cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Gender Predicts Rupture of Pancreaticoduodenal Artery Aneurysms

Background There remains no consensus on indication or technique for repair of pancreaticoduodenal artery aneurysms (PDAA) due to the fact that they are exceedingly rare. We sought to evaluate risk factors for rupture, as well as compare the outcomes of open and endovascular surgery. Methods We performed a retrospective review of all PDAAs over a 15-year period. The primary outcome was technical success, defined as complete cessation of flow within the aneurysm sac on follow-up imaging. Secondary outcomes included complications greater than Clavien-Dindo Grade I. Results A total of 21 PDAAs was identified (mean size 20 mm, interquartile range 8–32). Eight patients (38%) were male with an average age at diagnosis of 54.3 ± 2.4 years. Aneurysm etiology included degenerative (90%), pancreatitis (14%), and connective tissue disorder (5%). Seven patients (33%) had additional aneurysms on imaging. Ten patients (48%) were asymptomatic, while 5 patients (24%) presented with rupture. Six patients (29%) had an open repair, including 4 aneurysm ligations and 2 emergent Whipple procedures. Eleven patients underwent an endovascular intervention including 10 (48%) embolizations and 1 stent-assisted coiling (9%). Technical success was 100% for the open group and 91% in the endovascular group. Clavien-Dindo grade >1 complications occurred in 67% of open patients and 0% of endovascular patients ( P = 0.01). Death occurred in 2 ruptured patients who underwent open repair. On univariate analysis, male gender was statistically associated with rupture ( P = 0.02); however, size of the aneurysm was not ( P = 0.77). There was a trend toward an increased rupture rate in those with celiac stenosis ( P = 0.10). Conclusions In one of the largest series of PDAA to date, only male gender was associated with rupture. Furthermore, size of the aneurysm was not associated with rupture and should not be considered a criterion for repair. While technical success was greater in the open group, it was also associated with an increased incidence of clinically significant complications and death. Endovascular aneurysm embolization should be considered the treatment of choice.
Visual outcomes and late complications in paediatric orbital rhabdomyosarcoma

Background Orbital rhabdomyosarcoma is a rare but important malignancy for an ophthalmologist. We aimed to review the management and outcome, including late orbital complications and visual acuity over 25 years from a specialist paediatric ophthalmology department. Design This was a retrospective longitudinal case-series. Participants All patients presenting to our institution between December 1989 and December 2014 with a histopathological diagnosis of rhabdomyosarcoma originating from (primary) or invading into the orbit (paranasal) were included. Methods The oncology and ophthalmology databases were cross referenced to identify patients. Main Outcome Measures Baseline demographics, chemotherapy, surgical and radiation dose, visual acuity, ocular and systemic complications, local and distant recurrence and mortality were recorded for each patient. Outcomes were reported with descriptive statistics. Results Eighteen patients were included. Median age was 4.3 years (range 4 months to 16 years) with average follow-up of 9 years. The 5-year disease specific survival was 100% for the orbital group and 25% for the paranasal group; 29% of the orbital group maintained vision better than 6/12 in their treated eye and the overall globe conservation rate was 71%. The most common ocular complications were cataract and keratopathy in both the orbital and paranasal groups. Other ocular complications included orbital hypoplasia or fat atrophy, eyelid malposition and lacrimal duct stenosis. Conclusions Ophthalmic late effects are seen in a significant proportion of patients with orbital rhabdomyosarcoma. There is excellent survival in these patients and continued efforts should be made to reduce the late effects of therapy. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Does experience matter? Implications for community consultation for research in emergency settings.

ABSTRACTBackground: Community consultation (CC) is required for research in emergency settings using an exception from informed consent (EFIC) in the United States, but uncertainty persists regarding best CC practices. There is ongoing debate about whom to include in CC, specifically, whether to prioritize geographically defined communities or individuals with connections to the condition. Understanding the impact of personal disease experience on views of EFIC research is important for designing CC and interpreting its results. Methods: This study was a secondary analysis of surveys administered to 2612 participants at 12 sites in CC events conducted for ProTECT III: Progesterone for Traumatic Brain Injury, a Phase III, randomized trial conducted using EFIC. Key survey domains included personal traumatic brain injury (TBI) experience, demographic information, and acceptance of both hypothetical personal enrollment under EFIC and the use of EFIC in general in ProTECT III. Descriptive statistics and multiv...
Clear, Complete, and Concise: Avoiding the Seven Deadly Sins of Analytic Writing

Effective, persuasive analytical writing is a critical management skill. This note trains students to write to the needs and expectations of their readers with objectivity and efficiency, whether they are writing memos, emails, research reports, technical briefings, position papers, or recommendations for action. Excerpt UVA-BC-0221 Rev. May 15, 2018 Clear, Complete, and Concise: Avoiding the Seven Deadly Sins of Analytic Writing …the most valuable of all talents, that of never using two words when one will do… —Thomas Jefferson . . .
Abstract WP208: Incidence of Ischemic Stroke in Young Adults, a 4 Year Retrospective Review From an Urban Tertiary Care Center in North Philadelphia

Background: Stroke is the 5th leading cause of death in the United States .Every year, more than 795,000 people in the United States have a stroke. Ischemic Stroke in young adults age ≤50 years old...
Parking Spaces in the Age of Shared Autonomous Vehicles: How Much Parking Will We Need and Where?

