cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Pharmacokinetic–Pharmacodynamic Modelling: History and Perspectives

A major goal in clinical pharmacology is the quantitative prediction of drug effects. The field of pharmacokinetic–pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) modelling has made many advances from the basic concept of the dose–response relationship to extended mechanism-based models. The purpose of this article is to review, from a historical perspective, the progression of the modelling of the concentration–response relationship from the first classic models developed in the mid-1960s to some of the more sophisticated current approaches. The emphasis is on general models describing key PD relationships, such as: simple models relating drug dose or concentration in plasma to effect, biophase distribution models and in particular effect compartment models, models for indirect mechanism of action that involve primarily the modulation of endogenous factors, models for cell trafficking and transduction systems. We show the evolution of tolerance and time-variant models, non- and semi-parametric models, and briefly discuss population PK/PD modelling, together with some example of more recent and complex pharmacodynamic models for control system and nonlinear HIV-1 dynamics. We also discuss some future possible directions for PK/PD modelling, report equations for general classes of novel semi-parametric models, as well as describing two new classes, additive or set-point, of regulatory, additive feedback models in their direct and indirect action variants
Tachykinin-induced activation of non-specific cation conductance via NK3 neurokinin receptors in guinea-pig intracardiac neurones.

1 Whole mount preparations from guinea-pig hearts were used to characterize the receptors and ionic mechanisms mediating the substance P (SP)-induced depolarization of para-sympathetic postganglionic neurones of the cardiac ganglion. 2 Measurement of the amplitude of depolarization in response to superfusion of different tachykinin agonists (neurokinins A (NKA) and B (NKB), SP, and senktide) gave a rank-order potency of NKB=senktide > NKA > SP, indicating involvement of an NK3 receptor. The use of the selective tachykinin receptor antagonists SR 140333, SR 48986, and SR 142801 demonstrated that only the NK3 receptor antagonist SR 142801 inhibited the SP-induced depolarization. 3 The SP-induced depolarization was not inhibited by Ba2+, TEA, or niflumic acid, or altered by reduced Cl− solutions, but was attenuated in reduced Na+ solutions. Single electrode voltage clamp studies demonstrated that the SP-induced inward current increased in amplitude at more negative potentials, had a reversal potential of approximately 0 mV, and was reduced in amplitude in reduced Na+ solutions. 4 We conclude that the SP-induced depolarization in guinea-pig postganglionic parasympathetic neurones of the cardiac ganglion is due to NK3-mediated activation of a non-selective cation conductance.
Lack of association of chromosome 9p21.3 genotype with cardiovascular structure and function in persons with stable coronary artery disease: The Heart and Soul Study

Objective Recent large-scale genome-wide association studies have identified a novel susceptibility locus on chromosome 9p21.3 that contributes a significant attributable risk for myocardial infarction. The phenotypic significance of this locus in patients with established coronary artery disease is unknown. We sought to compare cardiovascular structure and function in carriers and non-carriers of the risk haplotype in a cross-sectional study.
Electron-electron scattering. III. Helicity cross sections for electron-electron scattering

The helicity amplitudes for electron-electron scattering to order ${e}^{4}$ are calculated by using the five invariant amplitudes presented in a previous paper. As applications, we rederive the unpolarized cross section given by Polovin and the spin-momentum correlation result obtained by Barut and Fronsdal.
Latino Immigrants' Explanatory Models of Tuberculosis Infection

One third of the world's population is infected with the tuberculosis (TB) bacillus, and the disease accounts for more than $700 million annual U.S. health care expenditures. Only about 3% of that amount is spent on preventive therapy. The major problem with preventive therapy is lack of adherence among high-risk groups, such as Latino immigrants. To improve adherence, public health professionals need a better understanding of the meaning of tuberculosis infection to Latino immigrants. In this study, Kleinman's frame-work for eliciting an explanatory model was used in interviews with 65 Latino immigrants enrolled in preventive therapy in a county health department. The focus of the interview was their beliefs concerning the cause of their infection, their fears about it, and the results they hoped to achieve in preventive therapy. Among other findings, the study indicated that most of the immigrants did not know the cause of their infection.
Mimetic Finite Difference Methods for Diffusion Equations

This paper reviews and extends the theory and application of mimetic finite difference methods for the solution of diffusion problems in strongly heterogeneous anisotropic materials. These difference operators satisfy the fundamental identities, conservation laws and theorems of vector and tensor calculus on nonorthogonal, nonsmooth, structured and unstructured computational grids. We provide explicit approximations for equations in two dimensions with discontinuous anisotropic diffusion tensors. We mention the similarities and differences between the new methods and mixed finite element or hybrid mixed finite element methods.
Using the Kinetics of Biological Flocculation and the Limiting Flux Theory for the Preliminary Design of Activated Sludge Systems. II: Experimental Verification

