cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
G139(P) Functional Abdominal Pain in Children: Diagnosis, Investigation and Management in a Secondary Care Outpatient Department

Aims To review; – Whether clinical diagnostic criteria are met – Investigations ordered and the results of these – Management and referrals to other healthcare professionals – Patient outcome Methods We performed an electronic search of outpatient letters, created or altered between 01/01/2011 – 31/12/2011, that included the terms: chronic abdominal pain, recurrent abdominal pain, functional abdominal pain, functional dyspepsia, irritable bowel syndrome, abdominal migraine, and functional abdominal pain syndrome. We reviewed the letters, investigations and results, management options and outcome of the patients with a new diagnosis of a functional abdominal pain, until June 2012. The following diagnostic criteria were used: age: 4–18yrs, at least 3 episodes of pain over 3 months, no “alarm symptoms”, and normal examination. The use of faecal occult blood test as a screening tool was noted in the investigations section. Results We identified 25 newly diagnosed patients; 10 females, mean age 9.68yrs. Four patients did not fulfil the clinical criteria for diagnosis. A total of 131 investigations were carried out for 21 patients; 4 patients had no investigations done. No patient had a faecal occult blood test. Investigations carried out in primary and secondary care: There were 12 abnormal results; only 2 had a clinical significance (one patient diagnosed with constipation following an abdominal X-ray, one patient was referred to surgeons with an incidental finding of a pelvic dermoid cyst on abdominal X-ray). A wide range of pharmacological interventions were recommended with unknown value. No patients were offered cognitive behavioural therapy or referred to CAMHS. Eight patients monitored or altered their diet but only 2 were referred to a dietician. In total, 53 appointments were offered and 39 attended. Fourteen patients cancelled or did not attend their follow up appointments, 5 patients had resolution of their symptoms and 6 were discharged back to their GP. Conclusions Clinical investigations are unlikely to inform the management and outcome of children with chronic abdominal pain, no “alarm symptoms” or relevant family history, and normal examination. Reassurance and education should be the primary therapy in children. “Open access” clinic appointments, following the initial consultation, could reduce the number of cancellations and DNAs in Outpatient Clinics.
Dynamics of In cluster growth during InP(110) surface dissociation studied by in-situ reflection electron microscopy

Annealing effects on InP (110) surfaces were observed in situ using a modified ultrahigh -vacuum transmission electron microscope equipped with a specimen heating holder. Reflection electron microscopy (REM) was used to record the dynamics of nucleation and growth of liquid In clusters at 650°C, following the desorption of P from the surface. These droplets showed no preference for nucleation at surface steps, and the steps appeared stationary throughout the annealing process. Two distinct types of In cluster growth rates and shape evolutions were detected. A model was developed to decouple height and length information in the REM images. Contact angle and volume above the InP(110) surface were calculated from the dynamic data. The change of contact angle with time provides evidence for sub-surface cluster etching.
Laser plasma accelerators: concepts, progress and dreams

The basic principles, progress and future challenges in developing laser plasma accelerators will be discussed. GeV electron beams have been generated from structures that are cm-scale enabling development of compact hyperspectral radiation sources and colliders.
Optimization of Advanced High-Temperature Brayton Cycles with Multiple-Reheat Stages

This paper presents an overview and a few point designs for multiple-reheat Brayton cycle power conversion systems (PCSs) using heat from high-temperature molten salts or liquid metals. All designs are derived from the General Atomics gas turbine-modular helium reactor (GT-MHR) power conversion unit (PCU). Analysis shows that, with relatively small engineering modifications, multiple GT-MHR PCUs can be connected together to create a PCS in the >1000 MW(electric) class. The resulting PCS is quite compact, and results in what is likely the minimum gas duct volume possible for a multiple-reheat system. To realize this, compact plate type liquid-to-gas heat exchangers (power densities from 10 to 120 MW/m 3 ) are needed. Different fluids such as helium, nitrogen and helium mixture, and supercritical C0 2 are compared for these multiple-reheat Brayton cycles. For turbine inlet temperatures of 900, 750, and 675°C, the net thermal efficiencies for helium cycles are 56, 51, and 48%, respectively, and corresponding PCU power densities are 560, 490, and 460 kW(electric)/m 3 , respectively. The very high PCU power densities could imply a large material saving and low construction cost, and bring down the specific PCU cost to about half that of the current GT-MHR PCS design.
Sleep disorders in regional sleep centers: A national cooperative study