The world is on the cusp of a new era in mobility given that the enabling technologies for autonomous vehicles (AVs) are almost ready for deployment and testing. Although the technological frontiers for deploying AVs are being crossed, transportation planners and engineers know far less about the potential impact of such technologies on urban form and land use patterns. This paper attempts to address those issues by simulating the operation of shared AVs (SAVs) in the city of Atlanta, Georgia, by using the real transportation network with calibrated link-level travel speeds and a travel demand origin–destination matrix. The model results suggest that the SAV system can reduce parking land by 4.5% in Atlanta at a 5% market penetration level. In charged-parking scenarios, parking demand will move from downtown to adjacent low-income neighborhoods. The results also reveal that policy makers may consider combining charged-parking policies with additional regulations to curb excessive vehicle miles traveled an...
The long-term market potential of concentrating solar power (CSP) systems

Abstract: This chapter will examine the conditions under which thermal concentrating solar power (CSP) systems might play a larger role in the global energy system during the twenty-first century. CSP technologies, such as parabolic troughs or power towers, have a large advantage over other solar technologies in that they offer the potential for firm power delivery, mitigating intermittency issues. These systems require relatively cloud-free conditions to operate, however, which limits their geographic applicability.
Democracy: The God that Failed: A Review

Review of Hans-Hermann Hoppe's Democracy: The God that Failed: The Economics and Politics of Monarchy, Democracy, and Natural Order.
Prevention of Alcoholism

For many years, alcoholism was viewed as a moral defect. The problem was seen in drunkenness and not in drinking, in alcoholism and not alcohol. The focus was firmly entrenched on the individual. In spite of new research on the alcoholic personality and the probability that genetics determines thresholds of alcohol tolerance, alcoholism can no longer be viewed only in terms of the individual. Unfortunately, there has been a great reluctance to look at the broader economic and social issues.
Endoscopic Therapy in Chronic Pancreatitis

Chronic pancreatitis, usually presenting with recurrent attacks of clinical pancreatitis or chronic pain, is usually the consequence of alcoholism [1]. Less commonly, childhood malnutrition, familial and idiopathic forms, and hyperparathyroidism are felt to be etiologic [2]. Less common still are causes such as papillary stenosis, pancreas divisum, and other obstructive etiologies. Finally, the latter occasionally occurs when chronic pancreatic duct structural damage follows a severe insult, e.g., blunt abdominal trauma or biliary pancreatitis with associated pancreatic duct (PD) disruption. Traditionally, endoscopy has been primarily utilized in conjunction with noninvasive imaging modalities for diagnosis and to direct subsequent surgical intervention [3]. More recently, a number of interventional techniques have been applied at endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) in such patients [4]. Including PD sphincterotomy, stent or drain placement, stone extraction, and pseudocyst drainage, data are accumulating which suggest that endoscopic management is effective in a subset of patients with chronic pancreatitis (Table 1).
Conflict in the Horn of Africa: The Ogaden War of 1977

The nexus of environmental insecurity, disasters, and conflict have become an essential paradigm in security planning, policy, and analyses. The U.S. National Intelligence Council warns that the likelihood of environmentally triggered conflict will increase in the coming decades. Nonetheless, many scholars dismiss this outlook. History appears to support their position because these problems have typically been resolved using peaceful, diplomatic or economic means. Furthermore, it is difficult to establish clear cause–and–effect links between disasters, environmental stress, and armed conflict. However, the security landscape has changed decisively. This chapter suggests that continued peaceful resolution of potential conflicts with an environmental component is incongruous with the realities of the emerging national security landscape. First, climate change and demographic factors are degrading environments and magnifying the effects of environmental degradation and resource shortages beyond the management capacity of many states. Second, the proliferation of failing states has singularly reduced the potential for diplomatic resolution in many regions. Finally, competition for essential resources has been intensified by population growth. Thus, I argue that environmental factors will likely provide a tipping point for regions that already manifest severe environmental degradation and civil unrest; and these insidious problems can be exacerbated by disasters or other short–term climate shocks. The 1977 Ogaden War is one such example and is used as a case study to illustrate these dynamics. An analytical framework is used to illustrate the factors of environmental change, non–sustainable practices, human activity, and governance in Ethiopia during the 1970s to demonstrate their role in triggering the Ogaden War.
Laptop Versus Longhand Note Taking in a Professional Doctorate Course: Student Performance, Attitudes, and Behaviors.

