cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Treatment of hypertensive children with amlodipine

Amlodipine, a long-acting dihydropyridine calcium channel blocking agent, was administered to 55 children (age: 11.5 +/- 5.4 years) with hypertension, 49 of whom (89%) had secondary hypertension. Efficacy was assessed by comparing pretreatment blood pressure (BP) to follow-up BP obtained in our outpatient Pediatric Nephrology clinic. Thirty-two (58%) patients achieved BP control with amlodipine alone, and 31 (55%) patients received amlodipine twice daily. Eleven patients received amlodipine as a suspension. Mean amlodipine dose was 0.16 +/- 0.12 mg/kg/day; there was an inverse relationship between patient age and amlodipine dose. Follow-up BP were significantly lower than pretreatment BP: systolic BP fell from 129 +/- 12 to 122 +/- 12 mm Hg (P = .004), and diastolic BP fell from 78 +/- 13 to 70 +/- 19 mm Hg (P = .003). A small, clinically insignificant increase in heart rate (from 91 +/- 19 beats/min to 99 +/- 26 beats/min; P = .02) occurred during amlodipine treatment. Adverse effects reported included dizziness (three patients), fatigue (two patients), flushing (two patients), and leg edema (one patient). All improved with dose reduction. We conclude that amlodipine provides effective BP control without significant adverse effects in children with hypertension, and can be used as monotherapy in most children. Young children appear to require significantly higher doses per kilogram of body weight than older children. Twice-daily dosing may be required in many children to achieve BP control. Detailed pharmacokinetic studies are needed to confirm these observations.
Swallowing outcomes after microvascular head and neck reconstruction: a prospective review of 191 cases.

Background: The use of microvascular free tissue flaps tailored specifically to the ablative surgical defects has allowed precise anatomic reconstructions to be performed and, in turn, has improved patient outcomes. We report here the postoperative swallowing outcomes of patients undergoing microvascular reconstructions for a range of head and neck defects at the Cleveland Clinic. Methods: The study includes 191 consecutive reconstructions for varied defects. All patients were reconstructed with four specific microvascular flaps based on their surgical defect, and postoperative swallowing outcomes were evaluated and recorded on a prospectively maintained database. Pre- and postoperative swallowing was graded on an ordinal scale. Data were simultaneously collected on the precise anatomic ablative defect in each patient, subdividing the head and neck into 16 subsites. The data were analyzed using a multivariate analysis accounting for comorbid factors, type of flap used, and subsite of defect. Results: The findings are summarized as follows. There were no flap failures. The percent of patients who were able to swallow and maintain an exclusively oral diet postoperatively was 78.5%. Only 16.8% were unable to have an oral diet (NPO) and dependent on a gastric tube (G-tube) for feeding. The factors that predicted an inability to swallow include tongue resection, preoperative radiation therapy, and hypopharyngeal defects. In contrast, floor of mouth, mandibular, and pharyngeal defects, regardless of size, had excellent long-term swallowing outcomes. Most patients with these defects were able to tolerate at least a soft solid diet. Conclusions: In summary, we report excellent postoperative swallowing outcomes after microvascularreconstructions at our institution that compare favorably with outcomes with pedicled flaps and historic controls. The type of flap used and the size of defect had minimal effects on swallowing outcomes. The most difficult subsites to reconstruct were tongue defects, which strongly correlated with poor swallowing outcomes. The other factor that strongly impacted outcomes was preoperative radiation treatment. We believe these results highlight the utility of free flaps in recreating the precise anatomy required to maintain swallowing function. These data will hopefully support numerous previous studies that have established the use of microvascular reconstruction as standard of care for ablative surgical defects in the head and neck.
Increased urinary saturation and kidney calcium content in genetic hypercalciuric rats.

Increased urinary saturation and kidney calcium content in genetic hypercalciuric rats. We have established a colony of genetic hypercalciuric (IH) rats as a model of idiopathic hypercalciuria in humans. To test the hypothesis that hypercalciuria can cause crystallization in kidneys through increased supersaturation, in the absence of confounding effects of diet and whatever complex inhibitor disorders underlay stone disease, we fed males and females of the 21st generation of IH rats 13 g per day of a low calcium (LCD, 0.02% Ca), followed by a normal calcium (NCD, 0.6% Ca) and then a high calcium (HCD, 1.2% Ca) diet, each for seven days. During the last 24 hours of each period complete urine collections were obtained and analyzed for all substances known to affect urinary calcium oxalate (CaOx) and brushite (CaHPO 4 ) supersaturation. Relative supersaturation with respect to the solid phases of CaOx and CaHPO 4 were then calculated. Compared to same gender controls (Ctl) urine calcium excretion was higher in the female IH rats on all diets and in the male IH rats on NCD and HCD. The female and male IH rats on NCD and HCD were supersaturated with respect to CaOx; however, the male and female Ctl were supersaturated with respect CaOx only on HCD. The female IH rats on NCD and HCD and the male IH rats on NCD were supersaturated with respect to CaHPO 4 ; however, neither the male nor female Ctl rats were supersaturated with respect to CaHPO 4 on any diet. On NCD and HCD urine supersaturation with respect to CaHP04 by females exceeded that of males. Kidney calcium content was greater in the female IH rat (120 ± 13 µg/g kidney) than in any other group (male IH, 68 ± 6; female Ctl, 74 ± 4 and male Ctl 62 ± 4; all P 4 but not CaOx. Thus, female IH rats have greater urinary CaHPO 4 supersaturation than Ctl rats or male IH rats, and these female IH rats have a greater kidney calcium content. The increased urinary calcium concentration in this inbred strain of hypercalciuric rats leads to urinary supersaturation, leading to calcium precipitation within the kidney.
The behavior of surface tension on steady-state rotating fluids in the low gravity environments

