cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An association between systemic cyclosporine administration and development of acute bullous keratopathy in cats

Objective To determine whether any association exists between the onset of feline acute bullous keratopathy (ABK) and administration of systemic corticosteroid or immunosuppressive therapy. Animals studied Medical records of cats diagnosed with ABK between the years of 2000 and 2008 were retrospectively reviewed. Breed, age at diagnosis, weight, systemic disease status, eye affected, ophthalmic examination findings, systemic and topical therapy instituted, dosage and duration of therapy, visual outcome and histopathological analyses were recorded in cases meeting the inclusion criteria. Results A total of 12 cats of a surveyed population of 70 167 met the inclusion criteria with 17/24 eyes affected by ABK. Medical and/or surgical therapy was utilized for management of ABK with 13/17 eyes remaining sighted at the time of last follow-up. In a subset of cases corneal cytology, aerobic bacterial culture, FHV-1 PCR, virus isolation and/or histopathology were performed; no infectious organisms were identified. A rupture in Descemet's membrane of the cornea was identified histologically in two globes. A total of 10 of 12 cats had been previously diagnosed with ongoing systemic disease. A total of 10 of 12 cats were receiving systemic therapy, and a significant association (P < 0.001) was noted between systemic administration of corticosteroids and/or cyclosporine A and the development of ABK. A total of 8 of 10 cats were administered oral prednisolone at doses between 1–2 mg/kg every 12–24 h. A total of 5 of 8 cats receiving oral prednisolone were concurrently administered oral cyclosporine at doses of 1.5–7 mg/kg every 12–24 h. Systemic cyclosporine therapy was found to be a significant risk factor (P < 0.001) for ABK development, while systemic prednisolone was not significant (P = 0.10). Conclusions Systemic cyclosporine administration appears to be a risk factor for development of ABK in the population of cats studied.
Carrier Testing in Hemophilia B With an Immunoassay That Distinguishes a Prevalent Factor IX Dimorphism

with a monoclonal antibody (A-1) detect a prevalent dimorphism in plasma coagulation factor IX. The antibody was shown to react with a dimorphic segment of the normal factor IX sequence as follows. First, A-1 bound to isolated activation peptide (residues 146 through 180) prepared from activated factor IX from a normal plasma pool. Second, binding of recombinant factor IXs with A-1 or factor IX from normal individuals was strong only when they had Threonine (Thr) at position 148; factor IXs with the Alanine (Ala) allele at that position were far less reactive. Third, immunoblot reactivity of Escherichia coli fusion proteins containing known segments of the factor IX sequence restricted the epitope to residues 147 through 153. In 120 hemophilia B pedigrees, the Ala immunoassay allele frequency was 0.19 and did not differ from the Ala frequency in normal males. In 22 of 49 families, immunoassay testing was informative for classification of obligate or possible carriers. In one large family, 4 obligate carriers were heterozygous for the dimorphism and 3 of their 7 daughters were classified as carriers. In other families, when the affected member had less than 1 nmol/L factor IX antigen, heterozygosity for Thr/Ala alleles excluded the carrier state even when DNA studies were not informative. Strong linkage disequilibrium of Thr/Ala alleles with the common TaqI DNA polymorphism was found. Nineteen of 75 normal and hemophilic factor IX genes had the 1.3- kilobase (kb) fragment and coded for the Ala allele; the rest had the 1.8-kb fragment and coded for Thr. In selected families, the A-1 immunoassay is an inexpensive and rapid method to confirm and supplement restriction fragment length polymorphism analyses of DNA for carrier testing.
Chemical-induced pH-mediated molecular switch.

The transmembrane protein α-hemolysin pore has been used to develop ultrasensitive biosensors, study biomolecular folding and unfolding, investigate covalent and noncovalent bonding interactions, and probe enzyme kinetics. Here, we report that, by addition of ionic liquid tetrakis(hydroxymethyl)phosphonium chloride solution to the α-hemolysin pore, the α-hemolysin channel can be controlled open or closed by adjusting the pH of the solution. This approach can be employed to develop a novel molecular switch to regulate molecular transport and should find potential applications as a “smart” drug delivery method.
Effects of Elevated Plasma Magnesium Concentration on Cerebrospinal Fluid Levels of Magnesium in Neonatal Swine

To determine whether magnesium (Mg) can cross the blood brain barrier in developing swine, simultaneous measurements of [Mg] in plasma and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) were made during experimental elevation of plasma [Mg] in 12 swine of differing postnatal age. All were anesthetized with Saffan and maintained at normal arterial blood gas composition. Aortic pressure and heart rate were monitored. Plasma and CSF samples, drawn at the beginning and end of a 60-min intravenous infusion of MgCl2 in all animals and every 10 min during the infusion in three, were analyzed for [Mg] and osmolality. CSF [Mg] increased in all animals as plasma [Mg] increased. There were no changes in CSF osmolality. The differences between plasma and CSF [Mg] was smallest in the youngest animals. These results indicate that Mg crosses the blood brain barrier in neonatal swine and suggest that the blood brain barrier is still maturing within the first postnatal month.
Mapping origins of DNA replication in eukaryotes

