cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Mobilization of lead over the course of DMSA chelation therapy and long-term efficacy.

An increasing number of factors suggest that a reevaluation of the current use of CaNa2EDTA for elevated Pb body burden is advisable and, further, emphasize the need for alternative safe and efficacious chelating agents. One candidate that appears to have potential is meso-2,3-dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA). However, little is known about the pattern of Pb mobilization or redistribution produced by this chelator or about its long-term efficacy, issues that were examined in this study. After a 3- to 4-month exposure to 50 ppm of Pb acetate in drinking water, different groups of rats received an i.p. injection of saline or 25 or 50 mg/kg of DMSA once a day for either 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 days and were sacrificed 24 hr after the final injection. To assess long-term efficacy of the chelator, an additional group of rats received five injections (one per day) of 50 mg/kg of DMSA and were sacrificed 4 months later. Tissue analyses indicated that DMSA mobilized Pb only from soft tissue, with no loss noted from femur and consequently no observable redistribution of Pb. Large decrements in blood, brain and kidney Pb concentrations were noted, with a delayed loss from liver. The effects were not sustained, however, when assessed 4 months later. With respect to redistribution of mobilized Pb to critical organs and magnitude of decline in soft tissue Pb concentration, DMSA appears to be a safe and particularly effective chelator and thus may be a viable alternative to CaNa2EDTA.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Differential localization of villin and fimbrin during development of the mouse visceral endoderm and intestinal epithelium.

The apical surface of transporting epithelia is specially modified to absorb nutrients efficiently by amplifying its surface area as microvilli. Each microvillus is supported by an underlying core of bundled actin filaments. Villin and fimbrin are two actin-binding proteins that bundle actin filaments in the intestine and kidney brush border epithelium. To better understand their function in the assembly of the cytoskeleton during epithelial differentiation, we examined the pattern of villin and fimbrin expression in the developing mouse using immunofluorescence and immunoelectron microscopy. Villin is first detected at day 5 in the primitive endoderm of the postimplantation embryo and is later restricted to the visceral endoderm. By day 8.5, villin becomes redistributed to the apical surface in the visceral endoderm, appearing in the gut at day 10 and concentrating in the apical cytoplasm of the differentiating intestinal epithelium 2–3 days later. In contrast, fimbrin is found in the oocyte and in all tissues of the early embryo. In both the visceral endoderm and gut epithelium, fimbrin concentrates at the apical surface 2–3 days after villin; this redistribution occurs when the visceral endoderm microvilli first contain organized microfilament bundles and when microvilli first begin to appear in the gut. These results suggest a common mechanism of assembly of the absorptive surface of two different tissues in the embryo and identify villin as a useful marker for the visceral endoderm.
Another Look at Small Debitage and Microdebitage

AbstractAfter a brief review of recent studies of small debitage and microdebitage it is suggested that such studies would be most useful in identifying primary knapping areas. In particular, Behm's (1983) study of primary and secondary deposits of knapping refuse is evaluated in light of ethnographic evidence, mostly from Mesoamerica. These data indicate that neither o f Behm 's criteria hold in all situations. A major factor determining the nature of workshop deposits appears to be the degree of mobility of a given society and, subsequently, the need to re-use work space.
Field evaluation of Lagenidium giganteum (Oömycetes: Lagenidiales) and description of a natural epizoötic involving a new isolate of the fungus.

Field evaluation of Lagenidium giganteum Couch, a facultative parasite of mosquito larvae, was undertaken in a variety of freshwater habitats supporting populations of floodwater Aedes and anopheline mosquitoes in the Central Valley of California. The sexual (oospore) and asexual stages of the fungus were applied using ground and aerial applications; they provided high initial control against populations of Aedes melanimon Dyar, Aedes nigromaculus Ludlow, and Anopheles freeborni Aitken. Appreciable levels of recycling and amplification of the initial application occurred in a number of habitats. A natural epizootic caused by an apparently new strain of L. giganteum was monitored in a population of Ae. melanimon in the Butte Sinks area near Colusa, Calif. More than 85% of larvae and pupae collected from this site were infected with the fungus, demonstrating the efficacy of L. giganteum against rapidly developing floodwater mosquitoes in some habitats. The apparent synchronous, rapid germination of dormant oospores expands the range of activity of L. giganteum to include univoltine and floodwater mosquitoes.
The usefulness and challenges of transgenic mouse models in the study of Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer's disease is a progressive, neurodegenerative disorder characterized by a devastating cognitive decline. The disease is identified pathologically by amyloid plaques composed of aggregated amyloid- peptide, neurofibrillary tangles composed of aggregated, hyperphosphorylated tau protein and neuron loss. While the disease was first described in 1906, transgenic mouse models for the study of Alzheimer's disease pathologies have only been available to scientists for fifteen years. Despite the generation of many different mouse models that develop amyloid plaques or neurofibrillary tangles, it has only been in recent years that mouse models demonstrating the two pathologies together have been made. Also, neuron loss has been difficult to achieve in many models. Most recently, several transgenic mouse lines have been generated that do demonstrate all three pathological characteristics of Alzheimer's disease: amyloid plaques, neurofibrillary tangles and neuron loss. This review will focus on the advances made in our understanding of Alzheimer's disease pathology using the transgenic mouse models. It will also discuss the limitations associated with studying some of these mice and how transgenic mouse models have contributed to the development of therapeutics for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.
Irreconcilable Differences: Royalism, Personal Politics and History in Aphra Behn's The Roundheads