Current activated sludge models consider that the removal of biodegradable organics by suspended growth includes: rapid enmeshment of the organic particles in the microbial floc, hydrolysis of the complex organic molecules into readily biodegradable organic substances, and oxidation of dissolved organic substances. All of the models assume that hydrolysis is the rate-limiting step, but none considers the role that the kinetics of biological flocculation and the sludge-settling characteristics may play in defining the activated sludge operating parameters. Several researchers have studied the kinetics of biological flocculation, and have analyzed its role on the removal of particulate chemical oxygen demand in suspended growth reactors. It has been demonstrated that a large proportion of the organic matter present in sewage can be removed by biological flocculation using short hydraulic retention times and subsequent settling. The first paper demonstrates that the one-dimensional limiting flux theory may be useful for coupling the sludge-settling properties with the aeration tank behavior, and the second paper presents experimental evidence that the proposed model is a reasonable first approximation that can be used for activated sludge system design and operation.
A feedback architecture for formation control

This paper addresses the problem of coordinating multiple spacecraft to fly in tightly controlled formations. The main contribution of the paper is to introduce a coordination architecture that subsumes leader-following, behavioral, and virtual-structure approaches to the multi-vehicle coordination problem. The architecture is illustrated through an application of the ideas to the problem of synthesizing a multiple spacecraft interferometer in deep space.
Positivity conditions in meshless collocation methods

Collocation meshless methods are conceptually simple, easy-to-implement and fast numerical methods. The robustness of collocation methods has, however, been an issue especially for scattered set of points. In this paper we show that the robustness of collocation meshless methods can be improved by ensuring that certain conditions, defined as the positivity conditions, are satisfied when constructing approximation functions and their derivatives. The significance of positivity conditions is pointed out by an error analysis of the finite cloud method, which is a collocation based meshless method. We propose techniques, based on modification of weighting functions, to ensure satisfaction of positivity conditions on the approximation function and its derivatives when using a scattered set of points. Several types of weighting functions are tested for 1D and 2D problems on scattered points. Numerical results demonstrate the effectiveness of collocation methods when positivity conditions are satisfied.
Gaming Emergency Preparedness

This paper describes the design of a competitive game to support "offense" and "defense" teams as they develop and improve their scenarios and plans about possible crisis situations. The threats are used as an evaluation mechanism for the resulting plans. The game uses a Computer Mediated Communication System over a time from several weeks to several months, allowing players to participate asynchronously. Each new cycle of improved planning is stimulated by "intelligence leaks," changes in resources available to both sides, and selected new information. The game may easily be adapted to competitive companies, or a competitive situation between man and nature such as a flood or earthquake. The structure and applications of the game are discussed, and the initial field trials are described.
Small G proteins as key regulators of pancreatic digestive enzyme secretion

Small GTP-binding (G) proteins act as molecular switches to regulate a number of cellular processes, including vesicular transport. Emerging evidence indicates that small G proteins regulate a number of steps in the secretion of pancreatic acinar cells. Diverse small G proteins have been localized at discrete compartments along the secretory pathway and particularly on the secretory granule. Rab3D, Rab27B, and Rap1 are present on the granule membrane and play a role in the steps leading up to exocytosis. Whether the function of these G proteins is simply to ensure appropriate targeting or if they are involved as regulatory molecules is discussed. Most evidence suggests that Rab3D and Rab27B play a role in tethering the secretory granule to its target membrane. Other Rabs have been identified on the secretory granule that are associated with different steps in the secretory pathway. The Rho family small G proteins RhoA and Rac1 also regulate secretion through remodeling of the actin cytoskeleton. Possible mechanisms for regulation of these G proteins and their effector molecules are considered.
The Accuracies of Crossover and Parallel-Track Estimates of Geostrophic Velocity from TOPEX/Poseidon and Jason Altimeter Data

Abstract Mean-squared errors of surface geostrophic velocity estimates from the crossover and parallel-track methods are calculated for altimeters in the Ocean Topography Experiment (TOPEX)/Poseidon and Jason orbits. As part of the crossover method analysis, the filtering properties and errors of cross-track speed estimates are examined. Velocity estimates from both the crossover and parallel-track methods have substantial mean-squared errors that exceed 20% of the signal standard deviation, differ systematically between the zonal and meridional components, and vary with latitude. The measurement errors on the zonal and meridional velocity component estimates from both methods increase at low latitudes owing to the inverse dependence of geostrophic velocity on the Coriolis parameter. Additional latitudinal variations result for the parallel-track method because of the poleward convergence of the satellite ground tracks and the presence of orbit error, and for the crossover method because of the changing a...
Are There Beta-Adrenergic Receptor Response Differences between Racial Groups?

