cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Parental Death in Childhood and Loneliness in Young Adults

The effects of childhood parental separation and divorce on adult loneliness were studied. Eighty-seven volunteer male and female participants completed the UCLA Revised Loneliness Scale and the Reported Mourning Behavior Checklist. Data were analyzed using stepwise multiple regression, and results were acceptable at the .05 level of significance. Analysis of the data revealed that there were significant relationships between reported mourning behaviors, as well as the respondents' ages at the time of parent separation, and loneliness.
Whole-genome variance components linkage analysis using single-nucleotide polymorphisms versus microsatellites on quantitative traits of derived phenotypes from factor analysis of electroencephalogram waves

Alcohol dependence is a serious public health problem. We studied data from families participating in the Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism (COGA) and made available to participants in the Genetic Analysis Workshop 14 (GAW14) in order to search for genes predisposing to alcohol dependence. Using factor analysis, we identified four factors (F1, F2, F3, F4) related to the electroencephalogram traits. We conducted variance components linkage analysis with each of the factors. Our results using the Affymetrix single-nucleotide polymorphism dataset showed significant evidence for a novel linkage of F3 (factor comprised of the three midline channel EEG measures from the target case of the Visual Oddball experiment ttdt2, 3, 4) to chromosome 18 (LOD = 3.45). This finding was confirmed by analyses of the microsatellite data (LOD = 2.73) and Illumina SNP data (LOD = 3.30). We also demonstrated that, in a sample like the COGA data, a dense single-nucleotide polymorphism map provides better linkage signals than low-resolution microsatellite map with quantitative traits.
Sleep disturbance interventions in oncology patients and family caregivers: A comprehensive review and meta-analysis

Sleep disturbance is a significant problem for both oncology patients and family caregivers (FCs), and is associated with poorer functional status, quality of life, and potentially disease progression. This review describes a comprehensive literature search and meta-analysis of the efficacy of interventions for sleep disturbance in oncology patients and their FCs. This search revealed 47 studies that evaluated the effects of a number of interventions on sleep disturbance/sleep quality, as a primary or secondary outcome in oncology patients. The primary purposes of the review were to synthesize findings from intervention studies for sleep disturbance in oncology patients and their FCs; to evaluate the efficacy of these interventions; to identify gaps in the literature; and to provide directions for future research. In addition, all 47 intervention studies were evaluated in terms of key intervention and study characteristics. Both strong patterns and inconsistencies were identified among the studies, which complicate an evaluation of the efficacy of interventions, and may collectively guide future research. Finally, the importance of including the FC in sleep disturbance interventions is discussed. In light of the detrimental effects that sleep disturbance has on both the patient and the FC, this systematic review may better inform essential future intervention efforts.
Dimethyl ether combustion catalyzed by supported Pd, Rh, and Pt clusters: Site requirements and reaction pathways

Clusters of Pt and Pd catalyze dimethyl ether (DME) combustion to CO2 and H2O at 400–600 K without detectable formation of byproducts. Rh clusters are less active and also form CO, HCHO, and CH3OH in this temperature range. On Pd, isotopic and kinetic studies have shown that DMEO2 reactions proceed via redox cycles limited by hydrogen abstraction from chemisorbed DME molecules without the involvement of methoxide intermediates in kinetically relevant steps, as shown previously on Pt clusters. Kinetic inhibition by H2O is much stronger on Pd than on Pt clusters, apparently because of weaker binding of chemisorbed oxygen (O*) and hydroxyl (OH*) groups on Pt than on Pd. H2O titrates vacancies (*) required to chemisorb DME molecules involved in kinetically relevant H-abstraction steps. DME combustion turnover rates (per exposed metal atom) on Pt, Pd, and Rh increased with increasing cluster size, but were not affected by the identity of the support (Al2O3, ZrO2). These size effects reflect the stronger binding of O* and OH* on smaller clusters, which contain surface atoms with fewer neighbors and greater coordinative unsaturation. The higher reactivity of Pt compared with Pd and Rh also reflects the weaker binding of O* on Pt surfaces and the higher density of vacancies and of DME intermediates interacting with such vacancies. These trends resemble those reported for CH4O2 on Pt and Pd clusters. They represent a general feature of reactions that require vacancies and the abstraction of H-atoms by basic oxygens on surfaces covered predominately by O* or OH* during catalysis.
Engineered Two‐Helix Small Proteins for Molecular Recognition

Less is more: By starting with a high-affinity HER2-binding 3-helix affibody molecule, we successfully developed 2-helix small protein binders with 5 nM affinities by using a combination of several different strategies. Our efforts clearly suggest that 2-helix small proteins against important tumor targets can be obtained by rational protein design and engineering.
VISUALIZATION OF MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION AND SUBSEQUENT CORONARY REPERFUSION WITH MRI USING A DOG MODEL