ABSTRACTJanet Todd has offered scholars a new way of thinking about and doing literary history with an openness to speculation and supposition. This essay builds on Todd's methodology to reveal that deep and specific knowledge of radical plebeian culture during the Restoration shaped Aphra Behn's play The Roundheads (1681–82).
Localization of topically applied TFPI binding sites in an intimectomized microvessel

Tissue factor pathway inhibitor, TFPI, has been shown to be highly effective as a topically applied antithrombotic in an arterial model of vascular thrombosis. To elucidate the mechanism and site of TFPI action, recombinant TFPI was conjugated to 30 nm diameter gold particles and used to localize the sites of TFPI binding in a traumatized microvessel by transmission electron microscopy. The model, the central artery of the rabbit ear, was transected, denuded of endothelial lining (intimectomized), and re-anastomosed. Prior to the restoration of blood flow, TFPI-gold or unconjugated gold particles in solution were applied by irrigation to the intimectomized vessel lumen. After 10 min of blood flow, the artery was harvested for electron microscopy. TFPI-gold binding was localized to the fine strands of fibrin that lined the lumen of the intimectomized section of the artery. Little or no binding was found on platelets, exposed smooth muscle, cell membrane fragments, or uninjured vessel segments. The TFPI-gold binding could be competed with native TFPI. TFPI-gold was inhibitory, although less potent than native TFPI, in a prothrombin time assay. Unconjugated gold exhibited very little binding in the vascular model. Hence, the TFPI-gold conjugate behaved like native TFPI. Our observations have identified the fibrin complex as an in vivo binding site for TFPI and suggest that this is an in vivo site of action for TFPI as a topical antithrombotic agent.
Experiences with the Carpentier techniques of mitral valve reconstruction in 103 patients (1980-1985)

A total of 103 patients, age range 2 to 77 years, had some type of Carpentier reconstruction for mitral insufficiency. The mitral insufficiency resulted from ruptured chordae in 52, prolapse in 13, rheumatic fever in 16, coronary disease in eight, congenital disease in nine, and endocarditis in five. Multiple abnormalities were usually present. Four patients had severe calcification of the anulus. A reconstruction was accomplished in almost all patients. A ring annuloplasty was performed in all but two small children, but annuloplasty alone was adequate in only 17 patients. Fifty-eight had resection of 1 to 4 cm of diseased mitral leaflet. In 23 patients, chordal transposition or shortening was employed. Aortic leaflet repair was done in 28. Shortened, fused chordae (one to eight) were divided in 13 patients. Additional procedures performed in 28 patients included coronary bypass in 14. A successful repair was accomplished in all but one patient (moderate residual insufficiency). Two late hospital deaths were unrelated to the mitral repair. Following hospital discharge, ring dehiscence necessitated repeat operation in one patient. Thromboembolism produced a permanent minor neurological deficit in only one patient. There have been no late recurrences of insufficiency. Recurrent endocarditis necessitated valve replacement in three patients. A late Doppler evaluation of 95 patients for mitral insufficiency revealed none in 82, a trace in 12, and moderate insufficiency in one. Late catheterization in 16 patients revealed no insufficiency. The data suggest that reconstruction, rather than prosthetic valve replacement, can be successfully performed in over 90% of patients with nonrheumatic, noncalcified mitral valves. A much wider use of the technique seems strongly indicated.
The Records of Camp William Penn

Federal records offer tantalizing evidence of the struggle for freedom in Civil War–era Pennsylvania. Among the more recent additions to the holdings of the National Archives at Philadelphia are records of Camp William Penn. Situated just outside of the city, Camp William Penn was the first camp built exclusively for the training of African American soldiers and the largest training facility for the US Colored Troops. It trained African American men from both Union and Confederate states who enlisted in the Union army. Surviving records detail conditions at the camp and the personal and familial circumstances of many of the men who enlisted. The records offer glimpses into race relations in Philadelphia as a whole, and Pennsylvania more broadly.
Monaden und Algebren

