cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Influence of Obesity on Effectiveness of Intravenous Tissue-Type Plasminogen Activator in Acute Ischemic Stroke (P04.056)

Objective: To assess the link between obesity and outcome following intravenous thrombolysis for acute ischemic stroke (AIS). Background In accord with preclinical evidence of a link between increased adiposity and higher levels of prothrombotic molecules, some studies suggest obese patient have worse outcomes after an index vascular event. However, studies (primarily cardiac patients) indicate a better prognosis with increasing body mass index (BMI), a phenomenon known as the "obesity paradox". Little is known about the role of obesity in thrombolytic outcomes among AIS patients. Design/Methods: We reviewed the prospectively collected dataset of a network of AIS patients presenting within 12 hours of stroke symptom onset. Patients were categorized as lean (BMI 2 ) or obese (BMI > 30 kg/m 2 ). Main favorable outcome variables included discharge destination (directly home), day-90 functional activity (modified Rankin Scale [mRS] score 0-1), day-90 disability (Barthel Index [BI] 95-100), and day-90 mortality. Outcomes were adjusted for pre-specified covariates in a multivariable model. Results: Of 422 patients, 172 (41%) were lean and 113 (27%) were obese. Obese patients were younger (66 vs. 74 years), more likely to be male (59% vs. 41%), have diabetes (35 vs. 15%), and have hypertension (78 vs. 66%), all differences of p Conclusions: We found no significant differences in thrombolytic outcomes between obese and lean AIS patients. Although the point estimates for various outcomes suggested better outcomes in the obese AIS patients, the confidence intervals were wide implying low precision. Further study is needed and will require sufficiently powered studies. Supported by: Funding: NIH 5P50NS044148 (Meyer BC). Disclosure: Dr. Schlick has nothing to disclose. Dr. Raman has nothing to disclose. Dr. Hemmen has nothing to disclose. Dr. Meyer has received personal compensation for activities with the National Institues of Health and a community hospital. Dr. Meyer has nothing to disclose. Dr. Ernstrom has nothing to disclose. Dr. Ovbiagele has received personal compensation for activities with Avanir Pharmaceuticals.
Social network influences of alcohol and marijuana cognitive associations

Decision-making is a social process whereby behaviors are often driven by social influences and social consequences. Research shows that social context also plays an integral role in decision-making processes. In particular, evidence suggests that implicit or non-conscious cognitions are linked to social information in memory and that implicit attitudes can be communicated and assimilated between people on an unconscious level. This study assesses social contagion of implicit cognitions regarding alcohol and marijuana among high school friend networks. Data are from an evidence-based drug education program delivered by either a health educator or by nominated class leaders over a 3-month period. Implicit attitudes were found to be susceptible to social influences, particularly for alcohol. Surprisingly, social contagion was stronger for cognitions than for behaviors. In addition, results support prior research that has found that implicit attitudes are not entirely stable and may be more susceptible to change than are behaviors. Public health initiatives to engender behavioral change could be facilitated by targeting flexible cognitive associations within existing social network structures.
Gametocytemia in falciparum malaria. Eradication of gametocytemia with primaquine.

Following successful treatment of a patient with falciparum malaria which was acquired in Vietnam, persistent gametocytemia was noted. Since recent studies suggest such gametocytes remain infective for the Anopheles vector, undetected gametocytemia could lead to the reintroduction of falciparum malaria in this country. Treatment with primaquine phosphate will eradicate Plasmodium falciparum gametocytes, and is recommended for prevention of transmission of falciparum malaria .
WELD POOL CONVECTION AND EXPANSION DUE TO DENSITY VARIATIONS

Natural convection and volume expansion can occur in a weld pool due to density variations caused by the heat input during welding. In the present study a steady-state, two-dimensional model of heat transfer and fluid flow incorporating density variations was developed, and three different cases were studied: (1) no volume expansion, (2) volume expansion due to the density variation caused by superheating, and (3) volume expansion due to the density variation caused by both melting and superheating. The effect of weld pool expansion on the resultant weld depth/width ratio was demonstrated, and a simple experiment was conducted using wax to provide evidence for volume expansion due to density variation caused by melting.
Structure of the calmodulin αII-spectrin complex provides insight into the regulation of cell plasticity

αII-spectrin is a major cortical cytoskeletal protein contributing to membrane organization and integrity. The Ca2+-activated binding of calmodulin to an unstructured insert in the 11th repeat unit of αII-spectrin enhances the susceptibility of spectrin to calpain cleavage but abolishes its sensitivity to several caspases and to at least one bacterially derived pathologic protease. Other regulatory inputs including phosphorylation by c-Src also modulate the proteolytic susceptibility of αII-spectrin. These pathways, acting through spectrin, appear to control membrane plasticity and integrity in several cell types. To provide a structural basis for understanding these crucial biological events, we have solved the crystal structure of a complex between bovine calmodulin and the calmodulin-binding domain of human αII-spectrin (Protein Data Bank ID code 2FOT). The structure revealed that the entire calmodulin-spectrin-binding interface is hydrophobic in nature. The spectrin domain is also unique in folding into an amphiphilic helix once positioned within the calmodulin-binding groove. The structure of this complex provides insight into the mechanisms by which calmodulin, calpain, caspase, and tyrosine phosphorylation act on spectrin to regulate essential cellular processes.
Nanomechanics of a high H/E carbonaceous material