Study Objective: In the last two decades there has been an increase in the awareness of and professional expertise in sleep disorders. The objective of this study was to determine the spectrum of sleep-related disorders diagnosed in regional sleep centers and compare this to a previous survey published in 1982. Design: A two-month prospective point-prevalence survey Setting: Nineteen accredited regional sleep centers in the United States Participants: Patients evaluated at regional sleep centers during a two-month period. Interventions: NA Results: Obstructive sleep apnea, narcolepsy, and restless legs syndrome were the top three reported primary diagnoses with a prevalence of 67.8%, 4.9%, and 3.2%, respectively. The entire range of sleep disorders, however, was represented in the study sample. Nearly a third of patients had either a primary or secondary diagnosis of a non-respiratory sleep disorder. Referral physicians were most likely to be from internal medicine, pulmonary medicine, and otolaryngology. Compared to the previous survey from 1982, there has been an absolute increase in patient referrals/center with a two- to four-fold increase in the number of patients/center with a final diagnosis of a non-respiratory sleep-related problem. Moreover, there has been a greater than twenty-fold increase in the diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea. Conclusion: Regional sleep centers are encountering increasing patient referrals and a broad range of sleep-related disorders. The predominant reasons for referral are related to obstructive sleep apnea, narcolepsy, and restless legs syndrome.
Courageous leaders. The integral force behind organizational excellence.

For more than a decade, Total Quality Management (TQM) has been used as a powerful instrument in shaping the competitive strategies of businesses, and producing quality products and services has become the credo of firms trying to defend or expand their markets. During this time, we have come to realize that without effective leadership no quality program can succeed. That is why the quality guru, W. Edwards Deming, refused to work in any organization unless he could begin with the CEO. That is why the first criterion examined for the Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Award is leadership. Focusing on quality will not guarantee success in today's rapidly changing markets. Increasingly discriminating consumers have come to expect quality in the products and services they buy, and businesses that fail to deliver it will not survive. In a very real sense, quality performance is the price you must pay simply to play the game. But consumers want more, and satisfying their expectations will determine tomorrow's winners and losers. Building organizations capable of producing superior results that consistently meet the needs of customers is the responsibility of leaders. For this reason, leaders are more important today than they have ever been before. Leaders in successful businesses must show the way for their employees by nurturing "cultures" that encourage and reward superior performance and by exhibiting personal characteristics that inspire excellence. Great leaders possess three crucial characteristics--vision, strong values and beliefs, and the courage to do the job despite seemingly insurmountable obstacles. These characteristics make the difference between excellence and "business as usual."
Piezoelectric MEMS for audio signal transduction, microfluidic management, resonant mass sensing, and movable surface micromachined structures

This paper describes piezoelectric MEMS that offer competitive advantages over existing commercial technologies in audio, ultrasonic, air borne, microfluidic and RF applications. Specifically, a piezoelectric microphone requires a much simpler fabrication process than a condenser microphone, while a piezoelectric microspeaker is both planar and amenable to MEMS process for mass production unlike an electrodynamic speaker. Micromachined self-focusing acoustic transducers can eject picoliter liquid droplet in any oblique angle, without any clog-prone nozzle. Resonant mass sensors based on film bulk-acoustic resonators (FBAR) offer inherently higher sensitivity and smaller active area than a quartz microbalance. Piezoelectrically actuated cantilever can be moved in both directions (i.e., into and away-from a stationary electrode) unlike an electrostatically actuated cantilever, and provides a wide tuning ratio for a tunable capacitor.
Monoamine Transporters as Ionotropic Receptors

It is well established that glutamate and GABA signal through both ionotropic and metabotropic receptors. Conversely, it is thought that, with one exception, monoamines (dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine) signal via metabotropic receptors. Given their capacity to generate fast-acting currents, I suggest that the monoamine transporters should be considered as ionotropic receptors.
Associations of human skeletal muscle fiber type and insulin sensitivity, blood lipids, and vascular hemodynamics in a cohort of premenopausal women.

Cardiometabolic disease remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in developed nations. Consequently, identifying and understanding factors associated with underlying pathophysiological processes leading to chronic cardio metabolic conditions is critical. Metabolic health, arterial elasticity, and insulin sensitivity (SI) may impact disease risk, and may be determined in part by myofiber type. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that type I myofiber composition would be associated with high SI, greater arterial elasticity, lower blood pressure, and blood lipids; whereas, type IIx myofibers would be associated with lower SI, lower arterial elasticity, higher blood pressure, blood lipids. Muscle biopsies were performed on the vastus lateralis in 16 subjects (BMI = 27.62 ± 4.71 kg/m2, age = 32.24 ± 6.37 years, 43% African American). The distribution of type I, IIa, and IIx myofibers was determined via immunohistochemistry performed on frozen cross-sections. Pearson correlation analyses were performed to assess associations between myofiber composition, SI, arterial elasticity, blood pressure, and blood lipid concentrations. The percentage of type I myofibers positively correlated with SI and negatively correlated with systolic blood pressure SBP, diastolic blood pressure, and mean arterial pressure (MAP); whereas, the percentage of type IIx myofibers were negatively correlated with SI and large artery elasticity, and positively correlated with LDL cholesterol, SBP, and MAP. These data demonstrate a potential link between myofiber composition and cardiometabolic health outcomes in a cohort of premenopausal women. Future research is needed to determine the precise mechanisms in which myofiber composition impacts the pathophysiology of impaired glucose and lipid metabolism, as well as vascular dysfunction.
Identification of immunogenic epitopes of β-adrenergic receptor 1 that induce heart autoimmunity in A/J mice (BA8P.164)

Coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3) is one of the important infectious causes of myocarditis that may lead to dilated cardiomyopathy. To study the autoimmune events in this viral infection, various mouse models are commonly employed. In our studies with A/J mice, we recently demonstrated that the animals infected with CVB3 show the appearance of pathogenic T cells specific to cardiac myosin heavy chain (Myhc)-alpha 334-352, leading us to hypothesize that CVB3 infection might accompany with the generation of T cells with specificities for multiple antigens. To test this hypothesis, we sought to identify the immunogenic epitopes of one other putative cardiac antigen namely, β-adrenergic receptor 1 (BAR 1 ) that has been previously implicated in the immune pathogenesis of CVB3 infection. Our data revealed that the peptides spanning the amino acids, 170 to 230 are capable of inducing epi/endocarditis by active immunization. We also noted that the disease induced by BAR 1 -peptides was associated with the induction of CD4 and/or CD8 T cell responses, with a skewed T helper (Th)1 and Th17 cytokine production. In conjunction with Myhc-alpha 334-352, identification of BAR 1 -peptides may thus permit us to determine the kinetics of the generation of autoreactive T cells with multiple antigen-specificities, which might be generated as a result of epitope spreading during the course of CVB3 infection.
Community-acquired pneumonia in children — a changing spectrum of disease

Pneumonia remains the leading cause of death in children outside the neonatal period, despite advances in prevention and management. Over the last 20 years, there has been a substantial decrease in the incidence of childhood pneumonia and pneumonia-associated mortality. New conjugate vaccines against Haemophilus influenzae type b and Streptococcus pneumoniae have contributed to decreases in radiologic, clinical and complicated pneumonia cases and have reduced hospitalization and mortality. The importance of co-infections with multiple pathogens and the predominance of viral-associated disease are emerging. Better access to effective preventative and management strategies is needed in low- and middle-income countries, while new strategies are needed to address the residual burden of disease once these have been implemented.
Information Processing Theory for the Survey Researcher

Psychology in the second half of the twentieth century is dominated by the cognitive point of view. Based on foundational work by Chomsky (1957) on syntactic structures in language, by Newell and Simon (1972) on computer simulation of thinking, and by a host of researchers interested in memory and perception (Miller, Galanter, & Pribram, 1960; Neisser, 1967), a new mentalism has emerged that serves as the central theoretical orientation in all subfields of psychology. Neighboring social sciences have started to use some of these theoretical concepts in their analyses of individual behavior.
Incidence of Vestibular Schwannoma over the Past Half-Century: A Population-Based Study of Olmsted County, Minnesota:

Objective The absence of a centralized health system has limited epidemiologic research surrounding vestibular schwannoma (VS) in the United States. The Rochester Epidemiology Project (REP) comprises a unique medical consortium that covers a complete population of all ages in a well-defined geographic region over the past half-century. The objective of this study was to characterize the incidence of sporadic VS over this extended period. Study Design Population-based study. Setting Olmsted County, Minnesota. Subjects and Methods Review of all VSs diagnosed between January 1, 1966, and December 31, 2016, was conducted with the REP medical records linkage system. Results A total of 153 incident cases of VS were identified. The incidence of VS significantly increased over the past half-century from 1.5 per 100,000 person-years during the first decade to 4.2 in the last decade ( P < .001). Incidence increased with age ( P < .001): those aged ≥70 years exhibited the highest incidence rate at 18.3 per 100,000 person-years in the last decade. Age at diagnosis significantly increased from a median of 52 years in the first decade to 62 years in the last ( P < .001). Despite presenting with fewer symptoms and smaller tumors, the time delay between symptom onset and diagnosis significantly decreased over the past 5 decades (all P < .05). Almost 1 in 4 patients was diagnosed incidentally in the last decade. Conclusion The incidence of VS increased significantly over the past half-century to a rate greater than previously reported. Patients' ease of access to medical care in Olmsted County and the comprehensive REP system likely contributed to this elevated detection rate of VS.
Copyrighting facts? Ownership of news images

ABSTRACTStriking the proper balance between private intellectual property interests and the public interest is especially important in the context of news, given its fundamental role in democracy. This article examines the scope of copyright protection for photojournalism, as well as the First Amendment safeguards that may limit that protection. It focuses on current understandings of the fair use doctrine and the idea/expression dichotomy (and idea/expression merger.) Next it focuses on the federal district court ruling in the Zapruder film case, which was based on one of the fair use doctrine’s key questions, but which also considered and rejected an idea/expression merger defense. An analysis of that case, and also a pair of key law review articles on copyright and images, leads to a proposal for a new “public-interest merger” doctrine for balancing public and rights holders’ interests in cases involving news images. That proposal argues for focus on whether the news images are exclusive (or at least n...
Preoperative Chemotherapy or Concurrent Chemotherapy and Radiation in Esophageal Cancer