In diesem Kapitel werden wir naher die Beziehungen untersuchen, die zwischen universeller Algebra und adjungierten Funktoren bestehen. Ist τ ein Typ von Algebren, so haben wir die Kategorie Algτ aller Algebren vom gegebenen Typ τ, den Vergis-Funktor G: Algτ → Set und seinen Linksadjungierten F, der jeder Menge S die freie Algebra FS vom Typ t zuordnet, die von den Elementen aus S erzeugt wird. Eine “Spur” dieser Adjunktion 〈F, G, φ〉: Set ⇀ Algτ verbleibt in der Kategorie Set; in der Tat ist das Kompo-situm T = GF ein Funktor Set → Set, der jeder Menge S die Menge aller Elemente der zu S gehorigen freien Algebra zuordnet. Daruber hinaus gehoren zu diesem Funktor T bestimmte naturliche Transformationen, die ihm eine gewisse, als “Monade” bezeichnete Struktur verleihen, die Ahnlichkeit mit einem Monoid besitzt. Es ist nun bemerkenswert, das sich die gesamte Kategorie Algτ aus dieser Monade uber Set rekonstruieren last. Ein weiteres grundlegendes Resultat ist ein von Beck stammender Satz, der genau diejenigen Kategorien A mit Adjunktionen 〈F, G, φ〉: X — A charakterisiert, die sich auf diese Weise aus einer Monade T uber der Basiskategorie X rekonstruieren lassen. Es stellt sich dann heraus, das die Algebren mit der zuletzt genannten Eigenschaft so allgemein sind, das sie die kompakten Hausdorffsehen Raume umfassen (§9).
Automatic Assessment of Speech Intelligibility for Individuals With Aphasia

Traditional in-person therapy may be difficult to access for individuals with aphasia due to the shortage of speech-language pathologists and high treatment cost. Computerized exercises offer a promising low-cost and constantly accessible supplement to in-person therapy. Unfortunately, the lack of feedback for verbal expression in existing programs hinders the applicability and effectiveness of this form of treatment. A prerequisite for producing meaningful feedback is speech intelligibility assessment. In this work, we investigate the feasibility of an automated system to assess three aspects of aphasic speech intelligibility: clarity, fluidity, and prosody. We introduce our aphasic speech corpus, which contains speech-based interaction between individuals with aphasia and a tablet-based application designed for therapeutic purposes. We present our method for eliciting reliable ground-truth labels for speech intelligibility based on the perceptual judgment of nonexpert human evaluators. We describe and analyze our feature set engineered for capturing pronunciation, rhythm, and intonation. We investigate the classification performance of our system under two conditions, one using human-labeled transcripts to drive feature extraction, and another using transcripts generated automatically. We show that some aspects of aphasic speech intelligibility can be estimated at human-level performance. Our results demonstrate the potential for the computerized treatment of aphasia and lay the groundwork for bridging the gap between human and automatic intelligibility assessment.
Guiding and coupling light through nonlinear plasmonic nanosuspensions

We demonstrate guiding of a strong infrared beam by a weak visible beam due to plasmonic-resonant soliton formation. Master/slave-type coupling is also observed by tuning the relative strength of two opposite polarizabilities in core-shell nanosuspensions.
Analysis of ocean diurnal variations from the Korean Geostationary Ocean Color Imager measurements using the DINEOF method

Abstract High-frequency images of the water diffuse attenuation coefficient at the wavelength of 490 nm (Kd(490)) derived from the Korean Geostationary Ocean Color Imager (GOCI) provide a unique opportunity to study diurnal variation of water turbidity in coastal regions of the Bohai Sea, Yellow Sea, and East China Sea. However, there are many missing pixels in the original GOCI-derived Kd(490) images due to clouds and various other reasons. Data Interpolating Empirical Orthogonal Function (DINEOF) is a method to reconstruct missing data in geophysical datasets based on the Empirical Orthogonal Function (EOF). It utilizes both temporal and spatial coherencies of data to infer a solution at the missing locations. In this study, the DINEOF is applied to GOCI-derived Kd(490) data in the Yangtze River mouth and the Yellow River mouth regions, and the DINEOF reconstructed Kd(490) data are used to fill in the missing pixels. In fact, DINEOF has been used to fill in gaps in ocean color chlorophyll-a and turbidity data from the Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-View Sensor (SeaWiFS), Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), and Spinning Enhanced Visible and InfraRed Imager (SEVIRI) in previous studies. Our GOCI validation results show that the bias between the reconstructed data and the original Kd(490) value is quite small (
Dynamic Spectrum Access Algorithms Without Common Control Channels

In this chapter, we systematically address the recently important dynamic spectrum access algorithms without common control channels. In normal multiple channels networks, fixed common control channels are used to exchange necessary information. However, implementing the common control channels is a challenge in CRNs because the availability of channels is time-varying and position-varying. The chapter covers the dynamic spectrum access algorithms without common control channels.
Personalized Medicine: Changing the Paradigm of Drug Development

Despite an increased investment in research and development, there has been a steady decline in the number of drugs brought to market over the past 40 years. The tools of personalized medicine are refining diseases into molecular categories, and future therapeutics may be dictated by a patient's molecular profile relative to these categories. The adoption of a personalized medicine approach to drug development may improve the success rate by minimizing variability during each phase of the drug development process. This chapter describes the current paradigm of drug development and then discusses how molecular profiling/personalized medicine might be used to improve upon this paradigm.
On the R&D/marketing interface in knowledge intensive entrepreneurial firms