The effect of surface tension on steady-state rotating fluids in a low gravity environment is studied. All the values of the physical parameters used in these calculations, except in the low gravity environments, are based on the measurements carried out by Leslie (1985) in the low gravity environment of a free-falling aircraft. The profile of the interface of two fluids is derived from Laplace's equation relating the pressure drop across an interface to the radii of curvature which has been applied to a low gravity rotating bubble that contacts the container boundary. The interface shape depends on the ratio of gravity to surface tension forces, the ratio of centrifugal to surface tension forces, the contact radius of the interface to the boundary, and the contact angle. The shape of the bubble is symmetric about its equator in a zero-gravity environment. This symmetry disappears and gradually shifts to parabolic profiles as the gravity environment becomes non-zero. The location of the maximum radius of the bubble moves upward from the center of the depth toward the top boundary of the cylinder as gravity increases. The contact radius of interface to the boundary r0 at the top side of cylinder increases and r0 at the bottom side of the cylinder decreases as the gravity environment increases from zero to 1 g.
Mechanism for the Plastic Deformation of Yule Marble

The plastic deformation of Yule marble is assumed to involve two independent mechanisms: one is the dislocation movement inside crystal grains, and the other is the sliding along grain boundaries due to applied stresses. The former predominates at low temperatures and high stresses and the latter, conversely, at high temperatures and low stresses. The two combined mechanisms correspond to a mechanical model of two Maxwell units connected in series, which is used in this paper to explain Heard's (1963) experimental plastic-deformation data obtained for Yule marble at strain rates ranging from 3 × 10−8 sec to 4 × 10−1 sec at 20°–800° C. The rate-determining step for both mechanisms is the self-diffusion of calcium and carbonate ions surrounding the ‘bad sites” where the dislocation lines are held up and the crystal grains stick strongly. From these assumptions, the activation energies are found to be 132,000 cal/mole for the dislocation-gliding mechanism and 62,400 cal/mole for the grain-boundary sliding mechanism in normal cylinders. These values are reasonable considering that the activation energy for bulk self-diffusion is generally greater than that for boundary self-diffusion. By using the equation for grain-boundary sliding and the related data, the grain sizes are estimated.
Unit measure violations in pattern recognition: Ambiguity and irrelevancy

Abstract Features which are ambiguous or irrelevant for some samples contained in a data array are troublesome to all forms of multivariate analysis. Heretofore, feature redefinition and or excision of subsets of the data array have been the only recourse for the analyst. Those datasets for which these procedures have not been available have often been essentially intractable. In what follows we present a formal structuring of the problem of ambiguity and irrelevancy, both of which introduce non-Bayesian effects into the analytic procedure. A methodology is described for integrating this formalism into a wide variety of pattern recognition techniques.
Management of platinum-based chemotherapy-induced acute nausea and vomiting: is there a superior serotonin receptor antagonist?

Objective. The last decade has witnessed the great impact of 5-hydroxytryptamine-3 receptor (5-HT3) antagonists in revolutionizing the management of platinum-based chemotherapy–induced acute nausea and vomiting (CINV). However, despite the availability of a variety of 5-HT3 antagonists, little data is published to support superiority of one drug over another, leaving the choice of serotonin receptor antagonist largely empirical. The National Comprehensive Cancer Network and American Society of Clinical Oncology guidelines for management of chemotherapy-associated nausea and vomiting clearly endorse the use of serotonin receptor antagonist; however, no single agent is preferred over the rest.Methods. Data for patients (n¼159) receiving platinum-based chemotherapy regimens were retrospectively collected. Patients getting 5-HT3 antagonists without steroids or those with known history of brain metastasis, gastroparesis, and intestinal obstruction were not eligible for the study. Patient characteristics includ...
Role of depletion and surface‐induced structural forces in bidisperse suspensions

Depletion and structural interactions between dilute, large, nearly hard-sphere colloidal particles in a fluid dispersion containing much smaller nearly hard spheres were investigated as a function of small-particle concentration in sedimentation experiments. It shows that low concentrations of fine particles can destabilize larger particles due to the attractive depletion forces, while at higher concentrations of small particles, the surface-induced structural forces prevent large-size particles from approaching each other and thereby stabilize the large-particle suspension. A theoretical model based on the Ornstein–Zernike method was used to calculate the interparticle interactions in a bidis-persed colloidal system in which small particles are polydispersed. The theoretical re-sults explain the experimental observations.
Suppression of glycogen synthesis in the mosquito by a hormone from the medial neurosecretory cells.