Objective: To determine the relationship between longhand note taking versus laptop note taking on pharmacy students’ examination performance and identify differences in attitudes and behaviors as it relates to the note taking process. Methods: A small group of students consented voluntarily to take longhand notes, doing away with their laptops during portions of the course administered by study investigators. Analyses were conducted on block examination performance, with each student’s score on the first examination serving as a performance benchmark to assess change. Laptop and longhand note takers completed a survey regarding various aspects of their note taking attitudes and behaviors, and also included open text comments to capture qualitative experiential data. Results: Based upon a relatively small number of participants in the longhand cohort (n=11), the differences between the groups on subsequent examinations was approximately 3.5 percentage points in favor of the longhand note-takers. There were significant differences observed between the two groups on several survey items, with longhand note takers less likely to be distracted in class and more likely to agree that other students ask to review their notes due to the quality of those notes. Conclusions: Longhand note taking might facilitate more accurate recall or retrieval in test situations, thus producing improved test scores for certain types of students in certain types of courses; however additional research is needed. Faculty may consider whether modifying students’ classroom note taking practices may contribute to an improved learning experience. Article Type: Original Research
Systematic errors in connectivity inferred from activity in strongly coupled recurrent circuits

Abstract Understanding the mechanisms of neural computation and learning will require knowledge of the underlying circuitry. Because it is slow, expensive, or often infeasible to directly measure the wiring diagrams of neural microcircuits, there has long been an interest in estimating them from neural recordings. We show that even sophisticated inference algorithms, applied to large volumes of data from every node in the circuit, are biased toward inferring connections between unconnected but strongly correlated neurons, a situation that is common in strongly recurrent circuits. This e ect, representing a failure to fully “explain away” non-existent connections when correlations are strong, occurs when there is a mismatch between the true network dynamics and the generative model assumed for inference, an inevitable situation when we model the real world. Thus, effective connectivity estimates should be treated with especial caution in strongly connected networks when attempting to infer the mechanistic basis of circuit activity. Finally, we show that activity states of networks injected with strong noise or grossly perturbed away from equilibrium may be a promising way to alleviate the problems of bias error.
Assembly of protein–polysaccharide complexes for delivery of bioactive ingredients: A perspective paper

Protein-polysaccharide complexes can be created in various ways (physical mixing, enzymatic cross-linking, chemical cross-linking, and Maillard reaction), and diverse protein-polysaccharide complexes are generally grouped into non-covalent and covalent complexes. Delivery systems constructed through assembly of protein-polysaccharide complexes (DSAPC) consist of emulsion-based delivery systems, capsule-based delivery systems, molecular complexes, nanogels, core-shell particles, composite nanoparticles, and micelles. DSAPC are effective delivery vehicles in enhancing the overall efficacy of bioactive ingredients, and DSAPC may possess multiple advantages over other delivery vehicles in bioactive ingredient delivery. However, designing and applying DSAPC are still faced with some challenges, such as low loading of bioactive ingredients. Efforts are required to reconsider and improve efficiency of DSAPC in many aspects, such as controlled release and targeted delivery. On the basis of more comprehensive and deeper understandings, DSAPC can be designed more rationally for delivery of bioactive ingredients.
Lessons Learned From Developing a Mobile App to Assist in Patient Recovery After Weight Loss Surgery.

Abstract Background Weight loss surgery is safe and effective, but fluid and electrolyte balance remains problematic postoperatively. We developed a mobile app to help patients recover after weight loss surgery. Material and methods Single-center prospective, mixed-methods, participatory research design study of eligible English-speaking adults undergoing weight loss surgery was used. Patients used the app for 30 d after surgery. We developed and refined the app from July 2017 to October 2018. The principal component of the app is a daily survey designed to assess patients' recovery. The app was revised based on patient feedback, and we compared app utilization between initial and updated versions of the app. Primary outcome was successful patient engagement, which we defined as 80% of patients completing at least 70% of the surveys. Results Ten patients completed the trial period, four with the initial version of the app, and six with the updated version. All patients expressed satisfaction with the app and most frequently reported that push notifications were helpful. We found that one (25%) patient completed at least 70% of the surveys in the initial version of the app. In the updated version, five (83.3%) of patients completed at least 70% of the surveys, passing our criteria for successful engagement. Conclusions Participatory research design in app development requires continuous evaluation and refinement to patient and clinician needs. This effort is essential as we observed significant improvement in app utilization. Our next step is to pilot the app in a larger set of patients to assess utility and feasibility.
A New Technique to Study the Interfacial Strength and Transverse Cracking Scenario in Composite Materials

A new technique has been developed to study interfacial debonding and subsequent coalescence into transverse cracks using a loading stage in an environmental scanning electron microscope. This technique has been used to study the effect of moisture on the interfacial strength and transverse cracking behavior of unaged composite specimens ( 1.1% of matrix weight is moisture) compared to composite specimens saturated by soaking in seawater ( 2.2% of matrix weight is moisture). Specimens experienced both initiation controlled failure and propagation controlled failure. The type of failure did not appear to depend upon the moisture content; rather it depended upon the microstructure of the composite. Analysis has also been performed, aiding in the interpretation of the experimental results. The mathematical models show that the interfacial residual stresses in the radial direction due to thermal cooldown are compressive in a homogeneous microstructure; while in an inhomogeneous microstructure, the stresses are tensile at the boundary of the inhomogeneity. In both cases the presence of moisture relaxes the stresses.
'Our archaic system': Debating and reforming military justice in Argentina, 1905-35

