cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Bile-pancreatic juice replacement not cholinergic- and cholecystokinin-receptor blockade reverses acinar cell hyperstimulation after bile-pancreatic duct ligation.

Background Acinar cell inhibitors (eg, atropine) fail to ameliorate clinical and experimental acute pancreatitis. We hypothesized that amelioration of pancreatic acinar cell hyperstimulation after bile and pancreatic duct ligation is better with gut replacement of bile and pancreatic juice than with cholinergic- and cholecystokinin (CCK)-receptor blockade. Methods Using acinar cell amylase activity as an index of hyperstimulation, we studied 63 rats in two sets of experiments. Bile-pancreatic juice exclusion from gut—without (set one) and with (set two) bile and pancreatic duct obstruction— was treated with atropine and CCK-receptor antagonist L-364,718, or with enterai replacement of bile-pancreatic juice. Results In the set one experiment, acinar cell hyperstimulation after bile-pancreatic; juice exclusion was reversed by combined L-364,718 and atropine pretreatment. In set two, acinar cell hyperstimulation after bile and pancreatic duct ligation was reversed by enterai bile and pancreatic juice replacement, but not by combined L-364,718 and atropine pretreatment. Conclusions According to this experimental corollary of early gallstone impaction, prevention of acinar cell hyperstimulation after duct occlusion should be aimed at the source of the response to bile-pancreatic juice exclusion, namely, the gut, rather than at the target of the response, the pancreatic acinar cell.
Desiring Conversion: Hermas, Thecla, Aseneth

(ProQuest: ... denotes non-US-ASCII text omitted.)B. Diane Lipsett has set for herself the task of exploring the function of desire in three loosely related early Christian narratives of "conversion"--The Shepherd of Hermas , The Acts of Paul and Thecla , and Joseph and Aseneth . While noting with care the distinctions among these three works, Lipsett studies the tropes they share in common: all speak of identity transformation as a process of masculinization, all focus on virgins as liminal figures, all are preoccupied with cultural codes for marriage and chastity, and all of them raise questions of desire and deferral.Each text contains erotic episodes that defy verisimilitude. For example, the Shepherd begins with Hermas viewing a Roman matron bathing in the Tiber and continues on to narrate his overnight dalliance with seven praying virgins; Thecla enters Paul's prison and spends the night sitting at his feet to hear the word of God; Aseneth invites a heavenly man to sit on her bed in her cloister so that she might feed him. The feature distinguishing Lipsett's argument from much previous scholarship is that rather than dismissing these erotic elements as gratuitously titillating, or as simply as too bizarre to explain, she reads them as integral to each plot. Her aim is to provide a window onto the ancient cultural poetics of desire, and her overarching thesis is that in each case, the text contains a coherent view of the constructive, if paradoxical, role of desire in transformation. She concludes, "each in the end represents desire, not as an antithesis to, but as an expressive mode of self-restraint . . . [each] variously involve their readers in the embrace of renunciation and the conversionary seductions of self-control" (126).Her method involves a thorough-going and astute traditional historical-critical and literary analysis (she is conversant with theories of redaction in each instance, but adheres largely to the final form of the texts in question), enriched by her engagement with three (rather disparate) theoretical approaches to the study of desire: aside Hermas she places a Foucauldian analysis of discursive strategies for disciplining desire; aside Thecla she places psychoanalytic interpretations of desire (including the work of Kristeva, Lacan and Bulter); aside Aseneth, she places the ancient critic Longinus and his exploration of the sublime.Lipsett is careful to insist that she is employing her theoretical apparatus lightly, aiming not to "apply theory as an overlay but to place theoretical considerations alongside the text to see what kind of reciprocal insight, or perhaps interference, results" (16, cf; 89). …
The effect of failure and repair distributions on consistency protocols for replicated data objects

The accessibility of vital information can be enhanced by replicating the data on several sites, and employing a consistency control protocol to manage the copies.Various protocols have been proposed to ensure that only current copies of the data can be accessed. The effect these protocols have on the accessibility of the replicated data is investigated by simulating the operation of the network and measuring the performance. Several strategies for replica maintenance are considered, and the benefits of each are analyzed. The details of the simulations are discussed. Measurements of the reliability and the availability of the replicated data are compared and contrasted.The sensitivity of the Available Copy and Dynamic-linear Voting protocols to common patterns of site failures and repairs is studied in detail. Exponential, Erlang, uniform, and hyperexponential distributions are considered, and the effect the second moments have on the results is analyzed. The relative performance of competing protocols is shown to be only marginally affected by non-exponential distributions, validating the robustness of the exponential approximations.
Nonlinear diffusive surface waves in porous media