Beta-adrenergic receptor (BAR) agonists and antagonists are among the most widely used drugs in America today. This review highlights the importance of cross-racial studies in evaluating BAR effects because heterogeneity in pharmacologic response among humans exists. Clinicians and basic scientists in the drug development industry need to acknowledge racial differences in antihypertensive drug responses and prevent various racial groups from being underrepresented in clinical trials. This article reviews the influence of race on BAR responses with emphasis on blacks and whites. Information from patients with hypertension, healthy volunteers, and in vitro studies is presented.
Do stock splits signal undervaluation

Abstract Signaling theory of stock splits postulates that managers use stock splits to convey favorable private information to the market about the fair value of the firm and thus attempt to reduce or eliminate undervaluation. In this paper, we investigate this proposition using three different misvaluation estimates. Contrary to the undervaluation hypothesis, we find that split firms are overvalued, rather than undervalued for the seven years surrounding split announcements. Moreover, the overvaluation reaches its peak in the split announcement year and declines in the post-split period. Overall, our results suggest that firms do not use stock splits to signal undervaluation.
Swirling turbulent flow through a curved pipe

An experimental study of swirling turbulent flow through a curved bend and its downstream tangent has been carried out. This study reports on the recovery from swirl and bend curvature and relies on measurements obtained in the downstream tangent and data reported in Part 1 to assess the recovery. Unlike the nonswirling flow case, the present measurements show that the cross-stream secondary flow is dominated by the decay of the solid-body rotation and the total wall shear stress measured at the inner and outer bend (furthest away from the bend center of curvature) is approximately equal. The shear distribution is fairly uniform, even at 1 D downstream of the bend exit. At 49D downstream of the bend exit, the mean axial velocity has recovered to its measured profile at 18D upstream of the bend entrance. Furthermore, the mean tangential velocity is close to zero everywhere and the turbulent shear and normal stresses take another 15D to approximately approach their stationary straight pipe values. Therefore, complete flow recovery from swirl and bend curvature takes a total length of about 85D from the bend entrance. This compares with a recovery length of about 78D for bend curvature alone. The recovery length is substantially shorter than that measured previously in swirling flow through straight pipes and is a consequence of the angular momentum decreasing by approximately 74% across the curved bend. Consequently, the effect of bend curvature is to accelerate swirl decay in a pipe flow.
Subcellular distribution of histamine in human leucocytes.

SummaryHistamine and β-glucuronidase are present mostly in a granular fraction of human leucocytes. Histamine was released preferentially from the cells of allergic donors incubated with specific antigen, and beta glucuronidase was preferentially discharged during incubation with starch granules.
Factors affecting conidial dimensions of a Drechslera species

Growth medium, cultural age, and temperature, but not mounting medium, affected the size of conidia of the Drechslera state of Cochliobolus spicifer. Larger conidia were produced on oatmeal and pot...
Delivery of newly synthesized Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase to the plasma membrane of A6 epithelia

Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase is localized to the basolateral cell surface of most epithelial cells. Conflicting results regarding the intracellular trafficking of Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase in Madin-Darby canine kidney cells have been reported, with delivery to both apical and basolateral membranes or exclusively to the basolateral cell surface. We examined the delivery and steady-state distribution of Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase in the amphibian epithelial cell line A6 using an antibody raised against Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase alpha-subunit and sulfo-N-hydroxysuccinimidobiotin to tag cell surface proteins. The steady-state distribution of the Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase was basolateral, as confirmed by immunocytochemistry. Delivery of newly synthesized Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase to the cell surface was examined using [35S]methionine and [35S]cysteine in a pulse-chase protocol. After a 20-min pulse, the alpha-subunit and core glycosylated beta-subunit were present at both apical and basolateral cell surfaces. The alpha-subunit and core glycosylated beta-subunit delivered to the apical cell surface were degraded within 2 h. Mature alpha/beta-heterodimer was found almost exclusively at the basolateral surface after a 1- to 24-h chase. These data suggest that immature Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase alpha-subunit and core glycosylated beta-subunits are not retained in the endoplasmic reticulum of A6 cells and apparently lack sorting signals. Mature Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase is targeted to the basolateral surface, suggesting that basolateral targeting of the protein is conformation dependent.
Recent Advances in Diverticular Disease

Diverticular disease is common and accounts for substantial health care utilization in the USA. Recent publications in the areas of diverticulosis and diverticular disease have highlighted several notable advances that are now changing practice. Despite colonic diverticula being common, only 1-4 % of individuals with colonic diverticula will develop diverticulitis. After a first occurrence of acute diverticulitis, the risk of recurrence is 20 % at 5 years. Complications most commonly occur with the first occurrence of acute diverticulitis and not with recurrent episodes. After an episode of diverticulitis, many patients continue to experience chronic gastrointestinal symptoms. Prophylactic surgery is an option to reduce the risk of recurrence and its negative impact on quality of life. Importantly, the rationale for surgery is no longer to prevent complications because this risk is low. The review concludes with practical recommendations for patients with diverticulosis and diverticular disease.
Planning for transportation equity in small regions: Towards meaningful performance assessment