There is increasing interest in neoadjuvant therapy for local-regional (LR) esophageal cancer, primarily because of the failure of conventional treatment to improve disease-free or overall survival. Many studies have indicated the poor results seen with either surgery or radiation therapy when used as single modalities. One of the reasons that treatment aimed at the local regional area only fails can be seen from a review of autopsy series from several American institutions [1, 2]. Anderson and Lad reviewed the results of 79 autopsies performed at a Veteran’s Administration hospital. The median duration from date of diagnosis to autopsy was only 4 months. In a second study, Bosch et al. reviewed the records of 82 patients treated at the University of Wisconsin. Twenty-two percent of patients had died in the immediate postoperative period. Despite the short duration of their illness, disseminated cancer was found in the majority of patients in both studies, with or without residual local tumor. The lung, liver, and lymph nodes were commonly involved. Thus, unlike Chinese patients found to have esophageal cancer during mass-screening programs (in whom esophagectomy alone has a high cure rate), symptomatic Western patients usually have extensive disease at the time of diagnosis.
Innovations. DNA detectives.

To understand the many potential causes and resulting consequences of DNA damage, scientists first need methods to detect it. Canadian scientists X. Chris Le and Michael Weinfeld, with help from U.S. molecular biologist Steven Leadon, developed a selective, sensitive technique for measuring DNA damage. The scientists combined a thymine glycol antibody with thymine glycol to selectively tag a specific type of DNA damage. They then added a second antibody with fluorescing properties, and used laser-induced fluorescence to identify the damaged portion of the tagged DNA. The fluorescence can be quantified, with higher levels of fluorescence indicating higher DNA damage. The technique was shown to find 1 damaged base in 1 billion normal bases. This level of sensitivity could allow the measurement of DNA damage resulting from clinical levels of radiation, and may allow scientists to establish a day-to-day baseline for DNA damage. From this baseline, it would be possible to ascertain the levels of damage that a cell can tolerate, as well as how much damaged it is capable of repairing on a daily basis.
Self-Reported Unmet Need for Mental Health Care After California's Parity Legislation

California's mental health parity law required private health insurance plans to offer mental health coverage as part of health benefit packages and eliminate mental health benefit limit and cost-sharing requirements that are less comprehensive than those for general medical conditions after July 2000 (1). This could have increased use of mental health care services and reduced unmet need among the privately insured, although it would not directly affect persons with public or no insurance. Self-insured health plans are also exempted from the parity legislation under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (1). In addition, the 2004 Mental Health Services Act (Proposition 63) funded improvements to mental health services in the public sector (2). We tracked changes in use of mental health care services and self-reported unmet need from 2001 to 2005 using the California Health Interview Survey, a repeated cross-sectional survey. A total of 56,270 and 43,020 adults aged 18 years or older were included in waves 2001 and 2005, respectively. Perceived need for mental health care was assessed with the question, “During the past 12 months, did you think you needed help for emotional or mental health problems, such as feeling sad, blue, anxious, or nervous?“ Among those expressing need, use of mental health care services was assessed with the question, “Not counting overnight stays, emergency room visits, or visits for drug or alcohol problems, in the past 12 months, have you seen a psychiatrist, psychologist, social worker, or counselor for emotional or mental health problems?” We defined unmet need as expressing need but not having used services. Figure 1 shows that use of mental health care services among the privately insured significantly decreased (p<.05), even though it increased among persons with public insurance (p<.05). No significant change in use was found among the uninsured. Figure 1 Percentage of California adults aged 18 or older reporting need for, utilization of, and unmet need for mental health care in 2001 and 2005a Perceived need for mental health care services increased significantly in all groups, however, resulting in a net increase of unmet need among the privately insured, among those with public insurance, and among the uninsured (p<.001 for all). Parity legislation applied to the privately insured, but it did not result in increased use of mental health care services in this group. Maybe more important, parity legislation cannot address the substantial disparities in mental health care utilization by insurance status.
Association of Plate Design With Consumption of Fruits and Vegetables Among Preschool Children

This cohort study investigates the association between use of plates with sections for fruits and vegetables designated by pictures and consumption of fruits and vegetables among preschool children 3 to 5 years of age.
Spine Pain Management