Conventional analysis of nanoindentation data considers only the unloading curve, but this may be misleading for materials that are very elastic. An alternative method that considers the loading and unloading curve may be more appropriate. Results for a carbonaceous material with a high hardness (or yield stress) relative to its elastic modulus are presented. An analysis considering the whole nanoindentation cycle gives a ratio of H/E that is significantly higher than that obtained from just the loading or unloading curve.
Protein-Energy Undernutrition and the Risk of Mortality Within Six Years of Hospital Discharge

Objective: The primary objective was to determine whether protein-energy undernutrition among elderly patients discharged from the hospital remains a significant risk factor for mortality beyond 1 year.Design: Prospective Survey (cohort study).Setting: Outpatient follow-up of patients discharged from a Geriatric Rehabilitation Unit (GRU) of a Veterans Administration hospital.Participants: Of 350 randomly selected admissions to the GRU, 322 were discharged alive from the hospital. These 322 patients represented the study population of whom 99% were male, and 75% were white. The average age of the study patients was 76 (range 58 to 102) years.Measurements: At admission and again at discharge, each patient completed a comprehensive medical, functional, neuro-psychological, socioeconomic, and nutritional assessment. Subsequent to discharge, each subject was tracked for an average of 6 years. In addition to including serum albumin and other putative nutrition indicators in the data set, a “nutrition-risk” indi...
Path Analysis for Seven Postpartum Disorders of Holstein Cows

Abstract Path analysis and multiple logistic regression with an extrabinomial variation error term (to account for herd) were used to model seven postpartum clinical disorders of dairy cows and factors related to the calf. Data were from 7761 lactation records from 34 commercial herds in the vicinity of Cornel1 University. Stillbirth increased the odds of developing metritis and retained placenta. The odds of developing dystocia and mastitis were lower when the sex of the calf was female. However, cows that twinned had increased odds of developing dystocia and retained placenta. Dystocia was related to an increase in the odds of retained placenta. Milk fever, dystocia, and ketosis each increased the odds of developing left-displaced abomasum. Postpartum periods with dystocia, retained placenta, or ketosis had increased odds of metritis. Two interaction terms involved parity: stillbirth for milk fever and retained placenta for ketosis. The extrabinomial variation error term contributed to the fit in all models.
Dysentery in calves caused by an atypical strain of Escherichia coli (S102-9)

Dysentery lasting 4-8 days was produced in five 4-day-old colostrum-fed calves, after inoculation with an atypical strain of Escherichia coli S102-9; peak excretion of S102-9 occurred during the period of dysentery. Two calves were killed when clinical signs were most severe and bacteria were seen attached to the surfaces of enterocytes in the large intestine; microscopic lesions were seen in these areas. The lesions were identical to those previously reported in a natural outbreak of dysentery in calves, from which E. coli S102-9 was isolated, and to those seen in gnotobiotic calves experimentally infected with S102-9. Reinfection of the three surviving calves 16-20 days later with S102-9 and primary infection of two calves aged 24 and 51 days did not cause dysentery. Four of 659 coliforms isolated from field outbreaks of calf diarrhoea resembled the atypical strain S102-9. These four isolates and S102-9 did not produce heat-stable enterotoxin, but all produced a toxin cytopathic for Vero and HeLa cells. Two of the four isolates were inoculated alone into 4-day-old gnotobiotic calves deprived of colostrum; neither calf developed dysentery but microscopic lesions identical to those produced by S102-9 were detected in the large intestines of both animals.
Spectroscopic and computational studies of Co2+corrinoids: spectral and electronic properties of the biologically relevant base-on and base-off forms of Co2+cobalamin.

Co2+cobalmain (Co2+Cbl) is implicated in the catalytic cycles of all adenosylcobalamin (AdoCbl)-dependent enzymes, as in each case catalysis is initiated through homolytic cleavage of the cofactor's Co−C bond. The rate of Co−C bond homolysis, while slow for the free cofactor, is accelerated by 12 orders of magnitude when AdoCbl is bound to the protein active site, possibly through enzyme-mediated stabilization of the post-homolysis products. As an essential step toward the elucidation of the mechanism of enzymatic Co−C bond activation, we employed electronic absorption (Abs), magnetic circular dichroism (MCD), and resonance Raman spectroscopies to characterize the electronic excited states of Co2+Cbl and Co2+cobinamide (Co2+Cbi+, a cobalamin derivative that lacks the nucleotide loop and 5,6-dimethylbenzimazole (DMB) base and instead binds a water molecule in the lower axial position). Although relatively modest differences exist between the Abs spectra of these two Co2+corrinoid species, MCD data reveal t...
An Experimental Analysis of the Acid Sensitivity of the Common Planktonic Rotifer Keratella cochlearis