Abstract Regional transportation planning agencies seek to achieve multiple objectives simultaneously including consensus on key issues, compliance with relevant laws and regulations, and improvements in the congestion, air quality, and safety performance of the transportation system. Some performance areas lend themselves well to operationalization while others do not. One area that has received comparatively little study is the assessment of a plan's impacts on environmental justice and social equity. Although research on regional planning usually emphasizes larger metropolitan areas and agencies, these issues are especially relevant in smaller regions where planners lack the capacity for innovation and careful analysis. Further, the transit services on which disadvantaged populations depend are often lacking or non-existent in less-populated regions. Understanding how planners in these locations undertake social equity-related analyses and providing suggestions for improvement is thus an important endeavor. While prior work has assessed whether, and to what extent, equity objectives are included in plans, there are few detailed investigations of the key analytical choices that shape equity outcomes. This paper fills this important research gap, providing such an analysis of existing practice in a largely rural region in California, the San Joaquin Valley, as well as recommendations for future analyses aimed at improving the consistency between equity analyses and the real-world impacts of transportation plans.
Structural Resemblance Between Droop Controllers and Phase-Locked Loops

It is well known that droop control is fundamental to the operation of power systems and now the parallel operation of inverters, while phase-locked loops (PLLs) are widely adopted in modern electrical engineering. In this paper, it is shown at first that droop control and PLLs structurally resemble each other. This bridges the gap between the two communities working on droop control and PLLs. As a result, droop controllers and PLLs can be improved and further developed via adopting the advancements in the other field. This finding is then applied to operate the conventional droop controller for inverters with inductive output impedance to achieve the function of PLLs, without having a dedicated synchronization unit. Extensive experimental results are provided to validate the theoretical analysis.
Benchmarks for outcome indicators in pediatric cataract surgery.

PurposeThe purpose of this study was to establish benchmarks for outcome indicators that may help ascertain the quality of pediatric cataract surgery with primary intraocular lens (IOL) implantation.Patients and methodsA retrospective chart review of patients older than 2 years undergoing cataract surgery with primary IOL implantation, by multiple surgeons in a tertiary-care center, from November 2005 to February 2016 was conducted. Patients with ocular comorbidities that would affect the outcomes were excluded. The outcome measures chosen were as follows: (1) final best corrected Snellen visual acuity (BCVA) in patients who had bilateral cataract surgery analyzed at the last clinic visit; (2) prediction error (PE)=expected refraction-actual refraction. Mean PE and mean absolute PE were assessed 1 month postoperatively, irrespective of age or laterality.ResultsMean age at surgery was 8.3±4.6 years and mean follow-up duration was 3.7±2.7 years. The results of outcome measures were as follows: (1) BCVA was 20/40 or better in 96% (n=124 eyes, mean patient age: 8.3±4.6 years). Remaining five eyes had amblyopia with two eyes having BCVA worse than 20/100 that did not respond to amblyopia treatment. (2) Mean PE was 0.3±1.1 D and mean absolute PE was 0.9±0.7 D. PE was within ±0.5 D in 43.0%, ±1.0 D in 66%, and ±2.0 D in 95% (n=235 eyes).ConclusionGood visual acuity after cataract surgery should be expected for children with bilateral cataracts, setting a high benchmark similar to that recommended in adult cataract surgery. Prediction error is greater in pediatric eyes than in adult eyes, setting a lower benchmark. This study establishes benchmark for outcome indicators in pediatric patients older than 2 years undergoing cataract surgery with primary IOL implantation.
Renin-angiotensin system modulates renal bradykinin production

Previous studies have shown that sodium depletion is associated with an increase in renal kallikrein-kinin system activity. This system may play an important role in counterbalancing the renal effe...
Politics and Social Substitution in Total War: Exploring the Treatment of Combatants and Noncombatants During the Mississippian Period of the Central Illinois Valley

Treatment of noncombatants during war varies depending on the sociopolitical complexity of their antagonists. Work by Ember and colleagues (Human Nature 24:33–58, 2013) among ethnographic African societies demonstrated that state societies were more likely to kill and commit harmful acts to noncombatants than non-state societies during periods of resource scarcity. Such results are surprising, as the principle of social substitution (Warless societies and the origin of war, Ann Arbor, 2000) in non-state societies dictates that each member of a group, regardless of combatant status, represents an appropriate target of violence. To investigate how precontact Eastern Woodlands non-state societies treated noncombatants, this study examines the demographic characteristics of war victims from Mississippian Period (ca. AD 1050–1425) chiefdoms in the Central Illinois Valley (CIV). The CIV represents an ideal setting for studies of non-state violence due to endemic levels of warfare after approximately AD 1200 until its depopulation around AD 1425. Skeletal remains representing 776 individuals from 5 CIV sites (Dickson Mounds, Emmons, Larson, Berry, and Crable) were assessed for warfare-related trauma. Results indicate that while adult males exhibited warfare-related trauma in the highest frequencies, women and children were also frequent victims. Consequently, attacks of noncombatants were common practices of CIV Mississippian non-state societies during war.
Filming Critical Female Perspectives: Edward Yang’s The Terrorizers