Methods are described here to map an origin of replication in eukaryotes. Replicating DNA is enriched by BND cellulose column chromatography and by lambda-exonuclease digestion; this approach has largely superceded enrichment by BrdU incorporation. The general area in which replication begins can be deciphered by neutral/neutral 2D gel electrophoresis: a restriction fragment containing the replication bubble will form a bubble arc on these gels. A more sensitive method employs PCR analysis of nascent strands that are size-fractionated. Once the general area containing the origin of bidirectional replication has been mapped, a finer level of resolution can be obtained by replication initiation point (RIP) mapping, in which start sites of DNA synthesis are identified at the nucleotide level.
Interaction of CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein α and β with the rat caeruloplasmin gene promoter

To determine the mechanisms of expression of the rat caeruloplasmin gene, the promoter region was analysed by DNAase I footprinting. Using nuclear extract from rat liver, a prominent site of protein-DNA interaction was detected from -93 to -48 upstream of the caeruloplasmin gene transcription start and sequence analysis of this region revealed three potential CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein (C/EBP) consensus elements. Mobility-shift analysis using an oligonucleotide encoding this region identified specific binding of proteins from rat liver nuclear extract, and some of these complexes were supershifted using antisera to the C/EBP alpha and beta family members. Mobility-shift studies using a polypeptide encoding the DNA-binding domain of C/EBP alpha also revealed a specific interaction with this region of the caeruloplasmin promoter, and DNAase I footprinting using this polypeptide protected the identical region from -93 to -48. Co-transfection of expression plasmids encoding C/EBP alpha or a related leucine-zipper factor D-binding protein (DBP) revealed a C/EBP-specific increase in reporter gene activity in HepG2 cells transfected with caeruloplasmin-chloramphenicol acetyltransferase containing the -93 to -48 region. A similar result was obtained when these constructs were co-transfected into mouse L cells which were shown not to express the endogenous caeruloplasmin gene. Taken together, these data indicate a role for C/EBP alpha and beta in mediating transcription from the caeruloplasmin gene promoter and suggest that this region of the promoter is not responsible for tissue-specific expression.
Innate immune B cells gone bad.

Normal B lymphocytes can follow either of two functionally distinct pathways of development. The first is a classical germinal center T-dependent pathway in which diversification and maturation generate a delayed but almost unlimited high-affinity response to antigens.
Integrate-and-Fire Spiking (IFS) Neuron

This chapter applies the benefits of silicon nanowire technology yet to another interesting digital design area: designing a digital neuron. A neuron is an essential element to mimic brain-like processing functions such as recognition, perception, and it is composed of three parts: dendrites, soma, and axon. Electric impulses are transmitted to dendrites via a few thousand synapses, a postsynaptic potential is generated at soma, and an impulse is generated and distributed among neighboring neurons via synapses attached to the axon. To associate this behavior in VLSI, a realistic implementation of this device is necessary. This chapter uses extrinsic BSMSOI SNT models generated in Chapter 3 to perform circuit design and simulations of a digital neuron. It reports electrical data including performance and power consumption figures of a single neuron cell and its layout.
Trends in prevalence of chronic kidney disease in the United States

Recent studies suggest a decrease in the incidence of end-stage renal disease in the United States, but recent trends in the prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) have not been described. This...
Engendering Abjection’s Sublime: Frances Hodgson Burnett’s The Secret Garden

Jenkins focuses on the dynamic relationship between the Symbolic and Semiotic in the signifying process, the generative energies of the chora, and the value of mental mothering in her discussion of The Secret Garden. Consequently, the novel can be read as rejecting culturally endorsed, aggressive power advocated in much of the era’s social theories and instead elevating the value of mental mothering, a perspective associated with the abject maternal available to anyone open to the experience of the other. The Secret Garden offers readers a model that taps creativity to nurture empathy and compassion as well as values difference for its potential by exposing the danger of denying or refusing the culturally abject.
Waffleline packaging techniques for millimeterwave integrated circuits

A high-density packaging and interconnect technique called EHF Waffleline has been developed for millimeter-wave IC subsystems. This technology solves many of the size weight, and cost problems associated with present millimeter-wave packaging schemes. EHF Waffleline has been demonstrated and characterized up to 60 GHz, displaying excellent RF performance. In addition to the excellent electrical performance, EHF Waffleline offers very good mechanical and thermal characteristics, quick rework capability, and compatibility with automated assembly techniques. It is concluded that these characteristics make EHF Waffleline ideal for packaging and interconnecting GaAs monolithic ICs (integrated circuits) for miniature low-cost millimeter-wave systems. >
Ripples and Breaks: Reflecting on Learning Ecologies in Career and Technical Education.