Abstract In the female mosquito, removal of medial neurosecretory cells greatly increases the amount of glycogen and greatly diminishes the amount of fat deposited after a single meal of sugar. Implantation of medial neurosecretory cells restricts glycogen synthesis in the operated female to that in the unoperated control but does not restore the interrupted fat synthesis. These experiments indicate that glycogen synthesis is suppressed by a hormone from the medial neurosecretory cells.
Silicone oil induced glaucoma: a review.

Background Silicone oil has been an important adjunct for internal tamponade in the treatment of complicated retinal detachment for the past 4 decades. A known complication of its use has been the development of secondary glaucoma.
ANALYZING PERFORMANCE AUDIT REPORTS OF DESTINATION MANAGEMENT ORGANIZATIONS' ACTIONS AND OUTCOMES

The present article includes a case study that describes and analyzes three performance audit reports over a 3‐decade period for one U.S. State government's destination management organization's (DMO) actions and outcomes. This report extends prior studies (Woodside & Sakai 2001, 2003) that support two conclusions: (a) the available independent performance audits of DMOs' actions and outcomes indicate that frequently DMOs perform poorly and fail to meaningfully assess the impacts of their own actions, and (b) the audits themselves are shallow and often fail to provide information on DMOs' actions and outcomes relating to these organizations largest marketing expenditures. The article calls for embracing a strategy shift in designing program evaluations both by government departments responsible for managing destinations' tourism marketing programs and by all government auditing agencies in conducting future management performance audits. The article offers a “tourism performance audit template” as a tool ...
Reversal of microcephaly and developmental delay after cure of hyperinsulinemic hypoglycemia

ing has also been reported with normal cerebrospinal fluid opening pressure) Cranial nerve VI palsy may result from generalized increased intracranial pressure or localized pontine ischemia. In severe iron deficiency anemia, the neurologic abnormalities are probably also related to deficient iron in cytochrome enzymes and other metalloenzymes involved in oxygen metabolism, DNA synthesis, and catecholamine and steroid metabolism. 1,4'7 Our patient had papilledema as a result of increased intracranial pressure. Bilateral cranial nerve VI palsies were also most likely a result of increased intracranial pressure; this interpretation is supported by the bilaterality of these deficits, the associated headache, the elevated lumbar puncture opening pressure 5 days after admission, and the rapid reversal of neurologic abnormalities with treatment. The patient's syncopal episodes most likely resulted from postural hypotension in combination with inadequate blood oxygen content. Normal to elevated platelet counts often accompany iron deficiency anemia, although thrombocytopenia has also been reported. 8 Our patient's thrombocytopenia persisted until her fifth day of hospitalization, and then rapidly resolved. The role of iron in the regulation of thrombopoiesis is not well elucidated. On the basis of clinical observations and animal studies, Karpatkin et al. 9 postulated that a minimal amount of iron is necessary for platelet production, and that iron may also have a role in inhibiting excessive platelet production. The blood in our patient's stools during hospitalization likely resulted from nasal and gingival bleeding, and was possibly augmented by intestinal polyp bleeding. During hospitalization, her father's medical records were obtained and revealed that he had multiple intestinal polyps with malignant change. Hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia was also diagnosed. In this autosomal dominant multisystemic disease, chronic recurrent bleeding occurs despite normal platelet and Coagulation studies. Epistaxis is the most common initial symptom, followed by intestinal bleeding. 1~ The intestinal lesions are characteristically small nodular angiomas surrounded by a pale halo and located primarily in the stomach and duodenum, 1~ unlike the lesions seen in our patient. She therefore appears to have had both generalized polyposis and hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia.
The Sociology of Aging and the Aged

Men of my age flock together; we are birds of a feather, as the old proverb says; and at our meetings the tale of my acquaintance commonly is-I cannot eat, I cannot drink; the pleasures of youth and love are fled away: there was a good time once, but now that is gone, and life is no longer life. Some complain of the slights which are put upon them by relations, and they will tell you sadly of how many evils their old age is the cause.
Theoretical studies of C5 with first-order correlation orbitals and the coupled cluster method