In this paper we focus on the performance impact associated with whether R&D or marketing takes the lead in product innovations and/or product development. We examine empirically the performance of a sample of entrepreneurial firms across 10 European Union countries for which we can identify alternative regimes in which R&D, or in which marketing, is viewed as being relatively more important in creating and sustaining the firm’s competitive advantage. We find that when R&D is the dominant strategy, firms realize greater growth in sales, other factors held constant.
Linear regression models for chew count estimation from piezoelectric sensor signals

Research suggests that there might be a relationship between chewing rate and final energy intake. Wearable sensor systems have been proposed for automatic detection of food intake. This work presents the use of linear regression for estimation of chew counts from piezoelectric sensor signal. For known chewing sequences, four features are computed (number of peaks, valleys, zero crossings and duration of chewing), and linear regression models were trained and tested for estimation of chew counts using cross-validation scheme. Adjusted R2 and mean absolute error (of chew counts) are used for performance evaluation. ANOVA along with Tukey Kramer test was used to compare the performance of different models. Results suggest that best performance was achieved with multiple linear regression model (all features as predictors) with adjusted R2 of 0.95 and mean absolute error of 9.66% ± 6.28%. Results suggest that linear regression models can be used for estimation of chew counts from piezoelectric strain sensor signals.
A Student Suggested Redesign of a Principal Preparation Program

Graduate students in a practicum class participated in a survey on changes they would make to the present principal preparation program they were about to finish. The survey of their anonymously secured responses was set into a questionnaire encompassing the range of their ideas. This questionnaire was then presented to these students to access their agreement or disagreement with the range of items in the instrument. Surprisingly, their set of responses was very much in agreement with certain recommendations recently made by the Southern Regional Education Board.
Planning and Conducting External Program Reviews

Abstract Understanding the dimensions and effectiveness of an organization's programs requires periodic review and assessment. These evaluations are often conducted with the help of a team of external experts. For an evaluation to occur in an efficient and helpful manner, an agency must be committed to developing a protocol that outlines how the agency is to prepare for the review and what is expected of the team of external experts. The Fisheries Division of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources was recently asked to develop such a review protocol for evaluating its programmatic efforts. The following text details the protocol that may assist other management agencies in conducting effective program reviews. The protocol has two parts. The first outlines the necessary preparations to be made by the division prior to the review; the second details the role of the external review team. In developing these guidelines, we relied heavily on advice provided by the Cooperative State Research Service abou...
Sleep and the gut microbiome: antibiotic-induced depletion of the gut microbiota reduces nocturnal sleep in mice

Several bacterial cell wall components such as peptidoglycan and muramyl peptide are potent inducers of mammalian slow-wave sleep when exogenously administered to freely behaving animals. It has been proposed that the native gut microflora may serve as a quasi-endogenous pool of somnogenic bacterial cell wall products given their quantity and close proximity to the intestinal portal. This proposal suggests that deliberate manipulation of the host9s intestinal flora may elicit changes in host sleep behavior. To test this possibility, we evaluated 24 h of sleep-wake behavior after depleting the gut microbiota with a 14 d broad-spectrum antibiotic regimen containing high doses of ampicillin, metronidazole, neomycin, and vancomycin. High-throughput sequencing of the bacterial 16S rDNA gene was used to confirm depletion of fecal bacteria and sleep-wake vigilance states were determined using videosomnography techniques based on previously established behavioral criteria shown to highly correlate with standard polysomnography-based methods. Additionally, considering that germ-free and antibiotic-treated mice have been earlier shown to display increased locomotor activity, and since locomotor activity has been used as a reliable proxy of sleep, we suspected that the elevated locomotor activity previously reported in these animals may reflect an unreported reduction in sleep behavior. To examine this potential relationship, we also quantified locomotor activity on a representative subsample of the same 24 h of video recordings using the automated video-tracking software ANY-maze. We found that antibiotic-induced depletion of the gut microbiota reduced nocturnal sleep, but not diurnal sleep. Likewise, antibiotic-treated mice showed increased nocturnal locomotor activity, but not diurnal locomotor activity. Taken together, these results support a link between the gut microbiome and nocturnal sleep and locomotor physiology in adult mice. Additionally, our findings indicate that antibiotics may be insomnogenic via their ability to diminish gut-derived bacterial somnogens. Given that antibiotics are among the most commonly prescribed drugs in human medicine, these findings have important implications for clinical practice with respect to prolonged antibiotic therapy, insomnia, and other idiopathic sleep-wake and circadian-rhythm disorders affecting an estimated 50-70 million people in the United States alone.
The Search for a Pre-Traumatized Childhood

