plasmids. This procedure showed that four of the act PKS components could be replaced by a heterologous gra protein to give a functional PKS. The analysis also served to identify which of three candidate open reading frames (ORFs) in the actI region had been altered in each of a set of 13 actI mutants. It also proved that actI-ORF2 (whose putative protein product shows overall similarity to the beta-ketoacyl synthase encoded by actI-ORF1 but whose function is unclear) is essential for PKS function. Mutations in each of the four complemented act genes (actI-ORF1, actI-ORF2, actIII, and actVII) were cloned and sequenced, revealing a nonsense or frameshift mutation in each mutant.
Thyroid and Growth Responses of Young Zucker Obese and Lean Rats to a Low Protein-High Carbohydrate Diet

Experiments were conducted to study the effects of a low protein-high carbohydrate diet on growth and thyroid function in obese and lean male and female Zucker rats. The nine feeding regimens included animals ad libitum fed either a 22% casein and 59% carbohydrate diet (control) or an 8% casein and 73% carbohydrate diet (low protein) and appropriate pair-fed groups to control for the lean rats eating less than the obese rats and the rats fed the low-protein diet eating less than those fed the control diet. The rats were 4 weeks old at the start of the experiment which lasted 7 weeks. Final body size, tibia length and nonfat dry mass of the lean rats were dependent primarily on the amount of protein consumed, whereas growth of the obese rats was related to total energy intake rather than to protein intake. The relative hyperphagia, decreased efficiency of energy utilization and increased oxygen consumption and serum T3 concentrations in the lean rats fed the low-protein diet were consistent with the development of an adaptive thermogenesis, allowing the excess non-protein energy to be dissipated through excess heat production. There was no evidence for such an adaptive thermogenesis in the obese rats. The suggestion that the obese rats were already overeating for protein and storing the excess energy as fat and that the decreased thyroid response might be part of a protective mechanism against overheating was discussed.
¿Una larga espera? Ironías de la cruzada postcolonialista en Hispanoamérica

Este comentario se origina en una resena al libro After Spanish Rule publicada en Hispanic American Historical Review. 86/2 (2006), pp. 358-361. Al reescribir y expandir aquella surgio un nuevo texto, que decidi publicar en Historica, habiendome beneficiado, en el proceso de su elaboracion, de los comentarios de los estudiantes de postgrado del departamento de Historia de la Universidad de California en Santa Barbara realizados en el marco de un seminario de historiografia latinoamericana sobre el siglo XIX. Agradezco, en particular, los comentarios de Jose Luis Igue y Emily Engel, asi como la eficiente correccion de estilo de Roberto Niada A. a una version preliminar de este texto.
Invited Paper: Consistent Query Answering: Opportunities and Limitations

This paper briefly reviews the recent literature on consistent query answering, an approach to handle database inconsistency in a systematic and logical manner based on the notion of repair. It discusses some computational and semantic limitations of consistent query answering, and summarizes selected research directions in this area.
Detection of renewal system factors via the Conley index

Let N be an isolating neighborhood for a map f. If we can decompose N into the disjoint union of compact sets N 1 and N 2 , then we can relate the dynamics on the maximal invariant set Inv N to the shift on two symbols by noting which component of N each iterate of a point x ∈ Inv N lies in. We examine a method, based on work by Mischaikow, Szymczak, et al., for using the discrete Conley index to detect explicit subshifts of the shift associated to N. In essence, we measure the difference between the Conley index of Inv N and the sum of the indices of Inv N 1 and Inv N 2 .
Changes in lipid components of seeds during growth and ripening of cacao fruit.