A fully nonlinear, diffusive, and weakly dispersive wave equation is derived for describing gravity surface wave propagation in a shallow porous medium. Darcy's flow is assumed in a homogeneous and isotropic porous medium. In deriving the general equation, the depth of the porous medium is assumed to be small in comparison with the horizontal length scale, i.e. O(μ2) =O(h0/L)2[Lt ]1. The order of magnitude of accuracy of the general equation is O(μ4). Simplified governing equations are also obtained for the situation where the magnitude of the free-surface fluctuations is also small, O(e)=O(a/h0)[Lt ]1, and is of the same order of magnitude as O(μ2). The resulting equation is of O(μ4, e2) and is equivalent to the Boussinesq equations for water waves. Because of the dissipative nature of the porous medium flow, the damping rate of the surface wave is of the same order magnitude as the wavenumber. The tide-induced groundwater fluctuations are investigated by using the newly derived equation. Perturbation solutions as well as numerical solutions are obtained. These solutions compare very well with experimental data. The interactions between a solitary wave and a rectangular porous breakwater are then examined by solving the Boussinesq equations and the newly derived equations together. Numerical solutions for transmitted waves for different porous breakwaters are obtained and compared with experimental data. Excellent agreement is observed.
Unemployment in America: Rejoinder to Vedder and Gallaway

Abstract In their Out of Work: Government and Unemployment in Twentieth Century America, Richard Vedder and Lowell Gallaway contend that government intervention in American labor markets has caused unemployment by raising the real price of labor. In my critique of the book, I allowed that while this might sometimes be the case, it is not as important as Vedder and Gallaway claim. Their Reply does not succeed in vindicating their argument, because their wage averages fail to take into account variations in wages within phases of the business cycle; because they fail to take into account the effects of unemployment on potential productivity, distorting their measures of real wages; and because they ignore the vast literature on the subject.
Neural Network Control of Mobile Robot Formations Using RISE Feedback

In this paper, an asymptotically stable (AS) combined kinematic/torque control law is developed for leader-follower-based formation control using backstepping in order to accommodate the complete dynamics of the robots and the formation, and a neural network (NN) is introduced along with robust integral of the sign of the error feedback to approximate the dynamics of the follower as well as its leader using online weight tuning. It is shown using Lyapunov theory that the errors for the entire formation are AS and that the NN weights are bounded as opposed to uniformly ultimately bounded stability which is typical with most NN controllers. Additionally, the stability of the formation in the presence of obstacles is examined using Lyapunov methods, and by treating other robots in the formation as obstacles, collisions within the formation do not occur. The asymptotic stability of the follower robots as well as the entire formation during an obstacle avoidance maneuver is demonstrated using Lyapunov methods, and numerical results are provided to verify the theoretical conjectures.
Serum Carboxymethyl-Lysine, Disability, and Frailty in Older Persons: The Cardiovascular Health Study

Advanced glycation endproducts (AGEs) are tissue-damaging macromolecules, which accumulate during disordered metabolism and normal aging or may be ingested through diet, especially from animal-derived foods (1,2). AGEs constitute a heterogeneous group of biologically active compounds produced by the nonenzymatic glycation of proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids (3,4). Elevated levels of AGEs have been associated with human diseases and adverse outcomes. AGEs have been most extensively studied in diabetes, wherein hyperglycemia and heightened oxidative stress combine to amplify the generation of these molecules (4,5). In turn, AGEs are believed to be major contributors to cardiovascular and renal complications in diabetic individuals (4). Aside from their role in diabetes, AGEs have been implicated in adverse aging-related phenomena including Alzheimer’s disease (6), cataracts (7), osteoporosis (8), and sarcopenia (9). Because AGEs accrue in longer-lived proteins and can have cumulative, harmful effects on tissues over time, they have been proposed as key mediators of multiorgan deterioration that accompanies aging (10). However, AGEs accumulate in the setting of inflammatory processes, oxidative stress, and carbonyl stress, suggesting that high levels of AGEs in serum may be a marker, rather than a mediator, of some aging-related pathologies (11–13). A dominant AGE in human tissues is N-carboxymethyl-lysine (CML) (3), which makes it a compound of particular interest in understanding the role of AGEs in multisystem, age-related effects. To date, prospective epidemiological data on the relationship between serum CML and adverse clinical outcomes have been limited to moderately sized studies (N < 1,150) in European populations (14,15), or in women (16) or diabetic individuals (17). These studies have demonstrated the association between CML levels and all-cause and cardiovascular mortality (14), particularly among women (15–17). In one Finnish cohort of individuals aged 45–64 years, CML was associated with 18-year mortality in women, but not in men, regardless of diabetes status (15,17). Other research suggests a relationship between CML and certain features of frailty or disability. One study in older Italians found that highest-quartile CML values were associated with slow walking speed (18). Another found that older adults with lower fat mass had higher levels of serum CML (19). The current study is the first to explore the relationship between CML and two important geriatric outcomes, disability and frailty, in a large, demographically diverse population of older adults. Our primary objective was to determine the relationship between serum CML and incident disability. Secondarily, we explored the cross-sectional relationship between CML and the frailty phenotype (20). Because exposure to AGEs might be reduced by dietary restriction and drug treatment, a better understanding of the relationship between CML and functional outcomes could inform new intervention strategies.
Attentional demands predict short-term memory load response in posterior parietal cortex