Abstract The many-body perturbation theory and the coupled cluster method with first-order correlation orbitals are used to study the structure of the linear C5 molecule. Calculations produce the equilibrium geometry with the outer and inner bond lengths equal to 1.294 and 1.287 A, respectively. This corresponds to the equilibrium rotation constant, Be, of 0.08442 cm−1.
Quantum dynamics of Raman-coupled Bose-Einstein condensates using Laguerre-Gaussian beams

We investigate the quantum dynamics of Raman-coupled Bose-Einstein condensates driven by laser beams that carry orbital angular momentum. By adiabatically eliminating the excited atomic state we obtain an effective two-state Hamiltonian for the coupled condensates, and quantization of the matter-wave fields results in collapse and revivals in the quantum dynamics. We show that the revival period depends on whether the initial nonrotating condensate displays broken $\mathrm{U}(1)$ symmetry or not, and that the difference may be detected by measuring the motion of quantized vortices that are nested in the density profile of the Raman-coupled condensates. We further study the steady-state population transfer using a linear sweep of the two-photon detuning, by which the atomic population is coherently transferred from an initial nonrotating state to the final vortex state.
The peroxidase-catalyzed oxidation of tyrosine.

Abstract The horseradish peroxidase- and lactoperoxidase-(donor: H 2 O 2 oxidoreductase, EC 1.11.1.7) catalyzed oxidation of tyrosine has been studied. Kinetics of the oxidation catalyzed by these enzymes were followed both spectrophotometrically and fluorometrically. Oxidation of tyrosine by both enzymes has a pH optimum at 8.2. Most interesting was the finding that both enzymes demonstrate stereospecificity in the oxidative coupling reaction for tyrosine isomers. Lactoperoxidase couples the l -isomer more readily than the d -isomer, in contrast horseradish peroxidase oxidizes the d -isomer more readily. The apparent second order rate constants for lactoperoxidase catalyzed oxidation are 1.03·10 4 M −1 ·s −1 for l -tyrosine and 6.89·10 3 M −1 ·s −1 for d -tyrosine. The values for horseradish peroxidase are 7.53·10 2 M −1 ·s −1 for l -tyrosine and 1.55·10 3 M −1 ·s −1 for d -tyrosine. The products of these enzyme-catalyzed reactions were characterized by chromatographic, spectral and fluorimetric analysis. The product formed under the initial rate conditions was the tyrosine dimer linked in o , o -biphenyl linkage. Extensive oxidation results in the production of trityrosine, thyronine and insoluble yellow to brown colored products.
Static Type Inference for a First-Order Declarative Visual Programming Language with Inheritance

The early detection of type errors is a well-known benefit of static typing, but until recent years, this benefit usually has come at the cost of requiring the programmer to explicitly declare the type of every object in a program. Since many visual programming languages (VPLs), especially those VPLs intended for end users, are designed to eliminate such programming mechanisms, most VPLs have been implemented with dynamic typing, thereby sacrificing early type error feedback and other benefits of static typing. One potential solution for this dilemma is static type inference, but unfortunately, the types inferred under previous approaches have been notoriously difficult to understand, even for professional programmers. Compounding this problem is the fact that when support for inheritance is added to such type inference systems, explicit type declarations have re-emerged.In this paper, we present a model of types that supports static type inference for a declarative VPL that includes inheritance. Our model addresses the problems presented in the previous paragraph. We present the formal model of our type system, and show that the model is not only sound with respect to type safety, but that it also has sufficient power to support traditional and non-traditional forms of inheritance, and further that it requires the user to understand only a small vocabulary of types, a feature important in addressing the understandability problem in end-user VPLs.
Laterally-Coupled Distributed Feedback laser fabricated with electron beam lithography and chemically assisted ion beam etching

The fabrication and optical performance of Laterally-Coupled Distributed Feed-Back (LC-DFB) lasers were investigated. This device differs from a conventional DFB laser in that the grating does not extend inside the laser ridge, rather, gratings adjacent to a single ridge are used to couple to the fringing fields of the active region. This structure allows the entire laser epi-layer structure to be grown in asingle step thus eliminating any regrowth steps. A recent design with 1.5 mm cavity length and CAIBE-defined ridges and gratings resulted in pulsed single-mode operation up to 36 mW at 937 nm with as-cleaved facets. The light-current characteristic of this device demonstrated a threshold current of 15 mA and a sidemode suppression ratio of greater than 30 dB. The spectral temperature sensitivity was [email protected]?/^oC for this LC-DFB. Also a CW threshold current of 25 mA and an external quantum efficiency of 0.48 mW/mA per facet were measured for a 1 mm cavity length device with anti-reflection coated facets. Fabrication processes and optical characterization are discussed.
Alterations at the Ink4a locus in transplacentally induced murine lung tumors.