Twelve anesthetized mongrel dogs underwent left thoracotomy with placement of a removable ligature around the left circumflex coronary artery. Following a 3 to 6 hour delay, ECG-gated spin-echo MRI was performed. The ligature was then removed reperfusing the heart, and after a 10-15 min period, MRI repeated. Finally, post-sacrifice images were obtained, and the hearts chemically stained for infarct evaluation. The MR images were subjectively and quantitatively evaluated for visibility of the endocardial border and of the injured myocardium, and for changes after reperfusion. The injured tissue was variably visible in vivo, the major limitation a result of motion blurring and artifact. The abnormal tissue was easily visible on MRI in 11 animals, and not clearly visible in one. The endocardial border was easily seen in 10 animals. The variation of calculated relaxation times was high for both normal and ischemic/infarcted myocardium in the beating hearts (normal: T1 = 566 +/- 288, T2 = 38 +/- 6; injured myocardium: T1 = 637 +/- 250, T2 = 41 +/- 12) in contrast, relatively stationary skeletal muscle measured in the same images had narrower ranges (T1 = 532 +/- 199, T2 = 28 +/- 2). Changes with reperfusion were seen, but not reliably. The infarcted or ischemic zones were easily visible on post-sacrifice images in all animals imaged. Post-sacrifice relaxation times were T1 = 564 +/- 69 msec, T2 = 39 +/- 3 msec for normal heart muscle, and 725 +/- 114, T2 = 47 +/- 5 for ischemic/infarcted tissue.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Gradient-index imaging optics today

The subject of gradient-index imaging optics has enjoyed several years of steady progress. At the May 1981 topical meeting in Honolulu significant advances were reported with respect to theory, measurements, materials, and applications.
Activity patterns of the wing muscles of the pigeon (Columba livia) during different modes of flight

The temporal sequence of activity patterns and intensities (voltage per wingbeat) of electromyograms (EMGs) from 17 muscles in the shoulder and forelimb of the pigeon (Columba livia) were measured during five modes of flight (level flapping, takeoff, landing, vertical ascending, and near vertical descending flight). EMG signals were referenced to wing position using high-speed movie film. Most muscles exhibited EMG activity during phases within a wingbeat cycle not expected a priori. All muscles exhibited some level of activity within each wingbeat cycle and during all modes of flight. Intensity of EMG activity varied significantly between different modes of flight. Most shifts in temporal patterns were minor with the exception of the humerotriceps. © 1992 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Mitral Regurgitation in Ventricular Premature Contractions: The Role of the Papillary Muscle

In view of the possibility that the mechanism of mitral regurgitation following premature ventricular contractions may contribute to the understanding of mitral regurgitation in clinically important causes of nonrheumatic mitral insufficiency, we studied 320 premature ventricular contractions in eight dogs. Since the papillary muscle is an important component of the mitral valvular complex, the extent and course of lengthening and shortening of the papillary muscle was investigated with ultrasonic crystals implanted within the anterolateral papillary muscle. Lengthening and shortening of a segment of the free wall of the left ventricle was measured simultaneously with identical crystals in three dogs. During sinus rhythm, lengthening of the papillary muscle always began well before the onset of isovolumic contraction of the left ventricle and continued throughout isovolumic contraction, indicating that lengthening occurred during closure of the mitral valve. When lengthening was prevented by premature ventricular contractions, left atrial v waves occurred. These observations indicate that lengthening of the papillary muscle during the latter part of diastole is required for proper closure of the mitral valve and that inadequate lengthening can result in mitral regurgitation.
Noncyclic Operations and the LCA in a Derivational Theory

Dans A Derivational Approach to Syntactic Relations (DASR), Epstein et al. (1998) presentent une theorie derivationnelle de la syntaxe qui n'incorpore aucun niveau de representation. Cette approche formule l'hypothese selon laquelle les deux regles fondamentales de la construction syntaxique, Fusion et Mouvement (Merge and Move), expriment naturellement toutes les relations syntaxiques significatives. L'A. montre ici que la DASR introduit des hypotheses contradictoires et incompatibles entre, d'une part, les deductions faites sur la mauvaise formation des applications non cycliques de la concatenation et, d'autre part, l'analyse derivationnelle de plusieurs phenomenes de liage
Prognostic implications of negative dobutamine stress echocardiography in African Americans compared to Caucasians

Background African Americans (AA) have higher rates of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality than Caucasians (CA). Despite its excellent negative predictive value, the influence of race on the prognostic implications of negative dobutamine echocardiography in predicting major cardiac problems is largely unknown.
A scalable simulation framework for evaluating thermal management techniques and the lifetime reliability of multithreaded multicore systems

It has become increasingly challenging to understand supercomputers behavior and performance as they grow. New hurdles in scalability, programmability, power consumption, reliability, cost, and cooling are emerging. This paper introduces the integrated power, area, temperature, reliability modeling framework in the open, modular, multiscale, parallel Structural Simulation Toolkit (SST) to help evaluate new technologies and guide design of future computers. In this study, the simulation framework is used to evaluate different dynamic thermal management techniques, in terms of power, temperature and reliability, on multicore systems running multithreaded and more irregular applications. Simulation results shed some new light on application-aware, performance/power efficient thermal and reliability management policies of multithreaded multicore systems.
Assessing the risk of software failure in a funds transfer application