This chapter explores feature films that view the 1970s as a precursor to the trauma of the coup. Many of these films suggest connections with traumas that go beyond the 1970s, finding kinship in the suffering of Turkey’s non-Muslim-minorities and population “exchangees”. Using iconic landscapes with empty, derelict mansions, and references to unspoken pains, they address themes like the burial of innocence, the loss of clarity, and the sense of entrapment. The films looking at the ‘pre-history’ of the coup search for a period of childlike innocence. But with dark, shadowy characters and unknown malicious forces lurking in the background, they fail to locate such an innocuous state in this pre-history. Instead, they position the coup on a historical trajectory of other, unspoken traumas.
HappyFace: Identifying and predicting frustrating obstacles for learning programming at scale

Unnecessary obstacles limit learning in cognitively-complex domains such as computer programming. With a lack of appropriate feedback mechanisms, novice programmers can experience frustration and disengage from the learning experience. In large-scale educational settings, the struggles of learners are often invisible to the learning infrastructure and learners have limited ability to seek help. In this paper, we perform a large-scale collection of code snippets from an online learn-to-code platform, Python Tutor, and collect a frustration rating through a light-weight learner feedback mechanism. We then devise a technique that can automatically identify sources of frustration based on participants labeling their frustration levels. We found 3 factors that best predicted novice programmers' frustration state: syntax errors, using niche language features, and understanding code with high complexity. Additionally, we found evidence that we could predict sources of frustration. Based on these results, we believe an embedded feedback mechanism can lead to future intervention systems.
Characterization of two continuous cell lines derived from Oncorhynchus mykiss for models of aryl-hydrocarbon-receptor-mediated signal transduction: Direct comparison to the mammalian Hepa-1c1c7 cell line

Abstract To develop a comprehensive understanding of aryl-hydrocarbon-receptor (AHR)-mediated signal transduction in aquatic species, studies were initiated to evaluate this pathway at the molecular level in two Oncorhynchus mykiss, continuous cells and culture lines. One cell line was derived from pooled gonadal tissue from juvenile trout (RTG-2), while the other was derived from aflatoxin-induced liver tumors (RTH-149); 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) treatment of RTG-2 cells resulted in high levels of CYP1A mRNA and protein expression with an EC50 of approximately 35 pM. The time course and intensity of the induction was similar to the murine Hepa-1c1c7 (Hepa-1) cell line. In contrast, RTH-149 cells did not induce levels of CYP1A mRNA or protein within the detection limits of the assay. Both cell lines exhibited specific and saturable binding of [3H]TCDD with RTG-2 cells, expressing 26.7 fmol AHR/106 cells and RTH-149 cells, expressing 9.3 fmol AHR/106 cells. The Kd in both cell lines was 0.70 nM. AHR:ARNT complexes could be specifically detected in nuclear extracts of TCDD treated RTG-2 cells by gel mobility shift assays. Quantitative Western Blotting was used to evaluate the concentration of ARNT protein in the RTG-2 and RTH-149 cells. Both cell lines expressed similar levels of the active rtARNTb isoform and immunohistochemical staining of fixed cells showed that the ARNT protein was exclusively localized to the nuclear compartment. These results imply that the RTG-2 cell line is an excellent aquatic correlate to the mammalian Hepa-1 model for the study of AHR-mediated signal transduction, while the RTH-149 cell line is much less responsive to TCDD.
Evidence for Role of Genital Mycoplasmas in Preterm Birth and Neonatal Lung Injury

Although the genital mycoplasmas are common commensals in the vaginal flora of up to 80% of women, these organisms have been associated with adverse perinatal outcomes. These outcomes include chorioamnionitis, preterm premature rupture of the membranes (pPROM), preterm birth, and altered lung development contributing to the development of bronchopulmonary dysplasia in preterm infants with respiratory infection. This review focuses on the current knowledge of the evidence supporting a causal role of these organisms in these adverse outcomes and controversies, including whether treatment of affected pregnant women or their infants is warranted.
Interferometric Sounding Using a Metamaterial-Based Compressive Reflector Antenna

This paper describes a new coded interferometric system for sensing the physical temperature radiated from the Earth’s surface. The proposed system consists of a compressive reflector antenna (CRA) coated with metamaterial absorbers (MMAs). The CRA and the MMA are used to code the received electromagnetic (EM) field in space and in frequency, at the focal plane array. The MMA is modeled by an equivalent magnetodielectric medium having a definite thickness. A high-frequency method based on physical optics is used to build the sensing matrix of the system, and the inverse problem is solved using a Nesterov-based compressive sensing (CS) methodology. Numerical examples are carried out in order to reconstruct the physical temperature of the Earth’s surface. The performance of the proposed system is compared to that of the conventional interferometric system, GeoSTAR. Preliminary results show that the metamaterial-based CRA provides comparable performance to the GeoSTAR configuration with only half of the feeding elements while keeping the same physical aperture size for the two configurations.
Noise mitigation and delay compensation in high frequency dual current programmed mode control

To overcome the increased switching losses in high frequency power electronics, control-based modulation techniques such as boundary current mode (BCM) are commonly used in full bridge inverter and rectifier topologies to guarantee zero voltage switching (ZVS). Traditionally, in order to implement BCM modulation, a combination of current programmed mode (CPM) control and model-based techniques are used. The former is highly susceptible to noise and sensing delay, while the latter is subject to modeling error. In this work, a dual-current programmed mode (DCPM) control circuit for BCM operation is designed and implemented. The proposed control network achieves better noise immunity and low propagation delay at high frequency while regulating peak and valley currents in each period. The operation of this control scheme is demonstrated experimentally using a GaN-based half bridge inverter prototype.
Secondary and miscellaneous urolithiasis. Medications, urinary diversions, and foreign bodies.