Limits to the capacity of visual short-term memory (VSTM) indicate a maximum storage of only 3 or 4 items. Recently, it has been suggested that activity in a specific part of the brain, the posterior parietal cortex (PPC), is correlated with behavioral estimates of VSTM capacity and might reflect a capacity-limited store. In three experiments that varied the delay period and the stimuli to be stored, we found dissociations between functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) activity in PPC and behavioral measures of capacity. When the delay length increased, fMRI activity in this area increased with memory load beyond the behaviorally determined limits of capacity. The results suggest that activity in PPC may reflect the attentional demands of short-term memory rehearsal processes rather than capacity limitations, and imply that a larger number of items than that determined by behavioral measures of capacity may be rehearsed during STM tasks. This account is consistent with the role of PPC in attentional processes and with the close correlation between brain areas that are involved in attention and those that mediate STM.
Mean diffusivity as a potential diffusion tensor biomarker of motor rehabilitation after electrical stimulation incorporating task specific exercise in stroke: a pilot study

Changes in diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) values co-occur with neurological and functional changes after stroke. However, quantitative DTI metrics have not been examined in response to participation in targeted rehabilitative interventions in chronic stroke. The primary purpose of this pilot study was to examine whether changes in DTI metrics co-occur with paretic arm movement changes among chronic stroke patients participating in a regimen of electrical stimulation targeting the paretic arm. Three subjects exhibiting stable arm hemiparesis were administered 30-minute (n = 1) or 120-minute (n = 2) therapy sessions emphasizing paretic arm use during valued, functional tasks and incorporating an electrical stimulation device. These sessions occurred every weekday for 8 weeks. A fourth subject served as a treatment control, participating in a 30-minute home exercise regimen without electrical stimulation every weekday for 8 weeks. DTI and behavioral outcome measures were acquired at baseline and after intervention. DTI data were analyzed using a region of interest (ROI) approach, with ROIs chosen based on tract involvement in sensorimotor function or as control regions. Behavioral outcome measures were the Fugl-Meyer Scale (FM) and the Action Research Arm Test (ARAT). The treatment control subject exhibited gains in pinch and grasp, as shown by a 5-point increase on the ARAT. The subject who participated in 30-minute therapy sessions exhibited no behavioral gains. Subjects participating in 120-minute therapy sessions displayed consistent impairment reductions and distal movement changes. DTI changes were largest in subjects two and three, with mean diffusivity (MD) decreases in the middle cerebellar peduncle and posterior limb of the internal capsule following treatment. No changes in fractional anisotropy (FA) were observed for sensorimotor tracts. Our preliminary results suggest that active rehabilitative therapies augmented by electrical stimulation may induce positive behavioral changes which are underscored by DTI changes indicative of increased white matter tract integrity in regions specific to sensory-motor function.
Paroxysmal Atrioventricular Block Induced by a Single Ventricular Premature Beat in the Absence of Overt Atrioventricular Conduction System Disease

Paroxysmal atrioventricular (AV) block is an unusual phenomenon that has been previously described. We report the case of a 78-year-old man who presented after an episode of syncope while seated in church. On presentation to the hospital, the initial electrocardiogram showed sinus rhythm with a normal PR interval, QRS duration, and corrected QT interval. During telemetry monitoring, several episodes of high-grade AV block were observed, and all episodes occurred after a single premature ventricular complex (Figure). AV …
A Test Structure for Assessing Individual Contact Resistance

Accurate measurement of contact resistance is crucial for advanced nanometer CMOS processes. An equally important requirement is to measure contact resistances in the same micro-environment as the device-under-test (DUT) will be used in real designs. With complicated interactions among various layout shapes in nanometer CMOS processes, test structures with adequate scalability is needed. In this paper we present a scalable contact resistance measurement structure, which can accommodate tens of thousands of DUTs. The measurement results from a 65 nm CMOS technology are also presented.
Conditional Random Fields for Word Hyphenation

Finding allowable places in words to insert hyphens is an important practical problem. The algorithm that is used most often nowadays has remained essentially unchanged for 25 years. This method is the TEX hyphenation algorithm of Knuth and Liang. We present here a hyphenation method that is clearly more accurate. The new method is an application of conditional random fields. We create new training sets for English and Dutch from the CELEX European lexical resource, and achieve error rates for English of less than 0.1% for correctly allowed hyphens, and less than 0.01% for Dutch. Experiments show that both the Knuth/Liang method and a leading current commercial alternative have error rates several times higher for both languages.
Ventricular relaxation in the stage 24 chick embryo following changes in volume and blockade of Na+ and Ca2+ channels