An in situ mesocosm experiment was performed at neutral pH Lake O'Woods, West Virginia, to assess the impacts of acidification on the common planktonic rotifer Keratella cochlearis. This rotifer is typically replaced by K. taurocephala during the acidification of North American lakes. Despite a rapid pH reduction in this experiment (from 7.0 to 4.8 in 14 days), the abundance, mean body length and egg ratio of K. cochlearis did not decline in the acid treatment as compared to the untreated control. These results support the hypothesis that K. cochlearis is acid-tolerant, and suggest that its disappearance from acid lakes is the result of biotic interactions within the plankton, rather than the result of toxic effects of altered water chemistry.
Serum-free suspension large-scale transient transfection of CHO cells in WAVE bioreactors.

Here, we report the development of a large-scale transient expression platform utilizing Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells. The majority of recombinant proteins and antibodies that are produced for preclinical models and clinical trials are expressed in stably transfected CHO cells. A protocol for transient transfection of CHO cells that is rapid, reproducible, and cost-effective would therefore streamline the process from research to development and help avoid any potential host species induced variation in the molecule of interest. CHO cells were adapted to grow in serum-free suspension conditions in spinner flask cultures in a proprietary in-house developed growth medium. In developing this transient transfection protocol, the parameters optimized included the transfection reagent of choice, the cell density at the time of transfection, the plasmid DNA concentration, and the transfection reagent concentration. Using this optimized protocol, we have expressed recombinant proteins, including antibodies, at an expression level of up to 9.4 mg/L. We also report transient transfections from 500 mL working volume (w.v.) up to 20 L w.v. in a WAVETM bioreactor. Using this optimized protocol, it is possible to rapidly (within 10 d) produce up to 100 mg of recombinant protein for further study.
Fabrication and characteristics of broad-area light-emitting diode based on nanopatterned quantum dots.

The device fabrication and integration of nanopatterned quantum dots (PQDs) are realized through the demonstration of a broad-area light-emitting diode with PQD active region. The device involves two growth processes, first to form PQDs by selective-area epitaxy on an SiO2 mask and then to complete the device structure after mask removal. Linear current?voltage characteristics are observed with sharp turn-on, low leakage current and low forward resistance. Electroluminescence spectra show PQD intraband structure and low quenching of emission from 77?K to room temperature. Light-current measurements demonstrate external quantum efficiency per PQD comparable to self-assembled QDs, thus providing a possible route toward individually addressable single QD devices.
Novel antibody-independent receptor-binding SPR-based assay for rapid measurement of influenza vaccine potency

A WHO workshop organized following the 2009 H1N1 pandemic recommended development of alternative influenza vaccine potency assays as high priority that could expedite the release of vaccine lots in the face of future influenza pandemics. We have developed an antibody independent, simple, high throughput receptor-binding SPR-based potency assay, which does not require any reference antisera and could be used for rapid HA quantitation and vaccine release in pandemic scenarios. The assay utilizes synthetic glycans with sialic acid (SA) of either α-2,6 or α-2,3 linkage to galactose. Only functionally active forms of HA (trimers and oligomers) recognize the SA-glycans and are quantified in this receptor-binding SPR assay. The SA-glycan SPR assay demonstrated broad dynamic range for quantitation of HA content in influenza vaccines from different manufacturers for both seasonal (A/H1N1, A/H3N2, B lineages) and pandemic influenza (A/H5N1, A/H7N9) strains with high reproducibility and low variability across multiple assays. In addition, the SA-glycan SPR assay is indicative of active HA stability, and can accurately quantify HA content in alum and oil-in-water adjuvanted influenza vaccines. Importantly, there was a good agreement between HA content determined by the SPR-based potency assay and the traditional SRID assay.
Permanent tooth emergence among Zambian schoolchildren: a standard for the assignment of ages.

There is sufficient variation in the timing of permanent tooth emergence to warrant population specific standards. Due to the lack of reliable ages in rural Zambia, a tooth emergence standard is derived from an urban sample of 543 Zambian schoolchildren. The standard allows assignment of an age to a child based on the total number of permanent teeth emerged. As a way to evaluate the ability of the standard to assign correct ages to Zambian children, a randomly chosen test (10%) sample was withheld from the formation of the standard. Accuracy of the standard in assigning ages to children in both the test and main samples was assessed in ±0.5, ±1.0, and ±2.0 year intervals. Both the main and test samples were able to accurately assign correct ages within ±0.5 year ∼40% of the time and within ±1.0 year ∼65% of the time for both males and females. To further facilitate use in field settings, the standard was visually smoothed. Once again the accuracy of the standard was very similar when applied to the main and test samples. The smoothed standard was as accurate as the original standard. The smoothed standard is thus recommended for application to rural Zambian children of unknown or unreliable age. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 10:45-51, 1998. © 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
THE DISPLACEMENT OF ALBUMIN-BOUND BILIRUBIN BY GENTAMICIN