From his first film—a twenty-minute short, “Expectations” (1982)—to his last—a three-hour masterpiece, Yi Yi (2000)—Edward Yang, one of the leading figures of the Taiwan New Cinema movement, devoted his career to portraying the impact of neoliberal capitalism on the lives of the citizens of Taipei. Interestingly, Yang’s films often employ female perspectives to criticize Taiwan’s education system and transnational corporations for perpetuating neoliberal capitalism’s ideology of self-fulfillment and upward mobility. This paper draws upon feminist film theory to investigate the ways in which Yang’s third feature, The Terrorizers (1986), utilizes various innovative cinematic languages to engender a multitude of women’s perspectives to expose male voyeurism and ultimately criticize the impact of neoliberal capitalism in Taipei.
Cross efficiency based heuristics to rank decision making units in data envelopment analysis

Abstract This paper proposes two cross-efficiency based heuristics (CEHs) for ranking decision making units (DMUs) in Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). This paper also suggests a stratification-based consistency evaluation framework (SCEF) to evaluate the performance of the proposed heuristics and several DEA-based full ranking methods in terms of consistency. Several cross-efficiency (CE) methods have been developed as a DEA extension to rank efficient and inefficient DMUs with the main idea of using DEA to do peer evaluation. However, it has been well known that they all suffer from lack of discrimination since efficiency scores from those methods may not be unique due to the non-uniqueness of the DEA optimal weights in the Linear Programming (LP) models. The proposed CEH methods overcome this issue since they do not use any LP models but show comparable consistency level to other DEA-based full ranking methods based on SCEF. Numerical examples from the literature and simulation indicate that CEHs are a good surrogate for CE method.
Determinants and Evaluation of Nasal Airflow Perception.

The sensation of nasal airflow, or nasal airway patency, is an important consideration in the treatment outcome of nasal airway obstruction. Clinicians striving to optimize the nasal passageway have relied on techniques aimed at decreasing peak airway resistance across nasal valves. Nonetheless, the evaluation of the nasal airway is multifaceted, and the objective determinants of subjective nasal patency remain incompletely elucidated. While rhinomanometry, peak nasal inspiratory airflow, and acoustic rhinometry have traditionally been used in research to focus on resistance as a measure of patency, an emerging body of evidence suggests that subjective nasal patency is more significantly correlated to the dynamic change of nasal mucosal temperature. The objective of this review is to provide the technical background on nasal airflow perception and intranasal trigeminal function as crucial to those performing functional and aesthetic rhinosurgery.
The [Formula: see text] toric-code and the double-semion topological order of hardcore Bose-Hubbard-type models in the strong-interaction limit.

We present a generic framework for the emergence of the $${{\mathbb{Z}}}_{2}$$ toric-code and the double-semion topological order in a wide class of hardcore Bose-Hubbard-type models governed by density-density interaction and in the strong-interaction regime. We fix fractional filling factor and study under which conditions the density-density interaction gives rise to topological degeneracy. We further specify which dynamics determines the toric-code and the double-semion topological order. Our results indicate that the specifics of the density-density interaction determine the long-range entanglement of the model which possesses “restricted patterns” of the long-range entanglement realized in corresponding string-net models with the same topological order.
Maximizing Efficiency in State Infrastructure Finance: The Role of Competition, Citizen Monitoring Capacity, and Institutions

In the United States, despite record levels of public infrastructure spending, evidence on rising traffic congestion and deteriorating infrastructure condition raises questions about the efficiency...
Dermoscopy of Melanocytic Lesions

Dermoscopy can improve the diagnostic accuracy and sensitivity, without decreased specificity, for melanoma when compared to naked eye examination alone. Furthermore, dermoscopy reduces the number of unnecessary biopsies of benign lesions for every malignant diagnosis. In addition, dermoscopy monitoring of melanocytic lesions enables the diagnosis of thinner melanomas. These improvements in screening and management of lesions can result in reduced morbidity, earlier diagnosis of melanoma, and increased cost-effectiveness. Several dermoscopy features including atypical pigment network, angulated lines, negative pigment network, atypical dots, atypical globules, irregular streaks, shiny white lines, irregular blotch, blue-white veil, regression structures, polymorphous vasculature, and peripheral tan structureless areas have been shown to be specific to melanoma. While incorporating dermoscopy into clinical practice is associated with a learning curve, new users may utilize diagnostic and management algorithms, such as triage amalgamated dermoscopy algorithm (TADA) or two-step algorithm, to triage lesions for further evaluation and to improve their sensitivity for diagnosing melanoma.
Undocumented Workers, Tax Evasion and Document Fraud: A Case Study

As immigration reform politics heats up, there are regular reminders that aliens in an "amnesty" plan would have to pay federal taxes previously ignored or evaded. Based on extensive research the author finds this back taxes plan likely to be more symbolic than practical, and sees little possibility for any extensive filing or delinquent federal income tax returns or payment of the taxes.This paper focuses on a prosecution which highlights the scope of the problem and the difficulties of crafting any remedy to the wide spread evasion of federal income taxes, identity theft, and document forgery.
Hydroperoxide Lyase and Leaf Aldehyde Formation can be Greatly Increased in Leaves