The biosynthesis of lipid in maturing cacao seeds was studied over two cropping seasons (1975\s-1976) in Brazil using hybrids produced by cross pollination of Catongo with Amelonado cultivars. Seeds were collected at intervals between seed solidification (110\s-120 days postpollination) and harvesting of ripe fruits at 175\s-180 days. Lipid accumulated in seeds at a rapid, linear rate after the seeds solidified until near the beginning of ripening, when lipid build up proceeded at a greatly reduced rate. Triglyceride was the major lipid component at all stages of maturity, increasing from 69% to 96% of the total lipid over the period studied. The contributions of other lipid components to total lipids became less prominent as fat accumulated in seeds. However, on an individual seed basis their mass increased throughout development, except for phospholipids and diglycerides, which decreased on a mass/seed basis in the latter stages of fruit maturation. Since the rate of triglyceride production slowed at about the same time, the reduced amounts of phospholipids and diglycerides indicate the classical Kennedy pathway for triglyceride synthesis is operative in seeds of cacao. Fat present early in seed development was more unsaturated than typical cocoa butter of commerce. However, as lipid deposited during the period of active lipid synthesis, starting at about 130 days postpollination, a normal fatty acid composition was quickly established and did not change materially thereafter.
2128 Free-breathing steady-state free precession 3D coronary MRA: comparison of diaphragm and cardiac fat navigator techniques

Introduction Physiologic motion presents a major challenge in highresolution coronary MRA (CMRA). Current free-breathing 3D CMRA employs diaphragm navigator gating (DNAV) for respiratory motion suppression, where the respirationinduced cardiac motion is estimated indirectly from the diaphragmatic motion. When the correlation between diaphragmatic and cardiac motions is poor due to hysteresis, the effectiveness of DNAV gating is suboptimal. To overcome this limitation, the cardiac fat navigator (FNAV) was developed to provide a direct measurement of bulk cardiac motion by selectively exciting the epicardial fat. A preliminary study suggested that FNAV provides equal or more effective motion suppression than DNAV for SPGR 3D CMRA, but the statistical significance of the image quality improvement was not conclusive. Furthermore, balanced SSFP imaging has recently replaced SPGR imaging as the state-of-the-art sequence for 3D CMRA.
Comparative performance of alternative humanitarian logistic structures after the Port-au-Prince earthquake: ACEs, PIEs, and CANs

Abstract The paper analyzes the performance of different post-disaster humanitarian logistic structures that arose in response to the Port-au-Prince earthquake of January 12th, 2010. Based on field work conducted by the authors, the paper defines a typology of structures; assesses their relative performance in terms of delivering relief aid; and identifies the causes that explain the differences between them. Three structures are defined for comparative purposes: Agency Centric Efforts (ACEs), Partially Integrated Efforts (PIEs), and Collaborative Aid Networks (CANs). These structures differ to the extent to which they are integrated with the local social networks during the relief effort. Representative examples were analyzed to illustrate their inherent strengths and weaknesses, and reach conclusions of general applicability. The authors strengthen the analyses with discussions of “comparables,” i.e., other cases not fully discussed in the paper that shed additional light onto the performance of the structures. The paper’s analyses are based on dozens of interviews, both formal and informal, conducted with individuals directly involved in the relief effort, complemented with critical analyses of news accounts, and reports produced by the agencies involved. Based on its chief findings, the paper makes policy recommendations to maximize the effectiveness of future relief distribution efforts in response to disasters of various sizes.
The extensive episode of derecho‐producing convective systems in the United States during May and June 1998: A multi‐scale analysis and review

A multi-scale analysis is presented on widespread and long-lived convectively generated windstorms, known as derechos. Analyses of the derecho-producing environments during 15 May–30 June 1998 indicate that this exceptional episode of derechos and derecho groupings (or series) was supported by ingredients (i.e. moisture, instability, and wind shear) that were supplied by the large-scale setting. In particular, the semi-stagnant subtropical ridge and associated capping inversion across the southern tier of the U.S. were important in supplying amplified moisture and instability to derecho-genesis regions through an underrunning process. Regions of preferred derecho formation appeared to correspond to shifts in the overall strength and position of the ridge, illustrating the importance of the ridge in focusing successive organized convection. Initiating mechanisms varied widely and were not restricted to warm-air advection regimes along quasi-stationary boundaries that forecasters often associate with warm-season derecho environments. In several cases, derecho-producing convective systems were generated by tropospheric features not consistent with common conceptual models of derecho environments such as closed lows and strong vorticity maxima. Further, three distinct series types were identified and classified based on their initiating mechanisms. Copyright © 2007 Royal Meteorological Society
Organizational Resource Allocation Decisions: The Role of Power

