cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Studies on the Blood Clotting and Fibrinolytic System in the Plasma from a Sei (Baleen) Whale

SummaryBlood clotting and fibrinolytic systems were studied in the plasma of a sei whale (Balaenoptera borealis). The sei whale belongs to the suborder baleen whales of the order Cetacea. Whale plasma had a greatly prolonged kaolin-activated partial thromboplastin time and was deficient in Hageman factor (factor XII), Fletcher factor (a plasma prekallikrein), and PTA (factor XI). All other clotting factor activities were present in amounts comparable to that of normal human plasma. Whale plasminogen was activated by human urokinase, but not by streptokinase. Whale plasma contained inhibitory activities against thrombin, activated Stuart factor, activated PTA, activated Fletcher factor, and plasmin.We are grateful to Dr. James Mead of the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D. C., who imported the whale plasma. Ms. Ellen Strecker and Miss Marilyn Burke provided invaluable technical help.
Effect of hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism on mammalian skeletal muscle.

SummaryAlbino rats were made hypothyroid by treatment with thiouracil and hyperthyroid by administration of thyroxin. After 60 days of treatment, gastrocnemiussoleus muscles of throxin treated animals showed weakness and increased susceptibility to fatigue through motor nerve stimulation. Thiouracil treatment for a like period of time resulted in no loss of muscle weight or strength, but did produce a slight increase in susceptibility to fatigue by indirect stimulation.
Articulating Pattern Differences in WWW Navigation for Culturally-Diverse User Groups Through Descriptive Analysis and Data Visualization

As the proliferation of the WWW continues globally, the challenge of providing a usable navigation experience for culturally-diverse user groups becomes increasingly significant. One aspect of developing such an experience includes describing, categorizing, and visualizing the differences in Internet use for diverse audiences. Previously, semantic network analysis has been used to successfully identify and visualize clusters of employee Internet navigation in two U.S. companies (Langhorne, 2000). This method is further applied to analyzing the WWW behavioral patterns of a sample of ethnically-diverse students and faculty at the University of Dayton. This paper includes an account of the methods used to describe the Internet navigation of users and recommendations for future network analyses are discussed as options for articulating the characteristics of WWW navigation patterns across multicultural groups. The log files of Internet navigation histories for 66 users were analyzed using traditional descript...
Computational protein–ligand docking and virtual drug screening with the AutoDock suite

Computational docking can be used to predict bound conformations and free energies of binding for small-molecule ligands to macromolecular targets. Docking is widely used for the study of biomolecular interactions and mechanisms, and it is applied to structure-based drug design. The methods are fast enough to allow virtual screening of ligand libraries containing tens of thousands of compounds. This protocol covers the docking and virtual screening methods provided by the AutoDock suite of programs, including a basic docking of a drug molecule with an anticancer target, a virtual screen of this target with a small ligand library, docking with selective receptor flexibility, active site prediction and docking with explicit hydration. The entire protocol will require ∼5 h.
The genetic characterization of the VP4 region of coxsackievirus A5 isolated from cases of hand foot and mouth disease in the Xicheng district of Beijing

Objective To genetically characterize variation in the VP4 region of coxsackievirus A5(CoxA5) isolated from patients with hand,foot,and mouth disease(HFMD) in the Xicheng district in 2009.Methods hroat swabs were collected from patients with HFMD.Virus RNA was extracted and enterovirus typing was done by RT-nPCR with VP4 primers and sequence Blast.Sequencing and phylogenetic analysis of the VP4 region of the enterovirus were performed.Results Five CoxA5 strains were identified and their Genbank accession numbers were JN981017-JN981021.In the VP4 region,the 5 CoxA5 strains had 96%-99% nucleotide homology and 98%-100% amino acid homology with the Chinese CoxA5 strain HQ728261.Phylogenetic analysis showed that the genetic distances between the 5 CoxA5 strains and HQ728261 were 0.005-0.045,and the 5 strains constituted an independent phylogenetic tree branch.There was no deletion and insertion of amino acids in the VP4 region of the 5 CoxA5 strains and no unique amino acid replacement was noted.Conclusion The CoxA5 strains isolated from patients with HFMD in the Xicheng district of Beijing in 2009 were closely related phylogenetically to the Chinese strain HQ728261,and they had no significant variation in the VP4 region.
Establishment of an oil-price risk precautionary system

One of the primary tasks for Chinese industrialization in the 21st century is to enlarge and improve the energy capacity for development. Effective exploitation and reasonable utilization of oil resources are thus particularly important. However, the problem of abrupt oil-price fluctuations is detrimental to the development of national economy, which presents itself for the attention of countries in the world, especially the newly-industrializing countries. This paper discusses the position of China in the allocation structure of oil resources, energy security and macro regulation and control. It is concluded from the discussion that it is necessary for China to set up an oil-price risk precautionary system. In addition, appropriate suggestions and measures are provided.
Comparing Means Across Multiple Groups: Analysis of Variance (ANOVA)

The independent samples t tests we discussed in Chap. 6 allow us to compare the means of two groups on some continuously-distributed outcome of interest (e.g., income, age, education, etc.). Often, however, we are interested in comparing the means of more than two groups. For example, we may be interested in comparing mean educational attainment across racial groups, with race measured as “White,” “Black,” and “Other.” In cases such as these, we could compare each pair of means using a series of t tests, but this would require the computation of \({g\choose 2}\) tests. This number becomes unreasonably large quickly as the number of groups, g, increases.
Psychophysical Relationship between Sweetness and Redness in Strawberry-Flavored Drinks.