Spine pain is one of the most common complaints presenting to the emergency department and represents significant healthcare cost. Evaluation and workup of these patients can be difficult, and a proper history and physical exam will minimize unnecessary tests. Nontraumatic spine pain is most often idiopathic or related to muscle or ligamentous strain. Although musculoskeletal mechanisms are most commonly responsible, there are very rarely, but importantly, life-threatening conditions which present as spine pain, and these must be ruled out. The presence of neurologic deficit renders advanced imaging and neurosurgical consultation necessary. A subset of spine pain seen in the emergency department is chronic pain, and these cases require the full spectrum of pain management in order to address the associated symptoms which contribute to pain, and this can often be done in the outpatient setting. There is a positive correlation between psychological distress, insomnia, and depression with chronic pain. Efficiency is paramount in the emergency department, and simple screening tools such as the STarT Back Screening tool can be used to estimate prognosis in spine pain. Once a diagnosis is made, one can determine which pharmacologic treatment, if any, is necessary. Nonopioid, anti-inflammatory pain medications are most appropriate to treat acute inflammatory pain. Alternatively, cancer spine pain may require very high-dose opioids to adequately address pain crises, and chronic pain may require medications such as anti-convulsants, anti-depressants, or even atypical anti-psychotics. There is no perfect method for evaluating and diagnosing spine pain, however utilizing the comprehensive history, physical examination, screening tools, laboratory testing, and advanced imaging appropriately will help make treatment most efficient.
Incubation and grazing effects on spirotrich ciliate diversity inferred from molecular analyses of microcosm experiments.

We used an experimental approach of analyzing marine microcosms to evaluate the impact of both predation (top-down) and food resources (bottom-up) on spirotrich ciliate communities. To assess the diversity, we used two molecular methods–denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) and high-throughput sequencing (HTS). We carried out two types of experiments to measure top-down (adult copepods as predators) and bottom-up effects (phytoplankton as food resources) on the spirotrich ciliates. We observed both strong incubation effects (untreated controls departed from initial assessment of diversity) and high variability across replicates within treatments, particularly for the bottom-up experiments. This suggests a rapid community turn-over during incubation and differential susceptibility to the effects of experimental manipulation. Despite the variability, our analyses reveal some broad patterns such as (1) increasing adult copepod predator abundance had a greater impact on spirotrich ciliates than on other microbial eukaryotes; (2) there was no evidence for strong food selection by the dominant spirotrich ciliates.
Are alternatives to Dempster's rule of combination real alternatives?: Comments on “About the belief function combination and the conflict management problem”––Lefevre et al

In the latest issue of this journal, Lefevre et al.’s paper [1] raises the important question of how to combine belief functions from different sources and how to manage conflicts. They propose a parametrized combination rule that includes several existing combination rules as special cases. Their method is based on so-called weighting factors that determine how conflicting masses are to be distributed among the subsets of the corresponding frames of discernment. Since my understanding of Dempster-Shafer theory and my practical experience with belief function modelisation and corresponding computations is quite different, I do not support several points in their approach.
Interfacial bonding in formulated bilayer tablets.

Abstract To take full advantage of the drug delivery benefits offered by bilayer tablets, the common issue of weak interfacial bonding strength (IBS) with manufacturing must be overcome. This work seeks to characterize the effects of composition in individual layers and compaction pressure on the IBS. Mixtures of MCC and lactose in different ratios with and without HPMC were used where the first layer was compacted with two different pressures (20 and 100 MPa) followed by a second layer compaction pressure of 200 MPa. After identifying the failure mode as either at the interface or within a layer, the complex trends of bilayer tablet IBS as a function of MCC content were explained by considering the interplay between particle bonding strength and bonding area at the interface.
Neural Approaches to Conversational AI – Tutorial at ACL/SIGIR 2018

This tutorial surveys neural approaches to conversational AI that were developed in the last few years. We group conversational systems into three categories: (1) question answering agents, (2) task-oriented dialogue agents, and (3) social bots. For each category, we present a review of state-of-the-art neural approaches, draw the connection between neural approaches and traditional symbolic approaches, and discuss the progress we have made and challenges we are facing, using specific systems and models as case studies.
Chapter 9 – Boolean Cayley Graphs

This chapter deals with some applications of graph theory to problems involving Boolean functions. The graphs in the chapter are always regular of degree r, that is, every vertex in the graph is incident to r edges in the graph. A regular graph of degree r is strongly regular if there exist nonnegative integers e,de,d such that for all vertices u,vu,v the number of vertices adjacent to both u and v is e or d , if u,vu,v are adjacent or, respectively, nonadjacent. The chapter considers very special Cayley graphs associated with Boolean functions. Namely, for a Boolean function f in n variables the Cayley graph ΓfΓf of f is defined to be the graph whose vertices are the 2n2n elements of the set VnVn of binary n -tuples and whose edges are the ordered pairs (u,v))∈Vn×Vn(u,v))∈Vn×Vn, subject to the condition f(u⊕v)=1f(u⊕v)=1 (here ⊕ is addition mod2). A binary adjacency matrix whose entries are values of f is defined in such a way that AfAf is a regular graph whose degree is the Hamming weight of f. A main result in the chapter is the fact that a function f in an even number of variables n is bent if and only if the Cayley graph ΓfΓf is a strongly regular graph with e=de=d.
Feasibility and acceptability of yoga to improve psychosocial and physical function among patients with lung cancer: A pilot study.

e24068Background: Patients with lung cancer suffer from depression symptoms, reduced quality of life (QOL), and declines in physical function during and after cancer treatment. Since yoga is a low ...
Imaging system at 94 GHz using tapered slot antenna elements

A 94 GHz Imaging System using linearly tapered slot antennas with integrated beamlead diodes as receptor elements has been developed. The elements have sufficient gain to directly illuminate the sub-reflector of a Cassegrain antenna. The one-foot diameter of the main reflector determines a beam-width of 0.7 degrees for each beam. The measured spacing between adjacent beams in a seven element array is 0.64 degrees. A four element array has also been used for tracking.
Extra-synaptic modulation of GABAA and efficacy in bipolar disorder.