Gentamicin is extensively used in the neonatal period but preliminary evidence indicates it can cause the displacement of bilirubin from albumin (Odell, Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci. 226: 225, 1973). Addition of gentamicin at therapeutic concentrations to model sera and human serum from jaundiced infants caused dissociation of bilirubin from alburmin similar to salicylate. This was reflected by shifts in the absorption curves to lower wave lengths and by adsorption to red cells and mitochondria. There was also a very strong correlation between the amount of displacement by salicylate and gentamicin in pre-exchange blood samples, (r=.94, p<.001 n=18). On a molar basis gentamicin is more effective than salicylate and sulfonamides in displacing bilirubin from albumin. Injection (i.p.) of gentamicin in jaundiced Gunn rats at doses of 3, 3.5 and 6μg/kg was associated with 28, 38 and 52% decreases, respectively, in the serum bilirubin concentrations at 30 min and 19, 28, 35% decreases at 60 min. Animals injected with either saline, or kanamycin (7.5 and 15 μg/kg) exhibited only a 5% decrease in their serum bilirubins at 30 and 60 min. These results suggest that the use of gentamicin in infants with neonatal hyperbilirubinemia may increase the risk of bilirubin encephalopathy.
Probability of correct selection of weibull versus gamma based on livelihood ratio

This paper proposes the use of tne likelihood ratio statistic in choosing between a Neibull or gamma model, values of the probability of correct seeiection are obtained by Monte Carlo simulation. This method provides some basis for decision even when the sample size is small. The technique is applied to four sets of data from the literature.
Long-term survival after pacemaker implantation for heart block in patients ≥65 years

Permanent pacing can prevent recurrent symptoms and reduce mortality in elderly patients with symptomatic high-degree atrioventricular (AV) block. However, long-term survival with respect to comparable control subjects has not been well defined. In our study, relative long-term survival and prognostic predictors after permanent pacemaker implantation for symptomatic high-degree AV block were assessed among all residents of Olmsted County, Minnesota, who were > or = 65 years old. Of the 154 patients, 77 were men and 77 were women (mean age 80 +/- 7 years). Follow-up was 0.1 to 19.8 years (mean 4.2 +/- 2.8). Sixty-nine patients had isolated AV block and 85 had coexisting heart disease. Observed survival at 1, 3, 5, and 10 years was 85%, 68%, 52%, 21%, and 72%, 50%, 31%, 11% for patients with isolated AV block and patients with coexisting heart disease, respectively (p = 0.006). Observed survival in patients 65 to 79 years old with isolated AV block was comparable to age- and sex-matched cohorts (p = 0.53), but in patients aged > or = 80 years, it was less than that for control subjects (p = 0.014). In patients with coexisting heart disease, observed survival was less than that for control subjects in patients 65 to 79 years old (p or = 80 years (p < 0.001). Multivariate analysis identified congestive heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, age, syncope, insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, and male gender as independent predictors of increased mortality.
Arthroscopic Visualization of the Popliteus Tendon

Purpose: This study was conducted to define what portion of the normal popliteus musculotendinous unit can be visualized during standard diagnostic arthroscopy. Methods: Knee arthroscopy was performed on 5 fresh-frozen cadaveric human knees by use of standard anterolateral and anteromedial portals. The most proximal and distal portions of the popliteus that could be visualized were tagged with arthroscopic sutures. The knees were subsequently dissected, and 4 measurements were made per specimen: the total length of the popliteus tendon; the length of the popliteus tendon that was able to be visualized; the extrasynovial segment at the femoral attachment, which was unable to be visualized; and the distance from the distal-most visible point of the tendon to the musculotendinous junction of the popliteus. Results: The mean total length of the popliteus tendon was 42.0 mm. The arthroscopically tagged portion of the popliteus tendon that was able to be visualized averaged 18.2 mm, or 43.8% of the tendon length. The mean distance from the musculotendinous junction to the visualized portion was 15.1 mm, or 35.8% of the total tendon length. The mean distance from the most proximal visualized portion of the tendon to the femoral attachment was 8.7 mm, or 20.4% of the total tendon length. The musculotendinous junction was not arthroscopically visible in any specimen. Conclusions: On standard knee arthroscopy, less than half of the normal popliteus tendon is visible, and the femoral insertion and musculotendinous junction are not visualized. Because most reported popliteus injuries have occurred here, reliance on arthroscopic visualization alone is inadequate. Clinical Relevance: The limitations of arthroscopic visualization of the normal popliteus tendon have implications for the diagnosis and treatment of posterolateral corner injuries.
Identification of treatment-resistant depressives who respond favorably to carbamazepine.