A consumer-like taste panel of 10 men and women, ages 22-50, evaluated the sweetness, pleasantness and color acceptability of five sweetened, strawberry-red colored beverages, containing 3.2% to 4.8% sucrose, using magnitude estimation. Five intensities of strawberry colors were formulated using increasing volumes of FD&C Red 40 and a constant volume of both FD&C Yellow 6 and imitation strawberry flavoring. Color measurements from the Gardner XL-23 colorimeter and the G. E. Recording Spectrophotometer were converted to L*, a*, b*. Sensory responses were evaluated against the value arctan (a*/b*), representing color intensity, and sucrose concentration, as percent sugar. Sweetness perception increased with increasing sucrose concentration, producing a slope greater than 2.00 (r2≥0.87) but produced an exponent less than 1.0 (r2<0.91) when evaluated against arctan (a*/b*). Sweetness increased approximately 2 to 12% with increasing color intensity in 4% sucrose solutions. Perceived sweetness was influenced by pleasantness effects and color acceptability. Color 3 samples were rated as the sweetest, most pleasant-tasting drinks and had the most acceptable color. The color-sweetness function was linear over a narrow color range.
The Mutations SER2117→LEU, and TRP/TRP2063/64→MET/PHE in the Hydrophobic Spikes of the Factor V C2 Domain Lead to Tenacious Phospholipid Binding and Suggest a Mechanism through Which Phosphatidylserine Activates the Prothrombinase Complex.

Factor V (fV) binds to phospholipid (PL) membranes via a motif localized to the C2 domain. We and others have shown that PL binding is mediated by two pairs of hydrophobic residues, each displayed at the tips of β-hairpin turns. The homologous hydrophobic residues in the C2 domain of factor VIII also contribute to PL binding. We hypothesized that the solvent-exposed hydrophobic residues of the fV C2 domain make specific contacts that influence membrane affinity and activity of fV. To test this hypothesis we have prepared fVIII/fV hybrid mutants in which amino acid(s) of the fV C2 domain were changed to the homologous residues of fVIII (Mutants #1 W/W 2063/2064 M/F, #2 L/S 2116/2117 L/L, and #3 W/W/S 2063/2064/2117 M/F/L). Mutants were expressed in COS-1 cells and purified by FPLC. The specific activity of the fV/FVIII hybrids #2 and #3 exceeded those of wild type factor V by approx. 10-fold and approx. 4-fold, respectively, in a prothrombin time assay with factor V deficient plasma. Apparent PL affinites were evaluated in a prothrombinase complex assay with limiting phospholipid. The apparent affinities are 9.8 and 21-fold higher than wild type factor V for mutants #2 and #3 which contain the S→L change in the second hydrophobic spike. An unexpected result was that mutants 1–3 supported prothrombinase activity in the absence of added phospholipid, in contrast to wild type fV. We hypothesized that this activity resulted from phospholipid that was not dissociated from fV during purification. This hypothesis was supported because activity was eliminated by incubation of the factor V mutants with phospholipase A2 or by incubation with lactadherin. The tenacity of the phospholipid binding was further investigated by washing immobilized wild type fV and fV mutants with CHAPS prior to elution from an FPLC column. fV mutants #2 and #3 retained activity after the CHAPS wash, free of added PL and activity remained inhibitable by lactadherin, further illustrating the tenacious phospholipid affinity. We utilized Mutants #1 & 2 in the absence of added PL to evaluate the mechanism through which soluble phosphatidylserine with 6-carbon acyl chains (C6PS) enhances activity of the prothrombinase complex. In the absence of phospholipid vesicles C6PS enhanced activity of Mutant 1 equivalent to wild type fV (> 20 fold). However, enhancement of mutant 2 activity, which presumably retained phospholipid via residues 2116/2117, was
Incidence, Clinical Presentation and Outcome of Secondary Multiple Extramedullary Plasmacytomas: Experience at Roswell Park Cancer Institute.