The treatment of draft dodgers and miscarriages of justice by Argentine military courts provoked mobilisations by families, communities and the major political parties. An examination of the debates and discussions around these issues reveals a widespread sentiment that rarely questioned neither the right of the armed forces to draft young men nor the legitimacy of the armed forces. By adopting the language of patriotism and civic obligation, individual and community petitioners and politicians who represented them challenged the state's broad claim of power over the bodies of young men from a reformist position. Military justice formed a critical platform through which citizens debated the meaning of citizenship and the place of the armed forces in society.
Optimizing preparations of Co Fischer-Tropsch catalysts for stability against sintering

Abstract Catalyst deactivation is of a major concern in industrial applications. Catalyst deactivation in any process can be minimized through: (i) appropriate catalyst design, and (ii) careful process control. In the present review we focus on the design of a Co catalyst to significantly hinder catalyst deactivation via sintering during FT reaction while enhancing catalytic activity and selectivity. First, it is shown how support and promoter physical and chemical properties can affect Co catalyst design. Support physical and chemical properties essential for preparing an optimally active, selective, and stable, commercial Co FT catalysts are recommended. Secondly, it is explained how carefully-controlled deposition of a Co salt via industrially-realistic methods is critical in controlling catalyst precursor-support interactions, nanocrystal size, and spatial distributions vital to sintering resistance. Three catalyst precursor deposition methods are discussed: impregnation, precipitation, and solution combustion; advantages and disadvantages of each method are detailed. Finally, effects of drying, calcination, and reduction on catalyst properties important to activity, selectivity and resistance to sintering are explained, and best practices for conducting each step are recommended.
Survival of autotransfused red blood cells recovered from the surgical field during cardiovascular operations.

The survival of autologous red blood cells (RBCs) collected during operation from the surgical field and processed immediately by the Haemonetics Cell Saver was compared to the survival of autologous nonprocessed RBCs obtained by venipuncture in nine patients undergoing reconstructive vascular operations and four patients undergoing coronary artery bypass. A double isotope technique (Cr-51 and In-III***) was used to determine the survival of the different cell populations. Seven patients undergoing coronary artery bypass served as controls to characterize the isotopes by labeling the same population of RBCs with each radionuclide. Comparison of the data in all groups failed to show any significant difference in either the immediate or long-term survival between autotransfused (Cell Saver-processed) blood and nonprocessed RBCs. This study indicates that shed blood collected and processed at operation with the Haemonetics Cell Saver can be autotransfused and that the in vivo survival of these cells is not significantly different from the survival of nonprocessed blood.
Efficacy of Nanobubbles Alone or in Combination with Neutral Electrolyzed Water in Removing Escherichia coli O157:H7, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, and Listeria innocua Biofilms

Due to the relatively high tolerance and resistance to sanitizers, biofilms can persist in the environment resulting in cross-contamination. The overall goal of this study was to evaluate the impact of nanobubbles (NB) alone and in combination with neutral electrolyzed water (NEW) on different microbial biofilms including Escherichia coli O157:H7, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, and Listeria innocua on plastic and stainless steel (SS) coupons. NB alone completely removed V. parahaemolyticus biofilm on both plastic and SS coupons after 2 min. NB alone caused about a 1 to 3 log CFU/cm2 reduction of E. coli and L. innocua biofilms, while a complete reduction was observed only after combining NB with NEW. The antiadhesion results of NB-treated plastic and SS coupons showed lower bacterial adhesion to NB-treated surfaces indicating that NB can attach to the surface and reduce the surface tension and bacterial adhesion. Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy spectra (SERS) and mapping results revealed the ability of NB to remove the bacterial biofilms. Raman spectra intensity was reduced at bands associated with carbohydrates, protein, and DNA indicating extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) disruption. This study demonstrates that NB could be a viable technology for removing microbial biofilms from surfaces and enhancing the efficacy of conventional sanitizers.
Assessing sensitivity to Condition A in the case of Chinese reflexives

T here are t wo reflexives in Mandarin Chinese, ziji (‘self’) and ta-ziji (‘s/he-self’). It is often assumed that ziji can be bound by a non-local antecedent while ta-ziji cannot. This is because ziji can be used as an exempt anaphor licensed by discourse-pragmatic conditions. However, prior research shows that, in contexts without perspectival cues, ziji tends to be interpreted as a ‘regular’ syntactically bound reflexive, exhibiting a similar locality bias as ta-ziji . However, prior studies comparing the locality biases of ziji and ta-ziji present divergent results. In this study, we report two forced choice judgment experiments to assess which reflexive, ziji or ta-ziji , exhibits a stronger locality bias. Overall, our results fit better with claims that in local contexts, ta-ziji is preferred over ziji ; we find no clear evidence of ziji being preferred over ta-ziji in local contexts. Our results are compatible with the idea that ta-ziji , rather than ziji , is more constrained by Condition A.
How do Price Range Shoppers Differ from Reference Price Shoppers