In this paper, the author reflects on a year-long ethnography to point out contextual factors situated in career and technical education (CTE) and specifically how a CTE teacher and a university researcher shaped learning opportunities to support students’ interests in the arts, technology, and multimedia communications. The discussion arched by a metaphor of ripples and breaks suggests the value of seeing dynamic forms of mobility and learning ecologies within classrooms and other educational settings.
“Old and Dirty Gods”: Religion and Freud’s Wednesday Night Psychological Society—from Habsburg Vienna, to the Holocaust

Freud's insistent atheism—and his somewhat contradictory, obsessional return to the topic of religion throughout his cultural writings—are both well documented. In a 1918 letter to the Swiss pastor-psychoanalyst Oskar Pfister, he described himself as “a completely godless Jew.” Less well known, however, are the attitudes toward religion among Freud’s “Wednesday Night Psychological Society”—Freud’s immediate circle of psychoanalysts in Vienna, Austria. Historian Peter Gay in his critical biography of Freud concluded that “Freud’s view of religion as the enemy was wholly shared by the first generation of psychoanalysts. The attempts of some later psychoanalysts to reconcile psychoanalysis with religion would never have found the slightest sympathy in Freud and his colleagues.” This article will contest this premise based on my research as a Fulbright Fellow at the Sigmund Freud Museum in Vienna in 2013-14, beginning with the research question: “What religious themes appear in discussions and writ...
Children of Depressed Parents

In recent years, we have come to recognize the enormous toll that depression takes on peoples’ lives. In exploring the impact of this disorder, it has also become clear that depression affects the lives of others, and nowhere is this effect more apparent and dramatic than in families. Studies of children of depressed parents have grown in number and sophistication recently, and they all point to a common conclusion: Depression runs in families, and children of depressed parents are highly likely to experience depression and other forms of disorder and maladjustment. The extent of children’s impairment is striking, apparently equaling or even exceeding that of seemingly more severe parental disorders such as schizophrenia or bipolar affective disorder. Although a genetic model often implicitly guided earlier studies of children’s risk, alternative approaches suggest a role for psychosocial factors in a diathesis—stress model: That children in families with a depressed parent are enormously stressed by the constellation of circumstances associated with their parents’ debilities, and many may lack the skills and resources that would be necessary to deal with such stress.
Pattern based morphometry

Voxel based morphometry (VBM) is widely used in the neuroimaging community to infer group differences in brain morphology. VBM is effective in quantifying group differences highly localized in space. However it is not equally effective when group differences might be based on interactions between multiple brain networks. We address this by proposing a new framework called pattern based morphometry (PBM). PBM is a data driven technique. It uses a dictionary learning algorithm to extract global patterns that characterize group differences. We test this approach on simulated and real data obtained from ADNI . In both cases PBM is able to uncover complex global patterns effectively.
Smith and Sithole in America

The author looks at the visit last year by members of the Salisbury interim government to America. He analysis the attitudes of the American administration, the media and the public, and concludes that there is a distinct difference between the official position of the administration and that of the informed public.
Bismuth-loaded plastic scintillator portal monitors

Plastic scintillators incorporating 8 weight percent elemental Bismuth offer enhanced sensitivity and distinct photopeak spectra in the 3 Bismuth plastic scintillator plate. Count rates compared to standard plastic scintillator of the same size reveal a sensitivity improvement of >5x in the <200 keV range. Future spectroscopic radiation portal monitors based on the Bismuth plastic scintillator could provide moderate resolution spectroscopy for radioisotope identification. In addition, the Bismuth plastic offers outstanding environmental stability to weathering effects, in contrast with standard plastic scintillator formulations.
Fleeing Gender: Reasons for Displacement in Pakistan’s Transgender Community

Transgender women in Pakistan, or khwaja siras, continue to suffer human rights abuses that cause many to become Internally Displaced Persons, despite legal protections in their favor. The chapter poses a twofold question to explore this inconsistency. Firstly, it draws from illustrative case study research to identify the discrimination that informs transgender perceptions of persecution and forces them from their homes. Based predominantly on qualitative data, it presents a 5-part typology of cumulative forms of discrimination against khwaja siras in terms of family, employment, housing, education, and healthcare. Importantly, police act as key agents of persecution for them, permitting and participating in their oppression. Secondly, this sociolegal study asks how such widespread discrimination against transgender women can persist notwithstanding legal reforms—a problem of social progress failing to result from legal progress. It finds that human rights protections for the transgender population lack actual implementation due to inaccurate legal wording, low level of trust in legal institutions, and generalized social stigma against the LGBTI community. This analysis revealed not only that mainstream social conservatism mitigates enforcement of LGBTI-friendly laws, but also that such conservatism creates an environment in which their persecution qualifies khwaja siras for, but yet impedes their ability to gain, UN protection as refugees at the international level. The empirical data from this research draws heavily on four comparative life histories of khwaja siras, two who gained refugee status and two who did not, which demonstrate the patterns of persecution against the transgender community in Pakistan.
Myostatin regulates pituitary development and hepatic IGF1.