Abstract Introduction: Extramedullary plasmacytomas are malignant plasma cell tumors that arise outside of the bone marrow. They occur either as solitary tumors with a cure rate of over 95% with radiation therapy alone; or they may present as manifestations of advanced metastatic multiple myeloma, referred to as secondary extramedullary plasmacytomas (SEP). SEP usually present as multiple tumors, primarily in the head and neck area and often after multiple relapses in MM patient. Although the etiology of multiple SEP remains unknown, they are reflective of clinically advanced disease that no longer relies on the bone marrow microenvironment. The incidence, clinical outcome and natural history of SEP are not clearly delineated in the literature. With the recent use of novel therapies (thalidomide, lenalidomide, bortezomib) resulting in prolonged survival we have noticed an increase incidence of patients relapsing with SEP at our institute. This observation prompted us to formally evaluate SEP to characterize the clinical pattern of presentation, clinical course and correlation with use of novel therapies of SEP. Methods: This is a single institute retrospective review. All patients seen at our institute with the diagnosis of MM were evaluable. Data was queried since 1990, which included a total of 343 patients. Results: To date 100 patients have been reviewed and among these, 20 patients (20%) were noted to have SEP. Characteristics of these patients are outlined in details in table (1). 14 patients (70%) remain alive. However, none achieved a complete remission after the diagnosis of SEP. Conclusion: In this study, the overall incidence of SEP was 20% on the patients so far evaluated. Majority of SEP patients have received prior novel agents. Systemic treatments seem to be effective in controlling progression of SEP though achievement of CR status has not been possible with current therapeutic interventions. Our finding are intriguing as the incidence of SEM seems to be increasing, which may reflect either unveiling of the natural history of the disease through improved survival from the use of novel agents, or this may be reflective of a change in the biology of MM. We intend to present the complete analysis of all cases at the meeting. Characteristics of patients with secondary plasmacytoma Characteristics Sex 8 (40%) and 12 (60%) F Age Median: 66, Range(46–86) Stage 16(80%) stage III and 4(20%) Type 9(45%) IgG,6(30%) IgA, 4(20%) Free Light Chains and 1 (5%) nonsecretory Prior treatments 19(95%) had prior Thalidomide or Bortezomib,17(85%) had prior Thalidomide and12(60%) had prior Bortezomib Locations of Plasmacytomas 5(25%) Head&Neck,7(35%) Paraspinal, 2(10%) Abdomen,4(20%) Thorax and 2(10%) at other locations
Information Trails: In-Process Assessment of Game-Based Learning

Assessment is an issue that is important to educators because without it, there is no way of telling if learners have arrived at the intended destination. Conducting assessments with game-based learning requires new tools and research methodologies because traditional face-to-face techniques do not transfer well into the multi-user virtual environments found in game worlds. Formative assessment is more useful to instructors and learners because it provides multi-point feedback to help them self-reflect and improve on what they are doing. This chapter describes an “all-rounded” assessment system for game-based learning, which take into consideration the needs of multiple consumers (of information), namely, the Administrators, the Trainers or Educators, and the Learners. The assessment system made use of Information Trails ©—a viable assessment methodology to collect user-generated action data as the game-based learning is occurring (hence, an in-process assessment). The data collected are then remotely transmitted to an external data storage using telemetry, and displayed in real-time via a data visualization application known as Performance Tracing Report Assistant © (or PeTRA). The final online assessment report can be tailored differently according to individual needs of the Learners, Trainers, and Administrators.
Cytomorphological changes induced by intraperitoneal chemotherapy present important diagnostic pitfalls in peritoneal fluid cytology.

Objective Intraperitoneal chemotherapy (IP ChT) is an emerging modality in the treatment of advanced gastric adenocarcinoma with peritoneal disease. Cytological evaluation of peritoneal fluid specimens from patients undergoing IP ChT is important in clinical management. However, direct intraperitoneal exposure to chemotherapeutic agents induces cytomorphological changes in benign constituents of peritoneal fluid, presenting particular challenges to accurate cytological interpretation. These morphological changes have not been well characterised in the literature. We systematically reviewed the cytomorphological features in immunocytochemically-confirmed positive and negative IP ChT peritoneal fluid samples to elucidate the degree of morphological overlap between malignant and reactive cells. Methods We reviewed 39 peritoneal fluid samples of patients treated with IP ChT, and scored specific cytomorphological parameters of both benign and malignant cells with the aid of relevant immunocytochemical interrogation. Results The present findings show a significant degree of morphological overlap between reactive and malignant cells. Abnormal, “exploding” mitotic figures, nuclear membrane irregularities, multi-nucleation and cytoplasmic vacuolation were commonly observed in negative fluid specimens. The most helpful feature that favoured malignant cells was the increased nuclear-to-cytoplasmic ratio. A background inflammatory milieu of eosinophils and/or neutrophils was seen in 45–58% of post IP ChT peritoneal fluid specimens. The presence of pseudoparakeratotic cells, a novel observation in post IP ChT fluid specimens is also described. Conclusions The extent of reactive cytomorphological anomalies arising from treatment with IP ChT poses unique diagnostic challenges and may prompt a malignant or 'atypical' diagnosis in benign reactive samples.
Synthesis for Delay Fault Testability