2(E)-hexenal, leaf aldehyde, is used as flavor to impart a green character and freshness in foods and beverages. Leaf aldehyde is formed by the hydroperoxide lyase (HL) branch pathway of oxylipin pathway (Zimmerman and Coudron, 1979; Hatanaka et al., 1987; Vick and Zimmerman, 1987b). Linolenic acid (18:3), a major fatty acid in leaf lipids, is first oxidized by lipoxygenase (LOX) to produce 13-hydroperoxy 18:3 (13-HPOT). 13-HPOT is then cleaved by HL to produce the C6 aldehyde, 3(Z)-hexenal and a 12- carbon oxo acid. 3(Z)-hexenal is then isomerized to leaf aldehyde or reduced to 3(Z)-hexenol, leaf alcohol (Fig. 1). Though this compound can been synthesized chemically, there are increasing demands for natural flavors as well as natural chemicals for fungicides and pesticides as more and more consumers are interested in natural products, organic production and ‘green’ industries (Whitehead et al., 1995). Also a more efficient plant-based production system will be more competitive with petroleum-based production making use from such a renewable source more economically attractive. Currently commercial production of natural leaf aldehyde is achieved from watermelon leaves because of the high yield of this compound from this source. This involves making large-scale homogenates of watermelon leaves with added linolenic acid or hydrolyzed linseed oil (Chou and Chin, 1994; Holtz et al. 2001). Hildebrand et al. (1990 and 1991) and Whitehead et al. (1995) proposed the usage of soybean LOX to produce 13-HPOT in combination with plant materials to generate C6 aldehydes. Leaf aldehyde is currently valued as much as $100 per kg and the market for such compounds has increased > 70% in the past 10 years. This research reports the increased formation of leaf aldehyde from plant leaves by enhanced expression of the key enzyme involved in its formation and the usage of plant leaves as a factory for this compound. Open image in new window Figure1 HL branch of the oxylipin pathway IF = Isomerization Factor, ADH = Alcohol Dehydrogenase
Placement Predictors of Geropsychiatric Inpatients

Abstract This retrospective study examined all admissions from home to the Houston Veterans Affairs Medical Center geropsychiatric inpatient unit during a 20-month period. Mini-Mental State Examination, Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale, Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression, Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory, and Global Assessment of Functioning were administered on admission and discharge. We found that patients admitted with a diagnosis of dementia were at high risk of placement in a nursing home (94% of cases), particularly those demented patients with more severe, refractory psychiatric and cognitive impairment. Discharge GAF scores appeared to be an important predictor of discharge status for all patients.
Arithmetic in the Bilingual Brain

Abstract In the United States, approximately 1 in 5 children enters school with a first language other than English (U.S. census data). The impact that this has on learning and using simple arithmetic is not well understood. Models of arithmetic learning argue that arithmetic facts are encoded in a verbal memory store specific to the language in which the facts were learned (e.g., Dehaene, S., & Cohen, L. (1995). Toward an anatomical and functional model of number processing. Mathematical Cognition, 1(1), 83–120.) or that bilinguals maintain separate representations of mathematical facts for each language (e.g., Campbell, J. I. D., & Xue, Q. (2001). Cognitive arithmetic across cultures. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 130(2), 299–315.). Authors of other chapters in this book provide evidence that bilingualism impacts symbolic number knowledge in preschool children and that bilingualism may also impact nonsymbolic processing in bilingual adults. In this chapter, we discuss the behavioral and brain evidence for how young adults and children process simple arithmetic, mainly focusing on multiplication, and how monolinguals and bilinguals differ. We present evidence from our own work using scalp-recorded event-related brain potentials showing that both the language of learning math facts and the use of math facts in a language can influence the efficiency and the way in which bilinguals access these facts in each of their languages.
Quality improvement in melanoma care: Multidisciplinary quality program development and comparison of care before and after implementation.

Abstract Introduction Adherence to guideline-based care for melanoma remains suboptimal. This study describes the development of a quality monitoring program and compares the quality of care before and after its implementation. Methods Thirty quality metrics were adopted. An abstraction tool, manual and electronic database were developed. Metrics were analyzed from 1/1/2008-8/31/2013 (Group A) and compared to melanoma care from 9/1/2013-12/31/2017 (Group B). Results A total of 311 patients were treated from 2008 to 2017. Demographic data were similar between the groups. 21.7% of patients in Group A had clinical stage (TNM) documented before surgery compared to 100% in Group B. 86.9% of patients in Group A had surgical margins documented in the operative report compared to 100% of Group B. Appropriate surgical margins were obtained in 85.7% of Group A compared to 99.5% in Group B. Pathology reporting of margin status, satellitosis, regression and mitotic rates improved from ∼60% Group A to >92% in Group B. Multidisciplinary process and structural metrics were unchanged. Conclusions A comprehensive melanoma quality program has produced significantly improved guideline-based multidisciplinary care.
Evaluation of autoconversion and accretion enhancement factors in general circulation model warm-rain parameterizations using ground-based measurements over the Azores