Objective Early in cardiac development, regulation of cytosolic Ca2+ has been thought to depend primarily on sarcolemmal Ca2+ transport. We hypothesized that perturbation of cytosolic Ca2+ in the embryonic ventricle would result in a change in ventricular relaxation which could be quantified by a monoexponential model. We reasoned that since it has been difficult to selectively block the Na+-Ca2+ exchanger in vivo, that blockade of Na+ (lidocaine) or Ca2+ (verapamil) channels in the embryonic heart may perturb cytosolic Ca2+ and thereby alter ventricular relaxation. Methods All studies were performed in ovo in Hamilton-Hamburger stage 24 chick embryos. Isovolumic relaxation time (mean ± standard deviation, 58 ± 19 ms) was derived from dorsal aortic flow and atrioventricular inflow during 61 cardiac cycles in 4 embryos. Ventricular pressure was digitally recorded from 13 embryos during 188 cycles following intravenous injection of chick Ringer's solution (5 embryos), verapamil (4 embryos) or lidocaine (4 embryos). Ventricular relaxation was characterized by a monoexponential model: P(t) = P ∞ + P oe −t/τ where P(t) = pressure at time ( t ), P ∞ = pressure asymptote, P o = pressure at the onset of relaxation and τ = the isovolumic relaxation constant. Non-linear least-squares regression was used to estimate τ and P ∞ during isovolumic relaxation at baseline and at 30 s and 60 s post-injection. Results Ventricular end-diastolic pressure was increased by all three interventions. Both lidocaine and verapamil prolonged cycle length. Lidocaine prolonged τ while chick Ringer's solution and verapamil did not. No significant change in P ∞ was observed. Conclusions This study demonstrates that blockade of Na+ channels with lidocaine slows ventricular relaxation presumably by perturbing cytosolic Ca2+ via the Na+-Ca2+ exchange system. Changes following Ca2+ channel blockade with verapamil are less evident in the stage 24 chick embryo. Evaluation of ventricular relaxation may provide a useful way to study developmental aspects of Ca2+ transport.
Indications and contraindications for open cardiac surgery

Abstract Present-day criteria for selection of patients for open heart surgery are discussed on the basis of experience gained on 65 patients. The development of pulmonary arteriosclerosis in cases of malformation with a left-to right shunt is the major factor in the circumstances that mitigate good postoperative results. With the advent of open heart surgery for congenital heart disease, the emphasis has come to be placed on corrective rather than palliative procedures.
Tau deposition and white matter fiber integrity in traumatic brain injury: an [18F]T807 PET and diffusion tensor imaging study

141 Objectives [18F]T807 was developed for PET imaging of tau protein aggregates which are of interest in a range of neuropathologies including traumatic brain injury (TBI). Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) tractography allows assessment of white matter fiber integrity. Our goal was to determine if tau deposition correlated with neuronal bundle damage in TBI. Methods Ten subjects (5 controls and 5 TBI: 4 with multiple mild concussions from profession in contact sports [1 with concurrent ALS], 1 with severe injury from automotive accident) underwent dynamic [18F]T807 PET and DTI. [18F]T807 distribution volume ratio (DVR) was estimated by Logan analysis with cerebellar input. MRI data were acquired on a 3T Siemens Trio. Tractograms were generated by Diffusion Toolkit and visualized with the companion software TrackVis. Results Cortical areas with high [18F]T807 uptake generally had comparatively low DTI track density. In corpus callosum (CC), the subject with severe injury had high [18F]T807 binding (DVR=1.9 vs 0.9 in controls) and low density of fibers (813 tracks passing through the CC vs 2419 in matched control). A former pro football player had high [18F]T807 uptake (DVR=1.6) in left lateral occipital/temporal cortex with low density of fibers (23 tracks) relative to the contralateral side (DVR=1.1, 169 tracks). Similar findings were observed in two more of the former pro athletes; the last had discernible abnormalities on neither [18F]T807 nor DTI images. Notably, T1-weighted anatomical MR images showed no macrostructural changes where [18F]T807 and DTI abnormalities were seen. Conclusions TBI subjects with focal [18F]T807 uptake showed accompanying reductions in DTI track density. Measurements of tau deposition and fiber damage may together improve our understanding of microstructural and molecular pathologies associated with brain injury and aid in testing novel therapies.
Utilization of Amino Acids and Other Nitrogen-Containing Compounds

This chapter discusses the catabolism of amino acids and other nitrogen-containing compounds. Aspartate is transported into B. subtilis by two systems, a high-affinity system energized by the proton motive force and a low-affinity system. The enzymes of the arginase degradative pathway are found in B. subtilis and B. licheniformis. In B. subtilis and B. licheniformis, the proline-degradative enzymes are induced by proline. In B. subtilis, this induction is inhibited if the growth medium also contains glucose and amino acids. Hut expression in B. subtilis is induced by histidine and repressed by rapidly metabolized carbon sources such as glucose. Growth in the presence of amino acids severely inhibits synthesis of the Hut enzymes. Dehydrogenase enzymes may play a role in the degradation of phenylalanine in Bacillus badius, of valine in Streptomyces spp, and of leucine in B. cereus. Nitrate reductase activity is found in B. subtilis cells growing in the presence of nitrate under semianaerobic conditions. Amino acids and small peptides produced by the degradation of extracellular polypeptides can also supply B. subtilis with nutrients during growth and sporulation.
Re/Presenting Artful Pedagogy: Relational Aesthetics in Early Childhood Contemporary Art Experiences