Software failure risk, the expected loss resulting from software faults, is a useful measure of software quality that can guide development, maintenance, testing, and operational use of software. The author describes the measurement of software failure risk in a funds transfer system and demonstrates how the external environment and the structure of the software minimize failure risk even when the potential financial exposure is extremely large. >
The distribution of Arctic lichens and thoughts concerning their origin

The distribution of many Arctic lichens is well known but their place and time of origin is still conjectural. Land bridges are often suggested but continental drift suggests a possible tie to Gondwanaland and Pangaea. This review suggests consideration of the available evidence for such ideas and emphasizes the need for more exact data from molecular studies of living and amber materials to determine the antiquity of the lichen species involved.
Universal Size-Shape Effect Law Based on Comprehensive Concrete Fracture Tests

The universal size-shape effect law is a law that describes the dependence of nominal strength of specimen or structure on both its size and the crack (or notch) length, over the entire range of interest, and exhibits the correct small-size and large-size asymptotic properties as required by the cohesive crack model (or crack band model). The main difficulty has been the transition of crack length from 0, in which case the size effect is Type 1, to deep cracks (or notches), in which case the size effect is Type 2 and is fundamentally different from Type 1, with different asymptotes. In this transition, the problem is not linearizable because the notch is not much larger than the fracture process zone. The previously proposed universal law could not be verified experimentally for the Type 1-Type 2 transition because sufficient test data were lacking. The current study is based on recently obtained comprehensive fracture test data for three-point bend beams cast from one batch of the same concrete and cured and tested under identical conditions. The test data reveal that the Type 1-Type 2 transition in the previous universal law has insufficient accuracy and cannot be captured by Taylor series expansion of the energy release rate function of linear elastic fracture mechanics. Instead, the size effect for a zero notch and for the transitional range is now characterized in terms of the strain gradient at the specimen surface, which is the main variable determining the degree of stress redistribution by the boundary layer of cracking. The new universal law is shown to fit the comprehensive data quite well, with a coefficient of variation of only 2.3%.
Is your depressed patient bipolar

Accurate diagnosis of mood disorders is critical for treatment to be effective. Distinguishing between major depression and bipolar disorders, especially the depressed phase of a bipolar disorder, is essential, because they differ substantially in their genetics, clinical course, outcomes, prognosis, and treatment. In current practice, bipolar disorders, especially bipolar II disorder, are underdiagnosed. Misdiagnosing bipolar disorders deprives patients of timely and potentially lifesaving treatment, particularly considering the development of newer and possibly more effective medications for both depressive features and the maintenance treatment (prevention of recurrence/relapse). This article focuses specifically on how to recognize the identifying features suggestive of a bipolar disorder in patients who present with depressive symptoms or who have previously been diagnosed with major depression or dysthymia. This task is not especially time-consuming, and the interested primary care or family physician can easily perform this assessment. Tools to assist the physician in daily practice with the evaluation and recognition of bipolar disorders and bipolar depression are presented and discussed.
An Examination of Special Focus Facility Nursing Homes

Purpose: Nursing facilities that are determined to have a greater number of quality problems, more serious problems than average, and a demonstrated pattern of quality problems are included in the Special Focus Facility (SFF) initiative. The purpose of this research was to provide descriptive information on these SFFs and to examine the quality characteristics of these facilities. Design and Methods: The 1997 through 2008 On-line Survey, Certification And Reporting data and 2003 through 2008 Nursing Home Compare data were used. Descriptive analyses, including t tests, were used to compare the 2 groups of facilities (i.e., SFF nursing facilities and non-SFF nursing facilities). Results: Staffing for registered nurses and nurse aides was lower in SFFs; all citations, quality of care citations, and J, K, and L citations were more frequent in SFFs; and quality indicators such as pressure ulcers and use of antipsychotic drugs were more prevalent in SFFs. Implications: SFF targeting would appear to be accurate with respect to nursing facilities having multiple poor quality issues and chronic poor quality.
Point Mutations at N434 in D1-S6 of μ1 Na+ Channels Modulate Binding Affinity and Stereoselectivity of Local Anesthetic Enantiomers