This chapter focuses on techniques for synthesizing delay fault testable circuits. The presented techniques concentrate on transition or path delay faults. Robust tests for these faults can guarantee their detection independent of signal delays outside the target path. Therefore, it would be ideal if all faults could be tested with robust tests. However, in most designs a significant fraction of delay faults is not robustly testable. Unlike in stuck-at fault testing, redundancy removal techniques cannot be used to eliminate untestable delay faults. There are two reasons for this: (a) An untestable path delay fault is not necessarily redundant and thus it may not be removed. (2) Even if a path is redundant, the signals involved in the path are usually shared by many paths. Removing a path from a circuit would then, require duplication of the logic and thus, result in an area increase. A number of synthesis techniques tuned to obtain circuits with improved robust delay fault testability have been developed [33, 40, 89, 118, 127, 130]. These methods either start from the functional specification of the circuit and synthesize it such that all faults are robustly testable or they identify the robustly untestable faults in the given implementation and modify it to achieve complete robust delay fault testability. Synthesis of robust delay fault testable designs can result in a large area/performance overhead and or additional primary inputs. In case of the path delay faults, more area efficient delay testable designs can be obtained if in addition to robustly testable faults the synthesized designs also allowed to contain validatable non-robustly testable faults as well as primitive faults of cardinality higher than 1. Defects causing all these faults can be detected without regard to circuit delays. However, unless the test set for such a design is obtained during the synthesis process, generating tests for validatable non-robustly testable and primitive faults of cardinality higher than 1 is a complicated task.
Modular methanol manufacturing from shale gas: Techno‐economic and environmental analyses of conventional large‐scale production versus small‐scale distributed, modular processing

This paper presents comparative techno-economic and environmental analyses of four representative shale gas monetization options, namely, conventional shale gas processing, large-scale methanol manufacturing, modular methanol manufacturing with shale gas supplied by pipelines, and modular methanol manufacturing with consideration of plant relocation. We first present shale gas supply models for the four gas monetization options. Next, the process designs for shale gas processing and methanol manufacturing from shale gas are described. We develop detailed process simulation models for shale gas processing and methanol manufacturing with different scales using raw shale gas extracted from the Marcellus, Eagle Ford, and Bakken shale plays. On this basis, techno-economic analyses and environmental impact analyses are conducted for the four shale gas monetization options to systematically compare their economic and environmental performances based on the same conditions. The results show that modular methanol manufacturing is more economically competitive than conventional shale gas processing, although it leads to higher environmental impacts. Besides, modular methanol manufacturing is better than large-scale methanol manufacturing for raw shale gas produced from distributed, remote wells from both economic and environmental perspectives. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Tutoring Second Language Learners within Their Zone of Proximal Development

Many English as a second language (ESL) writers at the tertiary level lack contextual, rhetorical, or lexicogrammatical knowledge to meet the criteria of good writing in the academia of English-speaking countries. To improve upon these areas, they often come to university writing centers (UWCs) to seek assistance and many focus on lexicogrammatical knowledge and skills (Blau, Hall, & Sparks, 2002; Harris, 1997; Harris & Silva, 1993; Moussu, 2013; Myers, 2003; Powers & Nelson, 1995).
Integrability Properties of the Collective String Field Theory

The collective coordinate formalism1 was recently applied to the formulation of matrix models restricted to the singlet sector,i.e. the dynamics of the eigenvalues of the matrix variable. In particular, Das and Jevicki2 considered the case of a 1-dimensional matrix model, introduced as a discretized version of a one-dimensional string theory3. The model is defined by the Lagrangian: $$ \mathcal{L}\left( M \right) = Tr\left[ {\frac{1}{2}\dot{M}{{{\left( t \right)}}^{2}} - v\left( M \right)} \right] $$ (1) where M is a \( N \times N \) hermitean matrix and \( \upsilon \) is a (polynomial) potential. The quantum theory is defined by the corresponding Hamiltonian: $$ \mathcal{H} = Tr\left( { - 1/2\frac{{{{\partial }^{2}}}}{{\partial {{M}^{2}}}} + v\left( M \right)} \right) $$ (2) where \( {{\partial }^{2}}/\partial {{M}^{2}} \) is the hermitean-matrix Laplacian. Restricting the study to the singlet sector, one introduces a basis of vertex operators \( {{\phi }_{m}} = Tr{\kern 1pt} {{M}^{m}} \) to describe the dynamics of this sector. Das and Jevicki defined a collective field variable \( {{\Phi }_{k}} = Tr\left( {{{e}^{{ikm}}}} \right) \) , highly redundant in terms of the original matrix singlet variables, but relevant in the continuum, double scaling limit when one recovers the string field theory. In terms of eigenvalues: $$ {{\phi }_{k}} = \sum\limits_{{i = 1}}^{N} {{{e}^{{ik{{\lambda }_{i}}}}}} \Leftrightarrow \phi \left( x \right) = \int {{{e}^{{ - ikx}}}} {{\phi }_{k}}dK = \sum\limits_{{i = 1}}^{N} {\delta \left( {x - {{\lambda }_{i}}\left( t \right)} \right)} $$ (3) The dynamics of \( \phi \left( x \right) \) is described by the hermitean field-theoretical Hamiltonian:Such states indeed appear as imaginary poles in the vertex functions computed perturbatively in Ref. 5. They may be identified with zero-norm states described in Ref. 16, but this identification needs further clarification.
Unraveling Individual Differences In The HIV-1 Transgenic Rat: Therapeutic Efficacy Of Methylphenidate.