Customers form different price perceptions according to how they process price information. Existing research demonstrates that the internal reference price (IRP) model and the external reference price (ERP) model explain a significant amount of the variation in customers' price perceptions and purchase behaviors. This study extends the reference price literature by introducing the Price Range (PR) model, which is based on Range Theory. According to the PR model, price judgments are based on a comparison of the focal price to the entire range of currently available prices. Our results demonstrate that the fit of a structural heterogeneity finite mixture model improves when the PR model is included along with the IRP and ERP models and that the PR model explains a substantial proportion (26%) of customers in the toilet tissue category. We also conduct analyses to infer how the three price perception segments respond to promotional efforts. The profile analysis indicates that the IRP segment is composed of "brand shoppers" who remember explicit price information for their preferred brand(s) and switch brands much less frequently than the other two segments. The ERP segment is composed of "effort-minimizing shoppers" who do not remember past prices, respond significantly less than the other two segments to feature and display information, and have a modest level of brand preference. The PR segment is composed of deal-prone "price shoppers" who have the lowest brand loyalty and who respond significantly to both featured and displayed alternatives. We combine these insights to develop a simulation, which demonstrates that a multi-segment promotion strategy can be more effective than any blanket promotion. The multi-segment promotion strategy uses a combination of promotion tools, each of which targets a specific price perception segment. The response to a multi-segment strategy is greater than the response to a blanket promotion strategy that treats all customers uniformly.
ASSESSING THE ACCURACY, QUALITY, AND READABILITY OF ONLINE PATIENT RESOURCES ON TARSAL COALITION:

Background:The internet is an inexpensive and convenient source for health information. However, without regulation, the quality and accuracy of the information is unknown. Tarsal coalition is a co...
Shortened total spine MRI protocol in the detection of spinal cord compression and pathology for emergent settings: a noninferiority study.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Spinal cord compression (SCC) requires rapid diagnosis in the emergent setting; however, current MRI protocols may be cumbersome for patients and clinicians. We sought to validate an abbreviated total spine MRI (TS-MRI) protocol using standard non-contrast sequences in the detection of SCC and other clinically significant findings (OCSF). METHODS Two hundred six TS-MRI scans obtained over a 30-month period for SCC were included. Sagittal T2 (T2sag), sagittal T1 (T1sag), and sagittal STIR (IRsag), as well as axial T2 (T2ax) images, were individually assessed independently by 2 reviewers for SCC, cauda equina compression (CEC), and OCSF. A protocol consisting of all the sequences was considered the gold standard. Sensitivity and specificity of single and combined MRI sequences for SCC/CEC and OCSF were determined and were tested for noninferiority relative to standard non-contrast sequences using a 5% noninferiority margin. RESULTS An abbreviated protocol of IRsag + T2ax provided the best performance with sensitivity and specificity of 100% (95%CI, 96.0-100.0) and 98.6% (95%CI, 95.6-99.7) for SCC/CEC and 100.0% (95%CI, 96.7-100.0), and 99.3% (95%CI, 96.6-99.9) for OCSF. The mean difference of sensitivity and specificity between IRsag + T2ax and standard protocol was 0.0% (95%CI, 0.0-4.0) and - 2.1% (95%CI, - 5.4 to - 0.6) for SCC/CEC and 0.0% (95%CI, 0.0-3.3) and - 1.5% (95%CI, - 4.8 to - 0.3) for OCSF, all within the noninferiority margin of 5%. CONCLUSIONS An abbreviated TS-MRI protocol of IRsag + T2ax is noninferior to the standard non-contrast protocol, potentially allowing for faster emergent imaging diagnosis and triage.
Bureaucratic Delegation in Comparative Perspective: Constitutional Structure and Reform Timing

The last few years have witnessed a growing discourse in favor of creating a wide range of autonomous public authorities to administer policy. Building on recent scholarship on comparative institutional design, this article examines how constitutional structure affects the timing of such a decision. I hypothesize that because such formalization strategies are costly, democratic governments that are relatively certain of when they will leave office will time bureaucratic reform to occur late in their terms, while governments that are less sure of their longevity will be more likely to reform early on in their terms. The article provides some illustrative evidence of this hypothesis based on a comparative case study of central bank reform in Venezuela and Poland. These findings are further corroborated by data from 28 recent cases of central bank reform.
Lipid infused into the duodenum of rats at varied rates influences food intake and body weight gain.