Voltage-gated Na+ channels are the primary targets of local anesthetics (LAs). Amino acid residues in domain 4, transmembrane segment 6 (D4-S6) form part of the LA binding site. LAs inhibit binding of the neurotoxin batrachotoxin (BTX). Parts of the BTX binding site are located in D1-S6 and D4-S6. The affinity of BTX-resistant Na+ channels mutated in D1-S6 (μ1-N434K, μ1-N437K) toward several LAs is significantly decreased. We have studied how residue μ1-N434 influences LA binding. By using site-directed mutagenesis, we created mutations at μ1-N434 that vary the hydrophobicity, aromaticity, polarity, and charge and investigated their influence on state-dependent binding and stereoselectivity of bupivacaine. Wild-type and mutant channels were transiently expressed in human embryonic kidney 293t cells and investigated under whole-cell voltage-clamp. For resting channels, bupivacaine enantiomers showed a higher potency in all mutant channels compared with wild-type channels. These changes were not well correlated with the physical properties of the substituted residues. Stereoselectivity was small and almost unchanged. In inactivated channels, the potency of bupivacaine was increased in mutations containing a quadrupole of an aromatic group (μ1-N434F, μ1-N434W, μ1-N434Y), a polar group (μ1-N434C), or a negative charge (μ1-N434D) and was decreased in a mutation containing a positive charge (μ1-N434K). In mutation μ1-N434R, containing the positively charged arginine, the potency of S(−)-bupivacaine was selectively decreased, resulting in a stereoselectivity (stereopotency ratio) of 3. Similar results were observed with cocaine but not with RAC 109 enantiomers. We propose that in inactivated channels, residue μ1-N434 interacts directly with the positively charged moiety of LAs and that D1-S6 and D4-S6 form a domain-interface site for binding of BTX and LAs in close proximity.
Energy efficient multicasting problem in wireless ad-hoc networks

Wireless communication consumes significant amount of energy. In an ad-hoc network where each device runs on its own battery, the energy consumption should be minimized to extend the network lifetime and hence the energy consumption is one of the most important factors in designing a wireless ad-hoc network. In this paper, we survey literature for the energy efficient multicasting problem in wireless ad-hoc networks. Due to the NP-hardness of the problem, many heuristics have been studied. However, the heuristics in the literature suffer from coarse performance ratio. Relatively small amount of research has been done in optimization approach. It is important to have knowledge of the optimal solution structure in order to develop more efficient heuristics and algorithms. We also summarize the optimization approach for the problem and compare the computational results. In addition, we also review literature for slightly different approaches to extend the network lifetime, since minimizing the total energy does not always lead to a longer network lifetime.
Characteristics of High-Speed Silicon Carbide (Sic) Power Transistors

This paper describes the temperature and operating characteristics of NPN 4H-SiC (a polytype of silicon carbide) bipolar junction transistor (BJT) and 4H-SIC Darlington pairs. A large amount of experimental data was collected. The wafer BJTs were able to block over the rated 600 V in the common-emitter configuration and the TO-220 BJTs were able to block over the 1200 V rated voltage. In the thermal analysis, it is found out that at higher temperatures the forward and blocking characteristics were stable at 100degC and 200degC. The transistors show positive temperature coefficients of forward voltage (V). In general the current gain (beta) characteristics obtained (with fVCE = 6 V) were approximately as expected for the BJTs. The beta 's were very low (2 to 5 for wafer BJTs, 5 to 20 for the wafer Darlington pairs, and 5 to 30 for TO-220 BJTs). The large amount of experimental data collected confirms some of the superior properties of the SiC material when used to fabricate power semiconductor devices, namely high thermal conductivity and high operating temperature capability. The SiC BJT has fast switching and recovery characteristics.
Tarnished Plant Bug (Heteroptera: Miridae) Populations near Fields After Early Season Herbicide Treatment

A single herbicide (Trimec® or Strike 3™) application in early season (March or April) was made to marginal areas around fields in 23-km2 test sites of the Mississippi Delta in 1999, 2000, and 2001. The herbicide was used to kill broadleaf weeds in the marginal areas that served as hosts for tarnished plant bugs, Lygus lineolaris (Palisot de Beauvois). The herbicide treatment caused a significant reduction in wild host densities in the treated test sites in all 3 yr. Tarnished plant bug populations in treated test sites did not increase significantly in the treated marginal areas during April and May after treatment of the margins in the first 2 wk of March in 2000 and 2001. The herbicide application was made in the first 2 wk of April 1999, and plant bug populations increased in treated marginal areas in this year. The increase was thought to be caused by plant bugs moving to Italian ryegrass, Lolium multiflorum Lamarck, a previously unreported plant bug host, which was not affected by the herbicide. Laboratory tests showed that plant bugs would oviposit in flowering or nonflowering ryegrass when caged on ryegrass for a 6-d period. Newly emerged nymphs developed into adults (56%) when reared on floral spikelets of ryegrass, but no adults were obtained when they were reared on ryegrass stems and leaves. Rearing on floral spikelets beginning with third-instar nymphs resulted in 92% adults, whereas third-instar nymphs reared on stems and leaves produced no adults. These results showed that ryegrass could serve as a reproductive host for plant bugs when it flowered during late April and May. Application of the herbicide in March, when ryegrass was not in flower, resulted in no significant increases in plant bug populations on wild hosts (mainly ryegrass) during April and May in 2 yr of the field study.
Optimizing emergency management to reduce morbidity and mortality in pediatric burn patients

Burns in patients aged < 14 years are consistently among the top causes of injury-induced mortality in pediatric patients. Pediatric burn victims with large body surface area involvement have a multisystem physiologic response that differs from that of adult patients. The spectrum of management is vast and relies heavily on both the classification of the burn and the anatomy involved. Immediate goals for emergency clinicians include resuscitation and stabilization, fluid management, and pain control. Additional goals include decreasing the risk of infection along with improving healing and cosmetic outcomes. Discharge care and appropriate follow-up instructions need to be carefully constructed in order to avoid long-standing complications. This article reviews methods for accurate classification and management of the full range of burns seen in pediatric patients.
Control of Apoptosis Through Gene Regulation