Abstract. A great challenge in climate modeling is how to parameterize subgrid cloud processes, such as autoconversion and accretion in warm-rain formation. In this study, we use ground-based observations and retrievals over the Azores to investigate the so-called enhancement factors, Eauto and Eaccr , which are often used in climate models to account for the influence of subgrid variance of cloud and precipitation water on the autoconversion and accretion processes. Eauto and Eaccr are computed for different equivalent model grid sizes. The calculated Eauto values increase from 1.96 (30 km) to 3.2 (180 km), and the calculated Eaccr values increase from 1.53 (30 km) to 1.76 (180 km). Comparing the prescribed enhancement factors in Morrison and Gettleman (2008, MG08) to the observed ones, we found that a higher Eauto (3.2) at small grids and lower Eaccr (1.07) are used in MG08, which might explain why most of the general circulation models (GCMs) produce too-frequent precipitation events but with too-light precipitation intensity. The ratios of the rain to cloud water mixing ratio ( qr / qc ) at Eaccr=1.07 and Eaccr=2.0 are 0.063 and 0.142, respectively, from observations, further suggesting that the prescribed value of Eaccr=1.07 used in MG08 is too small to simulate precipitation intensity correctly. Both Eauto and Eaccr increase when the boundary layer becomes less stable, and the values are larger in precipitating clouds ( CLWP>75 gm −2) than those in non-precipitating clouds ( CLWP gm −2 ). Therefore, the selection of Eauto and Eaccr values in GCMs should be regime- and resolution-dependent.
‘Stupid Little Stories’: Television Interstitial and Advertising Style in the Professional Culture of Indian Animation

India’s economic liberalisation in the early 1990s had dramatic consequences for a growing animation industry. New television channels created urgent demand for branded content, met by a growing cluster of boutique animation studios. The interstitial advertising they produced replicated the success of small Western studios for the same types of clients in the early 1980s, and often their production aesthetics as well. This chapter investigates the role of advertising in shaping the production culture of Indian animation, particularly within smaller design firms. Testimony of such ‘neo-artisanal’ production is sustained by associating creative freedom with the flexibility of short-term contacts and the latitude to subsidise in-house projects. In turn, the director-driven organisational practices resulting from advertising work have economic and social impacts far beyond the studio.
Tendencias en el tratamiento de la papilomatosis respiratoria recurrente

Resumen La papilomatosis respiratoria recurrente (PRR) consiste en tumores benignos en las vias respiratorias causados por la infeccion del virus del papiloma humano. Las lesiones pueden provocar cambios en la fonacion y obstruir las vias respiratorias. El objetivo de este estudio es evaluar las diferentes terapias quirurgicas y adyuvantes disponibles para el tratamiento de esta afeccion que se han reportado en los anos recientes. Se realizo una busqueda en PubMed de articulos sobre el tratamiento de la PPR publicados entre 2014 y 2018. De los encontrados, 40 articulos con 1.425 pacientes con PRR cumplieron con los criterios. De estos, 24 articulos evaluaban el uso de terapias adyuvantes como el bevacizumab, el cidofovir y la vacuna contra el virus del papiloma humano. Ha habido un aumento en las opciones terapeuticas adyuvantes para la PRR en los ultimos anos. El conocimiento de estas opciones resalta las lagunas y oportunidades en la atencion de estos pacientes, abre la puerta a nuevos protocolos para controlar la enfermedad, aumenta los intervalos quirurgicos y nos guia hacia nuevos caminos en el futuro.
Evaluation of a smoke- and tobacco-free campus policy: The issue of displacement

Objective: This study evaluates the effectiveness of a smoke- and tobacco-free campus policy by examining the volume, density, and location of discarded cigarette butts before and after the impleme...
Uncommon Method Bias

As we prepare to administer comprehensive exams for our doctoral students, the insistence of colleagues on Common Method Bias (CMB) questioning as part of the exam corpus got me thinking about the pragmatic principles of paradigmatic practicality in the review process. Say that three times fast!
Handbook of Leaving Religion: edited by Daniel Enstedt, Göran Larsson, and Teemu T. Mantsinen, Leiden: Brill, 2020, Brill Handbooks on Contemporary Religion 18, 372 pp., €179.00 (hb), ISBN 978–90–04–33092–4 (hb), ISBN 978–90–04–33147–1 (eb)

Now that the study of conversion has a well-established niche in religious scholarship, it is only natural that the reverse phenomenon, namely the study of ‘deconversion’ (‘disaffiliation’, ‘losing...
Double Crush Syndrome

Upton and McComas formalized the hypothesis of the “double crush” syndrome (DCS) in 1973 to describe the coexistence of multiple compressive lesions along the course of a peripheral nerve, postulating that entrapment of the peripheral nerve at one site renders the nerve susceptible to proximal and/or distal compression. By definition, augmented axonal injury occurs, representing more than just the combined independent effects of each lesion. This mechanism of neuronal injury is implicated in a variety of multi-focal neuropathies, including cervical radiculopathy and carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), thoracic outlet syndrome and CTS, and cubital tunnel syndrome and Guyon’s canal syndrome. The DCS hypothesis, however, is not universally accepted as an underlying mechanism of multi-focal neuropathies, and a critical review of this entity allows for a better understanding of the controversial theory.
A dynamic stability design strategy for lithium metal solid state batteries