We investigated the influence of luminal fat, including intestinal exposure time to fat, on food intake and body weight (BW) gain under conditions that resemble normal feeding. Male Wistar rats were divided into three groups: two groups received 30 mL Intralipid and one group received 30 mL saline, in addition to having access to a nonfat diet. The saline-infused and one of the fat-infused groups were schedule fed (SF), i.e., allowed to eat for 7 h of the dark cycle; the other fat-infused group had diet available for 24 h. The three groups of rats were subdivided further by rate of infusion, i.e., 0.13 mL/min or 1.0 mL/min for a total of 6 groups. Rats infused with fat had lower BW gain than saline controls, except when diet was available for 24 h and rate of fat infusion was 1.0 mL/min (BW gain was similar to saline group). Daily energy intake corresponded to BW gain data. Pancreata and intestinal mucosa were examined (after 2 wk of treatment) for hypertrophic changes that may be related to specific factors stimulated by luminal fat; these may also be involved in the control of food intake. Rats infused with fat had heavier pancreata than saline-infused rats, and infusion of fat at 0.13 mL/min resulted in heavier pancreata than infusion at the faster rate. DNA and protein analysis indicated that hypertrophy rather than hyperplasia was responsible for this effect. Thus, prolonged fat exposure to intraluminal receptors resulted in reduced total daily energy intake, suppressed BW gain and heavier pancreata. The combined data support a connection among intraluminal fat, negative feedback signals that inhibit food intake and factor(s) associated with pancreatic stimulation.
Incidental retinal vascular occlusions on hydroxychloroquine screening in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

OBJECTIVE The proportion of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) who manifest retinal involvement increases many fold in patients with active systemic disease. The objective of this report is to stress upon the significance of comprehensive ophthalmic assessment of all SLE patients to prevent and manage blinding ocular manifestations of the disease. METHODS Retrospective case review. RESULTS Incidental retinal vascular complications seen in patients undergoing baseline hydroxychloroquine screening. CONCLUSION The purpose of comprehensive ophthalmic screening in SLE patients is twofold. It will aid in the diagnosis and treatment of blinding ocular complications of the disease and monitor hydroxychloroquine macular toxicity.
From innovation to adaptation: lessons from 20 years of the SHIFT forest management system in Sanming, China

Abstract This study follows the 20-year period of a forestry innovation—the share-holding integrated forestry tenure (SHIFT) system—its adoption, diffusion, adaptation and transformation in Sanming Prefecture, Fujian Province of the People’s Republic of China. Our research suggests that the adoption of this innovation in forest management institutions and technologies tends to follow the familiar “s” curve. However, the prevailing patterns in the social, economic, cultural, and biophysical environments that encouraged the adoption have changed overtime as it moved to an adaptive phase. The need for flexibility and resiliency in forestry strategies is necessary if the goals and objectives promised by innovation are to be sustained. SHIFT was initiated as an innovative rural development program of “private-like” forest management, where villagers became shareholders in the community forestry operation and obtained employment through a system of tenure contracts. SHIFT has proven to be an effective system for the regeneration and protection of Sanming’s forests. Changing conditions in the social, economic, cultural, and biophysical environments of Sanming have undermined the value of the shareholding system and the benefit distribution of tenure contracts. However, villager confidence in the SHIFT system remains positive as direct dividend benefits have been replaced by those accrued through the harvest of non-timber forest products and a new household tenure contract to supply individual household forest product needs.
Chemical weathering in glacial environments

Do glaciers enhance or inhibit chemical weathering rates relative to other environments? The importance of glaciers in the global carbon cycle and climate change hinges on the answer. We show that catchments occupied by active alpine glaciers yield cation denudation rates greater than the global mean rate but do not exceed rates in nonglacial catchments with similar water discharge. Silica denudation rates are distinctly lower in glacier-covered catchments than in their nonglacial counterparts. Because sediment yields are high from glaciers, this suggests that water flux, rather than physical erosion, exerts the primary control on chemical erosion by glaciers. Potassium and calcium concentrations are high relative to other cations in glacial water, probably due to dissolution of soluble trace phases, such as carbonates, exposed by comminution, and cation leaching from biotite. Preferential weathering of biotite may result in higher 87 Sr/ 86 Sr in glacial runoff than expected from whole-rock compositions. Thus, although glaciers do not influence total chemical denudation rates at a given runoff, they may yield compositionally distinctive chemical fluxes to the oceans. Disruption of mineral lattices by grinding increases dissolution rates; this and high surface area should make glacial sediments exceptionally weatherable. Weathering of glacial erosion products in environments beyond the glacier margin deserves attention because it may figure prominently in global chemical cycles.
Dendritic cell migration to lymph nodes: cytokines, chemokines, and lipid mediators.