Most calculi of the urinary system arise from common components of urine, such as calcium oxalate or phosphate or uric acid. Still other calculi may be promoted by anatomic or structural abnormalities associated with urinary diversion. An additional group of calculi includes those associated with caliceal, bladder, or urethral stones formed after ingestion of oral substances or medications capable of generating calculi. On some occasions, calculi arise from the presence of foreign bodies within the urinary tract. Some of these foreign-body stones result from iatrogenic causes, but a surprising number result from self-insertion of unusual objects or from migration into the urinary system from other organs of the abdominal contents. One of the fortunate factors about these calculi is that limitation of the offending medication, removal of the foreign body and its associated stone, or correction of the anatomic abnormality related to the diversion results in "cure" of the calculous disease. Even though these types of calculi are somewhat rare, their existence emphasizes the need to submit calculi or their fragments for stone analysis. Some of these calculi were discovered because "routine" stone analysis resulted in reports calling the stones "not consistent with any known composition or urinary calculus." 27 This type of report should cause the physician to resubmit the stone for further analysis using known urinary profiles for medications. Another comment may state, for example, that "the nucleus of this calculus is composed of a hairpin." This should prompt the urologist to ask the patient about possible self-manipulation and insertion of foreign bodies into the urinary system. If this is a common event for the patient, further counseling may be appropriate. Another important consideration in these secondary types of calculi derives from their relative radiodensity or radiolucency. For example, radiolucent calculi of triamterene may be seen as radiodense stones on CT scanning and therefore confused with uric-acid calculi. 10 Attenuation values of calculi during CT scanning can be very useful for determining likely compositions of calculi. 11 Radiolucent uric-acid calculi have CT attenuation values of 70 to 400 Hounsfield units (HU). A xanthine stone demonstrates a value of 391 HU, whereas a cystine stone registers 586 HU. Stones composed of the medication indinavir are not radiodense on standard radiography or CT imaging.
Observation of Fundamental Variables of Optical Techniques in the Nanometric Range

For a long while the so called Rayleigh limit posed severe constraints to the application of optical techniques beyond the range of λ/2 of the wavelength of light, In 1952, Toraldo di Francia [1] pointed out that the Rayleigh limit came from historical period in which the existence of evanescent fields was not known. On the basis of the possibility of taking advantage of evanescent fields, he postulated the possibility of going beyond the Rayleigh limit practically within the limitation posed by energy one can go to much smaller fractions of the wavelength of light, n the present paper this argument is pursued both on the theoretical ground and experimental results showing the possibility of reaching 1/20 of the wavelength of light, the limit for eyes from the energy and the availability of sensors with enough spatial resolution. Examples of particle dimensions, analysis of the phase of grating patterns and moire patterns (Fig. 1) are provided. The properties of the speckle fields are investigated by carrying out a statistical analysis of the experimental data.
Does Dormant Faultline Still Matter in Distributed Teams? Extending the Faultline Concept to Distributed Environment.

Subgroup divisions based on demographic characteristics such as age, gender, and race (the notion of dormant team fautlines) have been found to influence team processes and outcomes in face-to-face teams. This research extends the faultline concept to distributed environment, by proposing that recognized faultlines, instead of dormant faultline, will have a negative impact on distributed team performance and an important team cognitive process – Transactive Memory Systems (TMS). The research model was tested based on survey data collected from 156 MBA students in 42 distributed teams. Our results show that in distributed teams where each team member locates at a different location and never meet face-to-face, recognized faultlines have a negative relationship to both team performance and TMS, while dormant faultlines only have a negative link to TMS, but no significant relationship to team performance. Implications for research and practice are discussed together with potential avenues for future research.
Analytical and Numerical Aspects of Fluid Interfaces

Water waves are familiar in everyday experience and illustrate the rich variety of phenomena observed in wave motion. The exact equations are difficult to deal with directly because of the free boundary and the inherent nonlinearity. However, approximate treatments, especially linear theory and shallow water theory, as well as numerical computations, have led to the understanding of many important aspects. We concentrate here on qualitative properties of the equations of motion, linearized about an arbitrary solution, and the design of convergent numerical methods of a special type, called boundary integral methods.
Effect of Whey Protein Supplementation on Physical Performance and Body Composition in Army Initial Entry Training Soldiers