Circulating myostatin-attenuating agents are being developed to treat muscle-wasting disease despite their potential to produce serious off-target effects, as myostatin/activin receptors are widely...
Vapor Etching of Beam-Deposited Carbon on Silicon Dioxide Films

It has long been known that hydrofluoric acid, will etch silicon dioxide at a rate of several microns per minute. On the other hand, HF in the vapor form above 19.5 C, only etches SiO2 at a few tenths of a nm/min, even at several hundred C. The slow etch rate in HF vapor is observed for both thermally grown and pyrolytically deposited oxides. This indicates that the vapor etching reaction rate is limited by adsorption of the etchant and/or desorption of the by-products, since deposited oxides have a lower density than thermal SiO2. For HF to etch SiO2, a base must be present. When HF is in aqueous solution, the H2O acts as the base needed to convert the HF to a biflouride ion, HF2 - as shown by $$ 2HF+H_{2}O\Leftrightarrow H_{3}O+ +HF_{2}^{-} $$ (1) Once the reaction starts, it is self-catalyzing, since H2O is a by-product of the reaction. While the biflouride ion is the only form of HF to etch SiO2, H2O is not unique, and any base will suffice.
Autoconstrucción. Por una autonomía del habitar: ensayos sobre vivienda, urbanismo, autogestión y holismo

Autoconstruccion, an anthology of John F.C. Turner’s writings followed by three essays by the editors, is a finely edited volume and homage to the British architect. The anthology and translation o...
A nonlinear, geometric Hall effect without magnetic field

The classical Hall effect, the traditional means of determining charge-carrier sign and density in a conductor, requires a magnetic field to produce transverse voltages across a current-carrying wire. We demonstrate a use of geometry to create transverse potentials along curved paths without any magnetic field. These potentials also reflect the charge-carrier sign and density. We demonstrate this effect experimentally in curved wires where the transverse potentials are consistent with the doping and change polarity as we switch the carrier sign. In straight wires, we measure transverse potential fluctuations with random polarity demonstrating that the current follows a complex, tortuous path. This geometrically induced potential offers a sensitive characterization of inhomogeneous current flow in thin films.
Nickel doping in zinc oxide by MOCVD: structural and optical properties

Nickel-doped zinc oxide (ZnNiO) was grown on sapphire by metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) with varying Ni content under two growth conditions of 400°C/100 Torr and 450°C/30 Torr. Elemental composition indicated that Ni could occupy Zn and O/interstitial sites in ZnNiO. Ni-doping in ZnO resulted in shifts in X-ray diffraction (002) peak, and introduced a (111) phase. Absorption spectrum showed a reduction in near band edge with Ni content in both the samples’ sets. Samples grown at 400°C/100 Torr had a band gap reduction from 3.276 eV to 3.269 eV, while those synthesized at 450°C/30 Torr showed reduction from 3.287 eV to 3.260 eV. The bandgap reduction rate was influenced by growth conditions, and sites activated for Ni incorporation during the growth. Nickel could introduce shallow energy states near the valence band in ZnNiO, and result in a reduction in the bandgap. A potential for bandgap tunability, and controllable introduction of energy states in zinc oxide with transition metal doping by MOCVD, could widen the application range of zinc oxide-based materials for energy harvesting and electronics.
Evaluation of Advanced Ensemble Learning Techniques for Android Malware Detection

Android is the most well-known portable working framework having billions of dynamic clients worldwide that pulled in promoters, programmers, and cybercriminals to create malware for different purp...
Projection techniques to update the truncated SVD of evolving matrices.

This paper considers the problem of updating the rank-k truncated Singular Value Decomposition (SVD) of matrices subject to the addition of new rows and/or columns over time. Such matrix problems represent an important computational kernel in applications such as Latent Semantic Indexing and Recommender Systems. Nonetheless, the proposed framework is purely algebraic and targets general updating problems. The algorithm presented in this paper undertakes a projection view-point and focuses on building a pair of subspaces which approximate the linear span of the sought singular vectors of the updated matrix. We discuss and analyze two different choices to form the projection subspaces. Results on matrices from real applications suggest that the proposed algorithm can lead to higher accuracy, especially for the singular triplets associated with the largest modulus singular values. Several practical details and key differences with other approaches are also discussed.
Parasitism of Aedes albopictus by Ascogregarina taiwanensis lowers its competitive ability against Aedes triseriatus

Mosquitoes are vectors for diseases such as dengue, malaria and La Crosse virus that significantly impact the human population. When multiple mosquito species are present, the competition between species may alter population dynamics as well as disease spread. Two mosquito species, Aedes albopictus and Aedes triseriatus, both inhabit areas where La Crosse virus is found. Infection of Aedes albopictus by the parasite Ascogregarina taiwanensis and Aedes triseriatus by the parasite Ascogregarina barretti can decrease a mosquito’s fitness, respectively. In particular, the decrease in fitness of Aedes albopictus occurs through the impact of Ascogregarina taiwanensis on female fecundity, larval development rate, and larval mortality and may impact its initial competitive advantage over Aedes triseriatus during invasion. We examine the effects of parasitism of gregarine parasites on Aedes albopictus and triseriatus population dynamics and competition with a focus on when Aedes albopictus is new to an area. We build a compartmental model including competition between Aedes albopictus and triseriatus while under parasitism of the gregarine parasites. Using parameters based on the literature, we simulate the dynamics and analyze the equilibrium population proportion of the two species. We consider the presence of both parasites and potential dilution effects. We show that increased levels of parasitism in Aedes albopictus will decrease the initial competitive advantage of the species over Aedes triseriatus and increase the survivorship of Aedes triseriatus. We find Aedes albopictus is better able to invade when there is more extreme parasitism of Aedes triseriatus. Furthermore, although the transient dynamics differ, dilution of the parasite density through uptake by both species does not alter the equilibrium population sizes of either species. Mosquito population dynamics are affected by many factors, such as abiotic factors (e.g. temperature and humidity) and competition between mosquito species. This is especially true when multiple mosquito species are vying to live in the same area. Knowledge of how population dynamics are affected by gregarine parasites among competing species can inform future mosquito control efforts and help prevent the spread of vector-borne disease.
Tobacco Products and the Risks of SARS-CoV-2 Infection and COVID-19.