Abstract The malignant phenotype results from multiple genetic alterations, including the activation of oncogenes and inactivation of tumor suppressor genes. Activation of the Ki- ras oncogene has been implicated as an early event in the pathogenesis of lung adenocarcinomas in humans and experimental animal models. Previous studies from this laboratory have shown that, following treatment of pregnant [D2×B6D2F 1 ]F 2 or Balb/c mice with the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, 3-methylcholanthrene (MC), lung tumors from the transplacentally exposed offspring exhibited a high incidence of mutations in the Ki- ras gene. The role of genetic alterations at other oncogenic or tumor suppressor loci that can mediate lung tumor initiation and/or progression have not been well characterized in either human or murine models. Using the transplacental carcinogenesis model, which results in the induction of both lung and liver tumors following in utero exposure to MC, the results of this and our previous studies show that alterations in the Ink4a locus occur in only 15 and 27% of the lung and liver tumors, respectively. Preliminary data also suggests that the type of mutation induced in the Ki- ras gene following the initial exposure to MC may influence lung tumor progression. These results imply that damage to the Ink4a gene is not a frequent pathway to malignant progression in mouse lung and liver tumors following in utero exposure to environmental carcinogens.
VEMAP vs VINCERA: A DGVM sensitivity to differences in climate scenarios

article i nfo Article history: The MC1 DGVM has been used in two international model comparison projects, VEMAP (Vegetation Ecosystem Modeling and Analysis Project) and VINCERA (Vulnerability and Impacts of North American forests to Climate Change: Ecosystem Responses and Adaptation). The latest version of MC1 was run on both VINCERA and VEMAP climate and soil input data to document how a change in the inputs can affect model outcome. We compared simulation results under the two sets of future climate scenarios and reported on how the different inputs can affect vegetation distribution and carbon budget projections. Under all future scenarios, the interior West becomes woodier as warmer temperatures and available moisture allow trees to get established in grasslands areas. Concurrently, warmer and drier weather causes the eastern deciduous and mixed forests to shift to a more open canopy woodland or savanna type while boreal forests disappear almost entirely from the Great Lakes area by the end of the 21st century. While under VEMAP scenarios the model simulated large increases in carbon storage in a future woodier West, the drier VINCERA scenarios accounted for large carbon losses in the east and only moderate gains in the West. But under all future climate scenarios, the total area burned by wildfires increased especially in C4 grasslands under all scenarios and in dry woodlands under VINCERA scenarios. The model simulated non-agricultural lands in the conterminous United States as a source of carbon in the 21st century under the VINCERA future climate scenarios but not VEMAP. However, the magnitude of this carbon source to the atmosphere could be greatly reduced if the CO2 growth enhancement factor built in the model was enhanced but evidence that all mature forests across the entire country will respond positively to increased atmospheric CO2 is still lacking.
The moderation of an early intervention program for anxiety and depression by specific psychological symptoms

The current study examined the influence of a number of psychological factors on the effectiveness of an early intervention program targeting anxiety and depression in a non-clinical sample of college students. The early intervention program comprised elements of the cognitive-behavioral analysis system of psychotherapy (McCullough, 2000) delivered in a 2-hour computer-based educational program. Participants completed measures of depression, anxiety, and general distress prior to the intervention program and then again 8 weeks later. Additionally, participants were assessed for past major depression, sleep related difficulties, a number of anxiety disorders, and suicide ideation. Moderation of the effectiveness of the early intervention program by these factors depended on the dependent variable of interest, specifically: the effectiveness of the intervention program on symptoms of depression was moderated by insomnia; symptoms of anxiety by past post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and specific phobia as well as sleep problems related to nightmares; and symptoms of general negative affect by social phobia and suicide ideation. Implications are discussed.
The Unique Region of Surrogate Light Chain Component λ5 Is a Heavy Chain-Specific Regulator of Precursor B Cell Receptor Signaling

Signals transduced by precursor-BCRs (pre-BCRs) composed of Ig μ heavy chains (HCs) and the surrogate L chain components λ5 and VpreB are critical for B cell development. A conserved unique region (UR) of λ5 was shown to activate pre-BCR complexes in transformed cells and to engage putative ligands, but its contribution to pre-B cell development is not known. It is also not clear why the λ-like sequences in λ5 are used to select HCs that will associate mainly with κ L chains. In this study, we show that, in transformed and primary mouse B cell progenitors, receptors containing full-length HCs and lacking the λ5UR were expressed at higher surface levels, but exhibited reduced activity compared with normal pre-BCRs in supporting developmental changes that accompany the progenitor to pre-B cell transition in primary cell culture systems and in the bone marrow in vivo. In contrast, deletion of the λ5UR did not change net signaling output by the Dμ-pre-BCR, a developmentally defective receptor that exhibited impaired activity in the primary cell culture system. Moreover, the λ-like sequences in λ5 were more accommodating than κ in supporting surface expression and signaling by the different HCs. These results show that the λ5UR is important, although not essential, for surrogate L chain-dependent receptor signaling in primary cells, and furthermore may help allow discrimination of signaling competency between normal and Dμ-pre-BCRs. That the λ-like portion of λ5 in the absence of the UR was nondiscriminatory suggests that the λ5UR focuses pre-BCR-dependent selection on the HC V region.
Pursuit Controller Performance Guarantees for a Lifeline Pursuit-Evasion Game over a Wireless Sensor Network