Apoptosis plays an important role in both physiological and pathological processes. Apoptosis occurs during both normal embryonal development and homeostasis in multicellular organisms, and possibly in the prevention of neoplastic transformation. In addition, derangement or failure of apoptosis may be involved in the pathogenesis of a number of human diseases including cancer. Recent research has begun to elucidate the molecular mechanism underlying the initiation and manifestation of the apoptotic process. It is now widely accepted that apoptotic cells are killed via a highly ordered and controlled program. In brief, extracellular and intracellular signals activate a signal transduction cascade involving proteases, ultimately resulting in the activation of DNA endonucleases that cleave chromosomal DNA into fragments.
Correlating hydrodynamic radii with that of two-dimensional nanoparticles

Dynamic light scattering (DLS) is one of the most adapted methods to measure the size of nanoparticles, as referred to the hydrodynamic radii (Rh). However, the Rh represents only that of three-dimensional spherical nanoparticles. In the present research, the size of two-dimensional (2D) nanoparticles of yttrium oxide (Y2O3) and zirconium phosphate (ZrP) was evaluated through comparing their hydrodynamic diameters via DLS with lateral sizes obtained using scanning and transmission electron microscopy. We demonstrate that the hydrodynamic radii are correlated with the lateral sizes of both square and circle shaped 2D nanoparticles. Two proportional coefficients, i.e., correcting factors, are proposed for the Brownian motion status of 2D nanoparticles. The correction is possible by simplifying the calculation of integrals in the case of small thickness approximation. The correcting factor has great significance for investigating the translational diffusion behavior of 2D nanoparticles in a liquid and in effective and low-cost measurement in terms of size and morphology of shape-specific nanoparticles.
Serotonin levels in blood, heart, and spleen of chickens, ducks, and pigeons.

SummarySerotonin was determined in heart, spleen and blood of chickens, ducks, and pigeons. The levels in spleens of chickens are very high compared to ducks, pigeons, and most mammals and the concentration is higher in the female sex of all three species. The levels of each of the species were not significantly different; but, in all species, the atrial levels were considerably higher than the ventricular ones.The concentration of 5HT in the whole blood was highest in chickens, intermediate in ducks, and lowest in pigeons; and the level was significantly higher in females than males. The data show that approximately 95% of the 5HT is located in the buffy coat fraction of blood.
Merging fires: grassroots peacebuilding between indigenous and non-indigenous peoples

We live in an era in which we are faced with interrelated global survival threats, exacerbated by the differences that divide us. Fundamental to our survival is our ability to develop and implement...
Difference Analysis of Recreationists' Perception of Recreation Use Impact Based on Recreation Motivation——A case of Zhangjiajie National Forest Park

Based on a survey conducted in Zhangjiajie National Forest Park,difference of perception of recreation use impact among different recreation motivation cluster is examined in this paper.The results show that:⑴Although visitor's perception of "managerial recreation impact" is the highest among the three types of recreation impact,there is no significant difference between different recreation motivation visitor clusters;⑵there is no significant difference of perception of social impact between different recreation motivation visitor clusters;⑶nature pursuers' resource impact is significantly higher than that of others,which may indicate that the nature pursuers have a higher requirement of eco-environment than others.
Effects of DEHP on testosterone synthesis in fetal Leydig cells of newborn male rats

AIM: To observe the effects of diethylhexylphthalate(DEHP) on testosterone synthesis in fetal Leydig cells(FLC) of newborn male rats.METHODS: The pregnant rats were exposed to DEHP at dose of 10 mg·kg-1·d-1,100 mg·kg-1·d-1 or 750 mg·kg-1·d-1(body weight) by gavage from gestation 12 days(GD 12) to postnatal 1 day(PND 1) respectively.The serum level of testosterone was detected by chemiluminescence.The morphology of FLC from the testes was observed under light microscope and transmission electron microscope.The mRNA expression of steroidogenic acute regulatory protein(StAR) and insulin-like growth factor I(IGF-I) was detected by real-time PCR(ΔΔCT).RESULTS: The serum testosterone level in low dose group was significantly higher than that in control,middle and high dose groups.The serum testosterone level in middle and high dose groups was significantly lower than that in control group(P0.05).Light microscopy showed the aggregative cluster distribution of FLCs in low dose group,while manifested as tumor-like hyperplasia of FLCs in middile dose group and high dose group.Under electron microscope,the FLC in low dose group showed oval-shape or long spindle-shape,the lipid particles were decreased,but smooth endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria were increased in cytoplasm.In middle and high dose group,the FLC were spindle or oval-shaped,showed large or small,nuclear large,round,rich in cytoplasm and cell aggregation,the cytoplasm was rich lipid particles with deep-stained,smooth endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria were expanded.Compared to control group,the mRNA expression of StAR in low,middle and high dose group was decreased.The mRNA expression of StAR in high dose group was decreased more significantly(P0.01) as compared to that in control group,while the mRNA expression of IGF-I in low dose group and middle dose group was increased,but that only in low dose group was increased more significantly as compared to control group(P0.01).CONCLUSION: DEHP has toxic effect on FLC and changes the morphology and steroidogenic capacity in testicular FLC.The low dose of DEHP elevates the gene expression of IGF-I,and IGF-I stimulates the production of testosterone by FLC.The high dose of DEHP may inhibit the gene expression of StAR to reduce the serum levels of testosterone.
Silver Nitrate Irrigation for Hematuria from Sickle Cell Hemoglobinopathy