IMPLICATIONS: This commentary addresses the state of the evidence on tobacco products, nicotine, and COVID-19. The evidence of the effects of smoking on respiratory infections and the immune system in general are examined and the current understanding of tobacco products and risk for SARS-CoV-2 infection and the course of COVID-19 is addressed.
One-Carbon Metabolism and Development of the Conceptus During Pregnancy: Lessons from Studies with Sheep and Pigs

The pregnancy recognition signal from the conceptus (embryo/fetus and associated membranes) to the mother is interferon tau (IFNT) in ruminants and estradiol, possibly in concert with interferons gamma and delta in pigs. Those pregnancy recognition signals silence expression of interferon stimulated genes (ISG) in uterine luminal (LE) and superficial glandular (sGE) epithelia while inducing expression of genes for transport of nutrients, including glucose and amino acids, into the uterine lumen to support growth and development of the conceptus. In sheep and pigs, glucose not utilized immediately by the conceptus is converted to fructose. Glucose, fructose, serine and glycine in uterine histotroph can contribute to one carbon (1C) metabolism that provides one-carbon groups for the synthesis of purines and thymidylate, as well as S-adenosylmethionine for epigenetic methylation reactions. Serine and glycine are transported into the mitochondria of cells and metabolized to formate that is transported into the cytoplasm for the synthesis of purines, thymidine and S-adenosylmethionine. The unique aspects of one-carbon metabolism are discussed in the context of the hypoxic uterine environment, aerobic glycolysis, and similarities in metabolism between cancer cells and cells of the rapidly developing fetal-placental tissues during pregnancy. Further, the evolution of anatomical and functional aspects of the placentae of sheep and pigs versus primates is discussed in the context of mechanisms to efficiently obtain, store and utilize nutrients required for rapid fetal growth in the last one-half of gestation.
Black holes and uptunneling suppress Boltzmann brains

Eternally inflating universes lead to an infinite number of Boltzmann brains but also an infinite number of ordinary observers. If we use the scale factor measure to regularize these infinities, the ordinary observers dominate the Boltzmann brains if the vacuum decay rate of each vacuum is larger than its Boltzmann brain nucleation rate. Here we point out that nucleation of small black holes should be counted in the vacuum decay rate, and this rate is always larger than the Boltzmann brain rate, if the minimum Boltzmann brain mass is more than the Planck mass. We also discuss nucleation of small, rapidly inflating regions, which may also have a higher rate than Boltzmann brains. This process also affects the distribution of the different vacua in eternal inflation.
Behavioural science is unlikely to change the world without a heterogeneity revolution.

In the past decade, behavioural science has gained influence in policymaking but suffered a crisis of confidence in the replicability of its findings. Here, we describe a nascent heterogeneity revolution that we believe these twin historical trends have triggered. This revolution will be defined by the recognition that most treatment effects are heterogeneous, so the variation in effect estimates across studies that defines the replication crisis is to be expected as long as heterogeneous effects are studied without a systematic approach to sampling and moderation. When studied systematically, heterogeneity can be leveraged to build more complete theories of causal mechanism that could inform nuanced and dependable guidance to policymakers. We recommend investment in shared research infrastructure to make it feasible to study behavioural interventions in heterogeneous and generalizable samples, and suggest low-cost steps researchers can take immediately to avoid being misled by heterogeneity and begin to learn from it instead. Behavioural science increasingly informs policy, but findings are not always replicated. Bryan et al. describe an emerging heterogeneity revolution. They recommend that researchers use heterogeneity in treatment effects to develop more robust theories of causality and strengthen the field.
Complications after thoracic endovascular aortic repair for ruptured thoracic aortic aneurysms remain high compared with elective repair