Abstract Background Bipolar disorder type I is a severe psychiatric condition that leads to significant morbidity and mortality and whose treatment remains suboptimal. Its pathophysiology involves disturbance in the control of ionic fluxes so that when patients are either manic or depressed, the resting membrane potential of neurons is more depolarized than normal. Available mood stabilizers have a shared mechanism of normalizing ion flux by compensating for ionic abnormalities, and normalizing membrane potential. Hypothesis Agents that significantly potentiate extrasynaptic GABAA receptors are expected to be particularly effective in hyperpolarizing resting membrane potential in bipolar patients, thereby normalizing their membrane potential. Discussion New neuroactive steroid-like agents are being tested in humans for depression and insomnia. These agents include brexanolone, ganaxolone, and gaboxadol. Brexanolone has been approved for the treatment of postpartum depression, ganaxolone is being studied for treatment-resistant depression, and gaboxadol development for the treatment of insomnia has been abandoned due to narrow therapeutic index. In addition to the current studies, these agents are expected to have particular efficacy in acute and prophylactic management of bipolar I disorder by hyperpolarizing the resting potential of neurons and antagonizing one of the most reproducible demonstrated biologic abnormalities of this illness.
An Experimental Analysis of the Thermal Performance of Solar Air Heater (SAH) Having Two Different Absorber Plate Along with (PCM)-Based Energy Storage

This work aims to examine the thermal output of a solar air heater (SAH) with flat plate absorber and an absorber having flat plate with conical extended geometry; along with the phase change material (PCM). During the investigation, the PCM was placed under the absorber plate. During this inquiry, paraffin was taken as a PCM. The thermal output of the newly developed absorber plate by means of conical extended geometry has been analyzed in this work, and it has been compared to a flat plate absorber of conventional SAH. The integrated solar air heater (SAH) including paraffin wax as a PCM is developed and tested in Moradabad city under normal weather conditions (Latitude—28.84° N, and 78.79° E), Uttar Pradesh. The various thermal performance parameters have been evaluated for the established SAH. These parameters are solar radiation, instant thermal efficiency, the difference in temperature around the heater, and the PCM effect. Constant rate of mass flow 0.01 kg/s has been used to test the parameters for the thermal efficiency. The average thermal efficiency of 55–60% has been obtained at the constant rate of mass flow 0.01 kg/s. The uppermost thermal efficiency was acquired when utilizing absorber plate with conical extended geometry filled with PCM at operation condition. As the result obtained during experiment, it is clear that, utilizing PCM, the air exit temperature for flat plate SAH with extended conical geometry is above the ambient temperature of 2–10 ℃ for 4.5 h after nightfall compared to 1–6 ℃ for 2.7 h after sunset for the flat plate absorber SAH when constant rate of mass flow 0.01 kg/ s has been maintained. It also comes to the conclusion that, utilizing extended geometry, the charging and discharging time of PCM is much lower than without utilizing extended geometry.
Multifactorial Wrist Pain Treated with Tenotomy of Anomalous Flexor Carpi Radialis Brevis: A Case Report.

CASE We present a case of a 33-year-old left hand-dominant/right hand-involved active duty Navy sailor woman with volar radial wrist pain. She underwent scaphoid cyst excision and bone grafting as well as tenotomy. Intraoperatively, she was noted to have a flexor carpi radialis brevis (FCRB) tendon that was transected. After surgery, her 1-year outcomes demonstrated range of motion improved equivalent with her contralateral side, her visual analogue scale (VAS) pain score had decreased to 1, and her QuickDASH and Patient-Rated Wrist Evaluation improved. CONCLUSIONS Our case represents 1-year outcome after surgical release of a FCRB. Our patient's pain and functional scores exceeded the minimal clinically important difference.
Widespread annular rash in a low resource setting

This is the upper chest of a man in his 50s who presented to Partners in Hope medical centre in Lilongwe, Malawi with a three month history of pruritic rash (fig 1). On examination, polycyclic annular …
Insights into the structure and function of membrane-integrated processive glycosyltransferases