A solid-state electrolyte is expected to suppress lithium (Li) dendrite penetration with high mechanical strength1–4. However, in practice it still remains challenging to realise a lithium metal anode for batteries, because micrometre- or submicrometre-sized cracks in ceramic pellets can frequently be generated during battery assembly or long-time cycling3,5. Once cracks form, lithium dendrite penetration is inevitable6,7. Here we describe a solid-state battery design with a hierarchy of interface stabilities (to lithium metal responses), to achieve an ultrahigh current density with no lithium dendrite penetration. Our multilayer design has the structure of a less-stable electrolyte sandwiched between more-stable solid electrolytes, which prevents any lithium dendrite growth through well localized decompositions in the less stable electrolyte layer. A mechanism analogous to the expansion screw effect is proposed, whereby any cracks are filled by dynamically generated decompositions that are also well constrained, probably by the ‘anchoring’ effect the decompositions induce. The cycling performance of the lithium metal anode paired with a LiNi0.8Mn0.1Co0.1O2 cathode is very stable, with an 82 per cent capacity retention after 10,000 cycles at a 20C rate (8.6 milliamps per centimetre squared) and 81.3 per cent capacity retention after 2,000 cycles at a 1.5C rate (0.64 milliamps per centimetre squared). Our design also enables a specific power of 110.6 kilowatts per kilogram and specific energy up to 631.1 watt hours per kilogram at the micrometre-sized cathode material level. A multi-layered electrolyte, in which a less stable electrolyte is sandwiched between two electrolyte layers that are more stable, can inhibit the growth of lithium dendrites in highly pressurized solid-state lithium metal batteries.
Mathematics, Economics, And Electronic Spreadsheets: Interdisciplinary Economies In Education

One of the most pressing problems facing undergraduate economics instructors involves the presentation of mathematical analysis to new students of economics. This paper describes a problem-solving package we developed as a partial solution to this dilemma.
Developed Market Crises and Developed-Emerging Return Comovements

This paper examines how stock market return comovements between developed and emerging markets as a whole vary with developed market uncertainty during 2001-2006 when major crises, such as 9/11 and a series of accounting scandals, originated in developed markets. I find a significantly negative relation between developed market uncertainty and future developed-emerging return comovements. The future developed-to-emerging return linkage, beta, decreases by around 62% when the average developed market uncertainty increases from one standard deviation below its mean to two standard deviation above its mean. The future developed-emerging return correlation also decreases in a similar way. In contrast, the future comovements between developed markets rise with developed market uncertainty in the same period. Several potential contagion explanations that feature investors' cross-country trading and/or shocks to country-specific factors suggest that during contagion crises comovements should be able to either increase or decrease excessively. My findings provide the first evidence that cross-country comovments can decrease during volatile periods and therefore provide support for these contagion explanations. The findings reveal a new, more comprehensive view of contagion effects and have important implications for understanding contagion.
From Quebradita to Duranguense: Dance in Mexican Youth Culture

Reviewed Medium: book Authors: Sydney Hutchinson Year: 2007 Pages: 240 Publisher: University of Arizona Press ISBN: 0-8165-2536-6 (hard cover). Prices: $50.00 USD(hard cover).
Digital citizenship through game design in Minecraft

Purpose – This study aims to describe a library project exploring innovative options for embedding information literacy skills in the elementary school library by utilizing Minecraft, a virtual world three-dimensional (3D) building game environment. Design/methodology/approach – The small-scale descriptive study, with a follow-up survey, focuses on a group of fifth-grade students in an after-school technology club facilitated by the school librarian. The students designed and built a 3D virtual world library game for younger students to help them learn digital citizenship and information literacy. Findings – Analysis of observations, interviews and videos indicated that students were highly engaged in learning information literacy elements throughout all stages of the project from design, building, implementation and testing of younger students. Research limitations/implications – Although the small number of students enrolled in the club is a limitation, the feedback provided strong evidence of motivatio...
Image Segmentation by Branch-and-Mincut

Efficient global optimization techniques such as graph cut exist for energies corresponding to binary image segmentation from low-level cues. However, introducing a high-level prior such as a shape prior or a color-distribution prior into the segmentation process typically results in an energy that is much harder to optimize. The main contribution of the paper is a new global optimization framework for a wide class of such energies. The framework is built upon two powerful techniques: graph cut and branch-and-bound. These techniques are unified through the derivation of lower bounds on the energies. Being computable via graph cut, these bounds are used to prune branches within a branch-and-bound search. We demonstrate that the new framework can compute globally optimal segmentations for a variety of segmentation scenarios in a reasonable time on a modern CPU. These scenarios include unsupervised segmentation of an object undergoing 3D pose change, category-specific shape segmentation, and the segmentation under intensity/color priors defined by Chan-Vese and GrabCut functionals.