ABSTRACT: Objective Thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) for ruptured thoracic aortic aneurysm is associated with increased perioperative mortality and morbidity compared with intact repair. The purpose of this study was to evaluate factors associated with presentation of ruptured aneurysm and adverse outcomes following repair. Methods The Vascular Quality Initiative (VQI) registry was queried (2010-2020) to identify patients who underwent TEVAR for ruptured and intact thoracic aortic aneurysm. The primary outcome was to identify factors associated with ruptured thoracic aortic aneurysm. Secondary outcomes included perioperative mortality and morbidity, five-year survival, and identification of factors associated with adverse outcomes after TEVAR. Results Of 3,039 patients identified with thoracic aortic aneurysm, 2,806 (92%) underwent repair for intact aneurysm and 233 (8%) underwent repair for ruptured aneurysm. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) was associated with higher odds of presentation with ruptured aneurysm (OR 3.1; 95%CI [2.0-4.9]; P Conclusion TEVAR for ruptured thoracic aortic aneurysm results in increased perioperative mortality and morbidity as well as lower 5-year survival compared with repair for intact aneurysm. Patients with prior aortic aneurysm repair, prior smokers, and those on preoperative beta-blocker or statin therapy were less likely to present with ruptured thoracic aneurysm. This correlation might be attributed to increased exposure to cardiovascular healthcare providers and subsequently increased screening and surveillance, allowing for elective repair of thoracic aortic aneurysm.
Meteoroid head echo polarization features studied by numerical electromagnetics modeling

[1] Meteoroid head echoes are radar returns associated with scatter from the dense plasma surrounding meteoroids striking the Earth's atmosphere. Such echoes are detected by high power, large aperture (HPLA) radars. Frequently such detections show large variations in signal strength that suggest constructive and destructive interference. Using the ARPA Long-Range Tracking and Instrumentation Radar (ALTAIR) we can also observe the polarization of the returns. Usually, scatter from head echoes resembles scatter from a small sphere; when transmitting right circular polarization (RC), the received signal consists entirely of left circular polarization (LC). For some detections, power is also received in the RC channel, which indicates the presence of a more complicated scattering process. Radar returns of a fragmenting meteoroid are simulated using a hard-sphere scattering model numerically evaluated in the resonant region of Mie scatter. The cross- and co-polar scattering cross-sections are computed for pairs of spheres lying within a few wavelengths, simulating the earliest stages of fragmentation upon atmospheric impact. The likelihood of detecting this sort of idealized fragmentation event is small, but this demonstrates the measurements that would result from such an event would display RC power comparable to LC power, matching the anomalous data. The resulting computations show that fragmentation is a consistent interpretation for these head echo radar returns.
EXERTIONAL COMPARTMENT SYNDROME: REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE AND PROPOSED REHABILITATION GUIDELINES FOLLOWING SURGICAL RELEASE

Background: There is little published information regarding postoperative management of patients with Chronic Exertional Compartment Syndrome (CECS). Reports of recurrence of symptoms following surgical decompression exist, and are not uncommon depending on the specific technique used. Recurrence suggests that more time and effort may need to be spent on implementing strategic post-operative rehabilitation management in order to avoid repeat surgical intervention or prolonged symptoms.
Computational science as a twenty-first century discipline in the liberal arts

Computer science as a liberal arts discipline has a presence in most college curriculums. But as the field matures, more practitioners are recognizing a need for a more diverse approach to computational thinking. This paper presents a proposal for creating an interdisciplinary computational science major within the liberal arts.
Free‐Radical Polymerization

Free radical polymerization is induced by free radicals, and propagated by means of growing macroradicals. The inducing initiator free radicals are mostly produced in pairs by disproportionating reactions of purposely added initiator molecules, I: (20-1) or, more rarely, singly, or, of the monomers themselves. Initiator free radicals formed in this way then react, each with a monomer molecule M in the start reaction: (20-2) and then, further monomer molecules are added on in the actual propagation reactionn (20-3)
Activation and Inhibition in the Phosphoglucomutase System

The activation of phosphoglucomutase prior to the enzymic assay is interpreted in terms of the direct removal of inhibiting metals or their replacement by Mg2+ which occurs readily only in the absence or in the presence of very low concentrations of substrate. Inhibition of the enzyme by high concentrations of Mg2+ is caused by the formation of inactive magnesium complexes of glucose 1-phosphate and glucose 1,6-diphosphate and is complicated by dead-end substrate inhibition. Inhibition by chloride, acetate, bromide, nitrate, iodide, and perchlorate increases in the order listed. The pKaa3 and pKaa4 of glucose 1,6-diphosphoric acid are 6.0 and 6.8, respectively, at ionic strength of 0.024, thus ruling out the possibility of a stable hydrogen bond between the two phosphate groups in the trianion. Comparison of the binding of Mg2+ by glucose-1-P and glucose-1,6-di-P indicates that bidentate binding effects involving the two phosphate groups of glucose-1,6-di-P are unimportant.
Overcoming feature space bias in a reactive environment

ABSTRACT The NOME cognitive architecture drives an organism that acquires early language about a reactive environment from a teacher organism. Once its vocabulary is sufficiently developed, the pupil organism can be given simple commands, which cause it to create and execute verb-based plans in the environment. An example task is moving Tower-of-Hanoi disks across pegs. The NOME architecture isolates a set of primitive, undefined symbols that form the lowest level basis for cognitive activities. Limited to treating these dimensions as uninterpretable, the architecture undertakes to characterize their meanings by indirect methods. Dimensions are understood by learning about their interactions. Knowing how its basis dimensions interact allows the organism to selectively attend only the relevant features of the environment. Testing this interaction knowledge against the external environment allows the organism to evaluate the quality of match between the real and intended meanings for dimensions.
Persistent Antibody Responses but Declining Cytotoxic T-Lymphocyte Responses to Multiple Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Antigens in a Long-Term Nonprogressing Individual with a Defective p17 Proviral Sequence and No Detectable Viral RNA Expression