Abstract Three patients with significant unilateral, gross hematuria owing to sickle cell hemoglobinopathy were treated successfully with retrograde instillation of 1 per cent silver nitrate. There have been no recurrences of gross hematuria during 11 to 15 months of followup. With standard endoscopic evaluation, verification of the etiology of hematuria from sickle hemoglobinopathy and effective treatment can be accomplished quickly and safely.
Assessment and validation of a defined fluid restriction protocol in the use of subcutaneous desmopressin for children with inherited bleeding disorders.

Introduction Despite the availability of subcutaneous desmopressin (1-deamino-8-d-arginine vasopressin, SC-DDAVP) as a haemostatic agent for children with mild bleeding disorders, few publications specifically address the safety or efficacy of this mode of administration. Aim Our aim was to assess whether a defined fluid restriction protocol was effective in preventing hyponatremia in children receiving perioperative SC-DDAVP, and to document adequate biological and clinical response in this setting. Methods We retrospectively analysed a cohort of children with mild bleeding disorders prescribed SC-DDAVP over a 5-year period following institution of a ‘two-thirds maintenance’ fluid restriction protocol. Results Sixty-nine patients received SC-DDAVP following this protocol, including 15 with mild haemophilia A, 49 with von Willebrand disease (VWD) and five with platelet storage pool disorder. In patients who underwent formal preoperative assessment a complete or partial response was observed in 28/29 with type 1 VWD and 14/15 with mild haemophilia A. Perioperative SC-DDAVP provided excellent haemostasis in all patients, with no requirement for factor concentrate or blood products. Mild asymptomatic hyponatremia was detected in seven children who received multiple doses of DDAVP (lowest sodium 129 mmol L−1); however, adherence to the prescribed fluid restriction protocol was questionable in six of these cases. Symptomatic hyponatremia was not observed. Conclusion Subcutaneous desmopressin was well-tolerated, with no serious side-effects observed, and good biological responses in preoperative trials. A two-thirds maintenance fluid regimen was effective at preventing symptomatic hyponatremia in our cohort, and is now the standard protocol for fluid restriction post-DDAVP administration in our centre.
A passivation method for the design of switched controllers

We consider a feedback switched control system with non-passive subsystems. Introducing a passivation matrix, we transform each non-passive subsystem into a passive one and investigate the passivity of the resulting closed-loop system. The results are further extended to input feedforward passive (IFP) and output feedforward passive (OFP) switched controllers. In addition, we construct a control framework to maintain passivity for switched systems and provide a numerical example to illustrate the accuracy of the results based on the system performance. Our theoretical framework can have important implications in the design of switched controllers based on the concept of passivity.
Want to Study the Nature of Power? Start by Moving the Chairs!

At first glance, the political-theory classroom can seem like a “philosophy class in disguise.” How can we make our text-based classes more “political”? This article considers how three teaching formats—debate, fishbowl, and forum theater—enact different types of power in the classroom and how those enactments necessitate political judgments. In addition to creating the need for political analysis, each of these formats embodies a particular rhetorical strategy often used by political theorists. By physicalizing the argumentative, introspective, and descriptive devices that writers of political theory use, students become better readers of these often old and usually dense texts.
Astronomy: A black hole changes its feeding habits

In the 1980s, the gas surrounding a black hole in a nearby galaxy began to emit much more radiation than before. This change has unexpectedly reversed in the past five years, questioning our understanding of these extreme phenomena.
Effect of stress on human biology: Epigenetics, adaptation, inheritance, and social significance

I present a brief introduction to epigenetics, focused primarily on methylation of the genome and various regulatory RNAs, modifications of associated histones, and their importance in enabling us to adapt to real and changing environmental, developmental, and social circumstances. Following this is a more extensive overview of how it impacts our inheritance, our entire life (which changes as we age), and how we interact with others. Throughout, I emphasize the critical influence that stress, of many varieties exerts, via epigenetic means, on much of how we live and survive, mostly in the brain. I end with a short section on multigenerational transmission, drugs, and the importance of both social life and early life experiences in the development of adult diseases. There will be nothing about cancer. Although epigenetics is critical in that field, it is a whole different cobweb of complications (some involving stress).
Assessment and genetic analysis of heavy metal content in rice grain using an Oryza sativa × O. rufipogon backcross inbred line population