AbstractThirteen depressed patients with documented histories of failure to respond to tricyclic antidepressant medications who reported multiple partial seizure like symptoms were given open trials of carbamazepine. Eleven of the 13 showed moderate to substantial improvement in affective status that was accompanied by significant mean changes on the Beck or Hamilton depression scales. In addition, the mean number of reported partial seizurelike symptoms decreased significantly with treatment. Dichotic word listening performance was the only neuropsychoogical variable that was impaired at baseline and was also the only cognitive performance that improved following treatment. These preliminary observations sugest that there is likely to be a subgroup of treatment-resistant, carbamazepine-resonsive deressives who can be identified by evaluating for the presence of multiple partial seizure-like symptoms.
A small-angle x-ray scattering study of blends of isotactic and atactic polystyrene†

Small-angle x-ray scattering (SAXS) from blends of isotactic and atactic polystyrene has been studied. Results have been interpreted and compared using the Tsvankin, Vonk, and Hosemann techniques. The studies suggest that segregation of the atactic component occurs during crystallization within the growing spherulite of the isotactic component. However, since the interlamellar distance does not increase with atactic content, segregation is believed to occur with the formation of domains larger than interlamellar but smaller than spherulite size.
Analysis of fluorophore diffusion by continuous distributions of diffusion coefficients: application to photobleaching measurements of multicomponent and anomalous diffusion.

Abstract Fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) is widely used to measure fluorophore diffusion in artificial solutions and cellular compartments. Two new strategies to analyze FRAP data were investigated theoretically and applied to complex systems with anomalous diffusion or multiple diffusing species: 1) continuous distributions of diffusion coefficients, α ( D ), and 2) time-dependent diffusion coefficients, D ( t ). A regression procedure utilizing the maximum entropy method was developed to resolve α ( D ) from fluorescence recovery curves, F ( t ). The recovery of multi-component α ( D ) from simulated F ( t ) with random noise was demonstrated and limitations of the method were defined. Single narrow Gaussian α ( D ) were recovered for FRAP measurements of thin films of fluorescein and size-fractionated FITC-dextrans and Ficolls, and multi-component α ( D ) were recovered for defined fluorophore mixtures. Single Gaussian α ( D ) were also recovered for solute diffusion in viscous media containing high dextran concentrations. To identify anomalous diffusion from FRAP data, a theory was developed to compute F ( t ) and α ( D ) for anomalous diffusion models defined by arbitrary nonlinear mean-squared displacement 〈 x 2 〉 versus time relations. Several characteristic α ( D ) profiles for anomalous diffusion were found, including broad α ( D ) for subdiffusion, and α ( D ) with negative amplitudes for superdiffusion. A method to deduce apparent D ( t ) from F ( t ) was also developed and shown to provide useful complementary information to α ( D ). α ( D ) and D ( t ) were determined from photobleaching measurements of systems with apparent anomalous subdiffusion (nonuniform solution layer) and superdiffusion (moving fluid layer). The results establish a practical strategy to characterize complex diffusive phenomena from photobleaching recovery measurements.
On the relationship between process algebra and input/output automata

The relationship between process algebra and input/output (I/O) automata models is investigated in a general setting of structured operational semantics. For a series of (approximations of) key properties of I/O automata, syntactic constraints on inference rules that guarantee these properties are proposed. A first result is that in a setting without assumptions about actions, trace and failure preorders are substitutive for any set of rules in a format due to R. de Simone (thesis, Univ. of Paris, 1984). Next, additional constraints that capture the notion of internal actions and guarantee substitutivity of the testing preorders of R. De Nicola and M. Hennessy (1984) and also of a preorder related to the failure semantics with fair abstraction of unstable divergence of J.A. Bergstra et al. (1988) are imposed. Subsequent constraints guarantee that input actions are always enabled and output actions cannot be blocked, two key features of I/O automata. The main result is that for any I/O calculus, i.e. a de Simone calculus that combines the constraints for internal, input and output actions, the quiescent trace preorder and the fair trace preorder are substitutive. >
Improving spatial reuse of IEEE 802.11 based ad hoc networks

In this paper, we evaluate and suggest methods to improve the performance of IEEE 802.11 based ad hoc networks from the perspective of spatial reuse. Since 802.11 employs virtual carrier sensing to reserve the medium prior to a packet transmission, the relative size of the spatial region it reserves for the impending traffic significantly affects the overall network performance. We show that the space reserved by 802.11 for a successful transmission is far from optimal and depending on the one hop distances between the sender and the receiver. We study three scenarios with very different spatial reuse characteristics. We also introduce a new quantitative measure, the spatial reuse index, to evaluate the efficiency of the medium reservation accomplished by 802.11 virtual carrier sensing. We also propose an improved virtual carrier sensing mechanism for wireless LAN scenarios and using analysis and simulation results, show that it can significantly increase the spatial reuse and network throughput.
Opportunities and challenges to the development of healthy children and youth living in diverse communities

The field of developmental psychopathology has seen growth in research focusing on interdisciplinarity and normative developmental processes, including context-linked coping and adaptations. However, there continues to be an uncomfortable and unarticulated perspective to view others as having culture and "the self" as representing the standard. A call for explicit cultural considerations in research is needed to augment the impact of these new and other significant conceptual contributions noted. Sociopolitical influences on social contexts relevant to the different trajectories associated with youths' opportunities and challenges are presented. We focus on macrolevel factors that frame contexts in which individual development occurs. A federal and educational policy is used to illustrate how unexamined cultural traditions and patterns embedded in research and policy impact development. These examples provide insight in presenting issues of vulnerability, particularly for youth, and afford opportunities to present advances and challenges paralleled in the developmental psychopathology field.
FlexTDMA for delay-stable communications in asynchronous industrial control networks