Despite the heterogeneity of HIV-1 associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND), assignment of categorical diagnoses based on the level of impairment (e.g., Frascati criteria) obfuscates the well-acknowledged variability observed within the population of HIV-1+ individuals. The present study sought to elucidate the natural heterogeneity in adult HIV-1 transgenic (Tg) rats using three interrelated aims. First, heterogeneity of the HIV-1 transgene was examined using a pretest-posttest design to assess therapeutic efficacy of oral self-administration (OSA) of methylphenidate (MPH; 2.4 ± 0.2 mg/kg), targeting neurotransmitter alterations in HIV-1, on temporal processing. Approximately 42% of HIV-1 Tg animals displayed an improvement in temporal processing following OSA of MPH. Second, repeated OSA of MPH (22–27 days) altered dendritic spine morphology in layer II-III pyramidal neurons in the medial prefrontal cortex. HIV-1 Tg animals exhibited a population shift towards longer spines with decreased head diameter on lower order branches; a shift associated with temporal processing impairment. Third, in HIV-1 Tg animals, dendritic spine backbone length (µm) was associated with temporal processing impairment; a brain/behavior relationship not observed in control animals. Assessing the therapeutic efficacy of MPH revealed heterogeneity in the neural mechanisms underlying neurocognitive impairments, providing a key target for individualized therapeutic and diagnostic approaches for HAND.
Cloning and spatiotemporal expression of Xenopus laevis Apolipoprotein CI.

Apolipoprotein CI (ApoCI) belongs to the Apolipoprotein superfamily, members of which are involved in lipid transport, uptake and homeostasis. Excessive ApoCI has been implicated in atherosclerosis and Alzheimer’s disease in humans. In this study we report the isolation of Xenopus laevis apoCI and describe the expression pattern of this gene during early development, using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and whole mount in situ hybridization. Xenopus apoCI is enriched in the dorsal ectoderm during gastrulation, and is subsequently expressed in sensory placodes, neural tube and cranial neural crest. These data suggest as yet uncharacterized roles for ApoCI during early vertebrate embryogenesis.
Anatomy and Development of the Pediatric Elbow

Trauma and injury to skeletally immature patients represent a common challenge to the orthopedic surgeon. Of these, injuries to the pediatric elbow are extremely common in children, representing from 15 to over 40% of all fractures observed in children. Although relatively common, these injuries can be one of the most elusive to detect. Therefore, understanding the anatomy and development of the pediatric elbow will aid in the detection of fractures, even in their subtle form. This chapter will discuss the anatomy of the pediatric elbow as well as its ossification development.
A 72-Year-Old Patient with Longstanding, Untreated Familial Hypercholesterolemia but no Coronary Artery Calcification: A Case Report

Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is a genetic disease associated with persistently elevated levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), which ultimately leads to greatly increased rates of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease. Atherosclerosis progression can be clinically approximated through measurement of coronary artery calcification (CAC). CAC can be measured via electron beam computed tomography (EBCT), multi-slice computed tomography (MSCT), or contrast-enhanced CT coronary angiography (CTCA). Here, we present the case of a 72-year-old man with known FH and established hypercholesterolemia who has consistently tested negative for any significant CAC.
Sol-Gel Route for the Development of Smart Green Conversion Coatings for Corrosion Protection of Metal Alloys

The development of coatings through sustainable routes is needed for the modern industrial sector. The process parameters and chemical ingredients should be wisely chosen to meet the demand of environmental friendly synthetic technologies. In this chapter, the authors have demonstrated the adaptability of using the sol-gel route for the development of eco-friendly (green) silicone coating compositions containing titanium nanoparticles. The developed coating composition was characterized with Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR), Raman, Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR), and X-ray Photoelectron spectroscopies. The thermal stability of the material was determined using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The surface morphology of the coatings was studied with scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The corrosion resistance and impervious barrier properties of the Green Conversion Coating (GCC) were evaluated by a series of laboratory and outdoor corrosive atmosphere exposure experiments.
International Environmental Agreements and Environmental Health

International agreements are an important feature of the regulatory and policy process for dealing with global environmental health issues. Although most environmental problems affect human health directly or indirectly to some extent, some are of critical importance to human health and the focus of the article is on these. Negotiating the agreements is a complex problem requiring dynamic interaction with evolving scientific knowledge and careful attention to equity issues across countries at differing levels of economic development. Scales and modes of analysis need to be consistent with preferences over risks and valuation of morbidity and mortality for current and future generations. Agreements cannot generally dictate the implementation process a given signatory state will choose, and often international organizations cannot directly monitor progress, so designing consistent incentives into an agreement is important. Many environmental and health issues are connected in complicated ways in both the physical and policy realms. Coordinating agreements can help avoid costs and delays associated with inconsistent policies. Although international environmental agreements are important determinants of global environmental health, trade agreements and other international organizations and structures are also influential.
Symmetry Breaking in Porous Media as a Consequence of the von Karman Instability