Pursuit-evasion games have been studied as a generalization of many control problems, and have been also used to study the viability of running control algorithms over sensor networks. We provide a method for computing performance bounds on a sample pursuit-evasion game, the Classic Lifeline Game described by Rufus Isaacs. Given a routing topology and pairwise link probabilities, we compute an n-hop disk model abstraction of a sensor network to model delay and lost packets. Using this model, we then compute a probabilistic barrier that splits the state space of the game into an escape zone and a capture zone. This barrier and the corresponding optimal control laws are the solution to the game. The position of the barrier in the state space provides a sense of how well such a control application can perform over a sensor network.
Management-oriented modeling: optimizing nitrogen management with artificial intelligence.

Abstract Increasing nitrate levels in groundwater have been attributed to inappropriate nitrogen (N) management. The application rates, timing, and methods of both N fertilization and irrigation are important management tools that determine and control the fate and behavior of N in soil–plant systems. For example, multiple applications with small amounts of fertilizer (e.g. split application) usually enhance plant uptake and reduce potential nitrate leaching, although increasing costs. Precision N management requires that the models evaluate so many alternatives that traditional N models are challenged beyond their intended use. The objective of this study was to construct and test a model that searches for optimal N management to: (1) minimize nitrate leaching; (2) maximize production; and (3) maximize profits. Management-oriented modeling (MOM), a dynamic simulation modeling with artificial intelligence optimization techniques, was developed for these purposes. MOM consists of a generator that generates a set of plausible management alternatives, a simulator that evaluates each alternative, and an evaluator that determines which alternative meets the user-weighted multiple criteria. MOM uses ‘hill-climbing’ as a strategic search method that uses ‘best-first’ as a tactical search method to find the shortest path from start nodes to goals. In a maize production scenario, MOM found an optimal management solution that would have increased the profit from $570 to $935 ha−1 and reduced the nitrate leaching from 36 to 7 kg N ha−1. Goal-driven simulation of MOM offers new opportunities to balance N and irrigation water management while meeting multiple objectives.
Spatiotemporal linear mixed effects modeling for the mass-univariate analysis of longitudinal neuroimage data

We present an extension of the Linear Mixed Effects (LME) modeling approach to be applied to the mass-univariate analysis of longitudinal neuroimaging (LNI) data. The proposed method, called spatiotemporal LME or ST-LME, builds on the flexible LME framework and exploits the spatial structure in image data. We instantiated ST-LME for the analysis of cortical surface measurements (e.g. thickness) computed by FreeSurfer, a widely-used brain Magnetic Resonance Image (MRI) analysis software package. We validate the proposed ST-LME method and provide a quantitative and objective empirical comparison with two popular alternative methods, using two brain MRI datasets obtained from the Alzheimer's disease neuroimaging initiative (ADNI) and Open Access Series of Imaging Studies (OASIS). Our experiments revealed that ST-LME offers a dramatic gain in statistical power and repeatability of findings, while providing good control of the false positive rate.
Supervisory fuzzy adaptive control of a binary distillation column

Distillation column is widely used in the chemical industry for separation and has been studied extensively for improvements in composition control by using multivariable control strategies. The availability of process computers with higher processing power at a lower price has led to greater interests in the application of advanced control techniques. Almost all of the advanced control techniques rely on an accurate model of the process to be controlled. If an accurate process model is not available, then satisfactory control cannot be achieved. Here we present a new fuzzy adaptive technique to adapt the feedforward model and decoupling model in a binary distillation column in order to reject the feedflow disturbances affecting the distillate composition. >
Toward an integrated knowledge discovery and data mining process model

The knowledge discovery and data mining (KDDM) process models describe the various phases (e.g. business understanding, data understanding, data preparation, modeling, evaluation and deployment) of the KDDM process. They act as a roadmap for implementation of the KDDM process by presenting a list of tasks for executing the various phases. The checklist approach of describing the tasks is not adequately supported by appropriate tools, which specify ‘how’ the particular task can be implemented. This may result in tasks not being implemented. Another disadvantage is that the long checklist does not capture or leverage the dependencies that exist among the various tasks of the same and different phases. This not only makes the process cumbersome to implement, but also hinders possibilities for semi-automation of certain tasks. Given that each task in the process model serves an important goal and even affects the execution of related tasks due to the dependencies, these limitations are likely to negatively affect the efficiency and effectiveness of KDDM projects. This paper proposes an improved KDDM process model that overcomes these shortcomings by prescribing tools for supporting each task as well as identifying and leveraging dependencies among tasks for semi-automation of tasks, wherever possible.
An insular view of anxiety.