To support closed industrial control networks we consider constant end-to-end delay with minimal delay-jitter support in an asynchronous network. The Rate Constrained Static Priority rate-jitter (RCSP-RJ) minimizes jitter while not providing full restoration of traffic at each switch. RCSP-delay-jitter (-DJ) provides jitter free network communication but requires a means of time coordination between switches. We introduce FlexTDMA that allows nearly constant delay bounds with minimal delay-jitter in an asynchronous network. FlexTDMA uses a token bucket to restore the arrival envelope of each flow. This eliminates delay-jitter, simplifies analysis of the network and avoids cyclic dependent issues in network analysis. A network of FlexTDMA switches operate asynchronously and offer nearly constant delay and minimal delay-jitter. FlexTDMA adapts the functional characteristics of RCSP-RJ while providing the performance characteristics of RCSP-DJ, through the use of periodic baselining (transmission at maximal delay bound) of each flow at each switch. When a flow has been baselined the receiving switch establishes a reserved time slot in which the next frame arrival is expected (thus the term flexible TDMA). The value of a baseline event degrades relative to switch clock drift rates. Infrequent baseline collisions cause delay-jitter, and baseline transmission opportunities (TO) can be scheduled thereby minimizing the probability of alignment.
The clinical content of preconception care: preconception care for men.

Little attention has been given to men's preconception health and health care. This paper reviews the key elements of an approach to optimizing the preconception health status of men. Preconception care for men is important for improving family planning and pregnancy outcomes, enhancing the reproductive health and health behaviors of their female partners, and preparing men for fatherhood. Most importantly, preconception care offers an opportunity, similar to the opportunity it presents for women, for disease prevention and health promotion in men. Currently, no consensus exists on service delivery of preconception care for men—who should provide preconception care to whom, where, when, and how, and there are significant barriers to this care including the organization, financing, training, and demand. Finally, much more research on the content and how to effectively market and implement preconception care for men is needed.
Is the Cost of Capital Different for Family Firms

It has been suggested that the cost of capital for a family firm depends on, among other things, a “family effect,” which deals with the family's relation to its business. Financial theory regarding the cost of capital states that the cost of capital is a market-based function of the characteristics of the investment, not the investor. This theory suggests that a firm's cost of capital does not depend on a family effect. However, not all financial economists' assumptions regarding the cost of capital hold for the family firm. This paper reviews the relevant literature regarding the cost of capital and applies it to the family firm. Knowing the correct cost of capital will enable family owner-managers to make better investment and financing decisions, evaluate performance, and structure rewards for performance.
Ultrasonic delay lines II

Abstract This paper deals with the experimental aspects of ultrasonic delay lines in liquid media and is a sequel to a previous paper treating the general theory of such devices. Delay devices employing ultrasonic propagation through liquids have proved satisfactory for delay times of the order of 3 milliseconds or less. Such devices can be made broadband and give excellent reproduction of pulse shape. The design considerations for such devices are discussed and illustrated by actual examples.
Pathological fracture through a subchondral bone cyst in the proximal phalanx of a horse

Summary A 12-year-old Morgan broodmare presented for a nonweightbearing right forelimb lameness. Radiography and computed tomography confirmed the presence of a pathological fracture of the proximal first phalanx through a large subchondral bone cyst (SBC) in the right forelimb and a large SBC in the proximal first phalanx of the left forelimb. Surgical repair of the large palmar medial eminence fracture of the proximal first phalanx fracture was performed using bone screws placed in lag fashion placed through stab incisions after debridement and bone grafting of the SBCs. Approximately 6 months after surgery the mare was ambulating comfortably at pasture. This case report describes a fracture through a large subchondral bone cyst in a horse despite chronicity and ongoing bone remodelling. Careful consideration regarding exercise or use should be considered in horses with large SBCs.
Asymmetry in reflex responses of nasal muscles in anesthetized guinea pigs

Nasal reflexes elicited by mechanical or electrical stimulation of nasal afferents were studied in anesthetized guinea pigs. Probing the nasal cavity of one side evoked a greater activation of the contralateral than the ipsilateral nasal muscles and, occasionally, sneezing. Similarly, electrical stimulation of the ethmoidal nerve often caused sneezing, with a greater activation of the nasal muscles and a greater increase in resistance on the contralateral side. Asymmetrical activation of the nasal muscles in response to mechanical stimuli induces asymmetrical airflows, especially during sneezing, between the two sides of the nasal cavity. Most of the expired air is forcibly blown out through the ipsilateral nostril, thus improving the elimination of irritants from the nose.
Fast algorithm for antenna selection in MIMO systems based on minimum error rate