A power control framework of organizations predicted that the degree of control exercised by management in resource allocation decisions is affected by the basis of power and perceived availability of resources. Results from experimental cases support the prediction that the basis of power has a consistent effect on resource allocation decisions. However, the effect of the perceived availability of resources varied according to the professional background and positions held by subjects in their organizations.
Membrane disordering effect of ethanol on cerebral microvessels of aged rats : a brief report

To determine if the membrane disordering effect of ethanol on cerebral microvessels is altered with age, the steady state fluorescence polarization (P) of diphenyl-hexatriene (DPH) and 1-(4-trimethylammoniumphenyl)-6-phenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene (TMA-DPH) which report on the membrane core and surface region, respectively, was determined in isolated cerebral microvessel membranes from 3-month-old (young) and 24-month-old (aged) male Fischer 344 rats in the absence or presence of 0, 25, 50, 100, 200, and 400 mM ethanol. The addition of ethanol resulted in concentration dependent decrease in DPH fluorescence polarization in both young and aged rat cerebral microvessels. Analysis of variance indicated that these two age groups did not differ from each other in their response to ethanol over this concentration range or in their baseline P. However, the TMA-DPH fluorescence polarization in cerebral microvessels in the absence or presence of various concentrations of ethanol was significantly lower in aged rats (p < 0.01). It is concluded that aging in rats is associated with a decreased membrane lipid order near the membrane surface of cerebral microvessels as assessed by TMA-DPH. Membrane disordering effect of ethanol on cerebral microvessels does not appear to be altered significantly with age.
Perspectives on Political Consulting

Abstract No other country holds as many elections as the United States, and increasingly candidates are turning to professional consultants to assist them. The political consulting industry offers a wide variety of services, found in three distinct tiers: the strategists, who develop the campaign's message, direction, and communication with voters; the specialists, who provide services like fund-raising, media buying, or opposition research; and vendors, who provide services like Web development or voter files. Political polling, direct mail, and media advertising represent just a small fraction of their commerical counterparts. Political consulting reaches beyond statewide and national candidates in the United States, finding lucrative markets in ballot initiatives, in local contests, and in the international election market. In the decades to come, the business of political consulting will flourish, despite occasional outbursts from elected officials and the public. There may be profound changes in the ...
Longitudinal linkages between intended and realized operations strategies

Compares the intended operations strategy of 112 manufacturing plants in the metal‐working industries with the realized strategy, as measured by investments designed to improve both the manfucturing structure and infrastructure. Data were collected via a mail survey administered to 202 plants in 1994, and re‐administered to 112 of the same plants in 1996. Examines how the emphasis placed on four key competitive priorities (cost, flexibility, delivery and quality) is associated with investment a company makes to support these objectives. The data indicate that companies support their key competitive priorities both through investments in structural improvement and through investments in infrastructural improvement. Two findings contradict the established literature. First, investments in design‐based advanced manufacturing technologies are not associated with a strategic emphasis on any of the four competitive priorities. Second, plants which emphasized flexibiltiy as a key component of their operations strategy did not invest in either structural or infrastructural improvements to support this objective.
Shuttle mutagenesis: A mini-transposon for producing PhoA fusions with exported proteins in neisseria gonorrhoeae

Abstract Shuttle mutagenesis is a method for producing stable mini-transposon (mTn) insertions into the genome of Neisseria gonorrhoeae (gonococcus, Gc) and other microbes. Using an mTn3 derivative, we have produced an mTn (mTnCmPhoA) which contains a phoA' gene lacking its N-terminal signal sequence useful for isolating genes which encode exported proteins, mTnCmPhoA was characterized in Gc and Escherichia coli using a cloned target containing the Gc genes, opaE1, pilA and piIB . PhoA + Gc containing pi1B::mTnCmPhoA insertions confirm that Pi1B is an exported protein in Gc. This system will be useful for isolating and characterizing extracytoplasmic virulence factors from Gc and other bacterial pathogens.