Young children are experts in creating unpredictable projects akin to the work of contemporary artists and within contemporary art practices. The author utilized a hybrid method of a/r/tography and action research to reveal the relational moments, specifically conversations, collaborative art making, and interactions of early learners. Contemporary art, specifically as it relates to relational aesthetics, has the potential to blend with pedagogy and point to new directions for art education of young children: an artful pedagogy. Art created with a relational aesthetic emphasizes and only exists from participation and interactivity. Within the context of classroom experiences, compelling findings surrounding unpredictable projects and young learners as experts are deeply explored. In particular, implications are brought into focus for visualizing conversations with young learners through art. The connections of relational aesthetics in art education to artful pedagogy are revealed through images of conceptual work by young learners and blurry photographs. Interpreting relational aesthetics with a pedagogical lens led to conclusions that point to an elevated view of the art of young children, a view that reveals the possibilities and further questions for art education that is informed by contemporary art. An artful pedagogy suggests that art education catch up with contemporary art and reflect the living inquiry, curriculum, and art of the educator and young learners.
Civilization on a Crash Course? Imperialism, Subimperialism and the Political-Ecological Breaking Point of the Modern/Colonial World-System

Modern/colonial civilization has already breached several planetary boundaries and its ecological footprint is overwhelming the Earth’s carrying capacity. The ecological space for the growth of modern urban civilization is at its breaking point. We conduct two case studies, of Russia and Brazil, to show that the aspirations of semi-peripheral “emerging economies” to catch-up, clone and compete with the West within the hegemonic terms of an ecologically unsustainable and socially stratifying civilizational model requires their systematic practice of internal colonialism and regional subimperialism. Playing catch-up with the North and its unsustainable mode of political economy demands the present-day rehearsal, in accelerated, compressed and subimperial modes of the structurally violent practices that have underpinned the North’s “rise” to planetary dominance. Yet in striving to catch-up and join in the overconsumptive and exploitative lifestyle of economic cores, large “emerging economies” like the BRICS are in an economic, political and military crash course against the hegemonically-entrenched Northern core powers they aspire to emulate, in what looks like an increasingly volatile scramble to grab whatever dwindling ecological space is left in a rapidly degraded planet.
Wisdom and Word among the Hellenistic Saviors: The Function of Literacy:

Parallels for developments in Jewish Wisdom and the Jewish use of Word are often sought in Hellenistic cults such as that of Isis, and increasingly the mechanisms of the spread of such religious mo...
The Complete Fertility Work-Up

“… we regularly arrange for patients to enter the hospital for a period of three days so that… tests can be performed most expeditiously and at a minimal cost.” With this statement Dr. Behrman begins the section of his article delineating the role of the hospital in searching out—and often solving—the anatomic, physiologic and psychologic problems that prevent a couple from achieving parenthood.
Regional analysis of sinonasal ciliary beat frequency

BACKGROUND Mucociliary clearance, a primary host defense mechanism, depends on mucus production and its clearance by the coordinated beating of cilia lining the airways. Numerous investigations have analyzed ciliary activity in brushings from the inferior turbinate. To date, only one study has investigated whether there exists variation in ciliary beat frequency (CBF) within the sinonasal cavity. We analyzed CBF from the inferior turbinate, uncinate process, and sphenoethmoid recess in nonsinusitis patients to determine regional variability of ciliary activity within the sinonasal cavity. METHODS Explants of sinonasal epithelium were analyzed at 37 degrees C. Beating cilia were visualized with differential interference contrast microscopy. Images were captured using a high-speed digital camera with a sampling rate of 250 frames per second. A one-dimensional tracking algorithm analyzed individual pixel grayscale values within each frame of the video. The differences in grayscale were plotted as a time-dependent waveform, and frequency was calculated as the inverse of the peak-to-peak distance. A minimum of three areas of beating cilia were analyzed per regional sample. Statistical analysis was performed with repeated-measures analysis of variance. RESULTS Complete sampling of all three sites was accomplished in 10 patients. No difference in CBF within the sinonasal cavity was identified (p < 0.05). The mean CBF for all sites in all patients was 12.6 +/- 2.9 Hz, in agreement with published values. CONCLUSION This study shows no regional differences in CBF within the sinonasal cavity, supporting previous work and validating analysis of inferior turbinate cilia.
Performance expectations and the tenure of head coaches: Evidence from NCAA football