We propose a general hypothesis that integrates affective and cognitive processing with neuroanatomy to explain anxiety pronenes. The premise is that individuals who are prone to anxiety show an altered interoceptive prediction signal, i.e., manifest augmented detection of the difference between the observed and expected body state. As a consequence, the increased prediction signal of a prospective aversive body state triggers an increase in anxious affect, worrisome thoughts and other avoidance behaviors. The anterior insula is proposed to play a key role in this process. Further testing of this model—which should include investigation of genetic and environmental influences—may lead to the development of novel treatments that attenuate this altered interoceptive prediction signal in patients with anxiety disorders.
Parties at the Bar: Equal Protection, Freedom of Association, and the Rights of Political Organizations

1 he proper role of the judiciary is one of the great, enduring issues of American politics. This question agitated the first generation to govern under the Constitution, with the sharpest criticism coming from those of the Jeffersonian-Madisonian faith. The Jacksonians, too, had problems with judges, as did antislavery forces on the eve of the Civil War. Later, the visceral attacks by populists on the judiciary helped to pave the way for the more intellectually respectable assaults of the Progressives. More recently, scholars and activists have renewed this ancient battle, and on familiar grounds: how to reconcile democratic principles with the policymaking role of appointed judges whose terms of office are lifelong? That judges, in exercising the power of judicial review, are making public policy on a grand scale is obvious; one cannot read a good newspaper without daily encountering examples of judges functioning as legislators and, increasingly, as executives and administrators as well. It is much too late to doubt the constitutionality of that power of judicial review, but the questions of its suitability for public policymaking and its compatibility with democratic principles cannot be so easily dismissed.' My objective here is not to join this debate generally, but to look closely
Evaluating Health Screening Procedures

The various objectives and means used in screening populations for disease conditions are briefly presented. Detailed consideration is given to the evaluation of screening done primarily to improve the health status of the screened community. Alternative numerical methods of measuring health benefits are given. The many variables that are subject to control by authorities directing the screening program are listed. A model is formulated for determining the optimum level at which the result of a test should be considered as positive resulting in recall of the screened person for further diagnostic study. The proposed model is compared with other evaluation methods in use. Data from a diabetes survey are used as an example. The optimum level for screening is shown to depend not only on the biological characteristics of the test, but also on 1 the relative health value to the screened community of true and false positives and negatives, and 2 the prevalence of the disease condition in the population screened.
Two Paths Diverged Examining the Antecedents to Social Entrepreneurship

This research examines the antecedents that motivate and prepare social entrepreneurs to begin social ventures. Drawing from in-depth interviews with 20 social entrepreneurs, this research reveals that there are two paths to social entrepreneurship: the activist path and the business path. Both activist and business social entrepreneurs were motivated by a family legacy or a transformative early adulthood experience as the moral basis for forming a social venture, and both suggested that prior work experience was instrumental in helping them launch their social venture. However, activist social entrepreneurs were likely to form their social venture as a continuation of their ongoing work on a social issue. In contrast, business social entrepreneurs’ first activity on a social issue was to form a social venture. This research suggests that these two different paths to social entrepreneurship result in different types of social ventures.
Imaging Cardiac Arrhythmias

An imaging modality that combines electrocardiography and computed tomography identifies the origins of ventricular tachycardias (Wang et al., this issue).
Electrochemical biosensor featuring a two-enzyme pathway and DNA for screening toxic reactive metabolites of arylamines

We demonstrate for the first time a biosensor featuring a sequential two-enzyme pathway suitable to screen potentially toxic reactive metabolites generated during metabolism.
The Affordances of Social Networking Sites for Relational Maintenance in a Distrustful Society: The Case of Azerbaijan

The Internet and social media afford opportunities for relational maintenance, but most scholarship has focused on relational maintenance in high-trust environments. This study explores relational maintenance online and offline in a distrustful society. In distrustful societies, trust is situated within one’s particularized kin network, and friendships have strategic significance and are characterized by norms of reciprocity. In distrustful societies, relational maintenance behaviors are different from trustful societies and take on greater significance. This preliminary study, based on informant interviews in Azerbaijan, examines both offline relational maintenance and the affordances of social networking sites (SNSs) for relational maintenance in such an environment. SNSs do provide for some relational maintenance behaviors through supplementing offline behaviors at a low cost and give some additional benefits like status display, yet SNSs do not replace traditional relational maintenance behaviors in A...
Is a Contextualized Hermeneutic the Future of Pentecostal Readings