Microscale turbulence in porous media is a new physical phenomenon that exhibits unique properties unlike those in classical turbulence flows. At low values of porosity, the surface forces on the solid obstacles compete with the inertial force of the fluid flow to result in the formation of flow instabilities. In this paper, we report the origin and mechanism of a symmetry-breaking phenomenon in periodic porous media that causes a deviation in the direction of the mean flow from that of the applied pressure gradient. Large Eddy Simulation (LES) is used to simulate turbulent flow in a homogeneous porous medium consisting of a periodic, square lattice arrangement of cylindrical solid obstacles. Direct Numerical Simulation (DNS) is used to simulate the transient stages during symmetry breakdown and also to validate the LES method. Quantitative and qualitative observations are made from the following approaches: (1) macroscale momentum budget, (2) 2D & 3D flow visualization. The phenomenon draws its roots from the amplification of a flow instability that emerges from the vortex shedding process. The symmetry-breaking phenomenon is a pitchfork bifurcation that can exhibit multiple modes depending on the local vortex shedding process. The phenomenon is observed to be sensitive to the porosity, solid obstacle shape, and the Reynolds number. It is a source of macroscale turbulence anisotropy in porous media for symmetric solid obstacle geometries. The resulting macroscale flow field is oriented such that it does not align with the plane of symmetry of the porous matrix geometry. The principal axis of the Reynolds stress tensor is not aligned with any of the geometric axes of symmetry, nor with the direction of flow. Thus, symmetry-breaking in porous media involves new flow physics that should be taken into consideration while modeling flow inhomogeneity in the macroscale.
DURATION OF IN-HOSPITAL CARDIOPULMONARY RESUSCITATION AND ITS EFFECT ON SURVIVAL

Pre-hospital cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) efforts are usually beneficial if carried out for up to 40 minutes. [1] However, its impact on in-hospital cardiac arrest and survival remains unknown. [2] We aim to determine the correlation between the duration of CPR and the return of spontaneous
The Geometry of Epistasis

Let I be a set containing n elements. In Sec. 4 of the previous chapter we defined the subsets P = {x ∈ RI: xi ≽ 0 for i ∈ i} and Δ = {x ∈ P: Σ xi = 1). By the formula I. (4.1) we defined the Shahshahani metric, a Riemannian metric on P = {x ∈ RI: xi > 0 for i ∈ I}. It restricts to a metric on Δ = Δ ∩ P. In Table 4 of Sec. I.4 we defined the maps Ea(x) = Σ aixi and Lb(x) = Σ bi ln xi for x ∈ P, with a,b ∈ RI. Note that the associations a → Ea and b → Lb are linear.
Clinical outcomes of valganciclovir prophylaxis in high-risk (D+/R-) renal transplant recipients experiencing delayed graft function.

Background Cytomegalovirus (CMV) outcomes with valganciclovir prophylaxis in renal transplant recipients experiencing delayed graft function (DGF) are unclear. Methods This single center, retrospective, cohort study of CMV high-risk (D+/R- with alemtuzumab induction) deceased donor renal transplant recipients receiving valganciclovir prophylaxis assessed CMV outcomes in patients experiencing DGF (n = 72) versus those with immediate graft function (IGF; n = 66). Results Cytomegalovirus viremia by 12 months occurred at similar rates in the IGF and DGF groups (30.3% vs 26.4%, respectively, P = 0.71) with 89.7% (35/39) of all cases classified as CMV disease. The median time to CMV viremia post transplant was day 141 and 138 in the IGF and DGF groups, respectively (P = 0.30). The incidence of biopsy-proven acute rejection (BPAR) was higher in the DGF group (18.1% vs 4.6%, P = 0.02) with BPAR preceding CMV in only 1 patient. There was no significant difference in graft loss (1.5% vs 4.2%, P = 0.62) or patient survival (98.5% vs 95.8%, P = 0.62) at 1 year between the IGF and DGF groups, respectively. Conclusion Valganciclovir prophylaxis in patients experiencing DGF yielded similar CMV outcomes up to 1-year post transplant when compared to use in patients with IGF.
Recent Trends in the Near-Surface Climatology of the Northern North American Great Plains

AbstractWe examined climate trends in the northern North American Great Plains (NNAGP) from 1970 to 2015, a period that aligns with widespread land-use changes in this globally important agricultur...
Atrial fibrillation ablation in patients with transthyretin cardiac amyloidosis

Aims Atrial fibrillation (AF) occurs in as many as 70% of patients with transthyretin cardiac amyloidosis (ATTR CA). The aim of our study was to investigate the impact of AF ablation on freedom from recurrent arrhythmia, hospitalization for AF or heart failure (HF), and mortality. Methods and results This was a retrospective observational cohort study of 72 patients with ATTR CA and AF, of whom 24 underwent AF ablation and were matched in a 2:1 manner based on age, gender, ATTR CA stage, New York Heart Association functional class, ejection fraction, and date of AF diagnosis with 48 patients with ATTR CA and AF undergoing medical management. During a mean follow-up of 39 ± 26 months, 10 (42%) patients remained free of recurrent arrhythmia following ablation. Ablation was significantly more effective in those with Stage I or II ATTR CA, with 9/14 (64%) patients with Stage I or II ATTR CA remaining free of recurrent arrhythmia compared to only 1/10 (10%) patients with Stage III disease (P = 0.005). Death occurred in 7 (29%) patients in the ablation group compared to 36 (75%) in the non-ablation arm (P = 0.01). Rates of ischaemic stroke were similar in both groups. Ablation was associated with a significant reduction in the frequency of hospitalization for HF/arrhythmia (1.7 ± 2.4 hospitalizations vs. 4 ± 3.5, P = 0.005). On Cox proportional hazards analyses, ablation was associated with improved survival (hazard ratio 0.38, 95% confidence intervals 0.17-0.86; P = 0.02). Conclusion Atrial fibrillation ablation is associated with reduced mortality in ATTR CA and is most effective when performed earlier during the disease process.
National normative and reliability data for the revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale.