Heavy metal accumulation in rice is a growing concern for public health. Backcross inbred lines derived from an interspecific cross of Oryza sativa × O. rufipogon were grown in two distinct ecological locations (Hangzhou and Lingshui, China). The objective of this study was to characterise the contents of heavy metal in rice grains, and to identify quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for heavy metal contents.; Results: The contents of Ni, As, Pb, Cr and Hg in milled rice showed a significant decline as compared with those in brown rice, whereas the content of Cd showed little change. The concentration of heavy metal in rice grain varied greatly between the two environments. A total of 24 QTLs responsible for heavy metal contents were detected, including two for both the brown and milled rice, 13 for brown rice only, and nine for milled rice only. All the QTLs except two had the enhancing alleles derived from O. rufipogon. Sixteen QTLs were clustered in six chromosomal regions.; Conclusion: Environmental variation plays an important role in the heavy metal contents in rice grain. QTLs detected in this study might be useful for breeding rice varieties with low heavy metal content. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.; © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.
The use of fully-covered self-expanding metallic stents for intraprocedural management of post-sphincterotomy perforations: a single-center study (with video).

Background and study aims Management of post-sphincterotomy perforations is variable, with some patients managed conservatively and other requiring surgery. Fully-covered self-expanding metal stents (FCSEMs) have been used in the past, but data is limited. The aim of this study was to report the clinical characteristics and outcomes following placement of anchored FCSEMSs for the immediate management of post-sphincterotomy perforation. Patients and methods All patients undergoing an ERCP procedure between June 2011 and December 2015 at our institution were reviewed for post-sphincterotomy perforation. All intra-procedurally recognized perforations underwent placement of FCSEMs with flexible anchoring fins and were included in this study. Data extracted included patient demographics, indication, peri-procedural details, clinical course and long-term outcome following anchored FCSEMS placement. Results A total of 15 patients (12 females, median age-66 years) with post-sphincterotomy perforation were included. Major indications included choledocholithiasis in 9 (60 %), and 5 (33.3 %) patients had intra-ampullary or periampullary diverticula. All patients underwent placement of FCSEMS without any complication and had immediate resolution of perforation as evidenced by decrease in fluoroscopic gas and lack of contrast extravasation. None of the patients became symptomatic or needed surgery with a median 2 days of hospitalization following the procedure. Stents were removed after a median of 30.5 days and no complications were noted during follow-up after stent removal. Conclusions Anchored FCSEMs are safe and effective for management of intra-procedurally recognized post-sphincterotomy perforations and obviates need for surgery.
Unique Ocular Findings in Cerebral Palsy Patients with Strabismus

The ocular characteristics of cerebral palsy patients with strabismus are distinctly different when compared to the general population with strabismus, and orthoptic and ophthalmologic exams must b...
The Jurisprudential Foundations of Corporate and Commercial Law: Do Trade Customs Exist?

Customs can be thought of as a kind of pattern or regularity in prior behavior, much as common-law doctrines can be thought of as a pattern or regularity in court decisions. In jurisprudence, however, it would be controversial to claim that patterns in court decisions have an existence of their own, or that those patterns can be identified independently of the goals and beliefs of the person doing the identifying. This paper argues that the existence (and identification) of customs should be subject to exactly the same controversy. In particular, it suggests that the goals, beliefs and other normative premises of the person doing the identifying must inevitably play a role in the interpretation and application of customs. It also reviews the cases interpreting and applying customs to issues of contract and commercial law, suggesting that courts have been doing exactly that.
Roll response of various hull sectional shapes using a navier-stokes solver

A finite volume method-based Navier-Stokes solver is developed for the prediction of the flow around hull sections in roll motion. The corresponding hydrodynamic loads on the hull are determined, and the results are compared with published experimental data. The present method is applied to several hull shapes subject to prescribed roll motions or in transient roll-decay motions. It is found that, due to the effects of viscosity, the results are nonlinear with roll angle, even for small angles. From the analyzed hull geometries, the one with 4% bilge keels was found to be the most effective in reducing roll motions.
Enabling Efficient Inter-Node Message Passing and Remote Memory Access Via a uGNI Based Light-Weight Network Substrate for Cray Interconnects

Today's cutting edge network hardware features extremely low latency and high bandwidth transactions for higher-level communication substrates. The Cray XC/XE family of network fabrics, also known as Cray Aries/Gemini respectively, supports such high-performance remote memory access operations (RMA) and a plethora of transaction modes to optimize communication via lower-level interfaces such as uGNI and DMAPP. However, enabling efficient one-sided communication for higher-level substrates is difficult due to barriers presented by the programming model itself, as well as miscellaneous synchronization bottlenecks at the runtime layers. We present an efficient programming model based on a distributed memory allocator for RMA and a communication substrate based on readers and writers for inter-node message passing and RMA operations. We try to maximize performance by introducing a scalable RMA event notification scheme and synchronization protocols that fully leverage Aries/Gemini fabric. Micro-benchmark results demonstrate that our library outperforms Cray MPI-3.0-based RMA one-sided operations by 1.5X and up to 6X in certain cases and is comparable or improves upon performance on others.
Molecular Characterization Of Maize Nadh:Nitrate Reductase