In this paper, a fast antenna selection algorithm is proposed in wireless multiple input multiple output systems. The algorithm makes use of an efficient recursive QR factorization for selecting the sub-optimal antenna subset in terms of minimum error rate. The proposed algorithm decreases the computational complexity greatly, and improves the performance of the linear receiver. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed antenna selection algorithm achieves excellent performance under uncorrelated and correlated channel.
Nutrient enrichment differentially affects body sizes of primary consumers and predators in a detritus-based stream

We assessed how a 5-yr nutrient enrichment affected the responses of different size classes of primary consumers and predators in a detritus-based headwater stream. We hypothesized that alterations in detritus availability because of enrichment would decrease the abundance and biomass of large-bodied consumers. In contrast, we found that 2 yr of enrichment increased the biomass and abundance of all consumers regardless of body size. Furthermore, during the fourth and fifth year of enrichment, the abundance and biomass of largebodied primary consumers continued to increase, while small-bodied primary consumers returned to pretreatment levels. The size structure of a dominant primary consumer (Pycnopsyche spp.) also shifted during the 5-yr enrichment: its average and maximum individual body size increased in the treatment stream compared with the reference stream. Positive enrichment effects also occurred on small-bodied predators, but not on large-bodied predators. Thus, enrichment increased prey body size, but these positive effects on large prey did not propagate up to higher trophic levels to affect large predators. Because consumer body size can be an important species-specific trait determining population dynamics and ecosystem processes, these observed shifts in consumer size distributions suggest a potentially important pathway for global increases in nutrient enrichment to alter stream structure and function.
R&D and Markets for New Knowledge over Firms' Life-cycles ∗

This paper develops a model of R&D with firms’ life-cycles. When a young firm creates new knowledge, the firm may hesitate to implement the knowledge because it is hard to predict if the implementation will be successful. Nevertheless, once the firm implements the knowledge successfully (and thereby becomes established), the firm optimally becomes more willing to implement another knowledge of the same type. Studying a dynamic equilibrium of the economy populated by both young and established firms, we derive the implications on the market for knowledge. We find that established firms are more likely to buy knowledge than young firms because established firms can, but not young firms, selectively buy the knowledge that the firms will be able to implement successfully. We also find that as the transaction cost of selling knowledge becomes lower, young firms replace established firms as creators and sellers of knowledge and a lower fraction of young firms grows into established firms, since young firms find specializing in creating knowledge more profitable than implementing it.
The Nature of Students' Chemical Reasoning Employed in Scientific Argumentation in Physical Chemistry.

Recent science education reform efforts have emphasized scientific practices in addition to scientific knowledge. Less work has been done at the tertiary level to consider students' engagement in scientific practices. In this work, we consider physical chemistry students' engagement in argumentation and construction of causal explanations. Students in two POGIL physical chemistry classrooms were videotaped as they engaged in discourse while solving thermodynamics problems. Videos were transcribed and transcripts were analyzed using the Toulmin Argument Pattern (TAP). Arguments were then characterized using the modes of reasoning in a learning progression on chemical thinking (CTLP) (Sevian and Talanquer, 2014). Results showed that students used primarily relational reasoning, in which no causal explanation is generated, rather a single relationship between variables was used to justify a claim. We discuss all types of reasoning present in students' arguments.
Chocolate Flavonoids in the Prevention of Arterial Disease

Chocolate, which provides a concentrated source of energy because of its high-fat content, belongs to a class of polyphenols known as flavonoids, which contain such celebrated foods as red grapes, tea, soy, and garlic. Dark chocolate contains the highest amount of flavonoid-rich cocoa. Both short- and long-term ingestion of chocolate products result in an increase in serum antioxidant capacity and a decrease in LDL oxidation, both linked to reduced heart disease risk. Health benefits from chocolate consumption related to cardiovascular disease include the health neutrality of its saturated fatty acid (stearic acid) and protective effects of its flavonols, including flavanols and procyanidins. Health benefits from chocolate consumption related to cardiovascular disease prevention include anti-inflammatory functions, which prevent development of fatty streaks in the beginning stages of the atherosclerotic process.
Education and Employment of New England Nuclear Medicine Technologists

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the recommendations of chief nuclear medicine technologists regarding the educational levels required for employment, as well as the need for multiskilled and multicredentialed technologists. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was performed using a sampling frame derived from the 1993 Directory of the American Hospital Association. A questionnaire was sent to the chief nuclear medicine technologist in every New England hospital with more than 50 beds listed in this directory. Results: The majority of chief technologists prefer to hire staff technologists possessing associates (30.4%) or bachelors (38.2%) degrees, in addition to multiskills (75.2%) and/or multicredentials (82.4%). Conclusion: Chief technologists in New England recommend that prospective technologists graduate from an associates or bachelors degree program and possess additional skills and/or credentials. Nuclear medicine educators should provide their students with the knowledge and skills needed to meet these recommendations.
Breakthrough: How to Unite To Publish a Book

A standard warning by professional sovietologists to Americans making approaches to the Soviet Union is that amateurs lack the language skills with which to grasp the subtleties of discourse, they lack the training in the culture and history, they misunderstand the use of ideology in Soviet thinking, and they are overly optimistic concerning the ability of the Russians to change. Yet, an American peace-oriented movement, Beyond War, working with a committee of the Soviet Academy of Sciences, has published a book, both in Russian and English, which defines the terms of survival in the nuclear age. It has won praise from “realists” such as Alexander Dallin, Robert Conquest, George Breslauer, and William Colby. The book, Breakthrough: Emerging New Thinking, has also received praise from such respected Soviet professionals as Georgi Shakhnazarov, a Vice President of the International Political Science Association.
Studies on pigment migration in the melanophores of the teleost. Fundulus heteroclitus (L).