Mobilization of dendritic cells into lymphatic vessels requires cytokine stimulation and induction of the chemokine receptor CCR7. The respective roles of the CCR7 ligands CCL19 and CCL21 in mediating migration are not fully defined, but chemotaxis to CCL19 mediates Langerhans cell exit from the epidermis. Optimal chemotaxis to CCL19 occurs when DCs are triggered with exogenous leukotriene C4, an eicosanoid transported out of the cell via the ATP binding cassette (ABC) transporter multidrug resistance related protein 1 (MRP1, ABCC1). Indeed, MRP1 and the related multidrug resistance protein 1 (MDR1, p-glycoprotein, ABCB1) may control the intracellular and extracellular accumulation of key signaling lipids that regulate dendritic cell migration.
Perception of stimulus location during interocular stimulation

Flashes of white light were presented separately and randomly to the nasal or temporal hemispheres of each retina. Os responded verbally their decisions as to which eye and which hemisphere had been stimulated. The number of correct responses and latencies at each stimulus position were recorded. Differences in both latencies and number of correct responses were found between positions.
Kurtosis Measures Bimodality

(1971). Kurtosis Measures Bimodality? The American Statistician: Vol. 25, No. 1, pp. 42-43.
Information hiding based on binary encoding methods and pixel scrambling techniques

Novel information hiding for digital images based on binary encoding methods and pixel scrambling techniques is presented. First, a pixel scrambling technique is used to rearrange the pixels of a covert image to form a scrambled matrix by using a specified scrambling rule. Then, the gray values of all the pixels in the scrambled matrix are sequentially transformed into many sets of eight-digit binary codes. Subsequently, the eight-digit binary codes are encoded into a host image to form an overt image by using a specific encoding rule. Besides the eight-digit binary codes (information codes), the overt image contains five other groups of binary codes (specification codes), i.e., identification codes, gray-level codes, dimension codes, scrambling number codes, and scrambling time codes, to denote the parameters used for scrambling and encoding. According to the test results, the proposed method performs well. Moreover, the overt image and the host image look almost the same, and the decoded covert image is exactly the same as the original covert image.
M-commerce operation modes and applications

Since mobile phone users have already shown they are ready to pay premiums for wireless voice over fixed line calls, the possibility of location-centric services, accessing m-commerce via the mobile phone sounds like an irresistible proposition. This paper examines the driving forces behind m-commerce and discusses its operation modes and applications for consumers and industries. Results provide company executives with useful insights into m-commerce applications and their commercial potentials.
Irt>t schedule controlled behavior in 'learned-helpless' rats: effects from a cannabinoid agonist.

Abstract Human depression is partly a congenital disorder. Aspects of the behavior accompanying depression can be magnified by genetic manipulation of bred animal species. Learned Helplessness (LH) is a trait-mark behavior that successfully breeds in rodents. Here, ‘congenital’ LH (cLH) rats were trained to recognize and respond to 12 s long interval cues (irt > 12 s schedule). Rats compliant to an irt > t schedule will space responses evenly and respond rhythmically. Irt > t schedule derived data are plotted in histograms showing irt (interresponse time) frequencies. A pause response peak emerges, for outbred rats, at irt values approximating the minimum interval for reinforcement. cLH rats [n = 9] complied poorly to schedule contingencies when diluent (vehicle) was injected before testing. Moderate and high dose injections of a CB 1 receptor selective agonist drug (AM 411), however, increased operant schedule compliance and normalized the cLH rats' irt > t histogram distributions. Performance indicators for cLH rats are presented alongside coordinate measures from a comparison group [n = 5] of normally bred Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats. In both cLH and SD rats, treatment session histograms revealed shifts of the pause response peak not accompanied by a change in motor responsiveness. The irt > 12 s histogram shifts were absent when AM 411 dosages were arranged to follow pre-medication injections of a CB 1 receptor selective antagonist drug (AM 251). In short, AM 411 increased timing acuity in rats prone to behavioral despair but had opposite timing effects in normally bred SD rats.
Modeling High Rate Impact Sensitivity of Perfect RDX and HMX Crystals by ReaxFF Reactive Dynamics

We report a methodology for rapid assessment of impact sensitivity of energetic materials which uses the ReaxFF reactive force field in reactive dynamics (RD) simulations of the high rate compression/expansion of a perfect energetic crystal. This approach is validated here to study the high rate impact sensitivity of 1,3,5-trinitrohexahydro-s-triazine (RDX) crystal and octahydro-1,3,5,7-tetrazocine (HMX) crystal at different phases (α, β, γ, and δ). These simulations found that for a compression rate of ∼8.76 km/s along the [100] direction, RDX crystals at lower volume compression ratios (x = 30, 35, 38%) led only to a few RDX molecules decomposing and only into primary products. However, at higher compression ratios (x ≥ 40%), all RDX molecules in the crystal decompose very quickly, leading to both primary and secondary decomposition reactions, including various intermediates such as NO2, NO, HONO, and OH and final products such as H2O, N2, CO, and CO2. For the various phases of HMX, these ReaxFF RD simu...
An adjustable electron achromat for cathode lens microscopy.