Complex carbohydrates perform essential functions in life, including energy storage, cell signaling, protein targeting, quality control, as well as supporting cell structure and stability. Extracellular polysaccharides (EPS) represent mainly structural polymers and are found in essentially all kingdoms of life. For example, EPS are important biofilm and capsule components in bacteria, represent major constituents in cell walls of fungi, algae, arthropods and plants, and modulate the extracellular matrix in vertebrates. Different mechanisms evolved by which EPS are synthesized. Here, we review the structures and functions of membrane-integrated processive glycosyltransferases (GTs) implicated in the synthesis and secretion of chitin, alginate, hyaluronan and poly-N-acetylglucosamine (PNAG).
What Explains IMF Policy Shifts In Regards to Low Income Countries

Drawing from Principal Agent modeling and Sociological Organizational theory, this paper examines what drives IMF policy change in regard to Low- Income Countries (LICs). Based on the evidence drawn from comparison of five cases, it concludes the following. First, two tiers of actors are identifiable in shaping LIC outcomes. Primary actors include powerful states, management, and staff. Secondary actors consist of poor states, NGOs, and the US Congress. Future LIC policy is predicted not to change unless a coalition made up of two primary actors or a primary actor and secondary actor are formed. Second, as hypothesized by principal agent theory, increases in powerful state preference heterogeneity grants staff and management greater room to initiate or resist policy change. Third, direct NGO pressure that ‘leap-frogs’ delegation chains proves most effective when a sympathetic primary actor is present. Finally, ‘norm entrepreneurs’ strategically situated within the staff bureaucracy are necessary to facilitate change if the reform in question challenges the Fund’s institutional culture.
HAVE: Detecting Atomicity Violations via Integrated Dynamic and Static Analysis

The reality of multi-core hardware has made concurrent programs pervasive. Unfortunately, writing correct concurrent programs is difficult. Atomicity violation, which is caused by concurrently executing code unexpectedly violating the atomicity of a code segment, is one of the most common concurrency errors. However, atomicity violations are hard to find using traditional testing and debugging techniques. This paper presents a hybrid approach that integrates static and dynamic analyses to attack this problem. We first perform static analysis to obtain summaries of synchronizations and accesses to shared variables. The static summaries are then instantiated with runtime values during dynamic executions to speculatively approximate the behaviors of branches that are not taken. Compared to dynamic analysis, the hybrid approach is able to detect atomicity violations in unexecuted parts of the code. Compared to static analysis, the hybrid approach produces fewer false alarms. We implemented this hybrid analysis in a tool called HAVE that detects atomicity violations in multi-threaded Java programs. Experiments on several benchmarks and real-world applications demonstrate promising results.
Interaction of strong shock wave with turbulent boundary layer

The reported investigation represents an extension of the time-dependent solution of separated laminar flows based on the complete Navier-Stokes equations reported by MacCormack (1971) and Carter (1973). The current study includes turbulence models in conjunction with the compressible flow equations. The calculations start with a uniform flow except for values imposed along the upstream and outer boundaries. The basic numerical method is discussed along with questions concerning the exponential accuracy and the resolution of the viscous sublayer in a compressed region.
Structures of the normal unsaturated fatty acids of brain sphingolipids

A description is presented of the structural characterization of the normal unsaturated fatty acids of pig brain sphingolipids. The acids were isolated with the use of silver nitrate-impregnated silica gel and gas-liquid chromatography, and the positions of the double bonds were determined by a simplified ozonolysis procedure. In this method, the methyl esters were treated consecutively with ozone, performic acid, and diazomethane. Gas-liquid chromatography with a temperature program permitted analysis of the degradation products without preliminary separation of the mono- and dicarboxylic acids. Twenty-seven chemically-defined unsaturated acids were found, 25 of which have not been previously reported. These included the odd- and even-numbered monoenoic acids 22–26 carbon atoms long, as well as C24, C25, and C26 dienes. Each acid consisted of 2–4 positional isomers, which appear to have been derived from oleic, palmitoleic, linoleic, or an odd-numbered acid by chain elongation. Some of the acids appear to have been derived also by a 1-carbon degradation reaction from the longer homologue. Small amounts of trienoic acids were also found.
Rank-size plots, Zipf’s law, and scaling

Rank-size plots, also called Zipf plots, have a role to play in representing statistical data. The method is somewhat peculiar, but throws light on one aspect of the notions of concentration. This chapter’s first goals are to define those plots and show that they are of two kinds. Some are simply an analytic restatement of standard tail distributions but other cases stand by themselves. For example, in the context of word frequencies in natural discourse, rank-size plots provide the most natural and most direct way of expressing scaling.
Autoradiographic studies of the distribution of polonium-210 in mice after a single intravenous injection.