Observations made which coupled physiological and histochemical methods with a morphological analysis of the process of pigment migration in the melanophores of Fundulus heteroclitus suggest the following conclusions:1. The main source of energy for this activity probably derives from oxidative phosphorylation.2. Pigment migration seems to be sodium-dependent but is not influenced by external calcium ions.3. These cells present a complex system of microtubules that limit the paths through which the pigment granules migrate.4. Evidence is presented linking pigment granule transport to microtubles.5. A histochemical method failed to reveal the existence of cholinergic nerve endings in the melanophore.6. A critical review is made of the hypothesis proposed to explain pigment migration.
The labour republicans and the classical republican tradition: Alex Gourevitch’s From Slavery to the Cooperative Commonwealth

Alex Gourevitch’s From Slavery to the Cooperative Commonwealth is a valuable contribution to republican historiography: in reconstructing the ideas of the 19th century American labour republicans, ...
Analyze on Residents Iodized Salt Surveillance Results in Meizhou City from 2003 to 2005

OBJECTIVE To estimate the residents iodized salt consumption condition in Meizhou city,discover the problem in time and promise residents qualified iodized salt consumed.METHODES Survey on the residents iodized salt in Meizhou city according to "The iodized salt surveillance execution programme of Guangdong Province"from 2003 to 2005.RESULTS Then on-iodized salt rate distinguished to 0.10%,1.76% and 3.29%.The cover rate of iodized salt distinguished to 99.90%,98.24% and 96.71%.The competent rate of iodized salt distinguished to 98.01%,97.38% and 95.05%.The consumption rate of iodized salt distinguished to 97.92%,95.68% and 92.11%.There was a tendency of up-trend by year in the non-iodized rate and down-trend by year in the cover rate of iodized salt,the competent rate of iodized salt and the consumption of iodized salt.CONCLUSION The strategies should focused on strike the private salt and non-iodized salt,iodine deficiency disorders and iodized salt surveillance,all society participation and implemention of health promotion.
The effect of desmopressin acetate on postoperative hemorrhage in patients receiving aspirin therapy before coronary artery bypass operations

It has been suggested that desmopressin acetate has been effective in reducing hemorrhage after coronary artery bypass grafting in patients receiving aspirin before operation. We conducted a prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial to determine the effectiveness and safety of desmopressin in these patients. Sixty-five patients pretreated with aspirin within 7 days before their scheduled elective coronary artery bypass grafting were randomized to receive desmopressin (0.3 micrograms/kg) or placebo after cessation of bypass and reversal of heparin with protamine. The demographic characteristics and last dose of aspirin were similar in both groups. There was a significant reduction in postoperative blood loss noted between groups for both chest tube blood loss (833 +/- 311 ml for the 1-desamino-8-D-arginine vasopressin [desmopressin] group versus 1176 +/- 674 ml for the placebo group; p = 0.016) and total blood loss (1215 +/- 381 ml for the desmopressin group versus 1637 +/- 761 ml for the placebo group; p = 0.0097). Despite the differences in blood loss between the two groups, the red cell transfusions were not significantly different, but the use of platelets was less in the desmopressin group and almost achieved statistical significance (p = 0.053). Neither was there a difference in the occurrence of thrombotic complications between groups. It appears that desmopressin in this specific subgroup of patients receiving preoperative aspirin is effective as a prophylactic agent for reduction of postsurgical hemorrhage.
7 – MECHANICAL BEHAVIOR OF SOLIDS

This chapter is concerned with the many issues and facets related to the mechanical behavior of solids. The mechanical behavior of solids is broadly divided into the elastic and plastic regimes. Elasticity theory and engineering simplifications of it form the basis of the engineering design of structures and machine parts. The tensile, compressive, and shear strains are always small in the elastic regime. Elastic tensile stresses exert a pull on atomic bonds, and the resultant atomic separation is manifested macroscopically as strain; both stress and strain vanish when the load is removed. The reason one can be so confident about stress analysis in the elastic range is the validity of Hooke's law or the linear connection between stress and strain. Ohm's law linearly connecting voltage and current plays a similar singular role in the design and analysis of electrical circuits. Young's modulus and Poisson's ratio are the only material constants of concern in isotropic elasticity, but there are more moduli to contend with when single crystals are involved. With computers, it is now possible to determine accurately the stress and strain distribution throughout arbitrarily shaped bodies loaded elastically in almost any given way.