To develop normative data for the revision of the Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale (RCMAS), the scale was administered to 4,972 children from 13 states and more than 80 school districts representi...
Time-varying analysis of readmission and mortality during the first year after pneumonectomy.

Abstract Objectives Mortality rates of 5% to 10% after pneumonectomy have remained constant during the last decade. To understand the patterns of outcomes after pneumonectomy, we investigated the time-varying risks of readmission and death during the first postoperative year and examined the contributions of specific causes to these patterns over time. Methods We retrospectively reviewed all pneumonectomies for lung cancer at our institution from 2000 to 2018. The time-varying instantaneous risk of all-cause readmission and mortality up to 1 year after pneumonectomy was estimated using parametric analyses and was repeated for each primary cause of readmission (oncologic, infectious, pulmonary, cardiac, or other) and death (oncologic or nononcologic). Results In our cohort of 355 patients who underwent pneumonectomy, risk of readmission was highest immediately after discharge and was halved by 14 days. This risk reached a nadir and remained constant from 4 to 8 months, after which it gradually increased. Pulmonary causes accounted for most readmissions within 90 days, after which oncologic causes predominated. Likewise, the overall risk of death was highest immediately after surgery, was halved by 7 days, reached a nadir at 90 days, and then increased throughout the remainder of the first year. All deaths during the first 90 days after surgery were due to nononcologic causes. Conclusions Nononcologic causes of readmission and death predominate in the first 90 days after pneumonectomy, after which oncologic causes prevail. We also identify specific causes that pose the highest risk of readmission immediately after discharge. Efforts are warranted to define the effects of specific causes of readmission on overall mortality after pneumonectomy.
Preliminary experience of applying robotic-assisted laparoscopic pyeloplasty for bilateral ureteropelvic junction obstructions in children

Objective To summarize the experience and efficacy of robot-assisted bilateral laparoscopic pyeloplasty for children with bilateral ureteropelvic junction obstruction (UPJO). Methods Robot-assisted bilateral laparoscopic pyeloplasty was performed for 6 children with bilateral severe hydronephrosis from June 2017 to May 2019. There were 4 boys and 2 girls with an average age of (65.8±34.2) months. Ultrasound, magnetic resonance urography (MRU), diuretic renal dynamic imaging and voiding cystourethrogram (VCUG) were performed. The left/right-side preoperative anterioposterior diameter (APD) was (3.07±0.67) and (3.22±0.51) cm respectively. Then robotic-assisted bilateral laparoscopic pyeloplasty was performed. Results All operations were successful. There was no intraoperative complication. The mean operative duration was (246.17±23.02) min and the mean volume of estimated blood loss was(29.17±6.07) ml. No complications of Clavien-Dindo grade Ⅲ/Ⅳ occurred. The mean follow-up period was (16.5±8.92) months. The left/right-side postoperative APD was (1.37±0.25) and (1.47±0.19) cm respectively. The statistical difference was significant. All renal functions were normal. Conclusions Robotic-assisted bilateral laparoscopy pyeloplasty is both feasible and safe. It provides an effective method of managing patients with bilateral UPJO. Key words: Child; Ureteropelvic junction obstruction; Robot assisted laparoscopic surgery
Building towards common psychosocial measures in U.S. cohort studies: principal investigators’ views regarding the role of religiosity and spirituality in human health

The goal of this study was to understand prospective cohort study Principal Investigators’ (PIs’) attitudes regarding the importance of religion and spirituality (R/S) on disease etiology in order to identify barriers and opportunities for greater inclusion of these domains in high-quality epidemiological research. One-hour, semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with 20 PIs, who represent 24 different National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded prospective cohort studies in the U.S. Collectively, these PIs collect detailed health data on approximately 1.25 of every 100 adult Americans. Sample size was calculated to achieve thematic saturation. The majority of PIs we interviewed viewed R/S as potentially important factors influencing disease etiology, particularly among minority communities that report higher levels of religiosity. Yet nearly all PIs interviewed felt there was not yet a compelling body of evidence elucidating R/S influences on health, and the potential mechanisms through which R/S may be operating to affect health outcomes. PIs identified 5 key areas that would need to be addressed before they would be persuaded to collect more R/S measures in their cohorts: (1) high-quality, prospective studies that include all appropriate covariates for the outcome under study; (2) studies that posit a plausible biological mechanism of effect; (3) well-validated R/S measures, collected in common across multiple cohorts; (4) the need to address bias against R/S research among investigators; and (5) NIH funding for R/S research. Results of this study provide a roadmap for future R/S research investigating the impact of R/S influences on disease etiology within the context of U.S. prospective cohort studies. Identifying significant R/S influences on health could inform novel interventions to improve population health. Given the higher levels of religiosity/spirituality among minority communities, R/S research may also provide new leverage points for reducing health disparities.
Perinephric myxoid pseudotumor of fat: A very rare entity that can mimic a renal cyst and retroperitoneal liposarcoma on imaging.