This article explores the implications of the community’s identity in the pentecostal hermeneutical methodology of Spirit-Word-Community. By drawing from the insights of pentecostal, postcolonial, and Latino scholars, I seek to demonstrate that the pentecostal community’s identity cannot be neglected in the construction of meaning. A more robust pentecostal hermeneutical methodology that affirms the role of the community must recognize its contextual identity and not ground it in a transcendent or universal understanding of what it means to be a Pentecostal. This article will draw out the implications of reading Scripture by analyzing the identity of a Chicano and Latino community and its role within a pentecostal hermeneutic.
Application of the Koutecký-Levich Method to the Analysis of Steady State Voltammograms with Ultramicroelectrodes

We demonstrate a new experimental approach to measure heterogeneous electron transfer rates. We adapted the classical Koutecký-Levich model for a rotating disk electrode (RDE) to a general heterogeneous electrochemical kinetic study with ultramicroelectrodes (UMEs) even for fast redox systems, where different sizes of UMEs are used to modulate the mass transfer rate (m). Subsequently, a linear plot of (1/current density) vs 1/m at different potentials can be created from the obtained steady state voltammograms, which is analogous to the traditional Koutecký-Levich plot. A simple numerical treatment with a slope and y-intercept from a linear plot allows for extracting kinetic parameters. A unifying treatment is presented for the steady state quasi-reversible, irreversible, and reversible voltammograms for a simple electron transfer reaction at UMEs. This new experimental approach with submicrometer to ∼micrometer sized UMEs exceeds the mass transfer rates achieved by conventional electrochemical methods us...
A Novel Solution For Addressing Network Firewall Issues In Remote Laboratory Development

The increased use of remote laboratories for online education has made network security issues ever more critical. To defend against numerous new types of potential attacks, the complexity of network firewalls has been significantly increased. Consequently, the network firewall will inevitably limit the real time remote experimental data transmission. To solve the issue of traversing network firewalls, we designed and implemented a novel real-time experimental data transmission solution which includes two parts, real-time experiment control data transmission and real-time experiment video streaming transmission, for remote laboratory development. To implement real-time experiment control data transmission, a new web server software architecture was designed and developed to allow the traversing of network firewalls. With this new software architecture, the public network port 80 can be shared between Node.js, which is a stable server-side software engine to support real-time communication web applications, and the Apache web server software system. With this new approach, the Apache web server application still listens to the public network port 80, but any client requests for the Node.js web server application through the port will be forwarded to a special network port which Node.js web server application is listening to. Accordingly, a new solution in which both Apache and Node.js web server applications work together via HTTP proxy developed by the Node-HTTP-Proxy software package is implemented on the server-side. With this new real time experiment control and data transmission solution, the end user can control remote experiments and view experimental data on the web browser without firewall issues and without the need of third party plug-ins. It also provides a new approach for the remote experiment control and real time data transmission based on pure HTTP protocol. To implement real-time experiment video transmission part, we developed a complete novel solution via HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) protocol and FFMPEG that is a powerful cross-platform command line video trans-code/encoding software package on the server side. In this paper, a novel, real-time video streaming transmission approach based on HLS for the remote laboratory development is presented. With this new solution, the terminal users can view the real-time experiment live video streaming on any portable device without any firewall issues or the need for a third party plug-in. We have successfully implemented this novel real-time experiment data transmission solution in the remote SVP experiment and remote SMA experiment development. End users can now conduct the SVP and SMA remote experiment and view the experiment data and video in real time through web browsers anywhere that has internet connection without any third party plug-in. Consequently, this novel real-time experiment data transmission solution gives the unified framework significant improvements.
Renovascular and renoprotective properties of telmisartan: clinical utility

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) affects approximately 26 million adults in the United States and millions of others are at increased risk. Type 2 diabetes and hypertension are the two main causes of CKD. Blood pressure control is critical to slow the progression of CKD. Despite adequate control, however, patients continue to progress to end-stage renal disease. Angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) are commonly used in the management of hypertension and CKD and have been shown to exert renoprotective effects that are in addition to, but independent of, blood pressure lowering. Telmisartan is a long-acting ARB with pharmacological properties beyond blockade of the angiotensin II type 1 receptor, including activation of the peroxisome proliferator activated receptor-γ (PPAR-γ). This article reviews the beneficial renal and vascular protective effects of telmisartan.
Evoked Sets: A Dynamic Process Model

During the last several years, researchers have shown renewed interest in how consumers form and choose from evoked sets. This paper extends the Narayana and Markin (1975) model of evoked sets with antecedent and post-choice processes associated with evoked set formation. Two concepts are central to the extended process model: that consumers undertake a two-step decision making process, in contrast to the traditional view - which supports a one-step decision making process, and that evoked set composition is likely to change over time. This model demonstrates that a consumer makes an initial decision to form an evoked set and a subsequent decision to choose from within the evoked set. The extended process model also adopts a longitudinal perspective that incorporates findings from satisfaction research.