Abstract Previous research on coaching turnover indicates that a number of factors, including age, firm performance, and deviation from expected performance affect turnover. We examine the relationship between performance expectations and head coach turnover using data from NCAA Division I-A college football using a market-determined measure of expected performance, winning percentage against point spreads set in betting markets; this expected performance measure does not suffer from many of the problems that plague analysts’ earnings forecasts. We find that performance expectations, actual performance, and tenure affect coaching tenure in NCAA Division I-A college football, based on performance data from 102 Division I-A football programs over the period 1980–2004.
The JHDL Design and Debug System

Publisher Summary JHDL is a CAD environment developed for the design, debug, and runtime control of configurable computing applications based on field-programmable gate array (FPGA) technology. The term JHDL refers to one of two things that includes the JHDL circuit design language itself or the JHDL CAD system. The JHDL language is a text-based design language for algorithmic construction of structured circuits that is embedded within the Java programming language. JHDL designs are created as Java programs that access JHDL libraries to generate circuits. Within the JHDL CAD environment, circuits can be simulated, net-listed, and downloaded to the reconfigurable computing platform for execution and testing. Additional CAD tools can be built on top of the JHDL infrastructure to support higher-level circuit construction, optimization, and debugging tasks. One of the most unique features of JHDL is its runtime environment, which provides a unified simulator/hardware debugger that can be used to debug and validate a circuit through either simulation or hardware execution and which contains many features normally found only in source-level software debuggers. JHDL is currently in use in a variety of research projects, from module generator systems to behavioral synthesis systems to microarchitectural simulation systems. By providing a framework for the construction, simulation, netlisting, and hardware debug of FPGA-based designs, JHDL allows researchers to focus on tasks other than recreating the infrastructure that JHDL provides.
Assuming that Myosin-Binding Protein C Interacts with Both Myosin and Actin Can Explain its Role in Skinned Fiber Mechanics

Cardiac myosin-binding protein C (cMyBP-C) is a thick filament-associated protein that participates in the regulation of muscle contraction. Simplified in vitro systems show that cMyBP-C binds not only to myosin, but also to the actin filament. Which of these interactions is of greatest physiological relevance remains unclear. We have used a computational model to explore the characteristic effects of myosin-binding versus actin-binding by cMyBP-C. Simulations suggest that myosin-cMyBP-C interactions reduce peak force and Ca2+ sensitivity of the myofilaments, but have minimal effect on the rate of force redevelopment (ktr). In contrast, cMyBP-C binding to actin increases myofilament Ca2+ sensitivity and slows ktr at sub-maximal Ca2+ values. This slowing is due to cooperation between cMyBP-C ‘crossbridges’ and traditional myosin crossbridges as they co-activate the actin thin filament. We further observed that an overall recapitulation of skinned myocardial data from wild type and cMyBP-C knockout mice requires the interaction of cMyBP-C with of both of its binding targets in our model. Assuming significant interactions with both partners was also sufficient to explain published effects of cMyBP-C ablation on twitch kinetics. These modeling results strongly support the view that both binding interactions play critical roles in the physiology of intact muscle. A possible advantage of this arrangement is the tuning of cardiac lusitropy independent of contractility through modification of a single protein target. Furthermore, results suggest that the widely observed phenomenon of slowed force development in the presence of cMyBP-C may actually be a manifestation of cooperative binding of this protein to the thin filament. Our model provides specific hypotheses and mechanistic descriptions to assist ongoing experimental work toward unraveling cMyBP-C's contribution to inherited cardiomyopathy and phosphoregulation in normal cardiac muscle regulation.
When Do Religious Accommodations Burden Others

In considering contemporary conflicts between religious freedom and equality law, a mediating principle has proved to be important, namely the rule that governments granting religious accommodations to some citizens should avoid harm to others. Normally, when government lifts regulatory burdens on religious actors, any associated costs are covered by the government itself, or by the public. But sometimes, the costs of religious accommodations are shifted to other private citizens. And when that happens, constitutional concerns arise. Recently, the rule against third party harms has come up in conflicts over provisions protecting reproductive freedom for women, marriage equality, and civil rights for LGBT citizens. For example, the Court in Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc. granted a religious accommodation to a business corporation that sought relief from the contraception mandate imposed by the Obama Administration under the Affordable Care Act. That dispute had obvious ramifications for the freedom and equality of the company’s female employees and the female dependents of its male employees. Similarly, the Court’s decision in Zubik v. Burwell may affect the employees of religious nonprofits. And conflicts between religious freedom and LGBT rights have become familiar — these often involve harm to third parties.In this chapter, we address one particular critique of the principle of avoiding harm to others. Some critics have argued that many denials of government aid or protection do not count as burdens at all. For example, advocates for Hobby Lobby have argued that the company’s employees did not have a right to contraception coverage in the first place, and therefore that depriving them of that coverage as a consequence of accommodating the company did not count as a burden. Scholars have made the same argument in favor of the religious nonprofits in Zubik. If they are right, then the principle against shifting burdens to third parties simply does not apply. This critique raises the question of how we should we identify the baseline for measuring whether an exemption has shifted a burden to third parties. Here, we show why the problem is genuinely difficult — and critically important — and we offer an approach that can account for the most difficult cases. First, we describe the baseline problem and we argue that burdens can only be identified by reference to substantive or normative values. Second, we apply that solution to the Hobby Lobby Court’s problematic treatment of the subject in a troubling footnote.
Arab Views of Europeans, 1578–1727: The Western Mediterranean