Long-term nonprogressor AD-18 has been infected with human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) for at least 16 years. During the past 5 years, he has had undetectable levels of plasma viremia, and HIV-1 cannot be isolated from him. Sequencing of proviral DNA indicates that the only HIV-1 sequences that can be identified in AD-18 have gross defects in the p17-encoding regions of the gag gene (Y. Huang, L. Zhang, and D. D. Ho, Virology 240:36–49, 1998). However, AD-18 has strong, sustained antibody responses to several HIV-1 antigens, including p17. Cytotoxic T-lymphocyte responses to Env and Gag antigens have gradually diminished over the past 4 years, at a time when the titers of antibodies to the same proteins have remained stable. We discuss what these observations might mean for the generation and maintenance of immunological memory.
Ares I-X Launch Vehicle Modal Test Overview

The first test flight of NASA’s Ares I crew launch vehicle, called Ares I-X, is scheduled for launch in 2009. Ares I-X will use a 4-segment reusable solid rocket booster from the Space Shuttle heritage with mass simulators for the 5th segment, upper stage, crew module and launch abort system. Flight test data will provide important information on ascent loads, vehicle control, separation, and first stage reentry dynamics. As part of hardware verification, a series of modal tests were designed to verify the dynamic finite element model (FEM) used in loads assessments and flight control evaluations. Based on flight control system studies, the critical modes were the first three free-free bending mode pairs. Since a test of the free-free vehicle is not practical within project constraints, modal tests for several configurations in the nominal integration flow were defined to calibrate the FEM. A traceability study by Aerospace Corporation was used to identify the critical modes for the tested configurations. Test configurations included two partial stacks and the full Ares I-X launch vehicle on the Mobile Launcher Platform. This paper provides an overview for companion papers in the Ares I-X Modal Test Session. The requirements flow down, pre-test analysis, constraints and overall test planning are described.
A Local Search SAT Solver Using an Effective Switching Strategy and an Efficient Unit Propagation

Advances in local-search SAT solvers have traditionally been presented in the context of local search solvers only. The most recent and rather comprehensive comparisons between UnitWalk and several versions of WalkSAT demonstrate that neither solver dominates on all benchmarks. QingTing2 (a ‘dragonfly’ in Mandarin) is a SAT solver script that relies on a novel switching strategy to invoke one of the two local search solvers: WalkSAT or QingTing1. The local search solver QingTing1 implements the UnitWalk algorithm with a new unit-propagation technique. The experimental methodology we use not only demonstrates the effectiveness of the switching strategy and the efficiency of the new unit-propagation implementation – it also supports, on the very same instances, statistically significant performance evaluation between local search and other state-of-the-art DPLL-based SAT solvers. The resulting comparisons show a surprising pattern of solver dominance, completely unanticipated when we began this work.
Resonance behavior and threshold conditions

A soluble model where the left-hand cut of the partial-wave scattering amplitude is replaced by poles is used to discuss various aspects of resonance phenomena, and in particular, the role played by imposition of the threshold requirements. It is shown that the threshold conditions imply restrictions on the position of the dynamic poles, and that these restrictions play an important role in constructing a physically reasonable scattering amplitude. A general result is derived concerning the relation of resonance widths and the threshold requirements. In addition, the relationship of phase shifts rising through π/2 and resonance is discussed; in particular, it is shown that fors-waves (but not for higher partial waves) it is possible to have the phase shifts rise through π/2 without having a peak in the cross-section. An example is given of the exceptional threshold behavior associated with a zeroenergy bound state,Al(v)→vl−1.
Plateaued national utilization of adolescent bariatric surgery despite increasing prevalence of obesity-associated co-morbidities.

Abstract Background The number of adolescent bariatric surgeries (ABS) performed from 2003 to 2009 has been stable despite reports of an increase in adolescent morbid obesity. Objectives We sought to determine the trend in national ABS volume and the changes in obesity-associated co-morbidities (OACM) from 2004 to 2011. Setting The Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project National Inpatient Sample database. Methods The National Inpatient Sample database was queried for adolescents undergoing Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, adjustable gastric banding, or sleeve gastrectomy from 2004 to 2011. Twelve OACM categories were created by ICD-9 code. Results From 2004 to 2011, an estimated 968 ABS cases per year were performed with no significant change in yearly volumes. There was a significant decrease in the annual volume of Roux-en-Y gastric bypasses (85.7%–54.4%, P P = .002) and sleeve gastrectomies (.7%–26.7%, P P P P = .006), hyperlipidemia (10.2%–15.4%, P = .021), and fatty liver disease (5.2%–10.5%, P = .004). Conclusions There was a significant increase in OACMs for patients undergoing ABS. Despite the increase in OACMs, there has not been a concomitant increase in the number of ABS performed as of 2011. Given the increase in OACMs, these data support efforts to address barriers to adolescent bariatric surgical evaluation and treatment.
Genetic engineering of somatic cells to study and improve cardiac function