We investigated the effects of whey protein (WP) supplementation on body composition and physical performance in soldiers participating in Army Initial Entry Training (IET). Sixty-nine, male United States Army soldiers volunteered for supplementation with either twice daily whey protein (WP, 77 g/day protein, ~580 kcal/day; n = 34, age = 19 ± 1 year, height = 173 ± 6 cm, weight = 73.4 ± 12.7 kg) or energy-matched carbohydrate (CHO) drinks (CHO, 127 g/day carbohydrate, ~580 kcal/day; n = 35, age = 19 ± 1 year, height = 173 ± 5 cm, weight = 72.3 ± 10.9 kg) for eight weeks during IET. Physical performance was evaluated using the Army Physical Fitness Test during weeks two and eight. Body composition was assessed using 7-site skinfold assessment during weeks one and nine. Post-testing push-up performance averaged 7 repetitions higher in the WP compared to the CHO group (F = 10.1, p < 0.001) when controlling for baseline. There was a significant decrease in fat mass at post-training (F = 4.63, p = 0.04), but no significant change in run performance (F = 3.50, p = 0.065) or fat-free mass (F = 0.70, p = 0.41). Effect sizes for fat-free mass gains were large for both the WP (Cohen’s d = 0.44) and CHO (Cohen’s d = 0.42) groups. WP had a large effect on fat mass (FM) loss (Cohen’s d = −0.67), while CHO had a medium effect (Cohen’s d = −0.40). Twice daily supplementation with WP improved push-up performance and potentiated reductions in fat mass during IET training in comparison to CHO supplementation.
Risk Aversion, Unemployment, and Aggregate Risk Sharing with Financial Frictions

If agents in workhorse business cycle models with financial frictions are allowed to index contracts to observable aggregates, they share aggregate financial risk (almost) perfectly. Thus, the borrowing-constrained capital holders' wealth share does not collapse following adverse shocks and the financial accelerator mechanism is eliminated. I revisit this issue in the Bernanke, Gertler, and Gilchrist (1999), henceforth BGG, framework and show that this happens in the standard specification with TFP shocks partly because: i) borrowers and lenders are implicitly assumed to have identical, logarithmic utility, and ii) the representative lender's human wealth comoves closely with aggregate financial wealth. I then demonstrate that non-state-contingent borrowing rates, as initially imposed by BGG, can arise optimally in light of TFP shocks if: i) lenders' aversion to consumption fluctuations is increased to plausible degrees, or ii) at identical preferences for consumption, lenders face uninsurable idiosyncratic liquidity risk brought about by loss of employment.
Parametric study of wind tunnel test section configurations for stabilizing normal shock wave structure

Presented are results from a parametric investigation of wind-tunnel test-section configurations with a goal of stabilization of normal-shock-wave structure. The test section includes a two-flow-passage arrangement, where each passage is separated by a shock-wave-holding plate. The top wall for the top passage is contoured relative to the streamwise-flow direction, and a choking flap is located at the downstream portion of the bottom flow passage. Altered are the streamwise and spanwise positions of the shock-wave-holding plate, angle of the choking flap, and amount of venting. Of interest are shadowgraph flow visualization images, grayscale spectral energy variations, and integrated grayscale spectral energy levels. Higher static-pressure ratio downstream of the shock wave (caused by higher choking-flap angle, lower shock-wave-holding-plate position, and less venting) is associated with greater shock-wave-standoff distance (relative to the shock-wave-holding plate) and decreased flow unsteadiness. The most optimal arrangement includes a stabilized normal shock wave and lambda foot, which are largely two dimensional over the shadowgraph visualization volume.
Diagnosis of Pancreatic Cystic Lesions by Virtual Slicing: Comparison of Diagnostic Potential of Needle-Based Confocal Laser Endomicroscopy versus Endoscopic Ultrasound-Guided Fine-Needle Aspiration.

Background: Pancreatic cystic lesions are often challenging entities for diagnosis and management. EUS-FNA diagnostic accuracy is limited by paucicellularity of cytology specimens and sampling errors. Needle-based confocal laser endomicroscopy (nCLE) provides real-time imaging of the microscopic structure of the cystic lesion and could result in a more accurate diagnosis. Aims and Objectives: To determine the diagnostic utility of in vivo nCLE and EUS-FNA in the diagnosis and histologic characterization of pancreatic cystic lesions (PCL). Materials and Methods: All patients diagnosed with PCL who had undergone nCLE and FNA over a 10-year period within a major urban teaching hospital were included in this study. All gastroenterology reports of the nCLE images and corresponding pathologist findings from the EUS-FNA were collected and compared with, a final diagnosis prospectively collected from clinicopathological and imaging data. Results: A total of n=32 patients were included in this study, which consisted of n=13 serous cystadenoma (SCA), n=7 intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms (IPMN), n=2 mucinous cystic neoplasms (MCN), n=3 well-differentiated neuroendocrine tumors, n=2 cysts, n=2 benign pancreatic lesions, n=1 adenocarcinoma, n=1 gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) and n=1 lymphangioma. The overall diagnostic rate was higher in nCLE (87.5%) vs. EUS-FNA (71.9%) While the diagnostic accuracy of nCLE and EUS-FNA were comparable in characterization of benign vs. malignant lesions, the nCLE diagnosis demonstrated higher accuracy rate in identifying mucinous cystic neoplasms compared to EUS-FNA. Conclusion: nCLE is a useful companion diagnostic tool for pancreatic cystic lesions and could assist the cytopathologist to better triage the sample for required ancillary testing and treatment planning. The combination of nCLE and EUS-FNA may be especially helpful in reducing the proportion of cases categorized as non-diagnostic.
Examining How Testosterone and Cortisol Influence the Relationship Between Strain, Negative Emotions, and Antisocial Behavior: A Gendered Analysis:

This study provides a test of General Strain Theory by examining the relations between strain, negative emotions, and biological hormones in the prediction of antisocial behavior across gender. Fin...
23 – Pile Inspection

Publisher Summary The pile inspector should read and understand the Geotechnical Engineering Report. He should be aware of soil conditions, expected capacity of piles, specifications of piles and driving equipment, and pile-driving criteria. Pile-driving inspector's checklist include review of the geotechnical engineering report, inspection of piles prior to installation, inspection of pile-driving equipment (before and during driving), inspection of the pile-driving procedure, and maintenance of a driving record log The chapter discusses inspection of piles before installation. In the inspection of timber piles, the piles should comply with the specifications of the project, and the timber should be of the species specified. Tip and butt diameter should be measured and recorded for each pile. These diameters should not vary significantly from the specified diameters. The chapter also presents general guidelines for selecting a pile hammer.
Mechanical characterization of a fiberoptic microneedle device for controlled delivery of fluids and photothermal excitation

Abstract Current clinical approaches for treating pancreatic cancer have been demonstrated as ineffective at improving midterm survival. A primary obstacle to local drug delivery is the desmoplastic nature of the peritumoral environment, which acts as a significant barrier to circulating macromolecules. To address this need, our group presents a sharp fiberoptic microcatheter capable of accessing the pancreas through transduodenal endoscope and penetrating a tumor to locally co-deliver photothermal and fluid-based therapies. Experiments sought to characterize the mechanical penetration capabilities and fluid mechanics of the fiberoptic microneedle design. A refined off-center fusion splicing technique was developed for joining a multimode fiber to the annular core of a light-guiding capillary, allowing light transmission with minimal optical loss. A novel and frugal technique for assessing the penetration force of the microneedle was conducted in a bovine gelatin tissue phantom with a Young's modulus stiffer than the high range for pancratic tissue or tumor. Buckling forces for different microneedle lengths were measured and compared against theoretical values obtained from Euler's Critical Load equation under fixed-pinned column conditions. Hydraulic resistance of different capillary lengths was evaluated and compared against the theoretical values from Hagen-Poiseuille's law, allowing assessment of contributions from different segments of the device. The results demonstrated that the microcatheter can robustly and repeatably penetrate a soft tissue phantom chosen to be a conservative model of pancreatic tissue for penetration properties. Experiments showed that a 1.5 N insertion force was required for phantom penetration with a 45° beveled needle at a 5 mm unsupported length, while the critical buckling load was measured to be approximately 4 N. In addition, the design was demonstrated to efficiently transport 1064 nm light and aqueous fluids with a 70–75% light coupling efficiency and 12,200 Pa.s/μl hydraulic resistance, respectively. These findings motivate the FMD's further development as a treatment platform for pancreatic cancer.
Ipsilateral Reversible Cerebral Vasculopathy Secondary to Carotid Artery Revascularization: A Case Report.

Background The emergence of neurologic symptoms after carotid revascularization is not uncommon and typically caused by perioperative ischemic stroke or hyperperfusion. Postoperative vasculopathy, including reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome (RCVS) is a rare complication of carotid intervention and may be an under-identified cause of neurologic deficit after revascularization. We report a case of reversible postoperative vasculopathy following carotid revascularization as well as its management. Case presentation A 74 year old right-handed woman presented to the emergency department with sudden onset left arm weakness and episodic shaking while hypotensive. Computed tomography angiography revealed total occlusion of her right internal carotid artery. Transcranial Doppler monitoring demonstrated active embolic events in her right middle cerebral artery raising concern for continued stump embolization. She underwent carotid revascularization with carotid endarterectomy, mechanical thrombectomy, and carotid angioplasty and initially did well postoperatively. On postoperative day 5, she developed a fixed right gaze and left hemiparesis. Computed tomography revealed new right frontal lobe and basal ganglia infarcts, and angiography showed new right internal carotid, middle cerebral, and anterior cerebral artery vasoconstriction consistent with postoperative vasculopathy. Despite treatment with pressure augmentation and vasodilator therapy, her symptoms persisted resulting in left hemiplegia at discharge. Discussion This case highlights postoperative vasculopathy (including RCVS) as a rare potential complication after carotid revascularization that should be considered in a patient with persistent acute neurologic symptoms. Information regarding incidence and predisposing risk factors is limited. Multiple diagnostic and therapeutic modalities may be necessary in the recognition and treatment of postoperative vasculopathy.