Ahmad bin Qasim was an Andalusian Morisco who fled from Spain in 1599 and settled, like many of his compatriots, in Morocco. He was proficient in Spanish and, to the surprise of his wary co-religionists in Morocco, Arabic too. Sometime in early 1611, he was sent with five other Moroccans by the ruler, Mulay Zaidan (r. 1603–27), to France and the Netherlands on a mission to retrieve goods that had been looted from Moroccan ships—or to demand compensation for them. During his three-year stay in these two countries (one whole year was spent in Bordeaux), he observed and reflected on the nasara among whom he was staying, debated and argued with them, feasted and prayed, made friends and enemies. He even fell in love, as the above quotation shows. Much as he was inimical to infidel Europeans who, knowing little about Islam, did not hesitate to denounce it, he still sought engagement with Christian men and women, scholars and princes, and developed complex relations, even relationships, with them. After returning to Morocco, and from there going on to Egypt, he wrote a memoir of his escape from Spain to North Africa, and his subsequent journey to Europe.
Temporal organization of speech utterance: a c/d model perspective

Este artigo discute o modelo C/D na qualidade de quadro teorico linguistico visando a descrever as caracteristicas temporais de enunciados com referencia a organizacao prosodica geral. Um trem de pulsos silaba/fronteira, com magnitudes controladas, representa o esqueleto da funcao de base de um enunciado, determinando completamente sua organizacao metrica. Contornos vocalicos, tonais e demais contornos foneticos representam a melodia da funcao de base. O padrao temporal de silabas individuais e calculado pela distribuicao de suas magnitudes, levando-se em consideracao a intervencao de fronteiras com magnitudes controladas. A magnitude da silaba e realizada como duracao juntamente com outras propriedades foneticas tais como um componente de abertura da mandibula e forcas incrementais de gestos vocalicos e consonantais. Alem disso, a constituicao de um padrao prosodico envolve um controle tonal independente. A fonologia lexical pode especificar caracteristicas acentuais (magnitude da silaba), tonais ou ambas, dependendo da lingua, mas toda lingua usa as duas caracteristicas ao nivel da frase. A natureza inerentemente dinâmica da fala e fundamental nesta nova abordagem.
Motivations for Voluntary Public R&D Disclosures

By documenting empirical facts, we highlight the importance of voluntary public R&D disclosure and provide guidance for more refined theoretical and empirical treatments of this phenomenon going fo...
Physiology of Diabetes Mellitus and Types of Insulin

In 2008, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimated that 24 million people in the United States had diabetes mellitus, constituting nearly 8% of the population. The CDC further estimated that 57 million individuals were affected by prediabetes, and approximately 10% of those with prediabetes will progress to diabetes each year. Because of this large population of individuals who now have and who will have diabetes in the near future, it is important for providers to have a basic understanding of diabetes pathophysiology and to thoughtfully pursue appropriate diagnoses.
The indexer facing the cryptic text: A folly index as inspired by Jorge Luis Borges, presented as a cautionary example of over-indexing

This is a 'folly index' to a short text by the Argentine writer J. L. Borges, compiled as a parody of the Borgesian style of irony and conjecture. It is presented here as an heuristic example of 'How not to index a conceptual metaphor.' A brief typology is offered to differentiate the terms 'folly index' and 'faux index.'
GROWTH RATES AND FERMENTATION PATTERNS OF LACTIC ACID BACTERIA ASSOCIATED WITH THE SAUERKRAUT FERMENTATION

The effects of pH values and NaCl concentrations on the growth rates of five species of lactic acid bacteria commonly associated with the sauerkraut fermentation were determined in filter-sterilized cabbage juice. Growth rates of all cultures, with the exception of Pediococcus cerevisiae, were retarded by addition of salt, lower pH, or interaction of both pH and salt. Based upon lag and generation times, P. cerevisiae was the culture most tolerant to the pH and salt concentration employed, whereas Streptococcus faecalis was the most sensitive species. Of the heterofermentative cultures, Lactobacillus brevis was less subject to growth inhibition than Leuconostoc mesenteroides. Under conditions simulating those found during the initial phases of the sauerkraut fermentation (2.25% salt, pH 6.2), L. mesenteroides displayed the shortest lag and generation times of all cultures examined. This rapid growth rate coupled with a marked accelerated death rate may explain, in part, the reason this species is both the...
Understanding Factors Contributing to the Escalation of Software Maintenance Costs