Aims To demonstrate the utility of genetically engineered excitable cells for studies of basic electrophysiology and cardiac cell therapy. Methods and results ‘Zig-zag’ networks of neonatal rat ventricular myocytes (NRVMs) were micropatterned onto thin elastomeric films to mimic the slow action potential (AP) conduction found in fibrotic myocardium. Addition of genetically engineered excitable human embryonic kidney cells (HEK-293 cells) (‘Ex-293’ cells stably expressing Kir2.1, Nav1.5, and Cx43 channels) increased both cardiac conduction velocity by 370% and twitch force amplitude by 64%. Furthermore, we stably expressed mutant Nav1.5 [A1924T (fast sodium channel mutant (substitution of alanine by threonine at amino acid 1924)] channels with hyperpolarized steady-state activation and showed that, despite a 71.6% reduction in peak I Na, these cells propagated APs at the same velocity as the wild-type Nav1.5-expressing Ex-293 cells. Stable expression of Cav3.3 (T-type voltage-gated calcium) channels in Ex-293 cells (to generate an ‘ExCa-293’ line) significantly increased their AP duration and reduced repolarization gradients in cocultures of these cells and NRVMs. Additional expression of an optogenetic construct [ChIEF (light-gated Channelrhodopsin mutant)]enabled light-based control of AP firing in ExCa-293 cells. Conclusion We show that, despite being non-contractile, genetically engineered excitable cells can significantly improve both electrical and mechanical function of engineered cardiac tissues in vitro . We further demonstrate the utility of engineered cells for tissue-level studies of basic electrophysiology and cardiac channelopathies. In the future, this novel platform could be utilized in the high-throughput design of new genetically encoded indicators of cell electrical function, validation, and improvement of computer models of AP conduction, and development of novel engineered somatic cell therapies for the treatment of cardiac infarction and arrhythmias.
Photovoltaic module reliability studies at the Florida Solar Energy Center

The accelerated tests currently carried out on PV modules reduce the infant mortality as well as improve the production techniques during the manufacture of PV modules. However, they do not completely duplicate the real world operating conditions of PV modules. Hence it is essential to deploy PV modules in the field for extended period of time in order to estimate the degradation, if any, as well as to elucidate the degradation mechanisms. Moreover, PV modules should be tested by specially designed tests in harsh climates. In this paper some of the results obtained on a-Si∶H modules from various US companies is discussed.
The performance of matched-field beamformers with Mediterranean vertical array data

Minimum variance (MV) adaptive beamforming has been widely proposed for matched-field processing because it provides a means of suppressing ambiguous beampattern sidelobes. A difficulty with MV methods, however, is their sensitivity to signal wavefront mismatch. In this work, the performance of three robust MV methods and the Bartlett beamformer is evaluated using vertical array data from the Mediterranean Sea collected by the NATO SACLANT Centre. The three MV methods considered are: (1) the reduced MV beamformer (RMV), (2) the MV beamformer with neighborhood location constraints (MV-NLC), (3) the MV beamformer with environmental perturbation constraints (MV-EPC). While the Bartlett, RMV, and MV-NLC methods assume the ocean environment is known precisely, the MV-EPC method models the environment as being random with known statistics. Experimental and companion simulation results indicate that for modest environmental uncertainty, the MV-EPC beamformer achieves a higher probability of correct localization and better sidelobe performance than the other three methods.
Acute cerebral infarction in monkeys: An experimental study using MR imaging

Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging was performed in five monkeys with experimentally induced acute cerebral infarction to define the MR imaging features and correlate these with computed tomographic (CT) findings, laboratory analysis, and histopathologic studies. Acute infarct (2-4 hours after embolization) was generally visible on MR images but not on CT scans. CT at 24 and 48 hours did show the infarcts. In all cases the infarct was more clearly depicted with MR imaging and was visualized as an area of high signal intensity on T2-weighted images. Spectrometric nuclear MR measurements of the postmortem cerebral tissue confirmed prolongation of both T1 and T2 values similar to that calculated from MR images. At postmortem laboratory testing, the area of infarction detected with MR imaging had decreased specific gravity and increased water content, reflecting edema.
Second round of evaluations of proposed earthquake precursors

This review summarizes the result of the second round of nominations for the IASPEI Preliminary List of Significant Precursors. Currently this List contains five cases of precursors: (1) foreshocks, (2) preshocks, (3) seismic quiescence before major aftershocks, (4) radon decrease in ground water, and (5) ground water level increase. A list of four cases that could not be accepted nor rejected by the panels reviewing them contains three on crustal deformations and one on seismic quiescence. In the second round 10 nominations were evaluated, nine new ones and one which had been considered previously. Two were accepted for the List, two were placed in the category of undecided cases. To date, a total of 40 nominations have been evaluated by IASPEI. For 37 of these the nominations, the mail reviews, the panel opinions, and, where supplied, the author's reply were published. This evaluation process remains active throughout the International Decade for Natural Hazards Reduction. Additional nominations are invited.