Abstract We present a case of perinephric myxoid pseudotumor of fat, a rare benign entity that often occurs in patients with non-neoplastic renal disease. In our case, an 80 year old man with end-stage renal disease was imaged over the course of 5 years during evaluation for renal transplantation. Imaging identified a left perinephric mass whose appearance over time and on different imaging modalities variably suggested a simple cyst, cystic neoplasm, and liposarcoma. Contrast enhanced examination was necessary to discern the solid nature of this mass, and ultimately, tissue sampling with histopathologic evaluation and molecular testing were required to make the diagnosis of myxoid pseudotumor of fat and exclude the imaging mimics.
The Gap in Employer-Paid Job Training Between Non-Hispanic and Hispanic White Workers

The study assesses the size and nature of the gap in incidence of employer-paid job training between Hispanic and non-Hispanic white workers. Using data on employer-paid training from the Survey of...
REGIONAL ANALYSIS OF U.S. SAWN HARDWOOD PRODUCT PRICES FROM 2000 TO 2020

An examination of hardwood lumber prices in the eastern United States adjusted for inflation and regional differences in forest composition found declines in aggregate (combined species) prices across all regions. The greatest declines occurred in the Northeast and Lake States regions with smaller declines occurring in the Central, Southern, and Mid-Atlantic regions. With the exception of white oak and walnut, prices of high-value species declined more than prices of low-value species. For most of this century, the Northeast region has had the highest aggregate prices for lumber products. However, the Central region had the highest price for high-quality lumber since 2017. While lumber prices have declined, prices for industrial hardwood products increased. In 2020, the price of pallet cants exceeded the price of lower quality hardwood lumber for most species, and crosstie prices exceeded that of aggregate mid-quality lumber. The declines in hardwood lumber prices were the result of reduced domestic demand and insufficient increases in exports to offset this decrease. While increased domestic and export demand will result in increased prices, the prolonged period of low lumber prices may reduce the expected returns to timber management.
Tick paralysis (successfully treated in the stageof ataxia)

Summary 1. This is believed to be the first reported case in the state of Florida. It is interesting to note that this case occurred during the month of November. Although summer is the time when ticks are found in temperate zones, in south Florida the year-round subtropical climate predisposes to the continuous presence of these insects. Tick paralysis may occur throughout the year in this area. 2. This patient was first suspectedof having “polio.” It is hoped that this case report will focus a little more attention on the existence of tick paralysis—a curable paralysis of childhood.
Amplification of an adenylosuccinate synthetase gene in alanosine-resistant murine T-lymphoma cells : molecular cloning of a cDNA encoding the non-muscle isozyme

Adenylosuccinate synthetase (EC 6.3.4.4) catalyzes the initial step in the conversion of IMP to AMP. Two isoforms of this enzyme have been observed in vertebrates. A muscle isozyme is highly abundant in cardiac and skeletal muscle tissue and is thought to play a role in muscle energy metabolism. The non-muscle isozyme, which is present at low levels in most tissues, likely functions in de novo AMP biosynthesis. The analysis of the non-muscle isozyme has been hampered by its low abundance and instability during purification. In this study a genetic selection scheme was used to generate a murine T-lymphoma cell line which was at least 100-fold enriched for the non-muscle isozyme, as a result of amplification of the non-muscle synthetase gene. This cell line made possible the purification of the non-muscle isozyme, and the subsequent isolation of isozyme-specific peptides. Based on peptide sequence information a degenerate oligonucleotide probe was designed and used to screen a mouse kidney cDNA library. A 1.5-kilobase cDNA encoding the non-muscle isozyme was cloned and found to contain an open reading frame of 1368 base pairs encoding 456 amino acids. Gene transfer experiments showed that the cDNA encoded a 50-kDa protein, the size expected for mammalian synthetases, that correlated with the presence of high levels of synthetase activity. The deduced amino acid sequence of the mouse non-muscle synthetase is approximately 75% identical to the previously reported mouse muscle synthetase. Southern blot analysis of mouse genomic DNA with the isozyme-specific cDNA probes revealed that the synthetase isozymes are encoded by separate genes. The non-muscle gene is expressed in most tissues but is virtually undetectable in striated muscle tissues. Three different transcripts (1.7, 2.8, and 3.4 kilobases) are detected for the non-muscle isozyme which show a similar tissue distribution. The availability of a cDNA for the non-muscle isozyme of adenylosuccinate synthetase will facilitate further comparative analyses with the previously cloned muscle isozyme.
Distributed ECA rules for data management policies

Data management policies for a distributed system that handles "big data" usually require a core feature set provided by a rule framework. In this paper, we describe a viable core feature set, partially extending the event-condition-action framework, based on our experience in developing and applying the integrated Rule-Oriented Data-management System [1,2,3]. We attempt to formalize some aspects of this feature set, focusing on location-aware and asynchronous execution of rules, based on the Calculus of Concurrent Systems [4].