SummaryThis short-term autoradiographic study has been undertaken to give survey distribution patterns of all organs and tissues simultaneously before severe tissue changes due to radiation damage were apparent.The results confirmed earlier autoradiographic studies. In addition, we have shown the importance of the accumulation of polonium in the placenta, the uptake in the organic matrix of bone. High concentrations were also found in the lacrymal and mammary glands, the meninges, and in the intestinal wall.
Understanding Melt Index and ASTM D1238

In plastics manufacturing, the melt flow index (MFI) is used as a routine indicator of rheological behavior when more expensive and laborious determinations of well-defined material functions are impractical. The MFI is the mass flow rate in a pressure driven flow through a standardized abrupt cylindrical contraction into a short tube performed under a standardized combination of pressure drop and temperature. In this paper, we use a finite element model to explore the connections between rheological properties and melt index. We explore the role of shear thinning by modeling the flow through the melt indexer using the Bird-Carreau model. We then explore the role of melt viscoelasticity in the MFI using the corotational Maxwell model. We present our results in dimensionless charts designed to help plastics engineers specify the MFI of a plastic for an industrial manufacturing process of known material functions. Worked examples are included to show how to use the results.
Single-leptoquark production in Z decays.

The possibility of observing leptoquarks which manifest themselves as rare decay modes of the {ital Z} is examined in a wide variety of models. At a {ital Z} factory, with {approx gt}10{sup 7} {ital Z}'s, a significant signal for the production and decay of such particles can be obtained for masses as large as {congruent}80 GeV in some models.
Russia's Evolving Strategic Nuclear Deterrent

Russia's nuclear deterrent remains an important component of its national security policy and of its military strategy. The significance of Russian nuclear forces has changed since the end of the C...
Ionic conductivity of Li2NaK(SO4)2

Abstract A DSC study of Li2NaK(SO4)2 in the range 300∽925 K has revealed that the compound undergoes phase transitions at 654, 682, 778 and 866 K, before melting congruently at 900 K. The five phase which are observed are designated I, II, III, IV and V with increasing order of temperature. A comparison of the enthalpy of melting with the transition enthalpies suggests that the phases IV and V are plastic phases. The ionic conductivity was measured in the range 584∽895 K by an ac impedance technique. The phase IV showed the smallest activation energy as determined from the temperature dependence of the conductivity (Ea=0.82 eV). The highest conductivity (1.0 Ω−1 cm−1) was observed in phase V at 895 K.
Modeling the data management system of Space Station Freedom with DEPEND

Some of the features and capabilities of the DEPEND simulation-based modeling tool are described. A study of a 1553B local bus subsystem of the Space Station Freedom Data Management System (SSF DMS) is used to illustrate some types of system behavior that can be important to reliability and performance evaluations of this type of spacecraft. A DEPEND model of the subsystem is used to illustrate how these types of system behavior can be modeled, and shows what kinds of engineering and design questions can be answered through the use of these modeling techniques. DEPEND's process-based simulation environment is shown to provide a flexible method for modeling complex interactions between hardware and software elements of a fault-tolerant computing system.
Synthesis and function of 8α,25-dihydroxy-3-oxoneocholecalciferol in liver

25-Hydroxycholecalciferol (25-OHD3) is converted to 8 alpha,25-dihydroxy-3-oxoneocholecalciferol [8,25-(OH)2-3-oxoneo-D3] by liver microsomes, alveolar macrophages and myeloid leukemia cells. The characteristics of this reaction in liver microsomes have been determined. Omission of an NADPH-generating system or NADH resulted in a greater than 75% reduction in the production of 8,25-(OH)2-3-oxoneo-D3. In the absence of the cytosolic fraction, 25-OHD3 was converted to products that comigrated with 8,25-(OH)2-3-oxoneo-D3 on a silica column developed with hexane-isopropanol, thereby preventing quantitation. Production of 8,25-(OH)2-3-oxoneo-D3 was unaffected by EDTA and was stimulated by N,N'-diphenyl-p-phenylenediamine. Both progesterone and pregnenolone inhibited production of 8,25-(OH)2-3-oxoneo-D3; inhibition by progesterone was greater than that by pregnenolone. 8,25-(OH)2-3-Oxoneo-D3 did not bind the thymus receptor for 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol [1,25-(OH)2D3] at concentrations 10-fold higher than that of 1,25-(OH)2D3. The lack of affinity of 8,25-(OH)2-3-oxoneo-D3 for the 1,25-(OH)2D3 receptor suggests that this metabolite is a degradative product of 25-OHD3, which might be produced when 25-OHD3 concentrations in the liver are excessive. Synthesis of this metabolite in the liver may be catalyzed by enzymes that also metabolize other steroids.
Effects of selected water toxicants on the in vitro activity of fish carbonic anhydrase

Carbonic anhydrase (CA, carbonate hydro-lyase EC 4.2.1.1) from lysed red blood cells of the channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) was studied to determine physico-chemical kinetic properties and relative sensitivity to 56 chemicals of significance in water quality research. In general, enzyme activity was strongly reduced by heavy metal inorganic cations; less strongly by organometallic cations, some anions, and certain pesticides; and weakly inhibited by light metal cations and organometallic and organic compounds. Dose--response curves were qualitatively similar in most cases.