We examine the main drivers of software maintenance effort and cost. We use the ‘Distributed Cognition’ framework to hypothesize about how ‘discovery work’ in maintenance is effected by two types of cost drivers: system attributes (size, complexity, age, etc.) and personnel attributes (number of maintainers, location dispersion, etc.). We test our hypotheses using archival data about over 5,000 maintenance projects carried out between 2009 and 2011 on 412 different operational systems in a large financial institution. We find that personnel attributes are significantly more influential than system attributes. In particular, a marginal change in personnel factors is associated with effort growing much faster than cost, indicating an escalating marginal cost of spreading maintenance work across more maintainers and site locations. We also find, counter to expectation, that two system attributes are negatively linked to maintenance effort and cost. Implications of these findings for research and practices are discussed.
Regulation of inflammation and tumorigenesis by the TIPE family of phospholipid transfer proteins

The TIPE (tumor necrosis factor-α-induced protein 8-like) family are newly described regulators of immunity and tumorigenesis consisting of four highly homologous mammalian proteins: TNFAIP8 (tumor necrosis factor-α-induced protein 8), TIPE1 (TNFAIP8-like 1, or TNFAIP8L1), TIPE2 (TNFAIP8L2) and TIPE3 (TNFAIP8L3). They are the only known transfer proteins of the lipid secondary messengers PIP2 (phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate) and PIP3 (phosphatidylinositol 3,4,5-trisphosphate). Cell-surface receptors, such as G-protein-coupled receptors and receptor tyrosine kinases, regulate inflammation and cancer via several signaling pathways, including the nuclear factor (NF)-κB and phosphoinositide-3 kinase (PI3K) pathways, the latter of which is upstream of both Akt and STAT3 activation. An expression analysis in humans demonstrated that the TIPE family is dysregulated in cancer and inflammation, and studies both in mice and in vitro have demonstrated that this family of proteins plays a critical role in tumorigenesis and inflammatory responses. In this review, we summarize the current literature for all four family members, with a special focus on the phenotypic manifestations present in the various knockout murine strains, as well as the related cell signaling that has been elucidated to date.
Optimizing the power efficiency of a SESAM fiber comb laser

The power efficiency of femtosecond fiber lasers with semiconductor saturable absorbers is limited by the wake instability. We computationally optimize the output power and efficiency by increasing the output coupling ratio and gain fiber length.
Arguing for Democracy: A Multimodal Approach to Argumentative Writing Instruction in the Social Studies Classroom

ABSTRACTDemocratic societies require a citizenry skilled in argumentation. At present, the written argument maintains primacy among communicative modes. Because of its cognitive demands, written argumentation is often difficult to teach. A multimodal approach to writing instruction carries the potential to assist struggling learners. This article outlines an instructional approach in which students engage with a visual argument to better understand the essentials of argumentation, as specified by the Toulmin Method. It asserts that once students have deepened their understanding of argument via a visual mode, they will then be able to apply this understanding to the written mode of argumentation. It concludes with a brief discussion of how students may apply their understanding of multimodal argumentation toward civic engagement.
Comment on Nachum et al. Glyburide Versus Metformin and Their Combination for the Treatment of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus: A Randomized Controlled Study. Diabetes Care 2017;40:332–337

Given the increasing popularity of oral agents, we commend Nachum et al. (1) on their randomized controlled trial examining metformin or glyburide as a first-line agent to treat gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and adding or switching to the alternate agent for adverse events or failures. However, we question whether the study design and conclusions can be generalized to many GDM populations. First, a GDM diagnosis was made at <24 weeks in 27 of 104 patients, suggesting impaired glucose tolerance predating the pregnancy in ∼25%. An early GDM diagnosis increased the risk of failing glyburide by about eightfold in our series (2). A recent cohort also demonstrated that pregnancies with GDM diagnosed …
Is Engineering Inspiring Change in Secondary Chemistry Teachers' Practices?.

The inclusion of engineering practices poses a challenge for many science teachers trying to meet the expectations of the Next Generation Science Standards because they lack formal training in engi...
Auditory disruption improves word segmentation: A functional basis for lenition phenomena

This paper presents evidence that spirantization, a cross-linguistically common lenition process, affects English listeners’ ease of segmenting novel “words” in an artificial language. The cross-linguistically common spirantization pattern of initial stops and medial continuants (e.g. [ɡuβa]) results in improved word segmentation compared to the inverse “anti-lenition” pattern of initial continuants and medial stops (e.g. [ɣuba]). The study also tests the effect of obstruent voicing, another common lenition pattern, but finds no significant differences in segmentation performance. There are several points of broader interest in these studies. Most of the phonetic factors influencing word segmentation in past studies have been language-specific and/or prosodic in nature: stress, intonation, final lengthening, etc. Spirantization, while often prosodically conditioned, is different from all of these patterns in that it concerns a segmental alternation. Moreover, the effects reported here are for speakers of a language, American English, that only sporadically displays spirantization, and not in the phonological contexts used in the experiment. This suggests that the results may reflect more general properties of speech perception and word boundary detection, rather than a perceptual processing strategy transferred directly from English. As such, the studies offer partial support for theories of lenition rooted in notions of perceptual-acoustic continuity and disruption.