The long-term goals of research on higher plant nitrate reductase (NR) are: (1) to understand the structure of the enzyme in relation to its mechanism of action; and (2) to explain how NR is regulated in relation to plant metabolism. Both goals are highly complex, but when they are pursued simultaneously, the most rapid progress is achieved. We have pursued the biochemistry of NR in squash (Cucurbita maxima), since it has been easy to obtain large quantities of homogeneous enzyme from its cotyledons (Campbell 1989). At the same time, we have studied the physiology of NR in maize (Zea mays), since it is a plant with agronomic importance and has been studied for a long time (Campbell 1988). At first, we bridged the gap between NR in these plant systems using immunochemical methods and now, a much stronger bridge has been established with molecular biology methods. Cloning and sequencing of NR has provided new insight into the structure of the enzyme (Crawford and Davis 1988; Galangau et al. 1988). At the same time, the availability of molecular probes for NR has made it possible to study the regulation of NR at the level of its mRNA (Kleinhofs et al. 1988; Gowri and Campbell 1989). Here I describe our recent progress toward gaining a unified understanding of NR biochemistry and physiology in maize.
The first step is sample pretreatment

On surveying recent developments in the field of atomic spectrometry, it becomes apparent that only half are concerned with improvements to the spectrometer, the detector or the atomizer. The other half are related to ways of automating sample handling, sample preparation, analyte-matrix separation etc. The reason is simple. While the determination itself has become faster and faster, the sample preparation is still often carried out in very traditional ways.
What We Know (and Don’t Know) about ABC Implementation

In the business literature, emphasis on business activities and processes can be traced to Michael Porter’s (1980) “value chain” framework for analyzing sources of firms’ competitive advantage. During the same time period, Porter’s colleagues at Harvard Business School, Robin Cooper and Robert Kaplan, discovered firms that had modified traditional cost accounting systems to better represent the flow of resources to the products and services that consumed them. Traditional costing systems are typically designed to allocate overhead costs from the general ledger to an entity with reporting responsibility (e.g., profit centers, cost centers, or investment centers) and from that entity to the products or services that it produces. The latter allocation of overhead costs to products is typically accomplished by prorating overhead costs on the basis of direct labor hours, material costs, or another measure of unit variable costs.
MICHAELSEN'S MODEL OF TEAM-BASED LEARNING APPLIED IN UNDERGRADUATE KINESIOLOGY CLASSES

In the recent past, many publications have documented the effectiveness of cooperative and collaborative learning activities in the classroom. Numerous books are available to help instructors with the implementation of cooperative learning. For example, Millis and Cottell (1998) give an excellent overview of the research data and the rationale for adopting cooperative and collaborative learning in the classroom. However, the manner in which cooperative and collaborative learning is implemented may impact its effectiveness. When group work focused on collaborative and cooperative learning is applied poorly, outcome-oriented, motivated students often perform most of the work. This typically results in the “underachievers” relying on the motivated students to complete the assignments, and the motivated students complaining about other group members not contributing their share. In addition, group dynamics do not develop,
Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam Site Importance

The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) site selection is influenced by dam engineering, political objectives, economic benefits, than dam security, environmental and social dynamics. The GERD site is about 20 km from the Ethio-Sudan boarder in the Benshangul-Gumuz region of Western Ethiopia. This chapter evaluates the hydrological and geological or geotechnical characteristics of catchment and dam site with respect to suitability of the GERD reservoir site. Detailed hydrological review to the Blue Nile basin is covered in Chap. 4. The influence of domestic and regional socio-political, economic and environmental factors on GERD site selection were reviewed.
Methods for System Selection Based on Sequential Mean–Variance Analysis

We propose two sequential, indifference-zone procedures for the comparison of simulated systems. Comparisons and selection of the best system are based on the mean and variance of a performance met...
Excessive Software Upgrades: Reasons and Remedies

This article studies pricing of software upgrades by a monopolist serving heterogeneous customers. The analytical results suggest that the monopolist can face a commitment problem and offer excessive upgrades that lower her overall profit. This could partially explain the surprising empirical finding of this article that customers appear to be less satisfied with upgrades as compared to earlier versions. A recent practice adopted by some software vendors, offering free upgrade warranties, is analyzed and found effective in mitigating this commitment problem. This paper extends the theoretical literature on durable goods and the Coase conjecture to innovation in durable information goods.
New epsilon-Bi2O3 metastable polymorph.

The new metastable e-Bi2O3 polymorph has been prepared by hydrothermal treatment and structurally characterized. It shows strong relationships with the room temperature α form and the metastable β form through rearrangements of [Bi2O3] columns formed by edge-sharing OBi4 tetrahedra. Its fully ordered crystal structure yields an ionic insulating character. It irreversibly transforms at 400 °C to the α form. The chemical analysis indicates its undoped bismuth oxide nature, then leading to the fifth characterized Bi2O3 polymorph to date.