Abstract Chromatic aberration correction in light optics began with the invention of a two-color-corrected achromatic crown/flint lens doublet by Chester Moore Hall in 1730. Such color correction is necessary because any single glass shows dispersion (i.e. its index of refraction changes with wavelength), which can be counteracted by combining different glasses with different dispersions. In cathode lens microscopes (such as Photo Electron Emission Microscopy – PEEM) we encounter a similar situation, where the chromatic aberration coefficient of the cathode lens shows strong dispersion, i.e. depends (non-linearly) on the energy with which the electrons leave the sample. Here I show how a cathode lens in combination with an electron mirror can be configured as an adjustable electron achromat. The lens/mirror combination can be corrected at two electron energies by balancing the settings of the electron mirror against the settings of the cathode lens. The achromat can be adjusted to deliver optimum performance, depending on the requirements of a specific experiment. Going beyond the achromat, an apochromat would improve resolution and transmission by a very significant margin. I discuss the requirements and outlook for such a system, which for now remains a wish waiting for fulfilment.
The one-parameter Weibull distribution as a means to reduce sample size—A cautionary tale

With the continued improvement in electronic product reliability the requirement to test larger and larger samples is becoming more and more difficult to manage. As a result methods by which these sample sizes might be reduced are extremely attractive. This paper investigates an approach in which the one-parameter Weibull distribution is assumed to explain the failure mode, and looks at the consequences if this assumption turns out not to be valid. Specifically, the effect on calculated MTTF is examined from the point of view of variation in the shape parameter, and it is shown that massive errors can result for only slight variations in this parameter.
Energy levels in 33P

Abstract The energies of many levels in 33P were obtained by a magnetic spectrograph analysis of the protons from the 30Si(α, p)33P reaction. Proton-gamma angular correlations were studied in the same reaction. Several gamma-decay branching ratios were determined. It was found that the 3.50 MeV state has a spin off 3 2 or 5 2 , and the 3.63 MeV state has a spin of case7 2 .It is argued that the parity of the 3.63 MeV state is positive and that 7 2 − is the most likely assignment for the 4.23 MeV state. Mixing ratios of several transitions were also obtained.
In Planta Processing and Glycosylation of a Nematode CLAVATA3/ENDOSPERM SURROUNDING REGION-Like Effector and Its Interaction with a Host CLAVATA2-Like Receptor to Promote Parasitism

Like other biotrophic plant pathogens, plant-parasitic nematodes secrete effector proteins into host cells to facilitate infection. Effector proteins that mimic plant CLAVATA3/ENDOSPERM SURROUNDING REGION-related (CLE) proteins have been identified in several cyst nematodes, including the potato cyst nematode (PCN); however, the mechanistic details of this cross-kingdom mimicry are poorly understood. Plant CLEs are posttranslationally modified and proteolytically processed to function as bioactive ligands critical to various aspects of plant development. Using ectopic expression coupled with nanoliquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry analysis, we show that the in planta mature form of proGrCLE1, a multidomain CLE effector secreted by PCN during infection, is a 12-amino acid arabinosylated glycopeptide (named GrCLE1-1Hyp4,7g) with striking structural similarity to mature plant CLE peptides. This glycopeptide is more resistant to hydrolytic degradation and binds with higher affinity to a CLAVATA2-like receptor (StCLV2) from potato (Solanum tuberosum) than its nonglycosylated forms. We further show that StCLV2 is highly up-regulated at nematode infection sites and that transgenic potatoes with reduced StCLV2 expression are less susceptible to PCN infection, indicating that interference of the CLV2-mediated signaling pathway confers nematode resistance in crop plants. These results strongly suggest that phytonematodes have evolved to utilize host cellular posttranslational modification and processing machinery for the activation of CLE effectors following secretion into plant cells and highlight the significance of arabinosylation in regulating nematode CLE effector activity. Our finding also provides evidence that multidomain CLEs are modified and processed similarly to single-domain CLEs, adding new insight into CLE maturation in plants.
Lack of progress in labor as a reason for cesarean.

Abstract Objective: To estimate the prevalence of lack of progress in labor as a reason for cesarean delivery and to compare published diagnostic criteria with the labor characteristics of women with this diagnosis. Methods: We reviewed medical records and did a postpartum telephone survey to collect data from 733 women who delivered full-term, nonbreech infants by unplanned cesarean between March 1993 and February 1994. These were a subset of 2447 births sampled at delivery from 30 hospitals in Los Angeles County and Iowa. We measured the proportion of unplanned cesareans done for lack of progress in labor, the cervical dilatation at the time of cesarean, length of the second stage, and slope of the active phase among the women. We estimated the proportion of these cesareans that conformed to the ACOG criteria for the diagnosis of lack of progress. Results: Lack of progress was a reason for 68% of unplanned, vertex cesareans. At least 16% of the subjects who had cesareans for lack of progress were in the latent phase of labor according to ACOG criteria. The second stage was not prolonged in 36% of the women who delivered at 10 cm. Conclusion: Lack of progress in labor is a dominant reason for cesarean delivery. Many cesareans are done during the latent phase of labor, and in the second stage of labor when it is not prolonged. These practices do not conform to published diagnostic criteria for lack of progress.